If Faux News had existed in 1932 ...

Just sayin'

Wingnuts Rebel Against Faux News And Demand A New tea party Driven Propaganda Machine

Lord Christopher Monckton, a contributor for Wing Nut Daily and former policy advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, penned an article for the lunatic fringe website complaining about the mainstream media and how it is too far to the left. Not only did he target the normal sources, such as newspapers, broadcast networks and other ‘legacy’ media outlets, he also pointed a finger at Faux News. Apparently, in Monckton’s mind, Faux News is a slave to the left and is far too scared of President Obama and his ‘Obots’ to really investigate truly interesting stories and angles — such as the President’s birth certificate or climate change skepticism.
First off, Monckton whined about the media not giving enough coverage to conspiracy theories or hatred of science:

For the so-called “mainstream” news media increasingly refuse to report any fact, however interesting, if that fact in any way casts doubt upon the totalitarianism they have long and furtively championed.

Everyone hates the IRS, and no news editor could plausibly argue that the news that there is very good reason to hate the IRS is not of interest to the public the media nominally serve. Yet if you came across any mention of the decision of Congress to hold Ms. Lerner in contempt, you will have been lucky.

For the left cover up for their own. The first duty of your average Marxist journalist (and that means most of them) is to report the news in a way that furthers the global spread of a single narrow, outdated political prejudice. Increasingly, that means not reporting the news at all.

Consider the question of the Obama “birth certificate.” On any view, this is an interesting story. An experienced, credible and much-decorated sheriff has published detailed and compelling evidence raising grave questions about the authenticity of several documents related to the identity of the occupant of the White House, and one of these documents remains on the White House website to this day.

Yet most news media have never subjected the “birth certificate” to scrutiny. Indeed, remarkably few have even been willing to admit that there is an investigation at all, still less to provide any reasonably detailed or factual account of its progress.

And a growing number of news media are now refusing to print any comments or letters to the editor on climate change, if those letters in any way call into question the official version of the science, even though 17 years 9 months without global warming cast more than a little doubt on its reliability. The only point of view permitted is the enviro-left viewpoint.

Ahh, I see. The problem with news media today is that it doesn’t cater specifically to what lunatic fringe wingnuts want to hear and read. If a newspaper or cable news network doesn’t provide ample coverage on conspiracy theories and science denialism, then it is obvious that the editors are in the bag for the Marxist Socialist regime known as the Obama Administration.
Later on, Monckton points out that Faux News isn’t listening to its base enough and is abandoning its audience by not going farther into tin-foil hat territory. Since Monckton feels that mainstream news media is losing its audience due to its complicity with totalitarian government and its fealty to the Marxist leaders, and that Faux News is now part of this problem, he feels that the only possible solution for the delusional-minded wingnuts who seek the truth is for them to start a brand new news network.

Some of this decline in print and electronic media is accounted for by the rise of the Internet. Much of it, however, is attributable first and foremost to a systemic political prejudice that is simply no longer tolerable to the readers.

We can hope, therefore, that eventually the voters will become so disenchanted at the failure of many news media to give both sides of the story that they will drive the totalitarian wing of the legacy media altogether out of business.

That will be a very good thing. In the meantime, the non-left, liberty-loving, democratic-minded news media should be prepared to raise their game.

Why, for instance, has Faux News not dared to tackle the birth-certificate question in any depth. The reason is that, though it is generally fair and balanced, it is no longer unafraid. The intolerance of the left knows no bounds. They did not like Glenn Beck’s exposure of the ACORN scandal, so they hounded him and bullied his advertisers till he was forced out.

Everyone else at Faux is now running scared. The standard Saul Alinsky tactic of viciously and persistently attacking the reputations of any who dare to oppose the left works all too well.

The tea-party movement would justify its existence if it were now to establish a 24-hour TV news channel sufficiently independent of its advertisers and staffed by sufficiently tough-minded journalists that the bully-boys and Obots would be unable to frighten as they have frightened Faux.

Heh, you have to love the Saul Alinksy and ACORN references by Monckton. It is like he made sure to insert the lunatic fringe’s favorite buzzwords in this article — Alinsky, Marxist, totalitarianism, ACORN,  liberty, etc. Anyway, it isn’t like Monckton is alone in his idea that the lunatic fringe needs to launch a more lunatic fringe 24-hour cable news network. A couple of months ago, the CEO of Newsmax, a lunatic fringe 'news' site that shares more than a few similarities to WND, announced that he was planning on launching a “kinder, gentler” version of Faux News. Of course, if Newsmax is involved, it is going to be driven by conspiracy theories and crazed rants.
You have to love the bubble mentality of the lunatic fringe and tea party crowd. They live in this insulated bubble. However, if there is ever any chance that something might penetrate that bubble, they freak out and demand a stronger and more impenetrable bubble. In this case, too much contradictory information is making its way onto Faux News and they aren’t focusing enough on the conspiracy theories and insane contrarianism that makes the cuckoo crowd feel all warm and fuzzy.

