Christ on a half eaten tortilla

Regular readers know how much I love these sightings. This Jesus on a tortilla is one of the best ones I've seen in a while.

And love this detail:

"I usually get up and go to the counter to get my taco," Garza recalled. "But this morning, a little girl, about five years old, brought my tacos to my table."

Garza said he had never seen the little girl before.

Read the rest of the story at the link.

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Historical reference

This was my favorite find making the rounds on the Facebook this week. Sad because it's true.

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Tweeting on the mock of the day, watching the time slip away

I trust you may have noticed, I finally installed my twitter ticker on the sidebar.

I mostly use my twitter account as a newswire. It's the fastest newswire on the internets now. News breaks there at least 20 minutes before it hits the traditional vendors. Unfortunately, it's also the most unreliable. As someone put it today, it's the best newswire for the first five minutes, and the worst for the next thirty. I call the latter, the hysteria factor.

But it's also a great social platform for direct communication. And I do have my days when I feel like haranguing big name tweeps. Those would often be the days when I don't post much here. Like today. I challenged the few big media tweeps I follow, and taunted random GOPers I don't follow, about the payroll tax bill standoff for hours this afternoon. And I encouraged the Dem leadership to stand firm and not pay the ransom this time. All of which may or may not help, but I find cathartic.

So, to make a long story longer, whatever its charms and flaws, I do check the tweetie regularly and often post good links that I'm reading but rarely end up blogging. Which is a really long way of saying, if I'm not posting, check the twitter ticker. There's likely to be something amusing there.

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Got no time

Just a random thought.

In a world where 40 seconds is an unacceptably long time to load a webpage, lots of people feel four years should be long enough to repair 40 years of institutional neglect.

Atlas Slugged

I haven't been that interested in seeing this movie, and now, after Roy Edroso reviewed Atlas Shrugged, I don't have to. Best movie review. Ever. This was my favorite part:

OK, it's ridiculous, but no more so than Rand's The Fountainhead, out of which King Vidor, Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal made a silly and operatic but perfectly entertaining film.

That was what I hoped for as I watched the thing last night, because as much fun as it is to slag rotten movies, it is much better to be surprised by a good one, especially when you've reached the stage in life where two hours in front of a stinker sets you dreaming of the warm couch and leftover sesame chicken that you left back home. But it is my great regret to inform you that Atlas Shrugged: Part I is neither good nor good-bad, but bad-bad-bad-bad. I dreamed, not of sesame chicken, but of my own swift and merciful death, and that of the director, not necessarily in that order. It is not a pleasurable surprise, not a hoot, nor an outrage; it is Rand's granite crushed, reconstituted, and spread across the screen with steamrollers.

If you're thinking of springing for the ticket price -- well -- read the whole review first. [via]

Tribalism in the 21st Century

I really should bookmark his page. I sometimes forget how much I like Mark Morford's work. He has a great post on Islamophobia today. Love this turn of the phrase:

The sentiment has since grown in fits and farts and boozy burps, fanned by Rush Limbaugh's moron Dittoheads, Glenn Beck's gullible simpletons, and of course, the Tea Party, perhaps the first significant political movement entirely dependent on our failing educational system to survive. Truly, the Tea Party might just be the dumbest gaggle of humans ever to rally around a nonsensical, as-yet-unstated worldview no one can quite spell out. Because they have no clue what the hell it is.

But they do know one thing. They are against a general Islamic takeover of America, Wal-Mart and NASCAR. They do not want their wives forced to wear a burka. They do not want to have to walk all the way to Mecca. Where is that, like, in Peru or something?

Don't be fooled by the quote. It's not really a TP bashing post. As he points out so eloquently, tribalism knows no boundaries.

Twain in his own words

If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. ~Mark Twain

I love Mark Twain. I've had that quote on the sidebar since I opened up this blog, so I'm really looking forward to the release of his new unexpurgated autobiography. Think it's going to be great:

Whether anguishing over American military interventions abroad or delivering jabs at Wall Street tycoons, this Twain is strikingly contemporary. Though the autobiography also contains its share of homespun tales, some of its observations about American life are so acerbic — at one point Twain refers to American soldiers as “uniformed assassins” — that his heirs and editors, as well as the writer himself, feared they would damage his reputation if not withheld.

“From the first, second, third and fourth editions all sound and sane expressions of opinion must be left out,” Twain instructed them in 1906. “There may be a market for that kind of wares a century from now. There is no hurry. Wait and see.”

Of course, I have no budget for book buying these days, but the library will get it eventually and in any event, I'm glad I lived long enough to read it in it's unabridged glory. [graphic]

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Run for the roses

It's been a busy week and I have a few fun links saved up. I love the Kentucky Derby. I developed an appreciation for horse racing late in life thanks to my friend and former employer, Ronnie Sarazin, may he rest in peace. But I loved the Derby even before that, because of the hats.

This is something I'd like to see in person. Lots of painted elephants in London.

I really want these no threat glasses.

In case you somehow missed this youtube, Lion cubs make their debut at the Bronx Zoo.

Liked this strangely colored beach sand.

