An Example of Irony?

I submit this. Think about it.

Don't Know Much About Geography

If I took Fox News seriously, I'd be more outraged at this. But it's like calling a five-year-old who likes to play basketball for double-dribbling.

Around The Internets

1. Guess McMillian doesn't believe everyone should get their grove.
2. ...and that's why I don't go to IHOP anymore, at least not without a posse.
3. Can't really find fault with this list.
4. There's a simple formula...
5. Those classy Rush Limbaugh supporters.
   
6. Talk about a team-up.
   

The Rude Pundit on "Greedy Bastards"

He's right, this should be obvious.

One Last Thing On Keith

Someone pointed out to me that the difference between Olbermann's format and that of Maddow, O'Donnell, Schultz and Matthews is that these four invite and/or host "the other side" pretty regularly.

Now, Rachel may not get the lion's share of conservative/GOP guests, but it doesn't stop her from begging them to come on her show every other night.

But that's the point: she goes out of her way to get people with different opinion. Of course, Keith had a right to do whatever he wanted, seeing as his ratings were pretty darn good. But this was probably just one more thing his enemies in MSNBC were looking to use as an excuse. I wouldn't be surprised if some exec pulls it out over the next few months.

The Worst Thing About Every State In America

I don't know, Ohio doesn't seem that bad. Utah is a shock, though.

Around the Internets

(pic via)

1. Anne Hathaway will be Selina Kyle in the new Batman movie. Repeat: Selina Kyle will be played by Anne Hathaway.
2. Possible alternatives to play Aretha Franklin.
3. Do you like indoor waterparks?
   
4. Venus Williams knows how to garner attention.
5. If this isn't an example of right-wing, gun-crazy violence, I don't what is.
6. The connection between Cameron Diaz and Snoop Dog.
   

On the End of "Countdown"

As much as I hate to accept the news, the ugly truth was that Keith's show was at its best when the GOP had total control. Why? Because, simply, the rest of the media was afraid to challenge the Bush Administration for fear of being accused of being called unpatriotic.

Now? Personally, I think it was still good (and the ratings seem to agree) but between liberals' frustration with Obama's more centrist moves, a GOP appeasing an unruly base and this new call for civility a lot of what made Keith unique (sticking up for liberals, being angry, yet in a more focused manner) became diluted. I'm sure some Comcast or MSNBC head was looking at a lineup that included Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz and Clarence O'Donnell and thought, "why do we need Keith anymore?"

That being said, I really hope Keith finds a home somewhere else soon, and in the meantime uses the Internet to keep in touch with his fans and supporters. Despite the myth that he was "just another liberal on MSNBC," Keith was one of a kind. Neither Schultz, Maddow nor O'Donnell could have pulled off that free clinic donation drive. Only the man behind the Special Comment could have mustered the resources to do that.

Good Luck, Mr. Olbermann.

Crisis of Infinite Palins

The best thing about being what Dave once called a "potpourri" site is that I can track something as it transcends from one "world" (be it political, entertainment or sports-related) to the next without being chastised. It's why Spider-Man is one of my favorite comic book characters; he can fight some bank robbers one day, help Dr. Strange stop an evil wizard the next and still find time to help Wolverine track down some lost X-Men.

Anyway, I bring this up because over at Talking Points Memo there's this little back and forth between the writers and the readers over Sarah Palin stories. Josh Marshall made this point during his involvement:

This is actually a real blind spot for liberals in general -- the idea that things that are crazy or tawdry or just outrageous are really best ignored. Don't give them more attention. You're just giving them what they want. Or maybe it's not so practical and utilitarian. Maybe, they say, it's just beneath us. Focus on the important stuff.

Man, Josh, you don't know the half. But he has a point: there are those on the left who think Palin's popularity should be a non-factor. Well, as liberals remind conservatives on a regular basis, thinking that global warming isn't really important doesn't stop the polar ice caps from melting. The same thought process needs to be applied to Palin: she's real, she has appeal and she isn't going to go away quietly.

Never mind that she's the political equivalent of the Paris Hilton/Kim Kardashian did-nothing-to-warrant-fame celebrity (attractive and unapologetic). She's a fixture, and as with any political fixture the question is; "Can I use this to my advantage, and if not, how can I reduce any negative consequences?" Trust me, both her supporters and her detractor have asked a variation of this.

But really, if anyone needs any proof that Sarah Palin is more than just political phenomenon then check this out.

