The notion of Christ as a family man is not the only raw nerve "The Da Vinci Code" has touched. Albinos are bothered that one of their own has yet again been depicted as a villain.
Dan Brown's best seller begins its worldwide debut Wednesday with Tom Hanks as the cryptologist pursuing a 2,000-year-old mystery that could reveal Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and that the Vatican covered it up.
Among his co-stars is Paul Bettany, the British actor playing monk- assassin Silas, an albino with red eyes who carries out a series of bloody murders to secure the secret of the Holy Grail, a trove of lost Christian documents that could prove Jesus had wed.
Critics cite a long list of albinos cast as heavies by Hollywood: The dreadlocked twins in "The Matrix Reloaded," a powder-haired hit man in the Chevy Chase-Goldie Hawn crime romp "Foul Play," the pasty zombies in "The Omega Man," a sadistic killer in "Cold Mountain," even the wicked executioner in the fairy-tale comedy "The Princess Bride."
Michael McGowan, an albino who heads the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation, said "The Da Vinci Code" will be the 68th movie since 1960 to feature an evil albino.
"Silas is just the latest in a long string," McGowan said. "The problem is there has been no balance. There are no realistic, sympathetic or heroic characters with albinism that you can find in movies or popular culture."
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Now Who Would Believe This Nonsense
NEW YORK (AP) -- Humans and chimps diverged from a single ancestral population through a complex process that took 4 million years, according to a new study comparing DNA from the two species.
By analyzing about 800 times more DNA than previous studies of the human-chimp split, researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard were able to learn not just when, but a little bit about how the sister species arose.
"For the first time we're able to see the details written out in the DNA," said Eric Lander, founding director of the Broad Institute. "What they tell us at the least is that the human-chimp speciation was very unusual."
The researchers hypothesize that an ancestral ape species split into two isolated populations about 10 million years ago, then got back together after a few thousand millennia. At that time the two groups, though somewhat genetically different, would have mated to form a third, hybrid population. That population could have interbred with one or both of its parent populations. Then, at some point after 6.3 million years ago, two distinct lines arose.
This sounds like something you would hear at a Scientology convention. Whoah, wait a minute. Scientology....scientist...I'm beginning to see the connection.
By analyzing about 800 times more DNA than previous studies of the human-chimp split, researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard were able to learn not just when, but a little bit about how the sister species arose.
"For the first time we're able to see the details written out in the DNA," said Eric Lander, founding director of the Broad Institute. "What they tell us at the least is that the human-chimp speciation was very unusual."
The researchers hypothesize that an ancestral ape species split into two isolated populations about 10 million years ago, then got back together after a few thousand millennia. At that time the two groups, though somewhat genetically different, would have mated to form a third, hybrid population. That population could have interbred with one or both of its parent populations. Then, at some point after 6.3 million years ago, two distinct lines arose.
This sounds like something you would hear at a Scientology convention. Whoah, wait a minute. Scientology....scientist...I'm beginning to see the connection.
ABC Is Doomed
This is all you need to know about their new show lineup:
Ted Danson, Taye Diggs, Calista Flockhart, Anne Heche, David Arquette and Rachel Griffiths are among the stars who will appear in new series, the network announced Tuesday.
That's like an all-star team of bad actors and has-beens.
Ted Danson, Taye Diggs, Calista Flockhart, Anne Heche, David Arquette and Rachel Griffiths are among the stars who will appear in new series, the network announced Tuesday.
That's like an all-star team of bad actors and has-beens.
Quote of the Day
"Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God makes for despair. Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance, because he shows us both God and our own wretchedness." -- Blaise Pascal, Pensees
My Love For The Coz Grows
Entertainer Bill Cosby yesterday chastised churchgoers who preach religion but fail to confront problems that plague their communities.
Speaking at the University of the District of Columbia, Cosby emphasized the importance of social responsibility and urged his audience to keep a vigilant eye on their children. The District is one stop on a nationwide speaking tour that has taken the controversial comedian to 18 cities over the past year and a half.
His appearance in Washington came almost two years to the day after he took the stage of Constitution Hall and triggered a contentious national debate when he criticized poor African Americans for speaking ungrammatically and failing to raise children properly.
Cosby made no mention of those remarks yesterday. But he continued his message that salvation lies within communities, rather than outside.
"I have no problem with Jesus or God," he said in the afternoon as he addressed an audience that included many foster parents and grandparents and social service providers. "I have a problem with people sitting there and saying that Jesus and God will find the way. I have a problem with Christian men who won't dress up and go down and confront the drug dealers.:
"I got a problem," Cosby added, "with people not knowing where the gun is hid and that the child has one."
The two-hour afternoon appearance was largely subdued, except for the end, when a self-described community activist accused the comedian of hosting a "watered-down dialogue" and invoked the name of Michael Eric Dyson, an author who has derided Cosby's critique of low-income blacks.
"You don't deserve an audience with me," Cosby said, climbing down from the stage, walking over to the man, Chris Crowder, who was seated in a wheelchair, and looming over him.
"I'm not afraid of any Mr. Dyson," Cosby told Crowder before turning and returning to the stage. "Mr. Dyson is not a truthful man."
...During a second session last night, the panel included D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey, who warned of rising juvenile crime, and the District's chief coroner, who said that from 1982 to 2005, nearly 1,000 homicide victims were ages 16 to 19.
The coroner, Marie-Lydie Y. Pierre-Louis, issued a warning to teenagers who don't get their diploma: "There's one waiting for you at the office of the medical examiner. It's a death certificate."
Taking the microphone, Cosby told audience members that he encouraged Pierre-Louis to deliver the grim numbers so they "would understand that it has to be stopped."
To those who ignore their children, Cosby said: "I'm calling you out, and I'm holding you accountable. If you're having a problem, visit the Jesus in your heart."
Speaking at the University of the District of Columbia, Cosby emphasized the importance of social responsibility and urged his audience to keep a vigilant eye on their children. The District is one stop on a nationwide speaking tour that has taken the controversial comedian to 18 cities over the past year and a half.
His appearance in Washington came almost two years to the day after he took the stage of Constitution Hall and triggered a contentious national debate when he criticized poor African Americans for speaking ungrammatically and failing to raise children properly.
Cosby made no mention of those remarks yesterday. But he continued his message that salvation lies within communities, rather than outside.
"I have no problem with Jesus or God," he said in the afternoon as he addressed an audience that included many foster parents and grandparents and social service providers. "I have a problem with people sitting there and saying that Jesus and God will find the way. I have a problem with Christian men who won't dress up and go down and confront the drug dealers.:
"I got a problem," Cosby added, "with people not knowing where the gun is hid and that the child has one."
The two-hour afternoon appearance was largely subdued, except for the end, when a self-described community activist accused the comedian of hosting a "watered-down dialogue" and invoked the name of Michael Eric Dyson, an author who has derided Cosby's critique of low-income blacks.
"You don't deserve an audience with me," Cosby said, climbing down from the stage, walking over to the man, Chris Crowder, who was seated in a wheelchair, and looming over him.
"I'm not afraid of any Mr. Dyson," Cosby told Crowder before turning and returning to the stage. "Mr. Dyson is not a truthful man."
...During a second session last night, the panel included D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey, who warned of rising juvenile crime, and the District's chief coroner, who said that from 1982 to 2005, nearly 1,000 homicide victims were ages 16 to 19.
The coroner, Marie-Lydie Y. Pierre-Louis, issued a warning to teenagers who don't get their diploma: "There's one waiting for you at the office of the medical examiner. It's a death certificate."
Taking the microphone, Cosby told audience members that he encouraged Pierre-Louis to deliver the grim numbers so they "would understand that it has to be stopped."
To those who ignore their children, Cosby said: "I'm calling you out, and I'm holding you accountable. If you're having a problem, visit the Jesus in your heart."
So That's Where He's Been
This was a rather uninteresting story, until I read the last sentence:
You can add rapping to the list of Jodie Foster's talents. The Oscar-winning actress spoke Monday at the University of Pennsylvania's commencement ceremonies, ending her address with the chorus of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" from "8 Mile," the semi-autobiographical 2002 film in which he starred.
Foster, who graduated from Ivy League rival Yale University in 1985, received an honorary doctor of arts degree.
She earned laughs from the graduates by taking pictures of them from the podium and then by recalling her own years at Yale. But she struck a serious note later, saying the country and world are worse off than they were four years ago, and challenging graduates to change that.
The U.S. "squandered" the goodwill and sympathy other nations offered after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Foster said. She also criticized officials for the "disastrous and shameful" handling of Hurricane Katrina.
Penn seniors had expressed skepticism and seemed underwhelmed by her selection as commencement speaker when it was announced earlier this year, but she received a standing ovation after her speech.
Foster, 43, won Oscars for 1988's "The Accused" and 1991's "The Silence of the Lambs." She received nominations for her roles in 1976's "Taxi Driver" and 1994's "Nell."
Aimee Masters, 22, who received her bachelor's degree in sociology and women's studies, said Foster was "really inspiring."
"Everyone around me was really happy with what she said," Masters said, adding that quoting Eminem "was surprising, but I liked it."
Comedian Yakov Smirnoff, who earned a master's degree in positive psychology, was among the approximately 6,000 graduates.
You can add rapping to the list of Jodie Foster's talents. The Oscar-winning actress spoke Monday at the University of Pennsylvania's commencement ceremonies, ending her address with the chorus of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" from "8 Mile," the semi-autobiographical 2002 film in which he starred.
Foster, who graduated from Ivy League rival Yale University in 1985, received an honorary doctor of arts degree.
She earned laughs from the graduates by taking pictures of them from the podium and then by recalling her own years at Yale. But she struck a serious note later, saying the country and world are worse off than they were four years ago, and challenging graduates to change that.
The U.S. "squandered" the goodwill and sympathy other nations offered after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Foster said. She also criticized officials for the "disastrous and shameful" handling of Hurricane Katrina.
Penn seniors had expressed skepticism and seemed underwhelmed by her selection as commencement speaker when it was announced earlier this year, but she received a standing ovation after her speech.
Foster, 43, won Oscars for 1988's "The Accused" and 1991's "The Silence of the Lambs." She received nominations for her roles in 1976's "Taxi Driver" and 1994's "Nell."
Aimee Masters, 22, who received her bachelor's degree in sociology and women's studies, said Foster was "really inspiring."
"Everyone around me was really happy with what she said," Masters said, adding that quoting Eminem "was surprising, but I liked it."
Comedian Yakov Smirnoff, who earned a master's degree in positive psychology, was among the approximately 6,000 graduates.
Monday, May 15, 2006
In Our Twisted World, I Guess This Guy Has A Claim
A Los Angeles psychologist who was denied a tote bag during a Mother's Day giveaway at an Angel game is suing the baseball team, alleging sex and age discrimination.
Michael Cohn's class-action claim in Orange County Superior Court alleges that thousands of males and fans under 18 were "treated unequally" at a "Family Sunday" promotion last May and are entitled to $4,000 each in damages.
Michael Cohn's class-action claim in Orange County Superior Court alleges that thousands of males and fans under 18 were "treated unequally" at a "Family Sunday" promotion last May and are entitled to $4,000 each in damages.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Oh How They Must Dislike Stossel
On journalists being clueless about science and hostile to capitalism:
JOHN STOSSEL: Most journalists are clueless when it comes to science...I'd say journalists are hostile to capitalism and clueless about science and economics.
HOWARD KURTZ: Hostile to capitalism. What do you base that on?
STOSSEL: I base it on the people I work with. People just don't like business. We hate our employers who pay us but love the government, which takes a third of our money and squanders it. There's a bias against business.
On reporters being in favor of government and opposed to business:
STOSSEL: Reporters look at business with great suspicions. And hype Enron and WorldCom as if that's the norm…I think reporters cheer on the ignorant politicians...
On bias in the "liberal media":
STOSSEL: I don't think journalists are trying to push the agenda. I think most of you think you're right down the middle. But the people you hang around with all think as you do here in New York and Washington. And that leads to a bias…Not everyone, but most.
KURTZ: So you think it is to some degree subconscious or, at least because -- in other words, you think that journalists are out of touch with ordinary people, who perhaps are and ought to be more skeptical of government regulations?
STOSSEL: Yes. I think we are steeped like tea bags in "The Washington Post" and "The New York Times", and it affects the way we view the world.
KURTZ: Are there people who, at ABC News who don't like what you do or don't like your point of view on all this?
STOSSEL: Yes. But God bless ABC News, they still feel I deserve a place at the table.
JOHN STOSSEL: Most journalists are clueless when it comes to science...I'd say journalists are hostile to capitalism and clueless about science and economics.
HOWARD KURTZ: Hostile to capitalism. What do you base that on?
STOSSEL: I base it on the people I work with. People just don't like business. We hate our employers who pay us but love the government, which takes a third of our money and squanders it. There's a bias against business.
On reporters being in favor of government and opposed to business:
STOSSEL: Reporters look at business with great suspicions. And hype Enron and WorldCom as if that's the norm…I think reporters cheer on the ignorant politicians...
On bias in the "liberal media":
STOSSEL: I don't think journalists are trying to push the agenda. I think most of you think you're right down the middle. But the people you hang around with all think as you do here in New York and Washington. And that leads to a bias…Not everyone, but most.
KURTZ: So you think it is to some degree subconscious or, at least because -- in other words, you think that journalists are out of touch with ordinary people, who perhaps are and ought to be more skeptical of government regulations?
STOSSEL: Yes. I think we are steeped like tea bags in "The Washington Post" and "The New York Times", and it affects the way we view the world.
KURTZ: Are there people who, at ABC News who don't like what you do or don't like your point of view on all this?
STOSSEL: Yes. But God bless ABC News, they still feel I deserve a place at the table.
Mark Steyn Is Dead On...As Usual
So there are now two basic templates in terrorism media coverage:
Template A (note to editors: to be used after every terrorist atrocity): "Angry family members, experts and opposition politicians demand to know why complacent government didn't connect the dots."
Template B (note to editors: to be used in the run-up to the next terrorist atrocity): "Shocking new report leaked to New York Times for Pulitzer Prize Leak Of The Year Award nomination reveals that paranoid government officials are trying to connect the dots! See pages 3,4,6,7,8, 13-37."
How do you connect the dots? To take one example of what we're up against, two days before 9/11, a very brave man, the anti-Taliban resistance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud, was assassinated in Afghanistan by killers posing as journalists. His murderers were Algerians traveling on Belgian passports who'd arrived in that part of the world on visas issued by the Pakistani High Commission in the United Kingdom. That's three more countries than many Americans have visited. The jihadists are not "primitives". They're part of a sophisticated network: They travel the world, see interesting places, meet interesting people -- and kill them. They're as globalized as McDonald's -- but, on the whole, they fill in less paperwork. They're very good at compartmentalizing operations: They don't leave footprints, just a toeprint in Country A in Time Zone B and another toe in Country E in Time Zone K. You have to sift through millions of dots to discern two that might be worth connecting.
I'm a strong believer in privacy rights. I don't see why Americans are obligated to give the government their bank account details and the holdings therein. Other revenue agencies in other free societies don't require that level of disclosure. But, given that the people of the United States are apparently entirely cool with that, it's hard to see why lists of phone numbers (i.e., your monthly statement) with no identifying information attached to them is of such a vastly different order of magnitude. By definition, "connecting the dots" involves getting to see the dots in the first place.
Template A (note to editors: to be used after every terrorist atrocity): "Angry family members, experts and opposition politicians demand to know why complacent government didn't connect the dots."
Template B (note to editors: to be used in the run-up to the next terrorist atrocity): "Shocking new report leaked to New York Times for Pulitzer Prize Leak Of The Year Award nomination reveals that paranoid government officials are trying to connect the dots! See pages 3,4,6,7,8, 13-37."
How do you connect the dots? To take one example of what we're up against, two days before 9/11, a very brave man, the anti-Taliban resistance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud, was assassinated in Afghanistan by killers posing as journalists. His murderers were Algerians traveling on Belgian passports who'd arrived in that part of the world on visas issued by the Pakistani High Commission in the United Kingdom. That's three more countries than many Americans have visited. The jihadists are not "primitives". They're part of a sophisticated network: They travel the world, see interesting places, meet interesting people -- and kill them. They're as globalized as McDonald's -- but, on the whole, they fill in less paperwork. They're very good at compartmentalizing operations: They don't leave footprints, just a toeprint in Country A in Time Zone B and another toe in Country E in Time Zone K. You have to sift through millions of dots to discern two that might be worth connecting.
