The Inane Asylum

That crazy bitch Phelps-Roper is at it again:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,217975,00.html

Part of the transcript:

COLMES: Did those girls deserve to be killed?

PHELPS-ROPER: Well, they did get killed, and they did that. Who controls the hearts of men? It was at the hand of an angry God those girls are dead.

COLMES: Did they deserve to die?

PHELPS-ROPER: They did deserve to die.

COLMES: How you can possibly make a statement like that?

PHELPS-ROPER: Because that's exactly what happened, and it happened at the hand of the lord your God.

COLMES: How can you possibly say that — how can you possibly say that young girls who have done nothing wrong, who are innocent, who are just a few years old, who have never sinned, who have never done anything, deserve to die? How could you possibly make a statement like that?

PHELPS-ROPER: You told me that you serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who says that when Adam sinned all sinned. There are no innocent human beings. And the parents...

...

HANNITY: Have you ever sinned, Miss Perfect here?

PHELPS-ROPER: Of course, you know that I have sinned, and that's not the point.

HANNITY: You have. So you're a sinner. When you die, would you deserve to die?

PHELPS-ROPER: Well, of course all of us deserve to die. But I'm not the one who did die and my message is for those living people who brought that pain upon themselves.

It seems the Yankees were corrupt from the very beginning. From the way the team was brought to NY, to the symbol still used by the yankees. If you hate the yankees as much as I do, you should read this interview with Bill Cleary, who's great grand uncle, "Big Bill" Devery (the original crooked NYPD cop), started the team.

The Interview:
NY Yankees: Liars, cheats & gangsters

Yo, this is nuts. It's straight out of a Kung Fu Movie, only it's for real.

This is really tragic. My sympathies go out to all those involved.

from yahoo.com:

Yankee Cory Lidle on NYC plane; 4 killed

NEW YORK - A small plane with New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle aboard crashed into a high-rise condominium tower Wednesday on the Upper East Side, killing at least four people and raining flaming debris on the sidewalks below, authorities said.

There was no immediate confirmation Lidle was among the dead, although a federal law enforcement official said Lidle's passport was found on the street beneath the crash site.

A law enforcement official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lidle was on the plane. And
Federal Aviation Administration records showed the single-engine plane was registered to the athlete.

The four deaths were confirmed by Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office. There was no word yet on injuries linked to the crash on an overcast October afternoon, which sent thick black smoke soaring above the city skyline and flames shooting out of apartments above the tony neighborhood.

This is just ridiculous.

from thinkgeek.com:

Giant Swiss Army Knife

We know what you're probably thinking about this product - isn't this something that ThinkGeek should be launching in very early April (like, say, April 1st)? Yes, we have a reputation for such things, but this knife is real and was created by Wenger to celebrate 100 years of innovation.

This unique special edition knife contains all 85 tools currently produced by Wenger (Maker of the Genuine Swiss Army Knife). These 85 tools can be used in over 100 functions and it's the World's Largest Swiss Army Knife. It's not exactly going to win any awards for lightest, smallest or most efficient tool but it probably will win you the title "King of All Gadgets". And even though this knife is a monster, weighing almost 3 pounds, don't worry - it does have a key ring so you can carry it on a belt loop.

* Contains an incredible 85 tools built into a single knife [list]
* Manufactured by Wenger (Maker of the Genuine Swiss Army Knife)
* Special edition knife, perfect for collectors
* Weight: 2 lbs, 11 ounces
* Dimensions: 8.75" wide
* Lifetime warranty

This game has the best theme music of any on-line game I've ever played. Just touch the totems with your mouse to score points.

http://www.vivalagames.com/play/totem

This video worked better than my morning cup of coffee. I feel like throwing one of my co-workers over the cube wall or something. That one guy who got stomped - oh man...

