For some reason, it seems that the Obama administration has made a calculated decision to continue pressing Israel on the Ramat Shlomo (N. Jerusalem) construction approval.

This whole fiasco is driving me nuts. I'm normally quite calm, but this just seems so absurd, so childish.

One downright scary reason that I just came across in Foreign Policy, is this article saying it has to do with a briefing in January by Petraeus, that the US efforts in Af-Pak/Iraq are being harmed by the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

What's everyone else thinking?

Ron Paul's victory at CPAC wasn't that much of a fluke...
A POLITICO survey: The tea party's least favorite Republicans

In a survey of more than three dozen grass-roots tea party leaders from 29 states, the party’s 2008 presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, was the Republican most cited as a disappointment.
...
“Save for Ron Paul, I'm not really happy with many Republican officials,” said Marc Delphine, a leader in the Beaverton, Ore., tea party. Other respondents, though, blasted Paul, the libertarian-leaning Texas Congressman, for requesting earmarks or for his isolationist foreign policy.
...
Though Palin, who was McCain’s vice presidential candidate in 2008 and is eyeing a run for the GOP presidential nomination, earned the most votes when respondents were asked who they’d like to see win the presidency in 2012 — followed by Paul and Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin — more than half of respondents declined to name a preference, citing either a desire to focus on the midterms or ambivalence about the field of prospective Republican candidates.

Tea Party!

RON PAUL!

re: #1 Joo-LiZ

I am thinking Obama believes he can get the Palis. & Arab allies to cooperate with him if he takes some shots at Israel. Serious shots.

re: #3 Varek Raith

RON PAUL!

Ron Paul? Isn't he a science fiction writer?

/

re: #5 Gus 802

Ron Paul? Isn't he a science fiction writer?

/

Fantasy.
;)

re: #1 Joo-LiZ

We've been discussing that. There's really not much new happening. Bush Clinton and Regan all criticized settlements. I wouldn't expect Obama to be any different.

I missed some of our CPAC coverage (read the posts but not comments) so I don't know if this got covered:

Justice's wife launches 'tea party' group
The nonprofit run by Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is likely to test notions of political impartiality for the court.

In January, Virginia Thomas created Liberty Central Inc., a nonprofit lobbying group whose website will organize activism around a set of conservative "core principles," she said.

The group plans to issue score cards for Congress members and be involved in the November election, although Thomas would not specify how. She said it would accept donations from various sources -- including corporations -- as allowed under campaign finance rules recently loosened by the Supreme Court.

"I adore all the new citizen patriots who are rising up across this country," Thomas, who goes by Ginni, said on the panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference. "I have felt called to the front lines with you, with my fellow citizens, to preserve what made America great."

[...]

Although Liberty Central is a nonpartisan group, its website shows an affinity for conservative principles. Her biography notes that Thomas is a fan of Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin, author of "Men in Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America."

"She is intrigued by Glenn Beck and listening carefully," the bio says.

re: #6 Varek Raith

Fantasy.
;)

Political Romance

/Bringing America back to the 18th century.

/

Blue-eyed dog.

re: #9 Gus 802

Political Romance

/Bringing America back to the 18th century.

/

re: #4 Rightwingconspirator

But it is just SOOO misguided, it is unreal.

I think my frustration has to do with a confluence of several events.

re: #7 Killgore Trout

The specifics here are what make this different.

This isn't just criticizing settlements. Bibi and Obama had a whole spat last year over the idea of a "complete freeze" of settlement building. It was eventually agreed that Bibi would implement a settlement freeze everywhere in the West Bank EXCEPT Jerusalem.

Clinton praised Bibi for this. Correctly pointed out it was further than any previous leader was willing to, or has gone before.

It still wasn't enough for Abbas. After that, the US worked for 6 months to get the Palestinians to talk despite that it was not a COMPLETE freeze. Finally, Abbas says "okay, we'll do proximity talks even though there is building in Jerusalem". Then Israel announces building in Jerusalem in a NON-CONTROVERSIAL area, and all of a sudden it's a serious affront to the US, undermines trust, is a provocative motions, is a clear sign that the Israel doesn't want peace.

I just don't get it.

There are also many issues that I have with Palestinian incitement, rioting, firebombing, rock throwing, that has been happening and increasing manyfold over the past couple months, and there is not a peep about it!

Now this is a vacation...

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re: #11 iceweasel

[Video]

No wait! Looks like the 18th century might have been a little to progressive. Perhaps we should harken back to the 15th century with Lew Rockwell and Gary North.

/

re: #6 Varek Raith

Fantasy.
;)

Biden, Abbas take aim at Israel decision

West Bank, March 10 (UPI) -- U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Israel's decision to build housing in east Jerusalem would "inflame tensions or prejudice the outcome" of peace talks.

"As we move forward, the United States will hold both sides accountable for any statements or actions that inflame tensions or prejudice the outcome of talks, as this decision did," he said Wednesday after meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah in the West Bank.

I'll believe it when I see it.

(nice cozy picture btw)

BBL - going to watch "The Color Purple" with the family, they've never seen it.

re: #11 iceweasel

[Video]

Hey. Been wanting to say this but America wasn't discovered by anyone we know of...

There were already people here. ;)

re: #7 Killgore Trout

We've been discussing that. There's really not much new happening. Bush Clinton and Regan all criticized settlements. I wouldn't expect Obama to be any different.

It just seems to me that far from Israel undermining US trust in them... what is happening now is the complete opposite.

I feel like after this, there will be VERY little reason for Israel to make any sort of concessions. The previous concessions clearly amount to nothing and the slightest hint of something that might make the Palestinians a bit angry is treated as an outrage of unprecedented proportions.

It's particularly disturbing because of how close together the various events were. It was just 6 months ago that the settlement freeze was correctly recognized as a huge concession, and already it counts for absolutely nothing.

Meanwhile, in December, an Israeli supreme court declared that Hwy 443 which had been closed to Palestinian traffic during the Second Intifada should be reopened to them because it is a "discriminatory" practice. Since then there have been numerous rock attacks. Just this weekend a man and his less than 1 year old child were injured in a molotov cocktail ("firebomb") attack. 4 other Molotov's were found in the area prepared for use. A woman was wounded when a bus she was in was attacked.

The Palestinians were preparing to name a square after the female terrorist involved in the worst terror attack in Israel (the coastal road massacre).

The Palestinian minister for Jerusalem Affairs has once again called on Palestinians to flock to Jerusalem to "defend" the Al-Aqsa mosque, as Israel just restored a synagogue that was destroyed by the Jordanians after '48. This restoration is a "provocation".

Their behaviour is nothing less than outrageous, and yet the Obama administration ignores it and levels its sights at Israel for something that should be not a big deal at all!

*phew*

/END RANT - (I really needed to get that off my chest)

Sunny my ass.

re: #19 Joo-LiZ

Well said.

First steps for "Mr Shuffles" - Porntip's newborn Thai baby elephant

March 11, 2010 — A baby elephant has remarkably taken its first steps at Sydney's Taronga Zoo despite being declared dead in its mother's womb on Sunday night.

On Monday, zookeepers announced the Asian elephant calf would be stillborn after vets found no signs of life in the womb of its mother, Porntip.

An ultrasound confirmed the calf was inverted, making it impossible for it to survive.

But in an extraordinary turn of events, the 100-kilogram male calf was born alive shortly before 3:30am AEDT Wednesday.

re: #8 iceweasel

I missed some of our CPAC coverage (read the posts but not comments) so I don't know if this got covered:

Justice's wife launches 'tea party' group
The nonprofit run by Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is likely to test notions of political impartiality for the court.

Aw, shit. I've always held Thomas in high regard. This could get him into hot water.

Oh, yeah. Happy Pi Day!

Must bid adios for now.
Be Well all.

re: #22 Gus 802

First steps for "Mr Shuffles" - Porntip's newborn Thai baby elephant

[Video]

Days later standing and moving around on his own.

Social Security to start cashing Uncle Sam's IOUs

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. – The retirement nest egg of an entire generation is stashed away in this small town along the Ohio River: $2.5 trillion in IOUs from the federal government, payable to the Social Security Administration.

It's time to start cashing them in.

For more than two decades, Social Security collected more money in payroll taxes than it paid out in benefits — billions more each year.

Not anymore. This year, for the first time since the 1980s, when Congress last overhauled Social Security, the retirement program is projected to pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes — nearly $29 billion more.

Sounds like a good time to start tapping the nest egg. Too bad the federal government already spent that money over the years on other programs, preferring to borrow from Social Security rather than foreign creditors. In return, the Treasury Department issued a stack of IOUs — in the form of Treasury bonds — which are kept in a nondescript office building just down the street from Parkersburg's municipal offices.

Now the government will have to borrow even more money, much of it abroad, to start paying back the IOUs, and the timing couldn't be worse. The government is projected to post a record $1.5 trillion budget deficit this year, followed by trillion dollar deficits for years to come.

*Contemplates posting Pi to the 10,000th digit...*
.
.
.
.
.
.
...Nah.

re: #23 Dark_Falcon

Aw, shit. I've always held Thomas in high regard. This could get him into hot water.

Well, he'd have to recuse himself from cases involving donors to the group, possibly, but it's left up to him to decide:

Experts say Virginia Thomas' work doesn't violate ethical rules for judges. But Liberty Central could give rise to conflicts of interest for her husband, they said, as it tests the norms for judicial spouses.

