My second city

I finally got around to watching 'City by the Sea', (contrary to reviews, it's not the worst movie ever made, though at some points it seems to be solidly in the running), a movie with Robert DeNiro set in the beach community of Long Beach, a Long Island city 20 miles or so outside New York where I spent a series of summers in my teens. The Long Beach of the film is a decrepit, ailing place with a ruined boardwalk and a healthy druggie problem. The one I remember was a middle-class town of cops, firemen and teachers, pot smoking teenagers and drunkish beach bums. I know the film's Long Beach is gone, I think mine is too as the last decade has seen rapid development, combined with escalating real estate prices, that have made the city a hot beach destination.

A discussion over on IMDB has some residents of Long Beach mad about the movie's portrayal of their city, including questions on whether the City of Long Beach can sue this movie for libel (can they, lawyers?). 'I just saw this movie last night and I was REALLY confused. Mmm. I have never heard of another Long Beach and this didnt really resemble the Long Beach I grew up in. It was misleading to represent this city in such a way. Long Beach bears no resemblance at all to this movie. I have never seen the desolate, rundown, dangerous place that this movie portryaed it as.'

Or, 'the movie looks like the rockaways on a bad day - maybe'.

Ouch.

I like this comment: 'Honey, it's a movie. It all movies had to represent truth... well, then I would be a gangsta and a wiseguy and a rabbi just because I live in Brooklyn.'

Wait, so we're not all gangsta, wiseguy, rabbis?

Will I make it through the season?

From the teaser for this week's episode of Six Feet Under:

Claire is shocked to discover she and Ted share a passion for politics.

Shocked.

Although, I suspect Ted the lawyer may turn out to be a Republican.

That's my Matsui

I, through the grace of Ari and joined by Peter, watched the Yankees defeat the Angels today. We got sunburns and almost died of heatstroke because, unlike fake Yankee fans who went home when the Yankees were down, we stayed until the end and got to see Hideki Matsui hit a double to win the game. I wore my Matsui shirt home prouder than ever.

What would we do to a Russian TV station that met with Osama?

ABC News meets with mastermind behind the Beslan school massacre in Russia.

Via GOPINION.

Dumb things over which I get all worked up

Via GOPINION, I found this post about Moby's newfound respect for Eminem because of the latter's anti-Bush song, 'Mosh'. For those that don't know, the two men had a very public verbal brawl. Eminem embarrassed Moby in multiple ways, including a mention in one of his songs calling Moby a 'bald headed fag', 'old' and describing Moby's music style as 'over'. Moby, wildly outmatched in every possible way including bankroll, talent, fame, brains and size, backed down and announced randomly at an Awards Show that he had 'no problem with Eminem'.

This irks me so much. Do you mind if I use foul language to describe it? If you do, don't click on.

Moby, you little bitch, grow some balls. If you hated Eminem for being misogynistic, nothing has changed. You hated him for using words like 'fag'. He laughed in your face and then called you specifically a fag. He's never going to like you. You're never going to be in. Not even if you both hate Bush. Not even if you'd make a song dissing Ja Rule and The Source. When Eminem wrote his song 'Toy Soldiers' about his various squabbles, you didn't even get a mention. You're a nobody. You're a sad, little boy who didn't get enough love from his daddy and now makes up for it by sweating Eminem, who clearly wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire. It's over, let go, nobody listen to techno!

Kill em all (or, whatever, lock them up forever since Britain doesn't have the death penalty)

Especially the one in the New York sweatshirt for besmirching the name of my city with his murderous ways.

That will change everything.

An actual email for an actual event happening this weekend in NYC:

Anti-War Dance Fest- Because poor communities of color continue to be aggressively recruited by the U.S. Armed forces, because young soldiers continue to die, because destruction and death continue to hit innocent Iraqi civilians each day, we invite you to dance for peace dance for freedom dance against the occupation of Iraq.

Lest you think I'm just making fun of this because they are liberals, imagine if you got an email for a danceathon against federal funding of stem cell research or against a tax hike. I'd roll my eyes just as hard as I did when I read this.

Could they be having a worse week?

Jul 29, 2005- Lightning Strike Kills Two in Scout Troop

Jul 28, 2005- Heat and humidity sickens hundreds of Boy Scouts

Jul 25, 2005- Scout leaders killed in electrical accident during Boy Scout Jamboree opening day

Using Bush hatred to sucker people

"Sorry to interrupt, folks. God bless America. I'm a homeless veteran, just got out of the hospital and I'm trying to make it upstate. Because of George Bush, he says he can't send me home, but he can send troops over to Iraq. So all I can do is ask for your help, since Bush isn't here to help me. Anything you can contribute would be helpful. I'm just trying to get up to my family," is a good one to use in New York, Boston, or LA. The majority of the population in these cities have such a negative view of Bush and Iraq, and such a positive view of veterans, family, and anything Anti-Bush, they'd be more willing to contribute a few dollars to your cause. This one's good for use in subways. Things can take a turn for the worse, however, if you get someone who wants to know your story. If they start saying things like "Where did you serve?" or "I can drive you upstate." or "Can you believe what Bush is doing with Iraq?", you're in for some trouble. Either you can get caught with questions you can't answer, or you can waste 3 hours waiting for the guy to shutup about Bush. None of these will put any money in your pocket. It's also good to get your hands on some crutches, camoflauge clothing, and/or go with a day's stubble.

Via Seldom Sober.

Back when I was a supercool NYC teenager, I would hang out with squatters in Tompkins Square Park in Alphabet City. They were mostly rich kids from Connecticut who couldn't like deal, man so they would live in empty abandoned buildings back when there were such things in the East Village and beg for money in the street. My friend Mils and I would cut school and hang out with them, fascinated by their blue hair and multiple body piercings. Plus, girls and dogs brought in more money so they were happy to have us around. Some of their lines:

'Spare some change so I don't have to eat my dog'
'Spare some change, I'm saving up for a yacht'
'Spare some change so I can buy some beer and some pot' (this one actually worked the best since people seemed to appreciate the honesty).

I remember shopping in the Village with my parents years later and some dirty guy running up to me and saying 'Karol! It's me, Wisconsin! How's it going?' Still homeless, still begging, my parents were not amused that I knew him. I wonder if he's using the Bush line these days.

LOOKS LIKE I HAVE MY INSANITY DEFENSE SEWN UP (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)

Maybe this is why Karol has left Alarming News to a gaggle of guest bloggers...

No Comment

Louvre Gets Donation for Islamic Art Wing

Happy Listening Part II (By guest blogger Jessica)

Ladies and gentlemen, once again, showing their groovy hip swaying side, The Wifebeaters.

The politics of meters on Sundays

For a few years now, New Yorkers have had to pay the meters on Sundays. No more, reports Clarified, due to some wacky religious decision by the City Council. She focuses on the fact that other religions celebrate their Sabbath on days other than Sunday and that meters should be free on those days too. I think Bloomberg just got one step closer to re-election. One of the gripes I heard from people during Bloomberg's term was that they were being nickled and dimed all the time, and meters on Sundays was a classic example of this. Now, no more meters on Sundays. And if you think Bloomberg isn't getting the credit, despite his opposition to the plan, you're not paying attention.

Like MASH But Less Funny And Not As Political (By guest blogger Jessica)

I was watching a new drama on cable TV yesterday called Over There. It premiered on channel FX, which is apparently an up and coming cable network that has hot new shows like Nip/Tuck and The Shield. And for someone that barely watches TV, I really do not know how I know such things.

Anyhow, Over There is about a group of rookie soldiers who arrive in Iraq for the first time. The show depicts their lives and their families' lives back at home and the experiences they go through while fighting in a war that is already well underway. It is the first war drama in which the conflict being depicted is current.

I highly recommend the show. I was pleasantly surprised to find that politics are kept to a minimum. The show focuses on the personal and daily lives of the soldiers, and the realizations they come to while fighting on the front lines. The battle scenes are done very well, and the small things that we don't think about very often are brought to light in several aspects. Like what the heck you do when you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the desert.

Oh, but it doesn't have a cool theme song like MASH does.

*UPDATE* Cake Or Death had a different take on the pilot episode as he seemed to think it was a bit more preachy and well, Hollywoodish. We shall see as the storylines develop, I guess.

Let's Take a Quiz (by Guest Blogger Ari)

This is from an email a friend just sent me:

Please pause a moment, reflect back, and take the following multiple choice test. The events are actual cuts from past history.

Do you remember?

1. In 1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by:
a. Superman
b. Jay Lenno
c. Harry Potter
d. Muslim male extremist between the ages of 17 and 40

2. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by:
a. Olga Corbett
b. Sitting Bull
c. Arnold Schwarzenegger
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

3. In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by:
a. Lost Norwegians
b. Elvis
c. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

4. During the 1980's a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
a. John Dillinger
b. The King of Sweden
c. The Boy Scouts
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

5. In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
a. A pizza delivery boy
b. Pee Wee Herman
c. Geraldo Rivera
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

6. In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by:
a. The Smurfs
b. Davy Jones
c. The Little Mermaid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

7. In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens, and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by:
a. Captain Kidd
b. Charles Lindberg
c. Mother Teresa
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

8. In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
a. Scooby Doo
b. The Tooth Fairy
c. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

9. In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
a. Richard Simmons
b. Grandma Moses
c. Michael Jordan
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

10. In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
a. Mr. Rogers
b. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill' s women
problems
c. The World Wrestling Federation
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

11. On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by:
a. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
b. The Supreme Court of Florida
c. Mr. Bean
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

12. In 2002 the United States fought a war in Afghanistan against:
a. Enron
b. The Lutheran Church
c. The NFL
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

13. In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
a. Bonnie and Clyde
b. Captain Kangaroo
c. Billy Graham
d. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

Nope, .....I really don't see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you?

Moronic moral equivalence

Not only does a NY Times editorial say that 'sanity has not been the norm so far on either side of the Israeli security barrier' (except I think it could be argued that the people not dressing their infants and toddlers in machine guns are actually sane) but it also makes this really stunning proclamation.

The Bus Story (by guest blogger Ari)

I find it incredibly interesting that this story died so quickly. 60 (!!) tourists led off a bus with their hands up. Tourists made to kneel on the street, in full view of the public, handcuffed, with sharpshooters trained on them... and the story lasted what, a day or so?

Not one teary eyed tourist from the bus addressed the media saying they were terrorized. Or, more even more interesting, no one made any sort of stink about racism, police brutality, humiliation or suing. Not a word about suing!! I guess Al Sharpton was too busy that day to galvanize things? Thank goodness. And as for the class and understanding of these poor tourists I'm not at all shocked. Just impressed. And I wish the story could have lived at least another day to teach some of the more litigious people here in NYC (y'know, like pests who protest political conventions and their ilk) a thing or two.

