A long but highly insightful conversation between acclaimed authors Salman Rushdie and Irshad Manji on the nature of belief, Islamism, the history of Islam and Quran, and what to do in a world full of crazies on both the Islamist side and the racist westerner side. Rational, thinking people of all varieties will enjoy this video… please watch in full, it’s worth it. Intelligent comments are welcome.

There’s been so much negativity surrounding Sarah Palin’s VP candidacy, I thought I’d try and find something to thank her for….
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Thank you, Sarah Palin
for taking women – and men -
back a few notches so fast
we all got whiplash.

Thank you Sarah Palin for proving feminism right;
For showing that men and women are truly equal.
That women can be just as stupid
as the stupidest of men.
Like the men running the country
for most of the past decade.
And of course, Condi too.

Thank you Sarah Palin,
for flashing your girly smile,
and throwing back that silly Northern twang;
Your beauty queen charms warm the limp, lonely hearts
of Bill O’Reillys and Karl Roves everywhere.
Thanks for being the prettiest beard
for frustrated Republicans still in the closet.

Thanks Sarah Palin for charging rape victims
for their own rape kits, while preaching to us all
the joys of cherishing our rape babies.
Because life is precious -
until hunting season, that is.

Thank you Sarah Palin for helping intelligent women
realize they are intelligent first, women after.
Thanks for helping smart men appreciate
smart women more than ever before.

Thanks Sarah Palin for making George W. Bush
look educated by comparison.
Thanks for making Cheney look saner -
at least he shoots at things at close range and
doesn’t make couch covers from their bodies.

Thanks Sarah for not blaming us mortals for climate change -
None of us was around 6,000 years ago
when you believe the Earth was created…
How could we know what caused climate change?

Thanks Sarah.
For everything you do.
With everything you say,
you are a reminder
for every girl and every woman
of the choice inside each of us.
The choice…
to be a smart, savvy, self-aware human being
or to be
just another jackass, with lipstick.

~Kiran Mehdee, 1 October, 2008

So many things to occupy time, so little time for them to occupy.

Here’s an interesting interview I came across with author Salman Rushdie

For the other geeks among us, you might find PC World’s list of the Top 50 Tech Visionaries inspiring.

Here, you can listen to an audio version of a Q&A between Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell and Ann Hathaway (listen to the audio online by clicking on the link in the middle there).

Lastly, but definitely not leastly, here’s a tribute to the funniest guy who ever lived who died this past weekend, George Carlin. The world was funnier with ya, George, we’ll miss your sick, twisted, brilliant brain. Here he is, in his own words…

The Economist has an article about the small but growing movement of people concerned about cruelty to animals in China.

You never know you’ll find on just another ordinary stroll… A huge, unknown container of something unidentified washed up on a Scottish beach recently.

The tank, which is 27m high, has no markings and is thought to have fallen from a ship before being washed up on the west of Benbecula.

It was discovered by a dog walker on Poll Na Crann beach – known locally as Stinky Bay – near Griminish.

original image © Reuters

Imran Khan voices the question on many people’s minds about the lax security provided by the government.
Graham Stewart provides an insightful historical perspective on dynasties and assassinations.
Amir Taheri presents the chief reasons why religious extremists in Muslim countries despise democracy.

more to come…

Children play in a flooded street after rising sea levels in Penjaringan subdistrict, North Jakarta. (The Globe and Mail)

My generation grew up accepting things like AIDS, cell phones and DVDs as part of our reality. For the generations growing up today things like Climate Change will be part of their framework when they think of their world.

AP has selected Colbert as its Celebrity of the Year, which makes a lot more sense than the former KGB officer chosen by Time magazine.

“It is truly an honor to be named the Associated Press’ Celebrity of the Year. Best of all, this makes me the official front-runner for next year’s Drug-Fueled Downward Spiral of the year. P.S. Look for my baby bump this spring!”
—Stephen Colbert

Industry insider blog Deadline Hollywood Daily, among others, is announcing that The Colbert Report and The Daily Show by Jon Stewart will be returning to the air starting January 7, 2008. Finally I can start paying attention to the news of the world again! Without these two around making regular commentary on world events, watching the news was like chain-smoking unfiltered cigarettes. Thanks, Universe!

Extremist Muslims and Right-Wing Westerners can agree on one and only one sociocultural phenomenon: hating gay people. It’s painful for the moderates of both sides to accept, but it is a reality that must be confronted by intelligent people on all sides before any real, positive, progressive change can be realistically forged.