Daily Comic Relief

Tony Perkins Says religio-wingnut christians Have More Rights than Other christians

Perkins claims 'true religious freedom' only applies to 'orthodox religious viewpoints'" as though there is anything orthodox about his beliefs…

According to Tony Perkins, who says condom use leads to tyranny, the First Amendment is situational and therefore relativistic. In accordance with recent Religious Right thinking on the subject, it was written by the Founding Fathers to apply only to christians, and not only that, but to orthodox christians. You know, the brand of christianity that ruthlessly exterminated not only every alternative to christianity, but every alternative to orthodoxy from within christianity.
As reported by Brian Tashman at Right Wing Watch, Perkins “implied…that christians who support gay rights don’t have the same religious rights as wingnut christians because ‘true religious freedom’ only applies to ‘orthodox religious viewpoints.’”
Well, that leaves you out, Tony.
Let’s take another look at the First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Nope, Tony. In fact, it says exactly the opposite of what you claim: “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” eliminates rather nicely any idea that certain religions (christianity is not even specifically mentioned) have more rights than others.
Perkins told a caller on Monday’s Washington Watch:

I would use that term ‘christian’ loosely. That title is — let’s talk biblical, here’s the deal, it’s like with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that we worked on in Mississippi and failed in Arizona and other places, here’s a test of what is a true religious freedom, a freedom that’s based on orthodox religious viewpoints. It has to have a track record, it has to come forth from religious orthodoxy.

Maybe Perkins knows about some “true religious freedoms” the rest of us have never heard of, but regardless, the only “true religious freedoms” come from the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Constitution says Tony Perkins is dead wrong.
The thing is, the so-called christianity espoused by the religio-wingnuts is a heresy, according to christianity’s own terminology, and is about as far from orthodoxy as you can get, lacking, as it does, any real place for jesus’ actual teachings, which are ignored in favor of old testament fire and brimstone, and then only selectively.
The only aspect of orthodoxy the religio-wingnuts really rock is the relentless pursuit of intolerance of all other viewpoints. In christianity’s 2000 year history of warring denominations but nobody did it better than orthodoxy. And we can imagine today that were it not for the First Amendment, orthodoxy would have suffocated the religio-wingnuts in their metaphorical cradle and old Tony would have been crisping at the stake long since.
Perkins went on to claim:

You cannot point to the christian faith and say that same-sex marriage has been a key teaching of the church. You can only point to the opposite, that the cult has stood against sexual immorality in terms of sexual relations of those outside of marriage and in particular homosexual behavior. There is no place, there is nothing for them to stand on and say that same-sex marriage has standing in the orthodox christian delusion.
They’re playing games here, trying to turn the effort that so many Americans are now faced with of preserving religious freedom, they’re now trying to do a jujitsu move and say, ‘We’re going to use religious freedom to say we have a right to do same-sex marriage.’ Well, there is no foundation for that, there is no orthodox christian holding that has ever said marriage is between people of the same sex.

All that’s between christians. The government, according to the First Amendment, can have nothing to do with doctrinal squabbles. In fact, that is one of the things the First Amendment was meant to prohibit, because of the long history of old world abuses.

In the end, it’s hard not to picture jesus just laughing, because jesus was a jew, and he did not preach to Gentiles. He told his disciples not to teach to Gentiles, referring to Gentiles like Tony Perkins, in time honored wingnut jewish fashion, as dogs and swine.
Unfortunately, given that Perkins is trying to push his viewpoint on the rest of us, and that he has widespread support in the repugican cabal for this position, it is no laughing matter. Perkins, as Tashman says, seems to positioning himself as the “final arbiter” of what defines christianity. That’s fine, as long as lunatic repugicans don’t try to make it a legal definition. After all, various christians groups have been playing THAT game for 2000 years.
The thing is, as you know very well, they will try. It’s not much of a step from saying the Constitution’s ban on religious tests (Article VI paragraph 3) is meaningless to saying that not only do you have to be a christian to hold office, but you have to be the right kind of christian.