Ahem.

From ABC's THE NOTE:

If the Bush White House weren't so completely distracted by the Wilson leak investigation, perhaps the President would be able to actually get something done — besides sign CAFTA, the highway bill, and the energy bill into law; read all the improving economic figures; celebrate his still-bullet-proof Supreme Court nomination; and continue along semi-stealthily on 2006 fundraising and candidate recruitment.

And if the Democrats weren't so sure that a one-sentence party platform ("Karl Rove should be in jail.") was a sure winner, perhaps they would Notice that the Republican majority is likely to get at least some credit with voters for passing these laws; that the Bill Clinton Democratic Party of free trade just might have been dead and buried shortly after midnight; and that the AFL thing — along with the America Coming Together thing, along with the DNC thing — leaves the party with some serious money and organization questions.

Gee, I wonder if he'll win

Egypt President Mubarak to seek fifth term

Tonight in New York (by guest blogger Peter)

It's almost impossible to overstate the impact and importance of Fela Kuti to the global musical village: producer, arranger, musician, political radical, outlaw. He was all that, as well as showman par excellence, inventor of Afro-beat, an unredeemable sexist, and a moody megalomaniac.

The Archives Listening Project turns a year old tonight and we're presenting an evening of Fela. Admission is free and it starts at 9pm.
We're at 12" Bar - 179 Essex St, just below Houston.

No, Congress really doesn't have anything better to do.

Congressman Salazar answers the question on everyone's mind.

Blogroll Update

Remember this story? Well, the guy in it turns out to be this really cool movie buff who has a new group site called 'Cinema Strikes Back'. I think I ruined any film judging credibility I may have had with him by admitting, or more like professing, love for 'Wedding Crashers', which he refuses to see because he hated 'Old School'. Oh well, nobody is perfect (meaning him for not getting the genius of that movie, not me).

My Kind Of Love Advice or Adam Smith,The New Love Doctor (by guest blogger Petitedov)

Tim Harford writes a sort of Dear Abby column for the Financial Times. The column, Dear Economist, approaches everyday problems and queries from the economics point of view, often Harford quotes famous economists and nobel prize laureates in his explanation why people aren't having enough sex (my personal favorite).
Here's how the column describes itself:

The 'Dear Economist' column in the Financial Times answers readers' personal problems with the tools of Adam Smith.

The only drawback to this blog is that it's a big tease. In order to read the columns in full one must register at FT for a price. Still I find the concept refreshing, enjoyable, and practical. I need to listen to Mr. Harford more often.

'It's not like we're living on the prairie.'

Last Sunday's episode was the worst Six Feet Under episode yet, though it did get better toward the end, and I did laugh at a couple of lines like the one said by Claire quoted in the title line above. Click on if you've already seen the episode.

I despise all the characters this season. Claire is the only even remotely redeemable character, mostly because she is very realistically selling out. Otherwise, they're all a bunch of freaks that I can't relate to. Also, while I realize they are a liberal family in a liberal state, the political overtones are getting a bit much. If Claire isn't pontificating about the state of the world, she's listening to Air America. Nate is just in hippie lalaland, Brenda is unbearable with her baby babbling and new agey child-raising techniques (classic line a few episodes back from Nate to Brenda: 'I don't want to raise our children based on a book you haven't even finished reading yet'). David is too nice, those kids are going to eat him alive, but sometimes shows a little realism:

'This isn't about money, it's about making a better world.'-Nate

'Well, I'm sorry, but a world where I'm broke doesn't seem better to me.'-David

I can't stop watching but I do hope it improves.

If I only drank bad beer and didn't eat brie

You Are 70% American

Most times you are proud to be an American. Though sometimes the good ole US of A makes you cringe Still, you know there's no place better suited to be your home. You love your freedom and no one's going to take it away from you!

The war in Iraq will make Muslims despise us even more.

Right?

Q.

Joe got his bag searched on the subway and worried that the cops would find his pot. They didn't:

I ran into the subway with my drugs safely tucked away in a side pocket. HOLY FUCK. I was petrified at that moment. I mean, what would have happened if he had asked to look in the side pocket of my bag and found the pot? Although I’ve heard from other people that they aren’t legally allowed to arrest me on the spot for that, I have a hard time believing it. I am sure that I would have been handcuffed and led out of the subway, convict style.

But what would happen if they did? Can he be arrested? Anyone know?

Happy Listening! (By guest blogger Jessica)

Check out the newest Wifebeaters recorded single, Frame By Frame.

Go.

If you're thinking of taking a vacation, think about going to London. British Airways has a package out of NY for $567 that includes:

º Round-trip World Traveller airfare to London on British Airways.

º Three nights’ accommodation at a central London hotel.

º Choice of one of the following attractions: Ducktour, London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Dining Pass, Afternoon Tea, or Big Bus Tour.

º Continental breakfast daily.

The Brits can use our support right now.

Think, not so much.

My godsister had a son at eighteen, got married to a different guy, for three months. (Which, looking back, wasn’t such a shock since she brought a date to the rehearsal dinner.

Oh just read the whole thing. That Dawn Summers sure knows how to write.

So sad it's funny

This just about sums up how I feel about the random subway bag searches.

Conservatism vs. Republicanism (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)

As more people are voting Republican, debunking the myth that each generation is inevitably becoming more liberal, it occured to me that the vocabulary we use to classify this phenomenon might be part of the confusion. This current generation is becoming more tolerant--not more liberal. Tolerance and liberalism are not the same thing. Tolerance is merely the acceptance of alternative lifestyles, such as the gay and lesbian lifestyle. But liberalism, at its core, is the malevolent philosophy that the individual is subservient to the group, or to the state, and I don't see any evidence to support the speculation that liberalism is gaining ground. In fact, an examination of voting patterns over the past 25 years reveals that the exact opposite is true: this country has voted progressively more Republican, from Reagan to Bush I, and now to George W. Bush. Even the Clinton administration was a watershed for Republican expansion, as we took over the House of Representatives in 1994, and the Senate in 2000. (Another little-known fact is that more people voted for conservative tickets--Bush and Perot, and Dole and Perot--than voted for Bill Clinton in both 1992 and 1996, respectively.) This is not to say that we are suddenly adopting a fundamentalist Christian mentality in this country, but, instead, that the Republican Party and its Conservative elements are two separate, and fabulous, entities. And while each subsequent generation is becoming more tolerant of alternative lifestyles, and alternative families, that tolerance doesn't necessarily translate into an endorsement of high taxes and subservience to the United Nations. In other words, a citizen coming of political age in the Bush Era is not necessarily at odds with himself to support gay marriage, and to vote as a Republican. As globalism is one constituency of the Democratic Party, so is Conservatism of the Republican Party.

You need me and you know it (By guest blogger Candace)

I did not imagine, upon my temporary return to the glorious world of guest-blogging, that my first serious discussion with AN readers would be about The Real World. To correct this, I have decided to share with you some information that is in desperate need of discussion in today's globalizing world.

Ahem. Lean closer, kids.

I have it on good, Mexico-certified authority that when you (okay, we) are at the club, shaking your rumps around in circles and singing "Dame mas gasoliiiina!" (which is the only line in that song we gringos thought we understood), you are not engaging your partner with a thoughtful debate on CAFTA.

What you are shouting about, I will leave it up to your, hmm, creative minds to decipher.

Comments: the internet equivalent of teddy bears(By guest blogger Candace)

Seriously, for a girl who's never home I'm on the internet enough tonight to know that our poor co-guest-blogger Petitedov had a really rough day. As someone who wrecked her car five years ago and whose life has never been the same since, I'm telling you that if there's any love left in your black hearts you should send it over to her.

That said, it probably won't help your karma if you accidentally call her mother instead, forget that you speak Russian, and hurriedly slam the phone shut on the poor lady. Just in case you were wondering.

Who's Your Parent A!! (by guest blogger Chad)

Being the firm believers in the old adage, "A rolling stone gathers no moss," the gay rights activists in the liberal bastion of Massachusetts are at it again. Having conquered the issue of gay-marriage (with a little help from the courts), they have now logically moved on to the next edict on, what is assuredly a very... very....... very long list.

Hear ye! Hear ye! Let it be known that thine traditional birth certificates indicating the foul and hetero-normative titles of "Mother" and "Father" shall hanceforth no longer stand and will be banished from the land post haste!!! (With a little help from the courts.)

Honestly, being gay, I really have a hard time siding with people who are on the fight for "gay rights". Nevermind the fact that they totally miss that whole pesky majority rules thing and take all their gripes to the judiciary to decide, but they come up with the most retarded answers to their problems.

Parent A and Parent B?!?!?! Are you joking? Are you trying to kill me by making me choke on my Velveeta Shells & Cheese from laughing at such a ridiculous idea...?? Are these the same geniouses who decided to give us the rainbow and upside down pink triangle as the symbols to champion our cause??

I have a thought. If the crossing out of one of parental titles on the traditional document offends you and you'd prefer to have a pristine, unaltered birth certificate of your child to keep in a shoebox in the attic, how 'bout petitioning your legislature to make a separate one for gay couples indicating both ambiguous parents.

It's bad enough you've force fed gay marriage (which will backfire... huge) down the public's collective throats in that state.... Let's not force the 80,000 children of straight parents to choose which parent is A and which is B for the sake of gay community's fragile ego.

Stone's 9/11 (by guest blogger Petitedov)

There was a lot of bruhaha, when it was announced that Oliver Stone will direct full out 9/11 themed movie. Many people maintained that Oliver Stone with his crazy interesting political views will disecreate the memory of the victims while pushing the far-left agenda of justifying terrorism. I'm no fan of Oliver Stone, especially when i saw Comandate, his love letter to Fidel Castro. So i was more than interested when Murph, who seems to have all the right connections, got a hold of an early script. Murph doesn't seem very impressed, but like me he's a movie snob so who knows how a) the final script will look like when Stone is done with it b) what kind 9/11 movie will the general public want to see.

More Armchair Freud (By guest blogger Candace)

So I'm going to admit that after my bacon I sat down to watch The Real World (Austin), and here are my re-confirmed observations about life:
* Boys like girls to be infants
* People are total sluts
and
* College kids are mean

Re: Little girls: The whole "I need you"/"You make me feel like a princess"/"I need to take care of me stuff" is so, like, ten years ago, in the sense that, ten years ago, "we" were eleven or twelve.

Re: Sluts: Like, they're all, like, dumb, and like, mean, and they really do think that going out and just hooking up with people is fun, which is funny, because I guess I still thought that people were, like, joking about being that shallow.

