The latest #thepete #podcast: #Trump as President Week 1

In this episode of #thepetepodcast, I try to get to the most important stuff in the dense-with-insanity first week of the #TrumpRegime, #TrumpAdministration, #TrumpPresidency, whatever you want to call it.

Here is a direct download of the 10 minute mp3 of this week's #thepete #podcast, or you can subscribe to #thepete #podcast! ;)

Got iTunes? Sure, we're all forced to! Subscribe to #thepete #podcast on iTunes!

You can also listen to this podcast on Audioboom!

Let me know what you think of this podcast! Leave a comment here or on Twitter or where ever you found my podcast. THANKS!

Oh, and hey, if you like what I do with this podcast or anything else online, support me on Patreon (even for just a buck-a-month!) or buy my long-form comic, INKSTREME BALLPOINT ADVENTURES, or just buy me a coffee!  Every bit helps!

You can always find more episodes of #thepete #podcast at podcast.thepete.com!

#thepete #podcast 7/5/16: the #newsmedia + #DonaldTrump = #nightmare

This week on #thepetepodcast: I talk about how this is all the #mainstreammedia's fault and how #Trump has always been a #jerkweed.

Here is a direct download of the 10 minute mp3 of this week's #thepete #podcast, or you can subscribe to #thepete #podcast! ;)

Got iTunes? Sure, we're all forced to! Subscribe to #thepete #podcast on iTunes!

You can also listen to this podcast on Audioboom!  In fact, you'll get to listen one day earlier than iTunes and RSS subscribers!

Let me know what you think of this podcast! Leave a comment here or on Twitter or where ever you found my podcast. THANKS!

You can always find the latest episode of #thepete #podcast at podcast.thepete.com!

Like what I do online? Support me on Patreon or by buying my long-form comic, INKSTREME BALLPOINT ADVENTURES!  Or, hey, just buy me a cup of coffee!  Seriously--every bit helps!!  Thanks! Every little bit really does help!

this week on #thepete #podcast: #Brexit! #Stupid #People! #Pride Day!

This week on #thepetepodcast, it's mostly about the UK voting to leave the EU (what a mess!) but I also sneak in a nice little message about tolerating your fellow human in honor of Pride Day which we just had last weekend.

Here is a direct download of the 10 minute mp3 of this week's #thepete #podcast, or you can subscribe to #thepete #podcast! ;)  Got iTunes? Sure, we're all forced to! Subscribe to #thepete #podcast on iTunes!  You can also listen to this podcast on Audioboom!  In fact, you'll get to listen one day earlier than iTunes and RSS subscribers!

Let me know what you think of this podcast! Leave a comment here or on Twitter or where ever you found my podcast. THANKS!

You can always find more episodes of #thepete #podcast at podcast.thepete.com!

Like what I do online? Support me on Patreon or by buying my long-form comic, INKSTREME BALLPOINT ADVENTURES!  Or, hey, just buy me a cup of coffee!

The Problem with Religion is...

A very very long time ago, one of two things must have happened:

1. Someone noticed a lack of instinctive organization in society (in other words, people were not working well with each other in order to keep society stable).
2. Someone wanted to control the general populace.

It's possible both things happened. The point is, there was a need for a system of control that would allow some level of uniformity to how society ran. At some point someone realized that they didn't have to be accurate when the questions of existence and life were asked. That someone would explain that it was God's will. In other words, he could and did lie. How do I know he lied? Because there is zero proof of a supreme being.

None.

Zip.

Zero.

No God. At all.

And that's the problem with religion.

The whole thing describes a system that was made up to control us all. Sometimes it is used for good things, like bringing communities together and providing a support structure for people in need. Other times it's used for bad things, like 9/11 and the Inquisition and possibly even the biggest mass shooting in American history, the Orlando Pulse shooting which happened just the other day.
But let's go back to that first person to lie to that other person who asked "why are we here?" That first person uttered an explanation that was complete fiction. He had to because science probably wasn't even a word yet. He may have thought:

"This person really needs some answers to make him feel better about life--who cares if it's not true? He trusts me and it'll make him feel better!"

