tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-202729782024-03-12T23:35:16.335-04:00MoonDawg's DenServing up assorted B.S. and ill-considered rantings since 2005.Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.comBlogger220125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-15498620901202967162007-09-11T01:48:00.000-04:002007-09-11T01:53:27.938-04:00My Political TransformationThis post is probably pertinent to post here as well. I'm trying to get back to blogging after quite an absence.<br /><br /><a href="http://jeffwinget.com/wp-trackback.php?p=132">Rethinking Things pt. 1 (Politics)</a> posted at <a href="http://jeffwinget.com">The Multifaceted Me</a><br /><br />Enjoy!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361290898243667899noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-25012664888690480452007-09-08T10:05:00.000-04:002007-09-08T10:30:40.886-04:00So Hsu me<a href="http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/08/30/t1home.clintonhsu.schwartz.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/08/30/t1home.clintonhsu.schwartz.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Over at </span><a href="http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/web_blogs/index.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Riehl World View</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> yesterday Dan Riehl got a threat from Hillary Clinton campaign photographer Stephen Schwartz for having this photo of the Hildebeast and that wacky now-you-see-him-now-you-don't Chinese money man Norman Hsu posted on his blog without Schwartz's permission.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Dan has taken down the offending photo, but I and other bloggers will keep posting it until the Clintonista chekists come a-calling. If I also have to remove the pic, you can still find it <a href="http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/08/30/t1home.clintonhsu.schwartz.jpg">here</a>, <a href="http://cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2007/08/30/1188530216_6609/410w.jpg">here</a>, <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/08/30/us/30bundler-190.jpg">here</a>, <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/images/NA-AN834_HSU_20070828184931.jpg">here</a>, <a href="http://www.nbc11.com/2007/0830/14016425_240X180.jpg">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/img/2007/08/30/amd_hilary.jpg">here</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Controlling them dang internets ain't so easy, is it Mr. Schwartz?</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-90182559442466653632007-09-07T09:25:00.000-04:002007-09-07T09:42:57.572-04:00That *had* to hurt...<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">On the O'Reilly show LTC Ralph Peters (ret.) smacks down the lying POS Chuck Schumer for his </span><a href="http://sistertoldjah.com/archives/2007/09/05/chuck-schumer-slams-troops-on-the-senate-floor/"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">vile, dishonest smear of US troops in Iraq</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> during a speech in the Senate this week:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oYZD8vJo4g0"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oYZD8vJo4g0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Ouch. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-13585388151817736532007-09-06T11:45:00.000-04:002007-09-06T11:51:18.305-04:00Where's Slim Pickens when you need him?<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">As Instapundit would say, <a href="http://www.neptunuslex.com/2007/09/05/general-turgidson/">heh</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">(via <a href="http://www.op-for.com/">Op-For</a>)</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-28324921656920953522007-09-03T13:48:00.000-04:002007-09-05T14:40:44.978-04:00Labor Day Disaster<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">UPDATE - This post of mine from last year's hurricane season is still relevant, especially for us folks here in Jaw-juh: <a href="http://moondawgden.blogspot.com/2006/06/and-winds-fell-upon-them.html">And the winds fell upon them... </a></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Most Americans don't have hurricanes on their mind as they enjoy a holiday day of barbeque & brew, even with the monster <a href="http://www.pajamasmedia.com/2007/09/hurricane_felix.php">Felix the Cat 5</a> spinning in the Atlantic this very moment. But we are about to enter the peak period for the Atlantic hurricane season, and people on the US East & Gulf Coasts should already have their <a href="http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/hurricanes.html">family disaster plans</a> in place in the event they are impacted by a tropical cyclone.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><a href="http://www.el-bohio.com/trujillo2/photos/Trujillo-28.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.el-bohio.com/trujillo2/photos/Trujillo-28.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">On this very day 77 years ago - Sept. 3rd, 1930 - at least <a href="http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/058/mwr-058-09-0362.pdf">4,000 people were killed in the Dominican Republic by a Category 4 or 5 hurricane</a> that smashed into Santo Domingo with winds between 150 to 200 mph, nearly wiping out the city.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The storm traversed Cuba and appeared it was headed towards the Yucatan Peninsula when it made a hard right turn, crossed over Florida as a tropical storm, then moved back into the Atlantic and regained hurricane strength as it brushed Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. Such unpredictiablity is only partially mitigated by today's generally - but not completely - accurate computer forecasting models. Bottom line, keep your eye on the Caribbean Sea during every hurricane season because <em>anything</em> can happen.