December 31, 2004
"Blog, You're Fired," (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
Language purists sack words for misuse.
Literally.
Books and time
I'm in Vera Cruz, Mexico today and it is gorgeous out. It's a nice, small city and I've been soaking up sun and reading 'Love, Poverty and War', a collection of essays by Christopher Hitchens.
I'm nearly done with it but am not sure I recommend it. On one hand, it's a beautiful book, written in a style unique to Hitchens. On the other hand, his pre-9/11 writing was so focused on knocking prominent, admired people, like Mother Theresa and Winston Churchill, off their perches that it gets a little old. Even when I share his criticism of certain people, like Bill Clinton, I feel like Hitchens' complaints come off as a tad obvious. My favorite parts of the book concern the Kurds, who have never had a better friend than Hitchens (despite their motto 'the Kurds have no friends'), and his various travels through war torn countries. His take on NYC's Bloomberg nanny laws is spot on. Maybe I'll have a longer, more detailed review when I'm done. For now, I'm going out into Vera Cruz and waiting the arrival of 2005.
Why I hate Instapundit (By Guest Blogger Candace)
Because every single time I go to post something here, I think, "Hmm, I should check and see if it's already on Instapundit since I'm pretty much the only blogger not addicted to him." And it's already there.
It's like that girl in school who is always the first to get the new shoes you really wanted and you feel like you've totally lost your niche. I think that's why people go into anthropology: so they can study really obscure things that no one else in the world knows about and feel good about. Incidentally, no one else in the world really cares about it, either, but there are always tradeoffs.
The Speech He Ought to Give (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)
"If, actually, the foreign assistance of many countries now is 0.1 or 0.2 percent of the gross national income, I think that is stingy, really. I don't think that is very generous."
Jan Egeland, Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief
Bush oughta hit back hard:
"How much have you contributed, Jan Egeland? How many executives in your office pledged a percentage of their annual incomes to help the tsunami victims? The fact is, America composes five percent of the world's population and fifty percent of its foreign aid. We are home of the United Nations. In fact, that parking space you have is paid for by a guy in Idaho who works in a factory all day and misses his son's baseball games so he can put food on the table and pay his taxes like a good American. He pays for your parking tickets too. He pays for people like you to come here and advance freedom. And he doesn't complain about it. Because he doesn't mind. He is American. And here in America, Jan Egeland, we don't criticize people who stick their necks out for us. We say thank-you."
Of course, it is a White House marked by caution and grace. That speech would not be given by President Bush. It would be "defensive." It would be "unpresidential."
It would be wonderful.
Flippity Flop (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
December 30, 2004
Useless self-reflection blogging (By guest blogger Candace)
Upon listening to some old rap records in an attempt to get in the "going to the bar although not drinking" spirit and having my newfound delicate sensibilities rather confused, twisted, and even offended on occasion, I realize I'm considerably less trouble than I used to be. Oh, what a year can do for you. (Also might explain a slight but noticable drop in hits.)
Manchurian Bernie Kerik (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
"I have this terrible feeling that nobody wants to hurt me, but wants to try and hurt Rudy Giuliani, one of the most decent, most loyal, most brave, most honest men in this city. I'm a nobody. A humble nobody."
Why you should all have co-bloggers (By guest blogger Candace)
Because not even sweet boyfriends have the good timing to send you two Nina Simone cds on the day that your mailboxes give you a nervous breakdown. It was like she knew just how to make up for what didn't come in the mail today.
And, I now understand why Ginger went so far as to name her cat after this woman. The tearing up of now-irrelevant graduate school applications, banging my fists against the wall and screaming at the hot cocoa to go away and leave me alone -- that phase is now over. Now, I'm lighting enough candles to set the Kremlin on fire, cranking up the heat in my apartment, and, as recommended, playing the live cd over and over.
On a cold December day, nothing gives your heart a nice calming massage like a relaxing cd, expensive body care, and the knowledge that the internet loves you.
Internet, I love you, too. (Except for you, Evil Dawn.)
Devastated Asian Countries Win in Pissing Contest (by guest blogger D-Money)
France doubles it's contribution to surpass U.S. promises; Britain then one ups France.
Comments
I hear that some people are getting an error message when they comment. I get a note to 'approve' those comments. I guess its better than my comment section playing censor and deciding on its own which comments to approve. I'm going to have to do something about my comment section when I get back but in the meantime, keep on commenting and I'll be approving as soon as possible.
Black and White (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)
Something always struck me about M. Night Shyamalan's movie Unbreakable. It is a story about a guy, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who is prone to broken bones, and his quest for his exact opposite, a guy who would be unbreakable. He finds it in Bruce Willis. "Now that I know who you are," Jackson says, "I know who I am. I am not a mistake."
In her book, Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale, Catherine Orenstein sums up with the argument of French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss that humans see the world and ourselves in binary opposition: Red Riding Hood, good. The wolf, bad. Without one, it is impossible to see the true nature of the other.
I am put in mind of Einstein's quote: Relativity applies to physics, not ethics.
Bush simplifies politics. Saddam is an evil-doer. He is an enemy of civilization. It is mocked by the Ivy League. It is mocked by the United Nations. But he tapped into something basic and human: If there is good, there must be evil. And we have seen it. And it is this.
Most Random Posting Ever {by Guest Blogger Ari}
Of all the state themed quarters; I thought you'd want to know, I've decided I like the Vermont one best.
Commence with the relevancy.
A new meetup
If you haven't already done so, I recommend signing up for a Club for Growth meetup in your area. I'm organizing the one in NYC.
Club for Growth is a great group dedicated to electing small government, free-market candidates. I know NY could use some of these, maybe where you live can too.
Which Americans would those be? (By Guest Blogger Candace)
All of this tsunami aid business takes me back to the roots of my belief about the role of government. Sometimes I want to stand up and scream that my face is not tattood with the American flag, and neither should it be. Perhaps for a Frenchman or one of the opportunists at the New York Times, the concept of "American aid" coming from Americans is unthinkable. But it isn't from me.
Those darling editors don't think we're giving enough. In fact, we never do.
I wonder what would happen if you added to that $35 million the millions of dollars of aid coming from Americans themselves.
Yes, there's always Medicins Sans Frontieres. Or its US chapter.
Or World Vision, straight from my hometown.
Or the American Red Cross (and the 80,000+ individual Americans who have contributed to it in the last several days through Amazon.com alone, a total number of donations that will soon surpass $5 million).
Or churchgoers across America donating into special offerings.
How about the American Jewish World Service?
Catholic Relief Services' $25 million?
US-based Mercy Corps?
Donations in the form of needed medical supplies?
Oxfam's $5 million appeal?
Or the countless businesses that have contributed?
Project Hope. US Unicef. The Salvation Army. Bill & Melinda Gates. I could go on all day with examples. Even the Times itself had to call our money a "flood" of its own.
Unless we make it through our taxes, though, some people will insist it doesn't count. Meanwhile, I'll insist it does, and more so because it's voluntary. And I encourage people to give and do whatever they can, instead of passing off the responsibility to the government, which forces you to give.
And don't let those stingy well-paid editors whining about their government's contribution denigrate you.
HAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh, ha, I can't, ha, breathe, haha. (By guest blogger Candace)
"In the same breath, Dino Rossi says a drawn-out process would hurt Washington state and then he asks for another election," said Kirstin Brost, Democratic Party spokeswoman. "He wants to spend $4 million of taxpayer money for a new election because he doesn't like the results."
No, if he doesn't like the results, he should just start "finding" new ballots! That's the ethical way. Ask Ukraine -- they had it right the first time, didn't they?
Via SeattleTimes.com.
Even if you don't want to play, it's Game On! anyway (by guest blogger Peter)
And so the dance continues. The saga known as the Montreal - Puerto Rico - Washington Expos/Nationals carries on for another day. DC mayor Anthony Williams signed a bill which officially brings Major League Baseball back to our nation's capital more than three decades after their last team skipped town (again). For reasons I won't get into here, I was opposed to baseball's return to DC in the first place but since it's happening anyway, I just hope the decimated franchise gets some sense of stability as soon as possible.
