http://www.peterwall.net by peter wall Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:05:45 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A kid in Fresno was killed by a drunk driver last night, which is always sad. But why was the kid playing tag downtown at 12:30 a.m.? http://www.peterwall.net/index.php/2008/07/03/hello-parents/ My brother Adam should enjoy this one: a "nostalgorithm" to calculate exactly when the X-Files sequel movie should be released. And all fellow word nerds should enjoy this one: a short essay about the longevity of stupid phrases like "throw ____ under the bus." http://www.peterwall.net/index.php/2008/07/02/celebrating-the-nerdly-virtues/ Go look at PZ Myers' post on Pharyngula with video of a conversation between Congressman John Conyers of Michigan and law professor John Yoo, who had a hand in the infamous torture memos. I have nothing further to add. http://www.peterwall.net/index.php/2008/07/01/how-not-to-answer-a-question/ Barack Obama says, "We need all hands on deck." Either he doesn't really mean that or his new push to perpetuate George W. Bush's "faith-based programs" is mostly empty. If he really meant "all hands," then he wouldn't be talking about helping religious groups, but every social or charity group, including ... http://www.peterwall.net/index.php/2008/07/01/substance-or-pander/ Have you heard the thing about General Wesley Clark allegedly denigrating the value of John McCain's military service? You might want to look into it further. The real problem is not what General Clark said, but how it was reported. In the original interview, Clark was explaining that having on-the-ground military ... http://www.peterwall.net/index.php/2008/07/01/blame-schieffer-not-clark/ Now that the alleged grounds for locking people up in Guantanamo are finally seeing, if not the light of day, at least the light of federal judges' chambers, it looks as though the government has been bluffing all along: With some derision for the Bush administration’s arguments, a three-judge panel said ... http://www.peterwall.net/index.php/2008/06/30/the-emperor-has-no-clothes/ It's worrisome that conservative presidential candidates still think they need a seal of approval from Billy Graham—and now his son Franklin: Franklin Graham issued a statement after the meeting praising the Arizona senator's "personal faith and his moral clarity." Personal faith and moral clarity are vague, nebulous qualities that have little objective ... http://www.peterwall.net/index.php/2008/06/30/personal-faith-and-moral-clarity/ If these are the kind of people that Hillary Clinton drew, then I'm glad she's out of the running: Police on Sunday were investigating vandals' spray-painting of dozens of city vehicles [in Orlando, Florida], some with disparaging messages about the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Authorities think the vandalism to about ... http://www.peterwall.net/index.php/2008/06/30/vandals-for-clinton/ John McCain says: "Senator Obama’s word cannot be trusted. . . . But the fact is that I’ll keep my word to the American people and you can trust me." Okay, now that you're done chuckling at how childish and transparently "political" that sounds, read "McCain's Flourishing Flip-Flop List." And watch this video: "John McCain ... http://www.peterwall.net/index.php/2008/06/29/dont-be-a-sucker/ Since when do captains of industry make videos like this? http://www.peterwall.net/index.php/2008/06/28/thats-right-listen-to-chewbacca/