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bUq5wTd0XumRHZMdpGwMidZaZqog9t_Jh2yqz8RwcZhK-pvry2-vO9Se6htbvnyg6DaQ4gzH460kTI3g5p4_uSzU0ZFF_hQMrj5Wjz63d9o4kX3VitCvtpe6vyw5dseEh7Hw/s1600-h/DRHURRICANE1930.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106055931186546242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bUq5wTd0XumRHZMdpGwMidZaZqog9t_Jh2yqz8RwcZhK-pvry2-vO9Se6htbvnyg6DaQ4gzH460kTI3g5p4_uSzU0ZFF_hQMrj5Wjz63d9o4kX3VitCvtpe6vyw5dseEh7Hw/s320/DRHURRICANE1930.jpg" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-50610352157883160822007-08-29T21:34:00.000-04:002007-08-29T22:06:18.380-04:00All the Bird Flu news that's fit to print<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">By the way, have been meaning to highlight the <a href="http://www.birdflubreakingnews.com/">BirdFluBreakingNews.com</a> site for a while. The BFBN site is an up-to-the-minute aggregator of not only media articles about H5N1 but also the latest blogger analysis of bird flu developments. There are also links to other pandemic resources - veritably, it's the Drudge Report of bird flu!</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-50037420651633200482007-08-29T12:29:00.000-04:002007-08-29T12:45:35.245-04:00H5N1 H2H?<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">This is not good news: <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKN2829220820070828">Study confirms 2006 human-human spread of bird flu</a>. One of the researchers involved, referring to an outbreak in Indonesia last year, said "The world really may have dodged a bullet with that one, and the next time, we might not be so lucky".</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Meanwhile, bullets continue to fly out of Indonesia: <a href="http://www.news-medical.net/?id=29118">One more suspected death from bird flu in Bali</a>. "Sariasih first became sick on August 22nd but her relatives did not suspect that she might be infected with bird flu virus or H5N1 as there was no back-yard chicken or duck farming in the surrounding areas of her home."</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-41346719276164101202007-08-09T10:35:00.000-04:002007-08-15T22:17:06.555-04:00A Politically Correct Zombie War<p><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://doubleplusundead.mee.nu/killing_black_zombies_is_racist">Killing Black Zombies is Racist!</a> At least it is if a <a href="http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/runninscared/archives/2007/07/zombies_in_afri.php">White Man Shoots Black Zombies</a>. If many hold such witless PC attitudes, it does not bode well for mankind's hopes of survival in the <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/worldwarz/">upcoming global war against the undead</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">But no, surely rational human beings would not sit back and let themselves be overrun by an implacable, homocidal enemy in the name of political correctness, would they? Naw, just can't <a href="http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/188832.php">imagine</a> such a <a href="http://ace.mu.nu/archives/236437.php">thing</a> ever <a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2007/08/the-conspiracy-in-writing.html">happening</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">UPDATE: I should have known - <a href="http://www.imao.us/archives/008446.html">President Bush is all over the looming zombie threat</a> (via <a href="http://www.instapundit.com/">Instapundit</a>)</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-2732098919076182702007-08-08T14:25:00.000-04:002007-08-08T15:24:05.265-04:00Back to BSing (Blog Stuff, that is)<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">My apologies for the lack of posting lo these many months; it's been a busy summer (which included a summer teaching gig - my hats off to all you teachers out there, it's one of the hardest jobs I've ever had...but also one of the most rewarding). But now I have time to get back to blogging - try to contain your excitement.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">We'll start off with some quick hits on current events:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/08/08/2007-08-08_obama_hillary_trade_foreign_policy_barbs.html"><strong>Barack Obama continues to threaten to unilaterally attack a US ally (and a nuclear-armed one at that).</strong></a> Hillary should just stand back and let this fool bury himself.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong><a href="http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&article_id=84396&categ_id=17">With the US military's surge in Iraq working, it's time for a political surge</a>:</strong> "one that comes from all directions, both from within Iraq and from the international community".</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong><a href="http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=a5cb8f67-c43a-4638-95ee-55c46a3b1333&k=78404">Is Korean reunification possible?</a></strong> Sure it's possible - but not desired by either side. In the North the Workers' Party of Korea will never willingly give up their stranglehold on the DPRK, and the South fears a post-reunification influx of economic refugees from the North that would overwhelm public services, with staggering economic costs that would make the expensive East/West German reunification look like a picnic in comparison.