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Reportedly from Mick Jagger's favorite restaurant in San Francisco; this dish looks yummy and easy to prepare. I have all the ingredients together except for the boneless chicken thighs, which I will get from Wegmans this afternoon. They don't carry boneless thighs at Giant or Safeway unfortunately, and I am not fond of boning them myself.
Click here for video.
These are the type of dresses daughter told me she is considering for the Homecoming dance. She will look for similar items at the local mall:
http://www.edressme.com/4668b.html
http://www.edressme.com/c2029w.html
http://www.edressme.com/dresses874275.html
http://www.promgirl.com/popups/biggerimage.cfm?filename=/KT//KT6.27.07/C1014Rachel1.jpg
http://www.promgirl.com/popups/biggerimage.cfm?filename=/PD//DaveJohnny/DJ5.9.07/3759.jpg
I thought she might find something nicer here:
http://www.eternitystore.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=12
Or here:
http://www.beautifullymodest.com/
And they had some exceptionally lovely things here as well:
http://plainlydressed.bravepages.com/ladiesgirlsclothingfile.html
It goes on and on and on and on. Close up photos. Diverse, different, cutting edge. A collection of recipes from around the internet - but not just any recipes. Tastespotting.
Oh, no, no. There's absolutely no evidence of a secret Jewish conspiracy to control US foreign policy and we, Walt and Mearsheimer, would never even think to admit the possibility of a shred of a fraction of a thought that this idea could exist in our heads or yours. We know such things as secret conspiracies are laughed at in this day and age. Ha, ha. We will laugh along with you for a moment. Aside from the idea's droller aspects with which we would never connect ourselves as we are serious academics, this medieval-style thinking would lump us in with Inquisitors and nazis - heaven forfend! They were so brutal and bloody. We don't believe in being brutal and bloody. We just believe in supporting those who do the dirty work for us...oops, did we just say that? Oh well, you all understand, we are sure.
But seriously, folks, while the thought that Joos are running US foreign policy secretly might be laughably anachronistic and reminiscent of stupidity and ignorance of the past, the truth is (and we want to shout it from the highest ivory towers), the Israel lobby is running US foreign policy but they are doing it right out in the open.
You see the difference? Speaking of "secret" conspiracies is anti-semitic and stoopid and we would never do that. But out-in-the-open plots and manipulation? Another matter completely, of course.
I'd write about my visit to the dentist today, but I don't want to horrify anyone.
A satirical look at the BBC's coverage of events in the Middle East:
Iraqis have raised money to help the victims of the fire in SanDiego. Michael Totten writes:
Iraqi Army officers in Besmaya raised a thousand dollars in donations for fire victims in San Diego, California, and the only place that seems to have reported the story is the military blog OPFOR. Author Richard S. Lowry learned about it in a press release from the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq Public Affairs, so it’s unlikely he’s the only one in the media who knows something about it.
Sending a thousand dollars to California will be about as helpful as throwing a glass of water into the firestorm. It’s the thought that counts here. And what surprising thought it is. How many Americans expect charity from Iraq?
As Lowry points out, “most Americans do not consider Iraqis as people.” He’s right. Most of us only know them from sensational media reports about masked insurgents, wailing widows, and death squads. Most of us may instinctively understand that the majority of Iraqis are just regular people, but it’s hard to keep that in mind when the only thing we get Stateside is war coverage. I’ve met hundreds of Iraqis myself during trips to their country as a reporter, so it’s a bit easier for me to see them as just people. I’m still surprised that anyone in that broken impoverished land would even consider donating hard-earned money to Californians.
A thousand dollars is a lot in Iraq. The average salary is only a few hundred dollars a month. I can’t for the life of me figure out how entire families can survive on so little, considering most have so many children. Basic necessities are cheaper in Iraq than in the West, but not that much cheaper.
Some Iraqis have been learning a similar lesson about American generosity lately.
Two months ago I went on a humanitarian aid drop mission outside Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s Anbar Province, with American soldiers and Iraqi Police officers at four o’clock in the morning. The goods we delivered were paid for by the United States government. Sometimes, though, soldiers and Marines deliver items donated through American charities. “When we tell them that some of these packages aren’t from the military or the government,” a Marine told me, “that they were donated by average American citizens in places like Kansas, people choke up and sometimes even cry. They just can’t comprehend it. It is so different from the lies they were told about us and how we’re supposed to be evil.”
Valour-it exists to raise money for voice activated laptops for wounded American soldiers - a very worthy cause. From their website:
Project Valour-IT (Voice-Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops)
Every cent raised for Project Valour-IT goes directly to the purchase and shipment of laptops for severely wounded service members. As of October 2007, Valour-IT has distributed over 1500 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country.
Valour-IT accepts donations in any amount to support the purchase and distribution of laptops, but also offers a sponsorship option. An individual or organization may sponsor a wounded soldier by completely funding the cost of a laptop and continuing to provide that soldier with personal support and encouragement throughout recovery. This has proved to be an excellent project for churches, groups of coworkers or friends, and members of community organizations such Boy Scouts.