I'm a strong believer in privacy rights. I don't see why Americans are obligated to give the government their bank account details and the holdings therein. Other revenue agencies in other free societies don't require that level of disclosure. But, given that the people of the United States are apparently entirely cool with that, it's hard to see why lists of phone numbers (i.e., your monthly statement) with no identifying information attached to them is of such a vastly different order of magnitude. By definition, "connecting the dots" involves getting to see the dots in the first place.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Best Hamburgers
AOL tallied 2 million votes and offers its list of America's greatest hamburgers:
1. All-American Drive-In -- Long Island, N.Y.A famous and delicious "double double" for only $2.10? Fantastic!
2. Chris Madrid's -- San AntonioTry the "Tostada Burger" with refried beans, chips, cheddar and salsa.
3. CityGrille -- DenverGo high-end with a Steakburger, or local with a Buffaloburger.
4. Dick's Drive-In -- SeattleIt's all about their famous special sauce with zingy bits of pickle.
5. Goldyburgers -- ChicagoServing 'em up hot, huge and cheesy since 1926
6. In-N-Out Burger -- Los AngelesThe perennial favorite also won in Vegas, OC and San Diego.
7. Jack's Old Fashion Hamburger -- South FloridaHand-shaped, charbroiled perfection served up your way
8. O'Connell's Pub -- St. LouisJuicy, charbroiled nine-ounce burgers for more than 40 years
9. Peter Luger -- New YorkPrime dry-aged beef and signature steak sauce from a famed steak house
10. Roaring Fork -- PhoenixTry the "Big-Ass Burger" stacked high with green chiles.
11. Stanich's -- Portland, Ore.Try the amazing "Special" topped with a fried egg, ham, bacon and cheese.
12. Tessaro's -- PittsburghFresh meat ground daily in-house and flame-broiled on a hardwood grill
13. Thurman Cafe -- Columbus, OhioThurman Burger = a 3/4 lb patty, ham, mozzarella and American Cheese
14. Val's Burgers -- San FranciscoYou think you can handle the One-Pound Behemoth at Val's?
15. 96th St. Steakburgers -- IndianapolisPerfection with ground steak cuts and buns grilled with mustard
Hmmm, no mention of the burger you can purchase at Steve Fields' Steak & Lobster Lounge in Dallas for a mere $24.95. That's an outrage!
1. All-American Drive-In -- Long Island, N.Y.A famous and delicious "double double" for only $2.10? Fantastic!
2. Chris Madrid's -- San AntonioTry the "Tostada Burger" with refried beans, chips, cheddar and salsa.
3. CityGrille -- DenverGo high-end with a Steakburger, or local with a Buffaloburger.
4. Dick's Drive-In -- SeattleIt's all about their famous special sauce with zingy bits of pickle.
5. Goldyburgers -- ChicagoServing 'em up hot, huge and cheesy since 1926
6. In-N-Out Burger -- Los AngelesThe perennial favorite also won in Vegas, OC and San Diego.
7. Jack's Old Fashion Hamburger -- South FloridaHand-shaped, charbroiled perfection served up your way
8. O'Connell's Pub -- St. LouisJuicy, charbroiled nine-ounce burgers for more than 40 years
9. Peter Luger -- New YorkPrime dry-aged beef and signature steak sauce from a famed steak house
10. Roaring Fork -- PhoenixTry the "Big-Ass Burger" stacked high with green chiles.
11. Stanich's -- Portland, Ore.Try the amazing "Special" topped with a fried egg, ham, bacon and cheese.
12. Tessaro's -- PittsburghFresh meat ground daily in-house and flame-broiled on a hardwood grill
13. Thurman Cafe -- Columbus, OhioThurman Burger = a 3/4 lb patty, ham, mozzarella and American Cheese
14. Val's Burgers -- San FranciscoYou think you can handle the One-Pound Behemoth at Val's?
15. 96th St. Steakburgers -- IndianapolisPerfection with ground steak cuts and buns grilled with mustard
Hmmm, no mention of the burger you can purchase at Steve Fields' Steak & Lobster Lounge in Dallas for a mere $24.95. That's an outrage!
The Confederacy of Dunces Marches On
The California state Senate today passed a bill that removes sex-specific terms such as "mom" and "dad" from textbooks and requires students to learn about the contributions homosexuals have made to society.
The bill, approved 22-15, would prevent textbooks, teaching materials, instruction and "school-sponsored activities" from reflecting adversely on anyone based on sexual orientation or actual or perceived gender.
A companion bill has yet to go through the legislative process in the state Assembly, but observers believe it likely will pass. It's unclear whether or not Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
The bill, approved 22-15, would prevent textbooks, teaching materials, instruction and "school-sponsored activities" from reflecting adversely on anyone based on sexual orientation or actual or perceived gender.
A companion bill has yet to go through the legislative process in the state Assembly, but observers believe it likely will pass. It's unclear whether or not Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would sign the measure if it reaches his desk.
Uh, That's Fast!
DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- Olympic champion Justin Gatlin broke the 100-meter world record Friday with a time of 9.76 seconds at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The American sprinter lowered the mark of 9.77 seconds set by Jamaica's Asafa Powell on June 14, 2005, in Athens, Greece.
The American sprinter lowered the mark of 9.77 seconds set by Jamaica's Asafa Powell on June 14, 2005, in Athens, Greece.
I Love Oil Sands
The market is adjusting.
FORT MCMURRAY, ALBERTA - More expensive to process than the light crude oil of the Middle East, Alberta's oil sands have long remained a largely untapped resource. But with oil at $70 a barrel, it has become economically feasible to extract the thick, sticky bitumen that in former years was used to seal native people's canoes - not fuel a global economy.
Only Saudi Arabia, with 259 billion barrels, has larger oil reserves than the Florida-sized patch that surrounds this Canadian outpost. And a pipeline already exists to carry the oil to a key market: the United States.
Over the next five years, oil companies from Exxon Mobil to France's Total are expected to invest $60 billion in oil sands. Earlier this week, Shell Canada announced a takeover of Canadian oil-sands producer BlackRock Ventures, valued at $2.4 billion Canadian ($2.17 billion).
Production in Alberta is up 61 percent over the past four years. This year, Alberta's oil sands are expected to produce 1.2 million barrels a day, roughly equal to the production of Texas.
"The oil sands ... represent a turning point in the history of energy, and a switch to synthetic [chemically processed] sources of oil," says Peter Tertzakian, chief energy economist at the Calgary-based energy consultancy ARC Financial.
Industry experts say new technology could greatly increase output, providing a significant source of secure oil for the United States. Just last month, a pipeline built to carry oil north from the Gulf of Mexico to Midwest refineries, reversed direction to take Alberta oil south.
"We can double our production and go for another 45 years," says Jim Carter, president of Syncrude Canada Ltd., the world's largest oil sands operator. "There is relatively new technology that could expand production, but there is still a lot to be mined by surface methods."
So where is this $60 billion coming from? Oh yeah, it's reinvested dollars from the current oil company profits that the fools in Congress want to confiscate.
FORT MCMURRAY, ALBERTA - More expensive to process than the light crude oil of the Middle East, Alberta's oil sands have long remained a largely untapped resource. But with oil at $70 a barrel, it has become economically feasible to extract the thick, sticky bitumen that in former years was used to seal native people's canoes - not fuel a global economy.
Only Saudi Arabia, with 259 billion barrels, has larger oil reserves than the Florida-sized patch that surrounds this Canadian outpost. And a pipeline already exists to carry the oil to a key market: the United States.
Over the next five years, oil companies from Exxon Mobil to France's Total are expected to invest $60 billion in oil sands. Earlier this week, Shell Canada announced a takeover of Canadian oil-sands producer BlackRock Ventures, valued at $2.4 billion Canadian ($2.17 billion).
Production in Alberta is up 61 percent over the past four years. This year, Alberta's oil sands are expected to produce 1.2 million barrels a day, roughly equal to the production of Texas.
"The oil sands ... represent a turning point in the history of energy, and a switch to synthetic [chemically processed] sources of oil," says Peter Tertzakian, chief energy economist at the Calgary-based energy consultancy ARC Financial.
Industry experts say new technology could greatly increase output, providing a significant source of secure oil for the United States. Just last month, a pipeline built to carry oil north from the Gulf of Mexico to Midwest refineries, reversed direction to take Alberta oil south.
"We can double our production and go for another 45 years," says Jim Carter, president of Syncrude Canada Ltd., the world's largest oil sands operator. "There is relatively new technology that could expand production, but there is still a lot to be mined by surface methods."
So where is this $60 billion coming from? Oh yeah, it's reinvested dollars from the current oil company profits that the fools in Congress want to confiscate.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Buy American!
Few sports cars have captured the nation's imagination like the sleek Ford Mustang, a 21st-century reincarnation of an American classic. The Toyota Sienna minivan, by contrast, speaks to the utilitarian aesthetics of Japan: refined interiors, arm rests and lots and lots of cup holders.
Yet, by a crucial measure, the Sienna is far more American than the Mustang. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that were publicized in "Auto Industry Update: 2006," a presentation by Farmington Hills, Mich., research company CSM Worldwide, show only 65% of the content of a Ford Mustang comes from the U.S. or Canada. Ford Motor Co. buys the rest of the Mustang's parts abroad. By contrast, the Sienna, sold by Japan's Toyota Motor Corp., is assembled in Indiana with 90% local components.
There's more than a little irony in this, considering Ford has launched a campaign to regain its footing with an appeal to patriotism (catchphrase: "Red, White & Bold"). "Americans really do want to buy American brands," asserted Ford Executive Vice President Mark Fields in a recent speech. "We will compete vigorously to be America's car company."
As the Mustang shows, though, it's no longer easy to define what is American. For 20 years now, the dynamic car makers of Asia — led by Toyota, Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. — have been pouring money into North America, investing in plants, suppliers and dealerships as well as design, testing and research centers. Their factories used to be derided as "transplants," foreign-owned plants just knocking together imported parts. Today, the Asian car makers are a fully functioning industry, big and powerful enough to challenge Detroit's claim to the heart of U.S. car manufacturing.
The result is a brewing public-relations war, with both sides wrapping themselves in the Stars and Stripes. Toyota, for example has been running commercials touting its contribution to the areas of the U.S. economy where it has built factories.
Yet, by a crucial measure, the Sienna is far more American than the Mustang. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that were publicized in "Auto Industry Update: 2006," a presentation by Farmington Hills, Mich., research company CSM Worldwide, show only 65% of the content of a Ford Mustang comes from the U.S. or Canada. Ford Motor Co. buys the rest of the Mustang's parts abroad. By contrast, the Sienna, sold by Japan's Toyota Motor Corp., is assembled in Indiana with 90% local components.
There's more than a little irony in this, considering Ford has launched a campaign to regain its footing with an appeal to patriotism (catchphrase: "Red, White & Bold"). "Americans really do want to buy American brands," asserted Ford Executive Vice President Mark Fields in a recent speech. "We will compete vigorously to be America's car company."
As the Mustang shows, though, it's no longer easy to define what is American. For 20 years now, the dynamic car makers of Asia — led by Toyota, Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. — have been pouring money into North America, investing in plants, suppliers and dealerships as well as design, testing and research centers. Their factories used to be derided as "transplants," foreign-owned plants just knocking together imported parts. Today, the Asian car makers are a fully functioning industry, big and powerful enough to challenge Detroit's claim to the heart of U.S. car manufacturing.
The result is a brewing public-relations war, with both sides wrapping themselves in the Stars and Stripes. Toyota, for example has been running commercials touting its contribution to the areas of the U.S. economy where it has built factories.
Quote of the Day
"I cannot imagine any development in human history, after the Fall, that has had a greater impact on human beings than the pill. It became almost an assured form of contraception, something humans had never encountered before in history. Prior to it, every time a couple had sex, there was a good chance of pregnancy. Once that is removed, the entire horizon of the sexual act changes. I think there could be no question that the pill gave incredible license to everything from adultery and affairs to premarital sex and within marriage to a separation of the sex act and procreation ... I detect a huge shift. Students on our campus are intensely concerned. Not a week goes by that I do not get contacted by pastors about the [contraception] issue. There are active debates going on. It's one of the things that may serve to divide evangelicalism." -- Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
The Sexual Revolution and the Sexless Marriage
We are reaping what we have sown. Russell D. Moore writes:
At a marriage conference at which I was speaking this past weekend, I noted how often I am asked by evangelical Christian couples about a lack of sex in their marriages. For some couples, I'm sure, this is the result of overstressed schedules and general exhaustion. But, more often, I'm convinced, there's something more afoot.
Of course, the typical complaint from men is that their wives are no longer interested in sex, and that they no longer wish to put out the "effort" to convince them to have it. I am sure there are some men with "frigid" wives, but very rarely do I find this to be the case. Instead, when one peels back the bark enough, one will find a wife who doesn't trust or who doesn't respect her husband enough to desire intimacy with him. This doesn't necessarily mean that the man is unworthy of trust or respect, but it does mean that he had better sort out why this is the case from her point of view.
Not long ago, I read an article about high-powered female corporate CEOs with "house-husbands" who stayed home with the children. This arrangement seems logical in an egalitarian "gifts-based" household economy. One of the women, however, noted that she no longer found her husband sexually attractive. "I don't know why," she said. "I just feel like his mother, or something."
There are some sexually frustrated men whose frustrations are entirely outside their control. More often, though, there's a wife who feels like a mother or a concubine. She is stressed with wondering what the future holds with an indecisive man who will not lead. Or she's wondering whether her husband desires her, or the "barely legal" teen idol he's been ogling on the television screen. And because sex act that is designed to signify a one-flesh union between Christ and his church, she isn't finding herself all that interested in something decidedly less than that.
The Scriptures do more than just "allow" sexual activity between husbands and wives. The Bible mandates regular sexual union. As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul grounds the command for regular sexual union not just in each spouse's authority over the other's body, but also in the larger cosmic picture of spiritual warfare against Satan (1 Cor 7:1-5).
The answer for sexually icy marriages, however, is not to quote Bible passages to one another as weapons. Nor is it to put a calendar up with stars for each night of sex. Instead, perhaps it for a husband first to look in the mirror and ask why the chill is there in the first place.
Isn't this so typical of man? In our lust for sexual freedom, we've destroyed that which we so longed for...meaningful sexual intimacy. Once again, nice work fellas.
At a marriage conference at which I was speaking this past weekend, I noted how often I am asked by evangelical Christian couples about a lack of sex in their marriages. For some couples, I'm sure, this is the result of overstressed schedules and general exhaustion. But, more often, I'm convinced, there's something more afoot.
Of course, the typical complaint from men is that their wives are no longer interested in sex, and that they no longer wish to put out the "effort" to convince them to have it. I am sure there are some men with "frigid" wives, but very rarely do I find this to be the case. Instead, when one peels back the bark enough, one will find a wife who doesn't trust or who doesn't respect her husband enough to desire intimacy with him. This doesn't necessarily mean that the man is unworthy of trust or respect, but it does mean that he had better sort out why this is the case from her point of view.
Not long ago, I read an article about high-powered female corporate CEOs with "house-husbands" who stayed home with the children. This arrangement seems logical in an egalitarian "gifts-based" household economy. One of the women, however, noted that she no longer found her husband sexually attractive. "I don't know why," she said. "I just feel like his mother, or something."
There are some sexually frustrated men whose frustrations are entirely outside their control. More often, though, there's a wife who feels like a mother or a concubine. She is stressed with wondering what the future holds with an indecisive man who will not lead. Or she's wondering whether her husband desires her, or the "barely legal" teen idol he's been ogling on the television screen. And because sex act that is designed to signify a one-flesh union between Christ and his church, she isn't finding herself all that interested in something decidedly less than that.
The Scriptures do more than just "allow" sexual activity between husbands and wives. The Bible mandates regular sexual union. As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul grounds the command for regular sexual union not just in each spouse's authority over the other's body, but also in the larger cosmic picture of spiritual warfare against Satan (1 Cor 7:1-5).
The answer for sexually icy marriages, however, is not to quote Bible passages to one another as weapons. Nor is it to put a calendar up with stars for each night of sex. Instead, perhaps it for a husband first to look in the mirror and ask why the chill is there in the first place.
Isn't this so typical of man? In our lust for sexual freedom, we've destroyed that which we so longed for...meaningful sexual intimacy. Once again, nice work fellas.
"Military Industrial Complex" My Ass!
From Robert Samuelson in the WaPo:
In 1954 defense accounted for 69.5 percent of federal spending and "human resources" (programs such as Social Security, Medicare, job training and food stamps) only 18.5 percent. In 2005 defense was 20 percent and human resources 64.2 percent.