Tim Marchman had a great article in Monday's NY Sun which sums up the absurdity of the Exponals fiasco. For those of you who haven't been following this story, the big issue which almost killed the deal was that MLB expected a new stadium to be paid for with taxpayer money while the DC city council wanted the financing to come from private sources. The city caved, but don't think it's just the folks in Washington who are being forced to open up their wallets. According to Marchman, it looks like federal money is getting mixed into the park as well. For shame.
Currently, the Expos Nationals are owned by the other 29 MLB owners, a sizeable group of rather successful business men and women. When they finally find a buyer for the team, the owners' collective is expected to make a profit in excess of $200M. Consider the fact that we're dealing with people who pay the Kris Bensons of the world $22.5M to pitch for three years, and you have a group of people who could totally build their own stadium if needed. But why make them loosen their purse strings when the IRS can mug us for the money?
Some Democrats refuse to let it go.
About a half dozen supporters of John Kerry are holding vigil in front of his house, still hoping for a Kerry presidency.''Who knows? Maybe we'll overturn the election," said Sheila Parks, a vigil organizer.
How do you say "Fight the good fight" in Italian? (by guest blogger Peter)
Italy Cafe Owners Vow to Rebel Against Smoking Ban
I wish them well. Hopefully the Italians will fare better than my fellow New Yorkers who just rolled over and took it like a Frenchman when Mike Bloomberg handed down his smoking ban here. I could start my own blog just to enumerate all the reasons why I think Bloomberg's a terrible mayor, but I'll just bother you with one per post.
I was actually thinking about this earlier, does anyone know if any of these smoking bans have been challenged in the courts? I still don't see the legality in outlawing a legal activity from occurring within a private establishment.
December 29, 2004
Not at all useless entertainment blogging (By guest blogger Candace)
On an another important note, Sex and the City Season 6 Part 2 comes out this week.
I knew you would all want to know.
Useless celebrity blogging (By guest blogger Candace)
All this time I've admired Nicole Kidman, I've rarely seen her actually act.
I could maybe perhaps have forgiven the Chanel commercials but now that I'm finally sweeing The Stepford Wives, I'm officially a Scarlett Johansson girl. Final word.
May the useless blogging begin (By guest blogger Candace)
Following Annika's lead. We begin with "Useless Diet Blogging":
Best South Beach Diet dessert ever:
Almond extract + fresh mascarone cheese (also known as the world's best sweet cheese in the whole stinking world and the only thing saving me temporarily from the inevitable no-sugar breakdown)
Yummy.
Fashionably late (By Guest Blogger Candace)
How do I excuse myself for being so late to the guest-blogging party? There are excuses, you know: everybody is reading about the tsunami anyway, and really, people generally seem more interested in my wardrobe than my politics. And I care a lot less about having my style misjudged than my ideology. As a result, I get a little nervous about you guys. The Karol crowd in New York is fan-freaking-tastic. The Spot On crowd on the internet is a little bit intimidating.
But enough with excuses. I am on top of some things today, and not just how to wear a denim miniskirt in high December (though I'll gladly answer those questions as well).
There's my hello. Now be ready to suffer from my every thought, since my own site isn't letting me post today.
Lawyers, start your motions (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
Thailand delayed issuing tsuami warnings for fear it might hurt tourism business.
FYI
No one that I spoke to in Honduras seemed to be too concerned about the government crackdown in big cities, I was on the island Roatan, they seem much more interested in what is happening in Asia.
JERRY ORBACH DEAD AT 69 (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
My friend lived down the hall from Jerry Orbach. Whenever I visited her, I would see him in the lobby or in the elevator. Of course, I have a chronic case of star-struckness and would always look away or hide behind pillars if I saw him. One day, shortly after new year's day in 2001, I vowed that I would say hi the next time I saw him.
Unfortunately, I vowed this out loud as my friend was locking her door and it turns out Jerry Orbach and his wife were also in the hallway opening their door when I made my out loud vow.
D'oh.
His wife very nicely told him to "say hello to the girls." He turned toward us, smiled and they went inside.
He will be missed.
Tired
I was wondering earlier (and chastising myself for being so cynical) how long it would take before the tsunamis in Asia became a political issue for Bush. The answer is not too long. I didn't guess that the problem would be that he hasn't mugged for the tv enough, I thought it was going to have an environmental angle -- Bush's environmental policies cause earthquakes and tsunamis, that sort of thing.
The 'stingy' criticsm from U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland is just icing. The US is, as if there was any doubt, giving the most money, supplies and people toward the effort in Asia. Would it be too much to ask that just this once the obnoxiously dissatisfied 'world community' shut up? The alternative is that other superpower, France, that is donating a whole US$135,000 (an amount that would be highly laughable if the situation wasn't so dire) could run the show. A few kickbacks to thugs and officials, a couple of resolutions on the position of the UN on tsunamis and the relief effort can be begin in earnest six months from now.
The final idiocy in this whole sorry mess is Sri Lanka refusing an Israeli rescue team saying it 'wants supplies' instead. Israel is actually sending the supplies requested, being fifty million times nicer than I would be. Oh, you want supplies but not dirty Jews? Well, here's a Russian phrase for y'all 'harasho hatet', 'it's good to want'.
December 28, 2004
Bias (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)
"Ohio Recount Ends, Shows Vote Closer"
"Election officials finished the presidential recount in Ohio on Tuesday, with the final tally shaving about 300 votes off President Bush's six-figure margin of victory in the state that gave him a second term."
Bush margin of victory in Ohio, pre-recount: 118,775.
Bush margin of victory in Ohio, post-recount: 118,457.
Yep.
It's a lot closer.
Proud moments in punk rock.
Green Day debate if to burn flag during a photo shoot. Decide not to because it's illegal. Except that, of course, it's not illegal.
I'm not a fan of legislating every little problem, but....
....charging for internet by the minute should be illegal, don't you think?
December 27, 2004
I'm going to be in Honduras tomorrow
Honduran security forces patrol streets
Thousands of soldiers and police took over Honduras' main cities on Saturday in a show of force to prevent new attacks by youth gangs after gunmen murdered 28 people on a public bus earlier this week.
My favorite part of this whole story (I mean, other than the fact that I'm going to be in that shaky country tomorrow) is that one of the demands of the murderers who opened fire on civilians riding a bus is an end to the death penalty.
What a Difference a Day Makes (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
On Christmas Eve the media reported that a powerful earthquake had hit Antartica, but the penguins had been spared the worst because the quake moved horizontally and there were no tsunamis or tidal waves.
The day after Christmas tens of thousands in coastal Asian cities were not so lucky.
The world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years erupted underwater off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Sunday and sent walls of water barreling thousands of miles, killing more than 19,000 people in half a dozen countries across South and Southeast Asia, with thousands more missing or unreachable.
If you would like to help the victims, Iocaste has a list of organizations helping with the effort.
The Age of Miracles (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)
Think about that first Christmas: Mary, who was bringing a child into the world through an Immaculate Conception, gave birth in a manger to the savior of the human race. It was Jesus. He lived. He died. He lived...again. It was a season of miracles. But it got me thinking: Where are the miracles now? Nobody is out there parting the Red Sea. Nobody is building an Ark. But I believe in miracles, and this is the Age of Miracles:
In 2000, peaceful protest broke out and forced Slobodan Milosevic, Butcher of the Balkans, from power in Yugoslavia. He was overthrown. No one died. It was a miracle.
In 2003, they put a noose around the neck of a statue in Baghdad and pulled down Saddam Hussein. It was like that Bob Dylan song, "He who is first shall later be last." It was a miracle.
In 2003, some demonstrators stormed parlaiment with roses in their hands and forced the concession of illegitimate president Eduard Shevardnadze in Georgia. It was the Rose Revolution. Miracle.
In 2003, the first voter in line for the presidential election was a woman after decades of female persecution in Afghanistan. Miracle.
And now, in 2004, they stood out in Independence Square, in the colors of the Yushchenko campaign, demanding a fair election in Ukraine. It is the Orange Revolution. Miracle.
