Author: Greg Saunders

Piggybacking on Tom’s post about the ridiculous idea of having a “standing section” on airplanes, the magazine scans reminded me of where this idea might have originated. On the left you’ll see the standing chair prototype from the post below and on the right is a couple of grainy screenshots from the 50’s sci-fi classic “This Island Earth”. Do those chairs on the spaceship look familiar?

When this movie got the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment a few years back, one of the robots joked “Our chair technology is lightyears ahead of yours.” That may be true, but we’re catching up quickly. Now if we could only find a better way to fend off those pesky mutant attacks.

Gas Prices :

Oil Company Stock Prices :




Their Campaign Contributions :



You’re paying at the pump. Get payback at the polls.

Fox News is doing a heckuva job countering the impression that they’re just a mouthpiece for the Republican party (via TPM) :

On another front, Republicans said that Tony Snow, a commentator for Fox News and a former speechwriter for Mr. Bush’s father, was in negotiations for the job of White House press secretary. Mr. Snow would replace Scott McClellan, who announced Wednesday that he was resigning.

In other words, his job will change from lying through the press to lying to the press. I’m not very familiar with Snow, but if he’s anything like the rest of the talking heads on Fox News, then we can expect the White House press office to get a heavy dose of belligerence and condescension. Those gaggles are going to be even more exciting than when Ari was around.

This is one of the sickest, most repulsive things I’ve ever seen in my life. A flash-based “game” in which you try to murder as many immigrants as possible, including a pregnant woman and her children. I don’t know who made it and haven’t bothered investigating who’s hosting it (though it can be found here as well), but this is a pretty clear reminder of the truly evil mindset that we’re up against. I will never understand how someone could be so filled with blind rage that they’d sink to dehumanizing their fellow human beings to the point that they could make jokes of their violent fanatasies.

Gotta love how the press is spinning Karl Rove’s second change in job title as if it were a big deal.

White House political mastermind Karl Rove surrendered a key policy role Wednesday and press secretary Scott McClellan resigned in an escalation of a Bush administation shake-up driven by Republican anxieties.

Rove gave up his responsibilities as chief policy coordinator, a position he assumed just over a year ago that strengthened his influence over matters ranging from homeland security and domestic policy to the economy and national security. The promotion had left him stretched too thin in the eyes of some officials, as the White House grappled with mounting problems.

With Wednesday’s change, Rove will be able to focus more on politics, fundraising and big-picture thinking with the approach of the November congressional elections, officials said.

He “surrendered” and “gave up” his policy role? Well, that’s one way to spin it. A more accurate way to spin it would be to say that the Bush White House has never really given a shit about policy and that Rove’s function is and has always been to bully people around and win elections. Of course, with Dubya’s poll numbers in the toilet and the pressure for Republican incumbents to distance themselves from the White House’s string of failures, Rove’s part-time job of threatening potential GOP traitors is quickly becoming full-time.