It's that low-on-the-horizon ZOMG-look-how-big-the-moon-is illusion thing again, this time larger than usual.

Astronomers say the moon will appear to be almost the size of Al Gore's head.

Does this false-range-cue-illusion make my ass look fat?

Posted by: Ace at 01:01 PM | Comments (27)
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Flip-flop? Not really. Taking a position at $45 per barrel oil doesn't mean you'd still take that same position at $145 per barrel oil. As the costs of a policy change, the benefit of the bargain changes too.

McCain can learn something from Crist.

Gov. Charlie Crist backed away from his long-held opposition to offshore drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico and applauded Sen. John McCain's call to lift a federal moratorium on coastal state oil drilling, saying the Republican presidential candidate's proposal "is certainly appropriate."

Crist went on to say he believes that drilling for oil in the Gulf could possibly bring down gas prices and that he wants a study on the issue.

"I hope I have a reputation of wanting to protect this environment, because I do. But I also have to balance that, as every citizen does, with what's happening to Florida families, what's happening to this economy, how dependent we are on foreign oil. And how difficult is that for our fellow Floridians and our fellow Americans and the drag that it's having on our economy is obvious. We're a tourist state. We have to protect the beauty of Florida. But people need to have the opportunity to drive here and be able to afford to do that, too," Crist said.

"Reaching a conclusion about what's right or not right at this juncture is hard to do. There are new technologies available that people who are scientists and much more learned about this kind of thing than I should weigh in on," Crist said today.

Studies are good. They allow a politician to blame an outside authority for his change of position.

Let's hear McCain call for some "studies" on ANWR.

This actually vindicates McCain, partly, on his hedge/dodge of punting the question to the states. It gets us to the same place of the states, in turn, enact the right policy.

I expected Florida to do this, though. They're not lunatics like Californians.

And if the states should be permitted to make these decisions, why doesn't McCain leave the ANWR question to Alaskans? The Alaskans have been chomping at the bit to drill in ANWR since forever ago.

Posted by: Ace at 12:36 PM | Comments (60)
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I'm not cheap. I'm just a "frugalist."

And she gets 99 percent of her food from the Dumpster.

“It’s so easy to eat for free,” she says. “The only things I buy are butter and milk.”

[Call them] anti-consumerists, freegans, frugalists or just plain Dumpster divers. Whatever the moniker, these people delight in drastically reducing their consumer spending, finding lifeÂ’s essentials at bargain prices or paying nothing at all.

“I like getting stuff free. It’s like a treasure hunt,” says Ran Prieur, 40, who lives in Washington state and whose extremely frugal life includes occasional Dumpster diving. “It’s kind of similar to what you get from gambling.”

Sure, if you go to a landfill for your casino entertainment.

...

Freegans — whose efforts to live outside the conventional economic system may include hitchhiking, foraging for food and eschewing regular jobs — say there is growing interest in adopting at least parts of their philosophy.

As Vincent Vega said, the philosophy consists of being a bum.

To many first-time Dumpster divers, the most surprising thing is how much good stuff is out there.

Prieur, for example, says his trash bin excursions have netted him smoked salmon, high-end bacon, olive oil, plenty of produce and other goodies. Prieur, who owns a piece of land but has no permanent home, estimates that when heÂ’s staying with his sister in Seattle, he gets 20 to 30 percent of his groceries from garbage bins.

His habit elicits mixed responses. A favorite item at his sister’s house is “Dumpstered” apple pie. But he’ll sometimes invite people over for dinner and get the cautionary response: “Just promise not to put any Dumpster food in it.”

Says Prieur: “There’s a big emotional thing attached to not eating out of the garbage.”

Fancy that.

There's also a big emotional thing attached to not smearing poop on your face.

Posted by: Ace at 11:57 AM | Comments (63)
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For some reason, authorities seem to suspect there may have been some sexual relationship between them.

Ellis provided few details about Dickey's suspension or any possible relationship between the student and teacher.

"What we do know is that the student and the teacher were found separately," Ellis told reporters in a short briefing outside the school. "We have no idea about them being together."

Officials said Dickey, who is married, was located between 11:30 a.m. and noon today, about an hour after the boy was found.

"According to law authorities, she is in police custody," Ellis said. "That's all we know at this time."

How preposterous -- an adult female teacher and her barely-pubescent boy student. Like that would ever happen.

I know this is like the shark attack craze -- suddenly shark attacks seem to be happening all the time, but that's just because all of a sudden they're all being reported as part of The Narrative -- but, seriously, this is getting kind of weird, isn't it?

Posted by: Ace at 11:18 AM | Comments (78)
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The politicians said "Hang them." Some of the brass seems to have been improperly influenced by that.

That's 7 out of 8 Haditha Marines who have been cleared of all wrongdoing (or at least have had charges dropped against them). Only one Marine remains with charges outstanding.

"Cold blooded killers," Jack Murtha called them.

Thanks to CJ.

Posted by: Ace at 11:00 AM | Comments (20)
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Those who can't do:

It compares having an orgasm to going to heaven and recommends that men 'take care that women experience pleasure' during sex, adding that this requires 'extra efforts on the part of the husband'.

"To delay the moment of male climax, attempt to distract yourself mentally, by, for example, counting in your mind all the Psalms which employ water imagery." Good advice.

It also suggests renting The Name of the Rose to get you into a "romantic mood."

The guide is actually online, but it's in Polish, or some other fake retard-language.

Posted by: Ace at 10:47 AM | Comments (21)
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That's the good news.

The bad news is that the Republican standard-bearer for president doesn't quite agree with the public.

On the other hand, Barack Obama doesn't agree at all. He likes high oil prices and wants them to rise more. It's the only way we'll learn.

Oh: This is sweet. This pretty much explains why we're never able to get anything done in America -- a significant fraction of our countrymen are simply retarded:

Data released yesterday showed that Americans believe developing new energy sources is the best long-term solution to the nationÂ’s energy problem. Forty-seven percent (47%) said private companies were more likely to solve the nationÂ’s energy problem than government research programs. But, at the same time, only 52% said companies should be allowed to keep the profits from the discovery of any alternative fuel sources.

Somehow I doubt that private companies will bother developing these alternative fuel sources if they're not allowed to keep the profits from them. Call me crazy.

Posted by: Ace at 09:33 AM | Comments (27)
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Those damned conservative bloggers, still pushing these vicious unsubstantiated rumors.

For the bad word in question, see Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (from about 2:25 to 2:33, light content warning for the bad word).

I love the offer of proof contained in the leftie video linked by Allah -- "It's on the internet!"

Oh, it's on the internet. Must be true then.

Google it!

Posted by: Ace at 09:15 AM | Comments (21)
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A big deal. (yeah, I changed it; for some reason it looked like I thought it wasn't important - it is).

Col. Steven Folsom dismissed charges Tuesday against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani after defense attorneys raised concerns that a four-star general overseeing the prosecution was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the November 2005 shootings by a Marine squad in Haditha.

Dropped "without prejudice", which commenter greg s points out means they could be refiled. But this thing has been unraveling for months, including the acquittal on all charges of Lt. Andrew Grayson last week.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 09:10 AM | Comments (15)
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Sub-atomic psychokinetic fissionist resists arrest.

Police in Bridgeport, Conn., say they arrested a man after he ordered his pet to attack two officers. Lucky for them, 9-foot-long pythons aren't very obedient.

.................................

Police arrived at Rodriguez's apartment after receiving a report that he was threatening his girlfriend with the albino python.

After the building's superintendent opened the apartment door for the officers, Rodriguez allegedly threatened them with the snake and told it to "Get them!"

When the python failed to comply, Rodriguez raised his arms and commanded all the cockroaches in his apartment to "Seize Them!"

A short moment later while struggling with police, he pointed at a small grey spider in the corner and said "Fluffy! Attack! Sic 'em girl!"

OK, those last couple of quotes might be inaccurate.

Whoever told this fellow that snakes will obey voice commands, I want to buy you a beer, man.

Thanks to Dave in Texas.

Posted by: LauraW at 07:30 AM | Comments (44)
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