McCain barbs stirring outcry as distortions

Senator John McCain has long sought to portray the image of a straight-talking maverick who is above the old Washington politics. Lately, he has abandoned that in favor of stretching the truth or even outright lying about Senator Barack Obama to a point where he is drawing criticism from Republicans.

"Mr. McCain has been increasingly called out by news organizations, editorial boards and independent analysts like FactCheck.org. The group, which does not judge whether one candidate is more misleading than another, has cried foul on Mr. McCain more than twice as often since the start of the political conventions as it has on Mr. Obama."

Well that's one way to pay off your college debt...

So I know the west coast is supposed to be a little more laid back than us uptight East Coasters, but this just takes the cake: A 22 year old San Diego woman who has just graduated from college is planning to auction off her virginity. She made the decision to do so because she wants to finance her undergrad degree and hopefully have enough left over to pay her way through a masters program. Ebay rejected her, so she will be holding the auction at the Bunny Ranch, a legal brothel in Nevada. I'm not sure if this should be sparking controversy over the fact that this woman finds it "empowering" to sell her virginity or over the skyrocketing cost of education that caused her to do so!

HP doesn't like Vista either...

The super-huge computer manufacturer, Hewlett-Packard, is reportedly researching the possibility of creating an OS to compete against the widely un-accepted Microsoft Windows Vista Operating System.
Obviously it would be based on Linux and feature proprietary software/drivers so that it can compete in today's markets. It would also feature a slew of open source software and cost significantly less than many of the Windows based computers currently available on the market.

Thank God computer manufacturers, especially one this big, are finally realizing that they are putting crap on their machines they sell.

Happy Birthday, Microchip!

Today the very thing, a microchip, that allows me to bring this news to you via the internet, turns 50.

Holy Toast!

You may remember a toasted cheese sandwich that fetched $28,000 when marked with the appearance of the holy mother, but now you can toast any toastness into the toast you please. I'll be dipping Chuck Norris into a hot bowl of tomato soup later - not so tough now, are you?

Signs This is an Exciting Election:

When everday, cute, animal-featured comic strips get political (even though Conley is known to make his opinions apparent through the strip often).

Governor Palin's first interview as a VP candidate

Governor Palin sits down with Charles Gibson at ABC for the first of a three-part interview yesterday. This part deals with foreign policy issues focused specifically on Iran, Israel and the Bush Doctrine. I'd embed it but that's just way to complicated for ABC news.

Porn on a Plane

I want this motherfucking porn off this motherfucking plane.

With the advent of WiFi access on planes, the issue of porn is rearing its ugly, goatse head. Ars has the story.

YouTube bans terrorist training videos

Apparently terrorists have been fully embracing Web 2.0 and using YouTube for their devious training purposes. No worries - YouTube is banning their "How 2 Slit Thr0@tz" and "How 2 m@k3 a 1337 su1c1d3 v357" videos now.

No word on "Leave Osama Alone" and the "You suk at videoediting" tutorial series.

Google News helps United time travel, lose money

Google News ran an article about United Airlines from 2002, when the airline was on the verge of bankruptcy, as today's news. The story was quickly picked up by other new aggregators and, efficient markets being what they are, lead to United stock dropping from $12 a share to $3. The stock managed to recover to around $10 per share, but for a time, United lost $1.14 billion. The company is still out $300 million, and the executive medical bills are likely to be staggering.

Larry Craig: Foot-tapping covered by First Amendment

Minnesota's favorite Senator is back in court with yet another argument. This time: that foot-tapping and hand signals are covered under the First Amendment.

Hallucinogen, Salvia under fire, attempts to criminalize

The relative of mint, Salvia, is facing criminalization attempts in several states as citizens and legislators become aware of its growing use. The herb provides a very short but very intense period of hallucination when smoked or consumed.

"there are no studies suggesting salvia is addictive or susceptible to overdose or abuse. Indeed, a salvia experience can be so intense, and at times so unsettling, that many try it just once, and even devotees use it sparingly.

Reports of salvia-related emergency room admissions are virtually nonexistent, probably because its effects typically vanish in just a few minutes."

In spite of this current evidence, it seems that legislators are afraid of anyone having a mind-altering experience that doesn't involve religion.

XKCD: Still Raw

Sometimes, time does not heal all wounds.

Classic Cocktail: The Rusty Nail

Wondering what to do with that bottle of Drambuie you've had sitting in your cabinet since last Christmas? Try the Rusty Nail on for size. This is a sweeter cocktail, traditionally drunken after dinner.

2 oz. Scotch Whiskey
1/2 oz. Drambuie

Pour over ice and stir gently until glass is frosty.

Mortgage bail-out yields economic boost

The US Government took over the ailing mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the largest bail-out in US history. The US taxpayers are footing the $200 billion capital injection that will keep the two giants solvent. While the move rewards reckless investing, it probably beats the potential alternative of a collapse that would lead to a major upheaval in the financial markets.

"[US Treasury Secretary Henry] Paulson said the government was intervening in the wider interests of the financial system and of taxpayers since the financial position of the two firms was fast deteriorating. "

No word on how they plan on instilling financial savvy and a basic understanding of mortgage rates in the common homeowner.

That dress better be made of freakin gold... or oil

Michelle Obama's dress on "The View": $150
Cindy McCain's dress at the RNC: $300,000
Wearing a dress 3x the amount of my college loans then pretending to understand the plight of middle class America: Priceless

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