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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Pumpkin carving simulation completed.
Any kids planning to beg at my house for free candy tonight are advised to send me an email instead and I'll have a virtual candy attachment back to them within 24 hours. Labels: Halloween
A seasonal favorite, from the archives of Fraters Libertas ...
How do hillbillies celebrate Halloween? They pump kin. The enduring charm of that joke stems from its universal quality. The denigration of "hillbillies" represents the joke in its classic form. But since the apex of anti-hillbilly consciousness in the 1950's (marked by the satirically withering Beverly Hillbillies television program and the sardonic Ma and Pa Kettle franchise) the "hillbilly" has subsided in our nation's pantheon of disdainful ridicule. But in the grand tradition of American pluralism, you can use that joke to attack the niche lifestyle group, ethnicity, national origin, or pack of juvenille droogs of your chosing. It works for anyone for whom you wish to allege has improper levels of intimacy with their direct relations. And doesn't that describe everyone's enemies? For example: How do people who attempt to stifle dissent by stealing political yard signs celebrate Halloween? They pump kin. Ah yes, it works beautifully every time and it never fails to bring smiles to bigots, xenophobes, and closed minded chauvinists of all ages. And today, Halloween, is the day to use it for its maximum effect. Have fun kids and Happy Halloween from Fraters Libertas. Labels: Halloween
It's a great time for beer lovers in the Upper Midwest. Not only can we read about Minnesota's glorious brewing past in the new book Land of Amber Waters, but we can enjoy the present with great local beers from Summit, Surly, and Flat Earth among others.
But we shouldn't limit our taste buds to Minnesota brews only. The Badger State is brewing up more than cheese, brats, serial killers, and inebriated Packer fans these days. Recently, I've had the pleasure of enjoying a couple of excellent examples of Wisconsin beer at its finest. Rush River Brewing Co. just started selling their beer in bottles and it's now available at a selected liquor stores here in the Twin Cities. I've mentioned their Unforgiven Amber Ale before, but I'll say it again: this is indisputably the best red I've ever quaffed. So much flavor, so much taste. They also make a Bubblejack IPA that is a rich, hoppy dream. A couple of weeks ago, I was offered a sample of Furthermore Beer at a local liquor store. The salesman explained that their Three Feet Deep Stout was made with peat just like it the ol' country (Ireland). Peaty? Why that sounds like one of the more common characteristics of Scotch. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Thankfully, probably not. But if you were you would realize what a killer combination a glass of Three Feet Deep Stout and a healthy draught of Single Malt Scotch make. A sip of this, a sip of that. Heaven on earth baby. These beers and a couple of more have been added to the Beer Ratings Page, which now features ratings of well over three-hundred brews from around the globe. The Recommended Reads and the Chihuahua Orphanage Page have also been recently updated. Last but not least, a rare wine pick. Believe it or not, I actually discovered this particular wine on a Northwest flight this summer. Yes, not everything about flying is negative. It took a while to find it around here, but it was worth the hunt. Memsie Red from the Water Wheel Vineyard is an Aussie blend that goes for about fifteen bones a bottle. I'm not a wine snob like JB Doubtless by any means, but I know what tastes good and this a fine little wine. Labels: Beer
We moved into our house last March. Two days ago I did my first batch of laundry.
The Elder Jibes: This should once and for all destroy the facade that JB has attempted to build as Wal-Mart shoppin', Applebee's eatin', country music listenin' Joe Six Pack. It turns out that he actually has been living in a comfortable cocoon of privilege and affluence which was only recently punctured when a series of ICE raids in Rochester stripped him of most of his domestic staff (I believe that his pool boy Miguel has taken refuge in JB's expansive wine cellar). Up to this point, laundry has been one of the many jobs that Americans of JB's elite status simply won't do. Tuesday, October 30, 2007
If you want a leader whose motto is "Drink early and often" you need to vote early and often for Atomizer for MOB Mayor. He's exactly the type of Mayor the MOB deserves.
Labels: Blogs-Local
A couple of weeks ago, a friend asked if we had buried a statute of Saint Joseph in our yard to facilitate the sale of our home. I joked that we'd start sacrificing chickens if it would help us find a buyer. In today's Wall Street Journal, Sara Schaefer Munoz reports that more and more desperate sellers are turning to Saint Joseph for divine intervention (free for all!):
Cari Luna is Jewish by heritage and Buddhist by religion. She meditates regularly. Yet when she and her husband put their Brooklyn, N.Y., house on the market this year and offers kept falling through, Ms. Luna turned to an unlikely source for help: St. Joseph. The Catholic saint has long been believed to help with home-related matters. And according to lore now spreading on the Internet and among desperate home-sellers, burying St. Joseph in the yard of a home for sale promises a prompt bid. After Ms. Luna and her husband held five open houses, even baking cookies for one of them, she ordered a St. Joseph "real estate kit" online and buried the three-inch white statue in her yard. "I wasn't sure if it would be disrespectful for me, a Jewish Buddhist, to co-opt this saint for my real-estate purposes," says Ms. Luna, a writer. She figured, "Well, could it hurt?" With the worst housing market in recent years, St. Joseph is enjoying a flurry of attention. Some vendors of religious supplies say St. Joseph statues are flying off the shelves as an increasing number of skeptics and non-Catholics look for some saintly intervention to help them sell their houses. Some Realtors, too, swear by the practice. Ardell DellaLoggia, a Seattle-area Realtor, buried a statue beneath the "For Sale" sign on a property that she thought was overpriced. She didn't tell the owner until after it had sold. "He was an atheist," she explains. "But he thanked me." Woah, back it up, back it up. Beep, beep, beep. Non-Catholics and even atheists are getting help selling their homes from Saint Joseph? As a Catholic, I'm offended that people would cheapen and profane our religious traditions in such a way. As a Catholic trying to sell his home, I'm outraged that Saint Joseph is doing solids for people outside the Church. Whatever happened to taking care of your own first? Say it ain't so Saint Joe. Theologians say there's no official doctrine that calls for the statue's interment. The practice may have stemmed from medieval rites of land possession, in which conquerors claimed land by planting a cross or banner, says Jaime Lara, associate professor of Christian Art and Architecture at Yale Divinity School. Mr. Lara also suggests that the tradition may have gotten mixed up at some point with folklore surrounding St. Anthony. St. Anthony, known as a matchmaker, would often be held ransom, upside-down, until he found a husband for someone's daughter, he says. Some clergy aren't sure how St. Joseph would feel about his replica ending up on its head in the dirt, and suggest displaying it somewhere in the house instead. "I think it's much more respectful than burying the poor guy," says Msgr. Andrew Connell, the archdiocesan director of the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith in Boston. Some retailers, such as Mr. Weigang, owner of www.catholicstore.com, also encourage buyers to put the statues in the house. "We don't advocate burying," he says. "Some of those statues are quite beautiful." Note to self: pick up Saint Joseph statue today. Don't bury it. Await redemption. Labels: Religion Monday, October 29, 2007
After exhaustive deliberation and debate, the Fraters Libertas editorial board has officially endorsed Atomizer for MOB Mayor. Atomizer recused himself from the decision of course, but even then the final outcome was in some doubt. It took all of our powers of persuasion to convince JB that Atomizer was actually the right man at the right time.
We encourage our readers to support Atomizer's bid in every way possible. Vote early and enough. Slash the tires of his opponents vehicles. Run Ponzi schemes to secure campaign contributions. Whatever it takes. After all, this is the most important vote that you can cast the week of October 29th, 2007. At least until The Next Great American Band airs on Friday. Labels: Blogs-Local
Vox Day--who has his own book "The Irrational Atheist" coming out soon--has a must-read interview with Dinesh D'Souza on the release of D'Souza's What's So Great About Christianity. A sample:
When you point out that atheist leaders have killed several orders of magnitude more human beings than Christian leaders, the usual rebuttal is that the atheists didn't commit their murders "in the name of atheism". What is your response to that? This is Richard Dawkins and it clearly shows what happens when you let a biologist out of the lab. It shows a gross ignorance of history. Communism was an explicitly atheist ideology. Marx was very eager to establish a new Man and a new society liberated from the shackles of traditional religion and traditional morality. Marx called religion "the opiate of the people" and he very much wanted to see religion removed from the face of the Earth, and he predicted it would be in the Communist utopia. Every Communist regime targeted religion, closed the churches, persecuted the priests, harassed the believers. This was no accident. So, for Dawkins to say that this wasn't being done in the name of atheism just defies rational belief. It's hard for me to believe an intelligent individual would even try to say that. Vox also provides a link to the recent D'Souza-Hitchens Debate, where by most reliable accounts (and JB Doubtless), D'Souza batted the aggressive atheist around like a cat toying with a helpless mouse. Hitchens is no slouch when it comes to verbal sparring, but it sounds like he met his match with D'Souza's well-reasoned arguments. Labels: Religion
Twin peaks: Sox are champs:
DENVER -- A scintillating seven-game winning streak that began in Cleveland with the season on the brink of elimination ended Sunday night with the Red Sox mobbing each other in the thin air of Coors Field of all places, culminating in a World Series championship that didn't take even close to 86 years this time around. By sweeping the Rockies with a 4-3 victory in Game 4, the Red Sox are champions of Major League Baseball for the second time in four seasons, once again doing it by giving their National League opponent the broom treatment. It was the seventh -- there goes that number again -- time the Red Sox have won the World Series. Congrats to the Red Sox. They clearly were the better team. Their relatively easy sweep also shows just how much of an aberration last year's Series was. The American League--like the AFC and the Western Conferences in the NHL and NBA--has a disproportionate edge in talent and is much stronger top to bottom than the National League. Thanks to the Rockies for embarking on their unlikely postseason run. It was a fun ride while it lasted. UPDATE-- Tim from Colorado e-mails: Congrats to the Red Sox. I will now have to avoid ESPN's Sportscenter for the next week or so because they are such homers for the Boston and New York teams. For the next week to ten days, we will now be over-exposed to the drama of whether or not A-Rod will go to the Red Sox. To borrow a bit from football coach John McKay, the Rockies didn't pitch well but they made up for it by not hitting. As much as they won't admit it, the eight day layoff was too long and it took the edge off the Rockies bats. I'm not sure what the excuse is for the Rockies pitching; it completely disappeared after doing so well down the stretch and through the NLCS. With the exception of Aaron Cook's performance last night, no Rockies starter went longer than 4 innings in the World Series. However, we are not as disappointed as some may think. The Rockies are a young team, they made an unprecedented run to get into the playoffs, and this experience will help them next season. Remember the name Ian Stewart; he is a solid player coming up through the Rockies farm system and he will probably be teaming up with Troy Tulowitzki at second base next year. Pitchers and catchers report in four short months. Labels: Baseball Saturday, October 27, 2007
Kangas Stands Tall as Gophers Hold Off Buckeyes:
Minnesota freshman goaltender Alex Kangas had a memorable first career start and the Gophers withstood a furious third period rally to defeat Ohio State 2-1 on Friday at Mariucci Arena. Kangas had 32 saves and stopped 21 shots in the third period, including several miraculous saves in the final three minutes as the Buckeyes outshot the Gophers 22-3 in the final period. However, Minnesota's two-goal lead entering the third period was enough as the Gophers improved to 4-2 overall and posted their first home sweep since Nov. 18-19 of last season against Wisconsin. Ohio State dropped its fourth straight and fell to 2-4 overall. The Buckeyes, who have lost 12 of 13 all-time meetings with Minnesota, had four shots in about a 30-second span late in the third period. Ohio State had another shot that was headed in the goal, but stopped by a Gophers' defender. The scramble came shortly after Minnesota killed off Ohio State's only third period power play. The big kid looked good between the pipes, but the Gophers overall lackluster offense--especially the lousy power play--is still a concern. Labels: Hockey (06-07)
In the midst of this beautiful October day, don't forget to spend sometime quality time indoors (ideally in your basement, in your undershorts) listening Northern Alliance Radio Network, at AM1280 The Patriot. It all begins at 11 AM and runs all the way 5PM.
The highlight of The First Team's broadcast promises to be the 12 noon appearance of auteur Even Coyne Maloney. (Dream achieved - using the word "auteur" in regard to a movie director, just like the City Pages). He is the director of Indoctrinate U, now holding an exclusive one week engagement at the Oak Street Cinema in Minneapolis. This film explores the stifling, hostile, relentlessly liberal environment of the modern American college campus. And its been getting rave reviews, at least from those not already stifling, hostile and relentlessly liberal. The education establishment may not appreciate this movie, but those paying their salaries through ever increasing tuition costs and government subsidies will. Listen to the director LIVE at noon. Call with questons, comments, horror stories at 651-289-4488. If you're not able to catch it on the radio, listen to the live streaming at the Patriot web site. Or the podcasts, archived on Power Line and at Town Hall (featuring all the Northern Alliance programs). BTW, the Patriot has a terrific new web site. It's a comprehensive platform for all the national Salem Talk Network hosts and Town Hall conservative commentators. A one stop shop for links to breaking news, audio archives, columns, and blog posts. Labels: NARN (06-07) Friday, October 26, 2007
Gophers Rebound for 3-1 Win Over Ohio State:
A dominant first period sparked the Minnesota men's hockey team to a 3-1 non-conference victory over Ohio State on Thursday at Mariucci Arena. The Gophers scored a pair of goals and outshot the Buckeyes 16-2 in the opening period, holding Ohio State without a shot on goal for nearly the first 16 minutes of the game. Minnesota's win overcame a pair of losses in its conference-opening series last week at Colorado College and improved the Gophers to 11-1 all-time against Ohio State and 3-2 for the season. Who own the Buckeyes? Owns, owns. Labels: Hockey (06-07)
David Harsanyi has some serious concerns about Rudy Giuliani's credibility:
Well, now I have serious doubts about Rudy Giuliani. How anyone can trust him with grand issues of our time when he can't even get simple baseball fan guidelines right? We've all heard about Hillary's "I've always been a Yankee fan" nonsense. It's frequently repeated because it tells us something deeper about her character. How you conduct yourself as a sports fan tells us plenty about you. And this tells us that Giuliani is clueless or a depraved panderer--or worse: not a real Yankees fan. "I'm rooting for the Red Sox," Giuliani, owner of four Yank World Series rings, declared during a campaign event in a Boston restaurant, prompting thunderous applause. This is indeed troubling. A real Vikings fan cannot root for the Packers. A real Gopher hockey fan cannot root for the Badgers (I know because I tried a couple of years ago when they were in the NCAA title game. As much as I wanted the WCHA to win another national championship, watching Wisconsin do it made me sick to my stomach.) And a real Yankee fan cannot--under any circumstances--every root for the Red Sox. Shameless pandering at its worst. Labels: 2008 Election Thursday, October 25, 2007
Lest you think Atomizer exaggerates the obsession that state Democrats have with the legacy of Paul Wellstone, let me take you a on a quick stroll through some local lefty blogs on the fifth anniversary of his death:
Corner House Comments: I remember the day clearly as I was working and a coworker came up to me and asked if I had heard that the Senator's plane had crashed. I couldn't believe it and I did not want to believe it. I could think of nothing else the rest of the day and as soon as I punched out I raced to my car to turn on the radio. The news announcer confirmed what I didn't want to hear. Senator Wellstone had been killed in an airplane crash. It was a long tearful drive home. Our lives would change forever. Bluestem Prairie: We were working on a state senate campaign in the Northfield area in 2002 and that cold and deadly day hit the small college town with a punch to the heart. It looks to be a sunny autumn day today. Oh sun, where were you then? From the comments at MNpublius: All I was interested in, five years ago today, was trying to console my 16 year old daughter. Us old farts having been through this too many times weren't able to express our feelings completely. Why is it, John, Martin, Robert, now Paul? I'm not a conspiracy advocate but, damn, doesn't it seem like there's a trend here? It's much more difficult to kill the idea then the man. Paul's conscience live's on in people like my daughter who, when they stopped crying, became iron. No compromise, no giving in. What's right is right, what's evil is evil. My daughter is hell on wheels now because of Wellstone. As JB pointed out, if you charted this--1963, twice in 1968 and then 2002--it doesn't exactly look like much of a trend. Across the Great Divide provides a hymn for the day: As a recording, "Eveleth" could've used revising and polishing after the fact, and the vocal track should've been recut. But I wanted to preserve the pulsing roughness, the tension between knowing/not knowing. This was a gulp of emotion, of trying not to dwell on what couldn't be changed and looking for what could. As I wrote in a bar five years ago, the fire was still burning in TV footage from that obscure, lonely swamp. A fire's still burning. And last but not least, Eric Black--formerly a political reporter for the Star Tribune--explains how he finally decided to drop the veil of objectivity when Paul Wellstone Spoke to Me from the Grave: I don't want to overdramatize. This was just one of many moments that led to my decision to drop out of mainstream journalism. And, after all those years of writing in the disembodied voice of a reporter, it still embarrasses me to write something this personal. But by the time I got Kahn's email, I had moved into open rebellion against the model of so-called objective journalism. The memory of that lame piece, written at such a crucial time, seemed an abdication of responsibility. That, combined with my repressed admiration for Wellstone as a guy that at least stood up for his beliefs, felt like a message from Paul. The message was: Seek the truth. Share the closest approximation of it that you can assemble. Stand up as bravely as you can for your convictions. When the end comes, don't be full of regrets for things you should have said. Or biases you should have even more clearly revealed. I think the more important message is, why put off until tomorrow, what you can take care of today? Labels: Politics-Local (06-07)
Beckett, bats come out blazing vs. Rockies in Game 1:
BOSTON -- Two days, it turns out, was the perfect amount of time for the Red Sox to recharge and reload for the showcase known as the World Series. In fact, the Sox looked like relentless world beaters on that stage in Wednesday night's Game 1, putting on a hitting and pitching clinic in a 13-1 romp over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. Eight days, on the other hand -- which is how long the Rockies had to wait around for their first appearance in the World Series -- looked like way more than they wanted or needed. Ouch. The best thing about last night's game was that it was over early, so there was no need to stay up late to know the outcome. This is the first bump in the postseason road for the Rockies and how they respond tonight will say a lot about how long the series will go. The good news is that bats can go cold just as fast they get hot. The Red Sox have been hitting lights out for the last four games, which means they're due for a slump. And tonight the Rockies will be facing a well-past his prime Schilling rather than the dominating Beckett. That dude is one mean SOB. Exactly the kind of intimidating attitude you want from your staff ace. No time to get off the 'wagon now. Labels: Baseball
It was five years ago today when a plane carrying Senator Paul Wellstone crashed into a Northeastern Minnesota forest killing all aboard. Minnesota Democrats have spent every waking hour since trying to reanimate him.
