403 Random Pindits

2003-01-15T10:36:00.000-05:00

Really?

The British Times reports that the United States has gone "flippin prostitute" mad. Well, you heard it folks. Let's pack it up and go home. We all know that early 20th century Europe was much better off without U.S. involvement.

2003-01-12T16:19:00.000-05:00

Get in line

Now Arabs are calling for Saddam to step down immediately. Hey, has anyone heard the European powers complain about pending US military action in Iraq? Are you kidding?

2002-12-29T21:53:00.000-05:00

How long?

I know I haven't updated this weblog in a little while, but I've been busy. Like really, really busy. Does anyone care for an explanation? I didn't think so. On a brighter note, my law applications are almost complete. Oh joy! Now I'll get to update my weblog more often. =)

2002-11-06T10:54:00.000-05:00

Passing Pindits

To put it lightly, there are a lot of Republicans out there who got laid last night...or as a girl I know once said, " ...was getting laid in the best way." Anyway, the Republicans took control of Congress in a way many pollsters, Democrats and media junkies never expected. They gained seats in the House, got a healthy majority in the Senate and won a nice share of governorships (but there's always California, the 51st state). Here are some spectator thoughts:

- The victory party must have been great, but now that you have got the power, youze gots to use it. Let's get an economic policy started up (wink, wink Dubya, tax break, wink) and on the judicial side, confirm all those Bush nominees. Let's get moving guys.

- He was a hard ass when I interviewed him and I'm fairly certain that he's an even tougher employer (read: hiiiigh standards), but that doesn't make the Left's least favorite "friend" any less correct or effective when it comes to devising an aggressive strategy to fight off the Democratic wolves. David Horowitz is well-aware of the tactics employed by his former comrades, and so when the Republicans setup their battlefield strategery for 2004, they better have Horowitz at the helm of things. Just because the Dems got whitewashed last night (NAACP: boo! hiss!), does not mean it will necessarily happen again; their lack of scruples have nothing to do with political smarts. They will learn from their mistakes and apply themselves in two years. The GOP must be ready to fight hard.

A hearty congratulations to Governor Jeb Bush, and newly elected Senators Dole, Talent and Coleman, as well as the smaller fighters out there who did their jobs! Good luck!

2002-11-06T02:42:00.000-05:00

Good News?

The GOP now controls the legislative and executive branches. Do mules kick and cry? More on this tomorrow morning.

2002-10-17T12:24:00.000-04:00

A Democratic Election

Saddam was voted into office by a count of 11,445,638 to 0. Wow. I don't believe I need to comment on this, since inquisitive folks have asked some of the more pressing questions, like "How in the hell did the government tabulate every single paper ballot overnight?" If there is an actual soul out there who believes that this referendum wasn't a complete sham, leave a comment and a basic explanation below this post. There must be an extreme left-wing motherless **** who feels absolutely compelled to provide an explanation. Good grief.

2002-10-17T01:59:00.000-04:00

A Passing Movie Pindit

Snatch was released stateside in early 2001 by one of Sony's mid-level film arms, Screen Gems. I never got an oppurtunity to see it in theaters. Now that I own the DVD, I wish I had made time to see it over a year ago; it is one of the most enjoyable films I've watched in the last two years. An amusing look into the dark, criminal London underground, director Guy Ritchie's followup to his debut Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch is more evolutionary than revolutionary. The theme is very similar to his first film: well-told tales of the comedic trials and tribulations of ruthless and/or incompetent thieves. In Snatch, a good portion of the first film's cast have stayed on. New faces include Dennis Farina, in a solid performance as a Jewish businessman in search of a 84-karat diamond, and a surprising turn by Brad Pitt as a Gypsy bare-knuckle boxer who's heavy accent will have you going, "come again?"

Members of the original cast include Jason Statham as an unlicensed boxing promoter and Vinnie Jones, who plays the hitman "Bullet-tooth Tony" to pure comedic perfection. In a script full of great scenes and great lines, Jones got some of the best ones; his scenes with Dennis Farina are unmistakably crude and undeniably funny. In one scene they engage in an amusing dialogue on how to get rid of the body in Tony's trunk:

F: How should we kill him?
T: We could shoot him.
F: Wouldn't that be too noisy?
T: We could always stab him.
F: Wouldn't that be cold-blooded?
T: Do you want to kill him or not?
Guy in back seat: Here, I got a knife...(pulls out a large kitchen knife)
T: There, that's the spirit. (He promptly turns around and then back)
T: That knife? What do you want to do, pick his teeth? Look on the floor, there should be a proper blade.
GIB: (Pulls out a samarai sword)

The scene between Tony and three armed theives is even better. So, um, the dialogue is sharp, well-written, and more importantly, well-acted. The music works beautifully with each scene. In fact, I wouldn't want to imagine any of the scenes without the particular mix that was chosen.

Everyone on this cast nailed their respective roles, something that Ritchie's script and directing absolutely demanded. He's improved since Lock, Stock; the pace of the film is much quicker and the editing more refined. He doesn't abandon the abrupt scene-swapping and zooming technique, refining it as so to seamlessly integrate the various parts of what could've been an overly complex story. As a director, he's no Steven Soderbergh, who's range as a director is much deeper (Traffic --> Ocean's Eleven). Nonetheless, Ritchie does show promise. But hell, who wants him to deviate from his tried-and-true formula? This is a niche that he's incredibly good at filling. If his latest film (Swept Away...should've been called Stay Away..or Awake..or "I Should Let My Wife Stick to Music Videos") is any indication, Ritchie should keep to his strengths; there is no mistaking his style. Releasing a mild deviation to Snatch once every 18-24 months would work out just fine.

So rent it. Then buy it. Good times.

2002-10-14T20:49:00.000-04:00

The comment script is up and running!

2002-10-14T20:16:00.000-04:00

Now isn't this Interesting...

69% of Americans do not want Hillary to run for President. The senator received the strongest support among New Yorkers, Northeasterns and those strange folks who call California their home. I still can't believe she got over 60% of the Jewish vote in 2000. Four more years of the Clintonness Who am I kidding. Even if she leaves the public life (I'm a dreamer), her daughter will show up to spoil the party.

I'm feeling awfully cynical at the moment.

2002-10-13T20:01:00.000-04:00

Another UNC Football Weekend

MB: "They were doing so well in the first half! 17-7!"
RW: "But they're UNC. I mean c'mon Mike, were you really expecting anything less?"
MB: But, damn, if Michigan can tie their game up against Penn State and their antique coach...and then win it in overtime...Just because they have better players and a better overall team doesn't mean...hey, what are you so happy about?"
RW: ...[stupid shit-eating grin]....

If Ryan reads this, he should know that I will never say another thing about his football team. I don't want to know. However, in 2009, the Wolverines will fall to the Tar Heels of North Carolina. Oh yes, it will be a massacre, and I, an old man by then, will have gotten sweet revenge! Haha!

2002-09-29T11:02:00.000-04:00

I've decided to implement a new design for this electronic memo pad. I'll be adding a comments script soon.

2002-09-14T22:51:00.000-04:00

UNC Football

Ever the faithful, I believe UNC will win tonight. Yes, yes I know that Texas is ahead 31-14 at the moment. Chris Simms can't handle the pressure. Just watch.

2002-08-20T22:04:00.000-04:00

Washington...I Never Left You

I'm told that power moves South:

Five surgeons are discussing who makes the best patients to operate on.

The first surgeon says, "I like to see accountants on my operating table, because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered."

The second responds, "Yeah, but you should try electricians! Everything inside them is color coded."

The third surgeon says, "No, I really think librarians are the best; everything inside them is in alphabetical order."

The fourth surgeon chimes in: "You know, I like construction workers... those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the end, and when the job takes longer than you said it would."

But the fifth surgeon shut them all up when he observed: "You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, and no spine, and the head and butt are interchangeable."

