You might have seen a story pop up for five seconds, before I took it down. I was still drafting it and checking up on it when I accidentally saved in the "publish" mode.

And it turns out it may have been wrong. Still checking.

Update: I'm on it... calling up people, like a real "fact-checking" mediatwit... alas, switchboards are now closed and I don't seem to have a definitive answer yet.

Further... Not a major story; just could embarass some people in the blogosphere.

Update: A story I suspected might be an April Fool's Day hoax is confirmed as real.

Posted by: Ace at 01:48 PM | Comments (8)
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I'll do a top 20 this time, since there were a lot of good ones. Usually I exclude my own contributions from these contests, but hey, I got off a few good ones too, and I'm not too humble to say so.

If you didn't make the list, it doesn't mean you weren't funny. It just means there were twenty others that were better.

And also, it probably means that I don't like you very much.

Sorry for this -- this has been a very dirty week -- but obviously there is a Content Warning for the list. Things got pretty filthy pretty quick. more...

Posted by: Ace at 11:45 AM | Comments (42)
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Many people have changed their URL's lately for one reason or another; the death (?) of blogger seems to be a big one.

I haven't kept up with the various address-changes like I should have. If your link needs updating, please inform me again, either here or by email.

Sorry I didn't get to it sooner.

And, as you may have noticed, this week has not really been very serious here at AoSHQ. Usually I try to mix up silliness and serious news; but the news has been either depressing or boring, and I'm just in a stupid-goofy mood anyhow.

That's just the mood I'm in, the kind of comedy-intergity kick I'm on.

Hopefully this will pass soon and I'll get back to posting about boring shit again.

I don't know why I'm acting this way. I don't do this for a living.

Posted by: Ace at 10:06 AM | Comments (18)
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And it's not likely to be good news. There have already been reports he died; the Vatican denies, and says his heart and brain continue to function.

Drudge is obviously the go-to site for the news which will be unfortunately unfolding.

Update: Trey Jackson has a video about how Pope John Paul II changed the world. For the better.

Posted by: Ace at 10:02 AM | Comments (11)
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I realize many of you aren't as interested in Instapundit (also known as "Traffic Santa") as I am, but I think this is kinda funny.

The stuff about "It's a Pundit" not having opinions on important issues of the day... funny because it's true.

Hey, Instapundit: I don't have opinions on a lot of things, either. In fact, I usually don't have any idea what the hell I'm talking about at all.

Does that stop me from offering bold, moronic opinions? No, it does not. It's part of the job.

If you can't invent an opinion on the spot and speak authoritatively about matters you have no good idea about whatsoever, then what the hell are you doing blogging? If you can't offer passionate opinions you just developed three seconds ago, it's time to give up your blogger laminate.

Meanwhile, this Michell Malkin parody page seems to be coming at her from the left, but not too viciously, I think. As Michelle is kind enough to keep me on my blogroll, despite my filthy-dirty postings (Thank God she doesn't actually read this stupid site!), I hope she doesn't mind my linking this too much.

It's sorta funny, and, you know: the left has been so damn humorless for so damn long I sort of want to encourage them. Being a little less serious all the time might be beneficial for our political culture.

Finally... not a spoof, just a sad prediction. Blog audiences tend to be male, and futhermore tend to be horny little bastards, so it is sadly preordained that all 100 of the top bloggers in three years will be cute chicks who do video-blogging. Here's one of the first of many coming challenges to my no longer well-nigh inevitable rise to fame and fortune beyond measure.

Pretty soon all male bloggers -- and female bloggers, too, who are not vivaciously cute and flirty -- will be effectively blacklisted, and we'll have to blog through "fronts" of cute chicks who pretend they're doing all the blogging.

Sort of like Wonkette, I guess. I wonder-- does she need an intern?

I have seen my future, and my future is Ring Lardner.

Malkin parod via The Hotline's blog round-up by William Buetler (subscription required). Cute vblogger thanks to the depravedly-horny The Fat Kid, who's already informed me he's abandoning this site entirely to do all his commenting... elsewhere.

My Alternate Future Update: I guess I could just finally give in and become a full-time INTERNET Star Trek dork; I've certainly got the basic training.

Bbeck says this site is pretty dorky and therefore pretty funny, and she would know. She made out with Larry Niven, don't forget.

View the trailer for an episode called, ahem, "The Trassuarian Intersection."

Wow. A title like that really just sells the project. Puts me in the mind of traffic-jams.

But seriously-- how do these dorks have the money to build fairly decent-looking sets and do special effects?

Ohhhh... right.

Damnit, I knew I should have gone into computers in college. What the hell did I really think I was going to do with a degree in Elizabethan Erotic Poetry?

Posted by: Ace at 09:41 AM | Comments (14)
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Several contributors with security clearances asked this question yesterday. Jim Geraghty asks it today.

And yeah, this is an obvious question, but that doesn't mean it's not worth asking. Why did the media show no interest in this story? Would they have been slightly more interested had Berger had a Republican affiliation?

Thanks for the latter to JimW.

Posted by: Ace at 08:40 AM | Comments (20)
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I guess sudden recollections can sometimes bite ya in the ass, huh?:

Our senior editor Pluto's Dad remembers the conversation very well. It was over drinks at the Mahi-Tiki restaurant in Orlando, Florida. You were out of town that weekend, and she wanted to meet our editor to discuss life and death issues, since those were her favorite topic and talked about them all the time.

She seemed very upset that you might end up with too much money, she believed money was corrupting and would be bad for you. She wanted you to be comfortable, but not too comfortable, you know what we mean?

We are sorry we didn't remember this until now, but it just suddenly came to us. I guess with all the hubbub we just plumb forgot! I'm sure you understand. You yourself forgot your wife wanted to die for several years, then suddenly remembered once you received the judgement for 1.6 million. Just like you suddenly remembered she wanted to be cremated after her parents asked for an autopsy.

Too bad it's not true. Too bad no court would even entertain this sort of late-in-the-game "recollection" of hearsay statements when it comes to money.

As regards the ending of a human life: eh, what the hell. Good enough.

He's Obviously Fond of Litigation Update: As they say, no matter how hard I try to be as cynical as possible, I just can't keep up.

Temple of Jennifer/Demure Thoughts wonders if Michael's next lawsuit will be against the doctors who diagnosed Terri as PVS, if an autopsy should prove that diagnosis wrong.

I don't think so, myself... the guy did everything it could, it seems, to get that diagnosis and protect it from any further testing which might cast doubt on it. That will make it difficult for him to prove any potential malpractice case.

But in the words of Saul Rosenberg, "Sue everybody!"

Update: Riehl Worldview is pissed off at lefty, or at least brutally insensitve, trolls dancing on Terri's grave. Who can blame him?

Caution: Not only does he offer his own blue-material insults to these guys, he reprints their screeds too, and those are nasty. You may or may not want to read them.

Posted by: Ace at 08:22 AM | Comments (9)
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