Originally Valour-IT provided the voice-controlled software, but now works closely with the Department of Defense Computer/electronic Accommodations Program (CAP): CAP supplies the adaptive software and Valour-IT provides the laptop. In addition, DoD caseworkers serve as Valour-IT’s “eyes and ears” at several medical centers, identifying possible laptop recipients. Wounded military personnel can also directly request a laptop through the sign-up form or through the Valour-IT/Soldiers' Angels representatives at the following medical centers:* Balboa Naval Hospital
* Brooke Army Medical Center
* Madigan Regional Medical Center
* National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda Naval Hospital)
* Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton
* Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital (29 Palms)
* Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Thanks to the efforts of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Valour-IT is also able to reach patients in VA hospitals who would benefit from a Valour-IT laptop.
Was up in Rhode Island visiting family this weekend. Had a blast playing with, feeding, and photographing my nephews:
The top of the internet
The bottom of the internet
The eastern most tip of the internet
The far west appears to be unexplored territory.
From the Yiddish Radio Project:
The story of this tune's stratospheric rise is as unlikely as that of Yiddish swing itself. “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen” was composed by Sholom Secunda for a 1932 Yiddish musical that opened and closed in one season. Fast-forward to 1937. Lyricist Sammy Cahn and pianist Lou Levy were catching a show at the Apollo Theater in Harlem when two black performers called Johnnie and George took the stage singing "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" -- in Yiddish. The crowd went wild. Cahn and Levy couldn't believe their ears. Sensing a hit, Cahn convinced his employer at Warner Music to purchase the rights to the song from the Kammen Brothers, the twin-team music entrepreneurs who had bought the tune from Secunda a few years back for the munificent sum of $30.
Cahn gave "Bei Mir" a set of fresh English lyrics and presented it to a trio of Lutheran sisters whose orchestra leader, oddly enough named Vic Schoen, had a notion of how to swing it. The Andrews Sisters' debut 78 rpm for the Decca label hit almost immediately. The era of Yiddish swing had begun.
"Bei Mir" would soon be covered by virtually every pop and jazz artist of the age, and was even retranslated into French, Swedish, Russian -- and German. (The song was a hit in Hitler's Germany until the Nazi Party discovered that its composer was a Jew, and that the song's title was Yiddish rather than a south German dialect.)
Via MEMRI:
The following are excerpts from a public address delivered by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which aired on Channel 1, Iranian TV, on October 6, 2007.To view this clip visit: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1585.htm.
To view more clips of Iranian President Mahoud Ahmadinejad visit: http://memritv.org/subject/en/358.htm
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "The Western governments that bear the standard of secularism, anti-religion, and lack of respect for the rights of the peoples, and for the followers of all Abrahamic religions, themselves consider the defense of the Zionist regime to be the most sacred value in the world. Zionism and the existence of the Zionist regime are so important to them that they do not even allow the raising of questions about the preparations and pretexts that led to the establishment of this regime."
[...]
"In some of these superpowers, anyone who runs for president must first officially declare that he is committed to supporting Zionism and the Zionist regime, and he must prove this by his actions."
[...]
"If any country in Latin America, Africa, or Asia wants to sign an agreement with any Western country, it must first recognize the Zionist regime, support it, and maintain economic ties with it."
[...]
"They have created a certain organization, something sacred, a sacred phenomenon no one can oppose. They have all committed themselves to supporting this. This [Zionism] is the axis around which they unite. As a result, all the wars, animosity, and crimes of the Western countries have moved to other countries. They have moved these wars away from themselves, and by uniting around this [Zionist] regime, they have transferred the wars to other peoples."[...]
The Leaders of Several Western Superpowers "Created Something Called Zionism" and "Invented the So-Called 'Genocide of the Jews'"
"The leaders of several Western superpowers comprise the Zionist party. They are the ones who pull the strings. They created something called Zionism, and invented the so-called 'oppression' of the Jews. They themselves created the background for this, and today as well, it is they who are running the show."
[...]
"After World War II, they invented the so-called 'genocide of the Jews.' Throughout Europe, and in countries under the control of the Western superpowers, they established an anti-Jewish movement. By means of propaganda and a certain psychological atmosphere, and by using the issue of the so-called 'crematoria,' they created the sense that the European Jews were oppressed. They used the pretext that some Jews were oppressed and were harmed during World War II and by the wave of anti-Judaism in order to lay the foundations for the establishment of the Zionist regime. Later, of course, they called it 'the massacre of the Jews,' and only after World War II did they call it 'the Holocaust.' They made this issue more sacred than all the sacred things in the world."[...]
"You Have Turned This Phenomenon... Which You Yourself Invented After The War, And Which You Began Calling 'Holocaust' Only In 1975 – Into Something So Sacred...?"
"How can it possibly be that you have turned this phenomenon – a phenomenon which you yourself invented after the war, and which you began calling 'Holocaust' only in 1975 – into something so sacred that nobody is permitted to even raise questions about it? In World War II, there were several incidents similar to a plane crash. Later, under the pretext of these incidents, they have been perpetrating an ongoing genocide of historic proportions in Palestine. They have been perpetrating an ongoing crime in Palestine."
