Our long awaited upgrade to Propeller was released this morning. As mentioned previously, the Propeller team has been hard at work incorporating features in response to many months of your feedback and our own observations. Our goal was to make Propeller easier, faster and more fun to use. To accomplish this, we incorporated a new design, new technology powering the site, and new features.


By now, social news sites have been around for several years. Yet they are still relatively novel to most of us. The idea of you or I being able to post news we are interested in, and having that news served up to a global audience, gets at a core need: We all want to be heard. The Propeller platform should be the place where you are heard, and to pave the way, we have brought the site's features up to date.

Of course, we recognize that not everybody will start his or her day reading stories on the Propeller home page. There are still many folks who prefer a more traditional, top-down approach to the news. But even among this crowd, many enjoy certain aspects of the social news experience-the sense of community, the discussions, the long-distance friendships. We have designed the new platform with this audience in mind, too. And we have simultaneously begun a deeper integration with AOL News and AOL.com (where Propeller posts have begun popping up in the top box). The future of social news, we believe, will consist of a fusion between these two approaches: the freewheeling community and the fact-gathering capabilities of traditional media.


Now, let's take a closer look at the new Propeller. The new design is likely to be noticed first. The Propeller mascot, who is part professor, part citizen journalist, beckons any and all to visit Propeller and sample our wares. He is placed strategically throughout the site, pointing out features and offering help to new members. The logo has changed as well, which shows our community and stories as moons orbiting the Propeller planet. We also decided that Propeller needed a new engine to keep up with our growing community and increasing traffic levels. With this new power, performance should improve, in some cases dramatically. Here are some other changes you will notice:

• New Ranking Scale: Instead of seeing an absolute count of votes next to a story, you will now see a Popularity Rating from 1-10. The scale is based on a new set of ranking algorithms, which take into account many more aspects of participation when determining popularity.


• Prop It!: We thought that "Vote" seemed too serious, especially with the elections coming up. So we took the root of Propeller and will now encourage our audience to "Prop" stories they find interesting.


• Groups: Users now have the ability to join groups and form groups of their own. Groups can be open to the public, or membership can be limited. Once you have joined a group, you can share stories and start conversations on topics of interest.


• Help!: There is a new Help Central area, where we consolidate Frequently Asked Questions and explain a bit more about Propeller.


• New and Improved Search: Not only has searching for stories returned, but new features allow for searching members and groups. Looking for that long-lost Propeller friend, or for some esoteric group? Now you can find them!


• Featured Groups and Members: To reward the movers and shakers in our community, we will feature members and groups on the homepage. This is an improvement on the old Top Propeller Contributors, since the featured member will have his or her avatar and biographical info displayed front and center!


• This Just In: The Propeller Tracker has a new name, This Just In.


• No More On Shift Icons for Editors and Scouts: Rest assured, we're still on the job! We're always here. But although we love looking at ourselves, we thought we could use the space for something new.


• Category Consolidation: Our categories are now Arts & Entertainment, Business & Finance, Family, Humor, News, Science & Technology, Sports and Style. By reducing the number of categories, we hope to cut down on clutter and ease the story submission process.

These are but a few of the changes in Propeller 2.0. We hope that you come to visit us, give our new features a spin, and let us know what you think. We're all ears!

For the last few months, the Propeller team has been hard at work on a major upgrade to our social news experience. As we near our community's two-year anniversary, I am pleased to announce that this work will soon be complete. We have a lot of exciting news to share! But first, I want to thank all of the great users who have helped our service to mature. We have learned a lot from you, and continue to appreciate your input and enthusiasm.

Now, back to the new site. In the coming weeks, we will post details about the new Propeller, along with screenshots of particular features. We want the new site to be easier, faster, and more fun to use. To accomplish these goals, we have completely rewritten the entire Propeller website and platform.

The first thing you will notice is our new look, complete with a mascot we call the Propeller Professor. With his fashionable beanie and goatee, this character's job is to aid navigation and participation by pointing out all of our new help resources. We also have a new logo and an entirely new user interface. All of this should make Propeller much easier to use, whether you're a longtime user or a curious newbie.


The geek in all of us will be happy to learn that our developers have changed the algorithm that calculates the ranking of each story on the site, making it smarter and more robust. Additionally, vast improvements to moderation tools will allow for swifter response times to user reports. Throw in an enhanced archival system and plenty of performance tweaks and you have a whole new experience for the community.

We wouldn't do all of this if we couldn't also make Propeller more fun. We're adding new features, such as the ability to form groups with like-minded users. We want conversations and friendships to flourish-if you're so inclined, create a group and have at it! We will also recommend stories and groups we think you might like. After all, why should you have to scroll through the whole site when we can bring the information right to your (figurative) doorstep? We will also phase in an awards system, which will recognize our most ardent users for their participation. If these features make Propeller more fun for you, then we've accomplished our goal.

As if that that weren't enough, the new platform also allows for a more seamless integration with AOL. With the new release, you'll be able to use your AOL Screen Name to establish a Propeller account, and to participate in Propeller content directly from sites like AOL News and FanHouse. Find a great story? Post it to Propeller--and it could end up on the AOL.com homepage! That's right, in addition to Propeller, your story could be viewed by millions of AOL consumers who don't yet visit our own site on a daily basis.


We are very excited to launch this new experience. It is an upgrade we are extremely proud of, and we really hope you like it! Stay tuned for more details, and as always, let us know what you think.

