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Showing posts from July 30, 2006
Don’t Plagiarize! Good advice indeed. The tricky part is two fold. First is knowing what constitutes plagarism. I write a blog that nobody reads (nb: not the blog that nobody reads because I'm just one of many that nobody reads) but I take great pains to credit where it's due. The slipperiest one for me is an idea. I often hear an idea or posiiton that is not mine and I make a point to cite the author. If I don't know where I heard it or am uncertain as to it''s origins I'll give a disclaimer that someone else said the same thing elsewhere. This is something that was drilled into my head at a very early age. The message was, you plagarize and you're toast. Cite, quote and rephrase all you want but don't steal. In journalism, there is a high premium paid for originality. That originality is rare and writers and journalists are often lazy and sloppy. Now with the interweb, they can't be any more. Try it these days and you're bound t
Andy goes off the deep end. His YouTube of the Day (a feature I've blatantly stolen today) features a 9/11 conspiracist and total nutjob Alex Jones. The caliber of the gun is telling but not "proof". Combine that with the differences in load and you have a set of variables that are innumerable. I have no idea what kind of shot this guy is either. He could be a horrible shot. The wind is blowing hard enough to be heard on the mic. That makes things even more difficult. If you've ever tried shooting a shotgun in the wind you know you have to lead your clays (or whatever) by quite a margin. The only thing he does get correct is the quote that you don't turn 180 degrees when hunting in groups. You keep yourself confined to your "window". The dummy he uses is a terrible model for a human body. The "soft" rubber is soft textured but much more resistant to penetration than human skin. That Sullivan swallows this tripe without any question
YouTube of the day: TOPOFF 3 was a disaster recovery exercise centered around a terrorist germ attack in New Jersey. See the video here . Creepy.
Oh, that liberal media edition MCMLXVIII Interesting Omissions From The New York Times . I'm sure that some people will look away or rationalize or do some creative math that will allow them to rest calmly in the knowledge that Republicans are worse because they score higher in whatever metric they create in this one.
YouTube - 9/11 Deniers Speak - Part 1/5 . There are 5 parts and they're all available from the sidebar after you see the first one. I have no words for the anger and contempt for these people. They care nothing for the victims. "The people are secondary" says one of the Loose Change worms. The only thing that matters is knowing that the administration or the Jews or whomever is "really responsible" gets the blame. Anything else would be intellectually problematic (I was going to say morally but I think some of these people are so divorce from any moral universe it doesn't apply). If it was actually true that thousands of Americans were slaughtered by terrorists with boxcutters, they'd be forced to admit the world is a dangerous place and that a great many Muslims want to kill us. They would then have to conclude we need to do something to protect ourselves. That indicates we need a strong military and the will to use it. That is the blind spot.
Rare snowfall across South Africa More global warming! Al Gore call your office!
The blogger who isn't helping Ned Lamont. Lamont is very quickly going to learn the perils of Nutroots the hard way. They don't cash your checks and you can't control them. You have no say over them so you have to be very careful in endorsing them. He's so embedded with the Nutroots crowd that to publicly excoriate them for such bigotry would be suicidal. I find it very telling that the Left has no problem putting people in blackface whenever they feel like it and yet are always reminding us how racist and bigoted Republicans are. Projection much?
Hypocrisy, thy name is Lamont: Lieberman rival owns stock in Wal-Mart Yes, big, evil Wal-Mart. The very same company who grinds it's old employess into a slurry to be fed to the other lumpenproles who are chained to the giant wheel from Conan the Barbarian that churns out the massive number of products Wal-Mart sells. Or something. I didn't really get the whole story. The guy I was talking to lost his tin-foil hat when the wind picked up.
ARTICLE: Petty officer held in secret for 4 months . Um...what? Since when are people held in espionage cases held in secret? They are normally rolled up and a press release goes out shortly thereafter. What could he have been doing that would require a 4 month blanket on this guy?
This is interesting . Like all Communist news, you have read for what's missing, not for what's there. That they haven't seen Raul publicly since taking command is telling. That they affirm he is in control of the armed forces is, perhaps, very telling. Why would they need to state that if it's supposed to be his role? Who are they trying to convince? Why have we not seen El Commandate Jefe at all since his operation. Not even a cropped photo. Not a voice message to the people, nothing. This is highly speculative on my part and I'm probably reading too much into it, but I wonder what's going on behind the scenes here. Only time (and Granma) will tell.
If you read nothing else today, read this in Vanity Fair. I find VF to be the most hit or miss magaine in America. Either it's complete drivel or absolute home runs. This is the latter. It's a timeline from NORAD for 9/11. It coalates the audio from that day from many different sources and shows the failure of our attempts to scramble fighters to intercept that day.
