The Wrightwing

Wanna have one?

Just watch THIS

You didn’t really want to sleep tonight, now did you?

Hat tip boingboing

Drudge has two headlines, one right after the other on his front page right now:

THE MONKEY THAT TALKS IN SENTENCES…

Pat Robertson: God Says Tsunami Possible For U.S…

Just too true.

Somehow I think the first monkey, (the little hairy one), has more important things to say than the second monkey, (the larger, balder one).
The first monkey certainly makes more sense.

I found this on YouTube:

Classic Monty Python. I just wonder where they got the clip of me at the end…

OK, I am not one for these internet personality tests, but this one basically got this correct. I just am not that smart. Though unlike old Albert, I did learn to drive a car.

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

With all the crap going on in political cricles, do we really have the next election to look forward to as a way to clear things up?

More where that came from

And if you object to that, there is always this:

Tom Green County commissioners gave extra preparation time Saturday to a group proposing a faith-based prison in San Angelo.

The new management team of Dallas-based Corrections Concepts asked for at least two months to prepare more detailed financial information on the project. The commissioners did not set a timetable

Some days, I wish I were the mouse:

A DORMOUSE called Mickey got high after nibbling at the stash of cannabis his student owner hid in his cage.
Police raided the 22-year-old suspected drug dealer’s flat — and found the pot after noticing Mickey lying on his back.
“He was very stoned,” a cop in Mellrichstadt, Bavaria, Germany, said. Mickey is recovering.

Ya know, things are getting crazy enough, what with a born-again christian dominionist in the White House, who has just turned over the operation of six of our largest east coast ports to a company owned by a government run by fundamentalist islamo-fascists, that I have dusted off my old paranoia-day evasion plans, where I hide my atheism in the general population by joining a church, in much that same way that Jews in Spain did during the Spanish Inquisition.

Since it is outdated I started checking it out and realized my original plans to join the Unitarians or perhaps the Universal Life Church might need updating.

So I looked at FSM, which would be my preferred church, I suspect, but there is no organization, so that is out unfortunately. Then I read an article about a woman being stripped of custody of her son for being a member of a church I had forgotten about, and realized they were still around.

So for now I have added, as a Plan ‘B’, membership in the Church of the SubGenius.

These guys seem my type, and any group that can unhinge a judge that much, probably has much to recommend it.

Then there is the Church of Reality, which has IRS recognition. As a recognized, bonafide, verified Institution, they have the legal presence of the Unitarians, but also seem to have the dispersed organization of the ULC. Plus they are Internet based. But they are also new enough that their ideology and world view is not yet formed, at least to me. The last thing I want to do is join a church that might demand that I vote for Ralph Nader or, even worse, John McCain. So I will put them on my consideration list, perhaps as a Plan ‘C’.

So for now, if it looks like a pogrom against Atheists, freethinkers and unchurched folks, I will go with either the Universal Life Church or the Church of the SubGenius. If it looks like a pogrom against not just those, but also members of dissenting churches, then I will go with the Unitarians and possibly the Church of Reality.

I am open to alternatives, but for now I am also considering ordination in one or more if them as well.

…why I can’t have one of these for MY front porch?

Officials at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have added a new weapon to their armory: a high-powered machine gun that can fire more than 50 rounds per second.

.

Or my pick-up, for that matter.

…half a million dollars?!

“What can I say? My [butt] is tired from all that sitting,” Cox said. She will assume the title of Wonkette’s editor emeritus — which means she’ll post an occasional item as a guest.

“Dog Days,” her first novel, comes out tomorrow, with the predictable buzz and, yes, bad reviews. Her next book, a nonfiction project, will be her take on the next generation of political activists. Riverhead Books has given her a deal in the mid-six-figures; the book will be out in time for the 2008 election.

OK. Maybe talking about butt sex aint all that bad, so long as I do not have to DO it. Like okra and sushi, it’s not my thing.

via Andrew Sullivan

A pack of angry Chihuahuas attacked a police officer who was

Snort…

STUNNING actress Carmen Electra is relieved a man bidding for a date with her in an online auction was disqualified - because his offer was so high, she would have felt obligated to sleep with him.