So Much For Civility

Shorter Assclown (whose posting was promoted by David Frum's own website): Gabrielle Giffords should resign because she was shot in the head.

No Main Topic

1. "Engagement with China is important," Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said in a statement. "As the world's second-largest economy, China's trade policy has a profound effect on the United States and on the world. President Hu's state visit gives the Obama administration the opportunity to seek substantial progress on a number of areas that are vital to our economy."
2. “I didn’t even know what happened,’’ Allen said. “Once he went to the free throw line, I was like, ‘What just happened. We had the ball. How did Shaq . . . ?’ ’’
3. “It is in the long run more of a marathon than a sprint. So, we like to tell people and families pace yourself, this is going to be a, a long run, it's going to be, weeks to months," said Dr. Jonathan Fellus of the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation.
4. "Strangulation allows an individual to control the speed at which the victim dies and this is very sexually stimulating for him," Schlesinger said. "It's not uncommon to strangle until almost the point of death, then release the pressure as she [the victim] is about to die so so he can increase the time of the sexual strangulation."
5. "I scared him," Lopez later told Ellen DeGeneres on her show. "He was scary, though."
6. Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, said, “It is unbelievable that with so many people out of work and millions of people uninsured, the first act of this new Congress is to take health care away from people who just got coverage.”
7. "I'm overwhelmed. I'm just happy. It's like a movie; it's all brand new to me," Ms White told the New York Daily News.

No Main Topic

1. How ironic; their aim will make people slimmer...via not being allowed to go to the doctor.
2. Don't go to Camden (unless you're Batman).
3. Stop making excuses, Halle.
4. This announcement will make for some interesting voting from here on out.
5. We'll have nun of that.
6. Its a (Christian) Family Affair.
7. WTF, Lauryn Hill?
   

Activist Judges?

Hmmm...

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from opponents of same-sex marriage who want to overturn the District of Columbia's gay marriage law.

The court did not comment Tuesday in turning away a challenge from a Maryland pastor and others who are trying to get a measure on the ballot to allow Washingtonians to vote on a measure that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Notice how the negative comments on this piece aren't the usual "Stop legislating from the bench!" variety, but rather "The Bible says buttsex is a sin!" variety. Methinks it has something to do with the conservative-heavy representation of the current Supreme Court.

If you can't use the political strawman, use a religious one.

"An Innocent Fable of a Very Wealthy Man"

As told by Tom Tomorrow.

A Tale of Two Sports Towns

(pic via)
The New York Times and The Boston Globe each have their own take on yesterday's Jets/Patriots game.

Four Things People May Not Know About Dr. King

Well, it depends on what your school was teaching.

Memo To Clubs: Please Stop Using MLK Like This

Being someone who gets various stories from various places at various times, I also get ads for certain events. The pic you see is for a club promoting what appears to be a MLK party.

Now, stories claiming Dr. King was unfaithful notwithstanding, I am pretty confident that when people think "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." they do not think about clubbing, booty-shaking, and poppin' bottles. I'm also sure that when the man was writing his "I Have a Dream" Speech he wasn't thinking that by the 21st century people would be using his image to promote booze-heavy parties.

Now, I don't think the clubs should forgo reminding their customers that most of them will have Monday off. But if they want to link a deceased celebrity to the club life, they'd be better off using Notorious B.I.G. or Tupac.

Around the Internets

1. Sometimes, comic book bad guys have too much time on their hands.
2. One reason using baby talk around babies isn't necessary.
3. Hope springs eternal.
4. For some reason, America really hated the state of Georgia in the 1950's.
5. 15 ways to never go broke...maybe.
6. If movies were real, then yes, the world population would be about 1 million by now.
7. Getting that 2nd date.
   

Humble Suggestion For Political Critics

If you don't understand how the television's closed caption is supposed to work (like Mr. Hoft), then you need to find a new line of work.

Almost a Saint

Pope john Paul II passes the third test.

No Main Topic

1. "When, or if, North Korea’s actions show cause to believe that negotiations can be productive and conducted in good faith, then we could see a return to the six-party talks," he said. "But the DPRK [North Korea] leadership must stop these dangerous provocations and take concrete steps to show that they will begin meeting their international obligations."
2. “I am excited to announce that John Fox has agreed to terms to become the 14th head coach in Denver Broncos history,” Broncos vice president of football operations John Elway said.
3. “Caret comes from two systems we have always envied, California and Maryland,’’ said James Karam, a UMass trustee and chairman of the search committee, after trustees met with each finalist and deliberated for three hours behind closed doors. “His experience in those two great states will bring tremendous dividends to this institution.’’
4. "This was such a big negative experience for Arizona," Davis said. "We've got to stand together now."

