« June 2005 | Main | August 2005 »

July 31, 2005

Blogs Bad News for MSM

ichard Posner offers some Bad News for the Mainstream Media regarding blogs:
THE conventional news media are embattled. Attacked by both left and right in book after book, rocked by scandals, challenged by upstart bloggers, they have become a focus of controversy and concern. Their audience is in decline, their credibility with the public in shreds. In a recent poll conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, 65 percent of the respondents thought that most news organizations, if they discover they've made a mistake, try to ignore it or cover it up, and 79 percent opined that a media company would hesitate to carry negative stories about a corporation from which it received substantial advertising revenues.
Posner agrees that the MSM has a liberal bias:
Strip these critiques of their indignation, treat them as descriptions rather than as denunciations, and one sees that they are consistent with one another and basically correct. The mainstream media are predominantly liberal - in fact, more liberal than they used to be. But not because the politics of journalists have changed. Rather, because the rise of new media, itself mainly an economic rather than a political phenomenon, has caused polarization, pushing the already liberal media farther left.

Bloggers offer MSM a challenge, particularly in having a better method of error-correction:

What really sticks in the craw of conventional journalists is that although individual blogs have no warrant of accuracy, the blogosphere as a whole has a better error-correction machinery than the conventional media do. The rapidity with which vast masses of information are pooled and sifted leaves the conventional media in the dust. Not only are there millions of blogs, and thousands of bloggers who specialize, but, what is more, readers post comments that augment the blogs, and the information in those comments, as in the blogs themselves, zips around blogland at the speed of electronic transmission.

This means that corrections in blogs are also disseminated virtually instantaneously, whereas when a member of the mainstream media catches a mistake, it may take weeks to communicate a retraction to the public. This is true not only of newspaper retractions - usually printed inconspicuously and in any event rarely read, because readers have forgotten the article being corrected - but also of network television news. It took CBS so long to acknowledge Dan Rather's mistake because there are so many people involved in the production and supervision of a program like ''60 Minutes II'' who have to be consulted.

Read the whole thing. Few writers get it as right as Posner.

--------

Posted by witnit at 7:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Danny Deckchair

ust saw a brilliant little romantic comedy Aussie film called Danny Deckchair. One of those perfect little films that seem to come out of Australia every few years. Next time you're cruising the DVD rentals desperate for something funny and touching, check it out. (You will recognize Miranda Otto from Lord of the Rings.) Other quirky Australian titles:

When you want something nice, small, funny and touching, check one of these out. Let me know if you like it. Next time, I'll mention some sweet little Irish films...

--------

Posted by witnit at 4:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Another Dumbass Caught on Video

ep, the world is full of idiots, but this one goes to the head of the class. You wanna laugh, but you wanna punch him as well. Window Media Player required. Via SoCalPundit.


--------

Posted by witnit at 4:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ideal Relationship

our Ideal Relationship is Marriage
You've dated enough to know what you want. And that's marriage - with the right person. You're serious about settling down some time soon. Even if you haven't met the person you want to get hitched to!
What's Your Ideal Relationship?
--------

Posted by witnit at 4:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

25-Word Challenge: ORIENTAL NOIR

his post will stay on top all weekend!

(I'm starting this early cuz I got no sleep last night and my brain is not firing right. Okay, that's BS. I just feel like it, okay?)

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends; we're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside -- for another 25-Word Challenge, courtesy of founding Goddess Christina at Feisty Repartee.

The Rules: Add to the story with exactly 25 words, no more, no less. No consecutive comments, but feel free to come back and add more as often as you like. And Wired JAFA wisely reminds us to remember to hit F5 to refresh before you post!

And be sure to read each entry twice for story coherence.

Also, use BloggerWit for the story, NOT HaloWit.

Here's the upcoming schedule:

August 6 - the Lovely Kate of KateSpot

August 13 - Tincanman at Tincanman
August 20 - Amelie of for a breath i tarry
August 27 - VW of One Happy Dog Speaks
September 3 - Nancy of Notes from Nancy's Noodle

The story title is ORIENTAL NOIR. And so we begin...

Shanghai. Avant-gard architecture suggesting The Jetsons meet Godzilla. Fake Rolexes, cheap thrills, easy women. Her name exuded softly from her red lips--Li Ling.

--------

Posted by witnit at 1:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 29, 2005

More Explosions in London

'm listening to the radio 5:40 am PST. More explosions in London. You okay, silk?