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><strong>Russia has been </strong><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070808.GEORGIA08/TPStory/TPInternational/Asia/"><strong>violating international airspace</strong></a><strong>, </strong><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6905794.stm"><strong>assassinating dissidents abroad</strong></a><strong>, </strong><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/26/AR2006122600487.html"><strong>blackmailing weak neighbors</strong></a>....ah, makes me nostalgic for the old Cold War days.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">"the old definition of a nanosecond was the gap between a New York traffic light changing to green and the first honk of a driver behind you. Today, the definition of a nanosecond is the gap between a Western terrorist incident and the press release of a Muslim lobby group warning of an impending outbreak of Islamophobia," the wit Mark Steyn <a href="http://moondawgden.blogspot.com/2006/06/how-nations-die.html">wrote</a> last year. <strong><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20070802/cm_thenation/1219575">Now the definition of a nanosecond needs to be updated again: the gap between the occurence of any natural or man-made disaster in America and the Democrats hysterically blaming President Bush for it.</a></strong> </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Well, ya basta for now. It's good to be back BSing.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-53127401413432898162007-04-23T12:50:00.000-04:002007-04-23T13:11:08.972-04:00R.I.P., Boris<div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">I've just heard the news that Russian ex-president Boris Yeltsin has <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1dc4438a-f1ae-11db-b5b6-000b5df10621.html">passed away</a> at the age of 76. I'll never forget watching CNN in the summer of 1991 as he stood atop a Soviet tank in front of the Russian parliament, shouting his defiance against the Communist apparatchiks who launched a coup against the government of Mikhail Gorbachev, putting Gorbachev under arrest and filling Moscow with troops and armor. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Yeltsin was far from perfect; he was bombastic, corrupt (but no worse than other Russian leaders), and a drunkard. He might have done a better job leading Russia during the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the bitter transition from Communism to economic reform, although I'm not sure that anyone else could have done much better if they were handed the basket case economy of the former USSR to fix.</span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7-qnQrMM1zpC1fB0PgZDTjn_RnRHDoMAovhHq-YCK6q72kOUPW0SYhudcZd8SLtSn6VG6GLMGNY6ve3A6G3lYnZ0DmMNPz2uHcOREG3kepca06oQ6xK_y42LUpXMKILr1SE6/s1600-h/yeltsin-detail.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056671979946103298" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7-qnQrMM1zpC1fB0PgZDTjn_RnRHDoMAovhHq-YCK6q72kOUPW0SYhudcZd8SLtSn6VG6GLMGNY6ve3A6G3lYnZ0DmMNPz2uHcOREG3kepca06oQ6xK_y42LUpXMKILr1SE6/s320/yeltsin-detail.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">For me, my lasting memory of Yeltsin will always be the scene atop the tank during the '91 coup. The man was far from perfect, but this one moment of personal courage helped transform a nation forever.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-23356486417713222512007-04-17T11:25:00.000-04:002007-04-17T12:22:47.503-04:00To lockdown, or not to lockdown?<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">When confronted with something as hideous as the Virginia Tech massacre, the mind recoils from the horror of such an event and turns to other things - like recriminations. The VT police department and the university's administration started <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266460,00.html">getting heat</a> for their actions while the smell of gunpowder still hung in the air:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;">John and Jennifer Shourds of Lovettsville, Va. demanded the immediate firings of University President </span><a href="javascript:siteSearch(" _extended="true"><span style="font-family:arial;">Charles Steger</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> and Virginia Tech Campus Police Chief </span><a href="javascript:siteSearch(" _extended="true"><span style="font-family:arial;">W.R. Flinchum</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> who he said "screwed up" the handling of separate shooting incidents that left 33 students dead, including the shooter.<br />"My God, if someone shoots somebody there should be an immediate lockdown of the campus," said John Shourds. "They totally blew it. The president blew it, campus police blew it."</span></blockquote></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">But over at Townhall.com <a href="http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/g/6221c30c-1fe7-4374-9b29-6e48a2cd9c84">Dean Barnett</a> makes the following point:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;">Virginia Tech has a student population of almost 30,000. Adding in the staff members, faculty, etc., the Virginia Tech community numbers over 35,000 people. If there was an unsolved murder in a city of 35,000, would the city go into lockdown mode until the crime was solved? Would the city authorities even consider going into lockdown mode? Given the facts that the authorities yesterday understood the motive for the initial killings and there was absolutely no reason to believe a mass murderer was on the loose, shutting down the campus would have been a bizarre reaction to the initial tragedies.