Re: Mean: So here's how life works: People like to be mean to people who aren't as pretty as them, like making sure this Rachel girls knows she "can't get" anyone in their league because she's packing something like an extra three and a half pounds and her face wasn't assembled in a doll factory. Jesus. And ugly people, while totally normal about relationships, have their own personal game with the universe, where the pretty people exist to be screwed with, because it's just so easy. This basically means that the more crooked your face is, the smarter you are. Katie Holmes would be the exception to this rule.

In other words, people never change, and the boys on tv (like the boys in real life) will continue to act like they should own girls' bodies and minds and girls will cope by taking it out on each other. Which is why I just gonna get married to Ari and leave it all behind. And I'm also going to find a better source for life lessons that The Real World. That's like planning your battlefield strategy while listening to "Peace Train."

Question of the day (By Guest Blogger Candace)

Does eating bacon for dessert mean you have an eating disorder?

Perspective (By Guest Blogger Jessica)

Petitedov recently told me about the latest political move from the band Belle and Sebastian to boycott the Israel portion of their tour until 'they end the occupation'. I hadn't heard this, and being a Belle and Sebastian fan, decided to do some research.

It turns out that Chris Geddes, the keyboardist of the band had done a couple of interviews describing the poverty and destruction he had seen while visiting the Gaza Strip. Here's an interview. Nothing is really too shocking in the interview. He compares the wall to something out of South African apartheid and he blames the poverty and the struggle for basic rights on the occupation.

Never mind that his tour guide on this trip is a photojournalist who runs this site which has cartoons to show how the Palestinians are mistreated. Nevermind that Barak's generous offer at the Camp David Summit in 2000 was rejected. Never mind that Arafat diverted almost a billion dollars in public funds. Never mind that many kids are being taught who to hate before being taught how to read.

A little perspective goes a long way. It seems as if Chris decides to visit the middle east with a certain perspective already in place, and he leaves with that perspective reinforced by his tour guide and the people he meets.

Now, keep in mind that Gaza is an extremely dangerous place, one in which most Israelis would not step foot inside. The last question in the interview addresses this danger.

Were you ever scared for your own safety?

The only time on the trip I really felt scared was going through security at Tel Aviv airport on the way home. Like I said, kids with machine guns are very scary. Especially when you've got a Chairman Arafat boxing glove puppet in your luggage.

And that is the picture he paints. The only thing scary about the occupied territories are the fresh faced kids with big guns at the airport. Scary, indeed, Chris. Scary that you have such a one sided view of the situation.

Thank you, Mr. Spitzer? (by guest blogger Peter)

NY Attorney General Eliot Spitzer busted Sony Music on charges of payola. Now there are plenty of jokes here which could be made at the expense of Jennifer Lopez and others, but that's just stating the obvious. Sure there are some exceptions, but most people over the age of 15 generally agree that many of today's "hit" songs are awful.

But should payola be illegal? All parties involved are privately owned and operated businesses. If a station manager puts Good Charlotte on heavy rotation, he should be allowed regardless of his reasons for doing so. The record companies exist to shift units while the commercial stations exist to market said units, and if the music industry were an artform -- rather than a business -- we'd all be listening to Dungen instead, but that's not the way the world works. With the exception of NY State, no one is forcing the radio stations to do anything they don't want to do. And if you, the consumer, don't like what the stations are doing, don't listen to them. There are plenty of other options out there.

Unbeatable Combination (by guest blogger Petitedov)

I recently found out about this movie. It has three things going for it:

1. It stars Bill Murray.
2. Did i mention Bill Murray is in it?
3. It's directed by Jim Jarmusch, one of my all time favorite film makers.

In the last Jarmusch film, Coffee and Cigarettes one of the highlights of the movie is the Murray, RZA, and GZA scene where they expound on the benefits of tea and taking it easy. Something about Murray's sardonic wit and Jarmusch's humor sensibilities just works. I don't know how funny Broken Flowers would be but i think i'll be satisfied just seeing the familiar Murray smirk and those weary eyes.
So you know, come August 5th, i'll be buying a ticket for Broken Flowers and i would advise you to do the same.

(I know this is mostly a political blog but since i rarely write about politics i thought my first Alarming News post should be closer to what i'm familiar with, testing-of-the-water of sorts post.)

Today, 4pm EST

(Click this graphic to listen)

Our guest today will be one of my all time favorite writers, Jonah Goldberg. Call in with questions to 1-866-884-TALK (8255).

'ALARMING NEWS' SUMMER FUND DRIVE (last bump, promise)

If you like what I do here at 'Alarming News', or hey, even if you don't, consider a donation:

Big or small, I take them all. And any bloggers that donate get a coveted uh... link.

Update: If you don't just want to hand over your cash, another way to support this site is to buy an ad. I'm sure some of you have businesses that buy advertising, right? The smartest people in the world read 'Alarming News', I mean you're reading this and you're a genius. Or, if you can't afford to donate or buy an ad, click the ads so my advertisers know they're making the right decision.

More Updates:
Thank you Unconventional Wisdom!

Thank you Slantpoint for the ad! Be sure to check out Scott's new site 'Urban Elephants', an online gathering place for NY Republicans.

Thank you Daily Lunch!

Thank you Shape of Days!

Thank you Samsara Days!

Thank you Dawn Patrol for the excellent ad!

Thank you Vincent!

Thank you Protein Wisdom!

Thank you NYC Right!

Thank you Jake!

Bombs Away (By Guest Blogger Ari)

Ok... look, I understand the "protect the Constitution" bit behind this initiative. The Constitution is a Very Important document. Hell, didn't all your schools throw you onto rickety yellow buses and drag you 5 hours to see it? Of course they did. They didn't drag you to see the doctor's note excusing Tom Bergeron from 4th period phys. ed. for a reason. But seriously. Seriously!!! What is the big deal? Are people walking around with backpacks full of drugs and kiddie porn? What are folks sooo freaked out about. Yeah yeah yeah, it puts us on a slippery slope. Next they'll be barging into your homes!!! Do you read the newspapers? Yeah, it happens once in awhile. Don't get me wrong; I think the bag search is useless and inane, a bomber will blow himself up right on the spot. But whatever, it's 800 degrees, let cops stand on the platforms and melt, what do I care, it's one less parking ticket.

But these folks... I just don't get them. What are they really fighting to protect? Your right to carry a bomb? C'mon. Even the Constitution couldn't have meant for that.

DC blogs (by Guest Blogger Candace)

When I think about how much I love me some New York bloggers, I get a little teary-eyed that I didn't make the same quality blog-friends down here in the District before making The Big Move to the City of People Without Souls. However, since I'm probably not the only AN reader with an interest in finding decent blogs in DC, let me give some link-love to a few folks I found this afternoon while recovering from the first full day of sugar detox:

* DCSOB is "#2 on Google for 'Flava Flav Halloween Costume,'" to which I say: a) rad and b) who dressed up as Brigitte Nielson? It doesn't get scarier than that.
** Also, DCSOB is part of this Blogger-DJ collective called Blue State DC that, despite stealing its name from my friend's company, looks like something Peter would coo over with me. Nice set lists, boys and girls. I'm finding hope for DC somewhere.
* DCiever. I quote:

I think that regardless of whether you are a conservative or a liberal, a man or a woman, a haberdasher or a toreador, there's one thing that every single American can agree on when it comes to Supreme Court nominee John Roberts--he's easily the choicest slice of pure fuckability to hit the SCOTUS in our lifetime.

Here's hoping there's more to come. Maybe one for me? If only it wasn't so dangerous to bitch about my nudity-loving coworkers' obsession with drag-themed events...

Playing meme keep-away (By Guest Blogger Candace)

So it is sort of pretentious to begin your guest blogging with completion of a meme that's essentially your life story in five written snapshots, but enough of my people still haunt Alarming News (hi darlings! gosh do we miss you) that I thought I'd make full use of my squatting privileges.

Oh, and also, if you didn't like me on Candied Ginger, you probably still won't, but feel free to keep mean comments to yourself, or risk the distinct possibility of my hiring some of Karol's Brooklyn people to stalk your doorstep, where they will wrap your head in raw flank steak and force you to admit that I'm your second-favorite person in the world and that George W. Bush is your political hero. And if you're the kind of jerk who usually leaves mean comments for me, then I'm guessing this is something you do not want to have happen.

Phew. Now that that's done, I'll post the meme, which methinks will come in handy if I ever post a personal ad.

Caution: was drafted on Sunday.

10 years ago: I had just finished 6th grade, where I was mysteriously popular, despite not having a flat enough stomach to wear the “sunflower shirt.” I was hanging out all summer with neighbors, Billy and Rachel, digging up worms and looking for shapes in the clouds and jumping on the trampoline and getting really obsessed with the idea of being skinny, because I feared (rightly) that starting 7th grade without a bikini tan would be socially fatal. My best friend Cassie and I lived for Dairy Queen runs on Saturday nights and boys for me to watch her flirt with, in awe. I would watch as she bleached her hair and painted her nails in the tiny bathroom of the dilapidated house that would be condemned just a couple of years later while her parents chanted along with TBN in the living room. I don’t think I thought about anything but social survival – ever – made increasingly difficult by my refusal to do drugs and my inability to wear tiny t-shirts.

5 years ago: It was the only summer I had a car, and I spent it working retail and driving this guy friend of mine all over the world because I was convinced that we were best friends but really I was just really sexually frustrated and cried a lot, mostly over stuff he did. We saw Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney play at the Gorge, which was basically the highlight of my summer. By this time I had lost a number of friendships as my smart kid friends figured out they could spend their paychecks on E, skip school on Wednesdays to get high, and still ace everything, and I had no interest in lying to my parents and buying a rainbow jumpsuit and cuddling with perfect strangers. At this point, I began to be aware that a world outside the Fhetto existed, but I never pictured myself in it. I had not been further east than Salt Lake City.

1 year ago: I was in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in a house with no air conditioning, studying econ at UMich’s Ford School. In other words, I was in Starbucks, taking impossible midterms and crying very, very hard over them. I was very, very blonde. I had a moderately successful little blog with a girl I met for the first time that 4th of July and really loved. I was trying on a new, rather unsustainable, and ultimately ridiculous version of myself. I was for some godforsaken reason shopping a lot at Urban Outfitters. I was galavanting all over the Midwest and actually managed to enjoy myself. I met Karol and was, like, totally in love from the moment I saw her, which is pretty much how I felt about her blog and emails, and that feeling has pretty much grown over time. I was worried I’d never get into grad school. I disappointed Peter by wearing flip-flops. I had never left North America.

Yesterday: I had the most amazing café au lait and salmon crepe of my entire life at a French café near my future graduate school. I then had the most amazing gelato of my life, from an Argentine café next door. I went to the gym. I went to the park, read about nostalgia, got a sunburn on my eyelids, and explored pretty much every inch of park territory in the whole of NW DC past 23rd street. I watched “White,” a film gifted to me by the lovely and thoughtful Petitedov. I solidified my plans to go to Germany for Christmas, which will be my whopping fourth foreign country visited. I can’t wait.

