On this day in 1880, Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric incandescent lamp.

Today, exactly one hundred and twenty-three years later, I received an invitation to renew my Entertainment Weekly subscription.

best out-of-context quote from a reader today

“I was lousy at science and haven’t warmed to the Nazi belief system, so…”

walls of human flesh
I’ve seen some stupid things in my day, but this takes the cake.

I wouldn’t have believed it if you’d told me, but there are actually people in this world willing to buy plane tickets, take time off from work, and travel around the world to protect a man that watches videotapes of his former adversaries being assassinated for pleasure. That’s what the guy does to unwind, and there are people signing up to be “human shields” to protect him. The organizers don’t even try to downplay the fact that they’re going to be used as human shields. They call themselves that. They aren’t “Peace Observers” or “Guardians of Kindness.” They’re “Human Shields.” They’re like walls of meat intended to absorb bullets.

How worthless is your life if you’ve gotten to the point of going around and referring to yourself as a dictator’s “bullet proof vest of meat”?

I’m picturing Saddam hot-gluing these folks to every available surface on a white Jeep Cherokee and leading the world on it’s first internationally televised low-speed car chase.

Maybe delusional conservatives will begin countermeasures. Perhaps they can sign on to be human bullets for the US military.

Some of you out there may think that I’m being a little hard on these folks. After all, they’re only doing this because they care about humanity, right? I’m sure they’re all very brigh… not at all kooky, right?

Well, check this out. I just got this off the www.humanshields.org page. It’s a quote taken from a posting made by one of the “human shields” currently in transit to Iraq.

Rajia, our resident British Palestinian hairdresser, has ensured that all girls onboard are looking their spunkiest. Unfortunately Rajia has run out
of willing females and fully intends to make all boys pretty. We’ll keep you posted on this unfolding drama.

Do you believe that shit? These people are living in a fantasy. They’re walking into a country where women are beheaded on street corners for fuck’s sake. This is not like harboring a Jewish family in the Germany of the late 30’s. This is not a noble thing they’re doing. This is foolhardy and na

I Tivoed the Super Bowl so that I don’t have to watch any of the football. I’m just sitting here now, fast forwarding through the first half, watching the commercials. Colin Powell’s son is right, Tivo is “God’s machine.”