Sense and Nonsense

Rush Limbaugh

I'm not willing to waste my time writing about Rush Limbaugh and his latest imbecility.  No clear-thinking person can condone the kind of vile tripe that this man spews.  

Let's just let Jon Stewart have his way with Limbaugh: 

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Don't Attack Iran

Not only because the U.S has "had Israel's back" for too long, but because (as Paul Pillar recently has argued) "We Can Live with a Nuclear Iran."     And a war to prevent it would be a disaster.

How I Got My Killer Abs: Bookups

 

                        Go to The Ragbag for more information and documentation. 

 

Go FOIA Yourself

Listening to the radio in the car this weekend, I heard an "On the Media" segment with host Bob Garfield interviewing OTM producer Sarah AbdurrahmanIn about her recent attempts to find out what sorts of information the U.S. government has collected about her.  She explains how she sent out personal Freedom of Information Act Requests to numerous government agencies.  After hearing this segment, I've decided to do the same.

 

 

 

Think the FBI, Secret Service, or other federal agencies haven't collected any information about you?  You may be surprised.  Listen to Sarah's story and you, too, may decide to write in to find out what the government's files say about you.  I've just done it.  It's easy.  As Sarah explains, one way to do it easily is to start here at Get My FBI File.

The Dysfunctional Congress

Do yourself the favor of reading this insightful article by John Aloyisius Farrell, who examines the polarized, dysfunctional U.S. Congress -- an institution at odds with its constitutional heritage and with the nation it is said to represent.

Love Is Making Its Way Back Home

Wow.  A beautiful work of art.  No special effects.  Just 12,000 pieces of laser-cut paper.  Read all about it here.

 

The Benefits of a Gap Year

 

Gareth Cook has an interesting op-ed piece in this morning's Boston Sunday Globe about the benefits many students can gain from taking a "gap year" or "bridge year" between high school and college -- a great opportunity to gain some maturity and perspective.

 

He Killed the Internet. So Did You.

See this great essay by Tristan Louis.

 

 

But maybe you can resuscitate it. See here.  

 

(h/t: JMF)

Guide to Single Malt Whiskies

This is a handy guide to Scottish single malt whiskies, plotted on a grid with two sets of variables. Horizontally, from light (left) to rich (right); and vertically, from delicate (bottom) to smoky (top). 

Source

Losing a Moderate Voice of Reason

What a shame that one of the few sensible people left in the United States Senate has chosen to retire. Olympia Snowe, Republican from Maine, offered this brief explanation in an op-ed piece in yesterday's Washington Post.

The flavor:

Some people were surprised by my conclusion, yet I have spoken on the floor of the Senate for years about the dysfunction and political polarization in the institution. Simply put, the Senate is not living up to what the Founding Fathers envisioned.