January 31, 2005
Layout Question
When you click on the timestamp of any entry, it takes you to a page with just the post on it. Two questions:
1. How do I get rid of the 'Alarming News' below my new logo?
and
2. How do I put in my links and ads onto those pages?
I guess both questions can be answered at once if someone can direct me to the template for individual entries.
Walk like an Egyptian
Beautiful Atrocities has a lot of interesting posts up, so click and scroll, but in particular I enjoyed this story of a real life soap opera in Egypt.
Ouch.
I had a really bad week last week so I decided to start this week off right....and ended up getting my wisdom tooth pulled today. Sigh.
Stop it.
Monjo sends along an article highlighting the continuing demise of the Conservative party in Britain. Apparently, the Labour party has an ad featuring two Conservative politicians as flying pigs, and this has somehow started an anti-Semitic brouhaha. Like the several Nazi stories from last week, my big concern is that calling something anti-Semitic will devolve into a 'boy cried wolf' scenario. We have people out there who want Israel not to exist, who want to kill all Jews, and we're going to worry about caricatures of politicians as flying pigs?
I won before I lost
Kerry credits 9/11 with Bush's win, keeps '08 open: "I won the [total] popular vote in the battleground states by two percentage points. We just didn't distribute it correctly in Ohio."
Do the right thing.
I did a blogger symposium over at Right Wing News with Hugh Hewitt, La Shawn Barber and host John Hawkins. You can read our conversation about ethics here.
January 30, 2005
Fun little time waster
Last night I was recovering, with the aforementioned MKID, from a particularly adventurous Friday night, and talk turned to music, specifically which albums we enjoy from start to finish. This is different than 'favorite' albums, though there is some overlap. For example, I like every song on 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' but it wouldn't make even a top 50 cut for favorite albums. On the flip side, I would count 'Lick' by the Lemonheads as one of my favorite albums, but there is at least one song I can't stand (the one in Italian). This is my list, in no particular order:
1. 'Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'- Flaming Lips
2. 'The Bends'- Radiohead
3. 'Grace'-Jeff Buckley
4. 'Shame About Ray'-Lemonheads
5. 'Legend'-Bob Marley
6. 'Different Class'-Pulp
7. 'Wildflowers'-Tom Petty
8. 'Animals'-Pink Floyd
9. 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'-Wilco
10. 'My Baby Just Cares For Me'-Nina Simone
11. 'Blur'-Blur
12. 'Good'-Morphine
13. 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'-50 Cent
14. 'Revolt Against Tired Noises'-Stratford 4 **
15. 'Agaetis Byrjun'-Sigur Ros
16. 'Violator'-Depeche Mode
17. 'Heartaches'-Patsy Cline
18. 'Turn On The Bright Lights'-Interpol
19. '2001'- Dr. Dre
20. 'Outside'-David Bowie
21. 'Out Of Time'-R.E.M
22. 'Velvet Underground And Nico'-Velvet Underground And Nico
23. 'After The Gold Rush'- Neil Young
24. 'Disintegration'- The Cure
25. 'Wandering Spirit'- Mick Jagger
26. 'Revolver'- Beatles
27. 'Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'- Lauryn Hill
28. 'Lifted or...'- Bright Eyes
29. 'Urban Hymns'- Verve
30. 'Greatest Hits'- Bill Withers
31. 'I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got'-Sinead O'Connor
**This was the only exception to our rule of start to finish greatness since the whole cd is terrific until the last song when the band decides to switch singers.
Just wondering.
How big of an apology do I owe to Acey, who graciously asked me to be one of his guest bloggers while he was at Sundance this week (while saying 'feel free to promote the daylights out of your own site'), only to have me post three times, two of the times cross-posting here? I mean, are we talking a drink here or a whole bottle?
Go.
You should be reading every word the hilarious Jeff Goldstein writes but in particular I direct you to his mathematical equation of the liberal position on Iraq, and an on-point takedown of the naysayers.
Majority expands.
In other good news today, the Republicans have gained another House seat as Rep. Michael Diven of Pennsylvania has switched parties.
Cross-posted at Red State.
'Haha charade you are'
Robert Fisk thinks the election in Iraq was a bloody charade and calls it a 'fantasy election'. But, of course.
Free Iraq
I was with one of my good friends last night, sometimes commenter MKID. He's a middle of the road kind of guy, hawkish of foreign policy though skeptical of the need for the Iraq war, and he wanted Kerry to win the election (though not bad enough to actually go vote). He's decidedly not a Bush fan but he said something that I hear few Bush haters say: he wants the president to succeed in everything he does. He may not agree with Bush's plans or policies, and he will voice his disagreement, but he wants America to do well, no matter who is president or what party is in the majority. He was hoping for the Iraqi elections to go well and for our purpose in Iraq to succeed.
Meanwhile, over on Daily Kos, the vitriolic left is gleeful over any setback. Violence is highlighted and rehighlighted. Kos weighs in with a timeless 'This war is long past lost.' How anyone could have watched the beautiful event that happened in Iraq today and not be touched is beyond me. Something amazing has happened in Iraq. People went to the polls to choose their own leadership for the first time in half a century. The days of there being one guy on the ballot are over. They control their own destiny. Is it going to be tough? Of course. But, what kind of animal do you have to be to hope for failure? These are the liberals of today? Wasn't liberalism once tied to compassion and hope? Didn't they once want freedom and justice and liberty for all? Does it not include Iraq just because George W. Bush wants the same thing? Doesn't rooting against democracy in Iraq directly contradict liberal principles? Are there still any admirable principles left?
Perfect British/American politics analogy
It does seem to me that Karl Rove wants to do to the Democrats what Tony Blair's Labour has done to the Tories. And it also seems to me that the Democrats are helping Rove a lot, just as the Tories helped Blair.
January 29, 2005
Love or something like it.
Dawn Eden (aka 'Good Dawn') has a beautiful post about waiting for love and not getting sad on Valentine's Day. Just for the record, it's not just single people that hate the silliness of Feb.14.
Quote of the Day
Me: You gotta see what's out there.
Dawn Summers: Guy, I know what's out there. That's why I'm still in here.
January 28, 2005
Read
I've been reading Dorothy Parker before bed every night and that may explain my mood this past week (something between lunacy, exuberance and depression). She was so sharp and she saw the angles in everything, both good and bad. I see I'm not the only one admiring Ms. Parker lately, writersbloc has a great little poem by the lady.
Where freedom is not on the march.
A German school official has ordered seven families homeschooling their children in Northwest Germany to enroll their children in public schools immediately, or the children will be forcibly removed by police and taken to school. Any resistance on the part of the parents will result in the children being removed from their homes, according to a Home School Legal Defense Association report.
I'd really like to homeschool my children. I realize it isn't always a feasible option but I love that the option exists. Brian writes that Americans can contemplate this story with relative detachment but as he lives in Britain, 'homeschoolers here must have in the back of their minds the thought that the EU might one day decide to "harmonise" the rules about homeschooling, and something tells me they probably wouldn't harmonise them in such a way that Germans would be allowed to homeschool.' Wacky.
Via The Hole.
Nobody better touch my fitty
I'm getting a bunch of hits from people looking for rapper 50 Cent getting his hand cut off. Anyone hear anything about this or is this just one of those wacky internet rumors?
Update: Wacky internet rumor.
Big Blogroll Update
I can't update the actual blogroll until I get home tonight (opening my main index crashes my work computer for reasons unknown to me), but this post will serve as my reminder and you should check out these sites in the meantime:
Here, there and everywhere:
Herman Cain - there are few readers who don't know my huge admiration for Mr. Cain. He now has a weekly radio show that you can listen to on his website. I have never met anyone that met Herman and walked away unimpressed.
Save The GOP- Also a Cain connection, this site was started by two Cain staffers, Alex Brunk and Mark Harris.
NY:
Ryan Sager- Just discovered him yesterday on the CPAC blogger list, and he writes about Wilco and other topics I find interesting.
Snoozy Politics- A guy at my job decided that the best first post on his new blog would be a criticism of blogging. Interesting, Mark.
Sexless In The City- A nice young lady I often see about town.
DC:
Mike Krempasky- I already link Red State but I like Mike's infrequently updated home blog too.
David Kearns- a frequent commenter on Alarming News, I am intrigued by this Irish-American, Muslim anti-Democrat.
Out there in America:
Disintegrator- Also a recent discovery that I plan to be reading more of.
Grassroots Pennsylvania- Chris Lilik is the hardest working guy in Pennsylvania politics. This site has got everything PA.
Imp Leader- They have a Socialist Scot (I'm not going to make the 'aren't they all' joke here, I'm just not) writing for them as well as some right-thinking people.
I know I'm still missing a lot of great blogs, I can't possibly find them all. If you feel I'm missing yours, drop me a line in the comment section and I'll try to catch up with you during my next update.
Saddo.
Barbara Boxer has a diary entry over at Daily Kos. She thanks the Kos community and the blogosphere for its support of her and then writes this:
More than 94,000 Americans from across the country signed my petition and stood together to demand the truth from Condoleezza Rice. It was truly an overwhelming response -- much more than I could have anticipated. You helped to get our message out to millions of Americans -- I couldn't have done it without you.
