Scholars and RoguesScholars and RoguesA diverse band of thinkers, social analysts, activists, grousers, jesters, and troublemakers. We're different in many ways, but we share a general belief in progress, a conviction that smarter is better, and a passionate distaste for convention. Articles
Saturday Video Roundup: Sum some summertime
2008-06-07 16:31:00 Technically we’re still a few days away from Solstice, I know, but … you should see the weather here in Colorado. Trust me, folks - it’s summer. So to sort of pre-honor the arrival of sun season, SVR today presents a few vids to put you in a surf, sand and sky kinda mood. Up first, the supremely cool Scot Sax’s Bachelor Number 1 project with my all-time favorite summer song, “I Am the Summertime .” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K56VtsEaeV g Up next - it wouldn’t be a summer set at all without The Beach Boys, would it? Here’s some great 1967 footage of “Good Vibrations.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEGmd-3Gg- s And what’s our favorite thing to do in summer? That’s right - water skiing with Belinda, Charlotte, Kathy, Jane and Gina! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfIxT2V67_ I Here we have a bit of conflict working. The video is gray and industrial and not-summery, but damn, there haven’t been many more... More About: Video , Roundup , Saturday
Jesus Denounces McCain, Endorses Obama
2008-06-06 23:01:00 In a stunning turn of events Thursday, the Son of God endorsed Barack Obama for President while rejecting and distancing himself from presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. Outside an Applebee's off the New Jersey Turnpike in Paramus yesterday, Jesus Christ told reporters, "Look, it's been a very divisive primary season between Barack and Hillary. I thought my support would aid the healing process and help unify the Democrats ." Asked if he was a registered Democrat, Jesus replied, "I'm actually registered with the Green Party. But no amount of faith and prayer will get their candidate elected." Christ clarified, "I perform miracles, but there are limits." More About: Iraq , Bush administration
Is America ready for McChange?
2008-06-06 19:01:00 It was one of this election season’s most surreal moments. Right about the time the other night that Barack Obama was clinching the Democratic nomination, a reanimated corpse Sen. John McCain took the podium in Kenner, Louisiana to regale an audience of literally several on the virtues of … change? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdNBod154P I Who knew Will. I.Am was so popular out at the home? Okay, okay - that’ll be enough of that. Sure, Sen. McCain has a few miles on him, and yes, if he were elected he’d be the oldest person to ever hold the office of president. There’s even a Web site dedicated to making fun of his age by pointing out all the things that are younger than McCain. For instance: the margarita the peanut butter and jelly sandwich automatic transmission the US Flag Code Ron Paul Woman’s Day Magazine nachos Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the Zip Code the Area Code duct tape the 12 steps of AA penicillin minimum wage ... More About: America , Ready
Quotabull
2008-06-06 18:39:00 We were just having fun making posters. There was no time to think about what we were doing. It was a furious time, but I think most great art is created in a furious moment. ? Stanley Mouse, artistic partner of Alton Kelley; the pair created hundreds of classic psychedelic rock posters and threw “the world’s first psychedelic dance-concerts at Longshoreman’s Hall in September 1965, essentially starting the San Francisco scene”; Mr. Kelley died this week at age 67; June 3. When it comes to issues like this, [corporations] don?t want to be anywhere near them and they will cave very, very quickly ? anything to stop the pain, anything to stop the press from calling. ? Eric Dezenhall, the head of the crisis public relations firm Dezenhall Resources, on Dunkin? Donuts’ decision to remove an ad from its Web site featuring celebrity chef Rachael Ray after conservative bloggers complained her scarf resembled a keffiyeh, labeling it ?jihadi chic“; May 30... More About: Culture , Arts , Bush administration , Baby Boomers
Obama reaches out to Clinton supporters
2008-06-06 17:58:00 Senator Obama has a tough job ahead of him. After a long and occasionally ugly primary battle between himself and Sen. Clinton , there’s a lot frayed edges on both sides. In fact, we’re already starting to see signs that some of Clinton’s more conservative Democratic supporters are so frayed by Sen. Obama that they’re going to support Sen. McCain instead. That this goes against their best interests almost goes without saying. But when you’re really, really, really angry, you’ll occasionally argue that the sky is a beautiful shade of plaid instead of the usual blue, all evidence to the contrary. So I’m going to try to do quick little blurbs here on S&R from now until the convention that describe and show examples of what Obama and his campaign are doing to reach out to Clinton’s supporters, both party VIPs and the average voter. If you know of examples you think should be more widely publicized, please let us know via the Conta... More About: Supporters
Where did the idea we don?t negotiate come from?
