MeFi post: Make-Believe Maverick

A retired military man I know, a man who voted for Bush twice, is voting for Obama this election. Maybe this is why:

"Under the code, POWs are bound to give only their name, rank, date of birth and service number — and to make no "statements disloyal to my country."

Soon after McCain hit the ground in Hanoi, the code went out the window. "I'll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital," he later... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Fuzzy Monster at 3:05 PM on October 4, 2008

MeFi post: Oy, oy, oy...

That little boy is hilariously awesome.

Is there such thing as a negative favorite on metafilter?
posted to MetaFilter by mannequito at 10:43 AM on October 3, 2008

MeFi post: Ebay Art

You know how my father filled his house with really cool original art?

Sometime in the 80s he settled a strangers tab at a bar, less than $20 USD of today, and the guy insisted on paying him back with a small painting he had in his backpack. The stranger became a well known engraver, and that small painting is worth a lot more than $20 now.

It stood at this for 20 years, and in 2003 or 2004, my father moved to a town full of artists, and he and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by dirty lies at 5:07 PM on October 1, 2008

MeFi post: I just enjoy slapping you!

So the story behind this is that a small group of Hollywood conservatives, apparently a hunted minority, have clandestine meetings, and finally decide to make a movie that espouses conservative values, in response to the endless barrage of Hollywood movies that espouse liberal values.

The main storyline for their movies? Conservatives beat up Michael Moore.

Come to think of it, that sort of is what their worldview has dwindled to, isn't it?
posted to MetaFilter by Astro Zombie at 11:06 AM on October 2, 2008

I told you people not to get me started about this fucking movie.

You know, it's not like I'm going to defend Michael Moore. There's plenty to lampoon about him. But this movie comes from the basic position that the function of liberalism is to hate America and try to destroy it. Such that we need to be reminded of what's great about America by jingoist asshole country singers with fireworks kits. (Like frat boys but more working class.)... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Naberius at 11:11 AM on October 2, 2008

Another "9/11 Republican" like Dennis Miller; confusing nationalism with patriotism and using his new-found love of jingoism to boost his sagging career. Fuck him.
posted to MetaFilter by Robin Kestrel at 11:15 AM on October 2, 2008

I always wonder about folks who espouse the idea that Obama is some sort of radical leftists zealot as their reason for disliking him. "But he described Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama an 'extreme left-wing candidate who doesn’t represent the country.'" This is so obviously not true, Obama is pretty much a centrist. I wonder what reasons for disliking him they are attempting to obfuscate with this faulty reasoning?
posted to MetaFilter by anansi at 11:27 AM on October 2, 2008

Because I support smaller government, lower taxes and a strong military, all the things that JFK once espoused,” he said. “But now you have to be a Republican to be in favor of those things.

Earth to formerly funny director: Your party is only 1 out of 3 on these big items since 2000.

Government: Not smaller. The opposite. Not just not smaller, but also more aggressive. Habeas who?
Lower taxes: Yes, but... much... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Mister_A at 11:35 AM on October 2, 2008

Ohhh. So that's who will be voting for McCain/Palin.
posted to MetaFilter by Space Kitty at 11:40 AM on October 2, 2008

MeFi post: Paintings of Mutated Insects

But I am confused.

Oh, I see what's wrong. The problem is, she didn't put any scale on her drawings.

Here you go.
posted to MetaFilter by Civil_Disobedient at 2:58 AM on October 2, 2008

Can very much relate to those beautiful paintings. What an awesome and fascinating site.

Can also relate to the following by another thyroid cancer survivor:

Radiation Exposure Is Only Known Cause For Thyroid Cancer

"Having survived a very agressive variant of papillary thyroid cancer (tall cell ) that had invaded my trachea, and caused me to have a total
thyroidectomy, tracheal resection, internal RAI in... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nickyskye at 8:38 AM on October 2, 2008

Malor: I was all ready to go on a scavenger hunt for the data to compare radioactive contamination from coal and nuclear plants, but this article (which, if a bit old, seems trustworthy, as it is from ORNL) seems to have done all the work for me! It's an interesting read. Here is the conclusion - I'm paraphrasing a bit, and selecting the most damning statistics, but I am not making this up:



Estimated total release of radioactive material... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Salvor Hardin at 8:42 AM on October 2, 2008

MeFi post: US Bailout bill, TARP, and economists' and journalists' reactions

The reason this thread will probably survive, where others haven't, is that it doesn't suck.

