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Arch ennui

(via Jim Hanas)

R.I.P. Kurt Isensee

Another Facebook diagnosis:

An observation at the breakfast table

Silas: "'Fuck' is a word for grownups and bad guys. When grownups say 'fuck,' grownups say 'fuck' to the other grownups."

Maru's new box

I never get tired of Maru. Here is another one of his existentialist short films:

Ah, humanity

This photo says it all, about something, from the post-Stanley Cup riots in Vancouver:

When we were up there during the playoffs, a guy who owns a clothing store on Robson said that there would definitely be riots, "win or lose," if Vancouver made it to the Stanley Cup.

"Thru Jerusalem," Kutiman

If you are a Person of Internet, I can almost assure you that you've heard Kutiman before. Here is his latest, a pleasingly bizarro and lyrical Middle Eastern conflagration:

Rick Santorum is against all abortions

Except when necessary to save the life of his wife. But not *your* wife:

“Abortion in any form is wrong,” said Santorum in 2000, three years after the tragedy. He should have added, “Except for my wife. If your wife’s life was at stake and the only thing that could save her was an abortion, well, too bad. Your wife will have to die. It was different with my wife. You see, I love her. I don’t even know your wife’s name.”

Outside seating at the Five Point!

I'm sure my old neighbors fought this (from when I lived across the street), but I can't wait to have a Bloody Mary and B&G out in the park:

Love the Slog comment from owner Dave Meinert: 

and it only took 15 months, 20 or so meetings, multiple city departments, including 'urban forestry' (who knew?), several city council members, the mayor and his staff, to make it happen. And it has to close at 10pm, so unamplified human voices do not to disturb neighbors who live in one of the 10 least safest neighborhoods in America, next to two of downtown's busiest streets, two bus routes, a fire department and 2 heli-pads. Gotta love Seattle government!

Just don't look, just don't look

I don't know how, but Sarah Palin pushes all the right buttons. She somehow, almost continuously, generates irresistibly maddening new memes—like her nutbar Paul Revere retelling.

But she's terrifying. I remember when HB and I were in NY in 2008, watching the Palin-Biden debate at a bar. The one thing I remember clearest was her wink at the camera—and HB and I looked at each other with this horrified "OMG," and it started to sink in that this was an *actual* VP nominee who *actually* stood a decent chance of being elected.

9/11 was a shock because it updated my expectations of what kinds of horror are possible in the world. That was probably a good thing. Politically, seeing Palin come so close to the vice-presidency (and hence presidency) was similar. I really, really couldn't believe it, but there it was. And now she's back, again.

I had a realization a couple months ago: I needed to stop clicking on links to stories about Palin. By clicking on links about her—all of us doing that together—I'm giving her power. She is only in the news cycle because she is instant gold in terms of pageviews, which sell ads. The press only covers her because it's good business.

I wish I could convince writers to stop writing about her—or to write about her as much as they write about Pawlenty or Huntsman, e.g.—but that's not going to happen as long as people keep clicking on Palin links. In terms of news, she's what the people want. But I am opting out.

There is no new Palin story to read. It is the same story, retold in a different way, again and again and again. But when you click on the link to her latest ridiculousness, you are directly helping her. So if you're of a like mind, please, please, please just stop. Or, a la the Simpsons, just don't look. (That would be Treehouse of Horror VI, with Paul Anka.)  

(Of course, a more cynical take is that Dems *should* help her get the nomination, because she polls so poorly against Obama. But that's not a risk I want to take, given Obama's luck with the state of the economy. I'd rather have President Romney than risk President Palin.)

Painful (and funny) civil disobedience

Or, rather, civil *obedience*:

(via Slog)