Aces Full of Links: Sh-Sh-Sh-Shotgun

May 21, 2004

Sh-Sh-Sh-Shotgun

Kill Billy (Flash)
- From the makers of Arfenhouse comes this trailer for “Kill Billy.”
Cold Turkey (@ CommonDreams)
- Kurt Vonnegut’s comments on the world today. Read this, then go read one of his books. Do it now.
- I was born a human being in 1922 A.D. What does ‘A.D.’ signify? That commemorates an inmate of this lunatic asylum we call Earth who was nailed to a wooden cross by a bunch of other inmates. […] Can you imagine people doing such a thing to a person? No problem. That’s entertainment. Ask the devout Roman Catholic Mel Gibson, who, as an act of piety, has just made a fortune with a movie about how Jesus was tortured. Never mind what Jesus said.
Judd Nelson Soundboard (Flash)
- Finally! You can now call up any phrase from Judd Nelson’s magnum opus “The Breakfast Club.” Use liberally throughout the day. Otherwise, you’re a neo maxie zoon dweebie.
Laid Off: Career Day
- Odd Todd’s latest! ‘Nuff Said.
Feynman: Cargo Cult Science
- If you haven’t read Richard P. Feynman’s Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! you don’t know what you’re missing. Read it.
- I’m trying to figure out what to say, when the guy says to her, “I’m, uh, studying massage. Could I practice on you?” “Sure,” she says. They get out of the bath and she lies down on a massage table nearby. I think to myself, “What a nifty line! I can never think of anything like that!” He starts to rub her big toe. “I think I feel it,” he says. “I feel a kind of dent—is that the pituitary?” I blurt out, “You’re a helluva long way from the pituitary, man!” They looked at me, horrified—I had blown my cover—and said, “It’s reflexology!” I quickly closed my eyes and appeared to be meditating.
- Er, what’s a cargo cult?
Funny Warning Labels
- It’s amazing what people have to warn other people against.
Berg Conspiracy (on Kuro5hin)
- I’m no conspiracy theorist, but hoaxes and conspiracies fascinate me. Both the possibility of a hoax fascinates me and how people latch onto small details and work them into a conspiracy intrigues me. Here, people are noting inconsistencies in the Nick Berg video. Be careful, though. Studying the details can help you fool yourself if you’re not conservative with your conclusions.
- This link also appeared on A Cry For Help.
Smart People Belive Weird Things
- Michael Shermer says: “Rarely does anyone weigh facts before deciding what to believe”
- I’m currently reading his Borderlands of Science. This guy is anathema to pseudoscience kooks and holocaust deniers everywhere.
Penn and Teller: Bullshit!
- I’ve seen the first season on DVD and it’s worth a look. Great sense of humor, and they are pretty much right on the money. An appeal for intellectual honesty… that’s entertaining!
Jesus Landing Pad
- Ending on a scary note, here’s another conspiracy theory of a sort. But, in this case, the folks are pretty up front about being a conspiracy. On their own website they claim they are the Christian voice in Washington. And the president does talk to them. Make of it what you well.
- Also mentioned on Absit Invidia. While your on Steve’s site, read the last week or so. He’s tracking some good stories.

Posted by James at May 21, 2004 11:41 AM

Comments

Awww... just 'the last week or so'? I am crushed...

Anyway, the best story of the week was just posted. The Vice Chair of the American Conservative Union refused to shake hands with W.

I hope it's the beginning of a trend.

Posted by: Steve at May 21, 2004 1:32 PM

I was going to say "the last two weeks" but that seemed to be too obsequious.

I'm off to check out this story about hand-shaking.

Posted by: James at May 21, 2004 1:44 PM

Are you talking about this story?

Sit-down strike that could haunt Bush
By ROBERT NOVAK

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/2580828

"DURING George W. Bush's keynote address to the 40th anniversary black-tie banquet of the American Conservative Union last week, diners rose repeatedly to applaud the president's remarks. But one man kept his seat through the 40-minute oration. It was no liberal interloper but conservative stalwart Donald Devine.

[...]

"So, the question remains: Why would Devine stay seated at the ACU dinner when everybody else was standing and clapping? To begin with, he shares concern with many Republicans about what the United States is doing in Iraq and where it is going. Businessmen I have talked to recently exercise limited patience in how long they will tolerate the bloodshed and confusion."

This is another example of the Con vs. Neo-Con fight, and I'm loving every minute of it!

Posted by: Patti M. at May 21, 2004 3:07 PM

And by the way...hearing Judd Nelson ask "Have you ever kissed a boy...on the mouth?" turns me to jelly.

Posted by: Patti M. at May 21, 2004 3:17 PM

Indulge a linkee some self-promotion?

My book on the rise of the conservative movement, BEFORE THE STORM: BARRY GOLWATER AND THE UNMAKING OF THE AMERICAN CONSENSUS, has been very well received. Checking out this blog--especially the comment on Don Devine, who I interviewed for the book--I think you folks would like it.

The reviewer in The Nation wrote: "I've read Before the Storm twice and intend to go on reading it, as my opiate, as long as Bush is in the White House.... Before the Storm is the story of such a fascinating era and Perlstein is such a great storyteller--one of the most enjoyable historians I've read--that I guarantee for a while you will simply forget the dreariness of today's politics."

In the Village Voice: ". Daring, virtuosic writing, and encyclopedic mastery make the book's title and its Goldwater focus inadequate to all Perlstein accomplishes. This is an exciting volume, an outstanding debut. It goes beyond conservatism. It ups the ante on what popular history can, and should, do."

OK. Enough. I'm blushing. If you liked "The Jesus Landing Pad: Bush White House checked with rapture Christians before latest Israel move," you'll, um, love BEFORE THE STORM.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0809028581/qid=1085016241/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/002-0473633-7022428?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Warm personal regards,
Rick Perlstein

Posted by: Rick Perlstein at May 22, 2004 7:15 PM

Heh, I saw your comment on Steve's website as well (Absit Invidia) and I have to agree with him. Anyone who wants a plug for a book on my website should send me a copy. At the very least, the book will get a mention, and an honest review.

But since I don't get this type of spam often, and I'm interested in the story, I'll let it stay for now.

If you do want to send me a copy, contact me through my comments form.

Posted by: James at May 22, 2004 8:24 PM