Science, Love, and LSD deliver again!
After all, Divinity is a hard act to follow. (Rimshot, please.)
“Why should I believe *you*?” “Because whatever I say is *true*!”
UPDATE: They deleted my second comment as well. That’s the end of ThinkProgress as far as I’m concerned.
~~~
Never let it be said that conservative news sources are more censorious than liberal sources.
Case in point: I recently made a comment on this story posted in ThinkProgress.
I posted a comment questioning the source, which is Al Jazeera. AJ is known as a news source of questionable agenda; it acts as the mouthpiece for Muslim extremists and seems to think nothing of posting videos depicting graphic violence — including the beheading of Daniel Pearl. (Warning: the video of his beheading exists in the internet, but it is barbarous and frightening. Al Jazeera ran this and other such videos uncut.)
Al Jazeera has a habit of running stories that no one else can verify or confirm. As an example, they recently ran a series of stories on the reason why there are pirates cruising the waters off Somalia. The stories claim that developed-country industries are dumping toxic wastes off the Somalia coast, and the pirate are trying to stop the dumping by becoming pirates. No other news source has been able to verify or deny the story.
Anyway, the comment I posted is gone. It was removed last night, for reasons I can likely guess. I suspect that someone doesn’t like their news stories’ authenticity questioned.
Al Jazeera has the same level of veracity as Fox News and rt.com, and is fueled by similar political agendas.
(FWIW, I’ve placed another comment. Let’s see if that one stays — or not.)
“Why do we do this the hard way, Sergeant?” “Because I said so!”
My oldest son is currently living this nightmare in the armed forces.
Don’t you see this every day? People making the same bad financial choices, the same bad life choices, the same bad moral choices.
Today, make different choices, better choices. Take a walk rather than watch the game on the tube. Read a book instead of spending hours web browsing. Play a board game with your kids and avoid the latest “reality” show. Volunteer for a charity near to your heart, drop by your neighbor and say, “Hello”, or donate to a worthy cause.
Do something right.
Socialism in the Bible?? Say it ain’t so!
“And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
“And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
“Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
“And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”
“Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.”
Remember…
It is all a matter of choice
From the Planned Parenthood site — patient care provided by Planned Parenthood affiliates:
So yes, PP does offer abortion services — for 3% of its over 11 million clients.
However, keep in mind that PP is the source of contraception material and STD screenings for the poor and students. My daughter uses PP for her birth control; without that, she could well have had one (or more) children for whom she would be financially unable to care.
Face it, folks. Anti-choice advocates are using their protests against Planned Parenthood to smokescreen the real issue:
They don’t want anyone giving the needy contraception options, disease screening and treatment, and the opportunity to prevent bringing an unwanted baby to term.
And don’t give me that song and dance about adoption being a viable option. The overwhelming (over 90%) number of prospective adoptive parents are white folk who won’t take anything but a completely healthy, Caucasian newborn with an impeccable record of pre-natal care. If you can’t deliver that, your baby will likely never be adopted.
(Thanks to Mike S. for the tip.)
Allen West, channelling Joe McCarthy
“I have here in my hand a list of 205 that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department.” — Senator Joseph McCarthy, 1950
…and the new, unimproved, 21st-century version of fear-mongering, Allen West style:
…and two parting thoughts on the matter:
“The junior senator from Wisconsin, by his reckless charges, has so preyed upon the fears and hatreds and prejudices of the American people that he has started a prairie fire which neither he nor anyone else may be able to control.” – Senator William Fulbright, 1969
Dominionist revisionism is so last week
So…the Constitution is written in Hebrew, Mr. Barton? How else could something from the Old Testament be verbatim in Article 3?
How wrong-headed could people be?!
Here are two books that every wingnut perv/conservative politico ought to have on the bookshelves:
Here are two books, one written by Karen Santorum (and foreworded by Joe Paterno, FFS!) and the other written by George “Lift my luggage” Rekers. Here are two books involving people who have allowed or encouraged adults to abuse children sexually and/or psychologically.
I thought these were both bad jokes. They are not, and they are both for sale at your favorite bookstore. Be sure to give them a pass today.
A small personal odyssey, shared
Apparently Reddit was asked for a list of the best spec-fic novels of all time.