Pics From New Spider-Man Movie

Interesting. But don't get too excited; there's nothing that revealing after the first one.

No Main Topic

1. “We’re sort of in uncharted territory now,” said Robert Malley, head of Middle East affairs with the International Crisis Group. “We’re in the position where we’re supporting him, but he doesn’t have a government, nor is it clear that he has a parliamentary majority.”
2. "There was no way of telling which house would fall. Rich and poor — everything was destroyed," resident Fernanda Carvalho was quoted as saying by the Globo network's website.
3. "I urge you to move this museum forward as an appropriate way to do justice to the Civil Rights Movement and to stand as a monument of remembrance and reconciliation," Barbour said in the speech late on Tuesday.
4. ''She's always in trouble,'' Karl said.
5. “Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together,’’ Obama told 14,000 people at the University of Arizona’s McKale Memorial Center.
6. "I'll definitely be smart about the situation," James said. "My teammates will definitely tell me to be smart about it. I don't have to be a hero during the regular season if I'm not close to 100 percent."

Bang-Bang 2: Trying to Sugarcoat With Bullshit

Some people are trying to say that the shooting of a Congressperson, despite the escalating rhetoric of violence, is an isolated incident. Bullshit.

Some people are trying to compare the words and quotes of one political group with their counterparts, saying there was equal contribution. Bullshit.

This is not a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence (sadly) nor is it some kind of fog of violence made from equal parts of hot and cold jibber-jabber. This can be pointed to one group who has used it for professional personal and political gain, and they need to re-evaluate themselves soon. The next incident may be too incriminating to deny.

Batman Characters As High School Students

(Full-scale can be found here)

Put me in the "This Would Be Awesome" Camp, but only if they had done things like:

1. Made Scarecrow older (him, Jim Gordon and Dr. Hugo Strange should be teachers)
2. Replaced Barbara Gordon with Huntress or Vicky Vale (Ms. Gordon's closer to Dick Grayson's age, right? Even if she's not, she's too young to be in high school with Bruce Wayne).
3. Bruce's rogues would had to have some kind of animosity towards him, but not outright hatred.
   
4. Weren't afraid to dip into the fact that we're talking about one (relatively) sane-yet-driven teenager in a high school full of disturbed minds.
   

Alas, this show was not meant to be. But the fucking potential is almost incalculable!

In the meantime: I'm calling a T-shirt shop.

(P.S.: The source of this awesomeness.)

No Main Topic

1. “I didn’t even pay attention, honestly,’’ Rivers said. “I heard him and it was probably the way I sounded before the game about playing hard. It sounded like blah, blah, blah.’’
2. "When Secretary Gates raised the question of the J-20 test in the meeting with President Hu, it was clear that none of the civilians in the room had been informed," the official told reporters.
3. "That was amazing. That was a God thing right there. No doubt about that."
4. "We are stepping up our publishing for matters related to Cablegate and other materials," Assange said. "Those will shortly be occurring through our newspaper partners around the world — big and small newspapers and some human rights organizations."

Target Acquired?

(pic via)

When you combine this Insurrectionism Timeline with this list of violent quotes (and this one) is it far-fetched to say what happened in Tuscon was inevitable?

Politics Invests Archie Comics

Well...in a funny, silly way that is.

More Tuscon Shooting News/Stories

1. A survivor calls out the GOP over their "bang-bang/murder-death-kill" rhetoric. While on FOX.
2. Speaking of FOX: Megyn Kelly ironically asks Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnikif his comments regarding the shooting is "putting a spin" on the situation.
3. You stay classy, People Who Run Sarah Palin's Facebook Page.
4. Glenn Beck reads private emails on the air to show that he's an upstanding guy.

Oh, and don't by that "The Guy bought Mein Kampf so that makes him an evil liberal" nonsense, either.

Bang-Bang (or, "The Tuscon Shooting Political Fallout)

Shorter dumb Congressmen: The shooting that occurred over this weekend proved that elected officials should be packin'. Never mind that the shooter wasn't taken down by armed citizen.

Script For "The Dark Knight Rises" To Be Turned In Today

Just sayin'.

No Main Topic

1. Call the CIA: tears can encode emotional messages.
2. Let it snow.
3. There are crimes, and then there are crimes that (should) make you cringe.
4. Ditto. At least in this case people are working to do something about it.
5. The Tuscon shooter has been charged.
   