I recently saw a very disturbed person on my favorite show NOW lamenting how the "military industrial complex" has taken over America. Well, apparently the old people and miscreants have taken over.
In 1954 defense accounted for 69.5 percent of federal spending and "human resources" (programs such as Social Security, Medicare, job training and food stamps) only 18.5 percent. In 2005 defense was 20 percent and human resources 64.2 percent.
I recently saw a very disturbed person on my favorite show NOW lamenting how the "military industrial complex" has taken over America. Well, apparently the old people and miscreants have taken over.
Where Have All The Black Children Gone?
From Andrew Sullivan:
The most interesting piece of data in the new study of the under-fives is not, it seems to me, that fact that almost half are now non-white. What's interesting is that only 4 percent of the under-fives are African-American. That compares with 15 percent Asians, 22 percent Hispanics, and 55 percent non-Hispanic whites. Compared with the general population, that's a potentially huge future drop in the black presence in American life. Perhaps I'm more aware of this because of where I live: Washington D.C. In the decade and half since I've lived here, D.C. has only gotten whiter and browner. Its black heritage is just about hanging on. But I doubt it will survive my lifetime with much demographic strength.
The most interesting piece of data in the new study of the under-fives is not, it seems to me, that fact that almost half are now non-white. What's interesting is that only 4 percent of the under-fives are African-American. That compares with 15 percent Asians, 22 percent Hispanics, and 55 percent non-Hispanic whites. Compared with the general population, that's a potentially huge future drop in the black presence in American life. Perhaps I'm more aware of this because of where I live: Washington D.C. In the decade and half since I've lived here, D.C. has only gotten whiter and browner. Its black heritage is just about hanging on. But I doubt it will survive my lifetime with much demographic strength.
More Progress
Slow, but progress.
Over 200 Iraqi tribal leaders to sign an honor compact rejecting terrorism.Over 200 Iraqi tribal leaders will meet in Baghdad on Wednesday may 10th to sign an honor compact to denounce and reject terrorism and sectarian violence.Tribal leaders announced they will meet in Khademiah Baghdad on Wednesday May 10th at a conference. This conference will result in an honor compact obliging Iraqi tribes to cooperate amongst each other and the authorities to protect their members from terrorist attacks, and to help with national unity and condemning sectarian violence.
The "Foundation for Humanitarian Dialogue" sponsored and organized the conference. Husien Ismail Alsadar who uses Khademiah as his center of activities and enjoys the backing and blessing of Al Sistani is the foundation’s president. Some Sheiks and tribal leaders said they hope that a committee can be formed to represent Iraqi tribes in the "National accord conference" on June 10th along with the honor compact signed by tribal leaders.
A foundation speaker said that the conference will be attended by heads of Tribes from all of Iraq, Arab Kurd and Turkmen tribes. The speaker added that the conference will also discus political, security, and social issues in the country. We hope to come up with ideas and plans to cooperate in stopping terrorist activities affecting the citizens. He pointed out that the honor compact to fight terrorism and denounce sectarian violence would be the main results of this conference.
Over 200 Iraqi tribal leaders to sign an honor compact rejecting terrorism.Over 200 Iraqi tribal leaders will meet in Baghdad on Wednesday may 10th to sign an honor compact to denounce and reject terrorism and sectarian violence.Tribal leaders announced they will meet in Khademiah Baghdad on Wednesday May 10th at a conference. This conference will result in an honor compact obliging Iraqi tribes to cooperate amongst each other and the authorities to protect their members from terrorist attacks, and to help with national unity and condemning sectarian violence.
The "Foundation for Humanitarian Dialogue" sponsored and organized the conference. Husien Ismail Alsadar who uses Khademiah as his center of activities and enjoys the backing and blessing of Al Sistani is the foundation’s president. Some Sheiks and tribal leaders said they hope that a committee can be formed to represent Iraqi tribes in the "National accord conference" on June 10th along with the honor compact signed by tribal leaders.
A foundation speaker said that the conference will be attended by heads of Tribes from all of Iraq, Arab Kurd and Turkmen tribes. The speaker added that the conference will also discus political, security, and social issues in the country. We hope to come up with ideas and plans to cooperate in stopping terrorist activities affecting the citizens. He pointed out that the honor compact to fight terrorism and denounce sectarian violence would be the main results of this conference.
Are Evangelicals Conservative? I'd Say No
Although many secular observers seem not to understand this, evangelicalism, by its very nature, has an uneasy relationship with conservatism. To call someone both an evangelical and a conservative, then, while it is not to utter a contradiction, is to call him something slightly more problematic than one may think. Of course this is, or should be, true of all Christians, who have transcendental loyalties that must sometimes override their political commitments, even very fundamental ones. But it is especially true of evangelicalism. As a faith that revolves around the experience of individual transformation, it inevitably exists in tension with settled ways, established social hierarchies, customary usages, and entrenched institutional forms. Because evangelicalism places such powerful emphasis upon the individual act of conversion, and insists upon the individual's ability to have a personal and unmediated relationship to the Deity and to the Holy Scriptures, it fits well with the American tendency to treat all existing institutions, even the church itself, as if their existence and authority were provisional and subordinate, merely serving as a vehicle for the proclamation of the Gospel and the achievement of a richer and more vibrant individual faith. As such, then, evangelicalism, at least in its most high-octane form, may not always be very friendly to any settled institutional status quo. In the great revivals of earlier American history, it nearly always served to divide churches and undermine established hierarchies, a powerful force for what Nathan Hatch called "the democratization of American Christianity."
True, evangelicalism can also be a force of moral conservatism, in insisting upon the permanence of certain moral and ethical desiderata, particularly if those are clearly stated in the Bible. But it can also be a force of profound moral radicalism, calling into question the justice and equity of the most fundamental structures of social life, and doing so from a firm vantage point outside those structures. David Chappell's excellent recent book on the Civil Rights Movement, A Stone of Hope, very effectively made the point that it was the power of prophetic evangelical Christianity that energized the Civil Rights Movement and gave southern blacks the courage and fortitude to challenge the existing segregationist social order. And one could say similar things about many of the great nineteenth-century American movements for social reform, notably abolitionism, a rather unpopular cause in its day which would have made little headway without the fervent commitment of evangelical Protestants who believed the country was being polluted and degraded by the continued existence of slavery.
True, evangelicalism can also be a force of moral conservatism, in insisting upon the permanence of certain moral and ethical desiderata, particularly if those are clearly stated in the Bible. But it can also be a force of profound moral radicalism, calling into question the justice and equity of the most fundamental structures of social life, and doing so from a firm vantage point outside those structures. David Chappell's excellent recent book on the Civil Rights Movement, A Stone of Hope, very effectively made the point that it was the power of prophetic evangelical Christianity that energized the Civil Rights Movement and gave southern blacks the courage and fortitude to challenge the existing segregationist social order. And one could say similar things about many of the great nineteenth-century American movements for social reform, notably abolitionism, a rather unpopular cause in its day which would have made little headway without the fervent commitment of evangelical Protestants who believed the country was being polluted and degraded by the continued existence of slavery.
The Good News for UK Fans
The NBA playoffs are down to the Elite Eight, and for fans of Kentucky basketball, there are seven reasons to watch: Antoine Walker, Derek Anderson, Jamaal Magloire, Tony Delk, Tayshaun Prince, Scott Padgett and Walter McCarty.
The bad news: only one of these guys (Tay) is a Tubby recruit.
The bad news: only one of these guys (Tay) is a Tubby recruit.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Mr. Holland Speaks
I've always liked Richard Dreyfuss. Although politically he's off the reservation, he's a thoughtful and decent guy who can really act. This is good stuff.
Now the main-stream media doesn't even have the Lefties protecting it. Classic.
Now the main-stream media doesn't even have the Lefties protecting it. Classic.
More Despair
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- A senior U.N. humanitarian official said Tuesday he saw Somali refugees living in "the worst conditions I have ever seen" during a tour of the Horn of Africa.
Kjell Magne Bondevik, the U.N. special humanitarian envoy for the Horn of Africa, said that governments must do more to ensure drought and hunger are eradicated in the long-term.
At least 7.5 million people are suffering from the worst drought in a decade in parts of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya and Djibouti. Cattle are dying and food supplies to 18 million people are in jeopardy.
"It was especially moving to visit the country where several thousand ... displaced were living under the worst conditions I have ever seen," Bondevik said of his visit to lawless Somalia.
Bondevik said he could not confirm reports that 90,000 tons of food aid were being left to rot in Eritrean warehouses. The Eritrean government, he said, made it clear that "the discussion about this was closed. The warehouses were closed that the government has the keys."
He said, however, that the U.N. was "concerned" and that he had asked the government to issue a report on the matter.
What's sad is that so much of this suffering - if not all - is imposed by evil regimes...very similar to what's happening in Sudan. The answer: either remove the evildoers (as Bush would say), protect the innocent, or both.
Kjell Magne Bondevik, the U.N. special humanitarian envoy for the Horn of Africa, said that governments must do more to ensure drought and hunger are eradicated in the long-term.
At least 7.5 million people are suffering from the worst drought in a decade in parts of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya and Djibouti. Cattle are dying and food supplies to 18 million people are in jeopardy.
"It was especially moving to visit the country where several thousand ... displaced were living under the worst conditions I have ever seen," Bondevik said of his visit to lawless Somalia.
Bondevik said he could not confirm reports that 90,000 tons of food aid were being left to rot in Eritrean warehouses. The Eritrean government, he said, made it clear that "the discussion about this was closed. The warehouses were closed that the government has the keys."
He said, however, that the U.N. was "concerned" and that he had asked the government to issue a report on the matter.
What's sad is that so much of this suffering - if not all - is imposed by evil regimes...very similar to what's happening in Sudan. The answer: either remove the evildoers (as Bush would say), protect the innocent, or both.
Quote of the Day
"Supply is down, demand is up, yet profits are rising. Why?" -- Tim Russert, questioning a Senator on Meet the Press.
I understand Tim is not an economist, but that one's pretty easy.
I understand Tim is not an economist, but that one's pretty easy.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Ah, This Could Be A Problem
But don't worry, be happy.
The trust fund for Social Security will be depleted in 2040, and Medicare will exhaust its trust fund reserves just 12 years from now, trustees for the programs said Monday.
Their annual report showed deterioration in the financial condition of both of the government's two largest benefit programs.
A year ago, the depletion of the Social Security trust fund had been projected to occur in 2041 and the Medicare hospital insurance fund in 2020.
The trustees, who include the head of the Social Security Administration and three members of President Bush's Cabinet, painted a sober assessment of the health of the two programs in advance of the looming retirements of 78 million baby boomers.
"We do not believe the currently projected long-run growth rates of Social Security or Medicare are sustainable under current financing arrangements," the trustees said in this year's report.
Bush's efforts last year to overhaul Social Security went nowhere in Congress. Even members of his own party refused to support the benefit cuts that would have accompanied the establishment of private accounts for younger workers.
The trust fund for Social Security will be depleted in 2040, and Medicare will exhaust its trust fund reserves just 12 years from now, trustees for the programs said Monday.
Their annual report showed deterioration in the financial condition of both of the government's two largest benefit programs.
A year ago, the depletion of the Social Security trust fund had been projected to occur in 2041 and the Medicare hospital insurance fund in 2020.
The trustees, who include the head of the Social Security Administration and three members of President Bush's Cabinet, painted a sober assessment of the health of the two programs in advance of the looming retirements of 78 million baby boomers.
"We do not believe the currently projected long-run growth rates of Social Security or Medicare are sustainable under current financing arrangements," the trustees said in this year's report.
Bush's efforts last year to overhaul Social Security went nowhere in Congress. Even members of his own party refused to support the benefit cuts that would have accompanied the establishment of private accounts for younger workers.
Finally!
The first finger in the food story that may actually be true:
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (AP) -- A diner found a piece of human flesh on his hamburger shortly after a restaurant worker accidentally cut his finger, and a spokeswoman said the company was "very, very sorry."
A kitchen manager at the TGI Friday's at College Mall injured himself Tuesday and no one immediately realized he had lost part of his finger while others rushed to help him, said Amy Freshwater, a spokeswoman for the chain.
"The manager didn't even know it happened until he got to the hospital," she said.
Another staff member served the plate to a customer, who immediately spotted the piece of flesh.
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (AP) -- A diner found a piece of human flesh on his hamburger shortly after a restaurant worker accidentally cut his finger, and a spokeswoman said the company was "very, very sorry."
A kitchen manager at the TGI Friday's at College Mall injured himself Tuesday and no one immediately realized he had lost part of his finger while others rushed to help him, said Amy Freshwater, a spokeswoman for the chain.
"The manager didn't even know it happened until he got to the hospital," she said.
Another staff member served the plate to a customer, who immediately spotted the piece of flesh.
Cato Unbound
From the liberterian Cato Institute:
Far from defending the Constitution, President Bush has repeatedly sought to strip out the limits the document places on federal power. In its official legal briefs and public actions, the Bush administration has advanced a view of federal power that is astonishingly broad ... President Bush's constitutional vision is, in short, sharply at odds with the text, history, and structure of our Constitution, which authorizes a government of limited powers.
While this may be a bit strong, I would tend to agree.
Far from defending the Constitution, President Bush has repeatedly sought to strip out the limits the document places on federal power. In its official legal briefs and public actions, the Bush administration has advanced a view of federal power that is astonishingly broad ... President Bush's constitutional vision is, in short, sharply at odds with the text, history, and structure of our Constitution, which authorizes a government of limited powers.
While this may be a bit strong, I would tend to agree.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Finally, George And I Are On The Same Page
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Oscar winner George Clooney Friday joined two senators, Republican Sam Brownback of Kansas and Democrat Barack Obama, to appeal for greater action to address what is being described as genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.
The three urged more attention across the board -- by the United States, other nations and world institutions.
"What we cannot do is turn our heads and look away and hope that this will somehow disappear," Clooney said.
"Because if we do, they will. They will disappear," he said, noting that an "entire generation of people will be gone. Then, only history will be left to judge us." He pointed to the massacres in Rwanda, Cambodia and the Balkans in recent years.
The three urged more attention across the board -- by the United States, other nations and world institutions.
"What we cannot do is turn our heads and look away and hope that this will somehow disappear," Clooney said.
"Because if we do, they will. They will disappear," he said, noting that an "entire generation of people will be gone. Then, only history will be left to judge us." He pointed to the massacres in Rwanda, Cambodia and the Balkans in recent years.
Happy "Put Your Kids To Work Day"
Popular Mechanics is quickly becoming one of my favorite publications:
Today is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. According to the Ms. Foundation, the goal of this annual program (which began as Take Your Daughter To Work Day and expanded to include boys in 2003) is to help children “discover the power and possibilities associated with a balanced work and family life…” OK, great. But here at Popular Mechanics, we think there’s something parents can do every day that will help their kids a lot more than parking them in the office conference room once a year: Instead of taking our kids to work, how about putting them to work?
Though it is fashionable to worry that American children are “overscheduled,” the fact is that many of today’s youth are being raised in a world of unprecedented comfort. Never before has so little been expected of so many.
A 2001 Time/CNN poll, found that 75 percent of American adults believe children today do fewer chores than did the children of 10 or 15 years earlier. And 68 percent of parents think their own children are either “somewhat” or “very” spoiled. Got that? More than two thirds of Americans think their own children are spoiled. Well, there is a solution.
Instead of hovering protectively over our kids--“helicoptering” is the term for this modern style of parenting--why not teach them to take care of themselves: See that sock on the floor? It goes in the washing machine--like this. Next time you need clean socks, you’ll know what to do.
Today is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. According to the Ms. Foundation, the goal of this annual program (which began as Take Your Daughter To Work Day and expanded to include boys in 2003) is to help children “discover the power and possibilities associated with a balanced work and family life…” OK, great. But here at Popular Mechanics, we think there’s something parents can do every day that will help their kids a lot more than parking them in the office conference room once a year: Instead of taking our kids to work, how about putting them to work?
Though it is fashionable to worry that American children are “overscheduled,” the fact is that many of today’s youth are being raised in a world of unprecedented comfort. Never before has so little been expected of so many.
A 2001 Time/CNN poll, found that 75 percent of American adults believe children today do fewer chores than did the children of 10 or 15 years earlier. And 68 percent of parents think their own children are either “somewhat” or “very” spoiled. Got that? More than two thirds of Americans think their own children are spoiled. Well, there is a solution.
Instead of hovering protectively over our kids--“helicoptering” is the term for this modern style of parenting--why not teach them to take care of themselves: See that sock on the floor? It goes in the washing machine--like this. Next time you need clean socks, you’ll know what to do.
