Does anybody go to the movies for a good time anymore?
Best Picture nominees are:
Capote - depressing story about one gay man hanging out in the Midwest
Brokeback Mountain - depressing love story involving two gay men in the far West
Crash - preachy film about race and hate
Munich - preachy film about the Middle East and hate
Good Night and Good Luck - preachy film about politics, hate and fear
The list of top grossing films of 2005 is so different, you have to wonder how "Best" is defined. I liked the Penguin movie.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Text of the State of the Union here.
"The same is true of Iran, a nation now held hostage by a small clerical elite" - very powerful imagery by using the word "hostage.
"Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025." - God I hope so.
"They seek to impose a heartless system of totalitarian control throughout the Middle East, and arm themselves with weapons of mass murder." - Nice try to change WMDs which everyone is sick of, to WMM. Won't work though.
Also, they've been trying to change "domestic spying program", which I personally don't like, with "terrorist surveillance program". Domesting spying still has a better ring. This round of verbal sparring to the Democrats. Just like "Star Wars" 25 years ago there are occassional victories for that side.
Cindy Sheehan was arrested in the gallery. I don't blame her so much as she can't help herself- being obnoxious and outlandish is her way of getting her point across. Shame on Representative Lynn Woolsey who had to know a scene could have erupted. The State of the Union address is the one time each year that disdain for the President is supposed to shown through silence and frown beams.
More about honored Marine Staff Sergeant Dan Clay here. Here's a letter written to President Bush from his dad. My condolences, and thanks, to his family. His last words to his family -
"Spread the word .... Christ lives and He is Real. Semper Fidelis."
"The same is true of Iran, a nation now held hostage by a small clerical elite" - very powerful imagery by using the word "hostage.
"Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025." - God I hope so.
"They seek to impose a heartless system of totalitarian control throughout the Middle East, and arm themselves with weapons of mass murder." - Nice try to change WMDs which everyone is sick of, to WMM. Won't work though.
Also, they've been trying to change "domestic spying program", which I personally don't like, with "terrorist surveillance program". Domesting spying still has a better ring. This round of verbal sparring to the Democrats. Just like "Star Wars" 25 years ago there are occassional victories for that side.
Cindy Sheehan was arrested in the gallery. I don't blame her so much as she can't help herself- being obnoxious and outlandish is her way of getting her point across. Shame on Representative Lynn Woolsey who had to know a scene could have erupted. The State of the Union address is the one time each year that disdain for the President is supposed to shown through silence and frown beams.
More about honored Marine Staff Sergeant Dan Clay here. Here's a letter written to President Bush from his dad. My condolences, and thanks, to his family. His last words to his family -
"Spread the word .... Christ lives and He is Real. Semper Fidelis."
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Well, if anyone ever had any doubts that liberals can be strong defenders of America, they haven't gotten to know Garrison Keillor. I must admit I was shocked when I read his review of Bernard-Henri Lévy's new book, "American Vertigo" in which the author tries to describe America to....who exactly?
In more than 300 pages, nobody tells a joke. Nobody does much work. Nobody sits and eats and enjoys their food. You've lived all your life in America, never attended a megachurch or a brothel, don't own guns, are non-Amish, and it dawns on you that this is a book about the French. There's no reason for it to exist in English, except as evidence that travel need not be broadening and one should be wary of books with Tocqueville in the title.
He blows a radiator writing about baseball - "this sport that contributes to establishing people's identities and that has truly become part of their civic and patriotic religion, which is baseball" - and when, visiting Cooperstown ("this new Nazareth"), he finds out that
Commissioner Bud Selig once laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington,
where Abner Doubleday is also buried, Lévy goes out of his mind. An event important only to Selig and his immediate family becomes, to Lévy, an official proclamation "before the eyes of America and the world" of Abner as "the pope of the national religion . . . that day
not just the town but the entire United States joined in a celebration that had the twofold merit of associating the national pastime with the traditional rural values that Fenimore
Cooper's town embodies and also with the patriotic grandeur that the name Doubleday bears." Uh, actually not. Negatory on "pope" and "national" and "entire" and "most" and "embodies" and "Doubleday."
In other words, Keiller tells Levy to "va te faire enculer". And trust me that's easy to do.
In more than 300 pages, nobody tells a joke. Nobody does much work. Nobody sits and eats and enjoys their food. You've lived all your life in America, never attended a megachurch or a brothel, don't own guns, are non-Amish, and it dawns on you that this is a book about the French. There's no reason for it to exist in English, except as evidence that travel need not be broadening and one should be wary of books with Tocqueville in the title.
He blows a radiator writing about baseball - "this sport that contributes to establishing people's identities and that has truly become part of their civic and patriotic religion, which is baseball" - and when, visiting Cooperstown ("this new Nazareth"), he finds out that
Commissioner Bud Selig once laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington,
where Abner Doubleday is also buried, Lévy goes out of his mind. An event important only to Selig and his immediate family becomes, to Lévy, an official proclamation "before the eyes of America and the world" of Abner as "the pope of the national religion . . . that day
not just the town but the entire United States joined in a celebration that had the twofold merit of associating the national pastime with the traditional rural values that Fenimore
Cooper's town embodies and also with the patriotic grandeur that the name Doubleday bears." Uh, actually not. Negatory on "pope" and "national" and "entire" and "most" and "embodies" and "Doubleday."
In other words, Keiller tells Levy to "va te faire enculer". And trust me that's easy to do.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
I am a hopeful sort and want to believe that the Palestinian's overwhelming choice of Hamas indicates a rejection of corruption and a call for better social services as opposed to a call for the destruction of Israel. After all, we all "know" that the Palestinian people are no more or less peace-loving than Israelis, right? That's what the media is reporting, right?
Palestinians often trace the appeal of Hamas to its network of social
services, which largely supplanted the crumbling and feeble
institutions of the Palestinian Authority. - NYT, January 28, 2006
Israelis are better able than those in the outside world to understand
the degree to which Palestinians chafed under the pervasive corruption
of Fatah -- and thus to read Hamas' victory as a collective expression
of disgust and anger with the status quo rather than a call to arms. - LA Times, January 28, 2006
The movement's success at the polls does not mean that more than half the Palestnians necessarily approve of suicide bombings against civilians. - BBC, January 28, 2006
By all accounts, Palestinians didn't choose Hamas because they reject
peace talks with Israel but rather because they were fed up with graft
in the ruling Fatah Party. - AP, January 28, 2006
In none of these articles, some of which are quite lengthy, is even one Palestinian quoted as saying that they reject Hamas' call for armed struggle and only wanted to a change in "domestic policy". I'll bet you've bought this story hook, line and sinker. I haven't.
Why are so many people ready to accept the historical example of the cultured German population being turned by propoganda into Jew-killing machines, but refuse to believe that the destitute, less educated Palestinians are capable of the same despite the open espousal of these policies by their leaders and media?
Palestinians often trace the appeal of Hamas to its network of social
services, which largely supplanted the crumbling and feeble
institutions of the Palestinian Authority. - NYT, January 28, 2006
Israelis are better able than those in the outside world to understand
the degree to which Palestinians chafed under the pervasive corruption
of Fatah -- and thus to read Hamas' victory as a collective expression
of disgust and anger with the status quo rather than a call to arms. - LA Times, January 28, 2006
The movement's success at the polls does not mean that more than half the Palestnians necessarily approve of suicide bombings against civilians. - BBC, January 28, 2006
By all accounts, Palestinians didn't choose Hamas because they reject
peace talks with Israel but rather because they were fed up with graft
in the ruling Fatah Party. - AP, January 28, 2006
In none of these articles, some of which are quite lengthy, is even one Palestinian quoted as saying that they reject Hamas' call for armed struggle and only wanted to a change in "domestic policy". I'll bet you've bought this story hook, line and sinker. I haven't.
Why are so many people ready to accept the historical example of the cultured German population being turned by propoganda into Jew-killing machines, but refuse to believe that the destitute, less educated Palestinians are capable of the same despite the open espousal of these policies by their leaders and media?
Indians send Coco Crisp to Red Sox, Rhodes to Phillies.
Not being as ardent a sports fan as I used to be, I sometimes miss the more colorful names that tend to pop up nowadays. When I was growing up, my heroes were named Tom, Mike, Greg, Bill, Willie. Today we have...Coco Crisp? I mean, the man was born in this country. Then I thought, how cruel, surely his mother was familiar with the these?
Then I realized the truth, his real name is Covelli Loyce Crisp. I guess Coco is better.
Not being as ardent a sports fan as I used to be, I sometimes miss the more colorful names that tend to pop up nowadays. When I was growing up, my heroes were named Tom, Mike, Greg, Bill, Willie. Today we have...Coco Crisp? I mean, the man was born in this country. Then I thought, how cruel, surely his mother was familiar with the these?
Then I realized the truth, his real name is Covelli Loyce Crisp. I guess Coco is better.
I received the following html e-mail from Amazon.com a couple of days ago...
