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Vatican to test if trainee priests are gay. As if the Catholic Church doesn't have bigger concerns. They seem to be trying to throw dirt onto their own graves. Organized religion is SO last millennium. If a gay person really wanted to be a priest, wouldn't it be simple to "pass" a psychological screening? And what self-respecting gay person would want to be a part of something that seeks to exclude him?
comment posted at 7:17 AM on Oct-25-02

Making Rehnquist Proud Just like Rehnquist and his earlier political service, Jim Crow is still hard at work. "Tim Hutchinson and the Republican Party have claimed that they want to reach out to African-American voters, but when election time comes they have nothing to offer but intimidation and harassment," Cook said. "We ask Tim Hutchinson and his party to stop disenfranchising African-American voters and obstructing the democratic process."
comment posted at 7:28 AM on Oct-25-02
comment posted at 7:31 AM on Oct-25-02

Google censors search results "Google, the world's most popular search engine, has quietly deleted more than 100 controversial sites from some search result listings. "
comment posted at 9:49 AM on Oct-24-02

in nineteen hundred and twenty eight
disturbed by an increase in the property tax rate
andrew kehoe, a deranged man,
blew up the school in bath, michigan

Suprisingly, not many people know about the worst school related attack in US history. Do you?
comment posted at 6:06 AM on Oct-24-02

"Don't Question Whether [They] Deserved Them or Not." Not only was no one held accountable for the visas unlawfully issued to the 9/11 terrorists, but now the State Department has rewarded officials responsible for the lax visa policies — that paved the way for the deaths of 3,000 innocent Americans — with large cash bonuses. [More Inside]
comment posted at 7:34 AM on Oct-24-02

President Bush is in fact doing just about everything his critics demand: If the administration really had contempt for the UN, it could withdraw its support and let that organization complete its collapse into a Third World debating society. If Bush wanted to lash out at every threat in the world, America's near-$400 billion defense budget could provide the soldiers, tanks, airplanes, and missiles to wage several small wars at a time, from Libya to North Korea (and most places in between). If America were trying to seize the world's oil reserves, we could have swept aside the Saudi sheiks long ago. If we were indifferent to the casualties of enemy civilians—and the only alternative is to be indifferent to the deaths of our own soldiers and civilians—then anti-war academics would have to give up tallying those casualties one-by-one. But none of this is actually happening.
comment posted at 9:00 AM on Oct-23-02

I generally give little thought to how the Internet works, as long as it does work. Well, on Monday, 9 of the 13 "root servers" that manage traffic on the Internet were hit with a denial of service attack for about an hour. You can see the spike in traffic on one of the servers in this graph. All this made me think about the fragility of the Internet and what I would do with myself if the Internet got knocked out, say, for a matter of days. Maybe I would finally learn to cook something besides pasta... What would you do?
comment posted at 8:37 AM on Oct-23-02

Heisenberg's uncertainty principle may be hindering DC sniper investigation. An interesting, albeit unanswerable, question: Is the sniper responding specifically to feedback from the media -- or are the examples in the linked article "cherry-picking" to make the point? Also, apparently the art of "profiling" as practiced by TV expert commentators can very effectively destroy any profile investigators may have constructed on the guy. Think before you post to this thread: the sniper could be a Metafilter reader.
comment posted at 4:43 PM on Oct-22-02

Continuing Oissubke's trip around the world, I bring you Liechtenstein: Where Democracy and Monarchy Harmonize! (More inside...)
comment posted at 2:19 PM on Oct-22-02

DVDs are bad for business? They are, according to the producer of "Attack of the Clones." Although it seems to me that every week I hear about a new box-office record being shattered, Rick McCallum says such things as: "I don't think there's a single movie that can survive on box office gross alone; it just doesn't exist anymore" and my favorite: "Literally, our very lives are at stake now. George and I are just praying that we can finish 'Episode III' in time, before it's all over." What do you think? Legitimate concern, or more ridiculous whining by millionaires lobbying to place restrictions on technogy?
comment posted at 2:28 PM on Oct-22-02

Conservatives rare species on campus "A poll by the Enterprise Institute showed that professors registered as Democrats outnumbered Republicans at Stanford, 151 to 17. At Berkeley, the lopsided score was 59-7. At Cornell, 166-6. And so on." When I was in college, I guess I was too busy trying to earn my degree to notice if conservatives were allowed to exist or not. I don't remember much political indoctrination in my physics or differential equations classes. Are the campuses really like what this columnist suggests?
comment posted at 5:41 AM on Oct-22-02

First Proof of Jesus Found? o ye of little fraith: repent. The last shall be first--unless this turns out to be bogus.
comment posted at 12:58 PM on Oct-21-02
comment posted at 1:23 PM on Oct-21-02
comment posted at 1:46 PM on Oct-21-02

Christina Aguilera unintentionally promotes Thai sex tourism in latest video. Somebody fire the set designer quick!
comment posted at 1:02 PM on Oct-21-02

"Through your vision, creativity and dedication, you'll be able to reach for the stars and help your customers reach for the stars," she encouraged them. "You are at the forefront of a revolution in understanding the way people use their imagination and creativity to interact with information and interact with each other."