It's Supply and Demand
Good work from Dana Millbank (finally!) in the WaPo:
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.
Gas prices have gone above $3 a gallon again, and that means it's time for another round of congressional finger-pointing.
"Since George Bush and Dick Cheney took over as president and vice president, gas prices have doubled!" charged Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), standing at an Exxon station on Capitol Hill where regular unleaded hit $3.10. "They are too cozy with the oil industry."
She then hopped in a waiting Chrysler LHS (18 mpg) -- even though her Senate office was only a block away.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) used a Hyundai Elantra to take the one-block journey to and from the gas-station news conference. He posed in front of the fuel prices and gave them a thumbs-down. "Get tough on big oil!" he demanded of the Bush administration.
By comparison, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) was a model of conservation. She told a staffer idling in a Jetta to leave without her, then ducked into a sushi restaurant for lunch before making the journey back to work.
At about the same time, House Republicans were meeting in the Capitol for their weekly caucus (Topic A: gas). The House driveway was jammed with cars, many idling, including eight Chevrolet Suburbans (14 mpg).
America may be addicted to oil, as President Bush puts it. But America is in the denial phase of this addiction -- as evidenced by the behavior of its lawmakers. They have proposed all kinds of solutions to high gas prices: taxes on oil companies, domestic oil drilling and releasing petroleum reserves. But they ignore the obvious: that Americans drive too much in too-big cars.
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.
Gas prices have gone above $3 a gallon again, and that means it's time for another round of congressional finger-pointing.
"Since George Bush and Dick Cheney took over as president and vice president, gas prices have doubled!" charged Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), standing at an Exxon station on Capitol Hill where regular unleaded hit $3.10. "They are too cozy with the oil industry."
She then hopped in a waiting Chrysler LHS (18 mpg) -- even though her Senate office was only a block away.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) used a Hyundai Elantra to take the one-block journey to and from the gas-station news conference. He posed in front of the fuel prices and gave them a thumbs-down. "Get tough on big oil!" he demanded of the Bush administration.
By comparison, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) was a model of conservation. She told a staffer idling in a Jetta to leave without her, then ducked into a sushi restaurant for lunch before making the journey back to work.
At about the same time, House Republicans were meeting in the Capitol for their weekly caucus (Topic A: gas). The House driveway was jammed with cars, many idling, including eight Chevrolet Suburbans (14 mpg).
America may be addicted to oil, as President Bush puts it. But America is in the denial phase of this addiction -- as evidenced by the behavior of its lawmakers. They have proposed all kinds of solutions to high gas prices: taxes on oil companies, domestic oil drilling and releasing petroleum reserves. But they ignore the obvious: that Americans drive too much in too-big cars.
Saddam the Terrorist
From Andrew Sullivan:
A long, detailed and fascinating insight into the Saddam dictatorship in Iraq has just been published in Foreign Affairs magazine. The swift decapitation of his brutal regime gave historians an unusual chance to get primary materials and records and testimony to explore what was going on in his deranged mind as the invasion happened - and much else. The report was commissioned by the U.S. Joint Forces Command. It rests on thousands of interviews and hundreds of pages of documents. It's an important counter-weight to "Cobra II." There's much in it that's revelatory. Among the more important points, it seems to me, are a) Saddam really was hoping that Russia and France would prevent his toppling, because of their business interests; b) he lived in a world of denial and terror where the existence of WMD stockpiles was firmly believed within his own government; c) he created the Saddam Fedayeen, the al Quds Army, and the Baath Party militia to control Kurdish and Shiite unrest, and only later deflected them into the insurgency that is still raging.
But for me, the most important fact is the following:
The Saddam Fedayeen also took part in the regime's domestic terrorism operations and planned for attacks throughout Europe and the Middle East. In a document dated May 1999, Saddam's older son, Uday, ordered preparations for 'special operations, assassinations, and bombings, for the centers and traitor symbols in London, Iran and the self-ruled areas [Kurdistan].' Preparations for 'Blessed July,' a regime-directed wave of 'martyrdom' operations against targets in the West, were well under way at the time of the coalition invasion.
It was only a matter of time before Iraq deployed Islamist terror against the West. Those who sincerely marched against war in London in 2002 and 2003 were unwittingly marching to keep in power a regime planning to bomb and terrrorize them.
A long, detailed and fascinating insight into the Saddam dictatorship in Iraq has just been published in Foreign Affairs magazine. The swift decapitation of his brutal regime gave historians an unusual chance to get primary materials and records and testimony to explore what was going on in his deranged mind as the invasion happened - and much else. The report was commissioned by the U.S. Joint Forces Command. It rests on thousands of interviews and hundreds of pages of documents. It's an important counter-weight to "Cobra II." There's much in it that's revelatory. Among the more important points, it seems to me, are a) Saddam really was hoping that Russia and France would prevent his toppling, because of their business interests; b) he lived in a world of denial and terror where the existence of WMD stockpiles was firmly believed within his own government; c) he created the Saddam Fedayeen, the al Quds Army, and the Baath Party militia to control Kurdish and Shiite unrest, and only later deflected them into the insurgency that is still raging.
But for me, the most important fact is the following:
The Saddam Fedayeen also took part in the regime's domestic terrorism operations and planned for attacks throughout Europe and the Middle East. In a document dated May 1999, Saddam's older son, Uday, ordered preparations for 'special operations, assassinations, and bombings, for the centers and traitor symbols in London, Iran and the self-ruled areas [Kurdistan].' Preparations for 'Blessed July,' a regime-directed wave of 'martyrdom' operations against targets in the West, were well under way at the time of the coalition invasion.
It was only a matter of time before Iraq deployed Islamist terror against the West. Those who sincerely marched against war in London in 2002 and 2003 were unwittingly marching to keep in power a regime planning to bomb and terrrorize them.
Good News Out Of Kuwait
$450,000 said stolen from PA foreign minister during visit to Kuwait
Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar has had $450,000 stolen from his hotel room during his current visit to Kuwait, the Itim news agency quoted the Kuwaiti media as saying Wednesday.
According to the report, al-Zahar had asked the Kuwaiti authorities to keep the theft under wraps, but the incident was confirmed by a security official at the hotel.
The foreign minister, a senior member of Hamas, is on a tour of Arab and Muslim countries to drum up funds after Israel suspended the transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority and Western donors cut off aid to the Hamas-led government...
Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar has had $450,000 stolen from his hotel room during his current visit to Kuwait, the Itim news agency quoted the Kuwaiti media as saying Wednesday.
According to the report, al-Zahar had asked the Kuwaiti authorities to keep the theft under wraps, but the incident was confirmed by a security official at the hotel.
The foreign minister, a senior member of Hamas, is on a tour of Arab and Muslim countries to drum up funds after Israel suspended the transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority and Western donors cut off aid to the Hamas-led government...
Stupid Is As Stupid Does
"We have two oilmen in the White House ... The logical ... follow-up from that is $3-a-gallon gasoline. There is no accident. It is a cause and effect ... a cause and effect." -- Nancy Pelosi on the reason for the high price of gas.
As I've always said, the only thing that will keep the incompetent Republicans in office is the deranged Democrats.
As I've always said, the only thing that will keep the incompetent Republicans in office is the deranged Democrats.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
I Just Love These Types of Stories
NEWARK, N.J. - In the past year, two New Jersey laboratories have been unable to account for plague-infested mice and vials of deadly anthrax spores, and top state officials are scrambling to devise better ways to safeguard deadly material.
In both cases, authorities say they think the items in question weren't actually lost, but were simply unaccounted for due to clerical errors.
They can't say for sure - and that has a Rutgers microbiologist predicting more trouble if such substances aren't kept at a central location.
In both cases, authorities say they think the items in question weren't actually lost, but were simply unaccounted for due to clerical errors.
They can't say for sure - and that has a Rutgers microbiologist predicting more trouble if such substances aren't kept at a central location.
Worst Songs of All Time
Per CNN.com readers:
The Top Five
OK, we'll cut to the chase. Here are the top five (see gallery as well), with peak Billboard chart positions and comments from their outraged, frustrated and weary supporters:
5. "Seasons in the Sun," Terry Jacks (No. 1 for three weeks, 1974): "A melody you couldn't play for your dog combined with inane lyrics" (Chris K.); "An all-time piece of dreck" (Darrell); "Having to listen to it is a season in hell" (Bonnie D.).
4. "I've Never Been to Me," Charlene (No. 3, 1982): "I want to punch out my radio when it comes on the air" (Larry W.); "Even the mush department at Hallmark would puke" (Eric and Linda); "I'm thinking that in her case, 'Me' probably wasn't such a fun place to go to" (Brenda K.).
3. "You Light Up My Life," Debby Boone (No. 1 for 10 weeks, 1977): "How can anything so insipidly slow light up anything?" (Bob B.); "[It] sounded like it was thrown together on a rainy afternoon by a lovestruck adolescent" (Jan R.); "The musical equivalent of being keel-hauled" (Michael R.).
2. "Muskrat Love," The Captain and Tennille (No. 4, 1976): "A song about aquatic rodents doin' the wild thing? Eeeeeew!" (Garland E.); "The name says it all" (Stacy D.); "I would pay good money to have its lyrics, tune, and even the fact of its existence erased from my memory" (Dave C.).
And the No. 1 worst song as voted on by CNN.com users:
1. "(You're) Having My Baby," Paul Anka (No. 1 for three weeks, 1974): It wasn't even close; Anka's hit beat out "Muskrat" by more than 50 votes, a veritable landslide under the circumstances. As our correspondents raved: "How can a person not be annoyed by lyrics like, 'You're a woman in love and I love what it's doin' to ya'?" (Shauna M.); " 'What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me' -- If that isn't the most egocentric solipsistic revolting line of all time" (Stu S. and Andi S.); "I don't know a woman alive who doesn't cringe when it comes on the radio. I'm sure it's banned in most countries around the world" (Gord P.).
Gord, it's not, but perhaps someone will start a movement.
Other songs with sizable constituencies -- at least 1 percent of the vote -- included Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods' "Billy, Don't Be a Hero," Paper Lace's "The Night Chicago Died," Starship's "We Built This City," Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park," Morris Albert's "Feelings," the Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight," the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar," Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart," Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis," America's "A Horse with No Name," the Ohio Express' "Yummy Yummy Yummy," Los Del Rio's "The Macarena" and Don McLean's "American Pie."
The Top Five
OK, we'll cut to the chase. Here are the top five (see gallery as well), with peak Billboard chart positions and comments from their outraged, frustrated and weary supporters:
5. "Seasons in the Sun," Terry Jacks (No. 1 for three weeks, 1974): "A melody you couldn't play for your dog combined with inane lyrics" (Chris K.); "An all-time piece of dreck" (Darrell); "Having to listen to it is a season in hell" (Bonnie D.).
4. "I've Never Been to Me," Charlene (No. 3, 1982): "I want to punch out my radio when it comes on the air" (Larry W.); "Even the mush department at Hallmark would puke" (Eric and Linda); "I'm thinking that in her case, 'Me' probably wasn't such a fun place to go to" (Brenda K.).
3. "You Light Up My Life," Debby Boone (No. 1 for 10 weeks, 1977): "How can anything so insipidly slow light up anything?" (Bob B.); "[It] sounded like it was thrown together on a rainy afternoon by a lovestruck adolescent" (Jan R.); "The musical equivalent of being keel-hauled" (Michael R.).
2. "Muskrat Love," The Captain and Tennille (No. 4, 1976): "A song about aquatic rodents doin' the wild thing? Eeeeeew!" (Garland E.); "The name says it all" (Stacy D.); "I would pay good money to have its lyrics, tune, and even the fact of its existence erased from my memory" (Dave C.).
And the No. 1 worst song as voted on by CNN.com users:
1. "(You're) Having My Baby," Paul Anka (No. 1 for three weeks, 1974): It wasn't even close; Anka's hit beat out "Muskrat" by more than 50 votes, a veritable landslide under the circumstances. As our correspondents raved: "How can a person not be annoyed by lyrics like, 'You're a woman in love and I love what it's doin' to ya'?" (Shauna M.); " 'What a lovely way of sayin' how much you love me' -- If that isn't the most egocentric solipsistic revolting line of all time" (Stu S. and Andi S.); "I don't know a woman alive who doesn't cringe when it comes on the radio. I'm sure it's banned in most countries around the world" (Gord P.).
Gord, it's not, but perhaps someone will start a movement.
Other songs with sizable constituencies -- at least 1 percent of the vote -- included Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods' "Billy, Don't Be a Hero," Paper Lace's "The Night Chicago Died," Starship's "We Built This City," Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park," Morris Albert's "Feelings," the Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight," the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar," Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart," Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis," America's "A Horse with No Name," the Ohio Express' "Yummy Yummy Yummy," Los Del Rio's "The Macarena" and Don McLean's "American Pie."
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Roy Williams...Cheater!
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- The NCAA said Kansas "demonstrated a failure to exert a lack of appropriate institutional control" over a six-year period that led to dozens of violations in football and men's and women's basketball.
Besides that allegation, however, the findings released Friday largely mirrored what the university had reported to the NCAA last June. In the self-report, Kansas had admitted violations in its football and basketball programs and said it was placing its athletic department on two years' probation.
"Since we have worked closely with the NCAA throughout this process, nothing in these pages surprises us," athletic director Lew Perkins told reporters during a news conference.
Perkins said university officials will meet with the NCAA on Aug. 13 to discuss the violations, after which the regulating body will determine whether additional punishment is required.
Perkins ordered the internal review shortly after being named athletic director in June 2003.
Most of the football violations centered around coaching assistants arranging test help for prospective students, which the NCAA termed "academic fraud."
The NCAA agreed three boosters violated rules by providing gifts to men's basketball players who had exhausted their eligibility. University officials said last year that former basketball coach Roy Williams approved the gifts.
The report also added violations surrounding Kansas forward Darnell Jackson, who received thousands of dollars in gifts, cash and other assistance from Don Davis, a booster living in Jackson's hometown of Oklahoma City. The university discovered the violations last summer and agreed to suspend Jackson for the first nine games of last season.
Besides that allegation, however, the findings released Friday largely mirrored what the university had reported to the NCAA last June. In the self-report, Kansas had admitted violations in its football and basketball programs and said it was placing its athletic department on two years' probation.
"Since we have worked closely with the NCAA throughout this process, nothing in these pages surprises us," athletic director Lew Perkins told reporters during a news conference.
Perkins said university officials will meet with the NCAA on Aug. 13 to discuss the violations, after which the regulating body will determine whether additional punishment is required.
Perkins ordered the internal review shortly after being named athletic director in June 2003.
Most of the football violations centered around coaching assistants arranging test help for prospective students, which the NCAA termed "academic fraud."
The NCAA agreed three boosters violated rules by providing gifts to men's basketball players who had exhausted their eligibility. University officials said last year that former basketball coach Roy Williams approved the gifts.
The report also added violations surrounding Kansas forward Darnell Jackson, who received thousands of dollars in gifts, cash and other assistance from Don Davis, a booster living in Jackson's hometown of Oklahoma City. The university discovered the violations last summer and agreed to suspend Jackson for the first nine games of last season.
Was It A Sting?
The European Union's antiterrorism chief told a hearing on Thursday that he had not been able to prove that secret C.I.A. prisons existed in Europe.
"We've heard all kinds of allegations," the official, Gijs de Vries, said before a committee of the European Parliament. "It does not appear to be proven beyond reasonable doubt." ...
Mr. de Vries said the European Parliament investigation had not uncovered rights abuses despite more than 50 hours of testimony by rights advocates and people who say they were abducted by C.I.A. agents. A similar investigation by the Council of Europe, the European human rights agency, came to the same conclusion in January — though the leader of that inquiry, Dick Marty, a Swiss senator, said then that there were enough "indications" to justify continuing the investigation.
A number of legislators on Thursday challenged Mr. de Vries for not taking seriously earlier testimony before the committee of a German and a Canadian who gave accounts of being kidnapped and kept imprisoned by foreign agents.
The committee also heard Thursday from a former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, who said: "I can attest to the willingness of the U.S. and the U.K. to obtain intelligence that was got under torture in Uzbekistan. If they were not willing, then rendition prisons could not have existed." But Mr. Murray, who was recalled from his job in 2004 after condemning the Uzbek authorities and criticizing the British and American governments, told the committee that he had no proof that detention centers existed within Europe.
