Cruise to trace Titanic's route on centennial of ship's sinking A memorial cruise is scheduled to set sail 100 years after the sinking of the Titanic, following the same trans-Atlantic route as the ill-fated ship, according to organizers. The Titanic Memorial Cruise is to set sail in April 2012, departing from Southampton, England, on April 8, just as the Titanic … Read More
Then and Now
February, 2004: Elizabeth Blackburn, an outspoken advocate of human embryonic stem cell research and therapeutic cloning is fired by the Bush administration from the President's Council on Bioethics because of her dissenting views. This week: Elizabeth Blackburn wins the Nobel Prize for Medicine for her pioneering work on cancer and aging.
Another Peanuts Mashup
First "Linus Sings The Police", and now, on a more dramatic note, the Peanuts gang performs a scene from "Goodfellas"
2012
Critics are already panning the disaster epic "2012", coming out in November as "over the top" and "laughably over the top" and "ridiculously over the top". Here's a trailer and an extended scene: Yeah, I can't imagine why it might be called "over the top". Still, with Oliver Platt, it has at least one redeeming quality.
Quote Of The Day
On Saturday, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) discussed the direction of the GOP in an address to the Republican Northeast Conference in Newport, RI. McCotter, who serves as the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee in the House, chided conservative “ideologues” for controlling the party. McCotter explained that these individuals want to “purge” opponents “all the time…because they’re nuts.” He then … Read More
Wellpoint Exhibits Contempt, Greed, and Bad Timing
Seriously? Watch this story about Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Maine, a subsidiary of WellPoint. They are suing the State of Maine, because Maine is not letting them jack up their health insurance premiums 18.5%. That's a pretty ballsy lawsuit, especially with the health care debate raging. Dday at Hullabaloo gives the background: This story shows how silly it would be … Read More
The Other New FTC Rule
Earlier today, I mentioned a new FTC rule which, rather unusually, applied to bloggers: if you endorse or recommend something in exchange for payment (or a free sample), you must disclose the fact that your review was paid for. While I tend to frown on the regulation of bloggers (and the Internet in general), this regulation struck me as reasonable. The … Read More
Linus Sings The Police
Really well-done:
FTC Establishes Rule Governing Bloggers
I don't think bloggers should (or necessarily can) be regulated, but this strikes me as a good idea: The Federal Trade Commission will require bloggers to clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products. It is the first time since 1980 that the commission has revised its guidelines on endorsements and testimonials, and the … Read More
Oyez! Oyez!
It's the first Monday in October, so the U.S. Supreme Court is now in session. I've already outlined the big cases this term (as I see them) here. This week on the docket, the Court will hear arguments for two First Amendment cases — one about speech; one about religion. The speech one I find particularly interesting. The case is on … Read More
Tearjerker Monday
CNN: On the morning of last year's annual Sunflower Fair in La Porte, Indiana, a family, appearing a little lost, walked up and down a crowded street, looking in vain for the table to sign up their entry. They carried a large sunflower with them. If no one noticed the exhausted, grieving look in the family's eyes, that was understandable. … Read More
“What Do You Think I Fought For At Omaha Beach?”
A WWII vet talks about marriage equality…
“Hold That Line! Hold That Line!” (Luke 3:7)
I don't have all the facts, just this: Cheerleaders at a north Georgia high school will have to fall back on school spirit alone to inspire the football team tonight against a longtime rival because the school district will no longer allow them to hold up signs bearing Bible verses. The Catoosa school district banned the signs over concerns they … Read More
Chicago Nixed For 2016 Olympics
To all the conservatives who rooted against America (which, not too long ago, you once considered a bad thing), pat yourselves on the back: Mission accomplished. Never mind that the event would have brought in 22.5 billion in economic activity (the equivalent of 315,000 permanent jobs in America), much less be a good place to exhibit American pride. It's more … Read More
Letterman’s Confession
Image via Wikipedia I'm fairly sure it is none of our business who David Letterman had sex with. But he told us anyway. He didn't have to; the guy who was blackmailing him was arrested. Still, you don't see this kind of honest very much, delivered with humility, candor and humor. Interesting TV. Slate calls it a “deeply personal, bizarre … Read More