Since Dr. Horrible [and Harold and Kumar] I have a new appreciation for Neil Patrick Harris.

YouTube - Neil Patrick Harris Discusses Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Movie

"Timothy Leary's final regrets" - good stuff.

Via - Dedroidify: Timothy Leary's final regrets

Whoo Hoo, I say. A sequel to Dr. Horrible.

TV Guide Magazine | News | Dollhouse Boss Breaks Good Horrible News:

"There will be a second Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog, Joss Whedon said in a Thursday conference call with reporters to promote Dollhouse. The main question, he says, is whether he does it “on a shoe string again” or goes bigger budget and “invites other people into the process.” Either way, he promises that it won’t affect the storyline."

Original DVD available here.

Trailer


Act 1, Part 1

For my own mental health and sanity, I've culled my political blog reading to one: Radley Balko's The Agitator. Here's why.

The Agitator » Blog Archive » On “Respecting the Office”:

"I can’t remember if it was a Capitol Hill staffer or a former staffer who was then working for the Poker Players Alliance, but a guy came up afterward and complimented me on my testimony. He said he’d never heard someone be so direct with Congress while giving testimony. I responded that I’d never really bought into the sanctimony of Congress—the idea that congressmen by default deserve reverence because they hold a political office.

That apparently went too far. The guy was offended, even though he was on my side on the poker issue. He said something to the effect of, “But you have to respect the office and the institution.”

I don’t see why. Members of Congress sure as hell don’t respect the office or the institution. They regularly pass laws that aren’t authorized by the Constitution. And that’s just the stuff they do proudly. Never mind the corruption, exempting themselves from the laws they pass, pork spending, and . . . the list goes on.

I don’t agree with Sen. Jim Webb on much when it comes to economic policy. But the guy became a hero in my book when he refused to shake then-President George W. Bush’s hand at a White House ceremony a few years ago. Bush had sent Webb’s son off to fight in what Webb thought was a feeble excuse for a war. If anything, a politician who uses his power to achieve ignoble ends ought to be held in higher contempt than the rest of us. He certainly isn’t entitled to genuflection simply by virtue of his position."

Raleigh, North Carolina Win.

Overheard in the Office | Why the Company Lacks Diversity: Explained:

"Boss: The black one is almost 88% bigger, but the yellow one is more efficient.
Coworker: Let's just stick with the white ones, it's simple and we know how they work.

Raleigh, North Carolina"

"To put it simply, you can’t buy things to recapture the beauty of the past."

Well said, worth remembering. Via The Simple Dollar » Nostalgia

I understand the appeal of Italy now.

And I'm not even a wine drinker.

Rick Steves' Travel as a Political Act Blog:

"In Italy, they love their expensive red wine — but they also love their simple, fill-‘er-up-at-the-gas-station wine. Italians get their table wine cheap at filling stations like this."

Area Code 910, God Bless You.

texts from last night:

"(910): so just incase you wake up on the couch wondering how you got there--you came home at 7am, put ice in a cup--then you proceeded to put the cup in the microwave and melt it because you 'wanted water'. you then, fell down the stairs while saying 'you don't know me' then crawled to the couch."

Japanese Child Win - This is Adorable.

Japanese TV loves to put kids in "situations" and watch what transpires. Here, a shop owner's two boys are left in charge of the store and are confronted with what to do with a foreign customer. Too cute.

Via Foreigners only eat chocolate | Japan Probe

Winning at life.

texts from last night:

"(636): So Jesus turned water into wine. So what? I once turned a whole student loan into natty light. Your move holy man."

texts from last night:

"(925): 2 v-cards in one night. impossible is nothing."

I'mma let you finish...

I have a new understanding of cognitive dissonance.

For 8 years they told you that if you didn't wear a flag pin, thought Bush was a moron or protested against a pre-emptive war that would kill thousands of civilians, you were a traitor who hated America, the troops and babies. America, love it or leave it, you hippie scum.