2002-08-19T23:34:00.000-04:00

Classes Tomorrow; Sky is Blue

I like the English. They like to drink beer for the taste of beer. They're football fanatics (Arsenal rocks! Liverpool: Boo!) And they don't like the French, which is always a sign of good character. Policy-wise, they're generally better than most European countries, but that's like saying that militarily, Germany is better than France: not much of a comparison. No doubt my ire was raised when I read that a certain collection of British lawmakers were proposing to fine employers for permiting their workers to use mobile phones. Forget that attempting to implement something that woven with unnecessary government intrusion would lead to an awful mess; forget that the theory of mobile phones causing accidents is still a 'foggy bottom'; the real problem is that this is a blatant attack on business. Not big business, not small business, but all business. This will undoubtedly lead to a variety of other problems that those same lawmakers would "be required to fix". A bloody self-fulfilling prophecy it is, and nothing more.

But the Road Haulage Association said firms could not police how drivers took mobile calls. It accused the government of trying to "load all the responsibility and costs on to employers, with the result that companies are going out of business".

How does the government, the baton-weilding police that is, monitor when and how a worker uses a mobile phone in his car? Oh right, they can't do such a thing without making arbitrary calls.

Government analysis suggests the numbers of drivers using mobiles has increased from 1.5 per cent in November 2000 to 2.2 per cent this year. Tuesday's consultation paper estimates the new offence would result in about 100,000 fixed penalty notices and 5,000 court prosecutions a year.

Government coffers running dry? Well, what better way to get the motor running again than by putting all the weight on "those darn people?"

Drivers' groups claimed a specific ban on irresponsible mobile use was unnecessary, since the police could already prosecute such individuals for careless or dangerous driving.

Take one lawmaker. Add another one. Multiply by lazy constituency. Equals bad law.

Anyway, classes are starting tomorrow. It's gonna be good times. The Carolina Review blog is getting busier. Stop by and add to the discussion board. I hate the French. Them be those apples and a night to all.

2002-08-17T00:23:00.000-04:00

Its about to Start

Newly minted college students are arriving by the SUV-full, which can only mean one thing: a brand new semester at UNC. From May to June, every bar, restaurant and store was next to empty; it was eerily quiet on Franklin Street almost every evening. "So that's what graduate students do!" Twenty-four hours later, we get to do a Uweeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!! As I am now busy with LSATs and assorted interests, the next month and a half will be hectic. I look forward to it. Really.

Today's Pindits are Funny:

"Diplomacy - the art of letting someone have your way.
------------------------------------
Help Wanted: Telepath. You know where to apply.
------------------------------------
Budget: A method for going broke methodically."

Good luck to the incoming freshmen; four years away from the real world can't be too bad, can it??

2002-07-24T00:56:00.000-04:00

A Late Night

It's getting late, so while I wait for my whites to get dried (geez, I'm really asking for an ACLU press release...), I thought I'd post some interesting pindits:

John Derbyshire, NRO resident grump, has written a little ditty called the Good, Bad and the Ugly in which explains in detail the strange relationship between the United States and the PRC. Instead of appointing Clint Eastwood as Secretary of State, who do we get to represent us abroad? Colin Powell. Clint Eastwood could kick Jiang Zemin' s ass. Powell might (and its a big maybe) talk him to death. It'd be cordial though.

The ugly? Well, the crude, bullying, sneering, self-righteous tone of official Chinese spokesmen can always be relied on to make you wonder who the hell they think they are. "I expect insightful U.S. Congress members to ... do their best to avoid a detrimental outcome," sniffed a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, adding that China "unwaveringly pursues peace and independence." You have to be in China herself, watching the Chinese media, to get the full ugliness of modern Chinese communism, though. Just about this time last year I watched a very long TV news program entirely given over to a vast military parade in Tiananmen Square, massed ranks of troops moving in great geometrically-perfect blocks in the center of the nation's capital. The high point came when President Jiang Zemin, who has a major personality cult going (in spite of possessing no detectable personality), drove very slowly through the whole thing, standing absolutely rigid in an open-topped limousine, periodically calling out: "Greetings, Comrades!" To which the massed ranks replied in perfect unison: "Greetings, Comrade Jiang Zemin!" Pure Nuremberg. Let's hope those downward demographics kick in real soon.

Here's something to tickle your funnybone:

The Palestinian Authority will file a complaint with the newly established International Criminal Court over the Israeli air strike on Gaza City which killed 15 people, including civilians and children, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's top adviser said.

"We will ask the ICC for an urgent trial over the crime against humanity carried out last night by the occupation forces," Nabil Abu Rudeina said, in reference to the Israeli missile attack, which killed the leader of the radical group Hamas' armed wing.

It really isn't that funny. Those self-righteous do-gooders across the Atlantic would love nothing more than to put Ariel Sharon on the stand.

2002-07-20T15:59:00.000-04:00

"YOU'LL NEVER AUDIT ME ALIVE!"

The New York Tunes

Chief Executives Spotted Miles From Mexican Border

By ROOTERS

Filed by A. Friend

San Antonio, Texas (Rooters) - Unwilling to wait for their eventual indictments, the 10,000 remaining CEOs of public U.S. companies made a break for it yesterday, heading for the Mexican border, plundering towns and villages along the way, and writing the entire rampage off as a travel and entertainment marketing expense.

"They came into my home, made me pay for my own TV, then double-booked the revenues," said a teary-eyed Rachel Sanchez of Las Cruces, just north of El Paso. "They did this right in front of my daughters."
Calling themselves the CEOnistas, the chief executives were first spotted last night along the Rio Grande River near Quemado, where they bought each of the town's 320 residents by borrowing against the town's pension fund gains. By late this morning, the CEOnistas had arbitrarily inflated Quemado's population to 960, and declared a 200 percent profit for the fiscal second quarter.
This morning, the outlaws bought the city of Waco, transferred its under performing areas to a private partnership, and sent a bill to California for $4.5 billion.
Law enforcement officials and disgruntled shareholders riding posse were noticeably frustrated. "First of all, they're very hard to find because they always stand behind their numbers, and the numbers keep shifting," said posse spokesman Dean Levitt. "And every time we yell 'Stop in the name of the shareholders!' they refer us to investor relations. I've been on the phone all damn morning."

"YOU'LL NEVER AUDIT ME ALIVE!" Yelled Bernie J. Ebbers, former CEO of WorldCom, as he raced for the border riding on the back of his trusted ex-CFO Scott D. Sullivan.

The pursuers said they have had some success, however, by preying on a common executive weakness. "Last night we caught about 24 of them by disguising one of our female officers as a CNBC anchor," said U.S. Border Patrol spokesperson Janet Lewis. "It was like moths to a flame."
Also, teams of agents have been using high-powered listening devices to scan the plains for telltale sounds of the CEOnistas. "Most of the time we just hear leaves rustling or cattle flicking their tails," said Lewis, "but occasionally we'll pick up someone saying, 'I was totally out of the loop on that.'"

Among former and current CEOs apprehended with this method were Computer Associates' Sanjay Kumar, Adelphia's John Rigas, Enron's Ken Lay, Joseph Nacchio of Qwest, Joseph Berardino of Arthur Andersen, and every Global Crossing CEO since 1997. ImClone Systems' Sam Waksal and Dennis Kozlowski of Tyco were not allowed to join the CEOnistas as they have already been indicted.
So far, about 50 chief executives have been captured, including Martha Stewart, who was detained south of El Paso where she had cut through a barbed-wire fence at the Zaragosa border crossing off Highway 375.
"She would have gotten away, but she was stopping motorists to ask for marzipan and food coloring so she could make edible snowman place settings, using the cut pieces of wire for the arms," said Border Patrol officer Jennette Cushing. "We put her in cell No. 7, because the morning sun really adds texture to the stucco walls."
While some stragglers are believed to have successfully crossed into Mexico, Cushing said the bulk of the CEOnistas have holed themselves up at the Alamo.

"No, not the fort, the car rental place at the airport," she said.
"They're rotating all the tires on the minivans and accounting for each change as a sale in the current quarter."

That's it...I'm not touching my email box with a ten foot pole!

