If we've missed anything YOU PERSONALLY blame Bush for, please! Feel free to add your own catalogue of his insidious infamy and ee-ville intentions in the comments.

PETA DISCLAIMER: NO SCOTTIES were harmed during the making of this mug.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:15 PM | Comments (25)

Le Filibuster d'Alito avec Don John Kerryote

Tilting at windmills, or just tilted?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:42 PM

AND Happy Birthday

...Amadeus!

He sure was a cute little guy.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:55 PM | Comments (1)

This Headline Begs the Question...

Woman Accused of Driving Bloodmobile Drunk

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:54 PM | Comments (2)

Nothing Like Hitting the New Ground

...running.

Eight New Orleans gang members who came to Houston after Hurricane Katrina were arrested in connection with 11 recent killings and other violent crimes, police said Friday.

Crime in the Houston area spiked in the last few months of 2005, and police have attributed some of that to Katrina refugees.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:48 PM

No, They Can't

"They can't tell you how to spend your money," said the man, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals. "It's still a free country."

But they can tell you where to park it.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:17 AM | Comments (12)

Sounding a Cautionary Note

Hitler won a free election - and went on to build the world's most formidable war machine in history's blink of an eye.

I really have been bemused by the references to Hamas' 'shocking' victory. As if the Palestinians had choices a plenty. They didn't. (Of course, they've never been a people of informed and wise choices in any aspect of their quest toward nationhood.) And they seem particularly drawn toward the dark side, especially just as it seems they might crawl out of the muck. In all their struggles, where is the elder statesman they can look up to. A Hamid Karzai, for instance? All they have to show for all these years of violence and death is Fatah and Hamas. How pitiful is that? And why is that? But Hamas winning is no surprise.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:38 AM | Comments (8)

Why, Zank You Doktor!

Tampa sets a reasonable police intervention standard for a festive occasion.

Interesting legal fact: To make an arrest for baring breasts for beads, police must have a complaint from someone who is offended.

Related fact: Almost no one ever complains.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:09 AM | Comments (3)

January 26, 2006

Why Does It Seem So Completely in Character

...that Sen. Christmas N. Cambodia is doing all this...

Sen. Kerry calls for filibuster of Alito
Unclear if Massachusetts Democrat has votes needed to block nominee

*commonly used when someone says something really fast or in a language that you do not understand
Person one: Du bist ein scrotochupar!
Person two: Fleuven Hueven Fargegnugen

UPDATE: It's come to my attention that CNN has completely revamped the story I first linked to as it broke, 5 hours ago. Here is the original report I was using:

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. John Kerry has decided to support a filibuster to block the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, CNN’s Congressional Correspondent Ed Henry reported Thursday.

Kerry, in Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum, was marshaling support in phone calls during the day, Henry said.

He announced his decision Wednesday to a group of Democratic senators, urging they join him, Henry said. Kerry also has the support of his fellow Massachusetts senator, Democrat Edward Kennedy.

Some senior Democrats said they are worried that the move could backfire.

Republicans need 60 votes to overturn a filibuster.

Oooh, now I understand why. I wasn't the only one to notice. Drudge is particularly snarky with his headline. (My dorky Kerry picture is much better though.)

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:09 PM | Comments (7)

Whoever Made These Maps

Can kiss my gringo ass en la ventana de Macys, mkay?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:34 PM | Comments (3)

Upset the Apple Cart

...and you don't get a ride.

Further humiliations lay ahead, like the time Mullane tried on a NASA-issued condom — used for urine collection in weightlessness — and watched the too-large sheath drop off and fall to the floor.

“I’ll have you know I’ve fathered three children with this!” is what Mullane wanted to shout to the condom-fitting technician but didn’t. A complaint might have derailed his selection as an astronaut.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:24 PM | Comments (9)

Quote of the Day

Hugh Hewitt to John Podhoretz, via Radio Blogger, concerning the interview noted by Tim.

You're referring to Joel Stein. You were very kind over at the Corner last night. Frankly, I didn't think it was all that difficult. But if he wanted to bleed out on my show, I was happy to let him.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:13 PM

A CNN/SI Headline I Can Agree With

Gay, No. 1 UConn too much for St. John's

Heheheh. I can't stand UConn.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:41 AM | Comments (8)

WANTED: World Renowned VooDoo Queen ~ Deceased a Plus

...to guard the gate at St. Michael's downtown. To make sure THIS doesn't happen ever again.

Archaeologists and crime scene analysts scoured the grounds of historic St. Michael's Cemetery on Wednesday trying to determine the extent of damage to at least 27 grave sites that are the final resting place for 45 bodies.

Assistant Pensacola Police Chief Chip Simmons said the investigation is ongoing, and fingerprints were taken from various damaged sites.

"It appears they made a genuine attempt to enter caskets or tombs for whatever reason,'' he said.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:21 AM | Comments (1)

Oh Ick

Registered sex offender Joseph Edward Duncan III is apparently blogging again, this time from a jail cell

...The messages are mostly religious in nature, and do not address the charges that Duncan killed three people outside Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, last year so he could kidnap two small children for sex.

The FBI wants him to keep talking.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:01 AM

"Contradictions Within the People"

There seems to be some amplification of the views noted in my post last week.

