Book of the Month

Shuts and Failures

by Michael Maiello

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Biography
Orlando is a teacher and aspiring novelist, living a mysterious and reclusive life somewhere in Asia. She used to live a reclusive and mysterious life somewhere in Indiana until Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence became national figures, making it far too humiliating to continue residing there. In her spare time, she travels the world--or her small part of it--snapping pictures and writing down random thoughts to share with the dagblog crowd.

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Six Months In: Thoughts and Reflections on Living as an Ex-Pat in Indonesia

by Orlando 8/2/2010 - 12:23 am   |

 

When I came to Indonesia in the middle of January 2010, I came with a few preconceived notions:

1. It was going to be hot;

2. The food was going to be great; and

3. The country had the largest Muslim population in the world. [Read more]

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America: Home of the Free, the Brave, and the Cheaters

by Orlando 7/15/2010 - 7:43 am   |

Thierry Henry is headed for New York. Who is Thierry Henry? Well, that's a complicated question.

Wait. No, it's not. He's a cheater.

I understand that cheating, or at least pushing the limits of fair play, is a part of soccer. But it doesn't mean I have to like it. Inadvertent handballs are one thing, but catching the ball and putting it on your foot is certainly another. He didn't even try to hide it. [Read more]

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Bukit Lawang and a Lesson in Resiliency

by Orlando 6/27/2010 - 6:55 am   |

Bukit Lawang is a village in North Sumatra, on the edge of the jungle. The Bohorok River plays a central role in village life, providing a place to wash bodies and clothes, to cool down during sweltering days, and to have a little fun, running smallish rapids on tubes and in rafts. The village exists almost entirely due to tourism. In 1973, two foreigners set up an orangutan rehabilitation center there, which spawned hotels and restaurants and guides to take adventurous tourists into the jungle in hopes of spotting the orangutans up close. [Read more]

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Did You Know Today is "Everybody Draw Muhammad" Day?

by Orlando 5/20/2010 - 11:06 am   |

In response to Comedy Central's decision to self-censor a South Park episode in which the prophet Muhammad was depicted wearing a bear suit, a Seattle comedian declared May 20th as "Everybody Draw Muhammad" Day.

My immediate reaction upon hearing the news was, "For fuck's sake, everybody grow up."

There is so much wrong on every side of this issue. First of all, to Muslim leaders who would issue a fatwa against the South Park creators, how about you pray for a little bit of perspective, hmm? Do you really think a cartoon is such a threat to one of the world's largest religions that you have to murder anybody that draws a picture of your prophet? Seriously? It's a fucking drawing. [Read more]

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Leader of the Non-Racist, Strict-Constitutionalist Tea Party Makes Ridiculously Offensive Comments Regarding Muslim Faith

by Orlando 5/18/2010 - 11:21 pm   |

I know, I know—and in other news, it’s hot on the Equator, right?

But the comments made by Mark Williams, conservative radio host and chairman of the Tea Party Express, are beyond the pale. He calls Allah a “monkey god” and refers to follows of Islam as “animal of Allah.”

How is this okay? How can this be accepted, and even embraced, by his fellow Tea Partiers? The cognitive dissonance resonating from that group of people could be the cause of all the recent earthquakes. It’s certainly mind blowing. [Read more]

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Colbert Weighs in on Sue Lowden's Barter-With-Your-Doctor Plan

by Orlando 4/27/2010 - 12:53 pm   |

Possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen--no further commentary necessary.

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Boobquake: Let's Do Our Part for Science

by Orlando 4/22/2010 - 8:44 pm   |

I know that I'm the only one at Dagblog in possession of actual boobs (not counting Wolfrum's third nipple) but I hope the Dagboys and all of our esteemed readers will join (by participating or in solidarity) in a potentially earth-shattering scientific experiment on Monday, April 26th that has been termed "Boobquake." [Read more]

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Thank You, Chris Reichert

by Orlando 3/26/2010 - 3:08 pm   |

Watching the opposition to health care reform is somewhat like watching a three-year-old child melt down after being told he can’t have a cookie. It’s one gigantic temper tantrum with multiple participants. Except that three-year-old kids don’t generally cut gas lines, throw bricks through windows, or use violent, racist language. [Read more]

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Tea Party Big Tent: Racists and Homophobes Welcome

by Orlando 3/21/2010 - 7:10 am   |

I'm not sure why I'm surprised. I suppose I thought that, even though I recognize that racism exists, it had at the very least become so impolite to use racial slurs in public that even the most strident bigots would keep their disgusting language to themselves and their cronies. [Read more]

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Health Care Reform: An Eleven-Year-Old Boy Reminds Congress What's at Stake

by Orlando 3/11/2010 - 11:38 pm   |

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