Too Lefty For The Times

Virginia Heffernan of the NY Times blasts the dissolving Science Blogs as a sophomoronic snark-pit:

It started last month when 20 or so high-placed science bloggers angrily parted ways with an extremely popular and award-winning online collective called ScienceBlogs because it starting running Food Frontiers, a nutrition blog that PepsiCo paid to have on the site. (Several of the collective’s contributors, including some who left in protest, have written for The Times Magazine.) In farewell posts, the bloggers charged that the advertorial was deceptive and undermined the purpose of the collective.

...

But the bloggers’ eek-a-mouse posturing wasn’t the most striking part of the affair. Instead, it was the weird vindictiveness of many of the most prominent blogs. The stilted and seething tone of some of the defection posts sent me into the ScienceBlogs archives, where I expected to find original insights into science by writers who stress that they are part of, in the blogger Dave Munger’s words, “the most influential science blogging network in the world.” And while I found interesting stuff here and there, I also discovered that ScienceBlogs has become preoccupied with trivia, name-calling and saber rattling. Maybe that’s why the ScienceBlogs ship started to sink.

Recently a blogger called GrrlScientist, on Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted), expressed her disgust at the “flock of hugely protruding bellies and jiggling posteriors everywhere I go.” Gratuitous contempt like this is typical. Mark Hoofnagle on Denialism Blog sideswiped those who question antibiotics, writing, “their particular ideology requires them to believe in the primacy of religion (Christian Science, New Age Nonsense) or in the magical properties of nature.” Over at Pharyngula — which often ranks in the Top 100 blogs on the Internet— PZ Myers revels in sub-“South Park” blasphemy, presenting (in one recent stunt) his sketch of the Prophet Muhammad as a cow-pig hybrid excited about “raping a 9-year-old girl.”

Clearly I’ve been out of some loop for too long, but does everyone take for granted now that science sites are where graduate students, researchers, doctors and the “skeptical community” go not to interpret data or review experiments but to chip off one-liners, promote their books and jeer at smokers, fat people and churchgoers? And can anyone who still enjoys this class-inflected bloodsport tell me why it has to happen under the banner of science?

Hammering away at an ideology, substituting stridency for contemplation, pummeling its enemies in absentia: ScienceBlogs has become Fox News for the religion-baiting, peak-oil crowd.

Fox News?  Why not think of it as Olbermann/Maddow for the peak oil crowd?

Comments

[Gmax]

No doubt the traffic on these sites I have never heard of even makes the meager numbers of Olbermann look good, thus the comparison to Fox is incredibly not appropriate. Rachel Madcow? Maybe.

Who here knew that there was a peak oil crowd? Does three folks in a chat room constitute a crowd? LOL

[Captain Hate]

ScienceBlogs has become Fox News for the religion-baiting, peak-oil crowd.

The NYT looking down from the red ink tsunami they're hanging 10 on?

[Captain Hate]

I'm wondering whether the Queen is secretly hoping that the Prince of Wales suffers a fatal aneurism while she is still alive.

DoT, I was wondering yesterday if that was just a general statement until I ran across the LUN....

[Rob Crawford]

And can anyone who still enjoys this class-inflected bloodsport tell me why it has to happen under the banner of science?

Because the "science" they discuss is more about class distinctions than about the process of discovery. The clue should have come from titles like "Living the Scientific Life" and "Denialism Blog" -- titles more fitting with discussion of a religious faith.

[Rob Crawford]

I'm wondering whether the Queen is secretly hoping that the Prince of Wales suffers a fatal aneurism while she is still alive.

Perhaps she's relieved that Parliament and the rest of the government is busy neutering the country before the lunatic has a chance at the throne...

[Danube of Thought]

Cap, the article you linked to was what prompted my speculation.

[She recommended Watts Up, on the testimony of her lying eyes, then modified that recommendation after hearing from the Times readership.]

Scienceblogs had Stoat, Deltoid, and Pharyngula, hateful alarmist sites. I'm not surprised the place exploded; they'd long been past a critical mass of invective.
================

[Danube of Thought]

Minus 19 at Raz today.

