What to do:
1. Take Crawford back and take the chance of having a malcontent on the team for the remainder of the year?
2. Refuse to take Crawford back and hold him to his NLI?
3. Refuse to take Crawford back and release him from his NLI?
I'd take him back and make the best of it. The other two options set dangerous precedents.
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Tressel on the Hot Seat?
Nope. OSU fans care about one thing...W's.
In Tressel's four years, 15 players have been arrested, and there is strong evidence boosters paid his players, tutors wrote papers for his players and instructors fixed grades for his players. Congratulations, Buckeyes, you have completed the transgressional hat trick. A coach can't know everything a player does off the field, but is it too much to ask for a coach to know something?
Then again, it doesn't matter to the fans. Not when Tressel has delivered them a national title and is 3-1 against Michigan."We love you, Coach," one booster called out as Tressel left the Citrus Bowl the other day.Love is blind. Almost as blind as coaches who close their eyes to the corruption around them."
In Tressel's four years, 15 players have been arrested, and there is strong evidence boosters paid his players, tutors wrote papers for his players and instructors fixed grades for his players. Congratulations, Buckeyes, you have completed the transgressional hat trick. A coach can't know everything a player does off the field, but is it too much to ask for a coach to know something?
Then again, it doesn't matter to the fans. Not when Tressel has delivered them a national title and is 3-1 against Michigan."We love you, Coach," one booster called out as Tressel left the Citrus Bowl the other day.Love is blind. Almost as blind as coaches who close their eyes to the corruption around them."
Beware of a Half-Truth...You May Get the Wrong Half
A soldier in Iraq takes the media to task for their coverage in Iraq.
The Middle East and Anti-Americanism
Something just dawned on me this morning.
Name the Middle-Eastern countries where a majority of the population hates/dislikes America? You have Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and even Kuwait and Yemen. What do these countries all have in common. America has traditionally supported the ruling dictatorial regimes.
Now, name the Middle-Eastern countries where a majority of the population likes America? Iraq, Syria, and Iran. What do these countries all have in common. America actively works against, or has deposed, the ruling regimes.
Very interesting. This would imply that the "stability" argument forwarded by the "realists" in American foreign policy (Kissinger, Bush 41, Scowcroft, et al) has actually worked against our interests in the region.
I'll have to give this some more thought.
Name the Middle-Eastern countries where a majority of the population hates/dislikes America? You have Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and even Kuwait and Yemen. What do these countries all have in common. America has traditionally supported the ruling dictatorial regimes.
Now, name the Middle-Eastern countries where a majority of the population likes America? Iraq, Syria, and Iran. What do these countries all have in common. America actively works against, or has deposed, the ruling regimes.
Very interesting. This would imply that the "stability" argument forwarded by the "realists" in American foreign policy (Kissinger, Bush 41, Scowcroft, et al) has actually worked against our interests in the region.
I'll have to give this some more thought.
Keystone Cops
So I'm traveling back from Chicago last night. As I'm standing in line to pass through the security checkpoint at O'Hare, I notice a middle-aged Arab man in front of me with his wife (head scarf included), and a white couple behind me who appeared to be in their late 60's or early 70's.
As I'm standing there, I think to myself, "If I were the TSA, who would I pull aside to search." Naturally, the old, white geezers. And that's what they did.
What about the younger, white male? No, young men never commit crimes. What about the Arab couple? Nah, what kind of threat would they present. Old, white geezers? They have "terrorist" written all over their faces.
Amazing.
As I'm standing there, I think to myself, "If I were the TSA, who would I pull aside to search." Naturally, the old, white geezers. And that's what they did.
What about the younger, white male? No, young men never commit crimes. What about the Arab couple? Nah, what kind of threat would they present. Old, white geezers? They have "terrorist" written all over their faces.
Amazing.
Just Go Ahead and Give USC the Trophy
LOS ANGELES -- Matt Leinart passed on the NFL for a chance to make history at Southern California -- and to remain a college kid for another year.
The Heisman Trophy winner will return to USC for his senior season and try to lead the Trojans to an unprecedented third straight national championship.
"I went with my gut. I went with my heart," the quarterback said.
Leinart opted to complete his eligibility rather than enter the NFL draft, where he figured to be one of the top selections in April and become an instant millionaire.
Instead, he'll have a chance to become just the second two-time Heisman winner.
Mostly, though, Leinart was just having too much fun to leave.
"I realized the opportunity right now to support my family by going to the NFL early, but to me I think college football and this whole atmosphere here and being with my friends and my teammates ... is ultimately more satisfying and will make me happier than any amount of money could make someone happy," he said.
The Heisman Trophy winner will return to USC for his senior season and try to lead the Trojans to an unprecedented third straight national championship.
"I went with my gut. I went with my heart," the quarterback said.
Leinart opted to complete his eligibility rather than enter the NFL draft, where he figured to be one of the top selections in April and become an instant millionaire.
Instead, he'll have a chance to become just the second two-time Heisman winner.
Mostly, though, Leinart was just having too much fun to leave.
"I realized the opportunity right now to support my family by going to the NFL early, but to me I think college football and this whole atmosphere here and being with my friends and my teammates ... is ultimately more satisfying and will make me happier than any amount of money could make someone happy," he said.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Now These are Maps
If you are a Civil War buff like me, you'll love perusing these Civil War era maps. Very cool.
The Lavender Army
Ok, this is really weird, but I like it. The biggest challenge for large bureaucracies is original thinking. Well, this is definitely original.
THE Pentagon considered developing a host of non-lethal chemical weapons that would disrupt discipline and morale among enemy troops, newly declassify documents reveal.
Most bizarre among the plans was one for the development of an "aphrodisiac" chemical weapon that would make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to each other. Provoking widespread homosexual behavior among troops would cause a "distasteful but completely non-lethal" blow to morale, the proposal says.
