Homer Simpson Votes Again!

I heard The Simpsons weren't so funny recently. Well, this doesn't seem too bad to me.

The Romney Gaffes

By now everyone who will care has heard about the statements Mitt Romney made in a millionaire fundraiser back in May that was released by Mother Jones. And arguing it was "out of context" won't help here, especially since the full video of the event is now available with transcripts.

Calling nearly half the country moochers in effect, people that can't take responsibility for themselves and need government help, isn't going to be popular. And the facts are amazingly wrong; about 47% don't pay income taxes because they are in interesting categories such as the 2/3 that have payroll taxes (something Romney doesn't pay), the the elderly who don't have an income, or the soldiers fighting overseas whose combat pay isn't taxes. Sure there are some left that indeed don't work hard and are not responsible, but it's no where near 150 million people in the US.

That coupled with statements of how Palestinians don't want peace or that Latinos becoming a voting block for Democrats like African Americans are would be bad for the country, and this hasn't been a good week. But fortunately, we can still get some comedy joy out of this.

Take it away, Jon!



But that just wasn't miserly enough.  Hmm, maybe this?

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - An Elegant Message to the 47%
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Oh, what joy. But really, if Romney wins now I don't know what to think.

Prepare for Zombies!

In an interesting campaign by the government to have people be prepared for various disasters, they have told citizens to prepare for a zombie apocalypse. (I guess they saw the success in promoting disease vector research using zombies.)

Well, the suggestions of having an extra pair of clothes, fresh water, medication and flashlights are good ideas. But for zombies, I'm thinking a bit... different. More like, oh, I don't know, a lot of firepower and enough canned beans to last until next century? Oh, and don't forget the chainsaws!

Then again, that is what we should expect if we fire Bruce Campbell as Secretary of the Interior. Groovy!

The Supply-Side Lorax

I'm glad I didn't see the new movie incarnation of The Lorax and what they did to the story. It's too much a load of anti-corporationism while being filled with corporate sponsorship. But at least someone can and did have fun with the character.



Thank you, College Humor! Reminds me also of Supply-Side Jesus.

The Man with No Name and the Party with No Idea What It's Doing

By this point, you probably know about the "great" speech given by Clint Eastwood on the last day of the Republican National Convention. The 12 minutes of unscripted banter against an empty chair. To quote George Takei: OH, my!




And how it is beautifully deconstructed by Jon Stewart:



Oh, that was cathartic. Only thing that has been more so was the first season of The Newsroom. (5 stars!)

A Monty Python Life with Graham Chapman

I'm a pretty big Monty Python fan, though I didn't really know of it when one of its cast members, Graham Chapman, died in 1989. But it looks like he created a fake autobiography before passing, and how it will come to life.



Looks like it will come out in some theaters in late 2012 and more widely in 2013. I'll have to see if tickets will materialize in my part of the world. Otherwise, this goes straight to the Amazon Wish List.

Then again, seeing a Graham Chapman movie may feel a bit awkward. Hope it doesn't go like this:

Edward Falzon Talk Tonight

In about an hour I'm going to a talk by Edward Falzon (his website here). Currently he is on a book tour, and this is his only scheduled stop in Ohio.

Who is Edward? He is the author of the book Being Gay is Disgusting, which has a lot of fun paraphrasing the chapters of the Pentateuch.

And his talk tonight?

To officially launch this "Biblical Morality" book-series, Edward is embarking on a 59-city American tour from July 2012. On the tour, he will demonstrate that we're good people in spite of the Bible, not because of it, and that it's time to set this Iron-age nonsense aside, for good.

Should be a fun and (slightly?) irreverent listen.

Best (Fake) Early Curiosity Photos

Previously I showed the first thumbnail pictures the Mars rover Curiosity sent down. Here is something a bit more enhanced: 

And one of the Mars orbiters was able to photograph the decent of the rover, at least the parachute stage:

But thanks to the Internet, there are already some clever, tongue-in-cheek hoaxes.

Lesson of the day: I need to learn photoshop since these were up on the 'net within an hour of landing. Then again...

