Summarizing the Great Firewall of China

And you thought the online censorship at your school or workplace was bad. Really, pity the Chinese people, via the wonderful Information is Beautiful by Tim McCandless:

Blocked keywords in red, blocked websites in grey

Of course, it only figures sites like Amnesty, Wikipedia, YouTube, various news sites, blogging platforms and forums are blocked, in addition to virtually any keyword that could possibly lead to results or info the gov’t wouldn’t want its slaves populace to see … but others just make me wanna scratch my head. (Disney? McDonald’s? Radio-Canada? Seriously?)

I’ll just file this under Appendix D of Reason #2896 Why Never to Set Foot in China.

(via Fark)

Olbermann vs. slimbags Limbaugh & Robertson on Haiti

Any time a disaster strikes, the ghouls are always quick to crawl out of their slimy holes and start raving about how it’s all somehow the fault of gays, promiscuity and godlessness, before being cast back under their rocks with a few swift kicks to the face. Well, here we go again: in response to the massive earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday, producing some of the most horrific damage since the 2004 Indonesian tsunami, we have two such wretched creatures who’ve raised their heads. One is odious bastard extraordinaire, Rush Limbaugh, who basically derided Haiti and claimed that it produces nothing of worth, and didn’t waste a second in politicizing the catastrophe, including (of course) blaming President Obama for, apparently, reacting too quickly. The other was that senile old evangelical asshat, Pat Robertson, who proclaimed that Haiti got what they had coming to them as they had supposedly “made a pact with the devil” to separate themselves from France. Or something.

It’s unbelievable how low some of these wretches will sink to in order to try and promote their agenda on the tortured backs of suffering victims of such horrific disasters. Thankfully, we can always expect someone to come up and denounce these utter scoundrels for who they are, and once again, Keith Olbermann rises to the job in perfect form.

My transcript, below:

America: progressively more accepting … mostly

A new Pew survey brings to light some news that, whilst not exactly Earth-shattering in nature, does give us reason to hope: interracial marriages are becoming increasingly well-accepted in the U.S., and this, amongst all types of ethnicities.

While this is overall comforting news, it’s still disappointing (yet entirely expected) to note how of all the racial groups above, it’s consistently the Whites who show the least amounts of tolerance and acceptance towards other ethnicities and intermarriages. (Now, I wonder what percentage of those non-accepting Whites are conservatives …?)

More displeasing still, is this little tidbit of information:

The survey finds that most Americans also are ready to accept intermarriage in their family if the new spouse is Hispanic or Asian. But there is one new spouse that most Americans would have trouble accepting into their families: someone who does not believe in God. Seven-in-ten people who are affiliated with a religion say they either would not accept such as marriage (27%) or be bothered before coming to accept it (42%).

*Sigh* Well, better than before, I suppose. These numbers are why we have to keep working at supporting progressives, liberal notions and moderate conservatives.

(via Pharyngula)

The conservative case for gay marriage is really a universal one

As you will likely be aware if you follow the news, particularly pertaining to civil rights, there is currently a landmark trial (Perry v. Schwarzenegger) taking place in California aiming to invalidate that horrible Proposition 8 that effectively bans all gay marriage in the state. Whether the notion of using a federal trial to try and overturn a voter-enacted law is a good or a bad thing is subjective and debatable^[1]; at any rate, you can follow the trial’s progress with (close-to) real-time updates at Prop 8 Trial Tracker.

One of the leaders in the lawsuit against Prop 8 is (which should come as a bit of a surprise to anyone who knows him) none other than Ted Olson, one of the leading conservatives in the U.S., particularly in the legal realm. I may not know much about the man, but reading this op-ed of his in Newsweek wherein he presents “The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage”, it immediately becomes clear how he’s both a stellar writer, and a staunch defender of gay rights. This is truly a great piece of writing, and one that everyone should read, regardless of your stance on the issue of same-sex marriage. Everything from explaining how and why gay marriage is a fundamental civil right, to tearing apart all those pathetic anti-gay marriage arguments, and even presenting it as something that conservatives should praise rather than fight against – it’s all there, and it’s all presented beautifully. Some notable excerpts below.