Law professor Gillers said that Justice Thomas, too, should be on alert for possible conflicts, particularly those involving donors to his wife's nonprofit.

"There is opportunity for mischief if a company with a case before the court, or which it wants the court to accept, makes a substantial contribution to Liberty Central in the interim," he said.

Justice Thomas would be required to be aware of such contributions, Gillers said, adding that he believes Thomas should then disclose those facts and allow parties in the case to argue for recusal.

But it would be up to Justice Thomas to decide whether to recuse himself. He could not be reached for comment.

As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, Liberty Central can raise unlimited amounts of corporate money and largely avoid disclosing its donors.
Because of a recent Supreme Court decision, Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission, the group may also spend corporate money freely to advocate for or against candidates for office.

I'm most worried about the nature of the organisation and her fondness for Beck, personally.

re: #1 Joo-LiZ

For some reason, it seems that the Obama administration has made a calculated decision to continue pressing Israel on the Ramat Shlomo (N. Jerusalem) construction approval.

This whole fiasco is driving me nuts. I'm normally quite calm, but this just seems so absurd, so childish.

One downright scary reason that I just came across in Foreign Policy, is this article saying it has to do with a briefing in January by Petraeus, that the US efforts in Af-Pak/Iraq are being harmed by the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

What's everyone else thinking?

Well, I'd like to read that article. I think Petraeus misstates--YES the conflict probably makes our work in other parts of the Muslim world harder, but that's certainly not going to be fixed by one stance about new building in East Jerusalem or another.

KKK Conviction upheld

re: #29 iceweasel

I'm most worried about the nature of the organisation and her fondness for Beck, personally.

Liberty Central

Virginia (Ginni) Thomas, President and CEO

Ginni is a new social entrepreneur and the Founder of Liberty Central, Inc.

Ginni is excited about launching LibertyCentral.org and finds the new citizen activists inspirational! She brings passion, enthusiasm and principled participation to the public square. With 30 years of experience within the Washington beltway working alongside esteemed politicians like Dick Armey and for institutions like Hillsdale College, the Heritage Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Ginni is committed to serving as a clearinghouse for new and more effective online activism. Ginni, the ‘proud’ Nebraskan, is a fan of Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin and Laura Ingraham and other talk radio hosts. She is intrigued by Glenn Beck and listening carefully. She also enjoys motor homing and watching "24".

Same old stool samples.

re: #32 Gus 802

Same old stool samples.

That's Clarence Thomas's wife.

re: #17 Walter L. Newton

BBL - going to watch "The Color Purple" with the family, they've never seen it.

Excellent performances by Whoopie and Oprah, first and only time ever

re: #30 SanFranciscoZionist

Well, I'd like to read that article. I think Petraeus misstates--YES the conflict probably makes our work in other parts of the Muslim world harder, but that's certainly not going to be fixed by one stance about new building in East Jerusalem or another.

I think "scapegoat" is the operative word.

re: #33 Gus 802

That's Clarence Thomas's wife.

Well, everyone has to have a hobby. His is being on the Supreme Court, hers is motor homing and Tea Partying.

re: #1 Joo-LiZ

but this just seems so absurd, so childish.

Well I think that particular tone well describes Obama and the people around him, and of course direction come from the top.

This is a disgusting 4 years.

Let us hope that's all it is.

re: #35 Spare O'Lake

I think "scapegoat" is the operative word.

Yes, but it's not going to go away. So, while I realize it's a major pain in Gen. Petraeus' behind, I don't know as there's a real solution.

re: #36 SanFranciscoZionist

Well, everyone has to have a hobby. His is being on the Supreme Court, hers is motor homing and Tea Partying.

I like the motorhome idea.

Wow... Pentagon Shooter's gun came from Memphis police

re: #39 Gus 802

I like the motorhome idea.

My grandparents motorhomed around the U.S. for almost a decade after retirement. They had a wonderful time.

re: #33 Gus 802

That's Clarence Thomas's wife.

Hadn't realised til this am that she also worked for Heritage at one point.

It is quite easy to arrange words and facts to make the other side look wrong.

come"s"

PIMF

re: #42 iceweasel

Hadn't realised til this am that she also worked for Heritage at one point.

They're a rather insulated, nepotistic and isolated group of people.

I feel like this:

Prime-Time Supremacy

Harlan is not the charming, genteel Mayberry you'd expect from a small town in Kentucky with a population around 2,000. At least not in Justified, the new FX series starring Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens, a maverick U.S. marshal dispatched to Harlan after he gets trigger-happy on a suspect in a Miami restaurant. Raylan's boss thinks sending him back to his quaint small town will be the ultimate punishment. As it turns out, Raylan's childhood friend Boyd (Walton Goggins) now leads a white-supremacist group so brazenly violent, they fire rocket launchers at black churches and rob banks in broad daylight. Maybe it's just my naiveté, but having lived in cities large and small, both north and south of the Mason-Dixon, I can't recall ever having seen a skinhead wash his car, or eat an ice-cream cone, or even glower from a dusky corner.

It turns out that Harlan's little local white-supremacy group is part of a real and growing problem. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, membership in white-extremist groups is ticking upward, as downtrodden, angry Caucasians seek an outlet for their anxieties about a black president, illegal immigration, and a leaky economy. Still, the supremacy surge seems to be much more acute in Hollywood than anywhere else in the country. The second season of Sons of Anarchycentered on a turf war in the town of Charming, Calif., between a white-separatist group called the League of American Nationalists and a motorcycle gang who are plenty unsavory, but at least they're not bigots. Your friendly neighborhood serial killer Dexter has dispatched his own supremacist, and all three iterations of the Law & Orderfranchise have featured stories in which murders lead to an underground white-power cell. Even a recent episode of the sci-fi puzzler Fringefeatured a Nazi villain who tries to poison folks at a meeting of the World Tolerance Initiative. In this tenuous moment, when we talk about post-racial America as though saying it can make it so, there's no more frightening a bogeyman than the occupational racist.

re: #43 Gus 802

It is quite easy to arrange words and facts to make the other side look wrong.

Of course, but regardless of how you "arrange facts" there is some sort of "truth" about the matter. One explanation will always be closer to the truth than another explanation.

What is this in reference to?

re: #48 Joo-LiZ

Of course, but regardless of how you "arrange facts" there is some sort of "truth" about the matter. One explanation will always be closer to the truth than another explanation.

What is this in reference to?

Nothing in particular. It's a common human behavior.

BBL

re: #49 Gus 802

Nothing in particular. It's a common human behavior.

Very true =P

That kinda thinking though, gets you to doubting everything... including yourself.

If you start thinking EVERY arrangement of "facts" is arbitrary or chosen to depict one side or another as wrong, you get to a point where you can't function in the world. At some point, you gotta accept some "arrangement" and use that as the basis for how you act/what you do.

re: #49 Gus 802

fact implies truth

re: #49 Gus 802

Nothing in particular. It's a common human behavior.

Passive the aggressive, please.
;D

re: #51 Joo-LiZ

Very true =P

That kinda thinking though, gets you to doubting everything... including yourself.

If you start thinking EVERY arrangement of "facts" is arbitrary or chosen to depict one side or another as wrong, you get to a point where you can't function in the world. At some point, you gotta accept some "arrangement" and use that as the basis for how you act/what you do.

Now that explains part of my personal life. :)

Back later! Enjoy Mr. Shuffles... the baby elephant above that is.

Jordan warns Israel of settlements expansion consequences

King Abdullah II of Jordan has warned Israel of consequences resulting from building new settlement units.

Terming the step as "unilateral", King Abdullah said the move to build 1, 600 units aims at changing occupied Jerusalem's identity and threatens sanctity of its holy places.

Such actions thwart endeavours to achieve peace and further intensifies the situation in the area, the king said after meeting with President of the European Parliament (EP) Jerzy Buzek.

A statement by the Jordanian Royal Court said that the king underlined importance of the European role in intensifying efforts in order to overcome obstacles facing a solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
He also noted that such solution should be based on the two-state principle and the Arab peace initiative.

Dogs make wonderful pets and companions.
*just sayin'*
BBL

re: #16 Racer X

I'll believe it when I see it.

(nice cozy picture btw)

Right.
Didn't happen to notice anyone anyone in the Obama Administration condemn this action?

Palestinians Honor a Figure Reviled in Israel as a Terrorist

EL BIREH, West Bank — Dozens of Palestinian students from the youth division of Fatah, the mainstream party led by President Mahmoud Abbas, gathered here on Thursday to dedicate a public square to the memory of a woman who in 1978 helped carry out the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel’s history...

[Link: www.nytimes.com...]

re: #56 NJDhockeyfan

Pile on.

re: #42 iceweasel

Hadn't realised til this am that she also worked for Heritage at one point.

In 2000, while at the Heritage Foundation, she was recruiting staff for a possible George W. Bush administration as her husband was hearing the case that would decide the election. When journalists reported her work, Thomas said she saw no conflict of interest and that she rarely discussed court matters with her husband.

Jeez, thank God that's all she was doing, imagine the furor that might have ensued if instead she had been "measuring the drapes."

re: #40 Thanos

Wow... Pentagon Shooter's gun came from Memphis police

Eh, they simply resell firearms that they confiscate. I've looked at a couple of sales from similar sources but the good ones are always gone fast (and cheap usually). But the sales are still in according with Federal Law and BATF regulations - it's not as if these are somehow easier for bad guys to get ahold of.

