Happy New Year
Have a happy and safe New Year celebration.
« November 2007 | Main | January 2008 »
December 31, 2007
December 29, 2007
Beware Topless Women...
... asking to see your privates.
|
Robin Garrison, an off-duty 42-year-old firefighter, was walking in Berliner Park in Columbus, Ohio, in May when he saw a woman sunbathing topless under a tree. He approached her and they started talking and getting comfortable, the woman smiling and resting her foot on his shoulder at one point. Eventually, she asked to see Garrison's penis; he unzipped his pants and complied. Seconds later, undercover police officers pulled up in a van and arrested Garrison; he was later charged with public indecency, a misdemeanor, based on video footage taken by cops who were targeting men having sex or masturbating in the park. While topless sunbathing is legal in the city's parks, exposing more than that is against the law. |
Isn't the woman, though part of the sting, an accomplice to the crime? If the police had found a man and woman doing the same thing, wouldn't they both have been arrested?
I see this as entrapment. And who are they targeting here? Normal men? We all know the difference between perversion and healthy sexual desires. Why doesn't the law recognize this?
Via Drudge
December 27, 2007
Bhutto Assassinated
News is trickling in but it seems confirmed that Benazir Bhutto has been murdered by a homicide bomber.
Updates coming in at Hot Air.
December 26, 2007
Christmas Hangover
Food, food, and then more food. Getting up for work today was very difficult. So, to celebrate my punchiness, here is something that made me laugh for about 10 minutes.
December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to you. I wish you all a wonderful holiday. God bless!
December 24, 2007
Who has Christmas?
It's Christmas time yet Christmas has mysteriously disappeared from the the land. NRO's Pete Sheehan writes Always Winter, Never Christmas, and it sheds some light on where Christmas went and who is behind its absence.
|
When I recently watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with my sons, I came to a disturbing conclusion: The White Queen of Narnia has quietly, but effectively, infiltrated this side of the Wardrobe. Readers of the book and patrons of the film know that the enchanted realm of Narnia, under the tyrannical control of the White Witch, suffered from perpetual winter without Christmas, as the faun Tumnus, laments. As it gets closer to Dec. 25 on our side of the Wardrobe, few (save some presidential candidates) seem to want to mention Christmas. My suspicion is that the White Witch has assembled an army of civil libertarians, bureaucrats, advertising agencies, department stores, and sometimes grumpy individuals to replace her wolves, dwarves, and magic wands. This time, however, she is not confined to the perils of the childhood imagination; the effects of her efforts cannot be escaped by closing the book. |
Thanks to Morpheus for sending me the article.
December 22, 2007
A Christmas Appetizer
I saw the movie Smoke, when it was first released in 1995. It remains one of my favorite films centering around my home, Brooklyn.
While sick in bed last week, one of the few bright spots was having to opportunity to watch this again on television. It was a treat, since I probably haven't seen it in 10 years.
Maybe it was the shots of NyQuil or an overdose of tea, but after all these years, I enjoyed it a little bit more.
The end of the movie has a wonderful monologue by Harvey Keitel based on a short story by the movie's author Paul Auster.
Listen to Paul Auster read his story at this link, then take a look at a clip from the movie below.
December 20, 2007
Consensus? Not Really.
Consensus is defined as "an opinion or position reached by a group as a whole". Environmentalists and Global Warming advocates would have us believe there is scientific consensus when it comes to the source of Global Warming, that source being human beings.
Of course, with perceived consensus, comes all the authority associated with it. When an issue is out there for debate, people can be skeptical of or confident in the information being provided. However, when there is consensus, when something is displayed as fact, you're either a believer or a labeled denier. And you have the pleasure of all the stigma attached to the word denier. Articles have been written equating Global Warming skeptics with Holocaust denial, confused targets of corporate think tanks, members of a Big Oil conspiracy or conspiracy theorists in general.
You're meant to feel guilty for driving, having Christmas dinner, using too much toilet paper, and even having children. The hysteria has come to a boil, and perhaps, with a release of the recent U.S. Senate Report, the boil cane be lanced.
The report I refer to is the U.S. Senate Report: Over 400 Prominent Scientists Disputed Man-Made Global Warming Claims in 2007 and with any luck 2007 may be known as "the year man-made global warming fears bite the dust."
|
Over 400 prominent scientists from more than two dozen countries recently voiced significant objections to major aspects of the so-called "consensus" on man-made global warming. These scientists, many of whom are current and former participants in the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), criticized the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore. The new report issued by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s office of the GOP Ranking Member details the views of the scientists, the overwhelming majority of whom spoke out in 2007. |
The blog entry I linked to is a comprehensive summary, with links to backup material. I especially appreciated the section titled Examples of “consensus” claims made by promoters of man-made climate fears. Specifically, Al Gore's quote that compares global warming skeptics to people who "'believe the moon landing was actually staged in a movie lot in Arizona".