Today: Took a whirlwind tour of DC coffee shops (they’re no good), where I re-read chapter III of On Revolution. Decided to go into sugar detox. Watched “Igby Goes Down” with some friends. Ravenously ate a bunch of beef (it doesn’t have any sugar). Might go see “March of the Penguins.”

Tomorrow: My thrilling workday life: gym, work, a couple of phone calls to a dearly missed friend on her birthday, and then I will probably cook so that I can survive my first full day of sugar detox by reorienting my cravings. Toward more meat.

5 snacks I enjoy: I have been on sugar detox for all of three hours, which means I can’t say cupcakes, strawberries, ice cream, gelato, and Judy’s dark chocolate-covered marshmallows. Shoot. Um, celery with peanut butter, slices of dill havarti, cashews, hard-boiled eggs, and, um, olives.

5 bands that I know the lyrics of MOST of their songs: I’m so bad at discerning lyrics. You’d think I was half-deaf. Nonetheless: Sixpence None the Richer, Faith Hill, The Shins, James Yorkston (& the Athletes), and, um, M.I.A.

5 things I would do with $100,000,000: There’s a lot to be paid for/off: my parents’ debts, my sis needs a car that’s everything-proof, my siblings and my godbrothers need college educations, and I need to pay off some credit cards. I’d also like to establish a well-paid position for a strong comparativist in the political science department at my alma mater. Girl can dream. Now, if it weren't such a huge, conscience-crushing stack of money, I'd probably take an extended field trip to the Caucasus, buy another Dior bag, and buy a couple of plane tickets home, where I'd take my siblings to the fair and get them all new cowboy boots. But $100,000,000 is just too daunting for such thoughts.

5 locations I’d like to run away to: “Run away” implies seeking shelter or seeking adventure. For the former: Seattle (I miss you so much, lovely city), Salt Lake City. To: Karol’s apartment, for an extended vacation; Prague, because; and Tbilisi, but the reasons are jinxable so I’ll keep them to myself.

5 bad habits I have: Eating sugar, losing expensive things, undervaluing myself, judging rich people, turning off my alarm clock without realizing it.

5 things I would never wear: Under specific circumstances, I could probably be talked into wearing just about anything, even (my immediate thoughts) converse, thigh-high boots, and a string bikini. However, there’s no chance of my ever wearing: a t-shirt making unseemly references to the President or Vice President and genitalia, or anything with the likeness of Che.

5 TV shows I like: That new Paula Abdul show where people dance, that Andy kid on MTV, the Surreal Life, and the Gilmore Girls. I have a feeling I will really love Tucker Carlson’s new show. That kid. He’s so freaking cute.

5 movies I like: Lost in Translation, Virgin Suicides, Almost Famous, Repentance, Anchorman.

5 famous people I’d like to meet: Presidents Bush and Saakashvili, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Milan Kundera, Jessica Simpson. And I'm sorry, but that girl was genetically engineered by Mattel. There is no other possible explanation for the "These Boots Were Made for Walkin'" video. Hot damn.

5 biggest joys at the moment: Beef, the waterfront, Kate Earl, the Hirshhorn, air conditioning.

5 favorite toys: Little machine, digital camera (rest in peace), and if the dry sauna at my gym counts as a toy, then baby, that makes three.

And I don't generally tag people anymore since I graduated to guest-blogger, but Ginger, if you're reading this, then HA -- it's your turn, babe.

The one vote Dawn and I will both encourage

Vote for Ken Wheaton in Cosmo's hottest media man contest. The only question remaining is if his head will still be able to get through doors after this.

Those can't be our only choices

Patrick Ruffini is running a straw poll for possible Republican candidates for '08. I don't think anyone in it can win. Sorry, I'm not cynical, just realistic. But do go vote in it anyway. Patrick is sorting the results by referring blog and it will let me know what my readers think.

The curse of the out party?

Third Avenue has a great post on why Republicans dominate in America while their (supposed) counterparts in Britain have been getting a beat down for the past decade. He writes:

But there is a striking difference between the Tories and the Republicans that may go some way to explaining the former's malaise and the latter's success. US Republicans have managed (rightly or wrongly) to become the spokespeople for a positive American future, while the Democrats all too often are seen as the whingers at the sidelines. Over in Britain, it is Labour that has colonised the 'positive', forward-looking territory, leaving the whingeing firmly in the hands of the Tories.

Well, I guess that beats going over there and posing for pictures with the terrorists

Actress Jane Fonda Plans to Speak Out on Iraq

'I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can...'

I find it hard to listen to 'Highwayman' (by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson) while sitting in an office. It's such an outdoor song.

Anyway, I need some new music suggestions. What're y'all listening to these days?

Hot town, summer in the city

Manhattan Transfer has a reminder that New York City summers are pretty damn spectacular.

It's not just because I love Law&Order...

...but I think I can really get on board with this choice for '08.

Lies and the lying liars

I've already stated my opposition to the bag searches happening in New York subway stations. I think they're a waste of time and resources. A lot of my friends are for it, though they admit that it's structured rather ridiculously. No suicide bomber is going to willingly open their bag for a cop, especially when he has the option to walk away and enter another station a few blocks away. Also, I'm all for profiling, which the police department assures us won't be happening. So many of my friends have the opinion of 'c'mon, sure they say there won't be profiling but obviously Middle Eastern men in their 20's and 30's will be searched more frequently than Chinese men or little old ladies'.

But, call me crazy, I tend to take the officials at their word. I don't understand the concept of believing the opposite of what someone is saying. This happened a lot during the election when John Kerry would go out of his way to say that his position on gay marriage was identical to Bush's, yet his supporters would insist that he didn't really mean it. And, as far as lies go, the one about no racial profiling is only going make people confident that our officials don't have a clue as to how to protect us. If we are going to be lying can't we make the lies more useful? State that we'll kill the families of any suicide bomber. Tell them we'll bomb Mecca should they decide to blow up the A train. Obviously we don't mean it, wink wink, but at least it'll be lying with a purpose.

We'll let you know if your opinion on a nominee is ever relevant again

"We don't know much about Roberts' political ideology, but we do know that his career has been built on membership in increasingly elitist institutions that include few women and Latinos or other ethnic minorities... Had these 'extraordinary' credentials set the standard for judicial nominations in 1982, Sandra Day O'Connor would never have been appointed. She never clerked. She never worked for a president. She never served as a federal judge" -- Brandeis University Prof. Anita Hill, writing in Newsday.

From WSJ's Political Wire.

Smoke while you have a chance

New Jersey lawmakers, apparently unable to think up more pressing issues to legislate, have come up with a plan to ban smoking while driving. Supposedly, the reason is 'distraction'.

Assemblyman John McKeon, a tobacco opponent whose father died of emphysema, sponsored the legislation. He cites a AAA-sponsored study on driver distractions in which the automobile association found that of 32,000 accidents linked to distraction, 1 percent were related to smoking.

What about the other 99%? Are we going to ban radios in cars, hot women in the street, or whatever other distractions constitute the main bulk of these accidents?

Quote of the Day

Bomb us, and we agonise over the "root causes" (that is, what we did wrong). Decapitate us, and our politicians rush to the nearest mosque to declare that "Islam is a religion of peace". Issue bloodcurdling calls at Friday prayers to kill all the Jews and infidels, and we fret that it may cause a backlash against Muslims. Behead sodomites and mutilate female genitalia, and gay groups and feminist groups can't wait to march alongside you denouncing Bush, Blair and Howard. Murder a schoolful of children, and our scholars explain that to the "vast majority" of Muslims "jihad" is a harmless concept meaning "decaf latte with skimmed milk and cinnamon sprinkles".

-Mark Steyn in a piece I'm sure everyone will be quoting today.

$$$

Is making money from blogging possible? Matt Welch doubts it.

For the ladies

Chartreuse Velour lays out some good beauty secrets over on her blog. Listen to her, she looks a good 10 years younger than her age.

Guest House

I'm going to have a very crazy schedule for the next month. I'll still be blogging as much as ever but it may be during odd hours. To make up for it, I've 'hired' a team of guest bloggers for the month of August. Jessica, Ari, Dorian and Petitedov are confirmed guest bloggers. Candy and Ginger, of the defunct Candied Ginger, are definite maybes. And if Dawn Summers ever comes back from her bi-monthly jaunt to the left coast, maybe she'll join in too. I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of others... so stay tuned. Guest bloggers will probably begin tomorrow. Be nice.

Where's my NY Times article?

From a NY Times article on Stephanie Klein:

According to Technorati, which ranks blogs based on "net attention," or the number of people who are linking to them, Ms. Klein's blog has a rank of 2,132, meaning that of the world's more than 13 million blogs, there are only 2,000 or so with more inbound links than hers.

"That would put her in the top 1 percent of all bloggers," said David L. Sifry, the founder and chief executive officer of Technorati.

My Technorati rank is 1,331.

Still not afraid?

Two bombs explode in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

My brother is in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

How I met Jessica (and a little bit about Yaron, Lisa, Paul, Mike D. and Peter). Second in a series.

Jessica has finally got around to doing that meme I hit her with weeks ago. And it got me thinking to revive the series that I began with my story of meeting Ivan Lenin.

I met Peter in August of 2001. It had rained all day and I had spent the entire Saturday playing Risk at my friend MD's apartment. I had recently moved into MD's building and enjoyed living an elevator ride away from his apartment where all my friends would hang out. That Saturday, there was a group of us wasting the day together. At about 11pm, my friends decided to go see a movie. I didn't feel like it and I headed home. I was home for not 15 minutes when I started to get itchy to go out. I called my friend Carolyn. We were both Anglophiles and Britpop fans and had decided to go to Don Hills, a bar downtown that played Britpop on Saturday nights. At around midnight, we got to Don Hills.

This is the short version of meeting Peter, and probably the only version we agree on: I saw a guy looking at me. I smiled. He smiled. Then he came over and introduced himself. He was there with his friend Paul. Turned out, he was in a band called 'Soft'. Much as I love my Russian friends from Brooklyn, and I do love them a lot, it was rare that we ever liked the same music. I was excited to be around people who liked the same music as me. I asked him if his band was performing soon and he told me it would be the following week. I said 'can I come?' and he said 'uh, sure'. I don't know if his trepidation was because I had also told him about being a Republican or because some random girl had just invited herself to his band's first show.