William

re: #56 NJDhockeyfan

Jordan warns Israel of settlements expansion consequences

"It's international law!" Whatever has been ethnically cleansed by Jordanians must remain ethnically cleansed.

I want to live my next life backwards:

You start out dead and get that out of the way.

Then you wake up in an old age home feeling better every day.

Then you get kicked out for being too healthy.

Enjoy your retirement and collect your pension.

Then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.

You work 40 years until you're too young to work.

You get ready for High School: drink alcohol, party, and you're generally promiscuous.

Then you go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, and you have no responsibilities.

Then you become a baby, and then . . .

You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, in spa-like conditions - central heating, room service on tap, and then...
You finish off as an orgasm.

I rest my case.

re: #58 MJ

Palestinians Honor a Figure Reviled in Israel as a Terrorist

[Link: www.nytimes.com...]

Hillary didn't call them?

re: #58 MJ

[Link: www.nytimes.com...]

I saw that in the Chron yesterday.

Yes, this is what we're up against. This is Fatah, the 'rational' Palestinian government.

re: #63 Bobibutu

I want to live my next life backwards:

You start out dead and get that out of the way.

Then you wake up in an old age home feeling better every day.

Then you get kicked out for being too healthy.

Enjoy your retirement and collect your pension.

Then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.

You work 40 years until you're too young to work.

You get ready for High School: drink alcohol, party, and you're generally promiscuous.

Then you go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, and you have no responsibilities.

Then you become a baby, and then . . .

You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, in spa-like conditions - central heating, room service on tap, and then...
You finish off as an orgasm.

I rest my case.

Did you see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?

re: #62 Alouette

"It's international law!" Whatever has been ethnically cleansed by Jordanians must remain ethnically cleansed.

Wonder what international law has to say about Jordan taking away the citizenship of Jordanian Palestinians? Anything?

re: #67 SanFranciscoZionist

Wonder what international law has to say about Jordan taking away the citizenship of Jordanian Palestinians? Anything?

Of course not, silly, "international law" only applies to keeping Jew-free areas, Jew-free.

re: #41 SanFranciscoZionist

My grandparents motorhomed around the U.S. for almost a decade after retirement. They had a wonderful time.

There's a large community of retirees that do this. We met a bunch of them spending the summer near Yellowstone National Park. From there, as the weather got colder, they started migrating south for the winter.

At the time, hook-up fees were cheap, even in prime season, at around $12 a day (I'm sure it's more now, but still reasonable) and that not only got you plugged in, but also gave you access to hot showers. Pretty sweet, and I think they had long-term rates that were even lower.

re: #66 Alouette

Did you see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?

I started to and for whatever reason never did. So now I guess I just have to. ;-)

Construction of security fence between Israel and Egypt approved

On Sunday (Mar. 14) the Israeli government approved construction of a fence along the border between Israel and Egypt. The fence would be another obstacle for those seeking to infiltrate into Israel through the Egyptian border. The project is estimated to cost NIS 1.35 billion and is based on a common outline made by the IDF and the Minister of Internal Security.

The fence along the border of Egypt will cover about 240 km, from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Taba border area. Parts of the border will be fenced with a physical barrier and other parts will be through means of warning signs. According to estimates made by the IDF, 1.3 tons of hashish were seized at the border last year and 130 kg of heroin. Also, about 5,000 infiltrators illegally crossed the border.

During a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he accepted "the decision to close the southern border of Israel to infiltrators and terrorists after long discussions with government ministries and professional bodies. This is a strategic decision to ensure the Jewish and democratic character of the State of Israel."

In addition, the Prime Minister said, "Israel will remain open to refugees, but we can not allow thousands of illegal workers to enter Israel though the southern border and flood our country illegally."

Noah Pollak had a good piece in Commentary which came out after yesterday's thread on this topic:

[Link: www.commentarymagazine.com...]

re: #37 Ojoe

This is a disgusting 4 years.

Let us hope that's all it is.

Last time I checked, it has only been 14 months. Not that there aren't very valid reasons to be critical, but it is still early days.

U.S. finds ouster of Muslim New York City principal biased

The U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission endorses a complaint by Debbie Almontaser that New York City pressed her to resign because of bias against her Arab national origin, Muslim religion, and “race”. She had been the newly appointed principal of the new, public, Khalil Gibran International Academy that the Mayor and Chancellor had initiated. She may get reinstated, back pay, damages, and legal fees. The court gave the two parties time to work this out. Municipal counsel refuses to reinstate her.

Formerly a teacher, Almontaser was opposed for having what was seen as a Radical Muslim bias. She reputedly was moderate.

One of the culminating accusations was her apparent defense of a student’s tee-shirt declaring “Intifada NYC.” She was on the board of the organization that rented space to the distributors of the tee-shirts, but disclaimed advance knowledge of the shirts. She explained that “Intifada” means shaking off, but came to mean something else by the Palestinian Arabs. The news account did not specify what “else.” The commission found that the New York Post elaborated upon her remarks misleadingly (Andrea Elliot, NY Times, 3/13, A1).

re: #29 iceweasel

Wow. So Thomas rules in favor of allowing fewer restrictions on campaigning from a type of entity that his wife then immediately creates?

That is, at the very least, bad form.

re: #58 MJ

[Link: www.nytimes.com...]

Of course not.

We wouldn't want to "provoke them", or seem "unfair" by asking them to refrain from celebrating their glorious history, would we?

It reminds me of what ElderofZiyon calls the Diplomacy of Fear:

For decades, the Arab world specifically and the Muslim world in general has used threats as its main leverage to get the West to bend to its will. The threats aren't usually direct; most often they take the form of "if you don't do what we want, the Arab street will erupt" or "the terrorists will have an excuse." In other words, if [Arabs] do not get what they desire from the West, then they will be powerless to stop the irrational forces within their borders from damaging Western interests.

A crystal clear example of this:

Top Fatah official and holder of the Jerusalem portfolio Khatem Abd el-Kader called Palestinians on Sunday to “converge on al Aksa to save it” from what he called “Israeli attempts to destroy the mosque and replace it with the [Jewish] temple.”

Khader was speaking ahead of a dedication of a renovated synagogue in the Jewish Quarter in the Old City, planned to take place Tuesday.

He called Israel’s renovation of the Hurva Synagogue a “provocation” and warned Israel that it was “playing with fire.”

The Hurva Synagogue is the one mentioned earlier which had been destroyed by Jordan after '48.

MATTHEWS AND BRONNER PLAY THE RACE CARD

In another disgusting bout of anti-Israeli racism, MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris Matthews and his guest, The New York Times’ Ethan Bronner, have suggested that Barack Obama’s low popularity in Israel is connected to the fact he is black.

Bronner is the Jerusalem Bureau Chief and former deputy op-ed page editor of The New York Times. He was asked by Matthews why Obama is less popular in Israel than Bill Clinton was.

Instead of outlining examples of the extraordinary anti-Israeli pressure and sentiment that the Obama administration displayed in its first year in office, Bronner said (live on air) “I think there’s some degree of racism to be perfectly honest” and Matthews replied “Yeah, because they see him as a black man...”

[Link: www.tomgrossmedia.com...]

re: #19 Joo-LiZ

re: #19 Joo-LiZ

Excellent posts. Just keep speaking the truth.

re: #76 Joo-LiZ

And what I meant by just keep speaking the truth is that you are speaking the truth and more need to do so loudly.

re: #76 Joo-LiZ

History is apparently a provocation to el-Kader.
Hurva Synagogue:

Excavations carried out at the site between July and August 2003 revealed evidence from four main settlement periods: First Temple (800–600 BCE), Second Temple (100 CE), Byzantine and Ottoman. Three bedrock-hewn mikvahs (ritual baths) were uncovered there dating from the 1st century. The earliest tradition regarding the site is of a synagogue existing there at the time of the 2nd century sage Judah haNasi.
[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

re: #75 Obdicut

Wow. So Thomas rules in favor of allowing fewer restrictions on campaigning from a type of entity that his wife then immediately creates?

That is, at the very least, bad form.

But just remember, Thomas is not a judicial activist... his shady acts are sanctioned because he is a conservative.

re: #77 MJ

MATTHEWS AND BRONNER PLAY THE RACE CARD

[Link: www.tomgrossmedia.com...]

Oh, what BS.

I think a lot of Israelis distrust Obama for very bad reasons, but race does not seem to play a role in it.

re: #62 Alouette

"It's international law!" Whatever has been ethnically cleansed by Jordanians must remain ethnically cleansed.

And of course the West bank of Jordan is just the West Bank and the Jordanians who live there are now Palestinians.

Politics would be more simple if people had memories longer than a goldfish.

re: #79 LudwigVanQuixote

And what I meant by just keep speaking the truth is that you are speaking the truth and more need to do so loudly.

Thanks! I appreciate the sentiment, and agree whole-heartedly. =)

I have to admit, in recent weeks I got to a point where I was reading only analysis that to me to be totally backwards. It got me thinking that if "only I see things this way, how can EVERYONE else be wrong". I was really doubting myself. Then this diplomatic incident happened. A few voices of reason bubbled back to the surface. I came back here to see what was being said, and suddenly I realized I wasn't alone anymore.

People really do need to pipe-up and present the other viewpoint (as rationally/logically as possible) when everything seems so backwards.

Muslims unsure of Obama on eve of his trip back to a Muslim nation

President Barack Obama has left American Muslims puzzled in the nine months since he delivered a landmark speech in Cairo and pledged "to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world."