BUSH LEAGUE

Although he has been largely overshadowed by the primaries in recent weeks, George W. Bush regained center stage at Propeller this time around. "State of the Union Reactions" notched 211 votes and 325 comments, including a skeptical reaction from rimbaud: "It's all just talk, and more of the same." UnusualSuspect was clearly on the same wavelength: "Same mumbo gumbo... nothing new, but what did we really expect? Can't wait until January 2009." But DamnLiberals stuck up for POTUS, while simultaneously poking at least one Democratic candidate in the eye: "At least Bush knows who the real enemy is, while Hillary creates her own axis of evil inside her own party." Another story, "Bush Would Rather Talk About Sex Than God," disclosed one of the president's lesser known enthusiasms. "The thought of Dubya talking about sex is creeping me out," confessed tomboy501. "Now my whole day is ruined!" But lovemylibs wondered if Bush was being unfairly pilloried: "I think that statement has a little truth for all of the candidates. Except, and only maybe, Huckabee." There was also "The Legacy of George W. Bush's Presidency," with 152 votes and 250 comments. For the most part, the comment thread was a turkey shoot, with Dubya in the crosshairs, but BB64 found some kind words for the guy's reputation abroad: "The leadership may pay lip service to the masses, but for the most part they respect this President. Look at France and the UK, they are actually playing a game of who can be a better friend to the USA."

NOW YOU SEE IT....

"Interrogator: Saddam Faked WMDs to Prevent Iran Invasion" clocked 174 votes and a whopping 496 comments. Clearly the subject of Saddam's chimerical weapons can still stir up a stormy conversation--and the article seemed to supply both sides with ammunition. For eyesopen, Saddam's comments to his FBI interrogator George Piro fully justified the invasion: "If you go around telling everyone you got a gun and are willing to use it, do the cops say prove it before they storm the house?" AlphaGnosis concurred, with an almost audible chuckle: "You lose the argument for all time, liberal moonbats!" But Justice4All raised the issue of Saddam's credibility, given that the wily dictator was known to float an occasional fib: "So we should take the word of Piro about what Saddam wanted us to think? Why not just ask the weapons inspectors who were already in the country?" In any case, MichaelRodente was sure of one thing: "George Soros is not going to like this at all."

PRIMARY COLORS

The presidential campaign also generated its share of votes and comments. "John Edwards to Quit Presidential Race," with 170 votes and 235 comments, caused nostalgia to wonder whether the former senator was "hedging his bets in hopes of the VP nod." Codi6934 got a little wistful about Edwards's exit: "If he was only a conservative Republican. He would be outstanding." A story about Barack Obama's win in South Carolina racked up 160 votes and 273 comments. One member, injest, noted the embarrassing outcome for S.C. native Edward: "Skippy lost his home state. That's really really bad." But catstevens pointed out the small percentage of white voters who abandoned Hillary: "That is not good news going forward for Obama." On the other side of the aisle, "Rasmussen: Romney Pulls Into Lead In National Poll," got 138 votes and 145 comments. Wolfie2007 viewed this as vindication: "I told you guys last week on Propeller that Romney would be the Republican candidate. He's not my choice, but he will be the candidate and the next President of the United States." But smithichie expressed some doubts about this candidate, as well as all the others: "Sometimes I wonder if a Magic 8 Ball wouldn't make the best president." There were also popular stories about the Florida primary and Rudy Giuliani, who has since bowed out and thrown his support behind John McCain. His exit, however, was anticipated by AtheismIsReality: "Rudy will be stomped like a narc at a biker rally. Put a fork in him. He's done." Remember, you read it here first!

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

"Marijuana vending machines in US" hit the sweet spot here, with 101 votes and 273 comments. There was a fiery exchange about the pluses and minuses of legalizing the drug, with a dose of lucidity from crespi: "No 'recreational' drug is good for children. Common sense." There was also this scientific nugget from earthlingerer: "A very, very big study conducted in many, many universities and even high schools found that marijuana makes people who don't smoke it very, very crazy, even violent." Meanwhile, the story that generated the lengthiest thread this week was "Coping with Bigotry on Propeller." Among the 545 comments were protests against bigotry, some honest self-examination, some apologies, and some fresh accusations. Blackacereturn, citing his "experience as a black man in a world where I am viewed as public enemy number one," insisted that "to end bigotry you must face it down whenever you encounter it, regardless of who is being offended." And in a notably intense conversation, nobody seemed to disagree with that.

RUMBLE DOWN SOUTH

The increasingly heated clash between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama caught the attention of the Propeller crew this week. This story, which focused on the debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, racked up 166 votes and 240 comments. "It's being reduced to personal attacks," said not2needy. "This really disturbs me!" According to aniokly, it was "the Democrats [who] invented the politics of personal destruction. Ask Judge Bork." This prompted a disbelieving howl from scott4261, who saw such dirty tricks originating on the other side of the aisle: "The cancer that is eating the Republican Party alive started with Watergate, [and] continued with Iran-Contra and the unholy alliance with the religious Right (from the moment Ronald Reagan opened his doors to Jerry Falwell)." And finally, dissent tarred both Clinton and Bush (but not Obama) with a dynastic brush: "Presidents are like movies now. Too many sequels." (Incidentally, this was one passionate exchange. By the end, several members were threatening to beat each other up in the parking lot. Please, let's keep it civil.) Also worth mentioning: several related stories about the Republican primary, including "GOP Candidates: Eight Reasons They Hate Mitt Romney," with 119 votes and 267 comments. Would Fred Thompson consider joining forces with Mitt? No way, opined ranchhand: "Fred ain't going to want to be second best man. I can tell y'all that."