UPDATE: Seems like it's muslim-related gunfire in an apartment complex. Police action is ongoing and Sky News is being asked not to broadcast live.


--------

Posted by witnit at 5:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Chelsea Clinton to Marry?

ersonally I think Chelsea Clinton is worth only 10 goats and a couple of ducks, but who am I to argue with this man?
--------

Posted by witnit at 3:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

I wonder...

...how long it will take silk to notice...

--------

Posted by witnit at 2:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

My Best Friends...

...Vicks 44 Cough Syrup, sore throat spray, and Advil. It's 1 am and I have jetlag on top of it all...GRRRRR...The wife seems to be sleeping Okay. I think next time I travel I'll take Pammy's recommended med with me.

Hey. I just checked and Pammy admires me for my intellect! Just once, JUST ONCE, will someone PLEASE admire me for my BODY? (Stop that livey!)

(I guess I would have to post pictures, eh? Not likely. At least with this fucking soup and water diet I might lose a few pounds...)

In meantime, my wife, who is also a professional shooter, just bought herself a new Nikon D70 digital camera, coincidentally right after I got a huge raise in salary and a performance bonus. Here's a picture she took of a water lily in our water garden. She's fond of water lilies.

She's also a video and event producer. If you've got QuickTime and want to see a some cool videos, check out BreezePro.Com. (Her name is Bree.)

Especially check out the following videos. They're worth waiting to download, especially the first one:

Pretty cool, eh? Yep, dat's da wife. Quite a talented lady. And yet, still strangely lacking in self-confidence at times. How she ever ended up with a schlup like me...

--------

Posted by witnit at 1:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

David Letterman


--------

Posted by witnit at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 28, 2005

My Harry Potter Alter Ego

ou scored as Albus Dumbledore. Strong and powerful you admirably defend your world and your charges against those who would seek to harm them. However sometimes you can fail to do what you must because you care too much to cause suffering.

Albus Dumbledore

75%

Harry Potter

70%

Hermione Granger

60%

Sirius Black

60%

Remus Lupin

60%

Ginny Weasley

50%

Severus Snape

50%

Ron Weasley

35%

Draco Malfoy

20%

Lord Voldemort

10%

Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...?
created with QuizFarm.com

Hmmm...I wonder who my Snape is...Via Nuggets.


--------

Posted by witnit at 5:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Over There

fter taking a nap recovering from the long trip back from Singapore, I fired up the Tivo and watched the new American-soldiers-in-Iraq Steven Bochco (NYPD Blue and Cop Rock) drama Over There on Fx. Fx has had some good hard-hitting shows, like The Shield (cops) and Rescue Me (firefighters).

I had some hopes Bochco would do something new. He doesn't. He's about 20 years out of date. Sad to say it was boring and stereotypical. I won't repeat what others have said better. There's still a story to tell about the professional American soldiers. This one is not it.

If you want some good commentary check out Blackfive, who didn't see it but invites commenters who did.

I may watch one more episode to verify that it's repeating Oliver Stone territory. But so far, I didn't like any of the characters. Well, maybe Seargent Scream, a little, for shooting at the bad guys and saying, "We didn't come here for the oil. We came to kick your ass!"

UPDATE: Fox News is reporting that American muslim scholars have issued a religious edict fatwah saying that people who commit terrorist acts in the name of Islam are criminals not martyrs.

Too little, too late, guys (you know they're guys).


--------

Posted by witnit at 3:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sick and Tired

bout four hours into the flight and I start coughing. Even though I took that Airborne stuff. Well, if you're body's stressed from 24 hours of no sleep because you're in economy class and you're 6 foot tall and overweight (230 lbs), you're just inviting the little critters in you to get the upper hand.

Now my wife has a whiney male on her hands. Her answer? Leave the house and continue with her own work. Leaving me with the damn cat *cough* *cough* and a throat sore from hacking. Soup and water. I'm on rations.