China is preparing to "strike hard" against rising public unrest, a senior police official said according to state media on Thursday, highlighting the government's fears for stability even as the economy booms.

An unnamed top official of China's Ministry of Public Security told a Wednesday meeting that China faced a long period of dangerous social discontent, Xinhua news agency said.

He also said that "terrorism is a real threat against our country" and urged officers to guard against attacks.

China says that its biggest terrorist threat comes from Xinjiang, the far western region dominated by the largely Muslim Uighur people who share a language and culture similar to Central Asian countries.

But they'll sure all look like Chinese college students, factory workers and peasants if we get to see any footage. IF.

But time's a' wastin', boys. How long 'til the Olympics in Beijing?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:24 AM | Comments (6)

A Worthy Corporate Stance

Doesn't cost them a whole bunch, but it's the thought that counts.

Regional bank to refuse loans in eminent domain projects
Regional bank BB&T Corp., one of the nation's largest financial institutions, will make no loans to developers who plan to build commercial projects on land taken from private citizens by the government through the power of eminent domain, the company said Wednesday.

In an interview, BB&T chief credit officer Ken Chalk said the bank expects to lose only a tiny amount of business but believes it was obligated to take a stance on the issue.

BB&T, which is headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., ranks among the nation's top 10 banks by assets.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:54 AM | Comments (7)

On the Economic Front

The latest weekly jobless numbers also painted a picture of a healthy SPUTTERING underlying economy.

The Labor Department said initial claims for state jobless aid rose 11,000 in the week ended January 21 to 283,000 from an upwardly revised 272,000 the prior week.

Wall Street economists had forecast initial claims would rise to 305,000 from the initially reported 271,000 the previous week.

The four-week moving average of initial claims, which smoothes weekly volatility for a more reliable indication of underlying employment trends, fell by 10,750 to 288,750, the lowest level since July 2000.

Dead puppies everywhere.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:35 AM | Comments (2)

Exit Polls Will Bite You in the Last Thing

...to exit the polls every time. ABCNews called it for Fatah last night, based on "the exit polls just in.".

Hamas' top official told Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday the Islamic militant group is ready for a partnership after defeating the ruling Fatah Party in parliamentary elections - a shocking upset sure to throw Mideast peacemaking into turmoil.

Officials in both parties said Hamas appeared to have captured a large majority of seats in Wednesday's elections. The Central Election Commission said the vote count had not been completed and that it would make an official announcement Thursday evening.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:29 AM | Comments (5)

Was surfing the Net for pictures of my namesake....

and came accross this bit of trivia.
It is down the page a bit in the 5th comment.

Our OIC was LCDR Beam and we had four RF-8G aircraft. I recall one of our pilots was a Lt. Tom Scott and upon returning from a mission, he hit the "round down" while attempting to catch a wire on the flight deck. It severed the landing gear and the plane slid across the angle deck and over the side into the ocean. Lt. Scott ejected safely and was picked up by helicopter. This particular RF-8G had a small gold plaque near the canopy that stated "This is the F-8 that John Glenn (astronaut)set the transcontinental speed record in." I recall guys saying that this plane was supposed to go to the Smithsonian after our cruise, but now it lies at the bottom of the Tonkin Gulf.

Shame they didn't preserve the plane a bit earlier, as God knows they were not short of F-8s to convert to Photo-Saders. But hind-sight and all that. A neat story, if it is true, which I have not done the legwork to verify.

But it is a real shame the F-4 beat out the F8U-3 Super Crusader. A mean machine that could attain speeds near Mach 3.

Posted by Crusader at 08:25 AM | Comments (1)

Here's A Nice Family

I don't know about this:

Deputies say a 16-year-old has been arrested for beating his grandmother with a two-by-four for refusing to give him $100 for beer.

...Authorities tell us today that Cass came from a troubled family. His mother is in prison on cocaine possession and sale charges, and his father is serving a 15-year prison sentence for manslaughter after choking a prostitute to death in 2002.

What kid needs $100 for beer?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:14 AM | Comments (8)

The True Agents Of The Zionist Conspiracy

Have been found by Tim:

UPDATE III. A helpful guide to Hamas, from Al Jazeera:

The Hamas Covenant cites the long-discredited anti-Semitic fraud, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, describing it as “the embodiment of the Zionist plan to usurp Palestine”. Hamas dismisses the Freemasons, Lions Club, and the Rotarians as organizations promoting “the interest of Zionism.” It accuses those organizations, and the “Zionist invasion” in general, of being “behind the drug trade and alcoholism in all its kinds."

Behold the mark of Zion! Spreaders of booze!

How do I join?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:58 AM | Comments (6)

January 25, 2006

My Take on Google vs.Great Wall

I'm going to use comments I left on a Vodka Pundit post by Will Collier.

In a perverse way, I think this might be very enlightening for the average Chinese citizen and a very good thing. If ~ as they have stated they intend to ~ Google notes what searches have been censored when the results appear, that's a confirmation of the regime's repressiveness that one reading a newspaper or watching state TV might have long suspected, but had no way to prove. "Results Censored" in their faces how many times a day may well be a big straw for the camel's back.

And it's a much smaller world now. Let a little light shine.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:55 PM

Does Science Finally Have an Explanation

...for Teddy Kennedy's outrageous public comments?

