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POPSAnd Now, The Honeymoon "Either way, when it comes down to it, equal rights should always trump politics in my book. The "right of two adults who share a loving relationship to join together to establish an officially recognized family of their own—and, if the couple chooses, to raise children within that family—constitutes a vitally important attribute of the fundamental interest in liberty and personal autonomy that the California Constitution secures to all persons for the benefit of both the individual and society."
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POPSFlight Of Fancy I was just thinking about putting my feeder out this weekend so I could watch them. :) Aren't they simply amazing?
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POPSOuyangwulong's Travel Plans Okay, so on my next bit of vacation, Marszal and I are going from Hotan, in Xinjiang, accross the Taklamakan Desert to Kashgar on the Pakistani border. We'll cross the Karakorum Pass, over the Pamir and Karakorum mountain ranges north of Nanga Parabat and K2, then chill out along the North West frontier by Afghanistan. That at least, was the plan, untill I checked the local news, and HOLY COW! I mean, I can deal with terrorism and anti-government riots, but dude, wolves eating children? That's just messed up! By the way, does anyone have any good restaurant recommendations in Northern Pakistan?
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POPSLame Duck, or Just Lame? Okay, so there have been people like me on the left, saying that Bush is ruining the economy, and there have been people on the right saying the economy is great for the last 7 years. Very rarely has history been so swift to vindicate a particular side. What amazes me is that there are still people out there who are using the same rose-tinted glasses, taking the rose colored pills, and then drinking the rose-flavored kool-aide as the economy goes down in flames. And you know what bugs me? Even after all of this, unmitigated disaster, there are still going to be people who argue with me that Bush's economic policies have helped the country. If anyone checked, his vaunted "business experience" consisted mostly of driving profitable companies into Chapter 7. Guess what? He did the exact same thing with our country! Maybe next time we can pick a SUCCESSFUL businessman for president!
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POPSTaiwan's Interesting Democracy A democracy, you say? One where the people are concerned about the appearance of impropriety, you say? Impossible, I say, impossible! But it's true! And it's in Taiwan. They actually raise valid concerns about conflicts of interest in high government officials - before the corruption scandal, not after! How come we never thought of that? This blows a giant hole in the "Asian Values" argument, that dictatorship and corruption are inherent elements of "The Asian Mind" that cannot be changed. (Go suck on that one, Lee Kuan Yew!) But seriously, given the track record of the current Taiwanese first-lady, I would say it's better that Chow keeps her job, because this way she won't have to embezzle from the government when she wants to buy new earrings!
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POPSSteamy Scandal in Finland In the torrid sauna of filth and depredation that is the Finish Parliment, Prime Minister Ilkka "Lady Killa" Kanerva has finally crossed the line and Finance Minister Jyrki "the Beef" Katainen isn't going to take it anymore! What I love, other than names with funny consonants, is that Kanerva tried to claim that the text messages were "work related." Now working for the Finish National Coalition Party as Prime Minister has become my life's ambition. Also, apparently, this is a common occurrence for Kanerva.
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POPSPolitical Junkies: Why it Feels Good to Be an Extremist In The Political Brain , psychologist Drew Western summarizes fMRI experiments exploring the neuro-psychology of systematic bias and rationalization in the brains of political extremists. Finding ways to dismiss contradictory evidence triggers pleasant emotional releases in partisans' brains, eventually becoming a pleasurable, learned behavior. Once partisans had found a way to reason to false conclusions, not only did neural circuits involved in negative emotions turn off, but circuits involved in positive emotions turned on. The partisan brain didn't seem satisfied in just feeling better. It worked overtime to feel good, activating reward circuits that give partisans a jolt of positive reinforcement for their biased "reasoning." These reward circuits overlap substantially with those activated when drug addicts get their "fix," giving new meaning to the term political junkie.
