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FRIDAY NEWS: * 'Yes Virginia, the middle class is getting screwed.' * Good read: a long-time conservative breaks with the right, and offers a powerful indictment of the state of the party. * Republicans in Ohio come up with a new and inventive way to get rid of votes on Election Day. * Asking what about Romney's business experience would make him a good president. * Five questions about China's military. * No, there's no upswing in race-based violence. * Eight years into its Mars mission, the rover Opportunity takes a self-portrait in shadow. * Scientists say countries should focus on food security as a goal. * Gallery: the Games of Thrones cast, out of character. | |
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I take back what I said previously about you not appreciating tacos. There are many fine authentic Mexican taco trucks, at least in warm weather. Also in warm weather, your citizens apparently hang out in public spaces and bring their unique talents to the public arena, and I'm glad to see this.
However, this trip has strengthened my beliefs about you in two ways: First, exclusivity is the primary commodity in New York. And frankly, that's just not hip anymore. Second, New Yorkers can't do anything for themselves. Including, apparently, opening doors and using a restroom sink. I'm not sure if you, Manhattan, are encouraging or responding to this phenomenon. But as a Westerner, it feels pretty awkward to have a guy standing in the bathroom turn on the water for you and then hand you a paper towel. | |
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THURSDAY NEWS: * Two years later, examining the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the Gulf. Hint: it isn't good. * Oh, nice: what do Americans really think about birth control? * "Americans are sick and tired of Washington's dysfunctional politics. But it's not Congress they should be angry at - Americans got exactly the system of government they asked for. " * FFS. Some Republicans try to rewrite the history of the civil rights movement. * Analysis: Romney's stance on health care. * And just because you have health insurance doesn't mean your troubles are over. * Huh. Disney sheds light on the fight for marriage equality in Japan. * Mario Batali tries living for a week on food stamps. * The other half: on Dan Harmon and Community. | |
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"Just think about it. America, as a hyper-militarized state, having spent the last ten years engaged in a global war on terror, is hosting an international conference for NATO, the organization at the center point of that militarization. Further consider, one of the main attributes of that terror war has been the militarization of local police forces across the country. The agenda? Stifling public dissent in the face of the social need and humanitarian agenda sacrificed to the terror agenda." | |
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As mentioned earlier, Zen Pencils is really impressing me, and if you aren't reading it, you should be. The latest example is this three part series on Muhammad Ali. The art is great, and the write-ups beneath each are really quality. - The legend of Cassius Clay- I know the truth- A true championCheck it out, you'll be glad you did. This is one of those artists that transcends the medium. | |
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Wedding yesterday, good times. Wish we could have stayed longer and chatted with more people. Z. was, as always, a big hit. Pics at some point.
Got back late, greeted M. back from her weekend away. Snuck in an episode of Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, which is Canadian comedy/horror gold.
Z. dropped off, grocery and incidentals shopping done. Rental car returned. Relaxing for an hour or so.
Next: go pick up Z after school. Once home, immediately start ham cooking for Maia's Day dinner tonight, figure out au gratin potatoes and how not to mess up steamed green beans.