"As someone who has purchased relationship-based comedies (ed. - chick flicks) and dramas on DVD, we thought you might like to know that Imagine Me & You, the new comedy starring Piper Perabo and Lena Headey, is now in theaters. An unconventional comedy about love's myriad forms and constant surprises, the movie is currently playing in select cities and is coming soon to a theater near you--and Amazon.com Movie Showtimes will have showtimes and locations in your area."
I wonder how many people this was sent to who might not have thought that they had an interest in lesbian love stories becuase they ordered Gone With the Wind or something like that. Is Brokeback Mountain next on "gbam's list"? Is there a way to change my preference to movies like Match Point with hot man on woman sex with Scarlett Johansson. Please?!?!?!
Then again, my parents went to see a sneak preview of the movie the other night and my mom sounded excited to see it. I really don't want to go there.... :-)
(As always when I post on this topic, please note that I am not commenting on my beliefs about GLBT rights or activities, just the general societal transformation or lack thereof.)
"As someone who has purchased relationship-based comedies (ed. - chick flicks) and dramas on DVD, we thought you might like to know that Imagine Me & You, the new comedy starring Piper Perabo and Lena Headey, is now in theaters. An unconventional comedy about love's myriad forms and constant surprises, the movie is currently playing in select cities and is coming soon to a theater near you--and Amazon.com Movie Showtimes will have showtimes and locations in your area."
I wonder how many people this was sent to who might not have thought that they had an interest in lesbian love stories becuase they ordered Gone With the Wind or something like that. Is Brokeback Mountain next on "gbam's list"? Is there a way to change my preference to movies like Match Point with hot man on woman sex with Scarlett Johansson. Please?!?!?!
Then again, my parents went to see a sneak preview of the movie the other night and my mom sounded excited to see it. I really don't want to go there.... :-)
(As always when I post on this topic, please note that I am not commenting on my beliefs about GLBT rights or activities, just the general societal transformation or lack thereof.)
Thursday, January 26, 2006
From this morning's White House press conference:
Q Sir, you said a few minutes ago the United States needs to continue to lead in the cause of freedom around the world, and yet in recent weeks, a couple of groups -- Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International -- have criticized the U.S. handling of terrorist suspects. They say that has undermined the U.S. voice as a champion of human rights, and even, perhaps, undercut a generation of progress in human rights. And my question, sir, is how do you -- how do you respond to that?
THE PRESIDENT: I haven't seen the report, but if they're saying we tortured people, they're wrong. Period.
Q Could you call on your Texas straight talk and make a clear and unambiguous statement today that no American will be allowed to torture another human being anywhere in the world at any time --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. No American will be allowed to torture another human being anywhere in the world.
Of course, we could be having other people doing it.........
Q Sir, you said a few minutes ago the United States needs to continue to lead in the cause of freedom around the world, and yet in recent weeks, a couple of groups -- Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International -- have criticized the U.S. handling of terrorist suspects. They say that has undermined the U.S. voice as a champion of human rights, and even, perhaps, undercut a generation of progress in human rights. And my question, sir, is how do you -- how do you respond to that?
THE PRESIDENT: I haven't seen the report, but if they're saying we tortured people, they're wrong. Period.
Q Could you call on your Texas straight talk and make a clear and unambiguous statement today that no American will be allowed to torture another human being anywhere in the world at any time --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. No American will be allowed to torture another human being anywhere in the world.
Of course, we could be having other people doing it.........
For decades, Israel demanded that the PLO and Yasser Arafat repeal the statement in the PLO Charter that called for "the destruction of Israel". Finally, in 1998, the Palestinian governement at least partially rejected that clause.
Now that Hamas has won control of the Palestinian governement, it's back to this, "Neither
the liberation of the Gaza Strip, nor the liberation of the West Bank or even Jerusalem will suffice us. Hamas will pursue the armed struggle until the liberation of all our lands. We don't recognize the state of
Israel or its right to hold onto one inch of Palestine. Palestine is an Islamic land belonging to all the Muslims."
It was reported that Hamas has renounced it's own destruction of Israel policy two weeks prior to the recent election, but I'm not buying what they're selling.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Now that Hamas has won control of the Palestinian governement, it's back to this, "Neither
the liberation of the Gaza Strip, nor the liberation of the West Bank or even Jerusalem will suffice us. Hamas will pursue the armed struggle until the liberation of all our lands. We don't recognize the state of
Israel or its right to hold onto one inch of Palestine. Palestine is an Islamic land belonging to all the Muslims."
It was reported that Hamas has renounced it's own destruction of Israel policy two weeks prior to the recent election, but I'm not buying what they're selling.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
The end of an era in Argentina.
The group of mothers of the disappeared in Argentina is due to hold its final 24-hour protest march after 25 years.
The group of mothers of the disappeared in Argentina is due to hold its final 24-hour protest march after 25 years.
Between 10,000 and 30,000 people were killed or disappeared during military governments in the 1970s and 80s.
The leader of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo said they would still hold weekly silent vigils to demand information on their children's whereabouts.
She said their "resistance protests" were over because they no longer had an enemy in the presidential palace.
NEW YORK (AP) -- More than a decade
after 16-year-old Amy Fisher had a sexual relationship with a
much-older car mechanic and shot his wife in the face, the one-time
"Long Island Lolita" and Joey and Mary Jo Buttafuoco have agreed to
appear together in a televised reunion.
All three have signed on for the appearance, which has yet to be sold to a network,
television producer David Krieff told the New York Post for Monday editions.
"It's time to just put it behind us," Fisher, now 31, told the newspaper. "We played this all out in a public eye. It'd be interesting to let the public see the healing process at the end. They
saw everything else -- why not let them see the final product?"
--------------------------
I have some kind of stomach virus. My dad had it a few days ago and so did a cousin of mine. It's terrible because the one thing that can always cheer me up is food and I have no appetite. Oh well, at least I'll lose a few unnecessary pounds and I can work from home tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
I have a new goal for my 5 year old daughter. I want her to study to be a psychiatrist and move to L.A. so she can be there in time for Nicolas Cage's child when he finally has the right to legally change his name to something, um, human.
Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage is a new father.
His wife, Alice Kim Cage, gave birth Monday to a boy, Kal-el Coppola Cage, in New York City, said Cage's Los Angeles-based publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were available.
Kal-El?!? Superman's name? This happened months ago. How the hell did I miss this?!?
Cage and his wife look pretty old in this newly released photo of the baby. I'm not sure if it's authentic.
Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage is a new father.
His wife, Alice Kim Cage, gave birth Monday to a boy, Kal-el Coppola Cage, in New York City, said Cage's Los Angeles-based publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were available.
Kal-El?!? Superman's name? This happened months ago. How the hell did I miss this?!?
Cage and his wife look pretty old in this newly released photo of the baby. I'm not sure if it's authentic.
The son of one of the Israeli athletes killed during the 1972 Olympics portrayed his father in the Steven Spielberg film Munich.
"I didn't want people to see the film, despite the fact that my son acts in it," Mimi Weinberg told YNetNews.
For aspiring Israeli actor Guri Weinberg, the big break in Hollywood was mixed with heartbreak. The 33-year-old appears in Steven Spielberg's new thriller "Munich" as his own father, Moshe Weinberg, a weightlifter who was the first of 11 athletes killed in a Palestinian guerrilla raid against Israel's delegation to the 1972 Olympic Games.
Of course I'm still reluctant to go see the film as I have heard that it really does an injustice to the Israeli side of the story. Weinberg's mother feels the same way."I didn't want people to see the film, despite the fact that my son acts in it," Mimi Weinberg told YNetNews.
"This film does not distinguish between those who murder peaceful civilians in their sleep and those who killed the murderers," she said. "With Jews like Spielberg and (screenwriter Tony) Kushner, who needs enemies?"
I don't feel quite that way as I think that Spielberg has done invaluable work so that future generations will know and understand the Holocaust and I imagine he has done tons of other philanthropic work as well. If anything, based on the relatively few people who've seen the film, if it did anything it reminded us of the days when political terrorism was shocking. One wonders what might have been if the response had been truly disproportionate. Seeking out the individual murderers was truly the least that Israel could have done in that situation.Saturday, January 21, 2006
Kinky Friedman will be interviewed tomorrow (Sunday) night on 60 Minutes. I'd write more about it, but I'm running over to my TiVo before I forget.
Yee hah!
Yee hah!
I love country music, becuase between the songs about driving trucks, dead dogs and lost love are songs that glorify the joys of a traditional family. I understand that those that don't or can't have traditional families might hate this music the same way that I hated love songs when I was perpetually single in my 20's. However, in an age where married heterosexual couples with children are actually in the minority of American household types (never mind the media centers of NY and LA), it's nice to hear a song that makes you feel like someone agrees with the choices you've made.