94,000 people? That's it?!? That's a speck on the landscape of America. Something like 120 million people voted in the last election. Look at this map:
It's my old neighborhood in Brooklyn. It's got twice as many people as signed Boxer's petition. That's a tiny fraction of Brooklyn, a sliver of NYC and not even a dot when compared to all of America. Hell, it's a third of Daily Kos's daily traffic. Lest you think that's average for an internet project, 9 million people signed Defend America's letter to thank our soldiers.
What she is effectively admitting in her pride at this pathetic number of signatories, is that she knew she wasn't following the will of the people. I realize that we send Senators as representatives of our individual states but Californians should be annoyed at the ridiculousness perpetrated in their name by Boxer. I know there are 12 others who joined her, but Boxer gets my direct criticism because she has used this confirmation process as a blatant fundraising/media extravaganza for herself. She cast a fictitious vote for fictitious reasons, as someone on Boxer's side might say.
Condescending is cool.
Biden: "When we hugged, I whispered in her ear, 'I'm telling you, Condi, don't listen to them.' She looked at me. I said, 'Rumsfeld and Cheney. You gotta be tough.'"
January 27, 2005
Quote of the Day
McCain is part of the McCain Party. That a Venn diagram of that and the Republican Party shows some overlap is not dispositive of his Party membership.-Thomas on Red State.
Selling.
Herman Badillo endorses Mike Bloomberg for Re-election.
While not a total surprise, this still irked me because I had worked on Badillo's race against Bloomberg 4 years ago. It was the first campaign I had worked on and it was also where I met....drumroll please....famous commenter Von Bek. Badillo had an uphill battle against billionaire Bloomberg, and we all knew it was unlikely he would win. I would understand the endorsement, if it had taken place four years ago before we all knew clearly how Bloomberg would govern. Oh well, it's not the first time a politician disappoints me, and I'm certain it won't be the last.
Via the gleeful Dawn Summers.
A cautionary tale
When you're feeling depressed about getting older, listening to Frank Sinatra's 'When I was 17' will only make you feel much, much worse.
Update: 'My Way', on the other hand, can make you feel slightly better.
Ouch
A must-read takedown of Daily Kos and MYDD in Roll Call magazine over at Red State.
Cross-posted at Ace of Spades.
But I do draw the line at thongs for children.
Go look at this photo (warning, it's a little racy) and then come back.
Ok, let's start with the most obvious fact about this dress, putting aside for a moment the age of the wearer: it's really ugly.
As I've written before, my teenage years were pretty outrageous. I wore crazy clothes. My parents let me wear whatever I wanted and that's what made me dress more reasonable. A well placed 'Really? You think that looks good? Ok, suit yourself' from my mother was worth more than any lecture about self worth or decency. So, while I recognize that 15 year old shouldn't wear this, mocking would work better than lecturing. Just a thought.
January 26, 2005
Democracy live.
Michael Totten is working on the Friends of Democracy website during the week before and the week after the January 30 election in Iraq. They have more than a dozen local Iraqi correspondents, at least one in each province, filing daily reports. It should be really interesting, so check it out.
Only the best for our students
Man who referred to 9/11 victims as 'little Eichmanns' will headline a discussion at Hamilton College.
The best line in the story is this:
Hamilton College spokesman Michael DeBraggio said "to deny students the opportunity to encounter people outside the academic community is to fail to provide a liberal education."
I have a feeling the students are getting a good enough liberal education right on campus.
Cross-posted on Ace of Spades.
Go, go, go.
Dorian Davis is a must read and his current post on Barack Obama is certainly no exception.
Go me.
I don't want to toot my own horn or anything but guess who has cracked the Truth Laid Bear's ecosystem list of the top 100 linked blogs? I'm #78 and #79 (I'll be emailing NZ about it because I realize that's not fair to number 101 on the list).
Film.
Via Dawn Eden, I learn that Robert George of the NY Post has an anti-Oscar site called The Felixes. Go vote for your favorite nominee.
Notice
I'm going to be guest-blogging intermittently on Ace of Spades for the next few days along with several other capable bloggers. I will be posting here regularly as well.
Vote, vote, vote
Yet another blogger poll in which I am not nominated is King of Fools. But, my friend Scott from Slantpoint is, so go vote for him in the poll on the left hand side of the screen.
And while I'm making recommendations, I recommend Writersbloc (who is also the most recent addition in the NY blogroll) in Best Personal Blog (Group B) and while you're already on the page, go on and vote for Ari again in Group A.
Idiots.
Drudge is reporting that Maggie Gallagher was paid by the Bush administration to talk up a ban on gay marriage. I am distressed.
Update: I may have been too hard on Maggie, as it seems she is not pulling an Armstrong Williams.
January 25, 2005
Life
I've said this before and I'll write it here again so that a thousand people can be my witnesses: if I am ever in a coma and there is a decision as to whether to pull my plug, I want to stay alive as long as possible in whatever form possible.
The Terry Shiavo case is really horrifying to me. I have a long post coming soon about the politics of 'life' and the major changes in my thinking about it the last few years. I am actually for people making the choice to die, but Terry isn't making a choice here, it's being made for her by a husband that wants to move on with his life.
Still, the most interesting take I've seen on this comes from Downtown Lad who ties it all in to gay marriage. Looking forward to seeing the comments on his thinking.
Bush and realism
Is it just me or do others notice that everyone seems to be going wobbly now that the election is over. Peggy Noonan and Ace(!) are now not so sure that America can defeat tyranny or democratize the Middle East or that these goals are too big. Well, I remember when it was considered unrealistic to imagine a world without the Soviet Union, yet here we are. Read this, about Bush being more of a realist than the realists.
Fatha of da revolution.
I have a pretty eclectic group of friends, many of them bloggers, and I'm frequently asked 'how did you two meet?' Well, here's one story that'll also give me an opportunity to plug my friend's work and give some linky love to others. Maybe I'll make this a semi-regular series.
The first time I saw Ivan was a cold Wednesday. I was with my brother and his at-the-time girlfriend. She was sporadically adventurous, as in she would get bursts of energy and get motivated to leave Brooklyn but mostly she liked to wear sweatpants and sit around, just like my brother. She had talked him into going out and here we were on the way to Manhattan.
Anyway, we got to the Lower East Side where my good friend Warren (who I had met in college through Toby) was attending a weekly open mike session at a place called Collective Unconscious. The concept of Collective's open mike, hosted by the Reverend Jen, is that each person gets a certain amount of time to perform whatever they want but that instead of getting 'slammed' like other open mikes, people in the room tend to be supportive and appreciative of new art. I had been to Collective before and though I always enjoyed my time there, I knew it could be hit or miss. I have seen people jump around and sing along to Chumbawumba and I've seen people have near breakdowns on stage (ok, both times was the same guy). I had also seen moments of total genius, where the performer was either hilarious or musically talented. I knew that if the first act wasn't good, my brother and his girlfriend would be back in Brooklyn within the hour. They weren't that motivated to be out.
Well, the first act was Ivan Lenin. He sang 'I don't like the word... spirituality. I don't like the word... community', and then the chorus 'cause it's all bullshit, it's all bullshit'. It was so funny and my brother and his girlfriend were singing it the whole next day.
Immediately interested in Ivan, because he was talented and because like me he was an immigrant from Russia (or, in his case Belarus), I kept him in mind and knew I wanted to get to know him better. I saw him posting on a site called Girlbomb, kind of an online outpost of the Collective scene. In the politics section of the bulletin board, nearly everyone was a liberal. Ivan seemed to be wavering. I remember emailing him with a kind of 'you're not alone' message. We started emailing and the week before I had back surgery, Ivan came to one of the hangouts that happens frequently at my apartment. We hit it off and the rest is pretty much history.
Ivan then met Candace through the blogworld and now, Ivan is in a band with Jessica, called Wifebeaters. You can hear their songs here.
Am I not Jewlicious?
I don't know what I need to do to get some attention from my fellow Jews. Keshertalk doesn't link me in the Jewish bloggers category. Luke Ford does not interview me. And now I don't get nominated in the Jewish and Israeli blog awards. Oh well, my fellow yids don't love me but my girl Ari did get nominated so please do go vote for her. She's in the 'Best Personal Blog' category. I know that Ms. Urban Kvetch is nominated in the same category, but for the record she is also nominated in the Best New Blog (Group A) category, so both our girls can be winners. Go vote!
January 24, 2005
Feeling better by laughing at others.
The only cure for a bad day (like the one I'm having) is reading about Dawn Summers jumping out of moving cars in the ghetto. Don't judge me.
Tonight in NYC
I'll be at Peter and Mike's Archives Listening Project tonight and you should be too.
A NY read
If you're interested in NY politics, I recommend you check out Right Side NY. Jim's got more behind the scenes info than Wonkette, but with less boozing and sex references.
January 23, 2005
Let freedom reign!
