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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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POPSPolice-State Style Olympics You know, it's a surreal sign of our times that the procession of the Olympic torch becomes a quasi-military exercise, where the flame passes through hordes of protesters only by police force of arms, with tear gas and hand-to-hand combat.
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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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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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POPSStop Cat Poaching Now! A Cause We Can All Support! Okay, so I think this will be my least controversial clip ever. I believe that the time has come to stop shooting other people's pet cats. You may call me closed minded. You may call me a radical. But is say there is right and wrong, and if you shoot other people's cats and then make clothes out of them, then you are wrong. Further more, from now on, I promise to boycott all Swiss garments made from cat fur, and I hope you all do the same! By the way, I'm dying to know the link between this and traditional Chinese medicine! Are they sure they didn't mean Cantonese cooking?
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POPSThe Rise of Fascism in the 21st Century Jim Yardley is a very astute China observer, and this article hits the nail on the head. Surging Chinese nationalism is reaching frightening proportions. We seem to have forgotten that communism hardened by nationalism turns into fascism. I believe the current political climate in China of frustration, insecurity and aggressive racial pride is very very similar to the agitation for Fascism that took place in Europe and Asia in the 1930s.
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POPSSalvador Allende's Sinister Sibilant Cyber-Socialist Experiment The interesting question this begs is: A computer with vast communications network, bringing up-to-the-minute information on the economy to facilitate centralized control was the goal of Allende's project. However, is our current economy, highly sensitive to trends or fears, expedited and exagerated by the speed of cyber communications, any different? With the centralization of information, won't this also inevitably result in the centralization of control? The internet has long been seen as democratizing, but isn't it really a far more ideal tool for breaking down regionalism in favor of centralized global control? (The Chinese Government certainly sees it that way... which is why I haven't been clipping for a little bit.)
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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.)
0
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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POPSThe Truth Behind Bush's Tax Cut Plan: Korsakoff's Syndrome Bush proposes tax cuts to save us from a recession. Apparently he doesn't remember that he's been cutting taxes for the last 6 years, and that's what brought us to the brink of recession in the first place. If six years of consecutive aggressive tax cuts won't save our economy, then wouldn't it seem obvious that one more year of aggressive tax cuts isn't going to either? In fact, I can make the argument that the tax cuts are actually causing the recession, due to our staggering deficit. Doesn't he have any other ideas? Doesn't he remember saying the same things over and over again as things get worse and worse? Korsakoff's Syndrome is what the guy in Memento had, where he couldn't remember what happened 5 minutes ago. One of the causes of Korsakoff's Syndrome is a depletion of Thiamine (Vitamin B1) caused by substance abuse and alcoholism. Given Bush's history, this clip is only half joking.
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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!
7
POPSCanada Apologizes for Saying America Tortures Prisoners Somebody sounds like they are afraid of getting water-boarded! Seriously, does this sound like a valid way of conducting foreign policy? America is doomed by our intolerance of criticism. No matter how many pictures are published of Americans torturing prisoners, America still expects everyone to look the other way. Kinda weird. Hopefully our next president won't be so bizarre when it comes to flaunting our morals while at the same time proclaiming them.
1
POPSSinister Socialist Conspiracy Afoot in Spain You got to love Spain's conservatives. It's like they are being run by Colonel Ripper, protecting their "Purity of Essence"! "No Gays! No Girls! And no filthy Catalans! Viva Espagne! Down with Barcelona!" ;) But in the end, isn't this also what Americans fear? That some liberal will screw up our country by protecting "gays" and "working women" and "illegal immigrants"? Are we really any different? On the whole, and interesting article, though. This is a process that China has yet to go through, although I think the situations are extremely analogous.
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POPSSNOW! In Iraq! Okay, so I'm pretty sure this one isn't our fault, but I gotta say, it just confirms my impression that this place is messed up on a cosmic level. Check out the Iraqi reactions to the strange frozen water falling from sky. They don't even know the word for snow!
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POPSSubcontracting Torture to the Terrorists You know, something occurs to me when looking at these three lovely destinations: it really does look like we are hiring the terrorists to interrogate potential terrorists. This is like Milo Minderbinder bombing his own base for the Germans!
1
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.
1
POPSDude! It's the Queen! As an English Teacher, I'm first struck by her "American" speech mannerisms. Second, it occurs to me that she looks like a teenage high-school student doing a required presentation for a sophomore English class. It's hilarious. Check out where she reads from Pilgrims Progress! Maybe I'm not old enough to find this groundbreaking. Still, as far as queens go, she isn't so bad. I have to admit, as frosty as she is, I've got a soft spot for her. ;)
10
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.
