In a plan that cannot possibly go wrong, Japanese scientists are releasing wild monkeys into the radioactive area around the Fukushima nuclear plant.  Their goal is to equip the monkeys with radiation-tracking collars which can be used to test contamination in the area without endangering human lives. 

As if giant, radioactive, killer monkeys aren’t a danger to all human life.

I finally got around to watching the 1st season of The Walking Dead.  I probably won’t be watching the 2nd season, and the image above is why.  That’s a google map of gun shops in the Atlanta area (where the show is supposed to take place).  Note that google only puts pins on the first 10 results and every one of those little pink dots is a store that sells guns.

Now I can deal with all the whining and petty human bullshit that infuses the show, but I cannot stomach how half a dozen guns in a duffel bag became one of the primary motivators for half the season.  It’s the south.  There are guns everywhere!  Break into any house and check the nightstand in the master bedroom - even odds there’s a gun in there.  Same goes for the glove compartment (or, FFS, the gun rack) of any random vehicle.  If you’re picky, just head to any of those pink dots and get your shopping spree on.

Sometimes I wish I could just shut my brain off and enjoy shows despite stupid shit like this, but I can’t.  I am cursed by my superior intellect.

Thanks to drug war incentives, both statistics and anecdotes show US police agencies spend most of their time going after (harmless) drug users and ignore violent crime.  Only massive law enforcement reform will fix this clusterfuck.

The Dutch have legal drugs, legal prostitution, and a very permissive view on teen sex.  Yet their rates of drug abuse, STDs and teen pregnancy are many times lower than in the US.  Bad laws and religious hangups cause more problems than they solve.  A new book called “Not Under My Roof” explains how and why this is true.

This just might be the only movie I ever see in 3D.  Holy fucking awesome.

(Source: youtube.com)

It’s official, I have a new favorite website: Fuck Your Dumb Baby

I know I haven’t been posting much lately, and what I do post is overwhelmingly political.  It’s just that there is some seriously important political stuff going on right now.  Chances are that anybody reading this is already well aware of the Occupy Wall Street movement, and realizes that the crooked righties who denounce it are doing so because they don’t want to give up their free ride at our expense.  This Krugman piece from the Times really boils down exactly why they’re so vehement about it.  I suppose I’d be mad too if I had a good scam going and a bunch of kids tried to shut it down.

I think Toot sums up my reaction to this shocking revelation.

OK Go and The Muppets - Muppet Show Theme Song

Part of The Green Album.  Beautiful.

(Source: youtube.com)