Monday, November 22, 2004

Plague or Manna (“sky prawns”) from Heaven

“Israel Hit by Worst Locust Plague Since 1950s”

Or

“A plague of locusts? Think of them as delicious sky prawns”

Posted by John Venlet on 11/22 at 01:50 PM
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“Feel-ups”

Drudge links to this story with the enticing phrasing Feel-ups at airports…, which is basically what new airline security measures amount to.

John Lopez, over at No Treason, points to another feel-up story, which informs us that the criteria for being selected for a feel-up is secret.  John’s post is titled “Only A Matter Of Time.”

Posted by John Venlet on 11/22 at 11:09 AM
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Beers for Baby Jesus

“An Australian brewing company is offering six cases of beer to anyone who returns a statue of the baby Jesus stolen from a nativity scene earlier this week, brewery officials said Thursday.”

“Aussie brewery offers cases of beer as reward for stolen baby Jesus’ return”

Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase Christmas cheer.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/22 at 09:17 AM
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The “P” Word

Poverty, the subject seems to always come up this time of year, what with Thanksgiving and Christmas almost upon us, and it always strikes me, when I read op-eds or other articles on the subject, that poverty is misunderstood.

Bob Hebert, writing in The New York Times, mentions this anecdote, uttered by Phil Gramm, as a denunciation of compassionate conservatism, whatever that is, and as a rallying cry to main the bulwarks in the battle against poverty.

“We’re the only nation in the world where all our poor people are fat.”

Though Hebert relates that little quote as a denunciation, the statement rings with validity.  If you want to see poverty, go visit the slums of Rio, or as I did, wander the poorest sections of the Phillipines, were individuals are digging through the garbage dumps for sustenance.

Individuals such as Hebert bang the poverty drum because they desire to impose a false sense of guilt, because they desire to impose their barometer of what is the socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.

Poverty does not exist in the United States, though there are individuals who, at times, do want for a full belly.  But poverty, I have not seen it in my travels throughout the states.

Hebert’s piece is titled “Shhh, Don’t Say ‘Poverty’.”

Update:  “Poverty” is in the news within The Jerusalem Post, too, today.  My guess is that Bob Hebert would be dismayed at Binyamin Netanyahu’s suggestion to eliminate “poverty,” also.

”[Past] governments profligate welfare payments created a culture of poverty,” said Netanyahu. There is only one way to stop poverty – get a job.”

“Welfare created culture of poverty, Netanyahu says”

Posted by John Venlet on 11/22 at 07:29 AM
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Sunday, November 21, 2004

Kids, Don’t Try This At Home, or Play It At School

In California, they suspend from school 11 year old girls for doing cartwheels.

In New York, a 7 year old girl breaks her elbow in a game of dodgeball, and her parents file a lawsuit, which has already made it into the appellate courts.

Sheesh.

Link to New York lawsuit story via Karen DeCoster.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/21 at 12:59 PM
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Devout Scientific Inquiry

Dutch scientists, in their continuing attempts to flagellate the last vestiges of sanctity from untroubled minds, which may be seeking solace by burning a candle, or wafting incense to an unseen God, while meditating upon their knees, or casting their cares heavenward, within the house of the Lord, are warning that such endeavors are hazardous to your health.  Not your mental health, your physical health.

“Air inside churches may be a bigger health risk than that beside major roads, research suggests.”

“Church air is ‘threat to health’.”

Antoine Clark, over at Samizdata, notes this troubling news, in a post titled “God Kills.”  Antoine also offers, for use by the EU, “appropriate health warnings.”

“God kills!
Do not worship God in the presence of children
and cutest of all:
God can seriously damage your unborn child

Posted by John Venlet on 11/21 at 09:19 AM
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A New Nectar of the Gods

“Ruby cabernet is an unusual grape to use as a stand-alone varietal, but Tyler feels it makes sense.

Developed at the University of California at Davis in the 1940s, ruby cabernet is a cross between cabernet sauvignon and carignan. It is grown extensively in the Central Valley as a blend grape to add color and tannin to bulk wines, Tyler said.”

Yeah, but will it cellar well?

“Grape glut leads to prized new wine”

Via Scripps Howard News Service.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/21 at 09:09 AM
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Saturday, November 20, 2004

Zits, The Original Birth Control?