And we have small wonders:
My parents moved into a brand-new house, and my dad, Ike, was cleaning out his filing cabinet and he came across his old spelling book from grammar school. He was ten years old. He misspelled words like autumn ("auter"), wrong ("rought"), wrap ("routh"), and Columbus ("cowmaw"). It was funny. I laughed. (It's okay. You can too. It is a happy story.) Ike couldn't spell because he had no books at home. He was too poor for books. He never saw words on paper. But he practiced. He practiced. Twenty years later he was writing for a national magazine called The Basketball Clinic. He was an expert on girls' basketball. "If you want a first-class girls' program," he advised coaches in one issue, "you must give it first-class recognition."
Progress like that only happens in the America: A guy who can't spell grows up and becomes a writer. A woman who endured segregation grows up and becomes Secretary of State. And a man with a C average in school grows up and becomes President of the United States. It is wide open.
That's a miracle.
December 26, 2004
Viktor Yushchenko Declared New Winner (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
Surprising both Democrat Christine Gregoire and Republican Dino Rossi, Yushenko has been named the new Governor of Washington State.
And it looks like he is the new President of the Ukraine.
Newsflash
I'm not gone yet and Dawn isn't the only one up (though she is the only one dancing around in her underwear). My first post for Red State is up and its about the governor's race in NJ. 4:06am the day after Christmas, what would you rather be reading about?
Guest Post (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
It's 4 a.m., Karol is off to sail the high seas and I'm sure all the other guest bloggers are fast asleep...so what's the blogosphere equivalent of dancing around in your underwear with shades on lipsynching to old time rock and roll?
Happy Boxing Day.
December 25, 2004
Leaving on a jet plane.
My mom is taking my brother and I on a week-long vacation this week, leaving tomorrow morning. I'm going to definitely be checking in and posting, but I've got an awesome little troupe of guest bloggers to fill the void in my absence. They are (in alphabetical order by first name):
Ari
Candace
Dawn Summers
Dorian Davis
Peter
Check out their sites and get acquainted. I think it's going to be a fun week.
Say what you will about the way Bush speaks...
Newsweek has a great, short piece on Kerry's speech issues. I always found him unbearable. I much preferred Howard Dean in terms of straight speech giving or stumping. Pretty much any candidate of the ten that went through the Democratic primary, with the obvious exception of buffoon Wes Clark, was easier on the ears than Kerry. His speechwriters say it's not their fault and that 'the senator would inject improvised clauses into the prepared text. A reference to the middle class would become "America's middle class and those who are seeking to join it, who aspire to be part of it."' An excerpt:
At a campaign stop in Oregon this summer, John Kerry greeted the thousands of fans who'd waited three hours to meet their man. Doused in their own bottled water to withstand the 100-degree heat, they were happy, expectant, ready to love. Then Kerry told them, "You look like a band of beavers!" The crowd that was set to cheer anything, cheered—sort of.
February Party in DC
I know it's Christmas and all you want to think about is the spiked eggnog and presents, but I'm going away tomorrow for a week and I wanted to remember to post about this before I go.
If you're a political conservative, of any age, you should really think about going to CPAC in February. You will have never experienced anything like it. I went with Oschisms last year and we were grinning for three days in the company of thousands of like-minded people and awesome speakers. Peter came down for the last day or two, and though he denies being a Republican (despite getting way more worked up than I over liberal madness- it's Christmas I'm not going to use 'idiocy'), he had a great time (may have just been the hottub at the hotel, can't say for sure on that one).
I blogged from CPAC last year, you can see my posts here, here, and here. This year, CPAC will officially offer bloggers credentials as media. You can sign up to be considered here. I don't know what their criteria for choosing bloggers will be but I recommend all bloggers thinking of attending try to get official credentials. They will undoubtably offer insider opportunities you wouldn't otherwise get. Having said that, I spoke to nearly every speaker I wanted to meet last year, except for Dick Cheney. Even if you don't get credentials, I recommend going and blogging 'unofficially'. It would still be a great way to get your blog noticed.
Again, I strongly recommend attending for anyone with a rightward slant. You will not be disappointed.
'Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind'
I'm listening to some Bob Marley on this beautiful Christmas day. What do you have playing today?
December 24, 2004
Say what?
Tim Blair has a great month by month round-up of quotes from 2004. My personal favorites are all the dead certain predictions that Bush was going to lose the election.
Bring on 2005 (and quick).
As most regular readers of this site may be aware, 2004 was, without a doubt, the worst year of my life.
It started last January when my beloved grandmother, on my father's side, who had basically raised me while my parents worked, passed away. She was the ultimate matriarch, strong and kind. She had seen it all, been through wars and dictatorships, divorced her loser husband when that kind of thing wasn't done, survived being a Jew in the 1900's in the Soviet Union. Even writing about this now, I feel like a spoiled child that this was my worst year ever. Her brothers and brother-in-law died fighting Hitler. Her father died in Stalin's gulag. She's had to leave her home and run for her life. She was just amazing. She loved my brother and me with an incredible dedication. When I think about a future family, I hope I can be as loving and warm as she was. I was lucky to have her as long as I did. I was working in DC last January and came back to NY for a weekend. She had been in the hospital and I went to see her, sat by her bed, hugged and kissed her while she slept. She died the next morning. I don't think I've ever cried so hard.
About a month and a half after she died, I started experiencing pain in my leg. It turned out I had a herniated disk and needed an operation. I spent a week in the hospital and another month after that being shuttled (by my fabulous brother and mother) to school and back home again. I had to eat laying down and could hardly walk at all so I gained something like 25 pounds, which I have yet to lose.
A few days after I got out of the hospital, my best friend's mother died. Laurie and I lived across the street from each other, and have been friends for about 15 years. The day my grandmother died, her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given three to six months to live. She was gone within two. My mother and her mother had been good friends. It was a huge tragedy. I couldn't stop crying all through the service and during the shiva sitting. I was almost surprised at how hard I took it, I was feeling Laurie's pain so accutely. I don't remember ever having a sensation like it before.
I had decided to switch fields (I used to be a pharmaceutical paralegal) go back to school and get my Master's degree in politics, a field I literally could not resist. This made me the poorest I have ever been. I was used to making good money in a stable field. I found myself in an erratic field making a third, if that, of what I used to make. I have near zero financial support from my family. It's a field I love and I'm trying not to think about the money part. Still, I've had to worry about money in a way I never had before. My readers have been incredible, giving me donations whenever I've asked, sometimes without me asking at all. While I was in Colorado, and literally saving half my lunch sandwich for dinner and stressing out, reader Jake hit my tip jar and fed me for two weeks. Yes, it got that bad (and I'm still waiting to be paid for my work there). I have a promising job now and hope 2005 will be better on that front.
My maternal grandmother died in June. I was less close to her, because she lived in Russia my entire life, though she did visit us every few years. She was a good woman and I'm afraid I wasn't always as kind and welcoming to her as I should've been. It was another blow in a terrible year.
Ronald Reagan died several days later. Is it hokey that I include him on this list? It's hard for me to convey what he meant to me and my family while I was growing up. My brother is named after him and he was such a hero to us. He looked at this awful, evil place where I was born and called it what it was. He brought the Soviet Union to its knees and I will always be grateful. I know he was lost to us some time ago, but his death was still very hard to deal with.
It wasn't all bad. I was happy that President Bush won re-election, that I had the best friends anyone can ask for, that I loved my blog and my readers, that Peter remained a calming, happy influence in my life, that my mom and my brother are so good to me, that there were no terrorists attacks on US soil, that I got to spend a good length of time in Georgia and Colorado and that I remain alive in the greatest country in history.
It's been a tough year for me, nevertheless, and I can't wait for it to be over. People that have met me know that I'm generally very happy. I know that no matter how sad my year was, it could be so much worse. I'm looking forward to 2005 and living through it with all of you. Happy Christmas.
December 23, 2004
I always knew there was something shady about Bowlmor Lanes
December 22, 2004
Another Big Media Blogger
He's already had an Instalanche so I must be behind the curve, but Larry Kudlow has a new blog and it's quite good.
Something new
I've been asked to join the excellent group blog Red State and I've gleefully accepted.
A big thanks to Mike Krempasky for setting me up.
