This is just lovely.
A high-profile Australian charity headed by a Catholic priest has backed away from plans to set up an orphanage in tsunami-shattered Aceh after the plan enraged hardline Muslim groups.
Youth Off The Streets founder Father Chris Riley arrived in the provincial capital Banda Aceh with plans to set up a tent orphanage to house some of the estimated 35,000 Acehnese children with dead or missing parents.
The plan was backed with a $100,000 donation from NSW clubs and media mogul Kerry Packer's Nine Network funded Riley's trip.
But after the chief of the radical Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), Hilmy Bakar Almascaty warned Youth of the Streets to stick purely to humanitarian work, Riley said the orphanage plan had only ever been a last resort.
Islam means peace.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
A Nomadic Life
Great article on the human side of NFL coaching changes. In this case, Leslie Frazier.
Shaun Alexander in Bengal Stripes
Are the Bengals thinking about punting Rudy and making a run at Shaun Alexander. They may want to think again.
The little tantrum by Seattle running back Shaun Alexander after last week's division-clinching victory over Atlanta might cost him some money. Alexander will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, so he is looking at a nice new contract. But some personnel men around the league were already worried he was too much of a me-first kind of player before he complained openly about his not getting the ball at the goal line Sunday, which cost him the league rushing title by a yard. Alexander is also considered a bit aloof by his teammates, and there are questions about his ability to tough it out when things go bad. He's a good back, and he has had a heck of a year, but there are still concerns around the league as to whether he's worth paying big money. The Seahawks will get the first crack at trying to re-sign him before the free-agency period, so it will be interesting to see how they handle it.
The little tantrum by Seattle running back Shaun Alexander after last week's division-clinching victory over Atlanta might cost him some money. Alexander will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, so he is looking at a nice new contract. But some personnel men around the league were already worried he was too much of a me-first kind of player before he complained openly about his not getting the ball at the goal line Sunday, which cost him the league rushing title by a yard. Alexander is also considered a bit aloof by his teammates, and there are questions about his ability to tough it out when things go bad. He's a good back, and he has had a heck of a year, but there are still concerns around the league as to whether he's worth paying big money. The Seahawks will get the first crack at trying to re-sign him before the free-agency period, so it will be interesting to see how they handle it.
I'm Seeing A Pattern
Making matters worse, Cincinnati bound 6'10 center Abdul Herrera is again being forced to sit out and await clearance from the FHSAA to finish his senior season. Last year, Herrera missed several games before an appeal allowed him a one year eligibility extension.
"We expect it to be resolved by Friday,'' Jones said. "There's nothing that makes me anticipate Abdul won't be playing for us again after that."
"We expect it to be resolved by Friday,'' Jones said. "There's nothing that makes me anticipate Abdul won't be playing for us again after that."
No Love for Hugs
CINCINNATI, Ohio-- University of Cincinnati freshman basketball player Vincent Banks has been ruled academically ineligible for the 2004-05 season for failing to meet initial eligibility requirements, the university announced today. Banks is currently enrolled in classes at UC. Banks, a 6-2 guard from Atlanta, was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Georgia in 2003 after averaging 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game at South High School. Last season, Banks was the leading scorer (23.0 ppg) for high school power Laurinburg (N.C.) Prep while leading his team to a 29-4 record.
Ok, somebody explain this to me. Vincent Banks goes to high school, spends a year at prep school, enrolls at UC, and spends over four months going to class and practicing with the team. All this time, he was NEVER eligible to even enroll in college.
How does this happen? Who's at fault?
Ok, somebody explain this to me. Vincent Banks goes to high school, spends a year at prep school, enrolls at UC, and spends over four months going to class and practicing with the team. All this time, he was NEVER eligible to even enroll in college.
How does this happen? Who's at fault?
That Was A Stupid Thing to Do
I really like Armstrong Williams, but his syndicate should fire him. This is inexcusable.
Seeking to build support among black families for its education reform law, the Bush administration paid a prominent black pundit $240,000 to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same.
The campaign, part of an effort to promote No Child Left Behind (NCLB), required commentator Armstrong Williams "to regularly comment on NCLB during the course of his broadcasts," and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for TV and radio spots that aired during the show in 2004.
Williams said Thursday he understands that critics could find the arrangement unethical, but "I wanted to do it because it's something I believe in."
Seeking to build support among black families for its education reform law, the Bush administration paid a prominent black pundit $240,000 to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same.
The campaign, part of an effort to promote No Child Left Behind (NCLB), required commentator Armstrong Williams "to regularly comment on NCLB during the course of his broadcasts," and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for TV and radio spots that aired during the show in 2004.
Williams said Thursday he understands that critics could find the arrangement unethical, but "I wanted to do it because it's something I believe in."
I Am Shocked II
Hollywood glamour couple Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston have split, Pitt's longtime publicist confirmed Friday.
"We would like to announce that after seven years together we have decided to formally separate," the couple said in a joint statement released by Pitt's publicist Cindy Guagenti. "For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any speculation reported by the tabloid media. This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration."
"We would like to announce that after seven years together we have decided to formally separate," the couple said in a joint statement released by Pitt's publicist Cindy Guagenti. "For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any speculation reported by the tabloid media. This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration."
I Am Shocked
JANUARY 7--The finance director for Hillary Clinton's 2000 U.S. Senate campaign was indicted today on federal charges of filing bogus financial reports with the Federal Election Commission. According to the below indictment, David Rosen reported the false numbers in connection with a "Hollywood tribute" honoring Clinton. Investigators allege that a "wealthy individual" paid more than $1.1 million to underwrite the Clinton gala and that those payments were delivered through "several corporate entities controlled by him." While that whopping sum should have been reported to the FEC as an "in-kind contribution," prosecutors charge that Rosen covered up the real source of the money, and even caused the creation of a fictitious $200,000 invoice to aid his scheme. The August 2000 fundraiser was billed as a "Hollywood Tribute to William Jefferson Clinton," though the funds raised went to his wife's campaign kitty. The bash was held as the Brentwood estate of radio mogul Ken Roberts. While the so-called wealthy individual (referred to only as "C-1") is not named, he is clearly Peter Paul, an Internet entrepreneur who helped organize the bash. Clinton is not mentioned by name in the indictment,instead referred to only as "Senator A." The fundraiser was largely orchestrated by Aaron Tonken, a notorious L.A. con man who last August was sentenced to five years in prison following a guilty plea to a pair of fraud counts. The 39-year-old Tonken, who made his living defrauding donors and underwriters of charity events, now resides in the federal lockup in Taft, California, where he is scheduled to remain until April 2009.
Friday, January 07, 2005
More Than 1,000 Yards
That's over 10 football fields. Nice.
AR RAMADI, Iraq (Jan. 02, 2005) -- Seen through a twenty-power spot scope, terrorists scrambled to deliver another mortar round into the tube. Across the Euphrates River from a concealed rooftop, the Marine sniper breathed gently and then squeezed a few pounds of pressure to the delicate trigger of the M40A3 sniper rifle in his grasp.
The rifle's crack froze the booming Fallujah battle like a photograph. As he moved the bolt back to load another round of 7.62mm ammunition, the sniper's spotter confirmed the terrorist went down from the shot mere seconds before the next crack of the rifle dropped another. It wasn't the sniper's first kill in Iraq, but it was one for the history books.
On Nov. 11, 2004, while coalition forces fought to wrest control of Fallujah from a terrorist insurgency, Marine scout snipers with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, applied their basic infantry skills and took them to a higher level.
"From the information we have, our chief scout sniper has the longest confirmed kill in Iraq so far," said Capt. Shayne McGinty, weapons platoon commander for "Bravo" Co. "In Fallujah there were some bad guys firing mortars at us and he took them out from more than 1,000 yards."
AR RAMADI, Iraq (Jan. 02, 2005) -- Seen through a twenty-power spot scope, terrorists scrambled to deliver another mortar round into the tube. Across the Euphrates River from a concealed rooftop, the Marine sniper breathed gently and then squeezed a few pounds of pressure to the delicate trigger of the M40A3 sniper rifle in his grasp.
