Is this AY?

NYE

Just a little FYI

P-fizzle will like this

[original for 3 more pictures]

Best. Christmas Story. Ever.

Here's the opening line of this Chattanooga, Tennessee news report: "A drunk four-year-old is accused of stealing Christmas presents from his neighbors." Just watch.



Question: funny or sad?

Man Bites Dog

The top fifty headlines of the year is a pretty great list. Numbers seven and fifteen are personal favorites.

#1 on Paddy's Christmas List

The shirt, not the woman.

FairTrade sucks

I always had a hunch. Remember kids--greed is good.

On Friendship

A lengthy article in The Chronicle traces the history of "friendship" and examines its contemporary, online forms. It crystallizes a lot of what I've been thinking about regarding Facebook and the like.

If you were my friends, you'd each take twenty minutes to go read it.

The Old Folks' Home

Not a single one of these old fogies is looking in the same direction. It just makes them look like lost and senile. Not very reassuring.

Millions Dead

Yes, millions of potential children went down the drain at the University of Michigan before this policy went into effect.

If Creighton had had this policy, we would have never seen Adam in public.

In case you need it...

THE OCOTOBONG

[from the most frat-tastic website ever]

Starfish Freak Me Out

Here is why

Evolution of the Hipster

Screwing the Chinese

From SNL (just watch the intro sketch)

As if the name isn't cool enough

Killer whales kill. That's what they do. But did you know they kill FUCKING SHARKS!? And they don't do this with their massive jaws or razor-sharp teeth. They kill using FUCKING KARATE!!

Killer whales ain't nuttin' to fuck wit.

Not the Best Set Design

Click here for a picture of Vladamir Putin on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" I would have just posted the picture, but didn't want to infringe on copyrights or anything.

A Certain Ornithological Piece

What do gay horses eat?

I don't remember, but apparently there really are gay horses. And gay giraffes, sheep, dolphins, pigs, birds... some 450 species exhibit gay behavior. This article in Seed details some theories why. It also contains the following paragraph.

Giraffes have all-male orgies. So do bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, gray whales, and West Indian manatees. Japanese macaques, on the other hand, are ardent lesbians; the females enthusiastically mount each other. Bonobos, one of our closest primate relatives, are similar, except that their lesbian sexual encounters occur every two hours. Male bonobos engage in “penis fencing,” which leads, surprisingly enough, to ejaculation. They also give each other genital massages.

Yeah, you're gonna go read that right now, aren't you.

Really?

Who does the electric slide to the Black Eyed Peas? Shameful. (But check out the hottie in green.)

This was almost predictable

Gates Foundation to build $500 million complex

Note the inclusion of an 11,000 square-foot Gates shrine. Some good criticism coming from the Wall Street Journal.

R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-Remix!!

Busta-Bust brings the heat on the remix. Yip yip yip yip yip yip!

Area codes in which Ludacris claims to have hoes

[Original]

31-17

'Til next year...

A Different Kind of Hate

Kansas is Windows Mobile in this schema.

[source]

Suh will eat Reesing

Todd Reesing is undersized and the clock just rung midnight on his Cinderella story.

Boom. Roasted.

Mangino's fat.

Boom. Roasted.

KU lost to Colorado.

Boom. Roasted.

KU lost to Kansas State.

Boom. Roasted.

KU's basketball team has more fight in them than KU's defense.

Boom. Roasted.

All I want to know is...

...is there going to be a Hate Week during basketball season?

Suh[ck]

Why is it that Nebraska fans can only talk trash by bringing up Ndama...Ndamuk...oh, what the fuck!...that Suh guy? I mean, do you have anyone else on the team? I know you don't have a quarterback, but you must at least have a receiver, tight end, or something.

New "Hate" rule: Try not to make your desperation so obvious by talking about your has-been Heisman candidate so much.

"House of spears"? More like "House of Tears" after this weekend!

Bam. Nailed it, bitches!

Unrelated to Hate Week 2.0

But hilarious:

Jealous?

Hawkigami

Ndamukong Vick?

The big man said this about Kansas's struggles in advance of the Nebraska game:

You definitely want to go in there and keep kicking the dog. You want to keep kicking it and keep moving forward. Run it over and go to the next one.

It probably sucks to be Ndamukong Suh's dog. But it's still better than being in Kansas.

