Science is Cool: Hovering Disk "Locked" in Mid-Air

I'm not even going to pretend to understand how this works, or why the scientist dude isn't flash-freezing his fingers on the liquid nitrogen-soaked puck. But it's nifty, I'll give 'em that! Thanks again to Stupid Monkey Planet for helping keep things interesting around here!

[Excerpt]


Cool Party Trick: Frozen Puck Hovers in Mid-Air



Researchers at the school of physics and astronomy at Tel Aviv University have created a track around which a superconductor can float, thanks to the phenomenon of “quantum levitation“. . .


Read more at: Life's Little Mysteries

The World Ends Today, Sorry

James Van Der Beek expresses my reaction to
Harold Camping's prediction.

Harold Camping, the soothsaying preacher with a .000 batting average at doomsday predictions says that Friday, October 21 is the end of the world. Or at least the beginning of the end. Or something. Plan accordingly.

[Excerpt]

Harold Camping Revises Apocalypse Prediction For Friday 

Like every other doomsday prophecy throughout history, the May 21st rapture promised by Oakland-based Family Radio network owner Harold Camping never materialized. The 90-year-old, self-styled prophet now claims the world will end by this Friday and not with a bang, as previously predicted, but rather with a whimper. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

CBS TV is 60 Years Old

Image from AOLTV

I have to say, this surprises me. It shouldn't, since I know that broadcast television started in the late 1940s, so 1951 sounds about right. But damn, I'm 45 years old. CBS was only 15 when I was born? I Love Lucy debuted on CBS in 1951, and was a hit right out of the gate, meaning that CBS was too.

When I was a kid--when there were still basically three networks and a couple of independent channels--it was ABC that was the network to watch. Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Charlie's Angels. . .CBS didn't make as big of a dent. They were big with shows like Barnaby Jones, The Waltons, Gunsmoke and Cannon. But they started to get a little "hip" factor with The Incredible Hulk, The Dukes of Hazzard, Wonder Woman, Magnum PI, Simon & Simon and Dallas. And who didn't like The Carol Burnett Show? So, happy birthday, CBS, even if you did make too many years of Murder, She Wrote and The King of Queens.

[Excerpt]


CBS Celebrates Eye Logo Anniversary

For 60 years the CBS logo has been watching you watch TV. The iconic eye logo debuted 60 years ago on Oct. 20, 1951 and has been an ever-present fixture on the network. . .

Read more at: AOLTV

Sgt. Bachmann's Lonely Heart's Club Band

I described Michele Bachmann's clothing at Wednesday's debate as a majorette's uniform.  My good friend Stupid Monkey Planet saw it a little differently. Either way, it was surely picked out by her fabulous husband, Marcus.

Click to watch a subtle animation. Created by Stupid Monkey Planet.

Halloween Horrors: Scary Movies to Avoid

It's that time of year again, and it's my fifth Halloween on the blog. So, for the next week and a half, I'll be re-running, re-writing or coming up with new lists of horror films to complete your Halloween weekend. The scariest, the goriest, the funniest, and of course the worst horror films. Let's start with the ones to avoid.

Images from source, Wikipedia

This is the third Halloween season for Greenlee Gazette, and one of my favorite times of the year. Why? Because it gives me an excuse (as if I needed any) to watch horror movies! I have several "Top 10" lists of various categories of horror movies that I've written over the last two years (which I'll be sharing again soon). I had my favorite scary horror movies, my favorite funny horror movies, and even "so bad, they're good" horror movies.

The one category I forgot? Well, I did a list of "bad" horror films, but there is something to enjoy about most of the movies in that list. No, this list is of horror movies so bad, they're just bad. Some of them may have one or two redeeming features, maybe one memorable scene. But by and large, anything on this list should be avoided. Do not get the DVD if it's at Big Lots for $3. Do not get it for 50 cents at a yard sale. Do not watch it on cable while you're laid up with the flu. Avoid. As in don't watch.

Greenlee Gazette's Top 10 Scary Movies to Avoid

In no particular order. . .