An interesting article but I have to part ways with Point #5: stevenberlinjohnson.com: Five Things All Sane People Agree On About Blogs And Mainstream Journalism (So Can We Stop Talking About Them Now?) : "5. Blogs -- like all modes of contemporary media -- are not historically unique; they draw upon and resemble a number of past traditions and forms, depending on their focus." Yes and no. Yes in that, citizen journalism is nothing new. No, in that it's never had this kind of reach before. In the Soviet Union, it was called Samizdat . You had to distribute it by hand and it was very risky. The reach was limited to people you could trust or people they trusted. Now, the world is different. This post can be read by anyone with an internet connection anywhere on the globe (assuming they read English). Censors are cirumvented by free applications that foil attempts to stop reader. In China, there have been reports that cell phones in cameras are having a dramatic a
Het Fietscafe. De enige echte bierfiets voortbewogen door de fietsende gasten. Apparently, that's Dutch for completely useless and so much fun.
This is too funny. I was remaking to my wife on Wednesday after my drive home that I was stopped at the light at 896 and Old Baltimore Pike and this huge bus rolled up next to me. It was covered in graphics (even the windows). When I looked over, it was the Girls Gone Wild bus. My puny car was dwarfed by the thing so I have no idea if there was anybody in it but I did notice two things. It's styled along the lines of a european touring coach and it has satellite antennas on the roof.
Hometown Hezbollah @ AMERICAN DIGEST Don't take them at their word. Go back to sleep. If we leave them alone, they'll leave us alone. It's all about our support for Israel. Go watch American Idol. Or Survivor. If we were more respectful and humble on the world stage, we would be fine. Democrats would be opening dialogs in the Middle East to broker a just peace. We need to spend that money at home, not on foreign wars. No blood for oil. Support the troops, bring them home. We have to ask ourselves, why do they hate us?
Rowling harried on hero's fate You know you've made it when Stephen King is not only beseeching you on behalf of one of your characters, he's calling himself your "warm up act." Whoa. This from a woman who was once so broke she lived in her car.
Photo Galleries > What not to do in a server room . Oh the humanity!
Elton John Sick of American Bands' Style . This from the man who hasn't changed his look since 1974.
Quote of the Day: "Religion is like good underwear. It supports you; it comforts you. It's worn on the inside, and it's bad manners to show it off. I wish certain people would remember this." h/t: Boortz
Gibson update: It seems he now sees the gravity of his error. DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2006? : "August 2, 2006 -- There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of Anti-Semitic remark. I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge. I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena. As a result, I must assume personal responsibility for my words and apologize directly to those who have been hurt and offended by those words. The tenets of what I profess to believe necessitate that I exercise charity and tolerance as a way of life. Every human being is God’s child, and if I wish to honor my God I have to honor his children. But please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite.
Waitress gets own ID when carding patron . No, seriously, it's true. Reality is stranger than fiction. Interesting that the woman who presented the ID was over 21. Why would you need a fake id then? Even if you have outstanding warrants, you give your own ID. I can only surmise she was going to continue to use the stolen credit card.
As the shells fall around them, Hizbullah men await the Israelis . An unremarkable article until the end: And even when the battle with the Israelis is over, he adds menacingly, Hizbullah will have other battles to fight. "The real battle is after the end of this war. We will have to settle score with the Lebanese politicians. We also have the best security and intelligence apparatus in this country, and we can reach any of those people who are speaking against us now. Let's finish with the Israelis and then we will settle scores later. Got that? This is only the beginning for Hezbollah. The Lebanese are so blinded by hatred for Israel, they're not seeing the not dire threat that is literally in their backyard. Nobody is winning this war. Israel is losing on the PR front and facing much tougher fighting than they expected. Hezbollah's first string is all but gone and their cache of rockets is degraded. They cannot get resupply or reinforcments from Iran due to I
I heard this guy on the radio the other day: Facts Refute Filmmaker’s Assertions on Income Tax in ‘America’ He's a tax dodger/denier that claims the 16th Amendment was passed by fraud so it isnt' enforcable. Additionally, "everybody knows it" and are desparate to keep the secret lest anarchy reign. He is, of course, a loon. I hate taxes as much as the next guy (probably moreso when it comes to income) but I know they're legal. Is he right that politicians used shenanigans to pass the 16th Amendment? I don't know, maybe. But I don't doubt it passed. Interestingly, they never seem to file these suits prior to liens and the like. In short, nothing to see here, move along
Castro's New Health Problem More Serious . Well, here's hoping. Seriously, I know it's unseemly to hope for someone to die but I make exceptions for terrorists, murders and tyrants. I hope he shuffles off this mortal coil and Cuba makes a nice, smooth transition to democracy. (Hey, I can dream). I fear his death will not change much if anything. Raul and possibly Ernesto are waiting in the wings. I don't know much about his kids other than "Fidelito" was running some sort of nuclear agency in Cuba but was sacked by his father.
Apology to my reader(s): Blogging light and poorly today. I went to bed late and my day started at 4:30 AM. Ugh.
