The Last Ephor

I've been playing soccer one night a week in a pickup game for a few months now. Most of the players are a bit older (late 20's and up) and generally trying to get in shape. The games aren't serious and we rarely call (or need to call) fouls. A week ago I was running full speed for a ball that was headed for the opponents net. I was two steps away from a one on one with the keeper. Out of nowhere, a defenseman shoulders me and I hit the turf. Hard. I landed fully on my shoulder and heard a crunch. I was in white hot agony almost instantly. I sat for the rest of the night and went home. I figured I just jammed it and it would hurt of a while. If it still hurt after that, I'd see the doctor. After a few days, it still hurt and range of motion was a problem. I would try and lift something with my right arm and my arm would not go above chest level. It was not pain stopping me, it just wouldn't go. Not good. I called the doctor and explained the situatio...

American Thinker writes It's Not Just Scott Beauchamp . The continual refrain from the MSM is that bloggers are pajama clad losers in Mom's basement. They're incapable of real reporting, fact checking or quality writing. Mr. Hoven puts paid to the idea that the MSM's series of checks and editors improves the quality of the product. He lists the most glaring examples of lies, manipulations and frauds. This article , gives a prime example of the aforementioned refrain from, in this case, academics. Many bloggers have pointed out that the MSM, like any threatened monopoly, attacks when challenged. I believe what we're seeing is equivalent to market spasms caused by the removal of artificial controls. The initial shocks cause distortions and disruptions much like you see after a hurricane or tornado when "gouging" occurs in response to scarcity. The first shock came from CNN when they introduced the 24 hour news cycle. Before that, you had the 11:00 ...

Fred Barnes writes: "Rove is the greatest political mind of his generation and probably of any generation." How can you make the preceding statement true by changing only one word? (10 pts) Answer: "Rove is the greatest partisan mind of his generation and probably of any generation." I mean, seriously. Is he insane? Does he not know those minor bit players in American history like Madison, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams et al.?

LiveLeak.com - Dick Cheney on why America shouldn't invade Iraq (1994) Granted that things were different in 1994 this is, in my view, damning. I would love to hear his rationale as to why things are different. I have my own thoughts which I've beaten to a bloody pulp so I won't rehash here. However, this is why politics is changing so much. It was one thing in the past to see a quote from someone saying the exact opposite of what they're saying now. It's entirely different to see it in video. Add to that the dispersal possible with viral video and the seismic changes are massive.

Sorry Hube, scooped again

Hamas Militiamen Break Up Wedding, Beat Guests . These are not political parties. They are gangs with no interest in the governance of a state. They want the cash and the power and that's it.

I was going to post one of those "Sorry, I've been too busy to blog" posts after reading this . However, nobody's reading this blog so who cares? After reading this I'm glad I didn't.

ohnotheydidnt: Best Movies Never Made and the Top Ten unproduced scripts Everything you ever wanted to know about street gangs but were afraid to ask for fear of being robbed and/or murdered. Herewith is a two fisted fisking. I'm continually amazed that Britains willfully submit more and more to the leviathan of their government who now watches them on every street, deprives them of arms and even the right to defend themselves. I pray they come to their senses soon. Racism is a cornerstone of gun control. I'll never understand why women and minorities are not the strongest advocates of gun ownership. What massacre? These are not mistakes or errors. These are lies designed to undermine support for the war. People excoriate pols for their "lies" leading us into this war but are mute when it comes to war stories that are lies because they fit the "correct" narrative. I demand you speak to me! However, if you do, I'll say nothing of our conversat...

11 Most Expensive Sh*t you'll never need The perils of taking the nuclear option off the table. Here's a really lethal combination. Telling the enemy that you are going after him with inadequate forces and then specifying in advance what the limits of your rules of engagement are. 7 Deadly sins of children's entertainment . I've never quantified these things but Parental Radar is very very sharp and it picks up on these things very quickly. Everything my kids watch is pre-screened by me or The Wife. The number of things that are cast out by this list is alarmingly high. Is Al Qaeda ramping up operations in the US? Could be. Those on the Right will call for immediate deployment of anti-Terror squads to every corner of the nation. The Left will plug their ears and sing "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Over and over again. Highlights from the GOP debates . Read on if that is your wont. I'm not buying. Too friggin' early. Anyone who says Al Qaeda is n...

annavenger tagged me Here's how it works: In the 8 facts about [name], you share 8 things that your readers don’t know about you. Then at the end you tag 8 other bloggers to keep the fun going. Each blogger must post these rules first. Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their eight things and post these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog. 1. I'm left handed 2. I was in commercials as a kid 3. I have 19 first cousins 4. I have passed the Mensa entrance exam 5. I have no desire for fame and cannot understand the appeal of being famous. 6. Ironically, I find myself becoming more compassionate as I get older 7. I (used to) brew my own beer. Now I'm just too time poor. 8. I can speak, read and write French fluently. I'm ...

