Negligible Knowledge Base

1950s pinup queen Bettie Page died yesterday in Los Angeles at the age of 85.

Well, it seems that making reference to Nancy Reagan holding séances in the White House is insulting, apparently in light of the fact that all she did was consult an astrologer for insight as to which days were “good” or “neutral” or “bad”, and then use the astrologer’s “information” to not only influence, but change, President Reagan’s [...]

The website of the Office of the President-Elect is online.
It really does kind of feel like a metaphorical “torch” is being passed, if you’ll excuse me for referencing the Inaugural Address of John Kennedy. What I mean is, Barack Obama will be the first President of the United States that is less than two decades [...]

By now, everyone knows that Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States. What you may have forgotten is that I predicted this back in February… “ooooooh”. Yeah, I know, whooptie-fucking-doo!
In any event, that was my kind of election — results by 10:20pm. I was still able to get plenty of sleep! [...]

Martha Teichner at CBS:
The dictionary definition of patriotism is “love for or devotion to one’s country.” That’s all simple … deceptively simple.
In reality, there may be no more loaded concept in the American political lexicon.
“You have never been not proud to be an American,” said Gov. Sarah Palin. “You are proud to be an American.”
Think [...]

Good news.  After nearly a month of down-time, I had the idea this one was going to end bad.

Who can forget the immortal words of Ronald Regan, October 28, 1980, in his closing remarks of the second presidential debate?
“Are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the [...]

Christopher Hitchens, writing at Slate, Sarah Palin’s War on Science: The GOP ticket’s appalling contempt for knowledge and learning.
In an election that has been fought on an astoundingly low cultural and intellectual level, with both candidates pretending that tax cuts can go like peaches and cream with the staggering new levels of federal deficit, and [...]

Eight years ago. Good point.
Six weeks ago. Not a chance.
Four weeks ago. Sometimes.
Two weeks ago. Moment of weakness?
I’ll bet that John McCain’s handlers wish he’d stop letting the “real” John McCain come out from time to time and stick to the “new” John McCain, who’s willing to deal in lies, half-truths, misrepresentations, innuendo, speculation and [...]

The conservative Chicago Tribune has endorsed Barack Obama for president of the United States:
This endorsement makes some history for the Chicago Tribune. This is the first time the newspaper has endorsed the Democratic Party’s nominee for president.
The Tribune in its earliest days took up the abolition of slavery and linked itself to a powerful force for [...]