1. The Happening (2008) - This movie was marketed as sort of a psychological thriller/sci-fi/pseudo-horror film, you know. . .like every other M. Night Shyamalan movie. This overrated director/producer/writer hit his nadir with this one, one of the worst major studio films ever made. Technically, it doesn't look so bad. It's not the cinematography or the editing. I'll even give Shyamalan props for the production values in general. That does not make up for the utterly unbelievable, unconvincing and strange dialogue, plot and acting by all concerned. Mark Wahlberg couldn't even save this one. See my full review here:
DVD Movie Review: The Happening

2. Soul Survivors (2001) - This one slid under my radar for a long time. It has cover art evocative of practically every teen horror film of the last dozen or so years, with its lineup of sexy young actors, lead by Eliza Dushku. Or rather, she's featured most prominently on the box, but is a supporting actress in the movie. The film tries to do too much, tries to make itself deep, and in doing so, comes off as a convoluted mess. In fact, it feels like I've seen a similar concept in a different film. It has the type of ending that leves me thinking, "Okay, so why did I just watch that?" Casey Affleck and Wes Bentley are cuties, and I'm a huge Dushku fan, but this one is worse than just "meh." It's a waste of time.

3. The Fog (2005) - Don't ask me how I've avoided the original version of this film for 30 years, but I've never seen it. All the better then to watch the remake, right? I mean knowing nothing about the story, it could work all on its own merits. No. Dreadful. Boring. Pointless. I tried to make it through, and shut it off before it was over (possibly with 5 or 10 minutes to go, seriously). It's long, it meanders, and is not at all what it seemed to promise. John Carpenter has done much, much better than this. Sorry, even Superboy/Superman Tom Welling wasn't enough.

4. Cloverfield (2008) - Given the people behind this film (J.J. Abrams and Drew Goddard), and the premise (big monster attacks Manhattan, in real time), this should have been great. It's not. There are things of technical interest, the way the film is shot and constructed. But the story? No.

5. April Fool's Day (2008) - Unlike the original (see here), this movie isn't particularly funny, nor is it entertaining. It's only nominally a remake, and utterly skippable. Do so.

6. War of the Worlds (2005) - Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg and a concept by H.G. Wells. What could go wrong? Everything. As a long-time Wells fan, I've liked many different versions of this story, from the book to the 80s TV series. But this big, Hollywood "event movie" was even a bigger letdown than Cloverfield or The Happening. Not as bad as The Happening mind you, I just had higher expectations.

7. Psycho (1998 Remake) - Gus Van Sant remade--shot for shot--Alfred Hitchcock's beyond classic original. Why? Nobody knows, not even Vince Vaughn or Anne Heche.

8. Any Hellraiser film after the first two or three, maybe after the first (still a classic).

9. Any Halloween film beyond the original, with the possible exception of parts II, 4 and 5. I'll except the Rob Zombie remake, but his sequel is definitely in the "avoid" list.

10. Any post-Scream horror film, with DVD cover-art consisting of 4-6 pretty young actors, lined up for a glamor shot (see Soul Survivors, above).

George Carlin: The American Dream

Many would call me a "lefty, liberal blogger," and I am a registered Democrat. But it's only because that is the party that fits best, not because I'm a big fan of it. It's just that I find the Republican party to be on the whole, nasty and mean. But I'm aware both parties have corruption, both parties are "playing the game." Lobbyists from every corporation have infiltrated them both. My only card is that the Republicans are worse. It can get depressing. Especially when I review this video, made a couple of years before George Carlin died. It's cynical. You could dismiss him as a grouchy old man. But he's right. He's so right.

Latest Debate Audience Cheer: Blame the Unemployed!

I know that Herman Cain's pronouncement that "if you're not rich, or you don't have a job, blame yourself" is popular amongst arch-conservatives. And I get it, with the rich ones. They have no foundation upon which to base their conclusion. They figure, "hey, I'm rich, I've got a job," and they think that it is all due to their hard work, smarts, and good ol' American know how!  But the fact of the matter is, a lot of jobs were sent overseas by some of those "job creators." The fact is, there are many more unemployed people than there are available jobs. The fact is, that everyone can't be rich. Economies don't work that way. And the wider the income disparity gets, the worse off rich people will be. Do they want an America, where they have to drive armored vehicles, hire bodyguards, and live under the threat of constant crime? Because that would be the end game.

But Herman Cain is all about the sound bite. And the current GOP/Tea Party crowd is anxious to lap it up. Like a crowd in the Roman Arena, they'll viscerally cheer whatever satisfies their id. When will the Tea Party--which is not for the most part made up of the 1%, or even the 10%--realize that the Republican party doesn't care about them, except for their vote, and maybe will throw a bone to their abortion/gays/guns/god agenda?

Herman Cain's 9-9-9 Plan, Visualized

Everyone who isn't a Herman Cain fan had a pretty strong hunch that his 9-9-9 plan was just a load of hooey. I mean the 9% national sales tax on top of our local and state sales taxes was the clincher for me. But people who are better at math than I am have nailed down just what is wrong with it. Get ready to use your scroll wheel.

