A couple of random notes, while I'm here...

--Hey, my parents are in town again! They're in the far western suburbs as we speak, in fact, attending some giant Corvette convention (my dad's a buff); they'll be in the city tomorrow morning for a day of hanging out with me. And guess what else? They're bringing a bicycle too! I've been looking for a bike for months, as a matter of fact, but have been having the damnedest time here in Chicago; this is "The Most Bike-Friendly Big City in America," after all, which means not only that used bikes are hard to come by in the first place, but that they're all horribly expensive as well. Ah, but no such situation exists in suburban St. Louis, where people get in their cars to drive to the damn bathroom; bikes are plentiful and cheap there, apparently, which is what inspired my parents to get one for me. Anyway, it's very much appreciated, and of course I am as usual highly looking forward to simply hanging out with them; I always have such a fun time when my parents come visit.

--And speaking of family members, my evil fuck of a brother has managed to get me addicted to the summer reality show Dancing With the Stars, for which I'm about this close to killing him for. (For what it's worth, I've gotten him hooked on Lost, and I think he's about ready to kill me as well.) The Onion was just talking about this subject in their latest issue, in fact - how now that TV executives are back to loving scripted dramas again, and have relegated most new reality programming to short summer runs now, that the shows themselves are actually a lot more enjoyable. I think I would agree with this, and would also add that the new emphasis on music and dancing shows sits a whole lot better with me than the rash of Humiliation Fests we've been seeing over the last couple of years.

So why is Dancing With the Stars so damn addictive? That's the weirdest thing - I can't quite figure out why either. Maybe because everyone is being so earnest? Maybe because it's a competition based on actual skills and practice, instead of how much of an asshole you can be to your fellow contestants? Maybe the hilarious deadpan way the judges announce their scores? ("Jason Pettus, what is your score?" "...FOUR!") I'm not sure, like I said; all I know is that I can't stop watching it. Fuck you, Colin!

--I posted this next item over at [metafeed] as well, but I find it so unbelievable that I thought I'd mention it here, too:

You know Paul Harvey, right? The 300-year-old radio commentator who's more reactionary than a beerhall full of drunk Austrians? Did you hear what he did on his broadcast yesterday? He called for the US government to commit an act of genocide. Specifically, he is urging the US government to end the "war on terror" once and for all, by simply unleashing a hail of nuclear bombs on the entire Middle East and killing each and every person there. I'm not making this up! Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn actually has the transcript of the broadcast up at his blog right now, and you can check it out yourself. (Oh man, and it gets even worse than what I've already mentioned; among other lovely little details, he also defends biological warfare, says that the US has basically become a bunch of pussies, and opines that detante is a worthless endeavor that should never be pursued.) I mean, I've read the thing three times now and I still can't believe he actually said what he did.

Conservatives, please take note: When the rest of us call you all a bunch of fucking Nazis, it's because you're acting like a bunch of fucking Nazis. If you'd rather not be known as dangerous fascists who need to be stopped at all costs, perhaps you should start by getting your most prominent spokespeople to not publicly call for the indiscriminate slaughtering of 140 million people. That's just a friendly little piece of advice, from me to you.