2008-06-06 14:23:00 The need to negotiate means one nation has problems to iron out with another. And those the US has the biggest problems with are much less likely to be friends than they are states that sponsor terrorism or are run by tyrants. Obviously then, the most critical negotiation is that between states at odds with each other. Though this author has only been a student of foreign policy for five years he’d never come across the Bush administration’s notion that you don’t negotiate with countries like North Korea, Iran, or Syria. Besides that it suspiciously resembles a snit, where, we wondered, is the historical precedent? Sparing us hours of research, that paragon of good sense, Fred Kaplan at Slate, mercifully provided it for us. It turns out, that with presidents, anyway, a precedent, to a certain extent, exists. In “Is Barack Obama Too Naïve To Be President?” Kaplan address Obama’s willingness to speak with leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and... More About: Idea
History is dead - long live history: Review - The Return of History by Robe
2008-06-05 19:24:00 History has returned from the dead. The idyllic future, once considered inevitable by Western leaders in the early 1990s, is dead instead. The dreams of a liberal, all-men-are-created-equal world are dead, too. So says author Robert Kagan in his new book The Return of History and the End of Dreams, a sober, realistic evaluation of the world today. But while it may be sober, Kagan?s take on the world is not necessarily sobering?at least not in a slap-in-the-face, really-bad-news-from-the-doctor kind of way. Kagan rationally and dispassionately looks at the world stage and the actors currently playing major roles, as well as the actors who wish they were playing major roles. Conventional wisdom among political scientists is that the world has one superpower?the U.S.?and many ?great powers.? While he doesn?t exactly define what he means by those terms, he does define power: ?(t)he ability to get others to do what you want and prevent them from doing what you don?t want.? Kagan also off... More About: Culture , History , China , Review , Arts
6.5.83: The concert in the clouds
2008-06-05 14:00:00 This song is not a rebel song… The greatest concert in rock history happened 25 years ago tonight in an amphitheater just west of Denver, Colorado . Everybody’s seen the footage, but most probably don’t realize that it was filmed in June. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhsTpzaxBO 0 Barry Fey, who promoted the show, did an incredible interview with NPR affiliate KCFR yesterday. (Even if you don’t like U2, you probably want to give this a listen.) As it turned out, the show almost didn’t happen. U2’s now-legendary Red Rocks show on June 5, 1983, had all the makings for a classic disaster.The weather bordered on sleet and rain all day ? hardly idyllic conditions for a video shoot that included countless cameras and three giant torches sitting atop the rocks.The promoters were in California until the afternoon of the show, and when they flew into a blustery Stapleton Airport, they called the mountain amphitheater’s backstage to see where the sho... More About: Paul Mc , Guinness , Concert , Bono
The Scrogues? Guide to Women: Pretty, please
2008-06-05 05:19:00 ?K. S. O?Krien? asks: Why is it that women spend so much time on looks and fashion? Jesus, ?K. S.? You?re lucky you didn?t ask Naomi Wolf that question. After spiking your testicles right down your throat for, well, having testicles to begin with, she would very likely shove a copy of The Beauty Myth right up your sexist rectum on the assumption that your head is up there somewhere, too. You see, Naomi (Ms. Wolf if she ever happens to read this) wants you to know that the modern (she?s not very good with history) woman?s obsession with looks is primarily due to a cynical conspiracy (capitalism) by men (don?t tell Helena, Estee or MK) to punish feminists (because no one else was doing it) by setting purely superficial and impossible standards and then brainwashing all us silly gals into going along with the program. The Beauty Myth burst sloppily onto the scene during my own tender formative years, and as a hip young feminist I read it before the ink was dry. ?Victim mentality? was ... More About: Women , Guide , Pretty
One of the ?Smartest People? Fareed Zakaria Knows?