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Today in History

715		St. Gregory II begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
1535		French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail for North America.
1536		Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, is beheaded on Tower Green.
1568		Defeated by the Protestants, Mary, Queen of Scots, flees to England where Queen Elizabeth imprisons her.
1588		The Spanish Armada sets sail from Lisbon, Spain.
1608		The Protestant states form the Evangelical Union of Lutherans and Calvinists.
1635		Cardinal Richelieu of France intervenes in the great conflict in Europe by declaring war on the Hapsburgs in Spain.
1643		The French army defeats a Spanish army at Rocroi, France.
1780		Near total darkness descends on New England at noon. No explanation is found.
1856		Senator Charles Sumner speaks out against slavery.
1858		A pro-slavery band led by Charles Hameton executes unarmed Free State men near Marais des Cygnes on the Kansas-Missouri border.
1863		Union General Ulysses S. Grant's first attack on Vicksburg is repulsed.
1864		The Union and Confederate armies launch their last attacks against each other at Spotsylvania, Virginia.
1921		Congress sharply curbs immigration, setting a national quota system.
1935		The National Football League adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936.
1964		U.S. diplomats find at least 40 microphones planted in the American embassy in Moscow.
1967		U.S. planes bomb Hanoi for the first time.

Non Sequitur

What Language Does Your State Speak?

The most common language in every U.S. state is English, and the second-most common language in all but seven states is Spanish. But what comes next? The results tell us something about each state’s history of immigration. Ben Blatt put together quite a few maps exploring the languages spoken in the different states.

One of the most interesting data sets for aspiring mapmakers is the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Among other things, that survey includes a detailed look at the languages spoken in American homes. All the maps below are based on the responses to this survey. For instance, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Chinese are separated as different responses in the data, so were treated as different languages when constructing these maps. If those languages had been grouped together, the marking of many states would change.

Besides the most common languages, the maps are broken down into the most common Native American languages, most common Scandinavian languages, and more.

The International Zip Line between Spain and Portugal

The Spanish town of Sanlúcar de Guadiana and the Portuguese town of Alcoutim are separated by the Guadiana River. You can take a boat across the border. But if you want to move really quickly, then zip line is the way to go.
David Jarman’s Limite Zero is the private company responsible for this fun project. For 15 euros, you can travel at 45 miles per hour down the 0.44-mile long zip line at a 12.47% slope. You can then take a ferry back, which is helpful, because you’d surely want to do it again and again.
The ride lasts about a minute. But since you travel across a time zone boundary, you could also say that it takes one hour and one minute.

(Video Link)

China's Strange Proposal For An Undersea Train That Connects To The U.S.

Chinese inventors are known for their wild ideas, like gun powder, ice cream and the compass, but now that China has established itself as an industrial superpower they’re taking those wild ideas to the end of the line.
A report in the Beijing Times states that China is developing a plan to build an 8,000+ mile railroad connecting China to Russia, Canada and the United States, with an over 125 mile stretch spanning the Bering Strait…along the bottom of the ocean.
This bold proposal may not seem like such a bad idea until you consider that the “proposed undersea route would be more than five times longer than the current longest underwater tunnel, the one under the English Channel", not to mention the mountains of red tape to wade through and billions of dollars needed to pull off such a feat of railroad engineering.
If railroads were made of dreams China would have a line that stretches clear to the moon and back...

8 Famous Ideas That Came From Dreams

Inspiration can strike in the most unexpected places, and often, the best creative ideas occur while we're sleeping. Dreams can be a rich source of inner wisdom, and they can be useful in a variety of contexts, from problem-solving to reducing stress.

Here are eight famous ideas and works of art that were created based on dreams.

Conspiracy theorists – Scum of the earth

A playground in Mystic, Connecticut, dedicated to a girl shot during the Newtown massacre, is allegedly being vandalized by “truthers” who claim the shooting never took place.
A vinyl sign weighing 50 pounds was stolen last Tuesday from the Grace McDonnell Playground.
The sign featured a peace symbol that was based on the 7-year-old girl’s drawing. She is one of the 20 children shot by Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut on Dec. 14, 2012.
Grace’s mother, Lynn McDonnell, found out about the theft when a man claiming to have stolen the sign called her.
During a brief conversation, the sign-stealer allegedly told McDonnell that he took the sign because he believes the school shooting was a hoax, CBS2.com reports. He also taunted her that her daughter never existed, a comment that suggested he thought McDonnell was part of the alleged conspiracy.

More

The Stunning Views And Spacious Interiors of the Glass House Mountain House

The Glass House Mountains are a beautiful stretch of volcanic landscape in Australia. The Glass House Mountain House is a beautiful house built at the peak of one of these hills.

The open design flows freely from interior to exterior spaces, allowing natural cooling as well as allowing for a more spacious feel to the home. This also helps make the structure feel more in touch with its striking natural surroundings.