[Captain Hate]

Chris Wallace is such an ignorant tool by talking about how much keeping the Bush tax cuts will explode the deficit but Boehner and McConnell are both pissing me off by not mentioning how much federal revenues increased under the Bush tax cuts. God fucking dammit, is it asking too much to expect Repub political leaders to have the facts at their disposal to counter these charges? I want all these bastards gone.

[Chubby]

If a chicken in a barnyard has a sore or any other visible difference from the others, it is pecked to death by the others. These 'scientists' (who are as closed minded as a clenched fists) are just like chickens.

[Captain Hate]

Right now I'm being serenaded by the peeping of at least two cardinal fledglings being fed by their diligent parents in a nest in an overgrown hedge by my bedroom window. The nest is so small that I expect them to fly away shortly as the doting parents feed their growth furnace. This isn't the first time we've had a nest close to the house and it's no surprise considering we get woken up by their beautiful singing througout the Spring and Summer.

[Chubby]

Cap

I had an incident with animal rescue earlier in the summer and they told me that that the 'fledgling' stage refers to the time when some young birds live on the ground before learning to fly. The parents feed them and watch over them all the while, it can be for up to two weeks.

[Regurgitated often.]

Those chicks are teapartiers outraged over debt, and the parents are the MSM trying to shut them up by filling their mouths with pap.
================================

[Chubby]

Cardinal make beautiful music and I love the flashes of red.

[Captain Hate]

Chubby, thanks for the correction in my use of the term. There was a robin fledgling at a park I take my airedale to that looked almost ready to fly but I still had to rein Maggie in to keep her from bothering and probably killing it, no matter how much parental oversight was going on.

[Barry Dauphin]

ScienceBlogs has become Fox News for the religion-baiting, peak-oil crowd.
She mentions Fox for the sake of re-affirming her lefty cred (listen to me, I even hate Fox like you). Curiously, by writing that sentence, she does what she criticizes others for doing. She couldn't write a piece about snark without being snarky.

[Chubby]

...while in the nest they are 'nestlings' and when on the ground they are 'fledglings'

Last summer I had a tiny timid little sparrow land on my window ledge, it stayed for a long time, it was obviously afraid to try its wings. The whole while I could not see the mother anywhere but could hear her calling her baby, like she was encouraging it, and it would cheep back in response to her call. I was amazed at how watchful and concerned the mama was about her baby, and how among all the birdsong out there, it recognized its own mama's voice.

[Chubby]

((There was a robin fledgling at a park I take my airedale to that looked almost ready to fly but I still had to rein Maggie in to keep her from bothering and probably killing it, no matter how much parental oversight was going on.))

Yes, it's a terribly dangerous time for them.

[Captain Hate]

Cardinal make beautiful music and I love the flashes of red.

They're remarkably fiesty as well; I saw one attack and drive away a bluejay when I was on a walk that I'm sure had designs on robbing a nearby nest.

[Clarice]

When she was here this week, the wolverine saw a stag and two fawns on the lawn of a house about 5 doors away and a cardinal wrestling with a worm and losing in our backyard. She fancies herself a future veterinarian and was delighted.

As a side note, i think she'll be perfect to take over SCAM,LTd when Rick and are are no longer able to operate it. She consistently beats everyone at Crazy 8s and poker and whispered to me in confidence before she left yesterday that,"Actually, grandma Clarice, I'd make a better child for you than your own son"

To see one's manipulative, larcenous tendencies passed on to the next generation--how to explain the joy of that?

[Chubby]

((They're remarkably fiesty as well; I saw one attack and drive away a bluejay when I was on a walk that I'm sure had designs on robbing a nearby nest.))

What else could you expect? red is feisty and protective, blue is thieving and cowardly :)

[BumperStickerist]

A dentist is only a dentist while they're working on your teeth.

A scientist is only a scientist while they're doing science.

Otherwise, they're just people with a technical education.

