Friday, December 16, 2005
"If You Want to Hear God Laugh, Make A Plan"
Terry Teachout recounts his recent "near death" experience.
The Only Thing Saving the Big-Government Republicans Is...
...the cowardice and idiocy of the Dems.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said yesterday that Democrats should not seek a unified position on an exit strategy in Iraq, calling the war a matter of individual conscience and saying differing positions within the caucus are a source of strength for the party.
Pelosi said Democrats will produce an issue agenda for the 2006 elections but it will not include a position on Iraq. There is consensus within the party that President Bush has mismanaged the war and that a new course is needed, but House Democrats should be free to take individual positions, she sad.
"There is no one Democratic voice . . . and there is no one Democratic position," Pelosi said in an interview with Washington Post reporters and editors.
What a damn fool. Democrats disagree on all kinds of issues, not just Iraq, yet they issue "party" positions all of the time. I have never questioned the patriotism of any of the Democratic leaders, but foolishness like this makes it very hard not to.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said yesterday that Democrats should not seek a unified position on an exit strategy in Iraq, calling the war a matter of individual conscience and saying differing positions within the caucus are a source of strength for the party.
Pelosi said Democrats will produce an issue agenda for the 2006 elections but it will not include a position on Iraq. There is consensus within the party that President Bush has mismanaged the war and that a new course is needed, but House Democrats should be free to take individual positions, she sad.
"There is no one Democratic voice . . . and there is no one Democratic position," Pelosi said in an interview with Washington Post reporters and editors.
What a damn fool. Democrats disagree on all kinds of issues, not just Iraq, yet they issue "party" positions all of the time. I have never questioned the patriotism of any of the Democratic leaders, but foolishness like this makes it very hard not to.
Uh, Yeah
If you believe this, I've got swamp land in Florida to sell you:
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Randolph Morris will be eligible to return to the University of Kentucky's basketball team this season after a suspension of 14 games, the NCAA announced yesterday.
The NCAA amended an earlier ruling that Morris must sit out the entire season because he violated rules during his flirtation with the NBA draft.
The NCAA said a three-sentence fax from Morris to UK coach Tubby Smith that had been missing for nearly seven months was a vital piece of evidence in Morris' favor. UK submitted the fax for NCAA consideration on Tuesday, along with other confidential information from the Morris family.
...In amending that ruling yesterday, the NCAA said its decision to reduce the penalty was based on "new information." Neither Morris nor UK would describe the new information, other than the fax, because it was said to be personal.
The fax, however, "indicated Morris' clear intent to retain his collegiate eligibility while declaring for the NBA draft," the NCAA's ruling said.
Morris' last sentence in the fax, which was dated May 9 and which officially informed Smith of his decision to enter the NBA draft, read, "My intent is not to obtain an agent so as to maintain my collegiate eligibility."
Smith said UK's compliance officials told him the fax could be an important piece of evidence, but the coach said he couldn't find it. The document had been missing since the summer, he said.
Several news outlets, including The Courier-Journal, had submitted open-records requests for it, but the school initially told them that student-privacy laws protected the fax. Later, UK officials said it had been discarded.
Smith explained yesterday that the fax had been stuffed in a folder and was lost on a flight in June or July. The folder eventually was returned to Smith, and he said he discovered the missing document last week.
"I had lost papers on a plane, and I have been looking for them for some time," Smith said. "If I would have known how important those papers were, I would have held onto them more tightly. Somebody must have realized what was in the papers and sent them back to us. If you travel as much as I do, you can sometimes lose papers when you travel. Thank God I found the papers and we were able to work things out."
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Randolph Morris will be eligible to return to the University of Kentucky's basketball team this season after a suspension of 14 games, the NCAA announced yesterday.
The NCAA amended an earlier ruling that Morris must sit out the entire season because he violated rules during his flirtation with the NBA draft.