Movies on the TV on the Radio on the Internet

Somebody made a cool mix from various iconic movie and TV lines. It's pretty amazing, actually.



Remember in the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy says, "We're not in Kansas anymore!" Girl was never happier.

Need I Say More?

What's the Matter with Kansas?

Kansas sucks so much Thomas Frank - a guy who grew up there - wrote a book about everything wrong with the state. Now they've gone and made a documentary based on his book.

They don't say anything about Kansas's awful football team. I assume that's coming in the sequel.

Hate Week 2.0

It's that time of year again - the time when the three Nebraska bred Husker fans on the Brolatollahs roster turn their attention southward, toward our pair of KU-employed co-bloggers. It's Rock Chalk versus Big Red. It's Hate Week.

This year, the Official Mascot of Brolatollahs Hate Week is.... Todd Reesing, American Hero.



Godspeed, you noble warrior. Although I suspect no amount of old glory bedecked manscaping will protect The Todd from Ndamukong Suh.

The Hate Week Rules
1. Hate Week runs from now through Sunday, November 15. On that day, hatred ceases for the following fifty-one weeks.
2. Every post made during Hate Week must include hate. Hatred may take many forms, but it should always be directed at the proper opponent. This is not a week for self-loathing.
3. Academic honesty and integrity are expected at all times.

Stay tuned. This should be fun. Go Big Red!

Shut Down the Internet

because the craziest video ever uploaded to YouTube has finally emerged. Just watch:



Yes, that's Ron Artest, starting swingman for the Lakers (and yes, that Ron Artest), busting off a slow jam for women in Afghanistan who've been abused by their fundamentalist husbands. Just... wow.

RonRon was crazy before Lil Wayne made it hot.

Playground Antics

Here's a story from CNN. Is there any question at all that this was intentional? I mean, really, what are the odds that this is coincidence? Also, is this funny or inappropriate?

Did Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger mean to hide a message in this note?
Did Schwarzenegger say f**k you to legislature?
Posted: October 28th, 2009 05:20 PM ET



(CNN) - Was Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's message to state lawmakers unhappy - or obscene?

That's the current debate in California after the governor sent a letter directed to "Members of the California State Assembly" that appeared to have a subtle but pointed message hidden within the text.

The seven-line note in which the California Republican blasts the legislature for not advancing his administration's proposals on a host of issues appears innocuous enough at first glance.

But upon closer examination, the first letter of every line collectively spells 'f**k you'.

A spokesman for Schwarzenegger said the governor had no intent of hiding the message within his note, calling it a mere "coincidence."

–CNN's Carey Bodenheimer contributed to this story.


(To be fair and balanced, here's a funny video from Arnold's early days (thanks, Greg). No secret message can make you not sound dumb there.)

A story from CNN:

"Senate set to vote on hate crimes bill
Posted: October 22nd, 2009 12:13 PM ET

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The fight over gay rights is taking center stage once again as the U.S. Senate prepares to vote as early as Thursday on groundbreaking legislation expanding the scope of federal hate-crimes law.

The measure, added to a $680 billion defense authorization bill, would make it a federal crime to assault an individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. The House has already passed the measure. It will go to President Barack Obama's desk if, as expected, it clears the Senate.

President George W. Bush had threatened to veto a similar measure; Obama has promised to sign it.

The bill is named for Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming teenager who died after being kidnapped and severely beaten in October 1998."

Okay, so I completely support this legislation--I think it's great. But, at the same time, this does illustrate a problem I've had for some time with federal legislation: Why the hell is this hate crimes bill attached to a defense authorization bill? Really, why can't the House and Senate just vote on one issue at a time? I think this is part of the problem when it comes to debating issues because no one really knows what the bill includes, or what random additions may be added. If we want to vote on hate crimes legislation, can't we just have a bill about it? Then, when the defense spending bill comes up, we can vote on that one too.

This is the way we did it in student council after all!

But, seriously, I think this is political tactic used to shield politicians from ever having to fully account for their votes. Thoughts?

Vaccine Mania

If the H1N1 doesn't kill me, I think the media hype surrounding it might. As always, Jon Stewart sums it up nicely (plus there a good interview about an Ayn Rand biography coming out soon):

"Moscow will blast clouds from the sky this winter to save money on snow removal"

Awesome!

"No one dies; everyone gets laid."

