Even though he backtracked like the Road Runner in reverse, people are still reflecting on the "science" behind Rep. Todd Akin's stunning assertion that women's bodies are able to ward off pregnancy from a rape. Of course, there is absolutely nothing to support that assertion, but there are segments of the right wing that actually believe it and report it … Read More
Arizona Abortion Law Says Women Are Pregnant Two Weeks Before Conception
Yes, it's true: A new law was signed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on Thursday that has abortion advocates up in arms. The new law, titled Women’s Health and Safety Act deems a woman pregnant 2 weeks before conception. How does it do this? It calculates gestational age starting with the first day of the last menstrual period rather than the date of conception. What does … Read More
Hurricane Isaac Is Bad For The Republicans
It's bad for Republicans for two reasons. First, the obvious reason: it is screwing up their convention. Now Donald Trump won't be able to speak. But more importantly, if Isaac hits the Gulf Coast, particularly New Orleans, it will serve as a reminder that Republicans are, well, bad at governing. We all remember how horrible FEMA responded to Katrina. … Read More
RIP Neil Armstrong
Like everybody else living at the time, I saw the moon landing in grainy black and white. It was 1969, and nobody knew that it was the end of an era. This was before the national cynacism set in because of Watergate. It was before politicians like Reagan started bashing the government, and future generations would pick up on … Read More
Fox News Outs Member of Seal Team Six
So one of the guys of the elite Seal Team force that killed bin Ladn decided to write a book. And he did it under a pseudonym, Mark Owen, to protect his identity and his family. Good. Except stupid Fox News decided to out him. You can see it here, in this article. Can you imagine if MSNBC had done … Read More
Complete MSL Curiosity Descent – Full Quality Enhanced 1080p + Heat Shield impact
This is a full-resolution version of the NASA Curiosity rover descent to Mars, taken by the MARDI descent imager. As of August 20, all but a dozen 1600×1200 frames have been uploaded from the rover, and those missing were interpolated using thumbnail data. The result was applied a heavy noise reduction, color balance, and sharpening for best visibility. The video … Read More
GOP Theme Fail
It's fine if the Republicans want to have a "We DID Build It" Day at their convention, but it looks really stupid, seeing as: (1) They are holding their convention in an arena funded by public (taxpayer) money (2) On standby are thousands of local, state, and federal officials all ready to rescue the Republicans in the event of a … Read More
This Week’s Mass Shooting: NYC Edition
Gunman this morning opened fire at the Empire State Building this morning at 9 am. One woman killed, four nine others shot (not life threatening). Gunman killed in police fire. Early reports say he was upset over losing his job. UPDATE: AP is reporting that some of the shooting victims may have been hit by the police's bullets.
GOP Convention Could Be Pretty Windy
The convention in Tampa, Florida, is scheduled to start next Monday and run all week.
Last Tweets
That was about 16 hours ago. @LizNassty (Elizabeth Nass) and @r0se_petals (Rose Mayr) were hanging out on a railroad bridge early this morning. A few minutes later, Rose tweeted this picture of her and Elizabeth — or more accurately, their feet — dangling over a road below: You may have already heard what happened: ELLICOTT CITY, Md. – A CSX train hauling … Read More
Pregnant Raped Women Are “Blessed”
Despite all the GOP politicians falling over themselves denouncing Todd Akin, he's no outlier in the Republican Party. His views are absolutely mainstream. Listen to Sharon Barnes of the Missouri Republican central committee: While Republicans at the national level were in a hurry to shove him aside, Republican opinion had not hardened against Mr. Akin in Missouri, in part because of … Read More
Akin 2.0 — Another GOP Displays Ignorance About Pregnancy
Where are the conservative women? Oh, right. TPM: Rep. Steve King, one of the most staunchly conservative members of the House, was one of the few Republicans who did not strongly condemn Rep. Todd Akin Monday for his remarks regarding pregnancy and rape. King also signaled why — he might agree with parts of Akin’s assertion. King told an Iowa … Read More
GOP Platform Continues Its War On Women
Even as most Republican big-wigs are denouncing Todd Akin's caveman views on women, they're preparing to certify a GOP platform that calls for criminalizing abortion in all circumstances. Tampa, Florida (CNN) – The Republican Party is set to once again enshrine into its official platform support for "a human life amendment" to the Constitution that would outlaw abortion without making explicit … Read More