2002-07-18T00:21:00.000-04:00

Among the Frogs

Robert Kagan is a highly respected fellow. The Policy Review recently published a thoughtful and unsophisticated essay by Mr. Kagan entitled "Power and Weakness". Who needs sophistication to bust open a fat European lip?

The United States, they argue, resorts to force more quickly and, compared with Europe, is less patient with diplomacy. Americans generally see the world divided between good and evil, between friends and enemies, while Europeans see a more complex picture. When confronting real or potential adversaries, Americans generally favor policies of coercion rather than persuasion, emphasizing punitive sanctions over inducements to better behavior, the stick over the carrot. Americans tend to seek finality in international affairs: They want problems solved, threats eliminated. And, of course, Americans increasingly tend toward unilateralism in international affairs. They are less inclined to act through international institutions such as the United Nations, less inclined to work cooperatively with other nations to pursue common goals, more skeptical about international law, and more willing to operate outside its strictures when they deem it necessary, or even merely useful.

Europeans insist they approach problems with greater nuance and sophistication. They try to influence others through subtlety and indirection. They are more tolerant of failure, more patient when solutions don’t come quickly. They generally favor peaceful responses to problems, preferring negotiation, diplomacy, and persuasion to coercion. They are quicker to appeal to international law, international conventions, and international opinion to adjudicate disputes. They try to use commercial and economic ties to bind nations together. They often emphasize process over result, believing that ultimately process can become substance.

He does go on to say that the last paragraph could be taken as a gross simplification of the differences between the West and the Western West. But then, generalizations were never meant to be taken that far. Its an exhausting but terrific piece.

2002-07-14T03:16:00.000-04:00

Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey - July 13th 1798

A friend of mine traveled to Wales, intending to see Tintern Abbey. He accomplished his goal, but not before getting chased by a group of mad cows...

a small excerpt:

FIVE years have past; five summers, with the length
Of five long winters! and again I hear
These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs
With a soft inland murmur. -- Once again
Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,
That on a wild secluded scene impress
Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect
The landscape with the quiet of the sky.
The day is come when I again repose
Here, under this dark sycamore, and view
These plots of cottage-ground, these orchard-tufts,
Which at this season, with their unripe fruits,
Are clad in one green hue, and lose themselves
'Mid groves and copses. Once again I see
These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines
Of sportive wood run wild: these pastoral farms,
Green to the very door; and wreaths of smoke
Sent up, in silence, from among the trees!
With some uncertain notice, as might seem
Of vagrant dwellers in the houseless woods,
Or of some Hermit's cave, where by his fire
The Hermit sits alone.

These beauteous forms,
Through a long absence, have not been to me
As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:
But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din
Of towns and cities, I have owed to them
In hours of weariness, sensations sweet,
Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart;
And passing even into my purer mind,
With tranquil restoration: -- feelings too
Of unremembered pleasure: such, perhaps,
As have no slight or trivial influence
On that best portion of a good man's life,
His little, nameless, unremembered, acts
Of kindness and of love. Nor less, I trust,
To them I may have owed another gift,
Of aspect more sublime; that blessed mood,
In which the burthen of the mystery,
In which the heavy and the weary weight
Of all this unintelligible world,
Is lightened: -- that serene and blessed mood,
In which the affections gently lead us on, --
Until, the breath of this corporeal frame
And even the motion of our human blood
Almost suspended, we are laid asleep
In body, and become a living soul:
While with an eye made quiet by the power
Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,
We see into the life of things.

I think that he got lost on purpose.

2002-07-11T01:58:00.000-04:00

Just Passing By

Jonah Goldberg is a cardiacally endowed ogre. Since when do ogres have problems with cliches? He is correct in implying that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Take for instance a peculiar moment in my current history class. The professor was giving us a short lecture on the Bolshevik Revolution. Then he preached:

Professor: [Mwah mwa mwah mwah...mwah mwahhhh: mwah.] -- Criticizing Bush.

Student: "You're right. He's like Lenin."

Credit should be given to the professor for identifying the moment that he preached his political views.

Cultural Diversity courses... Just do it, just do it.... ;)

2002-07-09T00:18:00.000-04:00

Fly Ball

Terry Moffit seems a bit sh..sighted. Ehem. I will not pass judgement on the book, since I haven't even read it yet.

But I will leave you all with an interesting question: why hasn't the Left said a word about this outrage? Hell, why would I stop my enemies from shooting themselves in the foot?

2002-07-07T21:57:00.000-04:00

A slight change...and we fare forward.

2002-06-26T16:04:00.000-04:00

Good to be Home

To quote the General: "I have returned."...and I add, "From London!" What, no parade down 5th Avenue?? It hurts...it just....

With this blogspot starting up again, I've come across a ridiculous pindit, out of San Francisco no less. Surprise.

Absurd Pindit: A federal appeals court ruled today that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional.

"A profession that we are a nation 'under God' is identical, for Establishment Clause purposes, to a profession that we are a nation 'under Jesus,' a nation 'under Vishnu,' a nation 'under Zeus,' or a nation 'under no god,' because none of these professions can be neutral with respect to religion," Judge Alfred T. Goodwin wrote for the three-judge panel.

Simply intoxicating. Good to see activist judges working in the hot weather. Barkeep, slide me two...the colder the better!
Hey Vishnu, what's a constitution?

2002-05-23T03:51:00.000-04:00

Out in London folks...The last week here has been fun. My main priority remains the same: the study of English literature and Western transformations, so the updates will be varied and few. As anyone can tell from looking at the website, its in the middle of reconstruction, and will not get my full attention until I get back to the States, where I have 24hr internet access. ;)

So...how about Cuba and dat' Bush?

2002-05-02T23:45:00.000-04:00

No updates planned for a while folks...finals and all. Website remains possessed. And it its gonna get eerie.

2002-04-25T02:49:00.000-04:00

This website is possessed. For the next day. Spooky.

2002-04-25T01:22:00.000-04:00

This site has gone Morrison. Now where are those helicopters?

2002-04-24T00:47:00.000-04:00

On a different note, yesterday I picked up Margaret Thatcher's latest fireside read, "Statecraft". In light of her recent announcement that she will not give anymore public addresses (declining health being the issue at hand), anything written by the elegant Lady Thatcher should be required reading for those truly interested in foreign policy-making. In her day, she got her point across by taking firm stands on issues that mattered the most, and when that didn't work, heads would roll.

Its been far too long since the "Downing Street Years" Lady Thatcher, but thank you!

2002-04-24T00:24:00.000-04:00

Day Job

So the UN plans on sending a team to investigate the "supposed" atrocities that occurred in Jenin. Ho hum. Kofi Annan has refused to modify the existing team that will be traveling to the Middle East. Ho hum. Kofi sure has plenty of time on his hands to cause mischief. But hey, this is old news. Over the next couple of days, expect commentary on various DTH opinions pieces.

Its time to prep for finals!

2002-04-22T19:25:00.000-04:00

Plain Fear

Colin Powell has declined the services of Carter & Clinton.

"I don't have a role for either of them at the moment, but I'm pleased that they continue to keep their interest in the region," Powell said as he made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows.

Colin was being polite, which is quite normal for him. However, in a NYTimes editorial (where else?), Clinton suggested that the Bush Administration pressure Israel to go the table by threatening to cut military aid. Coming from the man who presented Dubbya with a mess of a foreign policy to contend with, this is some really awful stuff. A better response should go something like this:

"Yes, yes, its true, the team of Carter and Clinton has offered their services. We don't appreciate it, since those two slugs' foreign policy records are dismal. The lights go out every time I think about it. We've seen their approach to Middle-East policy, and both, in their respective terms, were failures. Not 'okay', not 'complex', just bloody failures. Gentlemen, what is it that you fear? Ah yes, of course. Enough time will pass to permit objective historians a better glimpse of your presidencies. Please, go back to your peanut offices and Harlem farms. Please?

2002-04-22T10:19:00.000-04:00

The latest issue of Carolina Review is available for your reading pleasure. Click on the magazine. Stay for the discussion forum!