I heart Steven Colbert.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Better Know a Lobby - Health Care for America Now
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Michael Moore

The Fun Theory

The researchers I worked with at MIT had been working on a project to get more people to use the stairs coming out of the subways. At the time I was working with them they were trying to develop health messages to put on signs near the escalators (to guilt people into using the stairs). I'm not sure what eventually happened to that project, but this makes way more sense. I mean really, what do they know at MIT?

My only question is--how long until the novelty wears off? Once it loses that, then I think you're back at square one. Here is the link to the website which has a couple other ideas/videos.

Genius

http://theindex.puma.com/

I Guess Perspective Means Everything

See if you can pick out the irony in this statement from Pope Benedict:

"There is absolutely no doubt that the so-called 'First' World has exported up to now and continues to export its spiritual toxic waste that contaminates the peoples of other continents, particularly those of Africa," he said.

I do give the Catholic Church points for having sweet words (like synod) to call their meetings.

[Reuters]

Three Cheers for the TSA

The TSA gets their fair share of criticism. Most often it comes by way of attacks on the futility of their efforts, like when Eric Weiner (quoted on CNN.com) says, "TSA knows collecting peanut butter and nail clippers is not really going to prevent a terrorist attack. [...] It might catch some very stupid terrorist, but not the smart ones."

But, these criticisms aside, the TSA needs some praise as well, especially in light of this article from CNN. It charts the paths of a number of confiscated objects, but the really important part of this story are the types of items that TSA spokespeople say they still see coming through airport screening areas: swiss army knives, baseball bats, machetes, and, yes, two gallons of gas! So, while some may criticize the TSA's efforts as futile, overly-invasive, or just downright paranoid, I praise their efforts to draw peoples' attention to their own stupidity. In fact, I would say that one more step needs to be added to the process. If you are dumb enough to try to carry two gallons of gas onto an airplane, you not only deserve to have your gas taken from you; you should also be handed a note at the security checkpoint area in which it is explained to you that your stuff has been confiscated, not because it will prevent every terrorist attack, but because you are a DUMBASS!

And for all of those marginal items--souvenir, miniature bats, swiss army knives, etc.--put them in your freakin' checked baggage. If you don't have a bag to check, then you probably really don't need to bring the kitchen sink on the airplane anyways. After all, there's probably a Home Depot in the city where you live.

Damn, these people are like the Kanye Wests of airline traveling.

Josh's Birthday is in a Month

So, you know, make your shopping list. Or just buy one for me. Either one.

Pure awesome

No other way to describe this:

For the "truther" in our midst

AY, just for you...

Tup-Kazakh? Kazakhavelli?

Whatever you want to call it, these Kazakhs rip one of Adam's favorite songs. That's just the way it is.

Real Mature

You all might have seen this live, but I think a second look at Joe Biden's expression is worth the forty seconds.

Basically, some d-bag representative yelled "You lie!" at Obama. Then comes the pause by Obama, the shock on Pelosi's face, and the look that says, "I'm going to fucking kill you!" from Biden. Seriously, I would not mess with that man.

As a quick aside, what kind of moron yells that at a congressional meeting, not to mention at the president? I mean, who cares what "side of the aisle" you're from. Just don't be immature.

Greatest Movie Ever

Jeff Bridges as a drugged-up ex-hippie (sounds familiar)? Check.
George Clooney as a conspiracy-obsessed government agent? Check.
Kevin Spacey as an uptight moralist? Check.
Fainting goats? Check.
It's called The Men Who Stare at Goats and I'm seeing it THREE TIMES.



"The hooker thing is definitely a lie."

Adultness

Kottke takes up a question we've tackled multiple times in different contexts. He goes on to identify two main types of emerging "adults." I think we're all a mix of A and B. Except Adam. He's like the uber-B.

Messed Up

For some reason, the panda one is most disturbing.

H1N1 at KU

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/31/kansas.swine.flu/index.html

Note the eloquent quote from the freshman. Paddy, can't you teach those kids something decent to say to national media outlets?

Most Offensive Ad Ever?

It probably gets my vote. This is a print ad for a Belgian magazine called HUMO. The text says, "Reading HUMO can have serious consequences."

Adam thinks the government gave those pilots the magazine then blew up WTC7 in a controlled demolition. He's after the "Truth."

Facebook Archetypes

This is just a quick article from CNN, but it is too good to pass up. After laughing at how dead-on some of these assessments are, I tried to place myself in one. I think I would be "the lurker."

