check out this editorial/article
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: Velvet Revolver
Topic: News

Here is the link, but I'm cut & pasting it onto my blog: Epic change in the Middle East? (Joe Scarborough)

I really think that this is a great article... I'm sure that I'll get some nasty comments from my left-leaning friends and family, but I think that he makes some really good points!

Epic change in the Middle East? (Joe Scarborough)

There are cracks in time when leaders are given a chance to bend history and forever change the course of events inside countries and across continents.

Americans did it in 1776, the French in 1789, Europe reverberated with revolution in 1848 and 1989, while New Yorkers and the world saw their lives transformed on a clear fall morning three years ago.

But being the optimistic fool that I am, I dare to believe that 2005 could be a year of epic change in the Middle East by ushering in an era of freedom to a region that has only know death, despair and dictatorships over the past century.

I know I sound terribly naive in a week when we are confronted with stories of a young Palestinian girl riddled with bullets, U.S. troops continuing to be blown up by cheap and plentiful roadside bombs, and Israeli security checkpoint guards taunting Palestinian citizens in a way that elicits memories of the Holocaust for Jewish survivors.

As a strident defender of Israel, I am sickened by the news of this young girl being gunned down and then filled with countless bullets after she was already dead. Read the story and tell me how the hell this could have happened.

Meanwhile, the chances of success in Iraq seem more remote everyday, but only because media outlets in America and across the world obsess on the negative while dismissing U.S. progress there. The notable exception at the New York Times was Dexter Filkens' piece on Iraq that we linked earlier this week. In case you missed it, here it is again. A MUST READ!

As Tom Friedman noted in his "Postcards from Iraq" column, U.S. troops continue to believe they are fighting a war that is noble, and more importantly, the most important military battle of our generation.

America is not fighting to defend oil fields or colonial holdings. We are fighting to save Western Civilization from an exceedingly grim future filled with terror attacks in New York, Washington and the rest of the world.

But it is a war Americans are determined to win.

A year ago, NBC executives visited MSNBC to get a briefing on the 2004 election. While some outside analysts present predicted American deaths in Iraq would spell doom for the President's reelection effort, I took a contrary position. (What a surprise.)

I told NBC's leaders that Americans outside of Manhattan and L.A. understood on a visceral level that our nation was in a world war with Islamic terrorists, and that the cost of victory would include the death of many young Americans. I said Iraq would not be viewed as Somalia or Bosnia or Kosovo.

This would be seen as a war centered on American self-interest-- the very narrow interest of protecting our families and loved ones from future terror attacks.

Given the choice of fighting the war in America or Iraq, Americans would chose Iraq any day of the week.

I repeat this conclusion a year later-- which set a few eyes rolling at the time-- because Americans confirmed my prediction in the 2004 election by picking George Bush and a group of new Republican Senators.

While that shocked most journalists in the mainstream press (read Tom Wolfe's column in Rolling Stone this week), it surely shook up Zarqawi and the other terrorists fighting in Iraq even more.

Forget that BS you've been reading from some left-wingers saying these thugs wanted Bush to win to aid recruitment. It is absolute nonsense.

Zarqawi has been posting messages to his followers for months predicting doom for his deathsquads in Iraq if the Shiite majority backed Iraq's new government and January's free elections. Bush's re-election sends the clear message to terrorists that Americans have decided this is a war that must be fought and won.

Regardless of what the New York Times wants you to believe, this war is not Vietnam. JFK stumbled into Southeast Asia and LBJ got elected in 1964 before any serious escalation took place. By the time Johnson was up for reelection four years later, the war had destroyed his presidency.

About 30 years later, Americans rehired a president who let them know he is going to use all powers available to hunt down and kill every last terrorist on the face of the earth. So just as that cowboy Reagan getting elected in 1980 and 1984 cast a pall over the Kremlin, Bush's victory made bin Laden's cave-for-the-night seem a bit more damp and cold than usual.

OBL always believed America was a paper tiger that would cut and run at the first sign of trouble. He used Bill Clinton's speedy retreat from Somalia as exhibit #1. But over the past three years, America's president, its brave troops, and its stubborn voters have ignored the same liberal elites Reagan brushed off twenty years ago to prove bin Laden wrong time and again.