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko kisses the Bible after taking the oath of office during his inauguration ceremony at the parliament hall in Kiev, Jan. 23, 2005.
January 22, 2005
Ahead of the curve
Before Bush's re-election, the prevailing attitude in Europe was definitely: ``We're not anti-American. We're anti-Bush.'' But now that the American people have voted to re-elect Bush, Europe has a problem maintaining this distinction. The logic of the Europeans' position is that they should now be anti-American, not just anti-Bush, but most Europeans don't seem to want to go there.
I will vote for George W. Bush in 2004 (barring some unforseen circumstances). To call him stupid is to call me stupid. To call him evil is to call me evil. It's not that hard to understand.
Boozing
Though what's written is about Poland, I've never read a more accurate depiction of what drinking is like among Russians:
Drinking here works like this: Someone takes command of the vodka and is charged with filling everyone's kieleszek. At some point anyone at the table will offer a toast, which quite often simply involves saying nazdrowie (to health). On that cue everyone will drink their vodka and follow with the chaser. After some time the person with the vodka will top everyone off again. After further conversation another toast will be proposed. Drink. Chase. Refill. The cycle repeats itself until you run out of vodka or the vodka runs you out.This really is a fantastic way to drink because compulsive drinkers are forced to pace themselves - pouring your own shot and drinking by yourself is rude. If you feel the need to sip something in the interim you can drink as much chaser as you want. I drank liters of multivitamin-laced fruit juice. I will never catch cold again.
If done correctly you can consume copious amounts of booze while never going beyond what an American guest at my wedding here called "the buzz of wellbeing." The only danger in this drinking ritual is if the vodka-bearer is overzealous and doesn't wait long enough between the refilling and toasting. In that case it's best to try and get control of the bottle yourself, lest your evening end early.
You can never have too much freedom
How many times did Bush use the word 'freedom' in his inaugural address? Answer here.
New Logo
What do you think?
It was made for me by my friend Cora Flaster of Mohtion. Cora does all kinds of interesting design work so check her out.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
If you've ever wondered what Second Avenue in the 70's looks like during a snowstorm, wonder no more.
UPDATE: If you've ever wondered what Jackson Heights, Queens looks like during a snowstorm.....
January 21, 2005
My Blogroll
I need some advice about blogroll arranging. The section called 'Here, there and everywhere' was meant to be bloggers who are writers in the mainstream media as well as on their blogs, and not, as some people think, according to traffic. But, these days, lots of bloggers are writing for MSM. Some people may just have one or two pieces published which makes their place in the blogroll confused. What do you guys think? What should be the criteria for that section? Or, should I scrap that part altogether and put those links according to region like the rest?
Stop stealing our media!
Via Evan's site, I see that members of Protest Warrior were attacked in DC. Those enlightened protestors sure are violent when opposed, aren't they? The classic line in the story is this:
Some in the anti-Bush crowd said they resented the fact that ProtestWarrior's "man bites dog" schtick eats up a disproportionate amount of press attention."They're taking the media away from us!" exclaimed one angry protester.
Read all about him.
Via Instapundit, I learn that Evan Coyne Maloney has been profiled in the NY Sun. I'm a big fan of Evan's work and highly recommend that you download the current version of 'Brainwashing 101'. I wish Evan had been doing this kind of thing when I was in college, and I'm thankful that he is now.
DC
A big thank you to my guest bloggers Jessica, Dorian Davis and Dawn Summers for holding down the fort while I was in DC. They did a terrific job. Definitely check out their home sites and look for them to guest blog here again soon.
I got to see the president twice, once at the Texas/Wyoming ball to which I had a ticket and once at the Independence ball to which I just walked right in sans ticket hoping to find a friend of mine (didn't happen, though I did run into various other friends at the T/W ball including Jim and his lovely wife, Herman Cain's campaign manager, and a log cabin Republican guy I knew at NYU- who, bizarrely enough, almost accidentally gave me this guy's business card).
I thought there would be a lot more protestors then there were. In fact, short of people wearing anti-Bush buttons randomly walking around DC, I only saw one protestor outside the convention center (which was home to most of the official balls). He was carrying a 'Nader Lives' sign. As I walked by him I said 'you know no one loves Nader more than Republicans, right?' He said 'come home with me'. I said 'uh, no thanks' and went to get in line for a cab.
I'm in great company
Sandwiched between INDC and Roger Simon, I'm on the list of top 40 blogs on Right Wing News. Thank you, thank you, thank you, John. If I had the patience and dedication to make my own top 40 list, you'd surely be on it as well.
Update: One of my favorite new discoveries, Slowplay, includes 'Alarming News' in their top 40 as well (at number 3 no less!). I am grateful to them for including me and if you're not reading them, you certainly should be.
Losing Peggy
I saw Dorian Davis, one of my wonderful guest commenters, on Wednesday night before I left for DC. We were talking about our big-media must-reads. Mine are James Lileks, Mark Steyn and James Taranto. His are Peggy Noonan and Ann Coulter. I told him how I always loved Peggy, read all of her books right at the start of my political awakening but felt something had changed in her in the last few years. I find her columns harder and harder to read. Well, ahem Dorian, ahem. I'm surprised that woman who watched the Reagan revolution up close is alarmed by Bush's want to defeat tyranny wherever it may lurk. If Peggy Noonan no longer dreams big, who does?
Let's Talk Money (By guest blogger Jessica)
Larry Elder, (love, love that man) has uncovered the real reason behind those opposed to private accounts for Social Security. According to Geraldine Ferraro:
'[I]f you don't have the knowledge [emphasis added] and the wherewithal [emphasis added] to manage your own private funds," said Ferraro, "well, you know, you're gonna be out of luck.'
In other words, we're too darn stupid to manage our money. Elder continues with a similar idea, brought out by this Clinton quote.
'We could give it all back to you and hope you spend it right... Do you really want to run the risk of squandering this surplus?'
Now, granted, this may be partially true. Yes, most Americans aren't very knowledgable about their finances. But we have to think about the reasons for that. Perhaps there are many people who are too dumb to invest their money so as to have maximum accumulation of their wealth. Perhaps they don't have any sense to find out the difference between a stock and a bond. But there are many people who are more than capable of managing their money and getting a rate of return far greater than they are getting currently, but are not doing so only because they never had the incentive to do the legwork. And hey, who can blame them? How many people actually do the research for their 401K, unless they have or will have a 401K? I certainly fall into this category.
I am a firm believer in giving the public their freedom through responsibility. Is it fair that I am not given the choice to invest my money the way I'd like, because some stranger doesn't want the accountability?
Read Elder's entire article. (Did I mention I love that man?) You can thank me with later with a generous gift. [wink wink]. I leave you all with this paragraph.
Congress never intended for Social Security to grow into something on which people solely relied for their retirement. Even its patriarch, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, said, "We shall make the most lasting progress if we recognize that Social Security can furnish only a base upon which each one of our citizens may build his individual security through his own individual efforts."
Fun Facts (By guest blogger Jessica)
William Henry Harrison's inauguration gave him a cold which led to pneumonia. He died a month later.
Reagan's first inauguration was the warmest ever. His second was the coldest ever.
The only President to tone down the celebration was FDR. It was his fourth inauguration and during WWII during a lumber and gas shortage.
Andrew Jackson held two inaugural balls for the first time. He was said to be quite the partier.
George Washington ate lunch alone after his inauguration. That's hot for some reason.
Abe Lincoln was the first president to have African Americans participate in the parade.
Here's one that confused me a bit: John Quincy Adams was the first president sworn in wearing long trousers. Um, perhaps someone could tell me what the traditional style of dress was before the trouser?
More here.
Call me crazy but.. (by guest blogger Jessica)
I had very little interest in the inauguration yesterday. Sure, it would have been nice to be there, and I had a bit of an excited little twitch when I got my fancy invitation in the mail last week courtesty of the RNC. And after all, I'm known to get as giddy as a baby on a swing when the Prez is in the room. But somehow watching it on TV while I was on the stairmaster at the gym didn't really fill my thumping little heart with exultation. I was excited on November 2nd, it lasted for a week, and now it's died down. I'm now rubbing my hands together, ready to see what happens next, hoping for a safe election day in Iraq, waiting for a social security and tax code revamp, praying that all of this hatred on both sides of the spectrum will at least die down a little bit, because there doesn't seem to be any gray area anymore. What I'm fed up with the most? Those that are happy about this so-called involvement. 'It's good to see so much passion in politics', they say. Good? Just like it's good to have 'hope', right? Hope is when you have a big picture for the future, not when you look at today's headlines and scream like a baby that it's not going the way you want. And 'Good' is when ten years from now you look back and see a sacrifice made.
That being said, Bush deserves a grandiose celebration. And he deserves a dance with his girl.
January 20, 2005
You've Got the Keys, Drive the Car (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
By now everyone has seen P.J. O'Rourke's parody Inaugural address... at least, I think he was joking.