The rifle's crack froze the booming Fallujah battle like a photograph. As he moved the bolt back to load another round of 7.62mm ammunition, the sniper's spotter confirmed the terrorist went down from the shot mere seconds before the next crack of the rifle dropped another. It wasn't the sniper's first kill in Iraq, but it was one for the history books.
On Nov. 11, 2004, while coalition forces fought to wrest control of Fallujah from a terrorist insurgency, Marine scout snipers with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, applied their basic infantry skills and took them to a higher level.
"From the information we have, our chief scout sniper has the longest confirmed kill in Iraq so far," said Capt. Shayne McGinty, weapons platoon commander for "Bravo" Co. "In Fallujah there were some bad guys firing mortars at us and he took them out from more than 1,000 yards."
Somebody Please Silence This Man
Is there a bigger buffoon in the world today than Jacques Chirac. Uh....no.
FRENCH President Jacques Chirac made a new call today for an "international tax", saying such a levy would help generate funds to help poor countries and those hit by disasters such as the Asian tsunami."
These events stress the need to increase public aid towards development and to find innovative financing mechanisms such as an international taxation," Mr Chirac said in a New Year speech to the Paris diplomatic corps.
He said France would press the international tax idea this year at meetings of the Group of Eight - the G7 rich countries plus Russia - and at the United Nations, but gave no details of his proposals.
FRENCH President Jacques Chirac made a new call today for an "international tax", saying such a levy would help generate funds to help poor countries and those hit by disasters such as the Asian tsunami."
These events stress the need to increase public aid towards development and to find innovative financing mechanisms such as an international taxation," Mr Chirac said in a New Year speech to the Paris diplomatic corps.
He said France would press the international tax idea this year at meetings of the Group of Eight - the G7 rich countries plus Russia - and at the United Nations, but gave no details of his proposals.
I Just Love Kobe
There's nothing like comparing your rape charge to Jesus and tsunami victims.
KING: Does it [the tsunami] make your own adversity seem small?
BRYANT: Oh, absolutely.
KING: It dwarfs it, right?
BRYANT: Absolutely. You know, we all have crosses to bear. We all have crosses to bear. And you know, the cross that you are blessed to carry, may feel like a huge burden to you, but there's somebody out there who has a cross five times bigger than yours...
KING: You're not kidding.
BRYANT: ...that's carrying that cross. And then there's another person who has a cross bigger than his. And so we're all blessed in our own way, to be able to just wake up in the morning and to be able to receive the Lord's blessing, and to carry that cross and carry that burden, because it's a blessing, and that's how it should be looked. Because in the process of going through adversity, you're learning something. It brings you closer to God.
KING: Does it [the tsunami] make your own adversity seem small?
BRYANT: Oh, absolutely.
KING: It dwarfs it, right?
BRYANT: Absolutely. You know, we all have crosses to bear. We all have crosses to bear. And you know, the cross that you are blessed to carry, may feel like a huge burden to you, but there's somebody out there who has a cross five times bigger than yours...
KING: You're not kidding.
BRYANT: ...that's carrying that cross. And then there's another person who has a cross bigger than his. And so we're all blessed in our own way, to be able to just wake up in the morning and to be able to receive the Lord's blessing, and to carry that cross and carry that burden, because it's a blessing, and that's how it should be looked. Because in the process of going through adversity, you're learning something. It brings you closer to God.
History Was Made Last Night
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Richard Hamilton went into the NBA record book Thursday night with a bizarre distinction.
The Detroit Pistons swingman became the first player in league history to lead his team in scoring without making a field goal, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Hamilton, who had 14 points, missed all 10 of his shots from the floor and made all 14 free throws in a 101-79 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
"It was just one of those nights," he said.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
He Said What?
SAN JUAN (AP) -- New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya's plan to headline the team with Latin players makes it an attractive possibility for Puerto Rican slugger Carlos Delgado, the first-baseman said Wednesday.
I've got no problem with this. In fact, I completely understand. But can you imagine the uproar if a white dude said this about white players. Yikes!
I've got no problem with this. In fact, I completely understand. But can you imagine the uproar if a white dude said this about white players. Yikes!
Pitino...and The 'Ville...Stink
HOUSTON — Houston, we have a problem?
If only it were that simple for the University of Louisville men's basketball team, which succumbed to Houston 70-67 under a Texas-sized list of woes last night in its Conference USA opener in Hofheinz Pavillion.
...The Cards probably were lucky to be that close. Houston (9-5, 1-0) led by eight in the second half and squeezed off 21 more shots than Louisville. That happened because of the Cougars' 18 offensive rebounds and a season-high 24 turnovers by UofL.
If only it were that simple for the University of Louisville men's basketball team, which succumbed to Houston 70-67 under a Texas-sized list of woes last night in its Conference USA opener in Hofheinz Pavillion.
...The Cards probably were lucky to be that close. Houston (9-5, 1-0) led by eight in the second half and squeezed off 21 more shots than Louisville. That happened because of the Cougars' 18 offensive rebounds and a season-high 24 turnovers by UofL.
Mike Davis Better Dust Off That Resume
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Indiana University basketball team dug a deep hole last month with a six-game losing streak, and eventually a losing record heading into Big Ten play.
That hole is beginning to look like the Grand Canyon.
Northwestern, which hadn't won a Big Ten opener since 1983, dominated inside against the Hoosiers on Wednesday night in a 73-52 victory before a crowd of 7,001 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
That hole is beginning to look like the Grand Canyon.
Northwestern, which hadn't won a Big Ten opener since 1983, dominated inside against the Hoosiers on Wednesday night in a 73-52 victory before a crowd of 7,001 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Fighting for Themselves
Tom Friedman of the (gasp!) NY Times gets it exactly right:
It needs to be clear that these so-called insurgents are not fighting to liberate Iraq from America, but rather to reassert the tyranny of a Sunni-Baathist minority over the majority there. The insurgents are clearly desperate that they not be cast as fighting a democratically elected Iraqi government - which is why they are desperately trying to scuttle the elections. After all, if all they wanted was their fair share of the pie, and nothing more, they would be taking part in the elections.
We cannot liberate Iraq, and never could. Only Iraqis can liberate themselves, by first forging a social contract for sharing power and then having the will to go out and defend that compact against the minorities who will try to resist it. Elections are necessary for that process to unfold, but not sufficient. There has to be the will - among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds - to forge that equitable social contract and then fight for it.
In short, we need these elections in Iraq to see if there really is a self-governing community there ready, and willing, to liberate itself - both from Iraq's old regime and from us. The answer to this question is not self-evident. This was always a shot in the dark - but one that I would argue was morally and strategically worth trying.
Because if it is impossible for the peoples of even one Arab state to voluntarily organize themselves around a social contract for democratic life, then we are looking at dictators and kings ruling this region as far as the eye can see. And that will guarantee that this region will be a cauldron of oil-financed pathologies and terrorism for the rest of our lives.
It needs to be clear that these so-called insurgents are not fighting to liberate Iraq from America, but rather to reassert the tyranny of a Sunni-Baathist minority over the majority there. The insurgents are clearly desperate that they not be cast as fighting a democratically elected Iraqi government - which is why they are desperately trying to scuttle the elections. After all, if all they wanted was their fair share of the pie, and nothing more, they would be taking part in the elections.
We cannot liberate Iraq, and never could. Only Iraqis can liberate themselves, by first forging a social contract for sharing power and then having the will to go out and defend that compact against the minorities who will try to resist it. Elections are necessary for that process to unfold, but not sufficient. There has to be the will - among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds - to forge that equitable social contract and then fight for it.
In short, we need these elections in Iraq to see if there really is a self-governing community there ready, and willing, to liberate itself - both from Iraq's old regime and from us. The answer to this question is not self-evident. This was always a shot in the dark - but one that I would argue was morally and strategically worth trying.
Because if it is impossible for the peoples of even one Arab state to voluntarily organize themselves around a social contract for democratic life, then we are looking at dictators and kings ruling this region as far as the eye can see. And that will guarantee that this region will be a cauldron of oil-financed pathologies and terrorism for the rest of our lives.
Good Idea?