As Obama prepares to travel to Indonesia, which boasts the largest Muslim population in the world, American Islamic groups are divided over what he has accomplished since that day at Al-Azhar University, when he quoted the Quran and spoke of his father's Muslim roots.

"He raised a lot of expectations with his very positive rhetorical outreach in the early months of his presidency," Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told The Hill. "Unfortunately, we haven't seen that followed up with concrete policies."

Hooper cites a failure to move the Mideast peace process forward as an example of U.S. policy at a standstill, including Vice President Joe Biden's trip to the region last week, during which Israel announced new housing construction in East Jerusalem, flouting Washington's position against expansion of settlements.

Obama's outreach has included appointing Deputy Associate White House Counsel Rashad Hussain last month as special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. "As a hafiz [memorization student] of the Quran, he is a respected member of the American Muslim community," Obama said in the announcement.

President George W. Bush first named a representative to the OIC in 2008 under similar objectives of outreach to the Muslim world.

There's just no pleasing these people.

re: #82 SanFranciscoZionist

Oh, what BS.

I think a lot of Israelis distrust Obama for very bad reasons, but race does not seem to play a role in it.

And they Question Obama for some good reasons too. The same good reasons that apply to any US president.

The US may be Israel's number one friend, but it is also beholden to Arab oil interests and Russian games in the region.

re: #84 Joo-LiZ

Thanks! I appreciate the sentiment, and agree whole-heartedly. =)

I have to admit, in recent weeks I got to a point where I was reading only analysis that to me to be totally backwards. It got me thinking that if "only I see things this way, how can EVERYONE else be wrong". I was really doubting myself. Then this diplomatic incident happened. A few voices of reason bubbled back to the surface. I came back here to see what was being said, and suddenly I realized I wasn't alone anymore.

People really do need to pipe-up and present the other viewpoint (as rationally/logically as possible) when everything seems so backwards.

The amount of utter delusion that surrounds the Israel/Palestine issue is difficult to pierce. So many outright lies have been said so repeatedly that people take falsehood for "common knowledge." If they spent one week living in Israel they would know better, or even one week reading a serious and impartial history of the region, but of course that sort of research does not get done.

The biggest flaw of the Israelis is one shared by many scientists. We believe falsely that people will do their homework and reconsider their stances when presented with a better argument.

Since we know that the facts support us, we assume we must win.

But people do not act based on facts. They act based on perceptions and public pressures.

All that can be done is screaming the facts like bloody murder but doing so in an effective manner.

It is a war of memes memes win over facts evry time. SO to fight the memes, use the memes of our oown, only use true ones.

For example, the next time an Islamist whines about how peaceful the Palestinians are, show the results of a bus bombing.

The next time an Islamist whines about how civilized political Islam is, show a public decapitation or stoning. Show it in graphic detail and let people ponder how civilized the Islamists are.

Be certain to use the words of the Islamists themselves - quoted completely and accurately to demonstrate that these animals truly do want to destroy the West and subdue westerners.

The line I always use is, no they really do want to kill you, just ask them.

Angel Fire, NM had some terrific snow during my Spring Break. 2 days of knee high powder all day! Now back to school, ugh.

Yemeni coastguard seized Iranian ship

The Yemeni news outlet Yemen Post reports that Yemen's coastguard seized an Iranian ship off the eastern coast. The ship was seized in cooperation with non-specified international anti-piracy troops operating from the US-French military basis in Jibuti. Why the Yemeni coastguard seized the Iranian ship detaining its 16 Pakistani crew members and the Iranian owner, was not explained. According to the Yemeni Interior Ministry, the ship had entered Yemeni waters illegally.

re: #12 Joo-LiZ

But it is just SOOO misguided, it is unreal.

I think my frustration has to do with a confluence of several events.

re: #7 Killgore Trout

The specifics here are what make this different.

This isn't just criticizing settlements. Bibi and Obama had a whole spat last year over the idea of a "complete freeze" of settlement building. It was eventually agreed that Bibi would implement a settlement freeze everywhere in the West Bank EXCEPT Jerusalem.

Clinton praised Bibi for this. Correctly pointed out it was further than any previous leader was willing to, or has gone before.

It still wasn't enough for Abbas. After that, the US worked for 6 months to get the Palestinians to talk despite that it was not a COMPLETE freeze. Finally, Abbas says "okay, we'll do proximity talks even though there is building in Jerusalem". Then Israel announces building in Jerusalem in a NON-CONTROVERSIAL area, and all of a sudden it's a serious affront to the US, undermines trust, is a provocative motions, is a clear sign that the Israel doesn't want peace.

I just don't get it.

There are also many issues that I have with Palestinian incitement, rioting, firebombing, rock throwing, that has been happening and increasing manyfold over the past couple months, and there is not a peep about it!

As a regular reader of LGF, I remember the period when every week there was a thread about Obama throwing someone or something under the bus.

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

re: #20 stevemcg

Sunny my ass.

Sunni?

re: #90 ryannon

As a regular reader of LGF, I remember the period when every week there was a thread about Obama throwing someone or something under the bus.

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

I think someone beat you to it.

Obama picks a great time to throw Israel under the bus

Let's create more stateless people.

Muhannad Haddad grew up here, went to school here, got a job in a bank here and traveled to foreign countries with a passport from here. Then one day the authorities said he was no longer Jordanian, and with that one stroke they took away his citizenship and compromised his ability to travel, study, work, seek health care, buy property or even drive.

The authorities effectively told him they were doing it for his own good. They said that like thousands of other Jordanians of Palestinian descent, he was being stripped of his citizenship to preserve his right to someday return to the occupied West Bank or East Jerusalem.

“They gave me a paper that said, ‘You are now Palestinian,’ ” he said, recalling the day three years ago that his life changed.

In a report titled “Stateless Again,” issued last month, Human Rights Watch said that 2,700 people in Jordan lost their citizenship from 2004 to 2008, and that at least another 200,000 remained vulnerable, largely those who moved abroad at some point in search of work.

The government says it is trying to help by requiring Jordanians of Palestinian descent who fled the West Bank or Jerusalem after the war in 1967 to keep their Israeli documents valid. This has become a more urgent matter recently, political analysts and government officials said, with the accession of a right-wing Israeli government and its ultraconservative foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman.

“It is no secret that some elements in Israel would like to see the Palestinian areas without the people,” said Nabil Sharif, Jordan’s minister of state and a government spokesman. “We do not want to be party to this.”

Critics and human rights advocates, however, see a different motivation. They said the Jordanian government acted to preserve its own interest, trying to appease non-Palestinian Jordanians concerned about the growing economic and political influence of citizens of Palestinian descent, a charge Mr. Sharif denied. They say it also appears that Jordan is frightened by talk of declaring Jordan a Palestinian homeland as an alternative to a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.

SNIP

This op/ed can only be compared to Representative Massa giving a lecture to a bunch of future scout troop leaders on proper behavior...
Pot, meet Kettle...
[Link: www.washingtonpost.com...]

Could this be true?

New Evidence Indicates China may be Bankrupt

re: #76 Joo-LiZ

What really drives me absolutely freaking running around screaming crazy, is that the same Israelis who warn that we must compromise and make concessions to the Arabs "or else!" "because the clock is ticking!" "they will soon outnumber us!" are also the ones who scream "Crush them! Destroy them!" when it comes to dealing with the Haredi population.

Now I am Haredi myself (and my son served in the IDF!), and I admit that this community can be very difficult to deal with at times, but to take a harder stand against the Haredi than against the Palestinians is just, well, freaking stupid.

4 NATO jets trail 2 Russian bombers over Arctic, Atlantic

Two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers that carried out a routine patrol mission over the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans were shadowed by four NATO fighters, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.

Spokesman Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said the bombers spent about 11 hours in the air on Thursday and were "accompanied" by two NATO F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Norwegian Air Force and two RAF Tornados.

This is thought to be the first time Russian strategic bombers have been followed by such a large number of NATO jets.

A similar patrol mission on September 29, 2009, was shadowed by an F-22 Raptor, reportedly the first time the world's only fifth-generation fighter aircraft, which uses stealth technology, was sent out to keep an eye on Russian planes.

Russian strategic bombers resumed patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans in August 2007, following an order from then-President Vladimir Putin, and are usually shadowed by less sophisticated NATO aircraft.

re: #95 NJDhockeyfan

Could this be true?

New Evidence Indicates China may be Bankrupt

So who has all the cash? Baby Fark McGeezax?

re: #95 NJDhockeyfan
Eventually, you bet'cha.
It's not as if the ChiComs are going to open up their books.

"Yo..Yo ...Check it out ,check it out ,Dude that was "dope man,Dope"!
So! What's Mrs. Loader watching??

Let's take caller #...ah...3.Caller #3 wins today's "WTFAYW" Question
and $4,000.00 Quatloos!
For those just tuning in ..."WTFAYW" is the Money,money show, "What The Fu^& Are You Watching"!
Let's get to phones...

re: #95 NJDhockeyfan

Could this be true?

New Evidence Indicates China may be Bankrupt

I saw a few stories this morning in which the ChicComs are declaring their solvency.

re: #93 MandyManners
Naw...
' Give 'Em A State, they're Ready '.
///

re: #99 tradewind

Hey!

re: #102 tradewind

Naw...
' Give 'Em A State, they're Ready '.
///

Well, the Jordans have had a hard time with them.