</span><br /></blockquote></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Yet Virginia Tech <em>did</em> go into "lockdown mode" when an <a href="http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/79080">escaped killer</a> was on the loose in Blacksburg this past August:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Police have spent the day racing to sometimes widely separated locations around Blacksburg in response to reported sightings of William Morva, who is accused of shooting and killing a Montgomery County sheriff's deputy this morning and a Montgomery Regional Hospital security guard on Sunday, as well as injuring a sheriff's deputy Sunday...Access to Tech's campus has been largely shut down, with classes canceled and staff evacuated.</span> </span></blockquote></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">A killer on the loose in nearby Blacksburg was enough to prompt a campus shutdown and evacuation eight months ago, but a killer was on the loose <em>who was actually on the campus</em> initially prompted little more than a <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/04/16/university.emails/">vague email</a> - sent two hours after the first shooting Monday morning - that urged students and faculty "to be cautious". </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Barnett contends that, given the perceived motive of the shooter (jealously), a lockdown would have been a "bizarre reaction". But the bottom line is, there's a guy running around your campus with a gun who's already shot two people, and you have no way of knowing for certain what his motives - and further intentions are - until and unless he's caught. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Now don't get me wrong - it's unfair to crucify the VT president and campus police with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, and people should wait until all the facts are in before making judgements. But in the coming days and weeks the question will be asked: why such a large difference in reaction between the August incident and the one yesterday? It's a fair question, and one that deserves an answer.</span><br /><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-17151334831694189032007-04-16T12:09:00.000-04:002007-04-16T12:32:39.589-04:00Of Occam, Oswald, Nessie, and Rosie<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Whenever an imbecile like Rosie O'Donnell spews forth <a href="http://thefreedomtower.com/2007/04/04/hold-your-horses-rosie/">lunatic rantings</a> about a 9/11 conspiracy, most sane folks (like myself) tend to simply laugh it off. But in a tour de force <a href="http://www.ejectejecteject.com/archives/000140.html">post</a> on conspiracy theories, <a href="http://www.ejectejecteject.com">Bill Whittle</a> takes Occam's Razor in hand and tackles everything from the JFK assasination to the Moon landing to the Loch Ness monster, and explains how real damage is inflicted on our society by those who perpetrate these "diseased philosophies":</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:115%"><blockquote>My goal here is not to bust any of these four conspiracy theories; that has all been done much more effectively elsewhere. What I am trying to do here is to build a chain of evidence to show a progressively deteriorating epidemic of world-wide insanity, of truly diseased thinking -- not just a misunderstanding or difference of opinion but real, diagnosable mental illness.</span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Whittle argues that it's way past time to start pushing back hard against Rosie and her ilk for their dispensing of "cultural suicide pills". Read the whole thing.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-52018871281344069422007-04-09T14:45:00.000-04:002007-04-09T15:28:43.764-04:00The Mullahs and the Copperheads<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Today's big news: <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/09/news/iran.php">Iran sharply expands uranium enrichment</a>. And why shouldn't they? After the British sailors hostage debacle, in which the UK's European "allies" could not even bring themselves to consider economic sanctions for Iran's act of piracy, Tehran now understands that it can get away with practically anything, and the worst conseqences it will face for misbehavior will be some hand-wringing at the United Nations and in the capitals of Europe. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The mullahs also had to be encouraged by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's <a href="http://beirut2bayside.blogspot.com/2007/04/fools-errand-in-damascus.html">fool's errand</a> (as Lebanese blogger Anton Efendi called it) to Syria, Iran's partner in terrorism. Iran can now reasonably expect Democratic leaders to react to any further provocations with the same fecklessness as the UN and the EU, and worse (or for them, better) actively subvert any administration attempts to deal with Tehran more strongly in the future.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Pelosi's <a href="http://wizbangblog.com/2007/04/06/did-speaker-pelosi-commit-a-felony-by-going-to-damascus.php">illegal trip</a> to Syria came on the heels of her disgraceful actions before the recess in preventing a Congressional vote on a simple <a href="http://noisyroom.net/blog/?p=17963">resolution</a> that condemned Iran for seizing the British sailors. With the EU and UN now proven useless, the only thing that stands in the way of Iran's nuclear ambitions is the United States. And now the mullahs know that a large segment of the US political class can't even bring itself to challenge them verbally, let alone militarily. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">With the Democratic leadership is going down a path of cowardice and retreat, the national party has sunk to its lowest level since it adopted a "peace at any price" policy in the 1860s. Today's <a href="http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/HomeFront/copperheads.html">Copperheads</a> are just as short-sighted - and just as dangerous to the nation's well being - as they were during the Civil War. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-45152054122161167812007-03-30T01:02:00.000-04:002007-03-30T01:20:04.999-04:00Just 3 ThingsOn my way home from Kanab today, I switched my satellite radio over to right-wing talk. I do that on long trips sometimes if I'm tired because I stay awake screaming at the hosts.<br /><br />Tonight, I listened to most of <a href="http://www.talktorusty.com/">The Rusty Humphries Show</a>, and I tried to keep my screaming to a minimum. While I could write a very, very long rebuttal to most of the things Humphries said (I cringe when I hear pundits say, "I've done the research, so you don't have to," which he said over and over throughout the broadcast. But, I digress.), I only want to comment on one little section that I found interesting.<br /><br />Most of the show centered around the thesis that "immigration without assimilation will bring a great country to its knees." I disagree with that thesis on many levels, but I have a harder time with it because Humphries didn't define "assimilation." From his ensuing rants, it was difficult to tell what he actually meant.<br /><br />Anyway, during his discussion of the topic, Humphries quoted Michael Savage (a pundit that I loath beyond belief), who said that the three things that need to be defended to keep our country great are our "borders, language, and culture." I found that conclusion to be overly nationalistic (a word that too often gets confused with "patriotic"), so I decided to write my own list.<br /><br />The three things that I believe need to be defended to keep our country great are 1) Personal Freedom, 2) Economic Freedom, and 3) an educated populace.<br /><br />I want to hold off discussing these three things in depth for a bit to see what others have to say. So, here is the question:<br /><br />What three things do you believe must be defended in order to keep our country great? There are 2 rules: 1) You must name 3, no more, no less; and 2) You cannot use the Constitution as one of your 3 (I get to make the rules, and I think that using that grand old document is cheating. Cheaters aren't allowed :).)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361290898243667899noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-45837586727344882292007-03-22T10:53:00.000-04:002007-03-22T11:26:41.991-04:00The Islamic insurgency grows bolder<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">It's being called the "<a href="http://voanews.com/english/2007-03-22-voa9.cfm">Massacre in Yala</a>":</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Violence in Thailand's southern provinces has reached a level that shocked many when Muslim separatists attacked a van and killed nine passengers. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, experts say it appears the militants hope to drive non-Muslims out of the region, despite government efforts to bring peace.</strong></span> </blockquote></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">And more sectarian <a href="http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=3183§ionid=3510204">butchery</a> this week:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>Suspected separatists shot dead three Buddhist women involved with a project for victims of Thailand's insurgency on Monday, AP reported.</strong></span></blockquote></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">In a <a href="http://moondawgden.blogspot.com/2007/03/thailand-in-cross-hairs.html">post</a> on this subject a couple of weeks ago it was noted that "the future may come as a bloody shock to the Thais". One might argue that the future is already here, but it seems that even worse atrocities are not just possible, but likely.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-61901567689776482892007-03-21T10:27:00.000-04:002007-03-21T11:04:53.982-04:00Community Server<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Apologies for the lack of blogging recently, but I've been busy running my annual <a href="http://www.marchmadpool.com">March Madness Pool</a>. This year I made an addition to the site to permit interaction between the pool players, powered by a nifty platform called <a href="http://communityserver.org/">Community Server</a>. The platform, which runs on an MS SQL database through my hosting service, permits me to have an online forum, blogs, and any other content I want to include. Community Server also offers options for setting up photo galleries and other types of file sharing, RSS newsfeeds and blog syndication, and it can support thousands of individual users. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The control interface is quite user friendly, although customization is not quite as easy as the promotional copy would lead you to believe - a considerable amount of effort tweaking config files is required (no simple task for a non-techie like myself), although after reviewing <a href="http://www.aquesthosting.com/HowTo/CS/CSAddSection.aspx">tips</a> offered by other <a href="http://www.designmeltdown.com/chapters/CommunityServer/">users</a> of CS, I was able to stumble and bumble my way through.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Besides, how can you complain when the thing is <em>free</em> (for the Personal Edition, that is). Powerful tools such as this that allow vast interaction and collaboration among thousands of people - coupled with virtually unlimited integration of constantly updated content - is part of what people mean when they talk about the concept of <a href="http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html">Web 2.0</a>. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">And how do I wield this mighty tool of the future? I <a href="http://marchmadpool.com/communityserver/">use it</a> to make a March Madness office pool more fun for the participants. Call it Pool 2.0...