In today's Wall Street Journal, there's a piece by Bruce Gilley titled "An Immodest Proposal". In it, he writes:
"Here is an immodest proposal that could reduce global tensions, bring justice to millions, and cement China's emergence as a great power: Beijing should invade North Korea on humanitarian grounds and establish a China-backed transitional regime there. The U.S. and its allies in Asia should provide diplomatic and logistical support to the operation, while the U.N. should provide its legal blessing."
I'm not sure if this idea's crazy or ingenius.
"Here is an immodest proposal that could reduce global tensions, bring justice to millions, and cement China's emergence as a great power: Beijing should invade North Korea on humanitarian grounds and establish a China-backed transitional regime there. The U.S. and its allies in Asia should provide diplomatic and logistical support to the operation, while the U.N. should provide its legal blessing."
I'm not sure if this idea's crazy or ingenius.
Leslie's Out
The Bengals' defense improved from 2003 to 2004 but apparently not enough to save defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier's job.
Frazier, whose two-year contract had expired, was not offered a new deal, the club announced Wednesday. The decision had been made by as early as Tuesday, following a Monday night meeting involving Frazier and coach Marvin Lewis at Paul Brown Stadium.
Look, Marvin can hire or fire whomever he wants. But the Marvin/Frazier marriage NEVER made sense. Frazier is a protege if Jim Johnson in Philly, whose attacking, blitzing defenses are legendary. Marvin, on the other hand, is a conservative, fundamental, keep the offense in front of you type of defensive mind.Frazier is a good coach. But this was never going to work.
Interesting Development in Cali
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (news - web sites) will urge lawmakers to pass a sweeping overhaul of the state's public pension systems, including Calpers, the nation's largest pension fund, an aide said on Wednesday.
Schwarzenegger plans to use his "State of the State" address on Wednesday evening to back a plan that would scrap California's defined-benefit public pension plans in favor of defined-contribution plans similar to 401(k) retirement plans in the private sector.
Critics of that partial privatization, which mirrors Bush administration moves to shift Social Security (news - web sites) money into private accounts, call it an attempt to undercut the influence of Calpers as a corporate watchdog and curb its political activism.
Schwarzenegger plans to use his "State of the State" address on Wednesday evening to back a plan that would scrap California's defined-benefit public pension plans in favor of defined-contribution plans similar to 401(k) retirement plans in the private sector.
Critics of that partial privatization, which mirrors Bush administration moves to shift Social Security (news - web sites) money into private accounts, call it an attempt to undercut the influence of Calpers as a corporate watchdog and curb its political activism.
We Don't Torture
This proves that the U.S. doesn't torture prisoners...we send them to other countries to be tortured.
An Australian terror suspect being held at Guantanamo Bay has alleged he was tortured with dogs and electrodes while being interrogated in Egypt, it was reported Thursday.
Mamdouh Habib, a 48-year-old Egyptian-born father of four from Sydney, was arrested in Pakistan near the Afghanistan border three weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
Australia believes he was later detained for a period in Egypt before being transferred to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Egypt has not confirmed his presence in that country.
An Australian terror suspect being held at Guantanamo Bay has alleged he was tortured with dogs and electrodes while being interrogated in Egypt, it was reported Thursday.
Mamdouh Habib, a 48-year-old Egyptian-born father of four from Sydney, was arrested in Pakistan near the Afghanistan border three weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
Australia believes he was later detained for a period in Egypt before being transferred to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Egypt has not confirmed his presence in that country.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
I'm Now a Formula One Fan
Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher joined the growing list of sporting donors to victims of the Asian tsunamis with a pledge of $10 million.
The Dec. 26 disaster that killed more than 150,000 was ``incomprehensibly tragic,'' Schumacher said on his Web site. Willi Weber, his manager, said on German television channel ZDF's ``Wir Wollen Helfen'' show last night that the 36-year-old Schumacher will make the donation.
``It's impossible not to keep thinking about it,'' Schumacher told his Web site. ``Our thoughts are with them and we hope that they will be spared further disastrous events.''
...Schumacher, a record seven-time F-1 world champion, is an ambassador for children's charity UNESCO and donated more than $1 million at a gala in November. He made $80 million last year, ranking him second behind golfer Tiger Woods on sport's list of highest earners, according to Forbes magazine.
The Dec. 26 disaster that killed more than 150,000 was ``incomprehensibly tragic,'' Schumacher said on his Web site. Willi Weber, his manager, said on German television channel ZDF's ``Wir Wollen Helfen'' show last night that the 36-year-old Schumacher will make the donation.
``It's impossible not to keep thinking about it,'' Schumacher told his Web site. ``Our thoughts are with them and we hope that they will be spared further disastrous events.''
...Schumacher, a record seven-time F-1 world champion, is an ambassador for children's charity UNESCO and donated more than $1 million at a gala in November. He made $80 million last year, ranking him second behind golfer Tiger Woods on sport's list of highest earners, according to Forbes magazine.
The USC Triumph
Here are three observations from last nights game courtesy of CNNSI. All three are right on the money.
6. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops didn't exactly rush to the aid of Mark Bradley, the Sooner senior who inexplicably tried to pick up a bouncing punt at the OU 3-yard line and promptly fumbled when it was still a 7-7 game in the first quarter. "I have no idea why Mark would have done that," Stoops said. "I was as shocked as anybody in the stadium. How do you explain that? I don't know. That goes back to Pop Warner football. Mark should have made a better decision. I'm not going to sit here and go any further in front of the whole media, but it's as bad a play as there is." Uh, thanks Bob, you probably went far enough. Now if somebody could kindly remove Mr. Bradley from the undercarriage of the OU bus.
As if I needed another reason to hate Bob Stoops. Can you say "arrogant ass".
7. It was interesting to hear ABC's announcers talking about USC's back-to-back championships while awarding the Trojans the crystal football that goes to the BCS champ. Does anyone else remember that last year at this time, that very same trophy was awarded to a different team (LSU) on the identical network? Are we now supposed to pretend that never happened?
This bothered me too. Somebody should have informed Wayne Huizenga about this when he was negotiating Saban's new contract with the Dolphins.
8. A blowout game such as this brings out the gallows humor in the press box. The 10 Spot's personal favorite was when one wag quipped that Jason White now intended to return for a seventh season to complete unfinished business. "This time," he intoned, "it's personal." In second place is this barb from SI.com's Stewart Mandel: "Even Ashlee Simpson performed better live than Oklahoma."
Ashlee Simpson is awful beyond words.
6. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops didn't exactly rush to the aid of Mark Bradley, the Sooner senior who inexplicably tried to pick up a bouncing punt at the OU 3-yard line and promptly fumbled when it was still a 7-7 game in the first quarter. "I have no idea why Mark would have done that," Stoops said. "I was as shocked as anybody in the stadium. How do you explain that? I don't know. That goes back to Pop Warner football. Mark should have made a better decision. I'm not going to sit here and go any further in front of the whole media, but it's as bad a play as there is." Uh, thanks Bob, you probably went far enough. Now if somebody could kindly remove Mr. Bradley from the undercarriage of the OU bus.
As if I needed another reason to hate Bob Stoops. Can you say "arrogant ass".
7. It was interesting to hear ABC's announcers talking about USC's back-to-back championships while awarding the Trojans the crystal football that goes to the BCS champ. Does anyone else remember that last year at this time, that very same trophy was awarded to a different team (LSU) on the identical network? Are we now supposed to pretend that never happened?
This bothered me too. Somebody should have informed Wayne Huizenga about this when he was negotiating Saban's new contract with the Dolphins.
8. A blowout game such as this brings out the gallows humor in the press box. The 10 Spot's personal favorite was when one wag quipped that Jason White now intended to return for a seventh season to complete unfinished business. "This time," he intoned, "it's personal." In second place is this barb from SI.com's Stewart Mandel: "Even Ashlee Simpson performed better live than Oklahoma."
Ashlee Simpson is awful beyond words.
Ok, This Might Be A Problem
Mohammed has become one of the most popular names for baby boys in England and Wales.
It entered the top 20 most commonly chosen names for 2004 baby boys for the first time ever, according to the Office for National Statistics.
It entered the top 20 most commonly chosen names for 2004 baby boys for the first time ever, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Ouch!