Now, despite the fact that policy wise Obama is becoming, apparently, little more than Bush with smoother rhetoric - way to go there, Mr Hope and Change - those same people tell you the greatest thing you can do as an American is protest your government's tax and health plans. Also "fascism" and "secession" are worthy topics of consideration, on the table and merit serious thought.

I swear sometimes I hate humanity so much it burns. I really have got to stop reading political news.

Historical Facts - Budgets and deficits increase more under "small government, fiscally responsible" Republicans than under Democrats. "Hippie" Democrats send troops into harms way and start more wars than Republicans. It's all nonsense and they are lying to you.

"'I think the puppet on the right shares my beliefs...' 'I think the puppet on the left is more to my liking.' 'Hey, wait a minute, there's one guy holding out both puppets!'” - Bill Hicks

"I want you to be nice until it's time to not be nice."

Hit & Run ; Patrick Swayze Has Left Us For the Great Bar Fight in the Sky - Reason Magazine:

"The actor has died of cancer at 57. Some—perhaps most—people will remember Swayze primarily for his roles in Ghost and Dirty Dancing. Me? I'll remember him best as the lead beer-chugging, mullet-coiffed, naked-martial-arts-practicing bouncer in Road House...

Road House is one the great B-movies, and, even more crucially, it's pretty much the definitional flip-on-TBS-at-1-in-the-morning bad action flick. It's been a few years since I've seen it, but I'm pretty sure the plot involves Swayze and his fellow bouncer, played by Sam Elliot, doing nothing but drinking beer and bar-fighting for a solid forty-eight hours. I wouldn't call it believable, exactly, but Swayze's delightfully vacant Zen-thuggery—at times, he was a sort of proto-Keanu Reeves—made it easy not to care."

Doc: Your file says you've got a degree from NYU. What in?
Dalton: Philosophy.
Doc: Any particular discipline?
Dalton: No. Not really. Man's search for faith. That sort of shit.

His turn in The Beast last year was pretty damn good as well. RIP.

Michael Scott would be proud.

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Dayum.

texts from last night:

"(207): I think we should see other people.
(1-207): Already working on it."

Japan's best potato chip - O'ZACK - Sexy and Potato!

Seriously. "Sexy and Potato!" It says it right on the package.

From 2009-09-13

In other news, we have a new winner in the CHU-HI category -196C Zero Dry!

From 2009-09-13

The only food I seem willing to invest prep time in recently. They were awesome.

From 2009-09-13

A week at Elementary School...

Due to Jr High testing, 4 out of 5 days this week at Elementary school. Exhausting, but fun.

Actual Japanese Elementary School signage. Genius. Though I have doubts to its efficacy.

From 2009-09-13

From 2009-09-13

They attack from all angles.

From 2009-09-13

My new first grade buddy. He walks me back to the teacher's room and his tackle attempts turn into hugs. Also given to shouting out the Korean greeting "ahn-nyong-ha-se-yo" - though I'm not entirely sure why. Awesome little dude.

From 2009-09-13

The real way to change health care.

Great article. More at the link.

Fat Head » Cheaper Health Care:

"...my proposals aren’t based on the theory that the best way to bring down health-care costs is to spend another trillion dollars or so. In fact, my proposals would actually save the taxpayers money.

...Here’s how the federal government can realize those savings:

* Stop telling us what to eat, and admit that the earlier attempts to tell us what to eat were a mistake.
* Stop subsidizing corn and other grains.

...For decades, the federal government has been employing people whose job is to tell us what they think we should eat. In addition to their salaries, taxpayers also pay for the dubious research they conduct and the mountains of literature they produce and distribute. I say “dubious” because the primary purpose of the current research seems to be to prove that their previous advice wasn’t actually wrong … which it was. We don’t need these people...

The taxpayers also foot the bill for billions of dollars in annual farm subsidies. These subsidies were enacted in the 1930s as a “temporary” solution to the price shocks and instability of the Great Depression - which apparently never actually ended. In our continuing efforts to lift ourselves out of the Great Depression, we now provide wealthy corporations like Archer Daniels Midland with subsidy payments...

