If life were fair, Dan Quayle would be making a living asking ‘Do you want fries with that?’
– John Cleese
– John Cleese
And come November 8th, he’d have Joe Lieberman and a whole bunch of unemployed Republicans working next to him…
And come November 8th, he’d have Joe Lieberman and a whole bunch of unemployed Republicans working next to him…
continues falling in on the Republicans: NYT
Best quote from the article:
Go read the whole thing. It’ll warm the cockles of your heart to know how the cornered Ratpublicans are turning on each other with more than 2 weeks left to go before election day.
Not to worry….keep calm. Cheney tells TIME, we… “GOP will maintain control of both houses.”. Well, here’s hoping on November 10 he’ll also concede on his being premature, not just on Iraq..
Jesus h. christ: House committee dismisses bulk of investigative division.
Leaving only 16 full-time investigators. What better way to hide the continued looting of the US Treasury by BushCo?
campaign: AP/Yahoo
Did they forget that they’re the ones responsible for Osama still being on the loose?
Will it feature “a bear in the woods?” or Wolves?
Idea: The Democrats should make an ad with vultures circling capitol hill, LOL!
From the women at Feministing:
These anti-choice freaks will stop at nothing. But you already knew that.
A team led by scientists at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering has demonstrated the first working “invisibility cloak.” The cloak deflects microwave beams so they flow around a “hidden” object inside with little distortion, making it appear almost as if nothing were there at all. Cloaks that render objects essentially invisible to microwaves could have a variety of wireless communications or radar applications, according to the researchers.
A University of Washington geologist wants to disabuse us of some mistaken notions: He says we’ll never run out of oil (it will just become more expensive). And oil production related accidents will always be with us, like traffic accidents. And oil industry profits are not obscene compared to the banking or software industries. His name, ironically enough (or not), is Eric Cheney.
A class of especially hardy microbes that live in some of the harshest Earthly environments could flourish on cold Mars and other chilly planets, according to a research team of astronomers and microbiologists. In a two-year laboratory study, the researchers discovered that some cold-adapted microorganisms not only survived but reproduced at 30 degrees Fahrenheit, just below the freezing point of water. And the first organisms ever found to exist completely independent of the sun, discovered two miles down in a South African gold mine, are also models for potential alien life (they depend on uranium!).
A compound in strawberries has been found to be a natural memory-enhancer. However, before you head to the grocer, be warned you’d have to eat 10 pounds a day to see clinically measurable results.
Climate Change Update:
Recent episodes of deadly heat in the United States and Europe, long dry spells across the U.S. West, and heavy bursts of rain and snow across much of North America and Eurasia hint at longer-term climate changes to come, according to a new study based on several of the world’s most advanced climate models. And the water supply for millions of the world’s poor is in jeopardy, which will create a flood of refugees.
NASA climate change expert James Hansen’s latest bad news is now available free on line, and what he has to say isn’t pretty.
Canadian conservatives have proposed a Clean Air Act that will cut greenhouse gas emissions in half, but not until 2050. And our friend Catnip is underwhelmed.
Aurora alert: “A solar wind stream is heading for Earth and it could cause a geomagnetic storm when it arrives on Oct 20th. Sky watchers, be alert for auroras.”
Has the solar material hit our atmosphere yet? If you want to know, you can check the Real-time Magnetosphere Simulation site. Click on the “latest image” link and check for high values in the “pressure” picture of the earth’s magnetosphere. If the pressure from solar ejections is high, the pic will show lots of red and white. Also, the graph of plasma temperature below it will show spikes. (The answer is, yes, the solar ejecta have reached our atmosphere and you will see all of these characteristics right now.) If you really want to get an idea of the dynamics of the earth’s magnetoshpere, you can click on the “movie archive” link on the main page and download some seriously cool daily movies of the simulation.
If you are REALLY a sun junkie, you can check out the SOHO/LASCO satellite site and view photos and movies of the sun in many different wavelengths. They’re way cool, imo.
Invisibility Cloak:
A team led by scientists at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering has demonstrated the first working “invisibility cloak.” Cloaks that render objects essentially invisible… …could have a variety of wireless communications or radar applications, according to the researchers.
Insider reveals true purpose of the research: We’ve been looking for a simple way to tell Bush what to say when he speaks, that we can use anywhere. This is it!.
Oil story details corrected:
A University of Washington geologist wants to disabuse us of some mistaken notions: He says we’ll never run out of oil.
Correction: We’ll never run out of snake oil
(Oil) will just become more expensive… oil profits are not obscene compared to banking. . .
See comments below on new government pricing policies for private contractors.
His name… …is Eric Cheney.
Cheney, eh? Hmmn. Didn’t UWash. get one of those cloning grants that Bush wouldn’t talk about?