Gotta' get The Kid to Bible Bowl.

re: #96 Alouette

What really drives me absolutely freaking running around screaming crazy, is that the same Israelis who warn that we must compromise and make concessions to the Arabs "or else!" "because the clock is ticking!" "they will soon outnumber us!" are also the ones who scream "Crush them! Destroy them!" when it comes to dealing with the Haredi population.

Now I am Haredi myself (and my son served in the IDF!), and I admit that this community can be very difficult to deal with at times, but to take a harder stand against the Haredi than against the Palestinians is just, well, freaking stupid.

I think that goes back to a deeper misunderstanding in the secular/religious divide.

There is a big tendency on all sides to tar groups with broad brushes. I know many orthodox/religious Jews who are extremely welcoming and accepting of anybody of any level of observance. But then there also those who are not so accepting. When I see Haredi are intolerance, it becomes hard to sympathize with them.

That being said, it does completely go both ways. Many "secular" people assume that anyone in black with peyot, a beard, and one of those hats is automatically intolerant.

THAT is the sort of thing Israeli society would be working towards fixing if it didn't have the mess of the conflict and it's security to deal with.

re: #103 MandyManners
Hey back. How're ya'll doing here? Any really fun flounces? Any triple-x scandals?

re: #106 Joo-LiZ
Wow, peyote's part of the deal?
:)
I did not know that.

re: #96 Alouette

What really drives me absolutely freaking running around screaming crazy, is that the same Israelis who warn that we must compromise and make concessions to the Arabs "or else!" "because the clock is ticking!" "they will soon outnumber us!" are also the ones who scream "Crush them! Destroy them!" when it comes to dealing with the Haredi population.

Now I am Haredi myself (and my son served in the IDF!), and I admit that this community can be very difficult to deal with at times, but to take a harder stand against the Haredi than against the Palestinians is just, well, freaking stupid.

Yeah the left has as many whack jobs as the right.

At the end of the day the trick is to call a whack job a whack job.

As to the particular issue of Haredim, most Haredi are wonderful G-d fearing people who would give you the coat off of their back if you needed it.

Most are fervently pro Zionist.

However, let's look at mea Sharim honestly as well. There are groups in there who are simply batshit insane, and live off of welfare, make 12 babies they can not support and give no thought to supporting, do not serve in the military or contribute to the economy and contemptuously view the hard working Israelis who support them as less holy.

Those hypocritical Haredim, who seemed to miss all the Torah about getting a job and supporting your family and not having baseless hatred for klal y'Israel deserve even more contempt than they normally get.

re: #104 MandyManners
Lemme see... who else owes them some real estate besides Jordan? Southern Syria, and parts of Lebanon, I think.
If only those colonial-era Brits were back in charge... they could cobble that into a cohesive piece of statehood in no time.
Or not.

re: #105 MandyManners
Good luck... hope your team wins.

re: #108 tradewind

Wow, peyote's part of the deal?
:)
I did not know that.

I recently read an account by some British left-wing politician who had visited Gaza (not Galloway -- some other labour guy), and he was referred to the IDF soldiers as "ringleted" guards.

“Bags of cement are slit open by grinning ringletted guards. Having destroyed [Gaza] they maintain the destruction.”

Can you get into more of a caricature than that?

(**disclaimer: I read this a while ago, I just did a google search to have something to link to for it... I don't really know the source I linked)

re: #109 LudwigVanQuixote

Yeah the left has as many whack jobs as the right.

At the end of the day the trick is to call a whack job a whack job.

As to the particular issue of Haredim, most Haredi are wonderful G-d fearing people who would give you the coat off of their back if you needed it.

Most are fervently pro Zionist.

However, let's look at mea Sharim honestly as well. There are groups in there who are simply batshit insane, and live off of welfare, make 12 babies they can not support and give no thought to supporting, do not serve in the military or contribute to the economy and contemptuously view the hard working Israelis who support them as less holy.

Those hypocritical Haredim, who seemed to miss all the Torah about getting a job and supporting your family and not having baseless hatred for klal y'Israel deserve even more contempt than they normally get.

Yes, but even "those" Haredim (except for the dozen or so Neturei Karta attention queens) do not deserve to be treated more harshly than your average Hamas or Fatah terrorist.

re: #112 Joo-LiZ

Can you get into more of a caricature than that?

(**disclaimer: I read this a while ago, I just did a google search to have something to link to for it... I don't really know the source I linked)

There were no Nahal Haredi soldiers serving in Gaza. They serve in the Jordan Valley.

re: #112 Joo-LiZ
There was undoubtedly some major editorial back-and -forth over whether to go with ' ringleted' or 'jheri curled './/
Probably not really big into researching traditions there.

I just got a cool photo, unrelated to any of the topics being discussed.

This deep-sea relative of the common doodle-bug hitchhiked a ride on an ROV sent down to check on deep sea drilling operations. It was brought up from 8500 feet (slowly) and was about 2 1/2 feet long. Pretty strange looking critter! Apparently they stay on the bottom and wait for fish in shallower water to die and fall to the bottom, and that's what they feed on.

re: #113 Alouette

Yes, but even "those" Haredim (except for the dozen or so Neturei Karta attention queens) do not deserve to be treated more harshly than your average Hamas or Fatah terrorist.

Well, I think Hamas and Fatah terrorists should be summarily shot and their bodys smeared with pig fat before being buried unshriven at sea.

I hope you don't think I am equating the two.

Honestly despite how intense the rhetoric in Israel can get, I sincerely doubt that even the most cranky leftist communist Israeli would want Haredim actually shot.

On the other hand the Haredim need to be called on their more outrageous actions - particularly by observant Jews so that we as a whole do not get a bad name.

The modesty police need to have their asses handed to them. If the Haredim riot when the modesty police have their asses handed to them, some of those Haredim need their heads cracked as an example. Squds of Observant women need to sit in the front of the Haredi buses and tell the bochers who protest to go to hell.

I am sorry, I am not going to tolerate any form of religious crazy from my own people - especially my own people, who should know better, when I spend so much time excoriating crazy right wing Christians or Islamists.

Certain Haredim are nothing more than chillul Hashem on two feet. They should be corrected.

re: #117 LudwigVanQuixote

Well, I think Hamas and Fatah terrorists should be summarily shot and their bodys smeared with pig fat before being buried unshriven at sea.

I hope you don't think I am equating the two.

Honestly despite how intense the rhetoric in Israel can get, I sincerely doubt that even the most cranky leftist communist Israeli would want Haredim actually shot.

On the other hand the Haredim need to be called on their more outrageous actions - particularly by observant Jews so that we as a whole do not get a bad name.

The modesty police need to have their asses handed to them. If the Haredim riot when the modesty police have their asses handed to them, some of those Haredim need their heads cracked as an example. Squds of Observant women need to sit in the front of the Haredi buses and tell the bochers who protest to go to hell.

I am sorry, I am not going to tolerate any form of religious crazy from my own people - especially my own people, who should know better, when I spend so much time excoriating crazy right wing Christians or Islamists.

Certain Haredim are nothing more than chillul Hashem on two feet. They should be corrected.

Agree 100%

re: #116 reine.de.tout

I foresee a new cajun recipe!

re: #90 ryannon
Not to break form, they finally tossed... better make that slow-rolled... Desiree Washington. Only took 'em four months.

Watching the finish to the movie "Glory" for the how many I don't know times. Still chokes me up.

And then you have the reviled Jews in Israel in discussion here, equally heroic. Wake up people

re: #116 reine.de.tout

I just got a cool photo, unrelated to any of the topics being discussed.

This deep-sea relative of the common doodle-bug hitchhiked a ride on an ROV sent down to check on deep sea drilling operations. It was brought up from 8500 feet (slowly) and was about 2 1/2 feet long. Pretty strange looking critter! Apparently they stay on the bottom and wait for fish in shallower water to die and fall to the bottom, and that's what they feed on.

Yikes, that's ugly!

re: #116 reine.de.tout

re: #119 jaunte

What an amazing looking creature. Would it taste like lobster?

re: #118 Alouette

Agree 100%

I knew you would. I have always liked you by the way.

re: #116 reine.de.tout

I just got a cool photo, unrelated to any of the topics being discussed.

This deep-sea relative of the common doodle-bug hitchhiked a ride on an ROV sent down to check on deep sea drilling operations. It was brought up from 8500 feet (slowly) and was about 2 1/2 feet long. Pretty strange looking critter! Apparently they stay on the bottom and wait for fish in shallower water to die and fall to the bottom, and that's what they feed on.

Pretty damn huge, considering how it makes a living.

re: #123 prairiefire

Wikipedia says they're eaten in Taiwan:

Giant isopods are of little interest to most commercial fisheries owing to the typical scarcity of catches and because ensnared isopods are usually scavenged beyond marketability before they are recovered. However, in northern Taiwan and other areas, they are not uncommon at seaside restaurants, served boiled and bisected with a clean lateral slice. The white meat, similar to crab or lobster in texture, is then easily removed.[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

re: #124 LudwigVanQuixote

I knew you would. I have always liked you by the way.

You never sent that DNA sample I requested in order for you to date my daughter.

re: #116 reine.de.tout
So a doodle-bug's the same thing as a roly-poly.
I'm just glad they're darwin'd down to the small size they are now. How'd you like to come across one of those things as big as a heifer?

re: #123 prairiefire
Bite your tongue!
(Ok, dip it in butter first.)