Or he may have thought:

"This guy is a fool and I can manipulate him for my own ends with a good enough story about why he exists."

Regardless, the result is the same: humans for millennia have been making choices based on seriously false assumptions. There are people who believe that God will send his only son back to us at some point in an event called the Rapture. These people believe, because they Believe, they will be whisked off to heaven once Jesus returns. As a result, they do not plan to have a full life. In the documentary Waiting for Armageddon, one young woman laments, through tears, that she really wanted to have a family but she knows the Rapture is coming, so…

Then there is Omar Mateen, who, as of this writing, is believed to have been a Muslim, possibly gay, man who was apparently disgusted when two men kissed each other in front of his family. He took that disgust, to a gun shop where he bought some guns and ammo, which he then took to a gay club and murdered almost 50 people. It seems like he did it because he couldn't make the reality he saw there line up with the reality that was explained to him by his faith.

This is the same thing that happens when a Christian "pro-lifer" decides to kill an abortion provider. They think "this isn't right! God says we shouldn't do this! I have to act now and kill this person who is murdering helpless little babies!"

Religion creates a schism that most believers are able to ignore. However, there have been many people throughout the history of human civilization who either could not ignore that schism or chose not to. The Crusades are a good example of this. Christians believed that they should possess what their holy book had told them was holy land. So they marched into the Middle East and tried to conquer the folks that already lived there. Thousands of years earlier the Old Testament told the Jews to do the same, so they marched into the land that would become Israel and claimed it as their own, even though someone already lived there. But it was OK because their god told them "it's cool!"

This same land is in dispute to this day--all because of what some people's religion told them.

Years ago, when the US Congress was trying to decide what to do about Climate Change/Global Warming, one politician spoke up, explaining that God had given the planet to humankind to do with as we pleased. He further described how he was sure God was going to take care of this one for us. All these years later, we all know, CC/GW has gotten noticeably worse, with extreme weather patterns, rising sea levels, melting ice caps, wild fires, and more, all providing visible, measurable feedback from an ever-warming planet.

And yet, so many of us, too many of us, still believe that it's OK to believe in a supreme being and all sorts of other Biblical teachings from thousands of years ago that were, themselves, ripped off from other religious texts that were written even earlier, none of which are based on modern scientific findings.  In other words, they don't describe the reality we actually live in.

From my perspective as an atheist, it's like someone turning to the Holy Teachings of Jedi Master Yoda or recognizing how Superman died for our sins and was later resurrected. Not only are these people fictional, but they are wrong. Sorry, Master Yoda, but there IS "try." In fact, you make a false equivalency--"try" represents an intermediate state, where as "do" or "do not" are definite states. So, not only is there a "do," and a "do not" but there is also a "try." But I'm getting off topic…

The problem with religion is… that it's fictional and likes to pretend it isn't.

Essentially, religion is like those "work from home" scams where you call up and the person on the other end is just trying to get your credit card number from you so he can start charging you excessive amounts for essentially nothing in return.

Sure, you might get a class or two on how to build a website that might make you a couple of bucks, but then, you'll also feel better about life pretending God has a plan for you.

Or, you can accept the reality that there is no God, that you won't get rich off of your blogspot blog and that guy who blew himself up in the Middle East the other day isn't going to get to sleep with 72 virgins in Heaven.   Mainly, this is because there is no heaven.

"There is no god, so let's murder 50 people in a nightclub!" said no one ever.

When you discard the trappings of belief, the world becomes more simple--more straightforward. There is no more pleading with God for winning lottery tickets or an answer to why your child has leukemia. It is simply life in a universe that is actually quite hostile to our existence. Life, therefore, becomes much more precious than it is under the rules of most religions. If you die here, don't worry, there's life after death. Except, there isn't. So shouldn't you cherish what you have and leave behind a world where you will be remembered fondly?