2002-04-20T13:28:00.000-04:00

Its Not Sunny

The weekend officially starts off on a humid and cloudy note. Onward!

Saturday Pindits: Recently, Vladamir Putin stated in a annual address to the Russian nation, that the future looks bleak.

"No one is going to war with us. No one wants this, and no one needs this," Putin said. "But no one is really waiting for us either. No one will go out of their way to help us. We have to fight on our own to find our economic 'place in the sun.' "

This sort of brusqueness is almost refreshing, save for the fact that Putin is entirely serious. Considering the flat-tax was just introduced into the Russian economy, this is an interesting read.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Canadian officials are inquiring into the matter regarding a terrible military mixup where 4 Canadians soldiers were killed by American friendly fire.

"At times like these, we grasp for words of comfort and consolation, but they are just words," said a sombre Mr. Chrétien. "They can never do justice to the pain and loss that is being felt this morning in Edmonton by mothers and fathers, by wives and children who have received the worst news we can imagine.

Joe Clark, the Conservative Leader, suggested the government's defence policies may have been responsible for the tragedy.

"Did the arrangement whereby American commanders direct Canadian troops have any impact on these casualties? Was there any incompatibility between the communications systems of our troops on the ground and the aircraft involved in the incident?" Mr. Clark asked as many MPs squirmed in their seats and some threw their earpieces on their desks.

Svend Robinson, the NDP Foreign Affairs critic, also criticized the government. "If ever there were any evidence needed that Canadian troops should not be in Afghanistan under United States command we have seen the tragic evidence of that," Mr. Robinson told a news conference.

"If Canadian troops cannot be certain that they're not going to be fired on by Americans we have no business being there."

Canadian politics. In Development.

2002-04-17T11:20:00.000-04:00

Elementary School

Ok, class: what's the 2nd most useful tool when fighting a war? Anyone? Little Colin, put your hand down! What is it Ariel?

Ariel: We, err, a country don't need no stinkin' propaganda! I mean, propaganda. The country should do what is necessary for its survival and let its actions speak for itself, and

--Enough Ariel. That's just your opinion. Little Colin, what did I tell you?? Speak when spoken to! Yes Yasser, honey?

Yasser: Propaganda, of course. Why, let me show you. Its quite effective. Excuse me, Mr AP, Ariel is throwing things at me!

Ariel, go to the principal's office!

Ariel: But sir, I was merely raising my hand. I question Yasser's...

Enough out of you Ariel! Sit down Little Colin!

The drama continues...

2002-04-16T21:55:00.000-04:00

If its a duck...

The United Nations is my favorite international organization to ridicule. That said, here's another notch to add to their quality belt.

Six European Union countries yesterday endorsed a United Nations document that condones violence as a way to achieve Palestinian statehood.
They were voting as members of the UN Human Rights Commission on a resolution that accuses Israel of a long list of human rights violations, but makes no mention of suicide bombings of Israeli civilians.

EU members Austria, Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain and Sweden approved the resolution, and Italy abstained.
Belgium and Spain have been pushing for tough EU measures against the Jewish state, with Belgium calling for sanctions based on a human rights clause in the EU-Israeli Free Association agreement, which grants Israel preferential trading terms.
But Britain, Germany and the Netherlands say such measures would end the EU's chance of playing a greater diplomatic role in the search for peace.

When the European Union wants to play a grea...no no no! No more. Europe saw two world wars in the 20th century, and both were largely a result of sheer and near unforgivable incompetence on the part of their Neville foreign diplomats. The air is much too thick in the Middle East; it isn't suitable for European diplomats with self-inflated egos, which, ehem, accounts for the majority.

Dude: Maude, I gotta tell ya, this case is pretty complicated; its got a lot of ins, a lot of outs...

2002-04-16T19:25:00.000-04:00

Where's the Cisco??

Hoohaa, the temperature for today: 86 degrees
The temperature for tomorrow: 92 degrees

After my two classes tomorrow, I'm heading straight to the pool. Maybe I'll jump in with my clothes on. I'm so lazy sometimes.

Funny Pindit:

A girl who wore mock explosives at pro-Palestinian rally in Berlin has prompted German authorities to investigate the chap who carried the girl on his shoulders.

Police are seeking the man who carried the girl on his shoulder at Saturday's protest, presumably her father, Berlin judicial spokeswoman Ariane Faust said Tuesday. Prosecutors have opened an investigation that could lead to criminal charges against the man for condoning acts of violence, she said.

Photos published in German newspapers showed the girl, apparently about five years old, with three sticks meant to resemble dynamite strapped around her waist .

No punch line here kiddies. Just read the headline. Then, do what most European officals do: politely ignore such inconvenient facts.

2002-04-16T00:59:00.000-04:00

Its Like a Second Profession

Interesting Pindit:

This is a terrific example of unbiased reporting. Hey, with sources like these:

Rajib Ahmed, from the Palestinian Energy Authority, came to try to repair the power lines. He was trembling with fury and shock. "This is mass murder. I have come here to help [sic]by I have found nothing but devastation. Just look for yourself." All had the same message: tell the world.

Those who did not flee the camp, or [sic]not detained by the army, have spent the bombardment in basements, enduring day after day of terror. Some were forced into rooms by the soldiers, who smashed their way into houses through the walls. The UN says half of the camp's 15,000 residents were under 18. As the evening hush fell over these killing fields, we could suddenly hear the children chattering. The mosques, once so noisy at prayer time, were silent.

Israel was still trying to conceal these scenes yesterday. It had refused entry to Red Cross ambulances for nearly a week, in violation of the Geneva Convention. Yesterday it continued to try to keep us out.

What was left on the editing room table:

Reports that ambulances are carrying armed terrorists. Editors Note: Nah, that's not dastardly. Remember, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter..

Everybody! Give me a [putz] one, give me a [shmuck] two, give me a [willfully blind] three! : Kick the democracy!

2002-04-14T14:36:00.000-04:00

Humid

Sunday Pindits:

Secretary of State Colin Powell met with Yasser Arafat this morning. He called the meeting constructive. Has anyone even considered what Powell will put in his eventual memoirs regarding the Middle-East crisis?

"At best, it was a lose-lose situation. My trip to the Middle-East was regarded as a sign of weakness by the militant Arabs (majority or minority?). Worse,I, representing the United States, Israel's greatest ally, pushed the only democracy in the Middle East into a sand-filled corner. What followed was inevitable..."

2002-04-11T08:51:00.000-04:00

Wishful Thinking

In today's Wall Street Journal, there is a opinion piece on why Palestinians deserve better leaders. Now I don't agree with all that this Yalie had to say, but he makes a good point toward the end:

It is by now the received wisdom that Palestinians deserve better leaders. We are offered an example of the kind of leadership they need by the esteemed British historian Martin Gilbert. In 1948, the U.N. mediator in Palestine, Count Folke Bernadotte, was assassinated by members of the Stern Gang, a Jewish militant group that included a future prime minister of Israel named Yitzhak Shamir. In the half century since then, Arabs have often pointed to the episode to justify their own acts of terror.

But what Arabs seem to forget -- and what Palestinians would do well to remember -- is how David Ben-Gurion, the father of modern Israel, responded to that murder carried out in the name of the Jewish state. According to Mr. Gilbert, when Ben-Gurion learned of the assassination of Count Bernadotte, he thundered: "Arrest all Stern gang leaders. Surround all Stern bases. Confiscate all arms. Kill any who resist." Yes, the Palestinians deserve better leaders. What they deserve is a David Ben-Gurion.

Isn't the irony in this just sickening? I sense some regret...

2002-04-11T08:07:00.000-04:00

Its Nice Outside

Today's forecast calls for a few clouds. Looks like it'll be 70 degrees today. I tell ya, its almost enough to make me forget that I have 4 classes today.

Morning Pindits:

The Bush Administration promises to whatever it takes to protect Taiwan.