Man, talk about feeling convicted. This Christianity Today editorial smacked me in the face:
David Callahan, author of The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead, detects "a pattern of widespread cheating throughout U.S. society." He defines cheating as "breaking the rules to get ahead academically, professionally, or financially."
We might add "spiritually." More than 20 years ago, Eugene Peterson, in A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, put his finger on the problem: "One aspect of the world that I have been able to identify as harmful to Christians is the assumption that anything worthwhile can be acquired at once. We assume that if something can be done at all, it can be done quickly, and efficiently."
If cheating is taking inappropriate shortcuts to achieve a good, even a holy end, much of evangelical Christianity stands guilty. We read one-minute Bibles, pray through five-minute devotions, or wander from one conference to another to get five keys to spiritual success. We expect spiritual maturity in 40 purpose-filled studies. Though such resources are designed as milk for the immature, we fear they are viewed as the meat of discipleship by too many.
As Peterson puts it, "The first step toward God is a step away from the lies of the world. It is a renunciation of the lies we have been told about ourselves and our neighbors and our universe." One of those lies is that we can have instant discipleship or short-cut spirituality.
Whether we're tempted to cheat in the world or in the pulpit or in our spiritual lives, it amounts to the same thing: an impatience with the way God has made life. We do well to remember that he has created us not to be tourists, who seek instant and intense gratifications, but to be pilgrims on a long journey.
Our destination is the heavenly city, but unlike other journeys, God has made it so that the views and trials, the experiences and people we meet along the way make this journey a "destination" of its own, a process by which we prepare for the moment we come "face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12).
Shortcut the journey, and we'll never enjoy the beatific moment.
An instant society needs to be reminded of the divinely ordered way—in business, in journalism, wherever. But first, we Christians need to get our own journey in order.
David Callahan, author of The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead, detects "a pattern of widespread cheating throughout U.S. society." He defines cheating as "breaking the rules to get ahead academically, professionally, or financially."
We might add "spiritually." More than 20 years ago, Eugene Peterson, in A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, put his finger on the problem: "One aspect of the world that I have been able to identify as harmful to Christians is the assumption that anything worthwhile can be acquired at once. We assume that if something can be done at all, it can be done quickly, and efficiently."
If cheating is taking inappropriate shortcuts to achieve a good, even a holy end, much of evangelical Christianity stands guilty. We read one-minute Bibles, pray through five-minute devotions, or wander from one conference to another to get five keys to spiritual success. We expect spiritual maturity in 40 purpose-filled studies. Though such resources are designed as milk for the immature, we fear they are viewed as the meat of discipleship by too many.
As Peterson puts it, "The first step toward God is a step away from the lies of the world. It is a renunciation of the lies we have been told about ourselves and our neighbors and our universe." One of those lies is that we can have instant discipleship or short-cut spirituality.
Whether we're tempted to cheat in the world or in the pulpit or in our spiritual lives, it amounts to the same thing: an impatience with the way God has made life. We do well to remember that he has created us not to be tourists, who seek instant and intense gratifications, but to be pilgrims on a long journey.
Our destination is the heavenly city, but unlike other journeys, God has made it so that the views and trials, the experiences and people we meet along the way make this journey a "destination" of its own, a process by which we prepare for the moment we come "face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12).
Shortcut the journey, and we'll never enjoy the beatific moment.
An instant society needs to be reminded of the divinely ordered way—in business, in journalism, wherever. But first, we Christians need to get our own journey in order.
The Best of al Ja-Reuters
Jane Galt sticks it to Reuters...again. Man, it's like shooting ducks in a barrell.
This article in Reuters, provocatively titled "In U.S., So Many Obese, So Many Hungry" says that "In a nation where obesity is the second-leading cause of death, 33 million Americans don't know where their next meal is coming from -- a year-round paradox that only becomes more pronounced during the holidays."
This number makes no sense.
It makes no sense because 33 million people is more than 10% of the US population. Yet only 12.5% of the US population is below the poverty line, even with the recession-driven spike of recent years.
It especially makes no sense because those living below the poverty line have much higher incidence of obesity than those living above it. Either the remaining 2.4% of the population that is poor but isn't "food insecure" (the USDA figure they're using) is really whomping the hell out of those averages, or a lot of people who don't know where their next meal is coming from are managing to run into it anyway.
As it happens, the definition of "food insecurity" is rather more tame than "don't know where their next meal is coming from", as this article from the USDA makes clear:
"Food insecure" means being uncertain of having, or being able to acquire, enough food to meet basic needs because of lack of money or other resources. . . on a typical day, the prevalence of food insecurity with hunger is only about 13 to 18 percent of the annual rate. For example, in 1998 people in 3.7% of households were hungry at some point in the year because of inadequate resources."
Note the introduction of "food insecurity with hunger", a different, smaller category from "food insecurity". That is the actual number we should be looking at, and it is about 1/3 of the number Reuters gives us.
This article in Reuters, provocatively titled "In U.S., So Many Obese, So Many Hungry" says that "In a nation where obesity is the second-leading cause of death, 33 million Americans don't know where their next meal is coming from -- a year-round paradox that only becomes more pronounced during the holidays."
This number makes no sense.
It makes no sense because 33 million people is more than 10% of the US population. Yet only 12.5% of the US population is below the poverty line, even with the recession-driven spike of recent years.
It especially makes no sense because those living below the poverty line have much higher incidence of obesity than those living above it. Either the remaining 2.4% of the population that is poor but isn't "food insecure" (the USDA figure they're using) is really whomping the hell out of those averages, or a lot of people who don't know where their next meal is coming from are managing to run into it anyway.
As it happens, the definition of "food insecurity" is rather more tame than "don't know where their next meal is coming from", as this article from the USDA makes clear:
"Food insecure" means being uncertain of having, or being able to acquire, enough food to meet basic needs because of lack of money or other resources. . . on a typical day, the prevalence of food insecurity with hunger is only about 13 to 18 percent of the annual rate. For example, in 1998 people in 3.7% of households were hungry at some point in the year because of inadequate resources."
Note the introduction of "food insecurity with hunger", a different, smaller category from "food insecurity". That is the actual number we should be looking at, and it is about 1/3 of the number Reuters gives us.
The Orange Revolution is Almost Complete
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma has formally accepted the resignation of Viktor Yanukovych as prime minister of Ukraine, the presidential press service said.
Yanukovych, prime minister since 2002, announced his resignation in a New Year's Eve address to the nation, but vowed to push ahead with his challenge to the results of the December 26 revote, which preliminary results show opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko winning.
Yanukovych, prime minister since 2002, announced his resignation in a New Year's Eve address to the nation, but vowed to push ahead with his challenge to the results of the December 26 revote, which preliminary results show opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko winning.
This is a Nice Gesture
Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and four other NBA players have promised to donate $1,000 for every point they score in a game later this week to help victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami.
Bob Sura of the Houston Rockets, Jalen Rose of the Toronto Raptors, and Pau Gasol and Mike Miller of the Memphis Grizzlies also are taking part in the $1,000-per-point donations, which will be made to UNICEF.
McGrady, Bryant and O'Neal will have to fork over quite a bit...in the $20,000 to $40,000 range. But Bob Sura? And Jalen Rose? They'll be lucky to score 5 points.
Bob Sura of the Houston Rockets, Jalen Rose of the Toronto Raptors, and Pau Gasol and Mike Miller of the Memphis Grizzlies also are taking part in the $1,000-per-point donations, which will be made to UNICEF.
McGrady, Bryant and O'Neal will have to fork over quite a bit...in the $20,000 to $40,000 range. But Bob Sura? And Jalen Rose? They'll be lucky to score 5 points.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Billick Must Go
What's Brian Billick's answer to the Raven's abysmal offense?
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh resigned under pressure Monday after meeting with head coach Brian Billick, who finally lost patience with the team's sputtering attack.
Nice. Isn't Billick supposed to be the offensive genius? Yet, his offenses have always sucked in Baltimore. If it wasn't for the stellar defensive personnel he inherited from GM Ozzie Newsome, he wouldn't have won any games over the past few years.
Must be nice being the top dog and canning the little guys for your incompetence.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh resigned under pressure Monday after meeting with head coach Brian Billick, who finally lost patience with the team's sputtering attack.