The only ground I ever owned was sticking to my shoes
Now I look at my front porch and this panoramic view
I can sit and watch the fields fill up With rays of glowing sun
Or watch the moon lay on the fences
Like that's where it was hung
My blessings are in front of me
It's not about the land
I'll never beat the view
From my front porch looking in There's a carrot top who can barely walk With a sippy cup of milk A little blue eyed blonde with shoes on wrong
'Cause she likes to dress herself
And the most beautiful girl holding both of them
And the view I love the most
Is my front porch looking in
This song is so true to me it makes me cry when I hear it. But it's not the only family oriented song by Lonestar that get's me teary-eyed. The following song (which I've probably posted already somewhere in the not too distant passt) makes me bawl uncontrollably, as it describes my life EXACTLY. This could have been our wedding song if it wasn't for Shania Twain's "From This Moment"....
He called her on the road
From a lonely cold hotel room
Just to hear her say I love you one more time
But when he heard the sound
Of the kids laughing in the background
He had to wipe away a tear from his eye
A little voice came on the phone
Said "Daddy when you coming home"
He said the first thing that came to his mind
I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
I'm your imaginary friend
And I know I'm in your prayers
Oh I'm already there
She got back on the phone
Said I really miss you darling
Don't worry about the kids they'll be alright
Wish I was in your arms
Lying right there beside you
But I know that I'll be in your dreams tonight
And I'll gently kiss your lips
Touch you with my fingertips
So turn out the light and close your eyes
I'm already there
Don't make a sound
I'm the beat in your heart
I'm the moonlight shining down
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there until the end
Can you feel the love that we share
Oh I'm already there
We may be a thousand miles apart
But I'll be with you wherever you are
I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there until the end
Can you feel the love that we share
Oh I'm already there
Oh I'm already......
There
The only ground I ever owned was sticking to my shoes
Now I look at my front porch and this panoramic view
I can sit and watch the fields fill up With rays of glowing sun
Or watch the moon lay on the fences
Like that's where it was hung
My blessings are in front of me
It's not about the land
I'll never beat the view
From my front porch looking in There's a carrot top who can barely walk With a sippy cup of milk A little blue eyed blonde with shoes on wrong
'Cause she likes to dress herself
And the most beautiful girl holding both of them
And the view I love the most
Is my front porch looking in
This song is so true to me it makes me cry when I hear it. But it's not the only family oriented song by Lonestar that get's me teary-eyed. The following song (which I've probably posted already somewhere in the not too distant passt) makes me bawl uncontrollably, as it describes my life EXACTLY. This could have been our wedding song if it wasn't for Shania Twain's "From This Moment"....
He called her on the road
From a lonely cold hotel room
Just to hear her say I love you one more time
But when he heard the sound
Of the kids laughing in the background
He had to wipe away a tear from his eye
A little voice came on the phone
Said "Daddy when you coming home"
He said the first thing that came to his mind
I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
I'm your imaginary friend
And I know I'm in your prayers
Oh I'm already there
She got back on the phone
Said I really miss you darling
Don't worry about the kids they'll be alright
Wish I was in your arms
Lying right there beside you
But I know that I'll be in your dreams tonight
And I'll gently kiss your lips
Touch you with my fingertips
So turn out the light and close your eyes
I'm already there
Don't make a sound
I'm the beat in your heart
I'm the moonlight shining down
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there until the end
Can you feel the love that we share
Oh I'm already there
We may be a thousand miles apart
But I'll be with you wherever you are
I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there until the end
Can you feel the love that we share
Oh I'm already there
Oh I'm already......
There
Friday, January 20, 2006
This post is 100% serious. I think New York Knick Antonio Davis deserves a medal, not a suspension for going into the stands in Chicago the other night to defend his wife and kids against some obnoxious fans.
Chicago's Channel 2 has a great series of video reports on what happened and the aftermath inclduing interviews with the entire family.
It's been a long time since I read a story that made me feel respect for an NBA player. I would be proud to wear his jersey in public. He seems like a class act.
Chicago's Channel 2 has a great series of video reports on what happened and the aftermath inclduing interviews with the entire family.
It's been a long time since I read a story that made me feel respect for an NBA player. I would be proud to wear his jersey in public. He seems like a class act.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
I used to work with a guy who was married, but was so effeminate that
he could talk about, and touch, other women in ways I wouldn't dream of
when I was single and they wouldn't have any problem. Throw in a movie
star who thinks monogamy is unnatural, and this is what you get.
Scarlett Johansson Gets Her Golden Globes Groped
OMG!!! I hate Isaac Mizrahi! That has got to be one of the luckiest men
in the world. Next to Josh Hartnett, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, and any
other who's gotten to second-base with Scarlett Johansson,
that is. Now that's the kind of interviewing I want to do. A little
"Hi, how are you? Honk Honk!" Best of all, you know that Scarlett was
just loving every minute of it.
Pictures and video included in the link above which I'll have to peruse when I'm not in a work environment.
Bastards, all of them.
UPDATE: Apparently, not everyone was happy with the serial groping that was going on...
...on E! one learned a surprising amount about the actresses' undergarments, or lack thereof. At one point, Terri Hatcher, one of the Desperate Housewives, slapped Mr. Mizrahi away as he got personal with her beaded dress.
"I am sorry," Mr. Mizrahi said of his line of questioning. "It's interesting to me."
he could talk about, and touch, other women in ways I wouldn't dream of
when I was single and they wouldn't have any problem. Throw in a movie
star who thinks monogamy is unnatural, and this is what you get.
Scarlett Johansson Gets Her Golden Globes Groped
OMG!!! I hate Isaac Mizrahi! That has got to be one of the luckiest men
in the world. Next to Josh Hartnett, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, and any
other who's gotten to second-base with Scarlett Johansson,
that is. Now that's the kind of interviewing I want to do. A little
"Hi, how are you? Honk Honk!" Best of all, you know that Scarlett was
just loving every minute of it.
Pictures and video included in the link above which I'll have to peruse when I'm not in a work environment.
Bastards, all of them.
UPDATE: Apparently, not everyone was happy with the serial groping that was going on...
...on E! one learned a surprising amount about the actresses' undergarments, or lack thereof. At one point, Terri Hatcher, one of the Desperate Housewives, slapped Mr. Mizrahi away as he got personal with her beaded dress.
"I am sorry," Mr. Mizrahi said of his line of questioning. "It's interesting to me."
Monday, January 16, 2006
I expect that everyone who criticized Pat Robertson for claiming that G-d struck down one person with an illness, will certainly criticize New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin for claiming that the 1,000+ people killed in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was G-d's way of punishing America in general and blacks in particular. Or does he get a pass becuase he's criticizing his own people?
NEW ORLEANS – Mayor Ray Nagin suggested Monday that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other storms were a sign that "God is mad at America" and at black communities, too, for tearing themselves apart with violence and political infighting.
"Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country," Nagin, who is black, said as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Day.
"Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves."
Nagin also promised that New Orleans will be a "chocolate" city again. Many of the city's black neighborhoods were heavily damaged by Katrina.
"It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans – the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans," the mayor said. "This city will be a majority African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."
I guess New York isn't New York anymore now that it's not mostly non-white. Great way to encourage New Orleans' white, hispanic and Asian population to move back home. I wonder if Nagin will impose a quota on how many non-blacks are allowed to live in the city.
UPDATE: Zarq has indeed repudiated Nagin with equal vehemence as he did Robertson. Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity.
NEW ORLEANS – Mayor Ray Nagin suggested Monday that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other storms were a sign that "God is mad at America" and at black communities, too, for tearing themselves apart with violence and political infighting.
"Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country," Nagin, who is black, said as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Day.
"Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves."
Nagin also promised that New Orleans will be a "chocolate" city again. Many of the city's black neighborhoods were heavily damaged by Katrina.
"It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans – the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans," the mayor said. "This city will be a majority African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."
I guess New York isn't New York anymore now that it's not mostly non-white. Great way to encourage New Orleans' white, hispanic and Asian population to move back home. I wonder if Nagin will impose a quota on how many non-blacks are allowed to live in the city.
UPDATE: Zarq has indeed repudiated Nagin with equal vehemence as he did Robertson. Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity.
OK, I admit I agree with Oprah that everyone should read Elie Wiesel's "Night".
CHICAGO - In her first book club pick since allegations that some parts of her last selection were fabricated, Oprah Winfrey chose Elie Wiesel’s “Night,” a classic of Holocaust
literature sometimes labeled a novel but regarded by the author as a memoir.
CHICAGO - In her first book club pick since allegations that some parts of her last selection were fabricated, Oprah Winfrey chose Elie Wiesel’s “Night,” a classic of Holocaust
literature sometimes labeled a novel but regarded by the author as a memoir.
On her show Monday, Winfrey announced the selection of Wiesel’s autobiographical account. The 77-year-old Wiesel, who wrote “Night” in the 1950s, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for a lifetime of writing and speaking against hatred, racism and genocide.
I have read a number of Wiesel's books ranging from novels to Chassidic stories to thoughts on biblical figures. They always make me think.