[Carol Herman]

Just because someone puts the word "scientist" on their business card; doesn't mean they're anything more than charlatans.

Just go ahead and remember that the people who sold snake oil wanted you to believe that they were doctors. Not some castoff selling used dishwater.

As to the "grrl scientiest" ... sounds like she's in love with botox. And, "staying thin." At any cost.

Oh, and even in the world of dentists, some of them are so bad, that when they're working on your teeth, they're doing harm.

[MarkO]

Clarice, LOL.

[Rick Ballard]

Clarice,

I can't wait to see pictures of her running her first neighborhood carbon credit stand.

[Clarice]

Rick, it'd warm the cockles of your heart to see her in action, a perfect successor.And just think--she lives on Venice Beach where she can get so much practice before taking over SCAM.

Of course, he comes by this honestly--genetically speaking. In "King of the Half Hour" I learned this of my maternal great grandfather who "had pursued the idle life while still poor".With 9 children to raise, he considered himself a talmudic scholar and left his wife in charge of supporting the family. He was not the least bit defensive about this.Preparing for his eulogy he told the rabbi,"When I die, don't get up and give a big speech about my being a good provider and being generous in charity, because people will come up and look at the casket to see if they came to the right funeral."

[MoodyBlu]

CH said:

Chris Wallace is such an ignorant tool by talking about how much keeping the Bush tax cuts will explode the deficit but Boehner and McConnell are both pissing me off by not mentioning how much federal revenues increased under the Bush tax cuts. God fucking dammit, is it asking too much to expect Repub political leaders to have the facts at their disposal to counter these charges? I want all these bastards gone.

Could not agree more. The pubbies have no voice and no message. To let prissy Chris Wallace stomp your ass is pathetic.

[Clarice]

**She comes by this honestly***

[Pofarmer]

Boehner and McConnell are both pissing me off by not mentioning how much federal revenues increased under the Bush tax cuts.

And, it's not like it would be complicated to show a simple chart.

[More about baby birds]

Unfledged birds still have their feathers encased in a protective cover. It looks like they are covered in spines. When the feathers are free and visible, the bird is a fledgling.
Nature causes baby birds to flap their wings while begging for food -- an efficient way to strengthen wings for flying. Most who leave the nest in my observation are able to fly with effort. The parents help them through this transitional stage, and as they follow the parents about with gradually improving flying, the babies learn where food sources are.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Boehner's a tool, and a cheap dull one at that, but you're not giving Chris Wallace enough credit -- if you watch him carefully, which I've been doing because my TV skills are so awful, you'll notice that what he does in almost every case is ask someone the questions their opponents use as talking points.

It's a shame that no one talking about it today could school him about the Laffer curve and the general notion that if the economy were growing, we wouldn't need tax increases to grow revenues, but it's not his fault.

[Pofarmer]

It's a shame that no one talking about it today could school him about the Laffer curve and the general notion that if the economy were growing, we wouldn't need tax increases to grow revenues, but it's not his fault.

Doesn't that lead to the simple conclusion that the best and the brightest certainly aren't engaged in politics today?

[Frau Steingehirn]

Does three folks in a chat room constitute a crowd? LOL

It's a virtual crowd.

[Rocco]

This year I put out 4 hummingbird feeders and started a hummingbird garden by planting some perrenials they like. I'm averaging about 6-8 visits an hour and they really love that sugar water I put in the feeders. Did you know they fly across the Gulf of mexico, 600 miles to and from their migration north. I've read that oil workers in the middle of the Gulf on platforms, put out feeders and see hummingbirds feeding during their migration. I'm thinking about setting up a mister to watch them fly back and forth through the mist like kids through a sprinkler. Here'a a youtube of an injured baby humminbird who fell out of its nest in California. I'm not sure what kind of hummingbird it is, it sure looks like a female Ruby Throated to me but because it's rare to see any other kind east of the Mississippi, it could be something other than a Ruby. (The males have a beautiful bright red patch on their throats but they all have that same green back.)