*** I think coughing up slugs was quite hard. Ron has a scene where he has to cough up these giant slugs. Rupert Grint


--------

Posted by witnit at 12:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 26, 2005

Goodbye, Singapore

ell, it's almost over. Just finished the last day of training. Going to eat in a fancy restaurant called Equinox on the 70th floor later. Then it's sleep and catch an early flight tomorrow. Leaving Singapore at 9:15 am Wednesday, and arrive in San Francisco via Seoul 12:45 pm Wednesday. Will try to sleep on the plane when we leave Seoul. Doesn't always work. Got a good 600-page book to read just in case the movies are all used up. After catching up with jetlag, I helm a week-long new manager's training next week. 14-hour days. But I may have time during some presentations to blog. Found some watches for my wife, cheaper than in China and these actually work, so she'll be happy. Not many things I can buy for her. Well, unless I catch a new wave of energy, you'll hear from me back in California. Cheers...(Gratuitous animal images to follow...)
--------

Posted by witnit at 2:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Quotes of the Day

f cultural diversity was all that the multiculturalists claim, Africa would be a heaven on earth. Too often and in too many places it has been a hell on earth. Thomas Sowell

The next time someone demands a timetable for the war in Iraq, ask them to name just one war -- anywhere -- that had such a thing. Thomas Sowell

What makes this a farce, as well as a tragedy, is that what is called "black English" is a dialect that originated among white people in parts of Britain centuries ago. That dialect was transferred across the Atlantic when people in those parts of Britain settled in the American South. Thomas Sowell


--------

Posted by witnit at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 25, 2005

The Clarity of Jonah Goldberg

onah Goldberg is quickly becoming my favorite columnist. His writing is crisp, clear, and always insightful. He has a direct, non-pretentious way of cutting to the heart of truth. Here's a sample from his column Better Off Dead where he argues brilliantly for a "dead" constitution:

This is a battle between the forces of life and death, and, as inconvenient as it may be to the marketing efforts of abortion opponents, we are resolutely on the side of death. For we are those who believe the only good constitution is a dead constitution.

We’ve all heard about how great living constitutions are. The most extreme, but essentially representative, version of this “philosophy” can be found from the likes of Mary Frances Berry or the Los Angeles Times’s Robert Scheer. They matter-of-factly claim that without a “living” constitution, slavery and other such evils would still be constitutional. This is what leading constitutional legal theorists call “stupid.” The constitutionality of slavery, women’s suffrage and the like were decided by these things called the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments.

[...]

The case for dead constitutions is simple. They bind us to a set of rules for everybody. Recall the recent debate about the filibuster. The most powerful argument the Democrats could muster was that if you get rid of the traditional right of the minority in the Senate to bollix up the works, the Democrats will deny that right to Republicans the next time they’re in the majority (shudder).

The Constitution works on a similar principle, as does the rule of law. Political scientists call this “precommitment.” Having a set of rules with a fixed (i.e., dead, unliving, etc.) meaning ensures that future generations will be protected from judges or politicians who’d like to rule arbitrarily. This is what Chesterton was getting at when he called tradition “democracy for the dead.” We all like to believe that we have some say about what this country will be like for our children and grandchildren. A “living Constitution” denies us our voice in this regard because it basically holds that whatever decisions we make — including the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments — can be thrown out by any five dyspeptic justices on the Supreme Court. In other words, the justices who claim the Constitution is a wild card didn’t take their oath to uphold and defend the Constitution in good faith because they couldn’t know what they were swearing to.

Brilliantly stated! And before you think he's an ideological conservative, try his take on PBS.

--------

Posted by witnit at 3:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Top 10 Meme

agged, I'm it from the irrepressable livey at Northwoods Woman. It's simple and straightforward: Top 10 turn offs and turn ons. This should confirm my geek status.

Turn Offs
10. Cat urine smell in the house.
9. Fundamentalists of all stripes, especially murderous jihadists.
8. Sex toys. (Got enough natural toys, thank you.)
7. Pot users who use regularly and don't realize how stupid their minds have become.
6. Change-the-world liberals like Michael Moore who live hypocritical lives.
5. Compromising conservatives who sacrifice principle to get along with backstabbers.
4. Political parties.
3. Smarmy parasites always asking for money, promising to pay you back and never do.
2. Rap music.
1. Politically correct films.

Turn Ons
10. Lingerie on a mostly naked woman.
9. Shakespeare.
8. Mozart.
7. Old fashioned Rock and Roll.
6. British mysteries.
5. Babylon 5 and Buffy and Sports Night and Joan of Arcadia.
4. Film noir, Tarentino, Sin City and the like.
3. Spiritual exercises.
2. Fevered lovemaking.
1. Leisurely lovemaking.

If you want to continue this meme, let me know in the comments and I'll trackback to you.