That determination gives America-- and more importantly Iraq-- its best chance at establishing the first liberal democracy in Middle East history. As Tom Friedman wrote in his column yesterday, we are throwing seeds on rocky soil. But those seeds will grow because we have no other choice but to keep tilling and planting until freedom trumps terror from Palestine to Pakistan.

Ahh. But what about the Palestinians? We are continually reminded by our European allies that Israel will continue feeding bin Laden's terror network while breeding resentment across the Middle East.

I have long said that it was worthless to negotiate with Arafat or any elected Palestinian leader. Why? Because after Arafat walked away from the Oslo peace talks in 2000, he became a lame duck tyrant. Clinton, Barak, and the world finally figured out that Arafat couldn't take the best deal the Palestinian people would ever get because he knew Hamas leaders would order his killing the next day.

But with the Godfather of modern terror six feet under, Hamas leaders are suggesting they may consider laying down their guns and become part of the Palestinian political process. (See yesterday's post on MSNBC.com.)

At the same time, Israelis repulsed by the sight of their solders gunning down a young girl and then firing a flurry of bullets into her dead body may be more willing to follow Sharon's move to transfer Gaza and other territory to the Palestinian authority.

Only Nixon could have gone to China, and perhaps only Sharon can go to his own people and explain why it is time to make peace with their most hated enemy.

If Sharon can make that sell, then the future of the Middle East will rest in the hands of a group of terrorists who have spent the past few years blowing up little children at bus stops and slaughtering students and grandmothers on buses.

Will Hamas choose peace and change history or continue deluding itself by believing Israel will wilt under continued terror attacks?

Let's pray they choose peace, because just like George Bush and America, Mr. Sharon and his people will get peace with security or they will keep hunting down and killing terrorists until the last one is dead.

And God knows we will all be dead before that day comes.

this is pretty incredible
Mood:  lucky
Topic: News
Look at this satellite photo of Hurricane Frances... it is incredible! I don't think that I've ever seen such a textbook - perfect example of a hurricane... the eye is so clearly defined and it's just so huge! Sorry, I get excited by the weather.

Speaking of excitement, I'm trying to figure out whether I should take a walk after work today. I have to write my essay, but I've also missed exercising the last few days. Maybe I'll just take a short walk -- do 20 minutes instead of my usual 35-40. Hmmm. I'll figure it out, I guess!

Michael Moore
Mood:  quizzical
Now Playing: Sports Junkies
Topic: News
Is going to be on the Sports Junkies, 99.1 WHFS (Washington, DC station) at 9:10 this morning. I'm really curious to see what he has to say.

From the Odd news
Mood:  accident prone
Now Playing: Toad the Wet Sprocket
Topic: News
Here are some of my favorites for the day...

Paper Gets Unfortunate Exclusive
Tue Jul 6, 2004 01:13 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Post trumpeted Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry's choice of running mate as a front-page exclusive on Tuesday. Trouble is, it named the wrong man.
Before Tuesday's long-awaited announcement, the tabloid reported in an unbylined story that Kerry's pick was Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri. But around 9 a.m. (1300 GMT), hours after the late edition hit the streets, Kerry named Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

"KERRY'S CHOICE Dem picks Gephardt as VP candidate," blared the banner headline in the Post, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and is openly supportive of Republican President Bush.

The Post's fierce cross-town rival, the tabloid Daily News, could not resist poking fun.

Media sources said the News sent a case of champagne to Post editors and a note, "Congratulations on your front page. Have a nice day," with a smiley face. The barb refers to a Post advertisement near the Daily News building showing improved circulation figures, with the words "have a nice day" and smiley face.

The error recalls the infamous 1948 front-page headline in The Chicago Tribune that blared "Dewey Defeats Truman" -- when in fact Democrat Harry Truman won re-election to the White House against Republican Thomas Dewey in an upset.

