"Blair's real concern was that there would be quote unquote 'a knee-jerk reaction' by the Americans ... they would go thundering off and nuke the shit out of the place without thinking straight," Mr Meyer reportedly told the documentary, according to the Mirror.
Anyone who still thinks McCain is the big contender in '08 is an idiot. He's not a maverick. He's not more reasonable than Bush. The fact that he served in Vietnam and spent five years in a POW camp hasn't made him any more circumspect about starting random wars. And he doesn't have much of a chance at winning the nomination. The gist of this article is basically that he has alienated everyone and is thus having a hell of a time fund raising. To which I say, ha fucking ha. It doesn't really matter though, because I have this sinking feeling that Fred "Buzz Windrip" Thompson will be US President-for-Life by mid-2009.
Taking On Big Donors, McCain Takes a Big Risk [NYT]
Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran [YouTube]
You know, I'm liking this Mike Gravel character more and more.
Gravel Goes Out for the Gays [Queerty]
I have to say, I'm intrigued. If I met a guy who was willing to get one of these inserted I would marry him on the spot.
"Women in some cultures are not averse to beatings. They consider it as an expression of masculinity, and as a kind of control, which she herself desires. In other societies, it is the exact opposite. [...]Islam did not command us to be aggressive towards women […]But when Allah permitted wife-beating, He permitted it to the other side of culture, which considers it as one of the means to preserve the family, and as one of the means to preserve stability."
The ladies over at the Christian Domestic Discipline website agree:
"[W]e believe the Bible gives a husband the authority to use spanking as one tool in enforcing his authority in the home with or without his wife's permission[...]A Christian Domestic Discipline marriage is one that is set up according to Biblical standards; that is, the husband is the authority in the household. The wife is submissive to her husband as is fit in the Lord and her husband loves her as himself [...]"
Interesting...
Is this Islam's "true voice"? [Passport]
Rumors on the Internet [Wonkette]
Loving wife spanking in a Christian Marriage [ChristianDomesticDiscipline]
Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori believed that as robots become more and more human-like, people's empathy for the machine first increases rapidly and then turns to repulsion. Exhibit one: via Tokyo Times, we learn about an incredibly disturbing technological breakthrough: the human version of the robot dog, who is totally going to be a hot gynoid crimefighter when it grows up.
Uncanny Valley Hypothesis [Wikipedia]
Robotic Realism [Tokyo Times]
I bought myself one of those lavender American Apparel hoodies yesterday and I am feeling guilty. The truth is, I love it. The color is great, and as I was looking at myself in the mirror I felt just like a cool SF hipster. And therein lies the problem. If I had applied myself, I probably could have found something nearly identical for half the price. Instead, I spent $40 on a goddamn hoodie because I thought it would make me look cool.
Of course, Dov Charney
is a marketing genius. The brand first exploded here in California, where young and wealthy
The lesson here? Corporations never have consciences [and I am a chump.] They are inherently immoral. Just because a liquor company sponsors the Pride Parade, it doesn't mean it gives a damn about gay rights. And just because a beauty product company starts using plus-size models doesn't mean they have any problems with blatanly fucking with women's self esteem.
Indian Women Whiten Their Skin, Fight the Patriarchy [Jezebel]
Understanding American Apparel [knowmore.org]