I showed up to their show, at a dive bar, Desmond's, on Park Avenue of all places. I had seen Peter two or three times before his show and we really liked each other. I was very nervous to meet his band. I'm very outgoing but I had met this indie rocker guy at a hipster bar and he's in a band and I was just picturing snotty poseur musicians who would scoff because I didn't own the latest hip cd. I freely admit there have been many times in my life where I have said 'I could not have been more wrong' but this one really took the cake. I met Mike D. (who sometimes comments here), the bassist and R the drummer, two of the nicest, coolest guys around. And I met the beautiful Jessica. We got on like a house on fire. It was instant. We were totally fascinated by each other and spent many of our early conversations exclaiming 'me too!' I knew she was technically 'Peter's friend' but I knew I had to steal her for myself. She has been my girl ever since. Through her, I met Lisa and Yaron, both of whom were also at that first 'Soft' show. Lisa and Jessica met in high school in Lawn Guyland and you can check out Jess's meme for how she met Peter and Yaron. It's pretty amazing that we all found each other in a city like this. My big theory of friendship during college was that it was near impossible to make actual friends in adulthood. I had made most of my close friends before I turned 20 and had made a total of one friend in college that I still speak to (hi Toby!). Meeting these people really proved me wrong.

Hey, it's Friday, I'm allowed to write about random mushy stuff, right?

Angry, yes. Afraid, no.

I posted the below picture on We're Not Afraid. I don't think it's up yet but I figured I'll repost here. This is Peter and I not feeling afraid. Him more than me.

I could not be more surprised.

Islamofacists are targeting gay people.

Update: More on the two men in the picture.

Dumb, dumb, dumb

Once in awhile, government will come up with a policy so stupid that liberals and conservatives will come together to oppose it. The new plan to search bags in NYC subways is just such an idea.

The idea that police can stop subway bombings by searching random bags is ridiculous. For one thing, suicide bombers often have the bomb on their person, not in their bag. Are we going to start doing pat downs before you can board the 4 train? For another, people are allowed to simply decline the search. If they do decline, they can walk the few blocks to the next train station and get on, probably without being asked again. The ACLU is concerned with racial profiling but without racial profiling the search idea is an even bigger waste of time than it seems.

There's no way I'm letting anyone search my bag when I get on the subway. It's a fundamental right to be able to walk around your city without being stopped and inspected. I do understand searches of people behaving suspiciously (however the police officer defines that to mean). But that is not the case here. Behavior will play no role. Random searches may make politicians feel like they're 'doing something' but this policy can't last and it will hurt them politically when it inevitably ends.

Why London again?

On 9/12/01, there were few in America that weren't looking for some ass to kick. Some of my most liberal friends and co-workers were ready for war. The eerie calm of NY was terrifying. Streets were closed, there were cops everywhere, no one had gone to work. We weren't yet bombarded with 'why do they hate us?' editorials. American flags were everywhere. We had not come close to collecting all our dead. The thing we were most afraid of, the reason that cops shone their flashlights into every single car getting off and on bridges or going through tunnels, was another attack. We seemed so off-balance that another attack would've been easy. We were all so terrified. But it never came.

I think the reason we didn't have another attack is because of the overwhelming anger and feelings of vengeance felt by Americans. You can laugh or criticize my vengeful ways but knowing someone will get revenge is pretty scary, especially when that someone is the most powerful someone around.

I did not criticize Britain's response to their last attack. I don't think there is a 'proper' way to react, everyone is different and will see these attacks through their own ideologies and philosophies. One commenter, Nick Saunders, immediately blamed the attack on Britain's support of Iraq. However, a year ago, he commented on this site that we should look at the fact that Britain hadn't had an Islamic terrorist attack as proof that American support for Israel had caused the attacks here. He wrote

'Well lets examine somethings shall we.
Number of terror attacks on Britain by AQ: ZERO
Number of terror attacks on France by AQ: ZERO
Number of terror attacks on Germany by AQ: ZERO
Number of terror attacks on Spain by AQ: ONE
could this have anything to do with the fact that the nations above have tried to push for a FAIR solution to Israel/Palestine?'

Yaron took him down with the argument that Bali had had an attack, yet was no friend to Israel.

My point isn't to attack Nick, but to show that we have to stop blaming ourselves. Or, more to the point since most Americans aren't the ones blaming themselves, you have to stop blaming yourselves. It's not because of support for Israel, it's not because of the Iraq war. They hate you for who you are and how you live. The sooner you get it, the sooner you want to destroy them the way they want to destroy you, the better it will be for the free world. I really think this second attack, if by Al Qaeda and not a copycat, happened because they saw the self-criticism that happened after the last attack. These terrorists respond to weakness. They respect strength. Europe didn't like Bush's 'we will get you' talk after 9/11 but that's exactly what's needed now. You've done the protesting, the hating Blair, the editorials blaming yourselves. Now's the time to promise death to whomever is associated with these attacks. Now's the time to look and act tough and show that fucking with you was the wrong thing to do.

She's only a nut part of the time

Dawn Summers warns her fellow Dems not to filibuster Roberts.

Blogroll Update

California section:
GOP Vixen- Bridget Johnson was a fabulous guest on the last 'episode' of 'Hoist the Black Flag' and she's got a terrific blog you should check out.

Update: I meant to blogroll NY Girl when I linked her the other day, it's up now.

Who wants to be Karl Rove

Pat from Vast Rightwing Conspiracy sends along this article about a reality show to find the best political consultant. It's not for me, I'm the kind of person that wants money without fame, and anyway, at 28 I feel I'm a little over the hill to be on a reality shows. But I'd recommend my young friends Alex and Mark from Save the GOP or Rachel May give it a shot.

Those bastards

Blasts Rock London Subway Stations, Bus

When is a fatwa not so bad?

When it's a fatwa against the terrorists.

That's odd

The Republican Jewish Coalition just sent out a press release on the Roberts nomination with the same abortion quote that is going around, with the subject 'Roe is binding precedent'. Just wondering: what does the Republican Jewish Coalition have to do with abortion politics?

Update: I just called the RJC and a nice lady told me that it's because they started getting questions on his abortion position immediately after he was nominated so they felt this was a clear way to explain his position.

Makes sense he would be

Well, it looks like Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson are giving it another go and walking down the aisle for the third time. Her boyfriend, Stephen Dorff, is said to be pissed.

And if your partisan leanings make you think otherwise you should get your head checked

This is adorable.

Three guesses

Cathy Seipp transcribes a panel conversation between Mickey Kaus and Ana Marie, aka Wonkette and wonders why people don't take to her:

Mickey: Who do you hate?

Ana Marie (after a pause to think, and a comment that Bush is actually quite personable): I just can't stand Jonah Goldberg...

Mickey: Really? I think he's incredibly talented.

Ana Marie: Michelle Malkin...But these people are like cartoon characters.

Eventually they opened it up to questions from the audience, and someone said, "I'm a little surprised that with all the evil going on in Washington, the only people you can think of to hate are people most of us have never heard of."

Not exactly hard to do when there's no candidate running against you

Headline: Sen. Clinton Has Big Lead in N.Y. Poll

Can I get another 187 comments going?

Santorum's spokesperson told the Senator three years ago that he was gay. And all that evil, gay-hating sonafabitch did was promote him several times since then and seem not to care about the news at all.

'I've got to celebrate you, baby, I've got to praise you like I should'

Today is 27 years that I'm in America. You can read my post about becoming a citizen here although, sadly, the adorable picture of me in my pink dress isn't coming up.

I'm going to drink a bottle of Clicquot tonight with my mother and reminisce about our early American days on Foster Avenue in Brooklyn when everything was new and scary and hopeful. We'll call my brother in Spain and tell him how lucky he is to be the first person in our family born in America. We'll wonder how our lives would've been if we had stayed in the Soviet Union. We'll toast to her side of the family that never made it out, my aunt, her aunt, my grandparents. We'll remember her father who she never saw again. We'll talk with amazement about my grandmother and my greataunt. My father had been the one who always wanted to leave. He was an only child, raised by his mother, aunt and grandmother. When he decided to leave, his mother and her sister knew they had to go too. By the luck of the draw, they were allowed to leave first. They left in '75, two women over 50 starting life in a new country. Neither spoke any English and didn't know for sure that my father would even be allowed to join them. Neither ever saw Russia again. We'll tell these two stories:

1. My father's father left his family when my father was in his early teens. They had minimal to no contact through the entirety of my father's life after that point. When my father applied to leave the Soviet Union, at age 30, he was told that he would need the permission of both parents to get out. He found and contacted his father, asking him for the permission. He was informed a few weeks later that his father had said no. My father tells the story of his being at work and finding out the news. He was a doctor at a hospital and he said out loud 'well, I guess I'm going to have to kill him' (it's not exactly a secret where I get it). He went to his father's house and found he was not home, though his wife was. My father elected to wait, only mildly threatening her with death if her husband didn't sign the paper to let him out. Basically, by the time he came home my father had convinced her that America was the place to be and she was sold on getting out. I don't know what happened after that but needless to say that bastard signed the paper.

2. My mother was pregnant with me when my father got permission to leave Russia. She was turned down. Furthermore, if they remained married, he wouldn't be allowed to leave either. They hatched a plot to get out and it worked. They divorced publicly, and remarried in secret right before he left. Once he was out, they couldn't keep him apart from his pregnant wife. She was allowed to leave soon after.

I love this country. I am so blessed to be here.

Could it be?

Here's an interesting take on whether the London bombers knew that they would be killed in the blast.

Although if that's really the punctuation in his statement we need to get him a tutor

Republican Majority for Choice doesn't seem to hate Roberts. Make of that what you will. From a press release:

We are impressed with the Administration's thorough review of numerous candidates and understanding that a far extreme nominee would have divided the country and further polarized the Senate. While there is a limited paper trail, Judge Roberts did co-author a brief stating that ".the Court's conclusion in Roe that there is a fundamental right to abortion. finds no support in text, structure or history of the Constitution." However, in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee when directly questioned on this statement Justice Roberts stated, "Roe. v. Wade is the settled law of the land" and "There's nothing in my personal views that would prevent me from fully and faithfully applying that precedent, as well as Casey." Based on these and other statements we strongly suggest the closest scrutiny and examination of his judicial temperament and respect for settled law prior to his confirmation.

The question on everyones' mind

Who the hell is John Roberts?

Hoist it, baby

(Click this graphic to listen)

Republican screenwriter Bridget Johnson will be on the show today. She is also a journalist, and blogger at GOPVixen.

CALL IN WITH QUESTIONS TO 866-884-TALK (8255). We'll be covering the Santorum spokesman outing which is obviously a hot topic over here so do call in.

I don't believe Dawn Summers will be guest blogging today so if any one else will be, let me know and I'll link it.

And some others hope that those people get a grip

Headline: Some in GOP Hope Rice Runs for President

Headline: Palestinian police encircles mob of violent protesters and orders them to disband

Oh, no, sorry, it's actually: Israeli police encircle Gaza protesters

And they don't even have their kids dressed up like little terrorists complete with machine guns.

