Your Monday* Random-Ass Roundup: Untitled

Since I’m late – very late – there’s no need for lame jokes or witticisms. Let’s just get into the randomness, shall we?

1. Gov. Mark “Appalachian Trail” Sanford faces more than three dozen ethics charges stemming from, well, you know. (G.D.)

2. From the Dept. of Really Bad Ideas: Republicans have begun circulating a 10-point resolution of conservative principles that are in opposition to “Obama’s socialist agenda.” The resolution has a provision that calls for cutting off Republicans who agree with the party on seven items of less. (G.D.)

3. Joe Lieberman: He is who we thought he was. (Blackink)

4. Rep. David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat, has called for a “war surtax” if President Obama sends more troops to Afghanistan. Who knew that wars cost money? Anyway, Matt Yglesias and Ezra Klein approve. (Blackink)

5. President Obama met with his half-brother during a visit last week to China. That’s all well and good but you should definitely check out the comments in this AP story posted at the New York Post. (Alisa)

6. How the collapse of California’s once-formidable Republican Party has neatly dovetailed with the state’s economic crisis. (Blackink)

7. From the Boston Globe, “Harvard researchers examined 40 years of data from dozens of countries, trying to sort out the economic impact of religious beliefs or practices. They found that religion has a measurable effect on developing economies – and the most powerful influence relates to how strongly people believe in hell.” (Belleisa)

8. Although The American seems more interested in taking stabs at Muslim regimes, this is conservative take on a similar subject that compares the “strong relationship between economic prosperity and religious liberty.” (Belleisa)

9. In “The Evolution of the God Gene,” there is evidence that “religion has the hallmarks of an evolved behavior, meaning that it exists because it was favored by natural selection.” The writer refers to this hypothesis, determined from the study of hunter-gatherer societies as “the new view” (Belleisa)

10. Fishbowl DC has obtained a memo from Fox News management to FNC staffers that acknowledges “a series of mistakes on FNC in recent months” and warns that going forward “there is zero tolerance for on-screen errors.” Um, what took them so long? (Blackink).

11.From Prospect (a UK monthly): “No words are more typical of our moral culture than ‘inappropriate‘ and ‘unacceptable.’ They seem bland, gentle even, yet they carry the full force of official power. (Belleisa)

12. Cindylu found herself digging into the 49-year-old Master Plan after the Regents of the University of California approved a 32% fee increase for UC students last week. Here, she makes the case for why the fees should remain low or, better yet, be lowered.  (Blackink)

13. Meanwhile, Dante Atkins of Calitics pens an open letter to students of the UC. (Blackink)

14. David Axelrod tells Dems that since the president’s approval numbers — which have dipped below 50 percent for the first time —  will be a big factor in whether they get re-elected, they might as well hurry up and pass health care. (G.D.)

15. A former GOP flack tries to get her career back on track after being embroiled in the Jack Abramoff scandal.  Let’s cue up that violin music, please. (Blackink)

16. Also re: Emily Miller, Jezebel ponders whether she was a victim of sexism or her own abrasiveness? (Blackink)

17. A Q&A with “higher education experts” from an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education titled “Are too Many Students Going to College.” Apparently college isn’t for everyone, and according to some experts it shouldn’t have to be. (Belleisa)

18. Horrifying: A Belgian man diagnosed as comatose for 23 years was discovered a few years ago to have been conscious all along. “But while he could hear every word his doctors spoke, he could not speak to them, nor could he move his body to communicate with them in any way.” (Blackink)

19. Cracked.com has compiled a list of seven popular chick flicks that actually “hate women.” One particularly thoughtful commenter named gorelord1 offers his (or her) own suggestion: “THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE: MODERN WOMEN ARE STUPID.” (Blackink)

20. Jezebel flags this line from a Wall Street Journal story about body makeup artists on the set of shows like “Dancing with the Stars”: “On ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ in season six in 2008, Miami Dolphins linebacker Jason Taylor, who is African-American, had to get a spray tan because his Polish dance partner, Edyta Sliwinska, had over-tanned and was darker than Mr. Taylor, says Mr. Green, the producer. A spokesman for Mr. Taylor says his client didn’t get spray-tanned.” (Blackink)

21. “The Chronicle Review” makes the case for a Philosophy of Journalism course. (Belleisa)

22. The Guardian has  “New Rules for Journalists.” (Belleisa).

23. Sarah Palin’s nemesis drops it like it’s hot. Get it, Katie. (G.D.)

24. An Illinois man who was adopted as a boy recently embarked on a mission to discover his biological parents. The bad news is he found them: his father is notorious serial-killer Charles Manson. Understandably, he’s been depressed ever since. (Blackink)
25. Here, learn about the “Christian Side-Hug.” It’s an embrace for those – people who make really boring dates — who find normal hugging too sinful.  (Blackink)

26. The owner of Brooklyn’s controversially named Obama Fried Chicken restaurant has refused to allow MTV to show the store’s marquee during airings of the Clipse’s new video, “Back By Popular Demand.” His decision had more to do with money than with principle, which is not all that surprising. (Blackink)

27. If you were a fan of MTV’s “Making the Band” series, too bad. Day 26, the made-for-TV R&B group, has split from Diddy’s Bad Boy record label but is still signed to Atlantic Records. They’re still planning on releasing another album and, um, a women’s shoe line. (Blackink)

28. Since Ari Fleischer did such a great job of bolstering the public image of President Bush, the Bowl Championship Series has hired his public relations firm to do the same for college football’s postseason system. No, this is not a joke. (Blackink)

29. GauthamCity reminds us that “redskins are people too.” This is true even though people tend to forget this while rooting for that thoroughly mediocre NFL franchise in the District of Columbia. (Blackink)

30. One of the most coveted recruits in the history of women’s basketball has resurfaced at the University of Delaware after transferring from powerhouse UConn and spending some time playing volleyball. (Blackink)

Enjoy the holiday week.

* This qualifies as Monday. Just barely.