He said he had witnessed such rendition programs in Uzbekistan, but he seemed to back up Mr. de Vries's assertion when he said he was not aware of anyone being taken to Uzbekistan from Europe. "As far as I know, that never happened," he said.
So the story comes out about secret prisons, yet a number of European agencies - all of which would LOVE tocorroboratee the story - find nothing. So was it a sting by the CIA? As one commentator points out: "How do intel agencies find leakers and spies? They pass around carefully designed misinformation to selected individuals considered likely suspects, and see what winds up exposed as a result." Interesting theory.
"We've heard all kinds of allegations," the official, Gijs de Vries, said before a committee of the European Parliament. "It does not appear to be proven beyond reasonable doubt." ...
Mr. de Vries said the European Parliament investigation had not uncovered rights abuses despite more than 50 hours of testimony by rights advocates and people who say they were abducted by C.I.A. agents. A similar investigation by the Council of Europe, the European human rights agency, came to the same conclusion in January — though the leader of that inquiry, Dick Marty, a Swiss senator, said then that there were enough "indications" to justify continuing the investigation.
A number of legislators on Thursday challenged Mr. de Vries for not taking seriously earlier testimony before the committee of a German and a Canadian who gave accounts of being kidnapped and kept imprisoned by foreign agents.
The committee also heard Thursday from a former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, who said: "I can attest to the willingness of the U.S. and the U.K. to obtain intelligence that was got under torture in Uzbekistan. If they were not willing, then rendition prisons could not have existed." But Mr. Murray, who was recalled from his job in 2004 after condemning the Uzbek authorities and criticizing the British and American governments, told the committee that he had no proof that detention centers existed within Europe.
He said he had witnessed such rendition programs in Uzbekistan, but he seemed to back up Mr. de Vries's assertion when he said he was not aware of anyone being taken to Uzbekistan from Europe. "As far as I know, that never happened," he said.
So the story comes out about secret prisons, yet a number of European agencies - all of which would LOVE tocorroboratee the story - find nothing. So was it a sting by the CIA? As one commentator points out: "How do intel agencies find leakers and spies? They pass around carefully designed misinformation to selected individuals considered likely suspects, and see what winds up exposed as a result." Interesting theory.
Oooops!
WASHINGTON (AP) — The CIA fired a top intelligence analyst who admitted leaking classified information that led to a Pulitzer Prize-winning story about a network of secret CIA prisons, government officials say.
The officer was a senior analyst nearing retirement, Mary McCarthy, The Associated Press learned. Reached Friday evening at home, her husband would not confirm her firing.
Almost immediately, the firing turned political. Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., praised the agency for identifying a source of the leaks and encouraged vigorous investigation of other open cases. "Those guilty of improperly disclosing classified information should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Roberts said.
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., called on President Bush to hold accountable those in his administration who leaked information about the Iraq intelligence in the run-up to the war and outed undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame. "Apparently, President Bush doesn't believe what's good for the CIA is good for the White House," Menendez said.
I'm with Menendez, let's prosecute all those who leak - and receive and publish - classified information. This will be fun.
The officer was a senior analyst nearing retirement, Mary McCarthy, The Associated Press learned. Reached Friday evening at home, her husband would not confirm her firing.
Almost immediately, the firing turned political. Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., praised the agency for identifying a source of the leaks and encouraged vigorous investigation of other open cases. "Those guilty of improperly disclosing classified information should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Roberts said.
Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., called on President Bush to hold accountable those in his administration who leaked information about the Iraq intelligence in the run-up to the war and outed undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame. "Apparently, President Bush doesn't believe what's good for the CIA is good for the White House," Menendez said.
I'm with Menendez, let's prosecute all those who leak - and receive and publish - classified information. This will be fun.
More Great Economic News
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Beating expectations was the name of the game this week for U.S. manufacturers, leading some analysts and fund managers to forecast 2006 could be a surprisingly strong year for the sector.
"The results so far have been outstanding," said Kent Mortensen, an equity research analyst at Thrivent Asset Management, which manages more than $60 billion. "I don't think we have seen such a strong industrial cycle since the 1980s."
"The results so far have been outstanding," said Kent Mortensen, an equity research analyst at Thrivent Asset Management, which manages more than $60 billion. "I don't think we have seen such a strong industrial cycle since the 1980s."
This Is Good News
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's parliament convenes Saturday to consider the Shiite coalition's nominee for prime minister, Jawad al-Maliki, in a step that may end months of political bickering and ease sectarian tensions.
The choice of al-Maliki, a parliament member from the Dawa Party, came about in a meeting of the United Iraqi Alliance, the Shiite-led coalition that won the December 15 parliamentary elections.
The coalition agreed Friday to nominate al-Maliki to replace interim Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, in an attempt to jump-start the nation's stalled political process, two members of a top Shiite party said.
The choice of al-Maliki, a parliament member from the Dawa Party, came about in a meeting of the United Iraqi Alliance, the Shiite-led coalition that won the December 15 parliamentary elections.
The coalition agreed Friday to nominate al-Maliki to replace interim Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, in an attempt to jump-start the nation's stalled political process, two members of a top Shiite party said.
The Sunnis apparently like this guy...and his links to Iran are few.
The End of Civilization
When historians look back at the tipping point, they need look no further than this (from a book review in Publisher's Weekly):
Pees on Earth
Ellen Jong
powerHouse, $29.95
A photographer and multimedia artist whose work has appeared in Vogue and Playgirl, Jong likes to pee in public places. At first glance, this book of photos documenting her urinary exploits seems like a one-trick pony, but Jong's humor, charm and sense of beauty cumulatively create a rich experience. Grungy urban locales alternately elicit disgust, giggles and titillation; a stream of golden drops pouring into gravel by a reedy pond is lyrically gorgeous. Jong relieves herself in New York City, Hawaii, Shanghai, Mexico and Florida; in city, suburbia, on the beach and, doglike, into snow. The captionless photos are interrupted by Jong's interview of ex-prostitute/sex maven/performance artist Annie Sprinkle, whose name may be inspired by her own public peeing performances, and who categorizes Jong's work as "post-porn:" "sex- or body-oriented material that goes beyond mainstream porn or erotica." In fact, these photos are more likely to be funny, pretty or childishly mischievous than erotic. Jong writes of "peeing as a means to reevaluate the spaces I find myself in—to make them my own," and the peace in release. Balancing precariously between aesthetic exploration, hip party prank and self-indulgent performance art, this book is apt to annoy those who aren't enchanted by it. (May)
Pees on Earth
Ellen Jong
powerHouse, $29.95
A photographer and multimedia artist whose work has appeared in Vogue and Playgirl, Jong likes to pee in public places. At first glance, this book of photos documenting her urinary exploits seems like a one-trick pony, but Jong's humor, charm and sense of beauty cumulatively create a rich experience. Grungy urban locales alternately elicit disgust, giggles and titillation; a stream of golden drops pouring into gravel by a reedy pond is lyrically gorgeous. Jong relieves herself in New York City, Hawaii, Shanghai, Mexico and Florida; in city, suburbia, on the beach and, doglike, into snow. The captionless photos are interrupted by Jong's interview of ex-prostitute/sex maven/performance artist Annie Sprinkle, whose name may be inspired by her own public peeing performances, and who categorizes Jong's work as "post-porn:" "sex- or body-oriented material that goes beyond mainstream porn or erotica." In fact, these photos are more likely to be funny, pretty or childishly mischievous than erotic. Jong writes of "peeing as a means to reevaluate the spaces I find myself in—to make them my own," and the peace in release. Balancing precariously between aesthetic exploration, hip party prank and self-indulgent performance art, this book is apt to annoy those who aren't enchanted by it. (May)
Friday, April 21, 2006
Did We Need A Survey To Tell Us This
Catching sight of a pretty woman really is enough to throw a man's decision-making skills into disarray, a study suggests.
The more testosterone he has, the stronger the effect, according to work by Belgian researchers.
Men about to play a financial game were shown images of sexy women or lingerie.
The Proceedings of the Royal Society B study found they were more likely to accept unfair offers than men not been exposed to the alluring images.
The suggestion is that the sexual cues distract the men's thoughts, preventing them from focusing on their task - particularly among those with high natural testosterone levels.
The more testosterone he has, the stronger the effect, according to work by Belgian researchers.
Men about to play a financial game were shown images of sexy women or lingerie.
The Proceedings of the Royal Society B study found they were more likely to accept unfair offers than men not been exposed to the alluring images.
The suggestion is that the sexual cues distract the men's thoughts, preventing them from focusing on their task - particularly among those with high natural testosterone levels.
News Flash: Men And Women Are Still Different
Men and women are actually from the same planet, but scientists now have the first strong evidence that the emotional wiring of the sexes is fundamentally different.
An almond-shaped cluster of neurons that processes experiences such as fear and aggression hooks up to contrasting brain functions in men and women at rest, the new research shows.
For men, the cluster "talks with" brain regions that help them respond to sensors for what's going on outside the body, such as the visual cortex and an area that coordinates motor actions.
For women, the cluster communicates with brain regions that help them respond to sensors inside the body, such as the insular cortex and hypothalamus. These areas tune in to and regulate women's hormones, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion and respiration.
"Throughout evolution, women have had to deal with a number of internal stressors, such as childbirth, that men haven't had to experience," said study co-author Larry Cahill of the University of California Irvine. "What is fascinating about this is the brain seems to have evolved to be in tune with those different stressors."
But it ain't evolution, chief.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Holy Crap, Hugs!
From the Kansas City Star:
Michael Beasley, one of the top high school juniors in the country, told The Star he got a visit Monday from Huggins and assistant Dalonte Hill, who was the reason Beasley made an oral commitment last year to Charlotte, where Hill was on the staff.
Beasley, a 6-foot-8 forward at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., sounds as if he already has changed his mind about Charlotte, even though he said he hasn't officially backed out of the commitment.
"Kansas State is probably my number one school," said Beasley, ranked No. 3 by Rivals.com. "Coach Huggins and coach Hill want to try to win a national championship, basically. We plan on making Kansas State like Duke or North Carolina."
Beasley also had an interesting update about the top two junior prospects in the nation: O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker of North College Hill in Cincinnati, who've been rumored to be coming to K-State in 2007.
"I talked to Bill," Beasley said, "and he said if I do it (go to K-State), he'll do it. O.J.'s still thinking about it. I think with all of us there, we could make history."
Beasley said he probably will visit K-State this summer.
Michael Beasley, one of the top high school juniors in the country, told The Star he got a visit Monday from Huggins and assistant Dalonte Hill, who was the reason Beasley made an oral commitment last year to Charlotte, where Hill was on the staff.
Beasley, a 6-foot-8 forward at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., sounds as if he already has changed his mind about Charlotte, even though he said he hasn't officially backed out of the commitment.
"Kansas State is probably my number one school," said Beasley, ranked No. 3 by Rivals.com. "Coach Huggins and coach Hill want to try to win a national championship, basically. We plan on making Kansas State like Duke or North Carolina."
Beasley also had an interesting update about the top two junior prospects in the nation: O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker of North College Hill in Cincinnati, who've been rumored to be coming to K-State in 2007.
"I talked to Bill," Beasley said, "and he said if I do it (go to K-State), he'll do it. O.J.'s still thinking about it. I think with all of us there, we could make history."
Beasley said he probably will visit K-State this summer.
PC Craziness Comes Home to Roost
This article by Christine Brennan is - at best - disingenuous. I'll tell you why Penn State only gave Portland a wrist slap for her conduct...because she is b-l-a-c-k. Christine fails to mention this not so small detail.
I love it when one protected class bumps up against another. What do you do?
I love it when one protected class bumps up against another. What do you do?
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
This Is Just Silly
BALTIMORE -- A high school track athlete who uses a wheelchair will be allowed to race alongside her teammates for the rest of the school year under a federal judge's order.
Tatyana McFadden, 16, had been allowed to practice with the Atholton High School track team in Columbia, but the school system required her to compete in separate wheelchair events.
"It was lonely and embarrassing, and I just didn't like it," McFadden said. "Other competitors would come up to me and they would say, 'Good race,' but it wasn't really a good race because I was running by myself."
The Maryland Disability Law Center filed the federal suit on McFadden's behalf, citing the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits exclusion of persons with disabilities from programs and activities that receive federal funds.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Andre Davis granted the request for a preliminary injunction against the school system.
McFadden, who won two medals at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, said Monday night that she was looking forward to competing in the meet Wednesday.
"This is important to me because I wanted to get the same thrill and the same experience as all the other high school students," she said. "There's no competition by myself."
Mark Blom, an attorney for the Howard County school system, said last month when the suit was filed that the system had worked with McFadden to allow her to be a part of the team and to incorporate wheelchair events into track competitions, but it is against merging the two types of events.
The judge disagreed.
"She's not suing for blue ribbons, gold ribbons or money; she just wants to be out there when everyone else is out there," Davis said.
McFadden was born with spina bifida. Her mother, Deborah McFadden, called the ruling a landmark.
"The Rehabilitation Act has been around for 33 years," she said. "Maybe we've succeeded in a classroom setting, but there's more to a person's life."
Tatyana McFadden, 16, had been allowed to practice with the Atholton High School track team in Columbia, but the school system required her to compete in separate wheelchair events.
"It was lonely and embarrassing, and I just didn't like it," McFadden said. "Other competitors would come up to me and they would say, 'Good race,' but it wasn't really a good race because I was running by myself."
The Maryland Disability Law Center filed the federal suit on McFadden's behalf, citing the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits exclusion of persons with disabilities from programs and activities that receive federal funds.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Andre Davis granted the request for a preliminary injunction against the school system.
McFadden, who won two medals at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, said Monday night that she was looking forward to competing in the meet Wednesday.
"This is important to me because I wanted to get the same thrill and the same experience as all the other high school students," she said. "There's no competition by myself."
Mark Blom, an attorney for the Howard County school system, said last month when the suit was filed that the system had worked with McFadden to allow her to be a part of the team and to incorporate wheelchair events into track competitions, but it is against merging the two types of events.
The judge disagreed.
"She's not suing for blue ribbons, gold ribbons or money; she just wants to be out there when everyone else is out there," Davis said.
McFadden was born with spina bifida. Her mother, Deborah McFadden, called the ruling a landmark.
"The Rehabilitation Act has been around for 33 years," she said. "Maybe we've succeeded in a classroom setting, but there's more to a person's life."
Sunday, April 16, 2006
These Guys Are Amazing
In the last six months, the U.S. Army is seeing 15 percent more soldiers re-enlist than expected. This continues a trend that began in 2001. Every year since then, the rate at which existing soldiers have re-enlisted has increased. This despite the fact that 69 percent of the troops killed in Iraq have been from the army. New recruits continue to exceed join up at higher rates as well.
All this is extremely important, especially when there is a war going on. Experience saves lives in combat, and more of the most experienced troops are staying in. This means that, a decade from now, the army will have a large and experienced corps of senior NCOs. That, in turn, means the younger troops are likely to well trained and led.
The army makes a big thing, internally, about the number of troops re-enlisting, especially within combat units that are in Iraq or Afghanistan. Pictures of mass re-enlistments are published in military media, but the civilian media has generally ignored this phenomena. Also ignored, except by some local media interviewing locals who are in the army, is the positive attitude of the troops, especially those in combat units. The large number of re-enlistments occur because the troops believe they are making a difference, and winning. This is especially true for soldiers who have come back to Iraq on a second tour, and noted the improvements since the first tour.
All this is extremely important, especially when there is a war going on. Experience saves lives in combat, and more of the most experienced troops are staying in. This means that, a decade from now, the army will have a large and experienced corps of senior NCOs. That, in turn, means the younger troops are likely to well trained and led.
The army makes a big thing, internally, about the number of troops re-enlisting, especially within combat units that are in Iraq or Afghanistan. Pictures of mass re-enlistments are published in military media, but the civilian media has generally ignored this phenomena. Also ignored, except by some local media interviewing locals who are in the army, is the positive attitude of the troops, especially those in combat units. The large number of re-enlistments occur because the troops believe they are making a difference, and winning. This is especially true for soldiers who have come back to Iraq on a second tour, and noted the improvements since the first tour.
The Wisdom of a Madman
Amir Taheri writes:
At the same time, not to forget the task of hastening the Mahdi's second coming, Ahamdinejad will pursue his provocations. On Monday, he was as candid as ever: "To those who are angry with us, we have one thing to say: be angry until you die of anger!"
His adviser, Hassan Abassi, is rather more eloquent. "The Americans are impatient," he says, "at the first sight of a setback, they run away. We, however, know how to be patient. We have been weaving carpets for thousands of years."