Pammy at Lollygaggin has one.

*** "My door is always open-bring me your problems." This is guaranteed to turn on every whiner, lackey and neurotic on the property. Robert F. Six

--------

Posted by witnit at 1:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

With Emphasis on WITTY

ust want to pass along an example of great writing from Witty Sex Kitten. She knows how to make the need for a new AC adapter a fascinating journey. Check out Too Big! Too Little! Just Right!
I am taking the California Bar Exam on this laptop. I registered, and paid my little fee, and have signed my ass up to take it on a laptop. Not just ANY laptop...THIS laptop. Because you had to certify your laptop by July 1st and if you didn't, well too bad, so sad, fuck you and we're taking your $500 bucks too. So I couldn't just substitute in my stepdad or my dad's laptop or Joe Schmoe down the streets laptop. I have to take it on THIS HERE laptop. This here laptop with no GLOBby goodness. This here laptop I can't turn on without sucking out the last of it's 45 min. of life.
--------

Posted by witnit at 3:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 23, 2005

Bringing Up Baby

7 unusual photos at Rob's place. Check them out!

And look at the following one for the baby sucking it's thumb. Think Big Picture!

--------

Posted by witnit at 5:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Food of Singapore



he people of Singapore LOVE food. How can you tell? Everywhere you go there is a place selling food. Almost every block of every street. There are dozens of food courts around the city island. (We took the local subway, the MRT, and traveled around Singapore in about an hour.) The food stalls sell fresh vegetables and seafood. Since there is virtually no agriculture in Singapore, all the fruit has to be imported.

For lunch we went to Little India and found a banana leaf style Indian restaurant (your food is placed on a large banana leaf) and had black squid, chicken tandoori, samosa, veggies, curry, and rice.

But it was when our local host and her husband took us out to dinner when we had the main course. First we when to some outdoor stall mall where we had that famous smelly durian, The King of Fruits. It looked like a large green porcupine melon with spikes, and yes it smelled a kind of pungent sickly sweet that wasn't as bad as I imagined. The seller took out a curved machete and made a triple slash on the fruit and laid it on our table.

The fruit is about the size of a kiwi, three pieces in three pickets within the fruit. It was an unusual, unique taste, like a thick yellow-orange pudding surrounding a large seed.

We also ate some longans, a smaller version of the lychee.

Then as we walked with our hosts, they made us try various little curiosities, like Otah, a fishmeal cooked in banana leaf, and pork jerkey.

We were full so the obvious answer was to go the the restaurant. This one was famous for a chef who had a little hole-in-the-wall place without a sign board. It became so popular, they finally put up a sign, The No Sign Board Restaurant. Located in the Red Light District of Geylang. (Singapore is also famous for the Four Floors of Whores, where the best and most beautiful "girls" are on the fourth floor, with quality going down as you go down each floor. I put "girls" in quotes because they're NOT girls.) I've never had an experience with a brothel or prostitute.

We sat outside and let our guests order. We had a small plate and chopsticks. Fortunately, I've had enough experience not to embarass myself with them.

We had some tasty spicy mustard greens, pickled cucumbers, and then FROG LEGS. Yes, they kinda tasted like chicken. But they're still FROG LEGS.

Then came the OYSTER OMELETTE. Yes, little oysters in an egg omelette.

Then we had pepper crab. We were already pretty full, but the tasty PEPPER CRAB somehow helped to settle our stomachs. A complete cracked crab cooked in a black pepper sauce.

Then our waiters took away our little plates and replaced them with BIG PLATES. Holy crap!

Then they brought the big bowl of CHILI CRAB. Spicy tomato-based sauce with a complete cracked crab.

My belly had enough after that, although I did have the cold liquid desert, that tasted like longan juice.

Then we returned to our hotel, with potruding bellies, and didn't move much.

I think I will skip breakfast...

*** I went into a French restaraunt and asked the waiter, 'Have you got frog's legs?' He said, 'Yes,' so I said, 'Well hop into the kitchen and get me a cheese sandwich.' Tommy Cooper

--------

Posted by witnit at 2:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

ARNING:

MINOR SPOILERS.

I DON'T NAME NAMES BUT I DO MENTION SITUATIONS...

STOP NOW IF YOU WANT A COMPLETELY FRESH READ!

I MEAN IT!

Someone dies near the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!

But it hurts sooooo good. You just KNOW that the final book is going to be ONE HELLUVA RIDE!

