I ran across this speech that Bill Moyers gave to the Society of Professional Journalists on Sept. 11th, 2004. He covers a lot of ground. Get a cup of coffee and read it like your life depends on it. A profound transformation is happening here. The framers of our nation never envisioned these huge media giants; never imagined what could happen if big government, big publishing and big broadcasters ever saw eye to eye in putting the public’s need for news second to their own interests — and to the ideology of free-market economics. I was looking for something completely…
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Title: Darklight Stars: Richard Burgi, John DeLancie, David Hewlitt, Sherri Appleby Official Website: Sci Fi | Darklight my husband David recorded this movie because John DeLancie was in it. We always, always enjoy his work, so I thought “How bad could it be?” and sat down to watch with him. There was some sort of incomprehensible pre-show sequence about a demon or woman that walks up out of a swampy place all nekkid and covered with goo, and some guys sitting around in a futuristic chapel being told that their sacrifice was for the good of mankind before they get…
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A creative and uniquely New York solution for dealing with annoying proselytizers on public transportation: Me: “Excuse me, but do you mind keeping your voice down, I am trying to read.” Preacher Lady: (screams) “I got to testify.” Preacher lady hitches up her skirts and tells me that I am going to hell for interrupting you-know-who’s word. Two or three OTHER Christian ladies on the train start shouting at me and discussing my prospects as the Devil’s prison bitch. The last straw was a 50 something red faced man in a suit slamming his Bible towards my face. There was…
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You know how sometimes, you’re aware as soon as you hear a phrase that it’s going to live on in your vocabulary forever? Kind of like, “I’M PACKIN’ IT!”, only more so? Okay. That’s what happened this week with “My ox is broken!” I don’t think I will ever love anything on television, in a sick and wrong kind of way, quite like I loved seeing Colin absolutely self-destruct, to the point where he wound up snarling angrily, “My ox is broken!” Anyway, to provide some context, we start out in New Zealand, where the early Roadblock requires some careful…
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When Broy and another officer reached the home Monday, they spotted the 5-foot-long, 80-pound American alligator in a wooden enclosure attached to a garage. Inside the enclosure was a hot tub sunk into the ground and filled with 4 feet of stagnant water, and in the water, littered with broken turtle shells, was the alligator. They called the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Royalton Police for a little help. To get the alligator, Scott Ballard of the IDNR pulled on chest waders, stepped into the tub and grabbed the animal. Broy and two others then dragged Ballard and the…
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The multimedia exhibit sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee is ongoing. You can check the schedule and its progress here. When this exhibit was unveiled by our Chicago office in January 2004, there were 504 pairs of boots symbolizing the lost lives of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. With each passing week, each stop in a href=”http://”>new city, more pairs of boots are added to represent the newly fallen. Alongside the boots stands a wall of remembrance with the names of the more than 11,000 Iraqi civilians who have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion.
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ginmar grouses about wartime strictures on shopping for items a female soldier finds to be personal, essential, and almost unobtainable (not even accessible via the Web). I can’t get to Victoria’s Secret any more. That means that Pat Robertson is, in fact, in charge of what we can see and read. And you know, I’m a girl, which means they’re censoring me from looking at halfway decent underwear! Jesus Fucking Christ, if I can be trusted with a fucking weapon, can’t I be trusted with a fucking thong? Because I’m really trying to see what kind of danger this could…
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Rance pops up after a long, no doubt busy silence to offer a little more in the “piss ‘n vinegar” line. I’m pretty sure that whatever he’s doing in politics just now, it’s not just “diddling.” And yeah, if he was working for the other side I probably wouldn’t read him as much. It’s easier to hang out with people you mostly agree with than otherwise. Never liked that word “diddling”, by the way. It has unpleasant assocations for me. But it’s nice that Rance took the time to vent, no matter the subject. I’m starting to think there’s a…
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Stargate star Richard Dean Anderson’s got a date at the Pentagon to meet the brass, according to the Sci Fi Channel. The Air Force Association is an independent, nonprofit, civilian organization promoting public understanding of aerospace power and the role it plays in national security. Anderson and Stargate will be recognized for the show’s continuous positive depiction of the Air Force. In addition to receiving the award, Anderson will tour the Pentagon and visit with wounded troops at Walter Reed Hospital, the Air Force said. Stargate, currently in its eighth season, airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Maybe he’ll have…
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On the subject of “the war on terror” and how our country seems bent on mindless revenge, Tim Bishop had this to say: The difficulty of dealing with terrorism is that all successful strategies are long-term, and they involve penetration of the terrorist network, the intelligent and ruthless application of force against a very small group of people, the cadre of the terrorists, and ameliorating the grievances of the people that the terrorists spring from, so as to separate the two (emphasis mine – Blogula Rasa). This takes a lot of patience, a lot of intelligence work, and the willingness…