The NCAA said a three-sentence fax from Morris to UK coach Tubby Smith that had been missing for nearly seven months was a vital piece of evidence in Morris' favor. UK submitted the fax for NCAA consideration on Tuesday, along with other confidential information from the Morris family.
...In amending that ruling yesterday, the NCAA said its decision to reduce the penalty was based on "new information." Neither Morris nor UK would describe the new information, other than the fax, because it was said to be personal.
The fax, however, "indicated Morris' clear intent to retain his collegiate eligibility while declaring for the NBA draft," the NCAA's ruling said.
Morris' last sentence in the fax, which was dated May 9 and which officially informed Smith of his decision to enter the NBA draft, read, "My intent is not to obtain an agent so as to maintain my collegiate eligibility."
Smith said UK's compliance officials told him the fax could be an important piece of evidence, but the coach said he couldn't find it. The document had been missing since the summer, he said.
Several news outlets, including The Courier-Journal, had submitted open-records requests for it, but the school initially told them that student-privacy laws protected the fax. Later, UK officials said it had been discarded.
Smith explained yesterday that the fax had been stuffed in a folder and was lost on a flight in June or July. The folder eventually was returned to Smith, and he said he discovered the missing document last week.
"I had lost papers on a plane, and I have been looking for them for some time," Smith said. "If I would have known how important those papers were, I would have held onto them more tightly. Somebody must have realized what was in the papers and sent them back to us. If you travel as much as I do, you can sometimes lose papers when you travel. Thank God I found the papers and we were able to work things out."
More Than You Ever Wanted to Know...
...about the sports hernia. This seems like the most common athletic injury these days, but I never recall hearing about this type of injury in the past.
Doh!
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi security forces caught the most wanted man in the country last year, but released him because they didn't know who he was, the Iraqi deputy minister of interior said Thursday.
Hussain Kamal confirmed that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- the al Qaeda in Iraq leader who has a $25 million bounty on his head -- was in custody at some point last year, but he wouldn't provide further details.
A U.S. official couldn't confirm the report, but said he wouldn't dismiss it.
"It is plausible," he said.
Hussain Kamal confirmed that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi -- the al Qaeda in Iraq leader who has a $25 million bounty on his head -- was in custody at some point last year, but he wouldn't provide further details.
A U.S. official couldn't confirm the report, but said he wouldn't dismiss it.
"It is plausible," he said.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
I Did Not Know This
Both forms of rugby and American football were noted at the time for serious injuries, as well as the deaths of a significant number of players. By the early 20th century in the USA, this had resulted in national controversy and American football was banned by a number of colleges. Consequently, a series of meetings was held by 19 colleges in 1905-06. This occurred reputedly at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt, who was considered to be a fancier of the game but who had threatened to ban it, unless the rules were modified to reduce the numbers of deaths and disabilities. The report of the meetings introduced many restrictions on tackling and two more divergences from rugby: the banning of mass formation plays, and legalisation of the forward pass. These meetings are now considered to be the origin of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The changes did not immediately have the desired effect, and 33 American football players were killed during 1908 alone. However, the number of deaths and injuries did gradually decline.
Which Is Real and Which Is Scrappleface?
You decide:
Story 1
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry said last night that if Dems retake the House, there's a "solid case" to bring "articles of impeachment" against President Bush for allegedly misleading the country about pre-war intelligence, according to several Dems who attended.
Story 2
As the polls closed in Iraq’s national election today, the White House said President George Bush had not yet received the traditional concession phone call from his opponent.
Observers estimated more than 10 million Iraqis cast ballots to elect their first full-term representative government after decades of dictatorial oppression.
“I’m sure someone will get around to making that call,” said Mr. Bush. “This was a hard fought campaign, and it’s probably difficult to admit defeat.”
The president called the massive Iraqi turnout a “mandate for change in the U.S. Congress in 2006.”
Mr. Bush said that if he didn’t receive the concession call soon, “they’re going to have to leave me a voice mail, ’cause I don’t stay up late for nobody.”
Damn, this is tough.