MY FELLOW AMERICANS, I had intended to reach out to all of you and bring a divided nation together. But I changed my mind. America isn't divided by political ethos or ethnic origin. America isn't divided by region or religion. America is divided by jerks. Who wants to bring a bunch of jerks together with the rest of us? Let them stew in Berkeley, Boston, and Ann Arbor.
But look past the tired liberal bashing, O'Rourke might be onto something. I don't know how this whole "reaching out," "bringing together" crap started, but America is a democracy (I know, sorry, Ms. Beilies, I mean republic).
We have elections, and (usually) somebody wins, somebody loses.
No offense to the special Olympics, but "everybody is a winner" is no way to run a country. President Bush won re-election and Congress became even more Republican than before.
So, cowboy up.
I expect nothing less than full steam ahead on the constitutional ban on gay marriage -- if you lose, you lose, but I want to see you fight for it.
Social Security? Privatize away! This one's a hold over from last term, so no more dilly dallying.
Taxes, Schaxes: Cut away. There'd better be neigh a bracket by 2006.
Illegal immigration: Hurry along that legislation to give just enough amnesty so that Walmart can continue to pay illegal immigrants less than half the minimum wage to do twice the work.
I expect some stern penalties for anybody touching a hair on a stem cell's head.
Reproductive rights? Nope, reproductive privileges, missy.
What's all this "humane" death penalty stuff, let's put those assault weapons to good use and start using them to execute the few criminals those pansy judges and lawyers put on death row.
Don't get me started on the lawyers, if it's not illegal to sue someone or assert any constitutional rights (except for the ban on gay marriage) in a year or two, I will be very disappointed in you guys.
Get the car bumper ready: A Gun on Every Plate, by 2008!
Five words: One Down, Two to Go.
Don't punk out. The people have spoken, give them the Republican-control they so desperately want.
We're waiting, bring it on.
Stuck in the Middle with You (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)
Senator Clinton Urges Use of Faith-Based Initiatives
"There is no contradiction between support for faith-based initiatives and upholding our constitutional principles."
It has begun...Hillary Clinon is moving to the political center for a presidential bid in 2008. As Sean Hannity said: "By 2008, she will be so conservative that she will have a show on the Fox News Channel."
A Bum Rap on Race (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)
It is said evil is abstract, but it is more like matter: it changes form, it mutates, but it doesn't disappear. It turned like a season from slavery to segregation, and Condoleezza Rice was born at the end of that period, in the same year that a class action suit in the Supreme Court desegregated Topeka schools in Brown vs. the Board of Education in 1954. Against that backdrop, Condi Rice put her face in books, studied hard, and blossomed out of the mirk and mire to graduate from Notre Dame and the University of Denver. Afterward, she taught political science. Over the next decade, she was awarded the Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching, and wrote three books about Eastern European politics, including The Gorbachev Era. The confirmation of Condoleezza Rice, a woman who grew up in segregated Alabama, who made her own way to the faculty of Stanford, to the position of National Security Advisor, to Secretary of State, is proof of the greatness of the United States, that the most beautiful flowers grow up through the thickest mud.
"I did it my way." (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)
It was the inauguration of a sturdy, determined man, George W. Bush...I thought of that old Sinatra song:
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall
And did it my way...
Is there a British version of the expression 'I'm not holding my breath'?
Andrew Sullivan has this on the Tory party in Britain:
A TORY REVIVAL? Yes, the British Conservatives have finally decided to campaign as a lower-tax party. Halleluia. The notion that all government spending is good is buried deep in the British psyche - and nurtured by that statist creation, the BBC. But it can be challenged. And if the Tories are ever to regain the political initiative, cutting taxes on the poor and streamlining government will be their path back to power.
One of those Mark Steyn must-reads.
Mark Steyn has the definitive last word on the Harry/Nazi fiasco. He writes:
It's a good rule of thumb that, no matter how big an idiot someone is, he can never compete with the political class's response to his idiocy. Thus, whatever feelings of unease I might have had about Prince Hitler were swept away the moment the rent-a-quote humbugs started lining up to denounce him.
and
Personally, I found the sight of the Prince of Wales climbing into the full Highgrove hejab for dinner with that bin Laden brother a week after the 9/11 slaughter far more disquieting: it seemed a rather more conscious act of identification than his son's party get-up. But a good indication of societal decadence is when it prefers to obsess over fictional offences rather than real ones.I suppose it's possible that, should fate bring Harry to the throne, he'd turn into a Victor Emmanuel or King Carol of Romania and lend a constitutional figleaf to some Fascist regime. But worrying about a minor Royal schoolboy's alleged Nazi bent seems something of an indulgence at a time when the neo-Nazis get as many votes in Saxony's elections as Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democratic Party; when from Marseilles to Paris, Jews are being attacked and their homes, schools, kosher butchers, synagogues and cemeteries burnt and desecrated in a low-level intifada that's been going on so long the political establishment now accepts it as a normal feature of French life; and when the Berlin police advise Jews not to go out in public wearing any identifying marks of their faith. It's not just Nazi insignia you don't see in Germany these days; Nazi wise, the uniforms are the least of it.
And
If I had to pick the single most revolting remark from this bogus Reichsfuror, it would be this: "I think it might be appropriate for him to tell us himself just how contrite he now is."That's Michael Howard, the leader of the supposed Conservative Party. What's conservative about demanding people submit to public self-abasement? Wasn't it the Commies who used to insist you recant on TV and then disappear into re-education camp? A conservative party ought to be a refuge from the sanctimonious nannytollahs of the age. But, from his shabby Kerryesque opportunism on the war down, Mr Howard has no discernible coherent political philosophy - except for his all-pervasive authoritarianism, into which his repellent call for a display of princely contrition fits all too neatly.
Read the whole fabulous thing.
Via Tim Blair
Today
I'm heading down to DC shortly and I have a couple of excellent guest-bloggers Jessica, Dorian and Dawn who will be filling in for me today.
If you comment and get an odd error message, it means your comment is waiting in the system for my approval. Don't recomment, just be patient as it may take longer than usual for me to approve it today. I promise site changes are coming soon that will solve this commenting problem.
Have a great day. Welcome to president Bush's second term.
January 19, 2005
Record.
A couple of weeks ago, I met one of my heros, Daniel Pipes. He invited me to this luncheon that his Middle East Forum was holding. I attended that lunch today.
The speaker was Bret Stephens, formerly of the Jerusalem Post, now of the Wall Street Journal. As Mr. Stephens was about to begin his talk, he looked around the room and asked 'is anyone here from the media?' I didn't know what to say. I'm clearly not 'from the media' but I knew what he was asking, if what he was about to say would be on the record or not. Nobody spoke up and Mr. Stephens went on with his talk. Stephens was very articulate and engaging. If you aren't reading his work, you certainly should be.
When the meeting was over, I asked him if it would be ok to publish one thing that he had said on my blog, and he agreed. He said that the reason Israel gets so much attention for such a small country, as opposed to soon-to-nuclear Iran, troubled Saudi Arabia or the rest of Israel's neighbors, is because it's so easy to live in Israel and be a reporter there. He said it's interesting that CNN has 'no bureau in Damascus.' Indeed.
Quote of the Day (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
"It is really hard to find common ground with a government that thinks Israel should be extinguished."
-Secretary of State to be Condi Rice when Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R) urged Rice to consider reconciliation with Iran.
I know one usually doesn't add further comment to the quote of the day, but COME ON, Iran????? What is Senator Chafee thinking! Jeebus.
Q.
Any readers going to any Inauguration events in DC? I was supposed to head down tonight and go to the Maverick party in Georgetown and a party with Biz Markie and Dougie Fresh for young entrepreneurs, but now it looks like I'm heading down tomorrow and going to the Veteran's Gala and, thanks to my well-connected friend Jim, to the Texas&Wyoming ball.
Odd life
I've had various 'it's a small world' coincidences before but last night's was still pretty random.
Lisa and I went to the New Criterion party (where we ran into James Taranto and the way too smart for his age Claudio) with a non-blogger friend of mine, Ren, and then were going to grab some food afterwards. As we left the party I said 'Dawn Summers invited me to a poker tournament on the west side.' Lisa perked up, 'oh?' 'Well, you wouldn't want to go would you? I mean, Dawn's friends can really be hit or miss and the buy-in is $30' (when the girls play on Friday nights we have a very friendly $5 buy-in). Lisa was smiling now 'oh, I don't know, I'd maybe go play if you wanted....' Ten minutes later we were in a cab sans Ren.
(Sidenote to this story is that the cab driver was listening to Michael Savage. I just do not understand Savage's appeal. I'm not a big talk radio fan in the first place but Michael Savage doesn't keep me interested whatsoever. The funniest part was that I asked the driver if it was indeed Savage and the driver answered 'yeah, he's a rightwing Republican'. I said 'oh me too.' The driver then said 'you too? So you like Bush!?!? It's your fault we got Bush?!?' Confused, I asked 'so you like Michael Savage but don't like George Bush?' 'I love Michael Savage! He is so smart!' he responded, not really answering my question. But that's a first for me, meeting someone who likes Republican talk radio but not Republicans.)
