Gut Rumbles: carnival of the crappers: "Other people study the metaphysics of crap.
THE SHIT LIST GHOST SHIT- The kind where you feel the shit come out, but there is no shit in the toilet. CLEAN SHIT- The kind where you shit it out, see it in the toilet, but there is nothing on the toilet paper. WET SHIT- The kind where you wipe your butt 50 times and it still feels unwiped, so you have to put some toilet paper between your butt and your underwear so you won't ruin them with a stain. SECOND WAVE SHIT- It happens when you're done shitting and you have pulled your pants up to your knees, and you realize that you have to shit some more. POP-A-VEIN-IN-YOUR-FOREHEAD-SHIT- The kind where you strain so much to get it out you practically have a stroke. ICEBERG SHIT- The kind where the shit is so long that the end of it sticks above the water. RICHARD SIMMONS SHIT- You shit so much, you lose 30 pounds. LINCOLN LOG SHIT- The kind of shit that is so huge, you're afraid to flush without breaking it into little pieces with the toilet brush. GASEY SHIT- It is so noisy, everyone within earshot is giggling. DRINKER SHIT- The kind of shit you have the morning after a long night of drinking. It's most noticeable traits are the treadmarks on the bottom of the toilet. CORN SHIT- Self-explanatory GEE, I WISH I COULD SHIT, SHIT- It's the kind where you want to shit but all you do is sit on the toilet, cramped, and fart a few times. SPINAL TAP SHIT- That's where it hurts so bad coming out, you'd swear it was leaving you sideways. WET CHEEKS SHIT (THE POWER DUMP)- The kind that comes out of your butt so fast, your butt cheeks get splashed with water. LIQUID SHIT- The kind where yellowish-brown liquid shoots out your butt and splatters all over the toilet bowl. MEXICAN FOOD SHIT- It smells so bad, the room must be condemned. UPPER CLASS SHIT- The kind that thinks their shit doesn't smell. FISHERMAN'S BOBBER SHIT- That's the kind where you are in a public restroom, there are two people waiting on your stall, you shit and flush two times, but several golfball size pieces are still floating above the water line."
Monday, February 13, 2006
ECONOMY FACTS
Everything I Know Is Wrong: It's too bad the economy is in such bad shape...
It's too bad the economy is in such bad shape...
Just think how good the news would be if it were in good shape.
Payroll growth averaged 160,000 per month in 2005; it has averaged 229,000 in the past three months. The drop in the jobless rate in January to the lowest level since April 2001 was a surprise: Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected the unemployment rate to remain at 4.9%.
The unemployment rate has dropped to 4.7%.
Average hourly wages rose 7 cents or 0.4% to $16.41. Economists expected a 0.3% gain. Average hourly earnings are up 3.3% in the past year, about the same as the inflation rate.
The average work week was steady at a revised 33.8 hours. Total hours worked in the economy increased 0.2%
Payrolls in the goods-producing sectors increased by 58,000, including 46,000 in construction and 7,000 in manufacturing. It's the third increase in factory jobs in the past four months.
Payrolls in the services sector rose by 135,000 in January. Education and health care industries added 39,000 jobs; leisure and hospitality industries added 26,000. Retail jobs fell by 1,500.
Of 278 industries, 57.6% were hiring in January. Among 84 manufacturing industries, 47.6% were hiring.
My wife was "discussing" the state of the economy with a liberal friend who was convinced that it was in seriously bad shape. In the end my wife said that it must be "only the numbers" that made it look so good. Her friend agreed.
It's too bad the economy is in such bad shape...
Just think how good the news would be if it were in good shape.
Payroll growth averaged 160,000 per month in 2005; it has averaged 229,000 in the past three months. The drop in the jobless rate in January to the lowest level since April 2001 was a surprise: Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected the unemployment rate to remain at 4.9%.
The unemployment rate has dropped to 4.7%.
Average hourly wages rose 7 cents or 0.4% to $16.41. Economists expected a 0.3% gain. Average hourly earnings are up 3.3% in the past year, about the same as the inflation rate.
The average work week was steady at a revised 33.8 hours. Total hours worked in the economy increased 0.2%
Payrolls in the goods-producing sectors increased by 58,000, including 46,000 in construction and 7,000 in manufacturing. It's the third increase in factory jobs in the past four months.
Payrolls in the services sector rose by 135,000 in January. Education and health care industries added 39,000 jobs; leisure and hospitality industries added 26,000. Retail jobs fell by 1,500.
Of 278 industries, 57.6% were hiring in January. Among 84 manufacturing industries, 47.6% were hiring.
My wife was "discussing" the state of the economy with a liberal friend who was convinced that it was in seriously bad shape. In the end my wife said that it must be "only the numbers" that made it look so good. Her friend agreed.
Cartoons
EconoPundit: "Via Rantings of a Sand Monkey we have those insensitive cartoons printed in a matter-of-fact fashion by a major Egyptian newspaper LAST OCTOBER during Ramadan:"
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Restroom Revelations
Restroom Revelations: "First of all, ADHD is real. Second of all, it isn't called ADHD anymore, hyperactivity is but one symptom of many. They used to think THAT was the problem, but it's not, it is merely a symptom. Don't forget, this is an ADHD house, and only one of them, well, two, are hyperactive. The boys were when they were a lot younger, but only one of the older ones has retained that symptome, the rest have kind of outgrown it. It IS hereditary and undiagnosed can cause a HOST of problems. Kids who have undiagnosed ADHD are much more likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol in an effort to self medicate."
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Everything I Know Is Wrong: A New Mini Ice Age.
Everything I Know Is Wrong: A New Mini Ice Age.: "A New Mini Ice Age.
My friend Tim points to this article where a Russian scientist is predicting that a mini ice age will occur in just a few decades.
Khabibullo Abdusamatov of the Pulkovo Astronomic Observatory in St. Petersburg said Monday that temperatures will begin falling six or seven years from now, when global warming caused by increased solar activity in the 20th century reaches its peak, RIA Novosti reported.
Abdusamatove said that fluctuations in the Earths surface temperature are normal and are caused by differences in solar activity.
The Northern Hemisphere's most recent cool-down period occurred between 1645 and 1705. The resulting period, known as the Little Ice Age, left canals in the Netherlands frozen solid and forced people in Greenland to abandon their houses to glaciers, the scientist said.
It is reports like this one that have global warming scaremongers changing their terminology to 'global climate change.'"
My friend Tim points to this article where a Russian scientist is predicting that a mini ice age will occur in just a few decades.
Khabibullo Abdusamatov of the Pulkovo Astronomic Observatory in St. Petersburg said Monday that temperatures will begin falling six or seven years from now, when global warming caused by increased solar activity in the 20th century reaches its peak, RIA Novosti reported.
Abdusamatove said that fluctuations in the Earths surface temperature are normal and are caused by differences in solar activity.
The Northern Hemisphere's most recent cool-down period occurred between 1645 and 1705. The resulting period, known as the Little Ice Age, left canals in the Netherlands frozen solid and forced people in Greenland to abandon their houses to glaciers, the scientist said.
It is reports like this one that have global warming scaremongers changing their terminology to 'global climate change.'"
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Gut Rumbles: The religion of peace
Gut Rumbles: The religion of peace: "The religion of peace
Deeply offended by cartoons portraying Mohammed as a whacked-out, bloodthirsty, lunatic bomb-head, peace-loving Muslims set fire to the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus today. Protesting against what the Muslims regard as an insult to their Religion of Peace, 500 demonstrators gathered in the Pakistani city of Lahore to shout 'Death to Denmark' and 'Hang the culprits.'
Other insulted protesters attempted to approach the French and United States embassies with their peaceful messages, including 'Behead the Infidels,' but were turned away by police with water hoses and tear gas. Disappointed by the heavy-handed response of the authorities, some Muslims chanted 'Europe, Your 9-11 Will Come,' referring to the Muslim custom of performing The 9-11 Happy-Feet Dance in the streets when feeling particularly religious and peaceful.
Allah Akbar! Such dignity they have! Such respect for life!
Our dangerous, manical, bloodthirsty, zealous Religious Right sure could learn a lot about civilized behavior by studying these peaceful people...
"
Deeply offended by cartoons portraying Mohammed as a whacked-out, bloodthirsty, lunatic bomb-head, peace-loving Muslims set fire to the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus today. Protesting against what the Muslims regard as an insult to their Religion of Peace, 500 demonstrators gathered in the Pakistani city of Lahore to shout 'Death to Denmark' and 'Hang the culprits.'
Other insulted protesters attempted to approach the French and United States embassies with their peaceful messages, including 'Behead the Infidels,' but were turned away by police with water hoses and tear gas. Disappointed by the heavy-handed response of the authorities, some Muslims chanted 'Europe, Your 9-11 Will Come,' referring to the Muslim custom of performing The 9-11 Happy-Feet Dance in the streets when feeling particularly religious and peaceful.
Allah Akbar! Such dignity they have! Such respect for life!
Our dangerous, manical, bloodthirsty, zealous Religious Right sure could learn a lot about civilized behavior by studying these peaceful people...
"
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Friday, January 27, 2006
[The] English-Blog [.com]: Poems In The English Writing Classroom
[The] English-Blog [.com]: Poems In The English Writing Classroom: "FIRE AND ICE
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
--Robert Frost"
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
--Robert Frost"
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
BlogginWallStreet: The Whole World's a Bitch Fest
BlogginWallStreet: The Whole World's a Bitch Fest: "
The Whole World's a Bitch Fest
Yes, I'm off my rocker. I'm off my rocker with frustration. These are things I hear day in and day out. Seems like no one has a word good to say. Is it any wonder so many people obsess over so many of these things when it's thrown at them the way it is.
The U.S. is in decline. It's going the way of Greece and Rome.
Capitalism is a failed experiment.
Our trade deficit is too large.
Our budget deficit is too large.
Our debt is too large.
We'll all be sharecroppers to the rest of the world because we owe too much to foreigners.
We don't save enough.
We spend too much and buy too many frivolous things.
We're cashing out too much equity from our homes.
The dollar is doomed as soon as China and Japan stop buying our bonds.
From one year to the next uncontrollable deflation then rampant inflation are inevitable.
There's too much crime.
There's too much corporate corruption.
Our corporate leaders make too much money.
We're too fat.
We're stupid. Our kids get stupider with every generation.
We can't invent anything anymore.
No one wants to buy our stuff.
The rest of the world has passed us up and is leaving us behind.
China and India are the best places to invest your money.
We've seen the end of cheap energy.
Commodities are the greatest investment in the world.
Stocks stink.
Put 25% of your money overseas and half that in emerging markets.
Buy gold. It's the only thing that will be of value when our economy collapses.
Healthcare costs too much.
Education inflation is out of control.
Social Security is unsalvageable.
Too many men are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The government is spying too much.