From the CNN website:
Bush acknowledged that many voters were opposed to helping out Wall Street with tax dollars, but said there is little choice to move forward with the plan. He said most if not all of the tax money spent to buy distressed mortgage-backed securities should be recouped when the Treasury sells them in the coming years.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cjorgensen at 11:25 AM on September 29, 2008

Which obviously mean that it's all the Democrats' fault and that they should write a bill they agree on?

A bill which, had it been left to the Democrats alone, would have passed?

Seriously? How is it not the GOP that killed the bill?

the GOP did kill the bill, but that's only because the Democrats allowed them to have a say in the first place.

That the GOP is blaming the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by delmoi at 12:07 PM on September 29, 2008

MeFi post: Oh sh*t.

"Putin rears his head"
posted to MetaFilter by kirkaracha at 11:29 PM on September 25, 2008

I love this part:

Asked why she only obtained a passport last year, Palin said, "I'm not one of those who maybe came from a background of, you know, kids who perhaps graduate college and their parents give them a passport and give them a backpack and say go off and travel the world. No, I've worked all my life. In fact, I usually had two jobs all my life until I had kids. I was not a part of, I guess, that culture.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Avenger at 11:51 PM on September 25, 2008

I'm gonna sing the doom song now!

Doom doom-doom doom doom doom doom-doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom-doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom-doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom-doom doom doom doom doom-doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom-doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom-doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom doom-doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom-doom-doom doom doom doom-doom doom doom doom-doom... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by loquacious at 11:53 PM on September 25, 2008

Clearly, William Burroughs is writing her dialogue. (Note: this is an actual Palin quote.)

" . . . where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Um, helping, oh -- it's got to be all about job creation too. Shoring up our economy, and putting it back on the right track. So healthcare reform and reducing taxes and reining in... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by digaman at 12:02 AM on September 26, 2008

Gottabefunky, there are at least two major errors in your post. Can you find them?
posted to MetaFilter by digaman at 12:03 AM on September 26, 2008

I'm constantly attacking Alaska from Kamchatka. So, she's right to be worried, if she ever plays against me.
posted to MetaFilter by tellurian at 12:14 AM on September 26, 2008

I haven't seen the whole interview, but I've seen a bunch of clips. My favorite^* so far is this one. Truly ludicrous.

*: by which I mean the one which makes me fear for my country the most
posted to MetaFilter by Flunkie at 12:02 AM on September 26, 2008

finally putting the balls back in journalism.


The following remarks were apparently made by John Swinton in 1880, then the preeminent New York journalist, probably one night in during that same year. Swinton was the guest of honour at a banquet given him by the leaders of his craft. Someone who knew neither the press nor Swinton offered a toast to the independent press. Swinton outraged his colleagues by... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by rough ashlar at 1:03 AM on September 26, 2008

Ow! My Balls!
posted to MetaFilter by telstar at 1:16 AM on September 26, 2008

Ricky Gervais needs to play her in the movie.
posted to MetaFilter by EarBucket at 5:21 AM on September 26, 2008

I can think of no better revenge on those who would vote for McCain/Palin than having them in office for the next four years.

Goddamn face! I'll show you! *grabs knife, cuts off nose*
posted to MetaFilter by Pollomacho at 6:16 AM on September 26, 2008

Well, I hope there is some real justice that emerges from this hubristic act of Palin's. She is neither ready nor qualified to be Vice President, but accepted the nomination because she just thinks she can do it, because, dammit all, she's Sarah Fucking Palin, and she can do whatever the hell she wants.