Liberal Idealist Gives Fair Tax Big Thumbs Up . If only there were more bipartisan support for this. I know it will never come to pass. We'd have to repeal the 16th Amendment or else we'd end up with both a national retail sales tax and an income tax which would be disasterous. The "Fair Tax" is IMNHO, fair. It taxes what you consume more than what you earn. You have the ability to control how much taxation you carry. There are some holes that need to be plugged but the overall gain would fill those gaps. There would be a need for enforcement of tax collection from business owners. That would shift the regulation from the tax payers to the businesses.
The Top 50 Movie Endings of All Time . I find most of these hard to dispute. There are spoilers so be warned. I have always loved the end of Dr. Strangelove. It's iconic and absurd and brilliant. I first saw the scene when I was about 8 or 9 and my Dad was watching the movie. I walked in just as the bomb was dropped. I asked why he was riding a bomb and my Dad sort of fumbled for an explanation without trying to explain the whole movie and settled on something like "because he's crazy". It stuck with me since then. If I had some terminal disease, I think I'd call the Air Force and ask if they had any daisy cutters they were going to drop and ask if I could have a front row seat like Slm Pickens did.
U.S. Puts Onus on Employers of Immigrants Alternate title: Immigration Officals Get Off Collective Asses and Enforce Law. Finally. You want to dry up the flood of people coming here, unless or until you crush the employers who knowingly hire illegals you're never going to stop the flow from Mexico. Secure the border, and enforce the employment laws and you'll finally see some results. It's about time they started doing at least one of these.
Attack of the "Peace" Protesters part MCMXLVI: Howard flees angry mob - National - theage.com.au : "Protesters kicked, punched and fired projectiles at John Howard's car today after the prime minister, who has been supportive of Israel, emerged from a Liberal Party conference in Perth... ' We want peace ,' they chanted as they mobbed Mr Howard's vehicle." Apparently, they're an inaptly named group. Either that or they really don't understand what "Peace" means. They're not in favor of peace, they're in favor of quitting. This isn't a bunch of pacifist Quakers denouncing violence and/or war, but rather they simply want Howard's government to quit and come home, consequences be damned. This is the very same group that says we have to "connect the dots" before the terrorists strike and then complain when we want to collect them. (See; SWIFT monitoring, wiretapping et al.) Peace is not the absence of war.
I'm late to the party on this one and just about everybody has be beat but here are the photos that damn Hezbollah . My response to this it twofold: 1. Do we need photographs to damn Hezbollah? 2. Is anyone, literally, anyone surprised by these pictures? Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. By nature, that's what they do. They don't wear uniforms, they don't follow the rules. That's how they stay alive. Put them in open combat with the IDF and guess who's coming out on top in that one. I find it mindboggling that this is, in any way, news to anyone.
Patterico notices that the L.A. Times Editors say: “We Just Can’t Solve the Mystery of Why that Muslim Guy Shot All Those Jews” Nothing to see here, move along.
I'm sure you've all heard about Mel Gibson's bender and arrest. Gibson was caught driving 87 in a 45. Upon his detention he started hurling racial epethets at the arresting officer. He acted like a typical Hollywood ass. According to the report, his BAC was .12. That isn't nearly high enough to suggest he was so completely impared that he would be babbling like a loon because of alcohol. He was too impared to drive but not much else. In my opinion, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Mel's father is reknown for his anti-semitism and holocost denial. Based on Mel's comments it's clear to me he absorbed some of his father's deep seated hatreds. There was much hay made about this when The Passion of The Christ first came out and I dismissed it as a smear. Seems I was wrong. Mel did his best damage control apology: Gibson's Anti-Semitic Tirade -- Alleged Cover Up - TMZ.com : "On Saturday, Gibson released the following statement
Hezbollah was using UN post as 'shield' . The headline says it all. The jihadis are playing the media like a fiddle. I'm simply amazed that the MSM is either so craven or ignorant that they continue to let it happen. Personally, I vote for ignorant. Reporters don't like to be played but they're often too stupid to see it coming. They get blinded by the exciting newsbites that feature this scandal or that explosion and don't think beyond producing the segment for the upcoming broadcast.
2008 May Test Clinton’s Bond With McCain . This isn't really surprising. The public persona that politicians put forth is often a characiture or even a totally separate entity from the actual person. That McCain and Clinton get along behind the scenes is good news. In fact, I wish they'd bring that coridality to the forefront more. We need a return to the polity of the Foley/Reagan years. Political opponents shouldn't be enemies. They should be friends who have a difference of opinion. Characterizing your opponents as not just wrong but dangerous and/or evil is a very bad thing for all involved. For one thing, it begins the race to the bottom. Previously, such messages were curbed by party message managers. Now that the 529's have divorced the message managers from anyone with a message, we were bound to have nastier ads even if they're removed from the candidate by a veneer of deniabiltity. Take the Swift Boat Vets for example. To the Right, they were