Story 1
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry said last night that if Dems retake the House, there's a "solid case" to bring "articles of impeachment" against President Bush for allegedly misleading the country about pre-war intelligence, according to several Dems who attended.
Story 2
As the polls closed in Iraq’s national election today, the White House said President George Bush had not yet received the traditional concession phone call from his opponent.
Observers estimated more than 10 million Iraqis cast ballots to elect their first full-term representative government after decades of dictatorial oppression.
“I’m sure someone will get around to making that call,” said Mr. Bush. “This was a hard fought campaign, and it’s probably difficult to admit defeat.”
The president called the massive Iraqi turnout a “mandate for change in the U.S. Congress in 2006.”
Mr. Bush said that if he didn’t receive the concession call soon, “they’re going to have to leave me a voice mail, ’cause I don’t stay up late for nobody.”
Damn, this is tough.
Quote of the Day II
"I talk to a lot of people about lots of different things, and every time I ask someone who they think the next Cincinnati coach will be, the answer is always Skip Prosser. Not saying that means it will happen, but that's what everyone seems to think." -- Seth Davis on CNNSI.com
Great News!
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kentucky center Randolph Morris' season-long suspension for his attempt to enter the NBA draft was reduced to 14 games Thursday by the NCAA.
The NCAA cited new information provided by the school for softening its punishment after Morris went undrafted. The information shed more light on Morris' "mindset during that process and his failure to avail himself of university resources," the NCAA said.
A fax that Morris sent to Kentucky coach Tubby Smith on May 9 indicated Morris' "clear intent to retain his collegiate eligibility while declaring for the NBA draft," the NCAA said in a statement.
Morris, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, also must repay expenses related to the tryouts - which amounted to more than $7,000 from nine NBA teams, the NCAA said.
Morris will regain his eligibility just when No. 23 Kentucky opens Southeastern Conference play.
The NCAA cited new information provided by the school for softening its punishment after Morris went undrafted. The information shed more light on Morris' "mindset during that process and his failure to avail himself of university resources," the NCAA said.
A fax that Morris sent to Kentucky coach Tubby Smith on May 9 indicated Morris' "clear intent to retain his collegiate eligibility while declaring for the NBA draft," the NCAA said in a statement.
Morris, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, also must repay expenses related to the tryouts - which amounted to more than $7,000 from nine NBA teams, the NCAA said.
Morris will regain his eligibility just when No. 23 Kentucky opens Southeastern Conference play.
Three of the Best Shows on TV Get Their Due
"My Name Is Earl" and "The Office" led nominations Wednesday among multiple television categories of this season's Writers Guild Awards, which have been expanded to recognize the writing teams behind the best drama, comedy and new series.
In terms of sheer numbers, "The Simpsons" dominated, taking all six of the nominations for animated series.
In terms of sheer numbers, "The Simpsons" dominated, taking all six of the nominations for animated series.
Quote of the Day
"I'm disgusted by it. For the first time in many years Republicans have control of Congress. But once in power, the spending limits were off, and it's disgraceful." -- Milton Friedman
The False Promise of Technology
I guess it's the Calvinist in me, but the whole modern idea of progress is an illusion. And it's no more evident than with technology. The promise of new technology is that it will make your life easier and more manageable, allowing us to spend more time on the things that really matter. That's just BS.
In the stress-management classes Debbie Mandel teaches, parents often tell her about their struggles to combine work and home. Ranking high on their list of challenges is the cellphone.
"Most of the complaints are about how it intrudes on their home life," says Ms. Mandel, of Lawrence, N.Y. "They get called in the middle of the night. The phone is always ringing about minute issues. They ask me, 'How do we deal with that?'"
It's a question on many people's minds these days. A study in the December issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family finds that cellphones and pagers interfere with family life by bringing job worries and problems home. Interviews with working couples - many with children - revealed that cellphone use tends to decrease family satisfaction and increase distress. "People felt they couldn't turn them off," says Noelle Chesley, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who conducted the study. "I couldn't find evidence of benefits."
