"My Half-Year of Hell With Christian Fundamentalists"

Der Spiegel reports this story:

When Polish student Michael Gromek, 19, went to America on a student exchange, he found himself trapped in a host family of Christian fundamentalists. What followed was a six-month hell of dawn church visits and sex education talks as his new family tried to banish the devil from his soul. Here's his story.

I read the poor fellows account with a great deal of sympathy, since throughout my entire youth I was bombarded daily with ultra-conservative Catholicism - the Philadelphia Irish Catholic variety, which included saying the rosary while climbing the stairs on our knees one decade at a time, emergency confessions (usually because of "impure thoughts"), and frequent dinnertime lectures on the evils of sex and abortion.

Well, Michael, fuck the fucking fuckers.

Read the rest of Michael's sad tale here.

George FWill: Pompous Poseur and a Liar

Was Jim Webb insolent? Mr. FWill would have you think so:

Already Too Busy for Civility

By George F. Will
Thursday, November 30, 2006; Page A23

That was certainly swift. Washington has a way of quickly acculturating people, especially those who are most susceptible to derangement by the derivative dignity of office. But Jim Webb, Democratic senator-elect from Virginia, has become a pompous poseur and an abuser of the English language before actually becoming a senator....

The Carpetbagger ("Reality-Based Commentary, Analysis, and Tirades on Politics in America") reports Greg Sargent found that that this was all in Mr. FWill's head:

And if Will were right about the Webb/Bush exchange, he might have a point. If all you read was Will’s column, you might think Bush was being civil.

Except Will left out the part of the exchange that didn’t suit his purposes. (Onymous Guy: emphasis mine) As the Post article Will cites but misquotes explained, after Webb said he wanted to bring his son home from Iraq, Bush actually said, “That’s not what I asked you.” It was this response that was at the heart of the confrontation, and Will managed to convey the exchange as if it hadn’t been said at all. For that matter, Webb used the words “Mr. President” twice during the chat with Bush, and Will managed to omit both references.

As Greg Sargent put it, “This is one of the rankest displays of journalistic dishonesty I’ve seen in some time…. [I]t’s quite clear his distortions were entirely deliberate.”

Greg Sargent analyzes the whole mess. Here is FWill's report of the exchange between Webb and Bush:

When Bush asked Webb, whose son is a Marine in Iraq, "How's your boy?"

Webb replied, "I'd like to get them [sic] out of Iraq."

When the president again asked "How's your boy?",

Webb replied, "That's between me and my boy."

And here is the WaPo report the day before:

"How's your boy?" Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.

"I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President," Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.

"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"

"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House.

Here is a little more of Greg Sargent:

See what happened? Will omitted the pissy retort from the President that provoked Webb. Will cut out the line from the President where he said: "That's not what I asked you." In Will's recounting, that instead became a sign of Bush's parental solicitiousness: "The president again asked `How's your boy?'"

Read Carpetbagger's whole scoop here and Greg Sargent's post here.

Postscript: hcc in va has this addendum in DailyKos

Well, tonight I attended a party honoring volunteers in the Hunter Mill District of Fairfax County, VA who had helped - in a very big way - to bring about Webb's upset victory and thus garner control of the Senate. I had the opportunity to chat with Congressman Jim Moran (D-Va 8th district) in private before he publicly addressed the group. I recounted how proud I was of Webb's actions in front of Bush, and recounted the speculation on whether Bush could possibly have known about the incident with Webb's son. He said, without hesitation:

"Not only did Bush know about it, he was specifically briefed on the incident before meeting with Webb, and was cautioned to be extra sensitive in speaking with Webb about his son."

Just to make sure, I said: "Wow, I guess not too many people know about this," and he said: "That's right they don't, but I know it's true, and there are lots of things people don't know about that would surprise them"

New Products We Can Live Without - The German Version

The LA Fish Wrap reports this intriguing story:

German sex educators plan spray-on condom
From Reuters

10:44 AM PST, November 30, 2006

BERLIN — German sex educators plan to launch a spray-on condom tailor-made for all sizes.

Jan Vinzenz Krause from the Institute for Condom Consultancy, a Singen-based practice that offers advice on condom use, told Reuters today the product aimed to help people enjoy better and safer sex lives.

"We're trying to develop the perfect condom for men that's suited to every size of penis," he said. "We're very serious."

The developers' web site provides more technical information.




Revolutionäre Verhütung: Das Kondom aus der Dose
Die Innvoation auf dem Kondommarkt: Das Kondom aus der Dose
Bald gibt es keinen Grund mehr dafür, es lieber ohne zu machen. Das neue Kondom kommt aus der Sprühdose und passt sich jedem Glied optimal an. Kappe ab und Kondom über den Penis sprühen: Die Latexhaut sitzt perfekt und ist in wenigen Sekunden einsatzbereit.

The spray-on condom comes in several brightly colored containers, sure to appeal to a lady's eye, with the "condom tip" logo subtly placed on the side.

Plunge that!

You now of our ongoing interest in things that plunge.

The LA Fish Wrap asks

What is the bus-plunge story?

And, just in case you missed it, the Fish Wrap of Record exercised a great deal of restraint in reporting this bus plunge.

Tales from Academia

Inside HigherEd reports this story:

A former student at the Art Institute of Portland, in Oregon, says that he was suspended and then expelled, in a series of events that started when he questioned another student’s belief in leprechauns and she complained about his questions, The Portland Mercury reported. Institute officials denied that anyone could be expelled for questioning another’s belief in leprechauns and suggested that other issues were involved.

The Portland Mercury story was not as interesting as this blurbette.

More Toilet Stories

The Columbia Basin Herald reports:

Golfers teed off about toilets
By David Cole
Herald staff writer

SOAP LAKE -- Rick Froebe erected a backyard "fence." It's not a white-picket fence.

Instead, it's made of seven old toilets, a few used bathtubs and some broken down water heaters.

He said it's to "keep the golfers out" of his yard.

Froebe's home, 832 Canterbury Road, is nestled along Lakeview Golf & Country Club near Soap Lake. He watches closely from his back porch as golfers negotiate the green of the 354-yard, par-4 first hole.

