Fuck its silent in here.......

[Gilgamesh]

At least the AP is not simply reporting on people's ignorance anymore; call them out.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_POLL_OBAMAS_RELIGION?SITE=NHPOR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Maybe they just read the New York Times.

Reason seven billion why religion is the scourge of the planet.

My invisible sky wizard is better than yours.

Honestly, it's comical that grown adults are arguing about stuff like this.

He committed to Christianity but since his dad was a Muslim he is by law a Muslim and his mother's religion, Christianity, is out the window - it does not count, however he himself did declare his strong belief in Christianity and how it means the world to him although this is going against the Islamic Law that states he must always be a Muslim and for him to deny it only makes him a bigger Muslim which is akin to alcoholism in a way and maybe Obama is an alcoholic Muslim who wants to build a mosque in your front yard and then unleash sharia upon your beachfront community.

Or maybe he's just a regular fucking guy who is an average president at best.

Slak wins the internet.

[R-V]

Interesting stuff about possible alternatives to our failure pile of a prison system:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/09/prison-without-walls/8195/1/

[Wheezer]

All told, this may be one of the strangest Q-and-A combos I've ever read:

AVC: Why has prop comedy been stagnating more and more?

G: I told you: an emphasis on the mediocre. You're giving the audience what they want, but, that's, I guess, a reflection on our society. It's so thin, it's a veneer, it's not deep, it doesn't have a moral direction. 'Cause we really don't know, we don't know.

This looks like a winner.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Morph and his zeppelin crew have been getting a sweetheart deal for far too long...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10668231

It is the second-lightest element in the Universe, has the lowest boiling-point of any gas and is commonly used through the world to inflate party balloons.

But helium is also a non-renewable resource and the world's reserves of the precious gas are about to run out, a shortage that is likely to have far-reaching repercussions.

Scientists have warned that the world's most commonly used inert gas is being depleted at an astonishing rate because of a law passed in the United States in 1996 which has effectively made helium too cheap to recycle.

The law stipulates that the US National Helium Reserve, which is kept in a disused underground gas field near Amarillo, Texas - by far the biggest store of helium in the world - must all be sold off by 2015, irrespective of the market price.

The experts warn that the world could run out of helium within 25 to 30 years, potentially spelling disaster for hospitals, whose MRI scanners are cooled by the gas in liquid form, and anti-terrorist authorities who rely on helium for their radiation monitors, as well as the millions of children who love to watch their helium-filled balloons float into the sky.

...

"In 1996, the US Congress decided to sell off the strategic reserve and the consequence was that the market was swelled with cheap helium because its price was not determined by the market. The motivation was to sell it all by 2015," Professor Richardson said.

"The basic problem is that helium is too cheap. The Earth is 4.7 billion years old and it has taken that long to accumulate our helium reserves, which we will dissipate in about 100 years. One generation does not have the right to determine availability for ever."

...

A billion cubic metres - or about half of the world's reserves - are now stored in this cluster of mines, pipes and vats that extend underground for more than 200 miles from Amarillo to Kansas.

But in 1996, the US passed the Helium Privatisation Act which directed that this reserve should be sold by 2015 at a price that would substantially pay off the federal government's original investment in building up the reserve.

The law stipulated the amount of helium sold off each year should follow a straight line with the same amount being sold each year, irrespective of the global demand for it. This, according to Professor Richardson, who won his Nobel prize for his work on helium-3, was a mistake. "As a result of that Act, helium is far too cheap and is not treated as a precious resource," he said. "It's being squandered."

...

Professor Richardson also believes that party balloons filled with helium are too cheap, and they should really cost about $100 to reflect the precious nature of the gas they contain.

[Chuck to Chuck]

Pfff.  Once fusion reactors are common place, we will have all the helium we ever need.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Barry Goldwater, art fag.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Long-rumored Republican closet case comes out of closet, news at 11.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

That was glib.

This is actually a pretty interesting development...

Mehlman's leadership positions in the GOP came at a time when the party was stepping up its anti-gay activities -- such as the distribution in West Virginia in 2006 of literature linking homosexuality to atheism, or the less-than-subtle, coded language in the party's platform ("Attempts to redefine marriage in a single state or city could have serious consequences throughout the country..."). Mehlman said at the time that he could not, as an individual Republican, go against the party consensus. He was aware that Karl Rove, President Bush's chief strategic adviser, had been working with Republicans to make sure that anti-gay initiatives and referenda would appear on November ballots in 2004 and 2006 to help Republicans.