[narciso the harpoon]

Captain, did you catch this, which kind of washes away the flat taste of Boehner and McConnell

[Danube of Thought]

Problem with the Laffer curve is that, while it is a truism, you can never know where on the curve you are at a given time (Laffer himself would not disagree). No one can be certain whether reducing income tax rates today would bring more or less income tax revenue.

But it is absolutely certain that it would result in increased economic activity and employment.

[matt]

those evil oil rigs are interfering with the natural biorhythms of the hummingbirds, Rocco. As a result there will be an overpopulation in all lands north of said rigs, leading to a mass die off, according to the Sierra Club.

The Department of the Interior (or is it the Department of Fish & Game?) must immediately commission a study, followed by a 5 year plan, followed by construction of environmentally friendly $12 Million hummingbird recovery stations in the Gulf, or something, dammit.

As to ruby throated mummers, we get several different species here in So Cal. I usually wake up and they're flittering around the back yard. They makes my mornings.

[Captain Hate]

narc, I saw Sarah who was on just before Boehner and McConnell (both of whom I like, btw, but I can't excuse halfassed performances in times like this) and she was ok (keep in mind that I hold her in particularly high esteem and was a little disappointed in her performance) but Chris Wallace has gone back to being a sockpuppet for his POS old man.

[Chubby]

more about baby birds,

ok, now I'm confused .. Would you say this is correct: any young feathered bird that is on the ground learning to fly is a fledging, but some fledglings learn to fly directly from the nest? (but even those that fly directly from the nest still have to learn to take off from the ground don't they?)

This is from an Audubon site:

((Many species of birds such as robins, scrub jays, crows and owls leave the nest and spend as many as 2-5 days on the ground before they can fly. (local animal rescue told me up to 2 weeks)

This is an absolutely normal and vital part of their development. They are cared for and protected by their parents and are taught vital life skills (finding food, identifying predators, flying) during this period

Fledglings are typically fully feathered, with a short tail and wings. They are able to walk, hop and flap and may attempt short flights, but are still being cared for by the parents.

If you find a fledgling, it should be left alone or at the most, placed into a nearby shrub. Keep people and pets away so the parents will continue to care for it until it can fly.

Placing fledglings back into nests is typically only a short-term solution, as they will quickly re-emerge. Moving fledglings to entirely new locations is also ineffective as they are still dependant on their parents for survival and will quickly starve.))

http://audubonportland.org/backyardwildlife/brochures/babybirds

[hit and run]

Obama backed off of "a good,solid B+" http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100801/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_incomplete_grade>this time:

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is giving himself a grade of "incomplete" for his presidency even though he says he has a "pretty good track record."

Obama tells CBS' "Sunday Morning" that his grade is incomplete because the economy has yet to fully rebound.
Still, Obama cites accomplishments — preventing a complete collapse of the economy, saving the financial markets and the auto industry, and passing the health care law.

The president says he feels sometimes that his administration isn't getting the credit it deserves, but he says that's because Americans remain scared, angry and frustrated.

"Scared,angry and frustrated". He wanted to say "stupid" but caught himself.

That really is quite an accomplishment in itself.

Congrats,Barrack.

[narciso the harpoon]

It does beg the question, did they think that
wasn't going to be asked, and why don't they
have an answer, if they don't they better get one before November. I mean you could even bring up Professor Moran's own writings on the subject, before the brain slug went in

[Chubby]

I was surprised at how Boehner defended the Tea Party at the Monitor Breakfast

Video: GOP leader John Boehner embraces 'tea party,' carefully

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/monitor_breakfast/2010/0721/Video-GOP-leader-John-Boehner-embraces-tea-party-carefully

[Rocco]

They make my day too matt and I'm going to miss them when they begin their migration in Oct. Hopefully the cardinal flower, bee balm and salvia bloom nicely next year and a few hummers nest in my yard? I saw one chase a big bird out of the yard the other day but then I saw a bee chase a hummer...go figure? I have a few bullies around too, mostly males who perch close by and chase the others away when they come in to feed. I'm told to put up more feeders so the bullies can't guard them all? It's a lot of fun but a bit of work too. That sugar water ferments quickly, especially in this hot weather and one little sip could kill a tiny bird like that so keeping them clean and fresh is a bit of a task...but well worth it IMO

[Chubby]

Matt: ((They make my mornings.))

