Archive for February 24, 2010
Countdown w/Keith Olbermann Delayed for Curling?
MSNBC is delaying the start of Countdown w/Keith Olbermann until an Olympic curling match ends. Curling? Really?
PETA Blasts SeaWorld Over Trainer’s Death
Per a Google search, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has been screaming at SeaWorld for years over the way it treats its animals. Today, in response to the death of a trainer there, PETA issued the following statement:
A People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) spokesman said the attack was “a tragedy that didn’t have to happen”.
“For years, PETA has been calling on Sea World to stop confining oceangoing mammals to an area that to them is like the size of a bathtub, and we have also been asking the park to stop forcing the animals to perform silly tricks over and over again,” spokesman David Perle said.
“It’s not surprising when these huge, smart animals lash out.”
Additionally,
Whale expert Nancy Black told Local 6 Tilikum [the name of the whale who killed the trainer] could have been playing in the latest attack and did not intend to hurt the trainer.
“They are very intelligent creatures,” Ms Black said.
“They have emotions, and feelings. Maybe it was unhappy in the situation, maybe it was bored.”
Amen.
My heart goes out to the victim and her family, and to those close to her and to those at SeaWorld who witnessed this tragedy, but it goes out to Tilikum too.
The Hummer is History!
General Motors issued a press release today saying that the deal to sell its Hummer division to Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co., Ltd. of China fell through, so the Hummer is now officially dead.
Hallelujah! Producing a gas hog like the Hummer had to be one of the dumbest, most poorly timed business decisions ever.
Female Trainer Killed by Whale at Florida’s SeaWorld
Note to the media: Please don’t turn this into a three day rant about how vicious killer whales are. Per this 2005 article, there had never been a documented killer whale attack on a human as of that year, so this is a very isolated incident.
C-SPAN Sucks
The folks over at Second City, Inc. are just about as pissed off as I am that tomorrow’s health care summit will be carried on C-SPAN3 — available only to premium cable subscribers — instead of on C-SPAN or C-SPAN2, channels available to far more people. As the video says, this huge event, important to every single citizen of the United States, might as well be a pay-per-view event.
Break Time
Check out this site called “Bones & X-rays,” where you can get a premade or a customized cover for your cast (that is, if you’re unlucky enough to break something).
Cute.
The “Liberal Media” Adopting Republican Talking Points on Reconciliation
Here’s a good article explaining how common and simple the reconciliation process is (i.e., don’t buy the hysteria being put forth by the “liberal media” — that’s all coming from hypocritical, lying Republicans).
There’s nothing wrong with the media reporting that Republicans oppose the use of reconciliation to amend the healthcare bill. Of course they do. But they owe it to their audience to explain that reconciliation does nothing more than allow a simple majority vote to pass budgetary issues and that it’s been used routinely by both parties for decades. That’s just the simple truth.
Cleavage in Cartoon Image Too Racy for Sensitive Eyes in Colorado Springs
The Lamar Advertising agency in Colorado Springs, Colorado, recently rejected a bus shelter advertisement that would have revealed the character “Lucy the Slut’s” furry pink cleavage. “Lucy the Slut” is a Muppet-like character in the touring 0ff-Broadway show “Avenue Q.”
In other words, the delicate people of Colorado Springs — a city built on waging war and killing people — need to be protected from this:
The Haves and the Have Nots When it Comes to Health Care
Undoubtedly you all have already thought about this but if not — regarding Dick Cheney’s fifth heart attack — if he was an average Joe he’d have lost his insurance coverage after his first heart attack. He would have been rejected as a candidate for a new policy because of his “pre-existing condition.” And chances are, he would have died after his second, third or fourth heart attack. Living through five is unheard of without a tremendous amount of medical support and follow-up which, of course, our average Joe wouldn’t have had access to because his insurance was canceled after his first attack.
The special privilege afforded to the likes of Dick Cheney speaks to a fundamental unfairness that we must change in our society: If you’re rich and of a certain class, you have a far better chance of living a good long life than average Joes and Janes.
Nah, We Don’t Need Health Care Reform
Wellpoint Raising Premium Rates by Double Digits in at Least 11 States.
Mark Your Calendar: March 16 Is Going to Be a Big Day
Yesterday the ultra-conservative “journalist,” Andrew Breitbart vowed to destroy the “institutional left” by March 16. He wants history to show that,
I took down the institutional left and I believe it’s gonna happen within the next three weeks.
Here’s video, courtesy of Media Matters.
Good luck Andrew.
Why, Oh Why, Can’t We Have a Better News Media?
Woke up this morning to CNN’s “Top Stories.” For a second here I thought I was watching my local tin cup, if-it-bleeds-it-leads channel but no, it was CNN. The “Top Stories?” (1) A guy trying to evade the police by running through a field but they got him anyway; (2) an NBA star sentenced to prison, and (3) “Cop nearly crushed” by a car that plowed into a car he was standing next to.
Again, those were the “Top Stories” on CNN. CNN!
Really, really pitiful.