Although cellphones give workers the illusion of staying connected with both employers and family members, Mandel often sees a different reality. One mother in her stress-management class boasted that her cellphone enabled her to attend all of her daughter's school activities. "I don't miss anything," she told the group. "Yes, you do," Mandel countered, explaining that when the woman went on a hay ride with her daughter and other children, she spent the whole time on the phone. "Her body was present, but she wasn't there emotionally," Mandel says. "That sends a very ambivalent statement to a child. Sometimes it's better not to be there. To be on the phone with business is ignoring the child."
In the stress-management classes Debbie Mandel teaches, parents often tell her about their struggles to combine work and home. Ranking high on their list of challenges is the cellphone.
"Most of the complaints are about how it intrudes on their home life," says Ms. Mandel, of Lawrence, N.Y. "They get called in the middle of the night. The phone is always ringing about minute issues. They ask me, 'How do we deal with that?'"
It's a question on many people's minds these days. A study in the December issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family finds that cellphones and pagers interfere with family life by bringing job worries and problems home. Interviews with working couples - many with children - revealed that cellphone use tends to decrease family satisfaction and increase distress. "People felt they couldn't turn them off," says Noelle Chesley, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who conducted the study. "I couldn't find evidence of benefits."
Although cellphones give workers the illusion of staying connected with both employers and family members, Mandel often sees a different reality. One mother in her stress-management class boasted that her cellphone enabled her to attend all of her daughter's school activities. "I don't miss anything," she told the group. "Yes, you do," Mandel countered, explaining that when the woman went on a hay ride with her daughter and other children, she spent the whole time on the phone. "Her body was present, but she wasn't there emotionally," Mandel says. "That sends a very ambivalent statement to a child. Sometimes it's better not to be there. To be on the phone with business is ignoring the child."
WMD in Syria?
With all due respect to the President, I find the "all of the intelligence was wrong" admission weak. It's pretty hard for me to believe that everyone - and I mean everyone - concluded one thing, and the exact opposite was the case.
And then I read this from the NY Sun:
Saddam Hussein moved his chemical weapons to Syria six weeks before the war started, Israel's top general during Operation Iraqi Freedom says. The assertion comes as President Bush said yesterday that much of the intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was incorrect.
The Israeli officer, Lieutenant General Moshe Yaalon, asserted that Saddam spirited his chemical weapons out of the country on the eve of the war.
"He transferred the chemical agents from Iraq to Syria," General Yaalon told The New York Sun over dinner in New York on Tuesday night. "No one went to Syria to find it."
This seems much more plausible for a number of reasons: (1) The infrastructure was in place to develop these weapons, but no weapons were found; (2) We're only talking about several semis full of materials, so moving them would have been fairly easy; (3) We have satellite photos showing the makeup of weapons facilities changing dramatically overnight; and (4) The freakin' Mossad knows all.
And then I read this from the NY Sun:
Saddam Hussein moved his chemical weapons to Syria six weeks before the war started, Israel's top general during Operation Iraqi Freedom says. The assertion comes as President Bush said yesterday that much of the intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was incorrect.
The Israeli officer, Lieutenant General Moshe Yaalon, asserted that Saddam spirited his chemical weapons out of the country on the eve of the war.
"He transferred the chemical agents from Iraq to Syria," General Yaalon told The New York Sun over dinner in New York on Tuesday night. "No one went to Syria to find it."
This seems much more plausible for a number of reasons: (1) The infrastructure was in place to develop these weapons, but no weapons were found; (2) We're only talking about several semis full of materials, so moving them would have been fairly easy; (3) We have satellite photos showing the makeup of weapons facilities changing dramatically overnight; and (4) The freakin' Mossad knows all.