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POPSThe Problem With Communism: From Monty Python to Nepal
In my opinion, the global failure of Communism can be attributed more or less directly to the fact that Communists have a unique propensity for murdering each other. Almost all communist thinkers of any note were inevitably murdered, executed, or exiled to some frozen hinterland by their fellow communists. I am hard pressed to think of any other ideological movement that so consistently kills all it's most talented proponents. It is striking, the extent to which these dogmatic idealists are themselves fatally venal, intolerant, capricious, and transparently greedy. It is too bad to see this sort of thing still going on, and threatening the fragile new Nepali government. What is more, it is shocking that in the 21st Century there are still those who are naive enough to subscribe to such an ideology. I have to admit, while I think I can understand terrorists, I don't know if I'll ever figure out Communists. Therefore, I resort to the Life of Brian for further analysis.
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POPSHow To Tell If You're Being Followed Are you being tailed? How do you know what to look out for? Use this handy guide to see if they're really watching you or if it's all in your head. If you want to identify a tail, look at their shoes: they are hard to change. Move frequently between crowded and empty places: this forces them to keep closing for fear of losing you, drawing back, then closing again. This makes them conspicuous. But don't jump on or off trains just before the doors close--that's for the movies; and anyway, a good surveillance team will already have someone on the train, as well as on the platform. (Via Jason Kottke.)
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POPSThe Threat of Evil Robots from Space I'm glad that when the Canadians put a giant robot on the international space station that they are able to assure us that it won't "turn evil." They know this, apparently, because they have read the instructions manual which assures us he is to simple to "run amok and take over." That's a relief!
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POPSCoffee Corrupts America's Youth We can all laugh at Starbucks' typically popmpus token gesture of contrition. (Yeah, blame the barristas! Not whatever idiot designed all those weird factory-made collage panels on the walls of every Starbucks from Timbuktu to Taipei!) But what really frightens me is that American 16 year olds are using words like "stigma" while lamenting the metaphysical condition of the chain-cafe that provides the fix to keep their caffeine addiction at bay. Shouldn't they be busy drag racing hot rods around Dead-Man's-Curve? Or Rebelling without a Cause? Is the "stigma of commercialism" now one of the many bewildering social concerns brought on by puberty?
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POPSInside the Actor's Studio: Chuck Norris Chuck Norris gives his fine opinion on the craft of acting, in the form of his Huckabee endorsement. Apparently he acknowledges that his acting skills are on par with the likes of Mit Romney. Actually I have to say, I agree: Romney and Hillary (the depressingly presumptive nominees) deliver their platforms from B-rated scripts from hackneyed writers with roughly the same native talent for acting as Mr. Norris. To make up for their lack of appeal, they kick around whoever is within easy reach. If the shoe fits!
2
POPSWhere the Heck do Fortune Cookies Come From? (In Bed) Confucius say: "Oh man, why don't you f***in' stop it? Sh**, this is too f***in' big for you, you know that? Who did the baking, who made the fortune cookie, f*** man! It's a mystery! It's a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma! The f***in' bakers don't even know! Don't you get it?" (In Bed) - David Farrie Apoplectic Ethno-Culinary Conspiracy Theorist
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POPSKaren Hess on Food, Faith, and that "Dithering Idiot" Julia Child ...(Orgasm) I have a soft spot for cantankerous Americans with borderline personalities. Probably because I am one myself. In this regards, Karen Hess is a true blue, red-blooded American original. She called Julia Child a dithering idiot! But I think it is interesting, the characteristics of the classic American crank: Surly iconoclasm A hate for anyone up on top of the hill A pastoral nostalgia for the past A mania for the rustic and natural And a certain "messianic fervor." It is interesting that what is true of Hess' thoughts on food is also true of many other Americans on many other subjects.
21
POPSMerry Clipsmas! Austin's favorite Eggnog Recipe! T'wil soon be Clipsmas, and t'is the season for reflective discussion, contemplative reading, somewhere between the smoky fire and icy window, preferably sinking into a soft worn-out arm chair. And what could be better for contemplative discussion than heart-stopping quantities of alcohol and heavy cream? Because I can't physically share a glass with you all, but love everyone none the less, in the esprit de Clipsmass, here's my favorite Eggnog Recipe, inaugurating my food blog! Please drink responsibly. Friends don't let friend drink and clip!
