Al Andrews makes an improbable philanthropist. “Philanthropists have lots of money,” Andrews says. “I didn’t have any.” Andrews is the first of half a dozen guest speakers who makes appearances during the Storyline conference. Donald Miller calls Andrews from the audience to join him at the cafe table onstage. The two settle in as though […]
Archive | February, 2013
GOP waving white flag on gay marriage: V-LGBT Day is a landmark triumph in the culture wars
It’s been an interesting few days. The American Benefits Council and 278 employers, organizations and municipalities have filed a friend of the court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case regarding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Earlier today the far right Drudge Report was linking to a story outlining a new study […]
Hemingway: the writer and “the writer…”
It’s almost impossible to write about Ernest Hemingway. He was such a caricature – a caricature of his own creation, mind you, both as the writer and as “The Writer” – that trying to write about his work or his writing style in any sort of rational, coherent way is, to quote Martin Mull, like “dancing about […]
Latest smoking gun on Iran’s nuclear program just another misfire
Yousaf Butt lays waste to the magnetic-ring-sign-of-Iran-nuclear-expansion theory. On February 13 Joby Warrick reported for the Washington Post that “Iran recently sought to acquire tens of thousands of highly specialized magnets used in centrifuge machines, according to experts and diplomats, a sign that the country may be planning a major expansion of its nuclear program […]
Game of Thrones: When “gratuitous sex” scenes aren’t
Somewhat resistant to fantasy, but intrigued by the viewer loyalty it generated, I finally began watching Game of Thrones. The first two episodes of the first season have convinced me to continue watching. But I’m not writing a review; instead, I’m reacting to my initial impulse to take the producers of Game of Thrones to […]
The Voting Rights Act: why we still need it
I was scrolling through Talking Points Memo this morning on the metro when I came across a story titled “Overturning The Voting Rights Act Would Be Seminal Moment For Conservative Legal Movement,” detailing how conservative groups are hoping to overturn the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a law they consider to be outdated. The oral […]
Redistricting: by deceitfully moving a line, I can rule forever
In America, most — but probably not all — citizens who seek public office do so with initial good intent. They wish to perform a public service. That quaint, altruistic notion lasts, on the national level, perhaps 10 minutes after the swearing-in ceremony. Lobbyists descend. Party leaders demand fund-raising success now. The novice lawmaker is […]
Emphasis added: the foreign policy week in slices
The U.S. military, “witch burning,” negotiations with Iran, among other affairs. Emphasis, as always, added. A “fundamental problem with COIN.” Where foreign forces go, violence follows. . . . a wave of “insider-attacks,” perpetrated by members of the Afghan security forces, has killed 60 coalition troops this year (compared with 35 last year). Leon Panetta […]
Storyline: Conference, Day One
“Did you come from a cold, wet place?” Donald Miller asks. A murmur of laughter ripples through the room. “That’s awesome,” he says, laughing. The weather in San Diego is in the mid-sixties today, and everyone I’ve met so far at the Storyline conference has reveled in it. “That part is free,” Miller quips. Miller […]
Taylor attacks his critics instead of correcting his distortions of a peer-reviewed study
James Taylor of the Heartland Institute compound his original mistake of distorting a peer-reviewed survey by repeating his distortions and choosing to attack his critics instead of correcting his many original mistakes.
Tesla vs. The Times: Elon Musk dusts up with the doubters
Elon Musk takes on the Grey Lady to defend his genius and honor while attempting to prove that someday soon, very rich people will be able to make very short trips with limited inconvenience in his electric cars. The point of the charging system and reviews, as i understand it, was to prove that you can use your new $100,000 Model S (base price is $60,000) like any other $100,000 car. The failure of the Times review was that it attempted to do so, and took notes like a car review rather than a technology review.
Storyline: Prologue
First in a series I’m forty-thousand feet above the Rocky Mountains. Denver is some ninety miles to my left and a long way down. I’ve lost the sun beyond the curve of the earth, but the light it still throws is as bright orange as the glow from inside a smelting pit. Molten sunshine has […]
Saturday Video Roundup: Mash The Beatles
It’s amazing how many really cool mashups seem to incorporate The Beatles. Or maybe that isn’t amazing at all. I mean, they were the freakin’ Beatles. Anyway, I know we’ve done this theme before, but best I can tell, it ain’t broke, so I ain’t fixing it. Here’s The Fabs and Queen doing one of my […]
San Jose Mercury-News having a hard time understanding who the real victims were in Vegas shooting
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. - Kurt Vonnegut You may have seen the story about the Hollywood action movie-style murder on the Las Vegas strip early yesterday morning. All the stories I’m seeing focus on the shooting victim, one Ken Cherry (aka Kenny […]
S&R Honors
Click here to learn more about past honorees...- IRS/Tea Party controversy: progressive groups “targeted,” too, and corporate media once again refuses to tell Americans the whole truth
- “Useful Enemies”: U.S. admitted not just Nazis after WWII, but their sadistic collaborators
- The time a source has to respond to request for comment? Virtually none.
- Profiling the Tea Party: In defense of the IRS. Sorta. Or not.
- Saturday Video Roundup: “Imagine the Band,” by John Lennon and Wings
- Mystery Unraveled: How a white, moderate, married, churchgoing, middle-class, middle-aged woman could vote for Obama
- An open letter to Burt Rutan, regarding his WSJ commentary on human-caused climate disruption
- Meet the men of Match.com: Really, guys, are you serious?
- Climate scientists still besieged
- Pelosi on Bush: “He’s not worth impeaching”
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Otherwise: interesting and yet another example of faux news m…
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Autumn: You said several organizations have purposed alter…
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Samuel Smith: It's not JUST three groups. These are the three th…
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Bret Higgins: Slightly confused - You say one third of the 471 g…
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SeattleAuthor: Actually, I had heard that reported on about Day T…