2008-06-05 00:56:00 "Deadly hawks come in many styles. Some have polished talons." - Norman Solomon Fareed Zakaria debuted his new show for CNN this past Sunday. Introducing his program, called Fareed Zakaria GPS (as in Global Public Square, not Global Positioning System, though the latter might also apply), he explains: More About: People , Bush administration
My congressman?s ?best? idea? A legislative game show
2008-06-04 23:30:00 My Republican congressman, in the spirit of fully representative democracy, has discovered how to best serve his constituents: Let ‘em vote on what he ought to do. Rep. John R. “Randy” Kuhl, R-N.Y., has sent his constituents a franked, four-color mailer announcing the “Fix Washington Project”: Congress man Kuhl wants to hear from you. Between May 16th and July 18th, Congressman Kuhl is seeking your input and ideas regarding any federal issue. Residents of the 29th district can e-mail, call or fax their ideas to the Congressman’s office. Once all of the ideas have been submitted, five will be chosen and posted on Rep. Kuhl’s website to allow his constituents to from the list of five. The idea that gets the most votes will be introduced on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. [emphasis in original; press release] Rep. Kuhl’s mailing says, “Now is the time to fix Washington.” Now? He’s been in office for 43 mon... More About: Democrats , Game Show , Show , Bush administration
NASA Inspector General finds James Hansen was censored, but not his researc
2008-06-04 21:08:00 On June 2, the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) Office of the Inspector General released the results of an investigation into allegations that James Hansen , Columbia University climatologist and NASA scientist with the Goddard Institute for Space Sciences (GISS), had been censored by the NASA Headquarters Office of Public Affairs. The results were a vindication of Hansen and his various supporters who’d claimed that he’d been censored in his access to the media by NASA political appointees. But the report (“Investigative Summary Regarding Allegations that NASA Suppressed Climate Change Science and Denied Media Access to Dr. James E. Hansen, a NASA Scientist”) did not find any evidence that the censorship extended beyond the NASA Headquarters Office of Public Affairs or that the censorship had included Hansen’s research in any way. According to the Space Act of 1958, NASA has a legal requirement that information about its activitie... More About: Nasa
George Will can?t stop lying!
2008-06-04 18:38:00 I now know why Elvis shot that TV set. If you missed it, Stephen Colbert’s special guest last night was conservative pundit George Will. I almost typed “addle-headed pathological liar George Will ,” but didn’t because I think a cursory look at what he actually said will make that clear enough. Show, don’t tell, as I always instruct my writing students. So let’s start by watching the segment. WARNING: people with above-average intelligence who have eaten a greasy meal in the last couple of hours should grab a barf bag before clicking play. Now, let’s consider some of what he said. Conservatives tend to favor freedom and are willing to accept inequalities of outcome from a free market and liberals tend to favor equality of outcome and to sacrifice and to circumscribe freedom in order to get it. First, let’s examine those first five words, and let’s do so explicitly within the context of GOP policy over the last few years. If ... More About: Stop , Lying
The Weekly Carboholic: Not a drop to drink?
