But see, this guys does NOT understand red state thinking. His argument is based on blue state ideology only. It's all wishful liberal nit picking. This is the democrats' core problem. They can't see beyond their own ideals and borders (except Obama seems to be able to, thank god!).... This is like arguing that Bush is bad because he's a former alcoholic turned born again christian who can't speak clearly and is kind of an idiot... those are all PLUSES in red states (it makes him down to earth, one of the people... that's exactly what this chick is!!). - Nick
"The Meatrix is a humorous 4-minute Flash animation that spoofs The Matrix films and highlights the problems of factory farming. Instead of Keanu Reaves, The Meatrix stars a young pig, Leo, who lives on a pleasant family farm…or so he thinks. Leo is approached by a trenchcoat-clad cow, Moopheus, who shows him the ugly truth about agribusiness, complete with a send-up of the “stop-motion” camerawork immortalized by The Matrix. The mix of humor, pop culture references, and an important message clearly resonates with a wide swath of the Web-using public." - Anna Haro via Bookmarklet
totally wanna see this! discovered it a few weeks ago when looking for movies in my area--it's playing at the ifc theater, a few minutes from my place! gotta check it out - Melissa Maskevich
oh, and have you read leonard cohen's book, beautiful losers? pretty rad - Melissa Maskevich
"Dailies are looking good, and while Javier’s idea to add a massive Martian invasion scene complete with a thousand costumed extras and elaborate flying saucers is not a very good one, I will shoot it to make him happy and cut it in the editing room." hehe. - Nick
Crafty son of a bitch. Attractive female creationist christian. It won't convert anyone who's already into Obama, but it'll slow down converts from the other side. I can already feel my Mom's republican vote solidifying..... - Nick
Interesting. I have the polar opposite assessment. - dkb
Any white male evangelical would have done the trick. Palin negates McCain's experience argument and opens himself up to huge questions about judgement (Palin - ready to be President should something befall McCain? No.). This is a losing ticket. - dkb
I wish I could agree, and I hope it turns out that way. But I'm thinking her homespun red-state soccer mom christian goodness will over-ride that. It's an emotional choice for sure, not a sensible one, but that's exactly what McCain needs. - Nick
She's not a heavyweight choice; she's Harriet Miers. We'll see... - dkb
I won't vote for McCain/Palin, but she is better than Cheney - Ralph Poole
Hmmm, Harriet Miers was quite a debacle... but people seem to be able to accept crappy VP choices much better than crappy supreme court judges... and anyway that was congress's choice, not the electorate. Bush #1 got away with Quayle.... - Nick
I'd agree with you if McCain were the RNC's sweetheart choice but he is far from Reagan (and W, for that matter). The VP is very big for him and needs to be someone to plug some holes and I just don't think Palin does that. - dkb
"The project will be one of the first geothermal plants in the nation to incorporate the new breed of low-temperature technology featured in Raser’s proprietary modular power plants. Each individual generation unit is manufactured off-site, delivered to the location, and rapidly installed to create, in essence, a geothermal farm with multiple 450 kW units. Raser Technologies anticipates the first 10 MW of power generation will be online by early next year (2009). Phase II of the project will add another 15 MW of power, for a total of 25 MW, which is enough to power nearly fifteen thousand homes." - Carlos Ayala via Bookmarklet
i have no clue about this sort of stuff, but it sounds good. i wonder how much space is necessary for this setup - Cee Bee
Geothermal is the dark horse of renewable energy. You can set up a geothermal station on a very small parcel of land: my Dad's been looking into doing it for his home, and he needs a very, very small area to do it. I have to double check, but I think it's the size of a water heater. The big problem is drilling deep enough: you sometimes have to drill hundreds of feet to get to the temperature differentials you need. Can't wait to see where they go with this. - Mark Trapp
cool, i would imagine you'd need to tap way deep into the ground to catch some bubbling energy - Cee Bee
It depends on the area... the original geothermal plants were set up at places where the magma is close to the surface. - Jason Carreira
@Mark That sounds very promising, I wish I had looked at geothermal a little more for my water heater. If I could set up my own little power plant under the porch, that'd be awesome! - David Knight
"In a surprise move, Senator John McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate on Friday, McCain officials confirmed, shaking up the political world at a time when his campaign has been trying to attract women, especially disaffected supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton." - Bret Taylor via Bookmarklet
Yeah, all those liberal Clinton supporters just look at gender. "Me vote woman, Woman, WOMAN!" - AJ Kohn
FWIW her husband apparently works for BP. http://www.ktuu.com/Global/sto... Palin says, "A conflict could be perceived if my spouse's position was in a management position with an oil company. But, because it's a blue-collar, in-the-field type job, working in a facility as a production operator, separating the oil, the gas and water; it's not a management position where decision are being made for the future of investment with this oil company in Alaska. So, it hasn't been perceived, on our part anyway, as a conflict of interes - Philipp Lenssen
