President Bush Chooses Superstition Over Science

(via What’s new by Bob Park – Friday, July 21, 2006)

1. STEM CELLS: PRESIDENT BUSH CHOOSES SUPERSTITION OVER SCIENCE.

On Wednesday, Mr. Bush vetoed the “Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.” The first veto of his presidency was exercised to protect surplus embryonic stem cells in fertility clinics from research, thus preserving their “dignity” so they can be put out with the garbage. He did so on the grounds that using them in research would be “murder.” This is based on the ancient belief in a “vital life force,” or “soul,” which is said by some Christians to be assigned at conception. The first sign of differentiation in embryonic cells occurs in about 8 weeks. Jews, however, say that infants don’t get a soul until they draw their first breath. They cite Genesis: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” On the other hand, superstition may not be the best guide. Why not turn to science?

Why not?

Friday Random Ten: 2006-07-21


NameArtistAlbumGenre
1. Jesus Thinks You’re A JerkFrank ZappaBroadway The Hard WayAlternative & Punk
2. After The GoldrushNeil YoungGreatest HitsRock
3. AmericaSpinal TapThis is Spinal TapSoundtrack
4. Suicide ChumpFrank ZappaYou Are What You IsAlternative & Punk
5. DionysusJocelyn PookGangs Of New YorkSoundtrack
6. The Test That Stumped Them AllDream TheaterLive At BudokanMetal
7. Comes A TimeNeil YoungGreatest HitsRock
8. Where Will You BeYesTalkRock
9. Stacy’s MomFountains Of WayneWelcome Interstate ManagersAlternative & Punk
10. StrangerPretty & TwistedPretty & TwistedAlternative & Punk

Why does anyone even listen to Bill Kristol?

(via Think Progress)

This morning on Fox, Bill Kristol continued to escalate his calls for war against Iran, stating, “We can try diplomacy. I’m not very hopeful about that. We have to be ready to use force.” Kristol claimed the people of Iran would embrace “the right use of targeted military force.” He added that military force could “trigger changes in Iran,” causing them to embrace regime change. Watch it.

The same thing was said about Iraq. How did that work out?

And there’s this gem from Informed Comment:

Another dissection of the failures of the Neocons, this time by Harold Meyerson. He writes that Krisol said, ‘”There’s been a certain amount of pop sociology in America,” he told National Public Radio listeners in the war’s opening weeks, “that the Shia can’t get along with the Sunni and the Shia in Iraq want to establish some kind of Islamic fundamentalist regime. There’s been almost no evidence of that at all,” he continued. “Iraq’s always been very secular.”

Oh come on! That’s beyond being merely wrong…

Joel Siegel walks out of ‘Clerks II’ after 40 minutes

(via My Boring Ass Life)

A Dick in a Mustache is Still Just a Dick:

So last night, at a press screening of “Clerks II” in New York City, “Good Morning America” movie critic Joel Siegel decided he’d had enough of my shenanigans, and walked out of the flick at the forty minute mark. You’d imagine this would bother me, and yet, I’m as delighted by this news as I was with the eight minute standing ovation “Clerks II” received in Cannes.

…

You never… NEVER disrupt a movie, simply because you don’t like it.

Cardinal rule of movie-going: shut your fucking mouth while the movie’s playing. They even ask you to do so in the pre-show run-up to every flick (”Cell phones and pagers off, no talking during the show”). This guy went beyond talking, even; he was making a spectacle of himself as he left. I’ve now spoken to three folks in attendance last night, and all have said that Siegel WANTED everyone to know how disgusted he was, and that he was leaving. If you want to share your displeasure with everyone, that’s fine, dude; just do it AFTER the movie, not during. Some folks were enjoying themselves. I don’t come down to your job and slap the taste out of your mouth for coming up with a line like “‘Shark Tale’ Is a Halibut Good Time”; so don’t fuck with my stuff WHILE IT’S STILL SCREENING.

A note to film critics: If you don’t like a movie, at least watch the whole damn thing before writing your crappy review. Also, if you go to a Kevin Smith film, don’t be surprised if you end up seeing a Kevin Smith film. What did Joel Siegel expect?

Friday Random Ten: 2006-07-14

Name Artist Album Genre
1.  The Dreaming Kate Bush The Whole Story Alternative & Punk
2.  Mercy Street Peter Gabriel So Rock
3.  Murder By Numbers The Police Synchronicity Rock
4.  39.1 Degrees Celsius Jerry Goldsmith Star Trek: First Contact Soundtrack
5.  Don’t Kill The Whale Yes Tormato Rock
6.  Outside Of This (Inside Of That) Jon & Vangelis The Friends Of Mr. Cairo Rock
7.  Ash And Smoke Howard Shore The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of King Soundtrack
8.  Big Dumb Town Stan Ridgway Black Diamond Alternative & Punk
9.  Solo in 4 Movements – 4th Movement – Burundi Terry Bozzio Solo Drum Music (Disc 1) World
10.  Hollow Years Dream Theater Falling Into Infinity Metal

And his beer sucks, too

Coors Cited for Drunk Driving:

“Beer magnate and former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Pete Coors was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol,” the Denver Post reports.

Said Coors: “I made a mistake by driving myself home after a friend’s wedding celebration. I should have planned ahead for a ride. ”

I should have planned ahead for a ride – Yes, because using a telephone to call a taxi or even limousine is just so damn difficult.

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