About The Nobel Prize Thing

Ken AshfordBloggingLeave a Comment

Look.  Everyone knows that Obama got awarded the Peace Prize this morning not for his past achievements, but for his outlook and approach to future achievements.  Obama himself understands this.  Even the spokesperson for the Nobel Committee said as much.  So big deal.  It's their committee, their prize, their criteria.  Nobody else's. One thing though — it's not unprecedented.  The … Read More

Public Option (Of Some Sort) Looking Good

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

A lot of Republicans are coming forward in support of "Obamacare" suddenly.  Unfortunately, none of them are current congressmen.  They include Republican overnors (like Ahhnold), or former Republican Congressmen, like Bill Frist and Bob Dole.  It doesn't seem to be having much effect on current Congressmen. But there is a new "compromise" solution, which seems to be catching fire — … Read More

David Joy Gets Good Press

Ken AshfordLocal Interest, Personal, TheatreLeave a Comment

Geez. Best quote: Jokes Lawson: “Truth be told, he owes all of his success to me, and the rest is history.” Joy plays right along. “It’s true,” he says. “I’m Jamie’s bitch. He works me like a slave driver and I keep coming back for more. I’m a prison bitch.”

Look Up Tonight

Ken AshfordScience & TechnologyLeave a Comment

The Dracoid meteor shower peaks tonight, as well as tomorrow night, and the 9th. The annual Perseid meteor shower is bigger, but the Dracoid meteor shower is no slouch.  What's more, unlike the Perseid, it tends to peak in the evening hours (as opposed to the morning hours). Also, Dracoid meteors are slower, so you tend to catch them with … Read More

Quote Of The Day

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

As reported in Time: "The fact that our numbers are up 30 plus in the news arena on basic cable I'd like to think is a sign that we are just putting what we believe to be the facts out on the table," said Michael Clemente, Fox's senior vice president for news, in an interview on Tuesday. Reflect on that … Read More

Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do

Ken AshfordGodstuffLeave a Comment

Years ago, Andrew Schlafly, the son of you-know-who, decided that Wikipedia was too liberal, and created Conservapedia, which… strives to keep its articles concise, informative, family-friendly, and true to the facts, which often back up conservative ideas more than liberal ones. Rather than claim a neutral point of view and then insert bias, Conservapedia is clear that it seeks to give … Read More

Beck and the “Alamo for Truth”

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept MediaLeave a Comment

Earlier this week, Beck — almost crying (again) — lashed out at "the media" for digging into his past.  Apparently, it had something to do with an excellent three-part Slate article (starting here) about Beck's life. In the course of his performance, Glenn Beck assured viewers that what he does, well, "it's about me and you and quite frankly, Fox News — … Read More

2009 Ig Nobel Prize Winners

Ken AshfordScience & TechnologyLeave a Comment

It's Nobel prize time, which means that it is Ig Nobel prize time as well.  The "Journal of Improbable Research" has announced its winners of the esteemed Ig Nobels, given to research which delves into the ignored, irrelevant, or obvious. This year's winners: MEDICINE PRIZE: Donald L. Unger, of Thousand Oaks, California, USA, for investigating a possible cause of arthritis of the … Read More

Things You Learn On WIkipedia

Ken AshfordHistoryLeave a Comment

The flag of the Benin Empire (1440-1897): That's pretty hard core. And note that the victim is not only unarmed, but was also merely trying to samba.  All that is missing is a cartoon bubble with the victim saying "Ouch" or "Quit it!" Benin was a little empire located in present-day Nigeria.  The nobility which ran the empire were, obviously, very … Read More

Return To Oz

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

Seventy years ago, the Wizard of Oz was released. Five surviving munchkins from “The Wizard of Oz” sat down recently, dressed in their full munchkin garb, to sing songs and remember the glory days. One of them fell asleep during the chat.

Justice Scalia Wants Dumber Lawyers?

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, Supreme Court1 Comment

As reported in the Wall Street Journal law blog, Justice Scalia has some interesting opinions when it comes to the quality of counsel that appears before him in the U.S. Supreme Court: Well, you know, two chiefs ago, Chief Justice Burger, used to complain about the low quality of counsel. I used to have just the opposite reaction. I used … Read More

Judicial Activism

Ken AshfordSupreme CourtLeave a Comment

Number of questions asked by new Justice Sonia Sotomayor to litigants during her first hour on the Supreme Court bench: 36 Number of questions asked by Justice Clarence Thomas to litigants over the past three year: zero