The more debate there is, the more we let science run its course without political interference the better it will be for everyone. Well, maybe not for those who want to take your tax dollars and spend it based on a non-existent "consensus".
December 19, 2007
Giving Back
As is the custom, this time of year I like to donate what I can to worthy causes. This year I am continuing my efforts with the Treats for Troops organization.
They specialize in sending gift packages to American troops all over the world. What is special about this program is you can sponsor an individual soldier who has signed up for the program and continue sending them packages throughout the year.
Something as simple as a phone card or some cookies might make their day just a little brighter; and in some small way show that we love and support what they do.
Go check out the website and their FAQ section.
December 18, 2007
What Day Is It?
I've been sick for four days and I have no idea what the heck is going on. It has been a mix of medicine induced comas and horrible daytime television.
I hope to be back soon.
December 12, 2007
BMI: The Media’s Top 10 Economic Myths of 2007
The Business & Media Institute has an annual release of The Media’s Top 10 Economic Myths. For 2007, you'll find a lot of familiar issues that aren't solely limited to finance. As usual, the piece is fantastic with detail and clips from media sources.
The firs entryt that caught my eye was number nine: Consumer spending is the be-all, end-all of the economy.
|
On November 6, Erin Burnett of CNBC was concerned about gas prices impacting retail sales this Christmas: “Consumers like us account for two-thirds of the economy, and if we don’t spend all of our money at the department stores and Target and Wal-Mart this shopping season, we could have a recession. So gas prices are a crucial part of that,” Burnett said on NBC’s “Today.” |
Do you ever get the feeling that whatever you're doing currently is what the media is saying is wrong? How many times do we her that Americans spend too much and are too bogged down with debt, yet when we don't spend and actually save we're creating "consumer recession". Some experts agree:
|
As for a “consumer recession,” Dr. Gary Wolfram, a Hillsdale College professor of economics, tackled that question. “I suspect what they mean is that the economy will slow because consumers stop buying,” Wolfram told BMI. “But if they stop buying, then they must be saving. And the bears have been complaining that consumers are in too much debt, so they should be happy that consumers are reducing their debt.” |
You're damned if you do and damned if you don't, so folks, just do what is right for your financial condition and forget these clowns. They're goal is to make you scared and seek out shelter in their "knowledge".
While every entry is worth writing about I'll just point out one that hits home: You’d better not eat/drink that!, Forget the right to eat as you please; the nanny-state knows better.
|
Journalists constantly attack the foods Americans eat and the companies that make them – Oscar Mayer, Tyson, Spence & Co. Ltd. and others. Reporters hype food dangers, complaining about the obesity “epidemic” and bringing on “consumer” experts who try to scare viewers from eating just about everything. They also rarely include any comments from the very companies or industries they attack, or even from health experts with a different view. |
New York has banned trans fats; we're told we can't be trusted to choose our own foods so the government has stepped in to protect us from ourselves. The health of Americans should be a concern to us all, but we should focus more on educating people on the value of moderation and healthy diets. And it isn't just our heath at risk, the planet is too. The media has managed to tie in our eating habits with global warming by alerting us to the Carbon cost of Christmas dinner. It just never ends.
Read all ten entries and if you like The Business & Media Institute's work, try signing up for their weekly newsletter, The Balance Sheet.
December 07, 2007
Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941
In remembrance, The Pearl Harbor Attack, December 7, 1941.
December 05, 2007
Repeal Day
December 5 is Repeal Day.
|
On December 5th, 1933, Utah, the final state needed for a three quarters majority, ratified the 21st Amendment, repealing Prohibition and restoring the American right to a celebratory drink. While the amendment still allowed for state and local levels of Prohibition, by 1966 there were no state laws banning alcohol. |
Celebrate. Have a drink!
December 03, 2007
The Power of MEMRI
From the MEMRI Blog: Lebanese Columnist Jihad Al-Khazen Warns Arab Writers about MEMRI's Monitoring Activity
Screenshot taken from The MEMRI Blog.
He marvels at MEMRI's monitoring and translation capabilities, claiming they can cause "damage" to imams and writers who preach hatred. Funny how it isn't the hatred that causes damage.