We get to the game, and are joined by Jessica. Hours go by, I have the worst possible beats (pair of aces beat by a four-cards-on-the-board flush kind of beats). It's sort of mentioned that Lisa and I had been at some type of right-leaning gathering before getting to the game. One guy asks me if I'm going to the inauguration (I was going but now its unclear that I am as I am so swamped at work) since he is heading down today. As we're leaving, he gives me his very unique business card to send him info on a party I was planning to attend. I look at it and realize I already have his card, we've met somewhere before. As he's still in the game, we don't have time to play the 'where could we have met' game. As we get in the cab, Dawn calls me. Turns out, Jessica and I met him at the conservative film festival we had attended in September in Dallas. How bizarre is that?
Update: Dawnie has more on the game.
Quote of the Day
'If Europeans ban the Nazi symbol, how are they going to protest George W. Bush when he visits?'- Peter
Figures
| Your Famous Blogger Twin is InstaPundit |
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Via My Urban Kvetch.
January 18, 2005
Tonight.
I'm heading over to the New Criterion party after work, despite how freezing it is outside and the fact that I want to get in to bed and pull my covers over myself for the remainder of this day, because, well, I wore a skirt to work today -in this horrid weather- so I better be going somewhere in it. And you should come, not just because I'm wearing a skirt but also because the New Criterion has been hosting the best get togethers with the cutest, smartest, youngest crowd around. Details on RightEvents.com (scroll down to today's date).
How do get your Jihadi to listen to you! Six ways to blow up with no mess!
Are you the wife of a terrorist or one yourself? There's now a magazine just for you.
It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.
Could it be that even Democrats have had enough of Europe's babyish attitude? Joe Biden:
'I have one simple message: Get over it. Get over it. President Bush is our president for the next four years. So get over it and start to act in your interest, Europe.'
Meanwhile, four European leaders convened to celebrate the unveiling of the biggest passenger jet to date. That's right, it took four European countries to build one plane. But that didn't stop them from congratulating themselves and each other. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, with the tone of someone nursing a bad inferiority complex, said 'Good old Europe has made this possible' and the head of Airbus commented 'The European states -- so easily accused of weakness -- backed this fantastic challenge 35 years ago and have believed in the A380.' So, it took four countries and 35 years to build a plane. Where's the strength in that? Maybe next they can concentrate on air conditioning so they don't lose thousands of old people during the summer. But hey, they do now have a big plane.
And what would a meeting of Europeans be without wacko Spanish leader Zapatero? The plane, Zapatero said, 'has turned this historic moment into a moment in which cooperation and globalisation are giving rise to more peace and justice.' So, just so I'm clear, the plane is going to make people more peaceful and just? Only in Europe, kids, only in Europe.
The hoopla made over this is kind of amusing. The US doesn't make a big deal about our successful projects because we have successes all the time. The fact that this one accomplishment is getting so much coverage is only testament to how rarely it occurs over there. That is nothing for the Euros to celebrate.
January 17, 2005
Blogging CPAC
I just got official word that I'm going to be one of the credentialed bloggers at CPAC. I'm very excited. Any readers know if they're going to be attending yet?
New York, New York
Etherpundit has some really great shots of several NYC bridges in last week's fog.
I know Communist symbols are going to be next, right?
EU may consider ban on Nazi symbols
I am, bizarrely enough, in total agreement with British Liberal Democrat Chris Davies who said 'I understand how the burden of history weighs upon my German colleagues' view. However, banning symbols cannot ban evil and risks playing into the hands of those who would seek to subvert the very liberties we most champion.'
Those that think it's ok to ban certain expressions, think about the things you believe that may not palatable to the censorers. Pro-life? How much longer is it going to be ok to say so without it being banned for being 'anti-woman'. Disagree with affirmative action or with uncontrolled immigration? Why, that's racist speech, ban it. And so on. I understand the Nazi symbol is disgusting to many, myself included. But disgust shouldn't be enough to warrant this kind of censorship.
Still recovering from Saturday
The party on Saturday night, C's birthday (although I saw her for a total of 4.4 seconds) combined with Candace and Funnya's 'Welcome to NY' party, was insane. This link pretty much explains how I felt on Sunday, except Dawn won't admit to being hungover and, well, I will. I want to list all the bloggers that were there but am scared that my hazy memory may leave some out. Urban Grind does a pretty good job. I know NYC Smurfette, Ace and Ari were there because I took the cab downtown with them and we met up with Jessica and Funnya soon after. I'm positive Candace was there (and the poor girl lost her wallet) and I know I got to finally meet Ginger. Other sightings included poker blogger Asphnxma, Mr.Ken Wheaton (who blogged about the party here), Yaron (his post here), Ivan, Paul, Mary, Judith, Eric, Fish and Esther .
Some of my non-blogger friends were there as well, three of my best guy friends, including sometimes commenters MKID and SMVP. One of them, Frank White, rarely reads my blog but had voted for me in Wizbang's blogger poll and had taken it pretty hard that I didn't win. He asked me if anyone else had been in that poll and I pointed at Ace and said he had won. I meant that he had won in his own category but Russian-from-Brooklyn Frank said 'I don't like that you're competing with my girl Karol' to him anyway. Second place winner in my category, Michael Totten, was visiting NY and stopped by the party but I only got to say 'hi nice to meet you' and 'bye, great meeting you, sorry we didn't get a chance to talk' to him. Good thing I didn't introduce him to Mr. White.
If anyone else has blogged about the party, let me know and I'll add a link. It was very fun. We should do it again soon.
Update: Jessica and Michael Totten write up the shindig.
Update: Dawn Summers has part 1 of her Saturday night story up.
Update: Funnya and the Candace/Ginger tag team weigh in.
Update: Judith, Mary have more.
Update: Dawn Summers finally graces us with a post.
Pro-life rap?
Back in 1999, when I was living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, my brother brought over a mix cd to play a song for me. The song was 'Your Life's On the Line' by a rapper called 50 Cent. My brother said 'this guy is going to be huge'. Four years, two record labels and nine gun shot wounds later, 50 Cent released his wildly successful album 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'. I just mean to illustrate that my brother often has his finger on the proverbial pulse and can tell what the kids are going to be into before the kids even know themselves.
This weekend, my brother played me a new CD, by a rapper he says is going to be all the rage, called Game. The first song we heard was 'Envy' and my brother dubbed it 'an instant classic'. It's a typical first single, about being poor and struggling, illegal activity and finally success as a rapper. The chorus serves as an introduction to the rapper (all lyrics from Lyrics Box) 'hate it or love it, the underdogs on top/and im gon' shine homie until my heart stop/go head envy me, im raps mvp/and i aint goin nowhere so you can get to know me.'
There's a verse right at the end that caught my attention:
pac is gone and brenda still throwin babies in the garbagei wanna know whats goin on like i hear marvin
no school books to use that wood to build coffins
whenever im in da booth and i get exhausted i think
what if marie banka got that abortion (i love you ma)
I don't know who 'Brenda' is, and I assume Marie Banka is Game's mother since he thanks his mom at the end of that line. I don't think I've ever heard a line in a song like that and it really struck me. Life is often portrayed as cheap in rap songs, Game thanking his mom for not aborting him sounds pretty unique.
January 15, 2005
10% consultantancy fee please.
I have a billion dollar idea for struggling retailers: sell clothes that are suited for the weather outside, not the weather that will be here in six months. In other words, if it's 38 degrees fahrenheit outside, as it is NYC right this minute, the clothes on the racks and on the mannequins in the window shouldn't be tank tops and shorts. And, yes, I realize people go on vacation to warm places but wouldn't it make sense for there to be more clothes for cold weather with a smaller area for those lucky-going-on-vacation folks?
Maybe he should try getting in at Flint High
Michael Moore has been rejected four times from inclusion into his high school's hall of fame. Moore is known for frequently mentioning his 'hometown' of Flint, Michigan in his films. So, would that be Flint High School that is doing the rejecting? No, of course not, Moore attended Davison High School which was the correct school for him, living in the posh suburb of Davison, Michigan and all. Why should the school honor Moore if he can't even admit he's from there?
January 14, 2005
Ken Wheaton knows dating
"Sure, "Sex and the City" was an entertaining show. So was "The Sopranos." That doesn't make it okay to drag a person out into the woods and pop a cap in his ass, now does it?"-Mr.Wheaton
Random Comment
So,the NY Yankees just signed Randy Johnson, right? Well, if you call the Yankees right now, (718) 293-4300, he is the voice on the recorded message. Was that the first order of business? Welcome aboard, now come record our outgoing message?
My school's 'Career Day' had doctors, cops and lawyers
Headline: Speaker Touts Stripping to 8th Graders
Princes
I'm in a strange situation, being a Jewish girl defending Nazi symbolism for the second time in a week but here it is: I don't think what Harry did is a big deal. You know the qualifications are coming; I do think what he did was stupid because he should've known, being prince his whole life and all, that it would be front page news all across the world. But the hysterical reactions are a bit much. The Mirror reports that 'some demanded a public show of sorrow'. What do people want? Tears? Begging? No, turns out the people want him to see Schindler's List and visit Auschwitz. And what would that do? Does Harry not already know that the Holocaust was bad and people died and other people were sad? What is viewing a movie or touring the death camp really going to accomplish?