Nice. Isn't Billick supposed to be the offensive genius? Yet, his offenses have always sucked in Baltimore. If it wasn't for the stellar defensive personnel he inherited from GM Ozzie Newsome, he wouldn't have won any games over the past few years.
Must be nice being the top dog and canning the little guys for your incompetence.
Terrorism Knows No Class
I usually read things like this...
WASHINGTON - A rise in the number of Muslims in Western Europe, many of them poor and uneducated, is contributing to an increase in already deeply rooted anti-Semitism there, the State Department said in a report to Congress.
...yet continue to see things like this...
CAIRO, Egypt - The suicide bomber who killed 22 people when he blew himself up in a U.S. mess hall in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul was a Saudi medical student, an Arab newspaper reported Monday.
Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat identified him as 20-year-old Ahmed Said Ahmed al-Ghamdi, citing unnamed friends of the man's father. The friends said members of an Iraqi resistance group contacted al-Ghamdi's father to tell him his son was the suicide bomber who carried out the Dec. 21 attack, the deadliest on an American installation in Iraq.
Islamist terrorism is not fueled exclusively by the poor and downtrodden. They are just its victims. Like any revolution, Islamist terrorism is driven by educated, wealthy elites - most of them Saudis.
What would we do without our friends the Saudis.
WASHINGTON - A rise in the number of Muslims in Western Europe, many of them poor and uneducated, is contributing to an increase in already deeply rooted anti-Semitism there, the State Department said in a report to Congress.
...yet continue to see things like this...
CAIRO, Egypt - The suicide bomber who killed 22 people when he blew himself up in a U.S. mess hall in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul was a Saudi medical student, an Arab newspaper reported Monday.
Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat identified him as 20-year-old Ahmed Said Ahmed al-Ghamdi, citing unnamed friends of the man's father. The friends said members of an Iraqi resistance group contacted al-Ghamdi's father to tell him his son was the suicide bomber who carried out the Dec. 21 attack, the deadliest on an American installation in Iraq.
Islamist terrorism is not fueled exclusively by the poor and downtrodden. They are just its victims. Like any revolution, Islamist terrorism is driven by educated, wealthy elites - most of them Saudis.
What would we do without our friends the Saudis.
Nuke the Nukes
If we're already flying over, why not drop a few bombs.
Iran has reported flights by U.S. military aircraft over nuclear facilities near the borders with Afghanistan and Iraq.
Iran's state-controlled media said the overflights by U.S. aircraft were spotted near a range of nuclear facilities, including the Bushehr nuclear reactor constructed by Russia.
Iran has reported flights by U.S. military aircraft over nuclear facilities near the borders with Afghanistan and Iraq.
Iran's state-controlled media said the overflights by U.S. aircraft were spotted near a range of nuclear facilities, including the Bushehr nuclear reactor constructed by Russia.
Yuck!
I don't know what to think of this.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Workers at Kenya's main market killed some 6,000 rats, trucked away 750 tons (680 metric tons) of garbage and sucked 70 tons (64 metric tons) of human waste out of latrines in three days of the first major cleanup of the market in 30 years, an official said Tuesday.
The Wakulima Market, which supplies fresh food to most of Nairobi's 3 million residents, was a public health hazard, with rubbish piling up 2 meters (7 feet) deep in some places, said Local Government Minister Musikari Kombo.
First, I know Kenya is a poor country, but moving the garbage away from the fresh food supply doesn't seem like an economic issue. Just move it.
Second, 6,000 rats doesn't seem like that many for 750 tons of garbage and 70 tons of human waste. I would think they'd have to kill 60,000 rats...or 600,000.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Workers at Kenya's main market killed some 6,000 rats, trucked away 750 tons (680 metric tons) of garbage and sucked 70 tons (64 metric tons) of human waste out of latrines in three days of the first major cleanup of the market in 30 years, an official said Tuesday.
The Wakulima Market, which supplies fresh food to most of Nairobi's 3 million residents, was a public health hazard, with rubbish piling up 2 meters (7 feet) deep in some places, said Local Government Minister Musikari Kombo.
First, I know Kenya is a poor country, but moving the garbage away from the fresh food supply doesn't seem like an economic issue. Just move it.
Second, 6,000 rats doesn't seem like that many for 750 tons of garbage and 70 tons of human waste. I would think they'd have to kill 60,000 rats...or 600,000.
Learn to Love the Imperfect
This is an interesting article about one family's struggle with the evils of commercial television and the ghetto of its Christian alternative. But I just love this snippet:
In The Paradox of Choice, Swarthmore College sociologist Barry Schwartz asserts that choice overload is turning us into a nation of "maximizers," for whom only the best will do in every area of life. The downside is that we are less satisfied with our choices because the stakes are so much higher than they've ever been in the past.
Schwartz recounts a visit to the Gap to buy a pair of jeans. Although he was overwhelmed by the volume of available choices, the fact that he could purchase something with ultimate fit and comfort made anything less than perfection unacceptable. What had once been a relatively mundane errand was suddenly imbued with significance.
This is so true. We've created a cult of choice and perfection in our culture that is suffocating to life itself. We're no longer content (that's a bad word these days) with anything. There's always something better, something cheaper, something more "fulfilling." We have unlimited choices that seemingly leads to a "perfect" solution. Yet we're always left wanting more.
Next time you're making dinner or shopping for clothes, settle for something that's not quite right, something that doesn't quite meet your overheated expectations. Then be thankful for what you have, thankful for the imperfection that reflects our true selves.
I think this is why there is so little true tolerance in the world today - we're conditioned to receive perfection (at least in our society), and when we don't we are disappointed and discouraged.
In The Paradox of Choice, Swarthmore College sociologist Barry Schwartz asserts that choice overload is turning us into a nation of "maximizers," for whom only the best will do in every area of life. The downside is that we are less satisfied with our choices because the stakes are so much higher than they've ever been in the past.
Schwartz recounts a visit to the Gap to buy a pair of jeans. Although he was overwhelmed by the volume of available choices, the fact that he could purchase something with ultimate fit and comfort made anything less than perfection unacceptable. What had once been a relatively mundane errand was suddenly imbued with significance.
This is so true. We've created a cult of choice and perfection in our culture that is suffocating to life itself. We're no longer content (that's a bad word these days) with anything. There's always something better, something cheaper, something more "fulfilling." We have unlimited choices that seemingly leads to a "perfect" solution. Yet we're always left wanting more.
Next time you're making dinner or shopping for clothes, settle for something that's not quite right, something that doesn't quite meet your overheated expectations. Then be thankful for what you have, thankful for the imperfection that reflects our true selves.
I think this is why there is so little true tolerance in the world today - we're conditioned to receive perfection (at least in our society), and when we don't we are disappointed and discouraged.
Great News...Maybe
Oh, I hope this is true.
DUBAI, January 4 (Itar-Tass) - Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, whom the US occupation authorities declared to be the "target number one" in Iraq, has been arrested in the city of Baakuba, the Emirate newspaper al-Bayane reported on Tuesday referring to Kurdish sources. Al-Zarqawi, leader of the terrorist group Al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad, was recently appointed the director of the Al-Qaeda organisation in Iraq.
The newspaper's correspondent in Baghdad points out that a report on the seizure of the terrorist, on whom the US put a bounty of 10 million dollars, was also reported by Iraqi Kurdistan radio, which at one time had been the first to announce the arrest of Saddam Hussein.
DUBAI, January 4 (Itar-Tass) - Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, whom the US occupation authorities declared to be the "target number one" in Iraq, has been arrested in the city of Baakuba, the Emirate newspaper al-Bayane reported on Tuesday referring to Kurdish sources. Al-Zarqawi, leader of the terrorist group Al-Tawhid Wa'al-Jihad, was recently appointed the director of the Al-Qaeda organisation in Iraq.
The newspaper's correspondent in Baghdad points out that a report on the seizure of the terrorist, on whom the US put a bounty of 10 million dollars, was also reported by Iraqi Kurdistan radio, which at one time had been the first to announce the arrest of Saddam Hussein.
French Fry Rage
Now who wouldn't react this way:
DuBOIS, Pa. (AP) -- A Burger King customer berated the employees and nearly hit one of them with his truck after the clerk at the drive-thru window told him they were out of french fries, police said.