Hillary Clinton panders to a black audience on MLK Day.
Sen. Hillary Clinton on Monday blasted the Bush administration as
"one of the worst" in U.S. history and compared the
Republican-controlled House of Representatives to a plantation where
dissenting voices are squelched.
Fast forward to today and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
While Democrats secretly cheer on the racially charged demagoguery
ushered forth from the usual suspects, like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton,
and the newly anointed race baiter, Kanye West, Hillary and the rest of
Team Clinton are too shrewd to join in the fray. Even as Howard Dean is
busy fanning the flames of racial divisiveness, Clinton and her inner
circle know all too well the lessons learned in 1992. Indeed, voters
should not be surprised if today's Kanye West ends up becoming the new
"Sister Souljah" who became the pivot point in a Clinton triangulation
to disassociate with the radical race baiters of the Democrat Left.
And then there was this from Hillary...
The House (of Represebtatives) "has been run like a plantation, and you know what I'm
talking about," said Clinton, D-N.Y. "It has been run in a way so that
nobody with a contrary view has had a chance to present legislation, to
make an argument, to be heard."
So being a Democrat representative in the House is just like being a slave. She feels your pain, African-Americans.
Sen. Hillary Clinton on Monday blasted the Bush administration as
"one of the worst" in U.S. history and compared the
Republican-controlled House of Representatives to a plantation where
dissenting voices are squelched.
Speaking during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event, Clinton also
offered an apology to a group of Hurricane Katrina survivors "on behalf
of a government that left you behind, that turned its back on you." Her
remarks were met with thunderous applause by a mostly black audience at
the Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem.
Fast forward to today and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
While Democrats secretly cheer on the racially charged demagoguery
ushered forth from the usual suspects, like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton,
and the newly anointed race baiter, Kanye West, Hillary and the rest of
Team Clinton are too shrewd to join in the fray. Even as Howard Dean is
busy fanning the flames of racial divisiveness, Clinton and her inner
circle know all too well the lessons learned in 1992. Indeed, voters
should not be surprised if today's Kanye West ends up becoming the new
"Sister Souljah" who became the pivot point in a Clinton triangulation
to disassociate with the radical race baiters of the Democrat Left.
And then there was this from Hillary...
The House (of Represebtatives) "has been run like a plantation, and you know what I'm
talking about," said Clinton, D-N.Y. "It has been run in a way so that
nobody with a contrary view has had a chance to present legislation, to
make an argument, to be heard."
So being a Democrat representative in the House is just like being a slave. She feels your pain, African-Americans.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
British MP and Hero Of The Left, George Galloway, makes a total ass of himself on national television. Not only did he join the "Celebrity Big Brother" house while Parliament is in session, but he decided that it would be OK for the leader of the "Respect" party to pretend to be a cat licking milk out of Rula Lenska's hands.
Video here.
Galloway has 'child-like ego'.
Hey, can you blame the growing Muslim community of Galloway's district for electing him? It was either him or a Jewess. What choice did they really have?
Video here.
Galloway has 'child-like ego'.
Hey, can you blame the growing Muslim community of Galloway's district for electing him? It was either him or a Jewess. What choice did they really have?
The Islamic Caliphate - coming to a country near you - from....the Washington Post!?!
Reunified Islam: Unlikely but not wholly radical
Restoration of Caliphate resonates with mainstream Muslims
Now, I'll be the first to say that this is the exact type of reporting that lacks any kind of depth that I always complain about when the media write about things I don' believe in. The basing of a global opinion based on scattered interviews, or the quoting of a poll or two, etc. However, it's interesting to see a mainstream media source present an article that plays to the "fears" of many on the Right - even though it kind of tries to blame Bush in the end for ideas that were born in the 1920s.
The goal of reuniting Muslims under a single flag stands at the heart of the radical Islamic ideology Bush has warned of repeatedly in recent major speeches on terrorism. In language evoking the Cold War, Bush has cast the conflict in Iraq as the pivotal battleground in a larger
contest between advocates of freedom and those who seek to establish "a totalitarian Islamic empire reaching from Spain to Indonesia." The enthusiasm of the extremists for that vision is not disputed (ed. - really?***). However unlikely its realization, the ambition may help explain terrorist acts that often appear beyond understanding. When Osama bin Laden called the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon "a very small thing compared to this humiliation and contempt for more than 80 years," the reference was to the aftermath of World War I, when the last caliphate was suspended as European powers divided up the Middle East. Al Qaeda named its Internet newscast, which debuted in September, "The Voice of the Caliphate."
From James Reston on NPR - Bush Administration Misuses the Word Caliphate
From the NY Times - White House Letter - Watchword of the Day - Beware the Caliphate
"Islamic specialists say the word is a mysterious and ominous one for many Americans, and that the administration knows it."
From the Toronto Star - Muslim Conspiracy to Rule World Just Nonsense
In Israel there's a bunch of nuts that want to take over the Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem to build the "Third Temple" for Judaism. Every year they try to march to the Dome and every year the Israeli police come out to stop them. These people, though small in number are taken very seriously. It's a shame some on the Left still don't understand the radicals of the Muslim faith seriously even after the slaughter they've performed in so many countries to reach their goals. Theys till think what drives the fight is "poverty" and "lack of opportunity".
Reunified Islam: Unlikely but not wholly radical
Restoration of Caliphate resonates with mainstream Muslims
Now, I'll be the first to say that this is the exact type of reporting that lacks any kind of depth that I always complain about when the media write about things I don' believe in. The basing of a global opinion based on scattered interviews, or the quoting of a poll or two, etc. However, it's interesting to see a mainstream media source present an article that plays to the "fears" of many on the Right - even though it kind of tries to blame Bush in the end for ideas that were born in the 1920s.
The goal of reuniting Muslims under a single flag stands at the heart of the radical Islamic ideology Bush has warned of repeatedly in recent major speeches on terrorism. In language evoking the Cold War, Bush has cast the conflict in Iraq as the pivotal battleground in a larger
contest between advocates of freedom and those who seek to establish "a totalitarian Islamic empire reaching from Spain to Indonesia." The enthusiasm of the extremists for that vision is not disputed (ed. - really?***). However unlikely its realization, the ambition may help explain terrorist acts that often appear beyond understanding. When Osama bin Laden called the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon "a very small thing compared to this humiliation and contempt for more than 80 years," the reference was to the aftermath of World War I, when the last caliphate was suspended as European powers divided up the Middle East. Al Qaeda named its Internet newscast, which debuted in September, "The Voice of the Caliphate."
Yet the caliphate is also esteemed by many ordinary Muslims. For most, its revival is not an urgent concern. Public opinion polls show immediate issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and discrimination rank as more pressing. But Muslims regard themselves as members of the umma, or community of believers, that forms the heart of Islam. And as earthly head of that community, the caliph is cherished both as memory and ideal, interviews indicate.
***Here's just a sample of how the Left ridicules Presdient Bush's mentioning of the restored caliphate....I'm not judging the validity of either argument here - just pointing out the ridiculousness of the statement made above.From James Reston on NPR - Bush Administration Misuses the Word Caliphate
From the NY Times - White House Letter - Watchword of the Day - Beware the Caliphate
"Islamic specialists say the word is a mysterious and ominous one for many Americans, and that the administration knows it."
From the Toronto Star - Muslim Conspiracy to Rule World Just Nonsense
The chances of a caliphate coming are zero. But raising its spectre helps keep Americans scared.
In Israel there's a bunch of nuts that want to take over the Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem to build the "Third Temple" for Judaism. Every year they try to march to the Dome and every year the Israeli police come out to stop them. These people, though small in number are taken very seriously. It's a shame some on the Left still don't understand the radicals of the Muslim faith seriously even after the slaughter they've performed in so many countries to reach their goals. Theys till think what drives the fight is "poverty" and "lack of opportunity".
Thursday, January 12, 2006
What Do Jews Do at a Stop Sign? via Jewish Connection
I've been studying some Talmud and number 6 is especially funny.
1. An average Jew doesn't bother to read the sign but will stop if the car in front of him does.
2. A fundamentalist stops at the sign and waits for it to tell him to go.
3. An Orthodox Jew
does one of two things: a) Stops at the sign, says, "Blessed are you, O
Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us your commandment
to stop," waits 3 seconds according to his watch, and then proceeds.
b) Takes another route to work that doesn't have a stop sign so that he doesn't run the risk of disobeying the halachah.
4. A Haredi
does the same thing as the Orthodox Jew, except that he waits 10
seconds instead of 3. He also replaces his brake lights with 1000-watt
searchlights and connects his horn so that it is activated whenever he
touches the brake pedal.
5. An Orthodox woman concludes that she is not allowed to observe the mitzvah of stopping because she is niddah. This is a dilemma, because the stop sign is located on her way to the mikveh.
6. A Talmudic scholar consults his holy books and finds these comments on the stop sign:
R. Meir says: He who does not stop shall not live long.
R. Hillel says: Cursed is he who does not count to three before proceeding.
R. Shimon ben Yehudah says: Why three? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, gave us the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.
