RIP, Journalism.

Michael Jackson isn’t the only one who died recently. I used to think journalism, the profession that paid for my beer and Big Macs for years, could be saved. This morning, I’m willing to call time of death.
This is why:
Washington Post sells access, $25,000+
According to Politico, here’s what happened:
For $25,000 to $250,000, The Washington Post [...]

TSA: Saving Us From Comic Books

The Transportation Security Administration: bravely protecting our skies from bottled water, nail files, and now, comic books.
Boom! Studios sends word that comics writer Mark Sable was detained by TSA security guards at Los Angeles International Airport this past weekend because he was carrying a script for a new issue of his comic miniseries Unthinkable. … [...]

“Gov. Palin, if you’re watching…”

This is why Letterman is the only serious contender for the crown of Carson. He takes a double-barrel shotgun blast of phony outrage from a politician and turns it into popcorn, bouncing harmlessly off his chest.
Other late-night hosts might have hidden under their desks. Letterman offers a crash course in remedial comedy:
[...]

How (Not) To Save Newspapers, Part 4

This is why newspapers are doomed, even the ones with Web sites.
Today, there’s news of a swine flu outbreak in Mexico, with fears that it might turn into a pandemic. A school in New York has already tested kids, and there are eight reported cases in the U.S. so far.
You’d think someone at the LAT [...]

I’m Easily Amused, Cont.

The premise of this news item about Fox News launching its own social networking Web site is filled with comedy gold. It reminds us that MySpace — the site everyone used to check 12 times a day before Facebo0k, now populated almost solely by Internet predators and people pretending to be junior high school girls [...]

Easy Credit Terms

Remember that $700 billion bailout? Supposed to rescue the economy by encouraging banks to make new loans, get everybody moving again?
Yeah, someone should have told the banks. From today’s New York Times:
On the contrary: at another point in the conference call, the same executive (who I’m not naming because he didn’t know I would be [...]

Count The Blinks

One thing to consider regarding McCain’s debate performance: he who blinks the most, loses.
From the International Journal of Psychophysiology:
For eight U.S. presidential elections during the period 1960–2004, the rapid blinker during debates received fewer overall votes than his opponent. In seven of these eight elections, the rapid blinker also lost the electoral vote and was [...]

Palin’s an Alien?

This crop circle certainly seems to be evidence pointing in that direction.
(I promise, I will get over my Sarah Palin obsession soon. It’s just the woman is comedy gold, I tell ya.)
(And of course, this thing was carved by someone from Idaho.)

Waiting for the End of the World

Stocks collapsing. Possible war with Pakistan. North Korean nukes. At times like this, it’s tempting to dig into the fallout shelter with a package of MRE’s and plenty of ammunition.
But which end-of-the-world scenario is right for you? It might seem like tidying up before the zombies arrive, but the kids over at Sadly, No! remind [...]

Amen.

Fitting that on Sunday, here’s an angry, obscene sermon from an unnamed Democratic lawmaker — one I totally agree with.
Paulsen and congressional Republicans, or the few that will actually vote for this (most will be unwilling to take responsibility for the consequences of their policies), have said that there can’t be any “add ons,” or [...]