Gregg Luttman, 22, made an obscene gesture at the drive-thru clerk on New Year's Day, then walked into the restaurant and cursed at the staff, Sandy Township police Sgt. Rod Fairman said.
When he returned to his pickup truck, he saw restaurant workers taking down his license number and put the vehicle in reverse, nearly hitting one of them, Fairman said.
After being stopped on a highway a short distance away, Luttman scuffled with police and kicked out the back window of a police car, Fairman said.
Luttman was charged with assault, reckless endangerment and other offenses. He was freed Monday on $2,500 bail.
DuBOIS, Pa. (AP) -- A Burger King customer berated the employees and nearly hit one of them with his truck after the clerk at the drive-thru window told him they were out of french fries, police said.
Gregg Luttman, 22, made an obscene gesture at the drive-thru clerk on New Year's Day, then walked into the restaurant and cursed at the staff, Sandy Township police Sgt. Rod Fairman said.
When he returned to his pickup truck, he saw restaurant workers taking down his license number and put the vehicle in reverse, nearly hitting one of them, Fairman said.
After being stopped on a highway a short distance away, Luttman scuffled with police and kicked out the back window of a police car, Fairman said.
Luttman was charged with assault, reckless endangerment and other offenses. He was freed Monday on $2,500 bail.
Quote of the Day
"['Desperate Housewives'] has nothing to say about the vicissitudes of the average or even the well-to-do American stay-at-home wife; it is neither feminist, nor pro-feminist nor proto-feminist nor post-feminist. Feminism has as little to do with Desperate Housewives as it did with Sex and the City. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine in either case what outright misogynists would have done differently." - Germaine Greer, in the Guardian.
Weight Watchers Rules
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A review of 10 of the nation's most popular weight-loss programs found that except for Weight Watchers, none of them offer proof that they actually work at helping people shed pounds and keep them off.
Only Weight Watchers had strong documentation that it worked -- with one study showing that participants lost around 5 percent (about 10 pounds) of their initial weight in six months and kept off about half of it two years later.
However, the researchers who conducted the review published in Tuesday's Annals of Internal Medicine stressed that the lack of scientific evidence should not be viewed as an attack on diet programs.
Obesity is merely a symptom of an underlying issue. The problem with most, if not all, weight loss programs is that they only deal with the symptom (too much weight) and not the real problem. As a result, these findings are not all that surprising.
Only Weight Watchers had strong documentation that it worked -- with one study showing that participants lost around 5 percent (about 10 pounds) of their initial weight in six months and kept off about half of it two years later.
However, the researchers who conducted the review published in Tuesday's Annals of Internal Medicine stressed that the lack of scientific evidence should not be viewed as an attack on diet programs.
Obesity is merely a symptom of an underlying issue. The problem with most, if not all, weight loss programs is that they only deal with the symptom (too much weight) and not the real problem. As a result, these findings are not all that surprising.
A Stupid Actor Is As A Stupid Actor Does
Richard Gere a dupe for terrorists. No, I don't believe it.
If It's Not Close, They Can't Cheat
That's the title of a book released earlier this year by Hugh Hewitt detailing the long history of Democratic party election fraud. Well, they're at it again - this time in Washington state.
OLYMPIA -- Democrat Christine Gregoire was declared Washington's next governor yesterday, but Republican Dino Rossi refused to quit the race and cited thousands of "mystery voters" in King County as ample ammunition for continuing the fight.
The state Republican Party obtained a list of the people who voted in King County as part of a larger request for information designed to show systemic problems with the election.
The data showed that 895,660 people voted in the state's largest county. That's a problem, Republicans said, because King County tallied 899,199 votes -- 3,539 more votes than there were voters.
"We want the names of those people now," Rossi said. "You shouldn't be able to certify an election with 3,500 mystery voters."
OLYMPIA -- Democrat Christine Gregoire was declared Washington's next governor yesterday, but Republican Dino Rossi refused to quit the race and cited thousands of "mystery voters" in King County as ample ammunition for continuing the fight.
The state Republican Party obtained a list of the people who voted in King County as part of a larger request for information designed to show systemic problems with the election.
The data showed that 895,660 people voted in the state's largest county. That's a problem, Republicans said, because King County tallied 899,199 votes -- 3,539 more votes than there were voters.
"We want the names of those people now," Rossi said. "You shouldn't be able to certify an election with 3,500 mystery voters."
Trade is Good
While foreign aid is necessary, the real engine behind the growth of global wealth is trade. Free, unrestricted trade is the enemy of poverty.
According to a recent study by the World Bank, 2004's growth reflected "an expansion without precedent over the past 30 years." Equally encouraging, the report notes that "the rapid growth of developing economies ... has produced a spectacular, if not historic, fall in poverty."
Amazingly, the World Bank report did not get much coverage in our mainstream media. It seems the press was more interested in covering the evils of globalization than in taking notice of how world trade -- which grew by an astounding 10.2 percent this year -- is driving economic growth. . . .
It is undeniable that 2004 was a great year for the poor. The World Bank's prediction that global poverty will continue plummeting is particularly encouraging. But if we are ever to wipe poverty from the face of the Earth, our next generation of leaders must first understand what makes the global economy tick -- the fundamental relationship between free trade and economic growth.
According to a recent study by the World Bank, 2004's growth reflected "an expansion without precedent over the past 30 years." Equally encouraging, the report notes that "the rapid growth of developing economies ... has produced a spectacular, if not historic, fall in poverty."
Amazingly, the World Bank report did not get much coverage in our mainstream media. It seems the press was more interested in covering the evils of globalization than in taking notice of how world trade -- which grew by an astounding 10.2 percent this year -- is driving economic growth. . . .
It is undeniable that 2004 was a great year for the poor. The World Bank's prediction that global poverty will continue plummeting is particularly encouraging. But if we are ever to wipe poverty from the face of the Earth, our next generation of leaders must first understand what makes the global economy tick -- the fundamental relationship between free trade and economic growth.
Social Security Reform
I think this is a reasonable - and necessary - change:
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has signaled that it will propose changing the formula that sets initial Social Security benefit levels, cutting promised benefits by nearly a third in the coming decades, according to several Republicans close to the White House.
Under the proposal, the first-year benefits for retirees would be calculated using inflation rates rather than the rise in wages over a worker's lifetime. Because wages tend to rise considerably faster than inflation, the new formula would stunt the growth of benefits, slowly at first but more quickly by the middle of the century.
The White House hopes that some, if not all, of those benefit cuts would be made up by gains in newly created personal investment accounts that would harness returns on stocks and bonds.
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has signaled that it will propose changing the formula that sets initial Social Security benefit levels, cutting promised benefits by nearly a third in the coming decades, according to several Republicans close to the White House.
Under the proposal, the first-year benefits for retirees would be calculated using inflation rates rather than the rise in wages over a worker's lifetime. Because wages tend to rise considerably faster than inflation, the new formula would stunt the growth of benefits, slowly at first but more quickly by the middle of the century.
The White House hopes that some, if not all, of those benefit cuts would be made up by gains in newly created personal investment accounts that would harness returns on stocks and bonds.
Monday, January 03, 2005
"I Have the Utmost Respect for Life"
This is chilling. I think this sums it up:
I have the utmost respect for life; I appreciate that life starts early in the womb, but also believe that I'm ending it for good reasons. Often I'm saving the woman, or I'm improving the lives of the other children in the family. I also believe that women have a life they have to consider. If a woman is working full-time, has one child already, and is barely getting by, having another child that would financially push her to go on public assistance is going to lessen the quality of her life. And it's also an issue for the child, if it would not have had a good life. Life's hard enough when you're wanted and everything's prepared for. So yes, I end life, but even when it's hard, it's for a good reason.
I have the utmost respect for life; I appreciate that life starts early in the womb, but also believe that I'm ending it for good reasons. Often I'm saving the woman, or I'm improving the lives of the other children in the family. I also believe that women have a life they have to consider. If a woman is working full-time, has one child already, and is barely getting by, having another child that would financially push her to go on public assistance is going to lessen the quality of her life. And it's also an issue for the child, if it would not have had a good life. Life's hard enough when you're wanted and everything's prepared for. So yes, I end life, but even when it's hard, it's for a good reason.