[...]
"They permit themselves, under the pretext of the Holocaust, to commit every type of crime. They even built secret prisons in Europe, and they kidnap people and publicly announce that they would kill them."
[...]
"Why don't you allow the deciphering of the code of the World War II 'black box?' Why don't you permit this? We want to help you. Let's open that 'black box,' and see what is happening there and who caused it. If people were killed there, who were they? Who was responsible? Who supported this? Let's examine the role played by other peoples in all of this. If the leaders of the Western countries are not members of the Zionist party, they should enable an international team of truth-seekers to unlock the mysteries of this phenomenon. What really happened there? Under the pretext of what happened, crimes are still being committed, and the [Nobel] Peace Prize is awarded to the Zionist criminals."
[...]
"It happened in Europe, so we proposed allocating them a place in Europe. They might say, as some of them already did: 'Oh really?! We worked so hard to drive those Jews out of Europe, and now you want us to take them back?' We say: 'Fine, you can't bear the presence of these Zionists in your region, but you want to impose them upon the peoples of this region? You have vast territories. Give them part of Canada or Alaska, so they can establish a state. After all, you give them $30 or 40 billion in aid every year – so give them that money in order to establish their state there.'"
[...]
"An Incident Occurred on September 11, and Look What They Did Afterwards... They Are Creating Another Incident Like the Holocaust"
"Politicians who dream at night of reconciliation with the Zionist regime should know that the Palestinian people is steadfast, the Iranian people and the free peoples of the world are steadfast, and they will not rest for a day until the entire land of Palestine is liberated."
[...]
"An incident occurred on September 11, and look what they did afterwards. They used this pretext to occupy Afghanistan and Iraq, they killed dozens of thousands of peoples, and they want to continue to kill. They are creating another incident like the Holocaust. We advise them not to create something sacred, not to fabricate another sacred lie, and to allow a group of truth-seekers to get to the bottom of things, to identify and expose those behind it, and get it over with."
Horrendous. Thoughts and prayers with all who are suffering through it.
A look at various age groups based on data from 2004. From the LATimes:
Ages 1-4
Unintentional injury....1,641
Birth defects.... 569
Cancer.... 399
Homicide.... 377
Heart disease.... 187
Influenza and pneumonia.... 119
Septic infections.... 84
Perinatal period.... 61
Non-cancerous tumors.... 53
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.) 48
Ages 5-9
Unintentional injury.... 1,126
Cancer.... 526
Birth defects.... 205
Homicide.... 122
Heart disease.... 83
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.).... 46
Non-cancerous tumors.... 41
Septic infections.... 38
Aneurysms, strokes.... 34
Influenza and pneumonia.... 33
Ages 10-14
Unintentional injury....1,540
Cancer.... 493
Suicide.... 283
Homicide.... 207
Birth defects.... 184
Heart disease.... 162
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.).... 74
Influenza and pneumonia.... 49
Non-cancerous tumors.... 43
Aneurysms, strokes.... 43
Ages 15-24
Unintentional injury.... 15,449
Homicide.... 5,085
Suicide.... 4,316
Cancer.... 1,709
Heart disease.... 1,038
Birth defects.... 483
Aneurysms, strokes.... 211
HIV/AIDS.... 191
Influenza and pneumonia.... 185
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.).... 179
Ages 25-34
Unintentional injury.... 13,032
Suicide.... 5,074
Homicide.... 4,495
Cancer.... 3,633
Heart disease.... 3,163
HIV/AIDS.... 1,468
Diabetes.... 599
Aneurysms, strokes.... 567
Birth defects.... 420
Septic infections.... 328
Ages 35-44
Unintentional injury.... 16,471
Cancer.... 14,723
Heart disease.... 12,925
Suicide.... 6,638
HIV/AIDS.... 4,826
Homicide.... 2,984
Liver disease.... 2,799
Aneurysms, strokes.... 2,361
Diabetes.... 2,026
Influenza and pneumonia.... 891
Ages 45-54
Cancer.... 49,520
Heart disease.... 37,556
Unintentional injury.... 16,942
Liver disease.... 7,496
Suicide.... 6,906
Aneurysms, strokes.... 6,181
Diabetes.... 5,567
HIV/AIDS.... 4,422
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.) 3,511
Septic infections.... 2,251
Ages 55-64
Cancer.... 96,956
Heart disease.... 63,613
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.).... 11,754
Diabetes.... 10,780
Aneurysms, strokes.... 9,966
Unintentional injury.... 9,651
Liver disease.... 6,569
Suicide.... 4,011
Kidney disease.... 3,963
Septic infections.... 3,745
Ages 65+
Heart disease.... 533,302
Cancer.... 385,847
Aneurysms, strokes.... 130,538
Respiratory disease (emphysema, bronchitis, etc.).... 105,197
Alzheimer's disease.... 65,313
Diabetes.... 53,956
Influenza and pneumonia.... 52,760
Kidney disease.... 35,105
Unintentional injury.... 35,020
Septic infections.... 25,644
Sources: National Vital Statistics System; National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Daughter tells me that she has a date for her school's Homecoming dance. He's "just a friend." He's very funny and makes her laugh.
