Sorry that I haven’t blogged since Thursday – I apologize for all of your withdrawal symptoms. I was at the Secular Student Alliance annual conference and was too busy having an amazing time. I pretty much didn’t sleep for four days straight and I sound like a chain smoker because I’ve lost my voice from all of the various merriment.
I know this is more of a meta-post, but I just wanted to let you know I’m still here. I’m currently sitting in the Columbus airport – if I decide to splurge on wifi for my flight from Chicago to Seattle, expect some posts this afternoon.
So….anyone care to fill me in on what world news happened since Friday? Or what internet news? Consider this an open thread.
World news? A Lithuanian politician, mayor of Vilnius, Arturas Zuokas drove an armoured personnel carrier over a Mercedes-Benz in a stunt highlighting that the city was having none of cars parking in the cycle lane. Unfortunately, I now very much wish to replicate this on the cars that park over the cycle track just down the road from me… http://www.caradvice.com.au/13…Otherwise there has been debt talk, PZ breaking his new site and a bit more phone hacking.That basically covers what we’re getting in Britain.
I don’t really want to talk about recent debt ceiling “debate” or the “resolution”. It has me pretty down, to be honest, and even Stewart’s snark can’t keep me from being sour. I hope the enthusiasm for skepticism you’ve picked up from your events can bring me back from declaring the end of the Age of Reason.
Planned Parenthood just sent me an email saying that insurance companies will be required to cover birth control.
Not sure this counts as news, but there is a Mariners game tonight at 7 so expect downtown traffic and transit to suck. Hopefully you land well before that!
The GOP just got almost everything they wanted, but I don’t know if that qualifies as “news” anymore.
Best news of the weekend, the Obama Administration announced that birth control would be required to be covered without copays. Worst news on the national level, the debt-ceiling cap bill passed cutting deeply into social programs. One direct effect for grad students (at least those with subsidized loans), loans will now be accruing interest while the student is still enrolled. There are no new taxes proposed in the bill and it has been mostly a win for the Tea Party (who still mostly refused to vote for it). International news, crisis in East Africa is worsening and the Syria crackdown continues. There have been increasing protests in Israel, and a border skirmish with Lebanon. The pro-government troops in Libya have launched a new offensive against the rebels.
Ew, I land at 5:45. Going to be stuck right in it.
Some other news out today: Fort Bragg approves on-post atheist festival, Rock Beyond Belief for Mar 31 2012http://rockbeyondbelief.com/20…
Then you might as well come hang out. I’ll start cooking now.
I was threatened with eviction for playing acoustic guitar in my apartment at 4:45pm.
From over here in the UK there’s been breaking news that Rupert Murdoch and everyone at News International are STILL complete bell-ends!
Well, I’m finally getting my body repaired.The federal government figured out a debt deal, although only with 2T in cuts, and no tax increases to the rich.It’s still freaking hot outside.And more shit about the Catholic church is coming out of Australia, or something.
Welcome back to the net. In case you haven’t seen this yet, http://29.media.tumblr.com/tum…
Best New Thing in the World on The Rachel Maddow Show Monday night (with Chris Matthews).–o–Melissa Harris-Perry did an awesome job of filling in for Maddow last week.Until Friday when she sung an obnoxious paean to ‘Faith’.
A week after the Reason Rally…
Chris Hayes, not Matthews. He’s my favorite guest host. And I never really liked Harris-Perry. I’m not sure why but she got on my nerves. Though I was getting kinda okay with her until that idiotic rant against rationality.
But it’s a really catchy song! It was even Durst-resistant.
On the back page of the Times I noticed a story that reports that Glen Beck has been unable to have a bowel movement for over 3 months now….
Sheese!….Were you playing a loud, bad version of Stairway to Heaven?
Newp. It was country music though.
A schizophrenic homeless man was beaten to death by police in Fullerton, CA last month. It was only local news at first, but now more damning information is coming out about the incident. This post from a Fullerton blog will catch everyone up on the atrocity (be warned that a strong stomach is necessary due to graphic images):http://bit.ly/rokM4j
Project Runway auf’d five contestants in one episode!
All of the Turkish military leaders have stepped down. The relationship between the the government and military was already in jeopardy because of the government jailing generals. The military seems to be slowly collapsing because there aren’t enough qualified people to fill the vacancies that aren’t already in jail.Some people in Turkey feel that the military is a safeguard against a party taking control of the government and creating a one party system with no opposition. In this case, some feel that the current government is leaning more and more towards political Islam and wishes to create a state similar to Iran.
Did you see this lovely display of Christian values?http://atheists.org/blog/2011/…
Makes sense then…
In your own backyard: http://wondermark.com/outdoor-…
Thanks. I just realised today that I got it wrong. That’s what I get for going on memory.Heard about his new show, too, today.