Many of my fellow conservatives have an almost knee-jerk hostility toward gay marriage. This does not make sense, because same-sex unions promote the values conservatives prize. Marriage is one of the basic building blocks of our neighborhoods and our nation. At its best, it is a stable bond between two individuals who work to create a loving household and a social and economic partnership. We encourage couples to marry because the commitments they make to one another provide benefits not only to themselves but also to their families and communities. Marriage requires thinking beyond one's own needs. It transforms two individuals into a union based on shared aspirations, and in doing so establishes a formal investment in the well-being of society. The fact that individuals who happen to be gay want to share in this vital social institution is evidence that conservative ideals enjoy widespread acceptance. Conservatives should celebrate this, rather than lament it.

Legalizing same-sex marriage would also be a recognition of basic American principles, and would represent the culmination of our nation's commitment to equal rights. It is, some have said, the last major civil-rights milestone yet to be surpassed in our two-century struggle to attain the goals we set for this nation at its formation.

[…]

What, then, are the justifications for California's decision in Proposition 8 to withdraw access to the institution of marriage for some of its citizens on the basis of their sexual orientation? The reasons I have heard are not very persuasive.

With that much Doritos, I could watch anything, even football (maybe)

Hey, one has to give credit where credit is due, and even though it’s sponsored by the Mosaic megachurch, this commercial is still teh funnee.

For those who can’t see the vid: friends and family are mourning a man whose last wish was to be buried inside a jumbo-sized casket filled with Doritos. Unbeknownst to everyone at the funeral, though, he’s comfortably inside his goodies-filled casket and enjoying the game on a small TV. Unfortunately, he starts cheering and, lo and behold, the casket flips and he tumbles out, looking around guiltily. To try and save face, one of his friends (who was in on the joke) jumps up and proclaims, “it’s a miracle!”.

It’s a decent commercial, one of six finalists, and the winner will be aired at the Superbowl and receive a handsome $1 million prize. I have nothing against the megachurch winning the contest and getting funds through something that actually merits credit (as opposed to tithing, which, personally, I see as little more than forced volunteering of one’s money), so as far as I’m concerned, go for it.

(Now counting down to Bill “Jackass” Donohue’s purple-faced spluttering in 3 … 2 … 1 …)

(via Friendly Atheist)

A Creationist’s question and an evolutionary biologist’s answer: who wins?

Stephen Baldwin is renowned for being a born-again Christian, and a particularly dim one at that. On U.K.’s Celebrity Big Brother 2010, he brought up that tired and endlessly debunked old anti-evolution argument about how, if humans evolved from apes, then there shouldn’t be any apes left (which is a variation on the usual usage of chimps, I suppose).

I wonder if Nobel Prize-winning biologist Richard Dawkins could rebuke his simple-minded question …?

Of course he could. (Hey, even I learned something. Which makes me happy.)

(via Friendly Atheist)

Gay kid fears he may be turning fundy Christian

Lucas Faber has tried focusing on Godspell to keep the thought of tithing out of his mind.

If you thought Christians’ attitude towards gay people was bad enough, check out how our so-called “tolerant” society makes would-be fundy Christian kids feel. It’s horrible, I tell you.

LOUISVILLE, KY—At first glance, high school senior Lucas Faber, 18, seems like any ordinary gay teen. He's a member of his school's swing choir, enjoys shopping at the mall, and has sex with other males his age. But lately, a growing worry has begun to plague this young gay man. A gnawing feeling that, deep down, he may be a fundamentalist, right-wing Christian.

"I don't know what's happening to me," Faber admitted to reporters Monday. "It's like I get these weird urges sometimes, and suddenly I'm tempted to go behind my friends' backs and attend a megachurch service, or censor books in the school library in some way. Even just the thought of organizing a CD-burning turns me on."

Added Faber, "I feel so confused."

The openly gay teen, who came out to his parents at age 14 and has had a steady boyfriend for the past seven months, said he first began to suspect he might be different last year, when he started feeling an odd stirring within himself every time he passed a church. The more conservative the church, Faber claimed, the stronger his desire was to enter it.