"At the meeting attended by U.S. and Taiwanese military and defense officials, including Taiwan's defense minister, Tang Yiau-ming, Mr. Wolfowitz said helping Taiwan better integrate its military forces is as important as selling it arms, according to a copy of the speech.
"Taiwan needs to reform its defense establishment to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Wolfowitz said. Improvements are needed in civilian oversight of the military, the weapons-buying process and greater coordination among its army, navy and air force, he said.

"The comments of the senior U.S. defense official seriously violated the clear-cut promises laid out in the three joint communiques and moreover rudely interfered in China's internal political affairs," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said at a news conference in Beijing.
The spokeswoman said the deputy defense secretary's comments had "ulterior motives" that are opposed by China, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province.
"The Taiwan problem is an internal issue of China's, and no outside country has the right to interfere," she said.

Ooh, I like that. She's a spokeswoman, get it? Equality, no? We tell you, you speak. You won't speak??? We eat your poodle!

2002-04-10T01:57:00.000-04:00

Now You've Done it

After being away from civilization for an extended period of time, some would think that Scott had lost some of his edge. And then this writer wrote a piece for the Orlando Sentinel. Scott saw it. He didn't like it. The *&^% hit the fan.

I'd feel sorry for Mike Thomas, but really, his article was absolutely ridiculous. Dude, don't quit your day job. Wait a minute...

2002-04-09T21:08:00.000-04:00

Cools over time

Interesting Pindits:

Thomas Sowell is such a terrific writer... let's have just one more book, good sir! Today's piece on um...popularity is, as usual, good stuff.

Rich Lowry makes an interesting point with regards to the Spanish Civil War. It could be the most accurate parallel to the current Middle-East conflict to come down the pipe in a while.

And...a Comanche Indian would like to have a word with a certain group of...Hoohoo! This one's a gem!

2002-04-04T00:38:00.000-05:00

In Light Of

The Second Coming

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand;
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

W.B. Yeats , 1926

8 years after a beginning, 13 years before an end....

2002-04-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

Its Just Tomfoolery...

Discrete Pinditing:

If the European Union sticks its nose where it doesn't belong....

Some strange commentary coming out of the Vatican. Bizarre.

And finally...some good news. Who says no one tells it like it is?

``We cannot allow the flame of democracy to be extinguished by a wave of aggression,'' said Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who as majority whip now ranks third among House leaders. ``The terrorists attempting to destroy the state of Israel should know that America will never allow that to happen.''

DeLay commended Bush for ``resisting the constant calls to force Israel back to the negotiating table, where they will be pressured to grant concessions to terrorists.''

``The free world must never negotiate with terrorists,'' he said in the text of a speech to be delivered Wednesday evening at Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., where Winston Churchill gave his ``Iron Curtain'' speech a half-century ago.
``Suicide bombings specifically, and terrorism generally, are not a form of resistance -- they are cold-blooded murder,'' he said. ``This hellish strategy of destruction menaces far more than the state of Israel. It is a threat to the entire civilized world.''
DeLay praised Israel as a ``lone light of democracy'' in the region, ``fending off an orchestrated onslaught of death ... by groups committed to her complete elimination.''
He denounced the Yasser Arafat-led Palestinian Authority as an ``impediment to peace.''

Now, where are those pollsters? No, seriously, I want to hear what the American people think...

2002-04-01T10:42:00.000-05:00

Inadmissable

Just when you thought the situation in the Middle East was getting to be just a little problematic for the Eurotrash, this comes to light. Actually, anti-semitic violence caused by some of the Arab population in France has been a recurring problem that only recently has been avidly mentioned within the European mainstream press. Who can blame their press anyway? If they acknowledge that there is a severe anti-semitic strain within the Arab population, they might, (gasp!) be forced to actually (oh boy, now you've really done it) confront it?

A gunman opened fire on a kosher butcher's shop in southern France — the fourth anti-Semitic attack over the weekend — drawing pledges for increased security at Jewish sites and appeals for religious tolerance.

French President Jacques Chirac added his voice to the growing condemnation of the violence, calling it "unspeakable" and "inadmissible."

Hey Jacques, its good to hear that you condemned the growing wave of anti-semitic violence. In addition, may I add that your use of the words "unspeakable and inadmissable" is undeniably distasteful? Really, I can't think of any European leader who can pull off such quick-witted statements with such flair. Typical European newspeak: its unspeakable and inadmissable.

2002-03-31T21:01:00.000-05:00

Scott is having one of those...um..uh...somethings. Go tell him that you've never ever, ever flirted with libertarianism.

2002-03-31T18:06:00.000-05:00

NRO's Victor Davis Hanson provides some sharp insight into the current Middle East conflict.

2002-03-31T17:58:00.000-05:00

Cold Rain

Amidst the clapping thunder, numerous clouds delightfully overlap the dark sky with such ease. Indeed, my main responsibilities only involve schoolwork, with the occasional bill payment or two. Oh, and I need to shower ever so often. I live a perfectly content existence as a Political Science student at UNC; now, as a student of foreign policy, I watch with mixture of trepidation and silence as the Middle East descends into a state of war. I say "state of war" with some reservations, considering one could argue that it has been in that state for years. Decades.

No I'd best correct myself: all these years it was in a state of violence.

Now, its in a state of war, and, may I unabashedly argue, none too soon. I don't think Israel could really have survived much longer, involved in this perpetual state of violence. It's small, numerous and aggressive retaliations had done nothing to stem the terrorist attacks coming from the Arab camps. But then, Israel's leaders had no other choice. Such aggressiveness was the only option left to them. The rest had been extinguished by reality. Those retaliations were done out of necessity, and still, it wasn't enough. For the conflict in the Middle East is still based on the basic principles of human nature, nothing more, nothing less. Innumerable, various attempts at reconciliation were proven futile because you cannot reach an agreement with a party that never sought such resolution to begin with.

The terrorist attacks on Israel were/are psychological, and so far have proved to be quite damaging. The only thing that these Arabs understand is the brute application of force. Israeli leaders must devise a military plan and apply brutal, non-vicious force, necessary to repel such terrorist attacks from occurring again. If that means executing Arafat, so be it. If it entails the destruction of the PLO, then by all means, let it be so. And if that means throwing out Israeli Arabs who are acting as a fifth column, do so without hesitation. European and Arab leaders will be outraged. The majority of the world press will label Israel the aggressor, the troublemaker.

Wait, what would they do in the future that they haven't done in the past? The only thing that will change will be the status of Israel: either it survives or it does not. For if the Arabs succeed in destroying Israel, the European leaders will put on their sad faces, cry a few tears, and get down to business with the Arab nations. Sadly, Israel's existence is a problem for them; Europe's conduct regarding Israel is one of the many reasons Europe's status is on the backburner.

2002-03-27T19:14:00.000-05:00

Massacre

Just when President Bush thought that his envoy was gaining some measurable success in the Middle East, an Arab terrorist murders Israeli citizens. So is the United States going to ask Israel to turn its cheek once more? We rightly ignored similar advice that certain European dignitaries gave us.

No doubt, the PLO promises to reign in terrorism:

The Palestinian Authority said it "strongly condemned" the bombing, and that it would take tough measures against those involved. Palestinian security sources said Arafat ordered the arrests of four key militants in the West Bank.

But haven't we seen this before? They condone, they arrest, and then another bomb goes off. Why does the West ignore Arafat's rantings to the Arab people about pushing the Israelis into the sea? Arafat doesn't care about Arab refugees; they're simply a political tool to be used as often as possible. His career as a terrorist is well-known, so why keep him alive?

If President Bush wants his war on terrorism in the Middle East to succeed, it cannot be at Israel's expense. If the Administration wants to know how best to send a message to terrorists in the Middle East, start by letting the Israelis loose so that they can finish off Arafat and his PLO. Certainly Europe and the rest of the world will shriek in horror. When it comes to affairs that require gravitas let them do what they do best. Human nature has not changed. The chief principles of a successful foreign policy haven't changed, whether we look back 60 or 600 years ago.

Why should we be so arrogant to think any different?

