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Doctor Who, "Cold Blood"

Doctor, to Ambrose: “You are so much less than the best of humanity!” While I enjoyed “Cold Blood” much more than part one, “The Hungry Earth,” I don’t have much to say about it save for the final scene. After Ambrose kills Alaya, negotiations between the Silurians and the humans fall apart. The Doctor forces the Silurians to go back into hibernation for another 1,000 years and hopes that when they wake, the humans will be ready to make peace. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory rush back to the surface to escape in the TARDIS, but when...

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New York Times Columnist Line of the Day – 21 June 2010

yellow new york taxi in front of new york times building

If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas “Friedman’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left to Lose” Friedman, Gail “The Colander” Collins, Nicholas “The Dark Crystal” Kristof, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Today’s is from Ross “Do That Thing” Douthat, who in his...

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Poem of the Week

top view of a prayer carpet and barefoot woman

You Reading This, Be Ready Starting here, what do you want to remember? How sunlight creeps along a shining floor? What scent of old wood hovers, what softened sound from outside fills the air? Will you ever bring a better gift for the world than the breathing respect that you carry wherever you go right now? Are you waiting for time to show you some better thoughts? When you turn around, starting here, lift this new glimpse that you found; carry into evening all that you want from this day. This interval you spent reading this or...

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Ron Artest wants to the thank some people

Sure, game seven last night between the Lakers and Celtics in the NBA Finals was probably a good game. The five seconds I managed to watch at the bar sure looked like it. But, what was really phenomenal is Ron Artest’s post-game interview. Seriously, in less than a minute, he’s capable of thanking: everybody in his hood, the World Wide Warriors, his wife, his family, his kids, everybody, and, of course, his psychiatrist (she really helped him relax). And, on top of that, gets to plug his new single. Because, really, what’s a shout-out if you can’t...

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More transparency… unless you like guns.

display of beretta rifles in st augustine

Today in hypocrisy: finally, a cause liberal and conservative interest groups can rally together in opposition to. I’m no expert by any means on campaign finance, but here’s how I understand the story thus far:  Supreme Court issues ruling lifting restrictions on campaign funding by corporations. General outcry ensues. Congress resolves to Do Something. Something takes the form of the DISCLOSE Act, which would require corporations, unions, and non-profits to report their top donors (defined as anyone who gives them $1,000). It also would require organizations to identify themselves in ads, and the orgs’ top donors to...

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Morning Constitutional – Wednesday, 16 June 2010

Good morning, everyone. Charlie Sheen’s car has been driven off a cliff — again. Now, your morning constitutional: In a speech from the Oval Office, President Obama last night urged action on new energy legislation and promised to make BP pay for damages related to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Judge Vaughn R. Walker will hear closing arguments today in a long-running trial on a lawsuit hoping to overturn California’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriages in the state. A series of six earthquakes, ranging from 4.8-7.0 magnitude, hit Indonesia Wednesday, killing at least...

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Lightning Strike Proves God Hates Your Stupid Statue

In case the article Pop linked to in today’s Morning Constitutional wasn’t enough for you, here’s video of the ridiculously huge and gaudy (and apparently enormously expensive– $250,000!) Touchdown Jesus statue in flames. As YouTube commenter THeSLoTH77 wrote, “It’s a sign… It’s a sign that churches squander away an unbelievable amount of money that could have been used for something good for mankind and not their egos.” And as the person who tipped me off to the story observed, “It’s a weird and wonderful world.” It was always pretty hilarious to drive past TD Jesus, but I’m...

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Morning Constitutional – Tuesday, 15 June 2010

Good morning, folks. Ubisoft is making a Michael Jackson video game. Now, your morning constitutional: Ethnic violence in Kyrgystan is beginning to wane as aide arrives in the southern city of Osh. Britian prepares Tuesday to release a report of the government investigation into the 1972 Bloody Sunday killings of demonstrators in Londonderry, which lead to three decades of violence in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles. President Obama tries to lift the mood is in the Gulf region today, ahead of his televised speech tonight, in which he will attempt to reassert the image of control...

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Meet Rick Barber, Patriot for Congress

Sure, he’s no Les Philip, or Dale Peterson, or even Tim James, but Rick Barber’s got a pretty inspiring ad here. Look at that: Founding Fathers. And they hated taxes just like he does. I actually really love how Rick conflates health care reform and the IRS, while totally and unceremoniously diminishing the Founders’ motivation for revolt to just a mere “tea tax.”

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In Which I Fail to Violently Disagree With Ross Douthat

yellow new york taxi in front of new york times building

Wait, hold on: Ross Douthat wrote a column about feminism that didn’t leave me retching?  Is it opposite day? As soon as I saw the headline– “No Mystique About Feminism,” I readied myself for the ensuing rage that invariably comes with reading Douthat’s commentary on the ladyfolk. And yet, the main point Douthat makes this time is one I kinda sorta agree with.  He rehashes the feminist agitas over the female Republican candidates’ victories in last week’s primaries, and then announces that in actuality “their rise is a testament to the overall triumph of the women’s movement.”...

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