The government isn't doing enough to stop terrorism.
Companies don't pay out enough of their profits.
Corporate boards are corrupt.
Companies aren't transparent enough.
The Fed isn't transparent enough.
Bernanke is too focused on inflation targeting.
Bernanke is too focused on deflation.
The money supply's too big.
Foreigners are buying up all our land, which I don't know why they'd want it anyway since our corporations are polluting it to death.
What do any of these things matter anyway when we're all about to die from bird flu, WWIII with China, Global Warming, or an asteroid, whichever comes first. And if the first one that happens doesn't get you, then one of the others will finish you off. We might as well go ahead and blow ourselves up and get it over with since we're all a bunch of heathen atheists anyway. Just launch the missiles straight up in the air and watch 'em come back down. It will be quite a show. The expatriate perma-bears can watch our self inflicted Armageddon on Al Jazeera while they gloat and cheer over our self-destruction. It's too bad though that they won't be able to cash in on their shorts since the exchanges will be gone.
My biggest complaint is that we complain too much. We just bitch and moan about everything. We bitch about the destruction of our planet. We bitch about our country. I was just working in the local Borders café and the mayor of the town next door was sitting nearby bitching to some kind of planner person about whatever there is to bitch about in a small town. People all across the country are bitching about their towns and schools. There's no end to the bitching.
How can I complain when I made it to Arapahoe Basin last Friday on the first day they opened up the famous East Wall for an afternoon of untracked bottomless powder skiing above the treeline? About the only other thing I have to bitch about is that neither the Colts nor the Broncos made it to the SuperBowl.
posted by Mark Mahorney at 7:34 PM
1 Comments:
Mark Mahorney said...
I'm an optimist. Is that so wrong?
7:52 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home
The Whole World's a Bitch Fest
Yes, I'm off my rocker. I'm off my rocker with frustration. These are things I hear day in and day out. Seems like no one has a word good to say. Is it any wonder so many people obsess over so many of these things when it's thrown at them the way it is.
The U.S. is in decline. It's going the way of Greece and Rome.
Capitalism is a failed experiment.
Our trade deficit is too large.
Our budget deficit is too large.
Our debt is too large.
We'll all be sharecroppers to the rest of the world because we owe too much to foreigners.
We don't save enough.
We spend too much and buy too many frivolous things.
We're cashing out too much equity from our homes.
The dollar is doomed as soon as China and Japan stop buying our bonds.
From one year to the next uncontrollable deflation then rampant inflation are inevitable.
There's too much crime.
There's too much corporate corruption.
Our corporate leaders make too much money.
We're too fat.
We're stupid. Our kids get stupider with every generation.
We can't invent anything anymore.
No one wants to buy our stuff.
The rest of the world has passed us up and is leaving us behind.
China and India are the best places to invest your money.
We've seen the end of cheap energy.
Commodities are the greatest investment in the world.
Stocks stink.
Put 25% of your money overseas and half that in emerging markets.
Buy gold. It's the only thing that will be of value when our economy collapses.
Healthcare costs too much.
Education inflation is out of control.
Social Security is unsalvageable.
Too many men are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The government is spying too much.
The government isn't doing enough to stop terrorism.
Companies don't pay out enough of their profits.
Corporate boards are corrupt.
Companies aren't transparent enough.
The Fed isn't transparent enough.
Bernanke is too focused on inflation targeting.
Bernanke is too focused on deflation.
The money supply's too big.
Foreigners are buying up all our land, which I don't know why they'd want it anyway since our corporations are polluting it to death.
What do any of these things matter anyway when we're all about to die from bird flu, WWIII with China, Global Warming, or an asteroid, whichever comes first. And if the first one that happens doesn't get you, then one of the others will finish you off. We might as well go ahead and blow ourselves up and get it over with since we're all a bunch of heathen atheists anyway. Just launch the missiles straight up in the air and watch 'em come back down. It will be quite a show. The expatriate perma-bears can watch our self inflicted Armageddon on Al Jazeera while they gloat and cheer over our self-destruction. It's too bad though that they won't be able to cash in on their shorts since the exchanges will be gone.
My biggest complaint is that we complain too much. We just bitch and moan about everything. We bitch about the destruction of our planet. We bitch about our country. I was just working in the local Borders café and the mayor of the town next door was sitting nearby bitching to some kind of planner person about whatever there is to bitch about in a small town. People all across the country are bitching about their towns and schools. There's no end to the bitching.
How can I complain when I made it to Arapahoe Basin last Friday on the first day they opened up the famous East Wall for an afternoon of untracked bottomless powder skiing above the treeline? About the only other thing I have to bitch about is that neither the Colts nor the Broncos made it to the SuperBowl.
posted by Mark Mahorney at 7:34 PM
1 Comments:
Mark Mahorney said...
I'm an optimist. Is that so wrong?
7:52 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home
BlogginWallStreet: I'm thankful for...
BlogginWallStreet: I'm thankful for...: "I'm thankful for...
Yesterday, I took my six-year old son to play hockey. When it was time to leave all he could do was complain about having to go. He didn't appreciate that I took him there. He didn't appreciate what he had until I threatened not to take him back again.
The perma-bears have the mentality of six-year olds. They can't appreciate what they have. Most countries don't have social security systems to lose. Most countries don't have stock markets, commodity markets, and 401k plans to invest in. Most countries don't have home equity to cash out. Most countries don't have trade deficits because their citizens don't have any money to spend on much of anything more than the bare necessities. Some countries have better school test scores because only their most privileged citizens are tested. The U.S. has lower college scores because just about anyone can go to college. The U.S. has one of the highest college participation rates in the world. I'm thankful for having so many opportunities to screw things up and get screwed over.
posted by Mark Mahorney at 8:25 PM"
Yesterday, I took my six-year old son to play hockey. When it was time to leave all he could do was complain about having to go. He didn't appreciate that I took him there. He didn't appreciate what he had until I threatened not to take him back again.
The perma-bears have the mentality of six-year olds. They can't appreciate what they have. Most countries don't have social security systems to lose. Most countries don't have stock markets, commodity markets, and 401k plans to invest in. Most countries don't have home equity to cash out. Most countries don't have trade deficits because their citizens don't have any money to spend on much of anything more than the bare necessities. Some countries have better school test scores because only their most privileged citizens are tested. The U.S. has lower college scores because just about anyone can go to college. The U.S. has one of the highest college participation rates in the world. I'm thankful for having so many opportunities to screw things up and get screwed over.
posted by Mark Mahorney at 8:25 PM"
Sunday, January 22, 2006
the irish lass
the irish lass: "Rat Pack Lingo
Do you need some new vocab?
18 KARAT
All the way, full-out: “An 18 karat idiot.”
BABY
Used as an exclamation as well as a term of endearment.
BAG
As in “my bag,” a person's particular interest.
BARN BURNER
A very stylish, classy woman. " Etc
Do you need some new vocab?
18 KARAT
All the way, full-out: “An 18 karat idiot.”
BABY
Used as an exclamation as well as a term of endearment.
BAG
As in “my bag,” a person's particular interest.
BARN BURNER
A very stylish, classy woman. " Etc
Babalu Blog: 41
Babalu Blog: 41
But not today. It's my birthday.
Forty-one years ago, my father gave the doctor that delivered me a bucket of lard and a guanajo, a turkey, as payment for the hours he spent bringing me into this world while ensuring that my mother would be fine.
Thirty-seven years ago, my father gave me the opportunity of enjoying my birthdays in freedom by exiling his family to the United States of America. It may have been in October of 1968, but it has been the best birthday present anyone could ever give or wish to receive.
This 41 year old nitwit loves his life.
My wife calls me her King. She is my Queen.
My dog loves me and never leaves my side.
I am my mother's niño lindo and my father's source of pride.
I was my grandparents "Primo" and the recipient of their love and knowledge and affection.
I am my nieces' and nephew's Uncle, my sister's brother and my family's Valen.
I've been chosen by many to be their friend.
I live in the United States of America and I am free.
And I am a Cuban with the liberty to know and speak the truth.
What more could any birthday nitwit ask for?
But not today. It's my birthday.
Forty-one years ago, my father gave the doctor that delivered me a bucket of lard and a guanajo, a turkey, as payment for the hours he spent bringing me into this world while ensuring that my mother would be fine.
Thirty-seven years ago, my father gave me the opportunity of enjoying my birthdays in freedom by exiling his family to the United States of America. It may have been in October of 1968, but it has been the best birthday present anyone could ever give or wish to receive.
This 41 year old nitwit loves his life.
My wife calls me her King. She is my Queen.
My dog loves me and never leaves my side.
I am my mother's niño lindo and my father's source of pride.
I was my grandparents "Primo" and the recipient of their love and knowledge and affection.
I am my nieces' and nephew's Uncle, my sister's brother and my family's Valen.
I've been chosen by many to be their friend.
I live in the United States of America and I am free.
And I am a Cuban with the liberty to know and speak the truth.
What more could any birthday nitwit ask for?
Townhall.com :: A Profane Life by Doug Giles Jan 21, 2006
Townhall.com :: A Profane Life by Doug Giles Jan 21, 2006
A Profane Life
By Doug Giles
Jan 21, 2006
My column last week, “The Arts, Farts and a Good Start,” got some hyper-religious people ticked off. Ah, the simple pleasures in my life. They couldn’t believe that I would encourage Christians to get involved in bad places like Hollywood, or the music industry or in D.C. They stated that my encouragement of other believers into such putrid places was unbiblical.
Well, kiss my grits. Excuse me for living.
I could be wrong, but didn’t Jesus leave His God-blessed heaven to redeem this sin-cursed earth? Didn’t He hang out with the worst of the worse? And didn’t He go to their ubiquitous watering holes and come away having influenced them and not the other way around? And didn’t He find some amazing apostles in places that most holier-than-thou’s would never have been seen? Yes, Jedediah, I think he did.
Look, horribly confused Christian: from what I’ve gathered from reading the scripture a few times, the believer has three options when he’s faced with an overtly wicked environment. He can either:
1. Absorb the culture.
2. Separate from the culture.
3. Or infiltrate the culture.
Let’s check out the tres selececciones.
Absorption.
The Christian who absorbs the culture is the type that is always testing the wind of public opinion and, like a spiritual weather vane, he twists with the prevailing airflow. This type of “believer” doesn’t really believe much; rather he allows his “convictions” to be crafted by what currently is en vogue.
Such spineless, Christian-in-name-only followers of a Jesus of their own imagination can be counted on to not stand up and be counted when Christ’s commandments run contrary to culture. The absorption crowd regularly blows off truth in favor of being liked. You’ve seen these sad cases in society, I’m sure. Believers who, trying way too hard to be relevant, hip and groovy Christians, end up doing the politically correct thing and thus, lose their contrary sting.