2002-03-25T02:06:00.000-05:00

He's a Villain

Robert Browning's poetry is considered to be among the most complex of the Romantics. I've enjoyed his work more than Wordsworth's, including his notable 'Tintern Abbey'. Here, Browning casts a villain as the main lead. A snippet:

Soliloquy of a Spanish Cloister

Gr-r-r--there go, my heart's abhorrence!
Water your damned flower-pots, do!
If hate killed men, Brother Lawrence,
God's blood, would not mine kill you!
What? your myrtle-bush wants trimming?
Oh, that rose has prior claims--
Needs its leaden vase filled brimming?
Hell dry you up with its flames!

...Or, my scrofulous French novel
On grey paper with blunt type!
Simply glance at it, you grovel
Hand and foot in Belial's gripe;
If I double down its pages
At the woeful sixteenth print,
When he gathers his greengages,
Ope a sieve and slip it in't?

Or, there's Satan!--one might venture
Pledge one's soul to him, yet leave
Such a flaw in the indenture
As he'd miss till, past retrieve,
Blasted lay that rose-acacia
We're so proud of! Hy, Zy, Hine...
'St, there's Vespers! Plena gratia
Ave, Virgo! Gr-r-r--you swine!

Picking a sweet yellow-greenish plum...

2002-03-23T19:03:00.000-05:00

A Grand Ol' Time

I've just completed Peggy Noonan's latest book, entitled "When Character was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan", and must say that it was quite an enjoyable read. There have been many books published on Ronald Reagan, ranging from WFB's genuinely touching "An American Hero" to Edmund Morris's remarkably flawed "Dutch"; Noonan's is one of the best. As a White House staffer in the mid-80s, she got a glimpse not only of "Ronnie", but of the way things worked in his administration. Her masterful prose is a delight to read, even more so because of her actual involvement within it; she's seen at the bare minimum, thus making her role so much more impactful. Of equal significance, the reader gets to see both Reagan's personal and professional sides; either way, his character was the foundation from which his successes grew:

When the Soviets arrested an American reporter in Moscow, in retaliation for us arresting an actual Soviet spy, Reagan, as Noonan puts it, "got mad as hell":

The Soviets said they'd swap-- Reagan said no...After weeks of tension, Reagan threatened to kick out the Soviet KGB contingent at the UN, and lost his temper with the Soviet foreign minister in the Oval Office. Reagan wrote in his diary, "I gave him a little run down on the difference between our two systems and told him they couldn't understand the importance we place on the individual because they don't have any such feeling. I enjoyed being angry.

I highly recommend this to those who truly enjoy Irish wit.

2002-03-19T18:21:00.000-05:00

Those Look Like Clouds to Me...

so on this miserable day, he sat down with a Corona, a lime and little spare time...

Upon arriving in Chapel Hill from a short but pleasant Spring Break, I thought how nice it was to be back in college. Then I remembered that I had classes, plus a midterm, two papers and a quiz in Russian linguistical smorgasbord, and and and...

New York is the greatest city in the world. Those two spotlights that have temporarily taken the place of something extraordinary are a sight to behold.

Pindits R Us:
Stephen Moore wrote a great piece on why Bonnie Bernstein should wear a halter top.

"To quote the immortal Wayne of Wayne's World, "If Bonnie were president of the United States, she'd be Babe-raham Lincoln."

National Review's "brilliant on the rocks" pessimist John Derbyshire posted an interesting ditty on Ireland's significance.

I am, in fact, going to begin this piece by asserting boldly that I believe Ireland to be the most interesting place in the world right now, and that I think we should all be wiser, better informed, healthier, and more attractive to potential romantic partners if we paid more attention to Irish matters.

Another fine example on how to grab the attention of the reader! But John, what if I fancy a nice English girl?

2002-03-14T20:06:00.000-05:00

Leave it to Nature

It seems that I have made a mistake. I've read my fingers off, but got very little blogging done. I blame good weather, good friends, and above all, good scotch.

Pinditing: I came across this piece on unilateralism. Good news: It's not a bad idea after all.
Bad news: It's not going to stop the Europeans from engaging in their favorite sport: unremitting bitching. Catchy, no?

An interesting piece commenting on the past and present relationship between Jews and Christians.

2002-03-10T14:29:00.000-05:00

I've packed my bags...

Spring Break has arrived, and not a moment too soon. With midterms finished I plan to blog my fingers off and get some reading done. I've been informed by the bitter residents in South building that the latest issue of the Carolina Review is available for your Sunday reading pleasure.

My free time:

From Tintern Abbey:

The still, sad music of humanity,
Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power
To chasten and subdue. And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfused,
Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,
And the round ocean and the living air,
And the blue sky, and in the mind of man;
A motion and a spirit, that impels
All thinking things, all objects of all thought,
And rolls through all things. Therefore am I still
A lover of the meadows and the woods,
And mountains; and of all that we behold
From this green earth; of all the mighty world
Of eye, and ear,--both what they half create,
And what perceive; well pleased to recognise
In nature and the language of the sense,
The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse,
The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul
Of all my moral being.

2002-03-06T15:44:00.000-05:00

I don't know what to tell ya. One moment, she's there...the next...POOF!

Last night Kate Germino said that the "shit's gonna hit the fan."

Run.

2002-03-06T15:39:00.000-05:00

Make a U-turn. C'mon, do a Uiiieeeee!!!!!!!!

Senator Tom Daschle stands behind Bush's war. Literally.
Just how dangerous are politics in the Beltway? Hey Tom, listen...

2002-03-03T21:25:00.000-05:00

"It's been a while..."

To start off, a Happy Birthday to my brother Richard, who turns 16 today. Just remember bro, you are now supposed to act more responsible then before. Of course, rules are meant to be broken. Huge wall-breaking party tonight 11PM, the address is a....:P

2002-02-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

More Fun from the "UNC of the West"

The folks at UC-Berkeley are really on a roll this week. This just in. Let's not even think for a second that campus liberals feel just 'darn' terrible about all of this. They simply ignore it. Kudos to folks like Robb McFadden, who's comments were right on the money:

"The issue is free speech on campus. You may not agree with us, but Jesus, let us say it," said Robb McFadden, chair of the college Republicans.

Speeches on campus sponsored by the college Republicans and the Patriot have also twice been cut short when audience members became unruly during the talks.

Last March, a talk by conservative writer David Horowitz about reparations ended abruptly when a member of the audience engaged in an argument with Horowitz.
But McFadden said he thought students on campus moved beyond censorship in the days following Sept. 11, when both groups opposing and supporting the U.S.-led war on terrorism shared the steps of Sproul Hall to demonstrate.
-
"I thought we were beyond this. It is just so shocking and immature," he said.

Dude, like...he said Jesus. Isn't that gonna offend somebody, something? :-P

2002-02-26T17:44:00.000-05:00

Heeding Scott Rubush's advice, I paid a visit to "that" Libertarian website. I took a little philosophy test.
The results are even stranger then Scott's. Rand 90% ? I say its rigged.

1. Hume (100%)
2. Aquinas (96%)
3. Cynics (94%)
4. Hobbes (94%)
5. Nietzsche (92%)
6. Plato (92%)
7. Rand (90%)
8. Spinoza (86%)
9. Aristotle (81%)
10. Augustine (80%)
11. Sartre (71%)
12. Stoics (66%)
13. Bentham (60%)
14. Ockham (60%)
15. Mill (56%)
16. Noddings (45%)
17. Epicureans (42%)
18. Kant (32%)
19. Prescriptivism (5%)

2002-02-26T01:53:00.000-05:00

Night to all, and to all a shiny red apple.

2002-02-25T21:02:00.000-05:00

Those PETA people are up to no good. Again.

2002-02-25T17:37:00.000-05:00

"After taking a nap for three hours, I don't have time to console anybody."

--- roommate Acuff

Lazy bastard, I think he made a girl cry today.

2002-02-25T17:30:00.000-05:00

It's a Really Nice Vacation Destination...

Sad Pindit: Arab gunmen leave two Israelis dead, several wounded. Oh, the Israelis are still placing restrictions on Arafat's movement.

