Shit that Pissed me Off This Week – 9/27

Popular Science Shuts off Their Comments

Hey, I don’t really care if anybody comments on a Popular Science article ever again.  Comment threads on the internet are typically the realm of madness.

Which is precisely the point.  Popular Science shut off comments on their science articles because people are more likely to believe the comments than they are to believe the article.

Yeah.  That’s right.  People read an article with citations and evidence and they are less likely to believe that than a one paragraph rebuttal that is basically nothing more than someone saying “oh yeah?  I know you but what am I?”

Everyone KNOWS that you can’t trust results from experiments that use beakers! Some guy said so on the internet!

We benefit from scientific research every day of our lives but somehow, in spite of everything science does for us, we are more inclined to believe FrankNFurther2098 than someone who is publishing a researched and peer reviewed article. The practical result is that Popular Science is turning off their comments so people will pay attention to the science and not the bullshit.

Catholic College Cancels Pro-Marriage Equality Lecturer

What is interesting is not the fact the University cancelled a lecturer who was going to espouse a perspective the Catholic Church doesn’t seem to support (the church is actually pretty wishy washy on the matter at present), but rather the fact that they claim they are doing so because they feel both sides are not going to be fairly represented.

OK, but if that is the case then why did they also say it was a defiance of their “Fundamental Moral Principles?”  Seems to me that they were actively taking a side in the debate.  In fact, it could be reasonably argued that the other side is pretty fairly represented already.

Given young people are already overwhelmingly supportive of same-sex marriage, it seems especially tone deaf for a college courting young people to cancel this event.  They can argue principles all they want but given the hypocrisy inherent in their comments up to this point, I’m not sure that their principles are something to be respected.

Minnesota and Wisconsin Can’t Reach a Tax Reciprocity Deal

The details are pretty boring so let me skip to the important part.  Currently, people living in one state and working across the border have to file tax returns in both states.  So if you live in one state but make your money in the other, you have to pay file your income tax in both states even if you are only making income in one of them.

I’m a little embarassed that this is the first time I’ve noticed it kind of looks like Wisconsin is Giving Minnesota blow job…

The deal that used to exist got cancelled by tax hating Tim Pawlenty because the state of Minnesota felt it wasn’t getting a good deal and they decided they wanted out.  Wisconsin wasn’t interested in getting less.  So a deal that had been in place for years was nullified and neither side can seem to work out the details of a new deal.

So how much money are we talking here?

About six million dollars.

I know that sounds like a lot but on a state budget level, you ought to be able to cut out six million dollars so people crossing the border to work don’t have to pay income tax in two states, shouldn’t you?

Scott Walker could probably cut out six million just by allowing people to exercise the right to assemble rather than paying lawyers to fight the lawsuits being filed by the individuals who have been denied that right…

They have until October 1st to work out a deal but things are looking pretty unlikely at this point.  Because if you have to choose between more work for legislators (by cutting six million dollars out of the budget) or taxpayers, why not pick the taxpayers, right?

Kansas School Board Unanimously Votes to Allow Prayer at District Events

I don’t understand why this is so hard to comprehend.

You can pray anywhere you want to.

You just can’t do it over a loudspeaker at a public school event because not everyone there is a Christian and there is no state religion in this country.  No, not even Christianity.

What bugs me more than the fact school boards seem unable to understand that the rest of us shouldn’t be forced to listen to their religion if we don’t want to is the fact they were so smug about the decision.

On board member said she thought it was the “greatest thing they’d ever done.”

Yeah, because giving kids an education isn’t all that great.  Making sure that Christian kids can pray over a loudspeaker, though, is pretty fucking great.  They can go home and sleep well tonight.

It bears repeating that I don’t hate religious people at all.  I hate it when religious people want to stick their religion into the business of people who don’t share their faith.  And they call it persecution when those people have the guts to stand up and say “please don’t do that.”

Barilla Pasta is Going on Record as Hating the Gays

Really?  How stupid can you get?

I mean, the dude doesn’t like gay people because he’s a bigoted asshole.  OK.  He can be a bigoted asshole.

But why would you decide to publicly state that a certain sub-set of your market can fuck off and buy another brand?  You know they are going to, right?  Have you met the internet???

Interesting how the asshole bigot feels that gay adoption is a problem because the adopted child doesn’t have a choice in the matter.  Yeah.  because other adopted children get to choose?

You mean I could have chosen to have different parents? Why didn’t someone tell me earlier????

How about these adopted kids, who were both sexually abused by their adoptive parents?  Those kids probably would have chosen a loving same-sex home over one where the adoptive mother gave birth to her 15-year-old adopted son’s child.

Point being, no adopted child gets to make that choice.  And most of the time, things turn out all right.  It hardly seems like a reason to condemn same-sex parents.

Unless you are a crazy bigot who would rather say stupid things in public than increase your market share.

Has anyone told this guy we have a congressional seat coming open in Minnesota next fall and he seems like exactly the kind of nutbag who could fill it?

Atlas Shrugged Movie has a Kickstarter

I guess this doesn’t piss me off so much as amuse me.

The folks trying to make the third installment in their almost universally vilified film trilogy feel as if they are saying something important and they need the funds to finish the job.

It’s a shame that the job they are doing is so incredibly shitty.

This is not about whether or not I agree with the Ayn Rand philosophy espoused in the source material.  Rather it has to do with the nearly complete lack of self-awareness it takes to think that they are doing anything useful with that material.

Will they get their money? Almost certainly.  They are already over halfway there and they have 26 days to go.  That pisses me off a little bit but I accept that Kickstarter backers make their choices and spend their money as they see fit.

So what really pisses me off is that these guys will get to make another shitty movie and they still won’t understand that the reason everyone hates them has nothing to do with the source material and everything to do with the talentless hacks who are adapting it.

Hang on…Meryll Streep is the Witch in the film version of “Into the Woods?”

I try not to judge the casting of movies before I see them but uh…I’ve heard Streep sing.  She’s fine but she’s no Bernadette Peters.

Not that Peters could play the character at this point because the character is supposed to look a lot younger than Peters or Streep (at least during the second act).  At least she has a voice that can tackle a Stephen Sondheim musical.

Careful perusal of the cast list does indicate Pierce Brosnan won’t be singing in this movie so that’s a plus.

Who else is in this film?  Johnny Depp???  Still can’t sing Sondheim (exhibit A – Sweeney Todd).  And it isn’t the same actor playing the wolf and Cinderella’s Prince?

Oh my god.  If Hollywood screws up “Into the Woods” the way they screwed up “Les Miserables,” I’m going to be more than just a little bit depressed.