At the same time, not to forget the task of hastening the Mahdi's second coming, Ahamdinejad will pursue his provocations. On Monday, he was as candid as ever: "To those who are angry with us, we have one thing to say: be angry until you die of anger!"
His adviser, Hassan Abassi, is rather more eloquent. "The Americans are impatient," he says, "at the first sight of a setback, they run away. We, however, know how to be patient. We have been weaving carpets for thousands of years."
Friday, April 14, 2006
Nice Example, Coach
Western Kentucky Lady Topper graduate assistant Kristina Covington has been suspended following her arrest Monday. Covington, along with four other people, were arrested on drug trafficking charges after the Bowling Green Police Department found 1.2 pounds of marijuana, a little less than $2,000 and a machete during a probation and parole house check at 1428 Park St.Covington, who did not live at the residence, was charged with trafficking in a controlled substance within 1,000 yards of school.
WKU coach Mary Taylor Cowles was not available for comment. WKU Athletics’ Director Wood Selig issued a statement.
“WKU Athletics has decided to immediately suspend Lady Topper graduate student assistant Kristina Covington from all WKU Athletic related activities pending the resolution of this legal issue, at which time we will revisit her role and status as an administrative graduate assistant with the Lady Topper basketball program,” Selig said. “We feel such action is in the best interest of both Kristina and our Lady Topper program at this time.”
Covington just completed her first season as graduate assistant. The Elizabethtown native was also a four-year letterwinner and two-time all-Sun Belt Conference selection. In four years, Covington scored 1,076 points and helped lead the Lady Toppers to the NCAA Tournament in 2003.
Covington played professional basketball in Israel for two seasons before returning to Western.
She was jailed Monday in Warren County Regional Jail and released Tuesday after posting a $5,000 surety bond.
WKU coach Mary Taylor Cowles was not available for comment. WKU Athletics’ Director Wood Selig issued a statement.
“WKU Athletics has decided to immediately suspend Lady Topper graduate student assistant Kristina Covington from all WKU Athletic related activities pending the resolution of this legal issue, at which time we will revisit her role and status as an administrative graduate assistant with the Lady Topper basketball program,” Selig said. “We feel such action is in the best interest of both Kristina and our Lady Topper program at this time.”
Covington just completed her first season as graduate assistant. The Elizabethtown native was also a four-year letterwinner and two-time all-Sun Belt Conference selection. In four years, Covington scored 1,076 points and helped lead the Lady Toppers to the NCAA Tournament in 2003.
Covington played professional basketball in Israel for two seasons before returning to Western.
She was jailed Monday in Warren County Regional Jail and released Tuesday after posting a $5,000 surety bond.
Wow!
I thought I was generous, but the Vice President has me by a mile:
The Cheneys reported adjusted gross income of nearly $8.82 million, which was largely the result of exercising stock options that had been set aside in 2001 for charity.
The Cheneys donated just under $6.87 million to charity from the stock options and royalties from Mrs. Cheney's books. That left about $1.9 million in income on which the Cheney's owed $529,636 in taxes.
The Cheneys reported adjusted gross income of nearly $8.82 million, which was largely the result of exercising stock options that had been set aside in 2001 for charity.
The Cheneys donated just under $6.87 million to charity from the stock options and royalties from Mrs. Cheney's books. That left about $1.9 million in income on which the Cheney's owed $529,636 in taxes.
I Give This Guy 6 Months
Sunil Gulati discusses the future of soccer the same way he addresses his Principles of Economics class at Columbia University.
When he is asked about the viability of a professional women's league, Gulati, a 46-year-old economist and the newly elected president of the United States Soccer Federation, answers: "There's no right to exist, so to speak, of any sports venture, or any business venture, for that matter. In the end, the market will decide."
Sunil Gulati, meet Larry Summers.
When he is asked about the viability of a professional women's league, Gulati, a 46-year-old economist and the newly elected president of the United States Soccer Federation, answers: "There's no right to exist, so to speak, of any sports venture, or any business venture, for that matter. In the end, the market will decide."
Sunil Gulati, meet Larry Summers.
You Gotta Love College Professors
Now is it just me, or should this nut be fired...immediately. Oh wait, I forgot about that whole tenure thing. Nevermind.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS - A professor at Northern Kentucky University said she invited students in one of her classes to destroy an anti-abortion display on campus Wednesday evening.
NKU police are investigating the incident, in which 400 crosses were removed from the ground near University Center and thrown in trash cans. The crosses, meant to represent a cemetery for aborted fetuses, had been temporarily erected last weekend by a student Right to Life group with permission from NKU officials.
Public universities cannot ban such displays because they are a type of symbolic speech that has been protected by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Witnesses reported "a group of females of various ages" committing the vandalism about 5:30 p.m., said Dave Tobertge, administrative sergeant with the campus police.
Sally Jacobsen, a longtime professor in NKU's literature and language department, said the display was dismantled by about nine students in one of her graduate-level classes.
"I did, outside of class during the break, invite students to express their freedom-of-speech rights to destroy the display if they wished to," Jacobsen said.
Asked whether she participated in pulling up the crosses, the professor said, "I have no comment."
She said she was infuriated by the display, which she saw as intimidating and a "slap in the face" to women who might be making "the agonizing and very private decision to have an abortion."
Wouldn't you think students in a graduate-level course would be a bit more mature? I could see some 18 year-olds getting fired up by their professor and doing something stupid, but these are - presumably - mature human beings. Then again, it is the literature and language department. As an English major myself, you won't find a more radical and pathetic collection of people anywhere on a university campus.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS - A professor at Northern Kentucky University said she invited students in one of her classes to destroy an anti-abortion display on campus Wednesday evening.
NKU police are investigating the incident, in which 400 crosses were removed from the ground near University Center and thrown in trash cans. The crosses, meant to represent a cemetery for aborted fetuses, had been temporarily erected last weekend by a student Right to Life group with permission from NKU officials.
Public universities cannot ban such displays because they are a type of symbolic speech that has been protected by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Witnesses reported "a group of females of various ages" committing the vandalism about 5:30 p.m., said Dave Tobertge, administrative sergeant with the campus police.
Sally Jacobsen, a longtime professor in NKU's literature and language department, said the display was dismantled by about nine students in one of her graduate-level classes.
"I did, outside of class during the break, invite students to express their freedom-of-speech rights to destroy the display if they wished to," Jacobsen said.
Asked whether she participated in pulling up the crosses, the professor said, "I have no comment."
She said she was infuriated by the display, which she saw as intimidating and a "slap in the face" to women who might be making "the agonizing and very private decision to have an abortion."
Wouldn't you think students in a graduate-level course would be a bit more mature? I could see some 18 year-olds getting fired up by their professor and doing something stupid, but these are - presumably - mature human beings. Then again, it is the literature and language department. As an English major myself, you won't find a more radical and pathetic collection of people anywhere on a university campus.
The Coz Is In Town
Here's what he had to say yesterday:
"Put a body on 'em."
Comedian and social commentator Bill Cosby gave that advice to a largely African-American audience during an afternoon parenting session at Xavier University.
Cosby, 68, said that means parents must stay involved in every aspect of their child's life - from friends to homework - to prevent family breakdown and out-of-control behavior.
Parents also should have a network of people who can help keep an eye on potentially wayward kids.
"These children need bodies on all of them," Cosby said. "If you're not doing that, then you should be ashamed of yourself."
I love the Coz, but how sad is it that it take a comedian to say what needs to be said to - and about - the black community. He speaks again tonight and there's sure to be fireworks.
"Put a body on 'em."
Comedian and social commentator Bill Cosby gave that advice to a largely African-American audience during an afternoon parenting session at Xavier University.
Cosby, 68, said that means parents must stay involved in every aspect of their child's life - from friends to homework - to prevent family breakdown and out-of-control behavior.
Parents also should have a network of people who can help keep an eye on potentially wayward kids.
"These children need bodies on all of them," Cosby said. "If you're not doing that, then you should be ashamed of yourself."
I love the Coz, but how sad is it that it take a comedian to say what needs to be said to - and about - the black community. He speaks again tonight and there's sure to be fireworks.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Bill Simmons Bursts the Big O's Bubble
Q: Whoa, whoa, WHOA. You wrote of Oscar Robertson: "The triple-double in 1961 was a little overrated because all the offensive stats were completely skewed that season (it was like a steroids year in baseball)". You owe us an explanation. That stat -- along with all the praise from guys like Russell and Wilt -- has kept the Big "O" on a pedastal in my mind for years. If this stat isn't legit, everything changes for me. The world is no longer round.--Greg I., Philly, Pa.
Bill Simmons: Little-known fact: NBA stats are completely screwed up from 1959-67. Teams were running and gunning at a breathtaking pace. For instance, the 1960 Celtics scored 124.5 points per game and averaged nearly 120 shots a game, but since the shooters weren't as good back then (the Celts only shot 41 percent that year, which also led the league), they also averaged a whopping 80.2 rebounds per game. To put that in perspective, Phoenix led the league with 111.9 points and 85 shots per game, but they only averaged 44.1 rebounds per game because everyone can make a jumper now and it's not run-and-gun.
Take Oscar's first five years compared to Magic's first five years. From 1961-65, Oscar averaged 30.3 points, 10.4 assists and 10.6 rebounds ... but he was the 17th-best rebounder in the league over that time (in an eight-team league) and the third-best rebounder on his own team (behind Wayne Embry and Jerry Lucas). Magic averaged 18.2 points, 10.3 assists and 8.0 rebounds ... he was the 36th-best rebounder in the league over that stretch (in a 23-team league) and the second-best on his own team (behind that ninny Kareem). Oscar's team averaged 69 rebounds a game from 1961-65; Magic's team averaged 45 a game.
Not to infringe on Hollinger's territory here ... but if you pro-rated Magic's stats to the run-and-gun 1961-65 era, they would look something like this: 21 points, 12 assists and 12 rebounds per game. Even if you transported the 1987-90 Fat Lever (18.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 19th-ranked rebounder), he would have matched all of Oscar's numbers except for the scoring. But if you brought Oscar to the modern era? His rebounding per-game would have dropped into the 7-8 range and the "Who was the only NBA player to average a triple double?" trivia question wouldn't exist. It's true.
(Random "comparing the players from different eras" comment: From 1979-83, Moses Malone averaged 26.8 points and 15.4 rebounds a game. Transport him back to the '60s and he would have averaged something like 30 and 25 every night. To put this in perspective, Wilt Chamberlain averaged 41.7 points and 25.3 rebounds a game from 1960 to 1964, Bill Russell averaged 15.5 and 24.0, and Elgin Baylor averaged a 32-16. And yet, you never hear Moses mentioned in the "greatest centers ever" discussion. I find this interesting.)
Bill Simmons: Little-known fact: NBA stats are completely screwed up from 1959-67. Teams were running and gunning at a breathtaking pace. For instance, the 1960 Celtics scored 124.5 points per game and averaged nearly 120 shots a game, but since the shooters weren't as good back then (the Celts only shot 41 percent that year, which also led the league), they also averaged a whopping 80.2 rebounds per game. To put that in perspective, Phoenix led the league with 111.9 points and 85 shots per game, but they only averaged 44.1 rebounds per game because everyone can make a jumper now and it's not run-and-gun.
Take Oscar's first five years compared to Magic's first five years. From 1961-65, Oscar averaged 30.3 points, 10.4 assists and 10.6 rebounds ... but he was the 17th-best rebounder in the league over that time (in an eight-team league) and the third-best rebounder on his own team (behind Wayne Embry and Jerry Lucas). Magic averaged 18.2 points, 10.3 assists and 8.0 rebounds ... he was the 36th-best rebounder in the league over that stretch (in a 23-team league) and the second-best on his own team (behind that ninny Kareem). Oscar's team averaged 69 rebounds a game from 1961-65; Magic's team averaged 45 a game.
Not to infringe on Hollinger's territory here ... but if you pro-rated Magic's stats to the run-and-gun 1961-65 era, they would look something like this: 21 points, 12 assists and 12 rebounds per game. Even if you transported the 1987-90 Fat Lever (18.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 19th-ranked rebounder), he would have matched all of Oscar's numbers except for the scoring. But if you brought Oscar to the modern era? His rebounding per-game would have dropped into the 7-8 range and the "Who was the only NBA player to average a triple double?" trivia question wouldn't exist. It's true.
(Random "comparing the players from different eras" comment: From 1979-83, Moses Malone averaged 26.8 points and 15.4 rebounds a game. Transport him back to the '60s and he would have averaged something like 30 and 25 every night. To put this in perspective, Wilt Chamberlain averaged 41.7 points and 25.3 rebounds a game from 1960 to 1964, Bill Russell averaged 15.5 and 24.0, and Elgin Baylor averaged a 32-16. And yet, you never hear Moses mentioned in the "greatest centers ever" discussion. I find this interesting.)
The Long Shadow of Divorce
When Linda Rhodes's parents divorced nearly 30 years ago, she knew the family was forever altered. But what she couldn't imagine then was the far-flung responsibility she would shoulder in helping her parents in their later years in separate locations. She frequently shuttles from her home in suburban Philadelphia to her mother's house in Phoenix and her father's home in Erie, Pa.
"For the past 10 years, I've been pretty active with both of them," says Dr. Rhodes, author of "Caregiving as Your Parents Age."
This kind of caregiving triangle is becoming more common as a generation of divorced parents grows older. The US Census reports that 7 percent of older men and 8.6 percent of older women are divorced. In 1960, less than 2 percent of men and women in this age group were divorced.
"We're facing a demographic bubble," says William Doherty, professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. "The divorce revolution, the big increase, started in the late 1960s. The average person who gets divorced is in their 30s. We're coming up to a generation who in large numbers are going to enter late adulthood."
Calling this "the long shadow of divorce," Professor Doherty adds, "We tend to think of the impact of divorce as something that occurs during childhood. We forget how long it goes on."
That impact in later years can include everything from caregiving, as in Rhodes's case, to questions of loyalty, finances, and inheritance. At the same time, these late-life interactions offer opportunities for forgiveness and reconciliation.
Divorced elderly parents, particularly fathers, are less likely than widowed elderly parents to have adult children willing to provide informal care, says Barbara Steinberg Schone, a senior economist at the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in Rockville, Md. She has studied the effects of divorce on families in later life.
Because fathers have typically been noncustodial parents, many have had weaker family ties after divorce. But, Ms. Steinberg Schone adds, "That may change because now there's more joint custody. Fathers have played a more active role."
Remarried parents typically receive less informal care from their children, she also finds. In addition, they tend to give less cash assistance to their children than parents who married only once.
"For the past 10 years, I've been pretty active with both of them," says Dr. Rhodes, author of "Caregiving as Your Parents Age."
This kind of caregiving triangle is becoming more common as a generation of divorced parents grows older. The US Census reports that 7 percent of older men and 8.6 percent of older women are divorced. In 1960, less than 2 percent of men and women in this age group were divorced.
"We're facing a demographic bubble," says William Doherty, professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. "The divorce revolution, the big increase, started in the late 1960s. The average person who gets divorced is in their 30s. We're coming up to a generation who in large numbers are going to enter late adulthood."
Calling this "the long shadow of divorce," Professor Doherty adds, "We tend to think of the impact of divorce as something that occurs during childhood. We forget how long it goes on."
That impact in later years can include everything from caregiving, as in Rhodes's case, to questions of loyalty, finances, and inheritance. At the same time, these late-life interactions offer opportunities for forgiveness and reconciliation.
Divorced elderly parents, particularly fathers, are less likely than widowed elderly parents to have adult children willing to provide informal care, says Barbara Steinberg Schone, a senior economist at the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in Rockville, Md. She has studied the effects of divorce on families in later life.
Because fathers have typically been noncustodial parents, many have had weaker family ties after divorce. But, Ms. Steinberg Schone adds, "That may change because now there's more joint custody. Fathers have played a more active role."
Remarried parents typically receive less informal care from their children, she also finds. In addition, they tend to give less cash assistance to their children than parents who married only once.
This Is Gutsy, Even for the WaPo
Today's big story:
On May 29, 2003, 50 days after the fall of Baghdad, President Bush proclaimed a fresh victory for his administration in Iraq: Two small trailers captured by U.S. and Kurdish troops had turned out to be long-sought mobile "biological laboratories." He declared, "We have found the weapons of mass destruction."
The claim, repeated by top administration officials for months afterward, was hailed at the time as a vindication of the decision to go to war. But even as Bush spoke, U.S. intelligence officials possessed powerful evidence that it was not true.
A secret fact-finding mission to Iraq -- not made public until now -- had already concluded that the trailers had nothing to do with biological weapons. Leaders of the Pentagon-sponsored mission transmitted their unanimous findings to Washington in a field report on May 27, 2003, two days before the president's statement.