A really heartwarming story, Superhero for a Day.

And the top 10 greatest science fiction detective novels.

Thanks to ahuntre, hudsonette, mtsw , TheLoneOlive, and history_geek.

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Social Media

On a related note to Garry Trudeau's quote of the day that I posted earlier, this is a very interesting commentary on what's happening in the world of social media.



According to this, social media like Facebook and Twitter is now more popular than on-line porn. You'll be surprised by some of the other stats, I bet. I know I was. Direct link in case the embedded video doesn't work. [via Alan Colmes]

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Quote of the Day

It's important to remember that every day about 295 million Americans get up and fail to tune in to Rush Limbaugh. ~Garry Trudeau

The Greensboro News&Record scored an email interview with the somewhat reclusive Garry Trudeau. The quote comes from a larger graf that deserves to quoted in full.

There's still plenty of moderate, reasonable discourse, but it competes in an ever-expanding universe of commentary. There are over 120 million blogs now -- and hundreds of cable stations. So it's true that no one voice is going to be as influential as it once was. It's important to remember that every day about 295 million Americans get up and fail to tune in to Rush Limbaugh.

Back in the late '70s, I created an animated "Doonesbury" special for NBC. The network declined to order another because of disappointing ratings. The show had 21 million viewers. On an average night, "The Daily Show," a huge hit, pulls 1.5 million viewers. It's a different world.

So it is. And it keeps changing faster all the time. I recall reading once, probably sometime in the late 70s, that in the sum total of man's knowledge, half of everything we knew occurred before 1900 and the other half happened in that 70+ years. I'm betting that timeline has shortened since then.

As with most things, it's been a blessing and a curse.

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A Hopi Prophecy

The Elders Speak - Part One. I watch this stuff and want to just go and hang out with Native American elders for the rest of my life. This guy just exudes peace of mind.



Part two here and there are a bunch of related videos on the YouTube page. Good to be reminded once in a while about the importance of staying connected to the natural world.

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Catching up is hard to do

I've been trying to get to these links but I keep getting caught up in private IM chats. Not that I'm not happy to catch up with friends but it means I've fallen way behind. So a quick linky post of some older stuff that's still worth reading.

I was a bit too old to really get into John Hughes teen angst films so I don't have a lot to say about his unexpected death except the usual sadness at a creative soul lost too soon. I might not have mentioned it at all, but this post about one person's pen pal relationship him was so moving, I can't think of better eulogy. It would seem he was a very nice man. Rest in peace.

I missed remarking on Obama's birthday a couple of days ago. It was also Helen Thomas' birthday and Obama's surprise visit to the briefing room to serenade her and bring her cupcakes gave me that warm feeling.

This made me laugh. Rupert Murdoch announced he is going to start charging for access to all of his media properties. He said, "Quality journalism is not cheap." Ha! How would he know? Everything he touches, turns to tabloid.

On a related note, what liberal press? This review of content for the last year showed only 5% of the op-ed pieces in the major rags were penned by liberals.

This is scary. Pictures of the arctic the Bush administration kept secret.

Breaking my pledge to link to WaPo because Steven Pearlstein is a good writer and it may be the first time anyone in the tradmed has used the term "political terrorists" to describe the GOP.

And a new find, although I've been reading Bill Scher's Liberal Oasis for years, he has a new gig. If you're not reading his Progressive Breakfast in the mornings, you're missing out.

Doonesbury spent the whole week on "C Street" strips. Very funny stuff. Start here and keep clicking forward.

And to end with the customary photos, I follow one of our astronauts on Twitter. This pix of sunrise over earth is stunning. And this is nice shot of NYC at dusk. Love the lighting.

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Happy Birthday Errol Flynn

Today is Errol Flynn's birthday, or would be if he was still alive. There's a lovely tribute to him and his work at this post. I think the author overlooks some of his flaws. He was a complex and somewhat flawed man in person, if some of the other things I've read about him are true, but he was one of my favorite stars of that era.

I adored his swashbuckling persona in his movies. He was almost too pretty, but somehow he came across as manly, even when he was wearing tights while he crossed swords with his foes in some castle. I suppose on some level you might call him the first metrosexual. And he had this air of worldliness, but without being jaded or world weary. He appealed to the adventurer in me. I can't think of a single movie he did that I didn't like and would watch over and over again. Thanks to Honey Bear Kelly for the link and reminding me of the date.

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This old house

I love this new Lego series. Word has it they're planning to launch more kits in the future featuring different architects.


I really like Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings and Falling Water is my favorite, maybe because I once visited there in person. It's a beautiful house and was a lovely trip.

Funny because it's true

Quote of the Day:

The only force on Earth stronger than stupidity is wilfully self-inflicted ignorance. ~RC McKee

A brilliant mind and an astounding photographer.

You really got me going

Song in my head that inspired the title of this little linkfest.

I was messing around in youtube because Tim Meehan left this update on Facebook. "Try this: add &fmt=18 to the end of youtube video URLs. You'll hear a big difference." I didn't notice any difference on this video but maybe I'm just too deaf to hear it. Or maybe it only works on your own home-produced vids. If anyone can figure out what it's supposed to do, please leave a comment.