So what's bothering the European Union? Their foreign policy chief explains:

"The sooner he gets freedom of movement the better," said Mr Solana, after meeting the Palestinian leader. That certainly clears up where their priorities lie. Surprise.

Oh yes, I'm biased, as in I don't see a moral equivalency between Israel and the Arabs. Honestly, I can't think of anything worse then making a moral equivalency argument, as so many people (ehem..college students) tend to do. "They're both at fault." "Let them kill each other into oblivion..." No, sit down, examine the history between the two sides that dates back over sixty years, think about the information that you've just digested and then make an educated decision.

But for god-sakes, don't cop out and pretend that you are above the fold, perched high-above on a holy branch. It's intellectually dishonest, and as a play on one of Matt Rubush's recent musings, not gentleman-like.

2002-02-25T10:34:00.000-05:00

Monday Morning Pindits:

-- Carolina lost again, and to the Wolfpack. Bleh.

-- Tom Daschle is giddy on campaign-finance reform.
Freedom of speech? For whom? Say that again? Pass the mayo, huh?

-- Good news. Yasser Arafat is nervous. He's having strange visions of Apache helicopters circling his compound and trying not to kill him; they're merely scaring him to death.

"A senior aide told Time, "We want him to think twice before he sleeps at night."

...One she-e-p, t,two she-ep, thre.....

Another one bites the dust!

2002-02-23T18:37:00.000-05:00

A quip passed along by some kind folks with a really big pine tree in front of their home. Really big.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say, "I'm
fantastic in bed."

That's Direct Marketing.

You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.
One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says, "He's
fantastic in bed."

That's Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her
telephone number.
The next day you call and say, "Hi, I'm fantastic in bed."

That's Telemarketing.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
You get up and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a
drink.You open the door for her, pick up her bag after she drops it,
offer
her a ride, and then say, "By the way, I'm fantastic in bed."

That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
She walks up to you and says, "I hear you're fantastic in bed."

That's Brand Recognition.

2002-02-22T17:50:00.000-05:00

Passing Commentary

Walking home from morning recitations, I overheard a conversation:

Girl 1: I can't believe that happened!
Girl 2: I know, but we had a good time.
Girl 1: Well call me, I gotta go...
Girl 2: Oh yeah, thanks for that gift! I loved it...
Girl 1: The Martini Bar, yeah! See ya.

What's the relevance in all of this? I report, you decide...

2002-02-22T12:46:00.000-05:00

Bastards!

Since late yesterday, news sources around the country were reporting on the death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. His gruesome death at the hands of Pakistani terrorists indicates, among other things, that we are not dealing with a civilized people. Thereby we should not treat them as civilized! They are not criminals, but terrorists; until we strictly identify them as such and act accordingly these brutal attacks will not cease.

This morning Michael Leeden and Dave Shiflett posted some interesting thoughts on Danny Pearl. God bless his brave soul.

Stupid Pindit: Jimmy Carter criticizes President Bush's labeling of Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an axis of evil. He commented that Bush's statement seriously jeopardized progress made with North Korea, Iran and Iraq in recent years. What, they haven't met their yearly quota for number of weapons of mass destruction? Darn.

Unverified: In the middle of his speech, former President Jimmy Carter makes references to his past administration's successes in foreign policy. Specifically, he sites several examples...uh..um....wait a minute here. Nope, I was mistaken. Much lost, nothing forgotten.

2002-02-20T20:53:00.000-05:00

Today's news, but yesterday!

What happened on this glorious, miserable day:

Jen Daum won the election runoff last night, and may I say, by quite a hefty margin. Good for her. This means that Will McKinney will not be Student Body President next year. Let me say again: Will McKinney will not be head student body honcho next year. This is good news, for otherwise we would've had one more putz to deal with at a top level of government. Now, in regards to the current CEO of UNC...

National Pindits:

Those darn Russians: The St. Petersburg Philharmonic was told to vacate a U.S. airliner for being too disorderly.

"Airline officials said Monday's problems on United Flight 947 began after orchestra members broke out bottles of liquor they had carried on board with them." For a second, I thought that the orchestra members were dissatisfied with the quality of the airline's peanuts. I mean, if you're going to start a riot...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recently, First-Lady Laura Bush was invited by UCLA to deliver this year's commencement address to graduating students. This aroused the ire of a group of students in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. One thoughtful student, Estela Zarate, had this to say:

"We will not stand by and allow her presence to go uncontested."

Correction: Did I say Graduate School of Education? What I really meant to say was Graduate School of (Mis)Education. Thank you. We now return to our regularly scheduled blogging.

2002-02-18T03:58:00.000-05:00

Ahh, the weekend has finally ended, and with some miserable weather (wait a minute, that doesn't sound right...)

The Chamber of Murmurs: If anyone out there gets an oppurtunity to partake in a mock trial, by all means give it a try. While I was fairly certain that I wanted to make law my profession, getting involved as a juror in a mock trial has merely reaffirmed my original choice. Whats with the strange title? Try listening to the judge and lawyers whisper to each other (??) and then your fellow jurors do the exact same thing amongst themselves. Eerie stuff.

A Pindit: U.C. Berkeley students watch their professor have sex at a strip club, and at the same time earn credits toward graduation. Fun for the whole family! Let me just say that any person who calls UNC: Chapel Hill the "Berkeley of the East" ought to reconsider.

One more: Louis Farrakhan condemned the US war on terrorism, which he described as US-oil politics. In addition he remarked that: "I'm a Jew, I'm a Christian, and I'm a Muslim,"

Well Mr. Farrakhan, problem solved, eh?

2002-02-15T15:54:00.000-05:00

Ahh, the weekend has finally arrived, and with it some nice weather...

I have not blogged for almost a week...So, in an attempt to redeem myself, the next three days will nothing more than an intensive, sleepless blogging session, riddled with bouts of dizziness and strange, whimsical visions. Wait, I know what all of you other flying monkies are thinking:

"That's weird."

Yeah, but that's not important right now. Musings! :::

Before I hit all the usual marks, let me say that the SBP Elections this year were quite interesting, as Jen Daum pulled a fast one on Will McKinney, and picked up more votes then all of the "usual suspects". I'm far from thrilled, but I'll give credit where credit is due; that girl worked her tail off, and in the end it showed in the polls. Brad Overcash would still have made the best choice for SBP; nevertheless, Jen Daum is a better choice then Will McKinney. Say what you will, but at least one can label her bitchiness an ethos.

On one hand, McKinney is a putz and I guess Democrats like 'em that way....

On the other hand: I have 5 fingers.

2002-02-11T11:00:00.000-05:00

A Happy Birthday goes out to "The Dude", my buddy Evan, (Honestly, is there anything better then a Big Lebowski reference at 11AM?) who I've been friends with for the last oh, 15 years or so. It's been interesting times... If my memory still serves me, he is now 17 years old. Which is one less then 18.

Hey its Monday morning...cut some slack...

2002-02-11T10:49:00.000-05:00

I just got out of my 9AM class. Its time for an update. Really, as if one had something to do with the other. Having caught up, somewhat anyway, in recent political musings:

The recent dead-tree edition of the National Review had an interesting little ditty on how those clever Finnish folks calculate traffic fines, as they're based on the driver's income. An in getting with the times, the Finnish authorities have introduced a modern cellular system, where police officers can tap into public tax records; with maximum efficiency and a pair of heavy eyes, the officer calculates fines after examining the monthly income, net worth, number of dependants etc.

"Among the more affluent offenders so far are Anssi Vanjoki, who was recently fined the equivalent of $103,600 for going 47 mph in a 31 mph zone -- and Pekka Ala-Pietila, billed $31,200 for running a red light. The former is the director, the latter president of that cellular giant Nokia, whose technology helps make the instant calculation of sliding-scale fines possible. We hope these gentlemen had a chance to savor that irony before making out their checks which in Finland are payable to the Ministry of Justice."

Add this to the rather long litany of reasons as to why Europe is for vacationing only.

More...