Other ideas included chemical weapons that attract swarms of enraged wasps or angry rats to troop positions, making them uninhibitedly. Another was to develop a chemical that caused "severe and lasting halitosis", making it easy to identify guerrillas trying to blend in with civilians. There was also the idea of making troops' skin unbearably sensitive to sunlight.
The proposals, from the US Air Force Wright Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, date from 1994. The lab sought Pentagon funding for research into what it called "harassing, annoying and 'bad guy'-identifying chemicals". The plans have been posted online by the Sunshine Project, an organisation that exposes research into chemical and biological weapons.
Spokesman Edward Hammond says it was not known if the proposed $7.5 million, six-year research plan was ever pursued.
THE Pentagon considered developing a host of non-lethal chemical weapons that would disrupt discipline and morale among enemy troops, newly declassify documents reveal.
Most bizarre among the plans was one for the development of an "aphrodisiac" chemical weapon that would make enemy soldiers sexually irresistible to each other. Provoking widespread homosexual behavior among troops would cause a "distasteful but completely non-lethal" blow to morale, the proposal says.
Other ideas included chemical weapons that attract swarms of enraged wasps or angry rats to troop positions, making them uninhibitedly. Another was to develop a chemical that caused "severe and lasting halitosis", making it easy to identify guerrillas trying to blend in with civilians. There was also the idea of making troops' skin unbearably sensitive to sunlight.
The proposals, from the US Air Force Wright Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, date from 1994. The lab sought Pentagon funding for research into what it called "harassing, annoying and 'bad guy'-identifying chemicals". The plans have been posted online by the Sunshine Project, an organisation that exposes research into chemical and biological weapons.
Spokesman Edward Hammond says it was not known if the proposed $7.5 million, six-year research plan was ever pursued.
This is Promising
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea told a visiting U.S. Congressional delegation that it is ready to return to six-party nuclear talks and would treat the United States as a "friend" if Washington doesn't slander the rule of totalitarian leader Kim Jong Il.
The North Korean overture on Friday came shortly after a bipartisan U.S. Congressional delegation concluded talks with senior communist officials in Pyongyang. The delegation called the meeting an "overwhelming success," and said in Seoul that North Korea appeared ready to negotiate within weeks.
"Our unanimous impression is that the DPRK is ready to rejoin the six-party process," said Republican Rep. Curt Weldon, vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, using the acronym for the North's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The North Korean overture on Friday came shortly after a bipartisan U.S. Congressional delegation concluded talks with senior communist officials in Pyongyang. The delegation called the meeting an "overwhelming success," and said in Seoul that North Korea appeared ready to negotiate within weeks.
"Our unanimous impression is that the DPRK is ready to rejoin the six-party process," said Republican Rep. Curt Weldon, vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, using the acronym for the North's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
You're Cut Off
Tipsy Teddy Kennedy at the National Press Club:
Kennedy also mangled the name of the Democrats' new star, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, calling him "Osama bin … Osama … Obama."
Kennedy also mangled the name of the Democrats' new star, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, calling him "Osama bin … Osama … Obama."
Bizarro World
You've got to check out my alter ego at Radio Free Newport. This guy can't be serious, can he?
I'm Scratching My Head
This is about the most bizarre ruling I've seen:
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that a school district in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, must remove an evolution disclaimer inside textbooks.
The stickers inside the Cobb County School District's science books said "Evolution is a theory not a fact."
The ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper said the stickers violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Parents in Cobb County, a politically conservative area northwest of Atlanta, and the American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the stickers in court, arguing they violated the constitutional separation of church and state.
1. The phrase "Evolution is theory not a fact" is true. Any scientist will tell you. Now, those backing the inclusion of the statement may have different motives, but the Court is not asked to rule on motives. It must rule on the activity in question.
2. How does this scientific statement violate the Establishment Clause? What is it establishing?
3. Cobb County is indeed a "politically conservative area". But what about the American Civil Liberties Union? Is that not a "politically liberal organization"? It seems to me if you are going to label one side, you probably ought to label the other. But that would be fair and balanced, wouldn't it?
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that a school district in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, must remove an evolution disclaimer inside textbooks.
The stickers inside the Cobb County School District's science books said "Evolution is a theory not a fact."
The ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper said the stickers violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Parents in Cobb County, a politically conservative area northwest of Atlanta, and the American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the stickers in court, arguing they violated the constitutional separation of church and state.
1. The phrase "Evolution is theory not a fact" is true. Any scientist will tell you. Now, those backing the inclusion of the statement may have different motives, but the Court is not asked to rule on motives. It must rule on the activity in question.
2. How does this scientific statement violate the Establishment Clause? What is it establishing?
3. Cobb County is indeed a "politically conservative area". But what about the American Civil Liberties Union? Is that not a "politically liberal organization"? It seems to me if you are going to label one side, you probably ought to label the other. But that would be fair and balanced, wouldn't it?
Top Ten Proposed Changes at CBS News
10. Stories must be corroborated by at least two really strong hunches.
9. "Evening News" pre-show staff cocktail hour is cancelled until further notice.
8. Reduce "60 Minutes" to more manageable 15-20 minutes.
7. Change division name from "CBS News" to "CBS News-ish"
6. If anchor says anything inaccurate, earpiece delivers an electric shock.
5. Conclude each story with comical "Boing" sound effect.
4. Instead of boring Middle East reports, more powerball drawings.
3. To play it safe, every "exclusive" story will be about how tasty pecan pie is.
2. Not sure how, but make CBS News more like "C.S.I."
1. Use beer, cash and hookers to lure Tom Brokaw out of retirement.
9. "Evening News" pre-show staff cocktail hour is cancelled until further notice.
8. Reduce "60 Minutes" to more manageable 15-20 minutes.
7. Change division name from "CBS News" to "CBS News-ish"
6. If anchor says anything inaccurate, earpiece delivers an electric shock.
5. Conclude each story with comical "Boing" sound effect.
4. Instead of boring Middle East reports, more powerball drawings.
3. To play it safe, every "exclusive" story will be about how tasty pecan pie is.
2. Not sure how, but make CBS News more like "C.S.I."
1. Use beer, cash and hookers to lure Tom Brokaw out of retirement.
Quote of the Day
"We as Democrats may be in the minority in Congress, but we speak for the majority of Americans." - Ted Kennedy
Huh?
