Jul 21, 2008 5:49pm

July 21, 1925: Evolution Teacher Found Guilty

If only this wasn’t still relevant.
Jul 21, 2008 4:59pm

Informed Comment: Obama in Iraq

Despite all the talk about Iraq being “calm,” I’d like to point out that the month just before the last visit Barack Obama made to Iraq (he went in January, 2006), there were 537 civilian and ISF Iraqi casualties. In June of this year, 2008, there were 554 according to AP. These are official statistics gathered passively that probably only capture about 10 percent of the true toll.

That is, the Iraqi death toll is actually still worse now than the last time Obama was in Iraq! … The hype around last year’s troop escalation obscures a simple fact: that Obama formed his views about the need for the US to leave Iraq at a time when its security situation was very similar to what it is now! Why a return to the bad situation in late 05 and early 06 should be greeted by the GOP as the veritable coming of the Messiah is beyond me. You have people like Joe Lieberman saying silly things like if it weren’t for the troop escalation, Obama wouldn’t be able to visit Iraq. Uh, he visited it before the troop escalation, just fine.
Jul 19, 2008 9:06pm
Zimbabwe announces $100 billion banknotes, worth one U.S. dollar, will go into circulation Monday. Once-prosperous Zimbabwe has seen an unprecedented economic meltdown since it gained independence in 1980, with the official inflation rate now at 2.2 million percent. The ZBW 50 billion dollar note pictured above sold on eBay for just under USD 120 (it’s worth $0.50). Zimbabwe announces $100 billion banknotes, worth one U.S. dollar, will go into circulation Monday.
Once-prosperous Zimbabwe has seen an unprecedented economic meltdown since it gained independence in 1980, with the official inflation rate now at 2.2 million percent.

The ZBW 50 billion dollar note pictured above sold on eBay for just under USD 120 (it’s worth $0.50).
Jul 19, 2008 3:35pm

Do You Believe in Evolution?

Concentrate on the believe in: no, I don’t believe in evolution. Think of how that phrase is often applied. Little kids believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. We often judge their maturity by finding out which things they still believe in and which they have “grown out of” (“Aren’t you a little old to still believe in the Tooth Fairy?”).
Jul 17, 2008 12:12pm

Dear Staten Island Yankees,
What kind of baseball stadium runs out of hot dogs? In the sixth inning? Weak.

Sincerely,
Concerned Patron

P.S. That stunt you pulled with the fake third baseman who the mascot convinced to break dance on the field between innings was hysterical and genius.

Jul 17, 2008 11:48am
“ Sarbanes-Oxley is often presented as the bane of corporate executives but for Lehman, its accounting demands could play the vital role of assuring counter-parties that Lehman is safe to do business with even without the oversight of public shareholders. ”
John Carney in today’s PE Week Wire.
Jul 17, 2008 9:52am
“ Now the Fed wants to be the systemic risk regulator. But the Fed is the systemic risk. Giving the Fed more power is like giving the neighborhood kid who broke your window playing baseball in the street a bigger bat and thinking that will fix the problem. ”
Senator Jim Bunning, Kentucky in his remarks to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and the Senate Banking Committee on the Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Report. This is the same statement you might have seen mentioned because of his “When I picked up my newspaper yesterday, I thought I woke up in France” line.
Jul 16, 2008 11:52am
An unfortunate Chinese restaurant. In the comments, Insect Hooves adds, “OM NOM NOM. I love their Segfault Chicken. And their Short Stack Overflow is to die for. Ooooh, and their 404 Not Pound Cake (foghorn)” (via Boing Boing)

An unfortunate Chinese restaurant.

In the comments, Insect Hooves adds, “OM NOM NOM. I love their Segfault Chicken. And their Short Stack Overflow is to die for. Ooooh, and their 404 Not Pound Cake (foghorn)”
(via Boing Boing)
Jul 15, 2008 5:50pm

Two Questions

What percentage of restaurants in your neighborhood do you think would be open to you bringing your own containers for takeout?

What percentage of your Facebook friends do you think you’ll ever see again in person?

I’m guessing about 70% for both but that might be optimistic (yes, I’m bored).