2008-06-04 14:20:00 People without water will do anything - Wendon, The Ice Pirates (1984) Deprived of water, people die within days of dehydration. So do livestock. Crops wither and, if the fields produce at all, the yields are cut dramatically from normal. And now we’re beginning to hear stern warnings about the availability of cheap potable water. “We once assumed that water is free, air is free and power is cheap. The latter is clearly no longer true and we are increasingly realising the truth about water,” argued MIT Sloan School of Management Professor Sarah Slaughter in a May 2008 paper. According to a USGS estimate, 96.5% of the available water is in the oceans, 1.7% is frozen into icecaps and glaciers, 0.8% of the water is in freshwater aquifers, and about 0.0072% is available in freshwater lakes and rivers. Generally speaking, humanity relies on that 0.0072% for all of its direct consumption and agricultural uses. But most (about 2/3rds) of that available freshwater is ... More About: Drink , Spain , Florida , Weekly , Drop
TunesDay: Kicking the world where it hurts
2008-06-03 19:28:00 by Patrick Vecchio Back before everything was just a Google search away, my cousin Paul and I were talking about song lyrics, and he jokingly said he would give his life?s savings to anyone who could recite any four consecutive lines of U2?s ?Elvis Presley in America.? But alas, thanks to the Internet, now there will be no more endless debating of timeless questions like: ?I bury Paul? or ?cranberry sauce?? All the mystery to rock lyrics ? the lyrical code we?d spend so much time trying to crack ? all of it is gone. Or maybe not. I was reminded of this last week when I did a search for the lyrics to ZZ Top ?s ?My Head?s in Mississippi.? In sifting through the lyrics, I spotted these four lines: And last night I saw a naked cowgirl. She was floatin’ across the ceiling. She was mumblin? to some howlin’ wolf About some voodoo healin’. Stipulated: ZZ Top will never win any awards from feminists, and understandably so. Let?s set that (not inconsiderable) point aside, tho... More About: World , The World , Wolf , Brian Eno
Price increases do not equal tax increases
2008-06-02 18:34:00 Robert J. Samuelson of the Washington Post has a problem with the idea of a cap-and-trade system for reducing carbon emissions: since it increases the cost of energy, it’s a tax, not a “trade,” and so should be called a “cap-and-tax” system instead. I have a problem with his characterization, but not because he’s wrong about how energy costs will go up with the implementation of a a cap-and-trade system, or the straightforward carbon tax he prefers. Suddenly pricing what was previously free will absolutely increase the price of energy, no matter whether the price is determined by supposed market mechanisms or by government fiat. No, what I have a problem with is that he appears to be implying that anything that increases the price of energy is a tax. Reviewing five economic models, the Environmental Defense Fund asserts that the cuts can be achieved “without significant adverse consequences to the economy.” Fuel prices would rise, bu... More About: Price , Equal
Decision 2008: let?s yank the hood off racist America
2008-06-02 17:37:00 First, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nid7PRNQ5F 0 Barack Obama has said we need a national conversation on race. One of the reasons I’m so eager about a potential Obama presidency is that I think it’s time we stood up, went nose to nose with racism, and made clear that while we’re open to a good-faith conversation on race, we’re done tolerating racism. Make no mistake, in the coming months you’re going to see the ugliest artillery that our nation’s drooling, inbred hatemongers have at their disposal. The looming prospect of a nigra in the White House is going to bring the vermin out of the woodwork, out from under their rocks and out into the light. It’s going to incite the well-heeled country club elite to crank up the meme machine with every sort of subtle, codemongering dogwhistle it can manufacture. The truly ignorant and hateful are going to be liquored up on rhetorical bile of the lowest sort and those who live further up... More About: America , Hood , Decision , Racist , 2008
Nota bene
2008-06-02 12:31:00 Got hot links if you want ‘em. In a New York Times article on Memorial Day, “The Wars We Choose to Ignore,” David Carr writes: “Even as we celebrate generations of American soldiers past, the women and men who are making that sacrifice today in Iraq and Afghanistan receive less attention every day. . . . Given public indifference to a war that refuses to end, perhaps a third statue should be added: America at peace with being at war.” Yes, we’ve grown accustomed to the face of war. In a Telegraph article, “John Bolton escapes citizen’s arrest at Hay Festival,” Steven Adams reports on world-class environmental columnist George Monbiot’s attempt to arrest Bolton in England: “‘This was a serious attempt to bring one of the perpetrators of the Iraq war to justice, for. . . an international crime,’ he said. During Mr Bolton’s talk. . . Mr Monbiot had asked Mr Bolton what difference there was between him a... More About: Democrats , Iran , China
ArtSunday: ?improving? Jane Austen
2008-06-02 00:39:00 Periodically, it seems, to those who now have bought back into the concept of history, humans begin to think that their great works of literature are insufficient. This is not necessarily a bad thing. New literary movements grow out of this perceived insufficiency, and new masterpieces appear that eventually become, for some insufficient - and so new literary movements…. Unfortunately, we humans also seem to have a propensity to look on the great works of art we have and see their “flaws.” This has caused us to make some interesting and even laughable “improvements” to our masterpieces - Moby Dick has had the entire whaling section expurgated for “easier” reading for American students; 18th century stagings of Macbeth had the Thane of Glamis survive and repent his evil ways. Now it seems that Jane Austen, our most brilliant analyst and most insightful critic of women’s roles in society and the institution of marriage, has been deemed ... More About: Arts
S&R poll: Barack to the future?