Movin' to the seafloor soon,
gonna be an isopod tycoon...

re: #127 Alouette

You never sent that DNA sample I requested in order for you to date my daughter.

Lol, you never told me if she is pretty and likes physics ;)

re: #128 tradewind

Has the colt/filly arrived yet?

re: #116 reine.de.tout

What a face:
Image: File:Bathynomus_giganteus.jpg

re: #133 jaunte

The metallic eyes! God is amazing to have such a sense of humor.

re: #113 Alouette

Yes, but even "those" Haredim (except for the dozen or so Neturei Karta attention queens) do not deserve to be treated more harshly than your average Hamas or Fatah terrorist.

Absolutely agree.

re: #119 jaunte

I foresee a new cajun recipe!

heheh.
Hubby tells me he did cook one of these once. LOL.
He says it's an ocean light meat, and tastes sort of like crab.

People have been linking to this today...
Justice's wife launches 'tea party' group

In January, Virginia Thomas created Liberty Central Inc., a nonprofit lobbying group whose website will organize activism around a set of conservative "core principles," she said.

The group plans to issue score cards for Congress members and be involved in the November election, although Thomas would not specify how. She said it would accept donations from various sources -- including corporations -- as allowed under campaign finance rules recently loosened by the Supreme Court.

As I recall that includes contributions from foreign corporations which could also be owned by foreign governments. This is sort of troubling on a couple different levels. First, we could possibly be seeing the emergence of a politically active Supreme Court which lobbies on it's own behalf and could possibly pass rulings to expand its own power and influence. As seen by this case they made a ruling and are now among the first to test the limits of their own decision. I'm not completely sure yet but I'm not comfortable with this.

re: #107 tradewind

Hey back. How're ya'll doing here? Any really fun flounces? Any triple-x scandals?

It's been about the same.

re: #110 tradewind

Lemme see... who else owes them some real estate besides Jordan? Southern Syria, and parts of Lebanon, I think.
If only those colonial-era Brits were back in charge... they could cobble that into a cohesive piece of statehood in no time.
Or not.

Egypt?

re: #136 reine.de.tout

Here's a link for the cookbook blog.

re: #111 tradewind

Good luck... hope your team wins.

It's just practice.

re: #133 jaunte

What a face:
[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

Here's a photo of the face of the one in the first photo I posted.

re: #140 Killgore Trout

Here's a link for the cookbook blog.

Yum!
Got it.

re: #142 reine.de.tout

Here's his tiny land pill-bug cousin.
Image: stock-photo-closeup-of-face-of-a-pillbug-26292412.jpg

re: #112 Joo-LiZ

Can you get into more of a caricature than that?

(**disclaimer: I read this a while ago, I just did a google search to have something to link to for it... I don't really know the source I linked)

Moonbats on Parade.

This is my last day in Gaza before I head back to Cairo and then home to DC. And it’s strange, but I’m feeling “homesick” already. I feel both that I should stay here to show solidarity with the people – joining the ISM (International Solidarity Movement) to help fishermen and farmers make a living — and to get to know this unique wedge of land and its population a little better. Today was jampacked with activities, starting with a tour of some of the most war-ravaged areas of Gaza (the bitter) and ending with a delightful evening with new friends I’ve made here who I hope will be lifelong acquaintances (the sweet).

SNIP

re: #144 jaunte

My son catches those in the back yard and gives them all names. I know, he's deprived.

re: #123 prairiefire

re: #119 jaunte

What an amazing looking creature. Would it taste like lobster?

Chicken of the sea.

re: #131 LudwigVanQuixote

Lol, you never told me if she is pretty and likes physics ;)

She is utterly gorgeous, but she's not into math and physics (but oldest daughter reads quantum theory for fun, but she's already married with 7 kids). But she does work at a high-end electronics company and has access to all kinds of high-tech goodies.

re: #144 jaunte

Here's his tiny land pill-bug cousin.
[Link: thumb18.shutterstock.com.edgesuite.net...]

Good grief!
From that angle, you can sure see the family resemblance, eh?

re: #132 prairiefire
Ouch. Lost a bay colt, 1st of February. Too early by a bit.
Could have been worse... coulda been a filly.

re: #148 Alouette

She is utterly gorgeous, but she's not into math and physics (but oldest daughter reads quantum theory for fun, but she's already married with 7 kids). But she does work at a high-end electronics company and has access to all kinds of high-tech goodies.

Random Question.. how hard would it be for an international student to come and work at one of those companies for half a year or so?

Did Hosni Mubarak die in surgery?

The talk of the Egyptian blogosphere right now is a fast-spreading rumor that President Hosni Mubarak has died. Hundreds of Egyptian and Arabic-speaking Twitter users are posting news of the 81-year-old leader’s death. The reports occurred after reports of Mubarak dying in a German hospital were broadcast on Russian television and on Arabic television.

Hosni Mubarak has been the President of Egypt since 1981, making him the country’s longest-serving leader since Mohammed Ali.

So… is Mubarak dead?

re: #152 NJDhockeyfan

Did Hosni Mubarak die in surgery?

That'd be HUGE if true.

re: #150 tradewind

I am so sorry. I remember you posted about perhaps naming it after the lead in the "Life" TV show.

re: #139 MandyManners
Were there any Egyptians in that bunch that were encouraged to rush the borders of Israel?
Maybe so... I can't remember. But I think it was the Egyptians who instigated it.

re: #73 bratwurst

Not that there aren't very valid reasons to be critical, but it is still early days.

Well unfortunately it is still early.

I don't expect much leadership anymore.

For instance, the economy is on the ropes, significant numbers of people can't find work and are hurting, and instead of primairly addressing this big problem, Obama the political klutz ignites a 1 year plus shouting match about "health care reform."

He can't get the country united and working for the common good, and instead indulges in the politics of class division.

It is no good for the country and I am sick of it.

re: #152 NJDhockeyfan

Did Hosni Mubarak die in surgery?

What?

re: #137 Killgore Trout
The SCOTUS does not, last time I looked, count among its members the justices' wives.

re: #155 tradewind

Were there any Egyptians in that bunch that were encouraged to rush the borders of Israel?
Maybe so... I can't remember. But I think it was the Egyptians who instigated it.

I don't recall.

re: #157 MandyManners
It 'll be pinned on his joooish doctor, you wait.///

re: #109 LudwigVanQuixote

So let's say you're right and these people are deserving of scorn which I don't agree. Eating, sleeping, learning and procreating, especially learning is a lifestyle not necessarily contrary to Torah teaching.

Let's compare them to Moslems in Europe especially in England who soak up public funding but the difference is that they want to destroy that which is responsible for their lifestyle.

The Jews above, lazy as they may appear have nothing against the system that supports them.

re: #154 prairiefire
We'll give her some time off to recover and maybe re-breed her next year. Charley Crews didn't make it, though.

re: #161 Plato

So let's say you're right and these people are deserving of scorn which I don't agree. Eating, sleeping, learning and procreating, especially learning is a lifestyle not necessarily contrary to Torah teaching.

Let's compare them to Moslems in Europe especially in England who soak up public funding but the difference is that they want to destroy that which is responsible for their lifestyle.

The Jews above, lazy as they may appear have nothing against the system that supports them.

Some of the groups we're discussing do not, in fact, recognize the State of Israel.

And the idea that because you're learning the state should support you is neither traditional nor particularly savory.

re: #158 tradewind

The SCOTUS does not, last time I looked, count among its members the justices' wives.

True, at first I wasn't bothered by it but it seems like she and her husband are intentionally pushing the boundaries. If the whole court decides to lobby with their own private proxies it could seriously upset the balance of power. I guess the reason why the right isn't doing their usual complaining about "judicial activism" is because it's a Tea Party thing. It would also be an interesting scenario if the Supreme Court took over the Tea Party movement. We'll have to wait an see what happens.

re: #163 SanFranciscoZionist

Learning for learning's sake is permitted. That it drains resourses from good hard working people leaves something to be desired true.

Still, although some think that the nation's existence should have been predicated on the coming of the messiah, I believe these people love their home and would never wish violence upon it like the others I mentioned before.

whoops...how did that happen?

re: #42 iceweasel
Suddenly there's concern? Justice Ginsburg was an abortion-rights activist before joining the Court. Sotomayor was politically active in Latina and leftist union causes. And Ed Rendell's wife is still a sitting judge in PA, and he is governor of the state.

re: #152 NJDhockeyfan

Skype isn't very popular with governments over there.

Another one bites the dust: Egypt blocks Skype!

UAE ban on Skype 'short-sighted' -CEO

Reposted.

Suspected drug cartel “hit teams” murdered two Americans from the US consulate in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez as well as the Mexican husband of a co-worker in two separate attacks, a US official.

The victims came under fire in separate locations as they were driving Saturday after attending the same social event, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“Suspected drug cartel hit teams fired on locally employed staff, Consulate General Juarez, in their privately owned vehicles,” the official said.

“The attacks resulted in three fatalities – two American citizens and one Mexican citizen,” he said.

A US woman who worked in the consulate’s American citizens services section was with her husband and infant daughter when they came under fire, the official said.

The infant daughter survived the attack unharmed, but the woman and her husband were killed, he said.

In the second attack, a Mexican consulate employee was following her husband and two children in a separate car, when her husband’s vehicle came under fire, killing him and wounding the two children, the official said.

SNIP

re: #164 Killgore Trout
Ginny Thomas is a lightweight compared to the three I just mentioned above. And Ginsburg and Sotomayor are sitting on the court as justices now, with all that baggage trailing behind them. I doubt they'll be recusing themselves from cases associated with their pet causes, either.

re: #168 jaunte

Seems like nobody knows much. A lot of sites are quoting the doctors from the last week saying he is "improving" but nothing I found definitively stating "He is still alive, right now"

re: #165 Plato

Learning for learning's sake is permitted. That it drains resourses from good hard working people leaves something to be desired true.

Still, although some think that the nation's existence should have been predicated on the coming of the messiah, I believe these people love their home and would never wish violence upon it like the others I mentioned before.

The others you mentioned were 'Muslims in Europe', which is a pretty damn broad brush to be painting with.

And they have NOTHING to do with the Israeli Haredi groups.

So, sure, let's say that supporters of Islamic fundamentalist violence are far worse than Israelis who think the state owes them a living. I accept that. But that's a crazy standard. I could excuse all sorts of bad behavior by pointing out that terrorist supporters are still much worse.

re: #169 MandyManners

The big philosophical question in this gritty border town does not concern trees falling in the forest but bodies falling on the concrete: Does a shootout actually happen if the newspapers print nothing about it, the radio and television stations broadcast nothing, and the authorities never confirm that it occurred?

As two powerful groups of drug traffickers engaged in fierce urban combat in Reynosa in recent weeks, the reality that many residents were living and the one that the increasingly timid news media and the image-conscious politicians portrayed were difficult to reconcile.

SNIP

“The pictures do not lie,” said a journalist in McAllen, Tex., who monitors what is happening south of the border online but has stopped venturing there himself. “You can hear the gunshots. You can see the bodies. You know it’s bad.”

The Mexican government’s drug offensive, employing tens of thousands of soldiers, marines and federal police officers, has unleashed ever increasing levels of violence over the last three years as traffickers have fought to protect their lucrative smuggling routes. Journalists have long been among the victims, but the attacks on members of the media now under way in Reynosa and elsewhere along a long stretch of border from Nuevo Laredo to Matamoros are at their worst.

SNIP

It's not going away. It's getting closer.

re: #167 tradewind

Suddenly there's concern? Justice Ginsburg was an abortion-rights activist before joining the Court. Sotomayor was politically active in Latina and leftist union causes. And Ed Rendell's wife is still a sitting judge in PA, and he is governor of the state.

The point is, Justice Thomas is a sitting justice of the US Supreme Court and his wife is currently undertaking activities that could cause major problems for Justice Thomas and the whole Supreme Court, if full disclosure of the organization's activities (and Mrs. Thomas' role in them) is not made.

re: #173 MandyManners

reposting within 3 posts strikes me as a cry for help >>

re: #169 MandyManners
This whole situation is very worrisome... we could have a true border war before we knew what was happening. The US border patrol has found over a hundred infiltrators that they have had to fire for being agents of the drug cartels.

re: #176 tradewind

a border war? I don't think that means what you think it means.

re: #174 talon_262
My point is that the fact that we have sitting now on the SCOTUS two justices who have very active legal and political histories of representing and advocating for cases and causes either now or likely to be presented before them. That seems more problematic. They have not previously recused themselves ( notably, Ginsburg in the Roe v. Wade reargument). Thomas has that option if it presents itself.

re: #170 tradewind

Ginny Thomas is a lightweight compared to the three I just mentioned above. And Ginsburg and Sotomayor are sitting on the court as justices now, with all that baggage trailing behind them. I doubt they'll be recusing themselves from cases associated with their pet causes, either.

Would you be ok if their spouses took over their causes for them?

re: #177 windsagio
Poor choice of words on my part.
I mean, of course, that we are in danger of having shooting conflicts between our border agents and Mexican drug cartels break out more widely and affect more civilians in our border states.

re: #180 tradewind

fair enough, and yeah I misunderstood :D

I suspect its a ways from having anything like what's happening in Mexico crossing the border for a while yet, but its trending that way.

Its a bit of a catch-22. On one hand, they need to crack down, on the other hand, dogs bite when cornered. Or shoot, as the case may be.

re: #179 Killgore Trout
Do you mean would I care if Ginsburg or Sotomayor's spouses ( in this case, not an option) argued causes of action that were before the Court?
That's a little bass-ackwards, don't ya think?

re: #181 windsagio
I don't like the idea of their helicopters hovering over Texas.
Just sayin'.

OK, I just read the Hot Air thread on the Supreme Court/Tea party thing and I think I get it now. I was worried that this might be a power play by the entire court to expand it's own influence. It seems that this is just a trial balloon from Thomas (and family) to seee how far they can push it. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

re: #183 tradewind

I don't like helicopters hovering over me in general :P

re: #179 Killgore Trout
Or do you just mean took up where they left off?
No, I wouldn't care.
I mean, it's not as if we have lobbyists married to our senators and representatives.
Oh wait...

re: #178 tradewind

My point is that the fact that we have sitting now on the SCOTUS two justices who have very active legal and political histories of representing and advocating for cases and causes either now or likely to be presented before them. That seems more problematic. They have not previously recused themselves ( notably, Ginsburg in the Roe v. Wade reargument). Thomas has that option if it presents itself.

Regardless of their past activities and affiliations, Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor aren't anywhere near being in the same position Justice Thomas is and could be in (due to his wife's activities), unless they are continuing to affiliate with those organizations in a manner that would be grounds for potential recusal (which, AFAIK, they aren't).

re: #184 Killgore Trout
Yeah, because Clarence Thomas is nothing if not an instigator.//
Shaking head...

re: #187 talon_262
I hope you're not being deliberately obtuse.
You are assuming that they put their political activism and business associations in a blind trust. We can hope, but I wouldn't bet the ranch.

What's the over-under on Obamacare making it by Thursday? Anyone got the line in Vegas?

re: #188 tradewind

Ok, just wondering. I've never taken the judicial activism complaints very seriously anyways. It's not surprising that the partisans only complain when the other side is doing it. If this was a liberal judge Glenn Beck would be having fits right now. Hot Air seems to think it's great to have a little judicial activism on their side for a change. To each his own, I suppose.

re: #191 Killgore Trout
Is Hot Air the same as Pajama thingamajig?

re: #163 SanFranciscoZionist

Some of the groups we're discussing do not, in fact, recognize the State of Israel.

And the idea that because you're learning the state should support you is neither traditional nor particularly savory.

A great deal of the responsibility for this unsavory situation can be laid at the feet of Ben Gurion. In 1948, the population of Mea Shearim was very small and Ben Gurion arrogantly believed that the community would eventually become extinct. So he promised them exemption from military service, which at the time applied to not more than 100 scholars. Furthermore, he did not even want these people in the military under any circumstances.

It is way past time to change the policy. The Nahal Haredi Battalion has been successful, but there should be many more of these units.

re: #176 tradewind

This whole situation is very worrisome... we could have a true border war before we knew what was happening. The US border patrol has found over a hundred infiltrators that they have had to fire for being agents of the drug cartels.

The bribery is enormous.

Ok... finished with "The Color Purple" and now we have 3 inches of snow outside... pine trees look neat in the snow.

re: #185 windsagio

When I lived in the poor part of town, I would have police helicopter search lights shining into my second story windows about every weekend. I never waved at them. No sudden movements!

re: #192 tradewind

Is Hot Air the same as Pajama thingamajig?

No, Hot Air is a separate blog. It used to be owned by Malkin who is one of the PJM founders but she sold it to some Christian "family values" corporation which also owns Town Hall.

re: #195 Walter L. Newton

Ok... finished with "The Color Purple" and now we have 3 inches of snow outside... pine trees look neat in the snow.

All of my trees are budding with some blooms starting on fruit trees. Also, many dogwoods are blooming already.

This is NOT an Onion story :

Chief exorcist says Devil is in Vatican

The Devil is lurking in the very heart of the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican's chief exorcist claimed on Wednesday.

Father Gabriele Amorth said people who are possessed by Satan vomit shards of glass and pieces of iron.

He added that the assault on Pope Benedict XVI on Christmas Eve by a mentally unstable woman and the sex abuse scandals which have engulfed the Church in the US, Ireland, Germany and other countries, were proof that the Anti-Christ was waging a war against the Holy See.

"The Devil resides in the Vatican and you can see the consequences," said Father Amorth, 85, who has been the Holy See's chief exorcist for 25 years.

"He can remain hidden, or speak in different languages, or even appear to be sympathetic. At times he makes fun of me. But I'm a man who is happy in his work."

While there was "resistance and mistrust" towards the concept of exorcism among some Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI has no such doubts, Father Amorth said. "His Holiness believes wholeheartedly in the practice of exorcism. He has encouraged and praised our work," he added.

The evil influence of Satan was evident in the highest ranks of the Catholic hierarchy, with "cardinals who do not believe in Jesus and bishops who are linked to the demon," Father Amorth said.

It continues, and gets even funnier, here:

[Link: www.telegraph.co.uk...]

re: #198 MandyManners

All of my trees are budding with some blooms starting on fruit trees. Also, many dogwoods are blooming already.

My bradford pear tree is in full bloom. I love spring.

re: #189 tradewind

I hope you're not being deliberately obtuse.
You are assuming that they put their political activism and business associations in a blind trust. We can hope, but I wouldn't bet the ranch.