</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-14054221394095020992007-03-11T14:09:00.000-04:002007-03-11T15:55:32.928-04:00DST2K<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">A site of mine, MarchMadPool.com, that is hosted by GoDaddy.com is down today, as are <a href="http://mark8t.blogspot.com/2007/03/godaddy-is-down.html">many</a> <a href="http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=2430&rss">other</a> <a href="http://www.yawpco.com/?p=25">sites</a> hosted by GoDaddy. Some suspect that GoDaddy's hosting servers were ill-prepared for this morning's early change to <a href="http://www.registercitizen.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18065705&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;BRD=1652&PAG=461&dept_id=12530&rfi=6">Daylight Savings Time</a>; <a href="http://elfs.livejournal.com/599276.html">Elf M. Sternberg</a> calls it a "mini-Y2K, and says "this completely sucks". I couldn't agree more - MarchMadPool.com is a site I use for a large NCAA tournanment pool that I run every year, and today is Selection Sunday! This is inexcusable, especially since they've had nearly two years to get ready - the <a href="http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/consumerawareness/a/dstextend.htm">legislation</a> changing DST was signed in 2005. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">It appears other computers are also experiencing "DST2K" problems: <a href="http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=445">Sprint phones</a> aren't showing the correct time, and neither is my own T-Mobile Blackberry (tried powering it on and off, but that didn't help). And flights at Philadelphia International Airport have <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=local&id=5111077">reportedly</a> been delayed by a DST time glitch.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Fortunately, my battery-powered analog wall clock is showing the correct time, after a simple spin of the dial in the back of the clock. Sometimes simpler <em>is</em> better... </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">UPDATE: The <a href="http://www.teammurder.com/?p=1715">Team Murder</a> blog points to a <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129718/article.html">PC World</a> article from yesterday, in which GoDaddy poo-pooed concerns raised by a customer that its servers weren't prepared for the new DST:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"><strong>"Thank you for contacting Online Support. As Daylight Savings [sic] does not apply to our servers, since we are on Arizona Time and our time zone does not change, our servers wouldn't update," reads one of the replies he received, and which he provided to IDG News Service.</strong></span></blockquote></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Are. You. Effing. Kidding. Me?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">UPDATE II: <a href="http://www.yawpco.com/?p=25">YawpCo!</a> reports that "as of 3:18pm EST it appears that GoDaddy services are restored". But my MarchMadPool site is still down...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">UPDATE III: See the comments at this <a href="http://slashdot.org/articles/07/03/11/1853216.shtml">Slashdot post</a> for a tech geek discussion of the GoDaddy debacle.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">UPDATE IV: As of 3:48pm EST my <a href="http://www.marchmadpool.com/">MarchMadPool.com</a> site is back up and running - praise be! Let's just hope it stays up for the duration of March Madness...</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-66640258276027963772007-03-10T10:28:00.000-05:002007-03-11T12:47:56.934-04:00Out of Africa<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Yesterday, while <a href="https://www2.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=20272978&postID=1041840292174933388">responding</a> to my co-blogger Jeff about the dishonesty of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, the subject of President Bush's infamous "16 words" from the 2003 State of the Union speech came up (Bush had said, "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa"). Among other things, I noted this from the UK's <a href="http://www.butlerreview.org.uk/report/index.asp">Butler Report</a> on Britain's pre-war intelligence, about how Iraq had sought uranium from the Congo:</span><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">There was further and separate intelligence that in 1999 the Iraqi regime had also made inquiries about the purchase of uranium ore in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this case, there was some evidence that by 2002 an agreement for a sale had been reached.</span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Serendipitously, today the <a href="http://instapundit.com/archives2/003219.php">Instapundit</a> shares a relevant BBC news story - <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6432363.stm">"DR Congo uranium ring smashed"</a> (empahsis mine):</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;">Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they have dismantled an international network set up to illegally use uranium mined there.</span><br />...<br /><span style="font-family:arial;">DR Congo's daily newspaper Le Phare on Wednesday reported that <strong>more than 100 bars of uranium, as well as an unknown quantity of uranium contained in helmet-shaped cases, had disappeared from the centre as part of a vast trafficking of the material going back years</strong>.</span><br /></blockquote></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">In his post on the story, Glenn Reynolds notes some are speculating that the black market uranium went to Iran or North Korea. I don't think it's stretching the imagination too much to add Saddam Hussein's Iraq to that mix...