Source of this quote:
(a) CEO Carly Fiorina giving a pep talk to HP employees.
(b) Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao addressing striking west coast dockworkers.
(c) Former gubernatorial candidate Janet Reno speaking to Florida election workers.
(d) Hillary Clinton channelling Mother Teresa at a bible sales meeting.
(e) Astronaut Sally Ride providing encouragement to a convention of telemarketers.
(via Washington Post)
comment posted at 2:15 PM on Oct-20-02

What is Evil? The question of evil has fascinated humans since the dawn of humanity, and today the topic is of increasing relevance. Consider a page on African evil, a discussion of the Top 10 Evil people of all time, and a compelling page on the seemingly evil acts perpetuated by Americans. What are your views on evil?
comment posted at 1:07 PM on Oct-21-02

The Pocket President. Want an enormous tax cut for the wealthy? Need a pesky environmental regulation indefinitely "reviewed"? With the Pocket President, all this and much more is within your grasp. 7 inches tall, printed on sturdy cardboard, and free shipping! You can even download a sample.
comment posted at 1:07 PM on Oct-18-02
comment posted at 1:22 PM on Oct-18-02

The West Wing debunker. I have grown to hate this show even though I agree with its politics. The show occasionally brings up interesting topics but it is so goddamned sanctimonious. I worry that people think this is how our executive branch works. I hope this isn't a double post.
comment posted at 1:18 PM on Oct-18-02

Mayonnaise. It spawned the discovery of the Casimir effect, which proves that the universe will always expand. Invented in 1756, George Washington Carver seemed to have his hand in it. Not to be confused with its more-disgusting knockoff, mayonnaise has a lot going for it. A favorite Spelling Bee word, a racial litmus test, a hair conditioner--is there anything mayonnaise can't do? Mefi says you can even win prizes with it! What other condiments have spawned theories? Sunday school kids learn about faith and mustard seeds, but is there anything out there for ketchup?
comment posted at 1:30 PM on Oct-18-02

"What is lower than a child molester?" asked Alex and Derek King's prosecutor: the author has a couple suggestions. Despite his efforts -- or because of them -- the conviction for the murder of their father is overturned. The jury's forewoman calls for a new trial. Others in Florida doubt that children should be tried as adults at all.
comment posted at 10:19 AM on Oct-18-02

Dear Soldier of the U.S. Military: "With all due respect, I want you to know that if you participate in this conflict, you are not serving me, and I don't support you." A West Point graduate weighs in on the impending war.
comment posted at 8:24 AM on Oct-18-02

Infant's nose and lips bitten off by a wild raccoon that was illegally kept as a family pet. Luckily, surgeons were able to re-attach them. "Doctors at the Iowa Clinic say wild animal bites are 100% preventable if parents don't allow the animals to rome freely in a home." Duh. Who's fault is this, if anybody's?
comment posted at 6:21 AM on Oct-17-02
comment posted at 6:22 AM on Oct-17-02
comment posted at 9:56 AM on Oct-18-02

It's New, It's Wonderful, it's....No Cry Onions! from the nature.com website, scientists have identified the enzyme that causes a "tickling" of your tear ducts, ergo the ensuing crying. More genetically altered food - how are we feeling about this?
comment posted at 2:31 PM on Oct-16-02
comment posted at 7:10 AM on Oct-17-02

Maybe they should have let Lance Bass on this one. A Soyuz rocket explodes 29 seconds after takeoff, killing one and injuring eight from the blast. Although it was not carrying any material destined for the International Space Station, launch delays caused by the investigation into the explosion might hurt the IIS project in the long run.
comment posted at 12:25 PM on Oct-16-02

Pavarotti: not enough food in world!
Luciano "If it weren't for singing I'd never stop eating" Pavarotti (who was once a UN 'messenger of peace') is now an official spokesman for the UN FAO's Anti-Hunger campaign. Yeah... Pavarotti => food => war on hunger??? Isn't that sorta like making Gene Simmons official spokesman for the 'War on De-Flowered Virgins'? [FYI: tomorrow is World Food Day].
comment posted at 8:14 PM on Oct-15-02
comment posted at 9:03 PM on Oct-15-02

AOL kills the pop-up? "By ending third-party pop-ups and merchandise sales we are giving our members what they want," says Chief Executive Jon Miller. Clever strategy. Since there's now hardly any new users to attract to their service, they're trying to appeal to slightly more experienced net users. Are you annoyed by pop-ups? Would you sign up to AOL?
comment posted at 8:49 PM on Oct-15-02

Mother Teresa fingered This is actually a rather shocking story because the criteria for a miracle at Lourdes, for example, are very strict. That's why there are so few of them.
comment posted at 9:23 AM on Oct-15-02

Playing Chicken with Politics. What do you do when a defecting party from your coalition ends up in another coalition with your opposition (and thereby removing you from power in the local legislature)? Why you get a giant chicken to follow the defecting party's chairman around for two weeks! Is this just political grandstanding? And even if so would it be effective? Would it work anywhere else?
comment posted at 7:43 AM on Oct-15-02