The designers further worked to make the structure reflect its setting by mimicking the mountain's earth, forest and sky with stone, timber and glass materials that make the space feel all at once grounded and floating at the same time.
Check out more pictures of the amazing cantilevered house at Homes and Hues: Striking Textures, Lines and Angels Rule in the Glass House Mountain House

Infinity Pools and Beyond

The pool pictured above is located at the Hanging Gardens Ubud Hotel in Bali, Indonesia. It is a split-level infinity pool made with stone from the area and containing a wall of solidified volcanic ash. Swimmers are suspended high up over treetops of the lush jungle below. 
Architect Popo Danes designed the hotel and grounds with the intent to blend in with the contours of the land and existing natural habitat. The pool's upper level has a spacious deck, which is connected to the hotel bar. The lower level is built for added privacy and is nearly hidden from view. Guests seeking a romantic evening can reserve the lower level of the pool to dine on a floating, wooden deck draped with sheer fabric. From this candlelit deck, the diners are treated to views of an ancient temple in the distance, with nighttime jungle sounds as their "musical accompaniment." See a larger photo gallery of spectacular swimming pools from some of the most luxurious resorts in the world at this LifeBuzz article.

Three arrested after attempting to steal drugs from police station disposal bin

Three people were arrested after allegedly attempting to steal drugs from a police station in Edmond, Oklahoma. The whole thing was caught on camera and it happened inside the Edmond Police station involving the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics prescription disposal bin.

"It takes a lot of guts to come into the lobby of a police department and think you're going to get away with stealing narcotics," explained Jenny Monroe with Edmond Police. The bins are meant for safely getting rid of old prescriptions, but police say Richard Andress, his daughter, Hollie Andress, and her fiancé, Matthew Waller, stole what others had discarded.

Security footage showed the suspects reaching into the bin numerous times and pulling out pills while the records clerk helped other people. What the trio did not know was there are monitors behind the clerk and a jailer was watching the whole time. Hollie Andress did not think she had done anything wrong. "At some point she's reading the box and she told our officers after she was under arrest that it doesn't say anywhere in the fine print that you can't take drugs out of the box," said Monroe.

OBN has 153 drug boxes in police and sheriff's lobbies across the state and spokesman Mark Woodward said they have never had this happen in the three-year history of the bins. "Everyone should know that you're not allowed to come in and take someone else's medication out of a box, especially a state agency," added Monroe. Police said all three suspects are facing felony Larceny of a Controlled Dangerous Substance charges.

Tom the Dancing Bug

Should the Devil Sell Prada?

According to an article scheduled for publication this October in the Journal of Consumer Research, you’re more likely to buy expensive goods in an environment where snobby sales staffers make you feel not well off enough to do so.
Based on the results of four online surveys, article authors Morgan Ward of Southern Methodist University and Darren Dahl of the Sauder School of Business made the following conclusions about the role of rejection in the buying experience:
1. Rejection makes people want to buy luxury goods, but has little effect on consumers of more affordable brands.
2. Rejection is stronger when salespeople convincingly embody luxury brands.
3. Rejection works better on buyers who have a strong desire for a particular luxury brand.
4. Rejection works best in the short term, but may alienate customers in the long run.
Says Dahl, “Our study shows you’ve got to be the right kind of snob in the right kind of store for the effect to work.”

And You Thought it Was Because You Were Bored

We yawn when we’re sleepy, bored, or because we see someone else yawn. Some people yawn when they’re stressed. But why? It’s long been believed we yawn to increase the oxygen supply to the brain. However, a study published this week in Physiology & Behavior concludes yawning serves a different purpose: It cools our brains.
Led by psychologists Jorg Massen of the University of Vienna, and Andrew Gallup of the State University of New York College at Oneonta, researchers took their cues from previous studies showing increased brain temperatures precede yawns and equivalent decreases follow them. From this, they postulated we should yawn predominantly within an optimal range of temperatures.  The study, conducted during both winter and summer months on subjects in Vienna, Austria, and Tucson, AZ, finds that range to center around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Farenheit).
Massen concludes that as a brain-cooling mechanism, yawning is not functional when ambient temperatures are close to that of the body, and may even have harmful consequences when it’s freezing outside.

Your Fake Laugh Isn't Fooling Anyone

Your Fake Laugh Isn't Fooling Anyone

Ever hear a joke that isn't funny, but you laugh anyway so the joke teller doesn't feel bad? New research says quit it! Laci discusses how most people can tell when a laugh is fake!

1 in 5 People Carries Gene for Better Cognition

1 in 5 People Carries Gene for Better Cognition

A scientific team led by the Gladstone Institutes and UC […]