Case in point...this piece from today's Minneapolis Star Tribune (registration required, but strongly discouraged) attempts to illustrate how "Wellstone's legacy remains vibrant five years after his death": The names of Paul and Sheila Wellstone have been attached to buildings, awards and legislation.That's all very nice and well and good. People love to put Paul's name on lots and lots of buildings and awards and gardens and things ...but where, exactly, is evidence of Senator Wellstone's actual legacy? The very next paragraph locates it for us: And years after Wellstone introduced a bill in Congress that would grant parity for mental health in health insurance, legislation toward that end and bearing his name remains pending in Congress.Paul Wellstone has been dead for five years and a piece of legislation bearing his name still holds the high honor of being considered "pending in Congress". Kind of reminds me of every piece of legislation he put his name on when he was alive. Now that's a legacy to be proud of. Labels: Politics-Local (06-07) Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Much to my surprise, I didn't miss it this year. Yet. The only Halloween special that ever mattered hasn't aired yet. But it will, next Tuesday, October 30, 7 PM Central on ABC.
It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown For those of you unfamiliar with this 1966 classic, I'll let Linus set the stage: The Great Pumpkin always picks the most sincere pumpkin patch to rise out of. He's just gotta pick this pumpkin patch. He's just gotta! Look around. You can see that there's not a sign of hypocrisy anywhere. Nothing but sincerity reaching out as far as the eye can see. Call me a cockeyed optimist, but I believe this could be his year. Labels: Television
Stephen J. Rose looks at The Myth of Middle-Class Job Loss in today's WSJ (sub req):
It is certainly true that many jobs in manufacturing clothing, steel, metal products and automobiles have gone overseas. Plant closures not only devastate the workers who are displaced, but they have also undermined the vitality of whole communities in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, to name just a few places. But while such communities are a clear sign of the decline in some sectors of the economy, there has been strong employment growth in many other sectors. In research just published by the Progressive Policy Institute, I show that incomes and employment have grown by substantial amounts in every state (even in the so-called Rust Belt) since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993. In fact, there is no convincing, data-driven proof that trade has led to any overall job loss during the last 30 years. To the contrary, the economy has grown at a slow but steady rate (a few brief recessions notwithstanding) with trade and employment rising in tandem. Before you dismiss Rose's rosey-eyed views as neo-capitalist apologetics for free markets and trade, consider his cred: Mr. Rose is senior economic fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, where he recently authored a report titled "The Truth About Middle Class Jobs." He has worked both for the Joint Economic Committee of Congress and as an adviser to former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. He goes on to look at who has gained the most in middle-class employment: Nevertheless, there has clearly been a sharp increase in female middle-class employment. As recently as 1979, 61% of female workers were in jobs that paid less than $25,000, and only 3% earned more than $50,000 a year. By contrast, more than 36% of new jobs that opened since 1979 for women pay more than $50,000 and only 17% pay less than $25,000. Critics who bemoan the trajectory of the American economy over the past three decades somehow find it convenient to overlook or play down this historic improvement in the employment status and income levels of women. While women still lag in pay compared to men of similar educational attainment, the extraordinary rise in women's income since 1979 is a fact at odds with the notion of an overall decline in the American middle class. And who lost: For men, the change in employment since 1979 has not been quite as clear-cut, or as positive. There has been a tremendous growth in the number of men in high-paying jobs: In 1979, just 10% of male workers earned above $75,000, while fully 34% of new jobs since 1979 have paid this amount or more. However, there was also growth in the share of male workers earning less than $25,000 a year, from 23% in 1979 to 36% by 2005. This rise of low-paying jobs hit less-educated men particularly hard. For those with just a high school diploma, 87% of the new jobs paid $25,000 or less. Here's the bottom line: For three-quarters of the workforce (women and the top half of male earners), economic growth translated into earnings gains. But for male workers in the bottom half of the earnings distribution, the decline of unionized manufacturing employment has led to the drying up of some middle-class jobs for those with no post-secondary education. Rose goes on to say that increasing unionization and the minimum wage would help improve the situation for middle-class men with no college degree. However, he neglects to mention the impact that immigration (legal & illegal) has had on this group. Lawyers, engineers, corporate managers, and other white collar workers probably enjoy a net benefit from immigration (especially the illegal kind) in lower costs for goods and services. It's the "working man" that has paid the price in stagnate wages and no amount of increased unionization or minimum wage is going to change that until something is done to stop the largely unfettered stream that continually refills the pool of cheap immigrant labor. Unfortunately, our current political leaders seem more concerned with limiting trade (not the cause of the problem!) than immigration. Labels: Economics
From a review of Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion, and the Crisis of Faith by C. John McCloskey III and Russell Shaw in the November FIRST THINGS (sub req):
"Have you ever thought of becoming a Catholic?" That is the question more of us should be posing. Or so argue C. John McCloskey and Russell Shaw in their new book. McCloskey, a Wall Street analyst turned Roman Catholic priest (of Opus Dei), and Shaw, a Catholic journalist and former communications director for the U.S. bishops' conference, propose a plan for Catholic renewal based on the personal apostolate of the lay faithful. Drawing from his experience as Washington's "convert maker"--notably credited with the conversions of Bernard Nathanson, Sam Brownback, Lawrence Kudlow, Laura Ingraham, Alfred Regnery, and Robert Novak--McCloskey peppers the book with the first-person written conversion accounts of those he's led into the Church. The result is a how-to guide for a Catholic apostolate--a word, the authors fear, that many Catholics don't know. Not a bad recruiting class, eh? I wonder if McCloskey would be as effective in bringing wayward sheep back to the Church as he is at landing new talent. Labels: Religion
Microsoft and the USO are sponsoring awards that recognize individuals on the home front who have gone above and beyond in their work to support the troops:
Microsoft Corporation, in partnership with the United Service Organizations (USO), is recognizing the contributions of the military community - the friends, family, and other individuals who help brighten the lives of U.S. troops throughout the world - with the creation of the first annual Above and Beyond Awards. The Above and Beyond Awards is our way of publicly honoring and thanking the outstanding commitment, exceptional service, sacrifice and achievements of individuals who have shown extraordinary dedication in brightening the lives of our troops over the past year. They have selected a series of finalists for each award and the voting has begun. While all these individuals deserve our gratitude and honor, there are few who we would like to give our official endorsement to. For the Effort Award, Patti Patton-Bader from Pasadena, CA: When Patti's son Brandon was deployed to Iraq, she began sending daily care packages to him. Soon she was recruiting friends and family to send packages to the troops, which eventually led to her start a nonprofit, "Soldiers' Angels," in 2003. Since then, the group's 100,000 members have sent tens of thousands of care packages and hundreds of thousands of letters to make sure no soldier is forgotten while serving. And for the Medical Attention Award, Walter Fricke from St. Louis Park, MN (gotta have the local angle): A helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, Walter Fricke founded the Veteran's Airlift Command to provide free air transportation for wounded and recovering troops and veterans with their families through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots. Walt himself spent six months in a hospital 700 miles from his hometown. He realized, "my healing began in earnest when my family was able to gather the resources to make a trip to visit me." Since its founding, VAC has made 177,162 trips to reunite troops with their loved ones. Vote early. Vote often. Vote here. Labels: Military Tuesday, October 23, 2007
A couple of veteran related items.
Military Salute Project 2008 MINNESOTA VETERANS LITERARY INITIATIVE: The Military Salute Project of Woodbury, MN is sponsoring the 2008 Minnesota Veterans Literary Initiative to encourage Minnesotans who served in the Global War On Terror to record and preserve their stories. Submissions will be accepted via e-mail from residents of Minnesota who have been awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the GWOT Expeditionary or Service Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, or the Iraq Campaign Medal for service on or after September 11, 2001. Submissions will also be accepted from immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings and children 18 years of age or older), including the immediate family members of Minnesotans who were posthumously awarded one or more of the decorations. And Keegan's Seventh Annual Salute to the Military: Keegan's Pub will once again salute our military and military veterans over the Veteran's Day weekend. Friday through Sunday, November 9th, 10th, and 11th, active duty personnel and veterans will receive their first drink free and S.O.S. will be on the menu all day each day. Flags from each of the services will be displayed in the pub. If you know a veteran or a member of our armed forces be sure to invite them for this annual event. We would encourage local vets to participate in both efforts if at all possible. Especially Keegan's Salute to the Military. Any time you can pry a free drink out of Terry Keegan's tightly clenched claw is a reason enough for celebration. Labels: Military
A revealing look at the mindset of those making the decisions in our local media. For the second week in a row, Catholics promoting the beliefs of Catholicism in a Catholic Church is breaking news!
Last week, from the City Pages, the shocking tale of a church trying to expand despite the fact it features homilies with remonstrations against divorce! This week, from the Star Tribune, the scandalous story of Catholic Churches not allowing their facilities to be used to promote the gay lifestyle! What's next with these extremists? Banning abortions from being performed in Church basements? Preventing condoms from being distributed to the kids at Sunday School? Then what, death camps? I'm glad our local journalists are keeping a very close eye on these people. Incidentally, I have a hot tip for our diligent newshounds. According to anonymous sources, there's a Catholic Church in Eagan that would object to the Holy Water font being used as a Muslim foot bath. Discrimination! Hate mongers! I look forward to the special section devoted to this disturbing story on Sunday. UPDATE: A laughing Paul from Plymouth writes in with this observation: I clicked on your link to the Strib article and laughed out loud at this gem from "activist" Michael Bayly: "This understanding of church as an exclusive country club with a set of rules that everyone's got to follow -- I don't think that's reflective of the type of community that Jesus was all about," he said. Talk about laugh-out-loud funny. This guy crams a lot of idiocy into few words. Most obvious is that the church shouldn't follow a "set of rules". Anyone ever hear of the 10 commandments? I believe a few fringe religions actually respect them. I'm also glad to see that "country club" elitism now can be extrapolated to include any group that sets rules for conduct. That makes it a much more useful term to bludgeon with than when it just meant rich people. Labels: Religion
Like seventeen of my fellow Americans, I tuned in to Versus last night to catch a bit of the Canadians-Bruins hockey game. And lo' and behold, who was playing between the pipes for the Bruins but former Wild netminder Manny Fernandez. It wasn't Manny's night as Les Habitants put six past him and crushed the B's 6-1. But seeing Fernandez backstopping for Boston made me realize just how strong the Boston-Minnesota sports connection has become.
Twins fans have long followed the success of David Ortiz at Boston with a mixture of envy and bitterness at what might have been. Since joining the BoSox in 2003, Ortiz has clubbed 208 homers, driven in 642 runs, helped them win a World Series in 2004, and get back to the Fall Classic again this year. Meanwhile, in the same five-year span, Twins designated hitters have hit twelve home runs, driven in thirty-two, and led to team to three first round playoff exits. Okay, I'm making those DH stats up, but the reality isn't much better. Now, in addition to having to watch Ortiz warm the hearts of the Boston faithful with his powerful bat, Minnesota fans must also helplessly look on as ex-Viking Randy Moss lights up the NFL (again), this time wearing a Patriots jersey. Watching Moss effortlessly haul in long touchdown passes evokes memories of '98, made even more painful when compared to this year's anemic Viking aerial attack. That's two game-changing players who once played here helping make Beantown the current center of the sports universe. You ready for a third? Don't look now, but just a little over a week from today, the new-look Celtics--featuring Kevin Garnett--begin their NBA season. If KG blows up in Boston and leads the Celts on a deep playoff run, it will be another bitter pill for Minnesota sports fans to swallow. The only solace at this point is that the Wild are doing just fine without Manny. Bringing the Cup to Minnesota would do a lot to ease our Beantown envy. Labels: Baseball
Tobin from Indonesia e-mails to join the Rockies 'wagon:
Ok, ok, I'll finally climb on. I'm not sure why, but it took until their opponent was the Red Sox for me to actually cheer for Colorado. Of course, had their opponent been the Yankees, that would have done it too. Hope the rest hasn't cooled them off - the last thing this sports world needs right now is Boston winning the World Series. Labels: Baseball Monday, October 22, 2007
The Cynical Vikings Guys issues his Declaration of Football Independence:
When in the Course of a football season it becomes necessary for one fan to dissolve the fanatical bands which have connected him with an NFL team, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that he should declare the causes which impel him to the separation. Tough to argue with his reasons for ending the Madness of Coach Childress. Labels: Football
While some would expect us to take this opportunity to kick diehard Indians fans when they are down, we are actually going to refrain from our usual schadenfreude and observe a period of quiet solemnity to allow them to cope with their staggering loss. As Minnesota sports fans, we're all too familiar with the agony of defeat ourselves and understand the need to grieve before the healing (and mocking) can begin.