Bengals Much Better This Year
In the postulate-smashing math of the NFL, eight does not always amount to eight. During their break-even 2003, for instance, the Bengals were the equal of the losing teams (117-139) they played. This season, they shot par on a much tougher course (139-117).
My Girl Sandra
I never liked her as an actress, but she's one heck of a philanthropist.
Sandra Bullock chips in $1M for tsunami relief
On-again, off-again Austin resident Sandra Bullock has donated $1 million to the American Red Cross for tsunami disaster relief in southern Asian and eastern Africa.
"At this critical time, I am grateful to Sandra Bullock for, once again, demonstrating her leadership, compassion and belief in our global humanitarian mission," says Marsha Evans, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. "Sandra continues to enable our lifesaving work and is a model for personal generosity."
In 2001, the actress donated $1 million to the Red Cross in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Sandra Bullock chips in $1M for tsunami relief
On-again, off-again Austin resident Sandra Bullock has donated $1 million to the American Red Cross for tsunami disaster relief in southern Asian and eastern Africa.
"At this critical time, I am grateful to Sandra Bullock for, once again, demonstrating her leadership, compassion and belief in our global humanitarian mission," says Marsha Evans, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. "Sandra continues to enable our lifesaving work and is a model for personal generosity."
In 2001, the actress donated $1 million to the Red Cross in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
You Can Vote in Iran
Tehran, Jan 3, IRNA -- The upcoming Iraqi elections will be held in six Iranian provinces on January 28-30, it was announced here on Monday. Director General of the Interior Ministry`s Alien and Foreign Immigrants Affairs Bureau Ahmad Hosseini told IRNA that voting centerswill be set up in six Iranian provinces to allow Iraqis residing in the Islamic Republic to participate in the elections.
On the basis of an agreement reached between Iran, Iraq and the UN, the Iraqi elections will be held in the Iranian provinces of Tehran, Qom, West Azarbaijan, Kermanshah, Khuzestan and Khorassan, he added.
An independent commission in charge of holding the Iraqi electionshas announced that the elections will be held in 14 world countries, including Iran, simultaneously, Hosseini added. Over 200,000 Iraqi nationals are living in Iran, he said, adding that some 12,000 Iraqis have repatriated to their home country so far.
Hosseini further announced that those people holding the Iranian identification card but have been born in Iraq can take part in the elections.
On the basis of an agreement reached between Iran, Iraq and the UN, the Iraqi elections will be held in the Iranian provinces of Tehran, Qom, West Azarbaijan, Kermanshah, Khuzestan and Khorassan, he added.
An independent commission in charge of holding the Iraqi electionshas announced that the elections will be held in 14 world countries, including Iran, simultaneously, Hosseini added. Over 200,000 Iraqi nationals are living in Iran, he said, adding that some 12,000 Iraqis have repatriated to their home country so far.
Hosseini further announced that those people holding the Iranian identification card but have been born in Iraq can take part in the elections.
Essence Magazine Takes a Stand
Stanley Crouch points out that black media (well, at least, part of it) has finally decided to take on the cesspool that is the hip-hop music industry.
The most successful black women's magazine, Essence, is in the middle of a campaign that could have monumental cultural significance.
Essence is taking on the slut images and verbal abuse projected onto black women by hip hop lyrics and videos.
The magazine is the first powerful presence in the black media with the courage to examine the cultural pollution that is too often excused because of the wealth it brings to knuckleheads and amoral executives.
This anything-goes-if-sells attitude comes at a cost. The elevation of pimps and pimp attitudes creates a sadomasochistic relationship with female fans. They support a popular idiom that consistently showers them with contempt. We are in a crisis, and Essence knows it.
When asked how the magazine decided to take a stand, the editor, Diane Weathers said, "We started looking at the media war on young girls, the hypersexualization that keeps pushing them in sexual directions at younger and younger ages."
The most successful black women's magazine, Essence, is in the middle of a campaign that could have monumental cultural significance.
Essence is taking on the slut images and verbal abuse projected onto black women by hip hop lyrics and videos.
The magazine is the first powerful presence in the black media with the courage to examine the cultural pollution that is too often excused because of the wealth it brings to knuckleheads and amoral executives.
This anything-goes-if-sells attitude comes at a cost. The elevation of pimps and pimp attitudes creates a sadomasochistic relationship with female fans. They support a popular idiom that consistently showers them with contempt. We are in a crisis, and Essence knows it.
When asked how the magazine decided to take a stand, the editor, Diane Weathers said, "We started looking at the media war on young girls, the hypersexualization that keeps pushing them in sexual directions at younger and younger ages."
More Election News
From the Iraqi Arabic newspaper Alsabaah this morning. The poll was of 4,974 Iraqis living in and around Baghdad:
Will the security problems cause you to?
Not come out and vote the day of elections = 18.3%
Come out and vote the day of elections = 78.3%
No opinion = 3.4%
Do you support military action against the terrorists?
Yes = 87.7 %
No = 11.1%
Don’t Know = 1.2%
Will the security problems cause you to?
Not come out and vote the day of elections = 18.3%
Come out and vote the day of elections = 78.3%
No opinion = 3.4%
Do you support military action against the terrorists?
Yes = 87.7 %
No = 11.1%
Don’t Know = 1.2%
A Must Read
Many college basketball players are spoiled punks. Not this one.
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The first sign something was wrong with Mohamed Tangara surfaced well before Arizona's first official basketball practice in October.
University of Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner was working with the rugged freshman forward from Mali in September, astounded by his sudden lack of stamina about a month into preseason workouts.
Tangara never stopped trying -- the Wildcats recruited him in part because of his relentless drive to succeed -- but he simply could not explode the way Pastner saw him do at Mount Zion Academy in North Carolina.
"Sometimes, he wasn't able to dunk as much or jump as much as he can," Pastner said. "It wasn't because of his ability. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, because he can. And he would keep pushing himself."
Pushing himself nowhere. Pastner began to suspect the tank was empty. He had seen signs of it before: He knew Tangara, eager to send every possible penny to his impoverished homeland, had limited his daily high school diet with an appalling frugality.
"I remember going to his dorm room, where he had cheese crackers and cheese nibs," Pastner said. "He had a thing of saltine crackers, and that was it. He kept saying it was the cheapest thing so he could save all his money. He was living on pretzels and crackers. It was amazing."
At the same time in September, then-Arizona strength coach Brad Arnett began to notice that Tangara was not exploding in the weight room, either. Tangara was regressing.
So Arizona staffers weighed Tangara. Alarmed, they notified coach Lute Olson.
"The trainer and strength coach came to me and said Mohamed had lost eight pounds," Olson said. "They were concerned he was not getting enough to eat. They didn't think he had energy."
Olson, who recruited inner-city athletes from Chicago during his days at Iowa and has had several Arizona players come out of relative poverty in other cities, said he had never seen anything like it. He had never seen an athlete strive so hard to send money home.
TUCSON, Ariz. -- The first sign something was wrong with Mohamed Tangara surfaced well before Arizona's first official basketball practice in October.
University of Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner was working with the rugged freshman forward from Mali in September, astounded by his sudden lack of stamina about a month into preseason workouts.
Tangara never stopped trying -- the Wildcats recruited him in part because of his relentless drive to succeed -- but he simply could not explode the way Pastner saw him do at Mount Zion Academy in North Carolina.
"Sometimes, he wasn't able to dunk as much or jump as much as he can," Pastner said. "It wasn't because of his ability. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, because he can. And he would keep pushing himself."
Pushing himself nowhere. Pastner began to suspect the tank was empty. He had seen signs of it before: He knew Tangara, eager to send every possible penny to his impoverished homeland, had limited his daily high school diet with an appalling frugality.
"I remember going to his dorm room, where he had cheese crackers and cheese nibs," Pastner said. "He had a thing of saltine crackers, and that was it. He kept saying it was the cheapest thing so he could save all his money. He was living on pretzels and crackers. It was amazing."
At the same time in September, then-Arizona strength coach Brad Arnett began to notice that Tangara was not exploding in the weight room, either. Tangara was regressing.
So Arizona staffers weighed Tangara. Alarmed, they notified coach Lute Olson.