Sex helps calm nerves before public speaking
Full sexual intercourse offers the best results, psychologist says

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:05 PM | Comments (12)

Wait a Minute Big Guy! We Can't Deduct Our SWILL!!

So how do you get off by being a big loser?

Gambling losses: If you won big in Las Vegas, you have to pay taxes on your winnings, but you can offset some of your gains with gambling losses. "People don't realize that their gambling losses are deductible," said Hockenberry.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:53 PM | Comments (3)

This Party

...(Tampa's version of Mardi Gras) could get ugly quickly.

If you want to drink a cold beer at Gasparilla this year, you better bring your own.

For the first time in recent memory, beer will not be sold at tents along the parade route.

...Instead of beer, revelers will be offered mixed drinks: Seagrams 7 with Lemon Lime; Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum and Cola; Smirnoff Vodka and Lemon Lime Soda; and George Dickel Whisky and Cola.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:20 AM | Comments (5)

Science at It's Finest

For some male bats, sexual prowess comes with a price — smaller brains. A research team led by Syracuse University biologist Scott Pitnick found that in bat species where the females are promiscuous, the males boasting the largest testicles also had the smallest brains. Conversely, where the females were faithful, the males had smaller testes and larger brains.

"Why are men pigs?"

"Because they are."

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:00 AM | Comments (19)

January 24, 2006

What a Bunch of Stiffs

This is a plan?

For the first time, the federal government would rate the academic rigor of U.S. high schools in a quietly added GOP-backed education program, a report said.

The academic rigor rating is part of a five-year, $3.75 billion education plan that Republican senators tucked into the budget bill last month and one the House of Representatives is expected to approve next month, The New York Times reported.

The Bush administration-backed plan would give grants of $750 to $1,300 to college freshmen and sophomores who have completed "a rigorous secondary school program of study."

The secretary of Education would define what constitutes a "rigorous" high school program

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

* "NOTE: 5b. rigidness or torpor of organs or tissue that prevents response to stimuli

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:09 AM | Comments (10)

FLASH : A TOWACA Press Int'l© Exclusive

SECRET, startling insider testimony about supply shortages in Iraq:

The Atomic Fireballs will come in handy. Not sure if you were aware of the Atomic Fireball deficit in Iraq, but it’s a real tragedy. I check the candy stash on Lt Plummer’s desk periodically with no luck. She said she was going to fix that.

She said she was going to fix that...

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:10 AM | Comments (7)

January 23, 2006

Film at 11

The FBI has uncovered fraud by public officials in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and has created a task force to investigate corruption as federal money pours into the Gulf Coast region, Mississippi's top agent said Monday.

"We are seeing public officials facilitating some of the fraud," John G. Raucci, agent in charge in Mississippi, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It's not widespread, I will say that, but we have seen it and we have begun addressing it."

Raucci would not give details.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:08 PM | Comments (5)

"I want to soak," he said. "I want to get some of this off me."

You go right ahead, Mr. Crotzer. You enjoy every second of it.

TAMPA, Florida-Alan Crotzer stepped into the warm sunlight outside the courthouse Monday and raised his arms to the sky, celebrating his freedom after more than 24 years behind bars for crimes he didn't commit.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:06 PM | Comments (2)

Quote of the Day

Whadda hoot.

"The mayor just sent you a box of chocolates."

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:18 PM | Comments (3)

Yo Soy Pi$$ed Off

Let's review: Don't eat a damn thing anybody TELLS you to. Just don't eat too MUCH of anything you want to.

Study casts doubt on soy's heart benefits

10 years from now, whatever they told you was great for you NOW will kill you by THEN.

And what they tell you will kill you NOW WON'T kill you by then.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:29 AM | Comments (8)

A Breast or Thigh Man?

Well, feel guilty no longer. You can't help yourself.

Cannibals in the Closet?
...In a paper in Science, Mead argued that the prevalence of these two forms, and a mathematical analysis of other mutations on the same gene, showed there was strong evolutionary pressure for defense against prion disease for much of human history. But how were people exposed to it? The spontaneous form is very rare, and mad-cow outbreaks are an artifact of industrial agriculture. That left cannibalism.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:37 AM | Comments (13)

January 22, 2006

What I'm Drinking Tonight

Gentlemen, fasten your seat belts. And ladies, make sure the young'ins are safely tucked in bed, 'cos we ain't kidding around no more. Tonight we're drinking the baddest of them all, the manliest of manly whiskies

Laphroaig.

Look ma, no ice!

Ah, where to begin? The full peaty aroma, laced with some deliciously acrid oily bites, leaps out at you when the bottle is opened. The warm golden color as it sits in the glass creates a yearning for that first sip, a deep desperate yearning that can only be quenched by...ah hell, that first sip. Oh, the taste! An amazingly full bodied taste and honeyed mouth feel, that is no where as peaty as the nose would lead you to think. Make no mistake, "Laphroaig" is not gaelic for "subtle", there's a whole bog o'peat here, but it's really not as...overpowering as you fear it might be.

So check your blended Blacks and Reds and Greens and Fuschias at the door; this is whisky.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:56 PM | Comments (5)

What I'm Drinking Tonight

Our hero, having not learned his lesson, continues to search for a good Zin under $10. Tonight's contestant comes from California, the 2003 Rock River. Price: $9.99.

