RADIOACTIVE

Bits and Pieces for the Week of March 20 - 26

"I'm not a racist." (Mike)
Those pesky Republicans will try anything to fuck those in need: "The bill, if passed, would actually cut off all food stamp benefits to any family where one adult member is engaging in a strike against an employer..." (Mike)
All the aftershocks... Japan Earthquake Map. (7 of 6)
Studies link climate change with ongoing social upheaval in Africa. (Mike)
Waffully wedded (Mike)

Humanitarians of the Year

Freedom! If there's one thing America loves, it's... well, war. But if there's two  things America loves, it's war and torture. But if there's three things America loves, it's war, torture, and genocide. But if there are several dozen things America loves, they are war, torture, genocide, chattel slavery, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, assassination, poverty, institutionalized bribery, remote-controlled flying death robots and somewhere down the list, between prison labor and lagoons of toxic pig shit, there is almost certainly a special place in our national heart for freedom.

And so it is that the United States is fighting to free the Libyan people from the Libyan people by killing the Libyan people. The situation is fairly straightforward, after all - Libya faces a humanitarian crisis, and the only way to address a humanitarian crisis is to bomb it with hundreds of cruise missiles. I'm told that the Red Cross still delivers bottled water and medical supplies by duct-taping them to the nose cone of an outgoing Tomahawk. More importantly, the Libyan people are oppressed by a bloodthirsty dictator - a dictator who kills his own people - and the least we can do is kill those people ourselves. How, I ask, can we stand idly by and allow people to be slaughtered by a ruthless tyrant when we could be slaughtering them instead?

You may ask, what makes getting killed by the United States any better than getting killed by Qaddafi? Because we are America, killing for a great American cause, in the name of Americanness, and our murder victims, in their last moments, as their houses are burnt and their schools destroyed and their neighbors incinerated and their families turned into hamburger, will come to know our American values: of freedom, of liberty, of toxic pig shit.

by the Medium Lobster

Bits and Pieces for the Week of March 13 - 19

What to expect from the Japanese economy after this disaster (Mike)
Source for 15-minute updates of radiation levels in the US (Mike)
Fascinating and grim photos from Japan (Mike)
The quandry: Do we help the Libyan rebels and start an international war, or do we wish them the best of luck and watch them get slaughtered? (Mike)
First-hand look of a tsunami washing through a city. (Mike)
Follow the latest updates on the ongoing nuclear reactor crisis in Japan. (Mike)
Time-lapse animation of Japan's aftershocks (Mike)
NPR fails to support their own (Mike)
If you're not a Republican then you'll probably understand this 9th grade level explanation of what's happening in the problem nuclear reactors in Japan. (Mike)
Why San Francisco should start preparing for "the big one" (Mike)
Before-and-after photos of several Japanese coastal cities (note: slide photo divider left and right) (Mike)

Someone had to take a mature stand on the immigration issue to bring a responsible National dialogue on the issue... it's very uncommon for me to ever give kudos to the Mormon (LDS) Church, but the attitude change and sense of normalcy is a ray of light from the usual radical stances. "Paul Mero, president of the conservative Sutherland Institute... with LDS Church support for immigration reform, Mero said, 'We’ve had a 180[-degree] turn in this state. Culturally, more and more folks understand how reasonable comprehensive reform is compared to enforcement only.' Sen. Stuart Reid, R-Ogden, echoed that sentiment." Now if only Arizona will see the light, it could spread nationally. (7 of 6)

Bits and Pieces for the Week of March 6 - 12

To say that things are getting more interesting in Wisconsin would be a huge understatement. (Mike)
How to cut gas prices (Mike)
The argument against procreating. (Mike)

The Astonishing Stupidity of Not Raising Taxes on the Rich When Budgets Are Tight. "When taxes were raised the economy improved. Every time. Deficits had no negative effect on the economy." TAX THE RICH!!! (7 of 6)

Parody about the "fake" Koch call to Wisconsin Governor Walker

I can't seem to stop laughing!

Bits and Pieces for the Week of February 27 - March 5

Maybe Farscape wasn't total science fiction. (Mike)
Cute as a button... (Mike)
The illusion of low prices (Mike)
There are even some fireworks at the end of this amazing light show. (Mike)
This is really disgusting, and yet important to know. (Mike)

Heard this joke going around, and just had to share it: A unionized public employee, a teabagger, and a CEO are sitting at a table. In the middle of the table there is a plate with a dozen cookies on it. The CEO reaches across and takes 11 cookies, looks at the teabagger and says, "Look out for that union guy -- he wants a piece ...of your cookie." - The Other 98%. (7 of 6)

"Anonymous, the notorious collective of unnamed Internet activists, is declaring war on the controversial Koch brothers... Anonymous is 'an online pool of consciousness,' a formidable group of aggressive hackers or hactivists, a notorious collective of unnamed Internet activists. Anonymous is free of hierarchical leaderships structure." I hope this is a worldwide start to combat corporate greed interfering with politics. (7 of 6)

Another Mike Tyson gem: