You Know What Part

Keys to the safe
A spare keyboard
3D glasses
Time
Something quick for dinner

This list brought to you by this post.

The anti-Coke fantasy continues, this time in California. Unfortunately, there's actual news coverage over there so they don't look like the righteous Crusaders they appear as in this clime.

Anti-Coke protesters’ logic falls flat

Sort of... (personnel bookmark)

NETGEAR - Storage Central

The folks over at Crytomundo are none too happy with Penn & Teller. Penn & Teller's April 24 episode of "Bullshit", their hilarious Showtime show, skewered the "Cryptozoology" movement. For those who don't know, cryptozoology is the pseudo-science of investigating fictional creatures such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and the chupacabra.

Penn & Teller went so far as to fake their own Bigfoot video, front it with an pretending to be the video shooter, and fooled a number of people in the process. They then proceeded to, well, be Penn & Teller and laid waste to most of the bunk that is cryptozoology. Crytomundo takes issue with Penn & Teller's style, engaging in ad hominem-esque attacks on the show and the quality of comedy. Penn & Teller even managed to expose one Cryptozoologist as "arrogant, elitist, and obnoxious"; imagine that.

Anything that mocks these pseudo-scientists can't be all bad. Penn & Teller hav…

How can you read posts like this one from Alan and not want to go to New Orleans?

Very cool maps made from survey research about the denisty of religious populations throughout the country. West Michigan, you are officially and island (link to image 61K) Link to main site.

[via BoingBoing]

Thanks to an email tip (thanks Terri), a link to lots more information about memorial services on the City's website. One thing to note:

All City Facilities will be closed on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Closing of City Facilities on Thursday, April 20, 2006 are to be determined.

Visitation for Matt Tuttle end today and 9pm at Staffan-Mitchell Funeral Home. Visitation for Scott Sumner start tomorrow and go through Wednesday.

There are also addresses for cards and donations.

2 Kids Hurt in Money Drop at Mich. Game

Where?

Fifth Third Park. Brilliant.

Link

Jerry Lee Stacy Jr., the jackass who ran from police and necessitated Chelsea police chief Scott Sumner and Chelsea Fire Captain Matt Tuttle to aid in his pursuit using Tuttle's helicopter, has been arrested. Tuttle's chopper crashed, apparently due to engine failure, killing both men. The deaths marked the first losses of on-duty police or fire personnel in Chelsea's history. My question is, can he somehow be charged for initiating events that led to the deaths of these men? Somewhere in the chain of causality, he is the reason for their being in the air. Isn't there a crime in there?

J-- and I were stopped at the light at US-12 and M-52 last night coming home from the store, when a long processional of police and fire units came south on M-52 going into town. They were, we're assuming, an honor guard for the two, black SUVs that, to me, looked like Medical Examiner vehicles. A unit from the County Sherriff and another Chelsea policeman blocked traffic to allow the…

Police Chief Riley Scott Sumner and fire Capt. Matt Tuttle were killed yesterday when Tuttle's private helicopter crashed about 5 miles outside of Ann Arbor, near Zeeb and I-94. The two had volunteered to look for a suspect who had run from a traffic stop.

I never had the pleasure of meeting either of them (that I know of), but the police and firemen here in Chelsea have always been nothing but responsive, helpful, and all-around nice people. Our sympathy goes out to the families and friends of both men.

Best coverage so far is at the Freep. More at WWJ.

It's official... Comedy Central, who was brave enough to air an episode where Jesus craps on Bush, would not allow Matt and Trey to air a cartoon image of Mohammed. Congrats, Comedy Central, you have validated every, single right-wing nutjob who can now rightfully point out that it's ok to engage in any kind of heresy against Christianity, but you can't even show a stylized version of an Islamic prophet. Well done.

Speaking of right-wing nutjobs, Michelle Malkin has a ton of links and video of the offending episode. (Yes, I'm linking to Michelle Malkin). And before someone flames on about the "conservatives", I will gladly link to any "liberal" blog, site, fileserver, what-have-you that points out this hypocrisy with the venom it deserves. (scans Daily Kos.) Thought so.

Frankly, this shouldn't be a religious argument. Comedy Central caved to pressure (real or imagined) over consequences of airing the images. Come on, even the Danes had the canjone…

About fuckin' time, too. The primary link on this goes to Arbor Update, whose comments around the story should degrade into either a flame war about Israel or how this was somehow the fault of the CIty Counci, but only the Republicans.. Oh wait, there aren't any.

Arbor Update: Coke Back at U-M

Ok, being sort of new to the area, I didn't know that (is this a well known thing to Detroiters?).

Apparently Frank may become well-known for something, it just might not be his preaching. He's filed a federal lawsuit against Channel 7 to host his evangelical radio program

Experts say the case is a unique one and could be an important test of the protection of religious rights under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Wow, a test case for a 1964 law in 2006? Go Frank. (note, that's not an endorsement of his case, just the general "Way to pick your fight" type of comment.)

Frankly (HA!) I don't see why it hurts the station. It's not like there's going to be a large cross-over audience. If anything, it might bring them more viewers. People still watch Channel 7 despite Steve Wilson's continued employment.

Link[via Dvorak Uncensored]

The law was a bad idea from the start, a feel-good solution for a complicated social problem that was obviously unconstitutional. Appealing this ruling or reintroducing similar legislation is a waste of time and money.

The whole Op/Ed is short and sweet, but basically says what any reasonable person knows: parents need to know what their kids are playing and enforce their own rules. And the politicians are wasting time and money better spend on other things with this idiotic crusade (word used on purpose) to somehow ban "bad" video games.

So, Freep, to you I say "Woot!" and thanks for adding a rational, forceful voice to this sad situation.

Opinion: Video Violence

Buwhahahahahahaha!

DETROIT—Detroit, a former industrial metropolis in southeastern Michigan with a population of just under 1 million, was sold at auction Tuesday to bulk scrap dealers and smelting foundries across the United States.
"I did them a favor," [Al Ranneke, an Allegheny, PA scrap peddler] said. "Believe me, Detroit's been around the block. I was willing to take it off their hands for six grand, but I caught a glimpse of that Ambassador Bridge and I said 'no way.' I am not Santa Claus."

Of course, you know it's not true because of this line:

The decision to demolish and cull Detroit for scrap was approved last month by a 6-3 City Council vote after a cost-benefit analysis revealed that, as a functioning urban area, it held a negative cash value.

No one on the City Council would just vote; there'd have to be some racially-charged rhetoric before any vote took place. And then the revote after the council members realized that no one's buy…

Good news or example of the demise of the Ann Arbor lifestyle? I bet they'll be some funny letters to the editor in the next few weeks.

Link[via DataWhat]

At least there's one judge in Michigan who's not cow-towing to the fear-mongers that have apparently found a toe-hold in Lansing.

Link