Harry uses the dark arts. Ron gets to snog. Harry gets to snog. (Still no bonking yet.) Harry gets a girlfriend but then he is forced to dump her. She understands, and they still love each other.

Harry is also frozen by a spell and forced to watch someone close to him get horribly murdered by a wizard.

And we finally get to discover how Tom Riddle became Voldemort.

If you want a happy ending, then forget this book. It's has the roughest ending of all so far. You can tell that JK Rowling is not sentimental. She does not play games and cheat with life and death and the need to face evil head on. Although it is a world of magic, no magic can make life any easier to live.

I don't really have much to say other than I love this series of books, brought to us by a woman who is single-handedly bringing literacy and the proper feel of BOOKS back to the entire planet.

Bravo, JK!

UPDATE: Theater of the Soul has some interesting predictions for Book 7. My only one: Harry will die sacrificing himself to save his friends.

UPDATE: Nuggets has some good fuuny Spoilers links for fans who've already read the book.

Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve. J. K. Rowling

Death is just life's next big adventure. J. K. Rowling
Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself. J. K. Rowling
If you want to see the true measure of a man, watch how he treats his inferiors, not his equals. J. K. Rowling
If you're holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time. J. K. Rowling
Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike. J. K. Rowling
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. J. K. Rowling

Jane Austen is the pinnacle to which all other authors aspire. J. K. Rowling
Never be ashamed! There's some who'll hold it against you, but they're not worth bothering with. J. K. Rowling
Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain. J. K. Rowling
The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and must therefore be treated with great caution. J. K. Rowling
There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other. J. K. Rowling
What's coming will come and we'll just have to meet it when it does. J. K. Rowling

You sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve. J. K. Rowling
Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young. J. K. Rowling


--------

Posted by witnit at 12:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 22, 2005

Another 25-Word Challenge

he challenge is on over at Wired JAFA from our favorite Lippy.

It involves a stone well and a mystery...

Go over now and add to the story!


--------

Posted by witnit at 11:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sexual Activity Test

--------

Posted by witnit at 10:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Are You Cool?

re you a Cool Person? Find out now. Take the TEST.
--------

Posted by witnit at 9:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jetlag Just SUCKS, But Harry Potter...

fter spending all day yesterday delivering an advanced problem solving and decision making training to engineers, I returned to the hotel absolutely beat, not up to any sightseeing, so I ordered room service (ribeye steak and steamed veggies) and hit the sheets at 8 pm local time. Woke up at 10 pm, played tag with the sandman until 3 am when I finally tagged him for another two hours of sleep and then up at 5 am. to spend another all day session with problem solving. All that's on the tellie is NEWS. CNN International, BBC International, CNBC, and a host of local news stations. All London all the time, with repeated programming of all London all the time.

Sure there's HBO, but the verson they have here is 1970s films and an occasional Lost in Translation, which is all I need.

So I stayed up in spurts between 10 pm and 3 am reading the new Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Ol' JK Rowling is quite a writer. I bought the book here Wednesday. I've read 500 of the 600 pages (British edition). Someone important is gonna die. And dammit, is Snape evil or faking it? If he's evil, he's good at faking it and Dumbledore.

The cool stuff is seeing how Rowling weaves in previous books into a larger tapestry that shows how much she had this all thought out from the beginning. She's a great mystery writer. She says she'll give up fantasy after this and write something else. I'd like to see her tackle modern mysteries. Not cozies, cause H. Potter is far from cozy. She could do Ian Rankin kinda mysteries.

Ah well, it's midnight and maybe I should sleep. Or finish off those last hundred pages.

Oh, had stingray for the first time tonight. Not bad. The prawns we had were nine inches long. Tomorrow night, peppered crab.

Yum Yum.


--------

Posted by witnit at 9:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Chewing Gum in Singapore

kay, I finally asked someone about this. The truth is, it is illegal to buy or sell chewing gum in Singapore, but it is NOT against the law to chew it. So you can buy it outside of the country and chew it in country. But for god's sake don't sell it!
--------

Posted by witnit at 6:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 20, 2005

Back in Singapore



ere I am back in Singapore. I have Internet acces this trip.

What do you do on the first 11-hour leg to Seoul, Korea? You watch four movies: Fever Pitch (better than I expected...really gets the baseball addiction thing and even Drew Barrymore is not a total dork...good writing), Hitch (again, better than I expected...funny...touching...avoids some of the obvious cliches), Sahara (good action...2nd time seeing it...had to have some guy stuff after two romantic comedies...has a good take on Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt character), and Dirty Harry (a classic).

