"No longer like a toad in these foul cellars will I secret the venom of hatred -- for you shall bring me love!" - Erik
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« September 2009 | Main | November 2009 » October 30, 2009Let that be a lesson to you Blair's bid to becoming the president of the EU apparently isn't going well. And from the centre-right: Next time, don't support a stupid war. By fnord12 | October 30, 2009, 2:56 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link Reaching resolution on the Honduras crisis? By fnord12 | October 30, 2009, 12:33 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link Tough questions for Clinton in Pakistan Link: Another asked Clinton how she would define terrorism. "Is it the killing of people in drone attacks?" she asked. That woman then asked if Clinton considers drone attacks and bombings like the one that killed more than 100 civilians in the city of Peshawar earlier this week to both be acts of terrorism. "No, I do not," Clinton replied. Earlier, in a give-and-take with about a dozen residents of the tribal region, one man alluded obliquely to the drone attacks, saying he had heard that in the United States, aircraft are not allowed to take off after 11 p.m., to avoid irritating the population. "That is the sort of peace we want for our people," he said through an interpreter. The same man told Clinton that the Obama administration should rely more on wisdom and less on firepower to achieve its aims in Pakistan. "Your presence in the region is not good for peace," he said, referring to the U.S. military, "because it gives rise to frustration and irritation among the people of this region." At another point he told Clinton, "Please forgive me, but I would like to say we've been fighting your war." A similar point was made by Sana Bucha of Geo TV during the live broadcast interview. "It is not our war," she told Clinton. "It is your war." She drew a burst of applause when she added, "You had one 9/11. We are having daily 9/11s in Pakistan." I don't think there's any doubt that we're doing more harm than good in this region. By fnord12 | October 30, 2009, 11:20 AM | Liberal Outrage| Link Demon Candy Huffpo brought this blog post on the Christian Broadcasting Network to my attention: I wonder how long you have to wait after Halloween to be sure you aren't accidentally buying any of the witch-blessed candy that the stores have leftover. By min | October 30, 2009, 10:09 AM | Ummm... Other? | Comments (1) | Link Slacktivism But when reporters asked Lieberman if he'd be willing to lose his powerful committee chairmanship as a consequence, he said: "Oh, God no." What's our answer? Hell yeah! We'll deliver this petition to Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), among others. When Democrats let Lieberman keep his chairmanship after he endorsed John McCain for president, Bayh said: "If he does retain his chairmanship, we still exert oversight over him... He doesn't have the ability to just do whatever he wants. The caucus still has the right to remove him from that position at any time..." Now's the time for Democratic senators like Bayh to let Lieberman know they'll make good on that promise. Lieberman needs to be held accountable. While we all know that online surveys are not an effective way of remedying important issues, netroots activism has been very successful so far in moving the Senate to the point where a (limited) public option has been included in their version of the bill, so it's worth the clicks, in my opinion. By fnord12 | October 30, 2009, 9:24 AM | Liberal Outrage | Comments (1) | Link
Wynona's got herself a big brown beaver Along came Lou with the old baboon Now Rex he was a Texan out of New Orleans He got wind of the big brown beaver Now Wynona took her big brown beaver Now the beaver once slept for seven days Wynona loved her big brown beaver By fnord12 | October 29, 2009, 8:42 AM | Music| Link
SuperMegaSpeed Reviews Apparently i have a deluge of comics coming next week, so i'd better catch up on my current books... Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth #4 - Looking forward to Deadpool Team-Up for my "funny comic" fix, cause this ain't it. Not even a zombie T. Rex does the trick. Dark Reign: The List - Hulk #1 - Well, i was getting the List books in part to sample some of the comics that i'm not currently reading, and this confirms that i don't need to be reading Pak's Hulk. I don't like this premise, with Banner walking around with his super-tech forcefields and whatever and hanging out with his son who wants to kill him but not until he turns back into the Hulk. Kinda dumb. And this issue was relatively pointless. Banner even says so at the end. Spider-Woman #2 - It's a bit slow, isn't it? I thought we were backing away from super-decompression. Not terrible though, if you can tolerate Maleev, who i guess is a little better here than in books he's done in the past. I did like the extended explanation about Spider-Woman's pheromone powers; that was pretty cool. Marvels Project #3 - It's good. Waiting to see where we're going with this. Slower and less eventful than i expected, but for issue #3 out of 8, i can kind of reserve judgment. Dark Avengers #10 - This is very nice. So Bendis obviously can at least set up an entire story in one issue if he wants to. And, you know, you throw in the Molecule Man and you've got my goodwill. I enjoy the bits with Venom and his meds, too. Hercules #136 - Super awesome. Probably too much nipple pinching and wedgies for this to wind up in a Greatest Hercules/Thor Battles of All Times trade compilation, but... Even the recap page is hilarious. Great stuff. And some trades... Ghost Rider: The Last Stand - I'd heard good things about Jason Aaron's Ghost Rider run so i thought i'd try a trade. But often a writer needs time to find his footing, so i figured i'd start with the second trade instead of the first. And if i liked it, i could go back and get the first one. Clever, right? But i think i outsmarted myself, because i don't think this was a great arc to begin with. It starts out pretty good, with Blackout and the other silly villains (i like the eyeball guy). But once it gets into the revised Ghost Rider mythology, it got really boring. And you don't want to be boring at the same time you're screwing around with continuity. Iron Fist pulled off its revisions to the Iron Fist mythos by being very well written. This was a drag, and it seems stupid. The Ghost Rider really works for God? And there's like a Ghost Rider in every region of the world? Nah, no thanks. Plus, i didn't think the dialogue was that great, and the art was terrible. Well, the art was fine for the actual Ghost Rider stuff, but it doesn't work when your regular people are as warped and weird looking as your flaming Betra Ray Bill: Godhunter - I guess i'll say that i liked this very much except for the way it ended. It seemed to me that Beta Ray Bill gave up too easily. OK, so apparently Galactus explodes when he dies (although we've seen enough alternate universe Galactus Dies! stories to know that's not really true... the Surfer is a good liar), so he can't let him die right now. But why not keep pursuing him until you get him in a more sparse region of space? It seems to me that Bill was bought off when Galactus re-formed the lady Korbinite. And i'm sure that wasn't the writer's intent. This is probably a little too fanboyish for these harsh modern times, but if you wanted to give a reason why Bill couldn't kill Galactus, i would have liked to see it tie in with Byrne's Trial of Reed Richards. I did like seeing it tie in with Annihilation, though. Another problem with this series is that it was only 3 issues and it seemed like a lot of the action was happening off panel. Presumably Beta Ray Bill destroyed a lot of planets to get Galactus so weak. But Galactus much prefers planets that contain life. So there must have been a lot of conflict between Bill and the occupants of those planets. And we didn't get to see any of that. So overall this wasn't quite as good as a "Beta Ray Bill hunts Galactus" story ought to be. But it wasn't bad at all. I would try something else by this creative team. By fnord12 | October 28, 2009, 10:51 PM | Comics | Comments (2) | Link Children Schwarzenegger's response seems unbelievable, but if this story is true, both sides are being pretty immature. By fnord12 | October 28, 2009, 3:22 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link I knew there was another one Following up on my old Marvel's Black Men in Chicken suits post, we have... Bantam:  By fnord12 | October 28, 2009, 1:35 PM | Comics| Link What could have been part II Rob Liefeld's Bible adaptation. Honestly? It looks awesome. By fnord12 | October 28, 2009, 1:27 PM | Comics| Link What could have been By fnord12 | October 28, 2009, 11:35 AM | Comics| Link
I don't know, and i don't care By fnord12 | October 27, 2009, 2:37 PM | Ummm... Other?| Link Foreign Service Officer resigns in protest of Afghanistan War Foreign Service Officer Matthew Hoh: "I'm not some peacenik, pot-smoking hippie who wants everyone to be in love," Hoh said. Although he said his time in Zabul was the "second-best job I've ever had," his dominant experience is from the Marines, where many of his closest friends still serve. By fnord12 | October 27, 2009, 10:29 AM | Liberal Outrage| Link