Obit of the Day
British obituaries are priceless. Here's the Telegraph obit for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, the tenth Earl of Shaftesbury:
The 10th Earl of Shaftesbury, whose death aged 66 was confirmed yesterday, demonstrated the dangers of the possession of inherited wealth coupled with a weakness for women and Champagne….
It was said, after his mysterious disappearance from a Cannes nightclub, that the 10th Earl, like Gladstone, had been devoting himself to helping vulnerable young girls working in nightspots on the French Riviera to start new lives. But as the mystery deepened, it seemed that his interest was more than merely philanthropic.
The 10th Earl of Shaftesbury, whose death aged 66 was confirmed yesterday, demonstrated the dangers of the possession of inherited wealth coupled with a weakness for women and Champagne….
It was said, after his mysterious disappearance from a Cannes nightclub, that the 10th Earl, like Gladstone, had been devoting himself to helping vulnerable young girls working in nightspots on the French Riviera to start new lives. But as the mystery deepened, it seemed that his interest was more than merely philanthropic.
Quantity v. Quality
Does the size of a family affect the quality of life for the children? In other words, does more kids mean a lower quality of life for those kids? The answer appears to be no.
Bottom line: Our results show no evidence of a quantity-quality trade-off, though some estimates suggest that first-born girls from large families marry sooner.
Bottom line: Our results show no evidence of a quantity-quality trade-off, though some estimates suggest that first-born girls from large families marry sooner.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Maybe Those Whacky Religious Zealots Were Quite Reasonable
To go along with my last post, here's a fascinating article titled "How Christianity (and Capitalism) Led to Science" by Rodney Stark in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Stark, to my knowledge, is not a Christian.
Here's an excerpt:
. . . A series of developments, in which reason won the day, gave unique shape to Western culture and institutions. And the most important of those victories occurred within Christianity. While the other world religions emphasized mystery and intuition, Christianity alone embraced reason and logic as the primary guides to religious truth. Christian faith in reason was influenced by Greek philosophy.
But the more important fact is that Greek philosophy had little impact on Greek religions. Those remained typical mystery cults, in which ambiguity and logical contradictions were taken as hallmarks of sacred origins. Similar assumptions concerning the fundamental inexplicability of the gods and the intellectual superiority of introspection dominated all of the other major world religions.
But, from early days, the church fathers taught that reason was the supreme gift from God and the means to progressively increase understanding of Scripture and revelation. Consequently Christianity was oriented to the future, while the other major religions asserted the superiority of the past. At least in principle, if not always in fact, Christian doctrines could always be modified in the name of progress, as demonstrated by reason.
Encouraged by the scholastics and embodied in the great medieval universities founded by the church, faith in the power of reason infused Western culture, stimulating the pursuit of science and the evolution of democratic theory and practice. The rise of capitalism also was a victory for church-inspired reason, since capitalism is, in essence, the systematic and sustained application of reason to commerce — something that first took place within the great monastic estates.
Here's an excerpt:
. . . A series of developments, in which reason won the day, gave unique shape to Western culture and institutions. And the most important of those victories occurred within Christianity. While the other world religions emphasized mystery and intuition, Christianity alone embraced reason and logic as the primary guides to religious truth. Christian faith in reason was influenced by Greek philosophy.
But the more important fact is that Greek philosophy had little impact on Greek religions. Those remained typical mystery cults, in which ambiguity and logical contradictions were taken as hallmarks of sacred origins. Similar assumptions concerning the fundamental inexplicability of the gods and the intellectual superiority of introspection dominated all of the other major world religions.
But, from early days, the church fathers taught that reason was the supreme gift from God and the means to progressively increase understanding of Scripture and revelation. Consequently Christianity was oriented to the future, while the other major religions asserted the superiority of the past. At least in principle, if not always in fact, Christian doctrines could always be modified in the name of progress, as demonstrated by reason.
Encouraged by the scholastics and embodied in the great medieval universities founded by the church, faith in the power of reason infused Western culture, stimulating the pursuit of science and the evolution of democratic theory and practice. The rise of capitalism also was a victory for church-inspired reason, since capitalism is, in essence, the systematic and sustained application of reason to commerce — something that first took place within the great monastic estates.