"Choice real estate in Grant County," said Froebe, co-owner of Coulee Dam/Ephrata Plumbing.

On Monday, three scarecrow-like dummies sat on toilets and looked on as golfers finished their putts. The old commodes, bathtubs and water heaters first appeared on Halloween. The dummies came down for a few days, now they're back.

Froebe, who's owned the home for the previous 15 years, already had a backyard fence in place -- the chain-link version. He claims it's not enough to keep golfers and neighborhood cats from getting his dogs all riled up.

Froebe contends the dogs get excited enough to start barking as players drive their golf carts near the green, search for their balls, chat, chip and putt. Neighbors began complaining about the barking.

Gerald Coulter, representing the country club's nine-member board of directors, called the situation "completely ridiculous." That's the consensus of the board, Coulter said, following last week's meeting.

"I've had several people call that were upset with (the 'fence'). It's an eyesore," Coulter said. "I'm surprised the health department hasn't been out there because of the used toilets and water tanks. It's not a sanitary condition."

Coulter, of Soap Lake, said Froebe is most likely trying to "alienate neighbors."

In the process, Froebe may also be attempting to upset members of the country club, he said.

A squabble Froebe had with course officials resulted in the 52-year-old plumber severing his membership in May. Froebe, as a member, complained that his plumbing-business partner had to pay to play. Froebe said the policy is unfair.

"I wouldn't recommend them," he said of the course and country club. "I wouldn't say anything bad. But you definitely have to go by their rules."

Meanwhile, the barking of Froebe's four dogs continued to be a nuisance to the neighbors. They repeatedly complained to the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

Froebe was warned by law enforcement officials at least three times, said Larry Ledeboer, the sheriff's animal control officer. Froebe was advised to take preventive measures and buy "bark collars," the officer said.

"The sheriff's office doesn't write a lot of barking infractions," Ledeboer said. The sheriff's office issues about 15-20 barking infractions per year. "We give warnings and try to work with people."

Froebe's dogs kept barking and the neighbors continued to complain.

To date, Froebe has received three barking infractions. A first-offense barking infraction is $47 per dog, Ledeboer said. The second offense is $95. A third offense is $190, he said.

Froebe said he recently went to Big 5 Sporting Goods and bought barking collars.

He insists the "fence" is not a sign of animosity towards his neighbors.

"If they would've come to me first that would have been one thing," Froebe said. He claims the situation could've been handled cooperatively. "But they went directly to the sheriff."

His dogs present another problem. According to the county's ordinance, he can't have four dogs on less than five acres of property.

When asked about the golf course, he insists hard feelings don't exist.

"The fence," he said, "It's plumber art."

Besides, he added, "It's not like this is Pebble Beach. This is Lakeview."

New Products We Can Live Without

The Great John Toilet Company reports a breakthrough in toilet engineering:

...GJTC engineers, medical doctors and artists took to the task of creating a NEW GENERATION of products satisfying the needs of today’s customers. Our goal was to create the most comfortable and safe toilet for Large-Size people in the market. The other challenge was to make a toilet that could also be used by any size person. The final result was the creation of a "SIZE FRIENDLY TOILET"..

Thanksgiving II - only two more years of this idiot

Come Again?

Of course, by now you have probably heard of The Global Orgasm for Peace. The Bay Area Fish-Wrap, with its typical keen ear for important news, reported this story ahead of the pack(1,400,00o hits as of 23 Nov 2006).



Anti-war couple conceive new way to generate peace

- Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, November 19, 2006

Living on their houseboat off the Marin County coast, anti-war activists Donna Sheehan and her partner, Paul Reffel, concocted a way for the world to communally create a lot of peaceful vibes.

They want everyone to have an orgasm on the same day.

On Dec. 22, they're asking the world to contribute to the Global Orgasm for Peace. Sheehan said not to worry if you don't have a partner.

Busy multitaskers shouldn't despair about trying to cram this global activism into their busy schedules, either, she said. Take any time during the 24-hour period at the beginning of the winter solstice to join the demonstration. Just make sure to think of peace before or after participating.

Once you've committed, there's even a secret sign to show others that you plan to take part: Flash the universal "OK" sign and wink. Or, as it has been redubbed, "The O" sign...

This is a bit unfortunate. This sign means "you're an asshole" in most of Europe.



Here is GOFP's description of the event.

The Event

WHO? All Men and Women, you and everyone
you know.

WHERE? Everywhere in the world, but especially in countries with weapons of mass destruction.

WHEN?
Winter Solstice Day - Friday, December 22nd,
at the time of your choosing, in the place of your choosing and with as much privacy as you choose.

WHY? To effect positive change in the energy field of the Earth through input of the largest possible surge of human energy a Synchronized Global Orgasm. There are two more US fleets heading for the Persian Gulf with anti-submarine equipment that can only be for use against Iran, so the time to change Earth’s energy is NOW!

Be sure to practice a lot before then!

Nothing Says Thanksgiving like "Macaca"

The House is decidely Blue, and would have been bluer had not the GrandOldPoliceblotter thieves been at work with electronic voting. But it is blue enough.

The Senate is Blue for now and will be even bluer after 2008.

And we could not have done this with the help of The Mysterious Macaca himself.

I imagine that Macaca has drunk himself into a deep stupor.

This is a collapse of operatic magnitude.

Just imagine, a year ago, The Mysterious Macaca was up 31 points over Webb in the Rasmussen poll, was named a front-runner for the Grand Old Policeblotter's presidential nomination, and had only the brightest of futures behind him.

Election 2006
Virginia Senator
George Allen (R) 57%
Webb (D) 26%
Other 7%
RasmussenReports.com (December 7, 2005)

Now it is clear that he had a "colorful" past as well:

Allegations of Allen's use of racial slur in college

On September 24, 2006, Salon.com Washington correspondent Michael Scherer reported that the magazine had interviewed nineteen of his teammates and that "[t]hree former college football teammates of Sen. George Allen say that the Virginia Republican repeatedly used the racial epithet 'nigger' and demonstrated racist attitudes toward blacks during the early 1970s."One of Allen's classmates who made such a claim is University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato. Sabato later admitted his information was second hand.However, seven teammates have stated they do not recall any racist behavior on Allen's part. Four of these have made statements that were released by the Allen campaign. Allen dismissed the claims as "ludicrously false."