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">UPDATE: Chad at the <a href="http://kurulounge.blogspot.com/index.html">KURU Lounge</a> notes some further relevant information from the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/file_on_4/6401491.stm">BBC</a> on uranium smuggling from the Congo (so far the American news media is MIA on this story). Emphasis his:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;">Officially, no uranium at all should now be leaving the country. But the United Nations has reported that in the <strong>past six years</strong> more than 50 cases of smuggled uranium have been seized in Congo.</span></blockquote></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The last six years would cover 2002, the year that the Butler Report said Iraq had reached "an agreement for a sale" with the DRC. I'm sure that Keith Olbermann will make this news the lead item on Countdown tomorrow. NOT!</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-15877757121559782502007-03-09T11:19:00.000-05:002007-03-09T11:40:37.209-05:00Thailand in the cross-hairs<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Yesterday <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com">PJM</a>'s Australia editor, Richard Fernandez, <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/2007/03/war_of_shadows.php">analyzed</a> the Islamic insurgency in Thailand, a subject that I wrote a <a href="http://moondawgden.blogspot.com/2007/03/civil-war.html">post</a> about just last week:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;"><blockquote><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">Their present tactical objectives seem to be to radicalize the local Muslim population, to promote feelings of Islamic solidarity and Islamic consciousness, to create a mental and emotional divide between the Muslims and the non-Muslims, mainly the Buddhists, and to prepare the ground for a sustained jihad.</span> </span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">A <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/2007/03/war_of_shadows.php#c040844">commenter</a> on Fernandez's article provides additonal background, and offers this grim assessment of the situation: "Thai Buddhists cling to the misconception that Islam is a religion of peace, and they point to the tiny, superficially tranquil Muslim community in Bangkok as proof. The future may come as a bloody shock to the Thais. Thailand is in the cross-hairs, and if it takes two hundred years, it will be purged of its major religion (which the Koran teaches is 'worse than carnage') and become host to a flood of immigrants from the south."</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-16534656736682286022007-03-06T01:58:00.000-05:002007-03-06T02:01:35.782-05:00Lindsey Graham on Meet the PressI posted this on my blog, and I was going to copy and paste it here, but it's really long. Go read it.<br /><br />"<a href="http://www.jeffwinget.com/2007/03/05/what-lindsey-graham-didnt-say-on-meet-the-press/">What Lindsey Graham didn't say on <span style="font-style:italic;">Meet the Press</span></a>" at <a href="http://jeffwinget.com">The Multifaceted Me<br /></a><br />Enjoy.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361290898243667899noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-42853325788892455002007-03-05T10:55:00.000-05:002007-03-05T11:15:36.869-05:00Let the Madness begin<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><a href="http://sportsline.com/collegebasketball">March Madness</a> will be here next week, replete with buzzer-beaters, improbable turnarounds, and astonishing upsets. This is the time of year when college basketball equals and even exceeds the drama found in college football.<br /><p>To get in the mood, here is the classic Hill-to-Laettner miracle that lifted Duke over Kentucky as time expired in the '92 East Regional Finals. Grab the remote and a cold beverage, secure a prime spot in front of the tube, and get ready - the Madness is about to begin.</span></p><center><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AY-iq58_oz4"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AY-iq58_oz4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><p></p></center><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-82282573388337811802007-03-01T10:28:00.000-05:002007-03-01T11:32:04.882-05:00Civil War?<div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">It seems we could be at a turning point here, given that the country's weak and <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/68906b70-4806-11db-a42e-0000779e2340.html">unstable</a> central government is under intense public <a href="http://www.bangkokpost.net/270207_News/27Feb2007_news22.php">pressure</a> because of mounting terrorist attacks by Muslim <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/25/news/thailand.php">insurgents</a>. Large areas of the country are becoming a <a href="http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/3/1/nation/20070301182103&sec=nation">breeding ground</a> for terrorists as the attacks grow <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/02/21/string_of_29_bombings_rocks_thailand/">bolder</a>, with police officers as well as army troops <a href="http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/thai/articles/20070214.aspx">regularly</a> targeted by <a href="http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7006573893">roadside bombs</a>. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Thousands of <a href="http://bangkokpost.net/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=114150">civilians</a> have been killed or wounded by the Islamic militants since the insurgency began (and some of their victims have been <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/08/asia/AS-GEN-Thailand-Southern-Violence.php">beheaded</a>), with the terrorists demonstrating <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTHuF5UoR9K6sEHDui5onc1g-404tNLEtLHBnB3kWj2MqtKJafBJv6OdhV7ogE2_H76G7i0iWhY1jYwG-Y6M7iF8wFnj2UKczGwRiWRHAu3kyjLtQ-QjggTGYmYId8QgGzJ8P/s1600-h/18W_HAT_YAI_wideweb__470x261,0.