My favorite part of the day is quiet early morning, still dark, first one bird starts singing, then gradually the others join in. I find it to be music that heals the soul.

[andycanuck]

"Hammering away at an ideology, substituting stridency for contemplation, pummeling its enemies in absentia: ScienceBlogs has become Fox News for the religion-baiting, peak-oil crowd."
Great! My Irony Detector® just exploded.

[Rick Ballard]

Rocco,

Red throat, green back sure sounds like an Anna's. The wiki piece notes that they've been sighted as far east as NY, although they're definitely a West Coast bird. Get a pic and check with local bird watchers. They're great bullies - I've had them try and drive me away from the feeder.

[Captain Hate]

I swear the Repubs have all gone crazy with the heat or something. Now FoulAir is reporting that Mitt is pushing Lindsey Grahamnsty to get comprehensive immigration reform done before the election. Ok, that should officially be strike three for Romney and guarantee him permanent residency in the STFU home.

[narciso the harpoon]

Now that story comes from Politico, with an anonymous source, do I think he is actually clueless enough to suggest this, is the pope
German/

[hit and run]

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0110/Berry_Obama_said_big_difference_between_10_and_94_is_me.html>That was then:

Berry recounted meetings with White House officials, reminiscent of some during the Clinton days, where he and others urged them not to force Blue Dogs “off into that swamp” of supporting bills that would be unpopular with voters back home.

“I’ve been doing that with this White House, and they just don’t seem to give it any credibility at all,” Berry said. “They just kept telling us how good it was going to be. The president himself, when that was brought up in one group, said, ‘Well, the big difference here and in ’94 was you’ve got me.’ We’re going to see how much difference that makes now.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/us/politics/01obama.html?_r=1&hp>This is now:

WASHINGTON — As lunch was served in the Roosevelt Room of the White House one day last week, President Obama assured the nine Democratic members of Congress sitting around the table that he would do anything he could to help them survive their fall elections.

Even, he said, if it meant staying away.

“You may not even want me to come to your district,” Mr. Obama said, according to guests, nearly all of whom hold seats that Republicans are aggressively seeking.

Oh how the mighty (full of themselves) have fallen.

[hit and run]

"That was then" was from January,for the record.

[glasater]

Three years ago I made an attempt at photographing Hummingbirds:

I think this one is what Rick B identified as an Anna but am not certain of that.
All birds are a bit difficult to photograph and my hat's off to those with the patience to pursue a difficult endeavor.
What intrigued me about this bird is that the magenta "necklace" sort of swings as he goes along.

[Extraneus]

I read years ago that separating hummingbird feeders by 12-15' is enough to keep the males from trying to dominate both feeders, but I have two that are around 20' apart, and the aerial dogfights are a sight to see. Once I was caught in between both feeders and just stood there while they buzzed and battled for minutes, sometimes within a inch if my face. Fun.

[Clarice]

what a picture, glasater! Those hummingbirds really are gorgeous.

[Carol Herman]

Nixon said this: THE LOSERS DON'T LEGISLATE

Matt Labash used this point, raised by Roger Stone, to describe why pragmatic politicians are smarter than all the rest.

So? First you win.

Have we been careening around? You bet. But obama is ideologically driven. This wasn't a surprise to Pelosi, either. The only thing "surprising" is that the tilted media can't stop the anger and frustrations that keep on growing.

[sbw]

Hit, too bad the Times article didn't end with a complete list of those at risk Dems that attended the WH meeting. I wonder if our Mike Arcuri (D-NY,24th Dist) was there.

[glasater]

Thank you Clarice. I just wish I had a bit more patience in photographing critters:)

[Rocco]

Rick...could be, I hear Anna's are occasionally seen in New England. They are pretty bold though and frequently feed less than 6' from me. I'm hoping to hand feed them someday. The female Ruby's have white tips on their tails and the male tails are all black and forked like a salmon.