HEATH LEDGER'S DEATH

"Heath Ledger Passed Away" quickly accumulated 165 votes and 73 comments. Most members were at a loss for words, even as new facts came to light about the cause of death. "Hollywood is merciless," said BronxBomber. A similar response came from josephbrochin: "Nothing surprises me in Hollywood." For Peleus, shock was mixed with anger: "This isn't a plane crash or heart attack. He willfully made the choice to get involved in drugs (or if it's a suicide, he chose that action.) I feel bad for his family." But Poulenc refused to pass judgment, preferring to dwell on the transcendent aspect of the actor's sadly truncated career: "There's something almost unbearable about the death of the young, talented and beautiful. Beauty is very powerful stuff. It moves us in ways we aren't usually aware of."

BAD COMPANY?

With 155 votes and 218 comments, "Canada manual: US prisoners face torture" was definitely on the radar. The article cited the United States as a nation where inmates might face torture, joining a club that includes Israel, Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Syria. TheRealizer had a sardonic response: "Reports like this should make everyone reading [them] proud to be a United States citizen." (Candida's response: "For a few seconds I thought you were serious.") Meanwhile, automan909 saw no reason to apologize: "There is nothing wrong with torture if it is done to save American lives. I am all for it under the right situation. Gitmo is fine with me too. So is dropping a nuke or two for freedom." TonyByron felt the same way: "Yeah, maybe if we sat down with these illegal enemy combatants over tea and cookies, they would tell all they know and come to love us." But loverman wasn't buying: "It's immoral and unethical to think that what we stand for is so trite that its sacrifice is justified for any reason. Besides, torture for information is unreliable, never mind immoral and not the American way." And BravoSierra took the same position: "Whether it is sometimes effective or not, we lose more than we gain by using it. Keeping the moral high ground brings a commitment among righteous warrior and citizens that torture only erodes."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

It was a story about member etiquette on this very site, "No Content = No Vote," that got the most votes this week: 232. The post also inspired a long comment thread, in which most participants swore off voting for flimsy, will-of-the-wisp posts. But the conversation hardly ended there. One member, tomboy501, had some harsh words for Propeller: "The blatant spam that is allowed to propagate [on] the home page here is shocking, especially since this site is groomed by editors and anchors. I can only surmise that they allow it to flourish for a reason"--that reason being the additional traffic brought to the site by spammers. (Wrong on both counts, I'm afraid.) SonOfTheMask defended the right of community members to post lightweight content: "As long as it's not collusive or [the product of] sock-puppet rings, I think it is fine." But Radiofreeeuropa, who wrote the original post, tried to keep the collective eye on the prize. "I certainly am not advocating censorship," he wrote. "I think a lot of us are not using our votes wisely." Wisely or unwisely, the Propeller community voted up stories about ethanol, the super-rich, and power cuts in the Gaza Strip. "'Radical cleric' Mike Huckabee" bagged 427 comments, including this one from Dave59: "I resent his attempt to shove his beliefs into my Constitution." And of course there was "9 Phrases Women Use," a YouTube video aimed at improving male-female relations. IncaQueen summed up the situation nicely with this barnyard vignette: "It's kinda like a cat over a rain barrel, I'm told. He knows if you drop him, he is going in, but he'll still try to claw the crap out of you in the meantime." But wait: isn't that cruel and unusual punishment?

DENNIS THE MENACE?

Although he's previously had a low profile here at Propeller, it was Dennis Kucinich who claimed the spotlight this week. But it wasn't his presidential campaign that got all the attention, strictly speaking--it was his ongoing effort to impeach George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Not all Propeller members were convinced. Some, like grandpawh, expressed real distaste for the former Boy Mayor of Cleveland: "He's just a camera hound like some others I could name." Another, rufus red, came to the candidate's defense: "Obviously, you have a prejudice against shorter men and you must not have listened to a word he has said because you don't even quote him." A related story, "Spurned by major newspapers, Dem Congressman takes 'impeach Cheney' appeal to Web," bagged 130 votes and 387 comments. This post was about Rep. Robert Wexler's online impeachment campaign, and sparked a fierce debate about the reliability of the mainstream press. Spadecaller argued that "the real news is rapidly disappearing." Locky12 fired back on a satirical note: "You'll find reports about the relevance of impeachment of this administration right next to the article about unicorns which is just below the article about centaurs." But at least one member, jordan11, found fault on both sides of the aisle, dismissing the Democrats but also putting a question to his fellow Republicans: "What about us? Why do we continue to accept the use of our air waves for propaganda?"

JAGGED LITTLE PILLS

The steroid scandal also made a big splash here. "Baseball drug abuse list is huge," with 179 votes and 74 comments, prompted a debate about whether earlier baseball titans--for example, Babe Ruth--had been artificially enhancing their abilities. Teech blew the lid off that rumor. The Sultan of Swat, he insisted, "did it on 6 to 8 bottles of beer and 10 hot dogs! Followed, allegedly, by several boxes of Cracker Jacks." Then came a related dispute about whether players with such skeletons in the closet should be eligible for the Hall of Fame. BronxBomber denied that character was truly an issue: "There are people in the HOF that I wouldn't invite to a Boy Scout Jamboree." But AtheismIsReality quoted chapter and verse from a clause on the HOF ballot, which states that "character, integrity, sportsmanship and contributions to the game" are part of the package. And amesburyroad urged zero tolerance for what he called "cheaters, frauds, snakes, [and] jocks." (Bonus points for being all four at once!)