Grawlix, you're definitely "The Maddening Obscurist." (Speaking of that, what the hell is up with your fantasy football name? That shit's weird.)

The Greatest Thing You'll See All Day

You know, sometimes everything sucks. Still, I'm glad to live in a world where something like this can happen.


Paddy, if you want a more So-Cal version, it's here.

If state flags were honest

Not that any of us actually work, but this is NSFW.

I like Kansas'.

New Hampsire is pretty funny because that's totally true.

Oregon's is pretty sweet too.

My birthday is in a month

The ChefStack

This is my summer project next year

Feeling 'Adult'

You know what really makes me feel like an adult, or at least an older person? Agreeing with Craig Ferguson in this clip.



I might be falling for the new Craigers, mostly 'cause he does stuff like this with some frequency.

AFP

Not sure if you dudes have seen this site: http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/ - but it is hilarious.

This is cool

Cool new visualization effect in Mac's newest OS. Of course, do you really need a cool way to look at your pictures? (I'm not posting this to re-ignite past debates. I just think it's really cool.)

Healthcare Rationing

An interesting article about healthcare from the famous utilitarian, Peter Singer. Sometime his willingness to say things that people don't like/want to hear is amazing to me.

Palinism

An interesting op-ed. I hate her so much.

Palin Meltdown

Here is a piece from vanity fair about Palin - which came out before her meltdown. It's like 10,000 words - but well worth it.

And Paddy, this is just for you.

A Teen Drama for Our Times

Don't act like we wouldn't have watched every episode of this show in college.



Episode 3 is especially funny.

"Crisis of Confidence" Speech

I don't know if any of you have heard this speech before, but it's worth the 30 minutes if you have the time.



Forthright, honest, and demanding--not something we get much anymore from our politicians. It's also interesting to see that the debate about energy independence actually began in 1979.

FREEBIRD!

I know newspapers are dying or something, but it's great they can still put out articles like this to answer one of the great questions of our age: Who was the first douchebag to yell "Freebird!" at a concert?

Reason #46 Soccer is Better Than Your Favorite Sport: Tifo

Believe it or not, this is from a game in the States: Portland v. Seattle in an Open Cup match last week. Still not up to the high bar these dudes set, but it's an improvement.

Sick

This is just part of my commitment to providing excellent content on this blog.

She tries to "shake it off" but there is no way. And why is her friend seemingly so cool with all of this going on right next to her?

Best Kids' Books Ever

I'm a little pissed that "Everyone Poops" wasn't included on this list.

Airline Fees

I won't be traveling as much in the next four years, but I found this piece to enlightening. I think Southwest comes out on top, but I still hate the "cattle call" (and don't kid yourself, it is still a cattle call).

Is higher education worthless?

God I hope not. I've got too much invested in it.

Rush's New Rant

You may have already heard about this, but I thought I would pass it along just in case. Really, this is the MOST ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Ever.



Ever.

Paddy, you just have to make it through the first 25 years

[link]

It's the photographer not the camera

Best proof that I have ever seen that photography is really about the skill and talent of the photographer and not about the fancy quipment most employ in their trade.

Combining the last few posts

Iran's Federation has "retired" the players who wore green wrist bands during a Qualifier last week. How's that for democracy?

Question

I have one question about this whole Iran election/protest controversy: Does protesting make your cause right, or more to the point, democratic?

Now, before you accuse me of being a Ahmadinejad-sympathizer or a fascist, let me just explain a little. Suppose that Ahmadinejad actually did win the popular vote. I know that the Supreme Council in Iran has admitted that they did find some voting irregularities, but let's just all admit that no election is without "irregularities"--we have them in every election in the United States as well. So, supposing that Ahmadinejad did win the popular vote and the election, wouldn't this supposed "digital revolution" that's led to all of these protests simply be a "digital coup?"

It seems as though the US media has concluded that the protestors are right and that their cause is the democratic one when, in fact, it might not be. It seems to me that just because the protestors are organized doesn't necessarily mean that they are right. As an extension of this, then, I would argue that the Obama administration is doing exactly the right thing: calling for more transparency in the election results, expressing their concern over the possibility of infringement of democratic rights, and supporting peoples' right to protest. Beyond this, though, it seems as though we may be taking sides without actually knowing any of the facts.