It has a very nice, deep purpley-red color, which gives me hope. The first few sips were somewhat disappointing, however, as there was a harsh, acidic finish. However, as it sat and opened up in the glass, after some 20 minutes or so, that went away and was replaced by a much nicer, full soft finish with good fruit. There still was just a touch too much acidity for my taste, but this is a decent wine for $10. Sadly, it seems to be a little low on the alcohol content, as they don't even bother to list it on the bottle (a good Zin should have around 15%). But let it breathe in the glass for a decent amount of time before quaffing!

It will probably rate another bottle or two for further testing here at Netherfield.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:34 PM | Comments (6)

More Tree Hugging Debate

...in Miami?

A renaissance is under way on Biscayne Boulevard, the central artery of downtown Miami, where derelict motels and strip malls are being tenderly restored and scruffy neighborhoods are striving for cachet. But a defining element is about to vanish: the royal palm trees that have lined the street for decades, making clear that this is not Hartford or Detroit, but the otherworldly subtropics.

Along several miles of the street, the tall, trim royals are being replaced with bushier live oaks, which planners say will provide much-needed shade and beautify the heavily traveled street.

...Most palm trees withstood the high winds of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, making their dwindling popularity all the more puzzling. Some private landowners, like Skip Stoltz, a developer in Palm Beach County, are planting only palms after losing dozens of hardwood trees in the storms.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:28 PM | Comments (5)

Susanna Has No Clue

...how many merlot snobs frequent this blog, the bilious buggers. But her comment in the post below did remind me to note the merlot ::GASP:: we enjoyed Friday evening. Suffering for a good cause cleanses the soul, believe me.

A miserly $12.99 a bottle and it were yum.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:56 PM | Comments (3)

My Two Favoritest Things ~ Tree Hugging and Swilling

...are at odds in the real world.

In the fog-shrouded forests of California’s remote North Coast, winemakers believe they’ve found the perfect terrain to grow the notoriously fickle pinot noir grape prized by connoisseurs.

Vineyard developers are snapping up thousands of acres of redwoods and firs in Sonoma County, with plans to clear the trees and plant the once-obscure varietal made famous by the wine-fueled road trip film “Sideways.”

Environmentalists and residents in Annapolis, a tiny town about 85 miles north of San Francisco, are trying to rein in the pinot lovers.

This is like my worst nightmare. Sasquatch homeless for a varietal that'll be out of favor in five years. I mean, 'White Zinfandel' was the 'next big thing' just a while ago. Gack.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:11 AM | Comments (10)

January 20, 2006

Coming From Him

...it's a worrying admission.

Land conflicts, fluctuating crop prices and backward conditions in the countryside are threatening China's stability and its food supply, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in unusually blunt comments published Friday.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:05 PM | Comments (4)

Sounds Like We Got Us

...a pi$$in' match.

Four and a half months after Hurricane Katrina blew through Louisiana, a bit of Mississippi envy is in the air.

...Before Congress adjourned last year, it passed a hurricane aid package that included up to $6.2 billion in grant money for Louisiana and $5.3 billion for Mississippi, the two states hardest-hit by Hurricane Katrina. But Louisiana officials say that getting 54 percent of the Community Development Block Grant money -- the most it can get under the law -- is nowhere near enough for the level of damage to homes, schools, hospitals and businesses, which they say far overshadows the destruction in Mississippi and the other Gulf Coast states.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:52 PM | Comments (2)

It Appears There is Historical Precedent

...for the Coors Twins.

An ancient brewery from a vanished empire was staffed by elite women who were selected for their beauty or nobility, a new study concludes.

The finding adds to other evidence that women played a more crucial role in ancient Andean societies than history books have stated. It may also in some ways reflect modern drinking traditions in the Andean mountains, where women get drunk as much as men, researchers say.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:39 PM | Comments (6)

Today's Gulf War I Photo

Honestly. It'll fit. We do this all the time.

As a matter of fact, they wrote the book on it.

Loading an HMH-466 CH53E Super Stallion into C-5.
You'll notice it's green. No spray cans yet.
MCAS El Toro.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:25 PM | Comments (6)

Speaking of Things Academic

First: can you take a study done by a guy named "Pierre Pica" (Well, okay, Cullen could.) from "Paris VIII University (...and WTF is that?)" seriously. Even if you could, it raises some nagging questions...

We’re hard-wired for geometry

Tests with Amazon villagers hint at innate geometrical sense

Even if you never learned the difference between a triangle, a rectangle and a trapezoid, and you never used a ruler, a compass or a map, you would still do well on some basic geometry tests, according to a new study.

Using a series of nonverbal tests, scientists claim to have uncovered core knowledge of geometry in villagers from a remote region of the Amazon who have little schooling or experience with maps and speak a language without the mathematical language of geometry.

During the test, each participant was shown 43 sets of six images — and asked to choose the one “weird” or “odd” image out of each set of six. A correct answer required the person to choose the image that did not follow the same basic aspect of geometry illustrated in the other five images.

Which one doesn't belong?


Which is the "odd" image?


Which triangle is most unlike the others?

...I think the exercise results are irreparably skewed.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:57 PM | Comments (2)

::sigh:: I Love

...John. He talks such sense so purty.