The thing is, I consider DiCanio's fascist salute to be worse than Harry's dress-up. DiCanio, if the salute is what it appears to be, knew what he was doing and, worse, he meant it. Harry is the grandson of the guy that, among other really dumb things, once asked a blind woman with a seeing eye dog if she knew that 'they have eating dogs for the anorexic now', during a visit with British students in China said 'If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slitty-eyed' and asked Aborigines in Australia if they 'still throw spears at each other'. In other words, a flair for saying/doing the wrong thing at the wrong time runs in the family. And, while I think mocking them is ok, forced re-education is not. Furthermore, plenty of people walk around in Che Guevara or hammer&sickle t-shirts. What's the difference? Che produced a legacy of murder and torture that lasts until today, not just for a few years in the 1940's. The Soviet Union killed more people than Nazi Germany ever could. And yet there is no widespread outrage over the glorification of those murdererous regimes. If he had shown up as a Soviet officer, he would've been trendy and nothing else.
Twenty year olds will always do dumb things, Harry's problem is that he does dumb things under the watchful eye of the press. He'll learn to act better or he won't. No three-hour film is going to help.
January 13, 2005
Bloomberg adminstration: doing its darndest to bring back organized crime
Live in NY and buy your cigarettes online? Beware.
So, not because she's a lesbian
Dawn Summers is moonlighting over at TVGeekSpeak and her first post is 99 words about Elisabeth Rohm's last episode on Law&Order.
My commenters are killing me today
'I want kids. So I can give them guns.'-Von Bek, explaining his conservatism.
Info on Tonight
Bret Schundler cancelled and Joel Mowbray is speaking instead. Should be a great talk anyway. Mowbray is always interesting. It's still at 7:30pm at the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmens Club, 283 Lexington Ave (bet 36th & 37th St), 2nd Floor so come on by.
Good Causes
The organization Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, or HIAS, was a big help to my family in escaping the Soviet Union and coming to America. Yana from Lady Mathematician send along information on a fundraiser HIAS is doing in NYC on February 2nd to benefit Jewish and other Iranian religious minorities seeking refuge from persecution. Details are here.
We like thought being illegal, so shut up.
'Stop pushing stupid American notions of 'freedom of expression' on us Euros.'
-Monjo in my comment section.
January 12, 2005
Numbers
Michael Totten, who I hear is visiting my fair city, has an interesting post about blog stats. Turns out that the hit count vary dramatically between stat counters.
Hate crime law stupidity
Two dumb kids beat up a goth guy with blue hair. They're now being charged with a 'hate crime' because the victim was a Satanist, and thus protected under the hate crime laws on religion. As someone who spent her teenage years hanging out with drag queens, going out to clubs in NYC and wearing plastic dresses, wigs and silver eyelashes, I am definitely partial to oddballs and freaks. And, I hope those that committed this crime are punished. But, c'mon. Satanism? As if those two idiots that beat him up had any idea that he worshipped Satan or as if the motivation for the attack was anything other than sheer stupidity on their part. This is why 'hate crime' laws are ridiculous. It's very rare that someone commits a crime, especially a violent one, with love in their heart. Why should our courts be clogged with lawyers arguing over whether Satanism is a real religion or not?
Liberals making my job easier
Recently, I had to put together a memo with the biographies of about 30 people in different parts of the conservative sphere. Some were very prominent and had ready-made bios for me to cut and paste into the memo. Others had common names or weren't as well-known. For the latter set, I was greatly helped by Disinfopedia. Made in Wikipedia's model, Disinfopedia considers itself a 'a collaborative project to produce a directory of public relations firms, think tanks, industry-funded organizations and industry-friendly experts that work to influence public opinion and public policy on behalf of corporations, governments and special interests.' Of course, what they really mean is that they keep tabs on those big, bad conservatives. I hope to someday have an entry on the site myself but as Instapundit's puppy blending ways have yet to be exposed on it, I guess it'll be awhile.
My other big project at the moment is to identify donors for high-dollar silent auction items for an event we are planning. Cobb 24 lists companies that support Republicans making my research job much easier. I have a handy list of companies, complete with contact information, that give to Republicans and will hopefully give to us. Very convenient.
So, thanks liberals! Your help frees me up to get on with my work of enslaving children and old people while drilling for oil in the rainforests and plotting the next few wars.
Tonight
Like everyone else sneezing and coughing all over the place, I'm sick. So, if you were planning on coming to the Club for Growth meetup I organized for tonight, please find the revised plans here.
If you don't live in NYC, sign up for a Club for Growth meetup near you.
January 11, 2005
Conversation of the Day
Me: Seriously, you're the last person I thought would be lying about your age.
Dawn Summers: Mmmm.
Me: I mean, you should embrace the wisdom and grace that comes with getting older.
Dawn Summers: Yeah, but see, did I get any of that stuff? No. So, let's go with the lying about the age.
Classy
LAUREN Bacall marred an otherwise-pleasant evening celebrating 2004's best movies by trashing Charlton Heston, the screen icon detested by lefties because he headed the National Rifle Association before he developed Alzheimer's. Bacall was presenting the New York Film Critics Circle award for Best Foreign Language Film to director Pedro Almodovar for his "Bad Education." At the Roosevelt Hotel — where Clint Eastwood, Virginia Madsen, Paul Giamatti and Clive Owen were also honored — Bacall told the crowd how Almodovar introduced himself to Heston one night at a similar event. "Pedro said, 'Mr. Heston, you are a great star. Everybody knows you. Everybody loves you, but you are sitting in my seat.' Heston ignored him. Pedro went and sat somewhere else. That's the kind of guy Pedro is, and that's the kind of guy the other guy is." The critics in the room — who also honored the absent Michael Moore, Heston's tormentor in "Bowling for Columbine" — laughed and cheered.
NY Blogger Notice
This weekend the charming Candace and the lovely Funnya will be in New York (update: I neglected to mention that the mysterious Ginger will be there as well). Saturday also happens to be the dashing C's birthday. And, C says she is fine with a bunch of bloggers crashing her party. So, let me know if you're free and I'll give you the details.
In other news, Bret Schundler, one of my favorite politicos, will be speaking on Thursday, 7:30pm at the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmens Club, 283 Lexington Ave (bet 36th & 37th St), 2nd Floor. Admission: Members of the NY Young Republican Club (the independent one) - FREE, Non Members - $5, F/T Students - $2. Drinks after every meeting in the backroom at Saga, on Lex and 39th.
January 10, 2005
Ignorance shouldn't be a crime
I became a Glasgow Celtic fan by accident. During my first few months in Scotland, someone gave me the Celtic shirt, told me that most of the town preferred Rangers (the big rivals of Celtic) and that was that.
When I came back to the U.S, going to watch Celtic games in Southie pubs in Boston made me feel connected to Scotland. Though the fans were mostly Irish, there was something about drinking a pint of beer at 9am while watching soccer in a room full of men with accents that wildly appealed to me. I also loved the songs. We'd sing 'when the ball hits the net and its not George Cadette it's DiCanio' (to the tune of 'That's Amore'). The two men mentioned in the song were my favorite players.
So, of course, I'm sad that Paolo DiCanio may have given (judge for yourself in this photo) a fascist salute after his team's win recently. He could just be waving but there is other evidence to show he knew exactly what he was doing. And, for that, Italians should shun him, criticize him, and turn their backs to him when he plays. If he broke the rules of his sport, then he should be punished accordingly. But, the BBC is confirming that 'police are sifting through photographs and film footage of the incident to see if Di Canio's actions merit any criminal charge' and this is where the story takes a turn I can not abide.
I understand the history of fascism and I've written before about family members that had died in World War II fighting against it. But the idea that a certain positioning of the arm can be considered a crime is absurd. I also fully understand Italy's specific history with fascism and still believe that the freedom to be whatever you want to be as long as you don't hurt anyone else, however atrocious, should never warrant criminal charges.
Reading the rought draft of this post to Dawn Summers, she tried to draw the parallel between FCC regulations on our tv viewing with possible charges filed for DiCanio's salute. I don't see the connection. The FCC does not file criminal charges for Janet Jackson's exposed breasts. The government allows use of the public airwaves in return for the following of certain rules. Whether the rules are unfair, as I often think they are, is irrelevant since there is an alternative method called cable television which allows the broadcast of pretty much anything, Janet Jackson's breast included. When these rules are broken, a fine may be levied. I don't remember hearing about police poring over Jackson's breast (officially anyway). And therein lies the difference.
A society that makes speech or thought illegal is doomed to have the force it tries to supress rise up. Italy should reconsider its turning an incident of stupidity into a crime.
Finally.
CBS Fires 4 Over False Bush Report
Update: Mike Krempasky sends me this link which illustrates that Dan Rather is standing by the 'fake but accurate' mantra.