Huh?
Aim High
If you are going to go bad, you might as well go all the way.
Sir Mark Thatcher has pleaded guilty in South Africa over his part in an alleged coup plot in Equatorial Guinea.
The son of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was fined three million rand (£265,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence.
Sir Mark, who denies any knowledge of the plot, agreed a plea bargain and will now co-operate with investigators.
He admitted breaking anti-mercenary legislation in South Africa by agreeing to finance a helicopter.
It has been reported the businessman said he did not initially know the helicopter's alleged purpose - that it was to be used in the alleged coup attempt, instead believing it was to be used as an air ambulance.
But in his plea bargain statement, Sir Mark says he came to realise the helicopter was to be used for mercenary activities before the deal was finalised.
Sir Mark Thatcher has pleaded guilty in South Africa over his part in an alleged coup plot in Equatorial Guinea.
The son of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was fined three million rand (£265,000) and received a four-year suspended jail sentence.
Sir Mark, who denies any knowledge of the plot, agreed a plea bargain and will now co-operate with investigators.
He admitted breaking anti-mercenary legislation in South Africa by agreeing to finance a helicopter.
It has been reported the businessman said he did not initially know the helicopter's alleged purpose - that it was to be used in the alleged coup attempt, instead believing it was to be used as an air ambulance.
But in his plea bargain statement, Sir Mark says he came to realise the helicopter was to be used for mercenary activities before the deal was finalised.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
A Sad - and Common - Story
For every Kobe Bryant, there are 10 Joe Fortes.
Bottom line:
"As a player, there's no question he was ready to leave school," Wootten said. "He could not have had a better season than his sophomore year at North Carolina. The tougher question is: 'As a person, was he mature enough for the NBA?' "
..."My whole life, I had people looking out for me," Forte said. "At DeMatha I had Coach Wootten, and at North Carolina I had Coach Guthridge. Those guys took me under their watch, man. They made sure I did everything right.
"Then in the NBA, I didn't have anybody watching me. I had to make my own decisions, and I guess I wasn't totally ready for that."
Bottom line:
"As a player, there's no question he was ready to leave school," Wootten said. "He could not have had a better season than his sophomore year at North Carolina. The tougher question is: 'As a person, was he mature enough for the NBA?' "
..."My whole life, I had people looking out for me," Forte said. "At DeMatha I had Coach Wootten, and at North Carolina I had Coach Guthridge. Those guys took me under their watch, man. They made sure I did everything right.
"Then in the NBA, I didn't have anybody watching me. I had to make my own decisions, and I guess I wasn't totally ready for that."
This Kid Gets It
UK's Bobby Perry has to be a Tubby favorite.
On losing Joe Crawford …
“Joe is a great person. I chose not to say anything about Joe. I wish him the best and hope he has a great career.”
On waiting for a starting lineup position…
“Coach Smith is the kind of coach who runs a basketball program. He is not a quick-hitter, a one and done kind of guy. He runs a program and develops guys. Sometimes it’s not all about basketball it’s about life, and that’s what I like about Coach Smith. I realized coming in I was willing to learn and I had to wait my turn, I didn’t know everything right away and had a lot to learn to get in that starting line-up. I am playing behind a guy like Chuck Hayes who is an awesome player, I can only learn from him and my time will come if I keep working hard.”
On pulling together being one down going into the SEC…
“Yeah we are still going to be a great team. It’s a tough loss losing Joe, anytime you lose someone if it’s an injury or any reason its tough, but we are going to regroup and come back and try to have a strong game against a great Vanderbilt team."
On losing Joe Crawford …
“Joe is a great person. I chose not to say anything about Joe. I wish him the best and hope he has a great career.”
On waiting for a starting lineup position…
“Coach Smith is the kind of coach who runs a basketball program. He is not a quick-hitter, a one and done kind of guy. He runs a program and develops guys. Sometimes it’s not all about basketball it’s about life, and that’s what I like about Coach Smith. I realized coming in I was willing to learn and I had to wait my turn, I didn’t know everything right away and had a lot to learn to get in that starting line-up. I am playing behind a guy like Chuck Hayes who is an awesome player, I can only learn from him and my time will come if I keep working hard.”
On pulling together being one down going into the SEC…
“Yeah we are still going to be a great team. It’s a tough loss losing Joe, anytime you lose someone if it’s an injury or any reason its tough, but we are going to regroup and come back and try to have a strong game against a great Vanderbilt team."
The Wicked Witch is Dead
The main-stream media is dead. So says Howard Fineman of Newsweek (a.k.a., the main-stream media).
This is Good News
WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. government ran a $1 billion budget surplus in December, helped by a rise in corporate tax payments, the Congressional Budget Office said in its latest budget report released on Friday. The surplus, which compared with an $18 billion deficit in the previous December, helped create a smaller fiscal deficit for the first three months of the 2005 fiscal year, than in the same quarter of the prior year.
Can Any Marriage Last?
The Brad and Jen split has Katie asking the question.
You know, Larry, I usually tease you about kind of the inordinate attention some of these stories get, but everybody I know, they were very upset this weekend about this particular breakup, because it sort of made you feel like, 'Gosh, can any marriage last?' And here they seemed really suited to each other. They were, you know, so attractive. They both seemed like very nice people. And I actually called our newsdesk on Saturday and said: 'I know that we have this tsunami going on, and--and all these people, but is it true that they broke up? I mean, so I think a lot of people are really interested particularly in them as a couple. Why do you think that's true?
Our people in television really that naive. Apparently so.