A MATTER OF TASTE

"A Fifth Taste Joins Salty, Sweet, Sour and Bitter," with 183 votes and 60 comments, was about unami--a Japanese word that translates (more or less) as "mouth feel." Evidently ketchup has unami to burn, because that was the focus of a fairly mouth-watering conversation. "I used to add a secret ingredient to my homemade spaghetti sauce (a splash of ketchup) and now I know why everybody loved it," said AlphaGnosis, who also posted the story. One member, fizzleboink2, had some issues with those three slippery syllables: "Why did they pick such a clumsy word?" On the other hand, sumptuousdigs (evidently a resident of William Penn's green country town) saw some real fusion possibilities: "In some Philly neighborhoods it's mixed with cheesesteak to get that distinctive Yomama flavor." And cosmogenium got the ball rolling with what should be a regular tsunami of unami jokes (say that ten times fast): "Umami's so hot, she make me drool!" I guess we'll stop right there.

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

With 244 votes and 229 comments, "Lawmakers vote to hold Bolten and Rove in contempt" was among our top stories for the week. RickytheGriff thought that a contempt citation was far too kind a treatment for these Bush stalwarts. He recommended a more rigorous procedure, which began this way: "You take both Bolten and Rove and you stuff 'em into two Civil War era cannons, right? Then you roll those cannons about five feet in front of a large brick wall..." At least one member, injest, took the opposite tack, predicting that "this so-called scandal will go nowhere." VMan, however, detected a whiff of stonewalling: "If there's nothing to hide, why don't they just show up and talk?" Elsewhere, Propeller members were talking about Mike Huckabee, synthetic DNA, and the death penalty. A story about painting your nails earned a surprising 141 votes, and this confession from socialpyramid: "I used to paint my nails in college (I'm a dude). It was fun." (You're the man!) There were alarming posts about PTSD and our dwindling food supply. And finally, the Propeller crew tipped its hat to the holiday season by voting up this latest version of "Adam Sandler's Happy Hanukkah Song!" The YoutTube video generated 160 votes and 46 comments, including this observation from CactusAnnie: "Those little dreidels were adorable." On that note, Propeller wishes you all a pleasant holiday and a happy New Year and (if you're so inclined) a celebratory gin-and-tonica. But only if you're good.

LET'S GO TO THE VIDEOTAPE

The CIA's erasure of interrogation videotapes prompted some of our liveliest conversations over the last week. This story, for example, bagged 235 votes and 229 comments. One member, afoaf, seemed to be regretting the lost opportunity for some cinematic thrills and chills: "Pull up a chair, I'll go make some popcorn!" Another, palama, considered the erasure just one more example of the current administration's modus operandi: "What's the surprise? Emails destroyed, videotapes destroyed, National Guard records lost." Another interrogation-related story, "Military Interrogator from Abu Ghraib Speaks Out," produced 106 votes, 233 comments, and a long debate about the authentic meaning of Christian witness. "There is no private interpretation of God's Holy Word," insisted Silverghost. "Hogwash," responded djn3nunez3. "There is nothing but private interpretations of God's so-called Holy Word (actually it was written by men)." Still a third story, with 223 votes and 336 comments, revolved around a different cover-up: "Victim: Gang-Rape Cover-Up by U.S. And Halliburton." The comment thread dwelled in great detail on procedural oddity of the rape kit being handed over to KBR. "When I worked in the ER," noted jaem, "I never once saw a rape kit handed over to suspects." Apparently the Propeller community possesses more legal expertise than we might have suspected--but at least one member, AnteUp, admitted that his comments were based on "my TV legal education." (I'll see you in chambers, counselor!)

HOLIDAY CHEER

On a lighter note, we had a couple of popular stories about the impending holiday. "God Bless Us, Every Mushy One" was about the enduring power of holiday classics on television, and hit almost everyone's nostalgia button right on the nose. "When we watch these classics," said Fangarius, "we're reminded of a time when things were simpler." Said priapism: "Nostalgia is such a good thing. I've noticed that the older I get, the better I used to be." (Yet cherev noted that getting older had its drawbacks, too: "Have you noticed that the parts that are supposed to be dry leak and visa-versa?") Meanwhile, a more facetious post collected 127 votes and 38 comments: "Wealthy Cruelly Deprived Of True Meaning Of Christmas." Again, the concept of holiday spirit was batted back and forth. Were the rich truly insulated from Christmas cheer? "I guess we should be thankful we don't have to put up with all the expensive gifts that aren't appreciated anyway," opined cowboygrandpa. Another member, natashas, suggested her own tribute to the season: "Let's make a toast to Master[card], Visa, and Discovery!"

WARM ENOUGH FOR YOU?

As the days grow short and the nights grow cold, the Propeller community still enjoys a good smackdown about global climate change. "Gore: Ignoring Climate Crisis Akin to Appeasing Hitler" (116 votes, 184 comments) spawned a bare-knuckles referendum on the former VP himself. Spinward argued that "Al is not being very honest and he is counting on lemmings to follow him." Responded Jaydee40: "Al Gore is not the issue, but how come most Americans can't see past that? The planet is in a mess and humans are the biggest single contributor to that mess." From there, the brickbats just kept flying. (Bobo in Texas: "Crespi, by what percentage have you reduced your carbon footprint?" Crespi: "I concentrate on eliminating poison gas issuing out of Neocons.") And what about the embattled bears of the Great White North, whose icy terrain is melting out from under their lavishly padded feet? According to "Polars bears on the brink? Don't you believe it," the poor things are doing just fine, relishing their new visibility in the Golden Compass film and not worrying one bit about global warming. The story, with 148 votes and 232 comments, led to some pointed exchanges. Blackadder1964 took issue with the reporting, which "seems to say the bears are not in trouble, then in the second half says the bears' weight is down 20%, and the ice around Churchill has melted more than usual and three weeks earlier than it used to." RickyDawkins saw worse to come: "This is only the beginning. Soon polar bears will be applying for visas, or worse, coming illegally to the United States and taking jobs away from our brown bears."


AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

"OpEd: Warning! Science and Atheists Beware" was this week's champion in terms of conversation. The thread, which ran to 461 comments, was essentially another wrassling match between science and religion. According to memestryker, organized religion "is no different than the cultural engineering of Chairman Mao--in fact, St. Paul, Moses, Elijah, Mohammed, Joseph Smith all were very successful cultural engineers who understand how to use fear and hypnotic suggestion to control people." GWHayduke disagreed: "Without religion, man can only have faith in himself (man), and the pursuit of self is, ultimately, not a worthy endeavor." Propeller members also voted up a storm for these stories about John Lennon, Alex Trebek, and White House mouthpiece Dana Perino. "LEDgendary: Zep Can Still Rock" generated a whole lotta love in the comment thread. "I'm an Ol' Zeppy Hippy," proclaimed djr1970, and in the opinion of foge, Planty and the crew "reclaimed their throne." (The thread also took joeeddie on a trip down memory lane, clear back to the Age of Vinyl: "I'll never forget the look on my grandmother's face when I opened up Houses of the Holy one year for Christmas.") Finally, this satirical clip on the Canadian conquest of Turkey seemed to tickle the collective funnybone. But greenmac, apparently a Canadian himself, marshaled at least a little braggadocio in return: "The air force, the Flying Gulls, never miss [its] targets... precision bombing at its best. Our navy, the Codless Fishermen, never gives up." What more can any nation ask?

WIN, LOSE, OR DRAW?

The troop surge in Iraq--and its implications for the future of that bruised and battered nation--dominated much of our Top Ten this week. "McCain & Lieberman: It's inexcusable for Congress not to fund the troops" generated 96 votes and 396 comments. The thread was split down the middle. Bobo in Texas, who also submitted the original post, took his shots at the Democratic Congress, which he called "the Retreat & Surrender Caucus." Another member, ybdogsct, begged to differ: "The public gave Democrats a mandate to withdraw the troops in last year's election. They are trying to meet these promises." This story, with 56 votes and 180 comments, prompted a similar set of arguments. On the other hand, the comment thread for "Why Bush's Troop Surge Won't Save Iraq" was definitely tilted toward the antiwar contingent. Blackacereturn wrote, "Just bring our people home and call it a wash." DarkWizard, waxing just a little satirical, foresaw a future in which the U.S. has annexed the entire Middle East and "we'll all live happily ever after bathing in oil and drying off with piles of hundred dollar bills." But even here, there were protests. "It's amazing," wrote crghass, "to read how many people can't tolerate any successes in Iraq."

ARKANSAS TRAVELER

Among the presidential candidates, it was Mike Huckabee who seemed to be igniting the most conversations this week. "Huckabee Shines In GOP Debate" bagged 145 votes and 182 comments. One member, joeeddie, declared Huckabee the undisputed champ of the Republican rumble: "My rating: Huckabee, McCain, Thompson." Another, tanglang, had a similar response, while noting that "Romney and Guiliani were bickering like school girls." AntiNeoCon expressed some mixed feelings about the Arkansan's performance: "Huck was better than the professional city slickers, but Ron Paul didn't get much attention for some reason." And 5urfsup neatly dispatched some of the other candidates: "Thompson needs to display some energy. He looks bored. I like Hunter, but he doesn't have a snowball's chance, and both he and McCain need to take Econ 101." Did anybody have an unkind word for the Republican dark horse? That would be toph1973, who denounced Huckabee and declared his allegiance to Ron Paul, "the only politician running that isn't a traitor to this country."

THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

Money matters were also close to the community's heart. "National Debt Grows $1 Million a Minute," with 172 votes and 136 comments, conveyed the fact that the U.S. government currently spends an average of $1.4 billion per day. Teech had a sardonic response: at least George W. Bush wasn't throwing away these dollars on "commie/pinko stuff like universal health care, improved education, rebuilt infrastructure, and stuff for Americans." Most members seemed to assume that tax hikes would be necessary to refill the federal piggybank. One commenter, aceofspades1, was already anticipating anguished protests from the taxpayers, which he compared to "blaming a fireman for getting your house wet while putting out the fire." Other members had more inventive solutions. "Sell Manhattan," suggested earthlingerer. ("No, don't sell Manhattan," replied saintetienne. "Trade a dumpy state like Idaho or Kansas for Baja California.") Meanwhile, "Exxon CEO awarded close to $20 mln in bonus, stock" prompted some loud grumbling about executive compensation. "How nice," said allasam. "I guess the bonus is for keeping Exxon from spending a nickel on the damages in the Alaska oil spill." The appropriately named Anti.trust was more outraged: "Sickening to even think about this." But only two members were striking back. One, flyonthewallzz, was boycotting Exxon stations. And not2needy was taking it a step further, going "many days without buying gas, oil or any other petroleum-based products." Be afraid, Rex Tillerson--be very afraid.

