An Excellent Read on Global Warming
Posted by tgirsch

Here is a great read, from a highly unlikely source, commenter Number9. The most salient point:

Until recently, when found to be wrong, scientists went quietly back to their labs to start again. Now, emboldened by the global denial industry, some of them, like the film makers, shriek “censorship!” This is the best example of manufactured victimhood I have ever come across. If you demonstrate that someone is wrong, you are now deemed to be silencing him.

…snip…

Cherry-pick your results, choose work which is already outdated and discredited, and anything and everything becomes true. The Twin Towers were brought down by controlled explosions; MMR injections cause autism; homeopathy works; black people are less intelligent than white people; species came about through intelligent design. You can find lines of evidence which appear to support all these contentions, and, in most cases, professors who will speak up in their favour. But this does not mean that any of them are correct. You can sustain a belief in these propositions only by ignoring the overwhelming body of contradictory data. To form a balanced, scientific view, you have to consider all the evidence, on both sides of the question.

Read the whole thing.

(I do have to wonder, however, exactly why Number9 links this, as it seems to directly contradict virtually every argument he’s made up to this point…)

March 13th, 2007 | General | 17 comments

What I Learned in Puerto Rico
Posted by tgirsch

In no particular order:

  • I still have no idea how to properly make arroz y habichuelas. Nearly everyone in Puerto Rico does, however.
  • Ron del Barrilito is yummy stuff.
  • I never thought of currying pineapple, but it’s surprisingly tasty.
  • Shakira’s voice is nowhere near as grating when she’s singing in Spanish.
  • When traveling somewhere that speaks a language you don’t, you’d be surprised at the awful crap you’ll be willing to listen to simply because it’s in your native tongue.
  • Hair metal remains surprisingly (disturbingly?) popular in St. Thomas.
  • Bioluminescence is indescribably cool
  • Ways Puerto Rico is like the South: Everyone drives like shit; they’ve yet to meet any edible object which they won’t deep fat fry; the gap between rich and poor is incredibly stark; about half the population would rather be another country rather than part of the US.
  • Ways Puerto Rico is unlike the South: People talk very fast; they’re overwhelmingly Catholic; they mostly support bilingual education; and you generally know exactly where you stand with a Puerto Rican (they sugar coat nothing).
  • Ways Puerto Rico is like Memphis: Its natives complain incessantly about how bad the crime is getting, how corrupt the politicians are, etc., but if anybody who’s not from there complains as such, it is a mortal insult; green vegetables are incredibly difficult to come by in restaurants; nearly every meal involves some sort of pork; the roads have about one more lane painted onto them than they were actually designed to carry.
  • Ways Puerto Rico is not like Memphis: Nobody gives a shit about Elvis; no blues music to be found; the humidity is tolerable.
  • If you put a five dollar bill into a video poker machine, and after playing for a while, you discover that you’re actually one credit ahead, so you cash out — you’ve just won a nickel.

Things I already knew, but was reminded of in Puerto Rico:

  • 90% of sentences in Puerto Rico begin with “Mira.” (Roughly: “Hey!”; Literally: “Look!”)
  • It’s not a turn signal, it’s a tourist indicator.
  • You get about three Mississippis after the light turns red to make it through the intersection.
  • Puerto Rican women are proud of their bodies, irrespective of what body type they have.
  • Medalla Light is surprisingly drinkable when it’s 85 and sunny.
  • Asopao is delicious.
  • Hardcore rap sounds ridiculous in Spanish. (Not that it doesn’t in English, mind you.)
  • Nearly everything in Puerto Rico is expensive, except rum.

March 13th, 2007 | Culture, Travel | 6 comments

Your Daily Laugh
Posted by tgirsch

I’m about a month late to the party on this one, but if you haven’t already, go read this open letter concerning maxi pads. A taste:

I have been a loyal user of your Always maxi pads for over 20 years, and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core™ or Dri-Weave™ absorbency, I’d probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I’d certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can’t tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there’s a little F-16 in my pants.

Read the whole thing for some good laughs. The “blaze of glory” line triggered a drink alert.

March 13th, 2007 | Satire, Humor | one comment

Bong Hits 4 Free Speech!
Posted by KTK

Asshole town repeatedly hassles free-speech supporters, repeatedly loses. Round 3 coming up.

March 13th, 2007 | General, Politics, Legal Issues, School, Culture, Education, News & Current Events | 27 comments

Away For a Bit
Posted by Kevin

I don’t know how much Tgirsch and KTK will be around, but I am going to be gone for a few days. Talk amongst yourselves.

March 13th, 2007 | General | 2 comments