Tag: government

Oct12013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Celebrating More Than a Century of Government Corruption

Celebrating More Than a Century of Government Corruption

History
As the U.S. government shuts down once again in a display of petty brinksmanship, it's worth remembering that our Republican and Democrat friends have been pulling crap like this since day one. To illustrate that point, here's a fantastic illustration -- it's too nice to be called a cartoon -- from a July 1910 issue of Puck magazine. It shows us that, truly, there is nothing new under the political sun. Click for a larger version. In a bit of sad irony, I obtained this image from the website of the Library of Congress -- which is now shut down.
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Sep152011 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
How Google sees it: Michele Bachmann Isn’t Looking So Good

How Google sees it: Michele Bachmann Isn’t Looking So Good

Funny Stuff
I know it's way too soon to know who will win the 2012 presidential election, much less the Republican nomination. Rick Perry is certainly on a hot streak, but we all know that can change in a minute. That said, Michele Bachmann has a bit of an uphill climb ahead of her. Her poll numbers have been slipping in recent days, and pictures like these certainly won't help her much: Things are only getting worse for Bachmann, if Google is any indication: Hard to put a positive spin on Bachmann's campaign woes when she's apparently thought of as: an idiot, Israel (??), crazy, hot, stupid, nuts, a moron, batshit crazy, or evil.
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Nov112010 by Chris Holmes1 Comment
Product warning labels we really need

Product warning labels we really need

Funny Stuff
Because the government refuses to just come out and ban cigarettes outright, we get brilliant programs like the recently announced FDA campaign to place more graphic warning labels on packs of smokes.  Here's an example of what they're planning to do: Effective and scary!  I guess.  I know I don't ever want to smoke Brand cigarettes, that much is certain.  Anyway, I suppose it's only a matter of time before the gubmint steps in and tries to scare us from buying all manner of products that can cause real harm, so I've whipped up a few labels to save the taxpayers a little money. Fast Food (more…)
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Aug182008 by Chris Holmes4 Comments
The sad, inevitable death of Pandora

The sad, inevitable death of Pandora

Internet
Music lovers will have one less place to discover new music if the worst comes to pass, and internet radio pioneer Pandora shuts down as threatened.  And that would be a damn shame for me, as I've discovered a lot of wonderful new artists and songs through the service. For those who haven't used the (free) site, Pandora basically works like this - you create a "station" by entering an artist or a song you like.  The site, taking advantage of the Music Genome Project, streams random tracks that share similar qualities to your selection.  As each song plays, you can issue a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down", and that further fine-tunes what you hear. It's a fantastic idea, and as I said I've found a lot of great stuff using it.  But its existence is now threatened, thanks to a 2007 ruling f
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Apr82008 by Chris Holmes1 Comment
Retrotisements: Prohibition Repeal Edition

Retrotisements: Prohibition Repeal Edition

Retrotisements
Yesterday marked the 75th anniversary of the practical end of Prohibition in the United States. On that day in 1933 -- eight months before the passage of the Twenty-First Amendment to the Constitution -- it became legal brew and sell beer with 3.2 percent alcohol by weight (4.0 percent by volume). For reference purposes, a can of regular Budweiser is 5.0 percent alcohol by volume. To celebrate this auspicious occasion I've grabbed a sample of beer ads throughout the years. Because I know how to party. (The main site has many more vintage alcohol ads for your viewing pleasure.) Hamm's From the Land of Sky Blue Waters (Minnesota) comes this vintage TV ad for Hamm's combines a few of my favorite commercial elements -- wonderful animation and a super-catchy jingle. Sascha, th...
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Mar62008 by Chris Holmes4 Comments
Interesting stuff I now know thanks to Wikipedia (Vol. 1)

Interesting stuff I now know thanks to Wikipedia (Vol. 1)

Listcruft
Sherlock Holmes has an older brother, and his name is Mycroft. At 727 feet, the Renaissance Center is the tallest building in Michigan (the Empire State Building, by comparison, is 1,250 feet). Geraldine Doyle is the model for the iconic WWII "We Can Do It!" poster, but didn't even know it until 1984. Gargoyle originates from the French word gargouille, originally "throat" or "gullet". California currently has 53 congressional districts in the US House of Representatives, the most in the country. Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming each have one. Washington D.C. has one non-voting delegation. The Persian word for snow is rendered in English as barf, and is a product line of soaps in Iran.
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