Then another 5-hour trip from Seoul to Singapore.

On the way back, I'll probably try to sleep after watching a couple of movies.

When you can, travel Singapore Airlines. The service is first rate, and even if you take economy class, you have enough leg room. They have newer Boeings with movies on demand for every seat, so you have a choice of 60 movies, more TV shows, games, etc. all when you want them.

Oh yeah, and I reread Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on the plane so I could remember where we left off before reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. (Which I bought here after landing. I should have it read before I leave here next week.)

And even though the time says 5:30 am Pacific time on Wednesday morning, it's 8:30 pm Wednesday night here.

*** For us Australians, Singapore also represents sacred soil. Almost 2000 Australians died here in the defense of your island country and our neighborhood. Michael Jeffery

--------

Posted by witnit at 5:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 18, 2005

I Support the Troops

hat I SUPPORT THE TROOPS really means:

- "I fully stand behind our troops and support what they're doing."

What I SUPPORT THE TROOPS does not mean:

- "I want our troops to come home safe from this illegal war, and not be put into danger. I support their right to not go to war. I support the troops because they represent our minorities and disenfranchised and the poor who couldn't help being suckered into military service. I want them to be nice to people trying to kill them."

Just thought it needed to be said...

*** Who are these troops? They are our poor, our working class. Most of them enlisted because it was about the only place to get a job or receive the guarantee of a college education. You, my good friends, have ALWAYS, through your good works, your contributions, your activism, your votes, SUPPORTED these very kids who come from the other side of the tracks. You NEVER need to be defensive when it comes to your "support" for the "troops" -- you are the only ones who have ALWAYS been there for them. Michael Moore to his fans


--------

Posted by witnit at 10:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 17, 2005

Oakey Dokey Hokey Pokey

he man who invented the Hokey Pokey has died. The funeral service, held last week, didn't go well. They put his left foot in and then all the trouble started...
--------

Posted by witnit at 12:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 16, 2005

NO FEAR!


'm researching my next novel. My main character has a Special Forces background. Here's one of those stories I just love coming across. It's from an interview with General Henry H. Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. This is from Tom Clancy's book Special Forces:

That ties into the SOF community--"quiet professionals." They are nice people, very competent, and professional. I think it serves them well to be "quiet professionals," because they just add to the great capabilities that are resident in the parent services. The various services now are beginning to love the capabilities that they provide. Along with that, they don't come around looking for glory or fame. They just say, "What do you want done? and "Here's what we can do..."

One of my favorite SOF/"joint" operations stories involves Admiral Jay Johnson, who commanded the navel task force for me down in Haiti in 1994. One of the things that really impressed Jay was when the Army SOF aviators [from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment--the Nightstalkers] came to pick him up to take him over to a JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command] change of command ceremony over aboard the USS America. General Brown was coming out of command, and he sent a 160th chopper over to pick us up, as I was the JTF commander. It landed on the Mount Whitney, and as they landed, the crew chief jumped out to come get us, and the guy was dressed in solid black. He had kneepads on, elbow pads, a black helmet and flight suit, and a smoked face shield. As we walked over, he motioned for us to follow, and then turned around. As he did that, we saw in big words on his back, "NO FEAR!" I remember Jay looking over at me, and it clearly made a big impression!


A story like this almost brings tears to my eyes. There is something about that level of honorable commitment that gets me every time.

*** People living deeply have no fear of death. Lord Byron

--------

Posted by witnit at 10:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 15, 2005

The Mother of All Connections

f you are still so uninformed not to know that there were indeed significant connections between Iraq and al Qaida, read Stephen F. Hayes's article The Mother of All Connections:
This unclassified document was released by the Pentagon in late March 2005. It details the case for designating an Iraqi member of al Qaeda, currently detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as an "enemy combatant."