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POPSReality Shows Bring Out The Worst in All of Us While relaxing on my day off work I just wanted to tune in and turn off. I got stuck in "A shot of love with Tila Tequila" marathon. All the elements here big time, but a new twist. Bisexuality and a "social experiment". Who would Tila pick? More importantly, who would want Tila I asked myself. But that's another question. Would she pick a woman or a man? Would she break out of her heterosexual world? Or would she stick with the safe, the familiar? Was she using her coming out of the closet for a gimmick? (debby thinks so) So, I had to watch the season finale last night. *LOL* I fell asleep and my poor husband had to endure it! Of course, she picked the guy. DUH. I could see lesbians being upset, and heterosexuals being vindicated. And bisexuals? OMG, this has done NOTHING for their image. I need to stick to PBS.
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POPSTrue Political Waffling: Belgian Civil War Averted! Thank goodness Belgium has been rescued from political obscurity and irrelevance! Is anyone impressed by the fact that Belgium just didn't need it's government for 6 months? Imagine if that had happened in America? We'd be looting Wallmart on day 3. (Although I, personally, would be looting Wallmart on day 0, because that's what I do on my spare time.) At any rate, waffle lovers (and I suppose swift boat veterans for truth) can now rest easy. The feud between Flanders and Wallonia, ostensibly over why Dr. Seuss was allowed to name their territories, can finally be laid to rest! Except for that they hate each other, and there's a ridiculous wealth gap, and they are both presumably frustrated by their own irrelevance.
29
POPSJodie Comes Out Guess what conservative America? There are so many gays and lesbians in your own families. In fact, I doubt there's on American family today that doesn't count at least one gay or lesbian member somewhere in its ranks. Count them--and then love them. Isn't it totally un-Christ-like to turn against your own son or daughter, or brother or sister, just because he or she happens to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual? What difference does it make? He may be gay, but he's still your son. She may be a lesbian, but she's still your daughter. Sure, evangelical ministers and conservative politicians will continue to denounce homosexuality from the pulpit and urge parishioners to join them in denying equal rights to gays and lesbians. And some poor misguided souls will blindly agree. But their hate speech will eventually fail, as people realize those attacks are directed against the people they love the most, their family members.
52
POPSGIANT Crystals! Uh, yeah, I know, it's a stupid title and I normally have something more cerebral to say, but this is just plain cool. I wonder what could possibly explain my fascination with these crystals?
3
POPSAhem, uh, should we tell them? Honestly, I don't even know what to think of it. Part of me wants to laugh, but there's some little child deep inside me, and I think he may be crying. ;)
6
POPSGay Tourism in Buenos Aries: Fabuous! Actually, now that they put it that way, I guess it does make sense. I mean, if your city is famous for dancing and swarthy, mustachioed, meat-eating men, well, honestly, gay tourism does sound like your best bet. I'm still cracking up over this picture. I can imagine the photographer saying "Okay, now I want you to all look really really gay! ... No! no! no! Not gay enough! You, in the back, unbutton your shirt, and the rest of you, elbows in, wrists out! There you go! Perfect!"
4
POPSJapanese "Research" 1,000 Whales: Delicious! Japan is planing on killing a THOUSAND whale for "research"?!? What on earth are they possibly researching? And what will they possibly do with all that whale? I mean, seriously, imagine EATING a THOUSAND WHALES! I'm confused about this anyway. In the past we hunted whales for oil, not food, which is why whaling was such big business. Since then we have discovered that it is far easier to hunt other things for oil, such as citizens of the developing world. (And thanks to high birth rates those aren't endangered yet!) So the question is: what do the Japanese have against the whales? A thousand whales sounds like they've got a grudge to settle! I mean this isn't just "a little research." This is more like Ahab "researching" the white whale!
4
POPSOfficial Shotgun Rules There are a lot more situation-related rules at the source. Never again will people not know why they lost the coveted front passenger seat. :)
1
POPSHoly S*#%! Nostalgia for the Berlin Wall One out of every five Germans want the wall back? What purpose would that even serve? Next time I'm in a room with more than four germans, I'm going to be looking very carefully for the one that's bat-s*#% insane.