Best opening line of a post
'Tony Blair, who we are suppose to like because he backs us in Iraq even though he is destroying his country by hauling it further into the European Union....'- Erick at Red State.
3 days left.
On a lighter note, guest blogger Todd over at Candied Ginger has a great post about what to get your favorite guy for Christmas.
Well-done, destroyers of Democracy. Bravo.
Well, the election in Washington State is very close to being stolen. If you've ever wondered what would've happened if the Democrats had been allowed to recount and recount and recount the votes in Florida in 2000, look toward Washington State. Reading the story of the ridiculousness that went on in the state, I am continually amazed that any of it is legal. Democratic operatives actually visited voters to determine their intent. Sound like a joke? John Fund (who is all over this complicated story)writes 'A local judge allowed Democratic Party officials to obtain the names and addresses of 723 people who had cast provisional ballots but were in danger of not being counted because of mismatching or missing signatures. Democratic officials then contacted voters and asked them who they had voted for in the race for governor. If the answer was Ms. Gregoire, the voter was allowed to correct his or her signature and thus have their ballot counted. Republicans belatedly began contacting their voters. The result was a net gain of some 400 votes for Ms. Gregoire. Mr. Rossi's lead fell to 261 votes.' Hundreds of votes were somehow 'found' in ballot boxes that had not been secured in the time since the election. A quick summary from the Fund article:
The state began a mandatory machine recount of all ballots. But in King County the recount went beyond running the ballots through the counting machines. Officials there "enhanced" some 300 votes that had been rejected by the machines, in some cases altering them with white-out or filling in the ovals on the optical scan ballots. Again, these additional ballots benefited Ms. Gregoire. In 38 of the state's 39 counties, only 208 net votes were added to either Mr. Rossi or Ms. Gregoire in the recount. Then came King County, which represents 30% of the state's votes. Ms. Gregoire, who won 58% of the overall King County vote, harvested a net gain of 245 votes--more than the changes in the rest of the state for both candidates combined. At that point, with Mr. Rossi holding only a 42-vote lead, Democrats put up the money to pay for a third recount that would be conducted by hand, a process that most election observers, including those in charge of King County, view as less accurate than a machine count.It didn't take long for new ballots to be discovered. On Dec. 7, more than a month after the election, King County said it had found 573 absentee ballots which had been rejected because they lacked or had improper signatures. A couple of days later, another 22 ballots were found hidden in voting machines that had been put into storage. None of these ballots had been stored in sealed and secured boxes. Election officials are usually leery of counting votes that haven't been kept under constant lock and key.
Nonetheless, the Democratic controlled King County canvassing board rejected the Republican county prosecutor's advice not to count the 573 ballots. Then someone noticed that the list of disputed ballots did not include any voters whose names began with A or B. Another treasure hunt turned up 150 more votes that had been mistakenly put into storage.
In short, it's a shameful debacle.
The first link in this post is to MyDD.com, a big liberal site. In another post, they quote Daily Kos: 'If King County produces new votes at the rate established by 38 counties (5.86/10000), its total will come to 526 new votes. Gregoire would need to earn only 53.8% of them for the win.' Produces? How does a county produce votes? Even before I got into politics full-time, I knew what vote counting looked like. I've seen how voting booths get shut down at the end of the night. If there is a ballot box missing, you've got a big problem. This isn't something that could go unnoticed for weeks. It is something that is realized immediately, and if it isn't then you could be assured there were shenanigans.
Look, right-wingers of the blogosphere, I know you're sick of elections. I know it's Christmas. I know Washington State is allllll the way over there and who really cares who governs them (sorry cutie Candace, I'm making a point)? But, this is going to set a dangerous examples for future elections. If they can't win the election the fair way, they will sue their way into office. If we are silent now, we will suffer later. So get on this story. Make a lot of noise. Don't let them cheat and win.
December 21, 2004
Time Online
Time Magazine is on an internet roll this month. Fresh from naming Powerline 'blog of the year', Time has now put its entire database of articles and covers online.
It also lets you search for your birthday cover. This is mine:
Drugs
Michelle Malkin is wondering if aspirin would be approved if it was introduced today. I don't know about that but having worked in the pharmaceutical field for many years I can tell you that a common joke among researchers working on clinical trials is that white sugar would never be approved if introduced today.
Reagan Today
I got an email from reader Jim M. this morning with a list of Reagan quotes. They were typical Reagan, lighthearted and funny, like 'It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first' or 'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'
Some others are still very relateable in today's world. He said 'Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.' With American support for the Iraq war dipping and with the loss of 22 lives at our military base in Iraq today, it's more important than ever for Americans to hear this kind of simple message. We must win, they must lose. If we lose heart or run scared, if we don't finish the job in Iraq and set it up as a democratic model to all the neighboring despot states, we lose.
I saw Daniel Pipes speak last week and he said that it was a mistake to label our current war as 'on terrorism'. He said that after Pearl Harbor we did not declare a war on 'surprise attacks'. Our war is with Islamofascists and if we let go of Iraq, if they succeed in breaking our will, then they will win not just the battle for Iraq but the war for the world. They will have a safe haven from which to spread murderous ideology and illiberal philosophies. This threat brings me to yet another Reagan quote 'Of the four wars in my lifetime none came about because the U.S. was too strong.' A strong America is a necessity for us to win. I hope American resolve to finish the war in Iraq will be renewed in the new year. I don't think there is a Reagan quote to describe what will happen if it isn't.
Free legal advice sought.
Dawn Summers has a completely hypothetical question for plaintiffs' attorneys.
Ad Life
It's probably because I'm a New Yorker, but the Robert DeNiro/American Express commercial makes me feel very sentimental. It shows him walking New York streets and his voice says things like 'my east', 'my far east' (referring to Chinatown), 'my west side'. Then the camera pans to Ground Zero and his voice says 'my heartbreak', then a sign for DeNiro's TriBeCa film festival and his voice says 'my heartbeat'. Martin Scorsese directed the commercial and like most of his movies, it hits all the right notes.
I wonder if good commercials actually help the companies they promote. This commerical doesn't make me want to get an American Express card. Many times I'll see a commercial I like but not remember what brand it was advertising.
You can watch the DeNiro commercial here.
December 20, 2004
What do you call a soft drink?
And does your label fit with your geographical area?
I say 'soda', which is geographically correct for me. When I lived in Scotland, I knew people that said 'juice'. Also, generic coke-like soda was called 'American Cola'.
Question for readers: What's better and why?
The Treo, the blackberry (with internet) or that new Sidekick thing?
Love or something like it.
Recently, I wrote a rare relationship-y post on this blog. I mentioned the book everyone is raving about 'He's just not that into you'. Secession has a very romantic take on the book and the indications mentioned in it.
New radio show
The Congress of Racial Equality, a civil rights organization based in NYC that actually pursues racial equality rather than racial demogoguery, will start hosting a radio program. 'The CORE Hour' will air every Tuesday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on RightTalk.com. My friend Niger Innis will be co-hosting.
You can call in and comment during the broadcast at: 1-866-884-TALK(8255)
Time Magazine: smart.
Being a blogger and simultaneously working in the political PR field, I am often asked how someone can generate buzz in the blogosphere. It's not as easy as it may sound. I get press releases all the time and it is extremely rare that I will use any of it. Occasionally I get one that will make me interested enough to visit a website and I may find something else that catchs my attention then. But as a general rule, it's near impossible to get a blogger to write about what you'd like them to write about. We don't have bosses that have friends that need press. We don't have to answer to anyone beyond keeping our readers interested and entertained.
The #1 way to get bloggers to link or quote your stuff is to write about bloggers. Time magazine is genius in giving a (much deserved- don't get me wrong) award to Powerline for their fabulous coverage this year.
Giving the 'Man of the Year' award to George W. Bush is very smart too. As someone said, at a CATO conference I attended last June, 'Rupert Murdoch discovered a niche market when he started Fox News: half the country.' Bush won re-election with a majority of the vote. No, it doesn't mean that all 51% were deeply enamored but it does mean that they had some positive feeling towards the man. Not all 51% may buy Time Magazine but it's still intelligent of them to try to market their magazine to the majority.