Heyyyyyy I won't stand for F train dissing

....and I do mean the train and not the blog.

I grew up on the F line and now live on the 6. Gawker is completely wrong in its assessment of the lines. The 6 is gross, crowded and awful. The F, well it's not the best while in Manhattan, but as soon as it reaches Brooklyn and all the fake Brooklynites get off at Smith/9th or Carroll Gardens, it becomes a spacious, air conditioned paradise. But here's something I know every New Yorker can agree with: The G line, on which I lived for a little under 2 years, is the worst train line in the system. It's the only line not to go through Manhattan. And it's disgustingly dirty and remarkably slow.

Watching Russian words

Publius Pundit picks up this story:

The Russian youth group “Nashi,” created not all that long ago, has been pledged to by the Kremlin to be the heirs of the government. They are among the most energetic of Putin supporters, often reported to have resorted to violence when dealing with those of opposing views.

Nashi means 'ours'. The word in this context really creeps me out. It's not even that it's a few letters away from Nazi, which also saw a youth movement with an eye on inheriting Hitler's seat. It reminds me of Zamyatin's book 'We' (in Russian, 'Mih') that was a scarier version of Orwell's '1984'. Or, the way the mafia calls someone 'a friend of ours' when they are made men. Maybe it's the libertarian in me that doesn't like the plural. And whenever Russia starts thinking in the collective, we should all worry.

Via GOPINION.

Run, don't walk

Go see Wedding Crashers. It was excellent. Vince Vaughn is a comedic genius.

Blogroll Update

Scott from Slantpoint has started a forum, Urban Elephants, for Republicans in New York City. Check it out.

How I'd do

Blogometer reports that Senator Santorum's spokesperson has been outed as gay.

Kathryn Jean Lopez: "Santorum has issued a statement praising the staffer, clearly furious that one of his people has been targetted in such a rotten way. Is that the "news" too? Maybe people are shocked Rick Santorum doesn't actually hate gays?"

Here's what I would do if I was a closeted gay person who was maliciously outed. I would go after the reporter. If he has nothing in his background worth exposing, I would go after his family. His sister has a drug problem her boss doesn't know about? He will now. His mom fudged her taxes? Hello, IRS? His father had an affair back in '86? Make sure his wife finds out, take an ad in their local paper. Destroy their lives. That's the only way people will learn that there is consequence to outing people. If we just tsk-tsk every time this happens, it will continue to happen. Take it to the kneecaps, and quick.

How embarrassing

Jude Law apologizes for cheating on fiance Sienna Miller

Go ahead and be jealous

The final chapter of our nights out with the visiting Jakes is up at Clarified.

Is it just me or is that the sound of a president confident his right-hand man wasn't the leak?

Headline: Bush vows to fire anyone convicted of leak

Just a thought

If you're planning to drink and drive, plan your mug shot attire carefully.

Leaving the echo chamber can have that effect

An Englishman in NY has a change of heart about America the bully.

Via Andrew Sullivan whose blog I only visited because Robert George linked it. Didn't Sullivan quit blogging awhile back?

Well that explains why Karol's always threatening me (by guest blogger Dawn Summers)

It's in the Republican talking points.

Huffington Post: where crazy is at capacity

Mohammad Atta and Nader voters helped kill Roe

Though Mary Matlin and James Carville are an exception....

....the rule remains that liberals and conservatives probably can't have serious relationships.

UPDATE: And if we think it's hard for Republicans and Democrats, just imagine how it is for Libertarians.

But, speaking of parties....

My NY blogroll has really grown since our last blogger party. I think it's time to do it again. Leave suggestions as to when in the comment section.

Montana Jake and his wife in NYC

It could've all gone horribly wrong.

Jake had been a reader of this blog back in the days when it was called 'Spot On' and I used the pseudonym 'Kashei'. I always enjoyed his comments and he would occasionally give me life advice that I would take very seriously.

When my blog turned 3, he offered to throw me a party in NY. I hemmed and hawed, thought back to the birthday parties with all the people I had to invite and how I never got to spend time with anyone because there were just too many people there. It's not that I don't like parties, I just don't like parties centered around me where I have to entertain the guests. I'll often end up outside the bar, smoking cigarettes with my Brooklyn Russians because with them no entertaining is needed. So Jake came up with plan B. He would take his favorite NY-based bloggers out in a limo to dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants in town on the first night and to dinner and show on the second. Mrs. Jake accompanied him to NYC. She turned out to be as charming, friendly, intelligent and just plain terrific as her husband. We jaded New York women found their relationship to be such an inspiration. Celebrating 38 years of marriage during their trip, they seemed like one of the happiest pairs I'd ever seen.

So, yes, it could've gone horribly wrong, but it didn't. It was comfortable and excellent to finally meet someone I've gotten to know online. Thank you blogosphere for introducing us to the Jakes.

How much is love worth?

Liberty Belles looks at the economic of love.

Via Vodkapundit.

Blogroll Update

Cake or Death?- Though he lists Michael Buble in his list of music favorites, I think I'm going to like this new Brooklyn-based blog.

Stop the ACLU- Keeps a close eye on the ACLU.

How we do

Memo to future readers coming to NY with the intention of hanging out with the ladies: You have a lot to live up to.

When they're right, they're right

France: We're better than Britain.

And, they are. They're better at surrendering, they're better at ignoring their Islamist problems, they're just generally better at being arrogant and thinking themselves better than others. And if there was a prize for electing pompous, useless politicians, France would claim the gold every time.

Attention corporate bloggers

Steal this idea.

Just cool

Via Keshertalk (who has a new domain name so update your links), I found a guy who develops film he finds in old cameras. Check out some of the pictures here.

Remember to hate them back

One of the London bombers turned to radical Islam because the football pitch in his city was closed down. Or, that's what the press is reporting anyway. The context is completely wrong, we're trying to find a white, western reason for a non-white, non-western problem. Little Timmy from down the block isn't going to blow himself, and a crowd of strangers, up to prove some political point because the baseball diamond was shut down. It's not that the west doesn't have violence, obviously. And it's not that some of our kids aren't insane. Nobody has forgotten Columbine but that was a situation where the murderers knew their victims and it wasn't terrorism. That is, their point wasn't to terrify their community into believing there were more Eric Harrises and Dylan Klebolds waiting to do it all again if their demands, to play Marilyn Manson through the school's loudspeakers, or something, weren't met.

I hate these articles humanizing terrorists. He liked puppies and Mexican food. No one imagined he'd take to randomly killing children. I understand that we should know our enemy, and the fact that they can live among us, but we have to remember that we are not seen as human to them and that is why they so easily kill us. The more we understand about their likes and dislikes, their histories, hobbies and ambitions, the less we will be motivated to kill them as we have to do.

I remember right after 9/11, there was a piece in the NY Times magazine that had the writer talking directly to Mohammed Atta. At one point he sighed 'Oh Atta....' Writing to a terrorist, who had just killed so many of my people, in the familiar, as if we are friends, made me crazy. The same issue had a piece deconstructing Bush's speech to Congress, the one in which he said the line 'whether we bring our enemies to justice, or justice to our enemies, justice will be done'. The article showed how every word was crafted for maximum impact. I felt like Atta came off as much more human than the automaton Bush who said the words that were written for him. It's not media bias, or not really. It's more that it's easy to criticize Bush, Americans, Brits, people without bombs strapped to their backs than it is to speak the truth about our terrorist problem. People can call Bush a chimp and then recoil when terrorists are called 'animals'. One is much easier to criticize and hate. You know Bush will probably not kill you for it.

It's also hard for a lot of people to accept why they are hated. If your first reaction after the London bombing was to imagine that it was payback for Iraq, then you clearly aren't getting the message that keeps trying to get delivered. This has everything to do with Islam and to tiptoe around that fact is naive. The murderer of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh had this to say on his day in court:

I take complete responsibility for my actions. I acted purely in the name of my religion," he told its three-strong panel of judges.

"I can assure you that one day, should I be set free, I would do the same, exactly the same." . . .

Bouyeri then turned to the victim's mother, Anneke, in the public gallery, and told her he felt nothing for her. Mrs van Gogh watched as he read out from what appeared to be a statement: "I don't feel your pain. I have to admit that I don't have any sympathy for you. I can't feel for you because you're a non-believer."

I had a friend, many years ago in college, who said that Arab students in his classes would say 'in 20 years everyone will either by Muslim or dead'. I remember this striking me and thinking 'yeah, right, keep dreaming'. This was before 9/11, before the war in Afghanistan, before Iraq. This was not about Bush, this was not about Israel. It's about what you believe, and the fact that they hate you for it. Our openness and curiousity, the fact that we want to really understand our enemy on such a personal level, can stop us from seeing this reality.

You say you want a revolution

Belarus might be next in undergoing some type of democratic revolution. Although they're not very revolutionary, and even though the song name has an extra 'e', I think they should use 'Belaruse', by the Scottish band the Levellers, as their theme song. Just saying.

President of the Dorian Davis fan club

Dorian Davis has returned from a blogging hiatus with a brand-new site that's, Paris Hilton be damned, hot. Go for the colors, stay for the genius.

Comments....

....are now functional.

Please stop it.

I apologize in advance if I'm offending people that I like very much, but I find the posting of the British flag on various blogs very cheesy. Even cheesier are the 'We are all Britons' comments. Sorry, much as I love Britain, I'm still very much an American. And, as Lawrence Simon notes, we don't have to adopt each other's nationalities to stand on the same side against terrorism. We already are all 'infidels' in the eyes of the terrorists. If you're looking for common ground, that's it.

Song of the week

'Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)' by Nancy Sinatra.

Now I've heard everything

The media is so reckless, calling the attacks in London 'terrorism' and speculating that it may have been Muslims carrying out the attacks. Also, why did American news stations report about the missing American in London? They must value his life over the life of the other people killed in the attack and not just be focusing on him because he's their fellow countryman and will bring the story home for Americans.

How does one get to head the BBC without understanding the concept of opinion pieces?

Finally, we are never immune from accusations of bias. It goes without saying that there is nothing more sensitive than matters of life and death, and the BBC's audience response has been massively supportive and understanding about the dilemmas we face in reporting terror. There have been two main exceptions. From a smattering of radical websites comes the argument that we are being hypocritical in mourning the dead of London when we allegedly gloried in civilian deaths in Iraq.

This utterly misrepresents the BBC's reporting of Iraq, where we have always sought to portray the whole picture of events in that country. The second exception is principally Fox News in the United States. A contributor to Fox said after the London bombings that "the BBC almost operates as a foreign registered agent of Hezbollah and some of the other jihadist groups". On the Fox website today there is an opinion piece, "How Jane Fonda and the BBC put you in danger". I am writing this in a building which was bombed by Irish terrorists. My colleagues and I are living in a city recovering from the wounds inflicted last week. If I may leave our customary impartiality aside for a moment, the comments made on Fox News are beneath contempt.