Which begs the question: At what point was it high enough?

I should check my bank account…

Via the CoNJB mentioned below, I find that the contrarian has a listing of politically incorrect christmas carols.
A fine list, and it introduces me to Dominick, who I never knew of before.

But he misses one of my favorites:

Emerson, Lake and Palmers I Believe In Father Christmas

So send him some suggestions of songs you remember, especially obscure ones.

And I was right!

Via boingboing:

Scientists said yesterday that they have discovered a tiny genetic mutation that largely explains the first appearance of white skin in humans tens of thousands of years ago, a finding that helps solve one of biology’s most enduring mysteries and illuminates one of humanity’s greatest sources of strife.

The work suggests that the skin-whitening mutation occurred by chance in a single individual after the first human exodus from Africa, when all people were brown-skinned. That person’s offspring apparently thrived as humans moved northward into what is now Europe, helping to give rise to the lightest of the world’s races.

Leaders of the study, at Penn State University, warned against interpreting the finding as a discovery of “the race gene.” Race is a vaguely defined biological, social and political concept, they noted, and skin color is only part of what race is — and is not.

In fact, several scientists said, the new work shows just how small a biological difference is reflected by skin color. The newly found mutation involves a change of just one letter of DNA code out of the 3.1 billion letters in the human genome — the complete instructions for making a human being.

“It’s a major finding in a very sensitive area,” said Stephen Oppenheimer, an expert in anthropological genetics at Oxford University, who was not involved in the work. “Almost all the differences used to differentiate populations from around the world really are skin deep.”

Does this make me an X-Man?

Now, how long before the nutjobs start screeching about this as proof of something? 3, 2, 1,…

Chek out other great ‘toons at Cox and Forkum.

…for the Pajamahadeen?

Or perhaps the death of modesty? One would fervently hope…

userFriendly

heh

Janet, over at The Art of Getting By, discusses the difference between mens and womens fashion choices, and what men should do.

First, she proposes:

“I think it would be great if both sexes had the chance to go all Freaky Friday every once and awhile. Men could get a feel for what it’s like to have pregnancy cravings and PMS, while women could get an idea of what it feels like to be obsessed with sports, beer and breasts.”

No, no and no. I have enough trouble with aiming in the john, I don’t need the rest of that stuff. I am the first to admit women have a tougher time with biology than men do. We have it simple, all we need to do is fight and then either heal or die. And no women in my shoes would need to be worried about sports, beer and breasts. Books, Tea and the swell of the hip as it leaves the waist, swaying down the street, maybe.

Sorry, was I staring?

One thing that women, as a gender, are known for are their feelings toward fashion. When the going gets tough for women the women get shopping.

You don’t say. That may be why all my married friends have that haunted, balding, pauperish look. I am far from wealthy, but I am not a pauper, and I also still have hair on my head, and it’s not a transplant or weave, either. The only haunted look I get is when I think of all the ladies that got away, and that is more wistful than haunted.

Because I’ve thought about how I’d feel about fashion if I were a guy and the answer is a simple one: I’d be all about the tie.

The Tie?

That is probably the most agonizing choice a man can make other than which pair of underwear is least worn in the rotation.

Most of us hate neck ties. They are annoying, impractical and potentially lethal. Making a proper knot while at the same time keeping both ends at appropriate lengths takes months, if not years of practice. They serve no practical use since they evolved from a semi-permanent napkin into a fashionable replacement for a peacocks tail. Just try using the mens room and washing your hands without having your latest silk acquisition from LandsEnd flop into the sink or into a puddle on the counter. Taking a pee and maintaining decent personal hygiene should not cost $50 a shot. And something tied permanently around your neck is a noose waiting to be tightened, by accident, machinery, or an opponent. That is what airline counter clerks have learned, and why they wear clip-ons instead of real neck-ties.
This is why our fashions are so simple. Our nature is the warrior-protector. We need things that will stand up to battle and hard service. Whether current society recognizes that, allows for it, or cares about it, does not change that. Even the wimpiest of men still posses this basic nature.