AND DON'T FORGET....

There was some major mourning for the late Evel Knievel. "Right now he is probably giving Charon the finger as he jumps the [R]iver Styx," speculated tanglang. For Tcaros, the motorcyclist "represented that foolishness of youth. The first time you realized you could build a ramp in your driveway and jump over a few friends. The time you road the wheelie all the way down the street." There were popular stories about Guantanamo (with 194 votes and 303 comments) and a 500-year-old map. "Iran stopped nuclear weapons work in 2003," with 178 votes and 345 comments, caused a fiery exchange of epithets, including "neocoward" and "defeatocrat." And finally, "Sex and chocolate boost brain power" was greeted as good news by almost all Propeller members. Not surprisingly, though, the comment thread turned into a heated flirtfest, which culminated in that time-honored line: "Wanna play doctor?"

WEAVING THE WEB

While our audience is obviously tech-savvy enough to thrive on social news, our Top Ten at Propeller is seldom dominated by stories about the Web itself. This week, however, not only the Web but the site itself generated some very lengthy conversations. Our top story, with 260 votes and a whomping 923 comments, was "Propeller's Incorrigibles." Spadecaller, who wrote and posted the original article, threw down the gauntlet in the comment thread: "I'm sick of personally abusive commentary that targets [a] member's race, age, sex, nationality, ethnic background, or disability. What about you?" The debate went on for days, and pertained not only to miscreants at this site but to Internet protocol in general. JohnQPublic acknowledged the presence of "ignorant and uncouth individuals" who like to inject a note of nastiness into every exchange, but argued that "they are few in number (percentage wise when compared to total membership) and there simply aren't enough of them to get all twisted in knots about." Obaku insisted that a little mudslinging was actually constructive, and maybe even a patriotic duty: "If you support the destruction, or damage, to the Constitution, I will call you a traitor, here, in the newspapers, and from the rooftops." (ConquerorWyrm seemed to concur: "What's wrong with anarchy?") Meanwhile, other Web-related stories included "Propeller Close to Overtaking Reddit as Social Media #2" and "The Top Ten Biggest Web Annoyances." The thread for the latter post found Propeller members fulminating against spam, trolls, pop-ups, and server hiccups. Only gamahuche had a potential solution: "Have you tried Buddhist acceptance?"

MORE GORE

Speaking of the Internet, its putative inventor Al Gore was back in the news this week. "Bush to Welcome Gore to White House for Nobel Prize Honor," with 107 and 153 comments, marked a more amicable meeting between the president and his old nemesis. "It'll be great to watch Bush grit his teeth and eat crow," wrote Raiderwall. Another member, vettenut, took the opposite tack: "[N]ow that he has won a quite sizable sum from the Nobel Prize, folks, Al Gore can afford to pay one month's worth of utility bills from one of his mansions." But it was KYRed who got in the last word: "Al Gore created the Nobel Peace Prize." In any case, while the former VP was making nice at the White House, his personal blog was being hacked. Read about it in this story, which earned 149 votes and a scanty 8 comments, including this career assessment from jumpmaster: "I would consider Al to be more of a hypnotist than a scholar."

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

"Fight or Flight: How Men React to Divorce" produced a bittersweet comment thread. One member, sumptuousdigs, quoted Henny Youngman: "Take my wife. Please!" CactusAnnie responded with a line from America's most beloved marriage counselor, Willie Nelson: "Walkin' is better than runnin' away, and crawlin' ain't no good at all." On a more serious note, several members drew on their own experiences to point out that divorce is a sad, confusing, and sometimes inevitable phenomenon. It was new member pjustice71 (welcome aboard, by the way) who urged divorcing couples to treat each other decently: "No matter how bad you want to get angry and fight, it is such a better idea to be civil." Mark Stevens, on the other hand, sounded ready to wash his hands of the whole matrimonial enterprise: "Remember, marriage is the number [one] cause for divorce." Hard to argue with that.

ANNAPOLIS SUMMIT

The Annapolis summit also grabbed a lot of attention this week. This story, about the Syrians climbing aboard just before the peace conference kicked off, bagged 107 votes and 201 comments. Many Propeller members sounded skeptical about any possible outcome. "You cannot invade, occupy and destroy a [M]uslim country and hold a peace conference for the same region," declared nikkibabe. A long dispute about the legitimacy of the Jewish state broke out, with Hyperbola citing the controversial Israeli historian Ilan Pappe and PapaWolf pointing the finger at both parties: "Extremists on both sides have been beyond stupid on this." A related story, with 102 votes and 169 comments, also turned into a slugfest, with George W. Bush and Bill Clinton as dual piñatas. Yet flyonthewallzz did sound a lone note of hope: "The President has my support on this one. At least an agreement to speak gives me a chance to bet on the puppies. The odds may be long but stranger things have happened."

AND DON'T FORGET....