Well, I hope she loses the election, along with McCain, and I suspect she will. I hope she's humiliated by Biden. I hope being thrust into the national spotlight exposes... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Astro Zombie at 7:07 AM on September 26, 2008

Mrs. Palin, what you just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points and may god have mercy on your soul.
posted to MetaFilter by unsupervised at 7:26 AM on September 26, 2008

Asked about how being near the Russian border gave her foreign policy experience -

Palin: We have trade missions back and forth, we do. It’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia. As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ragma at 8:01 AM on September 26, 2008

Typical. There were a lot of people who said the Secretary of Education didn't have the chops to take on the presidency and lead a ragtag group of starships on a search for the legendary planet called earth.

Yeah, that worked out well, right? She's not a religious fundamentalist who's in over her head and at least partially relying on military control, is she? She didn't completely take away women's right to choose or anything, did she? She... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by graventy at 8:10 AM on September 26, 2008

Those of you calling Palin an idiot or saying that she "fucked up" are, in my opinion, not seeing the whole picture. You're not seeing her because she doesn't fit the cognitive pattern you are applying to her. When you watch the interview, you see someone clearly not ready for it. Those with a different mindset (like LFG-ers), however, see something else: they see someone being bullied.

Yeah, I'm not too concerned about people who think a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 8:15 AM on September 26, 2008

Bono? Bono is meeting with Palin? Why the fuck isn't he in Washington trying to solve the financial meltdown?
posted to MetaFilter by Beardman at 8:36 AM on September 26, 2008

He moves in Mysterious Ways.
posted to MetaFilter by jonmc at 8:37 AM on September 26, 2008

Mrs. Palin - what do you think of Japanese foreign minister Takahisa Zeze and his Bukkake stimulus package?
posted to MetaFilter by Smedleyman at 8:45 AM on September 26, 2008

I would just like to re-iterate a point that often gets lost in the Palin-bashing threads: John McCain picked her. His hand was completely unforced (i.e. she wasn't the Other Big Name In A Close Primary). He looked around the country and, theoretically, thought to himself: "She's the one. She's the one that, if I die, should have her finger on the nuclear button. She's the one that should negotiate with foreign nations. She's the one that can run two wars at the same time while also... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DU at 9:14 AM on September 26, 2008

"I'm not one of those who maybe came from a background of, you know, kids who perhaps graduate college and their parents give them a passport and give them a backpack and say go off and travel the world. No, I've worked all my life. In fact, I usually had two jobs all my life until I had kids. I was not a part of, I guess, that culture."

I've been ranting about this in my head since I saw it. I might as well rant here.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by rtha at 9:14 AM on September 26, 2008

I believe the term is 'vicarious embarrassment'.

The Dutch call it plaatsvervangende schaamte.
posted to MetaFilter by Robin Kestrel at 9:40 AM on September 26, 2008

When the hell did real America turn into alternate history America?
posted to MetaFilter by Mister_A at 10:57 AM on September 26, 2008

After watching this video, I was hyperventilating in terror at the idea that this person could actually end up in charge.

Then I had an idea, it was so beautiful that I suddenly feel filled with happy warmth and I'm going to use this forum as an opportunity to suggest it to the Obama administration should they win.

Hire Palin.

Employ her as an adjunct foreign policy consultant. Send her into a country when they are... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by quin at 11:22 AM on September 26, 2008

mothershock, I have done a lot of public speaking (I am actually Al Gore, you know), and I have found that staying calm really helps make one a more effective communicator. Actually having some idea of what the fuck you are talking about really helps too.

I watch this stuff, and I am convinced that she is listening to her own voice as she, which is a huge no-no. When you start listening to yourself as you speak, you completely lose the ability to speak coherently. This... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Mister_A at 11:35 AM on September 26, 2008

My brother - who has the type of genius wherein one can teach themselves the principles of quantum mechanics over a summer and prefers formulas to novellas - is going to vote for McCain & Palin for the exact same reasons he voted for G.W.:

Doing so makes him feel part of the status quo.