Now Wonkette's keen eye spotted this bizzare item from The Land Of Macaca: (we are NOT making this up)

Kate's Christmas Box
December 7, 2006, 10:30AM to 11:15AM
Type: Holiday Events
Location: Great Hopes Plantation

What will Kate’s master put in her Christmas box? Discover the customs and practices of slaves during the holiday season at Great Hopes Plantation. Included in Colonial Williamsburg admission

What would The Mysterious Macaca say? Wonkette puts it this way:

A Very Special George Allen Christmas
Happy Christmas, Slaves!
Nothing says Christmas more than an e-mail titled “Experience the Holiday Traditions of 18th-Century Slaves.”

“Christmas was a particularly difficult time of year for slaves,” says Martin. Christmas was the time when slave families were most likely to be split up. “Anyone can take a lash, but if you’re free, no one can take away your family,” Martin said, describing the harsh reality for slaves.

The title of the program, “Kate’s Christmas Box,” refers to the tradition of giving boxes to servants and slaves at Christmas. This box was not necessarily a gift; Martin says it was more appropriately considered to be a supplement to one’s rations. Many slaves’ boxes, including Kate’s, contained a cut of meat, such as a pig’s tail.

In modern times, the Virginia elite simply put a deer’s head in a black family’s mailbox.

This is, of course, a reference to the "Tales of the South" from The Mysterious Macaca's past.

September 26, 2006
Former Teammate:
George Allen stuffed deer head into black family's mailbox

Senator George Allen is responding to more allegations of racist behavior. The latest come from a former college teammate.

Former teammate Doctor Ken Shelton says, "Allen said he came to Virginia because he wanted to play football in a place where 'blacks knew their place.'"

"He used the N-word on a regular basis back then," said Shelton, who was in Salon.com.

During a hunting outing with Allen and another teammate, Shelton says Allen drove the three to a black neighborhood and "he proceeded to take the doe's head and stuff it into a mailbox."

Bishop Gerald Glenn says he used to see Allen as a Confederate flag waving redneck and has talked to the senator about his perception problem in the African American community...

Thank you, Macaca!

WTF? Nothing else to do in Boise

The New York Times reports

November 23, 2006
Idaho: City Workers Are Fired After a Slow Fast-Food Run on Zambonis
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Two employees of the city ice skating rink in Boise have been fired for making a midnight fast-food run in a pair of Zambonis. An anonymous tipster reported seeing the two ice-resurfacing machines chug through a Burger King drive-through and return to the rink around 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 10. The Zambonis have a top speed of about 5 miles per hour, and were driven 1.5 miles. The drivers, both temporary employees whose names were not released by the Parks and Recreation Department, had to negotiate at least one intersection on their late-night creep from Idaho Ice World. “They were fired immediately,” said the parks department director, Jim Hall. Mr. Hall said the city could charge the employees with operating an unlicensed motor vehicle on a public street.

If...

On Friday, I was importing a stack of CDs into my iPod. The Bernstein Mahler cycle. A separate track caught my eye. The "adagietto" from the 5th. It was recorded at St. Pat's June 8th, 1968, at the funeral Mass for RFK. I was overwhelmed. That eternally long suspension.

Today, reading Jimmy Breslin's piece in the LA Times just makes me very sad. Imagine what was taken from us. There would have been no hostages in Tehran. "The Great Communicator" would have remained deservedly obscure. We would not have propped up Saddam. No Gulf War I. No 9/11. No Gulf War II. No Bush I. No Bush II. Not heaven, but not this, either.

J.

The night Bobby was shot

A screening of the new film on Robert Kennedy's assassination conjures memories of the events 38 years ago.

By Jimmy Breslin
JIMMY BRESLIN writes columns for New York Newsday.

November 20, 2006

A CRYSTAL BROKE in the air with a little sound, the devil snapping his fingers, and now on a whim, a push from nowhere, I told the guy driving me that I wanted to go to Fullerton. There was an ad in the paper for a gun shop. I was here for an election, not guns, but instinct brought me there. This was in the middle of the morning on the day of the California presidential primary all the way back in 1968.

It was a sun-warmed day, and in Fullerton I found a man and wife in a garage running a gun shop. It was a second job for him, the man said; he drove an oil truck as a first job. If he was gone, his wife came out of the kitchen to sell you a good oiled gun.

The guy had all these pistols on a counter. Among them was an Iver Johnson .22. I asked him what he thought they were for. I don't know what he said. I know I said that the only reason you have a handgun is to shoot people in the head.

Later, the night was soft, and the sounds of the people were pleasant as they walked through the beginning of the evening on the lawn of the Ambassador Hotel.

It was the campaign headquarters for Robert F. Kennedy, who was getting close to the Democratic nomination for president.

And that is the last bright thing I can remember from that night. (read the rest here)

El Shrubo and the current mess

Julie Mason blogging in The Houston Chronicle reports:

As we all know from his first presidential campaign, Bush has never been to Vietnam before. Here's a joke in circulation (we assume the originator prefers to go unnamed):

Q: How is Vietnam different from Iraq?

A: Bush had a plan for getting out of Vietnam.

TV Shows We're Glad We Missed - The British Version

Yes, we're glad that we have never seen "Deal or No Deal", "The Dukes of Hazzard", or "Laverne and Shirley." Reality shows ? Never. Bowling? Not a chance. Fox News? GMAFB.

The Guardian reminds us that there are many other shows we are glad we have missed.