Now that's a job opportunity We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each We are currently active in 22 states. Our representatives have been screened to ensure that they are atheists, animal lovers, are moral / ethical with no criminal background, have the ability and desire to rescue your pet and the means to retrieve them and ensure their care for your pet's natural life. We currently cover the following states: Our service is plain and simple; our fee structure is reasonable. I'd be happy to provide services for NJ! By fnord12 | October 26, 2009, 2:03 PM | Ummm... Other? | Comments (5) | Link
And i'm entitled to your lunch money, because my buddy Tony kicked your ass Link: At least in my example, Tony is my friend. Even if we were accepting the nutty argument that Iraq is somehow indebted to the US for invading it, why should the actions of US soldiers automatically benefit oil companies? By fnord12 | October 22, 2009, 10:48 AM | Liberal Outrage| Link Well I'm waiting at the bus stop in downtown L.A. Well I'm sitting here thinkin' just how sharp I am Well I promo groups when they come into town Well I'm sitting here thinking just how sharp I am Yeah, I'm sharp Here comes the bus, uh oh By fnord12 | October 22, 2009, 9:55 AM | Music| Link
Taking the "Party of No" seriously. By fnord12 | October 21, 2009, 7:18 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link The advantages of clicking-through Belatedly reacting to Wanyas' recommendation to actually click on one of the articles Chris Sims wrote for comic alliance, and yes, it is pretty funny. By fnord12 | October 21, 2009, 3:58 PM | Comics| Link I guess 10 months late is better than never Link: House Democrats are looking at re-branding the public health insurance option as Medicare, an established government healthcare program that is better known than the public option. The strategy could benefit Democrats struggling to bridge the gap between liberals in their party, who want the public option, and centrists, who are worried it would drive private insurers out of business. While much of the public is foggy on what a public option actually is, people understand Medicare. It also would place the new public option within the rubric of a familiar system rather than something new and unknown. Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) spoke out last week in favor of re-branding the public option as Medicare, startling many because he has loudly proclaimed his opposition to a public option. Some Democrats say there's no need to rename a legislative concept that's gained steadily in support since being lambasted as a "government takeover" in August. A Washington Post-ABC poll published Tuesday showed 57 percent of the public supports the idea -- up five points since August -- while 40 percent opposes it. In a closed-door caucus meeting last week, Ross, one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, offered support for expanding Medicare, saying it would prevent the need to create a new bureaucracy. He said he wasn't advocating a plan, however, and added that the new coverage would have to have much higher reimbursements for physicians and hospitals. He also said it would need to compete with private insurers. Ross' change in position indicates to me that earlier he just didn't know what the hell he was talking about, but he's welcome to join us. Overall the House has been doing an excellent job of pushing for a Public Option (it's the nitwits in the Senate we have to worry about), but the branding "Medicare for Everyone" is long overdue. By fnord12 | October 21, 2009, 2:29 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link
Milking it Expect to see a lot of this, from Lieberman, Snowe, Conrad, etc.: But, he added, "I haven't decided yet." Who doesn't love a little attention? By fnord12 | October 16, 2009, 4:40 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link Min and I fall into the 100th percentile A Louisia Justice of the Peace is making the news for refusing to marry interracial couples. Bardwell said from his experience, "99 percent of the time" the interracial couple consists of a black man and white woman. Like Digby said, "Right. Their poor kids could grow up to be president someday." Sure, it's just a nutty old guy. I mean, the ACLU is doing the right thing trying to get him removed. But you could say it's not an official policy and it's just some loon acting on his own. Except for this: He said the state attorney general told him years ago that he would eventually get into trouble for not performing interracial marriages. Ummm, why