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Look, it's like this. Romney would not be the most right-wing president ever. But the President only has so much power, and one of the main functions of the White House is to keep Congress in check. And Romney behind the big desk, with the House still under the right's control, and the Senate handicapped by the Tea Party, and the Supreme Court under Roberts and Alito would be a very, very red power. I don't see him being the kind of guy to push back against his party. That's what we're up against come November. Spread the word. | |
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UPFRONTS: * ABC announces their fall lineup. I am a sucker for Terry O'Quinn. * I don't watch anything on CBS and I don't see that changing in a few months either. Michael Chiklis is a draw, though. * Meanwhile, at Fox, we get Mindy Kaling. More from Slate here. * Lisa de Moraes covers the NBC lineup. ( I'm considering Revolution.) * Sigh. Yes, Community did get renewed, but...* I suppose the CW does still count as a TV channel. * io9 recaps all the scifi and fantasy shows for the new season. * SpoilerTV.com has a calendar for premiere dates. * And adult swim confirms Boondocks season four. Righteous. | |
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May continues to be the crazy. M. is afield for PennLite camping, so I am flying solo for the next couple days. By which I mean, I am taking care of the house and talking to the cats. Sunday looks to be exciting: picking up Z., getting her back and dressed up, and heading out to a wedding with little to no downtime. Other than that, just cruising along and trying to keep the calendar in shape. Hopefully find time to catch up with people I've been missing in the near future. The gaming crew decided against Gen Con in August. Instead, we're looking at a smaller, closer con in July, and possibly hanging out at a cabin for a few days with the various families. More details as that solidifies. So, yes. There's all that. | |
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THURSDAY NEWS: * Politicians always point to enemies overseas, but the real problems aren't foreign nations. * 'Gitmo at sea': "This is basically where civil liberties are in the Obama era." * "We owe our existence to massive cataclysmic events, random accidents that played a large role in determining the pace of evolution." * Comparing what minimum wage could buy in the past and what it can buy now. * Good read: conservatives have a long history of opposing personal liberties. * The Republican operative taking on the Mormon Church's crusade against gay marriage. * Ten scientific concepts that would make for amusing supervillains. * "The godfather of go-go," DC's own Chuck Brown passed away. | |
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SOME NEWS: * "50 years Of government spending, in one graph." * Conversations we shouldn't be having: deciding how much pain the police are allowed to inflict, including on pregnant women. * To no one's surprise, yes, we are backing the Syrian rebels. * 'New world disorder': as the G-8 tumbles, who will step in to fill the vacuum in global leadership? * Saudi Arabia seeks stronger ties with other monarchies in the region. * Chancellor Merkel brings Germany back to center stage. * Studying the health histories of the locals to find answers on fracking. * Virginia continues to stride backwards by rejecting a judicial nominee because, you know, gay. * Follow-up: Americans Elect fails to come up with a third-party candidate. | |
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In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Over the Edge, the roleplaying game of surreal danger, Atlas Games is open sourcing the game's core rules as WaRP: Wanton Role-Playing System. The Open Game License is a popular "open source" license for role playing games, introduced by Wizards of the Coast when they released Dungeons & Dragons version 3. Over the Edge has a very simple and flexible rule system that's designed to let you play any character you can imagine and tell any story you like. I've created Over the Edge characters as mundane as a mystical soup-makin' chef from New Orleans and as wacky as a sentient trench coat who psychically controls the person wearing him, questing for his lost wife (a fedora) and their two young boots. I've also wanted to play Count Von Count in a one shot :-) Over the Edge is set in the imaginary island of Al Amarja. It's a place full of conspiracies and fringe science and street gangs and ancient mysteries. It's a great place to play, and the WaRP system can expand the playground to anywhere you can imagine. Space westerns? High fantasy? Regency romance? International thriller? Blaxploitation? Give it a go! And with the OGL rules, you can send all your players a link to a PDF so they can arrive at your house ready to play. | |
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It starts off asking what Joss Whedon will do next, now that The Avengers turned out even more successful than predicted, but rapidly turns into a love letter for Whedon, which is totally cool, because he is that awesome. | |
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The prompt/meme/whatever: Comment to this post, and I will list seven things I want you to talk about. They might make sense or they might be totally random. Then post that list, with your commentary, to your journal. Other people can get lists from you, and the meme merrily perpetuates itself. I got a bit long winded, so let's see if I can remember how to do this cutting thing... ( Read more... )So there we go! :) | |
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The short film that M. was in for the 48 Hour Film Project is now online. Check out 'Presence' at Cavegirl Productions. | |
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"But to me the most interesting stories to tell about climate change have never been attempts to elucidate the worst-case scenarios. As an organizing narrative, what climate change offered me was a reason to rediscover and reimagine the world's basic infrastructure. Want to radically improve the efficiency of the transportation system? Well, first you have to understand how and why Americans built the system that we have. You have to ask: What problems were our forebears trying to solve?" | |
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"I suspect that the dynamic that matters here is repeated each time: the out-party just can't believe that anyone would actually like this guy, and if only we can turn up one more piece of information, that will finally open their eyes about him. It's not true, of course, but I guess I can understand why it seems that it might be. For partisans, that is; there's really no reason for the press to fall for it." - Jonathan Bernstein | |
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