R. ben Yitzhak says: Becase of the three patriarchs.
R. Yehuda says: Why bless the Lord at a stop sign? Because it says, "Be still, and know that I am God."
R.
Yehezkel says: When Jephthah returned from defeating the Ammonites, the
Holy One, blessed be He, knew that a donkey would run out of the house
and overtake his daughter; but Jephthah did not stop at the stop sign,
and the donkey did not have time to come out. For this reason he saw
his daughter first and lost her. Thus was he judged for his
transgression at the stop sign.
R. Gamaliel says: R. Hillel,
when he was a baby, never spoke a word, though his parents tried to
teach him by speaking and showing him the words on a scroll. One day
his father was driving through town and did not stop at the sign. Young
Hillel called out, "Stop, father!" In this way, he began reading and
speaking at the same time. Thus it is written, "Out of the mouths of
babes."
R. ben Natan says: When were stop signs created? On the fourth day, as it is written, "Let them serve as signs."
But R. Yehoshua says...."[continues for three more pages]
7. A Breslover Chasid sees
the sign and prays, saying "Ribono shel Olam, [Master of the world]here
I am, traveling on the road in Your service, and I am about to face who
knows what danger at this intersection in my life. So please watch over
me and help me to get through this stop sign safely." Then, "looking
neither to left nor right" as Rebbe Nachman
advises, he joyfully accepts the challenge, remains focused on his
goal, even as the car rolls backward for a moment, then hits the
accelerator and forges bravely forward, overcoming all obstacles which
the yetzer hara might put in his path.
I've been studying some Talmud and number 6 is especially funny.
1. An average Jew doesn't bother to read the sign but will stop if the car in front of him does.
2. A fundamentalist stops at the sign and waits for it to tell him to go.
3. An Orthodox Jew
does one of two things: a) Stops at the sign, says, "Blessed are you, O
Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us your commandment
to stop," waits 3 seconds according to his watch, and then proceeds.
b) Takes another route to work that doesn't have a stop sign so that he doesn't run the risk of disobeying the halachah.
4. A Haredi
does the same thing as the Orthodox Jew, except that he waits 10
seconds instead of 3. He also replaces his brake lights with 1000-watt
searchlights and connects his horn so that it is activated whenever he
touches the brake pedal.
5. An Orthodox woman concludes that she is not allowed to observe the mitzvah of stopping because she is niddah. This is a dilemma, because the stop sign is located on her way to the mikveh.
6. A Talmudic scholar consults his holy books and finds these comments on the stop sign:
R. Meir says: He who does not stop shall not live long.
R. Hillel says: Cursed is he who does not count to three before proceeding.
R. Shimon ben Yehudah says: Why three? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, gave us the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.
R. ben Yitzhak says: Becase of the three patriarchs.
R. Yehuda says: Why bless the Lord at a stop sign? Because it says, "Be still, and know that I am God."
R.
Yehezkel says: When Jephthah returned from defeating the Ammonites, the
Holy One, blessed be He, knew that a donkey would run out of the house
and overtake his daughter; but Jephthah did not stop at the stop sign,
and the donkey did not have time to come out. For this reason he saw
his daughter first and lost her. Thus was he judged for his
transgression at the stop sign.
R. Gamaliel says: R. Hillel,
when he was a baby, never spoke a word, though his parents tried to
teach him by speaking and showing him the words on a scroll. One day
his father was driving through town and did not stop at the sign. Young
Hillel called out, "Stop, father!" In this way, he began reading and
speaking at the same time. Thus it is written, "Out of the mouths of
babes."
R. ben Natan says: When were stop signs created? On the fourth day, as it is written, "Let them serve as signs."
But R. Yehoshua says...."[continues for three more pages]
7. A Breslover Chasid sees
the sign and prays, saying "Ribono shel Olam, [Master of the world]here
I am, traveling on the road in Your service, and I am about to face who
knows what danger at this intersection in my life. So please watch over
me and help me to get through this stop sign safely." Then, "looking
neither to left nor right" as Rebbe Nachman
advises, he joyfully accepts the challenge, remains focused on his
goal, even as the car rolls backward for a moment, then hits the
accelerator and forges bravely forward, overcoming all obstacles which
the yetzer hara might put in his path.
8. A Lubavitcher
Chasid stops at the sign and reads it very carefully in the light of
the Rebbe's teachings. Next, he gets out of the car and sets up a
roadside mitzvah-mobile, taking this opportunity to ask other Jewish drivers who stop at the stop sign whether they have put on tefillin today or whether they light Shabbat candles. Having now settled there, he steadfastly refuses to give up a single inch of the land he occupies until Mashiach comes.
9. A Conservative Jew
calls his rabbi and asks whether stopping at this sign is required by
unanimous ruling of the Commission on Jewish Law or if there is a
minority position. While waiting for the rabbi's answer, he is ticketed
by a policeman for obstructing traffic.
10.
A secular Jew rejects the sign as a vestige of an archaic and outmoded
value system with no relevance to the modern world, and ignores it
completely.
11. a Reform Jew
coasts up to the sign while contemplating the question, "Do I
personally feel commanded to stop?" During his deliberation he edges
into the intersections and is hit from behind by the secular Jew.
12. A Reconstructionist Jew
reasons: First, this sign is a legacy of our historic civilization and
therefore I must honor it. On the other hand, since "the past has a
vote and not a veto" I must study the issue and decide whether the
argument in favor of stopping is spiritually, intellectually, and
culturally compelling enough to be worth perpetuating. If so, I will
vote with the past; if not, I will veto it. Finally, is there any way
that I can revalue the stop sign's message so as to remain valid for
our own time?
13. A Renewal Movement
Jew meditates on whether the stop sign applies in all of the
kabbalistic Four Worlds [body-emotion-mind-spirit] or only in some of
them, and if so, which ones? Must he stop feeling? Thinking? Being?
Driving? Since he has stopped to breathe and meditate on these
questions, he is quite safe while he does so, baruch HaShem.
14.
A bibilical scholar points out that there are a number of stylistic
differences between the first and second halves of the passage "STOP."
For
Example, "ST" contains no enclosed areas and five line endings, whereas
"OP" contains two enclosed areas and only one line termination. He
concludes that the first and second parts are the work of different
authors who probably lived several centuries apart.
Later
scholars determine that the second half is itself actually written by
two separate authors because of similar stylisitic differences between
the "O" and "P".
15. Because
of the difficulties in interpretation, another biblical scholar amends
the text, changing "T" to "H." "SHOP" is much easier to understand in
this context than "STOP" because of the multiplicity of stores in the
area. The textual corruption probably occurred because "SHOP" is so
similar to "STOP" on the sign several streets back that it is a natural
mistake for a scribe to make. Thus the sign should be interpreted to
announce the existence of a commercial district.
16.
Yet another biblical scholar notes that the stop sign would fit better
into another intersection three streets back. Clearly it was moved to
its present location by a later redactor. He thus interprets the present intersection as though the stop sign were not there.
Can VCRs and land-based telephones be far behind?
NEW YORK -- Nikon Corp., which helped popularize the 35mm camera five
decades ago, will stop making most of its film cameras to concentrate
on digital models.
With all the advances in technology over the past 10 years alone, isn't it amazing that we're still using light bulbs in our homes which have basically remained unchanged for over 100 years?
Edison's lab 1876, Home Depot 2006...same frickin' thing.
NEW YORK -- Nikon Corp., which helped popularize the 35mm camera five
decades ago, will stop making most of its film cameras to concentrate
on digital models.
With all the advances in technology over the past 10 years alone, isn't it amazing that we're still using light bulbs in our homes which have basically remained unchanged for over 100 years?
Edison's lab 1876, Home Depot 2006...same frickin' thing.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Ah, the good old days when Israel was in control....
Some people (Palestinians - ed.) even expressed open nostalgia for the days before the 1993 Oslo accords, when Israel still occupied the territory and Palestinians were freer to travel across the country. More than 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza worked in Israel before the agreements, and thousands were still commuting through the fortresslike border crossings when Israel withdrew in September.
Some people (Palestinians - ed.) even expressed open nostalgia for the days before the 1993 Oslo accords, when Israel still occupied the territory and Palestinians were freer to travel across the country. More than 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza worked in Israel before the agreements, and thousands were still commuting through the fortresslike border crossings when Israel withdrew in September.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
The Arab answer to Barbie has been selling like hot cakes for Eid Al Adha, the most important holiday in the Muslim calendar, not least because it is cheaper than its American rival, although both are made in China.
Fulla is not the first Islamic doll but none of her predecessors have taken the regional market by storm like she has, selling some 2 million since its creation two years ago by the Emirates-based NewBoy Design Studio.
Saudi Arabia's religious police had then just banned "Barbie the Jewish doll", whose "revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West."
And I always though Barbie was the ultimate shiksa! I also didn't know it was un-Islamic to accesorize. Also, exactly what kind of "tools" does Barbie come with anyway?