 

Source: Washington Post

Elizabeth Taylor Really Had Violet Eyes

I'm not sure that this shot of Liz, from Cleopatra is historically
accurate. Image from source.

Things can get a little heavy around here. So, thankfully, Stupid Monkey Planet sent me something a little lighter today. I always heard that Elizabeth Taylor had "violet eyes," but I guess I never tried to find out for myself. After all, I'm a child of the eighties, an era when Taylor was the butt of Joan Rivers' fat jokes. Anyway, file this away in your pop-culture brain zone. They really were purple.


[Excerpt]


Did Elizabeth Taylor Really Have Violet Eyes? 

Elizabeth Taylor will be remembered for many things — her passionate performances in films, fondness for expensive jewelry, multiple marriages and, of course, those famous violet eyes.

Thanks to colored contact lenses, anyone can have violet-colored eyes these days. Taylor didn't come by her purple peepers that way; the first tinted contact lenses weren't commercially available until 1983. Taylor's eye color was the real deal. . .

Read more at: Life's Little Mysteries

Zanesville, Ohio: Wild Animals Set Free, Killed

Tragic.

I suppose it's possible that you haven't heard about the dude who had tons of wild animals (Bengal tigers, lions, monkeys, etc.), set them free in Zanesville, Ohio, and then killed himself. But I doubt it. I thought I should mention it anyway, since I'm from Columbus, not so far from Zanesville. I knew people from there, and my step-dad used to have some exotic animals (snakes, turtles, alligators), but never knew anything like this.


I suppose the guy thought he was doing a good thing, releasing them? Or maybe he wanted them to savage the Zanesville populace. Whatever he was thinking, all he accomplished was getting most of them--some endangered--killed. On top of this, there's some back-and-forth about Governor Strickland passing an exotic animal ordinance, and Governor Kasich revoking it. I have no nice things to say about Kasich, and can see no good in revoking such a thing, but I don't know if in this case it would have made any difference.


[Excerpt]

Zanesville animals: 24 hours later, 1 monkey still on the loose

Only a few law enforcement officials remain on Kopchak Road at this time, and the road has been reopened 24 hours after the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office encountered exotic animals owned by Terry Thompson. And the three school districts that canceled classes on Wednesday -- Zanesville, West Muskingum and Maysville -- will be in session Thursday. . .

Read more at : Zanesville Times-Recorder

MSNBC Shuffles Lineup

Big Ed Schultz. Yeah, I'm not a fan.

I can't remember exactly when I started watching MSNBC. It was some time in George W. Bush's second term, maybe a little earlier, and Countdown with Keith Olbermann was just about the only show on television challenging the official word from the White House. The Karl Rove Alternate Reality Machine was in full swing, and the frustration from people like me was indescribable. Olbermann spoke to us, when nobody else--outside of comedy shows like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Real Time with Bill Maher and Saturday Night Live--would do it. So, I became a regular watcher.

By the time Countdown spawned The Rachel Maddow Show, I was really hooked, since was already a long-time fan of hers. But the problem was, this put a two-hour daily hole in my life, something that occasionally irks The Other Half. We thought we had the answer when Olbermann left MSNBC. But I quickly got hooked on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell. I like O'Donnell quite a bit. But he's only appointment viewing by firtue of his time slot.

My regular routine was to set the DVR for both shows, exercise after I got home from work, and then catch up with both, sans commercials. On most days, I still finished at about 7pm. But we're getting toward the early evenings now, and I'll have to switch to the gym, rather than walking outside. I'll be home later. I was already wondering if I needed to adjust my viewing habits. And then I found out that MSNBC made the decision for me. They're switching The Last Word and The Ed Show in the lineup. I'm not a fan of Ed's. And Lawrence is now on at 8:00pm, prime time. So, except for the odd exception, I'll be down to 1 hour of cable news again. That's probably a good thing, for me (and The Other Half). I'm not sure what MSNBC is thinking, though.

[Excerpt]


MSNBC shakes up primetime

 MSNBC has reshuffled its primetime lineup, with only Rachel Maddow staying in place at 9 p.m. Ed Schultz's "The Ed Show," which was moved to 10 o'clock from 6 p.m. earlier this year, will now start at 8, with Lawrence O'Donnell's "The Last Word" back in its original spot at 10. . .

Read more at: Variety

Herman Cain Puts $100K of Contributions into Herman Cain, Inc.?

I ain't gonna say I've always thought he was a con man.
Okay, yes I am. Photo from TPM.

You never know where those campaign contributions are gonna go, do you?