Instead, the names Omar Mateen, Osama bin Laden, Dylann Roof, and many others will be remembered only as killers.

That's the problem with religion, it pretends that there is a reason why, and when that reason doesn't line up with the facts staring back at us, some of us decide that we should rewrite reality on God's behalf and kill a bunch of black people, gay people, Muslim people, Christian people.

The problem with religion is… obvious.

#thepete #podcast for 2/9/16: When lies attack! Trump, Rubio and Jeb! OH MY! (And Hillary, too!)

This week I delve into more things that are just blatantly wrong about the world around us--specifically, things Trump, Jeb!, and Rubio said in the debate last weekend. LISTEN and be as annoyed as I am!

 I recorded this podcast yesterday but only posted it today, so it's technically for yesterday. Ahhhh, I'll get this date-thing worked out--just subscribe, dang it!

Here's a direct download of the mp3, or you can subscribe to this hear podcast! ;) Got iTunes? Sure, we're all forced to! Subscribe to #thepete #podcast on iTunes!

"With fifty men we could subjugate them all..." said the "brave explorer."

It's that time of the year again! Yep, the day we "celebrate" a man who would eventually come to meet the definition of "genocidal maniac" having "discovered" America. This holiday really needs to go away. We're such self-liars here in America. I'll get to how, as I type this, America is a country whose government is controlled by the whim of a solitary Republican in a post later today, but first, I wanted to post (as I have in the past) my favorite quote of Christopher Columbus. Are you ready for it? Here we go:

They... brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells. They willingly traded everything they owned... They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features... They do not bear arms, and do not known them, for I showed them a sword and they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane... They would make fine servants... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make then do whatever we want.

Taken from page 1 of "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn. Buy it, read it and understand we've been lying to ourselves for decades and decades. Really, centuries.

And don't adopt the redemptionist attitudes of some that would claim we can't judge people of previous cultures. We can and should. Otherwise, we will deify these people and fail to notice how their behaviors hurt us.

For instance, if we trust that our Found Fathers knew what they were doing when they created out government, we shouldn't have to pay attention, right? They were brilliant visionaries who saw a better world and brought it to us, right? Well, if we had done that, we'd never have abolished slavery or given women the right to vote or amended our government in so many other ways--in both good ways and bad. So, let's judge the past and it's "heroes" because if we don't, we absolve ourselves of responsibility for our present. We can't just point at some document written hundreds (or even thousands of years ago) and say "SEE? THEY SAID IT WAS FINE, SO..."

Republicans Up to Their Old Anti-Democracy Tricks Again...

The Republicans are at it again. In Texas, over 80,000 registered voters were taken off the rolls because they were believed dead by the state. The catch is that one official found a lot of evidence to suggest that most of those 80,000 people were NOT dead. Here's a cutting from the above-capped article from NPR.org:

Texas got the names off the Social Security Administration's death list. Social Security warned Texas that the list shouldn't be relied on, but to no avail. The state Legislature and Texas Gov. Rick Perry passed legislation last session mandating the change.

In Houston, after Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Don Sumners got hundreds of calls from elderly voters who'd gotten the death notice, he looked at the Social Security list that was being used.

"And then a quick check of some of the information on that database led us to believe that there was a big probability that even a majority of the names on the list were people that were still alive," he says.

Back in 2000 we saw some serious issues with the "election" of George W. Bush. Not only were there loads of evidence that the true will of the people was not represented by the ballot count, the final dispute of who should be president was not settled by Congress (as the US Constitution seems to suggest it should be), but instead was decided by the Supreme Court (the most dominant of judges at the time were all appointed by Republicans).

Then, in 2004, we saw more evidence that various election systems in place around the country weren't necessarily providing us with accurate results.

In both instances it was the Republicans who seemed to be "behind" efforts against accurate counting and making sure it was easy for everyone to vote. Just Google "Greg Palast" for the details.