Early January Isn't the Best Time to Release a Movie

Especially if you want it to be successful.

What's Not Being Said About the Tuscon Shooting

This law professor makes some good points.

P.S.: Jon Perr shares his take as well.

Around the Internets

1. Even after the show has ended, LOST still has an impact.
2. I wonder if any of these movie critics are still employed.
3. Of course they want your money.
4. I may have to change my career track.
5. No Raven; it's not about people being able to see your boobs or "liking yourself." It's about being healthy.
6. The girls in Washington D.C. don't play around.
7. Why small businesses fail.
8. Do It Yourself...if you dare.
9. History of the Batmobile.
   

The Best Way to Turn a Guy Off Is to Cry

Well, duh.

As any man with the slightest experience knows, a woman’s tears are powerful tools, eliciting abject apologies, unexpected confessions and urgent begging of “Honey, stop, please.” But one thing they are not, is sexy.

Now a team of Israeli neuroscientists think they know why. Emotional tears shut down male desire.

In a study published Thursday in the journal Science, the Weizmann Institute of Science researchers collected emotional tears from female volunteers by showing them sad movies. Then they had male test subjects sniff the actual tears and fake tears comprised of saline.

Riddle Me This...

1. Hiring has gone up, but so has poverty. Is it because more people are taking jobs under their normal paygrade just to make ends meet?
   

No Main Topic

1. Something tells me that the Fox News cable branch will be getting a new reporter.
2. The types of budget cuts that the GOP don't want to talk about.
3. Is it too much to hope that Karl Rove is next?
   
4. New York Snowfall: Take Two.
5. The Taliban took responsibility for a bombing that killed 17 people, including Muslims. What was that about all terrorists being the same?
6. The new GOP-lead House of Representatives do not want financial rules.
7. Only 26-years old and in a nursing home.
   

Making It Up As They Go Along

The New House of Representatives opens up by reading a GOP-edited version of the US Constitution.

No Main Topic

1. Ray Allen had a "He Got Game" flashback, apparently.
2. Only a matter of time before we see Exxon claim rights to insects now.
3. Gotta make that change.
4. When people are taking about the guy who got eaten while living with lions in this fall, you can at least say you know how it all started.
5. On the road again.
   

Thank You, Internet! (The Crazy Batman Version)

(This pic isn't even part of what I'm talking about; I just like it when Batman kicks people in the face as he's declaring his friendship towards them.)

I love the Internet; you always find something new! Part of me wishes that I knew about I-Mockery before, but you know, sometimes it's better to find a site after it's posted a few things and you can play in the archive.

Otherwise, I'd have to wait in order to get one man's chronicled record of the journey to madness that is commonly known as "All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder":

If you like comics and snark, and you haven't seen this before, and you need some laughter in your life, allow me to present:

1. "All Suck Batman and Robin"
2. "Frank Miller is Still Insane"
3. "Frank Miller Spiraling Out of Control"

Trust me: even if you've never read this particular comic, if you know Batman and are familiar with Miller's work (Sin City, 300) you'll really want to read this stuff.

No Main Topic

1. I'm sure this case will be adapted for television/movies.
2. House GOP want to cut things that aren't really costing us much...
3. ...which is why this story makes me chuckle.
4. 24 rebounds by a single man cannot stop the Bostocalypse.
5. First dead birds, now dead fish.
6. Really good news for D.C.
   

Sports TV Journalism Catches Up With It's Political Counterpart

Coach gets fired during your broadcast? High-Five!

No Main Topic

1. R.I.P., Pete Postlethwaite.
2. Everything old is new again.
3. Bostocalypse reborn.
4. Zsa Zsa may lose a leg.
   

Around The Internets

1. On the job front: if you find yourself saying the wrong thing to the boss, it may be a sign of other issues at work...but don't worry; there's other opportunities on the horizon.
2. Ah, the parenting skills of the celebrity wife.
3. Am I the only one who's more supportive of Hugh Hefner's impending marriage than LeAnn Rimes'?
4. Smile for me.
5. Let's get this straight: Obama calling the Eagle about Vick is one of those "nice anecdote, but not exactly headline news" stories.
6. Guilty Pleasure Movies for 2010.
7. Inspiration for a new play/movie?
8. Hard to keep track of "liberal bias" when you don't know what "liberal" means.
9. Comics in 3D?
10. I just can't come up with something snarky enough to describe how stupid this is.
11. Brandy's trying to stay relevant without actually making music.