Prof. David Rubin, a media expert at Syracuse University in upstate New York, said: "The mistake makes the New York Post look foolish and all it shows is that one should not trust the New York Post, a conservative Republican paper, on inside matters of the Democratic Party."

A spokesman for the Post declined immediate comment.

Famed Cannibal Inspires Feature Film
Tue Jul 6, 2004 11:16 AM ET

BERLIN (Reuters) - Armin Meiwes, the German cannibal who gained global notoriety for eating a willing victim, is being immortalized in a movie by a gay filmmaker, and hardly surprisingly, the project is already running into controversy.

The film, whose working title is "Your Heart in My Brain," has received 20,000 euros ($24,580) in public funding from a regional film foundation in North Rhine-Westphalia, the western state ruled by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats.

Meiwes was sentenced in January to eight and a half years in jail for manslaughter after a trial whose gory details riveted Germany.

He admitted killing a Berlin computer specialist he met via the Internet, but was spared a murder verdict as the victim had asked to be eaten in a startling case of sexual fetishism.

Meiwes recorded the deed on video tape and shocked the court with his matter-of-fact account of how he severed the man's penis at the latter's request, and how they both tried to eat it, first raw and then fried in a saucepan.

Billed as a mix of "grotesqueness, thriller and documentary," the film by critically acclaimed filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim, a man, is stirring up political arguments even before its completion, set for December.

"Even the title of the project could scarcely be more tasteless," said Axel Wintermeyer, legal affairs spokesman for the conservative Christian Democrats in the state of Hesse.

"This is creating a monument to a perverted criminal," said Wintermeyer, adding he was appalled that it was being part-funded by taxpayers' money.

BLACK HUMOUR

Von Praunheim, a 61-year-old gay activist who has made over 50 films including an erotic comedy entitled "Can I Be Your Bratwurst, Please?," said the case intrigued him as he had been studying cannibalism for the last 20 years.

"What interests me is the gay aspect, and that it's also about sadomasochistic experiences," said von Praunheim, who teaches directing at the Film and Television Academy at Babelsberg in Potsdam near Berlin. Continued ...


"I don't know if it will shock people. People tend to react with disgust on the one hand and curiosity on the other. We always say I love you so much I could eat you," said von Praunheim, adding the movie would be laced with black humor.
The film is not strictly biographical and has fictional elements because Latvian-born von Praunheim, whose real name is Holger Mischwitzky, has not acquired the rights to the cannibal's story.

Meiwes' lawyer Harald Ermel could not be reached for comment. After the trial, which attracted worldwide media interest, Ermel said Meiwes had received several inquiries from film companies interested in his story.

In von Praunheim's film, Meiwes is confronted in jail by his victim's head, which encourages him to be proud of what he has done and to carry on killing, according to the film foundation, which also helped fund Wolfgang Becker's much-awarded "Goodbye, Lenin."

"I think it's arguable whether a film like this will glorify him, it all depends how it's done," said Reinhard Boeckh, spokesman for the North Rhine-Westphalia government.



Tuna-Loving Fat Cat to Slim for New Owner
Fri Jul 2, 2004 11:11 AM ET

BERLIN (Reuters) - A Berlin animal shelter is trying to wean a 31-pound cat off its daily diet of oily tuna fish, hoping the obese animal's health will improve enough to find it a new home.
Peter, the second grossly overweight cat the shelter has received in recent months, has trouble moving and cleaning himself because of his swollen body, spokeswoman Claudia Pfister said.

"Peter doesn't like the taste of the diet food and will only eat tuna fish," she said, adding the cat was at least 20 pounds overweight.

She said his elderly owner, who died recently, spoiled him with large daily helpings of tuna. "We're giving him his tuna fish now, but only diet-sized portions and without the oil."

In April, another overweight cat, named Mikesch, was brought to the shelter. He went on a diet and shed lost about 30 pounds before he was handed over to a new owner.

"For some strange reason people love fat cats," Pfister said. "They think it's cute and spoil their cats with the best food they can afford."

And I thought that James was big!