Comment
TV sex does not appeal

Channel 4 is under attack for its salacious content, but it seems not to have viewers turning on

Zoe Williams
Wednesday November 15, 2006
The Guardian

Sir Jeremy Isaacs, the founding chief executive of Channel 4, has written a scathing piece about the broadcaster's content - specifically, how much sex there is in it. This could, of course, be sour grapes on Isaacs' part; when Michael Grade succeeded him, he had the nickname "pornographer-in-chief" almost from the get-go. I imagine these jobs are a bit like teaching - even if the kids are calling you "Mr Hopeless Inadequate Worm" behind your back, it still means they like you more than if they're calling you by your actual name. But still, Channel 4 does have a lot of sex on. Singled out for particular mention were The World's Biggest Penis, Designer Vaginas and the much-vaunted but very little talked about Wank Week...

It is true that The World's Biggest Penis netted 2.2 million viewers, which is a fair whack; indeed it was 21% of the audience at that time...

I must confess that I nearly gagged when I read this aside by the author.

you'll forgive me for leaving aside American imports, which can't be divided into "sexual" and "asexual" because they're so good.

I am intrigued by"Wank Week". I would suppose that Fucker Carlson and The O'Reilly Fucktor would be permament guests.

The Compassionate Lawyer

This joke came from a friend down in Yachats.

One afternoon a lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the roadside eating grass.

Disturbed, he ordered his driver to stop, and he got out to investigate.

He asked one of the men, "Why are you eating grass?"

"We don't have any money for food," the poor man replied. "We have no choice. We have to eat grass."

"Well, then, you can come with me to my house and I'll feed you" the lawyer said.

"But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there, under that tree"

"Bring them along" the lawyer replied. Turning to the other poor man he stated, "You come with us also."

The second man, in a pitiful voice then said, "But sir, I also have a wife and SIX children with me!"

"Bring them all, as well," the lawyer answered.

They all entered the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limousine was.

Once underway, one of the poor fellows turned to the lawyer and said, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you."

The lawyer replied, "Glad to do it. You'll really love my place. The grass is almost a foot high."

Mackris v. O'Reilly

We are besides ourselves with glee.

And not only because of the election. It is this new story.

Crooks and Liars is reporting it.

Radar is reporting it.

Raw Story is reporting it.

The folks at Sweet Jesus I Hate Bill O'Reilly - an organization of hope - have been involved in the creation of a new work: Mackris v. O'Reilly The Opera.

In the book Sweet Jesus, I Hate Bill O'Reilly, we discussed the possibility of a musical theater
production. We even went so far as to throw together some lyrics. Well kids, in the race to the
stage, we've been beaten to the punch… and by a guy named Igor, no less.

Mackris v. O’Reilly is the new work by Igor Keller. The oratorio (which is basically an opera
without the scenery), is for a 31-piece chamber orchestra, 32-voice chorus and three soloists,
directed by Kris Falk.

The libretto is comprised of the original court document and O’Reilly’s on-air settlement
announcement. Imagine a two-hour neo-baroque extravaganza including seven chorales, two
madrigals, three choruses, four recitatives, two instrumental entrances and numerous arias
dedicated to the sexual exploits of the most popular man in cable news.

This is an organization I could support! Here is their blurb for the event:

GET READY FOR A NEW EXPERIENCE IN CLASSICAL MUSIC!

Mackris v. O’Reilly is coming to Meany Hall on January 12 & 13, 2007 at 7:30 pm. On those two nights, the baroque oratorio will receive an unforgettable infusion of contemporary culture and controversy.

---

BILL O’REILLY SINGS!
The piece is a setting of the sexual harassment complaint lodged against Fox News pundit, Bill O’Reilly, by staff producer, Andrea Mackris, in October 2004. It includes all memorable moments from the original complaint and more – paranoid rants, clumsy sexual innuendo, and the famous falafel fantasy. Composer Igor Keller has produced this 31-part, concert-length work in the form of a baroque oratorio, in the style of an updated Handel’s Messiah, for 31-piece chamber orchestra, 32-voice chorus and three soloists. It’s an oratorio for the 21st century!

I would call this chamber pot opera. You may here two brief musical excerpts here.

Fire and Smoke

We found ourselves staring into space this morning browsing through Gawker , which had posted this photo with the headline:

Where There's Smoke ...

originally found in New York magazine here, with a somewhat different headline:

Every Neighborhood Fights Fires Its Own Way

with the tag

" We found ourselves standing on line next to this sign last night. We were in Chelsea, of course."

Just For Men mustache, beard and pubic hair color now has a female rival

Betty Beauty is now marketing pubic hair dye:

AUBURN Betty - HAIR COLOR FOR DOWN THERE

Auburn for your hotspot? Red means go there. Finally, the first safe color for the hair down there. Gray? No way! AUBURNbetty says never a dull moment! AUBURNbetty color for the hair down there naturally colors, covers gray and brightens to match your glorious locks above.

Follow the easy directions for safe color. Natural-looking. No mess. No drip. Use it every time you color! Want a red-hot secret? Get your betty ready!

Other colors inlcude blonde (of course), black, brunette, and fun (hot pink).

Hot pink means play. Adventure down below! Celebrate! The first safe color for the hair down there. Funbetty is a hot pink party in a box! Funbetty color for the hair down there. Go girl, it's your birthday! Or your anniversary or your wedding or his birthday! It's the perfect gift.

Follow the easy directions for safe color. Natural-looking. No mess. No drip. Use it every time you want candy! Fun is where you find it! Get your betty ready!

Mission Accomplished: The Revisionist Version

Mike McIntee over at Inside Minnesota Politics ("Minnesota's first politcal podcast") has discovered the latest in subtle propaganda from Der Führer.

Exclusive Video-White House Apparently Caught Doctoring "Mission Accomplished" Speech

Apparently the Bush administration has taken the Winston Churchill quote "History is written by the victors" into the video age.

See it for yourself.

red america investigation

In Tuscon, Borat had the crowd so worked up they sang along.

happy birthday to the blog owner

Now, enjoy this ad from the Scientists and Engineers for America.

Bus Plunge!

Another bus plunge.

This AP report appeared in the International Fishwrap, The WaPo, and The Paper Of Record .