More Support For Real Science
Real science, at least historically, must be observable. In other words, you can't just make crap up or theorize crap out of thin air. Sadly, most of modern "science" is crap. Here's just the latest case:
The belief that a high-fibre diet will keep your colon healthy and cancer-free -- a popular medical theory since the 1960s -- does not appear to be correct, according to a new study.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, who analyzed a number of long-term studies on the issue, said they "could not find support" for the notion that the risk of colorectal cancer is reduced by regular consumption of fibre.
The bottom line: Don't believe anything these fools tell you...it may be detrimental to your health.
The belief that a high-fibre diet will keep your colon healthy and cancer-free -- a popular medical theory since the 1960s -- does not appear to be correct, according to a new study.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, who analyzed a number of long-term studies on the issue, said they "could not find support" for the notion that the risk of colorectal cancer is reduced by regular consumption of fibre.
The bottom line: Don't believe anything these fools tell you...it may be detrimental to your health.
Huh?
While most movie stars at Clooney's level are protecting the brand and validating themselves with $20 million paydays, Clooney has taken another route.
He isn't afraid to alienate his fan base by making movies with a decidedly liberal political bent, like Stephen Gaghan's "Syriana," which wouldn't have gotten made without Clooney's backing. And he's begun writing and directing his own movies like "Good Night."
Now who in Hollywood is afraid to make a movie with a liberal political bent? Is there anyone? Hell, the reason "Good Night" and "Syriana" are receiving all of these damn awards is precisely because they have a liberal political bent.
Go sell crazy somewhere else, George.
He isn't afraid to alienate his fan base by making movies with a decidedly liberal political bent, like Stephen Gaghan's "Syriana," which wouldn't have gotten made without Clooney's backing. And he's begun writing and directing his own movies like "Good Night."
Now who in Hollywood is afraid to make a movie with a liberal political bent? Is there anyone? Hell, the reason "Good Night" and "Syriana" are receiving all of these damn awards is precisely because they have a liberal political bent.
Go sell crazy somewhere else, George.
Bush's New Communications Director
Betty on FOX News last night: "I thank America and President Bush, everyone that doesn't like what America and President Bush has done for Iraq can all go to HELL."
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Correction of the Year
From the Columbus Dispatch:
Linda Schellkopf, daughter of the late Hal Schellkopf, lives in Clintonville. Because of a reporter’s error, a story on Page B4 of yesterday’s Metro & State section indicated otherwise.
That's no big deal, right? Well, take a look at the obit that spawned it:
‘Dispatch’ editor loved accuracy
Harold B. "Hal" Schellkopf, a former Dispatch editor in several departments over 38 years, died yesterday.…Schellkopf was a stickler for accuracy when he retired as assistant managing editor in 1989. And he often looked to impart that love for the written word in younger journalists, even long after his retirement."Hal was a by-the-book journalist who insisted on the highest standards of journalism," said Michael F. Curtin, vice chairman and associate publisher of The Dispatch, who worked with Schellkopf in the newsroom. "Hal wanted to do it right, and he wanted the whole newsroom to do it right..."
Linda Schellkopf, daughter of the late Hal Schellkopf, lives in Clintonville. Because of a reporter’s error, a story on Page B4 of yesterday’s Metro & State section indicated otherwise.
That's no big deal, right? Well, take a look at the obit that spawned it:
‘Dispatch’ editor loved accuracy
Harold B. "Hal" Schellkopf, a former Dispatch editor in several departments over 38 years, died yesterday.…Schellkopf was a stickler for accuracy when he retired as assistant managing editor in 1989. And he often looked to impart that love for the written word in younger journalists, even long after his retirement."Hal was a by-the-book journalist who insisted on the highest standards of journalism," said Michael F. Curtin, vice chairman and associate publisher of The Dispatch, who worked with Schellkopf in the newsroom. "Hal wanted to do it right, and he wanted the whole newsroom to do it right..."