My readers rock
Thank you to fabulous readers Mike from Unconventional Wisdom and Jake for hitting the tipjar. If you've been waiting for a good time to do it, now is not the worst:
If you don't have the cash to spare (I can completely relate), think about signing up for an offer to help me get a free flat screen tv. Completing a (totally free) offer will also help you work toward getting the free tv. Go here for details on how it works.
UPDATE: I don't know how I forgot(because she reminds me every 5 seconds) but a big thank you to Dawn Summers, Dawn Summers, Dawn Summers for getting me the Dukes of Hazzard DVD set and a book on hip hotels in America.
Another Update: Thank you Von Bek!
In DC?
I have a question for my DC based readers: is there a 'hot' inaugural party and if so, what is it?
December 19, 2004
Happy Birthday to us
American Jews are celebrating their three-hundred and fiftieth anniversary in this great land.
December 18, 2004
Could they have picked a creepier picture?
Mo. Woman Charged With Kidnapping, Murder
- A woman charged with killing an expectant mother and cutting an 8-month-old baby out of her womb was showing the child off to people at a cafe and to her pastor hours before she was arrested, residents said Saturday.
December 17, 2004
That's a mouthful
"I believe there is a live 8-month-old fetus out there we need to find," Sheriff Bill Espey said.
Can there be a live fetus? Maybe we should think of another word to describe a 'fetus' that is living outside the womb.
Winter Fundraising Drive
Thanks to reader Joe P. for the contribution! If you like what I do here at 'Alarming News', please consider hitting my tip jar. We accept spare change.
Blogroll Update
I've added a British blog section and will be adding good British blogs as I find them. I've removed a couple of blogs that haven't updated in months. If yours is among them and you start updating again, please drop me an email.
The Hole- About a year ago, I was surfing around British blogs and got all depressed because of their America-hatred. I found Jackie's blog and felt encouraged and she left me a great comment telling me to explore her blogroll. Shortly afterward, she stopped blogging. But now she's back and I look forward to reading her.
Samizdata- this is one of those blogs I've been reading forever and for some reason never blogrolled.
Different than the Scotland I remember
A university in Scotland has banned a student newspaper because it, get this, 'included a number of offensive comments as well as misleading statements concerning amongst other groups, the University's LGBT students, dyslexics and the Welsh.'
If you can't make fun of the Welsh, who can you make fun of?
December 16, 2004
What do you think?
Spirit of America wants your opinion on whether they should hold a rally in January, a week before the elections in Iraq, to demonstrate the American people’s support of democracy and a free Iraq.
Eye on '08
Seeing the names for possible Republican presidential candidates for the next election over at Right Wing News, I have to admit I'm scared of the GOP's prospects in 2008. I don't think we have anyone, at the moment, that can both get out of the primary and win in the general. The only bright spot is I don't think the Democrats do either.
Fundraising
Thanks to all two of you who wrote to ask what I would like off of my wishlist for Christmas (and thanks to the as of yet nameless person who I see bought me the Dukes of Hazzard DVD set). What I'd like, in case anyone else cares, is this:
It costs a million dollars (ok, in the $500 range but it seems like a million for me right now) and if you'd like to hit the tip jar to help me reach my goal in purchasing this, I'd really appreciate it. No amount is too small. Thank you.
Four Questions for Dick Morris
Dick Morris, the President of Vote.com, was President Clinton's chief strategist and advisor in the 1996 campaign. He has handled the campaigns of a large number of American politicians including Trent Lott, William Weld, Pete Wilson and many others. He's now a commentator on the Fox News Channel and writes a weekly column in the New York Post. He has written four recent books: Behind the Oval Office, The New Prince, Vote.com, Power Plays, Because He Could and Rewriting History. He has most recently been an advisor to Viktor Yushchenko in the Ukraine.
I proudly present an interview with Dick Morris:
What would political junkies in America be surprised to learn about politics in the Ukraine, or generally in Eastern Europe?That candidates are not permitted access to the media unless they support the government. The free expression of ideas is in name only. Yushchenko had to set up a massive force to leaflet the entire country, under their doors, to get his message out because the government controlled media would neither sell nor give him air time.
The Yushchenko poisoning has been a hot topic of discussion in the blogosphere. Is he bitter about what they’ve done to him? Vengeful?
I don't know his personal reaction. But, his campaign had a tough question as to whether or not to show him on TV with his disfigured face. Ultimately, they decided to do so and his pock marks became a badge of honor.
Is the election in the Ukraine actually a Russia v. US proxy election as has been implied?
No. It's a referendum on whether the Ukraine will be free or not. If free, the overwhelming majority of the people want to join the European Union and be affiliated with the West.
You've often stressed the importance of ‘message’ in a campaign. What is Yushchenko’s message?
The need for freedom, the importance of liberty and the need to avoid being sucked into a Soviet state.
What not to do after you've had heart surgery
Diet update: Former prez and heart patient Bill Clinton was seen the other day ordering himself a hot dog bagel -- a hot dog inside a bagel -- at Einstein Brothers on Wisconsin Avenue. He also ordered trail-mix cookies, which surely qualify as health food, and coffee.
December 15, 2004
More free stuff
I'm pretty close to having enough people complete their offers for a flat screen tv, ipod and handbag. Not too many people seem interested in the desktop pc or photo ipod. The company that does this offer now also has a gaming system one, if anyone is interested.
As a reminder, the instructions for these offers: You got to a site and sign up. Then, you're presented with all these 'optional' surveys. Click 'no' to each because they don't count toward you completing your qualifying offer. Then, after all your 'no' clicking, you are presented with a list of offers, such as applying for a credit card or signing up for blockbuster for free for two weeks. Choose and complete an offer. Then, you need to get other people to sign up for an offer (how many others depends on the product, the flat screen is 8 more people, the PC and photo ipod are 10 more, the regular ipod and handbag are 5, the game system is 4).
He's got no Joe-mentum
Dawn Summers gave me the news that Joe Lieberman had turned down posts in the Bush administration. My first response was 'why wouldn't he jump at that? He doesn't really think he's going to be president, does he?' She claims he does. But, putting that aside, there may be a more strategic reason that he would turn down the post (assuming it was, in fact, offered to him). As John J. Miller notes in The Corner, Connecticut has a Republican governor who would appoint Lieberman's replacement. The Dems are already suffering with their numbers in the Senate. I can't imagine the party allowing Lieberman to take that post and make the balance favor Republicans even more.
Blogging out.
I had a great time at the blogger party the other night. It was good to see everybody and to meet new people like Michael Parker, who I had been reading forever, and J. Nathan, who I had recently discovered. There were some notable absences. I most often heard people ask about Jessica, who is excused as she is in S.America, Dawn Summers and Ken Wheaton, neither of which I believe had a valid excuse and should be shunned.
I hear that some people didn't get along, and I guess that's to be expected. The only surprising thing is that previous blogger parties had gone so swimmingly, considering all the obviously opinionated people in the room. Maybe we were just holding it in till we got to know each other better.
Hawk's nests and illegal immigration seem to be all the rage as I present a mini-carnival of attendees (in the order they appear on my blogroll):
C is listing her favorite journalism moviesAri is fake married with a fake child, depending on who is asking.
Kevin Patrick is in a blog transition phase.
Yaron is a moderate on border patrol and illegal immigration. This seems to be the touchiest subject from the other night.
Dorian Davis was on MTV and is writing a memoir about it. The intro to his book is posted on his blog.
Mike D. is done with blogging, sadly.
Peter is complaining about the record industry. Peter has been nominated for 'Best Music Blog' in the Best of Blog Awards 2004. Go throw him some more nominations to make sure he makes the finals.
Exit Zero points out that there are wrong answers to interview questions from the NY Times, even if you're Stephen Hawking.
Experimental Insanity is on the hawks story and he is pro-hawk. It's the biggest story in NYC right now which should tell you how slow a news week it's been here.
Initial Misconceptions was shamed back into blogging, by me, since he attends the blogger parties but seldomly blogs.
Kesher Talk is Hannukah and charity blogging.
NYC Smurfette is crushing on a doctor at her job.