Ex...I have 3 feeders about 15 feet apart on my deck and another in front of my shed. I'm enjoying the "Show-Downs" myself!

glasater...Beautiful picture of a beautiful bird!

Here's a female Ruby Throated Hummingbird that came to one of my feeders. I screwed up the volume, you might want to turn it down.

[hit and run]

Hey...thanks Ace!

[narciso the harpoon]

Crikey, it was worse than I even dared fear, in the LUN

[Jack is Back!]

First:

Clarice, genes skip a generation:)

Second:

"The Prince of Wales says he believes he has been placed on Earth as future King ‘for a purpose’ - to save the world."

Every time that scarlet pimpernel opens his mouth we should have a contest on JOM as to the best snark PUK would have made about the comment.

[Danube of Thought]

I think we would all strive in vain to come up with a PUKism. They broke the mold.

[narciso the harpoon]

He is an Arabist, AGW promoting twit, who preferred Camilla to Diana, does that cover
all the bases

[Danube of Thought]

Chestnut brown canary
Ruby-throated sparrow

(Come on--you do the rest.)

[Chubby]

narcisco, if she sees herself as an "outsider" she is either self-ignorant or dissembling, neither of which is a fit quality for objective journalism.

[Rocco]

When Luther Blanchard led his Acton Minutemen to Concord Fight, the 16 year old fifer played a tune called "The White Cockade" which at the time was considered an insult to the King.

My love was born in Aberdeen, The bonniest lad that e'er was seen; But now he makes our hearts fu' sad, He's taen the field wi' his white cockade. O he's a rantin, rovin blade, He's a brisk and a bonny lad, Betide what may, my heart is glad, To see my lad wi his white cockade. Oh leeze me on the philabeg The hairy hough and garten'd leg; But aye the thing that blinds my ee, The white cockade aboun the bree. I'll sell my rock, I'll sell my reel, My rippling-kame and spinning wheel, To buy my lad a tartan plaid, A braidsword, dirk, and white cockade. I'll sell my rokelay and my tow, My good grey mare and hawkit cow, that every loyal Buchan lad May tak the field wi the white cockade.

[Neo]

All of this started with Carl Sagan's "billions and billions" of anecdotes like "speaking the language of science" (science has no language) which is cute but utter BS. Then if sped up with the whole politicization of science through Global Warming (AGW) and Climate Change, where idiots like Al Gore tried to grease the skids of those with money to carry out the biggest fraud in human history.

[Danube of Thought]

A few years ago I actually read a Kitty Kelley book, "The Royals.". Even discounting for the Kelley factor, it was worth it just to see how spectacularly stupid the Windsors are, with the sole exception (in my view) of Elizabeth. Long may she reign.

[hit and run]

DoT:
Chestnut brown canary
Ruby-throated sparrow

(Come on--you do the rest.)

Oh,I will.

Judy Blue Eyes is a Crosby,Stills & Nash song.

DoT (previously):
I think we would all strive in vain to come up with a PUKism. They broke the mold.

Well. Graham Nash and PUK go all the way back to the beginning of each's career. Nash and I are email buddies now have corresponded several times regarding our mutual high respect for PUK.

. . .

The comment that I recorded by PUK regarding the Prince of Wales:

Actually,strictly on the quiet,Prince Charles is Trig's father.

Posted by: PeterUK April 30, 2009 at 02:09 PM

[hit and run]

s/b: The *only* comment I recorded by PUK...

[Neo]

This is all a repeat of what happened on the usenet user groups.
There used to be a real colaboration of ideas in the crypto news group, where ideas went back and forth freely and real problems were beat to death.
Then when the internet spread out, and thousand of "newbies" descended on these "experts" news groups, which drove the "experts" away because it just took too long to sort though all the idiots to get to anything important.
The science blogs are more political than science. The efforts to invent new things and solve the riddles of the universe never cross their screens.

[Clarice]

HEH, Hit.

