A colleague of mine, upon hearing that I am about to give up satellite TV in favor of a Hulu/Netflix solution, congratulated me, but not on my future $90-a-month savings. “Watching less TV is probably a good thing,” he opined, seemingly oblivious to the fact that I had expressed no intention of watching less TV. …
Author Archives: Rogier
A Bit of Post-Christmas Divertissement
A sketch from That Mitchell & Webb Look. Like a long-missing scene from Monty Python’s The Life of Brian.
In Defense of Wolf Dogs
Poor dog: An illegal wolf-dog hybrid was found roaming wild in a residential neighborhood in Brooklyn, authorities said Thursday. Police found the approximately 3-year-old, 53-pound female wearing a collar and chain near Elton Street and Vandalia Avenue in East New York on Tuesday evening, according to Richard Gentles, spokesperson for New York Animal Care and Control. “She’s …
Curtains for Ron Paul?
I have two quotes to present to you. They consist of outright swinery, so make sure you’re sitting down. Number one: If you live in a major city, you’ve probably already heard about the newest threat to your life and limb, and your family: carjacking. It is the hip-hop thing to do among the urban youth …
So you’ve been indefinitely detained
Via Tom the Dancing Bug.
TSA PSA
Just so you know, the TSA, after duly exercising its considerable powers of judgment, has decided to ban tiny mason jars with jam. Also, frosted cupcakes. Also, plastic toy hammers. You’re welcome.
Thursday Linkavaganza
• Jury nullification is a perfectly legal practice for jurors who wish to vote their conscience. But talk about it and, like professor Julian P. Heicklen, you could find yourself the target of an angry, peevish prosecutor. • Here’s an airline pilot who was forced by airport security to give up his five-inch fork — …
Should Prostitution Be Legal?
More than half the world’s countries now have legalized or semi-legalized prostitution. The sky appears to have fallen in, let’s see…none of them. As everyone knows, the U.S.A. is not among these more permissive and enlightened nations (a few pockets in Nevada excepted), which puts us squarely in the company of China, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi …
Muslim fundies demand protection from music
A kindergarten student in Saint-Michel (Quebec, Canada) will be wearing a noise-reducing headset in class. That’s because her Muslim parents insist their religious beliefs don’t allow the five-year-old girl to listen to music. Music is an integral part of the kindergarten program, but the school authorities say they are glad to carve out an Islamic …
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Belatedly, on Christopher Hitchens
One of the late atheist thinker Christopher Hitchens’ sworn enemies, the British proto-socialist George Galloway, comes off like a “neener-neener”-yelling eight-year-old in his remembrance of sorts, in part because of this opening: I hope that the deceased, unbelieving English man of letters Christopher Hitchens has discovered that God is not only great but merciful too. That’s …
A kiss is just a kiss
But not this one. The death of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell remains one of the cheeriest pieces of news of the year. It’s easy to forget that, especially for those of us who weren’t directly affected by the policy one way or the other. But what a difference its repeal made to thousands of couples …
Ron Paul: Hell freezes over
Well well, lookie here: I’m a bit bothered by Ron Paul’s ideas on immigration. I’m more than a bit bothered by the man’s apparent abandonment of his libertarian bona fides when it comes to women’s reproductive rights. I’m bothered as hell by the absolutely scandalous racism in his 20-year-old newsletters, nastiness which he has (to …