2002-02-08T01:38:00.000-05:00

Its been a little bit since I looked through my special "randomizing tenderizer", however, since the hour is upon me ( the eyes! the eyes!) I'll post a little something that I have been slowly memorizing:

Tintern Abbey

If this
Be but a vain belief, yet, oh! how oft-- 50
In darkness and amid the many shapes
Of joyless daylight; when the fretful stir
Unprofitable, and the fever of the world,
Have hung upon the beatings of my heart--
How oft, in spirit, have I turned to thee,
O sylvan Wye! thou wanderer thro' the woods,
How often has my spirit turned to thee!
And now, with gleams of half-extinguished thought,
With many recognitions dim and faint,
And somewhat of a sad perplexity, 60
The picture of the mind revives again:
While here I stand, not only with the sense
Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts
That in this moment there is life and food
For future years. And so I dare to hope,
Though changed, no doubt, from what I was when first
I came among these hills; when like a roe
I bounded o'er the mountains, by the sides
Of the deep rivers, and the lonely streams,
Wherever nature led: more like a man 70
Flying from something that he dreads, than one
Who sought the thing he loved. For nature then
(The coarser pleasures of my boyish days,
And their glad animal movements all gone by)
To me was all in all. --

Wordsworth really wanted to say: college student.

Back to normal posting routine tomorrow, including tales of Finns and Nokia executives.

2002-02-05T03:08:00.000-05:00

Random Pindit: Late-night shifts are better then progressive taxation.

There is nothing like a good poem to keep oneself in a normal stride:

1817

ON SEEING THE ELGIN MARBLES
by John Keats

My spirit is too weak- mortality

Weighs heavily on me like unwilling sleep,

And each imagin'd pinnacle and steep

Of godlike hardship tells me I must die

Like a sick Eagle looking at the sky.

Yet 'tis a gentle luxury to weep

That I have not the cloudy winds to keep

Fresh for the opening of the morning's eye.

Such dim-conceived glories of the brain

Bring round the heart an undescribable feud;

So do these wonders a most dizzy pain,

That mingles Grecian grandeur with the rude

Wasting of old Time- with a billowy main-

A sun- a shadow of a magnitude. - -

Tuesday isn't called Tuesday and Thursday isn't called Thursday; from this moment on, I shall refer to either one as "Glorious and Mighty 4-Classes Day...to be followed by muffled murmurs" .

2002-02-02T18:07:00.000-05:00

The weather has turned a leaf, as it is now much colder. Well you can't complain about the warm weather we had for a week. Now wait for the snow to hit this week, then start complaining. Pay attention here, Murphy's Law is key: If you're feeling good, don't worry, you'll get over it.

Reuter's reports that Madeline Albright is critical of the Bush Administration's recent foreign policy turn and was particularly annoyed at the President's labeling of Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an "axis of evil". One wonders what kind of advice the former Secretary of State would give the current Secretary of State. "Remember Colin, do as I did. As soon as those nice little North Korean children finish dancing for Communist Dictator KIM Chong-il and yourself, get up and clap voraciously for the photo-op." That's how you properly handle diplomacy with a despot who has, together with his party cronies, starved millions of people within his country, while N. Korea's military expenditures reach billions of dollars per year in an attempt to create a working ICBM.

A more revealing question is whether Colin Powell can say/do anything as stupid as that? Well, he has managed to remark that Dictator Fidel Castro has done some good things for the Cuban people. And recently he commented on the the case of Daniel Pearl, the WSJ reporter taken hostage by a group of Islamic radicals. "I hope they realize they are holding an innocent man," Powell said as he was leaving a New York hotel. Of course, Mr. Secretary of State, thats the first thing that comes to their mind when they reach for a Kalishnikov.

Furthur proof that the only job requirements at the State Department are a pulse and a bad tie.

2002-02-01T02:34:00.000-05:00

Oh man, did Carolina lose bad tonight. Nearly 30 points. Well, so much for going out on a limb. I would like to say that...bleh, what else is there to point out? This season is just plain awful. And in all seriousness, will someone on the team tell Kris Lang not to talk to the press afterwards? Ever. Again.
Oh well, at least the weather is nice.

2002-01-31T17:53:00.000-05:00

A Happy Birthday goes out to Matt Rubush! Go tell him that tequilla is strong and that UNC will win tonight.

As a matter of fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that not only will UNC win tonight, but that Boozer will foul out in the first half. Oh, and New England is going to win on Sunday. Hah.

Interesting pindit: Will McKinney picked up the endorsement of the BSM today. It's strange, considering Fred Hashagen was the shoe-in for winning that coveted endorsement. Oh well. Congratulations to Will McKinney, who has now proven that having the YDs work on his campaign actually did wonders.

Lastly, John Derbyshire's latest article, on the probability of Israel's long-term survival, was posted earlier today on National Review Online. Do check it out, as it is an excellent read.

Time to go eat quality Granville grub.

2002-01-30T12:16:00.000-05:00

Finally, an oppurtunity to post early in the day. There should be more warm days like this, particularly when I do NOT have studies. Something I came across, for all those folks preoccupied with Washington's Enron scandal...here's an interesting tidbit. Once a politician, always a politician. Two left feet is more like it.

On a lighter note, Christina Aguiliera was spotted at a lesbian bar, throwing bottles at/with um, lesbians. She'd be a pretty lesbian. I wonder if she'd buy a motorcycle.

2002-01-30T01:01:00.000-05:00

Another State of the Union speech come, another one gone. Better then previous SOTU addresses, (particularly more bearable then Clinton's "feel my pain" shlock). In all honesty, I enjoy President Bush's speeches more and more. He's not Reagan, but then, who is? He's a very competent, sincere speaker who knows how to get his thoughts across. The main message is that the war on terrorism will be a long and arduous process, and that there will be casulties on the home front. More importantly, we must prepare ourselves for the worst so that we can achieve the necessary ends to secure our way of life. I appreciate that kind of candor, and I'm sure most other Americans do as well. The Democrats, befuddled as ever, replied the best way that they could: by promoting the same bipartisanship that President Bush pushed for a year ago. As Tom Hagen said in The Godfather (the superior print version folks..) "Genius has its rewards." President Bush's Modern Fireside Chat.

In other news, the Older Rubush has posted a nice picture: This would make Russian television bearable.

Additional other news: Fox News has overtaken CNN. Interestingly, CNN has not posted on their website that they have been overtaken. Wierd. Congrats to the folks at Fox for making CNN do a shimmy to the right.

Night to all the sun people.

2002-01-28T22:42:00.000-05:00

As I am beginning to feel the effects of several hours worth of reading (Machiavelli, Sophacles..Modern, Ancient). I can think of no modern English word to describe the feeling; perhaps it is for the best. And so to help remedy this condition, I have decided to read a piece by that old Englishman, William Wordsworth, called "Tintern Abbey". As I will be doing nothing else tonight except immersing myself in this poem. As a matter-of-fact, I plan to memorize this poem, as soon as I can find my feet. A favorite passage of mine:

Do I behold these steep and lofty cliffs,
That on a wild secluded scene impress
Thoughts of more deep seclusion; and connect
The landscape with the quiet of the sky.
The day is come when I again repose
Here, under this dark sycamore, and view 10
These plots of cottage-ground, these orchard-tufts,
Which at this season, with their unripe fruits,
Are clad in one green hue, and lose themselves
'Mid groves and copses. Once again I see
These hedge-rows, hardly hedge-rows, little lines
Of sportive wood run wild: these pastoral farms,
Green to the very door; and wreaths of smoke
Sent up, in silence, from among the trees!
With some uncertain notice, as might seem
Of vagrant dwellers in the houseless woods, 20
Or of some Hermit's cave, where by his fire
The Hermit sits alone.

Good night to all the fishes out there.

2002-01-28T21:09:00.000-05:00

Check...check, check out....something here.

2002-01-28T16:59:00.000-05:00

Almost there....let me just say that it must feel quite good to be Tony Snow. Or at least I assume that it must be, considering the deal that Fox News is offering...
Speaking of which, Fox News Channel is now available on UNC's campus. Fox is better then CNN. Just cause....

2002-01-28T14:25:00.000-05:00

Just warming up...