Warmongering Neocon!

YONHAP NEWS is reporting that a second hostage has reportedly been killed. If only South Korea would cease their support for Israel inflaming the Muslim world torture of detainees in Abu Gharbi or Guantanamo invading Muslim lands war for oil being infidels.

A Day In the Life of An Ambulance Driver . Very moving accounts of the yeoman's work that medics do and for which they are not properly recognized. Read the whole thing and be thankful that's not you today. The Chinese do not screw around . I've been told time and again that fighting terrorism only breeds more terrorism. This same group wants to treat terrorism as a police matter not a national security one. Extending that logic to it's foregone conclusion, fighting crime only begets crime so we must not fight crime I suppose. I anxiously await Democrats blaming Hu Jintao for creating thousands upon thousands of terrorists. excerpt: “We lost a few people but we killed - I don’t know exactly - thousands of them. These people know our strength. We taught them a good hard lesson.” Rebiya Kadeer, a Uighur businesswoman and politician now in exile, says she saw a horrific police video of the “good hard lesson” when she went to Yining in 1997 to investigate. It showed u...

Ya know, some people claim to be Iron Man fans but that's the second time I've scooped him...

Steven Pinker is asking uncomfortable questions: In my hubris, I'm going to attempt to answer them. Snap judgments to follow: Do women, on average, have a different profile of aptitudes and emotions than men? Absolutely yes Were the events in the Bible fictitious -- not just the miracles, but those involving kings and empires? Unknown. I believe they are not and there is ample evidence from archeology that much of it is accurate per contemporary accounts. Has the state of the environment improved in the last 50 years? Yes and no. It's not zero sum. Much of western China was undeveloped (or unspoiled if you prefer) but many many parts of the US is less polluted. Do most victims of sexual abuse suffer no lifelong damage? I don't know but I sincerely doubt it. If anything is going to damage you for life that would probably be it. Did Native Americans engage in genocide and despoil the landscape? Yes. Their barbarism towards each other existed long before paleface showed ...

Sex is a private matter unless you're a democrat . There's a bit of snark there. I happen to agree that the Senator should resign. His acts were criminal and made him subject to blackmail. Not to mention I happen to believe that people of low character in one area of their life do not confine their perfidity there. If you are willing to lie to your wife about infidelity, you're much more likely to use your Senatorial position to enrich yourself illegally or at least game the system to skirt the law. Rod Dreher is losing his religion . I confess that I too, stood on that precipice and looked into the abyss. Ultimately after a great deal of soul searching I stayed but it was, by no means, an easy decision. In other news, here's the paleocon view on how to end the war successfully. Should there be a Jihad Sedition law . I find this argument not only persuasive but compelling. Advocating sharia is no different than any other form of theocracy. I would add that to...

Missouri bans Planned Parenthood from school sex ed classes . Read the article. They've essentially made an end run around Roe v. Wade. Very clever tactic but one that is likely to be met with a very strong lawsuit by abortion providers Planned Parenthood. Curious to see how far this one goes. I have little doubt the State Supreme court will uphold the law but I don't know what Circuit they're in so I can't speculate how they'll find.

Exit Strategies posits that a rapid withdrawal from Iraq would not be catastrophic but would be very ugly and then end with a three state solution. I don't share that assessment as I think Iran would send agents over the border very quickly to tilt the balance in their favor. Worth a read and worth considering after Monday's article about Iraqi taking care of their own security. Let's put it to a vote. Let the Democrats stand and be counted for or against withdrawal. Likewise, if Iraq is so confident they can handle things, pass a motion telling us to leave. "If the European Union were a state in the USA it would belong to the poorest group of states. France, Italy, Great Britain and Germany have lower GDP per capita than all but four of the states in the United States. In fact, GDP per capita is lower in the vast majority of the EU-countries (EU 15) than in most of the individual American states. This puts Europeans at a level of prosperity on par with states ...

Quote of the day: "Republicans can’t tell the Dems to clean their House, if they won’t come clean about the GOP’s own dirtbags."