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POPSFrench Atomic Bomb Test Photos from 1968 Never-before-seen 40-year-old pictures of French atomic bomb tests have surfaced on the internet and they are simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. The epitome of historical human achievement and wanton destruction combined in one split-second. These are four scanned pictures of hardcopies I possess of the French nuclear test codenamed Canopus, which was fired on 24th August 1968 in the Fangataufa Atoll. The French army had those pictures taken on site. Full-size links: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 .
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POPSRubens was right? Overweight People Live Longer? Not dying today basically just means you'll die later. (Citation: The Onion, Our Dumb Century: US Mortality Rate Holding Steady at 100%) So I would be really interested in seeing how they crunch the numbers on "Death Rates." How they account for things like age and inevitability. For instance, aren't most really old people under-weight? As life goes on, most of the people I've seen either bloat up (Marlon Brando) or wither away (George Burns) so it would seem unlikely that the people who are at the time in their life where dying is a reality might be merely overweight. What we need is statistics tracking death rates based on a person's weight at a give age, such as 15, 25 or 45, that way we can see how life-long weight may affect a person's life expectancy. Seems like this is more skewing of the numbers to try to convince Americans they can have their cake and eat a lot of it too. On the other hand, it can't hurt to be jolly!
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POPSSad Sad Satire: Stephen Colbert & Fred Thompson Stephen Colbert is a master of pointed satire, but it's easy to lose track of the central point in all his showmanship. Lest we forget, there IS a TV personality seriously running for president, who announced his candidacy on a comedy talk show on the same network that carried his own program. By running his fiercely ignorant, populist, right-wing TV persona in the race Colbert satires the right wing preference for an unqualified everyman, and suspicion of education, experience and intelligence. Look at their criticisms of not just Gore or Kerry, but also Dukakis, Mondale, Carter, McGovern, all the way back to Adlai Stevenson! What makes this satire so sad is that there is just such a person actually running! Apparently, Democrats know running a TV personality is a joke, Republicans take it seriously.
2
POPSOne Bad-Ass Obituary Khun Sa, my old nemesis! When I was trying to enter the Shan State your Shan Army's war with the Junta spilled across the Thai border and thwarted my plans! But who has the last laugh now? I am thinking, it must not be you, because you are dead! But seriously, we should all aspire to have such a bad-ass obituary. Sure is better reading then the hackneyed crap they wrote up on Porter Wagoner (poor guy, he deserved better.)
1
POPSMeet the Guy who makes the "Special Sauce" at KFC For the record I would like to state that: I did not produce sub-standard (poisonous) food products! I am not the man in this picture! I am not currently being held in a prison in Tongbao village, in rural Zhejiang Province. The police are not censoring this message! My human rights are not being violated! I do not DESPERATELY NEED SOMEONE TO COME RESCUE ME! ;)
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POPSRediculous Propaganda from FEMA FEMA is a disaster all its own. The next president will need to give them a serious overhaul! Of all the people who shouldn't be afraid to face an ugly situation, it's FEMA's job to face disasters, not create them! Scolding is not enough for this. They should all lose their jobs. Immediately. Once again this shows that the administration only cares about pats on the back and looking out for its own interests, not in actually getting things done. Which is probably why in the last 6 years, Bush has achieved nothing except for ardent self-congratulation. These people are totally insufferable politicians! On a side note, the state department is having trouble filling positions at the Iraqi embassy. I can't think of a better place for Bush and his cronies to serve their retirements. Maybe they might actually do something for their country!
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POPSGiant Turkey Chases Boston Woman, Pecks Bottom Repeatedly When dispatched to the scene of a turkey, Verrier offers advice instead. He tells people not to feed them, not to be intimidated by them, and to keep their distance. Still, some people cannot help themselves. They need to be near the turkeys. Distance-shmistance, we want to be near the turkeys. I, for one, am against the city of Boston trying to regulate mutually consensual human-turkey behavior. A light ass-pecking never hurt anyone, am I right? Even though this incident happened right near my apartment, I have not been lucky enough to experience any super-sized turkeys on my errands, sadly. Look at the size of that sucker...he's gotta be like 12 feet tall! :)
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