This Is A Shock
The price of a D.C. baseball stadium complex along the Anacostia River has risen to $667 million, $78 million more than the city's budget of $589 million, according to a new official study released yesterday that could mean city leaders will be forced to seek the additional funding from the federal government and private developers.
Quote of the Day
"Do you know how many Republican Senators and Representatives have said privately that it [the Medicare drug benefit] is the worst, most regrettable vote of their careers? The drug benefit will add trillions to the national debt over time; because of its complexity, it is overwhelmingly disliked by the very seniors it is designed to help; and like most government programs, it is guaranteed to become massively more unwieldy and costly in the future, as new provisions and baubles are added on. Eliminate it, or at the very least, cut it way back by limiting it to the poor. Your gigantic, additional Medicare entitlement underlines the Bush Administration's reckless overspending. The ocean of red ink you have created will be an enormous black, er, red mark on your legacy in the history books. Why not do something about it while you still can? All at once, you can please your party, make better policy, and change your image by confessing a big goof. People will be amazed at your display of humility. Sometimes, the best politics is counterintuitive." -- University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato's "Urgent Memo to the President"
This Ain't Rocket Science
From the Bush/Brian Williams interview:
Q: Since the inception of the Iraqi war, I'd like to know the approximate total of Iraqis who have been killed. And by Iraqis I include civilians, military, police, insurgents, translators.
THE PRESIDENT: How many Iraqi citizens have died in this war? I would say 30,000, more or less, have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis. We've lost about 2,140 of our own troops in Iraq.
Clear enough, right. Wrong. Here's the SF Chronicle's headline:
Bush says 30,000 Iraqi civilians dead in war He says 'terrorists, Saddamists will continue violence'
And, of course, Reuters:
Voting started on a day that U.S. President George W. Bush gave a rare estimate of the number of civilians killed since U.S. troops invaded in 2003, acknowledging that 30,000 civilians had died in the violence.
Q: Since the inception of the Iraqi war, I'd like to know the approximate total of Iraqis who have been killed. And by Iraqis I include civilians, military, police, insurgents, translators.
THE PRESIDENT: How many Iraqi citizens have died in this war? I would say 30,000, more or less, have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis. We've lost about 2,140 of our own troops in Iraq.
Clear enough, right. Wrong. Here's the SF Chronicle's headline:
Bush says 30,000 Iraqi civilians dead in war He says 'terrorists, Saddamists will continue violence'
And, of course, Reuters:
Voting started on a day that U.S. President George W. Bush gave a rare estimate of the number of civilians killed since U.S. troops invaded in 2003, acknowledging that 30,000 civilians had died in the violence.
Tubby's Test
We'll find out something interesting about Smith the coach this winter.
If it turns out that the best chance this team has to win games is to go small. To trap, press, get in passing lanes defensively. To compensate for a lack of low-post scoring offensively by pushing tempo and getting shots before other teams can set their half-court defenses.
If all that's the case, we'll see if Tubby is flexible enough to adjust his preferred playing style.
Tubby must adjust. He must.
If it turns out that the best chance this team has to win games is to go small. To trap, press, get in passing lanes defensively. To compensate for a lack of low-post scoring offensively by pushing tempo and getting shots before other teams can set their half-court defenses.
If all that's the case, we'll see if Tubby is flexible enough to adjust his preferred playing style.
Tubby must adjust. He must.
The Story of a House...and Its History
From Touchstone magazine:
The stories also have a bit of mystery in them. Mystery exists in the very design of my house—unexpected stairways and odd angles meet you at every turn. Traces of the families who lived here before me add to the mystery—battered children’s toys buried in the backyard and letters of the alphabet scrawled inside closet walls. I don’t really believe in ghosts, but something lingers in the rooms where others once walked. The Church teaches that we are never alone, that the angels and saints are always present to us. Somehow, my house bears witness to that.