@Philipp well, as long as they don't see a problem it should be ok right? Riiiiiiiiiiiight. Because being the husband of the VP wouldn't do anything for his career with a major oil company at a time when energy and oil legislation is at the top of our nation's to-do list. - Aaron Krug
No doubt female Hillary Clinton supporters will swarm to a candidate who is militantly anti-choice and who is aligned with the far right on this issue. :) What a miscalculation. - Sean McBride
I am soooo excited for Biden/Palin debate...that is going to be the summer blockbuster we've all been waiting for...bombs, gunslinging, explosions! Ha! - George Lee via twhirl
Pick makes sense on a lot of levels (my preference was for Meg Whittman, for sake of full disclosure). She's an executive - something none of the other candidates / running mates have ever been - who has largely cut her teeth fighting Republican corruption and fiscal irresponsibility. That alone makes her an attractive veep. She's also had an actual job in the private sector, which certainly helps - Obama hasn't, and McCain / Biden have both been in government longer than not. - Forrest Cox
She's also extremely well versed in the energy issue, which will be a big one in the election. She's more pro-gay rights than most far-right christian conservatives, but is very pro-life, which will excite the base. She will also, by virtue of who she is (watch an interview and you'll get the picture), be incredibly popular with the base. - Forrest Cox
She has 5 kids, one of them with Downs Syndrome - Josh Haley
Yeah, I vote with my uterus...truthiness - Cheryl Allin
LOL Cheryl! But yes, it is insulting that this seems to say we don't care about her stance on issues- she's female so we'll vote for her. Ewe'd think they thought we were sheep. :) - Abby Martin
Well, I just phoned 3 female HRC supporters and they are all now voting Obama. They resent McCain's obvious tactic that they would just vote for a woman regardless and are all pro-choice. The surprise move may well backfire. "I am NOT voting for Dan Quayle 2" said one. - Sally Church
She isn't a "working mother" or a "professional woman" - she's a "mama" (yes, it's how she refers to herself). Married / engaged male "red-state" voters now officially have no choice in who to vote for - they WILL vote for McCain-Palin, or they will sleep on the couch for the rest of their wed-lives... - Forrest Cox
Sally, but were they anti-Obama before the pick is what I'd like to know. Some of them are scaring me. - Cyndy
@Sean, @Abby, @Sally - I actually think McCain decided to write-off his chances of attracting HRC voters here - Whittman would have been the pick if he were seriously targeting that group. Palin was meant to excite the Conservative base (which she will) - remember, "core" conservatives aren't pleased that they're stuck with John McCain. - Forrest Cox
Who's going to handle the moose union strikes while she's campaigning with McCain? - Rod Bauer via twhirl
Forrest -- your analysis makes a good deal of sense. It turns out that Palin is also pro-intelligent design and pro-creationism (and therefore anti-science): http://tinyurl.com/553wfz McCain is offering a bone to the far right, not to Hillary Clinton supporters. - Sean McBride
Cyndy: One of them was, the other two neutral. Bill C's speech had them wavering and this morning's news had them switching. - Sally Church
Forrest: ah but this is going to get complicated - my conservative friends are in shock he didn't pick Romney or Ridge so now they are wavering even though they dislike Biden. It's going to be a fascinating election that may go down to the wire again. - Sally Church
@David - seems to me like a bunch of McCain supporters raiding an HRC message board. I'm not saying that Palin's gender didn't have anything to do with her selection. But her other credentials stand on their own and are probably better suited to current Republican circumstances than any of the other "political" choices save for perhaps Eric Cantor or Bobby Jindal. Again, it's easy to demonize Republicans for a lot of things, but who's being intellectually insulting here? - Forrest Cox
@Sally - I'd chalk that up to the unfamiliarity factor (provided they really are "conservative"). She's actually more conservative than Romney (by a wide margin), and while she's not as far to the right as is Tom Ridge, I don't believe he was ever seriously considered. His primary credentials are security on nat sec, where McCain doesn't think he needs any help. But you're probably right, it is going to go down to the wire, again. - Forrest Cox
@Forrest take a look at those post counts that board isn't getting swamped with new users. Palin is a good choice for McCain for a variety of reasons, one of which is attracting disenfranchised Hillary fans - David Knight
You know, even without the VP pick, I still don't get the McCain allure. He supports continued and/or expanded US involvement in war and his tax plan caters to the rich. How exactly is that something a majority of Americans want? We're a nation drowning in debt with a currency in the tank. Is it just social conservatives hunkering down? - AJ Kohn
@David - The point remains that her choice is one that was made to shore up the base. How many pro-life, small government, lower taxes, pro-drilling, anti-gay marriage legalization voters cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton for any reason OTHER than the fact that she was a woman? If those are the HRC supporters McCain was targeting, I'd posit that he had every reason to expect their votes in November anyways. - Forrest Cox
Some of us believe that pulling out of Iraq on a timeline could leave it and the area in worse shape than the mess we've already made. Personally I'd prefer neither candidate push for more tax cuts, the sheer amount of money it's going to take to pay for SS and Medicare/Medicaid is frightening enough w/o creating more debt now. Plus it's hard for me to tell if they believe tax cuts will help or if they are trying to buy votes/donations. - David Knight