Another Update: Where is the left side of the blogosphere? Sundries Shack counts all of two mentions of the Rather story by left-leaning bloggers.
Novosibirsk and the Palestinians
I can't say that I've got great confidence that new Palestinian leader Abu Mazen, fresh from promising to 'protect' terrorists is going to be a great improvement over Arafat. Powerline isn't too optimistic either.
On a side note, Big Trunk has a proposal to seek out people in Minneapolis's sister city Novosibirsk in Russia 'to consult on the establishment of a multiparty democracy following one-party rule' and quotes an Iraqi blogger who thinks Palestinians should do the same with Israel. Oddly enough, my aunt lives in Novosibirsk. I wonder if she knows that her city has this tie to Minneapolis, and whether the people there would take advantage of the connection to learn something about democracy. I wonder if the Palestinians will take advantage of the Israelis to develop their democracy. Or, really, I wish I wondered since I'm too pessimistic to even consider that an option.
No comment needed
We have Agence France Presse to thank for both the most striking headline and photograph of the tsunami devastation. The headline was "Tsunami Devastates DiCaprio", and for a moment I couldn't quite place the island: DiCaprio? One of the lesser known Maldives? Wasn't there an old Gracie Fields song – "'Twas on the isle DiCaprio that I found you?" Has Kofi Annan been flown over the devastated DiCaprio so he can marvel rhetorically: "Where have all the people gone?"Well, they're his agent and hairdresser and they've gone to lunch. The devastated DiCaprio turned out to be Leonardo of that ilk, making a few observations on the catastrophe during a promotional visit to Rome. And in his own way he was indeed devastated. He's believed to have given $US1 million ($1.32 million) to disaster relief, as has Sandra Bullock. Michael Schumacher has given $US10 million.
For purposes of comparison, Herr Schumacher's donation is the same as that of oil-rich Kuwait. As for even oil-richer Iran, its Government has earmarked $US627,000 for disaster relief.
For purposes of further comparison, that's barely a twentieth of what was raised at the Sydney Opera House concert this weekend. Today's all-star cricket match between a World XI and an Asian XI at the MCG will do more for the beleaguered Muslims of Banda Aceh than Libya, Syria and Egypt combined.
In fairness to the Saudis, they've just upped their pledge to $US30 million. But for purposes of one final comparison, consider this: a single Saudi telethon in 2002 managed to raise $US56 million. That was for widows and orphans of Palestinian suicide bombers, those deceased as well as those yet to blow. It seems nothing gets the wealthy elite of Riyadh and Jeddah adding the zeroes to the cheques like self-detonating on an Israeli bus.
It only gets better. Read it all.
January 09, 2005
What the hell is John Kerry doing in Syria?
John Kerry met with Syrian leader President Bashar al-Assad and walked away from the meeting feeling that the relationship between the US and Syria could be improved.
Meanwhile, an Iraqi terrorist suspected of involvement in beheadings told Iraqi authorities that his group has links with Iran and Syria.
Why is Kerry always at the wrong place at the wrong time?
Freebies
For the fellas:
Free Maxim and Stuff (scroll to the bottom) magazines.
Via View From the Wing.
January 08, 2005
Not fair.
How can sitemeter be down the day I get an Instalink complete with the magical words 'read the whole thing'?
January 07, 2005
Ethics
The story of Armstrong Williams allegedly taking cash from someone in the Bush administration to promote the No Child Left Behind Act is bizarre. I have no doubt that Williams truly supports the Act, but taking money for publicizing it without disclosing it seems very wrong to me. I agree with Jonah Goldberg that if the Clinton administration did this, conservatives would be outraged. This is no different.
I'm somewhat struggling with similar issues in relation to my work and my blog. As many of my readers know, I work at a political consulting firm. We mostly do event planning for various politicians and political groups, but we also do PR, strategic consulting and a variety of other politically motivated tasks. I realize my reach on this blog isn't anywhere near as impressive as Williams, but at what point do I step over the line when I promote clients on this blog (something I haven't done yet beyond noting events that may be of interest, something I do whether or not I'm getting paid for it). The problem is that my clients are groups and people that I like anyway, and would promote anyway, that's why I chose to work at my current firm. So, where's the line? For example, I'm interested in the governor's race in New Jersey and my firm is in discussions about doing some work for one of the candidates. If we get the account, I'll have insider information that may be interesting to my blog readers. But, will I be doing something unethical by pushing the candidate (who I would prefer over the rest of the field anyway) on my blog? It's different from blogging while I'm on a campaign because you all know who my client is then, while my firm has many clients, with some I have no involvement whatsoever. What if I mention one of those without disclosing that they're a client? Is that unethical? There are groups that I openly love, like the NRA or the Club For Growth. What if I land one of them as an account someday? Will I then no longer be allowed to write about them? Will I have to disclose my relationship to them every time I do?
Instapundit writes that someone has accused him of taking money to promote Wonkette. He denies it and I completely believe him. But, what if Nick Denton hit his tip jar that week? Glenn might truly like Wonkette's writing but it would look all wrong, wouldn't it, even if one action had nothing to do with the other?
The thing about the relative newness of blogging is that there don't seem to be set boundaries yet. We can clearly see that what Williams did (if he did indeed do it) was wrong. With blogging, since it's a side thing for most people in addition to their jobs, ethical dilemmas are not as obvious. I assume that as the medium grows, this will change. I'm looking forward to that because I don't like being in the grey zone where I may be acting improperly without realizing it. In the meantime, I'm going to try to be as open with my readers as possible and hope that through transparency I'll never find myself in a similar situation as Williams. We'll see.
Events for bloggers
I know of two interesting opportunities for bloggers, one in NY on Monday and one in DC on Tuesday. The one in NYC will involve a MP from a European country as well as the head of a prominent European thinktank. The one in DC is a meeting that will feature prominent administration officials.
I'm sorry to be vague, but that's the only way I could post this. Email me if you'd like to attend either of these.
January 06, 2005
If this was my party, I'd be embarrassed.
Democrats challenge Ohio votes.
As Red State poster Streiff noted, in a privately published exchange, 'Between the Gonzales hearing and this, it is truly a day that will live in buffoonery.'
MSM is still good for some things
My friend Cora sent me this link to a New York Times interactive page about the tsunamis. It includes some really unbelievable pictures of the tsunami destruction, an hour by hour simulation, as well as shocking before and after shots.
Indeed.
'Let's just say we're talking. I mean, I live in Atlanta and CNN hasn't called me. What's a guy to do?'
-Herman Cain on the possibility of becoming a pundit on Fox.
January 05, 2005
So close to a free tv.
I need three more completions to get my free flat screen. Sign up for two free weeks of blockbuster and help me get it. Click here.
I'm also 2 people away for a free ipod so go on and help me out there too.
Remember to click 'no' to all the optional surveys you get at the beginning.
Where's the outrage?
A group of Sikhs have successfully closed down a play they found offensive in Birmingham, England. The theatre was destroyed, the playwright receieved death threats and several police officers were injured in the riot. The Home Office Minister Fiona Mactaggart thinks that's terrific, an ultimate show of free speech. Stefan Beck wants you to consider what would happen if a mob of Catholics shut down a play that dared criticize some aspect of their religion.
Though I hope he means he'll read me more in '05
I am humbled by the mention of this blog in John Hawkin's round-up of best blogs of '04.
Blogroll Update
My crazy, Richard Nixon-loving friend Rachel May has restarted her blog. Why on Xanga, Rachel, for the love of G-d, why? She's having trouble adjusting to living in Texas. I know I have a few Texan readers, so go pay her a visit and make her feel better.
Meanwhile, my internet friend (is that what they still call people that you've never met but have emailed with a ton?) Melinda, who I 'met' through Rachel and Mark Harris, is now writing on a group blog called Child of Reagan.
Wow.
A friend of mine sent me this photo called Tsunami in Indonesia. I don't know its origins but it looks real to me.
Update: It's a fake.
Quote of the Day
So American personnel in American planes and American ships will deliver American food and American medicine and implement an American relief plan, but it's still a "UN-led effort". That seems to be enough for Kofi. His "moral authority" is intact, and Guardian columnists and Telegraph readers can still bash the Yanks for their stinginess. Everybody's happy.-Mark Steyn
January 04, 2005
A thing or two about sacrifice (By guest blogger Candace)
It's a funny thing, opening the paper and seeing an article about the President saying what I've been so longing to hear: that the generosity of America is not merely the generosity of her government, but of her people, who are, after all, still the heart and soul of that same government. Also funny is to read all over the place that no more money is needed, that the primary obstacles now are organizational, personnel, and equipment-related.
It's far more interesting, then, to think not of how much certain people have given out of their excess money, but to be reminded that the people who really make a difference in this and other situations are not the white-gloved who hand over their credit cards, but those who spend their lives in the low-paying non-profit and missionary sectors, training for these situations and ready to go at a moment's notice and really be useful. (I know of many bored people who have thought, "I'll go to Thailand and help," but few bored people who pick up and say, "I'll go volunteer at World Vision so that I learn to help in a way that makes a real difference.") It is for those people that I have great admiration.