As I read the list, I thought about the first time I read each of them; there are a few I have missed, so I think I’ve just got a new reading list for next few months:
Dune by Frank Herbert
I remember reading this when I was in college and being impressed by the plot and the writing. I’ve re-read it a dozen times since then, and I continue to be impressed. Unfortunately, Mr. Herbert went back to the Dune well far too many times, and his son needs to leave it the hell alone lest he do his father’s creation even more harm.
The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
I laughed. And laughed. And Laughed. ‘Nuff said.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
I have never read any of Card’s work, and knowing that his homophobia runs to the depths of his sitting on the board of NOM, I never will.
The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
This trilogy is regularly voted the best spec-fic series of all time. I have to say that this, like much of Asimov’s early work, has not aged particularly well. But everyone I know who reads it for the first time is still stupefied by the surprise ending.
Hyperio by Dan Simmons
I don’t know this work. It’s going on the reading list for the summer.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
This is a book that has been on the back burner list for years. I guess I need to move it forward.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
This is the first of two Stephenson novels on the list. I personally would have placed Cryptonomicon rather than Snow Crash, but both are really good reads.
Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
Rated by many as the single best spec-fic novel ever written. Wistful, potent, and final.
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
A wonderful first novel, whose level of writing and plot was never quite matched again by the author.
Ringworld by Larry Niven
I love Larry’s Niven’s early works. I think he’s lost his way in the last 20 years, and he had no business writing about Ringworld after the first effort.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
DADoES is absolutely nothing like Bladerunner, so much so that the two works should not be compared at all. You either like Dick, or you really don’t like him — except me. I still can’t make up my mind about the man’s work.
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
Heinlein is a lot like Dick in that people either really like his work, or they don’t. I fall into the former camp; I like his stories (particularly his earlier juvenile works) and find the characters engaging. I personally would have included The Moon is a Harsh Mistress rather than Stranger, which was groundbreaking work for its time.
Starship Trooper by Robert A. Heinlein
Hands down the best military spec-fic novel ever written. It is the only fiction found in the Marine Corps Bookstore, and a very engaging read about a young man learning how to be a moral human. There are many folk that don’t like ST, but I’ve never seen a single critic that could logically argue against most of the points the author makes.
The Culture Series by Iain M. Banks
I don’t know much about Mr. Banks’ work, other than some of his short stories. It goes on the reading list.
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
A small shiny gem in the spec-fic world. Go read it. Now.
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
I was more impressed by the notions raised in this book, rather than the book itself. And like so many authors, Mr. Clarke went back to the Rama well too often for the health of his literary reputation.
Pandora’s Star by Peter F. Hamilton
I don’t know this book or its author. Does anyone else know this one? It’s now on the reading list.
The Mote in God’s Eye by Niven and Pournelle
Robert Heinlein considered this novel to be the finest spec-fic novel ever written. I don’t know if I’d go quite that far, but it is a really fun read.
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
In my personal Top 5 of any genre any time. Gully Foyle deserves to be considered in the same rank as Jean Valjean and Charles Darnay.
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
Unknown quantity. On the list.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
This is the only entry that I vehemently disagree with. Trite characters and a potentially wonderful plot made pedestrian and plodding. Yuck.
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
What can I say? The movie’s shadow casts unfair comparisons to the book, which has more engaging characters and far more interesting plot points.
Contact by Carl Sagan
For once, this is a book that is not nearly as interesting as the movie. The movie is the novel that Sagan should have written.
Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
I don’t know this story, and I’m not the world’s biggest Vonnegut fan. I’ll have to give this one a try.
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Like much of Asimov’s work, this one has not aged well. If you want a real treat, find a copy of Harlan Ellison’s unproduced screenplay of I, Robot. It is the best movie you’ll never see.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
I read this many years ago, and my recollection says I should re-read it. An interesting study in gender identity and xenophobia.
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
Another novel I don’t know. It’s on the list.
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
Ditto.
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
As a matter of coincidence, I am in the middle of this one right now. I appreciate the worlds that Stephenson builds, and this one hasn’t disappointed me.
Armor by John Steakley
I don’t know this one.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Ditto.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I”m not the world’s biggest Bradbury fan (hope lightning doesn’t strike!), but this one is a somber reminder that totalitarianism is always uncomfortably close.
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
I’ve not taken the time to get to know Mr. Vinge’s work. Now’s my opportunity.
Quarantine by Greg Egan
On the list.
The Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny
I have so many friends that love the world of Amber, and I can’t say I’ve ever read any of the stories. Now’s the time.
Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
I generally avoid Star Wars and Star Trek novels like the plague. I’ll give this one a go.
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
I like Wolfe’s works, but I haven’t read this one. Yet.
“You guys always bring me the *very* best violence.”
Mr. Universe’s gratitude (expressed in the title of this entry) parallels my own when it comes to The Spouse. She finds me the best stuff to write about.
Today was no exception. This was posted by Darwin Phillips on Facebook:
Taking America Forward Instead of Backward:
I recently read this response to some O haters in a page I was a’trollin’…
To your distress, for most of the rest of your life, you will bear this:
That Barack Obama, whether re-elected or not, will always be President. He will always be the man from a mixed race background that became the President of the US, he and his wife will be welcomed throughout the world by nations and their leaders, the most influential members of the arts and sciences will be their acquaintances and companions. He will be regarded and honored as the President who entered office during a deep recession and two wars and turned the country around.
You will always justify your lack of achievement on the unfairness of every system, your lack of success on the government or regulation, your failure to accomplish anything in a country where impoverished immigrants with limited language skills are succeeding around you on the liberals or the communists or the elites.
The small satisfaction you garner while spouting derisive comments here only exists in your self-delusion and is a pale comfort compared to the reality that exists around you.
You can try to salve your bitter existence with theories of international Kenyan plots or document fraud, whatever. But that is your future. Your world will always be limited by your small-mindedness, your associates only those that are as poorly adapted to the world around them, your accomplishments non-existent and your life a bitter existence.
It’s time to move on. In your journey into denial, you’ve already sacrificed your conscience and whatever claim to character you had. Your pretense at a deity derived morality is mocked by your myopic hatred of the ‘other’. Your concept of patriotism is waving a child’s flag on the sidelines as others defend your liberty.
Bush 41 and spouse are living into their nineties, the Obama’s will too. You’ll see them at the inaugurals, your TV will tell you of their lives and that of their daughters, of their successes and their trips and the books they write and their accolades.
Make it easy on yourself. Take a deep cleansing breath and just let go, make the best of your situation. Whether re-elected or not, he will always be the 44th President of the US, and your children and their children will read of him in their history books, the first black man elected president of the US.
If not re-elected, he will be healthier and wealthier than he is as President, but he is willing to make that sacrifice for you.
You still live in a free country made more safe and prosperous by your President, and he, the First Lady and their children will always have you in their prayers.
And while those deriders that Phillips mentions contemplate their own lack of success, they can contemplate this list of presidential accomplishments.
Riddle me this, children.
I am doing work at a customer site, and I decided to scan through my favorite webcomics while waiting for a meeting to start.
When I try to go to the website that would show a cartoon like this
I get this instead.
However, the same customer allows this webcomic that contains material like this…
…and this.
The forbidden comic states a truth about apostasy in the Muslim world, and the second one contains obscenity.
I have no objection to obscenity itself, as long as it’s appropriate to the situation.
However, I also have no problem exposing uncomfortable truths about religions either.
But I’m guessing somebody does.
Your extremist humor for April Fools’ Day
Bless The Oatmeal. May (s)he grace us with genius for many years to come!
(I wantwantwantwant that Tesla>Edison t-shirt. Hooray! I can get it!)
Remember this important lesson, kids
Thanks to Mr. Risenhoover and God’s Patience for this bit of weekend inspiration. (It’s creepy to see Voldemort and Bellatrix smiling next to Dumbledore.)
Sure signs of civilization
I’m in North Carolina working this week, and the company I’d doing work for has a beer and snacks bash every Friday afternoon. The beer selection wasn’t bad, if you’re willing to admit that Pabst Blue Ribbon is really relabelled moose urine.
Imagine my sheer delight, though, when I discovered this tap:
Crispin Cider is made back home in Minnesota, and it is pretty gosh-darned good. (Their seasonal honeycrisp apple cider is a quantum leap above it, and is the most outstanding commercial hard cider I’ve ever tasted.)
Ah, it’s nice to know that Carolinians have good taste. It’s also comforting to visit the place where The Spouse and I left our first engagement announcement:
You just can’t play a depressing song on the banjo
It just. Doesn’t get. Any better than this.
God DAMN! I mean…just…godDAMN!
