A couple of months ago, I retired [after a nearly 30-year career as a professional staff member on Capitol Hill]; but I could see as early as last November that the Republican Party would use the debt limit vote, an otherwise routine legislative procedure that has been used 87 times since the end of World War II, in order to concoct an entirely artificial fiscal crisis. Then, they would use that fiscal crisis to get what they wanted, by literally holding the US and global economies as hostages.

He continues to spell out the morally and ethically corrupt legislative tactics the Republican Party has used over the past 30 or more years and how they’ve diverged from the values of former leaders such as Eisenhower.

These are things that those of us watching closely have suspected and observed for years, but it’s eye-opening to see it outlined so directly by an insider.

(Via Walnut & Carrara)

We researched the 100 U.S. corporations that shelled out the most last year in CEO compensation. At 25 of these corporate giants, we found, the bill for chief executive compensation actually ran higher than the company’s entire federal corporate income tax bill.

(Consumerist summarizes the list of 25 CEOs on their site.)

The argument I’ve seen some people make is that what these companies and CEOs are doing is legal so it shouldn’t be a problem. It may not be against the law, but it’s unfair of the companies who reap massive rewards for the roads, security, stable currency, and hundreds of other services provided by the Federal Government not to pay their part. Instead, these corporations use this capital to lobby for the loopholes that allow them to pay less as well as showering executives in money while not significantly raising base employee compensation.

This doesn’t help reduce the deficit that many Tea-Party members are ostensibly up in arms about. Nor does it create jobs for anyone but leaches: the accountants, lawyers, and lobbyists who specialize in creating and exploiting tax loopholes. These corporations should be paying their fair share of taxes instead of expecting everyone else to carry the slack.

That tax money could and should be used help millions of hard working Americans get jobs instead of lining the pockets of the rich and their leaches.

Rapture (the underwater city from BioShock)
Star Dreadnought Executor (from Return of the Jedi)
Barad-dûr (from The Lord of the Rings movies)

Be sure to check out the detail pictures for each model too!

Can we see more of this from the Republican party nationally instead of so much fear-mongering and tea-party nonsense?

(Via DF)

From the few shots we get in the trailer it looks like they’re staying pretty close to the source material, which is great news.  I loved these books as a kid and read them all several times.  They’re all worth checking out if you’re still a kid at heart.

It seems the script is mostly based on The Secret of the Unicorn but apparently they’re also throwing in elements of The Crab with the Golden Claws and Red Rackham’s Treasure (which is actually a direct continuation of Unicorn’s story) to fill in the story.  Spielberg is directing the first one, while Peter Jackson is producing and on the hook for directing a sequel. Wikipedia has the details, of course.

PS: Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock is particularly inspired casting but the other cast is great too.

So that doesn’t mean much to everyone, but it means a lot to nerds like me. If you’re unfamiliar with Felicia Day go watch Dr. Horrible or The Guild and get back to me.

Here’s a couple stills of and an interview with Felicia Day on location and rocking a great costume.

Update (Feb 18th): Here’s the first trailer.

In Casino Royale, James Bond is the Bond girl. Look at the way they even show him emerging from the ocean like Ursula Andress. Sexual torture, too, if less creepy-glam than being stripped and painted gold. Vesper Lynd is Bond: never not in control, never without a plan, seducing to further her goals. She has to die so Bond can become her.

I think I need to re-watch it now!

Also worth mentioning is this quote from my friend Scott after reading the above: “Too bad there isn’t a take on Quantum of Solace that makes it not suck.”

Too true.

(Via Kottke)

Bradley Manning, the 22-year-old U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, has never been convicted of that crime, nor of any other crime. Despite that, he has been detained [for seven months] under conditions that constitute cruel and inhumane treatment and, by the standards of many nations, even torture.

This is a must-read article, and a disturbing look at how the United States is turning its back on The Constitution, justice, and the experiences and promises of our own leaders.

The fact is that one of our two great political parties has made it clear that it has no interest in making America governable, unless it’s doing the governing. And that party now controls one house of Congress, which means that the country will not, in fact, be governable without that party’s cooperation — cooperation that won’t be forthcoming.

The whole strategy of ‘no governance but our governance’ (which I’m coining now as NGBOG) is so antithetical to democratic principles it’s unbelievable that it’s become the status quo of the Republican party. However, the GOP has been doing precisely this for a long time, particularly in the last two years since Obama was elected. It’s just that now that they control the House they can really run with NGBOG.

(Link via DF.)