But there is another set of people who cannot be left out of this conversation. There is another level of sacrifice that all the euros in the world can't make up for. And that is the service and sacrifice of lives that our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, cousins and friends make in the armed services.
You see, giving money in a natural disaster is easy. The sacrifice is that of a new coat or a car payment or a pair of shoes. But giving up the luxury of white-collar life? Giving up the privilege of not having to show leadership in the midst of controversy? Making the hard decisions for yourself? That, Old Europe is not so good at.
But while Old Europe was long content to sit on its haunches making money from a brutal dictator who oppressed far more people than that tsunami killed, let's remember that it was the armed forces of the US, Britain, Australia, the New Europe, Asia, and elsewhere, who answered the call to bring freedom to a nation and security to the world. It's a long, arduous, costly process. I know too many people who would give everything they have to have the priceless life of a loved one back. But we have pushed forward and made sacrifices even when the cause was unpopular, when the Europeans who command us to rescue innocent victims in Southeast Asia demanded that we spare the torturers and murderers in the Middle East, when the cost not only of destroying evil with the least casualties possible but also of committing to real reconstruction was impossibly high and indefinitely long.
Let us count the costs that our young nation has paid for the freedom of others and security of the world. And then let us find a better use for the word "stingy."
Listen
My hero, Herman Cain, is starting a radio show this Saturday. It's going to be called 'The Bottom Line with Herman Cain' and will air on www.920wgka.com. He is the most captivating speaker I've ever heard, so be sure to listen, I'm sure it will be great.
Scot and five friends fail to eat 10lb burger (supposedly world's biggest)
I just want to note that certain friends of mine in Scotland, in particular he who eats a frozen cheesecake whole (and, well, still frozen) would probably be able to make a serious dent in the burger. Add five friends and there is no excuse for this kind of failure.
For all you web geeks
Yahoo has a limited time offer of domain names for the low price of $4.98. If you're still at blahblahblah.blogspot.com, now may be a good time to get off.
Don't fall down from surprise
From a blog written by American foreign service officers:
Well, dear friends, we're now into the tenth day of the tsunami crisis and in this battered corner of Asia, the UN is nowhere to be seen -- unless you count at meetings, in five-star hotels, and holding press conferences.Aussies and Yanks continue to carry the overwhelming bulk of the burden, but some other fine folks also have jumped in: e.g., the New Zealanders have provided C-130 lift and an excellent and much-needed potable water distribution system; the Singaporeans have provided great helo support; the Indians have a hospital ship taking position off Sumatra. Spain and Netherlands have sent aircraft with supplies.
The UN continues to send its best product, bureaucrats.
Quote of the Day
In fact, the greater long-range consequence of the events in Asia gives the Leader of the Free World and the Commander in Chief another extended opportunity to sit astride the world look tough and compassionate at the same time.(Which doesn't mean that one has to TRY in order to get political benefit even in — especially in — a moment of human tragedy. But the presidency is a political office — something we learned a while ago.)
And, as best we can tell, the Democratic Party (such as it is) will simply nitpick and criticize on an ad hoc basis, bringing the same carping, themeless-pudding approach to disaster relief that it brought to most everything in 2004.
-ABC's 'The Note
Blogging and employment
It's trouble when blogs and jobs collide. I'm lucky that my job views my blog as a plus for them. In September, I asked bloggers five questions, one of which was the effect of their blog on their career. Most said it had had no effect. As blogs become more popular, I wonder if the answers will stay the same.
January 03, 2005
Home!
Ah, back in the land where you don't watch the clock when you're on the internet. How nice to return. The trip was pretty good, as defined by my mother, brother and I all still being alive, having not killed each other from the close proximity. I had a pretty staid New Year's Eve, in bed by about 1:30. It was still a million times better than this one (a must click, just trust me).
Thank you to all my fabulous guest bloggers: Dorian Davis, Dawn Summers, Ari, Candace and Peter. Visit their individual sites, they're some of my favorites.
I know some people are having comment section problems. The comment goes through the first time, I just need to approve them for some unknown to me reason. It will all be fixed soon, promise.
Can Israel Afford To Be So Choosy? (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
Ethiopian Jews wait 9 years to migrate to the Holy Land.
Getting them all to Israel has been a methodical process, requiring document checks in Ethiopia and Israel, interviews and other bureaucratic steps. At the current rate of 300 a month, it will take more than five years to admit all those waiting to immigrate.
"The government has been dragging its feet on bringing the remaining members of the Falash Mura community," said Michael Freund, the head of Shavei Israel, which works to bring "lost Jews" to Israel.
Mr. Freund said that government officials have raised numerous objections aimed at slowing the arrival of Falash Mura or even stopping the immigration altogether: that they are not really religious but just looking for a better life in Israel, that their numbers will swell beyond current estimates, that the cost is prohibitive.
Avraham Poraz, who was the interior minister until November 2004, said on several occasions that he was wary of citizens from poor countries trying to immigrate to Israel. He said he believed they were coming to improve their standard of living, and not necessarily because of strong Jewish roots.
"You can witness how they study and practice Judaism," said Mr. Freund, who advocates increasing the rate at which Falash Mura are allowed into the country. "To suggest they are motivated solely by economic factors is unfair and inaccurate."
And dare I add...racist?
Abu Ghraib (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)
Dems Consider Torture Show 'N Tell at Gonzales Hearing
"During upcoming confirmation hearings for Attorney General-nominee Alberto Gonzales, senior Democrats want to screen infamous videotapes showing Iraqis being abused at Abu Ghraib prison..."
Oh, stop.
Stop blaming the Bush Administration.
Just a month after our men got dragged through the streets of Fallujah and hung from a bridge with no apology from the Arab world, the President went on Arab TV to condemn the prison abuse, and say that it's not the way we do things here in the U.S.A. Don Rumsfeld and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had a press conference to condemn the abuse, and the senate hearing that came after it gave dozens of senators and members of the House a chance to do the same thing. But wherever the message came from, it was clear: We don't do that here, no ma'am.
As I wrote this, there was a story on the news about Nick Berg, an American there in Iraq, who was beheaded on camera by the Iraqi militants, with his body left on a highway overpass in Baghdad. When I saw the video tape they had put online, one thing stuck out: The men who would torture him wore masks on their faces to cover themselves, and the room was so dim that we could barely make out the face of the prisoner. Far from the hot lights of the senate panel where Don Rumsfeld had taken responsibility for the prisoner abuse, the killers of Nick Berg hid in the dimness of shame.
So the memory that endures of the prisoner abuse scandal may not be the pictures that CBS showed to the world; it may be how we answered them: We don't do that here, no ma'am. It may be those two images, side by side: a man in a dark room with his face covered vowing to kill us, and a man in a bright room vowing to treat well even those who would do us harm. That's the value of context: When we look back and forth at the two of them, it's not hard to see the good guys.
Duran Duran Duran Duran {by Guest Blogger Ari}
I just heard their newish song Sunrise on the radio. Someone please kill Duran Duran. It's bad enough they attempted to bring themselves back without half the band but their new music is reduran - oops, redundant and just bad. Not retro, bad.
In real news, you're almost done with the shallow and uninteresting likes of me, the riveting Miss Karol herself is back at some point today.
January 02, 2005
Sometimes it's better not to win.
Jeff's story about being a rough poker player reminds me of the first time Dawn Summers played with the girls. She doesn't scare anyone off with her betting anymore.
I've noticed.
Gambling addiction soars in NY.:
The number of crisis calls to a state hotline for problem gamblers soared by a startling 45% in New York City in 2004, the Daily News has learned.The jump in calls from the boroughs was even higher than the statewide increase of 30% - with Brooklyn logging more calls than any other county in the state, according to the New York Council on Problem Gambling, which maintains the hotline.
The only thing that's surprising to me is that people are actually calling the hotline.
A conversation with my brother a few weeks ago:
Me: So, how much did he win in total?
Him: About $8000.
Me: Wow.
Him: Yeah, but if he didn't win he'd have to move to Mexico and call himself Paco.
Maybe next they can do the Gowanus in Brooklyn.
Remember the Seinfeld episode when Kramer wanted to make the highway more luxurious? It looks like Texas is going to make that happen, and with private funds too.
Via Tim Blair (an Australian informs a New Yorker about a building project in Texas. Ah internet.)
Not that certain lawyers should get any ideas....
....but I'm a big fan of changing your life by quitting your job.
January 01, 2005
Jesus Would Sue (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)
Almost 40 children injured on youth for Christ trip.
Police Sgt. Winston Black said more than 100 children ages 12 to 19 attending a Youth for Christ event gathered at a high school around 4 a.m. to slide down a hill using sleds built out of cardboard boxes.
A sign posted on the hill prohibited sledding.
The children and Youth for Christ staff piled eight to 12 passengers on the sleds, then went down the hill in quick succession, Black said. "The sleds struck rocks, a light pole and each other," he said
So, basically, he'll protect the only people in the region who don't need protecting
Headline: Abbas vows to protect Palestinian gunmen