"It's like I don't even know who I am anymore," the frightened teenager said. "Keeping this secret obsession with radical right-wing dogma hidden away from my parents, teachers, and schoolmates is tearing me apart."

According to Faber, his first experience with evangelical Christianity was not all that different from other gays his age.

"Sure, I looked at the Book of Leviticus once or twice—everybody has," Faber said. "We all experiment a little bit with that stuff when we're growing up. But I was just a kid. I didn't think it meant anything."

As you can expect, his parents are dealing with his sudden confusion the only way they know how …

Faber's parents, although concerned, said they're convinced their otherwise typical gay son is merely going through a conservative Christian phase.

"I caught him watching The 700 Club once when he thought he was alone in the house, and last week, I found some paperbacks from the Left Behind series hidden in his sock drawer," his mother, Eileen Faber, said. "I'm sure he'll grow out of it, but even if he doesn't, I will love and accept my son no matter what."

Faber's father was far less tolerant in his comments.

"No son of mine is going to try to get intelligent design into school textbooks," Geoffrey Faber said. "And I absolutely refuse to pay his tuition if he decides to go to one of those colleges like Oral Roberts University where they're just going to fill his head with a lot of crazy conservative ideas."

He added, "I just want my normal gay son back."

See, this is why I love The Onion.

(via Friendly Atheist)

Finally gonna get some o’ that musical stuff taught to me

Not that I’m narcissistic, though …

Despite my songwriting, I’ve never had any musical instruction at all, ever. Well, I did have some basic guitar courses a while back, but that was more of a hobby than anything really serious (and at any rate, my hands are too bloody big for me to be a good guitar player [*sadness*]), and I didn’t really learn much of what one would even call the basics of musical theory.

Of course, as with any other art or aptitude, the thing about writing music is that there are two key traits to it: talent, which one is born with and is inherent to someone, and skill, which must be acquired, learned, and practiced. Humility be damned, I’d say my talent is just fine, yet I am definitely lacking in the skills department. Hence my need for a music school and/or teacher.

That was the problem, though. For all the music classes available, actual music composition and/or orchestration/arrangement courses are notoriously difficult to find, mostly seeing as they’re usually only found in universities and the likes (or used to be, anyway). Most classes just focus on teaching students musical instruments and basic accompanying theory, which was simply no good for me. I couldn’t care less about playing; I wanna write music, not perform it.

Well, anyway, long story short: we’ve been looking at music schools for a while, and finally, after stalling for months, we got to calling around. We finally found someone interested, someone who actually taught composition classes, and so this evening, I went in to get interviewed. I’m happy (read: excited) to report it went splendidly. Met my music teacher at his home (which is also where I’ll be studying – what, you didn’t think I’d sign up for a group class, did you? ;-P) and we settled everything, from the nature of the sessions, to availability/prices.

So, basically: every Tuesday evening, I’m gonna be spending an hour receiving criticism on my works (which I lack, as you people won’t COMMENT and give FEEDBACK! [*glares reproachfully*]) whilst learning musical theory as I go. It’s not a “read this manual, answer these questions, then pass a test” sort of course; hell no. That’s why I left school; I wasn’t gonna be doing the same crap all over again. As Christian said, his focus is really more on guiding his students, not telling them what to do or how to do it. Which, of course, is just perfect for me.

Well, enough blathering. I don’t write much about my personal life and goings-on on this blog (which is understandable, as nothing of interest usually happens to me … [*sighs*]), so I thought I’d slip this in. Now for your regularly programmed petulant and irrelevant teen’s view on reality.

Edit (02/07/12 5:00 PM ET) – Fixed the broken link and removed the teacher’s name for anonymity purposes.

See, this is why I don’t watch reality TV (and neither should you)

“The Bachelor” Jake Pavelka: the face of inanity

I’m usually the very last person on this Earth who would ever comment on reality TV shows and the pathetic, simpering goings-on showcased within, but this report is just too silly to bear. I’ve never quite understood what it was about these sorts of vacuous, inane and perfectly pointless television shows that attracts the focus and passion of so many audiences, and reports like this one don’t help me understand any better.