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036992370120239794" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTHuF5UoR9K6sEHDui5onc1g-404tNLEtLHBnB3kWj2MqtKJafBJv6OdhV7ogE2_H76G7i0iWhY1jYwG-Y6M7iF8wFnj2UKczGwRiWRHAu3kyjLtQ-QjggTGYmYId8QgGzJ8P/s200/18W_HAT_YAI_wideweb__470x261,0.jpg" border="0" /></a>increasingly sophisticated organization in conducting <a href="http://counterterrorismblog.org/2006/08/spike_of_violence_in_thailands.php">coordinated</a> simultaneous attacks. <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/australian-hurt-in-thai-bombings/2006/09/17/1158431586182.html">Car bombings</a>, such as the one pictured here from Sept. '06, indiscriminantly maim locals and foreigners alike. In addition, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/01/08/thailand.terror.ties.ap/">international Jihadists</a> linked to al-Qaeda are helping the insurgents carry out these terror attacks.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">A majority of the local Muslim population does not support this terrorism, but <a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK25569.htm">fear</a> of reprisals by the insurgents prevents them from assisting authorities. Meanwhile <a href="http://english.people.com.cn/200702/17/eng20070217_350713.html">sectarian</a> clashes grow increasingly violent, leading to concerns that the nation will become embroiled in an all-out <a href="http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=8547&size=A">civil war</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Oh, by the way, the country in question is not Iraq - it's <a href="http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/thailand2.htm">Thailand</a>.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-10418402921749333882007-03-01T00:15:00.000-05:002007-03-01T00:17:27.003-05:00Ouch!Secretary Rice might still be bleeding from this one.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DnVfZn7kdFw"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DnVfZn7kdFw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11361290898243667899noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-21398376497928451742007-02-26T13:59:00.000-05:002007-02-26T14:35:14.138-05:00A sticky wicket in March<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">The Overseas Security Advisory Council issued a <a href="https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=63935">report</a> (registration required) last week assessing safety & security for the upcoming <a href="http://cricketworldcup.indya.com/">Cricket World Cup </a>that is being held at several venues around the Caribbean throughout the month of March. OSAC is concerned about the potentially problematic mix of cricket fans and American spring breakers next month in one of the primary venues, Jamaica:</span><br /><blockquote>A factor further influencing the criminal threat in Jamaica will be the presence of American college students visiting on their spring breaks. Jamaica typically attracts approximately 20,000 spring break tourists every year. Although many of the prime resorts are near Montego Bay rather than Kingston, there is still a possibility the overlap could create a dangerous mix of partying college students and cricket fans. </blockquote><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Drunken American students versus international cricket fans - a "dangerous mix" indeed. While cricket isn't as infamous for violent fan behavior as soccer is, they still <a href="http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/13/stories/2006021312000100.htm">have</a> their <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/09/sports/cricket.php">moments</a>. In addition, the <a href="http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3113.html">State Department</a> is concerned that the tourism infrastructure in the host nations (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago) may not be able to handle the influx of both fans and seasonal tourists: "the Cricket World Cup may strain the availability of taxis, emergency medical response, and other public services". </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">If you're thinking about a Caribbean vacation during March, think again.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20272978.post-46190042252778062782007-02-23T11:39:00.000-05:002007-02-23T11:50:54.803-05:00Cavegirls gone wild<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoRv19QYBngjQjEKB3mR_cQGbe7Mu2CamK4iS8HWE0jgaxlLMbIHXyWhA9Ms2LDWfdkv6U5jqd4TseM8XPWHOjZeHupt67Xu-hrWFq3cn6XQxkuzJZrc-clo7IqlVNGTYlPJV/s1600-h/years7.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5034771241550227106" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoRv19QYBngjQjEKB3mR_cQGbe7Mu2CamK4iS8HWE0jgaxlLMbIHXyWhA9Ms2LDWfdkv6U5jqd4TseM8XPWHOjZeHupt67Xu-hrWFq3cn6XQxkuzJZrc-clo7IqlVNGTYlPJV/s320/years7.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">In the news today: <a href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21277955-2703,00.html">Women may have invented weapons</a>. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Well, <em>duh</em> - anybody who ever saw the epic 1966 documentary <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060782/">"One Million Years B.C."</a> already knew this. Yet another example of lazy journalists not doing their research...</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Garryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15501085297163581710noreply@blogger.com6