(NOTE: one copy of this video has already been removed from YouTube - I guess the new video police are out in full force now)

From MSNBC:

Tyson: Future might include fighting women

At a news conference at an Italian restaurant, Tyson said he would likely go just four rounds and that future stops on the tour might include bouts with women, possibly professional boxer Ann Wolfe.

Wolfe, from Waco, Texas, is 21-1 with 15 knockouts.

“She’s such a prominent, dominant woman in the boxing field,” Tyson said.

When asked if he was joking about fighting women, Tyson said, “I’m very serious.”

Russ Young, a promoter for Wolfe, said such a bout will never happen.

“That’s the first we’ve heard of it,” Young said. “No state would sanction that. She would be outweighed by 60 to 70 pounds. Ann would never entertain the idea.”

Tyson said the tour was meant to be fun and raise money for charity.

“It’s all fun. I’m not Mike Tyson,” he said, referring to the fierce boxer whose career was upended by a prison term. “I’m not 20 years old. I’m not going to smash anybody. I’m not going to talk about smashing anybody’s brains. You’re not going to see that guy no more.”

I didn't post about this yesterday, partially because I had to try out a new Ping Pong paddle at work, but mostly because I was too upset to face this head on. I guess you shouldn't always bet on black...

Indictment: Wesley Snipes a $12M tax cheat

TAMPA, Florida (AP) -- Movie actor Wesley Snipes, star of "White Men Can't Jump" and the "Blade" films, was indicted Tuesday on eight counts of tax fraud accusing him of trying to cheat the government of $12 million in false refund claims.

Snipes, 44, also failed to file tax returns for six years, according to an indictment unsealed in Tampa, Florida.

Federal prosecutors said that Snipes fraudulently claimed refunds totaling nearly $12 million in 1996 and 1997 on income taxes already paid.

The indictment also charged him with failure to file returns between 1999 and 2004.

According to the indictment, Snipes had his taxes prepared by accountants with a history of filing false returns to reap payments for their clients. As part of the deal, the indictment alleges, the firm, American Rights Litigators, would receive 20 percent of refunds from clients.

Snipes faces a maximum of 16 years in prison.

Snipes, who had a home in Windermere, Florida, has not been arrested because authorities don't know where he is, the IRS said.

I don't really have anything to say about this. I'm just sad in general. What a gerneration a wusses we're going to raise.

School bans tag, other chase games

ATTLEBORO, Massachusetts (AP) -- Tag, you're out!

Officials at an elementary school south of Boston have banned kids from playing tag, touch football and any other unsupervised chase game during recess for fear they'll get hurt and hold the school liable.

Recess is "a time when accidents can happen," said Willett Elementary School Principal Gaylene Heppe, who approved the ban.

While there is no districtwide ban on contact sports during recess, local rules have been cropping up. Several school administrators around Attleboro, a city of about 45,000 residents, took aim at dodgeball a few years ago, saying it was exclusionary and dangerous.

Elementary schools in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Spokane, Washington, also recently banned tag during recess. A suburban Charleston, South Carolina, school outlawed all unsupervised contact sports.

"I think that it's unfortunate that kids' lives are micromanaged and there are social skills they'll never develop on their own," said Debbie Laferriere, who has two children at Willett, about 40 miles south of Boston. "Playing tag is just part of being a kid."

Another Willett parent, Celeste D'Elia, said her son feels safer because of the rule. "I've witnessed enough near collisions," she said.

I've only said one other person must die before, but this time I'm really serious.

The Bad Astronomer has a write up about it that says it best:

Katie Couric is a bonehead

Sigh. Another clueless talking head opens her mouth and jabbers on a topic about which she has no idea.

Katie Couric opines on NASA. After a basically fluffy intro (where she says we’ve orbited the Earth "dozens of times"– um, Katie, that takes about two days worth of orbiting, and we’ve had people in orbit for years), she wonders if the NASA budget is money well spent.