Finally, in 2008, there was a candidate that was voted for overwhelmingly, so even major problems with ballot counting wouldn't ultimately matter. In 2000 and 2004, the margins were tight, so it took only a bit of inaccuracy to change results (yes, I believe that in 2004, Kerry probably won and, in 2000, I am sure Gore should have won).

Now, in 2012, during a race for president that everyone thinks is incredibly close, I am reminded of all the problems we had with close elections in 2000 and 2004. This NPR article provides evidence that the Republicans are once again pulling this same crap.

How any true conservative can continue to call themselves a Republican is beyond me. The very definition of the word "conservative" suggests a Conservative would want to make sure everyone who is legally allowed to vote should be able to do so AND have their vote counted. Yet, here we go again.

I am reminded of the many times during the regime of George W. Bush how any dissenting opinions were called, by Republicans, "anti-American."  Yet, it was the Republicans behaving in the most anti-American way of all--fighting against a fair and accurate election.

America is a pretty scary place, in this long-time-observer's opinion.

Ballpoint Adventures for February 16, 2006: God is Finally Straight with Billy

Yeah, I hate to break it to ya, but most of the stuff we humans are afraid of every day isn't anything worth being afraid of. Odds are, if you don't die of old age, you'll die by a car accident or cancer.

ARG! Why do folks on the left think they can lie and get away with it, too?

I've been a follower of politics for a loooong time.  While I call myself an independent, I do have left leanings.  However, those left leanings don't allow me to condone lies from the left just because I believe in their POV more than the right's.  Lies are still lies and the definition of a lie is something said in order to deceive or mislead.  So, now that the left is getting out there with their own voice, presenting their "side" of various arguments, you'd think I'd be happy, right?  Alas, not.

I posted what follows earlier today on Website666's Tumblr and it provides a great example of the left misleading anyone who reads their "info"graphic:

saboma:

American Censorship Day November [16th]

What the hell is the exact definition of an “infringing link”??  I hate these over-simplified “infographics” that fail to define basic terms. The fact that there is no definition of “infringing link” makes me want to ignore the whole thing.  I am so sick of people on either “side” of the political “aisle” failing miserably at properly informing the people they are trying to persuade.  This is a bad infographic because it does a great job of inspiring fear but a shitty job of, you know, actually providing information.

And it’s not just the lack of an “infringing link” definition.  Look at the “As a result” section.  It represents what website self-censorship is like now and will be like after SOPA passes.  Before SOPA, it’s a small circle.  After SOPA, the circle is MUCH LARGER!! OMG!!  THAT CIRCLE IS WAY BIGGER!!  How bigger?  Well, I can’t tell since there are NO NUMBERS describing the circles.  This is all beside the fact that there is no way to measure self-censorship in a future we haven’t lived in yet.  In short, this ven-ish diagram has zero basis in fact. In other words, it’s made up just to scare the shit out of you.

The same can be said for the line graph next to it.  Before SOPA, you see the number of new startups rises!  But after, it goes down. :( BUT THE DATA POINTS AREN’T NUMBERED, so we have NO WAY OF KNOWING WHAT THEY MEAN!!! This, also, is beside the point that this line graph does the same thing the ven-ish diagram does—it makes shit up about the future—there’s no proof that the number of new startups will go down after SOPA.

Under the “HOW DOES THIS AFFECT” section, it would be nice to see the part of the law that explains email providers would have to censor email with infringing links. It would also be nice to know how social networks could possibly censor the links of hundreds of thousands of users, especially when URL shorteners can be used to mask the links.

As I mentioned, this infographic fails to mention what an infringing link even is and that inspires even more fear than the even bigger circle of self-censorship or the non-specific datapoints in the “new startup” line graph.  What IS an infringing link?!?!  Is THIS an infringing link?  IsTHIS?  Would YOU be posting an infringing link by linking to this post?  OMG!!  WE LIVE IN SOVIET RUSSIA!!