2008-06-02 00:00:00 The results of our latest S&R poll are in. Q: Now that the Democratic and GOP primaries are settled, who do you expect to win the presidential election in November? 1: Barack Obama (151) 2: John McCain (14) 3: A third party candidate (7) Frankly, we’re a little stunned at the gap, given that we asked about the expectation, but as they say on Survivor, the tribe has spoken. We do want to say welcome to the seven voters who expect Obama and McCain to lose to a third-party challenger - is this your first trip to Earth? Our next poll, which asks about your expectations regarding gasoline prices, is now posted in the column to the right. As always, S&R polls are unscientific. No wagering, please… More About: Democrats , Future , Poll
Saturday Video Roundup: wild kingdom
2008-05-31 21:21:00 Welcome back to another episode of SVR Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom . This week, join us as Jim pushes deep into the treacherous suburban jungle in search of the elusive Scuridae carolinensis - the common yard squirrel. This specimen demonstrates the ingenuity and tenacity with which the fearsome pine gopher pursues his prey. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Eb1Nt6WI E In the eternal struggle between man and beast, score one for man. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydLiasdJeo o This squirrel is smarter than a good 40% of the kids I went to high school with. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFr6_VoQ4G 0 Finally, scientists know that all kinds of animals engage in play and games of various sorts. Squirrels, however, are among the animal kingdom’s best athletes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwbYbz93eZ w You know, this last clip reminds us that life can kick our nuts across the yard without warning. When that happens, isn’t it comforting to know that you have a fri... More About: Video , Roundup , Saturday
Painting a target on ourselves
2008-05-31 06:56:00 A post of recent vintage (2006), though, sadly, still timely. Imagine that you live in a nation whose armed forces kill the civilians of other nations — too many to maintain the illusion it’s “collateral damage.” Yet you’re untroubled. Why? Because in your quiet assent to what was once considered butchery you know you’re not alone. These days, much of the public raises no objections when our combatants kill their non. After all, we’ve had plenty of time to get used to it. For instance, estimates of deaths for which Genghis Khan and his men were responsible in the thirteenth century run as high as 40 million, with only a fraction fighting men. But, with the onset of the Age of Enlightenment in the West, the idea of confining warfare to the battlefield was, if not adhered to, at least given lip service. Until the advent of aerial bombing. The indiscriminate killing arising from a bombardier’s difficulty distinguishing between military an... More About: World War I , Painting , Target
WH: McClellan Misled Us, Not ?Doughy-Faced Goebbels?
2008-05-31 01:14:00 The Bush administration and its surrogates are stepping up attacks against former press secretary Scott McClellan over his explosive White House memoir. Ari Fleischer, President Bush's first press secretary and McClellan's old boss, elaborated this morning on previous statements from several current and former Bush administration officials that "this is not the Scott I know." Speaking with NBC Today co-host Matt Lauer, Fleisher said, "You know, Matt, the guy we all knew seemed completely willing to disseminate lies about a war of choice that would lead to the senseless deaths of over one million Iraq is and 4,000-plus American soldiers. In other words, we knew him as a loyal, soft-spoken and honorable man. Scott led us to believe that he, like us, was little more than a soulless husk of a human being. A ruthless, unethical, democracy-killing zombie. Sadly, that's apparently not the case." More About: Goebbels
Quotabull
2008-05-30 19:10:00 Exxon Mobil is acting like a dinosaur now, not adopting to a changing environment. ? Stephen Viederman, a New York shareholder, after “Exxon Mobil?s chairman and chief executive, Rex W. Tillerson, defeated a shareholder effort … to take away one of his jobs at an annual meeting punctuated by a debate of the company?s policy toward renewable energy and global warming”; May 28. Despite significant challenges in the U.S. market, we continue to reshape our business for long-term success. This attrition program gives us an opportunity to restructure our U.S. work force through the entry-level wage and benefit structure for new hourly employees. ? from a statement by Troy A. Clarke, the president of G.M.?s North American operations, announcing that “19,000 hourly workers ? a quarter of a unionized work force that already has been drastically pared down ? have accepted buyouts“; up to 16,000 of these $28-an-hour workers may be replaced by “entry-level...