From the Guinness book of world records:
OLDEST WOMAN CELEBRATES YET ANOTHER BIRTHDAY!
When it comes to happy returns, this woman's had a lot more than most... indeed, as the world's oldest person, she's had more birthdays than anyone alive today! Hendrikje Van Andel-Schipper - aka Aunt Hennie - was born this week back in 1890, one month before the death of Vincent van Gogh! On June 29, she turned the ripe old age of 114, making her the first Dutch person to hold the record in 40 years. Although partially deaf and blind, Aunt Hennie is in good spirits, so wish her continuing good health for the coming year!

Oldest Living Cat
The oldest living cat in the world is 'Kataleena Lady', a Burmese born on March 11, 1977. Owned by Mrs V. Hayward of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the mature moggy was 25 years old in April 2002.

Wonder if she's still alive? That cat's older than me!

Longest Cat
If Frieda Ireland's pet cat Leo were a human being he would weigh about 100 kg (220 lb) and stretch over 2.5 m (8 feet) tall. As it is, the mammoth moggie is as long as an 8-year-old child and has paws so big they can fit into a size 2 child's shoe!

Verismo's Leonetti Reserve Red - otherwise known as Leo - is a Maine Coon cat owned by Frieda Ireland and Carroll Damron of Chicago. Normally a large breed, Maine Coons often weigh as much as 10 kg (22 lb), but Leo weighs in at a mog-nificent 15.8 kg (35 lb) and measures a record-breaking 121.9 cm (48 in) from nose to tail.

"We have to keep our eye on him when we're cooking," says owner Frieda, "because he can stand up and put his paws on the kitchen counter." But Leo's not trying to steal food. "He enjoys sweeping things off the counter, not eating them! He's not a fan of home-cooked food - he prefers dry cat food, green vegetables, basil, parsley and, of all things, blue cheese!"

"He's not overweight," stresses Leo's veterinarian Scott Rovner, DVM. And Kim Lacey, who adjudicates all Guinness World Records animal claims, is quick to point out that it's Leo's length - and not weight - that makes him a record breaker. "We don't want to be encouraging people to fatten up their pets just to become record breakers," she said.


Pretty incredible!

oddly enough news for the day
Mood:  silly
Now Playing: maroon 5
Topic: News
BERLIN (Reuters) - A 13-year-old German boy took a joyride in his father's 40-tontruck, driving it for 50 miles before police stopped him on the motorway.
The boy knocked over a road sign and a traffic light in the city of Kassel, causing 10,000 euros ($12,000) damage. Police said apart from that he drove well -- possibly using the experience gained when he took a fire engine for a spin last month.

"He didn't say where he learned to drive, but perhaps he just picked it up," a spokesman said Monday.


This is the best one, though........

HOLLYWOOD (Reuters) - They really said it -- notable quotes from the news:
"Years ago, I would have used this for something totally different. Cocaine is a hell of a drug."

-- "Super Freak" singer RICK JAMES considering the smooth glass surface of the lifetime achievement award he was given at the Rhythm & Soul Awards.

Too bad he forgot to say...
"I'm Rick James, bitch!!" (have you not seen the Dave Chapelle show??


Only in friggin' Canada...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Canadians went to the polls in a federal election on Monday with a firm warning from election officials: Please do not eat your ballots.
"Eating a ballot, not returning it or otherwise destroying or defacing it constitutes a serious breach of the Canada Elections Act," Elections Canada warns on its Internet site.

The issue was of sufficient concern to warrant inclusion in the site's "Frequency asked Questions" section, above answers to such inquiries as "Why should I vote?" and "Am I registered?"

Three Alberta men were charged with eating their paper ballots during Canada's last federal election, in 2000. The members of the Edible Ballot Society were protesting against what they said was a lack of real choice among candidates.

BERLIN (Reuters) - A traveling circus in Germany has been ordered to come back and clean up a pile of elephant dung after residents complained about the smell, police said Friday.
"We got a call and checked out the site and realized that the turds were far too big to come from horses. It had to be elephants," said police spokesman Wolfgang Heimann.

The circus left the site on the outskirts of the western city of Wuppertal four weeks ago and the dung had been ripening in the sun. "The stench was terrible," Heimann said.