Steve Silver is sad to see Pedro Martinez leave the Sox, to which my Yankee fan brother just said 'yeah, I was crying all night'.
Truth Will Out is blogging on the aforementioned touchy subject of illegal immigration. Jo brought a friend with him to the party. Her name is Victoria and she blogs about you know, things she notices around her, all the while making fun of people that do the same. She thinks she made me uncomfortable with a joke she made. And, I was, cause her joke wasn't funny and I didn't want to make her feel bad. She actually wrote this uber-pretentious line: 'I imagined myself as an anthropologist observing misogynist rites of passage in a foreign land'. Yeah, little girl, you're an athropologist. Wooooo big scary people with all different kinds of opinions. Study them closely and report back to your groupthinking tribe. And, of course, the fact that about three people in the room were Republican, in any party-registering sense, is neither here nor there to those that lack brains.
The Urban Grind is also blogging on the hawk's nest. She is anti-hawk.
Michael Parker wonders what would happen if the Islamofascists targeted areas and institutions that liberals respect (like the red light district in Amsterdam or abortion clinics).
Future blogger parties will hopefully be planned a little further in advance. I hope everyone had a good time.
December 14, 2004
Blogroll Update
I've been too focused lately on the NY part of the blogroll, and I've been reading a lot of great outside-NY blogs. I'm going to be updating the other regions of the blogroll in the next few days.
The first addition is Sundries Shack in the DC section. Check him out.
Update: I don't know how I was missing Spoons Experience and Roger Simon but I've now added them. I've also added new discovery Slowplay.
NYC update
The New Criterion's Happy Hour is back on, now at a new location. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to make it tonight but I encourage y'all to attend.
I'm going to try to blog about the fun blogger party last night at some point this afternoon or evening. If you've written about it, email me a link.
Question for NYC right-wingers
If you were in charge of putting together speakers for a monthly NYC event, who would be on your wish list?
Update: It occurs to me that though the speaker series will be held in NYC, that doesn't have to preclude people who live outside of NYC from responding.
Protest Nation
President Bush has been re-elected to a second term, the war in Iraq is definitely happening, and the elections in the Ukraine offer no opportunity for America-bashing, so the question on everyone's mind is: what will provoke liberals into protesting action? If they're in NYC, a clear cause is on the horizon. It seems a tony building has decided to remove a hawk's nest from its doorway. The horror. Celebrities are involved, of course, and its been four days of protesting and candlelight vigils. I salute those brave souls, those rebels without a pause, standing on Fifth Avenue, fighting for the right of the hawks to crap freely on their neighbors. No justice, no peace.
Update: Zelda at Urban Grind informs me that the hawks will be reinstated to their perch.
December 13, 2004
Prediction: This will be the next great blogger meme
| In 1977 (the year you were born) |
|
Jimmy Carter becomes president of the US Most of the 10,000 Vietnam War draft evaders are pardoned by President Carter Singer Anita Bryant starts her "Save Our Children" crusade against gay rights Elvis Presley dies in his Graceland bathroom Congress creates a Department of Energy Anwar Sadat flies to Jerusalem in a dramatic gesture of willingness to discuss peace Orlando Bloom, Shakira, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Liv Tyler, and Ludacris are born New York Yankees win the World Series Oakland Raiders win Superbowl XI Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup Swedish music group ABBA passes The Beatles as having most records sold Star Wars is the top grossing film The Shining by Stephen King is published "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone spends the most time at the top of the US charts Three's Company premieres |
More on the Kerik story
Despite the fact that I think the illegal immigrant story is enough to have sunk the Kerik nomination, John Derbyshire makes a great point about Bush's double standards:
IN THE SHADOWS [John Derbyshire]So, Mr. President, let me just check that I've got this right.
Illegal immigrants are good people. It's terrible that they have to "live in the shadows." They're doing work Americans won't do --- Just trying to put food on their families. They are vital to the U.S. economy. Right?
HOWEVER -- if I employ one of these good, hard-working, vital-to-our-economy, oppressed people off the books, I have committed such a gross violation of ethics that I cannot possibly serve in your administration.
Is that right? And if it is wrong of me, or presumably any other American, to employ an illegal immigrant as a nanny, then how are these people supposed to attain the American dream to which they so rightly and valiantly aspire?
Help Wanted
I'm not going to debate the truthfulness of the nanny reason in the squashing of Bernard Kerik's nomination. There may be other issues, sure, but since the immigration status of an employee of Kerik's is the official reason for his removing himself for consideration for the position of Homeland Security Director, I think it's best to focus on that.
Reading John P. Avlon's piece in the NY Sun today, I don't like the idea that the nanny story is being played as 'no big deal'. Avlon writes that 'in the larger scheme of life, it is at most a misdemeanor - an innocent mistake that should not rear its head years later to derail careers.' That may be. And, I imagine that a banker or doctor would not lose his job for having an illegal immigrant as a maid or nanny. But, Bernard Kerik was not in the running to be a banker or doctor. He was going to be in charge of Homeland Security, an agency who seeks to protect our citizens from those that wish to harm them. Part of the job of protecting the homeland is to protect it against 'undocumented' persons entering this country illegally and working from within to hurt us. It is the equivalent of the head of the Drug Enforcement Agency smoking a little weed sometimes. It may not be a huge deal when your Dry Cleaner or Diner Cook does it, but it's part of the understanding of this particular job that one must abstain. I work for a conservative political consulting firm. If I'm moonlighting with Move On, even if it isn't affecting my daily work for this firm, it would be a big issue. Kerik's background is very relevant to his job, and sadly, it was his downfall.
Please, please, please let it be true
Also from The Note on the Democratic Party meeting in Florida to begin the process of choosing a leader (emphasis mine):
Rumor, indecision, and confusion reign. Some Democrats are even speculating that the current chair, Terry McAuliffe, might stay on the job for another extra year in order to deal with the chaos. Even the sharpest and most inside party activists say it is impossible to handicap this contest now, and nothing seemed to happen in the speeches to change that.
Four More Years
Today, representatives of the Electoral College gather in their respective states (and the District of Columbia) to cast their votes for President and Vice President. With varying degrees of pomp and circumstance, the ceremonies differ from state to state. Most will run a little longer than an hour and often they incorporate an address from the governor before electors sign documents to allocate their votes.
December 12, 2004
Blogger Party in NYC Tomorrow
I realize this is short notice but there will be a blogger party tomorrow at Rififi/Cinema Classics on East 11th between First and Second Avenues in Manhattan.
Two bloggers, Peter and Mike, will be holding their monthly Archives Listening Project party starting at 9pm. I'm open to the blogger party starting a little earlier, like 8 or so, if that's better for others. I guess that's a decision that needs to be made sooner rather than later so go on and drop your opinion in the comment section.
You can also RSVP in the comment section so we know who to expect.
The final day
Today is the last day to vote, so please go on over and vote for 'Alarming News'. I'm eyeing that Fifth Place finish.
December 11, 2004
My values can kick your values ass.
I caught John Edwards on CSPAN the other day, doing a stop on his farewell tour. He was talking about the presidential campaign and explaining why he had decided to run at all. He said it was all about 'moral values' for him, that he wanted to promote the 'ideals' that he, and the people in this room in North Carolina, shared. He spoke of the 'values' of 'faith and family'. There only seems to be one America now. And damn if that America doesn't want to hear about your values.
Ace wrote that he thinks Howard Dean should head the DNC because it would be the honest thing to do, to allow people to really see a difference between the two parties, to really test the idea that people would respond to a strong liberal, progressive message, if the Democrats would quit trying to be Republican-lite.
I think that even if the Democrats do that, even if they somehow spend the next four years discussing and pushing whatever it is that constitutes liberalism these days, it will still only be a John Edwards type, talking up his moral values, that will clean up in 08. That was the first time I had heard Edwards talk this way and I think four years of practice may lend his 'values' talk credibility.
While in Colorado, I would try to gauge what people took away from the debates. The thing I heard most, and this was really surprising to me, was that, when asked, John Kerry didn't say he loved his wife. It was the last question of the last debate, and it stuck with people more than I could ever understand. The second most memorable thing for people I encountered was Kerry's unreasonable mention of Dick Cheney's daughter.