Busted space loo - no laughing matter
2008-05-30 18:05:00 Perhaps you’ve been following the story about the malfunctioning space toilet. Our buddy Mike Pecaut - Dr. Mike Pecaut, an actual rocket scientist who’s had numerous experiments up on the space shuttle - has launched a new blog, as it were. In it, he takes a detailed look at why this kind of problem has potentially catastrophic implications for our astronauts. Congrats on what looks like a good new resource, Mike. More About: Space , Mars , Matter , Busted , Laughing
Fascinating new theory on Stonehenge
2008-05-30 17:48:00 National Geographic interviews Nigel Tufnel on his theory of the construction of Stonehenge . Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMofDWzfA6 A There’s more - you can see the rest of The Stonehenge Interview here. National Geographic airs Stonehenge Decoded Sunday at 7pm EDT. For more, see the site. More About: National Geographic , Theory , Spinal Tap
S&R does Denver
2008-05-30 16:18:00 We’ve just been informed that Scholars & Rogues has been credentialed to cover the Democratic National Convention in Denver . Frankly, we have no idea what the hell the DNC was thinking here, because if ever there was a crew you’d want to keep as far away from any kind of responsible proceeding as possible, it’s us. But hey, they made the decision. So we’re going to try and be on our best behavior. (Our buddy Aaron has the complete list of The Credentialed over at Square State, which was awarded Colorado’s state blog slot a couple weeks ago. Square State is an outstanding site, and along with Colorado Independent gives us a damned fine hometown presence at the convention.) I’ll be on the ground, as will Brian and JS, and there’s reason to believe we’ll be joined by another scrogue or three before it’s all said and done. We’ll be reporting from inside Pepsi Center (known to us locals as “The Can”) as well as f...
Count the money!
2008-05-30 03:28:00 Insolent Flunky: Count da money. Count de Monet: de Monet! Mo - nay! Say it with me, Mo - nay! The legendary Harvey Korman is dead at 81. I don’t usually do obituaries and even if I did I doubt I’d be very good at them, but I imagine there’ll be quite a few outstanding reflections on his career in the coming days. What I will do is note that there wasn’t much on TV when I was growing up. We had three stations and only one TV in the house, so whatever we watched, we watched together. In that world there wasn’t any room for niche programming. To be successful you had to entertain the kids, the adults, and in my case, the grandparents. The Carol Burnett Show did that, and it’s hard to imagine it without Korman. I especially recall his sketches with Tim Conway, which frankly were just about the funniest things on television. Korman couldn’t look at Conway without cracking up, so everything they did together was basically doomed from the get-go.... More About: Money
The Never-Ending Presidential Campaign: What?s it cost us?
More articles from this author:2008-05-29 20:54:00 You’ve probably noticed a relatively new phenomenon in American politics: The Never-Ending Presidential Campaign. (Might make a good animated flick, eh?) And you’ve likely thought Gee, this has been going on for-evuh. Well, it has: The 2008 presidential election campaign began as the mid-term elections ended in 2006. By February of the next year, look at all the Democrats who had tossed in the proverbial hat ? Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Chris Dodd, former Sen. John Edwards, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Sen. Barack Obama, Gov. Bill Richardson, Gov. Tom Vilsack and former Sen. Mike Gravel. All but two were sitting governors or members of Congress . And the Republicans: Sen. John McCain, Sen. Sam Brownback, former Gov. Jim Gilmore, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, Rep. Duncan Hunter, three-time Senate race loser Alan Keyes, Rep. Ron Paul, former Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Tom Tancredo, and the Thompson twins, former Sen. Fred and former Gov. Tommy.... More About: Iraq , Cost 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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