Unblogged Bits (Fri. 8-Jul-11 2331)

Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….

1. 10 Great Things You Might Know Troy McClure From – Topless Robot – I miss Troy. And Phil.
2. Google Maps For Android Now Lets You Download Maps For Offline Viewing (Hallelujah!) – That would have come in handy in Italy.
3. Texas governor defends Mexican’s execution – The Denver Post – I certainly will not stand in defense of Leal, who admitted his guilt. But justice is not just about the individual, but about the system, and Texas’ actions here threaten Americans abroad. Yeah, I know it’s not popular to consider “foreign opinion” and “treaties” — but being a dick about it is kind of stupid.
4. All of Modern Politics in One Chart | Mother Jones – sigh
5. Ten Ways to Keep a Long-Term Character From Being Hated – Though this focuses on TV, I’d say that it applies to book series, too.
6. The Legion of Art Nouveau Heroes [Friday Gallery] – Some of these are (much) better than others, and they all owe a debt to Mucha … and there are certainly some posters or t-shirts there that I’d buy.
7. Irony Alert: Host of “Worst Driver” Reality Show Run Over by Contestant – I think it should be required that Reality Show hosts have the opportunity to get into just as much trouble as the contestants …
8. YouTube – ‪Swamp Ass PSA starring Nathan Fillion – Don’t let this tragedy strike you.
9. Fracking Fatally Destroys Forests In As Little As Two Days – The oil must flow!
10. TSA agent stole $50,000 of fliers’ stuff – I feel safer!
11. Execution in Texas, Despite So Much – Because, of course, Rick Perry stands for a “culture of life.”
12. Liberty Counsel, the ACLU and Attorney Fees : Dispatches from the Culture Wars – Follow the money.
13. Devil Take the Hindmost As Public Policy: What Deficit Reduction Really Looks Like [Mike the Mad Biologist] – Well, better that a schizophrenic bipolar woman who’s enrolled in a psych rehab program be inconvenienced in traveling there, than that ExxonMobil’s corporate jet be taxed at a higher rate. I mean, PRIORITIES, after all.
14. The History of the Space Shuttle – Alan Taylor – In Focus – The Atlantic – Some amazing photos.
15. Who Would Jesus Starve? | Religion Dispatches – The (well, a) fundamental flaw in Barton, et al.’s, analysis, is that, unlike a Biblical kingdom, in a democracy, WE are the government. Government is not imposed from without, but expressed from within. And if we, as individuals, have a moral responsibility to take care of the poor, then we have a moral responsibility to do so collectively as well.