It's not about gay marriage, or even being a religious person. I met plenty of people that didn't go to church, didn't feel a particular affinity for the Republican party but voted for Bush for reasons beyond issues, but because he was like them. He loves his wife, he doesn't attack other people's children, he's just a normal guy. I don't think Howard 'we can win without the south and their obsession with G-d, guns and gays' Dean is going to have that same kind of touch.
December 10, 2004
Party
Anyone feeling like having a blogger party in the next week, or so?
Update: It doesn't have to be just political bloggers, since someone has asked.
Update: Michael Parker of Prolegomena is going to be in town all next week.
It's 5 p.m. (by Guest Blogger Dawn Summers)
Have you voted for Alarming News today?
Or taken that step toward earning your free Ipod?
December 09, 2004
Blogroll Update
Two more of them right-winging New Yorkers:
The Truth Will Out- A Texan transplant who is also Jewish? I wish Jessica wasn't somewhere deep in South America at the moment as I think we've found her future husband. Unless I'm mistaken about exactly which truths he's outing.
The Chainik Hocker- 'Chainik' means tea kettle in Russian, and apparently also in Yiddish. I'm not sure about 'Hocker'. Mr. Chainik Hocker lives in my hometown of Brooklyn.
I don't get the Howard Dean fixation
Howard Dean gave a speech at GWU yesterday.
The former Democratic presidential candidate outlined his views on how the party should respond to losses in the November election on the eve of a Democratic gathering in Florida at which he and other prospective candidates for party chairman will address state party leaders.
Dean said that 'what they [Republican power brokers] fear most is that we may really begin fighting for what we believe: fiscal responsibility, socially progressive values for which Democrats have always stood and fought.'
But why would anyone listen to this guy? Pushing his so-called (not just used preceeding the term 'partial abortion' anymore!) 'fiscal responsibility' and 'social progressive values' was exactly what he did in his campaign, and yet he didn't get out of the primary.
The Washington Post notes 'Dean sounded themes reminiscent of his failed bid for the Democratic nomination -- and drew an enthusiastic response from his largely student audience'. Doesn't that sound awfully familiar to the Democrats? Have they forgotten his unpopular populist campaign?
How to speak Canadian
And speaking of funny, I admit I would've been torn if Ace had been in the 'Best Humor Blog' category because that man also makes me giggle.
A man who deserves an award.
Not that my endorsement matters one iota, but I have been hesitant to endorse any of the nominees for the Blogger Awards because in many categories I like more than one blog and have been switching back and forth in my own voting for them. But, for Best Humor Blog, I don't see how anyone is voting (much less endorsing) anyone but Jeff Goldstein. He is hilarious and completely original. So, vote early and often for Protein Wisdom. And, while you're there, a vote for me wouldn't be the worst.
Q.
Last year, in a moment of semi-frenzied shopping at the famous Barney's Warehouse sale, I bought two boxes of Christmas cards. They are cute and understated. But, when I got them home, I noticed that the message inside them was 'I wish I was there, by the chimney with care'. Now, that's not the worst holiday greeting but there is something a little too familiar about it, isn't there? I mean, I can't send that to an ex-boss or something, can I? Nearly all of my cards go to business contacts, I really don't send any to friends unless it's people with whom I'd like to get back in touch. Can I send the card I describe?
I love having a Daily Lunch
Yaron is giving away free cds, posting funny rejection letters and writing about fabulously dressed leaders.
December 08, 2004
Involving my blog in my day job
I'm looking for Catholic celebrities to invite to one of our events. Can you think of any prominent ones?
Always the contrarian.
Pat Buchanan thinks that Yushchenko lost fair and square and the protests on his behalf are all staged.
What kind of world is this?
I heard a story yesterday about a mother crushing ritalin into her children's food to help them do better in school. And, it appears to be working.
I am horrified. What do you think?
Cool event tonight in NYC
The New Criterion has been throwing the best right-leaning parties in NYC. Their crowd is always young and cute (and very smart) and they get the best people (the one and only time I've ever heard of a Mark Steyn appearance was at one of their events). I'm going to try to make it but work has been so busy that there's no guarantee. The info:
December 8, 2004, 6:00pm: Herbert I. London and the Editors of The New Criterion invite you to celebrate the publication of Lengthened Shadows: America and Its Institutions in the Twenty-first Century. Edited by Roger Kimball & Hilton Kramer (Encounter Books, 2004). Cocktail reception, with remarks by Herbert I. London, Peter Collier, and Roger Kimball. Lipton Hall, New York University Law School, 108 West Third Street. RSVP to Dawn Steeves. Email: steeves at newcriterion.com (replace 'at' with '@')
You can find this and other great events on my Right Events site.
'I didn't start living until that night in April'
Daily Lunch has the story about the Spirit of America event. If the travelling event is coming to your city, I highly recommend attending.
Update: Sean Doherty, one of the organizers of the event and a brand-new, right-leaning NYC blogger to add to the blogroll, also has a post on the event.
Update: Eric Deamer has more.
December 07, 2004
Help Yourselves
Those who know me know that I was, and remain, an Anglophile. I love Britain, specifically Scotland, so much. I love the culture, the people, the music, the landscape. I lived there for several years so feel like I get Britain. I keep reading about the spike in violent crime that they are apparently having but have felt that it must be overblown. After all, my first two residences in Scotland never had locked doors (to be fair, they were both in a small town, the first one was a commune and the second was owned by a woman I met at the commune). Could things have changed that much? Well, maybe not in Scotland but get a load of this stat from Mark Steyn:
In America, it's called a "hot" burglary - a burglary that takes place when the homeowners are present - or a "home invasion", which is a much more accurate term. Just over 10 per cent of US burglaries are "hot" burglaries, and in my part of the world it's statistically insignificant: there is virtually zero chance of a New Hampshire home being broken into while the family are present. But in England and Wales it's more than 50 per cent and climbing. Which is hardly surprising given the police's petty, well-publicised pursuit of those citizens who have the impertinence to resist criminals.
I know Britain likes to scoff at our gun culture but if I lived in a place where the numbers were like the above, I'd get a gun no matter what I had to do. When I was a teenager, I would spend summers in Long Beach, about 30 minutes away from my home in Brooklyn. I would come hang out with my friends in Brooklyn every night but drive back to LB to sleep. I had to drive through Far Rockaway, Queens to get there. Far Rockaway, or most of it, was really scary and crime-ridden. They were always finding bodies in the weeds by the boardwalk. I had a guy approach my car one night and bang on my window while I was waiting at a light. Another time, I had a car play 'chicken' with me and pretend to swerve into me, swerving away at the last second. The speed limit was about 35 and at that speed it would take about 20 minutes to make it from the bridge in Brooklyn to the bridge in Long Island driving through Far Rockaway. I would make it in 7-10. I would go 75 MPH and run all the red lights. You gotta do what you gotta do to stay safe. If I got pulled over, which I never did on that drive, I knew I would say how unsafe I felt driving through that part of the city and I knew I'd take the reprecussions in the form of a ticket over being one of the bodies in the weeds.
It can't last forever-- violent crime and an unarmed citizenry, that is. I think that British people will make the choice to protect themselves, no matter what it takes. It would be a lot smarter, and more effective, if the government sanctioned the idea.
How much indeed.
'It was really confusing to me in the beginning that liberals would not support the change in Iraq (remember we were isolated so we didn't know much about that) even though they were against Bush, as it's over now and any humanist should (in my mind) support democracy and peace in Iraq. Besides, I've always considered myself a liberal! On the other side, I had a bad impression that many of the people on the right were fanatics and racist! How much did we learn in this year!' -Omar from Iraq the Model
I went to the aforementioned Spirit of America event today and it was really amazing. I couldn't stay long because I had to head back to work but I'm hoping that some of the bloggers I saw there like Yaron, Eric, Judith and Mary will write about the phenomenal panel.
The week-long election continues.
I learned in my political management program at NYU that a voter has to be contacted seven times to get them to vote. I'm not sure how many more times I have to tell you, but this post should count towards that total. Vote for 'Alarming News'!