I would love to see Ahmadinejad out of office. I think he's an extremist, who at the very worst refuses to work with the international community on any number of issues. But, at the same time, I think that if he won the election, he won the election. You can't simply overlook a democratic vote simply because you don't like the leader who the people chose. This reminds me of the situation we had several years ago when Palestinians elected Hamas as their representative government in Gaza. The world called for free and fair elections and it appeared as though they had them. Yet, because they weren't the people that we wanted we've refused to work with them toward any productive solutions.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know everything about this situation, so my first question is really a question to all of you. Do you think that we've jumped the gun at all in assuming that these protestors' claims are the right ones? Isn't there a possibility that although the goal--getting Ahmadinejad out of office--is something desirable, it may in the end not be truly democratic?

Unthinkable

Whadda know? The US finally did show a little backbone and were blessed by the futbol gods. Well done chaps. Even though that Torres and David Villa are so hot right now and I'm still picking Spain as my favorite, I will be doing my pre-game naked victory dance for the US on Wednesday.

Confederations Cup observations

1. I hope Spain takes the whole thing. Torres and David Villa are my two favorite players currently. I would like to see them light somebody up for five goals.
2. There are no Extreme Kiwis on New Zealand's team. If you don't know what an Extreme Kiwi is, you don't watch enough "Wipeout."
3. The US needs to show some more backbone. I would also like to see them light somebody up for five goals (specifically, Egypt).
4. Favorite player name--Rigatoni for Italy.
5. Tommy Smyth is THE best sports commentator ever.

Only 356 days until the World Cup.

In case you need it....

http://www.toastytorpedo.com/

Click on "play Toast and Destroy" on the bottom.

My high score is 33,502.

New Tag Line

So apparently our blog is going strong and i didn't even know. Looking at our page, i think we need some updates before our one year anniversary. I say we begin with the tag line. "Blog it out, bitches" isn't as classic as we once thought it to be and needs to be discarded immediately. Also, what are all these other blogs listed on the side? Do we even read them? wtf?

Therefore, let the ideas for the new tag line competition begin.

Why Mac OS is better than anything Microsoft has put out (yet)

When Vista came out it was more than double the size of Vista. The more complex the system, the more computing power and space needed to run it. More importantly, it increases the chance of bugs and slows it down. Apple knows this, like any decent software designer should. Thus, their latest version of their OS is half the size. Instead of completely redesigning their OS, they've worked on optimization which will lead to a much better, more stable product. Of course, they have the added advantage of starting with a superior product in the first place.

Absolutely Tragic

I'm glad the WSJ isn't letting the important stories fall through the cracks in these trying economic times.

Are we not men?

Does life change at 25? Probably not. Still, I think the sentiment of this piece is largely right on: once you're more than a couple years removed from college, you need to get your shit together.

Leave additional post-25 maxims in the comments.

Best Assessment of Jon & Kate Plus 8

Great article on the recent bullshit with Jon & Kate Plus 8. If nothing else, the author used some interesting phrases. Grawlix, I know you're particularly interested in this. Anything I can do to keep you up-to-date on your reality show gossip.

Kate is a bitch, and I said that from the beginning.

Cost Variance in Health Care

To say that the political debate over health care is heating up is a drastic understatement. If Obama follows through on his campaign promises, health care reform (and its success or failure in Congress) may be the single, defining issue for the midterm elections. (I don't think the economy or the effects of the stimulus plan will play a large role because any attacks based on them will be diffused by the "there hasn't been enough time" argument.)

Frequently, you guys ask me my advice or opinion on this issue which I am more than happy to dispense. I love to talk about health care. So, in order to inform the debate (at least among us) I am linking to a fantastic story by Atul Gawande in the New Yorker. I recently read that this particular story has become one of Obama's favorite on the subject. He allegedly said in some meeting with high-ranking Senators, "This is what we need to fix." It has certainly become popular and widely read among health care policy tools. I highly suggest reading it, even if you don't have much interest in health care reform. It can give you some insight into the financial structure of American medicine.

I'll reserve my opinion for the comments section.

Really?!

Gillette actually made this? I just let my personal stylist (Paddy) take care of it for me.

Can I borrow 2.3 mil?

The house from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is for sale. I'd much rather have the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California instead.

In praise of the cheetah. Also... porn will kill you.

More here.