We would also like to extend a hand to the suffering followers of the Tribe to climb aboard the Rockies bandwagon. A few, opportunistic carpetbaggers already have, but there's plenty of room still available for genuine sports fans to join this year's true team of destiny. Labels: Baseball
Tim McCarver is a boob.
Last night after the Indians third base coach disgraced himself by not waving Kenny "Rogers" Lofton home, he said about three times "In a situation like that, the coach needs to make a very fast decision. He needs to make the decision right away and go with that." In other words, he was trying to explain why on earth the fool didn't send Lofton home when his team was down a run, with one out, on the road in the SEVENTH GAME OF THE ALCS! At the time we had not seen the replay yet. So then they show the replay and it's clear the idiot coach originally waved Lofton home, then changed his mind when the ball was still 15 feet from one of the worst-fielding left fielders in the league, Manny Ramirez. So the coach DID make a quick decision, then changed that decision. McCarver's point was just mindless drivel that didn't have anything to do with the play he had just seen with his own eyes. Two other points about last night's game: 1. Casey Blake seemed like he gave up after the Lofton play. He was the next batter and promptly hit into a double play. Then he made an error on a fairly routine grounder. Then he collided with Jonny (man, that spelling is annoying) Peraulta on a fly ball that should have been caught and turned into a double. It reminds me what our Grandpa used to say about the Elder: That boy has a lot of quit in him. B. Joe Buck and McCarver harped on and on and on about the Lofton play, even though the Red Sox had taken a three run lead an inning later. Had Lofton scored, the score would have been 5-3, instead of 5-2. But that didn't stop the constant camera shots of Lofton and the third base coach as if it were the deciding play of the game. The deciding play was the homer that put the Sox up and kept them there. Btw, Lofton got hosed in this game pretty bad. You have to feel somewhat sorry for him. First he gets thrown out by Manny trying to stretch a double when he was clearly safe, then the third base coach holds him at third when he could have scored with ease. He's 40 and probably done playing ball. Hard way to go out. So, to recap, Tim McCarver is a boob. Labels: Baseball Sunday, October 21, 2007
Strange Days at 10 Downing - WSJ.com (sub req):
With a title reeking heavily of the feel-good, and a veritable sitcom of an opening episode that delivers same, "The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard" (beginning Sunday, 9-10 p.m. EDT on PBS; check local listings) looks far from promising -- a look not to be trusted, as it turns out. Nor is there in this five-part "Masterpiece Theatre" drama, about a supermarket manager from West Yorkshire who becomes prime minister, much that's amazing about its improbable heroine. There is, at most, something odd about writer Sally Wainwright's decision to model Mrs. Pritchard on a character by now rather well worn -- the feminist superwoman, late 1970s model -- and there are speeches to match. To hear Ros Pritchard (Jane Horrocks), mother, wife and head of staff at the Greengages Superstore, declaim on all the ways in which men are inferior to women and incompetent to run the world -- women are more reasonable, truthful, peaceful, don't need to be right all the time, etc, etc. -- is to feel the decades roll away. In somewhat the same way time seemed to stop during last month's Emmy Awards -- no work of fantasy -- when Sally Field declared, in her acceptance speech, that " ...if the mothers ruled the world there would be no [expletive] wars in the first place." Ros Pritchard wouldn't, to be sure, be caught dead using profanity of this sort, at least prior to her rise to power, though by the time she's established as PM, and busy pushing bills in the interest of goodness and truth, her husband has to caution her to please stop using the F word in front of the children. Thanks God it's only a television series. Seriously, can you imagine anything more frightening than a mother in power "pushing bills in the interest of goodness and truth"? At least with President Hillary we'll be getting a woman far more interested in the naked pursuit of power than trying to apply maternal instincts to the political arena. Yes, that is far less dangerous. Labels: Nanny State Friday, October 19, 2007
Be sure to tune in tomorrow on the First Team of the Northern Alliance Radio Network as we seek to confirm the rumors that John Hinderaker missed last week's show because he was attacked by a group of left-wing thugs seeking to silence and intimidate him. It seems to be the only plausible explanation for his absence.
We'll also be joined by David Bellevia at noon to discuss his book, House to House: "Like St. Mihiel, Normandy, Inchon, and Khe Sanh before it, Fallujah is one of the most horrific and hard-fought battles in U.S. history. SSG David Bellavia's riveting, poignant, and at times even humorous firsthand account vividly emphasizes why this battle must never be forgotten. And why, because of the breathtaking courage of Bellavia and his fellow troops, it was won." - Andrew Carroll, editor of War Letters and Behind the Lines The real story of the battle Fallujah and many other topics will be explored tomorrow. Tune in locally on AM1280 WWTC or listen live on the Internet stream from anywhere and everywhere. After listening to the First Team from 11am to 1pm, be sure to stick around for Mitch and Ed from 1pm-3pm and the Final Word with Michael and King from 3pm-5pm. Labels: NARN (06-07)
The Wall Street Journal editorializes on the real shame of Haditha (free for all!):
At Haditha, did the Marines act reasonably and appropriately based on their training? They were in a hostile combat situation where deadly force was authorized against suspected triggermen for the IED, and were ordered to assault a suspected insurgent hideout. In retrospect, the men in the car had no weapons or explosives; in retrospect, the people in the house were not insurgents. No one knew at the time. Innocents were killed at Haditha, as they inevitably are in all wars--though that does not excuse or justify wrongdoing. Yet neither was Haditha the atrocity or "massacre" that many assumed--though errors in judgment may well have been committed. And while some violent crimes have been visited on civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, overall the highly disciplined U.S. military has conducted itself in an exemplary fashion. When there have been aberrations, the services have typically held themselves accountable. The same cannot be said of the political and media classes. Many, including Members of Congress, were looking for another moral bonfire to discredit the cause in Iraq, and they found a pretext in Haditha. The critics rushed to judgment; facts and evidence were discarded to fit the antiwar template. Most despicably, they created and stoked a political atmosphere that exposes American soldiers in the line of duty, risking and often losing their lives, to criminal liability for the chaos of war. This is the deepest shame of Haditha, and the one for which apologies ought to be made. Apologies which we will no doubt wait in vain for. Labels: Iraq
Remember the good old days when MTV actually you know...played music videos? A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila on MTV:
Are you ready for the ultimate battle of the sexes? Well, you better be 'cause there's about to be an all-out war over cyber hottie Tila Tequila! Although Tila has racked up more than 2 million MySpace friends, she still hasn't found "the one," and she's ready to do anything to find him -- or her! This self-proclaimed "bisexual freak" has had her heart broken by men and women, and she's tired of being alone. With our help, she's inviting 16 luscious lesbians and 16 sexy straight guys over to her place for A Shot of Love With Tila Tequila. Yes, it's time for Tila to unfurl her freak flag and find true love. I've often wondered what the boundaries would be for reality television. What is pushing it too far? Apparently, there are no boundaries or they've now been stretched to the point of being meaningless. A lot of reality shows use sex to hook viewers. It has increasingly become the focus on programs like MTV's "The Real World." But at least they still tried to hold on to the pretense that it was about something more. "A Shot At Love" is nothing other than thinly disguised soft-core porn. When we saw a promo, my wife speculated on the number of men who be...uh..."finding self-pleasure" while watching. I'm surprised that Kleenex and Lubriderm aren't the primary sponsors. Another line has been crossed with nary a peep of complaint. When Dr. Anthony Esolen joined us on the radio show last week, he explained that taking in our mass entertainment culture is like living next to a sewage treatment plant; after a while you don't even notice the smell anymore. "A Shot At Love" is just a little more crap on top of the fetid heap. I shudder to think what the future of reality television holds. Labels: Television
What else can you say about this other than pathetic?
A "growed" woman cannot work or function because a dog was taken from a friend of hers. She is apparently bed-ridden, so filled with canangst (coined!) that she can't even function normally (define your terms!). We are at the point where dogs are as important to some extremely disordered people as babies. Kind of a sign that there are serious problems in our culture, no? LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Ellen DeGeneres' talk show was put on hold for a day because of her emotionally wrenching dog-adoption drama. "It's been a long week and a tough week and we decided to take a long weekend and be back on Tuesday," said Laura Mandel, a spokeswoman for Telepictures Productions, which produces "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." DeGeneres was scheduled Thursday to tape shows to air Friday and Monday. Instead, the tapings were canceled and reruns featuring Jessica Alba and Queen Latifah will air on those days. A new show is planned Tuesday. The battle over Iggy, a Brussels Griffon terrier mix, pitted DeGeneres against an animal rescue agency and, at one point, had her in tears on her show. The agency's owners complained of receiving death threats over the dispute. DeGeneres adopted the dog, then gave it to her hairstylist's family after the dog, despite training, couldn't get along with the comedian's cats, her publicist has said. Marina Batkis and Vanessa Chekroun, owners of the nonprofit Mutts and Moms agency, claimed that DeGeneres violated the adoption agreement by not informing them that she was giving the dog away and removed Iggy from the hairstylist's home Sunday. DeGeneres pleaded for Iggy's return to the hairstylist on Tuesday's show. She said her hairdresser's daughters, ages 11 and 12, were heartbroken when the dog was taken away. But Mutts and Moms' owners were adamant about their decision, and a spokesman for Batkis said she wouldn't be "bullied around by the Ellen DeGenereses of the world." At a taping of the show Wednesday, DeGeneres told the audience she wouldn't talk about the matter again unless Iggy was returned to her hairdresser. In a similar vein, I was listening to Jason Lewis last night and during the news segment at 5:30 Jeff Manasshol (heheheh) told us that two deer were found murdered on the side of a road in northern Minnesota. He read the news piece as if they were people that were found. I wonder how many abortions took place yesterday in Minnesota alone... Can you imagine if the media provided that information on a daily basis like they do with the soliders killed in Iraq? Would the constant drumbeat of death news do anything to change minds? Anchorette: It was another bloody day today in Minnesota with increasing violence targeted at innocent children who have no say in the matter. We begin our team coverage in Minneapolis where Julie Adams is at the Planned Parenthood in Uptown, Julie? Julie: It was indeed a bloody day here with 19 children already aborted today and the clinic doesn't close for another 3 hours. This is the bloodiest single day in Minnesota since abortion was made legal in 1973. It now brings the total number of babies aborted in this long, drawn out and some say unnecessary conflict to 48,987,231 babies. Back to you. Labels: Children Thursday, October 18, 2007
Breaking news from the Associated Press, on a certain unorthdox contributor to the political campaign of comedian Al Franken:
Liberal Al Franken is good enough and smart enough to win some of conservative Ben Stein's money -- and doggone it, Stein likes him. Stein, an actor, writer, economist and former Nixon speechwriter, has contributed $2,000 to Franken's U.S. Senate campaign. The two men have known each other for about 30 years. As a former "Saturday Night Live" star, Franken has received scores of contributions from people in the entertainment industry, but Stein's donation doesn't fit into the GOP's talking points about liberal Hollywood elites bankrolling Franken's campaign. Glad someone finally woke up the boys at the most powerful news syndication service in the world to this story. Of course, the cognitive elite comprising the readership of Fraters LIbertas already knew this, when I broke the story on June 12: Ben Stein - $1,000. Legendary Ferris Beuhler actor, game show host, and brilliant conservative. Former speech writer for Richard Nixon and columnist for the American Spectator and Yahoo Finance, among other outlets. One of the finest writers around on politics, economics, and culture, as demonstrated in this listing. In particular, he's one the most articulate and persuasive speakers advocating the pro-life stance in the country. And he's giving money to Al Bleeping Franken? A guy who's never found a liberal position on abortion he didn't like (as shown by the $5,000 contribution he also received from something called Washington Women for Choice.) How in the world can Ben Stein be supporting Al Franken? Then I went the further step of getting the first comment from Ben Stein on the subject. And I didn't burden the readers with unfunny references to Stuart Smalley. Members of the Academy, please remember this come Pulitzer time. Labels: Media-National (07-09)
This week's award for outstanding achievement in the field of extreme emotional hyberbole is:
"It was as if I had given my baby up for adoption and found out it had been murdered by its new parents," she says. "I was sick." This from a woman who is relating her reaction when found out she sold her house to an organization that was planning to do some things of which she vehemently disapproved. Given her metaphor, you might guess it was an abortion clinic or something. No, ironically, it's a Catholic Church. Not just any Catholic Church, but the finest one in the west metro, Holy Family in St. Louis Park. Because of the efforts of the priests there and the olde tyme Catholic values they are endorsing, the Sunday masses are packed, the school is exceeding capacity (at a per pupil cost about half what the public schools spend), and more and more souls are no doubt on the way to be saved. They need more room and are looking to buy out some adjoining properties, by offering the owners prices well above market rate. The bastards! The preceding sentence, an emotional response in concert with the tone of this City Pages article on the subject. In fact, the editorial decision to run this article is the runner up for outstanding acheivement in hyperbole. Not sure what the point of it is. Something about how Catholic Churches shouldn't try to expand. Maybe market research shows this topic resonates with their core readership demographics. I did get a kick out of their reports from disgruntled "former parishioners" of what really goes on during a homily at Holy Family. Such nefarious things as the importance of Catholics marrying Catholics and not getting divorced. It seems the priests at Holy Family have the unmitigated gall to advocate Catholic teaching in this Catholic Church. Shut 'em down! Sorry, lapsed into City Pages mindset again. It looks like the stand off will continue, with the Church wanting the room for expansion and some homeowners holding out at even 60K above the market price. Of course, everyone has their price. Maybe those savvy dissidents around the Church think there is more largesse to be had from a parish with the popular appeal, and resulting financial support, of Holy Family. But if their faith in constricting this Church is stronger than their financial judgment, Holy Family may have no choice but to rely on the wisdom of people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens. Yes, the Kelo decision, legitmizing the forced transfer of property from one private party to another. They would have to get the city on board, that whole "for the purposes of economic development" thing would have to worked out, as well as the yowls of protest about separation of church and state. But once those sticky wickets are traversed, Holy Family might as well take the whole block and the two adjoining ones as well. It appears business will be booming there for quite some time. BTW, if you suspect that City Pages characterizations of the homilies at Holy Family might not be entirely objective, this link provides the real deal, unfiltered. The Elder Amens: Speaking as someone who is now trying to sell a house literally just down the street from these maroons, their refusal to consider offers $60K over the appraised (good luck getting anywhere near that in today's market) value is pure insanity. I also wonder what angle the City Pages would have taken on this story if the religious institution that was seeking to expand was a mosque. I gotta hunch that the homeowners would not be portrayed as victims, but rather as narrow-minded bigots. Just a hunch. Labels: Religion
The City Pages would like us to feel sorry for some of the unintended victims of the state's new smoking ban.
Here's one of them fancy hyper links so you can read it yourself: http://articles.citypages.com/2007-10-10/news/up-in-smoke/ Sounds strange, don't it? Why would a notoriously left wing paper want us to feel sorry for business owners? Perhaps because business owners are getting hosed by this meddling in their commerce. Or because VFWs and other neighborhood bars may be shuttered due to this onerous legislation. No, that doesn't fit any tidy lefty template. But when a minority group is involved, NOW we've got a story! A centuries-old tradition in the Middle East--think corner bars with water pipes and backgammon instead of beer and darts--hookah bars have in recent years gained popularity in the Twin Cities and beyond, embraced by recent immigrants and college students alike. But thanks to Minnesota's smoking ban, which took effect October 1, they are in all likelihood a thing of the past here. Correct me, but wasn't tipping pints and smoking also a centuries-old tradition in...America? So why does it only rise to the level of an article when a minority group is involved? Daniel Disrud, an environmental health specialist with Anoka County who has met recently with owners of hookah bars, says they have been put in an unfair position. "The rules were changed on them," he says. "The ban affects how they are going to have to operate the most." Ummm...the rules were changed on everyone across the board. All business owners. Some of whom I'm sure relied on smokers as much if not more than the hookah bars. Ever been to a Legion hall? "It's so sad," Sakallah says. "They're killing our culture." Again I'm not sure why non-American cultures seem to have more intrinsic worth and should be honored more, but that is the theme of the piece. It's an argument that Mohamed Hassan, owner of Pyramids Cafe, has trouble understanding. Last Tuesday, one day after Minnesota's smoking ban went into effect, Hassan sat forlornly in the corner of his once-bustling Columbia Heights store. It was still early, but he'd already sent home one of his three waitresses. Soon, he says, he'll have to start laying them off. Hassan, a thin man with deep-set, piercing eyes, bought the place less than a year ago for $100,000. To do so, he refinanced his house and took out a small-business loan. "Forget my culture," he says. "The government gave me the loan for this business. How am I going to pay it back?" Oh, I'm sure they will think of some way of letting you out of the deal. Now some poor schlub in Northeast Minneapolis who sadly happens to be from Polish stock? (shivers) I don't think he will be so lucky. Labels: Nanny State
David Harsanyi writes on one of the silliest "crimes" still on the books in many places. Scalping:
In the end, I'm not sure why it's fair to allow monopolies to sell tickets and not individuals. Turning a profit on your investment doesn't sound like a crime to me. It sounds like America. Amen. How much precious time and resources have law enforcement officials wasted over the years trying to stop two people from conducting a free market exchange for a legal product? Labels: Economics Wednesday, October 17, 2007
In Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, Steven Malanga wrote (sub req) on the dangerous intermingling of religion and politics by radical extremists who aren't afraid to use the power of the pulpit in their theocratic efforts to undermine our democracy:
The AFL-CIO launched "Labor in the Pulpits," a program that encouraged churches and synagogues to invite union leaders to preach the virtues of organized labor and tout its political agenda. Nearly 1,000 congregations in 100 cities nationwide now take part annually. Mr. Sweeney himself has preached from the pulpit of Washington, D.C.'s National Cathedral, urging congregants to join anti-globalization protests in the capital. Under the auspices of Labor in the Pulpits, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian clerics have composed guidelines for union-friendly sermons and litanies, as well as inserts for church bulletins that promote union legislation. One insert asked congregants to pray for a federal minimum-wage hike and also -- if the prayers didn't work, presumably -- to contact their congressional representatives. Another urged congregants to lobby Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act -- controversial legislation that would let unions organize firms merely by getting workers to sign authorizing cards, rather than by conducting secret ballots, as is currently required. The Chicago-based, union-supported Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) arranges for seminarians to spend the summer months working with union locals. Some 200 seminarians have helped unionize Mississippi poultry workers, aided the Service Employees International Union in organizing Georgia public-sector employees, and bolstered campaigns for living-wage legislation in California municipalities. Whoops! That was the religious LEFT he was writing about. Sorry for the false alarm. Nothing to see here. Move along. Labels: Religion
The legendary William F. Buckley is not nearly as prolific or potent a writer as he used to be. Relatively speaking of course. He still does pretty good for a soon-to-be eighty-two-year-old fellow. And every once in a while, he still hits the nail square on its head as he does in this piece on Rudy Giuliani & Catholicism at National Review Online:
Ah, but that doesn't work. Because the kind of godlessness expressed by a failure to live a life of charity, sustained by faith and hope, is, unhappily, pretty unnoticeable. Everyone excepting the saints is, under such scrutiny, "un-Christian." But a failure to attend church on Sunday is, by Catholic standards, contumacious, an ostentatious rejection of a formal obligation. It is the equivalent of an observant Jew biting into a piece of pork. Penitence, if genuine, can minister to any infraction of the faith. But to violate systematically the Commandment that says, "Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy," is systematically to reject one's faith. There are other problems, in the matter of Mr. Giuliani. One's sense of things is that the religious communities are understanding in the matter of failed marriages (the divorce rate in the United States has been estimated at about fifty percent), but those who aspire to lead are quite reasonably examined more closely, and in the matter of Mr. Giuliani, there is the second and then the third wife, with ugly consequences involving children and living quarters. Which is to say that a candidate holding out his affiliation with a religious body as a reason to presume harmonious values with other voters of the same faith has to prepare for a likelihood of resentment among coreligionists if he appears lax in the practice of his faith. Members of a club can be relaxed about the member who does not pay his dues. But there is the risk there of continued neglect gradually understood as disloyalty. The way things work in modern times, under modern pressures, more people's attention is attracted by defiance of a protocol than by inconsistent attention given to it. The guest who neglectfully fails to bow when the queen enters the room is not especially conspicuous, but becomes so if it crosses the mind of others that he is challenging the legitimacy of the sovereign, rather than merely to being absent-minded about protocols. This is the root of my problems with Giuliani. The fact that he's personally pro-choice isn't as critical as his stated commitment to appoint the type of judges who would likely overturn Roe v Wade. That's really where the only power of the president to make a difference on abortion lies. But the fact that he's a kinda, sorta, not-really most of time Catholic is troubling. A candidate's religious faith is never--with a few possible exceptions--going to be the primary force driving my voting decision. However, a candidate who takes such a wishy-washy approach and openly flaunts the values and conventions of his religion is someone that I will have a difficult time generating much enthusiasm for. Frankly, I think it would be easier for me to support Giuliani if he had left the Church entirely--for whatever silly, selfish, or serious reason--rather than his present path of nominally identifying himself as Catholic while willfully ignoring the precepts of the faith. Labels: 2008 Election
Daniel B. Botkin--president of the Center for the Study of the Environment and professor emeritus in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the author of "Discordant Harmonies: A New Ecology for the Twenty-First Century"--pens a piece for today's Wall Street Journal on Global Warming Delusions gone wild (sub req):
The key point here is that living things respond to many factors in addition to temperature and rainfall. In most cases, however, climate-modeling-based forecasts look primarily at temperature alone, or temperature and precipitation only. You might ask, "Isn't this enough to forecast changes in the distribution of species?" Ask a mockingbird. The New York Times recently published an answer to a query about why mockingbirds were becoming common in Manhattan. The expert answer was: food -- an exotic plant species that mockingbirds like to eat had spread to New York City. It was this, not temperature or rainfall, the expert said, that caused the change in mockingbird geography. You might think I must be one of those know-nothing naysayers who believes global warming is a liberal plot. On the contrary, I am a biologist and ecologist who has worked on global warming, and been concerned about its effects, since 1968. I've developed the computer model of forest growth that has been used widely to forecast possible effects of global warming on life -- I've used the model for that purpose myself, and to forecast likely effects on specific endangered species. I'm not a naysayer. I'm a scientist who believes in the scientific method and in what facts tell us. I have worked for 40 years to try to improve our environment and improve human life as well. I believe we can do this only from a basis in reality, and that is not what I see happening now. Instead, like fashions that took hold in the past and are eloquently analyzed in the classic 19th century book "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds," the popular imagination today appears to have been captured by beliefs that have little scientific basis. Some colleagues who share some of my doubts argue that the only way to get our society to change is to frighten people with the possibility of a catastrophe, and that therefore it is all right and even necessary for scientists to exaggerate. They tell me that my belief in open and honest assessment is naďve. "Wolves deceive their prey, don't they?" one said to me recently. Therefore, biologically, he said, we are justified in exaggerating to get society to change. One of the most frustrating aspects of the debate over global warming, is the notion that THE SCIENCE (as John Kerry calls it) has all come down conclusively on one side and that anyone who remains skeptical of the coming catastrophe if we don't ACT NOW is merely a denier of reality or in the pay of Big Oil. The reality is that there are plenty of rational, thoughtful people who have looked at the THE SCIENCE and have concluded that the facts don't justify the doom saying and scaremongering. You won't see them winning awards from Norwegian politicians, hobnobbing with Hollywood stars, or being lauded by an adoring media. Their only solace will be being able to look back at some point in the future--after the global warming hysteria bubble bursts--with the satisfaction of knowing that they didn't buy the hype. Labels: Global warming Tuesday, October 16, 2007
We had a five minute discussion of this company during an all-day meeting with a couple of visitors from Europe at work today and no one laughed. No one. At least out loud.
Labels: Business
Mark Yost--fresh from issuing a fatwa against the Mall of America--writes about the boorish behavior of football fans in today's Wall Street Journal (free for all!):
The other reason is tailgating. While television cooking shows tend to focus on the food, walk through most NFL stadium parking lots and the clear focus is on alcohol. And lots of it. "The Twins fans come in and have one or two beers," said Marty Neumann, manager of The Little Wagon, a sports bar near Minneapolis's Metrodome. "The Vikings fans come in and have 10." Hey, I know that dude. Although in the interest of accuracy, I believe the last name should be "Newton." Surprisingly enough, Yost doesn't mention Packer fans in his story. A couple of them have sobered enough to drop me e-mails though. Jack starts the crack back: I enjoy your site. I'm a Packer fan. I'll try not to be too obnoxious. First of all, isn't Longwell great? He's a genius as well. Kicks outdoors for the Pack for 9 years and then moves into a dome. He'll still be kicking when I retire. He'll win you 10 games easily. Peterson is impressive, no doubt. He's gonna be a pain in the Packers butt for several years to come. But you almost lost that game. Geez! You're gonna have to put more on the field than him or he's just gonna be another Barry Sanders running in a backfield with Eric Hipple or Scott Mitchell. You should worry more about your front office trading Adrian to Dallas (couldn't resist). We've already beaten you guys once this year and we beat another team (SD) with a decent running back (LT). Yes, the Packers LOST to the Bears. It was embarrassing. We played a miserable second half. But did you think we were going to go 16-0? These things happen. If you're 5-1 you can dismiss it. If you're 2-3 then maybe you're sharpening the razor blade. You are correct. The Packers need a running game...........just as soon as we play someone that can stop our passing game, which hasn't happened yet. It's not how I would draw it up. But I can't argue with the results. At this point I really can't tell you why we drafted Justin Harrell. I'm sure he'll be useful someday. But right now, we're so deep on the defensive line, he's lucky if we even activate him on game day. That Jones kid we took in the 3rd round scored a touchdown against the Vikings. He's working out really well. Thanks, I am enjoying our 5-1 start. Fluky? Maybe. But the alternative is losing and losing sucks. Yes, we have an aging football legend at quarterback who will require the construction of an additional wing at the hall of fame in Canton when he eventually retires. I'll take him over the last 10 Vikings quarterbacks combined. He's so great they're going to retire his Falcons jersey. And I've got Aaron Rodgers sitting on the bench just waiting for his chance. We're not even carrying a third quarterback right now. See you November 11th. You'll likely win that game because neither team ever sweeps the season series. Actually the Packers did win both games against the Vikings last year, which gave the Vikings the opportunity to draft Peterson. Wright from Minneapolis also checks in: Adrian Peterson certainly had a good game against Chicago, and he looks like the real deal. That could be bad news for Packer (and Chicago and Detroit fans) but let's keep a little perspective. He's played how many games now? I recall when Herschel Walker had a great debut against the Pack, and was hailed as the 2nd coming personified. How did that work out for you? I always enjoy a Packer win (and a Vikings loss) but I don't get too up or down either way like I used to. I figure those guys don't care what kind of week I had - I'm not going to lose any sleep over theirs. I have enough stuff that's within my control to worry about. But one thing I learned a long time ago was not to hang my hat on predictions of how well my heroes were going to perform on the field (or how poorly their opponents were.) A fine wine can turn suddenly into a fine whine, and it doesn't taste too good, especially when it's mixed with all those black feathers. Gotta like the crow eating reference. But mentioning Walker was really a low blow. He then turns to politics: PS I am in agreement with your assessment of the political landscape in your post ' MN OB IN '08'. Wish it weren't so, but I don't recall going into an election with this much dread before. All ain't lost, but it sure doesn't look good. I blame Trent Lott, Ted Stevens, Don Young, et al and their slobbery porky ways for absolutely turning off the conservative base. I think the difference between conservatives and liberals is the conservatives generally hold their representatives to something of a standard. For dems, it's any means necessary. Just win baby. Labels: Football
Steve from St. Paul e-mails:
I couldn't agree more with your post regarding the GOP prospects for '08 in Minnesota. The glass is definately half empty, and I'm not just saying that because I live in St. Paul, and everyone I've voted for in my 41 years has lost. (except for Norm Coleman, who I voted for as Mayor when he was a DFLer.) There is one wild card in the mix though. If the inevitable protests at the Republican Convention are serious and violent, it could piss off enough people to tip the state Red in the presidential race, and guarantee Coleman's senate seat. However, I don't see (or want) that happening. The anarkids are generally more bark than bite. By the way, one person who could benefit from your hard, cold realism is your radio partner John Hinderaker. As much as I enjoy his brilliant blogging, he really was a pollyanna about Mark Kennedy, among other races in 2006. We'll do our best to dampen John's unbridled enthusiasm this time around. UPDATE-- Jeff e-mails with hope: I don't totally disagree with your post re MN being out of play for the GOP presidential candidate in '08 (at least right now). However, if past election results are any indication, if the GOP candidate does not keep the race somewhat close here in '08, the odds of us holding on to Coleman, Bachmann, Kline and Ramstad's seat -- and picking up state House seats -- go down dramatically. What happens at the top of the ticket has a huge impact down the ballot. In 2002, Coleman carried the state over Mondale by about 2 percent. Down the ballot, the GOP won the governor's race, the secretary of state race and the state auditors race, and also picked up a congressional seat, a number of state Senate seats and 13 state House seats. In 2004, Kerry carried the state by about 3.5 percent. Down the ballot, the DFL picked up 13 state House seats. In 2006, Klobuchar beat Kennedy by 20 percent. Down the ballot, the DFL knocked off an incumbent GOP congressman, secretary of state and state auditor, and picked up a number of state senate seats and 19 state House seats. The only bright spot was Pawlenty hanging on as governor (barely). For the sake of other important races, lets hope things change nationally and MN is another battleground state in '08. Unfortunately, Jeff is correct about the drag that the top of the ballot will have on all MN GOP candidates in '08. But it's better to acknowledge that now and seek ways to overcome it rather than pretending it doesn't exist. Labels: 2008 Election Monday, October 15, 2007
The poll results show that most of you are not thrilled with the idea of equipping the Iraqi military with M-16 assault rifles. It's interesting to note that's exactly the sort of thing that the military's official counterinsurgency manual recommends against as well (page 193):
A-43. By mid-tour, U.S. forces should be working closely with local forces, training or supporting them and building an indigenous security capability. The natural tendency is to create forces in a U.S. image. This is a mistake. Instead, local HN [host nation] forces need to mirror the enemy's capabilities and seek to supplant the insurgent's role. This does not mean they should be irregular in the sense of being brutal or outside proper control. Rather, they should move, equip, and organize like insurgents but have access to U.S. support and be under the firm control of their parent societies. Combined with a mobilized populace and trusted networks, these characteristics allow HN forces to separate the insurgents from the population. Labels: Iraq
For a while now I've been holding my tongue as I continue to read and hear talk about how Minnesota is "in play" in the 2008 presidential election. However, it's time to stop being polite...and start getting real.