Since I am on the receiving end of this, being male, I was reading this…

” We can go school girl or go slut…or if we’re really lucky, we can even pull off a successful combo of both. “

GET OUT OF MY HEAD! Sorry, did I say that out loud? Was that an overshare?

…and wondering just what sort of men women really want.

“But for men, self expression in the form of fashion is not quite so easy. They could wear pants or they could wear…pants. They have the nail biting choice between dress pants and casual pants, but that’s about it. “

I disagree. There are also kilts, which can be very masculine. But unless you have the machismo and presence of Sean Connery, you will just look silly, if you are lucky. So most of us do not try this option. There are also toga’s, but unless you look as good in them as Brad Pitt, you will just be channeling the cast of Animal House. Plus, for either alternative, your dating options may suddenly double in a manner not necessarily welcome.

There are ties with a lot of colors, ties with cartoon characters and ties that “tie” into holiday themes. Then there are more subdued ties with solid colors or soft pastels. Each and every tie says something different about the guy

Which is why men like uniforms so much; they can concentrate on what is important and stop worrying about fussy things like whether they look ‘alpha’ or ‘beta’, which is what Al Gore forgot, among other things, back in 2000. And also why they prefer someone else choose a tie, no sense in sending the wrong message by an unfortunate choice in cravat.

Ask most girls and they will tell you this: from day to day they might not care what their guy wears, but when they get all dressed up they go ga ga for a guy who can clean up nicely. So men, if you’re reading this, if you’re not going to do it for yourself, at least do it for the ladies in your lives. And for those of you who aren’t tied up the same applies, tenfold.

Most of us do not mind dressing up when our mates want us too. We know when they fuss over us it is an expression of affection, and we like to keep you happy, even indulge you when we can. After all, you are softer than the ground outside, and certainly more cuddly than the dog. Even though you are more confusing and mysterious.

But ladies, be careful of men who care more about their clothing than you do. If they spend as much, or more, on clothing than they do on ‘guy things’ like tools or toys, whether they be books or bikes, guns or garden tools, beware. Indeed, the ratio should be no more than 1 dollar of cloths for every 2 dollars of toys and tools. And even that is pushing it.

Don’t believe me? Think of Sean Connery, Denzel Washington, Harrison Ford, all hot guys according to the women I know, who dress simply, often without a tie, except when needed, and a simple tie even then.

Then think of ‘Fashionistas’ like Elton John, Boy George, George Michael and Michael Jackson.

I rest my case.

Via geekpress, see WizardsofWinter SM.

Andrew Sullivan has a new baby, she’s a cute little critter!

Take a look.

What a BRILLIANT concept. Trading in old, outdated smut, for new, modern smut! Cheeky, satirical, performance art in the tradition of student republican clubs mischievous bake sales.

A group of atheists at UTSA was asking students to exchange bibles for porn magazines Wednesday, and that has made some religious leaders angry. News 4 WOAI first broke the story at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

From the groups site:

Porno for Bibles and comments smut-for-smut-2

Via boingboing

Maybe.

John Lott points to this:

People who engaged in moderate activity — the equivalent of walking for 30 minutes a day for five days a week — lived about 1.3 to 1.5 years longer than those who were less active. Those who took on more intense exercise — the equivalent of running half an hour a day five days every week — extended their lives by about 3.5 to 3.7 years, the researchers found.

But then he points out that exercising 1/2 hour a day, 5 days a week for 50 years equals 6,500 hours. A year only contains 5,840 waking hours. 1.4 years is 8,176 hours.

So you gain 1,676 hours or about 105 days on average, for all that investment. You can double that by more intense activity in the same time, but that still only works out to be 210 days or so, less than a year in any case.

So unless you enjoy the exercise itself, as a hobby, or recreation, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of payback for that effort.

I wonder if the researchers factored in lost time due to injuries and accidents that lead to hospitalization or death? Like falling, breaking a leg, getting hit by cars, etc.

So now I do not feel so bad about turning into a couch potato. Not that I feel good about being a fat, out of shape couch potato, but not as bad as I did.