Note about costs/pricing standards: New pricing benchmarks announced for all government contracts. Private sector suppliers may now specify profits by either of two standards:
Any profit percentages below these values will be deemed as “cost-effective”, as they have been approved by the U.S. Congress, and will be awarded a special “non-competitive bid” marker for future use.
Host site for aliens!
The first organisms ever found to exist completely independent of the sun, discovered two miles down in a South African gold mine, are also models for potential alien life (they depend on uranium!).
Cheney has been located in another of his underground “safe sites”!
Strawberries.
A compound in strawberries has been found to be a natural memory-enhancer.
In other news, Whitehouse orders for strawberries have risen 100% over previous years
Climate Change Story Updated:
Recent episodes of deadly heat in the United States and Europe, long dry spells across the U.S. West, and heavy bursts of rain and snow across much of North America and Eurasia hint at longer-term climate changes to come, according to a new study based on several of the world’s most advanced climate models. And the water supply for millions of the world’s poor is in jeopardy, which will create a flood of refugees.
MinuteMen have shifted their attention away from the southern border, and taken up positions in grocery stores, restaurants, public parks, and other public buildings, demanding proof of U.S. Citizenship before individuals can purchase or drink the water. Protective action around lakes, rivers, creeks, ponds, and mud puddles are in the early planning stages.
NASA News revealed
NASA climate change expert James Hansen’s latest bad news is now available free on line, and what he has to say isn’t pretty.
White house congratulates NASA web site managers for presenting unpleasant information in ugly and unreadable fashion.
Heh, another great quote, CG!
Thanks, b2.
52 year-olds called up to serve. Yea, we’re stretched. Go read Billmon finds there was a catch.
Guys and Gals, you’ll be called up if you’re not in debt.
Meanwhile, Operation Together Forward declared a failure: but vice royal Cheney insists how `remarkably well things are going in Iraq’ countered by an understatement, as US Major Gen Caldwell says “our major operation to pacify Baghdad has not met expectation.” A disheartening 22% rise in attacks since last month.
and Snow parrots Alice, The Looking Glass War
Patrick Cockburn writes, “Iraq hospitals are dangerous places- a battleground in the bloody civil war”
Australia drought sparks suicides.
Coming not just to a theater near you:
On Wednesday we added to the Empire a new Colony by Bush’s executive decree:
‘The most crucial feature of this policy is that it “rejects future arms-control agreements that might limit US flexibility in space and asserts a right to deny access to space to anyone ‘hostile to US interests’.”
“The United States will preserve its rights, capabilities and freedom of action in space … and deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to US national interests.”
So, returning soldiers would be “smart” to rack up debts they can’t pay so they don’t have to go back to Iraq? What a travesty.
Indeed.
But this war was never intended with any care about our troops. They’re spent bullets. Never mind, that
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine General Peter Pace vows “Rumsfeld is inspired by God.”
God’s conversation with Rummy must have been interrupted
For me personally, this is infuriating:
OK, begin rant:
So it’s just “marketing.” Cute. (Given who is boss is–not “was” since Ney is still on the payroll…and who still believes that rethugs don’t like their government checks–I’d expect his dignity to be for sale to the highest bidder) Basically, it’s We hate gays & lesbians, but you’re OK.
That should NOT be OK. One has to be a complete masochist to put up with this behavior, but I guess a fat future lobbying gig is enough payment for the assault on their dignity.
There are people who want to live the truth and just go to work, raise their families and be part of their communities, but they’re getting their asses kicked everyday by the likes of their bosses. They don’t get to be protected because they work for a Member of Congress. The rules are different for them. I suppose they’re not like those “other” lesbians and gays.
This doesn’t come as a surprise to me, but it’s just breathtaking to see it in print. And it’s just confirmation that they are just as selfish and greedy and shameless as their worthless ass bosses.
Maybe I’m being presumptuous, since I’m not a lesbian and not a part of the community, but this shit pisses me off. If there’s a backlash against them, then tough: There are people who catch hell every day in part because of the dishonesty.
/rant.
It is disgusting. “We’ll ignore your sexuality and you can work for me, until it’s no longer politically expedient for either of us.” The hell with even the most basic personal integrity.
It continues to defy logic why any gay person would even consider being a rethuglican-I know one gay person who is a dyed in the wool(whatever that means anyway)Fox watching rethug-I don’t get it at all.
YOu’d have to be completely self-loathing to be a gay Republican, IMO.
WaPo, via MSNBC:
Well, maybe the GOP is starting to make plans for a Dem-controlled Congress after all…now they’ll have someone to blame for when they finally have to “cut and run” from the disaster they created in Iraq.
Oh, I have no illusions that this isn’t political skullduggery in some way or another. But being aware of that, and expecting them to use it as such is separate from a slight tinge of optimism that maybe we are finally applying a strategic tourniquet to this stream of unnecessary and violent loss of life.
But of course, they’ll wait ’til after the election to discuss this.