1. From 1987 to 1989, the detainee served as an infantryman in the Iraqi Army and received training on the mortar and rocket propelled grenades.
2. A Taliban recruiter in Baghdad convinced the detainee to travel to Afghanistan to join the Taliban in 1994.
3. The detainee admitted he was a member of the Taliban.
4. The detainee pledged allegiance to the supreme leader of the Taliban to help them take over all of Afghanistan.
5. The Taliban issued the detainee a Kalishnikov rifle in November 2000.
6. The detainee worked in a Taliban ammo and arms storage arsenal in Mazar-Es-Sharif organizing weapons and ammunition.
7. The detainee willingly associated with al Qaida members.
8. The detainee was a member of al Qaida.
9. An assistant to Usama Bin Ladin paid the detainee on three separate occasions between 1995 and 1997.
10. The detainee stayed at the al Farouq camp in Darwanta, Afghanistan, where he received 1,000 Rupees to continue his travels.
11. From 1997 to 1998, the detainee acted as a trusted agent for Usama Bin Ladin, executing three separate reconnaissance missions for the al Qaeda leader in Oman, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
12. In August 1998, the detainee traveled to Pakistan with a member of Iraqi Intelligence for the purpose of blowing up the Pakistan, United States and British embassies with chemical mortars.
13. Detainee was arrested by Pakistani authorities in Khudzar, Pakistan, in July 2002.


There's more. Read the whole thing.

--------

Posted by witnit at 6:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Can't We Just Get Along?

eff at Protein Wisdom has the Four Steps to Understanding the Root Causes of Terrorism:
The first step to understanding root causes is identifying those causes—which, after much consideration, I believe I’ve been able to do: TERRORISTS WHO BLOW SHIT UP.
Many people would just like to skip to step four. However, I do believe there is a step five: KEEP OUR MILITARY HAPPY AND WELL-TRAINED.

Via Vodkapundit.

--------

Posted by witnit at 5:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

That Ol' Whipped Cream

ust when you thought there might be credible "experts" in the world, we find this:
An expert in eating disorders collapsed in a supermarket after inhaling propellant from whipped cream cans, according to police.

Lisa G. Berzins, a prominent psychologist who has been on national television and radio shows and in newspaper articles, was arrested on a warrant Friday charging her in the May 29 incident, The Hartford Courant reported.


Inhaling laughing gas in a store. Good ol' nitrous oxide. I've done that!

*** The difference with me is that I did inhale. Cilla Black


--------

Posted by witnit at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 14, 2005

N.Z. Bloggers Take Note!

horse is a horse, of course, of course, but never a dead and eaten horse! Some restaurants will do anything to make international news:

Some customers say wild horses couldn't drag them to the table at a New Zealand restaurant that's offering a chargrilled horsemeat dish called "Mr. Ed is Dead."
Cute.
Restaurant owner David Kerr said Wednesday that he received lots of complaints and abusive phone calls after he started serving horse steaks at his eatery in Hamilton, North Island, as part of an annual event during which restaurateurs compete to offer the best out-of-the-ordinary culinary delights to diners.
Oh, that explains it. He's on the North island.

*** A horse is dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle. Ian Fleming


--------

Posted by witnit at 8:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Rita Rudner


--------

Posted by witnit at 11:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Accident Insurance Claims

ome unusual claims made on car accident insurance forms. In case you haven't seen these before:

"The accident happened because I had one eye on the lorry in front, one eye on the pedestrian and the other on the car behind."

"I started to slow down but the traffic was more stationary than I thought."

"I pulled into a lay-by with smoke coming from under the hood. I realised the car was on fire so took my dog and smothered it with a blanket."

Q: Could either driver have done anything to avoid the accident? A: Travelled by bus?

The claimant had collided with a cow. The questions and answers on the claim form were - Q: What warning was given by you? A: Horn. Q: What warning was given by the other party? A: Moo.

"I started to turn and it was at this point I noticed a camel and an elephant tethered at the verge. This distraction caused me to lose concentration and hit a bollard."

"On approach to the traffic lights the car in front suddenly broke."

"I was going at about 70 or 80 mph when my girlfriend on the pillion reached over and grabbed my testicles so I lost control."

"I didn't think the speed limit applied after midnight"

"I knew the dog was possessive about the car but I would not have asked her to drive it if I had thought there was any risk."

Q: Do you engage in motorcycling, hunting or any other pastimes of a hazardous nature? A: "I Watch the Lottery Show and listen to Terry Wogan."

"First car stopped suddenly, second car hit first car and a haggis ran into the rear of second car."

"Windscreen broken. Cause unknown. Probably Voodoo."

"The car in front hit the pedestrian but he got up so I hit him again"

"I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment."

"The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention."