[Excerpt]

Herman Cain Spends $100K In Campaign Cash On Herman Cain Inc.

Given any money to Herman Cain lately? There’s a decent chance some of it went directly into the coffers of a for-profit company Cain runs.

A review of Cain’s last two FEC reports shows the campaign transferring just over $100,000 in cash to Herman Cain T.H.E. New Voice, a company that promotes Cain’s books and political philosophy. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Keith Olbermann's Worst Persons in the World Oct. 18, 2011

It's been a long time since I've featured something from Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Since Las Vegas Cox Cable doesn't carry Current TV, it often slips under my radar. But this one is pretty good, and features some heavy (anti-) favorites like Harold Camping, Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain. So, take it away, Keith!

"Christian" Newswire: Celebrities Responsible for Gay Suicide

Looks better with quotes around "Christian."

The word "Christian" is in the headline in quotes as snarky retribution for their use of "gay" in the same. In the case of the latter, the term for it is a scare quote, or possibly a futile protest that the dictionary definition of the word has more than one meaning. They do love their word definitions.

Anyway, I'm featuring the excerpted story below, only because I'm flabbergasted by its existence. It is about the suicide of a gay teenager, the latest in a string of them. Now, one could argue that publicizing particular suicides could cause the Werther effect, the very real syndrome of copycat suicides. But "Christian" Newswire doesn't go there. No, they believe that gay kids kill themselves because they haven't been made to feel bad enough.

These moral crusaders like to toss around words like perverse. But what is truly perverse is to blame gay teen suicides on people who try to make them feel better about themselves. Bill Keller, the subject of--and possibly the speaking-in-third-person author--of this piece has turned a real trick with this viewpoint. He also has absolutely, positively no idea what he's talking about.

Jamie Hubley killed himself because he was bullied
for being gay. It wasn't Anderson Cooper's,
Ellen DeGeneres' or Rachel Maddow's fault.

Keller says: "A 15-year-old has no real understanding of sexuality, and most are still trying to figure out life and how they fit in."  Ask any adult when they knew if they liked girls or boys. I'd wager the high ninety percentile would peg it earlier than 15.  Personally, I knew for sure at 14, and can recognize signs as far back as five years old.

Keller says: "The fact is, suicide is exponentially higher amongst those who choose the homosexual lifestyle, and while those in the media want to blame people like myself who take a Biblical stand on this issue, the fact is, they are the ones most responsible!"  Yeah, I'm not sure Keller knows what "exponentially" means, but it is true that suicides are higher among gay kids. But it is precisely because of the hellfire, brimstone and bullying. Not solely because they're gay, but because of the reaction to it. And don't get me started on "choose," and "lifestyle." This is another of the many areas where Keller is clueless.

"Over the past 20 years, Liveprayer has helped thousands of men and women make the choice to turn from the sin of homosexuality." Bullshit. Prove it. And exactly how many have you driven to suicide, jackass?

Ugh. As you can see this claptrap pisses me off. And it probably just makes people like Keller happy to get my goat. But people like my Mom like to shrug and say that "most" people don't have a problem with gay people. "Just ignore them," she would say. I'm sorry, I can't. I've got to call them out.

[Excerpt]


Cooper, Maddow, DeGeneres, The Media, Responsible for the Suicide of Hubley

Bill Keller, the world's leading Internet Evangelist and the founder of LivePrayer.com, with over 2.4 million subscribers worldwide reading the daily devotional he has written every morning for 12 years on the issues of the day from a Biblcial worldview, is calling out Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, Ellen DeGeneres, the media, and gutless pastors for the suicide of a Canadian teen who claimed to be "gay. . ."

Read more (if you dare) at: "Christian" Newswire

What Happens in Vegas: Contentious GOP Debate

Yes, I watched the danged thing, but no more up close than most anyone else. And thank goodness for that. I watched from home with my Mac open on my lap, and my mouse constantly refreshing my twitter feed. With people like Patton Oswalt, Lizz Winstead, Kathleen Madigan, Ana Marie Cox, John Fugelsang and Aisha Tyler in my feed, it turns an interminable event into a party!

The candidates were throwing down, not throwing a party. Every single one of them is wrong about most everything, even though they all agree on several faux facts. But there is enough difference between them that they got to attack each other for being more wrong. Especially Mitt Romney and Rick Perry. Perry went after Romney hard on "illegals" who worked for him. Mitt dodged. Perry kept it up, until the crowd booed him. Perry's not smart enough to know that there are a lot of Mormons in Nevada, and some of them were in the audience.

Overall, it was every bit as bad as the other debates have been, with a little zazz, for the cat fights. Oh, and Michele Bachmann's majorette outfit (which I'm sure Marcus picked out).