42 dead as bus plunges off mountain road in Nepal
The Associated Press
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2006
KATMANDU, Nepal At least 42 people were killed and another 45 wounded Saturday when an overcrowded bus plunged off a mountain road in western Nepal, police said.

The bus was traveling near the town of Tribeni, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of the Nepalese capital, Katmandu, when it skidded off the road, plunging about 250 meters (950 feet) into a ravine bellow, said local police officer Birkha Bahadur Rawal.

Police are investigating the cause, he said adding that an initial probe indicated the driver may have lost control of the vehicle because it was overloaded with passengers.

Police did not yet know if the driver was among those who survived.

The bus was traveling toward the southern town of Dang when the accident occurred.

Among those killed, 32 died on the spot while eight died on the way to the hospital, Rawal said. Another two died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dang.

About a dozen more were in a critical condition and hospitalized at Nepalgunj, he said.

Police official Rawal said some of the passengers managed to jump and survived, indicating there were several people traveling on the roof, a common practice in rural Nepal where not much public transportation is available.

A bus ticket attendant who survived the crash, Jeevan Nepali, Told the Associated Press by mobile phone from his hospital bed that the bus was unable to pick up speed on the slopes and the driver stopped. It then rolled backward and off the road.

He said he and some of the passengers managed to jump off.

Deadly road accidents are common in Nepal, often caused by poor roads and aging overcrowded vehicles.

The POfR used the same wire service story and its supplied caption, but the entry in the index to "The World" section was tastefully re-written:

Nixon Redux

The Lamont campaign has created a brilliant ad revealing Lieberman's word-for-word echoing of Milhouse's mewlings during the Vietnam war. Take a look.

You can't spell 'Saturday" without 'turd'

Our keen-eyed correspondent in Sappy Valley spotted this in their local fishwrap.

He supplied the headline, too. Thanks, Reidar.

Do you use the Google on the Internets?

ThinkProgress reports that Bush says he uses “the Google.” See it here.

HOST(CNBC): I’m curious, have you ever googled anybody? Do you use Google?

BUSH: Occasionally. One of the things I’ve used on the Google is to pull up maps. It’s very interesting to see — I’ve forgot the name of the program — but you get the satellite, and you can — like, I kinda like to look at the ranch. It remind me of where I wanna be sometimes.

an amusing campaign ad

Apparently the Republican nominee in Idaho's first congressional district hasn't always gotten along well with his colleagues in the state legislature...

No longer a free nation, nor a nation of laws

Ave atque vale, habeas corpus. We are no longer a nation of laws. WaPo reports that we have now become a dictatorship:

Bush Signs Bill Authorizing Detainee Interrogations, Military Commissions

By William Branigin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 17, 2006; 10:52 AM

Invoking the memory of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, President Bush today signed into law a bill that allows tough interrogation of terrorist suspects and establishes military commissions to try them.

In a speech before signing the Military Commissions Act of 2006, Bush said the new law "is one of the most important pieces of legislation in the war on terror" and "will save American lives."

But none of the mainstream press is mentioning this part of the legislation:

(2) RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY- The amendments made by this subsection, except as specified in subsection (d)(2)(E) of section 2441 of title 18, United States Code, shall take effect as of November 26, 1997, as if enacted immediately after the amendments made by section 583 of Public Law 105-118 (as amended by section 4002(e)(7) of Public Law 107-273).

You've read this correctly! Der Führer just signed a law that immunizes against prosecution all of those responsible for the horrors of Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and the rendition of the innocent, going back to November 26, 1997. No war crimes trial for this administration!

But other than the fact that it totally sucked, it was OK

In today's WaPo, Tim Page roasted a performance at the Kennedy Center, saying of the soloist,"About the only thing Vavic managed with professional confidence and composure were her bows." Ouch!

Something Amiss in The WPAS Piano Series

By Tim Page
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 16, 2006; Page C05

Anika Vavic's Saturday afternoon recital at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater proved a shocking deviation from the extraordinarily high standards that the Washington Performing Arts Society's Hayes Piano Series has set for itself.

If her concert had been an audition for admission to a conservatory, it is possible that Vavic might have won a place, but I doubt if any leading music school in the country would have accepted the results as a credible graduation recital. The program -- Mozart's Sonata in B-flat, K. 333, Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 35, and Prokofiev's Sonata No. 6 in A, Op. 82 -- was a succession of missed notes, memory slips, motoric rhythms, clattering fortes and sketchy phrasing. About the only thing Vavic managed with professional confidence and composure were her bows.

Der Führer's Birthday Present to The Twins

The Wurst President will be giving a special present to his daughters, Jenna and Barbara on their 25th birthday, this coming November 25, 2006:

At 7:24 AM EST November 25, 2006, we will have been at war in Iraq longer than our involvement in the Second World War.

United States involvement in the Second World War extended for1346 days, 9 hours, and 7 minutes, from the attack at Pearl Harbor at 7:53 AM Hawaiian Standard Time (UTC-10) on December 7, 1941 to the surrender of Japan in the radio broadcast of the emperor, 12:00 Noon Japan Standard Time (UTC+9), August 15, 1945.

At 7:23 AM EST November 25, 2006, the length of the Iraq war , starting from the 10:16 PM EST March 19, 2003 announcement by Der Führer will be equal to the length of time of our participation in World War II.

Newsweak sez Americans are stupider

Rising Hegemon spotted this anomaly on September 25.

The geeks at Wonkette have spotted another.

So why does Newsweak water down their news for native consumption?

We suspect that the domestic version has plenty of monosyllabic words, and all of those nasty compound sentences have been eliminated so that the final product resembles a Dick and Jane book. In other words, something that our our leader, Der Führer, can read.

Wonkette has much more to say:

The cover’s art direction is aimed at the crucial retard demographic, too: Giant Leering Foley Face with a little cut-out Bush figure running from Giant Leering Foley Face and two great big simple words, one of which starts with a freakin’ smiley instead of the actual letter. It gets worse. The international edition has the damning background to the North Korean nuke test: One year ago, Washington and Pyongyang made a deal and everybody was happy:

On Sept. 19, 2005, North Korea signed a widely heralded denuclearization agreement with the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea. Pyongyang pledged to “abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs.” In return, Washington agreed that the United States and North Korea would “respect each other’s sovereignty, exist peacefully together and take steps to normalize their relations.”