I can tell she's pleased and excited, though she's trying to play it cool.
This is big when I consider the fact that for quite a while we thought she'd never have a "normal" high school experience. I am so very happy for her.
The Tuttle kids. Michael (8) and Sullivan (10) play El Cumbanchero on mandolin and guitar with sister Molly. More information.
Via Spluch
Makes me happy to hear about corporate profits - especially when they send the DOW headed back up in the right direction:
U.S. stocks rose on Monday, rebounding from last week's steep sell-off as optimism that Apple (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) would deliver strong earnings drove the Nasdaq to a gain of 1 percent.
Apple did not disappoint, reporting sales and profit that handily beat Wall Street's forecasts after the closing bell****, sending Nasdaq futures higher.
During the regular session, bargain hunters were out in force, snapping up shares in the sectors hardest hit during last week's slump, such as home builders, banks and retailers. Stronger-than-expected earnings from drug maker Merck (MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) lifted its shares more than 3 percent and helped spur a late recovery in the Dow.
****Bought my BIL a new IPod today, doing my part to help the economy out. (BIL's having a colon resection on Wednesday and we thought a new toy might be nice for his recuperation)
One of the best editions of HH yet is posted at Esser Agaroth. Very well done and filled with informative and interesting writing. In case you don't already know, Haveil Havalim is the carnival of blog posts relating to Jewish and Israeli issues.
America is still quite friendly towards Jews, but the incessant attacks on Christianity by the likes of Deutsch, Forman and Abe Foxman have grown increasingly tiresome. Given this irritating behavior, and the historical fact that Jews have worn out their welcome in literally dozens of countries over the centuries, it is the height of foolishness for a small number of misguided individuals to demand that 80 percent of the American population remain silent about the tenets of its religious faith. Christians are dying for their faith in the Sudan, in North Korea, in China, Vietnam and Myanmar; they are not about to shut their mouths simply because a few Jews in the media disapprove of their beliefs.
And I have more bad news. Miss Coulter only expressed a desire that Jews would recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah, but the truth is that Christians believe that one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The only choice for you, me, Richard Deutsch and everyone else is whether to do it now, or do it later. Link
Does that sound like a warning? It does to me. Very interesting to discover someone who reveres Judaism (believes God is on Israel's side) but can't stand Jews (who have "worn out their welcome" everywhere they go). A visit to his blog (linked at the very bottom of the article cited above) reveals more of his...interesting thoughts and the confirming comments of many others who think just like him.
Joseph Farah responds to the article above, which was published on his site (WND) where the writer has a regular column. I wonder why Farah, who is a great friend and supporter of Israel and Jews, condones this man by allowing him a space from which to vent his thoughts, which are hardly Jew or Israel friendly?
I swung toward the political right after 9/11, but feel the ground beneath me shaken by Coulter and the reaction to her, as cited in the article above. I keep telling myself that neither she nor the writer of the article are representative of all conservatives, Republicans, Americans or Christians. But I wonder how many feel or secretly feel what he does?
Many Jews just don't give this sort of thing the time of day. Maybe some think that linking to it and discussing it just bring the ideas further undeserved publicity. Maybe they are right. Or maybe not. No points are made when we ignore and allow such evil to stand.
Some note how well Jews have done in the US - Nobel prize winners, making up 51% of the Vanity Fair top 100 power list, etc. However, Jews were well assimilated into German society in the 1930s, and were successful businessmen, scientists, musicians and artists and it didn't do them a bit of good in the end. Success causes jealousy - - Jews are scapegoated and made to appear evil, their possessions taken and they are thrown out. Worn out welcome, indeed.
It was Jews who have been tortured and forced to convert.
It was Jews who have been persecuted and oppressed.
It was Jews who have been murdered and burned in crematoriums.
It is Jews who have far more to fear from those who hate than they from us.
Iranian Christians Deemed Apostates, Flogged (International Religious Freedom News)
The Farsi Christian News Network reports that an Iranian Christian couple were flogged after being declared apostates.
The couple, a woman from an Assyrian-Iranian family and a man who had converted to Christianity, were denied a Christian marriage ceremony due to the rules governing the marriage of ex-Muslims, and thus married in accordance with Islamic law.
However, the courts consider marriage by Islamic law equivalent to re-conversion, and when the couple were later found at a Christian prayer meeting, they were denounced as apostates.
In September, agents of the Revolutionary Court visited the couple at their home to execute the sentence of flogging.