No argument there, as I’ve said the same thing, though our details may differ. What kills me is this line:

It’s been wondrous, but has it really been worth it? NASA’s requested budget for 2007 is nearly 17 billion dollars. There are some who argue that money would be better spent on solid ground for medical research, social programs, and in finding solutions to poverty, hunger, and homelessnees… I can’t help but wonder what all the money could do for people right here on planet Earth.

I wonder: does she think we ship payload-bays full of twenty dollar bills on the Shuttle and release them into space? That might be an apt metaphor for the Shuttle, but the money is in fact spent right here on Earth. It goes to factories, manufacturers, engineers, and all the support lines to keep NASA running.

Also, I have heard the this argument that NASA money should be diverted to social programs a million times, and it’s wrong every time. First, 17 billion bucks sounds like a lot, but on the scale of the US government it really isn’t. NASA is the smallest of the government agencies, and the budget is not very big compared to others. Did you know we are spending 11 million dollars per hour on Iraq? That’s nearly 2 billion dollars every week! Now does NASA’s budget sound so big?

The money spent on space has direct results here on Earth as well. The irony is that the ability of Katie to appear to millions of people (well, fewer every day according to her ratings — oh, snap!) is due to the space program. Or does the term "satellite TV" mean something I’m missing? Maybe she could ask whoever the weatherman is on her show if (s)he thinks the space program is a waste of money. Does she think about all the instruments and the designs of the planes she flies on which owe their existence to the first "A" in NASA’s name?

Look, I know a lot of people don’t know this stuff. I know, too, that NASA could do a better job of talking about this kind of stuff. I also know Ms. Couric is not a journalist, but c’mon, she plays one on TV. It’s simplicity itself to actually, y’know, do some research.

I also love this comment from the CBS site about her views:

That was one of the most ill-informed commentaries I've heard in quite some time.

It is said that NASA returns $7 to the US economy for every dollar put into it. Reality check: for comparison, Americans spend more than $160 billion per year entertainment, sporting events, movie tickets, etc. That's nearly ten times NASA's budget!

So you gotta ask yourself Katie, would you fund a program that provides excellent jobs and a myriad of benefits to humanity, or would you rather watch millionaires running around on a field playing a child's game or one of Hollywood's awful remakes?

I think CBS should fire you and use your salary to fund a scholarship program for needy kids. By my calculation you could send nearly a thousands kids to college on full scholarships. I wonder what impact that would have down here on planet Earth? I guess we'll never know...

Come on people, this movie needs to be made.

Studios ditch videogame adaptation

Hollywood's big screen version of Microsoft's hit videogame Halo hung in the balance last night after the two studios behind the project pulled out at the 11th hour.

Universal and Fox withdrew their commitments to the highly anticipated adaptation at the end of protracted compensation talks with the producers.

The studios wanted to lower the amount of money received by the game's originators and the producers, who include the Middle Earth maestro himself Peter Jackson and partner Fran Walsh.

Microsoft and the studios refused to comply and failed to agree terms by October 15, a pre-arranged deadline upon which the games maker was to receive a tidy $5m advance.

There had been speculation that the studios left because of spiralling budget costs, which are believed to be upwards of $145m. However, Jackson and Walsh's representative Ken Kamins maintained that the real cause lay in compensation.

"What happened was this," Kamins told reporters. "Universal, on behalf of both studios, asked for a meeting with the filmmakers just prior to the due date of a significant payment.

"Basically, they said that in order to move forward with the film, the filmmakers had to significantly reduce their deals. They waited until the last minute to have this conversation. Peter and Fran, after speaking with their producing partners and with Microsoft and Bungee [the studio that designed the original game], respectfully declined."

All is not lost however. Microsoft is in talks with other studios and hopes to move ahead with the production in time for a 2007 shoot. New Line and DreamWorks initially passed on the project last year, citing concerns over the cost and the screenplay by Alex Garland, the acclaimed author of The Beach whose screenplays include 28 Days Later. Sony is not believed to be in the chase since its PlayStation console rivals Microsoft's Xbox, the platform that launched Halo.