Four days later, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sweeping financial sanctions against North Korea designed to cut off the country’s access to the international banking system, branding it a “criminal state” guilty of counterfeiting, money laundering and trafficking in weapons of mass destruction.

In other words, for some perverse reason we’ll never know, Washington signed the thing and then deliberately provoked Lil’ Kim so he’d break the deal and let the neo-con nuts have a new “regime change.”

That seems like something a few people in America might like to know, right?

Wrong! It would only confuse and anger Americans, who have enough problems already!

That’s why the new U.S. edition is filled with important little tiny short articles such as “Parties: How to Have Fun,” “Rock Music: Secrets of ‘Shredding’” and a very special 400-word article about how 77% of Americans spend most of their time praying to their dead relatives’ ghosts, which are everywhere these days.

Another Plunge

This seems to be the day for plunges, but not of the bus plunge variety. This was reported in The Telegraph. I like the tasteful, low-keyed headline.

Woman, 34, impaled in hotel plunge

By Paul Anast in Athens
(Filed: 11/10/2006)

A British holidaymaker was fighting for her life last night after her boyfriend allegedly pushed her out of a second-floor window at their hotel on the Greek island of Crete.

Sarah Maskell was impaled on a pole, which pierced her leg and exited through her lungs, in a fall from her room in Malia on Monday.

The incident was witnessed by the British man's five-year-old son, believed to be from a previous marriage, police said.
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Miss Maskell was in a critical condition in hospital.

A man, believed to be Miss Maskell's 37-year-old boyfriend, was in custody after appearing in court to face attempted murder charges yesterday.

In a statement, police at Iraklio said that it appeared Miss Maskell had been hit and pushed in a "violent row".

An Invitation from the World League of Despots

Terry Jones has written this fine letter in the Guardian:

Dear President Bush,

I write to you in my capacity as secretary of the World League of Despots.

It is with great pleasure that I am finally able to extend an official invitation to you to join our ranks. For many years, we have watched your efforts to fulfil the requirements necessary to join our number. From the start, we were greatly impressed by your disdain for democratic principles - the way you wrested power from the democratically elected candidate in the 2000 election, and again in 2005 when you managed to swing what was clearly going to be a victory for your opponent.

Contempt for human life has always been a priority requirement for membership of the league, and I and my fellow adjudicators were well aware of your record as governor of Texas when you quadrupled the number of state executions. But your record since seizing power has surpassed even our expectations. The thousands of innocent people in Iraq, who have died so that you could fulfil your declared political objective of establishing "an American force presence in the Middle East", attest to your eligibility to join our ranks.

I cannot, however, disguise the fact that we adjudicators were extremely anxious when you announced your intention to remove from office one of our most stalwart members, Mr Saddam Hussein. However, we need not have worried. According to a recent UN report, you have ensured that there are now even more human rights abuses in Iraq than there were under Saddam. No less than 10% of those in custody are being physically or psychologically abused. Well done!

Of course, your unstinting efforts to make torture an internationally accepted aspect of human life have surpassed everything we could have ever hoped for. I don't think there is a single member of the league who could have imagined, six short years ago, that our activities in tormenting our fellow creatures would once again be recognised as acceptable, civilised behaviour, as it once was in the middle ages.

Despite these achievements, we had, until now, felt unable to extend our invitation to you because you had been unable to fulfil one of our basic requirements: the ability to carry out arbitrary arrests, imprisonment without trial, secret torture and executions at will.

We approved of your attempts to establish the principles of arbitrary arrest under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, but unfortunately it was still restricted to terror suspects. We appreciate that you were hampered by the US constitution, but the restrictions this imposed on your arbitrary powers kept you below the threshold requirements for qualification as a despot.

Now, however, all that has changed. At the end of last month you persuaded the Senate to pass a bill regarding the treatment of detainees. Illegally obtained evidence can now be used against suspects, even if it has been gathered abroad under torture. Anyone you care to accuse can be thrown into prison without the right to a trial or the right to represent themselves.

Officially the legislation is restricted to "enemy combatants", but you have skilfully adapted this definition to include anyone who has "purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the US". This presumably means that anyone who publicly criticises your conduct can be defined as supporting hostilities to the US. You are now free to arrest and imprison anyone you don't like. You've got it in the bag!

It is with great pleasure that we in the World League of Despots note that you have now appropriated to yourself all the powers of arbitrary arrest and torture that Saddam once enjoyed. You are now one of us. Congratulations!

another one for the plunge archives

I know a middle-aged woman isn't a vehicle, but the headline does include "plunge"...

Woman who takes fatal plunge from university building hits walking student

TOKYO - A woman who plunged from a university building in western Tokyo on Wednesday in an apparent suicide bid died after hitting a student walking on the campus, police said.

At about 5:40 a.m. on Wednesday, a 55-year-old unemployed woman fell from the University of Electro-Communications' building that houses laboratories in Chofu, and hit a 20-year-old female student who was walking on its premises, local police said.

The older woman died while the student suffered serious head injuries and was rushed to hospital.

A pair of sandals belonging to the woman who fell was left on the landing of an emergency stairway between the ninth and 10th floors, leading investigators to suspect that she committed suicide.

The student who was injured was on her way home after finishing preparations for an upcoming university festival, according to police. (Mainichi)

WTF: More Fox Follies. Chafee is now a D.

Crooks and Liars has it here.

WTF: The O'Reilly Fuckter calls Foley a Democrat!

Brad Blog reports this.

LOGGED BY Brad ON 10/3/2006 6:07PM

INCREDIBLE! FOX 'NEWS' LABELS FOLEY AS DEM DURING O'REILLY FACTOR!

Three Different Video Cutaways, 15 Seconds or More Each, Credit Disgraced REPUBLICAN Congressman as Being a Florida DEMOCRAT!