Republicans in this state and elsewhere need to wake up and smell the roses (Moses). Not only is Minnesota not "in play" in '08 as far as the presidency goes, it's possible--although probably not likely--that we could have an all-Democratic slate representing us in Washington after the 2008 elections. You think an all-blue delegation is impossible? If you don't believe that Coleman is vulnerable, you just aren't paying attention. And if you don't think the Dems are going to throw everything they can at Michele Bachmann in the Sixth, you're dreaming. With Ramstad's retirement and John Kline apparently having to face a real candidate for a change (how real is still TBD), it's not outside the realm of possibility to imagine that the MN GOP could lose Coleman's Senate seat and all three House races. Again, I don't think it's likely that Kline will be knocked out, but the Third District is very much up in the air and Bachmann is going to have to weather a ferocious media and money onslaught to hold on to her seat. Meanwhile, the prospects of picking off any of the current Democratic holds does not look good. Earlier, I would have thought that Tim Walz might be vulnerable, but unless something changes dramatically, he looks like he'll be returning to Washington. The reality is that 2008 is going to be another tough year for Republicans in Minnesota. And it's going to be even worse at the top of the ticket. In 2004, John Kerry beat George Bush by just over three percentage points in Minnesota. Heading into that election, there were high hopes among the GOP faithful that it would be the year when Minnesota could finally be counted in the Republican electoral college tally. Looking back now, 2004 looks like the high water mark for the GOP tide. 2006 showed the tenuous nature of whatever inroads Republicans had made with Minnesota voters and I believe we'll see the trend toward blue continue in 2008. So far, I've come across three arguments on why Minnesota could or should be in play in '08. 1. Pawlenty on the ticket as VP. While Governor Pawlenty is enjoying high approval ratings at the moment, I don't believe that his presence on the ticket would have enough impact to make the difference. No matter what the names are on either side on the presidential slate, I'd guess the Democratic candidate would start out enjoying at least an 8-10% lead in Minnesota. Having Pawlenty as VP could maybe shave four to five points off, but that's it. And the notion that Pawlenty could help bring Iowa and Wisconsin into the bag as well is baseless wishful thinking. 2. The 2008 GOP convention is in the Twin Cities. Again, the gap is far too large for whatever small boost hosting the convention would bring to make any real difference. A non-factor. 3. A Romney candidacy could put Minnesota in play. Done laughing yet? I had to throw that one in to lighten the mood. The bottom line is that doesn't matter whether Pawlenty is on the ticket as VP, the convention is in the Twin Cities, or Romney is the candidate (hee, hee): Minnesota is going blue in aught eight and nothing the GOP can do is going to change that fact. The eventual Republican candidate would do well to avoid wasting precious time and resources here. Minnesota Republicans should focus their efforts on trying to save Norm Coleman, hold their three House seats, and maybe chip away at the DFL stranglehold in the State House of Representatives. Those are the boundaries that they should be playing within. Anything else should be considered out of bounds. Labels: 2008 Election
Another great sports weekend, only slightly marred by the Indians extra-inning explosion. The Rockies continued their improbable run to the World Series. The Gopher hockey squad opened with a pair of victories in the Icebreaker tourney. The Wild beat down the hated Ducks to go to 5-0 on the young NHL season. And the Vikings escaped with a dramatic last second win over the Bears in a game that featured more big plays than the Purple were able to muster all of last season.
Speaking of last year, after the Vikings lost a meaningless late-season game to the Packers, I commented that I was actually happy about the outcome since it would improve the Vikings position in the draft. A few obnoxious Packer fans (talk about a superfluous adjective) responded that my reaction was just sour grapes. Well yesterday, those result of those "sour grapes" was a very fine wine: Rushing ATT YDS TD LG A. Peterson 20 224 3 73 But hey, it's not like the Packers need a running back, do they? Rushing ATT YDS TD LG D. Wynn 13 37 1 7 V. Morency 4 11 0 6 B. Favre 3 8 0 7 Okay, but at least the player the Packer drafted has been a difference maker, right? Heh, heh. Enjoy your fluky 5-1 start and aging quarterback now Packer fans. Because in the very near future Purple is going to be the new black. Labels: Football
Torrealba comes up big in big games:
DENVER -- There are few in the long history of baseball who have had the honor of hitting a game-winning homer in the postseason. Colorado's Yorvit Torrealba now owns that distinction, and he might be the only member of this select group to have gained this achievement at the end of an at-bat during which he literally laughed. Having developed a close bond with Livan Hernandez while serving as his catcher in San Francisco, Torrealba has a good understanding of the crafty veteran's wide array of pitches. Yet, he admits he wasn't expecting the 58-mph curveball that made him laugh or the 82-mph fastball that created a sense of hysteria at Coors Field on Sunday night. Fittingly, this just added to the unbelievable script being followed by the Rockies, who, thanks to the two-out, three-run sixth-inning homer Torrealba hit off Hernandez, claimed a 4-1 Game 3 win over the Diamondbacks and now find themselves just one win away from sweeping their way into the World Series. It looked a little chilly at Coors Field last night, but when your team is one game away from reaching the 'Series, a little rain is nuthin'. Labels: Baseball Sunday, October 14, 2007
In general, I'm very pessimistic about the chances of any Republican nominee winning the presidency in '08 and have almost come to accept the fact that Hillary will be our next CIC. But then there are days when I think JB may be right about her being unelectable after all.
Thursday night, I caught part of a Hillary campaign appearance in New Hampshire on C-SPAN. I can't recall ever seeing a politician who comes across as obviously insincere as she does. She has this Nixonion quality of not being comfortable in her own skin in public and not being able to hide it. It's really quite unsettling to watch. Every politician has to do things they don't like to. The public appearances, repetitive speech giving, glad-handing, etc. can test the patience of the best of them. But I think that most of the them actually enjoy it at some level. Bill Clinton was a master at working a crowd and he fed off their adoration and attention. For all his public speaking foibles, Bush actually came across as very relaxed and engaged on the campaign trail. People who have met in small groups say that he's also quite good in those settings. It's not a requirement that our presidents actually like people--although it certainly helps get votes--but you at least have to give the impression that you do. I think that deep down Hillary hates people. She hates having to pander to them, having to pretend she cares, or that she really wants to hear their opinion. If you watch her carefully, I think she can see this loathing just under the surface. It really makes you wonder what motivates her to go through something that's so obviously difficult and painful for her. It's disconcerting to imagine someone who wants power that badly. Maybe most Americans won't notice or just don't care. But I have a hope (however slim) that voters will go with their gut feel and decide that that gal just ain't right for the job. Labels: 2008 Election Saturday, October 13, 2007
Rockies looking like a team of destiny:
Friday night, the Rockies pulled out a 3-2, 11-inning victory in Game 2 of the NLCS at Chase Field. They have opened the series with back-to-back wins on the road, and now head home, to Coors Field, where the series resumes on Sunday night. The Rockies have become the the ninth team since the LCS was expanded from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven to win the first two games of a series on the road. Each of the eight previous teams have advanced to the World Series. And only twice out of those eight times has the series extended past five games. I believe that should now read "MillerCoors Field." No matter the name, it's clear that this bandwagon is on quite a roll. Labels: Baseball
In our pop culture driven society of Britney, Lindsay, and self-important reality television "stars," most Americans probably don't know the story of Michael Murphy:
Medal of Honor. The words alone are enough to strike reverential solemnity into any American's heart. The nation's highest recognition of battlefield gallantry and valor, awarded to but a very few of the best of the best who have served their country above and beyond the call of duty. Won now - posthumously, as most are - by a very brave Long Islander named Michael Murphy, who laid down his life in Afghanistan in June 2005, age 29. Murphy, from Patchogue, was a proud member of the U.S. Navy's SEALs, one of the toughest outfits in the military, an elite force that only the best of the best ever manage to get into in the first place. He and three comrades were dropped into the Afghan mountains to chase down a Taliban warlord, but Taliban insurgents found them first. In the ferocious shootout that followed, Lt. Murphy drew fire to himself so that his fellow SEALs might escape with their lives. Tragically, two of them didn't. The man who did survive returned to the world with the glowing testimonials to Murphy's courage that have resulted now, with full and ample cause, in the first Medal of Honor awarded for duty in Afghanistan. "An iron-souled warrior," he called Murphy. A man who belongs now and forever to the nation's history and legacy. Michael Murphy's courage and sacrifice were dramatically recounted by Marcus Luttrell--the only SEAL to survive the mission--in the book Lone Survivor: With the recent deluge of Hollywood releases seemingly designed to show the American military (and indirectly America itself) at its worst, it's encouraging to learn that the story of Lone Survivor will be told on the big screen: Universal is the "Lone Survivor" in the tug of war over Marcus Luttrell's life story. Peter Berg will adapt and direct the feature about a Navy Seal who led a team into Afghanistan on a mission to kill a Taliban leader but was the only one to survive. Several producers were vying for the tome, published by Little, Brown in June after Luttrell exited the service. Attorney Alan U. Schwartz of Greenberg Traurig, who helped Luttrell find a publisher for his account, arranged for the former soldier to meet with potential writers and producers for the film version of his story. Scott Johnson has more on Michael Murphy's story and the lack of attention it has received in the media in posts here and here. Labels: Military Friday, October 12, 2007
The broad outlines of a movie about Iraq I'd like to see, from VDH:
... the American military, after four years of hard fighting in Iraq, is strained, its equipment wearing out. America's finest citizens, fighting for an idealistic cause that has still not been well explained to the American people, continue to be killed by horrific murderers. Lost in all this confusion over Iraq is the fact that about 160,000 gifted American soldiers are trying to help rebuild an entire civilization socially, politically and economically -- and defeat killers in their midst who will murder far beyond Iraq if not stopped. The movie about Iraq we'll be getting instead: A Hollywood producer is developing a project based on a U.S. journalist's struggle to save the life of her interpreter in Iraq. While on assignment in the war-torn country in 2003, McClatchy Newspapers correspondent Hannah Allam was accompanied by an interpreter, Ban Sarhan. When Iraqi insurgents discovered that Sarhan was working for a U.S. media company, they murdered her husband, 4-year-old daughter and mother-in-law. Allam, unable to get assistance from the U.S. government to protect Sarhan and her infant son, set out on her own to smuggle the two out of the country, an endeavor that proved successful. The project will be developed by TV producer Bonnie Garvin ("The Killing Yard"), who learned of the story from an article in Glamour magazine, and acquired the rights to Allam's story. If the tragic facts of that story are true, no doubt some dramatic possibilities are available. But, amid the continuing torrent of Hollywood movies with the narrow, destructive focus of Iraq as needless tragedy, do we really need another? Any chance in Hades this thing will find wide audience appeal or come close to making a profit? Questions like these never seem to dim the green light when it comes to a good anti-war picture these days. Labels: Movies
Be sure to listen in tomorrow on the First Team of the Northern Alliance Radio Network as we celebrate the news that Al Gore has been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. It's about time the publicity-shy VP got a little recognition.
We'll also be joined by Dr. Anthony Esolen (who blogs at Touchstone Magazine's Mere Comments) at noon to discuss his book, Ironies of Faith: The Laughter at the Heart of Christian Literature  : Widely regarded as the exclusive property of sophisticated skeptics, irony yields surprising treasures to a devout Christian. And in reclaiming irony as a mode of divine revelation, Esolen rehabilitates a body of Christian literature often reduced to deceptive illusions by modernist critics. In Shakespearean plays-for instance-in which au courant theorists see only the corrosive ironies of power politics, Esolen discovers a joyfully ironic perspective on how the rhythms of mere time resound with the harmonies of eternity. I know that Saint Paul is dying to find out if rain on your wedding day is indeed ironic and that probing question along with many others will be explored tomorrow. Tune in locally on AM1280 WWTC or listen live on the internet stream from anywhere and everywhere. After listening to the First Team from 11am to 1pm, be sure to stick around for Mitch and Ed from 1pm-3pm and the Final Word with Michael and King from 3pm-5pm. Labels: NARN (06-07)
In case you were wondering, the housing market is still "soft." Softer than a baby's bottom. Softer than a cloud. Softer than extra fluffy, ultra-Angel Soft toilet paper. Softer than the Gophers passing defense. Yes, that soft.
And yes, my wife and I are "motivated" sellers. Motivated by a deep desire to end the waiting game of open houses and showings (however infrequent) and get on with the moving. Sigh. Make one pine for the good ol' days of predatory lenders, sub-prime borrowers, and Ninja loans. Labels: Economics
Not only is it Eid Al Fitr, according to my culturally sensitive wall calendar, it is also Day of The Race. But don't be looking for a bunch of Ukrainians and Nigerians with numbers on their chests running down your Main Street, USA . (That was a different race, last weekend in St. Paul.) Apparently this "race" has nothing to do with running. Instead it has something to do with ethnicity. Or, more precisely, the end result of what happened when the Spaniards met the indigenous in Latin America.
Although Spain imposed its government and religion, the people intermarried and many native traditions have survived. Our nation today is a mixture of the Spanish and the indigenous. We call that new race and that new culture --which came into existence partly because Christopher Columbus landed in America 507 years ago-- mestizo, and that is what we celebrate on October 12th, Día de la Raza. Interesting. Although I think the term "THE race" is a tad exclusionary. What about everybody else? Don't we count? Maybe that explains why I don't get a three day weekend for this holiday either. In any regard, congratulations on your ethnic identity, mi amigos! Except in Venezuela. For you, way to resist indigenously. Looking ahead on the old calendar on the wall, I see at the end of October, we get the darkest, most frightening and morbid of all holidays. Yes, United Nations Day (October 24). Where, by tradition, family and friends get together, exchange gifts, have a lavish feast, then write up a resolution condemning Israel. From all of us at Fraters Libertas, we wish you an yours the happiest of United Nations Day seasons. Labels: Culture
Today is a national holiday in the Philippines in observance of Eidl'l Fitr (Feast Of Ramadhan). I find it interesting since the Muslim population of the country is five percent of the total. Maybe they just wanted an excuse for a long weekend.
Labels: Philippines
Hawpe gets to Webb as Rockies cruise:
PHOENIX -- Brad Hawpe sees the Rockies' recent success as being much like a sound approach to healthy eating. Just take little bites. For example, Hawpe had homered three times against Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb during the regular season. But all he wanted Thursday night was a good swing, which turned out to be a two-run single in the third inning -- as big a hit as the Rockies managed in their 5-1 Game 1 victory in the National League Championship Series at Chase Field. There's still some room left, but at this rate it won't be long before the 'wagon is full. JB officially came aboard yesterday, likely motivated more by a distaste fror the "D-Backs" than any newfound love for the Rockies. No matter what the reason, we're glad to have him. Labels: Baseball Thursday, October 11, 2007
I spoke with the bar manager of a local VFW last Saturday about the smoking ban (quick aside: why does the state have to run TV ads now rubbing our loss of freedom in our faces?) and she is convinced it will lead to the closing of the establishment.