Fulla is not the first Islamic doll but none of her predecessors have taken the regional market by storm like she has, selling some 2 million since its creation two years ago by the Emirates-based NewBoy Design Studio.
Saudi Arabia's religious police had then just banned "Barbie the Jewish doll", whose "revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West."
And I always though Barbie was the ultimate shiksa! I also didn't know it was un-Islamic to accesorize. Also, exactly what kind of "tools" does Barbie come with anyway?
Lately it seems that most of the things I may have commented on were too complex to give a full accounting to given the limited time I've had this week, so I'll just post a couple of quick hits of interest. I mean, does the world really need another non-lawyer's ignorant opinion on Judge Alito's position on 50 year old case law?
Spears tops Mr. Blackwell's 'Worst Dressed' list - This is like a Fark-style invitation to the media to come up with the worst picture of Britney Spears they can find. Then again, it's not too hard a challenge, is it?
OK - I have to post something about the Alito hearings. But Enough About You, Judge; Let's Hear What I Have To Say
And you though the turkeys had it bad at Thanksgiving; at least there's only 300 million Americans - for 1.2 billion people, it's Eid Mubarak! Streets annually run with blood as sheep and cattle have their throats
cut on pavements and waste ground to commemorate Abraham’s willingness
to sacrifice his son for God. I love when this stuff runs under the "Oddly Enough" section as if it's a one-off story that isn't happening regularly all over the world every year. Talk about taking the bible literally, yeesh. In my attempt at moral equivalency, I will mention that in some sects of Orthodox Judaism a chicken is slaughtered on the afternoon before Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) in a ceremony called kappores.
Although not actually a sacrifice in the biblical sense, the death of
the chicken reminds the penitent sinner that his or her life is in
God's hands. A woman brings a hen to be slaughtered, a man brings a
rooster. The meat is donated to the poor. This is a minority within a minority of the Jewish population though.
Spears tops Mr. Blackwell's 'Worst Dressed' list - This is like a Fark-style invitation to the media to come up with the worst picture of Britney Spears they can find. Then again, it's not too hard a challenge, is it?
OK - I have to post something about the Alito hearings. But Enough About You, Judge; Let's Hear What I Have To Say
Judge Alito, who had been sitting without expression through Mr.
Biden's musings, interrupted the senator midword, got out three
sentences, then settled in for nearly 26 minutes more of Mr. Biden,
with the senator doing most of the talking. With less than a minute to
spare, Mr. Biden concluded, thanked Judge Alito for "being responsive,"
then said to Mr. Specter that "I want to note that for maybe the first
time in history, Biden is 40 seconds under his time."
The audience laughed appreciatively.
---------------------------And you though the turkeys had it bad at Thanksgiving; at least there's only 300 million Americans - for 1.2 billion people, it's Eid Mubarak! Streets annually run with blood as sheep and cattle have their throats
cut on pavements and waste ground to commemorate Abraham’s willingness
to sacrifice his son for God. I love when this stuff runs under the "Oddly Enough" section as if it's a one-off story that isn't happening regularly all over the world every year. Talk about taking the bible literally, yeesh. In my attempt at moral equivalency, I will mention that in some sects of Orthodox Judaism a chicken is slaughtered on the afternoon before Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) in a ceremony called kappores.
Although not actually a sacrifice in the biblical sense, the death of
the chicken reminds the penitent sinner that his or her life is in
God's hands. A woman brings a hen to be slaughtered, a man brings a
rooster. The meat is donated to the poor. This is a minority within a minority of the Jewish population though.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Sgt. Mark Seavey confronts Democrat Reps. Jim Moran and John Murtha at a town hall meeting in Arlington, Va., earlier this week.
The highlight is when he says, "And Congressman Moran, 200 of your constituents just returned from Afghanistan. We never got a letter from you; we never got a visit from you. You didn't come to our homecoming. The only thing we got from any of our elected officials was one letter from the governor of this state thanking us for our service in Iraq, when we were in Afghanistan. That's reprehensible. I don't know who you two are talking to but the morale of the troops is very high."
Powerline reports on what happened next:
Confusing himself with the host of Jeopardy, Moran responded: "That wasn't in the form of a question, it was in the form of a statement." Perhaps Moran can find his true calling as a game show host.
Video here.
I realize that some of my readers really don't like the tone of the bloggers who report this kind of thing, but then who else does report it?
As an aside, I think that Murhta's comments that he would not join the military today are incredibly hurtful to the troops. Since the "news" that the administration is fighting an unjust/immoral/unnecessary/incompentently managed war is about 3 years old now, to believe what Murtha does you have to assume that the troops that are serving now volunteered because they are stupid, desperate, or amoral themselves.
The highlight is when he says, "And Congressman Moran, 200 of your constituents just returned from Afghanistan. We never got a letter from you; we never got a visit from you. You didn't come to our homecoming. The only thing we got from any of our elected officials was one letter from the governor of this state thanking us for our service in Iraq, when we were in Afghanistan. That's reprehensible. I don't know who you two are talking to but the morale of the troops is very high."
Powerline reports on what happened next:
Confusing himself with the host of Jeopardy, Moran responded: "That wasn't in the form of a question, it was in the form of a statement." Perhaps Moran can find his true calling as a game show host.
Video here.
I realize that some of my readers really don't like the tone of the bloggers who report this kind of thing, but then who else does report it?
As an aside, I think that Murhta's comments that he would not join the military today are incredibly hurtful to the troops. Since the "news" that the administration is fighting an unjust/immoral/unnecessary/incompentently managed war is about 3 years old now, to believe what Murtha does you have to assume that the troops that are serving now volunteered because they are stupid, desperate, or amoral themselves.
Once again, the media proclaims that everybody loves the Democrats!
Public Partial to Democrats, Poll Says - Majority Surveyed Back Power Shift reports the Boston Globe
Poll Displays Desire for D.C. Power Swing cries The Olympian
49% in poll favor Democratic control of Congress says the Dallas Morning News (no link on their site)
Poll says Democrats preferred for Congress
Future Looks Bleak for GOP
In an ominous election-year sign for Republicans, Americans are leaning
sharply toward wanting Democrats to take control of Congress, an
AP-Ipsos poll finds. Democrats are favored 49 percent to 36 percent.
Wow, if a Presidential election were held today, Democrats would win in a landslide of historic proportions!
Unfortunately for most Americans who read this crap in their morning newspaper or see it on the evening news, it's all bullsh*t. The poll results can be found here and guess what. Of those surveyed, 52% were Democrats and 40% were Republicans. Do ya think that's why the Democrats were favored by 13 points in the poll? On top of that those in the poll that described themselves as "strongly Democrat" was 20% while those who were "strongly Republican" was 13%. So not only did they poll many more Democrats, but more partisan ones as well.
One might also wonder why the President's approval rating is at 40% in this particular poll, reinforcing the media meme of Bush's poor performance.
I have written about this type of thing several times and have yet to see a poll where Republicans so heavily outnumber Democrats in a major poll.
Public Partial to Democrats, Poll Says - Majority Surveyed Back Power Shift reports the Boston Globe
Poll Displays Desire for D.C. Power Swing cries The Olympian
49% in poll favor Democratic control of Congress says the Dallas Morning News (no link on their site)
Poll says Democrats preferred for Congress
Future Looks Bleak for GOP
In an ominous election-year sign for Republicans, Americans are leaning
sharply toward wanting Democrats to take control of Congress, an
AP-Ipsos poll finds. Democrats are favored 49 percent to 36 percent.
Wow, if a Presidential election were held today, Democrats would win in a landslide of historic proportions!
Unfortunately for most Americans who read this crap in their morning newspaper or see it on the evening news, it's all bullsh*t. The poll results can be found here and guess what. Of those surveyed, 52% were Democrats and 40% were Republicans. Do ya think that's why the Democrats were favored by 13 points in the poll? On top of that those in the poll that described themselves as "strongly Democrat" was 20% while those who were "strongly Republican" was 13%. So not only did they poll many more Democrats, but more partisan ones as well.
One might also wonder why the President's approval rating is at 40% in this particular poll, reinforcing the media meme of Bush's poor performance.
I have written about this type of thing several times and have yet to see a poll where Republicans so heavily outnumber Democrats in a major poll.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
For those who keep looking for ways to understand terrorists...to put themselves in a terrorists shoes so to speak, can they finally scratch desperate poverty from their talking points?
London suicide bomber left 121,000 pounds in will
One of the four suspected Islamic extremists involved in the July 7, 2005 suicide bomb attacks in London left 121,000 pounds (175,455 euros, 212,433 dollars) in a will, The Sun reported.
Shehzad Tanweer, who worked part-time in a fish and chip shop in his home city of Leeds, northern England, blew himself up at Aldgate Underground station, killing eight people and injuring dozens more.
In all, 52 commuters died in the terrorist attacks on three Underground trains and a double-decker bus while more than 700 people were injured.