While it's okay for The Bachelor to date a dozen women or so at a time, it's not okay for one of them to date someone else. Namely, a show staffer. On last night's episode of The Bachelor, we saw Rozlyn Papa kicked to the curb by host Chris Harrison for "inappropriate" behavior with a producer.

"This is the first time I have been cheated on (to my knowledge) and man, it sucks," writes Bachelor star Jake Pavelka in his People blog today. "I had started to develop feelings for Rozlyn and that's why I had given her a rose. ... I was so hurt by both of their decisions, but I reminded myself that I still had 14 amazing women there for me, so I composed myself and moved on. […]"

[…]

Meanwhile, Papa maintains that the whole scandal was trumped up by ABC to boost ratings. She tells Entertainment Tonight she did not have sex with a show producer. "I absolutely feel betrayed by the show. ... They want the ratings, and that's what they're getting."

Now, I just know I’m not the only one feeling a mixture of contempt and hilarity in reading such nonsense. What the hell did she expect? That the whole farce wasn’t for the ratings? Did she, or do any of the other mindless bimbos on that show, honestly believe that it’s a concept based on the premise of a serious relationship? For fuck’s sake, the whole point of the show is to gather up a harem of smiling airheaded girls for one rich guy to lavish pleasure and sweet talk while they swoon in his arms, until one of them gets picked to be his One True Love^TM. Talk about setting a fine example for other girls and women.

And as for the moron himself whining about the girl having a relationship with some other guy … I’ll tell you this: anyone who honestly feels sorry for a guy who has dated more girls in the past few years than can fit in most small cities, and who currently has about a dozen or so girls he can screw around with to his leisure, and who suddenly feels so vewwy sad and hurt that one girl chose to get her rocks off with another dude … I pity you for gross intellectual incapacitation.

How this sort of obviously fake, scripted, facile inanity manages to hold anyone’s attention spans for more than thirty seconds is as beyond me as are Quantum Physics.

But, then again, considering how the majority of people are stupid, mindless zombies who prefer to fantasize about things they’ll never have rather than enjoy what they do have … well, nevermind, then.

New Jersey: where the hip sick people and their weed are

Yup, it’s official: New Jersey is one of the cool kids states, now.

(CNN) -- The New Jersey legislature voted Monday to make that state the 14th in the country to approve marijuana for medicinal use, pending the governor's signature.

Gov. Jon Corzine, who leaves office next week, has said he would sign the bill.

Two years after the bill was introduced to the legislature, the New Jersey Compassionate Medical Marijuana Act was passed by the state Assembly in a 48-14 vote. It received Senate approval just hours later in a 25-13 vote.

According to the news release from the state Senate, the bill would allow doctors to give to patients with state-issued identification cards prescriptions to buy marijuana legally from registered alternative treatment centers. The identification cards would be issued by the Department of Health and Senior Services

Now, just wait a few years, and then see how the reports will not be showing how the New Jersey population has turned into mindless pothead hippies.

(via The Agitator)

I wonder if this actually reached the President?

Yes, this is an actual letter. Yes, it was sent to the actual President of the United States. And, yes, this was written by an actual human being. (Or close to.)

Subject:
Constitution

To:
President Barack Obama

January 11, 2010

READ the Constitution................Government can't control/ nor tell a person in the United States that THEY have to take your HEATH CARE PROGRAM~~~~~~AGain, read the constitution...................So...........that ends your battle with health care.......Trust me it will not happen with the US citizens............Several states right now are not going to, and listen to FOX NEWS as they are reading the constitution to Thousands of people..........
Go back and figure out how government can HELP with the health care progrom............
This is going to come to a head soon........You will be figured out very soon my friend!!!!!!!!!!

Ames , IA

Knowing that stuff (and people) like this exist, it’s a miracle I’m able to sleep at night.

(via @todayspolitics)

Come hither, y’all grammar nazis!

Not insinuating anything, but …

‘Chuck & Beans’ from Shoebox blog

That last line makes the comic.

(via Forever in Hell)