"What Is Money?", with 178 votes and 48 comments, envisioned a world where paper currency and coinage have been completely supplanted by electronic transactions. For vvv63vvv, this scenario smacked a little too strongly of Big Brother: "Wouldn't it be great if your doctor could block your card at McDonald's if you made the obesity list, or block candy from the supermarket?... I'll stick with cash." Propeller members were also tickled by stories about immigration, Ferrari, and tequila. The latter story, with 145 votes and 25 comments, elicited some real enthusiasm for demon alcohol. Radiofreeeuropa nominated Jose Cuervo for president, and deathray fondly recalled that "back when I had the liver of tomorrow, I regularly won tequila drinking contests." (There was one, rather blunt dissent from sarahj1113: "tequila = instant blackout." Or was that supposed to be a positive thing?) David Petraeus and Google got their share of votes and comments. And finally, chess master Gary Kasparov won the admiration of many Propeller members for his anti-Putin protest. The comment thread was mostly a referendum on Putin himself--a negative one--with several members dwelling on George W. Bush's nickname for his opposite number: Pootie-Poot. Or is that Pooty-Poot? We may have the answer by next week, folks.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Our top story for the last week, with a whopping tally of 444 votes, was "World should ban human cloning, except medical: U.N." Like most science stories with ethical entanglements, this one prompted a spirited conversation. 1-2-Oscar, among the liveliest and most cogent contributors here at Propeller, had a straightforward response: "Hooray!!!" The opposite tack was argued by tkyrchncs: "Completely alarmist and ridiculous. We should have long been able to clone tissues and complete individuals by now. We cannot stop it from happening by making laws." But reviewer would not be swayed: "I wrote an article on cloning for food, and the main thing that scares me about cloning cattle just to have a larger T-Bone is the loss of genetic diversity in the species. Anyone who raises or breeds animals knows the short and long term health consequences." That leaves this ardent response by joeblowe: "If I want to clone myself, it's NOYFB!" No argument there--but if things work out, you'll need a different IP address for joeblowe2.

BIRD FLU

Speaking of apocalyptic science, there was also "Bird flu confirmed on farm in east England," which nabbed 244 votes and 28 comments. One member, saintetienne, dismissed the whole story as an (appropriately) Chicken Little phenomenon: "More people have died from the common cold in that time than bird flu. More people are murdered in any medium-sized city in 1 year than people have died worldwide of bird flu in 4 years." Hanyman disagreed: "The reason why bird flu is regarded as a great threat is because of its potential level of contagion and fatality rate... We should not forget that the flu epidemic of 1918 killed more Americans than all of our wars combined." And getreal1 added an extra culinary note: "When I was a little girl, having rabbit and squirrel on the table didn't bother me." Poultry fanciers, you heard it here first.

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

As usual, several of the presidential candidates came in for a drubbing. There was "Hillary Clinton Stiffs Iowa Waitress" (95 votes, 137 comments) and "Giuliani Quotes Bible, Misses Jesus' Point" (193 votes, 228 comments). Another Clinton-related post, "Student given question to ask Clinton: I wasn't only one," bagged 207 votes and 324 comments, including a Dueling Links segment in the thread. First AlphaGnosis piped up with this CNN clip of the Grinnell sophomore spilling the beans. Then ybdogsct fired back with a link to this Guardian article about George W. Bush's stage-managed appearances. But it was John Edwards who may have suffered the most interesting indignity of the week, getting booed and hissed at a John Mellencamp concert. The comment thread spun off into some interesting detours. Was pouty Steve Tyler of Aerosmith conservative or liberal? (One member, mntnman444, had some hard evidence: "I ran into Steve Tyler 4 y[ea]rs ago. I lived near him but hadn't seen him in years, and we talked a little about the upcoming invasion of Iraq, [and] he indicated that he was totally against it.") Was the U.S. turning into a socialist hotbed? DebraJMSmith said yes, and also deplored "the indoctrinations of immorality and paganism in the schools." You can, incidentally, see the video here. Edwards enters from stage left at 2:42, and no, he doesn't join Mellencamp in a vigorous chorus of "Authority Song."

AND DON'T OVERLOOK....

This story about waterboarding got the most comments for the week: 449. The debate, which went beyond the ethics of torture to moral relativism in general, was predictably heated. Still, there were some kinder, gentler exchanges. "Who would Jesus waterboard?" asked Neophile. "He can read minds because He is God, so he already knows all!" responded DavidHalko, testing the boundaries of admissible evidence. Another top story, with 165 votes and 397 comments, was "FBI: Al Qaeda May Strike U.S. Shopping Malls in LA, Chicago." (At least one member, not2needy, wasn't buying: "Terrorists are going to attack shopping malls, terrorists are going to be at the Olympics, terrorists are going to be at the K[entuck]y Derby.") There were also popular stories about Blackwater, Charles Darwin, gasoline prices, and (as usual) global warming. And folks, let's not forget that Chinese submarine popping up the midst of a U.S. Navy exercise. You want the latest info on sonar and cetaceans? You've come to the right place.

PLAME WARS

With a new book hitting the shelves, Valerie Plame was back in the news, and the Propeller community had plenty to say on the subject. "Valerie Plame: Bush Didn't Keep His Word" snagged 161 votes and 427 comments. In a wide-ranging (and occasionally mud-slinging) discussion thread, the former CIA operative was praised for her courage and pilloried as a publicity hound. "I would like to thank Valerie Plame and her husband for their courage and honesty," said cowboygrandpa. "What happened is unacceptable. Cheney and Scooter should be in prison." Another member, teagen, was considerably more skeptical: "Unless Val was the secret director of the CIA, this story has gotten way to much play. We're seeing only a small part of a very large puzzle. This smells of CIA/Bill Casey end run. What are they covering up?" Another Plame-related story picked up 129 votes and 131 comments. It also featured this comment from Poulenc, which both sides could effectively use as a rallying cry: "My grandfather used to call stuff like this 'dirty politics.' He would then add that the phrase was redundant."