I agree with that view of the Windsors, DoT.Of course you are sort of a relative but distant enough to be exempt from the IQ dearth.

[jimmyk]

No one can be certain whether reducing income tax rates today would bring more or less income tax revenue.

There's a stronger case to be made that we're on the wrong side of the Laffer curve if you take a long run view. Cutting tax rates might reduce revenues for a while, but does anyone doubt that revenues would be lower today we'd stuck with 50-70% rates we had pre-Reagan?

But another issue is that if we cut rates today without doing anything about spending, then it's pretty unlikely we'd get more revenue. Spending is what really has to be brought under control.

[Though he acts the public facade thereof.]

Chuckie Poo couldn't hold a candle to 'The Scarlet Pimpernel'.
================

[glasater]

ISTM that the D's if not all of congress plus this administration have thrown in the towel as far as cutting spending is concerned. They've as much as admitted they can't do it--cut spending--so now the concern is how to generate the revenue to support what they do best.
I don't think they can even do a "freeze" or raise the retirement age.

If the R's go along with a raise in the retirement age be sure that the D's will beat them over the head forever for going along with that one.

[Pagar]

" Spending is what really has to be brought under control."
Does anyone see any sign that this could happen? All I see is more, more more. A Bill that requires 1099s for anything over 600 dollars. How many thousands of new employees would that require? What is the purpose of this?

If I had my way, each candidate for public office would be listing how many laws they would seek to repeal. How many public employees they would be planning to eliminate. The ones who kept their promises would get reelected.

[matt]

I believe Charles was the model for Monty Python's Upper Class Twit of the year.

They seem to be a certain subspecies of Homo Sapiens, perhaps Homo Twitticus may be the better description.His great uncle Edward was another of them.

In this country the gene seems to be passed largely through Clan Kennedy with a separate subspecies on the West Coast that was identified in the late 1860's by Samuel Clemens when he allegedly said the country was turned on its side and all the fruits and nuts ended up in California.

[Clarice]

The Hill is reporting that Fox will get Helen Thomas' middle seat in the front row at WH pressers.

[Danube of Thought]

My defense is that my cousin married into the family; she herself was a pretty smart cookie. But weird, to say the least. And her hub was indeed the Twit de tutti Twitti.

Interesting, Hit. We spent our honeymoon in January of 1994 at the Mauna Kea on the Big Island. One of the features is no TV's in the rooms. But it was NFL playoff time, so they had a TV down in the basement, with a sofa in front of it. I go down to watch a game the Vikings are playing in, and the only other person there is Neil Young (talk about weird). I had read somewhere that he was a big Vikes fan. He and I sat on that sofa for three hours watching that game, and not a word passed between us. But I would give little yips of joy whenever the Vikes' opponent did something good.

[Danube of Thought]

As Milton Friedman pointed out, spending is all that really counts, because whatever you spend you must either raise in taxes or inflate the currency by printing more.

I recently saw a plan for putting Social Security on a fiscally sound basis in a fairly benign way. It involved raising the retirement age to 70, with the option to begin receiving lesser benefits at an earlier age.

There's also Paul Ryan's roadmap, which addresses SS and also a lot more. It is not pain-free, and is sure to elicit howls, but if we ever get a majority and a president, we'll either do it or be in this downward spiral permanently.

[Danube of Thought]

God I hope that's true, Clarice. The (former) JournoListers will go apeshit.

[Danube of Thought]

It's true!

The WHCA, in a statement, confirmed the news and described the decision as "very difficult." However, the board said it was "persuaded by Fox's length of service and commitment to the White House television pool."

I'm sure it was indeed "difficult." Good.

[Neo]

Actually,strictly on the quiet,Prince Charles is Trig's father.

Posted by: PeterUK April 30, 2009 at 02:09 PM

... and Trig is Andrew Sullivan's father

[Rick Ballard]

jimmyk,

I'm not sure what the "long view" looks like now. RSE has documented the determination of the educracy to deliver ever more innumerate and barely literate proles for manipulation by the "elite" and the Laffer curve receives the same measure of sophistry in reverse that is used to drive the peak oil and AGW scams forward. As Boris notes - we're living in the cargo cult age. I believe it's going to take an even heavier shock to get us out of it and I'm not looking forward to it at all.