It’s a shame propagandists get hired to make “info”graphics like this, instead of good human beings who want to properly inform people.  Especially since the truth about this bill is probably very terrifying.

THANKS FOR THE FEAR MONGERING, AMERICANCENSORSHIP.ORG!

I remember when Air America first went live.  I tried listening to some of their shows, but they were just as obnoxious as the shows from the right (especially the "noxious" in "obnoxious").  Who does it serve to be loud and whiney on either "side" of an issue?  Likewise, it serves no one to cheat the facts, or blatantly lie, as I feel the above infographic does.

I'm an atheist in all things.  I try my best to believe/trust nothing without some semblance of proof (or at least evidence).  When an infographic does not provide any, but still gets reblogged all over the place, I get really frustrated and a little worried because that means that many people are basing their decisions on propaganda, not on facts.  Regardless of whether you're basing your decisions on the will of a god you imagine to be real or a graph that has no basis in actual fact, your decisions are likely to be just as faulty.

So, activists on the left and the right, why not just tell the truth instead of doing what ever it takes to influence us?  If your argument is so strong, why fudge things?  Unless, your argument isn't so strong, in which case you should ask yourself why you think that your view is the right one.

saboma:

American Censorship Day November [16th]

What the hell is the exact definition of an “infringing link”??  I hate these over-simplified “infographics” that fail to define basic terms. The fact that there is no definition of “infringing link” makes me want to ignore the whole thing.  I am so sick of people on either “side” of the political “aisle” failing miserably at properly informing the people they are trying to persuade.  This is a bad infographic because it does a great job of inspiring fear but a shitty job of, you know, actually providing information.

And it’s not just the lack of an “infringing link” definition.  Look at the “As a result” section.  It represents what website self-censorship is like now and will be like after SOPA passes.  Before SOPA, it’s a small circle.  After SOPA, the circle is MUCH LARGER!! OMG!!  THAT CIRCLE IS WAY BIGGER!!  How bigger?  Well, I can’t tell since there are NO NUMBERS describing the circles.  This is all beside the fact that there is no way to measure self-censorship in a future we haven’t lived in yet.  In short, this ven-ish diagram has zero basis in fact. In other words, it’s made up just to scare the shit out of you.

The same can be said for the line graph next to it.  Before SOPA, you see the number of new startups rises!  But after, it goes down. :( BUT THE DATA POINTS AREN’T NUMBERED, so we have NO WAY OF KNOWING WHAT THEY MEAN!!! This, also, is beside the point that this line graph does the same thing the ven-ish diagram does—it makes shit up about the future—there’s no proof that the number of new startups will go down after SOPA.

Under the “HOW DOES THIS AFFECT” section, it would be nice to see the part of the law that explains email providers would have to censor email with infringing links. It would also be nice to know how social networks could possibly censor the links of hundreds of thousands of users, especially when URL shorteners can be used to mask the links.

As I mentioned, this infographic fails to mention what an infringing link even is and that inspires even more fear than the even bigger circle of self-censorship or the non-specific datapoints in the “new startup” line graph.  What IS an infringing link?!?!  Is THIS an infringing link?  Is THIS?  Would YOU be posting an infringing link by linking to this post?  OMG!!  WE LIVE IN SOVIET RUSSIA!!

It’s a shame propagandists get hired to make “info”graphics like this, instead of good human beings who want to properly inform people.  Especially since the truth about this bill is probably very terrifying.  

THANKS FOR THE FEAR MONGERING, AMERICANCENSORSHIP.ORG!

Chinese Rep Says Wellfare States Brought on EU's Economic Woes

In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, Jin Liqun, chairman of China's sovereign wealth fund, said the following about a possible bailout for the EU:

"If you look at the troubles which happened in European countries, this is purely because of the accumulated troubles of the worn out welfare society. I think the labour laws are outdated. The labour laws induce sloth, indolence, rather than hardworking. The incentive system, is totally out of whack.