They have no spine. They have no conviction that they’ll live and die for. Any attempt to get them to take an unpopular stand in society causes them to melt like Bill Clinton does in front of a chunky girl with D cups. The absorption crew sees it as their business to take the bones out of the Christian fish symbol and make Jesus yummy, digestible and unobtrusive to the obstreperous.
That’s the absorption crowd.
Separation.
The separatist, on the other hand, is a completely different animal from the absorbing Christian. The separatist couldn’t give a rip what the world thinks. The separatists hate the world and all that the world is. Most of them won’t come out and say that, but it’s true. They don’t want involvement in the public square. They don’t want involvement with culture. They view most of what culture has to offer as unclean contaminates, and they’re somewhat spot-on. Godless culture is godless, and thus it is wickedly whacked. An uninformed, unprepared believer can end being . . . uh . . . influenced if he’s naïve and doesn’t watch his backside when he sashays into this world.
You’ve seen it before: some nice looking country girl with Christian values gets into showbiz and goes from being a dancer on the Mickey Mouse Club to dancing naked onstage in front of thousands while holding a white python and French kissing an aging Madonna.
The separatist, instead of holding onto his biblical bearings while interfacing with the irreverent, would rather not have the interaction—and thus, the test of his convictions—at all. The separatists believe that Christian victory and ascendancy over corrupt culture can come only through avoidance. The only victory they have over corruption is from the simple fact that they have distanced themselves from being tested. Therefore, no one, including the separatists, really knows what they believe and what they stand for. They’re sheltered little darlings that live in a Tweety Bird chirping, religious biosphere away from the ugly world.
The problem with the separatists is not only do they not know what they really know, but also that they fail to reach out to those who could use a helping hand. What’s worse is they develop an us vs. them mentality, a spiritual xenophobia towards the unwashed masses. This sin of self-righteousness, in the separatists, happens to be the very thing that ticked off Christ the most. And BTW, the only folks Christ ever warned His followers to flee from were not the gross, obvious, overt sinners—but the pompous and nauseous, self-righteous religios.
Infiltration.
Since absorption and separation are not an option for the true Christian, what is the believer to do? The only biblical option for the concerned Christian is to infiltrate society. This means we must leave our sterilized, supposedly sin-free environments and get into the swill of the real world and live what Martin Luther said was the Christian’s duty: a profane life.
Martin Luther, the 16th century Augustinian monk who shook all of Christendom like a bowl of liposcutioned fat, thought that a Christian was worthless until he came to the place of maturity where he could live profanely, i.e., “outside the temple.”
What good is our faith if it’s just our personal relationship with Jesus? How the heck does such a faith make a difference to this planet, you little self-obsessed, religious me monkey? Our faith is useless unless it sees use outside the temple and inside the public square, and the arts and the political realms are in dire need of serious saints who are over-the-top with excellence in what they do.
Don’t absorb the culture, Chicken Little. Stand up to it. Also, don’t run from the culture and separate from it, girlie man; but rather infiltrate it with creativity, love, grace and conviction, and watch the world that currently makes you wretch do a 180 via your growing Christian influence.
Giles’ new book, The Bulldog Attitude: Get It or Get Left Behind, has just been released! It is guaranteed to take the poo out of poodles and give them the Bulldog Attitude. It is a great read for young and old, families, churches and corporations who wish to excel. Logon to www.ClashRadio.com and check out Doug's latest interview with Frank Gaffney, author of the book War Footing.
Doug Giles is the creator and host of "The Clash" radio shows and a contributing columnist on Townhall.com.
Copyright © 2006 2005 Doug Giles
A Profane Life
By Doug Giles
Jan 21, 2006
My column last week, “The Arts, Farts and a Good Start,” got some hyper-religious people ticked off. Ah, the simple pleasures in my life. They couldn’t believe that I would encourage Christians to get involved in bad places like Hollywood, or the music industry or in D.C. They stated that my encouragement of other believers into such putrid places was unbiblical.
Well, kiss my grits. Excuse me for living.
I could be wrong, but didn’t Jesus leave His God-blessed heaven to redeem this sin-cursed earth? Didn’t He hang out with the worst of the worse? And didn’t He go to their ubiquitous watering holes and come away having influenced them and not the other way around? And didn’t He find some amazing apostles in places that most holier-than-thou’s would never have been seen? Yes, Jedediah, I think he did.
Look, horribly confused Christian: from what I’ve gathered from reading the scripture a few times, the believer has three options when he’s faced with an overtly wicked environment. He can either:
1. Absorb the culture.
2. Separate from the culture.
3. Or infiltrate the culture.
Let’s check out the tres selececciones.
Absorption.
The Christian who absorbs the culture is the type that is always testing the wind of public opinion and, like a spiritual weather vane, he twists with the prevailing airflow. This type of “believer” doesn’t really believe much; rather he allows his “convictions” to be crafted by what currently is en vogue.
Such spineless, Christian-in-name-only followers of a Jesus of their own imagination can be counted on to not stand up and be counted when Christ’s commandments run contrary to culture. The absorption crowd regularly blows off truth in favor of being liked. You’ve seen these sad cases in society, I’m sure. Believers who, trying way too hard to be relevant, hip and groovy Christians, end up doing the politically correct thing and thus, lose their contrary sting.
They have no spine. They have no conviction that they’ll live and die for. Any attempt to get them to take an unpopular stand in society causes them to melt like Bill Clinton does in front of a chunky girl with D cups. The absorption crew sees it as their business to take the bones out of the Christian fish symbol and make Jesus yummy, digestible and unobtrusive to the obstreperous.
That’s the absorption crowd.
Separation.
The separatist, on the other hand, is a completely different animal from the absorbing Christian. The separatist couldn’t give a rip what the world thinks. The separatists hate the world and all that the world is. Most of them won’t come out and say that, but it’s true. They don’t want involvement in the public square. They don’t want involvement with culture. They view most of what culture has to offer as unclean contaminates, and they’re somewhat spot-on. Godless culture is godless, and thus it is wickedly whacked. An uninformed, unprepared believer can end being . . . uh . . . influenced if he’s naïve and doesn’t watch his backside when he sashays into this world.
You’ve seen it before: some nice looking country girl with Christian values gets into showbiz and goes from being a dancer on the Mickey Mouse Club to dancing naked onstage in front of thousands while holding a white python and French kissing an aging Madonna.
The separatist, instead of holding onto his biblical bearings while interfacing with the irreverent, would rather not have the interaction—and thus, the test of his convictions—at all. The separatists believe that Christian victory and ascendancy over corrupt culture can come only through avoidance. The only victory they have over corruption is from the simple fact that they have distanced themselves from being tested. Therefore, no one, including the separatists, really knows what they believe and what they stand for. They’re sheltered little darlings that live in a Tweety Bird chirping, religious biosphere away from the ugly world.
The problem with the separatists is not only do they not know what they really know, but also that they fail to reach out to those who could use a helping hand. What’s worse is they develop an us vs. them mentality, a spiritual xenophobia towards the unwashed masses. This sin of self-righteousness, in the separatists, happens to be the very thing that ticked off Christ the most. And BTW, the only folks Christ ever warned His followers to flee from were not the gross, obvious, overt sinners—but the pompous and nauseous, self-righteous religios.
Infiltration.
Since absorption and separation are not an option for the true Christian, what is the believer to do? The only biblical option for the concerned Christian is to infiltrate society. This means we must leave our sterilized, supposedly sin-free environments and get into the swill of the real world and live what Martin Luther said was the Christian’s duty: a profane life.
Martin Luther, the 16th century Augustinian monk who shook all of Christendom like a bowl of liposcutioned fat, thought that a Christian was worthless until he came to the place of maturity where he could live profanely, i.e., “outside the temple.”
What good is our faith if it’s just our personal relationship with Jesus? How the heck does such a faith make a difference to this planet, you little self-obsessed, religious me monkey? Our faith is useless unless it sees use outside the temple and inside the public square, and the arts and the political realms are in dire need of serious saints who are over-the-top with excellence in what they do.
Don’t absorb the culture, Chicken Little. Stand up to it. Also, don’t run from the culture and separate from it, girlie man; but rather infiltrate it with creativity, love, grace and conviction, and watch the world that currently makes you wretch do a 180 via your growing Christian influence.
Giles’ new book, The Bulldog Attitude: Get It or Get Left Behind, has just been released! It is guaranteed to take the poo out of poodles and give them the Bulldog Attitude. It is a great read for young and old, families, churches and corporations who wish to excel. Logon to www.ClashRadio.com and check out Doug's latest interview with Frank Gaffney, author of the book War Footing.
Doug Giles is the creator and host of "The Clash" radio shows and a contributing columnist on Townhall.com.
Copyright © 2006 2005 Doug Giles
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Hog On Ice
Hog On Ice: "Final choice: the Danner Foothill.
Why? Because they're dark brown, like my wonderful horsehide A-2, and it's basically the same thing as my treasured Danner Acadias, with a different sole. Difference: the Acadias have 200-gram insulation."
Why? Because they're dark brown, like my wonderful horsehide A-2, and it's basically the same thing as my treasured Danner Acadias, with a different sole. Difference: the Acadias have 200-gram insulation."
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � Well, this is clear!
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � Well, this is clear!: "Well, this is clear!
by Donald Sensing
Literally clear. Joe Katzman reports that electro-active prescription lenses for eyeglasses have been invented.
New firm PixelOptics of Roanoke, VA has announced that it will receive $3.5 million from the Defense Department to develop “SuperVision,” a technology that may improve the vision of US soldiers beyond 20/20 via electro-active prescription lenses. The technology uses sensors and electro-active transparent material to alter the index of refraction of the lens dynamically, but without any moving parts.
This provides a number of performance advantages, allowing the wearer to instantly achieve optimal vision no matter where they look (far, near, or in-between). In addition, lenses based on this technology show promise for significantly reducing momentary blurring caused by head tilt and movement, as well as distortion associated with conventional state of the art bifocals and progressive addition lenses.
Joe reports that because of the technology of the lenses, it may actually be possible to improve 20/20 vision to better than that, “perhaps as well as 20/08.”
When I was a young fella, an optometrist actually measured my vision at 20/10. Alas, those days are long gone."
by Donald Sensing
Literally clear. Joe Katzman reports that electro-active prescription lenses for eyeglasses have been invented.
New firm PixelOptics of Roanoke, VA has announced that it will receive $3.5 million from the Defense Department to develop “SuperVision,” a technology that may improve the vision of US soldiers beyond 20/20 via electro-active prescription lenses. The technology uses sensors and electro-active transparent material to alter the index of refraction of the lens dynamically, but without any moving parts.
This provides a number of performance advantages, allowing the wearer to instantly achieve optimal vision no matter where they look (far, near, or in-between). In addition, lenses based on this technology show promise for significantly reducing momentary blurring caused by head tilt and movement, as well as distortion associated with conventional state of the art bifocals and progressive addition lenses.