...We require much more medical treatment than we should largely because the federal government told us what we should eat, and by gosh, we listened. As you already know if you’ve seen Fat Head or read Good Calories, Bad Calories, the only macronutrient we consume more of now than in previous generations is carbohydrates. (We’ve actually cut back on fat, especially men.)

This didn’t happen by accident. It was the result of a senate committee on nutrition, headed by George McGovern, who believed everyone should switch to a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet to prevent heart disease. Plenty of researchers and scientists, including the head of the National Academy of Sciences, tried to tell the committee they were wrong - but McGovern knew he was right because his own doctor said so. (With that kind of authority backing you, it’s just a waste of time to wait for actual scientific proof.)

And so, with a big push from the McGovern committee, the FDA and the USDA, the low-fat, high-carb diet became the rage. We became a nation of fat-phobic grain and sugar eaters.

Meanwhile, the federal government made it cheaper for us to eat sugar and starch through massive grain subsidies. As the old farmer told the stars of King Corn, “You couldn’t make any money growing corn if not for the government payments.” Those government payments are the reason we feed cattle corn instead of letting them eat grass as nature intended. Subsidies are the reason high-fructose corn syrup is in half the products you’ll find in the grocery store, including bread. Dirt-cheap subsidized corn is the reason for Big Gulps and endless refills at the soda dispenser.

And here’s the happy result of all that government involvement in food and nutrition: Nearly one-fourth of all senior citizens have type II diabetes..."

"PSA 'And Now You Know'" - Too funny.

YouTube - PSA 'And Now You Know' - I Like Black Guys

YouTube - PSA 'And Now You Know' - Dating Advice

YouTube - PSA 'And Now You Know' - One Click

YouTube - PSA 'And Now You Know' - Drivers Be Warned

YouTube - PSA 'And Now You Know' - Race Jokes

Racism, you so crazy! - "While you think you're protecting yourself, in actuality you're provoking a savage attack."

YouTube - Racism in the Elevator **Official Video**

YouTube - Racism at the Bus Stop

Disney Buys Marvel, two possible futures.

YouTube - Marvel/DC: Disney Buys Marvel (Parody)

Nah, makes too much sense.

YouTube - Travel as a Political Act #12: Reduce Harm vs. Fight Crime

What I learned from this is that, apparently, only black people have Facebook relationship problems.

I'm a learner.

YouTube - FACEBOOK BREAK UP: Very Funny But True How Facebook Has Been Messing Up Relationships

The name, and the attitude, match.

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Sweet Tea, you evil bastard.

Born and raised in NC, I can attest to its prevalence, and my chubbiness thereof.

crush play: Guilty!!!:

"...It seems that southerners stand out among Americans as the fattest in the nation.

...People have come up with all kinds of reasons for this. It's some sort of cultural thing or something to do with a social demographic...blah blah blah. Nonsense. I have figured out the problem.

It's sweet tea (for any Yankees reading this, that's pronounced "sweeeteee"). If you have never had this drink, let me describe it for you. It is a sickeningly sweet concoction consisting of pure sugar and brewed iced tea. That's it. It's simple, sticky, and will send you into a sugary coma after a glass or so. Southerners drink this stuff by the gallon.

I did a little digging (for nutritional info) and thought I would share that with you too. The average 12 ounce glass of sweet tea contains 27 grams of sugar. That is almost exactly the amount of sugar in a Snickers candy bar, which has a sugar content weighing in at 28 grams.

...The largest of the bunch, a woman who must have weighed at least 300 pounds drank eight glasses all by herself. EIGHT GLASSES!!! That's 216 grams of sugar! The equivalent of eight Snickers candy bars with her lunch - and she had dessert too! Good grief.

So - there you have it. Is your blood sugar off the charts? REALLY????? Diabetes anyone?? Sweet tea = guilty (actually, to be more precise, southerners are guilty for drinking it in the first place)."