"The trainer and strength coach came to me and said Mohamed had lost eight pounds," Olson said. "They were concerned he was not getting enough to eat. They didn't think he had energy."
Olson, who recruited inner-city athletes from Chicago during his days at Iowa and has had several Arizona players come out of relative poverty in other cities, said he had never seen anything like it. He had never seen an athlete strive so hard to send money home.
Great Hire
LSU just got themselves a very good football coach.
LSU's saga of a search for its new football coach has ended at Les Miles.
The Oklahoma State coach, who led the Cowboys to three bowls in four seasons, has accepted an offer as LSU's successor to Nick Saban. Miles will be introduced at a 1 p.m. ET news conference Monday.
At least five and as many as six current Oklahoma State assistants are expected to leave Stillwater with Miles to join his LSU staff, sources have told Gottlieb. The main sticking point in the negotiations had been that Miles insisted that his assistants be given three-year contracts, the same insistence that Miles had during his tenure at Oklahoma State.
In his four years at Oklahoma State, the 51-year-old Miles was 28-21. This was the third consecutive year that the Cowboys had gone to a bowl game, which hadn't happened at OSU since 1985.
LSU's saga of a search for its new football coach has ended at Les Miles.
The Oklahoma State coach, who led the Cowboys to three bowls in four seasons, has accepted an offer as LSU's successor to Nick Saban. Miles will be introduced at a 1 p.m. ET news conference Monday.
At least five and as many as six current Oklahoma State assistants are expected to leave Stillwater with Miles to join his LSU staff, sources have told Gottlieb. The main sticking point in the negotiations had been that Miles insisted that his assistants be given three-year contracts, the same insistence that Miles had during his tenure at Oklahoma State.
In his four years at Oklahoma State, the 51-year-old Miles was 28-21. This was the third consecutive year that the Cowboys had gone to a bowl game, which hadn't happened at OSU since 1985.
Quote of the Day II
"When you look in the dictionary and look up the word courage, you see my picture." -- Marion Barry
Quote of the Day I
"The pundits have never liked me. Is it the way I look? The way I sound?" -- John Kerry
Must See TV
LAS VEGAS
WHEN ED IS KIDNAPPED, DANNY AND MIKE RACE AGAINST TIME TO FIND HIM -- DURAN DURAN GUEST STARS -- When Ed (James Caan) is kidnapped, Danny (Josh Duhamel) and Mike (James Lesure) begin a frantic search of the city to find him. The fact that Ed refuses to let them contact autorities or pay the kidnapper's ransom only makes their search more difficult. Sam (Vanessa Marcil) arranges a Vegas-style wedding for one of her clients, but it comes to a screeching halt when their lucky rings are lost. Elsewhere, Mary (Nikki Cox) and Delinda (Molly Sims) collaborate when the Montecito hosts a popular 80's rock band (Duran-Duran). Marsha Thomason also stars. TV-14
WHEN ED IS KIDNAPPED, DANNY AND MIKE RACE AGAINST TIME TO FIND HIM -- DURAN DURAN GUEST STARS -- When Ed (James Caan) is kidnapped, Danny (Josh Duhamel) and Mike (James Lesure) begin a frantic search of the city to find him. The fact that Ed refuses to let them contact autorities or pay the kidnapper's ransom only makes their search more difficult. Sam (Vanessa Marcil) arranges a Vegas-style wedding for one of her clients, but it comes to a screeching halt when their lucky rings are lost. Elsewhere, Mary (Nikki Cox) and Delinda (Molly Sims) collaborate when the Montecito hosts a popular 80's rock band (Duran-Duran). Marsha Thomason also stars. TV-14
Iraqi Election Fever
From Saturday's Washington Post:
The number of Iraqis making sure they are properly registered to vote has surged dramatically, officials said Saturday, calling the rise evidence of enthusiasm for the Jan. 30 elections despite continuing security concerns that have blocked the process in two provinces.
After a slow start to the six-week registration process that began Nov. 1, the number of voters making corrections to official voter lists more than doubled in the final week, according to a final tally quoted by election officials Saturday.
Officials said that more than 2.1 million people went to local election offices to assure that eligible members of their households could vote. About 1.2 million forms were submitted to add names to the voter lists, an involved process that requires providing proof of identification and residence.
As one commentator has mentioned, this is shocking:
"Iraqi voter rolls derive from food ration lists, so registration isn't required. That piece of information from Karl Vick explains why the voter information centers didn't get a lot of attention from ordinary Iraqis earlier on, a development that some media outlets apparently misinterpreted as a reluctance to register for the election. Having 2.1 million people out of 25 million take the time to confirm their status demonstrates a high degree of interest in the process and points to a rather large turnout."
The number of Iraqis making sure they are properly registered to vote has surged dramatically, officials said Saturday, calling the rise evidence of enthusiasm for the Jan. 30 elections despite continuing security concerns that have blocked the process in two provinces.
After a slow start to the six-week registration process that began Nov. 1, the number of voters making corrections to official voter lists more than doubled in the final week, according to a final tally quoted by election officials Saturday.
Officials said that more than 2.1 million people went to local election offices to assure that eligible members of their households could vote. About 1.2 million forms were submitted to add names to the voter lists, an involved process that requires providing proof of identification and residence.
As one commentator has mentioned, this is shocking:
"Iraqi voter rolls derive from food ration lists, so registration isn't required. That piece of information from Karl Vick explains why the voter information centers didn't get a lot of attention from ordinary Iraqis earlier on, a development that some media outlets apparently misinterpreted as a reluctance to register for the election. Having 2.1 million people out of 25 million take the time to confirm their status demonstrates a high degree of interest in the process and points to a rather large turnout."
Damn Statistics
President Bush's recent talk about reducing the deficit is great. But this is also about the time they start monkeying with the numbers. My case in point:
To show that President Bush can fulfill his campaign promise to cut the deficit in half by 2009, White House officials are preparing a budget that will assume a significant jump in revenues and omit the cost of major initiatives like overhauling Social Security. To make Mr. Bush's goal easier to reach, administration officials have decided to measure their progress against a $521 billion deficit they predicted last February rather than last year's actual shortfall of $413 billion. By starting with the outdated projection, Mr. Bush can say he has already reduced the shortfall by about $100 billion and claim victory if the deficit falls to just $260 billion.
To show that President Bush can fulfill his campaign promise to cut the deficit in half by 2009, White House officials are preparing a budget that will assume a significant jump in revenues and omit the cost of major initiatives like overhauling Social Security. To make Mr. Bush's goal easier to reach, administration officials have decided to measure their progress against a $521 billion deficit they predicted last February rather than last year's actual shortfall of $413 billion. By starting with the outdated projection, Mr. Bush can say he has already reduced the shortfall by about $100 billion and claim victory if the deficit falls to just $260 billion.
Pope Ratzinger?
This is an encouraging development:
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the chief architect of Pope John Paul II's traditionalist moral policy, has long been a bugaboo for liberal Catholics. But they had stopped worrying that the German might one day ascend to St. Peter's throne. His hard-line views and blunt approach had earned him the epithet of panzerkardinal and too many enemies. Well, their worrying may now resume. Sources in Rome tell TIME that Ratzinger has re-emerged as the top papal candidate within the Vatican hierarchy, joining other front runners such as Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan and Claudio Hummes of Sao Paolo. "The Ratzinger solution is definitely on," said a well-placed Vatican insider.
Ratzinger is a humble man, an outstanding theologian, and a defender of liberal ideals...three important qualities in a Pope.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the chief architect of Pope John Paul II's traditionalist moral policy, has long been a bugaboo for liberal Catholics. But they had stopped worrying that the German might one day ascend to St. Peter's throne. His hard-line views and blunt approach had earned him the epithet of panzerkardinal and too many enemies. Well, their worrying may now resume. Sources in Rome tell TIME that Ratzinger has re-emerged as the top papal candidate within the Vatican hierarchy, joining other front runners such as Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan and Claudio Hummes of Sao Paolo. "The Ratzinger solution is definitely on," said a well-placed Vatican insider.
Ratzinger is a humble man, an outstanding theologian, and a defender of liberal ideals...three important qualities in a Pope.
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