Just as the Boomers here enjoy the fruits of a society most of them had no hand in building or maintaining (and in fact actively tried to destroy), pretentious, preening Europeans can be that way because the wolf has been kept from their door by the very American military might that they so despise.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:12 AM | Comments (1)

Site Stats

...are amazing. I never knew there was a 'Nude Auto Mall' online.

I do now.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:13 AM | Comments (10)

No Surprises Here

More than half of students at four-year colleges — and at least 75 percent at two-year colleges — lack the literacy to handle complex, real-life tasks such as understanding credit card offers, a study found.

...Without "proficient" skills, or those needed to perform more complex tasks, students fall behind. They cannot interpret a table about exercise and blood pressure, understand the arguments of newspaper editorials, compare credit card offers with different interest rates and annual fees or summarize results of a survey about parental involvement in school.

"It is kind of disturbing that a lot of folks are graduating with a degree and they're not going to be able to do those things," said Stephane Baldi, the study's director at the American Institutes for Research, a behavioral and social science research organization.

Most students at community colleges and four-year schools showed intermediate skills. That means they can do moderately challenging tasks, such as identifying a location on a map.

...The survey examined college students nearing the end of their degree programs.

The students did the worst on matters involving math, according to the study.

Almost 20 percent of students pursuing four-year degrees had only basic quantitative skills. For example, the students could not estimate if their car had enough gas to get to the service station. About 30 percent of two-year students had only basic math skills.

But that's just me. In the meantime, I hope you know how to make change for your $20 when the register poops out, 'cause the 26 year old knuckle-head behind the counter (AND her manager) sure won't.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:39 AM | Comments (10)

Guess Their SPAM FIlters Weren't Working

Paper Shutters Blog After Ombudsman Post

The Washington Post shut down one of its blogs Thursday after the newspaper's ombudsman raised the ire of readers by writing that lobbyist Jack Abramoff gave money to the Democrats as well as to Republicans.

...There were so many personal attacks that the newspaper's staff could not "keep the board clean, there was some pretty filthy stuff," and so the Post shut down comments on the blog,...

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:32 AM | Comments (6)

I'm Sorry, Dad

"In simple terms, this is the story of a decent and honorable young man embarked on a spiritual quest,"

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:22 AM | Comments (9)

The Wheels of Justice Turn SLowly

But they do turn.

A man who spent nearly 21 years in prison for a toddler's death, now believed to have been an accident, was awarded $756,900 by a state compensation board - $100 for every day he spent in prison.

...In 2004, the San Diego district attorney asked for a new trial and later dropped the case when a doctor raised doubt about Marsh's guilt. Marsh was released from prison that year and married Philip's mother.

Doctors retained by Marsh's attorneys believe the drug mannitol, which was administered by physicians at Children's Hospital to treat the head injury, was a "substantial factor" in the boy's death.

Marsh has filed a $50 million federal lawsuit against doctors at the hospital and a coroner's investigator, alleging they conspired to "cover up" alleged medical malpractice that contributed to the boy's death.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:18 AM

January 19, 2006

Bless Beer Brains' Little Green Heart

He made me laugh by mentioning one of my all time 'stupid' funny favorites.

"This is my BOOM stick!"

::sigh:: From such small gestures are the cherished memories of childhood made.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:01 PM | Comments (9)

Whatever It Is Chimpy's Been Doing All Wrong?

Now's NOT the time to consider a change in direction.

Bin Laden Warns of Attacks, Offers Truce

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:38 AM | Comments (2)

Damn You, You Dangerous Cowboy!

Man, what an ignorant sabre-rattler:

"The leaders of states who would use terrorist means against us, as well as those who would consider using in one way or another weapons of mass destruction, must understand that they would lay themselves open to a firm and adapted response on our part... This response could be a conventional one. It could also be of a different kind." ...(the President), who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said all of (their) nuclear forces had been configured with the new strategy in mind and the number of nuclear warheads on (their) nuclear submarines had been reduced to allow targeted strikes.

It was the first time he had so clearly linked the threat of a nuclear response to a terrorist attack.

My god. What the hell is Bush thinking?

Oh wait...it wasn't Bush.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:26 AM | Comments (6)

D'oh!: See Noggin, Ray

When it rains, it pours.

(Anderson) COOPER: Sean, thanks for that.

It was here on the program that we expected to speak with Mayor Nagin, even though getting the mayor to come on the program is only a little easier than herding cats. When we -- when he last appeared on 360, which was about four months ago, shortly before Hurricane Rita, he promised he would be back.

Since then, we have put in dozens of requests for interviews. He's always declined them. Twice, he has agreed to appear, then canceled shortly before airtime, as he did tonight.

This morning, he agreed to appear. And, then, around 6:00 p.m., he confirmed he would appear. Then, shortly after, his office told us the mayor had an emergency to deal with. They said he would not be showing up.

Now, they didn't say what the emergency was. And we're not here to judge a person's emergencies. But, last we checked, the mayor was eating dinner at a restaurant called Bourbon House on the corner of Bourbon Street.

And Sean Callebs is actually standing outside the restaurant right now.

Sean, is the mayor still inside having dinner?

CALLEBS: Well, as best we can tell, Anderson, he is, indeed.

I can you how this evening played out. After we got the call that the mayor was going to cancel the interview, we had a crew out here. Somebody went upstairs to the second floor in a private dining area. They saw the mayor greeting members of the Commission to Bring Back New Orleans.