She said that yes, the mythical people who say "Now that the bars are smoke free I am going to go out more" are actually coming out (mind you, this one only one week after the ban, FWIW) but here's the problem: they don't drink! They drink soda, or ask for water. A bar doesn't make any money on a soda someone sips on for an hour. She said even if the club doesn't close they will probably have to stop having live entertainment as there is just not enough liquor revenue to pay the band. So basically all these years the smokers (also known as the people who buy alcoholic beverages at bars) were the ones footing the bill for the pop drinkers. They were the reason you could go see a band for no cover and have a good time with your 7-Up. Them days is over. We may have to go to a situation where everyone pays a cover just to get into the bar--live music or not. Who knew that smoking and drinking went hand-in-hand? Labels: Nanny State
Better get ready for an update to JFK's book, because we have another local profile in courage that should be noted for posterity. St. Thomas Changes Mind, Will Invite Tutu To Speak:
(AP) Minneapolis Saying that his earlier decision was wrong, University of St. Thomas President Dennis Dease said Wednesday that he would be proud to invite Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu to speak at the St. Paul school. In a letter to students, faculty and staff, Dease said he had good intentions when he originally decided not to invite Tutu because of worries that Tutu's views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would offend the Jewish community. But Dease said Wednesday that he didn't have all the facts at that time, though he didn't elaborate. Let me get this straight: St. Thomas decided to invite Tutu. Then, after being pressured, they decided that that decision was wrong, so they disinvited him. Now, after being pressured again, they've decided that the decision to disinvite Tutu was wrong. I don't think the problem was that Dease didn't have all the facts. The problem was (and is) that he doesn't have any back as in bone. At least we can all rest easy knowing that this decision by President Dease is final. Until someone else protests and he changes his mind again. Labels: Education
I was only able to catch the tail end of Tuesday's Republican debate on CNBC. One portion that I haven't heard mentioned yet caught my attention because of the odd nature of a comment by John McCain:
MS. BARTIROMO: Senator McCain, has Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke cut interest rates aggressively enough? SEN. MCCAIN: (Off mike.) MS. BARTIROMO: Has Ben Bernanke cut rates aggressively enough? SEN. MCCAIN: I'm not -- don't have that kind of expertise to know exactly whether he has cut interest rates sufficiently or not, and that's why we've put that responsibility in the hands of the head of the Federal Reserve. I do know that this nation has faced some pretty good blows in the last month or so with the credit crunch and the subprime lending. I'm glad that -- whenever they cut interest rates. I wish interest rates were zero. But we leave those responsibilities to the smartest people we can find, and I think that so far, he's done a good job. Did McCain mean he wishes interest rates were zero in an imaginary world of unicorns and fairy princesses? Because in the real world, zero interest rates are not a sign of a healthy economy. Japan recently had a zero interest monetary policy for several years in an effort to bring the economy out of a prolonged recession. Don't think we want to go down that road. Labels: 2008 Election
Excitement continues to build for tomorrow's announcement of the recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Fresh off his Oscar, and soon to receive an Emmy, Al Gore is rumored to be a front runner for this award as well. Then all he'll need is the Tony to achieve his dream of becoming the Rita Moreno of his generation. (Suggestions for the Broadway treatment of his masterpiece: The Inconvenient Truth of Being Earnest. Or, The Music Man.) It is difficult to properly handicap Gore's chances of winning since, by Nobel Committee rules, the nominations are kept under strict secrecy for half a century: The statutes of the Nobel Foundation restrict disclosure of information about the nominations, whether publicly or privately, for 50 years. The restriction concerns the nominees and nominators, as well as investigations and opinions related to the award of a prize. No reasons are given for this Nixonian level of paranoid control. I suspect it has something to do with never having to say you're sorry for granting a "peace" award to the likes of Yasser Arafat (1994) instead of some poor less prominent nominee slaving away to feed the hungry or cure the sick, or just not facilitating suicide bombing of innocent women and children. However, I must salute the Nobel Foundation for their fresh air and sunshine approach once the five decade interim has passed. Right here, a complete database of all nominees and their nominators, updated to the minute, circa 1955. (Come to think of it, they're still two years behind. What are they trying to hide about their actions in 1956!?) It is interesting to plug in some names from the pre-War era to see who the august Nobel Committee was considering in the past. For example, you may have heard of this Peaceful gent, Hitler. According to some reports, that nomination in 1939 was actually a protest against a flood of nominations submitted for appeaser extraordinaire, Neville Chamberlain. However, I see Hitler's ideological paisano Mussolini was also nominated, back in 1935, well before the world new him as the junior partner in Euro Fascists Inc. And nominated by no less an authority than the "Professors at the Faculty of Law at Giessen University". I image in GU's alumni fundraising newsletter, sometime around 1945, there was an article entitled something like "File that one under whoops!" Alas, we won't know the full extent of the whoops factor for this year's vote until around 2057. But we do know Al Gore is there as a nominee. If the Nobel Foundation won't tell us who the other contenders are, we'll turn to the second most prestigious judging authority of peace prize legitimacy, Irish book maker PaddyPower.com. Interestingly, they see Gore as only the third most likely winner (at 9-2 odds). Perhaps he's splitting the global warming hysteria vote with the person trailing him, climate change activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier. No she doesn't have an Oscar, Emmy, or Tony for her efforts. But she does have it all over Gore in the diversity star power department, being female, Inuit, anti-American, and suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (I'm assuming that last one). I fear her presence may sink the both of them. Who then would dare take this award away from our champion Al and his planet saving crusade? According to Paddy Power, shortest odds are on some conniving little snip named Irena Sendler (at 10-3). OK, she did rescue 2,500 Jewish children from the Nazis' clutches back in 1942. But come on Irena, what have you done for Peace lately? I doubt she's even purchased one-one hundredth the carbon offsets Al Gore has. And if Gore wins, no doubt he'll be happy to purchase even more to balance off the estimated 1.2 tons of carbon his round trip flight to Sweden to pick up the award will produce. Can you say the same, Ms. Sendler? We'll find out tomorrow who the deserving Peace laureates REALLY are. Stand by, announcement at 4 AM Central Standard Time. Labels: Global warming Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Boeing delays launch of 787 by six months:
Boeing Co. is delaying initial deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner by six months until late next year due to continued challenges in completing assembly of the first airplanes, the company said Wednesday. The delay is an embarrassing setback for Boeing, which has for months insisted it would meet its delivery timetable, and mirrors delays suffered by rival Airbus on its A380 superjumbo. Boeing said deliveries that had been scheduled to begin next May will be pushed back to late November or December 2008. The first flight, already pushed back once from the initial target of earlier this fall, now is anticipated around the end of the first quarter of next year. Labels: Travel
The soon-to-be-letdown Hugh Hewitt celebrates this post by Brian Lambert at The Rake which references this tidbit from Steve Perry's soon-to-be-launched Daily Mole (confused yet?):
As one Strib veteran tells the Mole, "The right-wing blog voices that were bashing the paper a couple of years ago, Hugh Hewitt and the rest, have gotten pretty much everything they wanted. The GOP wanted the Minnesota Poll gone, and now it's gone. They wanted to get rid of people like [editorial board members] Jim Boyd and Susan Albright and their editorial policy, and they've succeeded at that. Now there won't be editorials about the war and global warming; they'll write about local issues like zoning conflicts in Coon Rapids instead. They wanted the paper to hire a conservative columnist, and they got that. From here on out, it looks like the Strib becomes the conservative, suburbs-oriented paper, and the Pioneer Press will become the paper of the city underdogs and the blue voters. They may wind up getting pushed more to the left." (The soon-to-be-wearing-a-dress Captain Ed also weighs in.) My colleague Saint Paul has noted that a number of the more prominent names in the local liberal media have exited stage left in the last couple of years (some voluntarily, some not). While some have bemoaned the loss of such prime targets, most local conservatives have applauded the changes. However, it seems far too early to be declaring victory and the idea that we "have gotten pretty much everything we wanted" is ludicrous. Personally, what I wanted was a local newspaper that delivered the relevant news in an objective manner, presented a broad range of views in the opinion pages, and showcased interesting material from talented writers. I also did not want my intelligence or values gratuitously insulted on a regular basis. While some of the recent departures from the editorial board are likely to diminish the insult quotient and perhaps bring better balance to the opinion section, I haven't seen anything that would lead me to believe the Strib is going to address the other areas of concern. And even though her title as "Reader's Representative" seemed dubious at times, the fact that Kate Parry is moving into a new role and the Strib has no plans to replace her doesn't inspire confidence that the paper is committed to putting out a quality product. The absence of some the more egregious left-wing bias does not mean the Strib has truly righted the ship. Labels: Media-Local (05-07)
Tim from Colorado e-mails to report that he's reached the breaking point when it comes to immigration:
Throughout my life I have been pretty fortunate. My wife and I have been together almost 25 years, I have three wonderful children, I enjoy good health, get to fish whenever I want, and live in the most beautiful state in the union. However, it would appear a significant portion of my good life is about to come to an end. If you were listening to Hugh [Hewitt] Monday night, you would understand my current state of paralyzing fear. Hugh is threatening to move to Colorado. Seriously, I'm not joking. I heard him say it. Granted, he said he would only be a resident here from May through October, and thankfully, those six months do not include snowmobile season. Now that probably sounds ok to most outsiders, but Chad, people need to know that sometimes we get freaky late spring and early fall blizzards in May, September and October that may dump 12-14 inches of snow. We have an abundance of snowmobile dealers. We have internet access here and our own local page on Craig's List. Access to snowmobiles is unrestricted. There is no five-day waiting period before you can purchase a snowmobile. Do you understand my fear now? Yes Tim, your fear is perfectly legitimate. Be afraid. Be very afraid. The damaging effects from the influx of Californian immigration continues; they drive up real estate prices, force liquor stores to displace beer selection with wine selection, drive clothing stores to carry clam diggers and sandals instead of jeans and boots, and influence our ski area eateries to sell Kobe beef and smoked salmon instead burgers and pizza. It is a heavy burden. We here in Colorado need to pass stricter immigration laws and snowmobile control laws now, if only "for the sake of the children." We need to start class action lawsuits against snowmobile manufacturers because they brazenly market their products to one Hugh Hewitt. I've even heard rumors that Dockers is introducing a line of snowmobile clothing. I knew this "open borders" thing between the states was a disaster waiting to happen. You know, as bad as Communism was, Communists got some things right. Labels: Ralphie Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Last Saturday on the First Team broadcast on the NARN, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing David Harsanyi, columnist for the Denver Post and author of Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning America into a Nation of Children. You can learn more about the book here and also check out David's blog.
Not only is David a great judge of talk radio talent, but he also proved to be an amusing and interesting guest. You can now listen to the interview commercial-free here. Labels: Books
From John Feinstein, writing a "special" sports editorial for the Washington Post about the baseball playoffs. In discussing the woes of the New York Mets and their late season collapse:
The general manager fired the hitting coach -- without consulting with the manager -- at the All-Star break. He then brought in Rickey Henderson -- without consulting the manager -- as a coach. Henderson was the greatest leadoff hitter in history but bringing him into a clubhouse to counsel young players is a little bit like bringing Dick Cheney into a classroom to discuss the joys of Democracy. That simile is like bringing Barack Obama into a Chinese restaurant to discuss the joys of playing the pan flute. Yes, confusing and uncomfortable. I understand that humor is subjective. But when writing in one of the most widely read newspapers in the country, you have to play it kind of broadly. That is, if you must attempt off-topic zingers in a forum not suited for it, make sure to give yourself a chance by having them make sense to the average Joe. Joking that Dick Cheney (a man who went 8-0 as a candidate for office and who was an advocate of a war who's primary accomplishment is bringing democracy to a country for the first time in its thousands of years' existence) is an enemy of democracy is nonsensical and stupid. Except if you're a member of the sneering camp of leftists who like to accuse American government officials with whom they have policy disagreements of being fascists. The congruency of that group and the audience looking for engaging commentary on the baseball playoffs (remember them, the reason Feinstein was brought in to write this column in the first place) is, shall we say, limited. Moral of the story, for you editors and newspaper executives still wondering how to better engage your readers: keep the seething, annoying politics out of the sports commentary. It serves no purpose. And for you seething, annoying sports writers who feel the boundaries of sports aren't enough to keep your intellect occupied, move on over to the Daily Kos or Huffington Post. The acknowledgment of your wit and genius you seek is there, waiting there to be had. Labels: You Got Your Politics In My ...
Captain Cross-dresser (listeners of Saturday's NARN show understand) heps us to the real reason that many American leftists are smitten with Hugo Chavez: he's doing exactly what they would if they could:
CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez is on a moral crusade in Venezuela, preaching against vices from alcohol to cholesterol, vowing to curb whisky imports and ordering beer trucks off the street. His government announced increased taxes on alcohol and tobacco on Monday, and Chavez also plans steep new taxes on luxury items such as fancy cars and artwork. It's all part of Chavez's efforts to encourage Venezuelans to adopt the psyche of the "New Man," a socialist revolutionary with a monk-like purity of purpose. Chavez often cites the life of Cuba's iconic hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara as an ideal example--and complains that many Venezuelans' values are not up to par. "We're one of the countries that consumes the most whisky per capita in the world. We should be ashamed," Chavez said recently on national television. "I'm not willing to continue offering dollars to import whisky in these quantities. What kind of revolution is this? The Whisky Revolution? The Hummer Revolution? No, this is a real revolution!" If there's ever been a time for the people of Venezuelan to rise up and other throw Chavez's estado del nanny it's now. I'm sure the men of America would support the Whisky Revolution, the Hummer Revolution or even better a combination of both (maybe throw in the Steak Revolution for good measure). Labels: Nanny State
Big beer is about to get a little bigger. Today's WSJ reports that Molson Coors, SABMiller To Combine U.S. Operations (sub req):
Molson Coors Brewing Co. and SABMiller PLC plan to combine their U.S. and Puerto Rican operations, creating a beer powerhouse with annual revenue of about $6.6 billion. The venture will be called MillerCoors. The two companies will share control of the venture, but because of the economic value of their respective units SABMiller will have a 58% economic interest to Molson Coors's 42% interest. The companies expect $500 million in annual cost savings. The deal is expected to close by the end of 2007. Both companies' business will be conducted separately until the deal completes. "This transaction is driven by the profound changes in the U.S. alcohol beverage industry that are confronting both of our companies with new challenges," said Pete Coors, Vice Chairman of Molson Coors. MillerCoors? Why not Moors or maybe Ciller? Labels: Beer Monday, October 08, 2007
For me, the prime reason to watch playoff baseball, when the guys not wearing the laundry bearing my state's name are not present, is the atmosphere created by the fans and the of the ball parks. Generally speaking, the older the park, and the more experienced a fan base, in terms of knowing both winning and losing, the better it will be.
For my money, there is nothing better than Yankee Stadium. Last night was a prime example. The glowering, cement edifices of the deep dark Bronx encompassing 56,000 roaring fans, as well as the ghosts of Ruth, Gherig, DiMaggio, et al. There was a moment in the late innings where Derek Jeter got up with the bases loaded and the most demanding audience in sports welcomed him to the plate like a conquering Cesar. What a spectacle. I imagine Jeter will recall this the rest of his life, despite the fact he ended up bouncing into a double play. Tonight is another chance to experience this. And maybe the last one ever. The New Yankee Stadium is scheduled to open in 2009. Who knows if the Yankees will make the playoffs next year. If they don't and if they lose tonight, that will be all she wrote for meaningful games in the House that Ruth built. See it while you can, 6:30 PM (central) tonight on TBS. Labels: Baseball
Barnyard (2006) is currently topping the charts on my son's movie play list. Which means I've probably seen parts of it twenty-five or thirty times in last few weeks. Not that I'm complaining. My wife's exposure is likely at least double that.
This is the sixth movie that's caught his fancy since he really started Barnyard: Very good the first time you see it and so far it's holding up pretty well. The animation (or whatever you call it now) is excellent, there's decent humor, and the music is good. If you only watch a movie once, you may not ever notice the music. When you see it thirty times, you start knowing songs by heart. Shark Tale (2004): One of the rare movies that I actually came to enjoy more after repeated viewings. Initially I wasn't all that impressed, but it grows on you. The humor is above average and the music is too. I'm surprised that it wasn't more popular when it was released. Madagascar (2005): Good but not great. My son really dug this one for a while, so we've watched it A LOT. Again, the humor is good and the tunes are too, especially the dance scenes. There's a point beyond which it's very difficult to get anything more out of a movie and we probably reached it here. Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006): Blah. This movie was mediocre the first time around and it didn't take long to get annoying in a hurry. A dull plot, lifeless writing, and characters we don't care about combine to make this a very long slog, especially when viewed repeatedly. Finding Nemo (2003): A decent movie that holds up surprisingly well. Great graphics definitely help. The only downside is that at one hour and forty minutes, it's way too long. The last couple of scenes were unnecessary and made the ending anti-climatic. The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004): Let me start by saying that my son is a HUGE SpongeBob fan (as to a lesser extent are my wife and I). I've noticed that when it comes to SpongeBob, people either love it or hate it. In my opinion, the differences are between those who get it and those who don't, but now's not the time for that debate. If you like SpongeBob, you'll like the movie. The animation is pretty weak (except for the creatures in the trench), but no one watches SpongeBob for that anyway. The writing is very good and the music grows on you. I was a little surprised that I was still able to enjoy it after multiple viewings, but it has held up well. At least so far. Labels: Children
...this proved to be a great Sunday nightcap. Bears come alive in second half to beat Packers:
For 40 minutes on an unseasonably warm and muggy night at Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre dominated the Bears in a game Chicago, off to a dismal start, had to have. Then Favre threw to Urlacher--and that one play swung all the momentum to Chicago, which went on to record a very Bears-style victory, 27-20. Icing on the cake baby. Labels: Football Sunday, October 07, 2007
Last night, I was hanging' with the boys at the Elder Estate and you couldn't have asked for a better lineup of televised sports. Four college football games including the LSU-Florida classic, the NLDS game threes, and the Wild versus the hated Blue Jackets. Needless to say, the remote was in play early and often.