Another event this afternoon
This one is one I'm promoting for work (yes, I accepted the NY job and started last week):
A group called The Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID) and the New York Business Group on Health (NYBGH) are hosting a meeting of the top decision makers in health care at the Harvard Club in New York City. The principal speakers at the event are physicians who have earned national recognition for their war against hospital infections. For more information please visit www.hospitalinfectionrates.org.
WHO: Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths; New York Business Group on Health; leading physicians; experts.
WHAT: A forum on preventing hospital infections
WHEN: December 7th, 2004, 2 – 4 pm
WHERE: The Harvard Club of New York, 27 West 44th Street, New York
The hook line for my press release was 'Infection-Ridden Hospitals Kill More Americans Than AIDS and Auto Accidents' so you know it's going to be interesting.
Update: Jeremy Schaap, of ESPN, whose father Dick Schaap died of an infection while in the hospital for hip-replacement surgery, will attend.
Today
The wonderful organization 'Spirit of America' is hosting Mohammed and Omar Ali, from the blog 'Iraq the Model' today at noon at the Hotel Pennsylvania, 401 Seventh Avenue at 33rd street, in NYC. I'm going to be heading over there and you should too.
Which America is he in again?
'Michael Moore says he stayed in bed for three days after the election'.
Didn't most people have to go to work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday?
December 06, 2004
Mr. Bean vs. the PC Police
Britain may soon have a law banning 'attacks' on religion. Comedians are not happy.
Pretty Boy
The NY Daily News Health&Science section has some theories on what happened to Viktor Yushchenko's face.
December 05, 2004
Help Wanted
During the Republican convention, when WSJ interviewed the bloggers, I said that the best thing about blogging is that it's so immediate, we don't have to wait for fact-checkers or editors. I've been thinking lately that I wouldn't mind a fact-checker or two.
I heard a story a few days ago concerning one of Bush's nominees. Rumor has it, the spouse of one of his nominees killed herself last week and the funeral was on Friday. I have seen no mention of this in the news, but I heard it from a pretty reliable source. Then, I heard it from someone else, completely unconnected to the first source.
I told Dawn Summers about it and she said that it probably wasn't in the news because it wasn't news.
Or, alternately, maybe it's just one of those rumors that spreads quickly but has no basis in truth.
I don't know. I wish I had a small army of fact-checkers to find out for me.
Just sayin'
If you're going to violate your probation, make sure it's not on TV at the most famous sports fight in years.
December 04, 2004
A completely local post that will only be interesting to a handful of Brooklyn-ites (or, alternatively called 'why I have to really get going on that travel book')
Only the New York Times can do an article about the best heros (as in 'sandwiches') in the five boroughs and not mention John's Deli on Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn. Are these people even from NY? I mean, even the Village Voice got it right, back in 2002.
Better than any award (says the girl in 5th place)
I don't know what I did to get permalinked on the notoriously-hard-to-get-linked-by (was that English?) Right Wing News but I'm honored and I hope I can keep Mr. Hawkins interested.
December 03, 2004
More Friends and Family Discounts
These come from the wonderful Ms. Smurfette
For internet use only:
Sephora-11/22/04 through 12/05/04-Promotion Code FF2004
Banana Republic-12/03/04 through 12/05/04- Promotion Code R9W8Z99FXR
Champs and Foot Locker-12/02/04 through 12/05/04- Promotion Code FF4DEV21
Girly stuff on a Friday.
Have you ever heard that everyone has a book inside them waiting to be written?
Well, I've got several. I'm writing (slowly) a fiction book, a travel book and now I've decided I need to write a relationship book. I think I can do better than the books like 'He's just not that into you' or 'The Rules'. Here's a preview:
One of my major pet peeves is when women say 'men suck' (and not in a gay way). My first problem with this is that no one sucks all the time. Just like I don't get saying 'she's so nice' about a friend (I mean, of course she's nice to you, she wants you to stay her friend), I don't get criticizing half the population on the basis of their gender and the actions of a few of their fellow men.
I say this to girls sometimes and hope it doesn't sound like bragging, but I've only had great experiences with men I've dated. I remain good friends with my two previous semi-serious boyfriends and would not be unhappy to run into anyone I've dated casually. Have there been jerks? Of course. But I don't date them, don't call them, don't let them play games with my head and don't demean myself into whining 'but I liiiiiiiike him, why doesn't he call me?'.
And here's the main thing: I hate when women complain about men because it makes women seem weak, as if they have no control in leaving behind a man who is anything but great to them. I know it's hard but so are a million other things that women do readily (leaving jobs, birthing babies, backstabbing friends).
The other big thing is that if you're constantly complaining about how terrible men are, why would any of them want to date you? Negativity is a huge turn-off.
The truth is, there are so many nice guys out there. If you're attracted to the jerks, and only the jerks, you have to figure out why that is. And, should it ever be written, my book will help women do just that.
Newsflash
Ivan Lenin has a reminder for everybody about the situation in Ukraine: IT IS NOT ABOUT RUSSIA vs THE WEST
Blog Help
Anyone know how to turn off the 'questionable content' feature on Movable Type's comments? I just had the most innocent comment, on my own site, rejected.
December 02, 2004
Self-promoting.
I'm pretty sure I have no shot but this blog has been nominated in the top 150-200 blogs category for the Weblog 2004 award, so click on over and vote for me.
This site is currently listed as 'Spot On' but I've asked them to change it to my newish name, 'Alarming News'.
UPDATE: They now have me as 'Alarming News'. I just checked back in and was allowed to vote again. So visit and vote often.
Ri-dic-ulous
I took the 'which country are you' quiz that I found over at Electric Venom and while it makes sense that I'd get Israel, get a load of the description:
You're Israel!
Though a victim in the past, you've learned very little from this and
have encouraged a cycle of violence in your life and the life of many you know.
You're a little paranoid and somewhat schizophrenic, causing you to promote
both hatred and hope in cycling intervals. Some of the paranoia is justified, as
a lot of people don't like you, but more people are helping you than you'd ever really
admit to. At this point, you live on some valuable property and would benefit
greatly from just giving peace a chance.
Take the Country
Quiz at the Blue Pyramid
That damn Israel never giving peace a chance and always starting wars with the Arab states. I mean, when Egypt decided it was ready to make peace in return for money and land that was lost when it invaded Israel, Israel showed it the door. And Jordan? Pshah. They wish they could make peace with Israel but Israel says uh-uh. And oh that valuable land. One of the few areas in the Middle East with no oil and mostly rugged, desert terrain otherwise. And people helping? Other than the US (and yes, I admit that I'm not sure who else matters but we're talking quantity here), who gives a fig about Israel?
Come out.
There are at least 4 right-leaning events going on around town tonight. You can see them all on my RightEvents.com site. I'm going to try to make it to the Young Republican (no jokes about whether I qualify) party at the WNRC but if that's not your thing, there's plenty else to do.
December 01, 2004
But are they in the bathroom in pajamas?
'Bloggers are on an equal footing with someone in a bathroom with a modem.'
-Brian Williams, who will be replacing the retiring Tom Brokaw.
Regional Question
Living in NY has one major advantage: you almost never drink and drive. I'm in walking distance of hundreds of bars and a cab ride can never be cost all that much. I remember when my friends in Brooklyn started taking drinking and driving seriously, it was when Giuliani made the circumstances so you lose your car if you get pulled over drunk.
So, how does the rest of the country do it? I remember asking a girl in DC how they do the whole drinking and driving thing and she said 'we just do it'. Is it just normal to drive drunk? Just wondering.
How dare those stupid rubes vote against our guy?
This sign is in the window of a store called Fishs Eddy on the Upper West Side. It was sent to me by reader Randy, who I had the pleasure of meeting last night. When the store clerk was asked whether the sign was saying what it seemed to be saying, the clerk replied 'the election didn't went the way it was supposed to':
I actually really like their stuff but you know I'm never buying anything from them again. Involving politics in a non-political setting is the best way to lose customers.
'Don't let yourself be intimidated. Don't let yourself be charmed.'
The Washington Post has an interesting article about the White House press corp and their methods for question Bush.
