Is Panexa Right for You?

Feeling out or sorts? Or not? Maybe Panexa is for you. Ask your doctor.

PANEXA is a prescription drug that should only be taken by patients experiencing one of the following disorders: metabolism, binocular vision, digestion (solid and liquid), circulation, menstruation, cognition, osculation, extremes of emotion. For patients with coronary heart condition (CHC) or two separate feet (2SF), the dosage of PANEXA should be doubled to ensure that twice the number of pills are being consumed. PANEXA can also be utilized to decrease the risk of death caused by not taking PANEXA, being beaten to death by oscelots, or death relating from complications arising from seeing too much of the color lavender. Epileptic patients should take care to ensure tight, careful grips on containers of PANEXA, in order to secure their contents in the event of a seizure, caused by PANEXA or otherwise.

(Via Paul Music.)

Today, We are Six

Six years ago today, we started Backup Brain. We were in the very first wave of blogs; at the time we were using Blogger to produce the site, just a few months after it first became available. For the longest time, it seemed as though nobody but us knew what the heck a blog was.

Today, we've moved on to Movable Type, and we salute all of the makers of blog software that helped create this latest evolution of communication. We'll leave the musing and Deep Thoughts on the meaning of blogs to others; for us, it's been a great way to express how we feel about technology, politics, and culture. Thanks to all of the people who have stopped by the site over the past six years, and thanks to those who have taken the time to comment on our posts. You keep reading and commenting, and we promise that we'll keep writing.

Dori Smith and Tom Negrino
Co-lobes, Backup Brain

Documentary Proof: Worst. President. Ever.

This CBS News poll compares Bush's approval ratings (currently at 35%, with 57% who disapprove) to Clinton, Reagan, Nixon, and Eisenhower at similar times in their second terms. Only Nixon in November 1973, then at the height of the Watergate scandal, had a lower approval rating of 27%. And Dubya may be heading to the twenties. Given that Bush is not yet embroiled in the level of scandal that Nixon was, I'd say that this is pretty much proof that people dislike Bush because of the lousy job he's been doing as president (Iraq, Katrina, attempting to gut Social Security, etc.). Poll results. Read 'em and weep, Republicans. George W. Bush is an albatross around the neck of your party.

Bush: Against Freedom (if you're a woman)

Sarah Posner, in this post at The Gadflyer, gets it right:

Look, Mr. President, either you're with us or you're against us. With respect to your Supreme Court nominating process, you are most definitely against us.

Who is the "us?" American women. It seems, you see, Mr. President, that you hate our freedoms.

What else would explain why you would hold up a clearly unqualified woman as the "best" female nominee you could find to replace Sandra Day O'Connor, then leave her flapping in the wind?

As they say on the Internets: read the whole thing.

Vote No on California Proposition 73

The pressure is mounting...

I just got a robo-call regarding Prop 73, which is the right-winger's anti-abortion waiting period and parental notification measure. In it, tragic music played while a Hispanic-sounding woman sobbed that she just couldn't keep her daughter from getting an abortion, no matter how hard she tried, because the big bad government wouldn't let her. What a crock of crap. Proposition 73 is just a camel's nose in the tent for anti-choice fanatics.

As the LA TImes editorial in opposition says:

TEEN PREGNANCY AND ABORTION RATES have been declining in California for years, and most pregnant girls tell a parent before getting an abortion. So Proposition 73, requiring doctors to inform a minor's parents before performing an abortion, has little to offer this state — and much to take away. It adds to the court system's burdens, threatens to apply only to poorer teens and introduces troubling language to the state's Constitution.

Knowing that this is a strongly pro-choice state, the proposition's backers are reassuring voters that they don't have to be anti-abortion to support the initiative. You just have to favor a lower teen-abortion rate, they say, and better communication between parent and child.

But there is little evidence that parental notification — which is the law in more than 30 states — has led to significant reductions in teen abortions.

According to a recent USC report, studies have found that any reductions in those states mostly reflect teenagers going to other states for their abortions.

Further, California, without any such law, already has experienced steeper declines in teen pregnancy, birth and abortion rates than the national average.

It's nice to think that all girls feel comfortable talking to their parents about sex, birth control and abortion. Nice, but absurd.

Since Proposition 73 would be a constitutional amendment, this would glue into the state's Constitution anti-abortion language that proponents undoubtedly hope would serve as a foot in the door in their efforts to erode what is now a constitutional right to seek an abortion.

Well said. I'm voting NO on Proposition 73.

Push Polling Lives!

Ah, to be living in California just before Arnold's special election. Just got a call from what appeared to be either a Republican-sponsored poll or a Republican-sponsored push poll. I was read descriptions of the four Arnold-supported state propositions, each description was largely positive. As you might guess, I politely informed the guy that I would be voting No on all of Arnold's propositions. No questions on the non-Arnold props. I was asked how I described myself, and I said "I'm a moderate white guy who doesn't like Arnold." And that's the truth.

Update: Got another "poll" tonight. This guy says he was working out of New York City. Same questions in the same order, but this one didn't read all the descriptions about the propositions "...because that's a lot of stuff to read."

What Memeorandum Ought to be Picking Up

In response to something Shelley said, I griped on her comments that this blog isn't included at either tech.memeorandum.com or www.memeorandum.com. Gabe came back and asked, "[C]ould you point out anything on your current blog front page that you feel should show up on the site?"

Okay, Gabe, here's two examples:

Consulting via chat was picked up by Ars Technica, The Unofficial Apple Weblog, and The Mac Observer.

Fitzmas Bingo Cards for all! (and its corresponding link to Fitzmas Bingo Cards) was picked up by firedoglake, Metafilter, CJR Daily, Wonkette, Up Yer Noz, Antiwar.com, Plastic.com, Obsidian Wings, Bloggg, Springer on the Radio, Smirking Chimp, Big Brass Blog, The Hotline's Blogometer, press connects.com, After School Snack, Left Curve, and Political Wire.com Southpaws.

At the time I wrote that comment on Shelley's blog, both those posts were on the front page of this site. Gabe, feel free to respond in our comments, and thank you for asking.