Syrians Disassembling Ruins at Site Bombed by Israel - Robin Wright and Joby Warrick
Syria has begun dismantling the remains of a site Israel bombed Sept. 6 in what may be an attempt to prevent the location from coming under international scrutiny, said U.S. and foreign officials familiar with the aftermath of the attack. Based on overhead photography, the officials say the site in Syria's eastern desert near the Euphrates River had a "signature" or characteristics of a small but substantial nuclear reactor, one similar in structure to North Korea's facilities. The dismantling of the damaged site, which appears to be still underway, could make it difficult for weapons inspectors to determine the precise nature of the facility and how Syria planned to use it. (Washington Post)
Do you remember Black Monday? October 19th, 1987, the day the stock market had the largest one day percentage decline in history; down 22.6%, 508 points. The equivalent today would be a drop of 3,000 points, to put it in perspective. Jon Friedman of Market Watch imagines what it would be like if such a drop occurred today:
Could you imagine the pandemonium at a time of 24-hour news cycles, blogs and talk radio? The media would be desperate to unearth scoops, real or imagined, about what caused the sell-off, what might come next and who should fall on their swords on Wall Street and in Washington.
"I think the feedback loop of today's broadcast media, cable, wires, blogs, etc., is much greater than it was back in '87," noted Rob Cox, the U.S. editor of Breakingviews.com, which provides business-news commentary online. "This could create a greater risk of panic piling upon panic."..."Like virtually every other news story of the moment, the crash would burn hotter but faster," Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham told me. "I can envision breathlessness for a day or two or perhaps three, but I bet day four or five would see a shift of some kind, either to a 'well, we will survive' [mindset] or a shift of attention to something entirely different. The cycle is intense but brief."Imagine, too, the frantic level of conspiracy theories that bloggers would float.You can be sure they'd be writing about terrorist plots intended to undermine U.S. financial markets, destroy capitalism and harm the American way of life. Inevitably, Osama bin Laden would opportunistically appear to knock out another gloom-and-doom message from somewhere inside a cave.Man, CNBC's Jim Cramer would REALLY have something to yell about.
The 1987 crash -- 20 years ago today -- had investors bracing for the worst. When the worst didn't come, those who quickly recognized that the economy and the stock market were far more resilient than they had thought looked smart.
A little more than a year later, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had made back all the ground it had lost, and anyone who bought in the aftermath of the crash could feel justifiably pleased.
...[The real risk is that] someday the U.S. economy will run into trouble that defies the ability of the Fed to deal with or, to put it another way, that the success of economy's resilience over the past 25 years has more to do with luck than it does with policy makers' skill.
When it comes to financial panics, you can never say never. But most Wall Street experts stress that crashes are low-probability events. A cataclysmic crash, they say, is usually the result of many financial stresses converging at once — and one big dollop of mass hysteria. New regulations, better technology and more proactive central bankers make major financial dislocations less likely. Still, it's hard to predict when and if the market will derail. Given the history of financial panics and the tendency of market psychology to change from bullish optimism to flat-out fear virtually overnight, crashes might never be eliminated from Wall Street's vocabulary.
A couple are backyard foliage, the rest are of the Potomac River and Old Town, Alexandria:
Scientists have discovered a warm and rocky "second Earth" circling a star, a find they believe dramatically boosts the prospects that we are not alone.
The planet is the most Earth-like ever spotted and is thought to have perfect conditions for water, an essential ingredient for life. Researchers detected the planet orbiting one of Earth's nearest stars, a cool red dwarf called Gliese 581, 20 light years away in the constellation of Libra.
Measurements of the planet's celestial path suggest it is 1½ times the size of our home planet, and orbits close to its sun, with a year of just 13 days. The planet's orbit brings it 14 times closer to its star than Earth is to the sun. But Gliese 581 burns at only 3,000C, half the temperature of our own sun, making conditions on the planet comfortable for life, with average ground temperatures estimated at 0 to 40C. Researchers claim the planet is likely to have an atmosphere. The discovery follows a three-year search for habitable planets by the European Southern Observatory at La Silla in Chile.
"We wouldn't be surprised if there is life on this planet," said Stephane Udry, an astronomer on the project at the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland.
The first baby boomer applied for social security benefits yesterday:
Kathleen Casey-Kirschling filed for early retirement Monday, becoming the first baby boomer to start collecting Social Security.
Born one second after midnight in January 1946, the retired teacher leads the way for as many as 80 million individuals who will qualify for the retirement payout.
...David Walker, the comptroller general of the Government Accountability Office, Congress' legislative arm, warned the Social Security system will soon have more recipients coming than it can afford to pay out.
"We face a tsunami of spending due primarily to the retirement of the baby boom generation and rising health care costs," Walker said. "So what's happened is we've gone from 16 workers paying into Social Security for every person drawing benefits in 1950 to 3.3 to one today, and we're going down to two to one by the time the boomers retire in big numbers and that's about where it will stay over the long run."
"We're going to have tens of thousands of baby boomers retiring every week over the next decade or so and that means that by time we get to 2017, just 10 years away, we will no longer be collecting enough payroll taxes to pay Social Security benefits," said former Minnesota Democratic Rep. Tim Penny.
Taking mom and dad to the podiatrist.
Known for being a more moderate and liberal part of the Middle East, perhaps it's a reputation that's undeserved:
Dubai Bans Israel from International Forum - Sharon Wrobel (Jerusalem Post)
In a last-minute decision, Dubai has refused to grant entry visas to an Israeli delegation of 25 firms that were planning to take part in next week's World Congress of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations.