The best result of the evening was seeing OUR Colorado Rockies send the Phillies packing. Once again, a former Twin played a key role as JC Romero gave up the what turned out to be the winning run in the bottom of the eighth. With Romero and Kyle Lohse on the roster, the Phils never really had a chance. Almost as sweet was watching the precious Cub fans wailing and gnashing their teeth as their squad once again failed in the clutch. You might say it was double the pleasure (pun most definitey intended). After the Yankees and Red Sox, there's isn't a group of fans that I enjoy seeing in agony more than Cubs supporters. There's just something about their cloying pretense of the Cubs being the lovable underdogs and bad luck losers that just annoys the heck out of me. The Cubs are just as much big-market big-spenders as the Yankees and Red Sox. They're just not usually as good at it. Still room on the bandwagon. Go Rockies! Labels: Baseball Saturday, October 06, 2007
Forget about rising prices for gasoline, college tuition, and health care. I want to know when the government is going to do about this brewing crisis (WSJ-sub req):
That six pack of high-brow beer is about to come at a higher price, thanks to the sharpest surge in decades in the cost of the hops and barley that give each brew its distinctive taste. Consumers could pay 50 cents to $1 per six pack more in the coming months for many small-batch "craft beers," as brewers pass on rising hops and barley costs from an unpalatable brew of poor harvests, the weak dollar and farmers' shift to more profitable crops. Other makers of craft beers, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. brewing industry, say they may eat the higher ingredient costs, which will pare their profits. I for one am not happy to pay more for better beer. Of course, since good beer is a staple of life, I will continue to do so, but damnit I will not be happy about it. Labels: Beer Friday, October 05, 2007
With this week's imposition of a statewide smoking ban in bars and restaurants in Minnesota, we couldn't have picked a better time to welcome David Harsanyi to the First Team of the Northern Alliance Radio Network to discuss his new book Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning America into a Nation of Children. Harsanyi devotes a full chapter in "Nanny State" to smoking bans and the rather dubious health risks that proponents use to argue for them. He's also a fan of Frank Kelly Rich a.k.a. The Modern Drunkard and his in your face approach to today's neo-prohibitionists. It should be a fun interview tomorrow and you're welcome to join in by giving us a ring at 651-289-4488.
Tune in locally on AM1280 WWTC or listen live on the internet stream from anywhere and everywhere. After listening to the First Team from 11am to 1pm, be sure to stick around for Mitch and Ed from 1pm-3pm and the Final Word with Michael and King from 3pm-5pm. Labels: NARN (06-07)
Chad's mention yesterday of Kyle Lohse kicking away a play-off game for the Phillies should remind Minnesotans that it was three years ago this week he performed the same service for our hometown nine. According to the local blog The National Anthem Before a Cubs Game:
October 9, 2004 - New York 6, Twins 5 (Game 4, ALDS) The Twins, fighting to keep the series alive for a fifth and deciding game, led 5-1 with just six outs to go. Enter super-setup guy Juan Rincon. Five batters later, Ruben Sierra was circling the bases with a game-tying three-run homer; the Yankees would win it in the 11th when Kyle Lohse wild-pitched A-Rod home. Another Ivan Drago moment, and the occasion of the famous Juan Rincon quote, "Nobody wants to be in my pants right now." That excerpt comes from a post entitled Our 25 Worst Losses, Ever. It documents the most painful and depressing moments of being a Minnesota sports fan and appears to be definitive. Reviewing my past depressions and nightmares, I can't think of any that would supersede these. That Twins collapse was only #10 on the list, you can imagine what horrors come next. Not surprisingly, that list has a high correlation with this list of Top 11 Most Bitter Moments in Atomizer's Sports Life. There are a few new entries here, including another appearance by an old friend: 11. 2005 Twins home opener. Ben buys his tickets for the home opener three months in advance and is brimming with anticipation for the big day. He's certain the Cy Young Johan Santana will be on the mound when the Twins host their first game of the season. The day finally comes and his anticipation soon turns to anger as starter Kyle Lohse surrenders two long balls in the sixth inning en route to a 5-1 loss to the hated White Sox. The Elder Adds: After the Vikings lost the NFC championship game in OT to Atlanta in 1999, I came up with my own list of bitter sports memories called The Agony of Defeat. And like Atomizer's list, most of them are also covered in the National Anthem Before A Cubs Game list. Good times, good times. Labels: Baseball
Nate from St. Paul e-mails on his city's plans to combat global warming:
Last March, Mayor Coleman said the greatest threat to the City was not the fact that we're broke and need to raise taxes 15%; instead, the greatest threat was global warming, apparently because it meant winters warm enough that some ice on outdoor rinks was soft. If we have to wait for the ice to re-freeze after a thaw, an entire generation of St. Paulites might grow up not knowing the joy of uninterrupted outdoor skating. Imagine the disappointment on the urchins' faces when they find out that sometimes, outdoor ice melts in the winter. The horror! What to do? Drive to Roseville and skate on the indoor ice? Build an indoor ice arena in St. Paul (maybe on some of the reclaimed "brownfields" lands)? No. The City is closing 6 outdoor rinks to pay for 3 new refrigerated outdoor rinks. Yes, each will have a giant chiller to keep the ice frozen all season. I just got the flyer last night...we're getting one at Northdale Rec, across the street from me. The giant chiller will run at 100 decibels whenever the temperature is above freezing -- day and night, apparently. And there will be new stadium lights, too! Interestingly, the flyer doesn't mention how the chiller and lights are powered without contributing to global warming. Pixie dust? I've attached a a JPG of the flyer. Actually I'm a big proponent of these outdoor artificial ice rinks. Especially when they're not anywhere near my house and I don't have to pay for them. Heh heh. What's that? St. Paul still receives FIFTY-THREE MILLION DOLLARS IN LGA from the State every year, so in reality I am helping to subsidize these rinks? D'oh! Labels: Global warming Thursday, October 04, 2007
Yesterday, Jeff e-mailed with more on the ex-Twin factor in the Rockies-Phillies series:
The Phillies have both JC Romero and Kyle Lohse. If it were anybody but Phillies fans, I'd pity them. The Phillies fans were no doubt feeling plenty sorry for themselves today after Lohse proved to be a key factor in their squad's 10-5 loss to the Rockies: With two on and two down, Hurdle used pinch-hitter Seth Smith, whose pool-cue single to third loaded the bases for Matsui. Manuel removed Kendrick for Lohse, whose low-and-inside pitch on a 2-1 count wound up in the right-field seats. Lohse giving up critical dingers is a sight Twins fans remember all too well. Get on the Rockies 'wagon now. It's filling up fast. Labels: Baseball
Front pager in today's WSJ notes says Republicans Grow Skeptical On Free Trade (sub req):
By a nearly two-to-one margin, Republican voters believe free trade is bad for the U.S. economy, a shift in opinion that mirrors Democratic views and suggests trade deals could face high hurdles under a new president. The sign of broadening resistance to globalization came in a new Wall Street Journal-NBC News Poll that showed a fraying of Republican Party orthodoxy on the economy. While 60% of respondents said they want the next president and Congress to continue cutting taxes, 32% said it's time for some tax increases on the wealthiest Americans to reduce the budget deficit and pay for health care. Six in 10 Republicans in the poll agreed with a statement that free trade has been bad for the U.S. and said they would agree with a Republican candidate who favored tougher regulations to limit foreign imports. How about some tariffs? They work wonders for the economy. That represents a challenge for Republican candidates who generally echo Mr. Bush's calls for continued trade expansion, and reflects a substantial shift in sentiment from eight years ago. The idea that you can somehow "resist" globalization is both frightening and foolhardy. It's like thinking that you can resist the change in seasons. You may not like the fact that it's going to get colder here in Minnesota pretty soon, just as you may not like the fact that the US businesses increasingly face global competition. But it's going to happen whether you make the necessary changes--like wearing a coat--and adapt or not. In both cases, failure to do so is only going to leave you out in the cold. UPDATE: Even the warm afterglow of last night's Sox win can't hide King's disappointment with this news. Labels: Economics
Media Matters' laughably false charge last week about Rush Limbaugh and the phony soldiers:
During the September 26 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq "phony soldiers." Kramer getting laughs in the Seinfeld episode "The Parking Space", originally airing April 22, 1992: Kramer: Oh hey, you know I invited Mike Moffit. You don't mind, do you? Jerry: No, I like Mike. Kramer: Yeah, I just got off the phone with him, you know we had a great conversation. Jerry: Oh yeah? What did you talk about? Kramer: Well actually we talked about you. Yeah. He had some pretty interesting things to say. Jerry: Oh yeah? What did he say? Kramer: You have to know everything, don't you? Jerry: No, come on, Kramer. What did he say? Kramer: Why is that? Why do you have to know everything? Jerry: Kramer, just tell me what the guy said. Kramer: Beg me. Jerry: Please, don't make me beg. Kramer: No no no, I want you to beg me. And I don't want you to say it, I just want you to put some beg into it. Go on. Jerry: Kramer, please tell me what the guy said. Kramer: No no no, that's no good. No, I really don't think that's a beg. No, it's close, but uh .... Jerry: Kramer! Kramer: Look, I can't say anything. You know, the guy told me the stuff in confidence, I'd be betraying a friend. Jerry: Well you can't just mention it and then not tell me. Kramer: Alright. I'll tell you but you can't say anything to him. Jerry: I'm not saying anything, I'm putting it in the vault, I'm locking the vault, it's a vault! Kramer: He thinks you're a phony. Jerry: He what? Kramer: I told you, he thinks you're a phony. Jerry: A phony? He called me a phony? Kramer: A big phony. A big one. Jerry: Why did you tell me that if I can't say anything?! Kramer: You begged me. Labels: Life Resembles Seinfeld
Francis points Rockies to Game 1 win:
With the exception of two pitches, Francis shut the Phillies down with eight strikeouts in six innings, and the Rockies took the opener of the National League Division Series, 4-2, Wednesday afternoon before a raucous 45,655 at Citizens Bank Park. Game 2 of the best-of-five series will be here on Thursday afternoon at 1 MT, before the series shifts to Denver for two games on the weekend. There's lots of room for you on the bandwagon. If you're still hesitant about supporting the Rockies, just consider some of the miscreants on the other side of the fence. Labels: Baseball
Hall of Fame ballplayer Cal Ripken Jr. and...
...Hall of Fame chef Tom Colicchio and... ...Hall of Fame drunk Verne Troyer? (NOTE: I'm not the first to link Ripken and Colicchio, but Saint Paul's addition of Mini Me makes this a post worthy SAB triple play.) Labels: Separated At Birth Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Back in the day when I used to subscribe to the Star Tribune, my biggest irritation with the daily newspaper was not with the blatantly biased editorial pages. Rather, it was the way that the paper's leftward tilt crept into each and every section. There really wasn't any part of the paper that was free from this pernicious influence. Whether it was intentional or not didn't really matter. It was there and it was noticeable.
A reader who wishes to remain anonymous e-mails with a recent example from the business section of Strib: In the Saturday Strib, business section, front page, bottom left; there was an article titled, "Health Care Tops List of Employer Concerns." Considering the title, and that this was the Business section, you would expect a story listing the concerns of employers. As I read the article, I noticed a distinct disconnect. The 4th paragraph read as follows: "About 55% of businesses said that "access to affordable healthcare" was their No.1 or No. 2 state issue: 41 % said that "controlling taxes and spending" was their first of second largest concern." By my count, the entirety of the Strib story had: 7 paragraphs about healthcare 7 paragraphs on transportation including talk about increased gas tax 3 paragraphs on environmental/energy concerns 1 paragraph on education 0 paragraphs on high taxes How can a reporter write a story about employers concerns then make no mention about the #2 concern; other than the half a sentence stating that it was the #2 concern. And then to give entire paragraphs supporting an INCREASE in taxes? Imagine the front page of the Sports section talking about the best college football teams in the nation. There's several paragraphs about LSU, several about California, a few on Ohio State and one on Wisconsin. But nowhere in the article is there a mention of USC; one of two teams that essentially shares all the first place votes. The story goes into some detail about LSU's line, Ohio State's playcalling and California's schedule; but nothing about USC. Nada! Zip! How does that story get written? How does that story get past the editor? How does that story make it on the front page of the Sports section?!?! Labels: Media-Local (05-07)
A couple of notable events coming up locally on the global warming front.