didn't the attorney general actually do anything about it? By fnord12 | October 16, 2009, 3:54 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link 2011: Obama's Coup Fails The video game: Mission: To defeat all enemies of the United States, both foreign and domestic. Includes: * C.O.R.N.Y. (Congress of Rejected and Neglected Youth) Shock Troops To Win: If you control 10 counties by end of turn 40, you get 1 'win' in challenge section. Game Time: 1 turn per minute with each turn representing days of battle. It takes 2 turns to take over a district, county, or city with the Blitzkrieg attack. All troops in a Blitzkrieg cannot be used until Blitzkrieg is settled. Misc. Details: Be sure to train your troops at start-up by clicking 'resources' then paying for the type of militia troops you want. You will need to do this every turn ( every minute). You start with 3000 points and get 300 more militia recruits eager for battle per turn per county controlled. You will also get more militia troops joining after each battle you are in, as the people are eager to defeat all tyrants. You will also get 300 points per turn per county controlled. Note: Your mission is to control as many counties in Virginia as possible. Enemy forces are in most counties so do not hesitate to attack any player not under your control as anarchy reigns in Virginia until Obama and his loyalists are defeated and game ends after 40 minutes (40 turns) There's plenty more insanity if you follow this link. I really do recommend it. Er, i mean i recommend clicking the link. Not playing the game. The game sounds like an awful convoluted mess. By fnord12 | October 16, 2009, 3:42 PM | Liberal Outrage & Video Games| Link
Making love to a vampire with a monkey on my knee By fnord12 | October 15, 2009, 11:02 AM | Music| Link
SuperMegaSpeed Reviews Doctor Voodoo #1 - The hell happened to Dr. Strange? Wait, I get it: he's been around since the 60s and now that he's not Sorcerer Supreme anymore, he's suddenly looking his actual age? I'll tell you one thing about this comic: Dr. Doom kicked ass. That is for sure. Makes Dormammu look like a wuss. Beyond that... pretty good, i guess. I'm a little concerned about the fact that we all know that Dr. Strange will become sorcerer supreme again at some point in the future. So all this effort to build up Brother Voodoo into a credible character is destined to fail. But i have higher hopes for this series than i did originally. Models #2 - Cute. Not great. Dark Reign - The List: Secret Warrior #1 - Awesome. X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas #1 - Remember when Christos Gage wrote World War Hulk: X-Men and he made you like all these new X-Characters you had never heard of in the span of about 3 pages? Same thing happened here. Plus: robots and talking gorillas. X-Babies #1 - I made the mistake of reading this and realized that it's actually technically in continuity because of Mojo and Spiral, which i guess means it ought to go in my collection. But shouldn't they try to make it funny? By fnord12 | October 14, 2009, 10:18 PM | Comics| Link That's... no, that's not right. By fnord12 | October 14, 2009, 9:05 PM | Ummm... Other?| Link Biden NYT: What he must not do is follow the same weak and worn-out pattern of "opposition" we've become all-too-accustomed to, first with Vietnam and then with Iraq. You know the drill: after the dust settles, and the country begins to look back and not-so-charitably wonder, "what were they thinking?" the mea-culpa-laden books start to come out. On page after regret-filled page, we suddenly hear how forceful this or that official was behind closed doors, arguing against the war, taking a principled stand, expressing "strong concern" and, yes, "deep reservations" to the president, and then going home each night distraught at the unnecessary loss of life. Well, how about making the mea culpa unnecessary? Instead of saving it for the book, how about future author Biden unfetter his conscience in real time -- when it can actually do some good? If Biden truly believes that what we're doing in Afghanistan is not in the best interests of our national security -- and what issue is more important than that? -- it's simply not enough to claim retroactive righteousness in his memoirs. Though it would be a crowning moment in a distinguished career, such an act of courage would likely be only the beginning. Biden would then become the natural leader of the movement to wind down this disastrous war and focus on the real dangers in Pakistan. Doubt he'll resign, but i think Biden's evolution has been interesting and encouraging. I was originally disappointed when he was