Taibbi v. Friedman

For Matt Taibbi, the aching idiocy of Thomas Friedman is a sore tooth he just can't stop touching.

In Hot, Flat and Crowded, the money shot comes when Friedman starts doodling on a napkin over lunch with Moisés Naím, editor of Foreign Policy magazine. The pre-lunching Friedman starts drawing, and the wisdom just comes pouring out:

I laid out my napkin and drew a graph showing how there seemed to be a rough correlation between the price of oil, between 1975 and 2005, and the pace of freedom in oil-producing states during those same years.

Friedman then draws his napkin-graph, and much to the pundit’s surprise, it turns out that there is almost an exact correlation between high oil prices and “unfreedom”! The graph contains two lines, one showing a rising and then descending slope of “freedom,” and one showing a descending and then rising course of oil prices.

Friedman plots exactly four points on the graph over the course of those 30 years. In 1989, as oil prices are falling, Friedman writes, “Berlin Wall Torn Down.” In 1993, again as oil prices are low, he writes, “Nigeria Privatizes First Oil Field.” 1997, oil prices still low, “Iran Calls for Dialogue of Civilizations.” Then, finally, 2005, a year of high oil prices: “Iran calls for Israel’s destruction.”

I looked at this and thought: “Gosh, what a neat trick!” Then I sat down and drew up my own graph, called SIZE OF VALERIE BERTINELLI’S ASS, 1985-2008, vs. HAPPINESS. It turns out that there is an almost exact correlation!

Read the whole thing.

"Kent, I'd Be Lying If I Said My Men Weren't Committing Crimes"

Incredible piece in The Nation about racial vigilantes in New Orleans after Katrina. Go. Now.

Zach Galifianakis

Zach Galifianakis Live at the Purple Onion by Zach Galifianakis

Tennessean is Tennebelievin'

This is twelve kinds of awesome.

Update: Now with a delicious video.

The Wire Rap-Up

This is pretty damn good. A five-minute rap song, by the aptly named Mad Skillz, that recaps the entire five-season run of "The Wire."

If -- for some ungodly reason -- you've never actually watched "The Wire," also known as The Greatest Fucking Television Show of All-Time, then be warned that this is chocked full of spoilers.

And seriously, if you've never watched "The Wire," you ought to be ashamed of yourself. What are you, Amish? No? You spend time watching TV and you haven't watched the crowning accomplishment of the medium? Turn off "Two and a Half Men," sack up, and enjoy the ride.

More Like the BS System! AMIRIGHT?

Pretty good piece at Slate on the atrocities of the BCS. Enjoy.

The Federal Fluffer Act of 2009

Look out, folks. According to this CNN report, the pervert's baaaaaaaack!

Another major American industry is asking for assistance as the global financial crisis continues: Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis said Wednesday they will request that Congress allocate $5 billion for a bailout of the adult entertainment industry. ...

Flynt and Francis concede the industry itself is in no financial danger — DVD sales have slipped over the past year, but Web traffic has continued to grow. But the industry leaders said the issue is a nation in need. "People are too depressed to be sexually active," Flynt said in the statement. "This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such but they cannot do without sex."

"With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind. It's time for congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America. The only way they can do this is by supporting the adult industry and doing it quickly."

So far, there has been no congressional reaction to the request.

I find it hard to believe that they can't find a sponsor for this. Surely, Sen. David Vitter can take time out from his Republican family values speeches and his prostitutes-and-Pampers funplay to help out an ailing industry that has given him so much.

Hush Your Mouth

Stolen from a Balloon Juice posting. You're welcome.

Par-tay.

This is absolutely brilliant.

Thundercats. Are. GO!

Alright, not really. But this is a helluva good spoof.

Flight of the Conchords

For some reason, they've released the first episode of the new season of "Flight of the Conchords" a month early. Enjoy.

Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only) - watch more funny videos

Impeach Fred Armisen

Dickipedia

I've only now discovered this. If you haven't seen it, I recommend starting with the entry for Rudy Guiliani.

"I Mean, Who Throws a Shoe? Honestly!"

Speechless. I'm speechless.

Weekend Inspiration

Economy got you down? Worried about the Fantasy Football Playoffs? Whatever is worrying you won't seem so bad after you get a load of this.

Pitying the Capitalist Fools

If you haven't read Joseph Stiglitz's piece on the economic meltdown in Vanity Fair, you should.

It's short, sweet and smart. Just like Herve Villéchaize!

Huckaboom

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Outstanding interview between Jon Stewart and Mike Huckabee. It's sad that the most informative interviews in the media today come from a satirical show on Comedy Central, but I'll take what I can get. Enjoy.

Eddie Izzard, Legos and the Death Star Canteen

Blue Devils

So I'm at a big Thanksgiving gathering which comprised a number of families. I'm talking to someone I haven't seen in a few years (his parents and my parents are best buddies). The usual small talk ensues and he mentions that he's currently living in Durham. I say "I've heard it's a nice place, but unfortunately it's filled with Dookies."

He goes on talking about Durham and about how he lives downtown and for some reason starts talking about the urban center and demographic shifts and things like that. My kid starts crying and I excuse myself.

Some things about our brief conversation continued to bother me. After my anti-Duke comment there was a slight hesitation, a glance over my shoulder -- all of this is very subtle and hard to quantify, but it just felt weird. I know he didn't go to Duke - I thought that perhaps one of his friends went there and that might be the reason for the strangeness that descended.

After some thinking, I suspect I know what happened. When I said "it's filled with Dookies," he heard me say, "it's filled with Darkies."

If anyone knows of an e-card along the lines of "You know that incredibly racist thing that you thought I said? Well, I didn't say it" Please pass it along.

Sunday School

And yes, I could spend a week on Hulu just watching the clips from this show. If you've never had the pleasure, here's an episode that's a personal favorite.