"No sir, that's not my fido." Iranian cleric denounces the "moral depravity" of owning dogs, and calls for their arrest. (Both dogs and owners.) "In our country there is freedom of speech, but not freedom for corruption," he said. Why do we pretend to understand the culture of the middle east?
comment posted at 5:00 PM on Oct-14-02

Wisconsin "loses" 2,900 sex offenders. It seems that the state of Wisconsin has "misplaced" approximately 2,900 of it's 9,000+ population of registered sex offenders. Apparently, they've moved within or out of the state without letting the state know. Jim Stingl of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel thinks we should all pitch in and help find those missing offenders, and offers some ways he's helping out already
comment posted at 8:43 AM on Oct-15-02

24.7 Million pounds of chicken/turkey meat recalled Because potentially infected by a dangerous bacteria (?) that can be destroyed by cooking meat to a temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Just FYI
comment posted at 5:44 AM on Oct-14-02

Look at your hands. Is your index finger shorter or longer than your ring finger? Be careful because according to John T. Manning, those two fingers reveal a variety of characteristics about yourself to the world including assertiveness, attractiveness, reproductive success, hand preference, verbal fluency, autism, depression, health and disease, homosexuality tendancies, musical and sports aptitudes. [via Tigerbunny]
And while you are at it don't forget what the middle finger and a long second toe might reveal.
comment posted at 12:50 AM on Oct-12-02

Bush Science: more lead for children and the healing power of Jesus. How many obvious right-wing ideologues with strong industry ties purporting to be objective scientists will Americans tolerate?
comment posted at 8:50 AM on Oct-11-02

Ferret Man for Lieutenant Governor? The candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the Libertarian Party of California has made it his personal crusade to legalize the domestication of ferrets in his home state. This is a reasonable political cause, but it has left the impression that California Libertarians are wacko, a trend that even bothers some Libertarians. Oh yes, the official Libertarian candidate for governor is a practicing Druid who lists Gene Roddenberry (?) as one of his favorite political philosophers. Is there something in the water at Libertarian Party meetings?
comment posted at 10:04 AM on Oct-11-02

It's not a news link if the news is total fluff. For your consideration: a suit drawn on stealing the idea to REMAKE a film, then a suit drawn over who saw a SAMPLE first. The debate! Which outweighs, legal chicanery or creative bankruptcy?
comment posted at 7:35 AM on Oct-10-02
comment posted at 2:24 PM on Oct-10-02

Taticular Nucyoular Weapons Dubya mispronounced the word "nuclear" "\nu"cle*ar\" in his speech 17 times this evening (take your own tally here). Wait. That's not a simple mispronunciation. It's a "folk etymology." Thanks, Ike. (Thanks, Homer.) Thanks also to Merriam-Webster. Apparently, this scourge of English is in the dictionary.
comment posted at 10:57 AM on Oct-8-02

The Folk Den Archive In November, 1995, Roger McGuinn (yes, that Roger McGuinn - the same guy, BTW, who was originally Jim McGuinn) started uploading original renditions of traditional folk songs for free distribution. He's been doing it every month ever since. In seven years, he's covered American classics from "John Henry" to "Get Along Little Dogies" while also covering the rest of the world in tunes as diverse as "Finnegan's Wake" and "Waltzing Matilda". He also puts up an appropriate holiday song each December. Each song is usually available in a variety of downloads, and is heavily annotated, so if you ever wanted to know the original 1829 lyrics to "Stewball", this is the place to go.
comment posted at 6:43 AM on Oct-5-02

The Supreme Court begins its term this coming Monday. There are lots of exciting cases on the calendar (99k PDF). For example, Ewing v. California, which will test California's 3 strikes rule. Scheidler v. NOW, which has to do with anti-abortion activists blocking access to clinics. And of course, Eldred v. Ashcroft, where the issue is whether or not the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (PDF) is Constitutional. The last has been mentioned in a couple threads and has gotten loads of web attention, including this new piece from WIRED. A lot to look forward to, whether you're interested in one of the specific issues or you're just an avid armchair justice.
comment posted at 12:47 PM on Oct-4-02

Shots Fired at the UN - So much for heightened security.
comment posted at 12:05 PM on Oct-3-02

Montel and Leeza want YOU to say NO to DRUGS.

Generic drugs, that is.
comment posted at 8:25 PM on Oct-1-02

They Could Be Packing. Or, Buddy's got a gun (sung to the Aeorosmith tune of almost the same name). Buddy Hackett, that is. Sorry for another news story link, but New York City's issuing fewer and fewer concealed carry permits, but more and more to celebs, including Steven Seagal, whom I thought wouldn't need one ....
comment posted at 8:26 PM on Oct-1-02

War Games? J.C. Penney, eToys and KB Toys all sell this scary "Military Forward Command Post with Two 12" Military Action Figures", despite the efforts of these shocked consumers who call it an "atrocity". It does sort of look like GI Joes taking over Barbie's bombed-out Dream House... how real is too real?
comment posted at 8:38 PM on Oct-1-02