You know, Larry, I usually tease you about kind of the inordinate attention some of these stories get, but everybody I know, they were very upset this weekend about this particular breakup, because it sort of made you feel like, 'Gosh, can any marriage last?' And here they seemed really suited to each other. They were, you know, so attractive. They both seemed like very nice people. And I actually called our newsdesk on Saturday and said: 'I know that we have this tsunami going on, and--and all these people, but is it true that they broke up? I mean, so I think a lot of people are really interested particularly in them as a couple. Why do you think that's true?
Our people in television really that naive. Apparently so.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Big Ben Comes Through
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ben Roethlisberger has surprised his Pittsburgh Steelers' teammates many times during his unbeaten rookie season. He did so again Tuesday, announcing he'll donate his first NFL playoff paycheck to the tsunami victims relief effort.
Even on a team that openly encourages its players to participate in charity activities and community events, Roethlisberger's $18,000 gesture before Saturday's Jets-Steelers game created a positive stir.
"Wow, I didn't even know that," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "Guys do a lot of different things in different ways that people don't always hear about, but that's great -- that's for a great cause, definitely. That's a big tragedy, and I hope everyone will at least donate (something)."
Unlike the regular season, when each player earns a weekly share of his base salary, playoff salaries are determined by the league's collective bargaining agreement and each player is paid the same.
Roethlisberger, who is 13-0 as a rookie quarterback, hopes other NFL players will follow his
lead.
"I'm going to donate my game check this week to the tsunami relief -- and hopefully maybe (it will be) a challenge for other people to do that, too," Roethlisberger said.
Even on a team that openly encourages its players to participate in charity activities and community events, Roethlisberger's $18,000 gesture before Saturday's Jets-Steelers game created a positive stir.
"Wow, I didn't even know that," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "Guys do a lot of different things in different ways that people don't always hear about, but that's great -- that's for a great cause, definitely. That's a big tragedy, and I hope everyone will at least donate (something)."
Unlike the regular season, when each player earns a weekly share of his base salary, playoff salaries are determined by the league's collective bargaining agreement and each player is paid the same.
Roethlisberger, who is 13-0 as a rookie quarterback, hopes other NFL players will follow his
lead.
"I'm going to donate my game check this week to the tsunami relief -- and hopefully maybe (it will be) a challenge for other people to do that, too," Roethlisberger said.
Tony Said What?
Randy Moss likely will draw a fine from the NFL, but Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy had to chuckle nonetheless when he saw the Minnesota Vikings' wide receiver pretend to moon the fans at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
Dungy knew Moss' gesture -- acting as if he was dropping his pants and mooning the end-zone crowd after catching a 34-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of the Vikings' 31-17 victory -- was tantamount to payback.
"I thought it was kind of humorous," Dungy said Monday afternoon. "Anybody that's played in the NFC Central knows what that's all about.
"Green Bay has a reputation with their fans being great, and they really are. But one of their traditions is when they beat you, they stand around the parking lot, all around the fence, and they moon the bus when you leave."
What the *%#^&? Isn't this the same Tony Dungy that blasted Monday Night Football and ABC for the T.O./Desperate Housewives skit? He said it was degrading to the black athlete and classless? Well, what do you call Randy Moss' antics?
Sorry Tony, you can't have it both ways.
Dungy knew Moss' gesture -- acting as if he was dropping his pants and mooning the end-zone crowd after catching a 34-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of the Vikings' 31-17 victory -- was tantamount to payback.
"I thought it was kind of humorous," Dungy said Monday afternoon. "Anybody that's played in the NFC Central knows what that's all about.
"Green Bay has a reputation with their fans being great, and they really are. But one of their traditions is when they beat you, they stand around the parking lot, all around the fence, and they moon the bus when you leave."
What the *%#^&? Isn't this the same Tony Dungy that blasted Monday Night Football and ABC for the T.O./Desperate Housewives skit? He said it was degrading to the black athlete and classless? Well, what do you call Randy Moss' antics?
Sorry Tony, you can't have it both ways.
UK Fights Back
Now I like the sound of this. Bottom line:
If Crawford leaves without the waiver, he will face a significant loss of his college eligibility. He'll have two and a half years available to complete one and a half years of eligibility. The penalty would simply mean he'll be a junior when he resumes his college career, rather than a sophomore.
If Crawford leaves without the waiver, he will face a significant loss of his college eligibility. He'll have two and a half years available to complete one and a half years of eligibility. The penalty would simply mean he'll be a junior when he resumes his college career, rather than a sophomore.
Poor Dan
He just doesn't get it.
Tue Jan 11 2004 14:56:11 ET
The panel report is part of a process -- a necessary process to deal with a difficult issue -- at the end of which four good people have lost their jobs. My strongest reaction is one of sadness and concern for those individuals whom I know and with whom I have worked. It would be a shame if we let this matter, troubling as it is, obscure their dedication and good work over the years.
Yet good can come from this process if CBS News, and the hundreds of able professionals who labor every day to fill an essential public service in an open society, emerge with a renewed dedication to journalism of the highest quality. We should take seriously the admonition of the report's authors to do our job well and carefully, but also their parallel admonition not to be afraid to cover important and controversial issues.
CBS News is a great institution with a distinct and precious legacy. I have been here through good times, and not so good times. I have seen us overcome adversity before. I am convinced we can do so again. That must be our focus and priority. And we can fulfill that objective by getting back to business and doing our jobs better than ever. Lest anyone have any doubt, I have read the report, I take it seriously, and I shall keep its lessons well in mind.
Dan Rather
Tue Jan 11 2004 14:56:11 ET
The panel report is part of a process -- a necessary process to deal with a difficult issue -- at the end of which four good people have lost their jobs. My strongest reaction is one of sadness and concern for those individuals whom I know and with whom I have worked. It would be a shame if we let this matter, troubling as it is, obscure their dedication and good work over the years.
Yet good can come from this process if CBS News, and the hundreds of able professionals who labor every day to fill an essential public service in an open society, emerge with a renewed dedication to journalism of the highest quality. We should take seriously the admonition of the report's authors to do our job well and carefully, but also their parallel admonition not to be afraid to cover important and controversial issues.