6
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.
7
POPSAll Out War Against Country Music Now, granted, as an old school punk rocker, I've made my own fair share of "hunting whiny country music singers for sport" jokes, but this crosses the line in a really creepy way. It seems like this is a movement to totally wipe them out! This surreal violence puts the artistry of music in an entirely new context. I for one am going to try to find and buy their albums as much as possible.
4
POPSFranken-Pets: A total loss of perspective
I'm going to have to start by saying I love people, and I love animals, I even love people who own animals. I've had pets myself, and I'm not attacking you personally when I say... THIS IS TOTAL INSANITY!!!! People who are obsessed with anthropomorphizing domesticated animals are really starting to freak me out. (Consider the wing-nuts who care for feral cat colonies even though they decimate the local ecosystem, and in Texas, kill off endangered species!) At a certain point we have to consider the situation realistically and draw some boundries, because it seems like our love could very well qualify as animal cruelty. After all, isn't treating an animal like a human, and placing upon it the expectations and burden of fictive human emotional relationship really unfair to the animal? Look at what we've done to them in the name of our narcissistic obsession! We are destroying them to satisfy our own emotional needs. Don't be cruel to your cat: be realistic.
4
POPSWhat is the right to privacy, after all? The question now is this: what is the right to privacy? It's certainly not practical. Most of the time we voluntarily surrender it. But even more deeply, I get the feeling we don't really know what we are protecting. I mean, what is privacy anyway? Why do we find it so valuable? Is it just my right to keep secret what kind of porn is on my computer? (Oh, and you know you want to know!) Is there something deeper, more meaningful to this concept? It seems that privacy is an instinct. I admit, I feel it too. But why? Where does it come from? And why are some things private while other things aren't? Why cling to it, even when it places us in danger?
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. ;)
3
POPSWho is Gorby Shilling For Now? Gorbachev, former Soviet strongman (and believe me, I miss being able to use that phrase!) has launched his second career as a shill for Pizza Hut, Louis Vuitton, and Vladimir Putin, which may well be the holy trinity of the new rich in the "New Russia." Still, with his editorial on "what a responsible leader" Putin is, it seems like he's pushing real hard to jump the gun. After all, Putin has only said he's going to resign as president, he hasn't actually done it yet. In all my experience in dealing with former KGB guys ;) I've learned to believe something when I see it, and even then, only maybe. Anyway, this is a really funny election. There is nobody running. Most of the ones who openly expressed interest in being the next President of Russia are either dead or in prison! The rest know how to take a hint. So what happens if Putin doesn't become president, but nobody else does either? Will the leadership then fall on this new position for Putin: "Father of the Country"?
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!
11
POPSGiagantic Canibalistic Mongolian Trout! The best news is that conservation efforts now center on catch-and-release fly fishing! The Chinese utter lack of comprehension when it comes to conservation means I still haven't been able to find any good fishing around Beijing, but Mongolia, that ain't so far away! So that settles it, I'm headed to Mongolia! But first I have to learn to tie a fly that looks like a dead marmot... (Any tips?)
7
POPSOops! Yahoo! could get me tortured! So apparently Yahoo! is named after the noise a journalist makes when the Chinese police break his arms in prison. Way to go you guys! Serriously, I don't know how these people sleep at night. I'll never use Yahoo mail and I don't suggest anyone else do it either. If they'll turn you over to the secret police in China, don't be surprised if they're willing to do it in your country too.
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.
2
POPSSavage Capitalism in the Post-Communist World Although China has grabbed most of the headlines for poisonous toys, Russia has quietly gone to pieces as well. What is happening in these countries is not merely the residual effects of the failure of communism, it is a violently selfish mentality, perhaps born in the desperation of bread lines, but now blooming in the vacuum of law and order created by the collapse of the Communist system. In China and Russia both we see the values espoused by George Bush and his Neo-Conservative gang taken to their horrific logical extreme. Customers have become a commodity. Wealth is the only guarantor of safety and power. Corporations and corruption rule the government. The fanatical pursuit of wealth for its own sake has taken over, leaving the average citizen to fend for themselves in a frightening wilderness of indifference and exploitation. The blazing fires of this economic explosion are fueled by an icy detachment from the basic human traits of empathy and compassion.
8
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.
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