Joe reports that because of the technology of the lenses, it may actually be possible to improve 20/20 vision to better than that, “perhaps as well as 20/08.”
When I was a young fella, an optometrist actually measured my vision at 20/10. Alas, those days are long gone."
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Z Humor
Z Humor: "No more pennies please
I hate pennies. Hate 'em. You can't do anything with them. They're so small a currency these days that they're practically worthless. Heck, they don't even match the color of my other coins. Is there anybody reading this blog who would feel somehow cheated if every business from this day forward had to round up to the nearest nickle? If you're anything like me (and I pray that you're not that misfortunate), your nightstand consists of a book, an alarm clock, your wallet, keys, a nightlight, perhaps a few scattered receipts, and 163 pennies (of course, if you have a mischievous toddler, those 163 pennies are on the floor half the time but that's a story for another day). I mean, I don't even like carrying them around if for nothing other than giving exact change. It's not worth the weight. So what's a man to do?
Funny you ask. Just last week I finally decided that I had had enough and wasn't going to accept any more pennies. That's it. No mas. Finished. The challenge is how to properly convey my stance to merchants without giving the wrong message. Why just the other day I was going to pick up my clothes from the dry cleaners...
Me: 'How much do I owe you?'
Dry Cleaner Lady: 'That be $4.98'
Me: 'O.K. Here's $5. Have a nice day.'
Dry Cleaner Lady: 'Wait a minute. Don't forget change.'
Me: 'Oh no thanks. I don't want the pennies.'
Dry Cleaner Lady: 'Oh... nice tip mista. Thanks. This go long way to paying for kid college.'
Me: 'Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. It's not a tip. I just don't need the pennies.'
Dry Cleaner Lady: 'Oh now I see. You mista big shot. You too big for pennies. Pennies chump change for you.'
Me: 'No, not that either. I just find them a nuisance, that's all. Sorry for the confusion. '
Dry Cleaner Lady: 'No, no. Me sorry to inconvenience you. I don't mean to burden you with such trivial matters as change.'
Me: 'Never mind. In fact, I changed my mind. I'll take the pennies now. Thank you.'
And just like that, I'm back to collecting pennies on my nightstand."
I hate pennies. Hate 'em. You can't do anything with them. They're so small a currency these days that they're practically worthless. Heck, they don't even match the color of my other coins. Is there anybody reading this blog who would feel somehow cheated if every business from this day forward had to round up to the nearest nickle? If you're anything like me (and I pray that you're not that misfortunate), your nightstand consists of a book, an alarm clock, your wallet, keys, a nightlight, perhaps a few scattered receipts, and 163 pennies (of course, if you have a mischievous toddler, those 163 pennies are on the floor half the time but that's a story for another day). I mean, I don't even like carrying them around if for nothing other than giving exact change. It's not worth the weight. So what's a man to do?
Funny you ask. Just last week I finally decided that I had had enough and wasn't going to accept any more pennies. That's it. No mas. Finished. The challenge is how to properly convey my stance to merchants without giving the wrong message. Why just the other day I was going to pick up my clothes from the dry cleaners...
Me: 'How much do I owe you?'
Dry Cleaner Lady: 'That be $4.98'
Me: 'O.K. Here's $5. Have a nice day.'
Dry Cleaner Lady: 'Wait a minute. Don't forget change.'
Me: 'Oh no thanks. I don't want the pennies.'
Dry Cleaner Lady: 'Oh... nice tip mista. Thanks. This go long way to paying for kid college.'
Me: 'Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. It's not a tip. I just don't need the pennies.'
Dry Cleaner Lady: 'Oh now I see. You mista big shot. You too big for pennies. Pennies chump change for you.'
Me: 'No, not that either. I just find them a nuisance, that's all. Sorry for the confusion. '
Dry Cleaner Lady: 'No, no. Me sorry to inconvenience you. I don't mean to burden you with such trivial matters as change.'
Me: 'Never mind. In fact, I changed my mind. I'll take the pennies now. Thank you.'
And just like that, I'm back to collecting pennies on my nightstand."
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Iran issues stark warning on oil price
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Iran issues stark warning on oil price
"""Any possible sanctions from the west could possibly, by disturbing Iran's political and economic situation, raise oil prices beyond levels the west expects," he told Iranian state radio.
In a provocative move, Iran also announced plans yesterday to convene a "scientific" conference to examine the evidence supporting the Holocaust. The news comes weeks after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad provoked a global outcry by describing the slaughter of 6 million Jews by the Nazis in the second world war as a "myth".
Mr Danesh-Jafari's comments echoed fears voiced by energy market analysts after crude oil prices last week rose above $64 (£36.50) a barrel as hopes faded of a diplomatic solution to the dispute.
Last week, Manouchehr Takin, of the Centre for Global Energy Studies, argued that crude prices could hit $100 a barrel if Iran stopped exporting. "Supply and demand are very tightly balanced," he said.
Mr Danesh-Jafari's warning added weight to veiled threats by Iran's president on Saturday. Iran had a "cheap means" of achieving its nuclear "rights", Mr Ahmadinejad said, adding: "You [the west] need us more than we need you. All of you today need the Iranian nation."
Recognising the danger, Gernot Erler, Germany's deputy foreign minister, said yesterday: "We are seeing desperate measures by Asian countries, mainly China, India and others, to get hold of energy resources, and for them Iran is a partner they can't do without." He said it was "dangerous" to put restrictions on trade relations "which could hurt one's own side more than the other side".
Iran's Islamic leaders insist that they want nuclear technology to satisfy its energy needs. The west suspects the intention is to produce a nuclear weapon.
But even amid the continuing rancour, some Iranian officials appeared to soften the bellicose stance. Calling for a return to negotiations, foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki accused the west of over-reacting to Tehran's decision last week to remove UN seals and resume research at a nuclear plant in Natan, when Britain, France and Germany formally abandoned 2½ years of talks and demanded Iran's referral to the UN security council.
Although Britain has ruled out military moves against Iran, two American senators yesterday said the US might undertake a strike of "last resort" to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. The Republican John McCain told CBS: "Everything else has to be exhausted, but to say under no circumstances would we exercise a military option would be crazy." Democrat Evan Bayh urged diplomacy, but said there were elements of Iran's nuclear programme which, if attacked, "would dramatically delay its development".
White House spokesman David Almacy said: "The international community is determined not to let Iran develop a nuclear weapon. How we address that regime's continued non-compliance will be decided in the days and weeks ahead."
The UN security council issue will be the centrepiece of today's meeting, when EU and US officials will attempt to persuade their Russian and Chinese counterparts of the need for a referral, which could lead to economic sanctions.
"""Any possible sanctions from the west could possibly, by disturbing Iran's political and economic situation, raise oil prices beyond levels the west expects," he told Iranian state radio.
In a provocative move, Iran also announced plans yesterday to convene a "scientific" conference to examine the evidence supporting the Holocaust. The news comes weeks after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad provoked a global outcry by describing the slaughter of 6 million Jews by the Nazis in the second world war as a "myth".
Mr Danesh-Jafari's comments echoed fears voiced by energy market analysts after crude oil prices last week rose above $64 (£36.50) a barrel as hopes faded of a diplomatic solution to the dispute.
Last week, Manouchehr Takin, of the Centre for Global Energy Studies, argued that crude prices could hit $100 a barrel if Iran stopped exporting. "Supply and demand are very tightly balanced," he said.
Mr Danesh-Jafari's warning added weight to veiled threats by Iran's president on Saturday. Iran had a "cheap means" of achieving its nuclear "rights", Mr Ahmadinejad said, adding: "You [the west] need us more than we need you. All of you today need the Iranian nation."
Recognising the danger, Gernot Erler, Germany's deputy foreign minister, said yesterday: "We are seeing desperate measures by Asian countries, mainly China, India and others, to get hold of energy resources, and for them Iran is a partner they can't do without." He said it was "dangerous" to put restrictions on trade relations "which could hurt one's own side more than the other side".
Iran's Islamic leaders insist that they want nuclear technology to satisfy its energy needs. The west suspects the intention is to produce a nuclear weapon.
But even amid the continuing rancour, some Iranian officials appeared to soften the bellicose stance. Calling for a return to negotiations, foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki accused the west of over-reacting to Tehran's decision last week to remove UN seals and resume research at a nuclear plant in Natan, when Britain, France and Germany formally abandoned 2½ years of talks and demanded Iran's referral to the UN security council.
Although Britain has ruled out military moves against Iran, two American senators yesterday said the US might undertake a strike of "last resort" to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. The Republican John McCain told CBS: "Everything else has to be exhausted, but to say under no circumstances would we exercise a military option would be crazy." Democrat Evan Bayh urged diplomacy, but said there were elements of Iran's nuclear programme which, if attacked, "would dramatically delay its development".
White House spokesman David Almacy said: "The international community is determined not to let Iran develop a nuclear weapon. How we address that regime's continued non-compliance will be decided in the days and weeks ahead."
The UN security council issue will be the centrepiece of today's meeting, when EU and US officials will attempt to persuade their Russian and Chinese counterparts of the need for a referral, which could lead to economic sanctions.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Friday, January 13, 2006
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Friday, January 06, 2006
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
The Central Political Issue of the Day in One Paragraph @ AMERICAN DIGEST
The Central Political Issue of the Day in One Paragraph @ AMERICAN DIGEST: "The Central Political Issue of the Day in One Paragraph
BY MARK HELPRIN IN Herd Animals
'Irrationality on a political level from these quarters has never been a shock. On a personal level, however, the predominant response of the intellectual Left was a mystery. It was as if the thousands of crushed and incinerated men, women, and children—those who threw themselves into a quarter-mile abyss rather than have the flesh seared off their bones as they stood in the wind at glassless walls, the small children who died in terror after watching hysterical fanatics slit the throats of screaming stewardesses, and so on, for there are almost three thousand stories—simply did not exist. How does one explain such an egregious absence of sympathy (much less assertions that 'they' deserved it, or that it was a work of art) among endlessly self-proclaiming empathetics whose stock in trade is to milk compassion even from the Rock of Gibraltar? This is a real rather than a rhetorical question, because it is significant of a great division.'"
BY MARK HELPRIN IN Herd Animals
'Irrationality on a political level from these quarters has never been a shock. On a personal level, however, the predominant response of the intellectual Left was a mystery. It was as if the thousands of crushed and incinerated men, women, and children—those who threw themselves into a quarter-mile abyss rather than have the flesh seared off their bones as they stood in the wind at glassless walls, the small children who died in terror after watching hysterical fanatics slit the throats of screaming stewardesses, and so on, for there are almost three thousand stories—simply did not exist. How does one explain such an egregious absence of sympathy (much less assertions that 'they' deserved it, or that it was a work of art) among endlessly self-proclaiming empathetics whose stock in trade is to milk compassion even from the Rock of Gibraltar? This is a real rather than a rhetorical question, because it is significant of a great division.'"