[Excerpt]

Rick Perry And Mitt Romney Get Into Heated Fight Over Immigration

Mitt Romney and Rick Perry got into a heated exchange during Tuesday’s Republican debate in Las Vegas over the issue of immigration, with Perry accusing Romney of hiring illegal immigrants. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Concerns Over Religious Views of GOP Candidates

Image from source, Google News

And how-do-you-do, I'm not talking about Mitt Romney! In fact, as it regards the religious beliefs of the GOP contenders to the throne, I'd much rather see Mittens than most of the rest of them. Rick Santorum is religiously obsessed with gays and abortion. Herman Cain sings odes to Jebus and pizza. Ron Paul is certifiable, whatever his particular religion. But it's Michele Bachmann (now much less a threat) and Rick Perry (still a small one) that worry me (the afore mentioned Santorum is unelectable).

[Excerpt]

Election-year goals of Christian group questioned

. . .The Texas governor opened the door to the discussion with a prayer rally he hosted in August, a week before he announced his run for president. Organizers of the Houston event, such as Lou Engle, leader of The Call prayer marathons, and Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, had for several years been under the watch of mostly liberal writers alarmed by the preachers' rhetoric. . .

Read more at: Google News

KFC's Cheesy Bacon Bowl

I'd like to be appalled by this new Kentucky Fried Chicken menu item. But the truth is, I'm on the Atkins diet, and I put bacon in all kinds of things! In fact, leave out the breading on the chicken, and use mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes, and this one is just about Atkins-ready! Okay, I'd have to sub something for the corn, and maybe make my own gravy, but I may have to try it.

[Excerpt]


NEWS: KFC Tries To Prove Bacon Makes Everything Better With Their Cheesy Bacon Bowl



. . .Well, KFC is taking that power and adding it to their KFC Famous Bowl to create the Cheesy Bacon Bowl. All the goodness of a KFC Famous Bowl, sprinkled with chopped bacon, and all for just $3.99 at participating restaurants. . .

Read more at: The Impulsive Buy

Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link.

Translate Right-Speak with Redstate-a Stone!

Another one from Mike in Raleigh, a contributor to The Stephanie Miller Show.

Redstatetta Stone by Mike In Raleigh

Leading Conservative Site: "We Can Never Support Mitt Romney"

Well, the FReepers do hate fudge packers. . .

When I saw this, I knew I needed to record and date it. One of the purest distillations of the Tea Party; ie. the Republican base, is the internet site, FreeRepublic.com. They were born during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and have had their finger on The Drudge Report-fueled fringe conservative pulse ever since.  If you've never been there, I can't really recommend checking it out. It isn't for the faint of heart.

Any day at FreeRepublic will have something that makes you shake your head until it rattles. But this item really caught my eye:

[Excerpt]

Evidence. Click to embiggen.

Purpose of FR and why we can never support Mitt Romney


Our purpose and goal on FR is to restore, defend, preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States and to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity!!. . .


RINO Romney is one of the worst. We can thank him for being the chief architect of ObamaCare, which if we cannot get overturned and repealed, will finally accomplish the left's major objective of shredding the final remnants of our tattered constitution and ending our God-given Liberty forever (they think). . .


Here's Romney's record on some of our primary issues of concern compared to Obama's:

Issue:	Obama	Romney
Pro-Abortion	check	check
Gun-grabber	check	check
Gay rights	check	check
Gov forced healthcare	check	check
Tax payer funded abortion	check	check
Man-made global warming	check	check
Liberal judges	check	check
Liberal appointees	check	check
Ted Kennedy pal	check	check
Proven liar	check	check
Fraud	check	check
Liberal Progressive	check	check
Enemy of Reagan/Bush	check	check
Enemy of the tea party	check	check
Enemy of Liberty	check	check
Defender of the Constitution	no	no
Conservative	no	no
Works across the aisle	no	yes
Architect of ObamaCare	no	yes
Domestic Enemy	check	check
Useful idiot	check	check

Source: FreeRepublic

Now, obviously, there are many things to take issue with here, but that really isn't my point. The fact that President Obama has in no way "grabbed guns," is beside the point. No, this post is just to chronicle the viewpoint of the lead FReeper, Jim Robinson, and all of his fringe-right followers. Why? Because the fringe has officially taken center stage. And I want proof, in the likely event that Willard Mitt Romney is the nominee, that they said they "can never support Mitt Romney."

Mitt Romney Gets the "Bad Lip Reading" Treatment

Poor Mittens!