Just For You Paddy

Gordon Gekko lives!!  Paddy, promise me we can see it together.

Awesome

Anything involving Legos is awesome. The Frank Lloyd Wright part is just a bonus.

Scientific Advice Against Drinking

Paddy, when you take your 17 year old gf to prom this year, think twice about drinking.

This is what crazy looks like

Just... wow.

In Memory of Adam D. Young

That's how they should introduce this blog. Somebody has to have some freshman year pictures to contribute.

Facebook

Great post on how Facebook is eventually going to make money.

Comment #2 nails it on the head--"why would I want more spam?"

I'm confused by people who put their entire lives on Facebook. Don't people want a certain level of privacy in their lives?

Not Everything Has to be Mad!

Does anyone else find it annoying that everything in March is now "mad?" Among many others that I can't remember, here are just some examples of things that have (locally) gone crazy in the third month:

Starch Madness (at the local dry cleaners)
Legends Madness (new rent specials and events at a nearby apartment complex)
Tech Madness (something to do with something at the campus bookstore)

I really wish I could remember even more, but I'm losing my mind. At first, I thought it was due to our culture's fascination with alliteration (March Madness), but then some of the examples only work because of internal rhyme or a vague reference to the NCAA tournament. Either way, my rationalizations have yet to stop this "madness" madness from annoying me.

Can we just let March go back to the same normal month it used to be? Or, at the very least, personify other months--"Jacked January"(a big hit with the Monster Energy crowd), "Fucked February," "Appalling April" and so on--so this annoying sales gimmick can at least be consistently annoying?

While the BCS has its own problems, one thing that can be said about it is that it isn't mad--and I kinda like it that way!

What are you looking at?

Our good friend Joe Burke is getting married in October. Below is one of his engagement pictures.


I highly recommend setting it as your desktop background as I have. It's a gift that keeps on giving.

Get Rid of the Payroll Tax

I haven't read enough about the nuances of getting rid of the payroll tax, but this article from the New Yorker makes a very persuasive argument.

Gotta Love Jon Stewart

This is priceless:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Recession Woes?

A good example of how the rich keep getting richer. I think, J, this is a perfect example of the "ol' boys club" that you and I were talking about the other day on the phone.

Setting a house on fire, only to buy the charred remains and resell them. These are the same people who contributed to this situation, but because they still have money (most likely from the huge bonuses they took right before their companies collapsed) they can continue making more of it. It's simply sad to think about this while there are those who can't find ways to stay in their own homes or buy groceries for their families.

Great Moments in Composition

If these four documents do not comprise the greatest corpus of a student's writing ever, I'm in the wrong profession. Some highlights:

On Walt Whitman: "He is over 3,000 years old and remembers the names of all the gods."

On US Foreign Relations: "America is now president of the world, and some people aren't cool with that. In the War of 1812, Osama bin Laden declared Jihad on the West Coast and killed Tupac."

Just read them in their entirety. Unbelievable.

100 x 100

Gentlemen, I give you...pure awesomeness.

Dear Sully & Crew

I'm no longer impressed. In Chicago, we do that shit when it's frozen!

Sincerely,
cw

ps: get off my TV!!

I just had to share this

Global Warming?

This is a rather long article, but if you have the time, it's a very interesting read. (I don't link it here because I agree with it, only because I found it interesting in its contradiction.)

There's a story to how I came upon this: Stanley Fish's blog on the NYTimes referenced this "radical" professor at the University of Ottawa. The article dealt with the definition of "academic freedom" and Fish was using this professor, Rancourt, as an example of academic freedom run amok (he refuses to give grades, teaches a course where he and the students engage in activism, etc.). Anyway, I was checking out a few of Rancourt's websites and found that James Inhofe (R-OK) used Rancourt's argument to oppose the idea of global warming (http://climateguy.blogspot.com/). I thought this was rather comical because I'm assuming that Inhofe wouldn't support Rancourt's teaching methods, despite his praise of his scientific research. Conservatives certainly love the normalizing function of education.

A complicated world. The more I read about things and hear different opinions, the more I think there is really never consensus on any single issue. EVER.

O'Reilly

A great report for those who think O'Reilly's tactics are less than fair (or perhaps even inconsistent?).

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

So, I know I always link to articles from the NY Times, but I think this one is worth it.