The Creche by the Side of the Road @ AMERICAN DIGEST
The Creche by the Side of the Road @ AMERICAN DIGEST: "The Creche by the Side of the Road
[Republished from December, 2003 ]
A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.
--Eliot, Journey of the Magi"
Read the whole thing!
[Republished from December, 2003 ]
A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.
--Eliot, Journey of the Magi"
Read the whole thing!
Monday, December 26, 2005
Cafe Hayek: The Beauty and Power of Undesigned Order
Cafe Hayek: The Beauty and Power of Undesigned Order: "The Beauty and Power of Undesigned Order
I love this blog-post entitled 'Of Social Snowflakes...' by Steve Horwitz. It's inspired by this photograph of a real snowflake. Here's Steve's concluding paragraph:
My fervent wish for the 21st century is that more smart and caring people can begin to see and appreciate 'social snowflakes.' People who are so willing to accept the existence and beauty (and benevolence!) of undesigned order in the natural world should be more willing to open themselves to the possibility that there are processes of undesigned order at work in the social world too. These people know that no one can make a snowflake, but seem blind to the fact that much of the innocent blood that was spilled in the last century was because too many people thought they could intelligently design the social world. Not repeating those mistakes will require a renewed aesthetic appreciation of, and deep desire to understand, the awesome beauty and complexity of the undesigned order of 'social snowflakes.'"
I love this blog-post entitled 'Of Social Snowflakes...' by Steve Horwitz. It's inspired by this photograph of a real snowflake. Here's Steve's concluding paragraph:
My fervent wish for the 21st century is that more smart and caring people can begin to see and appreciate 'social snowflakes.' People who are so willing to accept the existence and beauty (and benevolence!) of undesigned order in the natural world should be more willing to open themselves to the possibility that there are processes of undesigned order at work in the social world too. These people know that no one can make a snowflake, but seem blind to the fact that much of the innocent blood that was spilled in the last century was because too many people thought they could intelligently design the social world. Not repeating those mistakes will require a renewed aesthetic appreciation of, and deep desire to understand, the awesome beauty and complexity of the undesigned order of 'social snowflakes.'"
Power Line: Travels with Cheney
Power Line: Travels with Cheney: " [I]t appears the Bush administration will continue to make the case aggressively that Americans are better off because of its conduct of national security policy, including the Iraq war.
That effort will likely include the release of documents and other materials captured in postwar Iraq. In recent weeks, senior Bush administration and intelligence officials have been discussing several plans to expedite the public release of those materials. According to officials familiar with their contents, the documents provide an unfiltered look inside a criminal regime that brutalized its own citizens, bought off numerous European politicians, and provided significant support to transregional terrorists.
Steve also reports on the vice president's meeting with the troops, and much more, including this:
Cheney ended [his interview with the AP's Nedra Pickler on the flight home] with what may be the most forceful on-the-record defense of Bush administration national security policy yet. The vice president said it is this policy--not luck or fate--that explains why the United States has not been attacked in the last four years.
There's a temptation for people to sit around and say, well, gee, [9/11] was just a one-off affair, they didn't really mean it. Bottom line is, we've been very active and very aggressive defending the nation and using the tools at our disposal to do that. That ranges from everything to going into Afghanistan and closing down the terrorist camps, rounding up al Qaeda wherever we can find them in the world, to an active robust intelligence program, putting out rewards, the capture of bad guys, and the Patriot Act...Either we're serious about fighting the war on terror or we're not. Either we believe that there are individuals out there doing everything they can to try to launch more attacks, to try to get ever deadlier weapons to use against [us], or we don't. The president and I believe very deeply that there's a hell of a threat, that it's there for anybody who wants to look at it. And that our obligation and responsibility, given our job, is to do everything in our power to defeat the terrorists. And that's exactly what we're doing."
That effort will likely include the release of documents and other materials captured in postwar Iraq. In recent weeks, senior Bush administration and intelligence officials have been discussing several plans to expedite the public release of those materials. According to officials familiar with their contents, the documents provide an unfiltered look inside a criminal regime that brutalized its own citizens, bought off numerous European politicians, and provided significant support to transregional terrorists.
Steve also reports on the vice president's meeting with the troops, and much more, including this:
Cheney ended [his interview with the AP's Nedra Pickler on the flight home] with what may be the most forceful on-the-record defense of Bush administration national security policy yet. The vice president said it is this policy--not luck or fate--that explains why the United States has not been attacked in the last four years.
There's a temptation for people to sit around and say, well, gee, [9/11] was just a one-off affair, they didn't really mean it. Bottom line is, we've been very active and very aggressive defending the nation and using the tools at our disposal to do that. That ranges from everything to going into Afghanistan and closing down the terrorist camps, rounding up al Qaeda wherever we can find them in the world, to an active robust intelligence program, putting out rewards, the capture of bad guys, and the Patriot Act...Either we're serious about fighting the war on terror or we're not. Either we believe that there are individuals out there doing everything they can to try to launch more attacks, to try to get ever deadlier weapons to use against [us], or we don't. The president and I believe very deeply that there's a hell of a threat, that it's there for anybody who wants to look at it. And that our obligation and responsibility, given our job, is to do everything in our power to defeat the terrorists. And that's exactly what we're doing."
Monday, December 19, 2005
Patriot Act
Power Line: "...the House Republican conference reminds us why the act is so important:
If allowed to expire, the information-sharing provisions critical to breaking down the pre-9/11 “wall” between our law enforcement and intelligence personnel will be lost. This will have dire consequences.
Patrick Fitzgerald, a longtime United States Attorney and current special prosecutor, testified to his experience of how the “wall” worked in practice:
I was on a prosecution team in New York that began a criminal investigation of Usama Bin Laden in early 1996. The team ... had access to a number of sources. We could talk to citizens. We could talk to local police officers. We could talk to other U.S. Government agencies. We could talk to foreign police officers. Even foreign intelligence personnel. And foreign citizens.... We could even talk to al Qaeda members—and we did. .... But there was one group of people we were not permitted to talk to. Who? The FBI agents across the street from us in lower Manhattan assigned to a parallel intelligence investigation of Usama Bin Laden and al Qaeda. We could not learn what information they had gathered. That was “the wall.”
The “wall” had deadly consequences. The 9/11 Commission Report contained an example that none of us should ever forget. According to the unanimous bipartisan report of that Commission, the “wall” thwarted the investigation of Khalid al-Midhdar and Nawaf alHazmi, two of the hijackers who flew an airplane into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. In June 2001, FBI agents investigating the U.S.S. Cole bombing met with the CIA. Even though the CIA knew that al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi were connected to the Cole bombing and had been in the United States, the CIA refused to give the FBI this information because of the “wall.” Even after the FBI learned from the CIA of al-Mihdhar’s and al-Hazmi’s presence in the United States and the FBI launched an effort to try to locate them, FBI Headquarters refused to allow criminal investigators in New York to participate. A New York FBI agent working on the case expressed his frustration with these restrictions in the following e-mail: “Whatever has happened to this - someday someone will die - and wall or not - the public will not understand why we were not more effective and throwing every resource we had at certain ‘problems.’”
That's the wall (sometimes referred to as the 'Jamie Gorelick wall') that the Democrats want to re-erect."
If allowed to expire, the information-sharing provisions critical to breaking down the pre-9/11 “wall” between our law enforcement and intelligence personnel will be lost. This will have dire consequences.
Patrick Fitzgerald, a longtime United States Attorney and current special prosecutor, testified to his experience of how the “wall” worked in practice:
I was on a prosecution team in New York that began a criminal investigation of Usama Bin Laden in early 1996. The team ... had access to a number of sources. We could talk to citizens. We could talk to local police officers. We could talk to other U.S. Government agencies. We could talk to foreign police officers. Even foreign intelligence personnel. And foreign citizens.... We could even talk to al Qaeda members—and we did. .... But there was one group of people we were not permitted to talk to. Who? The FBI agents across the street from us in lower Manhattan assigned to a parallel intelligence investigation of Usama Bin Laden and al Qaeda. We could not learn what information they had gathered. That was “the wall.”
The “wall” had deadly consequences. The 9/11 Commission Report contained an example that none of us should ever forget. According to the unanimous bipartisan report of that Commission, the “wall” thwarted the investigation of Khalid al-Midhdar and Nawaf alHazmi, two of the hijackers who flew an airplane into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. In June 2001, FBI agents investigating the U.S.S. Cole bombing met with the CIA. Even though the CIA knew that al-Mihdhar and al-Hazmi were connected to the Cole bombing and had been in the United States, the CIA refused to give the FBI this information because of the “wall.” Even after the FBI learned from the CIA of al-Mihdhar’s and al-Hazmi’s presence in the United States and the FBI launched an effort to try to locate them, FBI Headquarters refused to allow criminal investigators in New York to participate. A New York FBI agent working on the case expressed his frustration with these restrictions in the following e-mail: “Whatever has happened to this - someday someone will die - and wall or not - the public will not understand why we were not more effective and throwing every resource we had at certain ‘problems.’”
That's the wall (sometimes referred to as the 'Jamie Gorelick wall') that the Democrats want to re-erect."
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Sunday, December 04, 2005
A Glimpse of Iraq
A Glimpse of Iraq: "All those 6000 years of glory, violence, suffering and achievement are there. I see them everyday in people's words and gestures, in their toughness and resilience, in their capacity to handle impossible hardships. I see those 6000 years in the features of little children… and I feel them in my veins.
Many people can only see the hardship, the dirt, the blood and the suffering. I can see a people who, unassisted, put a limit to looting and lawlessness. I see a people who refuse to kill each other and be drawn into stupid sectarian battles. I can tell you stories! I see people with patience that is legendary. I see people who try to go about their shattered lives amid the blood and the chaos and the suffering. I see people who spend all night and fast all day sitting in their cars, waiting for petrol… and when dusk sets in, they break their fasting with a cold sandwich.
I can see people who can tell jokes about it all.
All those 6000 years are there. I see them in little things people do, in their everyday gestures, in their unique way of handling impossible hardships. Those years are there. They come to the rescue… and most people don’t know it!
I see them in date palm trees, tall, proud and beautiful… with their fruit only accessible to the skilled and their beauty only maintainable through expertise and hard work. Yet, they can survive unendurable neglect, and be ready to shine again with care.
Yes! I feel sad and angry and bitter most of the time. But these people remind me every single day that I cannot lose hope. It is only a question of scale. We have to think in longer terms. And that, that is what this country is all about.
This country can be invaded, and it has been, more times than I would care to count. It can be ravaged, bombed, looted and ruined. But I know, in my heart, that it will never be permanently crushed. Six thousand years of experience tell me that it will rise again… and that it will be a lantern to show the world yet again the missing link between mind and soul, between knowledge and spirit… for the world seems to have largely lost that link.