Now, we had people out here the entire time. There are still a number of city vehicles out here. We went up a short while ago to check once again to see if Mayor Nagin was upstairs on the second floor. This time, those doors were shut, and the mayor's press officer is standing out in front -- Anderson.

COOPER: Well, tell her I -- I left her a message as well. I would love to talk to her, when she gets a chance.

To your knowledge, are there any emergencies happening in Bourbon House right now?

CALLEBS: No.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:20 AM | Comments (5)

Oh Ick!

Big jelly fish:

"It's a terrible problem. They're like aliens," Noriyuki Kani of the fisheries federation in Toyama, northwest of Tokyo, told Reuters ahead of the conference.

One Echizen kurage can be up to 2 meters (6 feet, 7 inches) in diameter and weigh up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds).

Looks like a helluva lot of sushi, though. Heck, the Japanese seem to eat everything else they find swimming...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:16 AM | Comments (6)

You Can Laugh About It

...until it hits you in the wallet. THEN it's not so funny anymore.

The impact of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's controversial comments on Martin Luther King Day landed squarely on the shoulders of local tourism officials Wednesday, one day after the mayor and his staff launched a major damage control effort to temper the firestorm.

As pundits and talk-show hosts parodied Nagin coast to coast, tourism officials tried to soothe angry, disillusioned clients while political observers weighed the potential impact in Washington.

..."A lot of people in Washington see Louisiana as a banana republic and New Orleans as a kind of zoo," Cook said. "The mayor's not helping the city when he says things like that. It just reinforces that negative stereotype and really does hurt your cause."

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:16 AM

I Know Money's Tight

...but this veto seems like a particularly bad idea.

Gov. Haley Barbour vetoed a bill Wednesday that would phase out a state sales tax on groceries and increase the tax on cigarettes.

...The bill, which zipped through the Senate and House at the start of the 2006 session, would eliminate the 7 percent grocery tax by 2014.

Officials say Mississippi has the highest state grocery tax in the nation - but one of the lowest cigarette excise taxes, 18 cents a pack.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:06 AM

A Restructuring of Global Proportions

US poised for radical reform of foreign aid programme

The Bush administration is expected to announce on Thursday a controversial restructuring of its foreign aid system under Randall Tobias, a retired pharmaceuticals executive who currently heads the US global Aids programme.

..."In the 21st century, emerging nations like India and China, and Brazil and Egypt, and Indonesia and South Africa are increasingly shaping the course of history," Ms Rice said.

The US global posture did not reflect these changes, she said, noting that the US had nearly the same number of diplomats in Germany, with a population of 82m, as in India, with 1bn people.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:54 AM | Comments (1)

Helmut Kohl Ring a Bell?

“You don’t get whales coming to Berlin too often,” said Berlin police spokesman Bernhard Schodrowski.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:39 AM

Chimpy, Chimpy, Chimpy...

Damn.

Jobless claims fall 36,000, lowest since 2000

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:41 AM | Comments (2)

Damn You Chimpy For Using Diplomacy!!!!

How many different sides of her mouth can Hillary talk out of? For years she damns Chimpy for being the cowboy and not engaging our allies, yaddayaddayadda, and now

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton called for United Nations sanctions against Iran as it resumes its nuclear program and faulted the Bush administration for "downplaying" the threat.

In an address Wednesday evening at Princeton University, Clinton, D-N.Y., said it was a mistake for the United States to have Britain, France and Germany head up nuclear talks with Iran over the past 2 1/2 years. Last week, Iran resumed nuclear research in a move Tehran claims is for energy, not weapons.

"I believe that we lost critical time in dealing with Iran because the White House chose to downplay the threats and chose to outsource the negotiations," Clinton said.

So she would have attacked them long ago? Is that what she's saying?

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:33 AM | Comments (6)

The Gun That Won the West

...has ridden into the sunset.

Traditional Winchester rifles discontinued, factory to close

The traditional Winchester rifles carried by pioneers, movie stars and Wild West lawmen will be discontinued in March, a Belgian manufacturer said Wednesday, confirming the end of an American icon that became known as "The Gun that Won the West."

More Winchester porn. I LOVE this picture!

Along with the more in-depth CNN piece from which it was stolen.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:25 AM | Comments (8)

Who's Your Buddy, Who's Your

...pal?

After the longest independent counsel investigation in history, the prosecutor in the case of former Housing Secretary Henry G. Cisneros is finally closing his operation with a scathing report accusing Clinton administration officials of thwarting an inquiry into whether Mr. Cisneros evaded paying income taxes.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:51 AM

January 18, 2006

UPDATE: I'd Say That Makes It

...REALLY "good intelligence"...

U.S. Strike Killed Al Qaeda Bomb Maker
Jan. 18, 2006 — ABC News has learned that al Qaeda's master bomb maker and chemical weapons expert was one of the men killed in last week's U.S. missile attack in eastern Pakistan.

..."This is extraordinarily important," said former FBI agent Jack Cloonan, an ABC News consultant, who was the senior agent on the FBI's al Qaeda squad. "He's the man who trained the shoe bomber, Richard Reid and Zacharias Mousssaoui, as well as hundreds of others."