But the most vivid story these old houses tell is a story of a world where homes were not designed around television sets, where children and parents gathered around the dinner table each night for food and conversation, and where neighbors spent summer evenings on each other’s front porches, chatting and gossiping while their children ran through the streets. Family prayers, not the latest episode of Survivor, ended the day. Bigger was not always better. Love meant something more than quality time.
In my house, the kitchen is small, with no room for industrial-size appliances. The bedroom closets are miniscule. There is one full bath, no Great Room, and no Master Suite. But for ninety years, large families filled this house. One had five children, another eight. Despite the lack of counter space, the mothers managed to cook three meals a day. Even without jetted tubs and designer faucets, their families presented themselves respectably and on time at school and office. The closets held what was needed, nothing more.
The stories also have a bit of mystery in them. Mystery exists in the very design of my house—unexpected stairways and odd angles meet you at every turn. Traces of the families who lived here before me add to the mystery—battered children’s toys buried in the backyard and letters of the alphabet scrawled inside closet walls. I don’t really believe in ghosts, but something lingers in the rooms where others once walked. The Church teaches that we are never alone, that the angels and saints are always present to us. Somehow, my house bears witness to that.
But the most vivid story these old houses tell is a story of a world where homes were not designed around television sets, where children and parents gathered around the dinner table each night for food and conversation, and where neighbors spent summer evenings on each other’s front porches, chatting and gossiping while their children ran through the streets. Family prayers, not the latest episode of Survivor, ended the day. Bigger was not always better. Love meant something more than quality time.
In my house, the kitchen is small, with no room for industrial-size appliances. The bedroom closets are miniscule. There is one full bath, no Great Room, and no Master Suite. But for ninety years, large families filled this house. One had five children, another eight. Despite the lack of counter space, the mothers managed to cook three meals a day. Even without jetted tubs and designer faucets, their families presented themselves respectably and on time at school and office. The closets held what was needed, nothing more.
Classic CNN
From CNN.com:
MORE NEWS
• Poll: Most say Bush has no Iraq victory plan Bush victory plan
So you can either link to the poll where people say Bush has no victory plan. Or, you can link directly to Bush's victory plan, assuming it exists.
MORE NEWS
• Poll: Most say Bush has no Iraq victory plan Bush victory plan
So you can either link to the poll where people say Bush has no victory plan. Or, you can link directly to Bush's victory plan, assuming it exists.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Surprising to Whom?
Dec. 12, 2005 — - Surprising levels of optimism prevail in Iraq with living conditions improved, security more a national worry than a local one, and expectations for the future high. But views of the country's situation overall are far less positive, and there are vast differences in views among Iraqi groups -- a study in contrasts between increasingly disaffected Sunni areas and vastly more positive Shiite and Kurdish provinces.
An ABC News poll in Iraq, conducted with Time magazine and other media partners, includes some remarkable results: Despite the daily violence there, most living conditions are rated positively, seven in 10 Iraqis say their own lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve in the year ahead.
Surprisingly, given the insurgents' attacks on Iraqi civilians, more than six in 10 Iraqis feel very safe in their own neighborhoods, up sharply from just 40 percent in a poll in June 2004. And 61 percent say local security is good -- up from 49 percent in the first ABC News poll in Iraq in February 2004.
The only people surprised by these findings are the fools refusing to report on what's truly happening.
An ABC News poll in Iraq, conducted with Time magazine and other media partners, includes some remarkable results: Despite the daily violence there, most living conditions are rated positively, seven in 10 Iraqis say their own lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve in the year ahead.
Surprisingly, given the insurgents' attacks on Iraqi civilians, more than six in 10 Iraqis feel very safe in their own neighborhoods, up sharply from just 40 percent in a poll in June 2004. And 61 percent say local security is good -- up from 49 percent in the first ABC News poll in Iraq in February 2004.
The only people surprised by these findings are the fools refusing to report on what's truly happening.
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