"I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way"

"A truck backed through my windshield into my wife's face"

"A pedestrian hit me and went under my car"

"In an attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole."

"I had been shopping for plants all day and was on my way home. As I reached an intersection a hedge sprang up obscuring my vision and I did not see the other car."

"I was on my way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident."

"An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car and vanished."

"I was thrown from the car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows."

"Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don't have."

"I thought my window was down, but I found it was up when I put my head through it."

"The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him."

"I had been driving for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident."

"As I approached an intersection a sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before."

"To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front I struck a pedestrian."

"My car was legally parked as it backed into another vehicle."

"I told the police that I was not injured, but on removing my hat found that I had a fractured skull."

"I was sure the old fellow would never make it to the other side of the road when I struck him."

"The pedestrian had no idea which way to run as I ran over him."

"I saw a slow moving, sad faced old gentleman as he bounced off the roof of my car."

"The indirect cause of the accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth."

"The telephone pole was approaching. I was attempting to swerve out of the way when I struck the front end."

"The gentleman behind me struck me on the backside. He then went to rest in a bush with just his rear end showing. "

"I had been learning to drive with power steering. I turned the wheel to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction going the opposite way."

"I was backing my car out of the driveway in the usual manner, when it was struck by the other car in the same place it had been struck several times before."

"When I saw I could not avoid a collision I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car."

"The accident happened when the right front door of a car came round the corner without giving a signal."

"No one was to blame for the accident but it would never have happened if the other driver had been alert."

"I was unable to stop in time and my car crashed into the other vehicle. The driver and passengers then left immediately for a vacation with injuries."

"The pedestrian ran for the pavement, but I got him."

"I saw her look at me twice. She appeared to be making slow progress when we met on impact."

"The accident occurred when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle."

"My car got hit by a submarine." (The Navy informed the wife of a submariner that the craft was due in port. She drove to the base to meet her husband and parked at the end of the slip where the sub was to berth. An inexperienced ensign was conning the sub and it rammed the end of the slip, breaking a section away, causing her car to fall into the water. The Navy paid the compensation claim.)


--------

Posted by witnit at 8:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 13, 2005

Bloggers Unite!

athy at Cake Eater Chronicles is asking for help, and because she is a revered BabeWit in these parts, we are there for her.

Her nephew, James, is a Type I diabetic and his family and friends have formed a team, James' Jaywalkers, for their local Walk to Cure Diabetes. This week, Kathy is trying to help them tap the blogosphere cash cauldron.

If you are inclined to such things, then go HERE today and help.

--------

Posted by witnit at 8:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Liberal: A Mental Disorder

at tip to Bad Bad Juju and Dog Snot Diaries for this humorous satire. Read it and weep, because it's closer to the truth than many of us would want to believe:
With the announced retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, Democrats suggested that this was a prime opportunity for President Bush to appoint a unique person to the Supreme Court. Having already appointed people of different races, sexes, religions and sexual preferences to the Supreme Court, the Democrats believe it's time to appoint a foreigner to the Court.
Maybe Hillary Clinton would have something intelligent to say on this topic:
"What a great opportunity to take the first step in making our Supreme Court into a World Court," said Senator Hillary Clinton. "We could actually start to make the United States more in line with the rest of the world. I think it's finally time for us to take this step in moving the country forward. I hope the president will take this opportunity to do the right thing and appoint a foreign judge to the Supreme Court."

Gee, maybe Senator Harry Reid could set us straight:

Senator Harry Reid also had a warning for the president if he didn't appoint a foreign judge. "We're not going to stand for extremists," said Reid. "If he doesn't have the courage to appoint a foreign judge, then anyone to the right of Karl Marx will be filibustered. I shudder to think what could happen to this country if a foreign judge isn't appointed. No same-sex marriage. Limits on baby killing. Inability of the government to take property from private citizens to give to other private citizens. We're digging in our heels."

You laugh, but just wait for the Supreme Court hearings...

*** Some people see things that are and ask, Why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have to go to work and don't have time for all that. George Carlin


--------

Posted by witnit at 8:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

James B. Stockdale - R.I.P.

ames B. Stockdale died last week, and he's received short shrift from the media, except by one writer, James Bliss of the Hoover Institution who sums up his thoughts here.

James Stockdale should be remembered for the following reasons:

James. B. Stockdate was a man who should be remembered. Truly, he was a man.

--------

Posted by witnit at 7:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack