ARIZONA MOTHERFUCKING DID IT. Arizona became the first state last night to REJECT a ban on gay marriage. Additionally, Missouri (a key Democratic Senate win) PASSED a bill allowing for stem cell research to proceed ( Read more... )

Oh my God. I went to sleep with 99.27% of precincts reporting and an apparent Allen victory--which meant that the Republicans, though badly hurt, retained the Senate. I woke up, and with 99.75% precincts reporting, Webb leads by 7000 votes, has declared victory, the Senate hangs unclaimed, and Allen wants a recount.

Jesus. Who needs sports?

Breakdown

National level - Relatively rosy. In all our Virginian gloom-n'-doom, it's worth noting that the Democrats have taken the House for the first time since 1994, and gained significant ground in the Senate. I'm not going to posit the Democratic party as a force of unmolested altruism, but this is pretty damned good news: a loosened ( Read more... )

…I have no hesitation in saying that I have ever considered the constitutional mode of election ultimately by the legislature voting by states as the most dangerous blot in our constitution, and one which some unlucky chance will some day hit, and give us a pope & anti-pope.--Thomas Jefferson ( Read more... )

Scientist Disproves Vampires

And for the musicistas out there, Cursive is hosting a remix contest. You can download the vocal and instrumental tracks of "Bad Sects" from their website, create your remix, upload it, and if victorious, it'll appear as a B-side on their next EP.

Stephin Merritt visibly unsettles a newscaster on Fox Atlanta's morning show. And performs a eukalale rendition of "Smile! No One Cares How You Feel"

I'd pay whatever this costs.

[Link]

Reason #1 for my sudden interest in and respect for the UC Berkeley Comparative Lit department:

The Undead Conference

Language and culture have a fascinating chicken/egg relationship: language is the always-evolving product of a given culture (or cultures), but once formulated, it is a--if not the--primary agent of socialization. I have heard (I wish I had documentation) about a South American tribe whose language lacks terminology for "past" or "future." A linear ( Read more... )