"We've found the circus and they're sending someone to take it away. They've got quite a job on their hands."


Isn't it ironic?
DALLAS (Reuters) - Firefighters in a Dallas suburb returned to their station to find a fire started by potatoes they left cooking on a stove, officials said on Friday.
The fire caused about $125,000 in damages to the station in Lancaster, a southern suburb of Dallas, said Fire Marshal Ladis Barr.

The blaze was extinguished late Thursday night with the help of firefighters from other stations. It damaged the kitchen and living area.

Fire officials also wanted to remind the public to make sure not to leave food cooking before stepping out.

I am so money!!
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: 3 doors down
Topic: News
I won the Dashboard Confessional tickets!! Yay, me!! I got the tickets, meet & greet with the band, and one of 50 keys that could start a new Civic!!! Woo-hoo!!

Now the only problem is if (my cousin) Emily wants to go... I've already asked Kurtis to go, so I don't want to go back on that.

I posted a picture of the car... pretty money!
Here are all the details on the contest.


That would be so freaking money if I won the car... hey, a 1 in 50 shot isn't too bad!

allergy testing
Mood:  surprised
Now Playing: Tori Amos -- Tear in your hand
Topic: News
Well, I found out that I definitely have allergies! :-P~

The testing wasn't too bad... it was a little uncomfortable and after the first round of needles I felt a little light-headed, but I was fine for the rest of the sticks. The first thing they did was called a scratch test... the nurse first numbered my arm and then used this needle thing and put about 16 scratches/punctures on my forearm... next to each number. Then she took an allergen solution and put a drop on top of each mark. After 15 minutes, she checked to see how many things I had a reaction to - I'll tell you my arm was itching like crazy! There was a Trees Group A, B, Plantain, Ragweed, Feathers, Dog, Mold Mix A, B & C, Cockroach, Cat hair, Grass mix, Bermuda grass, D.pteronyssinus (no clue), D.farinae (no clue about that one either), then a control of saline and histamine.

From those groups, they expanded their testing... they took needles filled with the different solutions, numbered my left upper arm (I think they did 16 or 17), then injected a drop of fluid right under my skin so that it bubbled up... it was kinda gross. Then they did the same thing with my right arm, then my left again, and then my right arm again. The whole process took about two hours with the testing, consultation with the doctor and physician's assistant took about 30 or 45 minutes.

Here's the big surprise: my tests show that I'm allergic to cats and dogs!?! How crazy is that?? I really don't think that they bother me, and the doctor said that unless I noticed that I was having problems in the winter, then the cats probably don't affect me TOO much. Anyway, here is all the stuff I tested positive for: birch, oak, elm, sycamore, plantain, ragweed, dog, alternaria (mold), hormodendrum (mold), cat hair, grass mix #5 (whatever that is), and Bermuda grass.

They told me that treating allergies should be a 3 step process; avoidance, medication, and shots. The medication shouldn't be a problem... they gave me flonase and some medicated eyedrops that should at least help with the outdoor allergies. Supposedly the only way you can get rid of the allergies altogether is to do shots, and those are a pretty big commitment. They mix 5 of your allergens together and then give you a shot with them... the idea is to decrease your sensitivity to them. The only problem is that it's very time consuming - you have to go 2 or 3 times a week for the first month or two, then once a week for a year, etc... something crazy like that. And not only do you have to have the shots; you have to wait 20-30 minutes after getting it so they can treat you if you have a reaction. I'm going to think about it, but I really don't think I can afford the extra expense, especially when I'm still adjusting to having a car payment and higher car insurance. My health insurance DOES cover the shots, but they are still $15 a pop, and that would come out to at least $120 a month (at twice a week). Ugh. I think I'll stick with the flonase, as long as it works. I've lived this long with the allergies, and the prescriptions should help. My next goal is to save up enough money for classes this fall. I haven't heard anything yet from the financial aid people, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to get it.

