In House, Many Spoke With One Voice – Lobbyists’ – NYTimes.com I have been meaning to get to this for a couple of days, so this is not breaking news today. In some ways, its not really news. Is anyone really surprised that lobbyists control the public debate that lawmakers have? This NY Times article […]
A new study cited by George Monbiot in his Nov 9th column finds that after purchasing “green products” consumers are more likely to in engage in what’s called “moral licensing” – the idea that the moral self-esteem boost associated with “buying green” is used to justify less ethical behaviour in other circumstances. From the article: […]
Fuck Balloon Boy, here’s a hoax you can really appreciate; On the 20th anniversary of the notorious chemical plant disaster in Bhopal, India, Bichlbaum appeared on the BBC as a representative of Dow Chemical, which now owns Union Carbide, the company responsible for the 1984 calamity. He announced a $12 billion plan to provide medical […]
It doesn’t pay to call the President a liar. Well, actually it does pay, but only to your political opponent. After shouting “You Lie” to President Obama during a healthcare speech, Congressman Joe Wilson saw his opponent, Rob Miller, raise over 100k. Its nice to see a quantifiable reaction to that kind of useless non-dialog. […]
Hunter S. Thompson Comes Alive on Gonzo Tapes | The Underwire from Wired.com “From his early military career to his invention of gonzo journalism and rebellious suicide, Hunter S. Thompson lived an iconoclastic life. He obsessively documented his adventures, recording rants and thoughts on cassettes and reel-to-reels, and collecting everything from notes on napkins to […]
This is old news by now, but worth checking out nonetheless. The LA Times has an article on Rage Against the Machine’s set being prevented by state authorities at the Ripple Effect, a concert held in Minnesota alongside the Republican Convention. Below are the two songs Rage performed amongst the crowd, acappella with a megaphone. […]
In the wake of the Elliot Spitzer scandal and ultimate resignation, I came across this quote from New York Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson: from NY Times: Reaching Out, Paterson Offers Different Tone And when asked whether he, like Mr. Spitzer, had ever patronized a prostitute, Mr. Paterson could not suppress his trademark dagger wit. […]
Boing Boing directed me to this video mixing John McCain with music and singers. Its worth a quick look. It certainly has the best use so far of the “Bomb bomb bomb Iran” soundbite. Video on You Tube Via Boing Boing: Yes We Can — the McCain mix
Why such a huge percentage of the North American mass killings happen at educational institutions is something that desperately needs to be figured out. I doubt the answer will be quick, or simple, or even satisfying, but until we get a better handle on why this crazy shit happens, we will have to keep reading […]
Canadian Industry Minister Jim Prentice is still trying to import American-style copyright law similar to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The massive failings of the DMCA have been reported widely, and it seems pretty clear that any similar legislation does not benefit anyone outside of the recording and movie industries. Michael Geist has written a […]