He also said:

The welfare system is good for any society to reduce the gap, to help those who happen to have disadvantages, to enjoy a good life, but a welfare society should not induce people not to work hard.

This from a guy representing a country with some of the lowest paid workers in the industrialized world. Planet Capitalism is really starting to worry me. If China will be the one determining how workers are treated I think I'm going to start looking on Craigslist for good deals on spaceships.

I just LOVE how these rich assholes can just blatantly lie about the causes for the economic woes around the world. I don't know the specifics of the EU's problems but should a system that doesn't treat humans well be supported? Should hard work be forced on every last citizen? This system is really getting out of control. Now where would "used spaceships" be on Craigslist?

Underwhelming Announcements from #Apple (Along with serious misrepresentations, too)

From my Tumblr:

“For another metric, we measure adoption. If you look at Windows 7, it took them about 20 weeks to reach 10% of their base. It took Lion 2 weeks. - Tim Cook”

Six million copies of Lion downloaded so far — 80 percent more than Snow Leopard - The Next Web (via thenextweb)

Sorry, kids, this was one of the many misrepresentations (lies, even) presented in today’s underwhelming Apple event.  Comparing Apple’s success to Microsoft’s is pretty much identical to comparing apples to oranges.  Why are the numbers above no significant? Because Apple charged a pitance for their single-versioned OS which was downloadable.  If Microsoft had such a system and chose to sell a single OS at $30/per, they’d reach higher saturation, too.  Instead, Apple did something entirely different and blamed Microsoft for not doing as well.“Yes, with the new ‘wheel’ from Apple, you can do so much more than you could with that old fashioned plank you drag around.  The guys who designed that thing were morons.”

Sure, it’s an improvement, and Apple’s system does move more product, but it’s hardly fair to compare.

But they pulled this crap all over the place.  It's like they were trying desperately to cover for the fact that they weren't announcing an iPhone 5.  Most of the numbers they presented were just utter bullshit, like those above.  At one point, they compared PC market growth to Mac market growth as though that meant something at all.  PCs are still everywhere.  It makes sense that their market growth is a paltry 4% since they're already owned by everyone.  Yes, Mac market share jumped 23% and that's nice, mildly impressive even, but the comparison to the PC market is just not a logical one.

They called the iPod Touch the number one handheld gaming system.  But that's a total fallacy.  The iPod Touch isn't a gaming system at all.  It's a convergence device.  It's like the Swiss Army Knife people claiming their knives are comparable to the butter knives in your silverware drawer.  And newsflash, I have yet to see Super Mario games show up on iOS.  When they do, maybe I'll think about retiring my DSi XL.

Is any of this type of behavior new? No.  But this time around it seems worse than usual to me.  Basically nothing in today's event made me want anything Apple is offering right now.  I couldn't care less about their entire line.  Well, I'd like an iPad 2, but only because iPlayer isn't available for Android.  But that had nothing to do with today's announcements and I'm not about to drop $400 just so I can use one app.

What really scares me is that there is so little actual innovation going on these days.  People will point to "Siri," Apple's new voice-recognition/command system available only on the iPhone 4S, but since when does anyone like to use voice commands?  Android has had similar features (not as built-up, obviously) for a while and I've never used it once.  Sure, some folks might like literally telling their phone what to do but I like the tactile experience.  I don't want to broadcast to everyone around me what I'm doing and I feel like speech requires more thought than just pressing buttons or touching icons.  I can be thinking about what I'm going to do while my fingers tap the icons on the screen, rather thing thinking of the right words to say to get the right app or info to pop up.

So, basically, Apple's "innovation" is something I don't think people really want.  It may seem like a cool bell/whistle, but really, it's nothing that innovative.  It's just another layer of interface.  Plus, who wants their requested information on that tiny screen?  I don't care how crystal clear the screen is, I still feel like I'm looking through a hole at the words I want to read.

Anyway, it's just more "fun" from the Apple Reality Distortion Field.

