Next Stop The Winter X Games

Maybe a little too much is being made of this photo of our VP at Auschwitz, but you have to admit he does look like he's about to get on his snowbaord.

Dude, there's a foot of powder!

Liar Liar, Pants Aflame

Syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher wrote favorably about President Bush's marriage initiative, but failed to disclose that she was paid $21,500 by the Department of Health and Human Services to promote the proposal, the Washington Post reports.

In her column, Gallgher agrees with the criticism: "I should have disclosed a government contract when I later wrote about the Bush marriage initiative. I would have, if I had remembered it."

OKAY, let's try an experiment. Has anybody ever given you $21,500 and you forgot about it?

I didn't think so.

Sure beats the Rock & Roll Hall of fame

Journey to get star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

But we will be able to shoot down missles with Lasers

Read this and weep.

Fucking Neaderthals

The New York Times has an article today about the evolution battle in a school district in Pennsylvania.

One of the reasons the creationist (AKA Intelligent Design) folks think they are on solid ground is their misuse of the word "theory" (as in evolutionary theory).

To use the old cliche, here is the official definition of the word "theory."

A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena, especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena.

They seem to think that a theory is just some sort of loopy idea that can be easily refuted. However, the theory referred to in "Darwin's Theory of Evolution" is the one listed above.

Here's the money quote from the article:

Conservative Christians across the country say the re-election of President Bush has given them the momentum to achieve important local goals, including challenging the teaching of evolution

Another Reason why Leon Wieseltier is awesome

Here is a link to a recent piece in the New Republic by Leon Wieseltier.

"I understand that religion long ago learned how to argue its way around cosmic cruelty, but it is the absence of protest, the intellectual efficiency, that is so repugnant. Those who smugly intone that they have no explanation, that it is all a mystery, that the ways of the universe and its Creator exceed the capacities of the mind: they are over-ready for tragedy. They should more candidly admit that they choose not to reflect upon the spiritual implications of natural destruction, because they wish to protect what they believe. In the aftermath of such a disaster, religious people have more mental work to do than irreligious people, because they are the ones who teach the benevolent government of the world."

They can run...

One of, and possibly the best thing about the blogosphere, is the instant access to the truth of what politicians say. I have no access to a Nexis account, but others do, and they can unearth the darndest things. Politicians need to remember this.

Nexis is like a truth serum.

Just read the link.

Village Voice Film Critics... what assholes

I was reading the Village Voice Top Ten films for this year the other day, which, unfortunately has no relevence to me, as I have a 6 month old baby (all parents will understand this).

The Top Ten didn't bother me (especiall since I had seen so few of them), but what troubled me was the caegory for best Undistributed Film.

Are the being selfless promoters of unknown great cinema? Or are they fucking film snobs?

Amusing side note: The Brown Bunny(#30) scored higher than the Passion of the Christ (#45)