Terrorist Life Imitates Terrorist Art?

Perhaps it's just me, but the ETA terrorists who announced their ceasefire with the Spanish government today look a lot like V from V for Vendetta. All they need to do is draw on a saucy 17th century goatee and they're pretty much there.

Respond

Multitasking in the Capitol



A colleague and I attended the Senate Republican Conference's press event for bloggers and "niche press" held in the Capitol's Lyndon Johnson Room (S-211) this afternoon. The Senators there (Santorum, Bond, Alexander, Cornyn, Thune and Coleman) were happy to provide the attendees with their opinions on border security (they were for it), high energy prices (against) and educational opportunity for all of America's children (in support). As the picture shows, there's nothing busier than a live-blogging Washington, D.C. professional with a BlackBerry.

Respond

Monster’s Ball

Fans of the Second Amendment will be happy to hear that prostitutes in Florida are on their side. Hookers in Daytona Beach are arming themselves against a suspected serial killer thought to have murdered three women so far. "We will get him first," streetwalker Tonya Richardson said. "Yeah, we are going to get him first. When we find him, he is going to be sorry. It is as simple as that." Best of luck, ladies. More female fans of guns rights (though not necessarily prostitutes) can be found here.

Respond

How to Write Your Own Happy Ending

My disturbing fascination with the fringe elements of the fan fiction universe has finally received some minor literary cover with a mention in a recent Times article about happy and sad sendings in novels:

"Literature is constantly being refashioned, if not actually rewritten. The whole of Austen has recently been repackaged as chick-lit, complete with pastel covers and skinny women with handbags. So-called fanfiction is booming, on websites where amateur writers continue their favourite stories: the further adventures of the Darcys, the Hobbits, Sherlock Holmes and Captain Kirk. The Fanfiction.net website has more than 200,000 Harry Potter stories that J. K. Rowling never wrote."

That general level of interest seems reasonable enough, even if the numerical total is initially surprising. It's when you get to the 71 She-Ra, Princess of Power stories, the 272 Voltron stories and the 6,544 Sonic the Hedgehog stories that things become difficult.

Respond

What a Girl Wants

Via a strange twist of fate set in motion by my colleague Brooke, I ended up being the token male panelist last night on a roundtable discussion hosted by the America's Future Foundation titled "What Does the Right Want from Its Women?" Despite being neither a conservative nor a female, I was happy to participate and was delighted to be seated next to fellow panelist and noted conservative counter-feminist Christina Hoff Sommers. We didn't resolve the question entirely, but there were several mentions of The Vagina Monologues, so at least the conversation didn't get too dull.

Respond

Real Art Doesn't Care Where it Passes Out

Fine art plus unlimited martinis for only $30? Sounds like the bargain of a lifetime.

Respond

Hirohito Warned About Nagasaki

In horribly shocking news, the Associated Press reports that President Bush and Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff were warned before landfall was made that Hurricane Katrina could cause severe damage and kill people. Really? A Category 5 hurricane is capable of causing massive destruction in a below-ocean level city especially prone to flooding?

Did the executive branch mismanage the disaster response? Probably. But current headlines like "Bush Warned About Katrina" carry with them the unstated implication that he could have somehow waved a wand and wished Katrina away. Morgan Freeman was warned about the meteor heading toward earth, but that doesn't make him responsible for everyone who died when it hit.

Respond

12 Monkeys + Rainbow 6 =

It's ecological theory with a delightful Malthusian twist: the BBC reports on a study which suggests that the population decline following the 14th century plague pandemic known as the Black Death caused the climate cooling known as The Little Ice Age. Fewer people clearing farmland = more trees = less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere = cooler temperatures. Or so the theory goes. Wait until Zero Population Growth gets together with Greenpeace to strategize. Early advice: don't accept any suspicious letters or unsolicited Halloween candy from environmentalists.

Respond

The Ebonics of the Highlands

While casually researching my Scottish ancestry, I found my way to the website of the Scottish Parliament and to the page of my no doubt distant cousin Alasdair Morrison, MSP. Noticing that he was a member of the Gaelic caucus (Buidheann Thar-Phartaidh na Gàidhlig), I wondered what other languages the Parliament might cater to; Cornish, perhaps? I was amazed to learn that the regional government's website was available in such unlikely tongues as Italian, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Bengali, and even Catalan. What truly amazed me, however, was that it was also available in ... Scots.

Naturally this suggested the question: There's a seperate Scottish language? The answer turned out to be: Well, kind of. Scots turns out to be a crude, phonetic rendering of the English language in the form of a heavy Scottish accent. Here's a (thankfully brief) example of the website's welcome message rendered in Scots:

"The Scottish Pairlament is here for tae represent aw Scotland's folk. We want tae mak siccar that as mony folk as can is able tae find oot aboot whit the Scottish Pairlament dis and whit wey it warks. We hae producit information anent the Pairlament in a reenge o different leids tae help ye tae find oot mair."

I at first assumed this had to be some sort of elaborate Mike Myers-inspired joke, but further reflection suggests that it is, in fact, for real. It strongly seems the equivalent of the U.S. Congress translating their website into Appalachian. I'm still torn between being amused and horrified.

Respond

Decent Remarks on Indecency

At a time when the current FCC chairman is promising faster indecency complaint processing and is poised to fine Fox because Nicole Ritchie said “shit” on the air, former chairman Powell has some interesting observations on regulating broadcast indecency, reported by Information Week:

As part of his trademark question-and-answer appearance, Powell also told event host and questioner Phil Weiser that parents need to take more responsibility for their childrens' Internet and television consumption habits, a bit of a break from his actions at the FCC, where he tried to use agency fines and other pressures to control indecency.

"There is no passive fix," said Powell, noting that his own children, like others, are technically adept and therefore likely to find technical shortcuts past adults' laws and rules if left to their own devices.

"You can cut off TV all day, and they find something through the Xbox 360," Powell said. "Parents have to be involved in their childrens' lives, and what they cull from that universe. If you don't do that, [it doesn't matter] how many laws we pass."

Respond