I still have three more questions for Apple:

1) Why does the iPhone 4S not support 4G networks?

2) Why no iPhone 5?

3) Why no plans to put out a midsized device, like a 7in tablet? (I already have a 10in netbook and you already sell a 10in Macbook Air, don't you?  Won't people who own those not want an iPad?).

Apple continues to make me shake my head.

Another Example of How You Shouldn't Trust the Media: Even on the Little Things

From Coalspeaker.com:

More proof that nothing you see in the media is real.. or at least it is questionable.. the White House tipped off the AP of Michelle Obama's Target trip before she went

So, whether it's a story on protesters getting entrapped only to be rewritten 20 minutes later to be a story on protesters getting arrested, or even  the little, unimportant things like the above, the media isn't representing reality.  This whole "paying attention" thing is getting pretty tedious.

Then again, I suppose the idea is to get us to stop caring. >_<

 

 

Fukushima Nuclear Fallout Map is a Hoax

Found this over at JapanProbe:

There also seems to be a prankster out there that created a “fallout map” warning Americans of a radiation cloud that will be heading their way. Of course, it is a hoax, not actually based on real data:

Some people really need to find better things to do with their lives.

Be careful who you donate to! (Even UNICEF!)

So, I saw this bit of (probably accidental) deceit in my Tumblr stream today reblogged from bodilygeography:

All it takes is one click…

Sounds great, right? Except there are a couple of catches. First, I don’t know who this guy is. He doesn’t say who he is in the image. If you reblog this and get reblogged, I don’t know how people wouldn’t think it was YOU willing to donate 10¢ per reblog. Second and MOST IMPORTANTLY, when you click the link you end up at a page for UNICEF that explains:

The Government of Japan has long invested  in earthquake and emergency response preparedness and has not requested UNICEF support at this time.

That’s right, so this guy is asking we donate to a group that isn’t even helping Japan yet.  The worst thing you can do with money is to waste it.  Please research who you are giving money to before you do it!  Sadly, I have no idea who your donation to Japan would be safest with.  I would recommend checking out JapanProbe.com.  But even then, do your research!  Even trustworthy sources can make mistakes.

PLEASE NOTE: I WILL NOT BE DONATING 10¢ PER REBLOG TO UNICEF.

Sorry, but that could get pricey fast.  This is Tumblr, after all….

How Ma Bell Shelved the Future for 60 Years

How Ma Bell Shelved the Future for 60 Years

Gizmodo’s Tim Wu blogs about how innovation was stopped in its tracks, effectively, due to capitalist interests.  Funny how we’re all told capitalism is great for innovation. Too bad that’s only true until innovation might damage the current business model.  Take the example of the answering machine that existed in the office of a Bell Labs engineer… in 1934.

Creationwiki.org's definition of "Atheism" is full of shit

OK, so I phrased the headline in that way to be inflammatory, but it *is* what I think.  Earlier tonight I stumbled across the below search result on Google:

Yeeeee-NO.

Atheism is defined by Webster.com as:

a : a disbelief in the existence of deity

b : the doctrine that there is no deity

It’s NOT a “philosophical denial of the existence of God.”  It’s the rational requirement that we see proof of a deity before we believe in one.
It’s so nice when Christians spread lies about us.  Is there an atheist wiki that spreads lies about them?
Hm…

SEE THAT, Anti-Mosque-at-Ground-Zero Protesters? You’re HELPING THE TERRORISTS! (seriously)!

officialssay:

“By preventing this mosque from being built, America is doing us a big favor… It’s providing us with more recruits, donations, and popular support.”

—

Taliban operative Zabihullah, on how the mosque controversy is benefiting the Taliban. 

If we respect people’s freedom (even their freedom to be insensitive to people’s feelings about 911) the terrorists DON’T win. Why do you anti-mosque-types not get this? Maybe you just WANT to hate? That could be…

(Blogged this on my lifestream by accident so here it is where it belongs on Website666.com)

Glenn Beck rewrites civil rights history (and regular history, too--but it's his effect that is the most scary)

Does this freak anyone else out as much as it does me?