CBS News is a great institution with a distinct and precious legacy. I have been here through good times, and not so good times. I have seen us overcome adversity before. I am convinced we can do so again. That must be our focus and priority. And we can fulfill that objective by getting back to business and doing our jobs better than ever. Lest anyone have any doubt, I have read the report, I take it seriously, and I shall keep its lessons well in mind.
Dan Rather
Fighting "With the Army You Have"
Kevin Drum nails the "not enough troops" chorus:
Of course, no one seriously suggests that we should strip every last soldier from Europe, North Korea, and our other overseas deployments. Realistically, then, the maximum number of troops available for use in Iraq is probably pretty close to the number we have now: 300,000 rotated annually, for a presence of about 150,000 at any given time.
The only way to appreciably increase this is to raise the Army's end strength by several divisions, and this is exactly what Kagan and Sullivan think Rumsfeld has been too stubborn about opposing. But as they acknowledge, doing this would take a couple of years — and as they don't acknowledge, it would have made the war politically impossible. The invasion of Iraq almost certainly would never have happened if Rumsfeld had told Congress in 2002 that he wanted them to approve three or four (or more) new divisions in preparation for a war in 2004 or 2005.
In other words, when Rumsfeld commented that you go to war "with the army you have," he was exactly right. Kagan and Sullivan both supported the Iraq war, but it never would have happened if Rumsfeld had acknowledged that we needed 100,000 more troops than we had available at the time.
For that reason, conservative critiques of Rumsfeld on these grounds strike me as hypocritical. Would Kagan and Sullivan have supported delaying the Iraq war a couple of years in order to raise the troops they now believe are necessary? If not, isn't it a little late to start complaining now?
Of course, no one seriously suggests that we should strip every last soldier from Europe, North Korea, and our other overseas deployments. Realistically, then, the maximum number of troops available for use in Iraq is probably pretty close to the number we have now: 300,000 rotated annually, for a presence of about 150,000 at any given time.
The only way to appreciably increase this is to raise the Army's end strength by several divisions, and this is exactly what Kagan and Sullivan think Rumsfeld has been too stubborn about opposing. But as they acknowledge, doing this would take a couple of years — and as they don't acknowledge, it would have made the war politically impossible. The invasion of Iraq almost certainly would never have happened if Rumsfeld had told Congress in 2002 that he wanted them to approve three or four (or more) new divisions in preparation for a war in 2004 or 2005.
In other words, when Rumsfeld commented that you go to war "with the army you have," he was exactly right. Kagan and Sullivan both supported the Iraq war, but it never would have happened if Rumsfeld had acknowledged that we needed 100,000 more troops than we had available at the time.
For that reason, conservative critiques of Rumsfeld on these grounds strike me as hypocritical. Would Kagan and Sullivan have supported delaying the Iraq war a couple of years in order to raise the troops they now believe are necessary? If not, isn't it a little late to start complaining now?
NCAA Reform
This is a huge development that his been flying under the radar screen. I like it.
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) -- The NCAA approved the first phase of a landmark academic reform package Monday under which about 30 percent of Division I football teams would have lost scholarships had it been implemented immediately.
On the last day of the NCAA convention, the Division I Board of Directors approved the Academic Progress Rate (APR), the standard teams in every sport must reach beginning in the 2005-06 school year to avoid scholarship reductions.
Schools will receive warning reports in the next few weeks that let them know which of their teams fall below the APR set by the Division I Committee on Academic Performance. The rate is based roughly on a 50-percent graduation rate over a five-year period.
The Academic Performance Program applies to every men's and women's sport -- more than 5,000 teams at the 325 Division I schools.
University of Hartford president and committee chairman Walter Harrison said the biggest problems were in football (about 30 percent of teams), baseball (25 percent) and men's basketball (20 percent).
"Our hope, of course, is not the penalty," Harrison said. "We hope it encourages different kinds of behavior so that the numbers will be lower."
The so-called "contemporaneous penalties" are considered rehabilitative in nature and expected to serve as warnings for teams with poor academic performance. Such penalties could begin after December 2005.
Another phase of the program will be historical penalties, which will be more severe and directed at schools with continued problems. Harrison's committee is still working on the penalties, and they will have to be approved by NCAA directors later.
GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) -- The NCAA approved the first phase of a landmark academic reform package Monday under which about 30 percent of Division I football teams would have lost scholarships had it been implemented immediately.
On the last day of the NCAA convention, the Division I Board of Directors approved the Academic Progress Rate (APR), the standard teams in every sport must reach beginning in the 2005-06 school year to avoid scholarship reductions.
Schools will receive warning reports in the next few weeks that let them know which of their teams fall below the APR set by the Division I Committee on Academic Performance. The rate is based roughly on a 50-percent graduation rate over a five-year period.
The Academic Performance Program applies to every men's and women's sport -- more than 5,000 teams at the 325 Division I schools.
University of Hartford president and committee chairman Walter Harrison said the biggest problems were in football (about 30 percent of teams), baseball (25 percent) and men's basketball (20 percent).
"Our hope, of course, is not the penalty," Harrison said. "We hope it encourages different kinds of behavior so that the numbers will be lower."
The so-called "contemporaneous penalties" are considered rehabilitative in nature and expected to serve as warnings for teams with poor academic performance. Such penalties could begin after December 2005.
Another phase of the program will be historical penalties, which will be more severe and directed at schools with continued problems. Harrison's committee is still working on the penalties, and they will have to be approved by NCAA directors later.
Crawford Out?
This is surprising:
One of Kentucky's ballyhooed freshmen, guard Joe Crawford, appeared on the brink of transferring, Coach Tubby Smith said on his weekly radio show last night.
Smith's comments came after meeting with Crawford's parents to "explore the option of transferring," team spokesman Scott Stricklin said.
