Monday, November 08, 2004

Headline of the Day

When I was in the service, one of the captains I served under made a speech to the crew regarding a less than stellar performance on a nuclear exam.  During the speech, which thoroughly chastised the crew for their lackluster performance, the Captain reiterated his power and control over the crew’s lives, and uttered the following enjoinder, as part of his speech, to any individual who wanted to question this authority.

”...and unless you have balls the size of basketballs,..."

I immediately recalled the Captain’s diatribe when I read the following headline, though the accompanying story has no simliarity to the Captain’s speech.  Well, except to the size reference.

“Big testicles betray swinging ancestors"

Posted by John Venlet on 11/08 at 08:36 AM
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Skewering the "Economically Illiterate"

Also via Arts & Letters Daily, is a link to a City Journal piece, written by Steven Malanga, titled “The Myth of the Working Poor."

Malanga’s piece, which will take more than a moment or two to read, is worth the time, though I doubt the “economically illiterate” will benefit, since they cling to their dogma like Gollum clung to his Precious.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/08 at 07:42 AM
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Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blogs

Daniel Drezner and Henry Farrell have penned a piece for Foreign Policy reviewing the world of blogs, and their influence.  Bloggers themselves are well aware of this world, and each day blogs and bloggers are becoming more a part of the world wide vernacular, rather than just some obscure reference.

Bloggers may not find any earth shattering new data in their piece, but they will find one sentence, at least, that may produce a small chuckle.

"New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller said in a November 2003 interview, “Sometimes I read something on a blog that makes me feel we screwed up.”

Just sometimes, Bill?

The piece is titled “Web of Influence."

Via Arts & Letters Daily

Posted by John Venlet on 11/08 at 07:27 AM
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Stating the Fricking Obvious

Sometimes I wonder, as I peruse the news, what individuals are thinking when they make pronouncements which are supposedly news.

"Very obese people are as unhealthy, and probably as likely to die, as patients with heart failure, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday."

Though I must admit, I thought that most individuals whose hearts had failed more than likely were just dead, whereas the "very obese" had just one foot in the grave.

“Obesity as Unhealthy as Heart Failure -Study"

Via Yahoo News.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/08 at 06:30 AM
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Symbolic of What?

So, a young man, purportedly “distraught” over Bush being reelected, has killed himself at the site of the twin towers.  A friend states,

"I don’t know what made him commit suicide, but where he did it was symbolic."

Where he did it was symbolic.  Symbolic of what?  Symbolic of his disdain for the thousands of individuals murdered at the twin towers, and his act of self destruction is supposed to be some kind of protest?

He should have just moved to Canada with the rest of the Demosocialiscrat wannabes.

Symbolic, no.

“Young man shoots himself at ground zero in New York"

Via Google News.

Update: Micha Ghertner noted the above article, also, and has a post of his own, titled “Who Said There’s No Exit From Politics?"

Posted by John Venlet on 11/08 at 06:23 AM
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Saturday, November 06, 2004

Why Americans Are No Longer European

Arafat is receiving alot of copy, lately, in myriads of newspapers and other media forums.  The New York Times hasn’t been slacking off in the copy department regarding Arafat, as he lingers in between life and death, and this morning the NYT has an unsigned op-ed posted titled “The Man Who Refused to Say Yes."

The op-ed isn’t overly effusive, nor condemnatory, but more of an asking of, if Arafat had done this, would this have happened.  But Arafat didn’t, so it won’t. 

But the actual reason I’ve linked to this op-ed is the following telling words.

"Mr. Arafat will always be Abu Amar, the leader who stares down from every wall in his checkered keffiyeh and military tunic; to Israelis and to many Americans, a terrorist, pure and simple; to the Europeans, a national leader;... (bold added by ed.)

To the Europeans, a national leader.  If that is the European mind set, they are further down the drain than even imagined.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/06 at 06:53 AM
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Friday, November 05, 2004

A Suggestion

The headline regarding Arafat’s impending demise.

“Arafat Stays in Coma, Row Looms Over Burial Site"

The suggestion.

Strap his body into one of the Palestinians’ beloved suicide vests and spread his remains around.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/05 at 02:19 PM
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Psychic Teleportation Tripping at 7.5 Million Bucks

I dunno.  I think the guy who said this,

"In the report, author Eric Davis says psychic teleportation, moving yourself from location to location through mind powers, is “quite real and can be controlled."

has read Jack London’s The Star Rover, good book though it is, one too many times.

“Air Force report calls for $7.5M to study psychic teleportation"

Posted by John Venlet on 11/05 at 01:52 PM
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The Early Morning Sky

I’m usually walking, bright and early in the A.M., enjoying the quiet of the morning sky, but the past week or so its been quite cloudy so I have not been able to enjoy this visual treat.  This morning it was as clear as a bell, though, so I was able to enjoy the sight of Venus and Jupiter lining up, fairly low in the eastern sky.  Beautiful.

If you’re up bright and early, poke your head outdoors, at least, and take a gander.  I’m going to set up my scope tonight, and leave it set for the next few days, so I can enjoy a close up view before I walk.

“Special Celestial Sight Dances Before Dawn."