-Roger Mosey, head of BBC Television News

And really, 'customary impartiality'? Hahahahaha.

Where's the baseball bat to the head when you need it?

One of the 'victims' chased in the Howard Beach attack a few weeks ago has been arrested for robbing a teenager at gunpoint on the subway.

Daydream Believer

2008:

New York Gov. George Pataki will travel this weekend to Iowa for a summer meeting of governors -- an event he hasn't attended in years, but which happens to be a state critical in selecting the next president.

Today, 4pm EST

(Click this graphic to listen)

Our guest today will be Hugh Hewitt. Call in with questions to 1866-884-TALK (8255).

Dawn Summers will be liveblogging as per usual.

***GUEST ADDITION***
Charmaine Yoest, in London during the bombings and reporting from the scenes of the crime, will also be joining us in our first half.

Conversation of the day

Me: So, what do you think will happen if Rove did out her?

Dawn: Eh, probably just pay a fine like that guy who stuck the documents in his pants and walked out of the White House.

The weekend goes on and on

Left to right: Candygirl, Ginger and me wearing sunglasses at Brighton Beach, 3AM-ish.

Update: And can Dawn Summers still deem her site PG after posting this pic of Candy and Ari?

Another Update: Esther has got more pics here. How Dawn, the biggest ham in the world, managed to avoid actually being in any shots is beyond me.

Listen to Allah

Allah has some good advice on fact-checking the media:

Over the coming weeks, you'll hear names and organizations mentioned that you haven't heard before. Whenever possible, run those names through the LGF and MEMRI search engines. As the Loseweek incident demonstrates, when it comes to terrorism, journalists often are either ignorant of their subjects' backgrounds and unwilling to conduct basic research or they're not ignorant but unwilling to run the full story because it doesn't serve their agenda. Whatever the reason, if you want context you'll have to find it yourself.

How to tell if you have too much time on your hands

Exhibit A.

Awww someone wants a hug

Oy:

U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid urged President Bush on Saturday to say "no to the far right" and nominate to the U.S. Supreme Court someone who will rule with "an open mind and a big heart."

Via Dawn.

What are the sheep so sad about?

450 sheep commit suicide in the town of Gevas, located in Van province in eastern Turkey. About 600 others attempted to do the same.

Blogroll Update

Via Monjo I've found this cool blog by a British ex-pat in NY, Third Avenue.

I hit you in the head with my meme, Dawn.

10 years ago: Eighteen years old and home for the summer from college. In about a month I would take my second trip to Scotland, both to see if I could live there for awhile and also to find out if my connection with a German boy I had met there the previous summer, and with whom I had logged several hundred hours of phone conversation since, had any weight. The answers were 'yes' to the first question and a 'yes but not in that way' to the second.

5 years ago: I was living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, or 'fake Brooklyn' as my brother and friends would call it when they visited. I was dating someone fabulous, just not fabulous for me, and that summer was the end of our relationship. He is still one of my favorite people in the world. I was listening to a lot of Nina Simone, Bill Withers and Dre's 'Chronic 2001' and starting to think that maybe I should get more involved in politics. The election that November, and the fact that I had no one to talk to about it that I even remotely agreed with, would make that happen.

1 year ago: I was in Georgia working on the US Senate race of the man of men, Herman Cain. The primary was coming up and we were in for some disappointment but we didn't know that on July 10th and everything felt very hopeful. Herman was mobbed by crowds everywhere he went and we would get breathless phone calls from people that met him wanting to get involved in his campaign. I met some good people on the campaign like Matt, Mark and Alex, among other blogless people. It was a great experience. I recommend moving away to work for someone you really admire at least once in your life.

Yesterday: This is a good one because I had such an insane night last night (this was written on Sunday). Candace (of the late Candied Ginger), the now solo blogger Ginger and Petitedov were all in town, from DC, Jersey and Boston respectively, and we met Jessica, Peter, Dawn, Ari, Esther and a bunch of other non-blogging folks at my parent's house in Brooklyn. We ate pizza, boozed it up, then headed to the beach where we stayed till about 3am. Came back to the house where some people played poker and some people played ping-pong. Fun all around. Snippets of the night here, here and uhhhhhhh here.

Today: I'm working, working, working. I may get my hair blown out.

Tomorrow: I'm Hoisting the Black Flag with Ace at 4pm EST on Rightalk.com.

5 snacks I enjoy: Swedish fish, cheese, seltzer water, Special K cereal with strawberries and almost any kind of fruit.

5 bands that I know the lyrics of MOST of their songs: Unfortunately, I know the lyrics to almost every song I've ever heard. I don't know why my brain chooses to fully remember lyrics to songs I hate instead of, say, anything mathematical or scientific, but thems the breaks.

5 things I would do with $100,000,000: Despite the fact that I love the dough and I'm a capitalist pig, I'm not very materialistic. I've moved a lot in my life and 'stuff' matters a lot less to me than experiences (I'd rather have a fancy dinner than a fancy handbag). I also hate daydreaming about having an insane amount of money because it makes people less satisfied with what they have which, if you're reading this from your air-conditioned office or apartment in the western world, is a lot. But, if I had a spare grand, I'd go to Spain for a few days to see my brother because I am dying from how much I miss him.

5 locations I’d like to run away to: Santiago de Compostela, Spain. See above.

5 bad habits I have: Laziness is my key bad habit. I would be even more unstoppable if I would just get off my ass sometimes.

5 things I like doing: Playing poker, blogging, traveling, reading and like totally hanging out with my friends.

5 things I would never wear: I would wear anything. I'm very open-minded that way.

5 TV shows I like: Six Feet Under, Entourage, South Park, Desperate Housewives, Sopranos.

5 movies I like: Most by Todd Solondz (with the exception of 'Palindromes'), Guy Ritchie (with the exception of that awful Madonna vehicle), Vincent Gallo and Darren Aronofsky.

5 famous people I’d like to meet: Vincent Gallo and Jarvis Cocker of Pulp. Oh, and 50 Cent.

5 biggest joys at the moment: The rare occasions when I get to sleep, being outside in the summertime sunshine, hanging out with my brother's friends, blogging, and whatever little time I get to spend with Peter.

5 favorite toys: My Vaio, ipod and camera. I don't really have any other toys.

5 people to tag: I'm tagging two people, Jessica because I know she'll have great answers and Rachel May who deleted her blog and clearly needs inspiration to start up again. Otherwise, I invite my blogless commenters to answer the first four questions (the rest are just silly) in my comment section.

Last word on Live 8

I didn't have the time to articulate my problems with 'Live 8' so I had just a couple of sarcastic posts about the uselessness of it all. Mark Steyn has the best piece on the hypocricy of the artists and the problems with throwing money at a problem like Africa. A must-read.

Via Daily Lunch.

Update: A kind of companion piece to some of the points raised in Steyn's article is this post indicating that there is a correlation between lower taxes and more charitable giving.

Is there anyone left who doesn't blog?

Convicted sex offender Joseph Edward Duncan III, and accused murderer of Dylan Groene, had a blog.

Via BOTW.

Quote of the Day

Bin Laden's whole game plan is to turn the people of the democratic world against their governments. He thinks democracies are weak because their people, who are more easily frightened than their governments, can bring those governments down. He doesn't understand that this flexibility--and this trust--are why democracies will live, while he will die. Many of us didn't vote for Bush's government or Blair's. But we're loyal to them, in part because we were given a voice in choosing them. And if we don't like our governments, we can vote them out. We can't vote out terrorists. We can only kill them.

Via BOTW.

I know it's not nice to talk about the ill....

....but Arlen Specter really rubs me the wrong way.

Why don't black people camp?

Baldilocks covers the hair issue but I also think it's because many black people live in urban environments and urbanites are less likely to be campers. Like me, for instance, and I'm white and love getting my hair wet.

What day is it?

Regular blogging back soon, promise.

I might look young, but this email is ridiculous... (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)

On London

I've been beyond busy lately, as you can probably tell by the drop in blogging frequency. I spent yesterday picturing London and imagining the pain they are feeling. My first thoughts were so angry, again as evidenced by my posts. Why were the G8 wasting time on ridiculous subjects like global warming when there were people that wanted us all dead? Even discussion of Africa's debt or starvation problem is different. The difference between people starving in Africa and people killed in terrorist attacks is the difference between falling down and breaking your leg or someone taking a bat to your knees. Both suck, but one is purposeful and therefore much worse.

And today, I'm just sad. I used to call myself British (ok, actually Scottish, but close enough) because I loved it there so much. My friend Jeffic once had to remind me that while I might be 'to Britain' I'm not 'from Britain'. It was my second home, no doubt about it. I'd cry my eyes out whenever I had to go back to America. I couldn't imagine being happier anywhere. I never had a lot of love for London, I preferred Manchester or York in England, but now seeing it hurt made me feel so defensive of it. How dare they harm my London?

The day before the bombing, I met a man from Southampton, England. He said 'I'm sorry you didn't get the Olympics'. I said 'it's ok, I'm glad you did'. He said 'well, at least France didn't get it' and we laughed.

I had been wearing a British flag/American flag pin on my bag since December 2001. I'm not a big flag wearer, despite how it may seem. Peter and I had visited Scotland a few months after 9/11. We were walking down the street in Aberdeen, a city I had lived in for about a year, and we saw a table set up to raise money for New York firemen. I was really touched, gave a donation and got my dual flag pin. I lost the pin last Sunday, either in Dawn Summers' car, at a house on the Jersey shore or somewhere in between. I was so sad to have lost it. I'm sadder now.

Britain is truly in the middle of the world. It has one eye on America and one eye on Europe. It is strong, in terms of military and also just plain ole human spirit, but also liberal and mushy. I don't think they will 'pull a Spain' but the possibility does exist. I hope they see that this attack was unconnected to the war in Iraq, that it's their openness and freedom that is under attack, that Islamofascists hate them for all they are and it's an 'us or them' situation.

The point of this post? That I still completely love Britain like my home and that I want only the best for them. There's no 'but', that's it.

She doesn't look (or act) a day over 12.

Dawn Summers turns 30 today.

Give her the gift of traffic and go read her epic synopsis of our trip to Maryland/DC/Jersey Shore last weekend:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Blogroll Update

The Hotline has finally put its excellent Blogometer online. It's not finished yet but the 95% site that's up looks pretty good.

Update: I've also added Monjo to the International section.

Doesn't he mean 'something you must fight with ever greater firmness' or 'they must fight with ever greater firmness'?

Who is this 'we' you speak of?

"This scorn for human life is something we must fight with ever greater firmness." -- French President Jacques Chirac

Suddenly, 'climate change' seems like a worthless topic of discussion

Why does it take a terrorist attack to stop talking about nonsense?