"Their first inclination is to transfer," Smith said on the radio. "If he does, we wish him the best." The UK coach made it clear he preferred that Crawford, a McDonald's All-American from Detroit, stay. Smith noted the would-be waste of "energy and resources" devoted to recruiting prospects. He gave Crawford an indefinite period to think over the options.
"He's a great kid," Smith said. "I hope he understands we want him here. He also understands he has to do what's best for him."
What's interesting is that Crawford is averaging over 13 minutes a game. Under Tubby, that's a lot. Crawford may be upset that Rondo and Morris are playing more, but Crawford hasn't shown much to this point. Here's hoping he grows up and sticks it out.
One of Kentucky's ballyhooed freshmen, guard Joe Crawford, appeared on the brink of transferring, Coach Tubby Smith said on his weekly radio show last night.
Smith's comments came after meeting with Crawford's parents to "explore the option of transferring," team spokesman Scott Stricklin said.
"Their first inclination is to transfer," Smith said on the radio. "If he does, we wish him the best." The UK coach made it clear he preferred that Crawford, a McDonald's All-American from Detroit, stay. Smith noted the would-be waste of "energy and resources" devoted to recruiting prospects. He gave Crawford an indefinite period to think over the options.
"He's a great kid," Smith said. "I hope he understands we want him here. He also understands he has to do what's best for him."
What's interesting is that Crawford is averaging over 13 minutes a game. Under Tubby, that's a lot. Crawford may be upset that Rondo and Morris are playing more, but Crawford hasn't shown much to this point. Here's hoping he grows up and sticks it out.
Unbelievable
More nonsense from The Left. This time, instead of foolish action, it's foolish inaction.
When he was 21 years old, Hadi Salih was seized from his home in Baghdad by Saddam Hussein's secret police and summarily sentenced to death. His crime? Forming a trade union and campaigning for decent wages and basic health and safety conditions.
Amazingly, Salih survived. After five years in an Iraqi dungeon, his death sentence was commuted to permanant exile. He never gave up campaigning against Baathism and - although he opposed the recent war because of the civilian casualties it would cause - he headed home the moment Saddam was toppled.
Salih quickly became the leading figure in the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), one of 12 trade union organisations formed in Iraq over the past two years. He knew that no society has needed trade unions more than Iraq does right now. Trade unions are a secular space where it doesn't matter if you are Sunni, Shia or Christian; they provide an opportunity to bridge sectarian divides and unite in a common democratic cause. Even more importantly, trade unions are the only way for Iraqis to resist the IMF programme of "shock therapy" and corporate rule being imposed undemocratically (with the support of the British and US governments) on their country.
Speaking a few months ago, Salih expressed his hope that trade unions could play the same role in regenerating Iraq that they played in post-war Japan. "The labour movement in Japan has been fighting for their country and for social justice for 50 years. If they can do it, we can too. That is why, despite everything, I am enthusiastic." He had already recruited over 300,000 members.
On Tuesday night, a masked gang broke into Salih's home in Baghdad. They bound him hand and foot and they blindfolded him. They beat and they burned his flesh. Once they had finished torturing him, they strangled him with an electric cord. As a final touch, they riddled his body with bullets.
Salih's close friend Abdullah Muhsin, the international representative of the IFTU, told me yesterday, "He was an ordinary but a very decent man. He worked in the print industry in Iraq and in exile, and the passion of his life was Iraqi workers and their desire to live as free people. And now I hear people describe his murderers as 'the resistance'. Resistance to what? To trade unions? To a decent man who loved his family and loved Iraq and wanted his country to be free? They cannot silence Salih. They cannot silence the Iraqi trade unions. Not again."
The IFTU has reported a pattern of attacks on trade union offices and trade union members. The murder of Salih bears all the hallmarks of Saddam's Mukhabarat - the Baathist KGB. Whatever you thought about the justice of the recent war in Iraq - and there were plenty of good reasons to oppose it - the only decent path now is to stand with a majority of Iraqis against the murderers of Salih and dozens of other Iraqi trade unionists.
Yet - I can't believe I'm saying this - a significant portion of the left is not standing with them. John Pilger - who says he has "seldom felt as safe in any country" as when he visited Saddam's Iraq - now openly supports the resistance on the grounds that "we can't afford to be choosy". The Stop the War Coalition passed a resolution recently saying the resistance should use "any means necessary" - which prompted Mick Rix, a decent trade unionist, to resign from the STWC on the grounds that this clearly constituted support for the murder of civilians. George Galloway has attacked the IFTU as "quislings" and described the tearful descriptions of one of their members of life under Saddam as "a party trick".
When he was 21 years old, Hadi Salih was seized from his home in Baghdad by Saddam Hussein's secret police and summarily sentenced to death. His crime? Forming a trade union and campaigning for decent wages and basic health and safety conditions.
Amazingly, Salih survived. After five years in an Iraqi dungeon, his death sentence was commuted to permanant exile. He never gave up campaigning against Baathism and - although he opposed the recent war because of the civilian casualties it would cause - he headed home the moment Saddam was toppled.
Salih quickly became the leading figure in the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), one of 12 trade union organisations formed in Iraq over the past two years. He knew that no society has needed trade unions more than Iraq does right now. Trade unions are a secular space where it doesn't matter if you are Sunni, Shia or Christian; they provide an opportunity to bridge sectarian divides and unite in a common democratic cause. Even more importantly, trade unions are the only way for Iraqis to resist the IMF programme of "shock therapy" and corporate rule being imposed undemocratically (with the support of the British and US governments) on their country.
Speaking a few months ago, Salih expressed his hope that trade unions could play the same role in regenerating Iraq that they played in post-war Japan. "The labour movement in Japan has been fighting for their country and for social justice for 50 years. If they can do it, we can too. That is why, despite everything, I am enthusiastic." He had already recruited over 300,000 members.
On Tuesday night, a masked gang broke into Salih's home in Baghdad. They bound him hand and foot and they blindfolded him. They beat and they burned his flesh. Once they had finished torturing him, they strangled him with an electric cord. As a final touch, they riddled his body with bullets.