Got stuck at Food Lion last night for an hour during the torrential downpour. Mountain Road was all flooded; it was crazy. I made friends with the other 3 or 4 people stuck with me. Looking back, I probably shouldn't have waited so long... I shouldn't have been a wuss and waited. Consequently, we ate dinner close to 8:30 instead of eating at 7 or 7:30. :-/ C'est la vie. Hopefully it won't rain tonight. Food Lion has NY Strip steaks on sale -- $5.99 a pound!!! That's about half price right now... you can't even get it that cheap at BJ's or Costco. I'm going to try to convince Kurtis that we need the whole loin; it's only $4.99 a pound and that way we can cut them as thick as we want... yumm. Boy do I love meat! Must be all the sardines and popcorn I ate as a kid, hehe. I've turned into a bit of a food snob, I'm embarrassed to say. I'd probably never make it on Survivor. We've been watching the Food Network a lot... a few days ago I saw Emeril make this truffled crabmeat brie cheese in puff pastry... it looked fantastic. So I bought some brie and I'm going to look up the recipe to make this weekend... Arundel Seafood has crabmeat on sale.

Finally mailed the birthday cards to Stef and Tiff... I ended up just putting two postage stamps on them. Boy I'm lame! I should have just done that to begin with and they'd only be a few days late as opposed to a whole week late.

Well, I must get back to work. I have something to transcribe for Captain Jackass. Ta-ta!

P.S. We have a huge wasp flying around the office... I tried to kill him and I think that I just pissed him off more.

this is too funny
Mood:  quizzical
Now Playing: Sports Junkies
Topic: News
I was checking out the latest on Snopes.com and apparently there is a rumor circulating that Andy Kaufman faked his own death and has returned to the public. Someone sure is very creative!

Check out the Andy Kaufman Returns blog... very funny stuff.

vehicular manslaughter, jealousy, new cars and car insurance
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: Simple kind of life --no doubt
Topic: News

Last night we went to see Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise at Ram's Head with Blaine and his son Nick. Great show. Getting there, however was not so great. Apparently, the public school teachers were holding a rally or were protesting something or other which caused a huge backup on Rowe Boulevard in Annapolis. They weren't really staying on the sidewalk and the crowd control was beyond the police, the protesters kept walking in the right lane which screwed up traffic. There were also traffic control people wearing orange vests who were trying to keep the situation under control. Well, a police car flew by us in the right lane with his siren on and lights flashing.. he cleared the way mostly, all the protesters and traffic people jumped out of the way... I jokingly said, "Hey, why don't we just follow him!" Apparently Kurtis had gotten frustrated with the traffic situation and decided that he was going to follow the car... Blaine and I both yelled at him, I think that Blaine's exact words were something to the effect of "JESUS, KURTIS!!!" And he just about took out one of the traffic people -- he was literally about 1 inch away from hitting the guy. Scared the hell out of me. I'm glad that I was sitting in the back seat! His reply was that the people shouldn't have been in the street. I asked that he never do that again, especially if I was in the car.

On to the jealousy part... FUZZ WON A TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND!!! How dare he!! It was a Lord of the Rings contest, too!!!! Maybe he'll adopt me, I'm the same age as his daughter. Fuzz enters contests religiously and is always winning stuff... he's won trips to Disney World, Florida, Hawaii, etc... it's crazy. I think that I mentioned something about all of his contests in December's entries, but I just checked and I didn't. DOH. I'm so jealous. If I would have won that trip, then I could have hopped over to Australia to visit my aunt.

ON to the cars! Went to Brown's Honda City today at lunch and I've found a few cars that I like... I'm going to test drive them tomorrow after work. Amazingly enough, two of them are red -- the color that I don't like. Go figure. It's a gorgeous red, though... it's more of a maroon, it's a really rich, dark red. I tried to find the name of the color, but no luck. I also got a quote on how much insurance would be with my current insurance company Progressive. Depending on which car I get, it will be between $175 and $185 a month!!! Needless to say, I started shopping around and I've found good rates on esurance.com. Ah-hah! I guess that it would make sense that I could find the car that I like at the original place that I found it. Duh.

Guess that's it for today... I'll leave you with a picture of my future car -- provided that I like the way it drives. ;)

happy hair day!
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: pink floyd
Topic: News
got my hair done!!