Posted by John Venlet on 11/05 at 11:35 AM
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Jane Smiley is Frowning, Ignorantly

Writing in Slate, one Jane Smiley is attempting to explain “Why Americans Hate Democrats—A Dialogue." The piece is subtitled "The unteachable ignorance of the red states." The main title is about the only aspect of Ms. Smiley’s little dialogue which does not display ignorance, as many Americans do hate Democrats, because they want to be Americans, rather than Demosocialiscrats.

A line by line deconstruction of Ms. Smiley’s piece is not required, as she is simply too ignorant of what it means to be an American.

Linked via Drudge.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/05 at 11:04 AM
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Future Partnership?

The airlines,

“Heavier fliers causing heftier fuel costs, study indicates"

may want to team up with these folks,

“Hopes Up for Sanofi Obesity Drug, 2-Year Data Eyed."

Either that, or, set up something along the lines of carnival rides and amusement parks, “You Must be This Thin to Ride this Plane.”

Posted by John Venlet on 11/05 at 07:14 AM
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Krugman, The New Party Leader?

Paul Krugman has penned a rallying cry op-ed for the Demosocialiscrats.  It’s titled “No Surrender," which I am uncertain whether is a nod to Churchill’s words to the British, “We shall never surrender,” or to the band Supertramp.

Here’s the first paragraph from Krugman’s rallying cry.

"President Bush isn’t a conservative. He’s a radical - the leader of a coalition that deeply dislikes America as it is. Part of that coalition wants to tear down the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt, eviscerating Social Security and, eventually, Medicare. Another part wants to break down the barriers between church and state. And thanks to a heavy turnout by evangelical Christians, Mr. Bush has four more years to advance that radical agenda."

Well, if Bush is a “radical,” desiring to “tear down the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt,” the father of the nanny state, I hope Bush has brought along a big monkey wrench because the spigot through which the funds have been flowing since the 1930’s is pretty much rusted wide open.  And if Bush "dislikes America as it is," well, so do I.

In the third paragraph of Krugman’s piece we read this.

"This election did not prove the Republicans unbeatable. Mr. Bush did not win in a landslide. Without the fading but still potent aura of 9/11, when the nation was ready to rally around any leader, he wouldn’t have won at all. And future events will almost surely offer opportunities for a Democratic comeback."

It’s as if Krugman is damning the good luck Bush has garnered from the bad luck of having the Islamofascists strike on his watch.  The “potent aura of 9/11” indeed.

In the eighth paragraph, Krugman notes the similarities of Democrats and Republicans, though he misses the similiarity of their desire to be nannies to all.  What struck me the most, though, about this paragraph, is the gratuitous reference to the Demosocialiscrats of the state of Massachusetts.  Are they the model to be emulated?

"Yes, Democrats need to make it clear that they support personal virtue, that they value fidelity, responsibility, honesty and faith. This shouldn’t be a hard case to make: Democrats are as likely as Republicans to be faithful spouses and good parents, and Republicans are as likely as Democrats to be adulterers, gamblers or drug abusers. Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate in the country; blue states, on average, have lower rates of out-of-wedlock births than red states."

In the twelfth paragraph, Krugman once again bemoans the good/bad luck which Bush garnered from September 11, 2001, the “lingering aura,” as he terms it, here.

"In fact, they have made good strides, showing much more unity and intensity than anyone thought possible a year ago. But for the lingering aura of 9/11, they would have won."

Krugman wraps up his little pep talk with the following notification of his upcoming absence, and admonition to think all this over, while he works on an economics textbook.

"It’s all right to take a few weeks to think it over. (Heads up to readers: I’ll be starting a long-planned break next week, to work on a economics textbook. I’ll be back in January.) But Democrats mustn’t give up the fight. What’s at stake isn’t just the fate of their party, but the fate of America as we know it."

I can just about imagine what the economics textbook, referenced above, will be titled.  Economic Prosperity Via Central Planning.

Bah.

Linked via Drudge.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/05 at 06:14 AM
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Thursday, November 04, 2004

I Just Laughed Out Loud

The Cami is watching some pop teevee show with initials, and I overhear voices singing “Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah...,” or something very close to that, so I poke my head over the keyboard and see this wacky commercial, from Virgin Mobile. I cannot find a link to the commercial itself, online, but I did find a link to their site which has a little blurb about “The Best Chrismahanukwanzkah Ever."

Looks like they got all the major ones.

The linked ad also asks "What is the true meaning of Chrismahanukwanzakah?"

The answer,

"Getting stuff like..."

Pretty good, Virgin. Try to catch the teevee version, I know I’ll be listening for it.

Merry Chrismahanukwanzakah.  Ha!

Posted by John Venlet on 11/04 at 07:13 PM
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Timid Giants, Chattering Teeth - Whoever Shall Protect Them?

What’s with the stock market financiers and media networks whining about bloggers?  Those naughty bloggers, they ruin all the myths.

“Blogs Send Stocks Into Reverse"

“News organizations blame bloggers, not pollsters, for misleading poll information"

Link to market story via Gary Cruse.

Posted by John Venlet on 11/04 at 06:40 PM
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There's A Song In There Somewhere, I'm Certain

“Artists, musicians lament Bush victory"

"Gloom, despair and agony on me!
Deep, dark depression, excessive misery!
If weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.
Gloom, despair and agony on me!"

Posted by John Venlet on 11/04 at 02:32 PM
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