[matt]

Neo, it would be more accurate to say the Trig is Andrew Sullivan's daddy...

[Homes]

The space station is on fire.

Emergency spacewalks.

Armageddon. Maybe you should deny him Tom.......

[Porchlight]

Holy cow DoT, that's a hell of a story about the Vikes and Neil Young. I'm a huge fan of both. I still haven't gotten over the NFC championship this year. My husband's from Louisiana so it especially sucked.

[That's the long and the short of it.]

Cortez the Killer and the Emperor of Wyoming.
===============

[Captain Hate]

I still haven't gotten over the NFC championship this year. My husband's from Louisiana so it especially sucked.

Brett Favre making an epically dumbass throw in overtime of a playoff game is a sign that God exists and has a great sense of humor.

[mockmook]

Actually, hit, I have heard from very deep undercover sources that Charles is Trig's mother--we all know Sarah didn't go birthin' dat baby...

[Porchlight]

Aw Cap'n...twist that knife. But you must admit, although that INT was of course his fault, much of the Vikings' troubles in that game were not due to Favre, but were screwups by the receivers.

[narciso the harpoon]

Wallace brought up an interesting point in his interview with Sarah, Judge Bolton raised
issues in her decision, that even the administration did raise in their brief; notably profiling

[narciso the harpoon]

It used to be McManus was the sensible member of the Times, re Jane Mayer, that's all relative in the LUN

[mockmook]

BTW, hummingbirds on Nature tonight 8 PM on PBS where I am.

[Captain Hate]

Porch, Favre had a charmed season, staying away from doing the dumbass stuff that's marked his career and doing his best to prove his critics (ie me) wrong. TBH between him and Mr Noodle the coach, I thought they over-achieved. He still couldn't resist throwing one across the body in the end..

[Frau Steingehirn]

A few years back, I stayed on Smith Lake, AL with people who had a long, long porch facing the water. They had at least 8-10 feeders out. In the late afternoon, there were glorious clouds of hummers feeding. A friend of mine living in Rancho Cucamonga has several feeders up and in addition to the hummers, she has orioles feeding.

[narciso the harpoon]

So Stockman crawls out from under his rock, Bainbridge has an attack of the 'clean toga'
something in the water

[centralcal]

Haven't really caught up with this thread yet, however, Fox DID NOT get Helen's seat, and, that I think, is a good thing - AP got her center-front row seat, Fox got the seat AP vacated in the front row.

Congratulations to Major and FNC!!!

[daddy the wanna' be heretic]

"ScienceBlogs has become Fox News for the religion-baiting, peak-oil crowd. ... by writing that sentence, she does what she criticizes others for doing."

Barry Dauphin,,

You hit the nail on the head! Somebody give that girl a mirror.

But if the author wanted to continue, she wouldn't just stop at Science Blogs. Science Books now a days are just as much full of PC drivel and Conservative bashing as anything I read on a blog.

The gratuitous and unnecessary Conservative bashing in books by "scientists' like Richard Dawkin's or Steve Jones are now so ubiquitous that I find I'm surprised when I don't come across such uncalled for cheap shots in the latest "popsci" stuff from my Library.

And not surprisingly, off the top of my head I can not recall any instance of the cheap shots coming from a "conservative" science book and being snarkily aimed at Lib's, whereas the opposite, snarkiness towards Conservatives from Lib science writers such as Dawkin's seem par for the course. But maybe that's because I can't yet find Conservative stuff like "The Hockey Stick Illusion" at my Library.

[Jane]

I had no idea Dick Cheney was still in the hospital. Did he never get out after the incident a few weeks ago?

[Rocco]

I've read that Orioles and Ruby's show up here in New England at the same time. I'm just learning here but I may have to put up an Oriole feeder too next year. (Orange slices?)