An official from the High Court probate department was quoted by the newspaper as saying that 22-year-old Tanweer's estate was a net figure (ed. note - !!!!) following the deduction of loans, debts and funeral costs.
London suicide bomber left 121,000 pounds in will
One of the four suspected Islamic extremists involved in the July 7, 2005 suicide bomb attacks in London left 121,000 pounds (175,455 euros, 212,433 dollars) in a will, The Sun reported.
Shehzad Tanweer, who worked part-time in a fish and chip shop in his home city of Leeds, northern England, blew himself up at Aldgate Underground station, killing eight people and injuring dozens more.
In all, 52 commuters died in the terrorist attacks on three Underground trains and a double-decker bus while more than 700 people were injured.
An official from the High Court probate department was quoted by the newspaper as saying that 22-year-old Tanweer's estate was a net figure (ed. note - !!!!) following the deduction of loans, debts and funeral costs.
If Eric Clapton is God - what does that make Howard Stern?
Howard Stern to get $220 million in Sirius stock
Howard Stern to get $220 million in Sirius stock
Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. will give Howard Stern 34 million shares of stock _ worth about $220 million at today's prices _ because the company has met agreed-upon targets for
gaining new subscribers under its 2004 deal with the shock jock.
In a regulatory filing Thursday, Sirius said its subscriber count as of Dec. 31, 2005, exceeded the target it had agreed upon with Stern in October 2004, when it made a five-year deal with him.
The man may be crude pervert, but he is the Einstein of crude perverts.
Saddam Hussein phoned George W. Bush. "I had a dream about the United States," he said. "I could see the whole country, and over every building and home was a banner."
"What was on the banner?" asked Mr. Bush.
"LONG LIVE SADDAM!" answered the dictator.
"I'm so glad that you called," said President Bush, "because I too had a dream. In my dream, I saw Iraq and it was more beautiful than ever; totally rebuilt with many tall, gleaming office buildings, large residential subdivisions with swimming pools in every yard; and over every building and home was a big, beautiful banner."
"What did the banner say?" asked Saddam.
"I don't know," answered Bush, "I can't read Hebrew".
"What was on the banner?" asked Mr. Bush.
"LONG LIVE SADDAM!" answered the dictator.
"I'm so glad that you called," said President Bush, "because I too had a dream. In my dream, I saw Iraq and it was more beautiful than ever; totally rebuilt with many tall, gleaming office buildings, large residential subdivisions with swimming pools in every yard; and over every building and home was a big, beautiful banner."
"What did the banner say?" asked Saddam.
"I don't know," answered Bush, "I can't read Hebrew".
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
As I perused the NYTimes.com homepage and saw the link for tomorrow's lead editorial, The Sago Mine Disaster, I laughed and said to myself, "I bet they try to blame it on Bush".
They're so predictable.
Whether or not that was a factor in the Sago mine's history, the Bush administration's cramming of important posts in the Department of the Interior with biased operatives from the coal, oil and gas industry is not reassuring about general safety in the mines.
Ooooh...OPERATIVES. How sneaky sounding. At least they're upfront in saying that it's not important to them if Bush or any of his people actually had anything to do with the disaster. And of course they're also admitting that they don't feel they need to research the issue before leveling criticism. Perhaps a simple statistic like how many mining deaths/accidents have there been in recent years compared to the past? I mean, how hard could that be to get from their union friends?
Was there any thought involved in putting together this editorial or was that the sound of a knee jerking?
According to the Dept. of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration, the number of coal mining deaths and injuries declined 20% in the first three years of the Bush presidency. Whether or not Bush's choices for the Dept. of Interior leadership were any factor, it has to make us feel good that he's in charge. See how stupid that sounds when the shoe's on the other foot?
They're so predictable.
Whether or not that was a factor in the Sago mine's history, the Bush administration's cramming of important posts in the Department of the Interior with biased operatives from the coal, oil and gas industry is not reassuring about general safety in the mines.
Ooooh...OPERATIVES. How sneaky sounding. At least they're upfront in saying that it's not important to them if Bush or any of his people actually had anything to do with the disaster. And of course they're also admitting that they don't feel they need to research the issue before leveling criticism. Perhaps a simple statistic like how many mining deaths/accidents have there been in recent years compared to the past? I mean, how hard could that be to get from their union friends?
Was there any thought involved in putting together this editorial or was that the sound of a knee jerking?
According to the Dept. of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration, the number of coal mining deaths and injuries declined 20% in the first three years of the Bush presidency. Whether or not Bush's choices for the Dept. of Interior leadership were any factor, it has to make us feel good that he's in charge. See how stupid that sounds when the shoe's on the other foot?
My dad suffered a brain aneurysm a little over a year ago and it gave our family the scare of our lives. Luckily he didn't have to have brain surgery and is walking around as good as new. It seems that Ariel Sharon is in a much worse position. Regardless of the outcome, I don't see how he would be able to function as Prime Minister for the foreseeable future.
Just as those Palestinians who wished to see Ehud Barak gone in 2001 got more than they bargained for, those that will surely be handing our candies to the children tonight should think twice about what they wish for.
Just as those Palestinians who wished to see Ehud Barak gone in 2001 got more than they bargained for, those that will surely be handing our candies to the children tonight should think twice about what they wish for.
Back on December 21, Reuters reported the following:
In a stinging rebuke to the Bush administration, a U.S. appeals court
refused on Wednesday to transfer Jose Padilla from U.S. military
custody to federal authorities in Florida until the Supreme Court
considers his case.
This should take some of the sting out:
In a stinging rebuke to the Bush administration, a U.S. appeals court
refused on Wednesday to transfer Jose Padilla from U.S. military
custody to federal authorities in Florida until the Supreme Court
considers his case.
This should take some of the sting out:
The Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to let the military transfer accused "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla to Miami to face criminal charges in at least a temporary victory for theBush administration.
The justices overruled a lower court, which had attempted to block the transfer as part of a rebuke to the White House.
Or as talkleft.com declared at the time:
The ultra conservative Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals showed some backbone today and denied the Government's request to move indicted detainee Jose Padilla to the custody of the Attorney General from military custody. You can read the opinion here. (pdf) Big defeat for Bush.
Which just goes to show you it ain't over 'til the Supreme Court sings.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
I can't imagine the relief and joy that the families of these 12 miners must feel in the wee hours of this morning. I pray that when I wake up, that the reports turn out to be true.
Families Say 12 W. Va. Miners Found Alive
God Bless Them All.
Damn.
After Reports to the Contrary, Only One Miner Survives
Families Say 12 W. Va. Miners Found Alive
God Bless Them All.
Damn.
After Reports to the Contrary, Only One Miner Survives
The NY Times has this to say about "whistle-blowers" in an editorial called "On the Subject of Leaks".
A democratic society cannot long survive if whistle-blowers are criminally punished for revealing what those in power don't want the public to know - especially if it's unethical, illegal or unconstitutional behavior by top officials. Reporters need to be able
to protect these sources, regardless of whether the sources are motivated by policy disputes or nagging consciences. This is doubly important with an administration as dedicated as this one is to extreme secrecy.
At first glance, this seems like a reasonable argument. It sounds and feels right. However....
First of all no one has been criminally punished yet for the leak regarding NSA surveillance. Second of all, no one is a "whistle-blower" until the offending party can be proved to have done something wrong or illegal, until then they are just traitors. In fact, regardless of the nature of the supposed crime by President Bush or others, it is certainly illegal to reveal the details of a classified effort to surveil enemy activity in wartime and the revelation of those secrets (we are allowed to keep secrets from the enemy, aren't we?) is certainly damaging to national security. In a war against terrorism, intelligence gathering is just as important as traditional battlefield maneuvers, maybe even more so. To let the enemy know what we are doing to gather intelligence on them is the same as an old fashioned revealing of our field position and troop strength in a traditional war. Loose lips sink ships and all that.
(None of this takes into account that senior congresspersons were aware of the NSA's stepped up domestic activities and chose to keep their concerns to themselves.)
Yes, would-be whistle-blowers do get indicted. And many had uncovered real concerns that it was in the public interest to know. But they also have to play within the bounds of the law. Whoever leaked the details of the NSA program was almost certainly not acting within the bounds of the law. If there was a crime involved in leaking Valerie Plame's name to the press, the leaker should be discovered and punished. The same holds true here. The Times seems to be advocating the position that of you think you are doing the right thing, you should use every avenue available to you, legal or not. I thought that's exactly what they are fighting AGAINST concerning Bush's handling of the war. Bush can't push the boundaries of the law to defend the nation (no reporter has claimed that he was doing otherwise), but others can break the law to stop him. No hypocrisy there.
It's all about the concept of leveling the playing field. That's why suicide bombers are OK in some far left circles. What other weapons do the poor Islamists/insurgents have? Who are we to demand any kind of moral standard from them when they are the weaker party in the conflict?