Wow, pretty serious stuff. But then 12 paragraphs down we get this:
Intelligence analysts involved in high-level discussions about the trailers noted that the technical team was among several groups that analyzed the suspected mobile labs throughout the spring and summer of 2003. Two teams of military experts who viewed the trailers soon after their discovery concluded that the facilities were weapons labs, a finding that strongly influenced views of intelligence officials in Washington, the analysts said. "It was hotly debated, and there were experts making arguments on both sides," said one former senior official who spoke on the condition that he not be identified.
So we sent 3 teams, not one. Two said weapons lab, one said no. Come on, guys, just report.
On May 29, 2003, 50 days after the fall of Baghdad, President Bush proclaimed a fresh victory for his administration in Iraq: Two small trailers captured by U.S. and Kurdish troops had turned out to be long-sought mobile "biological laboratories." He declared, "We have found the weapons of mass destruction."
The claim, repeated by top administration officials for months afterward, was hailed at the time as a vindication of the decision to go to war. But even as Bush spoke, U.S. intelligence officials possessed powerful evidence that it was not true.
A secret fact-finding mission to Iraq -- not made public until now -- had already concluded that the trailers had nothing to do with biological weapons. Leaders of the Pentagon-sponsored mission transmitted their unanimous findings to Washington in a field report on May 27, 2003, two days before the president's statement.
Wow, pretty serious stuff. But then 12 paragraphs down we get this:
Intelligence analysts involved in high-level discussions about the trailers noted that the technical team was among several groups that analyzed the suspected mobile labs throughout the spring and summer of 2003. Two teams of military experts who viewed the trailers soon after their discovery concluded that the facilities were weapons labs, a finding that strongly influenced views of intelligence officials in Washington, the analysts said. "It was hotly debated, and there were experts making arguments on both sides," said one former senior official who spoke on the condition that he not be identified.
So we sent 3 teams, not one. Two said weapons lab, one said no. Come on, guys, just report.
Whitey Fights Back
From the NY Times:
Alan Moldawer's adopted twins, Matt and Andrew, had always thought of themselves as white. But when it came time for them to apply to college last year, Mr. Moldawer thought it might be worth investigating the origins of their slightly tan-tinted skin, with a new DNA kit that he had heard could determine an individual's genetic ancestry.
The results, designating the boys 9 percent Native American and 11 percent northern African, arrived too late for the admissions process. But Mr. Moldawer, a business executive in Silver Spring, Md., says they could be useful in obtaining financial aid.
"Naturally when you're applying to college you're looking at how your genetic status might help you," said Mr. Moldawer, who knows that the twins' birth parents are white, but has little information about their extended family. "I have three kids going now, and you can bet that any advantage we can take we will."
Genetic tests, once obscure tools for scientists, have begun to influence everyday lives in many ways. The tests are reshaping people's sense of themselves — where they came from, why they behave as they do, what disease might be coming their way.
It may be only natural then that ethnic ancestry tests, one of the first commercial products to emerge from the genetic revolution, are spurring a thorough exploration of the question, What is in it for me?
Many scientists criticize the ethnic ancestry tests as promising more than they can deliver. The legacy of an ancestor several generations back may be too diluted to show up. And the tests have a margin of error, so results showing a small amount of ancestry from one continent may not actually mean someone has any.
Given the tests' speculative nature, it seems unlikely that colleges, governments and other institutions will embrace them. But that has not stopped many test-takers from adopting new DNA-based ethnicities — and a sense of entitlement to the privileges typically reserved for them.
Prospective employees with white skin are using the tests to apply as minority candidates, while some with black skin are citing their European ancestry in claiming inheritance rights.
So the dunces set up the absurd system of racial quotas, and now whitey (or should I say, non-whitey) is taking advantage of it. Classic.
Alan Moldawer's adopted twins, Matt and Andrew, had always thought of themselves as white. But when it came time for them to apply to college last year, Mr. Moldawer thought it might be worth investigating the origins of their slightly tan-tinted skin, with a new DNA kit that he had heard could determine an individual's genetic ancestry.
The results, designating the boys 9 percent Native American and 11 percent northern African, arrived too late for the admissions process. But Mr. Moldawer, a business executive in Silver Spring, Md., says they could be useful in obtaining financial aid.
"Naturally when you're applying to college you're looking at how your genetic status might help you," said Mr. Moldawer, who knows that the twins' birth parents are white, but has little information about their extended family. "I have three kids going now, and you can bet that any advantage we can take we will."
Genetic tests, once obscure tools for scientists, have begun to influence everyday lives in many ways. The tests are reshaping people's sense of themselves — where they came from, why they behave as they do, what disease might be coming their way.
It may be only natural then that ethnic ancestry tests, one of the first commercial products to emerge from the genetic revolution, are spurring a thorough exploration of the question, What is in it for me?
Many scientists criticize the ethnic ancestry tests as promising more than they can deliver. The legacy of an ancestor several generations back may be too diluted to show up. And the tests have a margin of error, so results showing a small amount of ancestry from one continent may not actually mean someone has any.
Given the tests' speculative nature, it seems unlikely that colleges, governments and other institutions will embrace them. But that has not stopped many test-takers from adopting new DNA-based ethnicities — and a sense of entitlement to the privileges typically reserved for them.
Prospective employees with white skin are using the tests to apply as minority candidates, while some with black skin are citing their European ancestry in claiming inheritance rights.
So the dunces set up the absurd system of racial quotas, and now whitey (or should I say, non-whitey) is taking advantage of it. Classic.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Isn't This Painfully Obvious
Drug companies are inventing diseases to sell more of their products, it has been claimed. Scientists have accused major pharmaceutical firms of "medicalising" problems like high cholesterol or the symptoms of the menopause in a bid to increase profits.
Experts from around the world will meet in Australia today to discuss what they have labelled "disease-mongering".
The group, which includes experts from Britain, will gather in Newcastle, New South Wales, where researchers have been examining the issue. David Henry and Ray Moynihan, of Newcastle University, claim the industry is exaggerating conditions and turning them into something more serious.
Female sexual dysfunction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and "restless legs" syndrome have all been promoted by the pharmaceutical industry in the hope of selling more drugs, they say.
High cholesterol and osteoporosis-are being described as diseases in their own right, the researchers claim, turning healthy people into patients. In turn, this wastes precious resources and can cause medically-induced harm.
Even shyness is routinely presented as a "social anxiety disorder" resulting in the person being prescribed anti-depressants.
In the case of male sexual disfunction, the researchers say, Viagra is promoted as not only a genuine treatment for erectile dysfunction but also a lifestyle improver. The two men make their claims in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal.
They accuse drug companies of funding disease-awareness campaigns through the media that are more about selling drugs than helping or educating the public.
"Like the marketing strategies that drive it, disease-mongering poses a global challenge to those interested in public health, demanding in turn a global response," they say.
Mr Moynihan and Mr Henry say that, in their view, disease mongering is the selling of sickness that widens the boundaries of illness and grows markets for those who sell and deliver treatments.
"It is exemplified most explicitly by many pharmaceutical industryfunded disease-awareness campaigns, more often designed to sell drugs than to illuminate or to inform or educate about the prevention of illness or the maintenance of health," they add. Conference organisers say they will try to draw a line between "market-driven exercises and legitimate disease-awareness programmes". 'Miracle solutions'
Drugs companies hit back last night. GlaxoSmithKline said: "We pride ourselves in providing miracle solutions to the health care needs of people every day.
"We utterly refute any suggestion that we would in any way hype or overplay the very real needs of patients that are treated all over the world.
"One of the exciting things about medical science is that we are finding new solutions to ailments or problems people have, and this is something good we can offer." Pfizer, which makes Viagra, said: "We would refute accusations that the pharmaceutical industry is medicalising society. Treatments that can make serious and potentially life-threatening conditions better should surely be welcomed.
"Pfizer would only promote prescription medicines to health care professionals, and only in line with what licensing bodies have outlined, for them to use their clinical judgment."
Experts from around the world will meet in Australia today to discuss what they have labelled "disease-mongering".
The group, which includes experts from Britain, will gather in Newcastle, New South Wales, where researchers have been examining the issue. David Henry and Ray Moynihan, of Newcastle University, claim the industry is exaggerating conditions and turning them into something more serious.
Female sexual dysfunction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and "restless legs" syndrome have all been promoted by the pharmaceutical industry in the hope of selling more drugs, they say.
High cholesterol and osteoporosis-are being described as diseases in their own right, the researchers claim, turning healthy people into patients. In turn, this wastes precious resources and can cause medically-induced harm.
Even shyness is routinely presented as a "social anxiety disorder" resulting in the person being prescribed anti-depressants.
In the case of male sexual disfunction, the researchers say, Viagra is promoted as not only a genuine treatment for erectile dysfunction but also a lifestyle improver. The two men make their claims in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal.
They accuse drug companies of funding disease-awareness campaigns through the media that are more about selling drugs than helping or educating the public.
"Like the marketing strategies that drive it, disease-mongering poses a global challenge to those interested in public health, demanding in turn a global response," they say.
Mr Moynihan and Mr Henry say that, in their view, disease mongering is the selling of sickness that widens the boundaries of illness and grows markets for those who sell and deliver treatments.
"It is exemplified most explicitly by many pharmaceutical industryfunded disease-awareness campaigns, more often designed to sell drugs than to illuminate or to inform or educate about the prevention of illness or the maintenance of health," they add. Conference organisers say they will try to draw a line between "market-driven exercises and legitimate disease-awareness programmes". 'Miracle solutions'
Drugs companies hit back last night. GlaxoSmithKline said: "We pride ourselves in providing miracle solutions to the health care needs of people every day.
"We utterly refute any suggestion that we would in any way hype or overplay the very real needs of patients that are treated all over the world.
"One of the exciting things about medical science is that we are finding new solutions to ailments or problems people have, and this is something good we can offer." Pfizer, which makes Viagra, said: "We would refute accusations that the pharmaceutical industry is medicalising society. Treatments that can make serious and potentially life-threatening conditions better should surely be welcomed.
"Pfizer would only promote prescription medicines to health care professionals, and only in line with what licensing bodies have outlined, for them to use their clinical judgment."
These Go Hand-In-Hand
The news that his boyfriend, Jason Johnson, was expelled from University of the Cumberlands was still sinking in when Zac Dreyer sat at a computer to spread the news.
"He is being asked to leave the university because he is gay," Dreyer wrote Thursday on the Web site MySpace.com, the same site school officials used to confront Johnson. "Help get the story out there so that all the gays and lesbians at the university will no longer have to live in secrecy, in fear of having their dreams crushed in front of them."
Within a few hours, friends and students at the small Baptist college in Williamsburg were commenting in blogs about Johnson's expulsion. The buzz grew over the weekend, and by yesterday the issue drew reaction from legislators in Frankfort and on gay advocacy organizations' Web sites nationwide.
Johnson, a sophomore majoring in theater arts, was expelled from the university Thursday because he declared online that he is gay. In a statement released last week, the university's president, Jim Taylor said students are held to a "higher standard" and that "students know the rules before they come to this institution."
Doesn't this part of the sentence ("a sophomore majoring in theater arts") basically imply the end ("he declared online that he is gay"). I mean, how many straight theater arts majors did you ever know?
"He is being asked to leave the university because he is gay," Dreyer wrote Thursday on the Web site MySpace.com, the same site school officials used to confront Johnson. "Help get the story out there so that all the gays and lesbians at the university will no longer have to live in secrecy, in fear of having their dreams crushed in front of them."
Within a few hours, friends and students at the small Baptist college in Williamsburg were commenting in blogs about Johnson's expulsion. The buzz grew over the weekend, and by yesterday the issue drew reaction from legislators in Frankfort and on gay advocacy organizations' Web sites nationwide.
Johnson, a sophomore majoring in theater arts, was expelled from the university Thursday because he declared online that he is gay. In a statement released last week, the university's president, Jim Taylor said students are held to a "higher standard" and that "students know the rules before they come to this institution."
Doesn't this part of the sentence ("a sophomore majoring in theater arts") basically imply the end ("he declared online that he is gay"). I mean, how many straight theater arts majors did you ever know?
Quote of the Day
"It is hard to see how the GOP is not like the Titanic, except it is aiming for the iceberg." -- Conservative blogger Hugh Hewitt
Monday, April 10, 2006
Interesting Comments on Race Here and Abroad
The actor who plays the Iraqi dude on Lost says America less racist than his native England:
They're still a couple, and he's never had second thoughts about leaving his native England behind, Andrews said.
"It was bloody awful, to be honest," he said. His Indian ancestry, he said, left him largely disenfranchised in a country that remains dominated by "small-minded" attitudes toward race and social class.
America "has its problems. But there's a sense of possibility here. ... In England, the class system is about a thousand years old and it's not going to change any time soon. You don't feel that here.
"Here, it's an economic class system ... But it doesn't feel that you're going to be trapped in it forever, like you do in England. You feel like you can break out of it," said Andrews, who trades his English accent for a Middle Eastern one in "Lost."
I thought the Euros were the enlightened ones.
They're still a couple, and he's never had second thoughts about leaving his native England behind, Andrews said.
"It was bloody awful, to be honest," he said. His Indian ancestry, he said, left him largely disenfranchised in a country that remains dominated by "small-minded" attitudes toward race and social class.
America "has its problems. But there's a sense of possibility here. ... In England, the class system is about a thousand years old and it's not going to change any time soon. You don't feel that here.
"Here, it's an economic class system ... But it doesn't feel that you're going to be trapped in it forever, like you do in England. You feel like you can break out of it," said Andrews, who trades his English accent for a Middle Eastern one in "Lost."
I thought the Euros were the enlightened ones.
I See Nothing Wrong With This
I call it dodgeball justice.
LIBERTY, Missouri (AP) -- A youth minister was charged with assault for allegedly knocking down a 16-year-old boy and kicking him in the groin after taking a head shot from the teen in a dodgeball game.
David M. Boudreaux, 27, was charged Wednesday with one count of third-degree assault. According to court documents, the incident happened in February at Crescent Lake Christian Academy.
Authorities said the teen missed Boudreaux with one throw but then knocked the youth minister's glasses off with the next.
The boy apologized, authorities said, but Boudreaux pushed him backward, and when the teen got up again Boudreaux kicked him in the groin and left.
The teen suffered whiplash and post-concussion syndrome and had blood in his urine after being kicked, according to court records.
LIBERTY, Missouri (AP) -- A youth minister was charged with assault for allegedly knocking down a 16-year-old boy and kicking him in the groin after taking a head shot from the teen in a dodgeball game.
David M. Boudreaux, 27, was charged Wednesday with one count of third-degree assault. According to court documents, the incident happened in February at Crescent Lake Christian Academy.
Authorities said the teen missed Boudreaux with one throw but then knocked the youth minister's glasses off with the next.
The boy apologized, authorities said, but Boudreaux pushed him backward, and when the teen got up again Boudreaux kicked him in the groin and left.
The teen suffered whiplash and post-concussion syndrome and had blood in his urine after being kicked, according to court records.
Garry Wills Is A Fool
Garry Wills, a month ago in the NYRB:
When [Martin Luther] King issued a call for religious leaders to join him in Selma for a renewed march on March 9, the outpouring of hundreds of clergy from many faiths clogged the airways. He had built up such a network of ecumenical religious trust that bishops and elders who had told their fellow believers not to take part in political activity declared this an exception. Rabbi Abraham Heschel, who first said he could not get there without violating Shabbat, consulted his teachings and found that one can work on Shabbat to save lives. On the march itself, Heschel said he "felt like my feet were praying." Seminaries and convents allowed eager young priests and nuns to join in. The theologian Robert McAfee Brown, then teaching at Stanford, flew in from California. Though Branch does not indulge in such contemporary references, I thought instantly of the difference between this outpouring of religious support for the beaten marchers and the eruption of right-wing religiosity that sent President Bush hurrying to Washington to block a court order on Terri Schiavo's condition. There was a time, not so long ago, when religion was a force for liberation in America.
Garry Wills, in Sunday's Times:
There is no such thing as a "Christian politics." If it is a politics, it cannot be Christian. Jesus told Pilate: "My reign is not of this present order. If my reign were of this present order, my supporters would have fought against my being turned over to the Jews. But my reign is not here" (John 18:36). Jesus brought no political message or program.
So which is it, Garry?