Some Palestinians Prefer Life in Israel: East Jerusalem Residents Say They Would Fight Handover to PA - Mark MacKinnon
Nabil Gheit, the mayor of Ras Hamis, a Palestinian neighborhood on the eastern fringe of Jerusalem, says he can't think of a worse fate than being handed over to the Palestinian Authority. "If there was a referendum here, no one would vote to join the Palestinian Authority," Gheit said. "We will not accept it. There would be another intifada [uprising] to defend ourselves from the PA." Many Palestinians dislike the idea of their neighborhoods, which are generally more prosperous than other parts of the West Bank, being absorbed into the chaotic Palestinian territories.
Gheit, 53, with two posters of "the martyr Saddam Hussein" hanging over his cash register, can hardly be called an admirer of the Jewish state. He says he'd be happy to one day live in a properly independent Palestinian state, but not one that looks anything like the corruption-racked and violence-prone areas that are split between the warring Hamas and Fatah factions. "At least in Israel, there's law," he says. (Globe and Mail-Canada)
The problem with panicking over global warming is the potential effects over-reacting could have on the economy. As Larry Kudlow writes:
In a broader sense, the issue for me boils down to:
a) Whether in fact global warming is a manmade problem;
b) With so many dissenters, does this viewpoint really pass scientific muster?
c) In the history of history I have always believed that men and women are part of the solution, not the problem; and
d) Nearly all policies associated with global warming “solutions” are inimical to economic growth, prosperity, and progress.
Think of it this way: The “cap” of “cap and trade” can literally prevent economies from powering forward. In other words, growth requires power, and caps could set back both. That really troubles me.
In addition, the “solutions” have a heavy governmental footprint. It all smacks of central planning. It is the opposite of the economic freedom and free-market capitalism that has shown us the path to prosperity. I don’t want limits to growth and I don’t want central planning. Instead, I want entrepreneurship and freedom and Schumpeterian gales of creative destruction.
So, if there is a true climate-change problem, I do not want an economy-retarding solution. That would be far worse than the so-called problem.
"...flight does not have to be foul, cramped, undignified and an easy way to get a DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis)."
Why not float to your destination on a zeppelin? (As long as you aren't in a hurry)
My friend Kenjitono writes:
I went to Borders for a book signing today. A friend of mine wanted a signed copy so I complied. The signing was scheduled at noon so I arrived a few minutes before the scheduled time. Some background on me. I don't like waiting in lines. I also don't tolerate having to wait for people who are late.
I chose this particular signing because it's not in a mall as would've been the 4 O'clock signing so I didn't anticipate much of a crowd.
I was the second in line so I took a couple of the books and went to the checkout to pay for them and then came back to the line. I was still second in line.
The book was about a water colorist named Peggy Chun who has ALS. You can check her out at WWW.PEGGYCHUN.COM. I don't know much about painting, but, from what I understand, watercolor is a difficult venue because unlike oils, you cannot go over it if you make a mistake. Once it's there, you have to adjust and perhaps even alter the painting.
Anyway, Peg was late and they explained that it takes them about three hours to prepare her and to load her into the van for the trip to the store. The person who wrote the book gave us lyric sheets for two songs to sing when Peggy arrived. The first was the Beatles song, "You've Got a Friend" which was altered in parts. The second was a song by St. Francis and I can't remember the title.
Peggy finally arrived about 12:40 and we proceeded to sing. I didn't even know this lady and don't know anything about paintings, but it was difficult singing as they wheeled her in. She doesn't have any movement except for her eyes. And that's how she continues to paint today. Oh, and she lost her cat Bug last night who was with her for about 17 years.
The book is a story on Peggy's life as seen through the eyes of her other cat, Boo. Boo died right after they fininshed writing the book in 2006. So all this made it all the more emotional.
Check out her website and if you enjoy her art, perhaps you can make a purchase or even buy the book. I think she needs the money to pay for her medical and personal care. Right now, she's using computer technology to enable her to direct others to create a piece that will be hanging in the Vatican. I am in awe of her courage and determination.
Thanks for reading this.
From Peggy Chun's site:
"I am a watercolor artist. I was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2002. When the ALS caused me to lose the use of my dominant hand, I began painting with my left hand in 2003. When my hands could no longer hold a brush, I painted holding a brush in my teeth in 2004. When my mouth could no longer hold a brush, I painted digitally with a computer that I could control with my eye movement in 2005 and 2006. Now, due to my inability to blink, my eyes are too dry to paint with my computer. But my creativity knows no bounds.
One of the things I miss the most, is the touch and the experience of painting; the sensual nature of the paper and the paint. So, as the next phase in my artistic evolution, I have begun 'nose painting' with the help of painting assistant.
I work with an assistant who does all the preparation and is fully involved in the painting process. We begin by my choosing a palette for a particular concept. My assistant sets out the paint in order of the progression of color I think will work together, usually 5 complimentary colors. All of my nose paintings are done 'wet into wet'.