No one, even Supreme Court justices, is a blank slate when they're hired or appointed to their jobs. Of course, Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor (as well as the other seven justices) are going to draw on their knowledge and experiences in making their decisions in court, but the issue with Justice Thomas and his wife's activities is the potential for a conflict-of-interest because of Mrs. Thomas' current involvement.

A rematch on McCain-Feingold or any other campaign finance issues before the court could definitely be potential grounds for Thomas' recusal...

re: #197 Killgore Trout

No, Hot Air is a separate blog. It used to be owned by Malkin who is one of the PJM founders but she sold it to some Christian "family values" corporation which also owns Town Hall.

Is this corporation under the impression that Christian family values are being supported at Hot Air? Because I'm not seein' it.

re: #197 Killgore Trout

No, Hot Air is a separate blog. It used to be owned by Malkin who is one of the PJM founders but she sold it to some Christian "family values" corporation which also owns Town Hall.

That would be Salem Communications

re: #198 MandyManners
We got daffodils! And my pink dogwood is coming out.
I couldn't wait for the forsythia and stripped some for forcing, it was that bad a winter.

re: #202 SanFranciscoZionist

Is this corporation under the impression that Christian family values are being supported at Hot Air? Because I'm not seein' it.

The also own Town Hall which pays Pat Buchanan to write antsemitic and racist crap.

re: #199 Jimmah

That story goes hand in hand front to back with the one about the Vatican insider who got caught in a gay sex solicitation scandal -- in other words: the debbil made him do it...

re: #202 SanFranciscoZionist

Is this corporation under the impression that Christian family values are being supported at Hot Air? Because I'm not seein' it.

"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."- Ghandhi

Just got back...

Ok Ok but just for arguement's sake, religious zelots are the worst problem many countries have. Not so is Israel.

re: #172 SanFranciscoZionist

re: #199 Jimmah

This is NOT an Onion story :

It continues, and gets even funnier, here:

[Link: www.telegraph.co.uk...]

It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.

re: #207 Kruk

"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."- Ghandhi

Not all of us.

re: #200 Jetpilot1101

My bradford pear tree is in full bloom. I love spring.

*twirrrlll*

re: #205 Killgore Trout

The also own Town Hall which pays Pat Buchanan to write antsemitic and racist crap.

Part of the Arlington Group as well..

[Link: www.scottblochtrust.org...]

re: #204 tradewind

We got daffodils! And my pink dogwood is coming out.
I couldn't wait for the forsythia and stripped some for forcing, it was that bad a winter.

The daffodils have been out for about 10 days in some pockets.

re: #210 Jetpilot1101

Not all of us.

We know. Even Gandhi knew. It's just that sometimes we get crabby.

re: #202 SanFranciscoZionist
'Family values ' is a phrase that I'd just as soon see relegated to the ash heap of political and news blog history.
I have my own, don't need/want them sprinkled amongst the news, and besides... the phrase has been co-opted by people who don't tend to have any and turned into a pet pejorative.

re: #214 SanFranciscoZionist

We know. Even Gandhi knew. It's just that sometimes we get crabby.

Point taken. I get crabby sometimes to when I see who and what has hijacked my faith.

re: #208 Plato

wait, are you saying Israel doesn't have a problem with religious zealots, or was that a typo?

re: #210 Jetpilot1101

Not all of us.

Absolutely. Most Christians live by Christ's message of love and goodwill among men. The ones who follow the word and not the spirit are a small (but very vocal) minority.

re: #217 windsagio

not jewish ones dedicated to the Israeli government's destruction

re: #196 prairiefire

I've read some fairly moving stuff from the old 'Brown Power' movement in the '70's LA, about how much they hated those freaking helicopters with their spotlights.

re: #207 Kruk
Wonder how Ghandi had room to carry around such a broad brush.

re: #209 ryannon

It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.

[Video]

Yeah right, somone's gotta abuse the mentally ill and exploit the results to promote this sort of garbage.

re: #215 tradewind

'Family values ' is a phrase that I'd just as soon see relegated to the ash heap of political and news blog history.
I have my own, don't need/want them sprinkled amongst the news, and besides... the phrase has been co-opted by people who don't tend to have any and turned into a pet pejorative.

It wouldn't be a pejorative if it's most vocal proponents practiced what they preach.
;)

re: #220 windsagio

I've read some fairly moving stuff from the old 'Brown Power' movement in the '70's LA, about how much they hated those freaking helicopters with their spotlights.

/I prefer them to drones...

re: #213 MandyManners
Yeah, but mine are in my front yard!
:)

re: #218 Kruk

Absolutely. Most Christians live by Christ's message of love and goodwill among men. The ones who follow the word and not the spirit are a small (but very vocal) minority.

Yes and unfortunately, rather then get on their knees and pray or go out and serve the community, they would rather exchange the tenets of Christianity for temporal glory. I'm by no means a perfect Christian but I think my conversation with the almighty will go quite well. I'm not so sure about some of the "pillars" of modern day Christianity.

re: #224 brookly red

That's very 'dark future' of you ;)

re: #222 Jimmah

Yeah right, somone's gotta abuse the mentally ill and exploit the results to promote this sort of garbage.

Your point of view. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Link: www.manchester.ac.uk...]

re: #195 Walter L. Newton

Lucky you!
I had to rent a car dolly and drive 165 mile to retrieve my honey
and the D^&^overheating car!
4x4 and 25 mph all the way there...14 car boo boo on the north bound I-15
(I was south bound). Missed three slide offs 1 or 2 cars ahead of me!
Started back north and sat in 7 miles of stop and go...(from the earlier 14 car Boo boo)!
Finally got to Beaver ,Utah and cashed it in .Got the last room in town.
or close to it!
This morning only saw four wrecks!
I've come to the conclusion...75% of drivers have no business behind the
wheel of a vehicle!
Home safe and sound!

re: #225 tradewind

Yeah, but mine are in my front yard!
:)

I live in a forrest so it takes my flowers a while to get going.

re: #216 Jetpilot1101
Except that it hasn't really been hijacked. Just some inappropriate call-button yanking here and there.

OT, and not sure if its been posted before, but:

National Geographic sure knows freakin' awesome pictures!

re: #230 MandyManners
I was yanking the pockets.
I'm planting some lily of the valley this year and it needs shade.

re: #225 tradewind

Yeah, but mine are in my front yard!
:)

I hate the traffic copters even more... why do 4 or 5 of them have to gather around at 5:00 in the morning (and they are loud) every time there is a fender bender on the BQE?

re: #212 Thanos

Part of the Arlington Group as well..

[Link: www.scottblochtrust.org...]

Interesting. I hadn't heard of them before.

re: #230 MandyManners

I live in a forrest so it takes my flowers a while to get going.

With Unicorns no doubt!

re: #199 Jimmah

This is NOT an Onion story :

It continues, and gets even funnier, here:

[Link: www.telegraph.co.uk...]

Holy shit.

re: #234 brookly red
They're all just hopin' for the next white bronco.

re: #235 Killgore Trout

Interesting. I hadn't heard of them before.

Kind of the ultimate "who's who" if you look at the signatories and what they are about.

re: #238 tradewind

They're all just hopin' for the next white bronco.

/that is what they want you to think... but they are really looking for your salt!

re: #220 windsagio

Thump, thump, thump, sorry no crack heads here. That awful drug made a bad situation even more bleak.

re: #238 tradewind

They're all just hopin' for the next white bronco.

It's that old news adage at work: "If it bleeds, it leads".

re: #229 reloadingisnotahobby

Lucky you!
I had to rent a car dolly and drive 165 mile to retrieve my honey
and the D^&^overheating car!
4x4 and 25 mph all the way there...14 car boo boo on the north bound I-15
(I was south bound). Missed three slide offs 1 or 2 cars ahead of me!
Started back north and sat in 7 miles of stop and go...(from the earlier 14 car Boo boo)!
Finally got to Beaver ,Utah and cashed it in .Got the last room in town.
or close to it!
This morning only saw four wrecks!
I've come to the conclusion...75% of drivers have no business behind the
wheel of a vehicle!
Home safe and sound!

So... I suspect you got that snow you mentioned yesterday... we did. Still coming down, but we are right on the edge of this, south of I70. Down hill and north of I70, just a dusting.

Just the other day we were discussing about how cheap special effects could mean a revival in Sci-fi from independent film makers. Here a short film called Connected

I suggest following their recommendation to watch in full screen. Good effort.

re: #237 Alouette
I don't doubt that the devil tries to hang out around the holiest sites in the land.
But I have to confess a problem with that vomiting shards of glass and wrought iron thing...

re: #215 tradewind

'Family values ' is a phrase that I'd just as soon see relegated to the ash heap of political and news blog history.
I have my own, don't need/want them sprinkled amongst the news, and besides... the phrase has been co-opted by people who don't tend to have any and turned into a pet pejorative.

The trouble with running on "Family Values" platform is that it can implode spectacularly on you. I don't really have a problem with what happened in the UK (apart from the hypocrisy), but the New Zealand case made me spit.

[Link: www.independent.co.uk...]

[Link: www.safe-nz.org.nz...]

re: #239 Thanos

Kind of the ultimate "who's who" if you look at the signatories and what they are about.

Yeah, Dobson always raises my interest.

re: #244 Killgore Trout
That damn James Cameron, anyway. 3 D gives me a freaking headache, and now everyone is going to try it?

re: #243 Walter L. Newton

Yup,That's what the weather service said would happen!!
Wish they'd stop sayin that!
...We had five while we we're gone...