“There can’t be a teenager in the land who hasn’t glared into the mirror one evening and groaned. “Why tonight? Why a mega red and yellow spot on my hottest date ever? It’s like there’s a cosmic plot against me.” Well, according to a radical new theory, that may be exactly what is happening. That jeering pustule may be a big red stop light specifically designed to say: “You are not ready for nookie.”.”

“No sex please, we are zittish”

Via tritical - the wheat/rye guy

Posted by John Venlet on 11/20 at 11:17 AM
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Petulant Children, Another Definition/Example of

“Pistons-Pacers brawl spills into the stands”

As for the fans, well, they’re just an acephalous mob, writhing like a freshly butchered chicken.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/20 at 08:32 AM
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Friday, November 19, 2004

That Didn’t Take Long, or, Albright Isn’t Supine, Now

In a post on Thursday, 11.18.04, titled “Portents,” Billy Beck noted a Colby Cosh post regarding murmurings of allowing Schwarzenegger to run for President.  A that ain’t gonna happen cause Schwarzenegger is foreign born, murmuring.  Colby’s post also noted a suggested running mate, foreign born, Ms. Photogenic, Jennifer Granholm.  Canadian born and Berkley, ugh, educated.

Colby ended his post this way.

“The Republicans will need to reload for the presidency in 2008 and a socially liberal candidacy may look attractive after four more years of G.W. Bush. Although I have a weird suspicion that if Arnold ever made a serious presidential bid (and lived long enough to do so), it would probably follow a “bridge-building” Damascene conversion to the camp of his in-laws. If there were ever a party lying supine in wait for conquest by a charismatic barbarian leader, it’s today’s Democrats.”

Billy ended his post noting Colby’s use of the word supine, this way.

“Supine”. I like that word.

It smells like… history.”

Reading Drudge, a moment ago, I come upon this headline.

“Albright Backs Foreigners for Presidency”

It’s enough to make one sit bolt upright.

What’s that smell?

Posted by John Venlet on 11/19 at 02:19 PM
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Salute, The Troops - A Perspective

Daniel Henninger salutes the troops in a piece published in The Wall Street Journal.  The piece is titled “We Won’t Have a Draft.”  The subtitle, though, contains the salute.  “Troops in Fallujah are the best since World War II.”

The opening paragraph.

“The amazing, perhaps historic, battle of Fallujah has come and gone, and the biggest soldier story to come out of it is the alleged Marine shooting. There must have been hundreds of acts of bravery and valor in Fallujah. Where will history record their stories?”

Read the rest, yourself, for a bit of perspective.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/19 at 12:35 PM
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An Admirable Encounter With a Mailbox

“On Tuesday morning, around 3:30 AM, I knocked over a mailbox in an expensive neighborhood. It was completely totalled. I was appalled….shocked. No one saw me do it. I drove away.

....

....

....

Had ya there, for a second, eh? Actually, I really did drive away, unsure if I would return. After all, no one saw me.”

Read what Ally, at Who Moved My Truth, did next, and what she will have to do, shortly.

“Looking Inside.”

Posted by John Venlet on 11/19 at 08:25 AM
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“You Are Not Authorized to Die”

Lt Smash’s Cliff’s Notes version of the Rules of Engagement.

Via The Corner.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/19 at 08:01 AM
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A “Unipolar Predicament?”

Is the United States facing a unipolar predicament?  Robert Kagan suggests that it may in a piece delivered at The 21st Annual John Bonython Lecture.

The piece will take a bit of your time to read, but it is well worth considering.

“The Crisis of Legitimacy: America and the World”

Interesting read.

Via Arts & Letters Daily.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/19 at 07:46 AM
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Left Handed Compliments

David Gergen, writing in The New York Times, this morning.

“Give the man his due: George W. Bush is emerging as one of the boldest, most audacious presidents in modern history.

Whether he is also wise is a question that will preoccupy us for another four years,...”

There are few other accolades, Gergen tosses Bush’s way, followed of course by some left handed compliment, in order to keep his membership active in the oh so liberal left, and maintain his standing in the world of academia, but overall it is an interesting read, though the following reference to FDR is quite wide of the mark.

“As Richard Neustadt pointed out, even the best of modern presidents, Franklin Roosevelt,...

“The Power of One”

Posted by John Venlet on 11/19 at 06:40 AM
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