Next we choose from an assortment of 'nose strokes' I have already described in detail and organized on a chart. This chart eliminates the tedious work of having to spell out directions each time on my communication spell board. To begin, my assistant paints the tip of my nose with the colors I¹ve chosen as the base colors. Next, she picks up the paper and moves it parallel to my nose using the stroke I¹ve chosen. We continue to use the paints and the strokes in the order I have chosen. Each time I change colors, my assistant has to wipe the paint from my nose and dry it before applying the next color.
Inevitably, while painting I begin to see images emerging that cause me to change my original plan. This is challenging because we have to work fast to keep the paper from drying. I find this to be the most exciting part about painting abstractly. I name my pieces based on what I see and feel, but take great joy in hearing what others discover in my paintings. I hope you enjoy these original nose paintings. I have never felt more challenged as an artist and am pleased to share this part of my artistic journey with you."
From the Honolulu Star Bulletin:
Chun, 61, was diagnosed in 2002 with ALS, the disease that claimed her grandfather, mother and twin sister. In a year, Kimi Chun says, her right hand was motionless; a year after that, her left hand was stilled. For another year she could paint with her teeth, then for one more year with a computer program that read her eye movements.
The original prognosis was that she could live up to three years with ALS, but she's rounding on five now. "It's so important for her health and her state of mind to still do something creative," her daughter-in-law says. "Creating is living for her."
When Mecum began working with Chun, "I thought I was going to meet a heartbroken artist who had just lost her painter's hand."
Instead she found someone overjoyed to find what she could do with her left.
...Chun prepared for each loss of function, for example, preparing a special brush she could hold with her teeth in anticipation of losing control of her left hand. When it became clear she'd have to go on a ventilator to aid her breathing and would no longer be able to speak, she set about numbering all her paints so she could select colors by number, Mecum says. "She was always thinking ahead: 'How can I keep painting?'"
In fact, Mecum says, it's hard to think of Chun in terms of loss. "Once you really know Peggy, it's OK, everything that's happened. She has a bigger life than those of us who walk around. We laugh that we have to keep up with Peggy. We feel like couch potatoes around Peggy. She teaches us to live in the second."
The latest issue of Haveil Havalim, the carnival of posts about Jewish and Israeli issues, is up at SoccerDad. Excellent reading, as usual, with a wide variety of posts on many different subjects.
She has crossed the line before, and in the past there have been times when I did not agree with her tactics, but this time it's personal. I find the following unforgiveable. Via Media Matters:
From the October 8 edition of CNBC's The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch:
DEUTSCH: Let me ask you a question. We're going to get off strengths and weakness for a second. If you had your way, and all of your -- forget that any of them --
COULTER: I like this.
DEUTSCH: -- are calculated marketing teases, and your dreams, which are genuine, came true having to do with immigration, having to do with women's -- with abortion -- what would this country look like?
COULTER: It would look like New York City during the Republican National Convention. In fact, that's what I think heaven is going to look like.
DEUTSCH: And what did that look like?
COULTER: Happy, joyful Republicans in the greatest city in the world.
DEUTSCH: No, no, no, no, but I'm talking about this country. You don't want to make this country -- it's not about Republicans. I'm saying, what would the fabric of this country look like? Forget that the Republicans would be running the show.
COULTER: Well, everyone would root for America, the Democratic Party would look like [Sen.] Joe Lieberman [I-CT], the Republican Party would look like [Rep.] Duncan Hunter [R-CA] --
DEUTSCH: No, no, no, I don't want -- I'm not talking about politically the landscape. What would our -- would we be safer? Would people be happier? Would they be more --
COULTER: We would be a lot safer.
DEUTSCH: Would there be more tolerance? Would there be -- would women be happier, would the races get along better? The Ann Coulter subscription -- prescription. What -- tell me what would be different in our fabric of country, because --
COULTER: Well, all of those things.
DEUTSCH: -- I can give -- I can give you an argument there would be more divisiveness, that there would be more hate --
COULTER: Oh, no.
DEUTSCH: -- that there would be a bigger difference between the rich and the poor, a lot of other -- tell me what -- why this would be a better world? Let's give you -- I'm going to give you -- say this is your show.
COULTER: Well, OK, take the Republican National Convention. People were happy. They're Christian. They're tolerant. They defend America, they --
DEUTSCH: Christian -- so we should be Christian? It would be better if we were all Christian?
COULTER: Yes.
DEUTSCH: We should all be Christian?
COULTER: Yes. Would you like to come to church with me, Donny?
DEUTSCH: So I should not be a Jew, I should be a Christian, and this would be a better place?
COULTER: Well, you could be a practicing Jew, but you're not.
DEUTSCH: I actually am. That's not true. I really am. But -- so we would be better if we were - if people -- if there were no Jews, no Buddhists --
COULTER: Whenever I'm harangued by --
DEUTSCH: -- in this country? You can't believe that.
COULTER: -- you know, liberals on diversity --
DEUTSCH: Here you go again.