Blair, flanked by fellow G-8 leaders, including President Bush, read a statement from the leaders. ''We shall prevail and they shall not,'' he said.

''Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilized nations throughout the world,'' he said earlier.

He departed by helicopter back to London. The world leaders continued meeting but their agenda got sidetracked and they decided to delay declarations on climate change and the global economy.

Quote of the Day

"This isn't a declaration of war... it's a reminder of it."

-Commenter Jay in the post below

God Save England (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)

Explosions Hit London Bus and Subway

Song of the day

'The Night' by Morphine.

My friend Matty played it for me the other night and it took me back to the time I first heard the sexy song. Fresh out of college, rediscovering New York after a long time away in Boston and Scotland, living in a tiny apartment in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, staying out too late, meeting new people, having all kinds of adventures. Download it. Hell, download all of Morphine's songs, they're amazing and, since the singer is dead, they're probably not making any more.

Update: The girl in the song is named 'Lila', and there is a book of called 'Lila Says', which was written anonymously, that is a great companion to the song.

Another one for my 3 Russian-speaking readers

Check out the rest of the Laura Brandt's comics here. I couldn't stop reading her strips about her time as an exchange student in Moscow.

Via Isolato.

Is it so wrong that I think this is hilarious?

Via Cityrag.

Do Good.

My friend Emily Cochran, who was picked as one of DC's most beautiful people last year, has a piece on NRO regarding the amazing charity for which she works. It's called Helping the Heroes Foundation and they do good work on behalf of our injured soldiers. Read the piece and help if you can.

It's been said before....

...but gosh do I miss the election:

In good traffic news, it seems I have been reinstated to google's search engine. Thanks to everyone who helped make that happen with posts or emails to google.

Today, 4pm

(Click this graphic to listen)

Our first guest will be Manuel Miranda who was counsel to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and senior counsel to Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch. You can learn more about him here. Our second guest is Randy Barnett from the Volokh Conspiracy.

We'll be asking them about recent Supreme Court decisions and also his predictions on filling the new Court vacancy. You can call in with your questions to at 1-866-884-TALK (8255).

UPDATE: Dawn Summers is liveblogging.

Judge

Red State is speculating that Bill Kristol has inside knowledge on who will be Bush's pick (he also knew in advance that O'Connor would step down) and they don't think it's Gonzalez.

Real American Hero

I'm a little late on this but Jonah Goldberg has a hilarious piece on that NY Times piece (!) about Al Gore picking up a Muslim woman's keys when she dropped them at a gym in DC.

'....it's not because it is the grand old seat....of precious freedom and democracy....'

Alternate title: Where I've been for the last few days and why I have not blogged.

Friday- My baby brother is studying in Spain for the summer and he was off to 'the continent' on Saturday. He's in Santiago de Compostela, on the northwest tip of Spain. If I can scrape together the cash, I'm definitely going over for a short visit. Of course, the goodbye party commenced on Friday evening and ended in the wee hours of Saturday morning. His friends are excellent. Have you ever met someone that you knew was going to be wildly rich and famous? One of my brother's friends busted out in a freestyle rap that was just incredible. I know a lot of people who rap and I've heard plenty of amateur rappers, but I've never heard anything like this. Add to the fact that the kid is seriously good looking and I can see him being huge. I've told him to post his raps online and I will link when he does.

Saturday- So, on 3 hours sleep, I got into Dawn's car at 7am to drive to Maryland. She has a yearly tradition with another friend of hers to go to a crab place in Maryland over Fourth of July weekend. This year both I and her friend's boyfriend were invited to come along. The crabs were great though I badly cut my thumb cracking one of them open. When I got back to NY and showed Peter my thumb he said 'what happened?' I said 'Crabs!' He said 'um, ewww' and took a step back.

Saturday night- Dawn+I had a free hotel room in DC because she had stayed at, and hated, the hotel previously and they gave her a free night for her trouble. We left her friends in Maryland and headed toward the District. After resting for what seemed like 4 minutes, we were off to hit the town. I had invited a bunch of people to a bar supposedly near our hotel. I say 'supposedly' because it turned out to be a bit of a trek. And, on top of that, the bar kind of sucked. So, after meeting up with the fabulous Candace we went in search of bar #2 forgetting/ignoring that people may be coming later to our original bar. We were tired. That's our excuse. We did meet up with A.D who had been my boss in Colorado during the election. It was the first time we had met and he was as cool as I imagined he'd be. He also reacted well when he told us he was going to head home at about 11:30pm and was told 'no' by Candace who then made him stay out with us till 2am. Another visiting New Yorker, Ms. Esther, met us at the second bar.

After trying and failing to find a third bar, the five of us ended up back at the hotel. Dawn got into bed and incited Candace to beat her with a pillow, which was fun to watch. Esther kept us entertained with funny quips, while A.D wondered what he had gotten himself into and kept eyeing the door when not enjoying my itunes selection of Johnny Cash songs.

Sunday: Got up ridiculously early for the second day in a row, again with minimal sleep, and drove to Long Beach Island, New Jersey for a July 4th party featuring a one-on-one poker tournament. A fun, excellent day watching the beach, playing poker and enjoying the weather.

I hope your weekend was as good as mine. I'm sure Dawn will have a funnier post about all of it up at some point. It was so fun that now I need to sleep for the next few weeks to recover. Happy 4th!

Update: Dawn has the first installment of her story up here.

'The child is grown, the dream is gone'

Wow, just wow.

A good reason for cops to carry guns...

....protesters can have bigger sticks:

Not one of ours. Phew.

On last week's episode of 'Hoist the Black Flag', which you can listen to live every Tuesday from 4-5pm on Rightalk, Ace asked our fabulous guest commentator Dorian Davis how he felt about some on the right hating him for being gay (his answer was genius: 'well, everyone on the left hates me so it's not the worst that some on the right do', I'm paraphrasing here). Ace cited Fred Phelps as an example of such a person. I protested, saying I wanted more information on Phelps, such as his position on tax policy or small government before we were forced to claim him for our side. Turns out, I was right to object. Thanks to a link from 'Alarming News' commenter Radical Redneck, I learn that if that psycho belongs to anyone, he belongs to the Democrats.

During the 1992 presidential election, Fred Phelps and Fred Phelps Jr. led the members of Westboro in campaigning around the state of Kansas for Bill Clinton and Al Gore; Fred Phelps Sr. would later state in fliers that he did so with the belief that Gore would fall under WBC's political influence should he and Clinton win the election.

In January of 1993, Fred Phelps, his wife Marge, Fred Phelps Jr., and Betty Phelps-Schurle were invited to (and attended) the inaugural ball in Washington D.C. (SPLC report).

Phelps would eventually turn on Gore and actually protest the funeral of Gore's father screaming his usual prediction that the deceased is in hell. He has also run for office as a Democrat:

Rev. Phelps has run in numerous Democratic primary elections for governor of the state of Kansas in 1992, 1994, and the last time in 1998, when he came in last with 15,000 votes out of a total of over 103,000 votes cast, or 15%.

I have never been happier to find out someone is not a Republican.

Happy Fourth of July (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)

Today we are celebrating the persistence and sacrifice of the Minute Men of the American Revolution; the 200,00 men who enlisted and the 4,435 men who died to make our country free from King George of Great Britain. Today, we are celebrating the Founding Fathers, who wrote the most brilliant document in the history of the world, the Constitution; the one that has given us freedom for 229 years. It gave us the right to life. It gave us the right to liberty. And, though it did not promise happiness, it gave us the right to pursue it. So, today, we celebrate that.

War of the Worlds (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)

"War of the Worlds" originally appeared on my site in May 2004 as "Back to the Moon." I'm reprinting it to commemorate the Fourth of July.

A flaming object fell to the ground with a thud north of Roswell, New Mexico, on the 4th of July, 1947. After dozens of witnesses reported charred alien bodies and a crashed space ship, the Air Force put out a press release 4 days later, on July 8th, saying that it had found a "flying disk." A day later, it retracted the statement and called it a "weather balloon." The remains of the "balloon" were then taken away to be researched at Andrews Air Force Base and, reportedly, at Area 51--a top secret air force base outside of Groom Lake, Nevada--which every president since then has made secret by an Executive Order.

Another theory, which is not as dramatic, is that the object was domestic; that base at Area 51--which the President has called "paramount" to our national security--is the home of our own space-age aircraft; That one day, in our darkest hour, the saucers that we've spotted for decades now would rise out of the Nevada desert and save us. Of course, this is all scary and far-fetched, and a bit like an episode of The X-Files. But then, so was the idea of a trip to the moon, or a satellite that could zero in on a person's house and take a photo of it, and now we have attained both.

Read the whole thing.

Quote of the Day (or 'They don't call her 'Evil Dawn' for nothing')

'So, Sandra Day O'Connor is retiring. Sandra O'Connor. And not the dead guy with the tube in his throat.'

-Dawn Summers

Last call for DC

Evil Dawn (sidenote: anyone know the song 'Evil Bill' by Clinic? I constantly think 'here comes Evil Dawn, here comes Evil Dawn' now) and I will make our way to the District tomorrow for one night only. The plan is to start out at DC-9, 1940 9th Street NW. I'm not sure what time things get going in DC so I'm thinking 8pm or so? We will be hooking up with rockstars Candace and Esther, among other people, and you should definitely join us.

Here we go

The big, big story in NY today is this one about a group of black guys getting beat up in Howard Beach, Queens. The short version of the story is that the black guys have admitted to being in Howard Beach to steal a car. According to one of the white guys, the black guys also tried to rob him. He then called his friends who beat up the black dudes.

Everybody is talking about this story and I can see this being the story to shape the mayoral race. Howard Beach was the site of a racist attack 19 years ago that caused the death of a black kid who ran onto the highway and was killed by a car.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the attack an "ugly incident" and said it appeared to have been racially motivated. He said the attackers would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. "We will have no tolerance whatsoever for hate crimes against any groups in this city," the mayor said. "We will not let one incident divide this city."

But, here's the thing. The guys were there to steal a car. They've admitted to this. Even without the story about the black guys trying to jack the white guy's jewelry, trying to steal a car is enough to expect a beat-down if caught.

This is what people who have only lived in Manhattan or the more anonymous, crowded areas of New York don't understand. If you come to my parent's block in Brooklyn, regardless if you're white, Hispanic, black or some combination thereof, there will be people giving you the eye immediately. Everyone knows everyone else on the block. Even if we remain New Yorkers and not actually interact with the people on our street, you know them when you see them and you know when someone doesn't belong. The racial angle is just ridiculous. White guys from another neighborhood would've gotten the same reaction if they had come to steal a car. At worst, this is a case of vigilantism.