I can't decide if it is supposed to be sarcastic or not. If not, I find it really hard to be compassionate toward the excessive pleasures that have found there way into the "needs" category. Are they really making the argument here that rich people need to keep up the same lifestyle because it is what's expected of them by other rich people; that image is everything and must be maintained?

Really, do you need that personal driver? Do you really need that house in the Hamptons or those two or three vacations a year? I really don't begrudge someone for taking vacations (God knows I love vacations), but to justify it as a need that is being infringed upon by these salary caps is beyond me. Also, these caps only apply now to those companies that are seeking government funding which signals to me that despite their lavish lifestyles, these corporate leaders are not doing such a great job anyways. Should they be pitied because their lives might be burdened a little bit because of what might be poor management on their own parts?

These and other questions abound. I would love to hear what everyone else thinks, especially J, the capitalist.

For J

Real life has jumped the proverbial shark:



"You can almost touch the sanctimony!" -- Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A

Incredible...

How much Hoobastank do you think these guys listen to? Watch on full-screen.



wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

"Cello Scrotum" turns out to be a hoax

From the BBC.

How did this sentence get past the editors?

"A spokesman for the BMJ said that, 34 years on, no-one faced the sack for failing to spot the implausible condition."

The Apple Wheel

This is a pretty funny video from the Onion New Network about a new Apple product.

It reminded me of that debate between Grawlix and J a while back. Plus, it made me laugh--especially the comment directed toward college students at the very end.

The Bacon Explosion!!

Continuing in the vein of excessively unhealthy culinary creations...

Meathead Alert!

So, I guess several days or weeks ago, Mickey Rourke said this at a screening of his film The Wrestler:



Then, on Larry King Live, the two had this to say to each other. (Sorry, CNN's video's won't embed for some reason.)

So, I really didn't know whether to think this is a very elaborate marketing ploy for the next Wrestlemania or if Chris Jericho is that big of a meathead. If it's the former, then they are both better actors than I thought, and if it's the latter...well...then, that's the biggest meathead I've ever seen.

Well Done NY Times

I could do this job.

Mike's Hard Lemonade....Really?

So here is my return to our blogging. I apologize for my absence. Here goes nothing:

I've been really pissed off by these Mike's Hard Lemonade commercials lately. Have you seen these things? Normally, they are set up where this dude who works for mike's hard lemonade (who speaks and looks like he is slow or mentally challenged - i'm guessing this is done on purpose) suggests something that two other employees think is stupid. I found these commercials offensive on a couple levels. First the characterization of the dude as mentally challenged and second, that Mike's hard lemonade is something that tough guys drink, rather than high school kids who can't stand the taste of beer or alcohol in general.

Here's a link to an interesting comment on it (granted it is from bestweekever.tv - but it is still funny).

Here's a link to the actual commercial.

My favorite line from the article: "Why not go the extra mile and have Tim Taylor supercharge the Lemonade then ride away with it in a Chevy truck with John Wayne and the movie 300?"

Being super heterosexual is cool right?

A Pirate Boogaloo!!

"Even now, pirates are marrying the most beautiful ladies, with nonstop dancing at weddings that go a couple of days," Farah said. "Some pirates are even sending their girlfriends to hospitals abroad to give birth. Imagine that."

If that's the case, who wouldn't want to be a pirate?!!

(Never mind the fact you could drown on your way back from a successful ransom collection)

Spain to take on Jesuit Murders

Spain has opened an investigation into the Jesuit massacre, and has expressed the possiblity of indicting 14 Salvadoran ex-military officials in its investigation of the murders at the UCA.

Interesting, as the article mentions the Spanish judge's invocation of the principle of universal jurisdiction. It has been used in pursuit of Pinochet, bin Laden, and even Henry Kissinger (maybe they should use it to pursue Jafar, too).

Here's a blog with a bit more background on this story.

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear thoughts on this. Too little, too late? Reassuring that it has not been forgotten? A boon in the fight to "shut 'er down?"

Why do we do some of the things we do?

To answer Paddy: because sometimes, things are both horrible and awesome at the same time.

Jafar makes the second one.

I Don't Know If This Is A Good Idea

Teddy bear blood bag for pediatric blood transfusions. Good idea/bad idea?

"Don't tell me what I know and don't know; I know the law!"

A really interesting blog post from Stanley Fish. Thought you all might find it engaging.

Adam, this might be something interesting to raise in your literature and law class this semester. Just thinking.