This is where I want to live. This is where I want to be buried when I die… in the hope that my decomposed body will one day be food for a tall and proud palm tree."
Many people can only see the hardship, the dirt, the blood and the suffering. I can see a people who, unassisted, put a limit to looting and lawlessness. I see a people who refuse to kill each other and be drawn into stupid sectarian battles. I can tell you stories! I see people with patience that is legendary. I see people who try to go about their shattered lives amid the blood and the chaos and the suffering. I see people who spend all night and fast all day sitting in their cars, waiting for petrol… and when dusk sets in, they break their fasting with a cold sandwich.
I can see people who can tell jokes about it all.
All those 6000 years are there. I see them in little things people do, in their everyday gestures, in their unique way of handling impossible hardships. Those years are there. They come to the rescue… and most people don’t know it!
I see them in date palm trees, tall, proud and beautiful… with their fruit only accessible to the skilled and their beauty only maintainable through expertise and hard work. Yet, they can survive unendurable neglect, and be ready to shine again with care.
Yes! I feel sad and angry and bitter most of the time. But these people remind me every single day that I cannot lose hope. It is only a question of scale. We have to think in longer terms. And that, that is what this country is all about.
This country can be invaded, and it has been, more times than I would care to count. It can be ravaged, bombed, looted and ruined. But I know, in my heart, that it will never be permanently crushed. Six thousand years of experience tell me that it will rise again… and that it will be a lantern to show the world yet again the missing link between mind and soul, between knowledge and spirit… for the world seems to have largely lost that link.
This is where I want to live. This is where I want to be buried when I die… in the hope that my decomposed body will one day be food for a tall and proud palm tree."
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
todays stock
BBD 61.40 +0.14
CGYN.PK 0.19 +0.01
* DALRQ.PK 0.55 -0.01
FDG 39.64 +0.38
HOLX 71.11 +1.12
* KRY 2.11 -0.09
LIHRY 34.40 0.00
MDR 41.86 +0.40
NTRI 38.93 +0.13
* OMC 84.56 +0.82
PAAS 18.99 -0.60
PTN 3.58 -0.27
TIE 63.15 +1.75
$$CASH 6808.67 0.00
CGYN.PK 0.19 +0.01
* DALRQ.PK 0.55 -0.01
FDG 39.64 +0.38
HOLX 71.11 +1.12
* KRY 2.11 -0.09
LIHRY 34.40 0.00
MDR 41.86 +0.40
NTRI 38.93 +0.13
* OMC 84.56 +0.82
PAAS 18.99 -0.60
PTN 3.58 -0.27
TIE 63.15 +1.75
$$CASH 6808.67 0.00
Monday, November 28, 2005
Major K.: The Honest Broker
Major K.: The Honest Broker: "The Honest Broker
There were protests the other day over the murder of a fairly prominent Sunni Sheikh here in Baghdad. The murderers were dressed in Iraqi Army uniforms and it happened in a sector patrolled by the Iraqi Army. The Iraqi Brigade Commander tried to meet with the family of the Sheikh and the protesters to try to calm the situation. He made little progress as he was not trusted by the Sheikh's relatives. This matter was immediately elevated to the highest military levels on both the American and Iraqi sides. Several Iraqi Officers here in the TOC suggested repeatedly that American involvement was necessary to calm the situation. Yes, an Iraqi Commander should meet with the protestors, but he must be accompanied by a Senior American Officer. Although most Americans considered this an internal Iraqi matter, many Iraqis did not share that opinion. Neither side appeared to trust the other and wanted American involvement to ensure fair treatment.
I have seen similar situations since my 2nd week after arriving here in January. I am not bringing this up to draw any conclusions with regard to sectarian tension and conflict, other than to confirm that such things do occur here. What I would like to point out is how US Forces are regarded here. We have been asked to supervise or arbitrate at every level from neighborhood to national repeatedly. The reason for this is because of the entrenched culture of corruption of the past 35 years. Whether Sunni, Shia or Kurd, the presence of Americans at neighborhood council meetings, disputes and detention facilities is not only favored, but is often greeted with a sigh of relief. The Iraqis know they will get fair treatment from us because ethnic group, tribal affiliation and political power do not weigh upon our measurement of justice.
This brings two things to mind. Firstly, the average Iraqi will often (not always) trust us more than other I"
There were protests the other day over the murder of a fairly prominent Sunni Sheikh here in Baghdad. The murderers were dressed in Iraqi Army uniforms and it happened in a sector patrolled by the Iraqi Army. The Iraqi Brigade Commander tried to meet with the family of the Sheikh and the protesters to try to calm the situation. He made little progress as he was not trusted by the Sheikh's relatives. This matter was immediately elevated to the highest military levels on both the American and Iraqi sides. Several Iraqi Officers here in the TOC suggested repeatedly that American involvement was necessary to calm the situation. Yes, an Iraqi Commander should meet with the protestors, but he must be accompanied by a Senior American Officer. Although most Americans considered this an internal Iraqi matter, many Iraqis did not share that opinion. Neither side appeared to trust the other and wanted American involvement to ensure fair treatment.
I have seen similar situations since my 2nd week after arriving here in January. I am not bringing this up to draw any conclusions with regard to sectarian tension and conflict, other than to confirm that such things do occur here. What I would like to point out is how US Forces are regarded here. We have been asked to supervise or arbitrate at every level from neighborhood to national repeatedly. The reason for this is because of the entrenched culture of corruption of the past 35 years. Whether Sunni, Shia or Kurd, the presence of Americans at neighborhood council meetings, disputes and detention facilities is not only favored, but is often greeted with a sigh of relief. The Iraqis know they will get fair treatment from us because ethnic group, tribal affiliation and political power do not weigh upon our measurement of justice.
This brings two things to mind. Firstly, the average Iraqi will often (not always) trust us more than other I"
Sunday, November 27, 2005
BREITBART.COM - US senators demand oil execs re-testify, under oath
BREITBART.COM - US senators demand oil execs re-testify, under oath: "US senators demand oil execs re-testify, under oath
Nov 16 6:44 PM US/Eastern
Email this story
Senate Democrats demanded that oil company executives who testified last week about skyrocketing energy prices reappear before lawmakers and testify under oath, after news reports raised questions about the truthfulness of their testimony."
Nov 16 6:44 PM US/Eastern
Email this story
Senate Democrats demanded that oil company executives who testified last week about skyrocketing energy prices reappear before lawmakers and testify under oath, after news reports raised questions about the truthfulness of their testimony."
THE ASTUTE BLOGGER: "MURTHAGATE" - the loud tear-filled call for immediate withdrawal was a smokescreen
THE ASTUTE BLOGGER: "MURTHAGATE" - the loud tear-filled call for immediate withdrawal was a smokescreen: "'MURTHAGATE' - the loud tear-filled call for immediate withdrawal was a smokescreen"
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Ghostzilla - the invisible browser
Ghostzilla - the invisible browser: "
Ghostzilla !
Ghostzilla snapshot: click to enlarge
Ghostzilla in action
(click to enlarge)
What is Ghostzilla? Take a look at the screenshots and you'll get the idea.
Ghostzilla is a Web browser like Firefox, but it shows up and disappears instantly, discreetly, blended with your application -- any application -- so the Web pages look like part of it and not like the Web at all. (Read here how.) "
Ghostzilla !
Ghostzilla snapshot: click to enlarge
Ghostzilla in action
(click to enlarge)
What is Ghostzilla? Take a look at the screenshots and you'll get the idea.
Ghostzilla is a Web browser like Firefox, but it shows up and disappears instantly, discreetly, blended with your application -- any application -- so the Web pages look like part of it and not like the Web at all. (Read here how.) "
Move over Viagra: equal-opportunity sex drug just a sniff away - Yahoo! News
Move over Viagra: equal-opportunity sex drug just a sniff away - Yahoo! News: "Move over Viagra: equal-opportunity sex drug just a sniff away
Sat Nov 19,12:14 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A new inhaler-delivered love drug for women and men is threatening to do Viagra one better, putting anyone with dysfunction in the mood, US media reported.
Sex experts say the drug, known as PT-141 and which is in final trials before US
Food and Drug Administration review, will be the boon to women with desire woes that Viagra has been for millions of impotent men."
Sat Nov 19,12:14 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A new inhaler-delivered love drug for women and men is threatening to do Viagra one better, putting anyone with dysfunction in the mood, US media reported.
Sex experts say the drug, known as PT-141 and which is in final trials before US
Food and Drug Administration review, will be the boon to women with desire woes that Viagra has been for millions of impotent men."
Monday, November 14, 2005
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Friday, November 11, 2005
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Virginity!
Hog On IceVirgins Rule
Assuming They Still Exist
Comcast is still running on one cylinder today. If I haven't responded to your emails or popped up on AIM to say hi, this is the reason. Every once in a while, the lights on the modem go on and I get a couple of minutes during which I can just barely use the Internet, but that's about it.
It's amusing to me that people are saying negative things about virginity in my comments. Arguing with people who take this ridiculous attitude reminds me of arguing with the folks who thought the 21st century began with "Y2K, DUDE!" They're very obviously wrong, but you can't make them understand it.
Human beings are not capable of fornicating and getting away with it. Yes, you—one individual—may get away with it (or tell yourself you do), but when society endorses it and it becomes a standard practice, terrible problems arise, and we can't prevent them. And once they occur, we are often incapable of fixing them.
Tell that to a walking hard-on who measures his self-esteem by the number of women he's screwed, and he'll generally get angry. You're threatening the whole foundation of his high regard for himself. If you think he's a boob and a user for screwing around, you're cheating him of the admiration he thinks you owe him.
"You're just jealous!" That one always tickles me. Yes, yes mighty Penis Warrior. It is inconceivable that the rest of us would not envy you and admire you almost as much as you admire yourself. I wish I had what it takes to sit on a bar stool and tell lies to extremely ordinary women I don't care about. "You wish you were me! You just can't admit it! Now excuse me while I put more ointment on my sores."
Whatever, dude. If you don't like it, consider doing something of actual value. That might impress me. If inserting your unit in females is your idea of an impressive achievement, you must not have much to be proud of. The biggest dogs I’ve known were men that didn’t have much else to offer.
It's 2005, and it has been over three decades since we sent people to the moon. But no matter how much money we pour into research, we still haven't been able to solve the horrible problems fornication causes.
Laugh it up, bed-hoppers. But answer this for me: if screwing around is safe and wonderful and wholesome, why are thirty million people dying because of it in Africa? Call me hysterical; I think that's a serious negative consequence.