Just amazing. Fox's O'Reilly Factor just covered the Mark Foley (R-FL) issue in two different segments, one of them with a page who says he received communications from Foley, and another with Ann Coulter.

Never mind the content of either segment for now. Incredibly during a total of three different cutaways to video footage of Foley, he was labelled at the bottom of the screen eachtime as "(D-FL)" !

indecision 2006

Via Steve Gilliard, and courtesy of the Mark Foley mess, the new House GOP slogan for 2006:

No one could have anticipated the breach of the Levi's.

Why there is beer

From here

The Lactation Station Breast Milk Bar

The Lactation Station Breast Milk Bar is part of "Five Holes", presented by Fado ("... a non-profit artist-run centre for performance art based in Toronto, Canada.")

FIVE HOLES

FIVE HOLES foregrounds our bodies by examining aspects of the five basic human senses. The presence of bodies -- the performer's body and the audience members' bodies -- is an essential element of performance. We 'perform' when we bring our bodies into relationships with an audience in time and space. FIVE HOLES considers some of the ways in which sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste allow us to perceive.

The LSBMB is staged by performance artist Jess Dobkin.

We are not sure which hole this is meant to represent.

Now I have seen it all

Who:
A female driving an old beat-up red pick-up truck with a male passenger.

Both look like a cross between Daisy and Onslow from the old BBC comedy, Keeping Up Appearances and characters out of Deliverance

What: Just you wait and see.

When:
5:30 PM, Friday, September 22, 2006

Where:
Red light at Kruse Way and Kruse Way Place, Lake NoNegro, Oregon

Why: That's what I keep asking myself.

How:
This has me stumped. I didn't think there was enough room in the pick-up for the female to do what she did to the male, but events proved me wrong.

This is one time that I wish that I had a camera phone. As I pulled up behind the red pick-up truck at the red light, the female leaned to the passenger side and completely disappeared from view; simultaneously, the male continued to bounce around in his seat in a highly agitated motion. This continued for a minute after the light changed green. After several toots of my horn, the female re-appeared, after completely tooting the male's horn. He leaned back in his seat, and more or less collapsed there as they drove off, leaving me disgusted in their wake.

It left me ringing with the sentiments voiced by the priest from Harold and Maude, who said

"I would be remiss in my duty if I did not tell you that the idea of intercourse - the act of your... body... commingling with... withered flesh... sagging breasts... and flabby buttocks... makes me want to vomit. "

Beware Professor Osama

Roas Brooks has a terrific op-ed piece in yesterday's LA Fish Wrap.

Rosa Brooks: Students, Beware Professor Osama

Fear-mongering conservatives are on their perennial crusade to purge universities of liberal professors.

Rosa Brooks
September 15, 2006

WITH SEPTEMBER upon us, it's time to reflect on that perennially popular back-to-school activity, Bash the Professors.

According to David Horowitz's book, "The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America," American universities are dominated by "a shocking and perverse culture of academics who are poisoning the minds of today's college students with … hatred of America … and support for America's terrorist enemies." His crusade against "radical academics" is not, alas, a lonely one.

By coupling his overheated rhetoric with a seemingly respectable campaign for "academic freedom," Horowitz has managed to snooker quite a few students and politicians into supporting his agenda.

Horowitz's website, discoverthenetworks.org, laments that most professors hold liberal political views, and he urges greater ideological "diversity" on faculties. On his Students for Academic Freedom website, he asks students to report "abuses" of academic freedom by professors, and state legislatures to mandate that public universities comply with what he calls the Academic Bill of Rights...

Brooks adds this devastating irony at the end of her piece:

The right-wing assault on supposedly liberal universities appeared to have run out of steam after the '80s, but it revived after 9/11. Capitalizing on increased anxiety about national security, Horowitz and his ilk were able to start denouncing the academics they disliked as not merely liberal but pro-terrorist "sympathizers … of Osama bin Laden."

Last week, they insisted that universities be purged of liberals and "improved to serve national security," and they urged students to "strongly criticize … the continued presence of liberal and secular professors."

Oh, wait — whoops! Those quotes were from — respectively — Ayatollah Abbasali Amid Zanjani, the hard-line Islamist president of the University of Tehran, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Silly me, getting my militant conservative Islamic extremists mixed up with my militant conservative Judeo-Christian extremists! Though now that I think about it, they seem to have an awful lot in common.

URPL8SUX

This very funny post made its way to The Smoking Gun.

NOTE: We don't find the Nazi or racist ones funny, so we're leaving them out.

Here are some interesting license plates:

State License (Language ) Translation
NY BIGPNS (Doh!) Put in some vowels
NY BYTETH1S (Doh!) nun needed
NY ELBECHO (Spanish) male body part
NY CTO XYEB (Russian) 100 male body parts
NY CGA2MDRE (Spanish) My Mother! Your mother!
NY 3M WOJ8 (Doh!) Read it in a mirror
NY EFF EWE 2(Doh!) Doh!
?? 2HOT2DOU (Doh!) Doh!
NY UP TOUS (French) Manges moi
NY POTVINSUX Doh! see this and the item below

POTVIN SUCKS - Bib
$9.99
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Product Number: 11846395
Tell a friend about this product!

Potvin Sucks. Teach young Ranger fans early. Whistle it to them every night. Tell them how Denis Potvin ended the career of Swedish hockey great Ulf Nilsson in 1979. Boo the New York Fishsticks.
Product Information
Eeewww Baby, Baby!!! It’s okay to make a mess in our easy-wash 100% cotton bib. It provides great upper body coverage to protect baby’s clothes. The sturdy closure makes this one-size bib fit newborns to 36 months.

* 100% jersey cotton
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Enshrine this burger? WTF!

The LA Times once again proves that it can sink below the Bay Area Fish Wrap any day. Here is the latest bit of cheap commercialism masquerading as an "op-ed" piece.

When SWMBO and I lived in LA, "In-N'Out" described not so much the manner in which the thing was served, but rather its effect on digestion.