I'm not sure what's all this talk about "doubly important" and "extreme secrecy" is? Is that something like "double-secret probation"?
I wonder if James Risen will reimburse his leaker friend(s) with a percentage of the money he receives from his new book.
And you know what else - since no one in the mainstream media or on the internet that I've seen has the balls to do it - maybe they think it will jinx our luck - I'm going to say it -
IN THE LAST 4 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AND 25 DAYS THERE HAVE BEEN ZERO SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS ON THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR IT'S EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES OVERSEAS BY ANY TERRORIST GROUP MUSLIM OR OTHERWISE. This is almost a year longer than it took for us to fight WWII, and yet many consider us "not as safe". Thank you President Bush. Look at this list to find a list of terrorist attacks against US interests in almost every year since 1979. Almost 4 1/2 years without an incident is NOT dumb luck. ESPECIALLY when liberals have claimed since the day we stepped foot in Afghanistan that the Muslim street would rise up against us and a wave of hatred would sweep across the world.
I feel much better now.
A democratic society cannot long survive if whistle-blowers are criminally punished for revealing what those in power don't want the public to know - especially if it's unethical, illegal or unconstitutional behavior by top officials. Reporters need to be able
to protect these sources, regardless of whether the sources are motivated by policy disputes or nagging consciences. This is doubly important with an administration as dedicated as this one is to extreme secrecy.
At first glance, this seems like a reasonable argument. It sounds and feels right. However....
First of all no one has been criminally punished yet for the leak regarding NSA surveillance. Second of all, no one is a "whistle-blower" until the offending party can be proved to have done something wrong or illegal, until then they are just traitors. In fact, regardless of the nature of the supposed crime by President Bush or others, it is certainly illegal to reveal the details of a classified effort to surveil enemy activity in wartime and the revelation of those secrets (we are allowed to keep secrets from the enemy, aren't we?) is certainly damaging to national security. In a war against terrorism, intelligence gathering is just as important as traditional battlefield maneuvers, maybe even more so. To let the enemy know what we are doing to gather intelligence on them is the same as an old fashioned revealing of our field position and troop strength in a traditional war. Loose lips sink ships and all that.
(None of this takes into account that senior congresspersons were aware of the NSA's stepped up domestic activities and chose to keep their concerns to themselves.)
Yes, would-be whistle-blowers do get indicted. And many had uncovered real concerns that it was in the public interest to know. But they also have to play within the bounds of the law. Whoever leaked the details of the NSA program was almost certainly not acting within the bounds of the law. If there was a crime involved in leaking Valerie Plame's name to the press, the leaker should be discovered and punished. The same holds true here. The Times seems to be advocating the position that of you think you are doing the right thing, you should use every avenue available to you, legal or not. I thought that's exactly what they are fighting AGAINST concerning Bush's handling of the war. Bush can't push the boundaries of the law to defend the nation (no reporter has claimed that he was doing otherwise), but others can break the law to stop him. No hypocrisy there.
It's all about the concept of leveling the playing field. That's why suicide bombers are OK in some far left circles. What other weapons do the poor Islamists/insurgents have? Who are we to demand any kind of moral standard from them when they are the weaker party in the conflict?
I'm not sure what's all this talk about "doubly important" and "extreme secrecy" is? Is that something like "double-secret probation"?
I wonder if James Risen will reimburse his leaker friend(s) with a percentage of the money he receives from his new book.
And you know what else - since no one in the mainstream media or on the internet that I've seen has the balls to do it - maybe they think it will jinx our luck - I'm going to say it -
IN THE LAST 4 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AND 25 DAYS THERE HAVE BEEN ZERO SUCCESSFUL ATTACKS ON THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OR IT'S EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES OVERSEAS BY ANY TERRORIST GROUP MUSLIM OR OTHERWISE. This is almost a year longer than it took for us to fight WWII, and yet many consider us "not as safe". Thank you President Bush. Look at this list to find a list of terrorist attacks against US interests in almost every year since 1979. Almost 4 1/2 years without an incident is NOT dumb luck. ESPECIALLY when liberals have claimed since the day we stepped foot in Afghanistan that the Muslim street would rise up against us and a wave of hatred would sweep across the world.
I feel much better now.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
The trailer for The DaVinci Code is online now. Cool. It also seems like it's in some kind of hi-resolution, the trailer seems to play on my laptop clearer than DVDs, although it could just be my imagination. What a great book.
According to the Jerusalem Post:
Two Palestinians were killed and three wounded late Saturday in an IAF air strike in the northern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian official said, the first fatal attack in the border area since Israel declared it a "no-go" zone.
The IDF said the terrorists were spotted preparing to fire a rocket from the area of Elei Sinai, one of the 21 settlements evacuated during the pullout from Gaza.
According to WAFA, the Palestine News Agency:
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed Saturday night two citizens in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Lahia, medical sources said.
The sources reported that two citizens were killed by Israeli artillery which bombarded the al-Manshiya neighborhood in the city.
Pinpoint attack on two terrorists, or random bombardment of a residential neighbohood? Here's a map of Gaza showing the difference between Elei Sinai and Beith Lahia.
I like the ABC News headline - 2 Palestinians Slain in Israeli Airstrike. Isn't the word "slain" usually used for homicide and senseless killing? I guess I know who they believe. I also like the way the lead paragraph of their Associated Press story is written:
Two Palestinians were killed in Israel's first deadly airstrike in a Gaza border area it recently put off-limits, just as a truce that has drastically reduced violence between the two sides formally ended.
No mention of what the two Palestinians may have been doing (until later in the article) and obviously suggesting that Israel took advantage of the ending of a "truce" to kill people as soon as possible, even though Israel was never party to the "truce". This isn't just misleading reporting, but false.
There's more rich bull**** from the Palestinian Interior Ministry which claims that, "a shell hit a Palestinian post, hindering police efforts to stop militants from firing a rocket at Israel."
I wonder which of these lies the Palestinian Human Rights organizations will use on their websites denouncing Israel.
Two Palestinians were killed and three wounded late Saturday in an IAF air strike in the northern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian official said, the first fatal attack in the border area since Israel declared it a "no-go" zone.
The IDF said the terrorists were spotted preparing to fire a rocket from the area of Elei Sinai, one of the 21 settlements evacuated during the pullout from Gaza.
According to WAFA, the Palestine News Agency:
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed Saturday night two citizens in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Lahia, medical sources said.
The sources reported that two citizens were killed by Israeli artillery which bombarded the al-Manshiya neighborhood in the city.
Pinpoint attack on two terrorists, or random bombardment of a residential neighbohood? Here's a map of Gaza showing the difference between Elei Sinai and Beith Lahia.
I like the ABC News headline - 2 Palestinians Slain in Israeli Airstrike. Isn't the word "slain" usually used for homicide and senseless killing? I guess I know who they believe. I also like the way the lead paragraph of their Associated Press story is written:
Two Palestinians were killed in Israel's first deadly airstrike in a Gaza border area it recently put off-limits, just as a truce that has drastically reduced violence between the two sides formally ended.
No mention of what the two Palestinians may have been doing (until later in the article) and obviously suggesting that Israel took advantage of the ending of a "truce" to kill people as soon as possible, even though Israel was never party to the "truce". This isn't just misleading reporting, but false.
There's more rich bull**** from the Palestinian Interior Ministry which claims that, "a shell hit a Palestinian post, hindering police efforts to stop militants from firing a rocket at Israel."
I wonder which of these lies the Palestinian Human Rights organizations will use on their websites denouncing Israel.
Maybe it's just a slow news day, but there were quite a few inspirational/interesting stories in the Metro section of this morning's Dallas Morning News.
Spat with mom is one for the books - Pre-teen gets mad at her mom, writes a novel about what it would be like to run away and sells several hundred copies. There's a website at www.runawayhotel.com and a portion of the proceeds goes to CITY House, a Plano shelter for teens.
Making sure their cups runneth over too - The Rev. Joel Pulis starts a church specifically to cater to the mentally handicapped who wouldn't normally be welcome in most other churches. (It made me wonder what the Jewish perspective on disruptive people at services is?)
What makes FW safer than Dallas? - Dallas is the 5th most dangerous city and Fort Worth is the 9th safest despite the fact that they are less than an hour apart by car. Is is just a matter of a half-penny tax directed toward fighting crime?
Spat with mom is one for the books - Pre-teen gets mad at her mom, writes a novel about what it would be like to run away and sells several hundred copies. There's a website at www.runawayhotel.com and a portion of the proceeds goes to CITY House, a Plano shelter for teens.
Making sure their cups runneth over too - The Rev. Joel Pulis starts a church specifically to cater to the mentally handicapped who wouldn't normally be welcome in most other churches. (It made me wonder what the Jewish perspective on disruptive people at services is?)
What makes FW safer than Dallas? - Dallas is the 5th most dangerous city and Fort Worth is the 9th safest despite the fact that they are less than an hour apart by car. Is is just a matter of a half-penny tax directed toward fighting crime?
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