Salih's close friend Abdullah Muhsin, the international representative of the IFTU, told me yesterday, "He was an ordinary but a very decent man. He worked in the print industry in Iraq and in exile, and the passion of his life was Iraqi workers and their desire to live as free people. And now I hear people describe his murderers as 'the resistance'. Resistance to what? To trade unions? To a decent man who loved his family and loved Iraq and wanted his country to be free? They cannot silence Salih. They cannot silence the Iraqi trade unions. Not again."
The IFTU has reported a pattern of attacks on trade union offices and trade union members. The murder of Salih bears all the hallmarks of Saddam's Mukhabarat - the Baathist KGB. Whatever you thought about the justice of the recent war in Iraq - and there were plenty of good reasons to oppose it - the only decent path now is to stand with a majority of Iraqis against the murderers of Salih and dozens of other Iraqi trade unionists.
Yet - I can't believe I'm saying this - a significant portion of the left is not standing with them. John Pilger - who says he has "seldom felt as safe in any country" as when he visited Saddam's Iraq - now openly supports the resistance on the grounds that "we can't afford to be choosy". The Stop the War Coalition passed a resolution recently saying the resistance should use "any means necessary" - which prompted Mick Rix, a decent trade unionist, to resign from the STWC on the grounds that this clearly constituted support for the murder of civilians. George Galloway has attacked the IFTU as "quislings" and described the tearful descriptions of one of their members of life under Saddam as "a party trick".
RatherGate is Over
Andrew Sullivan sums it up:
THE END OF RATHER: He has to go now, doesn't he? When all the people directly associated with this debacle have quit or been fired, on what basis does he stay? He fronted the report. He stood by it. He took responsibility for it. On his watch, CBS News became a laughing stock. Is he really going to let everyone else take the hit? Has he lost all sense of self-respect as well as loyalty? For goodness' sake, Dan. Go. Even Howell did eventually. People will remember the rest of your legacy. But if you hang on to your job as long as you hung on to that "story," all you will prove is your pride.
THE END OF RATHER: He has to go now, doesn't he? When all the people directly associated with this debacle have quit or been fired, on what basis does he stay? He fronted the report. He stood by it. He took responsibility for it. On his watch, CBS News became a laughing stock. Is he really going to let everyone else take the hit? Has he lost all sense of self-respect as well as loyalty? For goodness' sake, Dan. Go. Even Howell did eventually. People will remember the rest of your legacy. But if you hang on to your job as long as you hung on to that "story," all you will prove is your pride.
So Now We Know
I was wondering what happened with this:
WASHINGTON — The criminal probe into why former Bill Clinton aide Sandy Berger illegally sneaked top-secret documents out of the National Archives — possibly in his socks — has heated up and is now before a federal grand jury, The Post has learned. . . .
"It may have been off the front pages, but the investigation has been active," said a source with knowledge of the probe.
"[Berger] has been interviewed several times by federal agents — FBI and prosecutors."
Berger admits removing 40 to 50 top-secret documents from the archives, but claims it was an "honest mistake" made while he vetted documents for the 9/11 commission's probe into the Twin Towers attacks.
Berger has also acknowledged that he destroyed some documents — he says by accident. . . .
The documents include multiple drafts of a review of the 2000 millennium threat said to conclude that only luck prevented a 2000 attack.
That story conflicts with Berger's own testimony to the commission, in which he claimed that "we thwarted" millennium attacks by being vigilant — rather than by sheer luck, as the review reportedly suggests.
WASHINGTON — The criminal probe into why former Bill Clinton aide Sandy Berger illegally sneaked top-secret documents out of the National Archives — possibly in his socks — has heated up and is now before a federal grand jury, The Post has learned. . . .
"It may have been off the front pages, but the investigation has been active," said a source with knowledge of the probe.
"[Berger] has been interviewed several times by federal agents — FBI and prosecutors."
Berger admits removing 40 to 50 top-secret documents from the archives, but claims it was an "honest mistake" made while he vetted documents for the 9/11 commission's probe into the Twin Towers attacks.
Berger has also acknowledged that he destroyed some documents — he says by accident. . . .
The documents include multiple drafts of a review of the 2000 millennium threat said to conclude that only luck prevented a 2000 attack.
That story conflicts with Berger's own testimony to the commission, in which he claimed that "we thwarted" millennium attacks by being vigilant — rather than by sheer luck, as the review reportedly suggests.
With Congressman Like This...
...who needs enemies.
Most alarming to White House officials, some congressional Republicans are panning the president's plan — even before it is unveiled. "Why stir up a political hornet's nest .... when there is no urgency?" said Rep. Rob Simmons (Conn.), who represents a competitive district. "When does the program go belly up? 2042. I will be dead by then."
Yep, leave the fiscal crisis to your children and grandchildren. That a boy.
Most alarming to White House officials, some congressional Republicans are panning the president's plan — even before it is unveiled. "Why stir up a political hornet's nest .... when there is no urgency?" said Rep. Rob Simmons (Conn.), who represents a competitive district. "When does the program go belly up? 2042. I will be dead by then."
Yep, leave the fiscal crisis to your children and grandchildren. That a boy.
Monday, January 10, 2005
This Sounds Like Hell
Here's a nice story from this morning's Enquirer:
In District 1, about three-quarters of last year's shooting victims were black males. Most victims were in their 20s and 30s, although their ages ranged from 8 to 54. At least three were suspected shooters in other incidents.
All but three of the District 1 shootings occurred in Over-the-Rhine and the West End.
Police arrested 12 suspects in the 94 shootings. But nine cases were dropped for lack of sufficient evidence or cooperation, and only three suspects were charged, indicted and prosecuted through the system.
Two of them went to prison.
Why so few convictions?
The cycle of violence involves people like Jason McClure.