CALL ME RUDY

More than a year before the next election, the presidential race remains at center stage. And this week, the Propeller It Boy seems to be Rudy Giuliani. In "Giuliani Asks Values Voters to Trust Him," the leading Republican contender extended the olive branch to a gathering of social conservatives--and at least a few community members thought highly of his performance. "I believe most of the values voters will accept Rudy, warts and all," said aniokly. "He is the best qualified, an administrator, not a legislator." Another member, aceofspades1, wasn't ready to admit Giuliani to his personal circle of trust: "You'd be safer with one of Siegfried & Roy's lions in your corner." As evidence, he might have cited another top-ranked story (with 123 votes and 104 comments), "Giuliani Defends, Employs Priest Accused of Molesting Teens." Almost nobody sprang to the ex-mayor's defense on this one. (Said mntnman444: "Is this Rudy's version of the 'big tent party'?")

SMOKE AND MIRRORS

Also in the news: drugs. According to a recent study, America's youth is indulging fairly heavily in alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana (plus a number of nastier substances). "A day in the life of U.S. teens" touched off a lively conversation, with more than a few Propeller members recalling their own intoxicated heyday. "Rock on, kids!" commented Teech. "Nobody could tell me anything! I knew it all and demanded to experience it." Another member, thaw, took the opposite tack: "Stay the hell away from chemicals. They will kill you." Or at least confine your activities to a safe-injection room, like those currently under consideration in San Francisco. This story about the SF initiative, which bagged 93 votes and 189 comments, led to a lengthy discussion about whether addiction was a moral issue or an insidious illness. "Addiction is a behavior, not a disease, and the choice to use substances (heroin, meth, crack, cocaine, etc.) is a moral choice," argued Mintyfunk. Others, like fishifanb, insisted on a largely pragmatic calculation: "It is much more expensive, hence an even bigger waste, to lock non-violent drug offenders in prison. If drug addiction were treated as a public health, rather than law enforcement, problem the costs (fiscal and social) to society would be greatly reduced."

AND DON'T FORGET....

The Propeller community weighed in on wildfires, the religious right, and a wee bit of backpedaling from Democratic kingpin Harry Reid. "Jesus Never Claimed Divinity" inspired a mini-clash of civilizations in the comment thread, along with at least one ecumenical note. "We are all supposedly children of God," said tkyrchncs. "That statement makes no impact on the divinity of Jesus." There were hot stories on Ron Paul and the NRA's secret graphic novel, all of which provoked the sort of headbanging comment threads that make Propeller such a bracing experience. But it's worth noting that this week's most popular story, with 240 votes and 347 comments, was "Sign a Get Well Card for Deathray." Yes, our contentious crew is happy to pull together when one of our own is under the weather. Best wishes for a rapid recovery, Deathray, and we'll look forward to your return.

Our top story during the last week, with 168 votes and 280 comments, was a lengthy debunking of global warming skeptics. This has been a topic of heated (as it were) debate at Propeller since the site launched. And not surprisingly, the battle raged on in the comment thread. One member, JackofallChems, suggested that proponents of global warming were "incapable of using enough brainpower to figure out that they're being used by others through a pseudo-scientific scam." Another, capn_caveman, fired back: "I have yet to see a climate model that can accommodate the current trend in temperatures without considering man as the primary driving force behind the changes." This is not a question that will be resolved any time soon--and the fact that Al Gore just won the Nobel Prize will only stoke the flames further.

ONWARD, CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS

Stories about the role of Christianity in public life also prompted some lively discussion. "Are U.S. Troops Being Force Fed Christianity?" (a piece from the Christian Science Monitor) bagged 138 votes and 190 comments. "I'm not surprised," opined engineer. "The far right wants to establish a theocracy." As his user name might suggest, LordyLordy had a different attitude: "I have yet to meet an atheist in a foxhole." Meanwhile, a post about CUFI, or Christians United For Israel, also got the brickbats flying. And a third story, about the role of faith in Barack Obama's life, opened up a whole new debate: might Obama's use of the word "propel" in his sermon be a secret nod to the Propeller community? We'll be combing through all of his future speeches for additional coded messages.

IN OR OUT?

Larry Craig's decision to stay in the Senate led to some predictably saucy exchanges. Nobody saw a shining career ahead for the disgraced pol. According to loverman (no jokes, please): "Politically he's a dead duck. He'll never be considered for any office. This is basically Craig's Last Stand." But while everybody seemed eager to usher Craig out the door, there was plenty of disagreement about exactly what he had done wrong. No such confusion clouded the discussion about Sandy Berger, who is apparently on the brink of political resurrection after having smuggled sensitive documents out of the National Archives in his socks and pants. Berger has now been hired by Hillary Clinton, and our members didn't think much of that decision. "I hope Hillary will buy Sandy cargo pants," said RedRiverJ (a joke that may have been poached from Propeller punching bag Ann Coulter).

AND DON'T FORGET....

The Propeller crowd had plenty to say about the fall of Marion Jones, the bird-flu virus, and the latest dirty word in America's political discourse: neocon. It was the latter story that got the most comments this week: 305 and counting. One member, deathray, argued that both neocon and liberal were "mischaracterizations of positions along the political/ideological continuum." Another, libsRfunny, concurred: "There are many idiots who think 'neocon' is a four-letter word." Meanwhile, the scandal at Oral Roberts University generated some major attention, as did the recent Republican debate. Finally, the United Kingdom is starting to crack down on violent video games. And at least one member, mudkipz, disapproved: "Good thing I'm from Asia."