Asking him questions about why he votes for these people, what he thinks they're going to do for the country, and you get all kinds of random answers that... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by batmonkey at 12:22 PM on September 26, 2008

I actually feel terribly sorry for Bristol Palin. She's still a child herself, and her mother's willingness to subject her to international scrutiny, combined with the McCain campaign's seeming eagerness to exploit her, is simply stomach-churning.

YES! That's what I think repels me the most about this person. Imagine being a teenage girl who gets pregnant by your boyfriend in a small town in rural America. Your mom decides to run for vice president... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 11:55 AM on September 28, 2008

MeFi post: Sinestro had the script printed on YELLOW PAPER.

“Dude: Ron Livingston.”

Whoa, yeah! Dead on.

“It usually all starts quite normally, but towards the end there’s always one or two odd WTF statements.”

I get that with Libertarians. Pretty much meet eye to eye on all the civil rights stuff. Typically the folks running have cogent platforms, but there’s always one (or more) WTF detail that spins the whole thing into bizzaro world.

Eg. “We need to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Smedleyman at 11:44 AM on September 30, 2008

MeFi post: Down By (Copyright) Law

I am thrilled people are having this conversation here - thanks everyone.

To shed some light on why I used the songs I did, here's a little essay I wrote last night. Sorry it's kinda long:

'Why I can't "just swap out" the Annette Hanshaw songs in "Sita Sings the Blues":

The songs themselves inspired the film. There would be no film without those songs. Until I heard them, the Ramayana was just another... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ninapaley at 8:07 AM on September 30, 2008

MeFi post: Because there are more important things to do on Friday night

snsranch: All I can hope for is that minority Americans come out and vote like they never have before and end this.

My fear? Replay of 2004.

That's an understandable fear to have, especially since McCain's campaign has become eerily familiar over the last couple of months. Some people are clearly getting that sinking feeling they got in 2004 when they realized that "It's just so stupid it just might work" turned out... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by joedan at 9:54 AM on September 26, 2008

John McCain, 1999:Certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations.John McCain, 2008:John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned.If I dislike the influence of lobbyists on overly eager to please politicians, and, like George Washington prefer my presidents not in hock to party or money, or at least not too much... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by kirkaracha at 9:25 AM on September 28, 2008

I was so glad to see this in the Atlantic article:

The least self-aware moment for John McCain in last night's debate came at the half-way point, when he said, "I'm afraid Senator Obama doesn't understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy."

It was so clear, he was checking off talking points and thought it might fit here, but he was so wrong: Barack had just outlined the wrongness of committing troops... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Meatbomb at 9:58 AM on September 28, 2008

Oh, man. I am coming back to recommend that anyone who hasn't seen it watch the Youtube video of Obama in Virginia yesterday (thoughtfully found and posted above by synaesthetichaze.

I asked if someone could find it because the buzz was that it was amazing. I'd watched the NC rally earlier in the day, and it was pretty solid stuff. But they had problems streaming the Virginia rally because of weather (supposedly, a lot of people couldn't get it or got it... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by fourcheesemac at 6:41 PM on September 28, 2008

McCain: Joker's Wild:

"Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it. You know, I just do things."

--The Joker in The Dark Knight

posted to MetaFilter by kirkaracha at 8:42 AM on September 29, 2008

Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) campaign has undertaken an aggressive effort to accuse journalists of being overly hard on Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK). Campaign aides have attacked the media for being sexist, lacking “deference,” and trying to “smear” Palin.

and from the WaPo

From her campaign's perspective, Gov. Palin isn't getting media attention for her contributions. For example, with foreign leaders last week, she had... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Miko at 11:21 AM on September 29, 2008

MeFi post: The Fed "hopes" A.I.G.

Ah got a couple of MefiMails asking about other books, so here's a couple more recs.

For a very accessible text on essential finance mathematics, see Kitter's Investment Mathematics for Finance and Treasury Professionals: A Practical Approach.

Very nice book, clear examples and minimal jargon. Sidenote: I worked with Kitter back at Dow Jones in the early 80's (wow don't I feel old!!) and he was an excellent gentleman, always... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Mutant at 6:49 AM on September 17, 2008

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