A whole list of them. While some of the quotes are (in my view) a little hostile toward religion, there are some that particularly resonate with me (especially the first one): "I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you … Read More
The 9/11 NORAD Tapes
Everybody’s talking about this Vanity Fair piece, citing it as one of the "best examples of online journalism" to date. It’s a compelling story of how the U.S. Air Force responded to the events of 9/11, including excerpts from never-heard-before tapes acquired from NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command). These were the first guys who knew that something was … Read More
Inarticulation
Yup, I agree. Bush sometimes sounds like a college student who is trying to speak authoritatively in class, when in fact it’s clear that he hasn’t done the required reading. Exhibit A: "We discussed a lot of issues. The Prime Minister has laid out a comprehensive plan. That’s what leaders do. They see problems, they address problems, and they lay … Read More
The Meaning Of Mel
S.Z. at World O’ Crap does all the research and work; I just steal. Largely due to The Passion of the Christ, as well as his macho movies that distort history (The Patriot, When We Were Soldiers), Mel became the darling of the right-wing, including a grassroots push to have him be President. S.Z. now takes a look at the … Read More
The Worst Defense Ever Raised In Court
A pedophile believes that his "right" to molest physically and mentally handicapped boys is protected because it stems from his religious belief: Phillip Distasio, who said he is the leader of a church called Arcadian Fields Ministries, represented himself at his pretrial hearing Wednesday. He is charged with 74 counts including rape, pandering obscenity to minors and corrupting another with … Read More
Bad Dog!
Looks like somebody wasn’t qualified for the job: A guard dog has ripped apart a collection of rare teddy bears, including one once owned by Elvis Presley, during a rampage at a children’s museum. "He just went berserk," said Daniel Medley, general manager of the Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, England, where hundreds of bears were chewed up Tuesday night … Read More
“Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical” Rehearsal Quotes Of The Day
From last night: "And how exactly will talking about cock rings help you get this choreography down for opening night?" — Slightly frustrated director to slightly unfocussed actor "EEWWWWWWW! I felt your breasts touch my breasts!!!" — Two female actors following all-girl sex orgy
Gimme That Ol’ Time Religion
Shakespeare’s Sisters shine a spotlight on this video in a post entitled "Holy Laughter and Spiritual Drunkenness". The Youtube description on the video reads: The late Kenneth Hagin and not-late Kenneth Copeland are seen here during a pastor’s conference in which the crowd was worked up into quite a state. "Holy Laughter", "Spiritual Drinkenness", dancing, thrashing about, falling out, speaking … Read More
How Digital Filming Changes Acting
Interesting post here about how acting for film is changing. In the old days (i.e., from the early 1900’s until, like, a few months ago), screenactors would rehearse and then do a "take" (or two or three or 26 takes). The main reason? Celluloid is expensive. And that pressure to "get it right" while the film was rolling resulted in, … Read More
My Plan To End World Hunger
Every person who utters the phrase "Hot enough for you?" has to donate a dime to UNICEF.
Sanity Returns To Kansas
Less than a year ago, a conservative majority on Kansas’ State Board of Education adopted state science standards on how to teach modern biology. Or in Kansas’ case, how to avoid it — the standards adopted by the state board represented the broadest challenge to evolution in the country. Democrats and moderate Republicans organized a fierce fight to take back … Read More
Fries Are French Again
Remember that bit of ridiculousness in March 2003, when a couple of Republican Congressmen, angry that France wasn’t supporting the U.S. efforts in Iraq, decided to "protest" by having the Congressional cafeteria serve "freedom fries" instead of "French fries"? It was a bold culinary symbolic statement which raised congressional silliness to new heights. Three years later, those two Congressmen (Bob … Read More
The Best Defense
A lot of lawyers will tell you that sometimes, the best strategy when you are being accused, is to sue your accuser in order to intimidate him. (In fact, people often do this in daily life — in order to avoid guilt, they lay accusations at others). That’s exactly what is going on here: A Marine Corps staff sergeant who … Read More
Did The Pentagon Lie About 9/11?
Could be: Some staff members and commissioners of the Sept. 11 panel concluded that the Pentagon’s initial story of how it reacted to the 2001 terrorist attacks may have been part of a deliberate effort to mislead the commission and the public rather than a reflection of the fog of events on that day, according to sources involved in the … Read More
Rebuilding In Iraq
You would almost think FEMA is in charge: NASIRIYAH, Iraq, Aug. 1 — A flailing Iraq reconstruction effort that has been dominated for more than three years by U.S. dollars and companies is being transferred to Iraqis, leaving them the challenge of completing a long list of projects left unfinished by the Americans. While the handover is occurring gradually, it … Read More