They see studying U.S. history as a powerful reconnection with their youth. Waiting for Beck’s “American Revival” show in Orlando, Florida, in March, 70-year-old fan Joseph Cerniglia told me he was way too busy for civics lessons when he was raising kids and working as a stockbroker and then cider-maker. “I have learned more from Glenn Beck — learned more about American history and government, from Glenn Beck — than in the previous 40 years of my life,” the retiree told me.

via cnn.com

That last bit is NOTHING TO BRAG ABOUT, SIR.   Don’t get your information from a single person: ESPECIALLY GLENN BACK. The moron doesn’t know how to spell “oligarchy” for crying out loud!!

The “they” mentioned in the above quote from the Will Bunch opinion piece at CNN.com refers to followers of Glenn Beck—mostly retired, mostly with loads of time on their hands to “re-learn history”. Of course, as Bunch points out, they’re getting it entirely wrong.

And that’s what is more scary than everyone listening to this wind-bag (and the very first EFFYOU recipient from my site effyou.org). See, they’re not only listening to his every word but learning from them, too—it’s amazing what you can do with the power of fear. And it’s the incorrect information that they are learning that is the scariest part of all of this.

When you’re inaccurate, the sky is the limit for how bad you can screw things up. And these fools think Beck is 100% trustworthy.

Let me tell you—history books aren’t 100% trustworthy.

I hope, at Beck’s little MLK rip-off event this weekend, Beck comes out of the closet and admits he’s just been playing everyone all this time.

I would breathe a sigh of relief if that happened…

And don’t forget, when Beck quotes Thomas Paine, he’s quoting a guy who thinks all religions are a crock.

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.
— Thomas Paine, (1737-1809), The Age of Reason

Good stuff…

Read more Thomas Paine quotes and see how much Beck ignores so that Paine can fit Beck’s narrative.

Guy who pissed off the USG wanted for rape for all of 30 seconds, but we'll never hear the end of it

coalspeaker:

“WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange “no longer wanted” and not a rape suspect, Swedish prosecutor says on website”

— Huh?? .. CNN headline .. Confusing day..

Confusing day? Confusing MORNING. That’s how fast this story broke and unbroke—for me, anyway.

I woke up to this story this morning and since I woke up early, I took a nap and when I woke up, the arrest warrant had been dropped.

This is one of those ridiculous stories that pops up, distracts the crap out of us for days or weeks and then goes away forever. Sure, it’s already obvious the charges had no connection to reality, but will that stop TV’s idiot-pundits and repulsive Republicans from casting aspersions on Assange for the next week or two just to give their True Believers something to be hateful of?

I always wonder about these sorts of “Flash in the Pan” “news” stories.  They always seem so incredibly concocted and contrived that I imagine they were completely planned in order to distract from some other story that someone doesn’t want getting out.  Sure, it’s just my imagination, but these stupid stories come up and even though they’re obviously useless, the Mainstream Media makes sure that they’ll distract us for several days.  What are we missing in the meantime?  Even if this Assange/rape story wasn’t cointelpro by the USG, the time lost to this story will cost other stories face time.  What if one of those other stories was really important?

Thanks to our wonderful newsmedia of shitheads, we may never know.

It’s not like this is the first time a story like this has come along, either.  Remember that time that creepy dude claimed to be the murderer of JonBennet Ramsey?  It was fodder for all the headlines for about a week.  If you believe the MSM, everyone wanted to hear about this transgendered guy in Asia who had suddenly decided to admit his guilt. Then, as quickly as he had appeared on the national scene, he was gone.

While I don’t imagine Assange will disappear as that creepy dude has, I believe these accusations will hang around for a week or two and then disappear—just long enough to serve as another useless distraction.

it’s like a pop-up on my computer asking me some irrelevant question I don’t really care about.