Per aspera

As most of you know, my hatred of de Beers is pure.
Diamond engagement rings are the result of a de Beers marketing campaign.  Diamonds are as expensive as they are because de Beers controls the supply.  And any diamond you buy is very likely awash in the blood of an entire continent.
I mention this now […]

Just in case you were wondering.

Tonight, I was explaining to my roommates that Sharpies are non-archival.  That is, over time, the ink left by a Sharpie fades and, I think, turns brown, so if you need to ink your comic (and hope to sell the original art sometime later on), don’t use a Sharpie.  You should use India ink instead, […]

Just in case anyone’s wondering - because I know that you watch CNN and think, “Man, those Democratic presidential primaries will be coming up any year now!  I wonder who Steve thinks I should vote for?” - as of right now, I still like Edwards.

Via Hullabaloo, more Republicans offering, as a public service, electoral analysis for Democrats:
The number of prominent Democrats urging pre-emptive action against North Korea’s ICBM grows as Walter Mondale chimes in.
…
These are the Democrats who can win elections because they are serious.
Wrong on both counts, my ideologically provincial friend.
(This, by the way, follows the WP editorial […]

Welcome, Shakers.

Sweet balls, this Colbert Report segment is pure genius.  As soon as we can coax Stephen Colbert to move to Massachussetts, me and him are totally getting gay married.

And Ezra Klein looked up from the field of debate, where the fate of the minimum wage was to be contested, and behold! the Libertarians had entered the fray, their standard bearing a Laffer curve volant on a field of white, above the motto “You’re not the boss of me!”  Matt Singer comments thus:
Meanwhile, Ezra’s debating partner is also scoffing at […]

I’ve added a few new links to Der Bloggenröll, including The Corpuscle, Fetch me my axe, and TAPPED.
TAPPED, I’ve known about for some time, and it probably should have been on the ‘roll earlier, as I enjoy the work of both Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias.  What roused me from sleeping on TAPPED, though, was […]

This kid has a decent chance of growing up to be my kinda people:
wcco.com - 3-Year-Old’s Birthday Party Theme: ‘NewsHour’
The party was over Memorial Day weekend, and the Schallys made all their guests wear the hats Jennifer Schally designed. They got a cake with the photo of the show’s correspondents and Jennifer Schally arranged for […]

House suspends Jefferson from powerful committee
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The House voted Friday to remove Rep. William Jefferson, who’s mired in a federal bribery probe, from his seat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
The vote came after the Democratic Caucus voted Thursday night to suspend Jefferson. Democrats were unswayed by Jefferson’s argument that the […]

Guardian: Guantánamo suicide prisoner ‘not told release was due’
One of the three detainees who committed suicide at Guantánamo Bay was due to be released but had not been told, the man’s lawyer said today.
Mark Denbeaux, an American law professor who represents some of the foreign prisoners at the US-run jail for terrorism suspects in Cuba, […]

As TPMmuckraker’s Justin Rood says, “So this is how Dems run an anti-corruption platform?”
Moran: Democratic Majority Means More Money for 8th District

If Democrats win back control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November, U.S. Rep. Jim Moran said he would use his position in the majority to help funnel more funds to his Northern […]

CNN:
Authorities at the prison camp, located on a Navy base in Cuba, reported Saturday that two Saudis and one Yemeni were found dead in their cells after using clothing and bedsheets to hang themselves.
Jesus.  To drive any human being to such lengths–
There have been more than 40 suicide attempts at Guantanamo Bay, but the inmates […]

There’s this comparative distinction that open-source proponents like to make, when describing free software:
“Free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer.”
It means, basically, that when folks who care about such things speak of “free software,” they’re talking […]