AIDS is causing suffering on a gigantic scale in Africa, and it has killed thousands and thousands of people here in the US, and it has made many more very ill--incurably so--without killing them. A big percentage of Americans have genital herpes and/or genital warts (caused by a virus which also causes cervical cancer). There are still Americans going insane and dying from syphilis. There are many, many women who can't bear children because VD has ruined their machinery.
If we've got it all figured out, how can all that be true?
Why do we still have millions of unwanted pregnancies every year in this country alone? Can't you admit the obvious, which is that human contraception is still primitive? We can vaccinate against smallpox with a single shot which is totally harmless and works for decades, but contraception is still sloppy and difficult, and I’m sorry to say that on a societal scale, it AIN’T working.
Right now, all over America, women are poisoning themselves with synthetic hormones—get this—because the men they sleep with are too whiny to give up a little friction. Can’t you see the absurdity? Does that seem like an elegant, advanced solution to you?
We now deal with the hazards of sex outside of marriage about as well as we dealt with polio before the Salk vaccine. We do a lame job of preventing them, and when we fail, we do a lame job of responding to them.
If you can’t see the obvious truth, I still love you, but don’t expect me to take your opinion seriously. I realize people are herd creatures, and the herd says, “If it feels good do it,” and most members of the herd would rather die than think for themselves. Besides, if the herd said sex outside of marriage was bad, you’d say it, too.
How can anyone think virginity is a bad thing? I’ve known women who were virgins, and I admired them tremendously. While the other girls were pulling trains on spring break and doing whatever it took to fit in with their classy tongue-pierced friends, the virgins were thinking for themselves and doing what they themselves wanted to do. They weren’t letting themselves be manipulated. That impresses me.
Apart from that, virgins don’t have AIDS, herpes, chlamydia, PID, HTLV, or any of the other hideous ailments you get from screwing around. That’s fantastic. And they also don’t have the other sexually transmitted viruses and microbes medical science hasn’t discovered yet. You think we’ve found them all? Yeah, right. I was an adult before they discovered the bacterium that causes most ulcers. And when I was a kid, no one knew cervical cancer was transmitted through sex. Enjoy living in your cocoon of arrogance. I for one know better. If you think more links between promiscuity and incurable disease aren’t on the way, you my friend are a true idiot.
Haven’t you noticed that promiscuous people are unhealthy and die younger? Are you aware that gay men—the most promiscuous people in our society—have a low life expectancy even after correction for things like AIDS and suicide?
Disease and expensive little bastards aren’t the only problems that arise from promiscuity. Women who screw around become hardened toward men, because they get used so much. I don’t want to deal with an emotional porcupine, do you?
Men say they prefer women who “know what they’re doing” in bed. Do you really think sex is that difficult? It’s not rocket science, folks. And if you’re monogamous, you have a whole lifetime to figure out how to make each other happy. And is it really important to get the best sex partner possible? If that’s your goal, you are what is known as “a shallow person.” You are probably not capable of actual “relationships,” so you might as well grab whatever pleasure you can. I hear the brothels in Thailand are inexpensive.
In the long term, “okay” sex combined with true love and trust will make you happier than great sex and a troublesome bitch.
I’ve pretty much written women off, and even if I hadn’t, I know there is virtually no chance I could land a virgin. I wouldn’t expect that; I realize it’s unrealistic. But I have nothing but admiration for women who wait until they’re truly ready. Other women may hate you because you make them feel like whores, and men may hate you because they can’t get between your legs, but I am your faithful fan. So keep it up.
Assuming They Still Exist
Comcast is still running on one cylinder today. If I haven't responded to your emails or popped up on AIM to say hi, this is the reason. Every once in a while, the lights on the modem go on and I get a couple of minutes during which I can just barely use the Internet, but that's about it.
It's amusing to me that people are saying negative things about virginity in my comments. Arguing with people who take this ridiculous attitude reminds me of arguing with the folks who thought the 21st century began with "Y2K, DUDE!" They're very obviously wrong, but you can't make them understand it.
Human beings are not capable of fornicating and getting away with it. Yes, you—one individual—may get away with it (or tell yourself you do), but when society endorses it and it becomes a standard practice, terrible problems arise, and we can't prevent them. And once they occur, we are often incapable of fixing them.
Tell that to a walking hard-on who measures his self-esteem by the number of women he's screwed, and he'll generally get angry. You're threatening the whole foundation of his high regard for himself. If you think he's a boob and a user for screwing around, you're cheating him of the admiration he thinks you owe him.
"You're just jealous!" That one always tickles me. Yes, yes mighty Penis Warrior. It is inconceivable that the rest of us would not envy you and admire you almost as much as you admire yourself. I wish I had what it takes to sit on a bar stool and tell lies to extremely ordinary women I don't care about. "You wish you were me! You just can't admit it! Now excuse me while I put more ointment on my sores."
Whatever, dude. If you don't like it, consider doing something of actual value. That might impress me. If inserting your unit in females is your idea of an impressive achievement, you must not have much to be proud of. The biggest dogs I’ve known were men that didn’t have much else to offer.
It's 2005, and it has been over three decades since we sent people to the moon. But no matter how much money we pour into research, we still haven't been able to solve the horrible problems fornication causes.
Laugh it up, bed-hoppers. But answer this for me: if screwing around is safe and wonderful and wholesome, why are thirty million people dying because of it in Africa? Call me hysterical; I think that's a serious negative consequence.
AIDS is causing suffering on a gigantic scale in Africa, and it has killed thousands and thousands of people here in the US, and it has made many more very ill--incurably so--without killing them. A big percentage of Americans have genital herpes and/or genital warts (caused by a virus which also causes cervical cancer). There are still Americans going insane and dying from syphilis. There are many, many women who can't bear children because VD has ruined their machinery.
If we've got it all figured out, how can all that be true?
Why do we still have millions of unwanted pregnancies every year in this country alone? Can't you admit the obvious, which is that human contraception is still primitive? We can vaccinate against smallpox with a single shot which is totally harmless and works for decades, but contraception is still sloppy and difficult, and I’m sorry to say that on a societal scale, it AIN’T working.
Right now, all over America, women are poisoning themselves with synthetic hormones—get this—because the men they sleep with are too whiny to give up a little friction. Can’t you see the absurdity? Does that seem like an elegant, advanced solution to you?
We now deal with the hazards of sex outside of marriage about as well as we dealt with polio before the Salk vaccine. We do a lame job of preventing them, and when we fail, we do a lame job of responding to them.
If you can’t see the obvious truth, I still love you, but don’t expect me to take your opinion seriously. I realize people are herd creatures, and the herd says, “If it feels good do it,” and most members of the herd would rather die than think for themselves. Besides, if the herd said sex outside of marriage was bad, you’d say it, too.
How can anyone think virginity is a bad thing? I’ve known women who were virgins, and I admired them tremendously. While the other girls were pulling trains on spring break and doing whatever it took to fit in with their classy tongue-pierced friends, the virgins were thinking for themselves and doing what they themselves wanted to do. They weren’t letting themselves be manipulated. That impresses me.
Apart from that, virgins don’t have AIDS, herpes, chlamydia, PID, HTLV, or any of the other hideous ailments you get from screwing around. That’s fantastic. And they also don’t have the other sexually transmitted viruses and microbes medical science hasn’t discovered yet. You think we’ve found them all? Yeah, right. I was an adult before they discovered the bacterium that causes most ulcers. And when I was a kid, no one knew cervical cancer was transmitted through sex. Enjoy living in your cocoon of arrogance. I for one know better. If you think more links between promiscuity and incurable disease aren’t on the way, you my friend are a true idiot.
Haven’t you noticed that promiscuous people are unhealthy and die younger? Are you aware that gay men—the most promiscuous people in our society—have a low life expectancy even after correction for things like AIDS and suicide?
Disease and expensive little bastards aren’t the only problems that arise from promiscuity. Women who screw around become hardened toward men, because they get used so much. I don’t want to deal with an emotional porcupine, do you?
Men say they prefer women who “know what they’re doing” in bed. Do you really think sex is that difficult? It’s not rocket science, folks. And if you’re monogamous, you have a whole lifetime to figure out how to make each other happy. And is it really important to get the best sex partner possible? If that’s your goal, you are what is known as “a shallow person.” You are probably not capable of actual “relationships,” so you might as well grab whatever pleasure you can. I hear the brothels in Thailand are inexpensive.
In the long term, “okay” sex combined with true love and trust will make you happier than great sex and a troublesome bitch.
I’ve pretty much written women off, and even if I hadn’t, I know there is virtually no chance I could land a virgin. I wouldn’t expect that; I realize it’s unrealistic. But I have nothing but admiration for women who wait until they’re truly ready. Other women may hate you because you make them feel like whores, and men may hate you because they can’t get between your legs, but I am your faithful fan. So keep it up.
Hammorabi
Hammorabi: "War against terrorism
The suicidal bombs in Jordan yesterday by the Jordanian Abomusaab Al-Zarqawi are just the beginning of many other attacks. The next attacks will be much tougher and only a matter of time. Jordan is still a target as well as others. In Iraq the attacks are happening daily and on variable and bigger scales.
It is so wrong to blame terrorism for one man or a group of people only. Terrorism requires a lot of elements. It needs people to carry out its effects, large amount of cash, armaments, equipments, logistic and brainpower support, media, and above all theoreticians among clergy men. These can not be provided by Binladen, Alzarqawi, or Alzawahri alone?
There are three countries connected to three elements of terrorism especially its promulgation in Iraq. Terrorism is born and incubated in Saudi Arabia. Then adopted by Syria and exported to kill inside Iraq while kept alive by the Jordanian Islamists who act as the energy and brain providers. However these roles are overlapping between these countries.
"
The suicidal bombs in Jordan yesterday by the Jordanian Abomusaab Al-Zarqawi are just the beginning of many other attacks. The next attacks will be much tougher and only a matter of time. Jordan is still a target as well as others. In Iraq the attacks are happening daily and on variable and bigger scales.
It is so wrong to blame terrorism for one man or a group of people only. Terrorism requires a lot of elements. It needs people to carry out its effects, large amount of cash, armaments, equipments, logistic and brainpower support, media, and above all theoreticians among clergy men. These can not be provided by Binladen, Alzarqawi, or Alzawahri alone?
There are three countries connected to three elements of terrorism especially its promulgation in Iraq. Terrorism is born and incubated in Saudi Arabia. Then adopted by Syria and exported to kill inside Iraq while kept alive by the Jordanian Islamists who act as the energy and brain providers. However these roles are overlapping between these countries.
"
U.S. Trade Deficit Hits High on Storms
U.S. Trade Deficit Hits High on Storms: "The trade deficit soared to a record in September as the Gulf Coast hurricanes helped push America's foreign oil bill to an all-time high. The politically sensitive deficit with China also set a record.