Dan has the rant of the day on the GOP's foolishness.

And I've had this rant on single payer health care hanging around so long I forgot what jurassicpork said, but I remember it was really worth reading. By the way, he's fallen in love on the internets.

SCOTUS upholds CA medical marijuana law by refusing two appeals by hold-out counties without comment.

On a related note, Ohio DEA agent indicted for perjury and fabricating evidence in a case that involves a professional informant called Bray. I seem to recall he was involved in some dicey cases in Oregon a few years back. [h/t Avedon]

Meanwhile, Holland is shutting down prisons because they don't have enough criminals. [via Moonbootica]

Moon also is my primary source for science news these days. She unearths Ida the missing link. I really love fossils. Next lifetime I want to be an archaeologist.

And an interesting twist on climate change. Arctic melt that is causing the sea to retreat and the land to rise. Weird.

Picture of the day at mikevotes place. It takes some talent to snarl with a smile.

Related art of the day from Andy. Picture made entirely of corn. Seems fitting.

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Sex and drugs and rock and roll

Nothing much worth talking about today. Just a few links that don't require much commentary.

The first sex themed amusement park in China is about to open its doors. Neighbors aren't happy but the owner claims it will be a public service. This quote from a local sexpert was most striking.

"But people will become more tolerant and have positive attitudes towards sex; for example, people [already] care more about female orgasm. I read a report saying in the west about 90% of women have experienced orgasm, but in China the number is only 28%," she said.

Speaking of sex, this squigged me out a little but wow, Cher nearly naked at 62 doesn't look all that different from when she wore the same outfit in her 40s. Of course she is a walking monument to cosmetic surgery, but still you have to give her some credit for working so hard to keep up appearances.

Dan has some insights for the newspaper biz. "The biggest problem facing newspapers is a well earned skepticism that they will accurately inform their readers."

Meanwhile, NYT is musing on pay models for their internet product. They should read Dan's post first.

And I'm sure you'll shocked to learn that four days after the big announcement about the health care industry's deep concern for cutting costs, they're walking back on their pledge. We're down to well, maybe they could sorta, kinda, cut some costs, someday, but only if it doesn't cost them any ill-earned profits. Someone remind again why they are even invited to the table on this when the system needs to be reformed to get their greedy paws off it.

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The Future Jack Boots of America

I was a Girl Scout as a kid and I led a Brownie troop as an adult. We learned how to survive in the woods and sang cheery songs around the campfire. Granted the Explorers, a co-ed program afilliated with the Boy Scouts, has always had a different focus but their latest training program is disturbing.

The training, which leaders say is not intended to be applied outside the simulated Explorer setting, can involve chasing down illegal border crossers as well as more dangerous situations that include facing down terrorists and taking out “active shooters,” like those who bring gunfire and death to college campuses. In a simulation here of a raid on a marijuana field, several Explorers were instructed on how to quiet an obstreperous lookout.

“Put him on his face and put a knee in his back,” a Border Patrol agent explained. “I guarantee that he’ll shut up.”

The program is open to 14-21 year olds, but the leaders take them at 13. Tell me not one 13 year old is going to try this shit at home. And the whole fight the enemy mentality seems to me to go against the spirit of Scouting. What ever happened to civic projects? Instead they're creating a culture of violence.

Cathy Noriego, also 16, said she was attracted by the guns. The group uses compressed-air guns — known as airsoft guns, which fire tiny plastic pellets — in the training exercises, and sometimes they shoot real guns on a closed range.

“I like shooting them,” Cathy said. “I like the sound they make. It gets me excited.”

An unfortunate quote considering the program's past history of sexual abuse by some counselors. This whole program strikes me as so many shades of wrong. Appalling.

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Carrie Prejean Naked Again

As I said before, I don't care at all if Miss California, Carrie Prejean, shows her tits or poses buck naked for that matter. But it is worth mentioning for the hypocrisy factor. Little Ms. Holier than Thou is sitting of judgment of other people's morals and hiding her own little dirty secrets. TMZ has the new shots taken much more recently at the link for your purient amusement and we have nipple exposure here folks. Funny she didn't remember having those taken either.

On a different note, it occurs to me that somebody has a job that requires cruising the internets looking for naked pictures of celebrities. I bet there's a lot of guys that are jealous about that.

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Retailers drop prices to win sales

I suppose you could call this the invisible hand of the free market at work. Consumers stopped spending on high priced goods, so the retailers are finding ways to offer cheaper versions of their former luxury lines of merchandise. In some cases they're using cheaper materials and cutting some of the frills but Starbucks dropping their coffee price made me wonder why they charged more for it in the first place. They're making up the 30 cent difference by charging more for the more complicated drinks, but shouldn't that have been the standard all along under a fair pricing scheme?

The retailers are, of course, hoping that people will go back to their spendthrift ways in the future, but I wonder if the upside of this recession won't be that consumers finally realize paying a premium for the status of a brand name just isn't worth it.

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