Mo Day

A message from Muhammad:

Surah 109

[109.1] Say: O unbelievers!
[109.2] I do not serve that which you serve,
[109.3] Nor do you serve Him Whom I serve:
[109.4] Nor am I going to serve that which you serve,
[109.5] Nor are you going to serve Him Whom I serve:
[109.6] You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion.

...[109.7] Keep it real, yo!

Happy Draw Muhammad Day!

A Savior is Born!

Tis the Season, and how about a reason to be jolly?

For on Christmas Night, to us a Savior is born!

Oh, sorry about the typo. A Saver is born. And isn't that really what Christmas is all about? Take it from the Wise Men.

Strangely enough, I'm still betting the manger has a PS3. After all, when I think baby Jesus, I think Castlevania.

Scholarly Comedy

Where are the best places to get a good laugh? Comedians obviously make a buck out of being funny, but sometimes the non-professional is great as well. Of course, what one may find funny is a matter of context and taste.

For example, DarkMatter2525 on YouTube has made a good number of entertaining atheist comedy videos which also have insights into religiosity. Funny, vulgar (very NSFW), and blasphemous. Perfect!

And even scholars can make good jokes on occasion. Here is an example I just came across. Stephen C. Carlson, "The Accommodations of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem: Καταλυμα in Luke 2.7," New Testament Studies 56 (2010): 326-42 writes about the meaning of the term often translated as "inn" when talking about the birth of Jesus in Luke 2. He refers to a 16th century scholar named Francisco Sánchez de las Brozas or El Brocense who argued that the stable scene from nativity plays was not a proper representation of what the Gospels depict. He was called before the Spanish Inquisition, no laughing matter. He was reprimanded rather than imprisoned in the end, though he would later be called before the Inquisition but died before things got well underway.

In the end, Carlson argued that the term in its context meant that Mary and Joseph didn't have enough space for a new-born in the place they were staying, apparently a home of Joseph. I am not persuaded by the argument, especially supposing Joseph had a home in Bethlehem that he just left 40 days after getting there and leaving for Nazareth. Nonetheless, Carlson notes how scholarship has come a long way since the 16th century:

"Now, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition."

That that made it into a paper shows either that editors have a sense of humor or things are going terribly wrong in theological circles. Oh, I mean other than there not actually being a God.

Crime Doesn't Pay

I will be going to the airport soon, and this not long after coming from a trans-Atlantic round-trip a couple of weeks ago. I don't mind plane rides other than it's impossible to lay back far enough to sleep well. At least that's the case in coach. A few hundred more dollars, maybe I'll enjoy a higher class seat. As long as I have a book and an occasional drink, all if fine.

But what kills me is waiting for getting on the plane. Obviously between connecting flights you need some layover time or potentially miss a flight. On my most recent round-trip, I had a seven hour layover in Chicago. I knew that going in, but the plane had mechanical problems. This added another two hours or so of waiting. This waiting period became longer than the actual flight! You can't read anything that long without your eyes burning out. And with $9 crappy beer in a plastic cup, it's hard to make the time go well.

It almost feels criminal, and in fact I think it is. The airports are literally killing. Killing time.

The shear level of chronocide is astounding. There has to be a better way. Unfortunately, with the complexity of the machines involved and the large numbers of people to operate and who need to travel, it's hard to get past the problem. Other than everyone gets flying cars or teleporters, I don't know what can solve this.

What can make mass transit more efficient?

I can think of one thing: make chronocide criminal. That is, if you have to wait longer for a plane than you should, that should be compensated financially. Perhaps this will give an incentive to airlines to find ways of minimizing delays. Inter-airline competition obviously has not eliminated such delays, probably since all airlines are willing to accept delays and so creates a plateau of wasted time no one can avoid. But if chronocide becomes too expensive for airports and airlines, maybe that could change it.

Holy Silly Jokes, Batman!

People have a lot of free time when they produce a way to create your own dialogue in an old comic book. But then again, how can you resist trying when all the hard work is done for you?

I couldn't.



Dare I bring up Rick James?