When [Martin Luther] King issued a call for religious leaders to join him in Selma for a renewed march on March 9, the outpouring of hundreds of clergy from many faiths clogged the airways. He had built up such a network of ecumenical religious trust that bishops and elders who had told their fellow believers not to take part in political activity declared this an exception. Rabbi Abraham Heschel, who first said he could not get there without violating Shabbat, consulted his teachings and found that one can work on Shabbat to save lives. On the march itself, Heschel said he "felt like my feet were praying." Seminaries and convents allowed eager young priests and nuns to join in. The theologian Robert McAfee Brown, then teaching at Stanford, flew in from California. Though Branch does not indulge in such contemporary references, I thought instantly of the difference between this outpouring of religious support for the beaten marchers and the eruption of right-wing religiosity that sent President Bush hurrying to Washington to block a court order on Terri Schiavo's condition. There was a time, not so long ago, when religion was a force for liberation in America.
Garry Wills, in Sunday's Times:
There is no such thing as a "Christian politics." If it is a politics, it cannot be Christian. Jesus told Pilate: "My reign is not of this present order. If my reign were of this present order, my supporters would have fought against my being turned over to the Jews. But my reign is not here" (John 18:36). Jesus brought no political message or program.
So which is it, Garry?
Why Are American Blacks Quiet On Darfur?
Interesting. I'd say it's because Al Sharpton, Jesse, and the Congressional Black Caucus don't have a fair-skinned evildoer to wag their finger at.
How Quickly I Forget
Every time I start getting down on Bush, something like this comes along to remind me why I supported him. From the New Republic:
JOHN KERRY AND JESUS:
Continuing his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, John F. Kerry addressed (by telephone) a conference convened by that racist hustler and prevaricator Al Sharpton who won, if I'm not mistaken, exactly one delegate at the party convention in 2004. According to The New York Times yesterday, in what appeared to be rather inchoate remarks, Kerry used Iraq as a trope but offered a ten-point plan for the nation from soup to nuts ... well, from getting Osama bin Laden to legislating lobby reform. The Times alluded to Kerry's well-known verbosity. So it wasn't surprising that he also went off and said, "Not in one phrase uttered and reported by the Lord Jesus Christ, can you find anything that suggests that there is a virtue in cutting children from Medicare." I'd actually go Kerry one further: I doubt that Jesus ever mentioned Medicare at all. Still, it's probably significant that some presidential aspirants--Kerry, for one--want to demonstrate that there are among them some real live Democrats for God. Or, as the Times said about him, he is "A Roman Catholic, who has struggled at times to talk about his own faith ... Mr. Kerry also told the group that he believed 'deeply in my faith'." Now, there are many Catholics including high ecclesiastics who doubt this. But who am I to have a point of view on what is essentially an intramural fight? In any case, as it turns out, Kerry is not only a Roman Catholic but also an ecumenicist. Once again I rely on the Times: Kerry asserted that "the Koran, the Torah, the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles had influenced a social conscience that he exercised in politics." My God, what bullshit politicians feel obliged to utter! Or maybe the bullshit is already second nature, or even first. But since Kerry raised it, let me ask: What hadith of the Prophet influenced him the most, and why? And here I have a personal interest: Which of the injunctions of Leviticus and who among the Prophets have the most meaning for him? Ordinarily, of course, I wouldn't ask such personal questions of a politician. In the spirit of Jesus, Kerry will certainly forgive me for doing so.
--Martin Peretz
JOHN KERRY AND JESUS:
Continuing his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, John F. Kerry addressed (by telephone) a conference convened by that racist hustler and prevaricator Al Sharpton who won, if I'm not mistaken, exactly one delegate at the party convention in 2004. According to The New York Times yesterday, in what appeared to be rather inchoate remarks, Kerry used Iraq as a trope but offered a ten-point plan for the nation from soup to nuts ... well, from getting Osama bin Laden to legislating lobby reform. The Times alluded to Kerry's well-known verbosity. So it wasn't surprising that he also went off and said, "Not in one phrase uttered and reported by the Lord Jesus Christ, can you find anything that suggests that there is a virtue in cutting children from Medicare." I'd actually go Kerry one further: I doubt that Jesus ever mentioned Medicare at all. Still, it's probably significant that some presidential aspirants--Kerry, for one--want to demonstrate that there are among them some real live Democrats for God. Or, as the Times said about him, he is "A Roman Catholic, who has struggled at times to talk about his own faith ... Mr. Kerry also told the group that he believed 'deeply in my faith'." Now, there are many Catholics including high ecclesiastics who doubt this. But who am I to have a point of view on what is essentially an intramural fight? In any case, as it turns out, Kerry is not only a Roman Catholic but also an ecumenicist. Once again I rely on the Times: Kerry asserted that "the Koran, the Torah, the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles had influenced a social conscience that he exercised in politics." My God, what bullshit politicians feel obliged to utter! Or maybe the bullshit is already second nature, or even first. But since Kerry raised it, let me ask: What hadith of the Prophet influenced him the most, and why? And here I have a personal interest: Which of the injunctions of Leviticus and who among the Prophets have the most meaning for him? Ordinarily, of course, I wouldn't ask such personal questions of a politician. In the spirit of Jesus, Kerry will certainly forgive me for doing so.
--Martin Peretz
Pretty Good Money If You Can Get It
"24" star Kiefer Sutherland has inked a multifaceted deal with 20th Century Fox Television.
The rich pact, which is set to begin in June, calls for the actor to continue on the hit Fox drama for three more years and includes a two-year development deal for Sutherland's soon-to-be-launched production banner.
Details on the deal were sketchy Friday, but sources pegged the acting portion alone at more than $40 million for the three seasons, which could make Sutherland the highest paid actor in drama series.
When athletes get this kind of obscene money, people scream and holler and say they're overpaid. Will there be any reaction to this? I doubt it.
The rich pact, which is set to begin in June, calls for the actor to continue on the hit Fox drama for three more years and includes a two-year development deal for Sutherland's soon-to-be-launched production banner.
Details on the deal were sketchy Friday, but sources pegged the acting portion alone at more than $40 million for the three seasons, which could make Sutherland the highest paid actor in drama series.
When athletes get this kind of obscene money, people scream and holler and say they're overpaid. Will there be any reaction to this? I doubt it.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
The Gospel of Judas
I originally thought this story was so silly (didn't we put this to bed a few thousand years ago) and those reporting on it so uninformed (secular Leftists reporting on matters of faith is, while very entertaining, mind-numbing) that it would just fade away. But apparently not. So here's the scoop:
Suppose that sometime around the year 3,800 A.D., someone wrote a newspaper that began: "According to a recently-discovered document, which appears to have been written sometime before 1926, Benedict Arnold did not attempt to betray George Washington and the American cause, as is commonly believed. Rather, Benedict Arnold was acting at the request of George Washington, because Washington wanted Arnold to help him create a dictatorship of the proletariat and the abolition of private property."
A reader who knew her ancient history would recognize that the newly-discovered "Arnold document" was almost certainly not a historically accurate account of the relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold. The reader would know that the terms "dictatorship of the proletariat" and "abolition of private property" come from a political philosophy, Marxism, which was created long after Washington and Arnold were dead. The reader would also know that the most reliable records from the 18th century provided no support for the theory that Washington or Arnold favored a dictatorship of the proletariat or the abolition of private property.
This Friday's coverage of the so-called "Gospel of Judas" in much of the U.S. media was appallingly stupid. The Judas gospel is interesting in its own right, but the notion that it disproves, or casts into doubt, the traditional orthodox understanding of the betrayal of Jesus is preposterous.
In the March 2 issue of USA Today, ancient Egyptian documents expert James Robinson correctly predicted that the owners of the Judas Gospel manuscript would attempt to release it to coincide with the publicity build-up for "The DaVinci Code" movie, but explained that the "gospel" was part of a genre of pseudo-gospels from the second century onward, in which the authors simply made up the stories. In contrast, virtually all serious scholarship about the canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) believes that they were written much closer to the events they describe--sometime in the first century a.d.
The influential Christian bishop Ireneus, in his treatise Against Heresies, written in 180 a.d., denounced the Gospel of Judas as the product of a gnostic sect called the Cainites. (Book 1, ch. 31, para. 1.)
The "Gospel of Judas" asserts that Jesus asked Judas to betray Jesus so that Jesus's spirit could be liberated from its earthly body. ("You will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.") This statement is a classic expression of gnosticism, and for that reason is antithetical to Christianity.
Unfortunately, the amazingly mendacious DaVinci Code presents a picture of gnosticism that is wildly false — so it is helpful to set the record straight about what gnostics really believed.
The roots of the Gospel of Judas and of gnosticism go back to Marcion (approx. 100-160 a.d.). After he was excommunicated for heresy, he founded his own sect, the Marcionites. The Marcionites never grew as numerous as orthodox Christians, but for several centuries they were important rivals to the orthodox.
The Marcionites believed that the physical world was created by the angry god of the Old Testament, and that Jesus had been sent by a different god, who had nothing to do with the created world. Marcionites strove to avoid all contact with the created world. They were celibate, and ultra-ascetic. They did not even allow the use of wine at communion, insisting only on bread. Consistent with this highly ascetic view, they rejected war in any form. The Marcionites also denied the authority of the Old Testament, and most of the Gospels. Their only scriptures were portions of Luke, and ten epistles from Paul. (The idea of expunging the Old Testament from the Christian Bible was reintroduced by Adolf von Harnack, a very influential late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century liberal Protestant theologian. The Nazis enthusiastically adopted Harnack’s proposal.)
The great nineteenth-century Catholic theologian John Henry Cardinal Newman explained that gnostics such as the Marcionites believed in "the intrinsic malignity of matter." The rejection of the Old Testament was necessary because the Old Testament is replete with stories about the wonders of the created world. In the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, God looked at his newly-created natural world, "and God saw that it was good." Then, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them....And so God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." The Song of Songs rejoices in a newly-married couple’s sensuous love. Ecclesiastes celebrates the natural cycle of life.
The New Testament agreed that the God who was the father of Jesus was the same God who had made the material world. In Acts, the Apostles prayed "Lord, thou are God, which has made heaven, and earth, and the sea..." Newman also pointed out that "All the Gnostic sects seem to have condemned marriage for one or another reason." This is the opposite of the mainstream Christian view which, while recognizing that celibacy can be a special calling for some people, celebrates "holy matrimony." The Marcionites acknowledged that Jesus had been born of a woman, but claimed that the fetal Jesus never touched Mary’s body or received any nourishment from her womb. The Marcionite and other forms of Gnostic pacifism have a reasonable internal logic. If the entire world and every human body is repulsively unclean (if one looks on the whole creation the same way that the Old Testament regarded a leprous corpse), then it makes sense never to lift a finger to defend a human being who is being attacked. Why try to preserve the evil human body from destruction? And how sinful it would seem, in the Gnostic view, to involve oneself in the material world so greatly that one would actually use a physical weapon. The earliest Christians seem to have foreseen that something like gnosticism would attempt to substitute itself for Christianity. In the First Epistle to Timothy, Paul specifically warned about the false teaching that would arise from "doctrines of devils." The evil doctrines that would arise in "latter times" would be "Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving."
Timothy’s instructions also drew an important parallel between the carnal eating of meat and the carnality of marriage. Both are gifts which God created for humanity.
Gnosticism’s hatred of the created world sets it in direct opposition to Jewish and Christian doctrine from the first chapter of Genesis all the way through the New Testament.The Gospel of Judas adds no historical information to the biography of Jesus, but it does provide additional information about the gnostic heresy which thrived in the mid-second century, and which has attracted many adherents today as well.
Suppose that sometime around the year 3,800 A.D., someone wrote a newspaper that began: "According to a recently-discovered document, which appears to have been written sometime before 1926, Benedict Arnold did not attempt to betray George Washington and the American cause, as is commonly believed. Rather, Benedict Arnold was acting at the request of George Washington, because Washington wanted Arnold to help him create a dictatorship of the proletariat and the abolition of private property."
A reader who knew her ancient history would recognize that the newly-discovered "Arnold document" was almost certainly not a historically accurate account of the relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold. The reader would know that the terms "dictatorship of the proletariat" and "abolition of private property" come from a political philosophy, Marxism, which was created long after Washington and Arnold were dead. The reader would also know that the most reliable records from the 18th century provided no support for the theory that Washington or Arnold favored a dictatorship of the proletariat or the abolition of private property.
This Friday's coverage of the so-called "Gospel of Judas" in much of the U.S. media was appallingly stupid. The Judas gospel is interesting in its own right, but the notion that it disproves, or casts into doubt, the traditional orthodox understanding of the betrayal of Jesus is preposterous.
In the March 2 issue of USA Today, ancient Egyptian documents expert James Robinson correctly predicted that the owners of the Judas Gospel manuscript would attempt to release it to coincide with the publicity build-up for "The DaVinci Code" movie, but explained that the "gospel" was part of a genre of pseudo-gospels from the second century onward, in which the authors simply made up the stories. In contrast, virtually all serious scholarship about the canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) believes that they were written much closer to the events they describe--sometime in the first century a.d.
The influential Christian bishop Ireneus, in his treatise Against Heresies, written in 180 a.d., denounced the Gospel of Judas as the product of a gnostic sect called the Cainites. (Book 1, ch. 31, para. 1.)
The "Gospel of Judas" asserts that Jesus asked Judas to betray Jesus so that Jesus's spirit could be liberated from its earthly body. ("You will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.") This statement is a classic expression of gnosticism, and for that reason is antithetical to Christianity.
Unfortunately, the amazingly mendacious DaVinci Code presents a picture of gnosticism that is wildly false — so it is helpful to set the record straight about what gnostics really believed.
The roots of the Gospel of Judas and of gnosticism go back to Marcion (approx. 100-160 a.d.). After he was excommunicated for heresy, he founded his own sect, the Marcionites. The Marcionites never grew as numerous as orthodox Christians, but for several centuries they were important rivals to the orthodox.
The Marcionites believed that the physical world was created by the angry god of the Old Testament, and that Jesus had been sent by a different god, who had nothing to do with the created world. Marcionites strove to avoid all contact with the created world. They were celibate, and ultra-ascetic. They did not even allow the use of wine at communion, insisting only on bread. Consistent with this highly ascetic view, they rejected war in any form. The Marcionites also denied the authority of the Old Testament, and most of the Gospels. Their only scriptures were portions of Luke, and ten epistles from Paul. (The idea of expunging the Old Testament from the Christian Bible was reintroduced by Adolf von Harnack, a very influential late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century liberal Protestant theologian. The Nazis enthusiastically adopted Harnack’s proposal.)
The great nineteenth-century Catholic theologian John Henry Cardinal Newman explained that gnostics such as the Marcionites believed in "the intrinsic malignity of matter." The rejection of the Old Testament was necessary because the Old Testament is replete with stories about the wonders of the created world. In the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, God looked at his newly-created natural world, "and God saw that it was good." Then, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them....And so God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." The Song of Songs rejoices in a newly-married couple’s sensuous love. Ecclesiastes celebrates the natural cycle of life.
The New Testament agreed that the God who was the father of Jesus was the same God who had made the material world. In Acts, the Apostles prayed "Lord, thou are God, which has made heaven, and earth, and the sea..." Newman also pointed out that "All the Gnostic sects seem to have condemned marriage for one or another reason." This is the opposite of the mainstream Christian view which, while recognizing that celibacy can be a special calling for some people, celebrates "holy matrimony." The Marcionites acknowledged that Jesus had been born of a woman, but claimed that the fetal Jesus never touched Mary’s body or received any nourishment from her womb. The Marcionite and other forms of Gnostic pacifism have a reasonable internal logic. If the entire world and every human body is repulsively unclean (if one looks on the whole creation the same way that the Old Testament regarded a leprous corpse), then it makes sense never to lift a finger to defend a human being who is being attacked. Why try to preserve the evil human body from destruction? And how sinful it would seem, in the Gnostic view, to involve oneself in the material world so greatly that one would actually use a physical weapon. The earliest Christians seem to have foreseen that something like gnosticism would attempt to substitute itself for Christianity. In the First Epistle to Timothy, Paul specifically warned about the false teaching that would arise from "doctrines of devils." The evil doctrines that would arise in "latter times" would be "Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving."
Timothy’s instructions also drew an important parallel between the carnal eating of meat and the carnality of marriage. Both are gifts which God created for humanity.
Gnosticism’s hatred of the created world sets it in direct opposition to Jewish and Christian doctrine from the first chapter of Genesis all the way through the New Testament.The Gospel of Judas adds no historical information to the biography of Jesus, but it does provide additional information about the gnostic heresy which thrived in the mid-second century, and which has attracted many adherents today as well.
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