announced as the VP candidate because he had been a hawk. By fnord12 | October 14, 2009, 4:42 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link That sounds incredibly annoying Hybrid Cars May Include Fake Vroom for Safety: They have finally succeeded. Plug-in hybrid and electric cars, it turns out, not only reduce air pollution, they cut noise pollution as well with their whisper-quiet motors. But that has created a different problem. They aren't noisy enough. So safety experts, worried that hybrids pose a threat if pedestrians, children and others can't hear them approaching, want automakers to supply some digitally enhanced vroom. Indeed, just as cellphones have ring tones, "car tones" may not be far behind - an option for owners of electric vehicles to choose the sound their cars emit. Working with Hollywood special-effects wizards, some hybrid auto companies have started tinkering in sound studios, rather than machine shops, to customize engine noises. The Fisker Karma, an $87,900 plug-in hybrid expected to go on sale next year, will emit a sound - pumped out of speakers in the bumpers - that the company founder, Henrik Fisker, describes as "a cross between a starship and a Formula One car." By fnord12 | October 14, 2009, 2:52 PM | Ummm... Other?| Link And So It Begins i had to scrape frost off my windshield this morning. By min | October 14, 2009, 10:09 AM | My stupid life | Comments (1) | Link
We are here from the future to prevent you from creating black holes Link: In a theory reminiscent of the time travelling film Back to the Future, the theoretical physicists Holger Nielsen, from Denmark, and Masao Ninomiya, from Japan, have concluded that its discoveries could be so "abhorrent to nature" that they are coming back to stop their own creation. The pair's hypothesis centres around the Higgs Boson, a mysterious tiny particle and building block of life that it is hoped the LHC will discover. By fnord12 | October 13, 2009, 4:55 PM | Science| Link
No Chomsky at Guantanamo Link: ...the slip accompanying the book's return listed among the categories of books banned from the Guantanamo Bay prison library anything promoting "Anti-American, Anti-Semitic, Anti-Western" ideology, literature on "military topics," and works that portray "excessive graphic violence" and "sexual dysfunctions. Chomsky isn't shocked: "This happens sometimes in totalitarian regimes," Chomsky told Miami Herald reporter Carol Rosenberg in an email after he learned his book had been banned. By fnord12 | October 12, 2009, 4:17 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link
Close, but no cigar From this week's Dark Reign - The List: Secret Warrior #1:  Steranko's original, from Strange Tales #166 (Mar 68):  By fnord12 | October 10, 2009, 12:50 PM | Comics| Link
Polar Bear love See Naked Capitalism's antidote du jour. (scroll down. no economics/politics. promise.) By fnord12 | October 9, 2009, 4:59 PM | Ummm... Other?| Link  By fnord12 | October 9, 2009, 4:24 PM | My stupid life | Comments (2) | Link No wonder the media always gives equal weight to both sides of every issue  Everything's 50/50! By fnord12 | October 9, 2009, 9:03 AM | Liberal Outrage | Comments (2) | Link Nobel Peace Prize is just laying the groundwork for what's coming Give him the Nobel Peace Prize with Sprinkles on Top? Nominate him Space Pope? By fnord12 | October 9, 2009, 8:56 AM | Liberal Outrage| Link
Opt-out I didn't think there'd be a Public Option compromise that I'd like, but Senator Carper from Delaware found one: a national Public Option that individual state legislatures can vote to opt out of. We know that most states won't opt out, and the ones that do for the most part will be those states that are relatively sparsely populated anyway (exception: Texas), so it won't affect the Option's bargaining power. And it gives conservative Dems cover to vote for it. So all of the sane people get their public option, and the crazies can shoot themselves in the foot if they want to. The downside is expressed in this question to Ezra Klein: I asked because you posted about your support for the new idea that each state can opt-out of letting its residents get a government-run insurance. As somebody who could well still be a slave if "state's rights" were giv[en] too much weight, I hesitate. But you do get that a lot of uninsured people live in red states? They're low-income, they're rural, they're non-White, they're everything national Liberals claim to be wanting to help. Yet I was a bit shocked at how much you seemed to like this idea. I didn't like when Sarah Palin divided up the U.S.A. into good and bad parts, and I don't like it when anybody else