First up, is this Friday's Cooling the Panic Over Warming Event sponsored by Senate District 42. The evening will feature former U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz, Jason Lewis, and Dennis Avery. Avery is the co-author of Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years and we interviewed him on the NARN last March. Tickets are still available. Last Spring, the City of St. Louis Park showed Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" at the City's Westwood Hills Nature Center. You may remember that this raised my dander a might and I lobbied city leaders to offer an alternative point of view on the matter (you may also remember that local media verified beyond doubt that "Chad Doughty is hot" at this time). Now, the efforts have finally paid off. Next Saturday, October 13th the Westwood Hills Nature Center will present: Movie: The Great Global Warming Swindle Ages 12 and up (children must be accompanied by an adult) Westwood Hills Nature Center will continue its conversation with the community about global warming this fall by presenting the film, "The Great Global Warming Swindle." The film shows an alternate viewpoint to the one presented in the showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" earlier this year. The city hopes the films will foster a balanced community dialogue on the topic of global warming. This documentary was produced by Martin Durkin and argues against the scientific opinion that human activity is the main cause of global warming. The movie is 90 minutes long with a discussion to follow the movie. Saturday, Oct. 13, 3 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Westwood Hills Nature Center, 8300 W. Franklin Ave. Free Activity # 3731 Registration deadline: when programs is filled I'd strongly encourage people to turn out for the showing even if you have seen the movie before. Reports said that the turnout for the showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" was quite modest and it would be great to have a decent sized crowd on hand to see an alternative viewpoint presented. They say politics is all about showing up and the debate over global warming has a huge political component to it. Show up if you can. Labels: Global warming Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Tim e-mails from Colorado:
I am currently downing coffee at regular intervals as I try to emerge from a semi-self induced fog; I was at the Padres-Rockies game last night. I'm a faithful Rockies fan, and it hasn't been easy the last few years. The memorable Rockies games have had long stretches of miserably forgetful games between. But last night's was a gem and went a long ways towards dulling the pain of the last few seasons. So I am hereby offering the FL crew a chance to join the Rockies bandwagon. I know the Twins faded shortly after the all-star break, and the Vikings have yet to give you any hope that this is their year (Was that the same Favre from the last couple of seasons? I don't know if Favre was really that good or if the Vikings just made him look like he was that good.). This is not just a chance to jump on the bandwagon; I'm extending you a chance to walk on with your head held high as my invited guest. If you decide to wait until you see how the Rockies fare against the Phillies, I'm not sure I can convince the Rockies Nation to let you on. Last night, I was flipping back and forth between the Rockies-Padres game and Monday Night Football. The baseball game was compelling, but, as a Vikings fan, there was also a bittersweet attraction in watching Randy Moss continue his insane year (four 100 yard-plus games and seven touchdowns so far). Eventually sleep beckoned and I ended up bailing on the ball game after the 10th, missing the dramatic finish. JB told me that Matt Holliday should have been called out and video (link on right of page) confirms it. His slide was one of the ugliest of all time and he's lucky that the ump missed the call. But that's the way she goes. The Rockies are moving on and the Padres are going home. Normally if the Twins were not in the playoffs, I would cast my playoff lot with an American League squad. However, the choices this year are not good: Red Sox? No. Angels? No. Yankees? No. Indians? Yeah, right. I can't speak for the rest of the gents here, but you may consider me officially on the Rockies 'wagon. SP CLIMBS ABOARD: I'm ready to hit the Rocky Road! I see their roster includes no fewer than four former Twins: Latroy Hawkins, Ramon Ortiz, Mark Redman and Dan Serafini. True, none of these guys were misseed in their departure. But it's nice to see our rejects going forth and giving hope to other fans. An appreciation of history demands that I also root for a Cubs-Yankees World Series. The two greatest cities in the US, two great stadiums, and two bloated collections of free agent All-Stars would make for some great October viewing. Labels: Baseball
Interesting tidbit from the Strib story on the latest Minnesota Poll on the '08 presidential race:
In the Democratic race, Clinton is as dominant in Minnesota as she is nationwide, supported by 47 percent of Democrats and independents who lean toward the party. "She's got a lot of good ideas, and since men have screwed up the country so much, why not give a woman a chance," said Aaron Deris, a special education teacher from Bloomington. "I think the country is more ready to elect a woman than a black man." Those awful men, they ruin everything. Those Founding Fathers with their Constitution and Declaration of Independence setting the stage for two-hundred-forty years of unprecedented freedom and prosperity. Nothing but animals. And they still won't put the toilet seat down. Labels: 2008 Election
A couple of weeks back, I attended our division's three-day strategic planning meeting at a resort in Northern Minnesota. The weather was for the most part rotten--storms even knocked out the power for a better part of a day--and we were afforded little opportunity to enjoy the Northwoods environment or the fine facilities at our disposal (with the notable exception of the bar in the main lodge).
The lack of new business buzzwords was also a little disappointing. I was hoping to come away with a couple of beauts to throw JB's way, but other than a few old favorites--"fifty-thousand foot level" and "low-hanging fruit"--there just wasn't much in the way of corporate jargon that we've all come to know and loathe. However, I did observe the striking similarities between what our group was trying to accomplish and the political process. In some ways, I suppose this is to be expected. Developing a strategic plan is essentially about setting priorities for how you are going to utilize limited resources (time, people, money) in the next year. Debating how to make best use of limited resources is at the heart of much of the politics as well. This is the fifth or sixth year that I've participated in such planning meetings, but it's the first that I've made the connection to politics. Here are a few of the similarities that I noticed: - The need to use your capital wisely: You can't get everything you want on the strat plan. If you try, you're going to end up failing and you very well may alienate potential allies. Therefore, early on in the process you need to identify a few key "must haves" and focus on them. If you get bogged down in discussions on every single issue, you're going to waste time and energy and try other people's patience. Knowing when to jump in and when to hold back is critical. You also need to identify anything that you absolutely do not want included and again concentrate your efforts on shooting it down. You don't have to agree with everything, but it's not critical to your area it's often best to just let it go. - The need to build coalitions: Our meeting included folks from the US, Latin America, Europe, Russia, and Asia. They work in groups such as engineering (design and manufacturing), operations, finance, procurement, planning, marketing, sales, quality, IT, and customer support. On any given issue, no single group has enough pull to carry it forward without getting buy in from others. Once you've identified your key issues, you have to figure out how to get people from these other groups on board and frame your arguments accordingly. - While everyone has a voice, they're not all equal: At times, all the president of our division had to do to tip the scales was weigh in on an issue. What he actually said was immaterial, the fact that he had spoken was enough. Meanwhile, those of us lower on totem pole (is that still a culturally acceptable term?) had to present a compelling argument to move opinion. However, the president's power had its limits. If a large enough majority was either in favor or against something, the president's views could be (and were) overridden in a matter akin to a veto override. - What you say isn't always as important as how you say it: The engineers I work with are some of the smartest people I know. But in this setting, their technical and analytical skill sets (their core strengths) were not particularly useful. Their arguments were usually grounded in logic and based on cold, hard facts. Often too cold and too hard. What they lacked was an ability to articulate a meaning that the broader audience could appreciate. The "vision thing" as the elder Bush once called it. This left the door open to more emotionally based appeals (relatively speaking of course). The sales and marketing folks (who in fairness all have engineering backgrounds as well) were far more comfortable operating in such an environment and used their "soft skills" to successfully push their agenda. It's not as if they got everything they wanted either, but in this arena (as in politics) having a message and being able to stay on it is critical. One way that our sessions most definitely did not mirror the political process (especially the way it works in bodies like the US Senate) was the lack of deference shown. With a few possible exceptions, if you said something inaccurate or made an unsupportable argument, you were going to get called on it. It wasn't personal of course. It was just business. Labels: Business Monday, October 01, 2007
After reading the USS Peleliu and USS Midway listings on Wikipedia, I got caught up for hours in aimlessly following links to other Navy ships. Ran across the listing for the nuclear submarine USS Minneapolis-St. Paul. Sad to see, it was scheduled for decommissioning just last week in Pearl Harbor. Its ultimate ending, being dismantled for spare parts and scrap.
Minneapolis-St. Paul is scheduled to decommission on 27 September 2007, and was deactivated on June 22, 2007[1]; upon her decommissioning, for the first time since 1934 there will be no commissioned ship in the US Navy named for any city in Minnesota. A complete listing of the other Navy ships once carrying a Minnesota brand. Sad to say, Minnesota now goes unrepresented, while the likes of the USS Scranton, USS Boise, and USS Toledo go silently running on. At least we haven't had to put up with a USS Milwaukee since it was decomissioned from oiling duty back in the mid-90s. I'm not so sure the North Star State should be unilaterally dismantling its first strike capabilities. Especially in light of these recent provocations from that unstable regime across the northwestern border. Labels: Military
I've been watching The War on PBS, a more solitary experience that I would have predicted. Apparently its getting reasonably good ratings. But almost none of my circle is joining in, despite the fact that it is disproportionately populated with bookish history geeks, WWII buffs, and socially awkward people with nothing better to do with their evenings anyway. No matter what the ratings, this series certainly has not become the cultural phenomenon that Ken Burns' previous war epic, The Civil War, became 17 years ago. (Amazing to realize it's been 17 years since that was first run.)
For what its worth, I think The War has been excellent. I'm a great admirer of the Ken Burns style and pacing and if anything, he's gotten better at telling stories over the past two decades. I especially like how he does the openings, starting with a riveting, dramatic, often tragic first hand account of an incident, then slowly fading in the title to some appropriately emotional music. It gets me every time. This production has drawn a multitude of critics, from both the multi-culti left and hard right (at least of Brooklyn, NY). But it seems to me if you can let go of the notion that this is a "definitive" account of World War II (something Burns denies), and appreciate it as a documentary of some of the millions of facets of this greatest of 20th century human endeavors, it has to be viewed as brilliant. I would disagree with the PC liberals calling out Burns for inadequate representation of various racial minority experiences. If anything, Burns spends too much time viewing events through the racial prism. That war, and war in general, is so much larger than that. Sometimes it feels like he's doing the "World to End - Blacks and Japanese Americans Hardest Hit" routine. But those stories are real and fascinating (and real fascinating) and worth telling. I'm glad someone is doing it. Ken Burns is who he is, a product of late 20th century postmodern establishment liberal sensibility. I do wonder, if our society someday gets beyond its obsession with race (prediction, year 2476) will this documentary be looked on as an anachronistic artifact of this time. One of the stories of intererst to me was the Battle of Peleliu, covered last night. A particularly brutal fight between US Marines and Japanese soldiers over a 5 sq. mile island, resulting in 12,000 deaths in two months (10,000 of whom were Japanese). This was of particular intestest because last week while I was in San Diego, we toured the retired aircraft carrier USS Midway. While up in the "island" of the ship (where the bridge and flight control are located) an excited commotion broke out among the retired Navy guys giving the tour, and they announced a ship with the strange name "Peleliu" was entering the harbor after a months long overseas deployment. This picture is taken from outside the bridge of the Midway.  That white line around the perimeter are the sailors in their dress uniforms, "manning the rail," a US Navy tradition for ships coming home. It was mentioned at the time that the USS Peleliu was coming home from Iraq. It turns out they were on a humanitarian mission in East Asia called 2007 Pacific Partnership: The four-month humanitarian mission will bring together host nation medical personnel, partner nation military medical personnel and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide medical, dental, construction and other humanitarian-assistance programs ashore and afloat in the Philippines, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Marshall Islands. In a brief pierside ceremony prior to the ship's departure, U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Robert Willard praised all involved with the mission that continues the long tradition of U.S. Navy support of humanitarian-assistance programs throughout the world and that reflects international compassion for the people of the Western Pacific region with whom many share common bonds. "The United States is a Pacific nation, and as such, we share many interests, values and beliefs with our Pacific neighbors. As mariners, we have a tradition of rendering assistance to those in distress on the sea, and Pacific Partnership is a logical extension of these ideals," Willard said. Particularly noble work for an amphibious assault ship, armed with 6 Harrier attack plans, 35 helicopters, the "Bushmaster" 25 mm gun (take that, Dennis Kucinich) and up to 1,900 Marines. BTW, here's one more picture, me in one of the Midway's old T-2s, preparing to give the crew of the Peleliu a thrill with a low altitude pass.  Labels: History
A few weeks ago on the NARN First Team, John and I were discussing the falling dollar and wondering whether it was a good or bad sign for the economy. A front page article in today's Wall Street Journal explains that--like many other economic questions--the answer in this case is it depends (sub req):
Yet currency rates are so intertwined with other crosscurrents in the economy that the impact varies from one individual or company to another, even within the same business. Someone who works for a company that relies heavily on foreign trade or a hotel catering to European visitors might get a plump raise or avoid a layoff because of the weaker greenback. An employee of a hotel getting less foreign business -- or one whose company has lots of foreign hotels catering to American tourists -- may fare worse. If the dollar falls too far and too fast, it could spur a run-up in interest rates and shake the stock market -- which would be bad for the economy. A rapidly falling dollar would raise the price of imports, stoking inflation, and in an extreme case could prompt foreign investors to dump U.S. bonds, pushing their yields higher. But as long as the dollar's decline is gradual, most economists see it as a modest plus overall. Joshua Feinman, chief economist at Deutsche Asset Management, wrote in a recent note to investors that the export upswing is one of the factors "poised to help cushion the impact of the housing correction." Real exports have grown faster than real imports for nearly two years, notes Mr. Feinman, and he expects this trend to continue. U.S. exports rose 2.7% to a record $137.68 billion in July, according to the Commerce Department. Mr. Feinman estimates stronger exports have contributed a half percentage point of added growth to gross domestic product since 2005. Slower please. Labels: Economics
Frank Kelly Rich has the back stories on the Ten Greatest Alcohol Icons Of All Time at the Modern Drunkard Magazine Online:
The Hamm's Bear Perhaps a Little Too Happy?  The joyous bear haunting baby-boomers dreams was conspired by Ojibwa Indian Patrick DesJarlait in 1952. Though his name was never revealed on air, around the brewery he was called Sascha, after the brewery founder's wife. Which must have thrilled her no end--what woman wouldn't want to be the namesake of an obese male bear? Being saddled with a chick name didn't seem to bother Sascha much. He spent most of his time dancing and getting into weird adventures with the other animals of the forest, to the point one wonders if there was something other than fish in the "Sky Blue Waters." The wildly-popular commercials employed plot devices ranging from good old-fashioned fun like pie fights and log rolling to more risque activities, such as train robbery, gunplay, arson, and gleeful wolf-abuse. The spots would saturate the airwaves for over 30 years, which is especially impressive when you consider Spuds MacKenzie lasted less than three. Read all ten. Labels: Drinking
Last night was the last night of an era in Minnesota. An era of freedom where a man could light up a cigarette in a bar and enjoy himself.
I celebrated the end of this era by joining a buddy at a local lounge where we drank Tanqueray tonics and choked down smoke after smoke. It was a delight--and I don't even "smoke!" Today Minnesota implements a state-wide smoking ban in bars and restaurants and any other place that's public. Perhaps the sickest part of this ban is the fact that it's impossible for anyone to prove causation if their business goes under. There's no way to prove for sure that the state's banning smoking was the reason and not a thousand other things that may (or may not) have come into play. So the supporters have some seriously plausible deniability. "Out of business? We never put anyone out of business! Prove that this law put anyone out of business!" The continued feminization of our culture continues unabated. Labels: Nanny State
A locally-based Italian restaurant chain settles up with the SEC for not reporting the fringe benefits enjoyed by some of their executives:
The SEC accused Buca of failing to disclose in its proxy statements and Forms 10-K for 2000 to 2003 that its former chief executive was improperly reimbursed for personal expenses totaling nearly $850,000. The expenses included family wedding expenses, dog kenneling, and home remodeling costs, the SEC said in a statement. The government also alleged that Buca's former chief financial officer was improperly reimbursed of more than $111,000 for vacations and visits to strip clubs. Working late again tonight honey. Labels: Business
Argument of the Month Club:
ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 9TH Dr. Arthur Hippler is back for his monthly dose of debate. He will be giving his presentation, "Is religious liberty the road to secularism?" Is religious liberty based on truth or religious relativism? Does religious liberty require the separation of church and state? Is religious liberty only for non-Christians? If you think these are important, timely questions for our day, wait until you hear his answers. Dr. Arthur Hippler is the former Director of the Office of Justice and Peace for the Diocese of La Crosse, where he served under Bishop Raymond Burke. He is currently teaching at Providence Academy in Plymouth. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Theology for the Institute for Pastoral Theology, a graduate program of Ave Maria University. He is the author of Citizens of the Heavenly City and a longtime columnist for The Wanderer. Dr. Hippler received his bachelor degree from Thomas Aquinas College , and Ph.D. in philosophy from Boston College . Tuesday, October 9th St. Augustine Catholic Church 5th Ave. N. & 3rd St. N in South St. Paul Social at 6:30pm (beverages and appetizers) Dinner at 7:00pm Total cost for the evening is $12 at the door There will be time for you to agree or disagree with our speaker during the Q&A, which starts immediately following dessert. But you are all encouraged to enjoy the good humor, food and fellowship. We enjoy the company of men from all different creeds and ages. Priests and seminarians get in for free but are not shown any partiality in debate. Fathers may bring their sons as long as they accompany them. Come out and play. Labels: Religion
Next Saturday, we're going to welcome David Harsanyi to the First Team of the Northern Alliance Radio Network to discuss his new book Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning America into a Nation of Children.
As part of my usual thorough show prep, I've been reading Harsanyi's book and came across this passage of interest: In early 2007, a New York State senator from Brooklyn planned to introduce a bill banning talking on a cell phone, listening to an MP3 player, or using a BlackBerry or any electronic device while crossing the street in New York City. "While people are tuning in to their iPods and cell phones, they're turning out the world around them," Senator Carl Kruger explained. Geez, and I thought Minneapolis was getting bad. Word has it that next up for the Brooklyn pol are plans to ban cannoli, playing stick ball in the street, and wearing Guido suits. Labels: Books
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