Mehlman acknowledges that if he had publicly declared his sexuality sooner, he might have played a role in keeping the party from pushing an anti-gay agenda.

"It's a legitimate question and one I understand," Mehlman said. "I can't change the fact that I wasn't in this place personally when I was in politics, and I genuinely regret that. It was very hard, personally." He asks of those who doubt his sincerity: "If they can't offer support, at least offer understanding."

"What I do regret, and think a lot about, is that one of the things I talked a lot about in politics was how I tried to expand the party into neighborhoods where the message wasn't always heard. I didn't do this in the gay community at all."

He said that he "really wished" he had come to terms with his sexual orientation earlier, "so I could have worked against [the Federal Marriage Amendment]" and "reached out to the gay community in the way I reached out to African Americans."

Mehlman is aware that his attempts to justify his past silence will not be adequate for many people. He and his friends say that he is aware that he will no longer control the story about his identity -- which will simultaneously expose old wounds, invite Schadenfruede, and legitimize anger among gay rights activists in both parties who did not hide their sexual orientations.

...

He said that he plans to be an advocate for gay rights within the GOP, that he remains proud to be a Republican, and that his political identity is not defined by any one issue.

"What I will try to do is to persuade people, when I have conversations with them, that it is consistent with our party's philosophy, whether it's the principle of individual freedom, or limited government, or encouraging adults who love each other and who want to make a lifelong committment to each other to get married."

"I hope that we, as a party, would welcome gay and lesbian supporters. I also think there needs to be, in the gay community, robust and bipartisan support [for] marriage rights."

...

Mehlman said that his formal coming-out process began earlier this year. Over the past several weeks, he has notified former colleagues, including former President Bush. Once he realized that the news would probably leak, he assembled a team of former advisers to help him figure out the best way to harness the publicity generated by the disclosure for the cause of marriage rights. He is worried that some will see his decision to go public as opportunistic. Mehlman recently moved to Chelsea, a gay mecca in New York City. He refused to discuss his personal life with me, and he plans to give only a few print interviews on the subject.

Chad Griffin, the California-based political strategist who organized opposition to Proposition 8, said that Mehlman's quiet contributions to the American Foundation for Equal Rights are "tremendous," adding that "when we achieve equal equality, he will be one of the people to thank for it." Mehlman has become a de facto strategist for the group, and he has opened up his rolodex -- recruiting, as co-hosts for the AFER fundraiser: Paul Singer, a major Republican donor, hedge fund executive, and the president of the Manhattan Institute; Benjamin Ginsberg, one of the GOP's top lawyers; Michael Toner, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission; and two former GOP governors, William Weld of Massachusetts and Christie Todd Whitman of New Jersey.

Dustin Lance Black, the Academy Award winning writer of "Milk," said, "Ken represents an incredible coup for the American Foundation for Equal Rights. We believe that our mission of equal rights under the law is one that should resonate with every American. As a victorious former presidential campaign manager and head of the Republican Party, Ken has the proven experience and expertise to help us communicate with people across each of the 50 states."

Will there be a fruit basket to welcome him to the RINO fold?

[J. Walter Weatherman]

This is a month old, but timely nonetheless...

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40377.html

Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning mocked the manhood of rookie Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg after the 22-year-old phenom was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday night because of shoulder soreness.

"Five hundred twenty starts, I never refused the ball," Bunning, a Kentucky senator who hurled a perfect game in 1964 and struck out 2,855 batters in his major league career, told POLITICO. "What a joke!"

Bunning had taken an interest in Strasburg, who like the Kentucky senator is a fireball-hurling right-hander. The senator has seen the Nationals ace four times and was at the ballpark Tuesday night, he said.

But he clearly didn't like what he saw — or rather didn't see — when the youngster didn't take the mound.

"My arm!" Bunning sarcastically cried as he pretended to clutch his shoulder in the Capitol's Statuary Hall.

He said Strasburg's fallen greatly in his estimation.

"He was in the top one percentile," Bunning said, pinching his thumb and forefinger together. Now, Bunning said, he's closer to the 50th percentile.

