In an encouraging sign that science may yet survive vigorous efforts to replace it with “common sense,” Dan Brown novels and radio call-in shows, Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that the End of the World, should it occur, will likely be initiated by something other than CERN’s Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland.
The Court rejected an appeal in the case of a woman who was seeking to halt operation of the LHC in order to avert the Earth’s destruction, possibly as a result of the accidental creation of a localized Black Hole, or some other damn thing that only happens in cartoons and Star Trek movies.
Rush Limbaugh sez he’s leavin’ the country if it happens. Listen for yourself. (via Think Progress.)
I guess all I have to say to that is: “ohpleeeezohpleeeezohpleeeeze!!!”
The real punchline is that he’s planning to move to Costa Rica - home of one of the best soshulized medicine health care systems in Latin America. Hey, they even provide coverage to non-citizens. Like, umm, Rush would be.
Glenn Beck made a big deal out of landing an exclusive, hour-long one-on-one with outraged, seething, ready-to-go-Krakatoa Dem Congressman Eric Massa. Malkin and Limbaugh both warned him that interviewing Massa was likely to be the “Al Capone’s Vault” of misbegotten on-air scoops, but Beck predictably followed his gut straight into this year’s Christmas party reel of TV’s Queasiest Moments.
I haven’t screened the entire show, but this clip is guaranteed to make you feel like Emily Litella watching a live performance of “Who’s On First?” featuring Bob Dole and the ghost of Brother Theodore. The other segments can be viewed here.
From the comments on the Freeper live-thread, I get the feeling Beck was as bored as his audience by the end. Bored—but, surprisingly enough, not to tears.
Erstwhile respected journalist annoying gadfly and attention addict Elinor Burkett did herself no favors on Oscar night when she barreled into “Music By Prudence” director and co-producer Roger Ross Williams and bogarted the mike, but she did assure that a documentary acceptance speech garnered attention, so perhaps she performed a purple-encased act of altruism after all.
Below-the-fold bonus: music from Liyana, the Zimbabwean musicians profiled in the film, verified to be 100% marimbalicious.
Fulfilling his bloggy mission, Zandar points out the stupid in this wingnut-prØn poll, which finds that, according to Americans, the US has lost international standing during the Obama administration:
What a ridiculous poll. If you want to know how the US is perceived internationally by non-Americans, why are you asking Americans?
Good question, Zandar. As it turns out, Gallup released a poll last month that actually did gauge non-American perceptions of American leadership and presents data from 2006-2009:
He’s a self-funding sleeper who’s boring as hell, but he has a fun name and posts wonderful WTF? shit like this on his Web site:
Tighter controls are the start for financial reform
The U.S. financial system experienced wrenching dislocation at end of 2008, requiring more engagement by the Federal government than at any time since the Great Depression. I remain strongly of the view that government intervention in financial markets creates distortions rather than efficiency.
Anyone who can be both for and against more government control of financial markets, simultaneously, is worth a second look. Watch your back, Harry.
The vocal opponent of health care reform in the U.S. steered largely clear of the topic except to reveal a tidbit about her life growing up not far from Whitehorse.
“We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada,” she said. “And I think now, isn’t that ironic.”
Palin was apparently using “ironic” in it’s rarely-employed alternative sense of “cynical, double-dealing hypocrisy.”
Massa described his unnerving skyclad encounter with the President’s Satanic Chief of Staff in the course of a spectacular rant against the Democratic Healthcare Reform Bill and what he claims have been thuggish White House tactics to pressure him into retiring prior to the upcoming House vote on the Senate HRC package, which Massa opposes.
TPM has more here. Everyone’s covering it. Drudge is all over it. Rush is foaming into the microphone. Glenn Beck is making frantic efforts to book Massa for his 5PM show on FoxNews. As for me, I just had to get that headline and image up on the blog and out of my head.
As discussed here a couple of weeks ago, the Republicans seem to have hit on a new meme. Extending unemployment benefits makes people lazy and unwilling to heft their shiftless asses offa the sofa and go out and get jobs! Rep. Dean Heller R.-NV previously wondered if we were creating hobos. Senator Jon Kyl threatened to block the extension of the benefits because he apparently believes it is more important for Paris Hilton and her pals to inherit boatloads of money free of any estate tax.
At about the same time Iowa Rep. Steve King suggested that extending benefits turns the “the safety net into a hammock”. (via Steve Benen)
Now Tom DeLay, speaking on CNN’s State of the Union insists that Senator Jim Bunning, R-KY, took the principled stand in trying to block the benefits extension (among other things) arguing that people are only unemployed because they want to be. Hard to believe? Don’t take my word for it - listen for yourselves.
Yes, the vile loathsome DeLay wants us to believe that the jobs are out there just waiting to be taken. But the shiftless, lazy taxpayers just wants to park they butts on the couch until that last couple of weeks of unemployment before trudging reluctantly back into the world of a paycheck. Now I think it’s you living in that parallel universe Mr. DeLay, not me.
Everyone knows squishy, effete, elitist Kenyan lawyer Barack Obama is just longing to coddle America’s enemies! Unlike Dick Cheney, who once shot an old lawyer in the face (it was just Dick’s manner of saying, “Outta my way, motherfucker!”), Obama wants to serve terrorists glasses of warm, halal milk, read them Koranic bedtime stories and tuck them into comfy featherbeds with extra-soft pillows.
But damn it all, whenever secret Muslim Obama tries to deliver engraved invitations to Islamic terrorists to please come dine on pork-free goodies on the East Lawn, he keeps accidentally blowingthesumbitchesup with Hellfire missiles! It’s all a horrible, horrible misunderstanding.
For me, the Oscar Ceremonies are right up there with really crappy Eastern European trance bands who have an obsession for robot art and overwrought typefaces. But just because I have no soul doesn’t mean the rest of you can’t have a party!
Consider this your swag-filled VIP Roastatorium for winner picks, gossip, Red Carpet cattiness and Oscar Awards live-snarking.
UPDATE: Here’s the official list of nominees by searchable category. Here’s a potentially-lethal drinking game. Don’t thank me—I live to serve.