Three times last year, the 24-year-old Over-the-Rhine man was charged with shooting people. But none of the victims or witnesses ever showed up for court. So each time, McClure went free.
"What happens is when he shoots people and nobody shows up for court, he's going to keep shooting people," Officer Sean Woods says. "It lets him run the streets. We have to just keep picking him up."
In the latest case, McClure was accused in August of shooting two men. The charges were dismissed because neither victim would cooperate with detectives, police say. Then, three weeks later, one of the victims was suspected of shooting McClure. McClure wouldn't testify, either, even though he'd been shot five times.
He could not be found for comment.
If officers didn't think of it as a game, Officer Matt Hamer says, "we'd probably just cry and go home."
Now, McClure is wanted again. This time he is accused of sticking a black-and-silver handgun in the face of an Over-the-Rhine corner store clerk in December. Police say McClure threatened the clerk not to testify before a grand jury looking into a case in which McClure is accused of robbing the same store. McClure casually grabbed a few Black & Mild cigarettes on his way out, says Woods, who filed the latest charges.
"The last time I saw him, he said, 'I'm straightening out,' " the officer says. "They all say that."
...Police say chances are minuscule that somebody might see McClure's picture, do the right thing and call. Still, they can hope.
McClure stays on another list, too.
"Every cop has a list in his head of five or six guys we think would shoot us in the back," Woods says. "He's on my list."
In District 1, about three-quarters of last year's shooting victims were black males. Most victims were in their 20s and 30s, although their ages ranged from 8 to 54. At least three were suspected shooters in other incidents.
All but three of the District 1 shootings occurred in Over-the-Rhine and the West End.
Police arrested 12 suspects in the 94 shootings. But nine cases were dropped for lack of sufficient evidence or cooperation, and only three suspects were charged, indicted and prosecuted through the system.
Two of them went to prison.
Why so few convictions?
The cycle of violence involves people like Jason McClure.
Three times last year, the 24-year-old Over-the-Rhine man was charged with shooting people. But none of the victims or witnesses ever showed up for court. So each time, McClure went free.
"What happens is when he shoots people and nobody shows up for court, he's going to keep shooting people," Officer Sean Woods says. "It lets him run the streets. We have to just keep picking him up."
In the latest case, McClure was accused in August of shooting two men. The charges were dismissed because neither victim would cooperate with detectives, police say. Then, three weeks later, one of the victims was suspected of shooting McClure. McClure wouldn't testify, either, even though he'd been shot five times.
He could not be found for comment.
If officers didn't think of it as a game, Officer Matt Hamer says, "we'd probably just cry and go home."
Now, McClure is wanted again. This time he is accused of sticking a black-and-silver handgun in the face of an Over-the-Rhine corner store clerk in December. Police say McClure threatened the clerk not to testify before a grand jury looking into a case in which McClure is accused of robbing the same store. McClure casually grabbed a few Black & Mild cigarettes on his way out, says Woods, who filed the latest charges.
"The last time I saw him, he said, 'I'm straightening out,' " the officer says. "They all say that."
...Police say chances are minuscule that somebody might see McClure's picture, do the right thing and call. Still, they can hope.
McClure stays on another list, too.
"Every cop has a list in his head of five or six guys we think would shoot us in the back," Woods says. "He's on my list."
Abbas Wins
The often described "moderate" accepted his win with this:
"I present this victory to the soul of Yasser Arafat and present it to our people, to our martyrs and to 11,000 prisoners."
Not promising.
"I present this victory to the soul of Yasser Arafat and present it to our people, to our martyrs and to 11,000 prisoners."
Not promising.
Rummy Must Go
In The Weekly Standard, Frederick W. Kagan comes out against Rummy. This is a signficant development and not a good sign for Rummy, Iraq, or the war on Islamic terror.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
The Big O...Prophet
Here's a gem from the Big O in this morning's Cincy Enquirer:
ST. LOUIS - Former University of Cincinnati great Oscar Robertson says the NCAA rules under which UC freshman Vincent Banks has been declared academically ineligible for this year are biased against kids from inner-city schools who have trouble on standardized tests that help determine their eligibility.
"I think it's biased against a lot of schools that have poor academics," Robertson said Saturday. "I think it's biased against kids in the inner city where the schools don't have a good academic record. This only hurts the kid."
Standardized tests are biased against kids from bad schools? No, you don't say. I hear they're also biased against stupid kids, lazy kids, kids without a father in the home, kids who spend all of their time watching TV, kids who smoke dope, drug-dealing kids, and kids who happen to be athletes.
ST. LOUIS - Former University of Cincinnati great Oscar Robertson says the NCAA rules under which UC freshman Vincent Banks has been declared academically ineligible for this year are biased against kids from inner-city schools who have trouble on standardized tests that help determine their eligibility.
"I think it's biased against a lot of schools that have poor academics," Robertson said Saturday. "I think it's biased against kids in the inner city where the schools don't have a good academic record. This only hurts the kid."
Standardized tests are biased against kids from bad schools? No, you don't say. I hear they're also biased against stupid kids, lazy kids, kids without a father in the home, kids who spend all of their time watching TV, kids who smoke dope, drug-dealing kids, and kids who happen to be athletes.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Oh, Those Jolly Islamists
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
The Stinginess Continues
CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) - The United States is pledging $350 million to help tsunami victims, a tenfold increase over its first wave of aid, President Bush announced Friday.
"Initial findings of American assessment teams on the ground indicate that the need for financial and other assistance will steadily increase in the days and weeks ahead," Bush said Friday in a statement released in Crawford, Texas, where he is staying at his ranch.
"Our contributions will continue to be revised as the full effects of this terrible tragedy become clearer," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this epic disaster."
"Initial findings of American assessment teams on the ground indicate that the need for financial and other assistance will steadily increase in the days and weeks ahead," Bush said Friday in a statement released in Crawford, Texas, where he is staying at his ranch.
"Our contributions will continue to be revised as the full effects of this terrible tragedy become clearer," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this epic disaster."
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