In baseball and in politics, Bunning's been known as a tough guy with a mile-wide mean streak.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, his Kentucky colleague and fellow baseball fan, recently told a reporter he'd take Strasburg over Bunning if given the choice.

For the record, Bunning started 519 games in his career, according to BaseballReference.com.

[Bort]

This is a month old, but timely nonetheless...

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40377.html

Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning mocked the manhood of rookie Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg after the 22-year-old phenom was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday night because of shoulder soreness.

"Five hundred twenty starts, I never refused the ball," Bunning, a Kentucky senator who hurled a perfect game in 1964 and struck out 2,855 batters in his major league career, told POLITICO. "What a joke!"

Bunning had taken an interest in Strasburg, who like the Kentucky senator is a fireball-hurling right-hander. The senator has seen the Nationals ace four times and was at the ballpark Tuesday night, he said.

But he clearly didn't like what he saw — or rather didn't see — when the youngster didn't take the mound.

"My arm!" Bunning sarcastically cried as he pretended to clutch his shoulder in the Capitol's Statuary Hall.

He said Strasburg's fallen greatly in his estimation.

"He was in the top one percentile," Bunning said, pinching his thumb and forefinger together. Now, Bunning said, he's closer to the 50th percentile.

In baseball and in politics, Bunning's been known as a tough guy with a mile-wide mean streak.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, his Kentucky colleague and fellow baseball fan, recently told a reporter he'd take Strasburg over Bunning if given the choice.

For the record, Bunning started 519 games in his career, according to BaseballReference.com.

The article fails to mention the most important thing about Bunning: he's crazier than a shithouse rat.

[Gilgamesh]

This is a month old, but timely nonetheless...

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40377.html

Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning mocked the manhood of rookie Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg after the 22-year-old phenom was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday night because of shoulder soreness.

"Five hundred twenty starts, I never refused the ball," Bunning, a Kentucky senator who hurled a perfect game in 1964 and struck out 2,855 batters in his major league career, told POLITICO. "What a joke!"

Bunning had taken an interest in Strasburg, who like the Kentucky senator is a fireball-hurling right-hander. The senator has seen the Nationals ace four times and was at the ballpark Tuesday night, he said.

But he clearly didn't like what he saw — or rather didn't see — when the youngster didn't take the mound.

"My arm!" Bunning sarcastically cried as he pretended to clutch his shoulder in the Capitol's Statuary Hall.

He said Strasburg's fallen greatly in his estimation.

"He was in the top one percentile," Bunning said, pinching his thumb and forefinger together. Now, Bunning said, he's closer to the 50th percentile.

In baseball and in politics, Bunning's been known as a tough guy with a mile-wide mean streak.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, his Kentucky colleague and fellow baseball fan, recently told a reporter he'd take Strasburg over Bunning if given the choice.

For the record, Bunning started 519 games in his career, according to BaseballReference.com.

The article fails to mention the most important thing about Bunning: he's crazier than a shithouse rat.

But a Hall of Famer, nevertheless.

Ehh, he's still shitty.

[Eli]

Fits well with Rob Dibble's comments from a few days ago:

"I'm not a doctor, and I haven't read the MRI yet, but I'm pretty sure he's gonna come back fine," Dibble said as the "First Pitch" discussion began. "And for me, if you can throw the next day, then you probably could have continued out there on the baseball field. So are they a little bit overcautious at this point? Maybe. But he's a $15 million investment. I absolutely can't blame them for taking him out.

"I mean, excuse me. There's guys I played with that had screws holding their elbows together. Chris Sabo played two weeks on a broken ankle. I put a steel plate in my wrist so I could be back in five weeks instead of three months. So, this is your choice. You can either suck it up and be a man at 22 making $2 million a year [with] a $15 million contract, or every time you get an ache and pain you can go out of the game and say I'm gonna let down the other 24 guys right here and possibly end up forfeiting the game."

Maybe if Dibble would have sucked it up less, he wouldn't have been out of baseball after throwing a grand total of 477 career innings.

[Oleg]

Fucking flip-flopper...

[Gilgamesh]

Fucking flip-flopper...

Lomborg never really denied it, per se.  His big schtick was that in terms of other pressing environmental problems, climate change wasn't in the top 5.

[CBStew]

A blog post by a UC Berkeley professor...


http://blogs.berkeley.edu/2010/08/24/a-letter-to-my-students/