First, Nicholas D. Kristof writes in the NYT Op-Ed questioning if tax cuts for the rich have created our own Banana Republic where “the richest 1% of Americans now take home almost 24 percent of income.” In our Banana Republic, where the recently elected Republican majority in the House has made it a top priority to give this richest Americans more tax cuts, is such extreme income disparity is really good for the economy?

Second is a longer article from a German magazine examining the end (?) of the American dream.  This was written before the recent elections but does a great job examining both the international and national problems that America is facing as a result of the recession and political culture of self-interest and inaction.  How can we still belive in the upward mobility that made America great when, “in 1978, the average income for men in the United States was $45,879 [while] in 2007, it was $45,113, adjusted for inflation?”

Thanks to DF and JDD for the links.

Hat tip to James Duncan Davidson.

A new analysis of the carbon and nitrogen cycles suggests that livestock production is on a path to unsustainability, and that it will push us beyond Earth’s safe operating limits by the middle of the century.

PS: Please remember seafood is not vegetarian; see pescetarianism.

I wish the trailer showed Barry Pepper too.

There will be those of you who need a moment to sit down and absorb just how crazy, and yet, awesome, that sounds…  This post is for you. It comes out June 2nd; mark your calendars.

To everyone else reading this and scratching their head, please watch/listen to the following items immediately: Firefly, Serenity, Werewolves & Lollipops, and My Weakness is Strong.

I’m personally not watching it to avoid spoiling any exciting bits it might reveal. Hopefully, I won’t have to walk out of the theater for Avatar or some other big movie this holiday.

Also, I like the trailer page design. It seems like they’re trying to duplicate the iTunes store pages. Right now the only movies that have it are the aforementioned IM2 and the new Shrek film. Hopefully it will roll out for more trailers soon.

Update (December 21st, 2009):
Since the studio is dumping this one in February after many delays they evidently don’t have much confidence in the film. I still love the cast and makeup, but the movie itself might turn out to be a bomb.

Drool.

Interviewer: Is that why you wouldn’t play LEGO Star Wars with Megan Fox on the set of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen?
Shia: Correct. Who wants to play the Wii version of LEGO Star Wars. I’d rather eat glass.

Read the full, but sadly short, interview on BigDownload.

1. Sam Rockwell always kicks ass.
2. Kevin Spacey voicing a robot? Sign me up.
3. This awesome poster.
4. Clint Mansell is doing the score.
5. It’s a science fiction thriller. An under-appreciated genera.
6. The trailer blows my mind.

Certainly the most original looking film I’ve seen in a while. Nice use of Arcade Fire in the trailer.

Dumb-asses.

Apple is, unsurprisingly, not going to stand still and let Google Android and Palm WebOS get the upper hand on features. They pretty much went down the wish list of features for the update and checked of every one of them: copy/paste, push notifications, better Bluetooth support, and so on. Pretty much the only feature left out is background apps which Apple again dissed as a large source of battery drain.

Flash is also still a no-show, but that’s not a surprise, nor something I think Apple plans on addressing anytime soon. In any case, I still don’t think Flash would be any good on any phone device at this time.

Consumers get it this summer… I can’t wait.

The Big Picture also has two nice photo sets of the occasion, one of the preparations and one of the event.

Color me hopeful (especially about torture & Gitmo and abortion funding).

Estimated number of U.S. intelligence reports on Iraq that were based on information from a single defector: 100

Number of times the defector had ever been interviewed by U.S. intelligence agents: 0

(Via DF.)

I recommend clicking the links to the 720p or 1080p versions in the bottom left instead of watching the little Flash version.

Update: I just watched it and my pants are a bit damp…

(Via Kottke.)

The bits about the machining process were especially interesting to me because of my mechanical engineering background. I can only hope to someday design something so amazing.

(Via DF.)

BTW, the uncensored version (which I linked to above) is much superior to the normal version because you get to listen to Jonah Hill swear through most of the thing.

Here’s where you can find more information on how and where to vote.

I mean, ‘Star Whores’… SOLD.

We’ve just added comprehensive transit info for the entire New York metro region, encompassing subway, commuter rail, bus and ferry services from the Metropolitan Transit Agency MTA, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New Jersey Transit and the City of New York.

Finally. I could have used this years ago, but I look forward to using it next time I’m in NYC.

(Via Kottke.)

NYC has a ton of Representatives… and not enough Senators…

(Via Swissmiss.)

Installed (not that I ever read YouTube comments in any case because they’re so terrible).

(Via DF)

WTF Amazon?  NCAA garden gnomes?  On the front page of your site?  Really?