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:09 PM | Comments (2)

First Rule of War

Never give a Marine a can of spray paint and say:

"Camouflage that thing."

All cherished memories, war remembrances and Desert Storm photos © Major Dad, riding with the Wolfpack of HMH-466.

EDITOR'S NOTE: These are two different airplanes. And they brought them home to MCAS Tustin that way. We all thought it was a great tragedy when it had to be stripped off and painted air superiority blue. Major Dad adds:

"Those weren't the only two that were painted. One had a silhouette of Foghorn Leghorn and sundry other silhouettes. We had 16 planes..."

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:22 PM | Comments (12)

A Yin and Yang Moment, If There Ever Was One

One over the other news links on CNBC.com. First:

American grounds 27 aircraft as losses reach $604m

Southwest reports 75% profit growth, protests fees

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:19 PM

Capitol Crimes

...have been recorded.

Tucked away in the basement of West Virginia's gold-domed Capitol, state officials say, an office was secretly transformed into a taxpayer-funded studio that may have been used to pirate DVD videos and music CDs.

Administration Secretary Robert Ferguson said his staff stumbled across the office after finding evidence that government purchase cards were used to buy $88,000 worth of computers and related equipment over three years.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:37 PM | Comments (2)

Major Dad is NOT, Repeat NOT

...EVER getting one of these cars. Fuggedaboudit, pal.

Woman Poses Naked on Car at Auto Show

DETROIT (AP) -- City officials are trying to figure out how a woman sneaked into the North American International Auto Show after closing time to pose naked atop the new Dodge Challenger.

It happened around 2:30 a.m. Monday when only workers and security guards were supposed to be inside Cobo Center.

Guards found the woman and about a dozen gawkers taking photographs with camera phones, workers told The Detroit News.

"We heard they were all over the Challenger," said Jason Vines, a spokesman for the Chrysler Group, which earlier had tried to give its cars more sex appeal by bringing in fully clothed "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria to pose at its exhibit.

Cobo Director Glenn Blanton said disciplinary action will be taken if employees were involved in the security breach.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:45 AM | Comments (7)

At Least We Can Still Celebrate Here

...unlike the state next door.

Bill would end keg parties in Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Keg beer parties may soon come become illegal in Alabama because of problems with underage drinking, and it will be with the support of the beer industry.

The Alabama Senate voted 30-0 Tuesday for legislation that would ban the sale of draft beer in kegs of five gallons or more to individuals. The legislation would still permit draft beer to be sold in restaurants and bars in the 24 counties where it's legal.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:13 AM | Comments (14)

Mr. Bingley

On this day in the...mid 1960's...he first began scoffing at the world.

Happy Birthday. Have a drink.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:01 AM | Comments (27)

La La La La La Laaaaaa...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:55 AM | Comments (8)

January 17, 2006

"...Confirmed It Was Based on Good Intelligence"

Reported on ABC World News Tonight this evening. They're talking about the missile strike in Pakistan that left at least three Egyptians dead in the rubble.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:38 PM | Comments (1)

Remembering

...is half the battle.

Family and friends of deposed Communist Party leader Zhao Ziyang gathered Tuesday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of his death, as authorities kept a close watch on dissidents seeking to further his legacy of political openness.

Visitors streamed into Zhao's Beijing home, where he spent the last 15 years under house arrest after being purged from his position for sympathizing with pro-democracy protesters in 1989.

...According to Hu, a friend visiting Zhao's home saw up to five busloads of people being taken away for questioning.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:18 PM | Comments (2)

Now That's a Loaded Question

HH: Frank Gaffney, if in fact we struck Iran, in sort of an Operation Desert Fox, like Bill Clinton unleashed on Iraq for 96 hours of pummeling in 1998, and we leveled their facilities like Clinton did to Iraq's facilities in 1998, what would follow in the world? We've got about a minute. Can you tell people what you think would happen?

Your answer, Swillers...? What would you do if you ran the zoo?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:07 PM | Comments (4)

Comin' Out Swingin'!

...“If Al Gore is going to be the voice of the Democrats on national security matters, we welcome it,” White House press secretary Scott McClellan said...

...McClellan said the Clinton-Gore administration had engaged in warrantless physical searches, and he cited an FBI search of the home of CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames without permission from a judge. He said Clinton’s deputy attorney general, Jamie Gorelick, had testified before Congress that the president had the inherent authority to engage in physical searches without warrants.

“I think his hypocrisy knows no bounds,” McClellan said of Gore.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:48 PM | Comments (1)

Extreme Make-Over

...the Canadian edition.

Newly centrist Harper heading for polls upset

Until the Canadian election campaign got under way in late November, Stephen Harper, leader of the opposition Conservative party, was widely viewed outside his home province of Alberta as a truculent and condescending ideologue. That image helped seal the Conservatives' defeat in the last election, in June 2004.

But voters have seen a different candidate this winter, one more centrist and much more to their liking, setting the stage for what could be one of the biggest upsets in Canada's political history.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:26 PM | Comments (1)

Oh Right

I can't wait until he insists on being called Kingley Bingley. You know it's going to happen as soon as he reads this.

Irish king left a wide genetic trail

Scientists say 3 million men are descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:00 PM | Comments (9)

15 Years Ago Today

...Desert Storm started.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:23 AM | Comments (10)

January 16, 2006

A Human Being, Warts and All

But the right man at the right time.

