September 2010
“Plural marriage, an early tenant of the Mormon faith and once common in Utah,...”
– Police investigate family on polygamy TV show | Reuters
Seriously, Reuters? Seriously? Let’s go over this once more:
Tenant: a person who occupies land or property rented from a landlord.
Tenet: a principle or belief, esp. one of the main principles of a religion or philosophy.
...
Earth-Like Planet Could Sustain Life →
Fucking. Yes. Only twenty light years away. Let’s get on this shit, guys; our grandkids could walk on that planet’s surface.
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shiel•ing |ˈ sh ēli ng | (also sheal•ing)
noun (Scottish):
A shieling is a small house or hut once common in the hills and mountains of Scotland and northern England. Farmers and their families lived there during the summer, when their livestock were grazing common land in the hills. Shielings were therefore associated with the transhumance system of agriculture and generally fell out of use by the end of the 17th century, although in...
Stop the Internet Blacklist! | Demand Progress →
A new bill being debated this week would have the Attorney General create an Internet blacklist of sites that US Internet providers would be required to block.
…
…the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to pass the bill this week — and Senators say they haven’t heard much in the way of objections!
Good job, America.
U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey →
Spoiler: Atheists scored highest, followed by Jews and Mormons.
That last one surprises me a little, but I can’t say the first two do. White evangelical Protestants came in fourth; however, while atheists, Jews, and Mormons were all within one correct answer of each other, evangelicals were nearly three full answers behind Mormons, and showed deep knowledge of the Bible and Christianity but...
“A Harford County Circuit Court judge Monday dismissed wiretapping charges...”
– Charges dismissed against Md. man who taped traffic stop
This is correct.
“As their faculty advisor, I know the Oberlin Republican and Libertarian Club is...”
– Details on the format of Karl Rove’s speech – The Source – Oberlin College
I advocate non-violence. I advocate civility. But I am put in the odd position of advocating both of these in defense of a man who helped to engineer an illegal war. How—without resorting to violence, or throwing...
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Let me explain a little bit about America.
[Edit: this was originally posted here, but I’ve crossposted it at my more serious blog, The Simple Best. Please link that version.]
Every child who has ever asked what the United States of America is knows that this country is the land of the free and the home of the brave. It is a place where everyone is equal, and every child has a chance to grow up and be the president. Each citizen...
“Ever since he had learned to read, Barney’s greatest heroes had been King...”
– Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper
“Imagine the number of people with ceilings in their eyes.”
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“Since it seemed I had the run of the house, I decided I’d return to the...”
– Nine Princes in Amber, by Roger Zelazny
“It’s time to kick off your shoes
Learn how to choose sadness
It’s...”
– Barenaked Ladies - I’ll Be That Girl
Ornithopter achieves Da Vinci's dream →
Regardless of the century, plane, or species, developing artificers never fail to invent the ornithopter.
Life reflects art games.
Heartless Bitches International - Why "Nice Guys"... →
This is the first time I’ve read one of these missives and agreed with pretty much the whole thing. The real takeaway is that there are relatively few people of any gender and orientation who are capable of maintaining a long-term relationship, and falling in love (or obsession) with people who “need your help” does really bad things to your chances of finding one of them. As...
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This Is Just To Say Yo
mrgan:
An oldie but a hilariousy from dwineman:
I have put some plums in your icebox
so you can have plums while you eat plums for breakfast
Forgive me but I heard you like plums dawg
Oh… dear.
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“I love certain birds because of their song; but I do not love Adam on account of...”
– Eve’s Diary by Mark Twain
I hope you are all familiar with Twain’s Extracts from Adam’s Diary and Eve’s Diary; in fact, I hope you are more familiar than I am, because I have only found out about the latter today. I look forward to reading the better part of it this evening.
WatchElection Night 2008 in Oberlin
I’ve never seen the kind of release from Oberlin students that I saw on Election Night 2008. Even at Drag Ball, students retain some amount of reserve, some hint of awkwardness. Not that night. Some students got naked, some got drunk, some got their instruments, and about half the campus eventually made their way to the bandstand in Tappan Square, where an...
“At the age of twenty-five I was crossing the Aegean, on my way to Rhodes to...”
– Sam is the wind beneath my wings. (via cleversimon)
You didn’t think he was making any of that up, did you?
“We believe that all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator...”
– Gary Bauer (Anti-Islamic Sentiment Cheered at Values Voter Summit - The Atlantic)
Yes, it is, you unspeakable ignoramus. Allah and Jehovah and your strange, half-human carpenter god are all exactly the same thing.
I guess it doesn’t really matter that much, given the scale on which theists...
COLLEGE
brittuh:
Every New Semester:
After First Week:
After Second Week:
Before the Mid-Term Test:
During the Mid-Term Test:
After the Mid-Term Test: Before the Final Exams: Once Get to Know the Final Exam Schedule: 7 Days Before the Final Exam: 6 Days Before the Final Exam: 5 Days Before the Final Exam: 4 Days Before the Final Exam: 3 Days Before the Final Exam: 2 Days Before the...
I thought I went to an enlightened liberal college... →
thirstforsalt:
Things that make me ill:
jwisser:
7pm, 28 September, in Finney Chapel. Free tickets.
I am not making this up.
It’s my personal guess that Karl Rove wants to commit a variation on suicide by cop: suicide by enraged progressive college student.
Karl Rove at Oberlin College →
7pm, 28 September, in Finney Chapel. Free tickets.
I am not making this up.
Hall of the Rickroll King
say -v “Cellos” “We’re no strangers to love you know the rules and so do I A full commitment’s what I’m thinkin of You wouldn’t get this from any other guy I just wanna tell you how I’m feeling Gotta make you understand”
This one’s for the Mac users out there.
vox pop
noun • short for “vox populi”, a Latin phrase meaning “get reactions from people who don’t know what they’re talking about”.
Twitter » Fake AP Stylebook
“What if [Obama] is so outside our comprehension, that only if you understand...”
– Biden ‘Stunned’ by Gingrich’s ‘Kenyan Anti-Colonialist’ Talk - The Atlantic
Newt Gingrich truly is an un-American asshole who delights in spreading hateful, fear-mongering bullshit and encouraging employees of the people of the United States of America not to do the...
“Verily! Those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians,...”
– Surat Al-Baqarah [2:62] - The Holy Qur’an - القرآن الكريم
In other words, according to the Qur’an, if you’re an Abrahamite (no, not the other kind) and you really believe in God and Judgment Day, and you do good works here on Earth, you’re pretty much set if Islam turns out...
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veg•an |ˈvēgən; ˈvejən|
noun • one who refuses to eat meat or other animal products (eggs, milk, cheese, etc.), frequently due to moral or religious issues. Common side effects of an animal-free diet include grumpiness, self-righteousness, and the tendency to take oneself too seriously.
Selected chuteless stats
chuteless:
7500 miles travelled (4000 hitched, 3500 driven). 12 rides with strangers (5 from men, 2 from couples, 5 from women). 85 unsucessful hitching attempts. 0 lifts from truckers. 7 nights camped (2 in graveyards). 3 nights spent driving through the night. 15 states covered. 64 gas station visits. 1 police incident. 3 unsuccessful cow mounts. 2 rivers bathed in. 1 python swam with. 3342...