does either. The response to that is basically that this is the start of an incremental approach and once the Public Option is proven successful in the states that don't opt-out, there will be a lot of pressure on the hold-out state legislatures to opt back in. If we're facing a choice between no Public Option or one that states can opt out of, I think the choice is clear. But i do understand the feeling of getting left behind and abandoning those who need help the most. And does this establish a weird precedent that leads to states soon being able to opt out of other Federal laws? Should we continue to fight for a Public Option that's guaranteed at the Federal level to be available to all, or should we accept this compromise? By fnord12 | October 8, 2009, 4:33 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link 1977 and we are going mad My mind is like a plastic bag My mind is like a switchboard My dreams I daren't remember By fnord12 | October 8, 2009, 11:18 AM | Music| Link
Min doesn't even need the first two steps  By fnord12 | October 6, 2009, 7:45 PM | My stupid life & TeeVee| Link
SuperMegaSpeed Reviews Maybe it was my mood, but i didn't enjoy my comics this week. Dark X-Men: The Confession #1 - Based on a review from Paul O'Brien i thought i might want this. It's by the X-Force writers and O'Brien indicated that it laid the groundwork for the upcoming Necrosha cross-over. He also said it has Scott and Emma having an intelligent, adult conversation. And i guess it does. But mainly it reads like an issue of Marvel Saga to me; hardly an actual comic at all, just a lot of recapping. And that cover is just awful. X-Force #19 - I guess i actually liked this. I enjoyed the X-23 scenes but i'm disoriented by the fact that we're dealing with 3 women that, based on the art, look exactly the same and so i had trouble following a few of the conversations. And i was a little thrown by how bloody the Wolves vs. Giants subplot scene was, but i guess it's to be expected. Overall, it's just fine. I guess i just had that same problem i have with a lot of X-Force issues, where i feel like they're not doing any actual plot development. Are they just treading water until the next crossover? And the scene on the cover didn't happen - i'm not sure that Angel was even in this issue. Secret Warriors #8 - Well, there goes everything that just was introduced in Dark Avengers #9. That was quick. Also didn't love the fact that there was apparently a crossover with Thunderbolts... last issue of Secret Warriors just said something like, "For more Thunderbolts, read the next issue of the Thunderbolts!" not that i had to read the issue in order to keep up with the plot in this book. The Hood #5 - Interestingly, this series had a lot of good moments, but didn't really reach any kind of satisfying conclusion. It just maintained the status quo for the Hood, basically. Still, it was a good series. And we'll have to assume that a few minutes after the end of this issue, the Hood gets full-on possessed by Dormammu so that he can attack Dr. Strange. Divas #3 - Well this was actually very good; especially dealing with Firestar's cancer. But i was a little surprised to see so much actual super type stuff, by which i mean the Black Cat/Puma fight and Hellcat getting tricked into getting trapped in Hell by the Son of Satan. I'm not complaining but i just want them to know that they've got a very good downtime book going here and they shouldn't feel the need to cave and put in a lot of action in. (I'm also assuming that Damion Hellstorm became such a dick sometime after the point i'm currently at in my back issue reading project. Maybe during Warren Ellis' run? The Son of Satan from 1982 certainly wouldn't have acted like this.) ...I guess in retrospect nothing was all that bad, except Confessions. I must have just been grumpy. By fnord12 | October 4, 2009, 11:47 PM | Comics| Link
Unleash the furries Spored to Death reviews Executive Koala. By fnord12 | October 3, 2009, 2:59 PM | Movies| Link
Marvel Sales By fnord12 | October 2, 2009, 12:34 PM | Comics| Link Honduras update This is interesting (and a little scary), and shows Obama taking a strong and controversial stand, which i am impressed by. By fnord12 | October 2, 2009, 12:09 PM | Liberal Outrage| Link Recap 30 Oh, We Know All About Re-Attaching Limbs By min | October 2, 2009, 9:59 AM | D&D| Link
 That certainly got his attention. By fnord12 | October 1, 2009, 11:06 PM | Comics | Comments (1) | Link on friday the 13th, death opened a boutique open seven days a week people came from far and near it was expensive - what isn't? By fnord12 | October 1, 2009, 8:08 AM | Music| Link |