@AJ - Actually he doesn't favor "expansion" of our involvement there - he just wants to win. He also was privy to the deal on a U.S. pullout, and rightly understood that the surge would lead to LESS emphasis on the War in the general election. Your tax analysis seems to ignore the notion that, by and large, MOST Americans want lower taxes: full stop. The class warfare thing plays less well on Main Street than most urban-dwellers would assume... - Forrest Cox
might I point out that SNL is going to have a field day with this choice, since she looks remarkably like Tina Fey.... - Ronald
@Forrest: So, which candidate is more likely to engage in a war with Iran? Which candidate said we'd be in Iraq for 100 years? You're right, McCain does just want to win, that - to me - is the blind spot. Win at what cost? Both human and dollars. Sorry, the fact that everyone wants lower taxes doesn't not obviate the distribution of tax cuts by McCain. Imagine lower gas prices for those driving cars selling for over $60K. Where about in the heartland are you from? - AJ Kohn
Forrest - what in the world does "winning" in Iraq mean? The Iraq War is already the biggest foreign policy disaster in American history -- there is no way now to recover the several trillions of dollars that have been committed to producing an outcome that is radically injurious to the American interest. The main beneficiaries of the Iraq War have been Iran, Muslim fundamentalists, Israel and war profiteers in the military-industrial complex. The Iraqi people are so angry at Americans for all the damage we have done that they are handing prime oil contracts to nations like China. McCain's words are empty, without content. - Sean McBride
Forrest -- and I just discovered that Sarah Palin, the Republican VP pick, is also clueless about what John McCain means by "winning" in Iraq. The truth is, McCain hasn't the slightest idea of what he is talking about on this all-important issue and neither do any John McCain supporters. - Sean McBride
Forrest: McCain's empty words about "winning" in Iraq: "U.S. forces will pull out of Iraq because they are seriously overextended, both financially and in manpower. They will also pull out because the rest of the world is starting to realize just how powerless the U.S. has become -- with its army bogged down in Iraq. In any event, it doesn't really matter when or how they pull out. The damage is already done. The Islamists now have a freer hand in Iraq than they did under Sadaam. Just look at the current Iraqi administration. It is already dominated by the Islamist party, even though it is nominally under U.S. control." - Sean McBride
"A thin layer of water frost is visible on the ground around NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander in this image taken by the Surface Stereo Imager at 6 a.m. on Sol 79 (August 14, 2008), the 79th Martian day after landing. The frost began to disappear shortly after 6 a.m. as the sun rose on the Phoenix landing site." - Roberto Bonini via Bookmarklet
I love how the last the two Merits are "Religious - sends children to church or Sunday school and goes herself" followed by "Lets husband sleep late on Sunday and holidays." No double standards here. - Rachel L Fisher via Bookmarklet
I like the 'between the linesness' of "Never goes to bed angry, always makes up first" - Vicky Pearce
Apparently you will be a 'superior' wife, but only barely. You'd do better if you made me breakfast in the morning and saved disciplining the children for me when I get home. - Kevin Fox
Ok, that page has a link where the whole booklet was scanned and added to Flickr. It includes the husband test. Just as funny. - Cyrus Lendvay
Is there something on there about letting your husband go to Burning Man while you stay home and take care of the kids? - April Buchheit
Awesome, I have to go look at the Husband test. Kevin, how did you answer the questions for me? Cause when I answered for myself I got a negative score! - Rachel L Fisher
BTW, a husband gets 10 points for "Attends church or urges children to attend sunday school" - Cyrus Lendvay
"Puts her cold feet on husband at night to warm them" Isn't that what husbands are for? - Ragani Harris
While deciding the answers to some questions, I decided that the answers I gave had to be confidential to be honest. I would expect no less from you. :-) - Kevin Fox
I never would have expected wearing red nail polish to be a negative. - Gabe Schaffer
"LIL is a year long project where we follow Blue, a person struggling with depression and alcoholism. LIL's aim is to expose the everyday thought processes a person struggling with mental illness and addiction may experience - to create empathy or understanding for those dealing with similar issues. So welcome to my graphic diary and Blue's year of struggle and personal growth. I promise the ending is optimistic. If you find yourself relating a bit too much to Blue, please get help. Living in misery is just a huge waste of time and energy. lessonsinloneliness[at]gmail[dot]com" - edythe via Bookmarklet
Srsly, after seeing her on the news today I think the lady looks like a weird Fey-Lowenski cross. But yeah, I'm guessing Tina Fey will have some SNL special appearance gigs over the next couple of months. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)
@Jason Carreira...I see his plan now...always "working" late at the White House with the VP? It's like a late night Cinemax movie plot....not that I'd know... - Live4Soccer
What illness did she have? A type of cancer, I'm assuming. It looks as though she's getting chemo in one of the photos...or is it cystic fibrosis or something of that nature? - Mattie Kenny
i agree, but that one is done by a professional, and it is not as depressing as the one with the bride. the first one is more powerfull. - Mladen Srdić