Universal and Fox signed on last year following an unusually flamboyant publicity stunt in which leading Hollywood agency CAA dispatched screenplays to the studios under the watchful eye of couriers dressed as Master Chief, Halo's iconic pace marine character..

How NOT to cross the finish line:

I think I might just start a blog of people who need to die. I've joked about Stephen A. Smith and Katie Couric before. I even said I was serious about Katie Couric. But this time, I am literally serious. Rush Limbaugh must die.

Michael J. Fox has appeared in a political ad for Claire McCaskill in Missouri, and it made Rush a little mad. FIrst watch what ticked him off, then I'll go into what he said:

Now I understand that there are people who are for stem cell research and there are people who are strongly against it. Either way, Rush's reaction to this commercial was despicable:

from chicagotribune.com:

Limbaugh: Fox `shilling' in stem cell ad

A political ad in which a Parkinson's-afflicted Michael J. Fox talks about stem cell research was criticized Monday by conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who asserted that Fox was "either off his medication or acting" while filming the commercial.

"Michael J. Fox is allowing his illness to be exploited and in the process is shilling for a Democrat politician," Limbaugh said of the ad for Senate candidate Claire McCaskill of Missouri.

Limbaugh later seemed to back off the idea that Fox was acting out symptoms, saying he didn't mean to imply "that one could easily act it out for the purposes of a commercial."

But he also said, "I have gotten a plethora of e-mails from people saying Michael J. Fox has admitted in interviews that he goes off his medication for Parkinson's disease when he appears before Congress or other groups as a means of illustrating the ravages of the disease."

Orac over at scienceblogs.com has a great commentary on this:

Such ignorance and spite are appalling. For one thing, the medications used to treat Parkinson's Disease become slowly less effective over time, requiring higher and higher doses. And these medications have side effects that are not trivial. For example, I'm not a neurologist, but to me it looked as though the movements that Fox was demonstrating were not due to his Parkinson's, but rather due to dyskinesia (a known side effect of the most common treatment for Parkinson's, L-Dopa). Parkinson's disease looks different, with tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia, generally not dyskinesia as its key characteristics (think Pope John Paul II in the months before he died or Muhammed Ali). In any case, multiple Google searches failed to show any evidence that Fox ever said he went off his medications for dramatic effect when advocating for Parkinson's Disease research. The movements in the ad, which are tragic to look at, are almost certainly a consequence of the chronic use of dopamine agonists used to treat Fox's Parkinson's disease and stand as a visual testament that we truly do need better treatments for this disease, which in its later stages becomes a horrible choice between the symptoms of the disease itself or the consequences of chronic use of the drugs needed to control the disease.

Rush Limbaugh: Mocking and beating up on seriously ill people to make political hay. Ya gotta love it. Even if you are of the opinion that stem cell research has been overhyped and that claims have been made for it that it is unlikely to live up to, this is not the way to make that point.

Just in case you don't know where I stand on this, Rush Limbaugh Must Die.

from crooksandliars.com

Olbermann Gives Us The Visual To Limbaugh’s Attack On Michael J. Fox

By now everyone has heard Limbaugh's little commentary about Michael J. Fox's appearance in the ad for Claire McCaskill. Well tonight Keith Olbermann supplied us with the visual to accompany Rush's latest show of idiocy.

After showing the clip of Limbaugh's sad reenactment of Fox's appearance, Keith was joined by Sam Seder to discuss it, along with other ways the Republicans turn to attacks instead of addressing the issues. Seder nails the main talking point surrounding this whole discussion - How the right attacks those who are actually affected by these issues and posses the bravery to bring them into the political arena. Just ask the Congressional pages about that one.

See the video here

These guys totally have one up on the Ghetto Big Mac. Sorry Rafi, but how can you beat free???