Neal Jansons

"There's something I've been noticing lately in theists' arguments against atheists. When you start paying attention, you notice how many of them aren't really arguments. And no, I'm not even talking about the "I feel it in my heart" or "'Cause the Bible tells me so" non-arguments. Silence means securityI'm talking about the "Shut up, that's why" arguments. I'm talking about the arguments that are meant to stop the discussion entirely. I'm talking about the arguments whose main purpose is to try to get atheists to stop making their arguments." - Neal Jansons via Bookmarklet

"SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea launched seven ballistic missiles Saturday into waters off its east coast in a show of military firepower that defied U.N. resolutions and drew global expressions of condemnation and concern. The salvo, confirmed by the South Korean government, also appeared to be a slap at the United States as Washington moves to enforce U.N. as well as its own sanctions against the isolated regime for its May 25 nuclear test. The launches came on July 4, which is U.S. Independence Day. The display was similar to one that took place three years ago, also while Americans celebrated the Fourth of July during another period of tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program." - Neal Jansons via Bookmarklet

"While South Carolina’s political establishment wrestles with the fate of Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), Ron Parks has already moved on. He’s one of the organizers of a July 4 Tea Party in Charleston, a rally that will celebrate America and protest the way that President Barack Obama is governing it. “We had 6,000 people show up at the last Tea Party in Charleston, on April 15, when [Gov.] Sanford spoke,” said Parks, a contractor who lost his job earlier this year and quickly found work as a volunteer with the Tea Party movement. “We’re expecting fewer people this time, but I’d love to have to eat my words.” With no great fanfare and little national media coverage, the people who organized the April 15 Tea Parties are gearing up for a new day of protests against government spending and higher taxes. Hundreds of rallies will take place, at least one in every state, in public places and in parks rented out for the occasions. Many of the same people are involved. Most of the conservative... more... - Neal Jansons via Bookmarklet

"10. Put on red campaign suit, had an unstoppable urge to call a press conference, and, well, had to announce something. 9. Part of careful plan to capture the White House by convincing Americans she's the leading incoherent, out-of-control Republican. 8. She can see crazy from her backyard. 7. That'll show the world McCain made a great choice in picking her! Yeah! 6. Only way to exorcise those awful chain-rattling Ghosts of Machine-Gunned Moose Past. 5. Bridge to Nowhere, meet Leaper. 4. Michael Jackson so needed to be knocked out of first place on Twitter. 3. You don't understand? You'll have to wait for Mark Sanford's next press conference. 2. Face it: Alaska's a dump. [Hey, these are her reasons, not mine!] 1. Desperate bid to be mocked by Tina Fey one last time." - Neal Jansons via Bookmarklet

"As America celebrates its 233rd year of independence from England today, many red-blooded Americans will celebrate the old-fashioned way, by going outdoors, having a picnic or barbecue, decorating everything in red, white and blue and watching or holding their own fireworks displays. But in this rough economy lots of people are choosing to stay close to home. Who really wants to spend lots of money traveling, fight huge crowds and possibly blow off your fingers? Luckily we've got you covered." - Neal Jansons via Bookmarklet

"WASILLA, Alaska - Sarah Palin announced Friday she plans to resign as governor of Alaska in a few weeks, saying she will try to "affect positive change" from outside government. Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2008, made the announcement at a press conference Friday. She said the decision has been "in the works" for a while and comes after "prayer and consideration."" - Neal Jansons via Bookmarklet

Here comes the Talk show! - Michael Fidler

Sweet - Rodfather

If I was ever a FanBoy for anything, it was for the Amiga! Too bad commodore F%$ked them up! - Michael Fidler

"Okay, it’s not exactly the Camp David Summit that took place in 2000 between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but sometimes the littlest gestures can go a long way. A couple of days ago, upon hearing that Microsoft had officially joined Twitter, the official Linux account sent out a tweet welcoming them. “Welcome to Twitter, @Microsoft!,” they said. The tweet sat unanswered for over a day, and it seemed like Microsoft may never answer. But about a few hours ago, they did. “@Linux thanks, nice to be here,” they replied. Short, sweet, and to the point. A sign of peace in the operating system ecosystem? Probably not. But it’s something — just look at the shirts that were going around in this war just a few years ago (above). Twitter is turning into quite the sanctuary for rivals to at least pretend to be nice to each other. Just look at Coke and Pepsi the other day." - Neal Jansons via Bookmarklet

Why do I feel a kind of multi-level of meta sarcasm in these tweets? :) - directeur

"The head of the Republican Governor's Association said on Friday that in emails sent to him moments before she announced her resignation as governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin discussed expanding the role she played in the Republican Party." - Neal Jansons via Bookmarklet

"In Sarah Palin's resignation announcement she complained about the treatment of her son Trig who always teaches her life lessons. She said that the "world needs more Trigs, not fewer." That's a presidential campaign promise we can all get behind. She will be the first politician to actually try to increase the population of retarded people. To me, it's kinda like saying the world needs more cancer patients because they teach us such personal lessons. Her first act as President: To introduce a Pre-K lunch buffet that includes lead paint chips. Sort of a Large HEAD-START Program. She will then encourage women to hold off on pregnancies until their 40's just to mix up some chromosomes. She now is in favor of abortion only in case of diploid birth. Her policies will increase jobs because Wal-Mart is building new stores each day and someone has to be the greeter. This will lead to smaller government because fewer Americans will have the cognitive ability to hold a government job. Look,... more... - Neal Jansons via Bookmarklet

She doesn't even need to do any of that. Her drive to destroy science education in this country would do that quite handily. Her branch of the Right Wing has, as one of its big goals, the elimination of science education. - Tad, Anti-Immanentizer

Well, of course. They want to go back to a period they understand...no ambiguity, clear lines of authority and control, no need for self-awareness or personal responsibility. They want to go back to childhood, essentially. - Neal Jansons via IM

"Apparently, I’m supposed to read my clients’ minds. I’m supposed to know exactly the style, content, and length of every project a client wants taken care of, typically on the basis of a one-line email. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only freelancer who is expected to offer telepathy as a form of client communication, either. Actually becoming telepathic isn’t particularly likely, but there are a few ways to get a better idea of what a client is actually thinking." - Neal Jansons via Bookmarklet