Enshrine This Burger
If the site of the first McDonald's is commemorated, why not In-N-Out?
By Mark Kendall, MARK KENDALL wrote the "Fast Food Dude" column for the Riverside Press-Enterprise from 2001 to 2004.
September 5, 2006

Rank this story up there with JonBenet Ramsey, Katie Couric, and Suri. Sure beats talking about wars we shouldn't be fighting and other depressing news.

Picture this: the "traditionally right-wing" Telegraph

1 picture = 1 kword.

From the "traditionally right-wing" Telegraph's The Week in Pictures

Their caption:

A visitor takes a picture of inflatable sex dolls displayed at the Seoul Sex Expo 2006

The ozone hole: still big, still bad

Nasa's Ozone Watch has the latest.

It is still a bit early to assess how this year's ozone hole will compare with previous years, but so far, it looks large and deep. Here is the latest satellite false color image (from September 2)

You may download a movie showing the evolution of this year's ozone hole here (Windows or Mac).

I've been studying this for five years. I am not happy. Here are some graphs for the numerati:

The first image shows the area of the hole; for comparions, the entire North American continent has and area of about 24.5 millions of square kilometers.


The second image shows the amount of ozone remaining in the atmosphere; normal levels prior to the 1970s were about 300 Dobson units (DU).

Still a long-haired gum-chewing pinko commie

Take the test yourself at Political Compass

What good are unions? - read this

From David Sirota's op-ed article in the Bay Area Fish Wrap

The war on workers
- David Sirota
Monday, September 4, 2006

U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige labeled one "a terrorist organization." Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, called them "a clear and present danger to the security of the United States." And U.S. Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga., claimed they employ "tyranny that Americans are fighting and dying to defeat in Iraq and Afghanistan" and are thus "enemies of freedom and democracy," who show "why we still need the Second Amendment" to defend ourselves with firearms.

Who are these supposed threats to America? No, not Osama bin Laden followers, but labor unions made up of millions of workers -- janitors, teachers, firefighters, police officers, you name it.

Bashing organized labor is a Republican pathology, to the point where unions are referenced with terms reserved for military targets. In his 1996 article, headlined "GOP Readies for War With Big Labor," conservative columnist Robert Novak cheered the creation of a "GOP committee task force on the labor movement" that would pursue a "major assault" on unions. As one Republican lawmaker told Novak, GOP leaders champion an "anti-union attitude that appeals to the mentality of hillbillies at revival meetings."

The hostility, while disgusting, is unsurprising. Unions wield power for workers, meaning they present an obstacle to Republican corporate donors, who want to put profit-making over other societal priorities.

Think the minimum wage just happened? Think employer-paid health care and pensions have been around for as long as they have by some force of magic? Think again -- unions used collective bargaining to preserve these benefits. As the saying goes, union members are the folks that brought you the weekend.

The government's numbers explain how unions have helped their members. According to an analysis of federal data by the Labor Research Association, average union members receive a quarter more in compensation than nonunion workers. Eighty-nine percent of union members have access to employer-sponsored health care, compared to just 67 percent of nonunion workers. Unionized workers receive 26 percent more vacation than nonunion workers.

Unions also benefit nonunion workers. That's thanks to the "union threat effect" whereby anti-union companies meet higher standards in order to prevent workers from becoming angry and organizing. For instance, Princeton researchers found in industries that are 25 percent unionized, average nonunion workers get 7.5 percent more compensation specifically because of unionization's presence.

The flip side is obvious: The more corporations and politicians crush unions, the more all workers suffer. It is no coincidence that as union membership and power has declined under withering anti-union attacks, workers have seen their wages stagnate, pensions slashed, and share of national income hit a 60-year low. As Council on Foreign Relations scholars put it, the decline in unions "is correlated with the early and sharp widening of the U.S. wage gap."

Big Business claims union membership has declined because workers do not want to join unions -- a claim debunked by public-opinion data. In 2002, Harvard University and University of Wisconsin researchers found at least 42 million workers want to be organized into a bargaining unit -- more than double the 16 million unionized workers in America. A 2005 nationwide survey by respected pollster Peter Hart found 53 percent of nonunion workers -- that's more than 50 million people -- want to join a union, if given the choice.

Increasingly, however, workers have no real choice. According to Cornell University experts, 1 in 4 employers illegally fires at least one worker during a union drive, 3 in 4 hire anti-union consultants, and 8 in 10 force workers to attend anti-union meetings. When workers petition the government to enforce laws protecting organizing rights, they are forced to go before the National Labor Relations Board, which is both run by anti-union presidential appointees, and chronically understaffed so as to slow down proceedings. When Democrats have tried to expand workers' union rights by introducing the Employee Free Choice Act, the GOP has prevented a vote on the legislation.

So when GOP lawmakers pledge their commitment to workers at Labor Day celebrations today, remember -- Republicans are waging a war on the very workers they purport to care about.

David Sirota is the author of "Hostile Takeover" (Crown, 2006). He is the co-chair of the Progressive States Network (www.progressivestates.org).

Happy Labor Day

Oregon is finally a red state.

Spam, spam, spam

Today's Telegraph has this story about Monty Python:

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam... and garlic?
By Nigel Reynolds, Arts Correspondent
(Filed: 04/09/2006)

Showbusiness merchandising, such as Harry Potter jigsaw puzzles and James Bond water pistols, may sometimes seem to be the curse of our age. But, for sheer absurdity, the latest commercial spin-off may never be beaten.

The makers of Spam, the processed pink slab of tinned meat that has long been a national joke, announced yesterday that they are to produce a "collector's edition" flavour, Stinky French Garlic, to cash in on the West End opening of Spamalot, the Monty Python musical fresh from Broadway, at the end of the month.

If life can be said to imitate art, this is chopped pork and ham, salt, water and sugar masquerading as humour.

Spam, a wartime staple in the United States and Britain, changed from being a mere foodstuff into a target for derision in 1970 thanks to one of the most memorable sketches – a satire on Anglo-Saxon eating habits – from the Monty Python's Flying Circus series.

In a cafe packed with singing Vikings, Terry Jones, playing the waitress, recites a menu on which every single dish contains Spam, usually several times over...