COULTER: No, it's true. I give all of these speeches at megachurches across America, and the one thing that's really striking about it is how utterly, completely diverse they are, and completely unself-consciously. You walk past a mixed-race couple in New York, and it's like they have a chip on their shoulder. They're just waiting for somebody to say something, as if anybody would. And --
DEUTSCH: I don't agree with that. I don't agree with that at all. Maybe you have the chip looking at them. I see a lot of interracial couples, and I don't see any more or less chips there either way. That's erroneous.
COULTER: No. In fact, there was an entire Seinfeld episode about Elaine and her boyfriend dating because they wanted to be a mixed-race couple, so you're lying.
DEUTSCH: Oh, because of some Seinfeld episode? OK.
COULTER: But yeah, I think that's reflective of what's going on in the culture, but it is completely striking that at these huge megachurches -- the idea that, you know, the more Christian you are, the less tolerant you would be is preposterous.
DEUTSCH: That isn't what I said, but you said I should not -- we should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians, then, or --
COULTER: Yeah.
DEUTSCH: Really?
COULTER: Well, it's a lot easier. It's kind of a fast track.
DEUTSCH: Really?
COULTER: Yeah. You have to obey.
DEUTSCH: You can't possibly believe that.
COULTER: Yes.
DEUTSCH: You can't possibly -- you're too educated, you can't -- you're like my friend in --
COULTER: Do you know what Christianity is? We believe your religion, but you have to obey.
DEUTSCH: No, no, no, but I mean --
COULTER: We have the fast-track program.
DEUTSCH: Why don't I put you with the head of Iran? I mean, come on. You can't believe that.
COULTER: The head of Iran is not a Christian.
DEUTSCH: No, but in fact, "Let's wipe Israel" --
COULTER: I don't know if you've been paying attention.
DEUTSCH: "Let's wipe Israel off the earth." I mean, what, no Jews?
COULTER: No, we think -- we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say.
DEUTSCH: Wow, you didn't really say that, did you?
COULTER: Yes. That is what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament, but ours is more like Federal Express. You have to obey laws. We know we're all sinners --
DEUTSCH: In my old days, I would have argued -- when you say something absurd like that, there's no --
COULTER: What's absurd?
DEUTSCH: Jews are going to be perfected. I'm going to go off and try to perfect myself --
COULTER: Well, that's what the New Testament says.
DEUTSCH: Ann Coulter, author of If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans, and if Ann Coulter had any brains, she would not say Jews need to be perfected. I'm offended by that personally. And we'll have more Big Idea when we come back.
[...]
DEUTSCH: Welcome back to The Big Idea. During the break, Ann said she wanted to explain her last comment. So I'm going to give her a chance. So you don't think that was offensive?
COULTER: No. I'm sorry. It is not intended to be. I don't think you should take it that way, but that is what Christians consider themselves: perfected Jews. We believe the Old Testament. As you know from the Old Testament, God was constantly getting fed up with humans for not being able to, you know, live up to all the laws. What Christians believe -- this is just a statement of what the New Testament is -- is that that's why Christ came and died for our sins. Christians believe the Old Testament. You don't believe our testament.
DEUTSCH: You said -- your exact words were, "Jews need to be perfected." Those are the words out of your mouth.
COULTER: No, I'm saying that's what a Christian is.
DEUTSCH: But that's what you said -- don't you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic --
COULTER: No!
DEUTSCH: How do you not see? You're an educated woman. How do you not see that?
COULTER: That isn't hateful at all.
DEUTSCH: But that's even a scarier thought. OK --
COULTER: No, no, no, no, no. I don't want you being offended by this. This is what Christians consider themselves, because our testament is the continuation of your testament. You know that. So we think Jews go to heaven. I mean, [Rev. Jerry] Falwell himself said that, but you have to follow laws. Ours is "Christ died for our sins." We consider ourselves perfected Christians. For me to say that for you to become a Christian is to become a perfected Christian is not offensive at all.
DEUTSCH: We will let the audience decide then, won't we? Ann Coulter. New book. More Big Idea straight ahead.
It is wrong to think Christians are perfect and Jews are not. It. Is. Wrong. All of us have the same potential for good and evil. It is what you do and how you treat others that counts - not your beliefs. A good person does and says good things. Coulter's snobbery, conceit, and obliviousness to history and the feelings of others who have been harmed by the views she holds proves her to be a lesser person.
I feel strongly about this and have deleted a conservative blog from my blogroll for defending Coulter.
A "fast track" to goodness? No such thing. It takes time, work and intention to be good. It takes deliberate acts of goodness and unselfishness and caring. You can't just say "I believe therefore I am."
Update:
Some essays from American Thinker which provide excellent food for thought regarding Anne Coulter's comments:
Ann Coulter is Not Helping Criticizes the effect of Coulter's comments with regard to the political outcome.
My Opinion on Ann Coulter's Opinion of the Jews A Christian opinion which I found touching and beautiful.
On Coulter, Christians, And Jews A secular Jew who thinks very differently on the issue than I do, but makes some good points. Re-reading what he has to say, I've decided he's wrong on all points.