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the deficit jumped to $66.1 billion in September, 11.4 percent higher than the $59.3 billion imbalance recorded in August. It was a far bigger increase than analysts had been expecting and reflected in part a record $23.8 billion in oil purchases as the price skyrocketed, reflecting widespread shutdowns of production facilities following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
So far this year, the deficit is running at an annual rate of $706.4 billion. This puts the country on track to far surpass the old deficit record of $617.6 billion set last year and gives critics ammunition to argue that President Bush's trade policies are not working."
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the deficit jumped to $66.1 billion in September, 11.4 percent higher than the $59.3 billion imbalance recorded in August. It was a far bigger increase than analysts had been expecting and reflected in part a record $23.8 billion in oil purchases as the price skyrocketed, reflecting widespread shutdowns of production facilities following hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
So far this year, the deficit is running at an annual rate of $706.4 billion. This puts the country on track to far surpass the old deficit record of $617.6 billion set last year and gives critics ammunition to argue that President Bush's trade policies are not working."
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Arthur C. Clarke Unauthorized Homepage
Arthur C. Clarke Unauthorized Homepage: "Arthur C. Clarke Unauthorized Homepage
'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' - Clarke's Third Law."
'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' - Clarke's Third Law."
Arthur C. Clarke Laws
Arthur C. Clarke Laws: "Arthur C. Clarke Laws
In the book Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible Arthur C. Clarke states his three Laws, which are formulated as follows:
Clarke's First Law:
'When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.'
Clarke defines the adjective 'elderly' as :'In physics, mathematics and astronautics it means over thirty; in other disciplines, senile decay is sometimes postponed to the forties. There are of course, glorious exceptions; but as every researcher just out of college knows, scientists of over fifty are good for nothing but board meetings, and should at all costs be kept out of the laboratory'. (in Profiles of the Future.)
Clarke's Second Law:
'The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.'
Clarke's Third Law:
'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.'
Thought he wrote after the laws that 'Since three laws was sufficient for both the Isaacs - Newton and Asimov - I have decided to stop here', he continued to write laws, as we can see in the Appendix 2 of The Odissey File where he states th e Clarke's 69th Law:
'Reading computer manuals without the hardware is as frustrating as reading sex manuals without the software.'"
In the book Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible Arthur C. Clarke states his three Laws, which are formulated as follows:
Clarke's First Law:
'When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.'
Clarke defines the adjective 'elderly' as :'In physics, mathematics and astronautics it means over thirty; in other disciplines, senile decay is sometimes postponed to the forties. There are of course, glorious exceptions; but as every researcher just out of college knows, scientists of over fifty are good for nothing but board meetings, and should at all costs be kept out of the laboratory'. (in Profiles of the Future.)
Clarke's Second Law:
'The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.'
Clarke's Third Law:
'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.'
Thought he wrote after the laws that 'Since three laws was sufficient for both the Isaacs - Newton and Asimov - I have decided to stop here', he continued to write laws, as we can see in the Appendix 2 of The Odissey File where he states th e Clarke's 69th Law:
'Reading computer manuals without the hardware is as frustrating as reading sex manuals without the software.'"
Arthur C. Clarke Laws
Arthur C. Clarke Laws: "Arthur C. Clarke Laws
In the book Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible Arthur C. Clarke states his three Laws, which are formulated as follows:
Clarke's First Law:
'When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.'
Clarke defines the adjective 'elderly' as :'In physics, mathematics and astronautics it means over thirty; in other disciplines, senile decay is sometimes postponed to the forties. There are of course, glorious exceptions; but as every researcher just out of college knows, scientists of over fifty are good for nothing but board meetings, and should at all costs be kept out of the laboratory'. (in Profiles of the Future.)
Clarke's Second Law:
'The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.'
Clarke's Third Law:
'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.'
Thought he wrote after the laws that 'Since three laws was sufficient for both the Isaacs - Newton and Asimov - I have decided to stop here', he continued to write laws, as we can see in the Appendix 2 of The Odissey File where he states th e Clarke's 69th Law:
'Reading computer manuals without the hardware is as frustrating as reading sex manuals without the software.'"
In the book Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible Arthur C. Clarke states his three Laws, which are formulated as follows:
Clarke's First Law:
'When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.'
Clarke defines the adjective 'elderly' as :'In physics, mathematics and astronautics it means over thirty; in other disciplines, senile decay is sometimes postponed to the forties. There are of course, glorious exceptions; but as every researcher just out of college knows, scientists of over fifty are good for nothing but board meetings, and should at all costs be kept out of the laboratory'. (in Profiles of the Future.)
Clarke's Second Law:
'The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.'
Clarke's Third Law:
'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.'
Thought he wrote after the laws that 'Since three laws was sufficient for both the Isaacs - Newton and Asimov - I have decided to stop here', he continued to write laws, as we can see in the Appendix 2 of The Odissey File where he states th e Clarke's 69th Law:
'Reading computer manuals without the hardware is as frustrating as reading sex manuals without the software.'"
Weapons of Mass Destruction: Stopping the Riots Might Be The Easy Part
Weapons of Mass Destruction: Stopping the Riots Might Be The Easy Part: "Stopping the Riots Might Be The Easy Part"
France's Woes __EconoPundit
EconoPundit: "
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Yesterday's explanations no longer need apply...
With my Tuesday evening international finance seminar I reviewed a twenty minute segment of this Frontline documentary last night. Interestingly, everyone agreed the documentary combined with the day's headlines would lead to conclusions precisely opposite to the puzzlingly standard current MSM approach:
WHEN THE MEDIA began covering the spreading violence in France, it appeared to go out of its way to avoid the notion that Islam had anything to do with the riots or their organizers. After all, even the French viewed the first couple of nights of unrest with a jaundiced eye. A nation that experiences nationwide protests every decade over some real or perceived injustice doesn't react quickly to a few burning cars in the Parisian suburbs. France averaged 80 cars a day lost to arson this year even before the riots began, and they assumed the riots meant little.
After a few straight days of increasing violence, however, the only people still believing that comforting line appeared to be members of the French government and the media, who insisted on doing everything they could to miss the story. Twelve days into the riots, even after they had spread across France and inspired violence in Germany and Belgium, the media for the most part still could not bring itself to mention the 'M' or 'I' words: Muslim and Islamist. The lack of even any suggestion that radical Islamists might have initiated the violence, or at least be taking advantage of it, boggles the imagination.
Anyway, read the whole thing for Ed Morrisey's solution to the puzzle."
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Yesterday's explanations no longer need apply...
With my Tuesday evening international finance seminar I reviewed a twenty minute segment of this Frontline documentary last night. Interestingly, everyone agreed the documentary combined with the day's headlines would lead to conclusions precisely opposite to the puzzlingly standard current MSM approach:
WHEN THE MEDIA began covering the spreading violence in France, it appeared to go out of its way to avoid the notion that Islam had anything to do with the riots or their organizers. After all, even the French viewed the first couple of nights of unrest with a jaundiced eye. A nation that experiences nationwide protests every decade over some real or perceived injustice doesn't react quickly to a few burning cars in the Parisian suburbs. France averaged 80 cars a day lost to arson this year even before the riots began, and they assumed the riots meant little.
After a few straight days of increasing violence, however, the only people still believing that comforting line appeared to be members of the French government and the media, who insisted on doing everything they could to miss the story. Twelve days into the riots, even after they had spread across France and inspired violence in Germany and Belgium, the media for the most part still could not bring itself to mention the 'M' or 'I' words: Muslim and Islamist. The lack of even any suggestion that radical Islamists might have initiated the violence, or at least be taking advantage of it, boggles the imagination.
Anyway, read the whole thing for Ed Morrisey's solution to the puzzle."
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Monday, November 07, 2005
Everything I Know Is Wrong: The Truth About Avian Flu
Everything I Know Is Wrong: The Truth About Avian Flu: "The Truth About Avian Flu
Michael Fumento has written an excellent article about the 'avian flu':
'Race to Prevent World Epidemic of Lethal 'Bird Flu,'' and 'Hong Kong 'Bird Flu' Could be the Next Big Outbreak,' blare the headlines. Former Washington Post reporter and author of a book on viruses, Robin Marantz Henig, penned an essay called 'Danger in the Air: Why Hong Kong's 'Bird Flu' Signals a Serious Threat,' chock full of scary 'what-ifs.'
Meanwhile, 'What is frightening about this flu strain is that it is unlike any that has infected people before,' NBC News tells us. We repeatedly hear of this new 'deadly flu,' or 'killer flu,' or to cite one headline: 'Mutant Killer Virus.'
Now, for a reality vaccination.
All influenzas are 'mutant killer viruses.' Flu always mutates at least slightly each year. That's why you need a flu shot each year, because the antibodies that you got from the last one (or the bout of flu you caught last year) will no longer afford you full protection from the new strain.
A flu that didn't kill would never be noticed. It would just be one of zillions of viruses we carry around that do us little or no harm. Each year on average, about 20,000 Americans die of flu.
Finally flu, of course, is always a virus.
Indeed, all flu is probably also 'avian.' Its 'reservoir' is generally ducks, and sometimes geese and chickens. They usually suffer little from it or not at all. But when their feces infects a water supply (or domesticated animals, usually pigs), they can transfer it to humans.
Oh, by the way, this isn't a recent article. Fumento wrote this in 1998 about an altogether different--yet all to familiar--'avain flu'. So why all the hubbub? I"
Michael Fumento has written an excellent article about the 'avian flu':
'Race to Prevent World Epidemic of Lethal 'Bird Flu,'' and 'Hong Kong 'Bird Flu' Could be the Next Big Outbreak,' blare the headlines. Former Washington Post reporter and author of a book on viruses, Robin Marantz Henig, penned an essay called 'Danger in the Air: Why Hong Kong's 'Bird Flu' Signals a Serious Threat,' chock full of scary 'what-ifs.'
Meanwhile, 'What is frightening about this flu strain is that it is unlike any that has infected people before,' NBC News tells us. We repeatedly hear of this new 'deadly flu,' or 'killer flu,' or to cite one headline: 'Mutant Killer Virus.'
Now, for a reality vaccination.
All influenzas are 'mutant killer viruses.' Flu always mutates at least slightly each year. That's why you need a flu shot each year, because the antibodies that you got from the last one (or the bout of flu you caught last year) will no longer afford you full protection from the new strain.
A flu that didn't kill would never be noticed. It would just be one of zillions of viruses we carry around that do us little or no harm. Each year on average, about 20,000 Americans die of flu.
Finally flu, of course, is always a virus.
Indeed, all flu is probably also 'avian.' Its 'reservoir' is generally ducks, and sometimes geese and chickens. They usually suffer little from it or not at all. But when their feces infects a water supply (or domesticated animals, usually pigs), they can transfer it to humans.
Oh, by the way, this isn't a recent article. Fumento wrote this in 1998 about an altogether different--yet all to familiar--'avain flu'. So why all the hubbub? I"
Saturday, November 05, 2005
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