From the Guardian:: Spanish authorities are rushing to double the height of a fence surrounding the north African enclave of Melilla after a dozen more immigrants were injured in a battle with police as they tried to find a way on to European soil. The injuries followed the deaths of at least three immigrants over the past three weeks during mass attempts to storm the frontier that have ended in
September 2005
September 22, 2005
Grieving Mom Cindy Sheehan and 70s Kung-fu expert and counterculture icon Billy Jack discuss strategies for twenty-first century anti-war activism while ostensibly maintaining their commitments to fighting global terrorism, 7
“We marched on Washington, Billy! We took it to the streets and we marched—like King, or, y’know…like KING! We are taking back this country, Billy! We can no longer be ignored! We beat the streets with our determined feet—all 58 of them—and the country stood up and took notice! Sure, it wasn’t the several hundred thousand people we were hoping for—but it is a testament to what 29 determined people
September 22, 2005
Blog sorbet (or, protein wisdom eschews lengthy analysis and returns to his quirky, slightly ribald roots)
Knock knock Who’s there? COCK!
September 22, 2005
Moribund intentionalism and the death of the author II: The Wrath of Cant
Fresh from insisting that I write like shit, someone calling himself “frameone,” pontificating at length in ODub’s comments, follows up on yesterday’s discussion of racist sigification by setting the intentionalists straight: You guys misunderstand. Articulate doesn’t just mean what it means, it also signifes a level of cultural capital that, by and large, goes without saying (unconsciously) when whites speak positively about other white peers. (A white adult might refer
September 22, 2005
Roberts, Positioning, and the Politics of SCOTUS Voting
As Senate Democrats announce their intentions on the forthcoming John Roberts vote (Leahy, Feingold, , Kohl – yes; Biden, Reid, Kennedy, Feinstein, Durbin – no), a couple of things become readily apparent: first, that John Roberts will in fact be the next Chief Justice, and with a decent bi-partisan “yes” vote; and second, that—though some on the left have been pushing Senate Democrats to spend all of their political capital
September 21, 2005
John Bolton’s straight-talking mustache, “Regis,” goes on a blind date, episode 6: “A New Beginning”
Stephanie the blind date: “Gee, you sure are thick. And lush. Do you work out?†“Regisâ€Â: “Does it matter? I’m strong enough to slip your panties down, put it that way. Now order some grub already, would you? The longer we’re here, the less time we have for the freaky.â€Â
September 21, 2005
Moribund intentionalism and the death of the author
Another object lesson to drive home just what is likely to happen when the signifier (be it an arc, the graphic outline of a swirly cone, or a scribbled mark) is removed from its intentional moorings—this time provided by Oliver Willis, in a typically moronic post. Seizing on Ed Morrisey’s use of the word “articulate” to describe Michael Steele (a Black man), Oliver Willis—who, let’s face it, has never met
September 21, 2005
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, abridged 20
The time will come, on the road trip of life, when you will be asked to cease your leisurely ride and join the timeless race of pumping pistons and testosterone—a point at which the rush of animal instinct is sure to surge inside your jeans and cause your buttocks to clench tightly like the fist of the Buddha. And when this happens, it behooves you to remember that the rider
September 21, 2005
Katrina fallout, cont.
A SurveyUSA poll of adults in LA shows that Gov Blanco’s disapproval rating jumped 13 points between Aug 15 and Sept 19, from 43% to 56%. September also marks the first time her approval rate has fallen below 50%—standing at 41% on Sept 19, three weeks after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Perhaps counterintuitively, I’m going to conclude that this is a net win for Blanco, who, from every objective