If only he'd had more time.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:52 PM | Comments (3)

There Are No Words

The West Virginia mining disaster (A Swill Salute to Florida Cracker) has something to do with homosexuals burning in Hell. In my limited imaginative capacity, I really have a problem making a connection. Perhaps you do, too. (God, I hope so.)

So we're all clear on the dogma behind this hatefulness: this is what Jesus would do...how? I thought we were taught he loves us all? I musta read a different book. But I know for a fact I had better manners than that drilled into me, regardless of religious leanings.

Just because you're doing something in the name of the Lord doesn't make it "Christian". Or "right". Sometimes it just makes you an ignorant a$$hole.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:44 PM | Comments (7)

We Feel Your Pain

...since no one's remembered a little number named Ivan, either. Witness how we were left out of the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act. Bangla-cola might as well be in Asia.

Many on Miss. Coast Feel Overshadowed

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) -- Nicki Henderson has had plenty of reasons to be angry since Hurricane Katrina destroyed her Biloxi home, but it was a simple news item about dislocated dolphins that really made her blood boil.

Henderson lost her temper when she logged on to her computer and spotted this headline: "New Orleans Dolphins Find New Home." She knew the dolphins actually came from a hurricane-ravaged marine park in Gulfport, not New Orleans.

The headline writer's error reinforced her belief - shared by many on Mississippi's Gulf Coast - that New Orleans has gotten a disproportionate share of the news coverage and the nation's attention in the aftermath of the storm, now more than four months gone.

Welcome to our world.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:06 PM | Comments (4)

Whaddaya Think?

Anyone up for one?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:13 PM | Comments (15)

There's a Terrific Audio Photo Gallery

...that complements the article...

Ice Wine Is Called 'Nectar of the Gods'

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:06 PM | Comments (1)

January 15, 2006

Hey, Rob?

Told ya. Sorry man.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:23 PM | Comments (4)

Last Night's Grub

So to go with the Latour, as I said, I decided to splurgeulate a bit and cook a rib roast. I'd never made one before, but by following Sis' Bingley-proof recipe it turned out trés yum:

For the side dish I decided to try out a recipe from a book that I've gotten a great bunch of steak side dish recipes from (written, oddly enough, by a fellow Virginia grad). The recipe is for Tuscan beans and potatos.

You take about a pound of new potatos, cut them into 1/2" cubes, and get them cooking with 2 tbs each olive oil and butter, and some minced garlic in a large pan (I say 'some' because I love garlic, and use tons. The recipe calls for 2 cloves worth, but I use a lot more. Your mileage may vary). Let 'em cook for 20 minutes or so over medium heat, stirring often until the spuds are brown on all sides

While they're cooking cut 2 oz or so of pancetta into smallish bits. Also chop about 3/4 a cup of red onion and about the same amount of shallots, and put that on the side for the moment.

Oh, and make sure you've got a bottle of wine going.

When the spuds are done transfer them to a cookie sheet that you've covered with a few layers of paper towels to sop up the excess oil. Refill your wine glass if you haven't already (a few times, I trust).

Wipe out the pan with some more paper towels (hey, they're cheap at Costco!) and put 3 tbs olive oil in and crank the heat up to medium high. Plop in the pancetta and cook it until crisp, stirring constantly. Once it gets really going you can turn down the heat a bit.

Don't forget about the wine! Cooking is hard work; you need to keep your strength up.

Once the Pancetta is crisp turn the heat back to medium, or a touch less, and add the onions and shallots. Sauté them until the onions are clear but not yet browned.

Then add back the potatos, 2 cans (rinsed) of canelli beans, 1/2 cup or so of beef broth, and 6 fresh sage leaves that you've ripped into little chunks. Cook for, oh, another 10 minutes or so until it is nicely heated up and mixed. Serve it hot.

With wine, naturally.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 04:15 PM | Comments (3)

QUICK, QUICK, QUICK!!!

Bingley's cable's out ~ a communication vacuum courtesy of the lovely weather he photographed ~ so say whatever you want while you can!

No 'P' or 'C' words, though, or I'll splash ya.

Off to bake cookies. (I watched the Oracle scene in "The Matrix" last night and have been starving ever since.)

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:06 PM | Comments (2)

Mr. Bingley

...Man of Romance and Action.

A great ball is taking place. African drummers are beating out primitive rhythms. Liveried servants are passing canapés of blackened tapir and wildebeest tartar. Titled Brits, maddened by the prospect of new blood and old money, are gyrating wildly, except for Lydia, who is necking with the butler in the pantry.

MR. BINGLEY, the wealthy Londoner who has rented Netherfield Park, is chatting with Elizabeth and Jane. Elizabeth, exquisitely attuned to her gentle sister’s feelings, intuits that Jane is very much attracted to Mr. Bingley, for she is lying on the floor, clinging to his leg.

Suddenly, the noise of panicked horses is heard outside. The earth shakes as DARCY KONG, a 25-foot giant ape, outfitted in a smart coat with brass buttons and tight breeches, strides arrogantly into the room. He surveys the other guests with disdain, lifts a cut glass punch bowl to his mouth and empties it in one draught. Then he flings it into the fireplace, severing the leg of a nearby footman. Elizabeth is appalled by his rude behavior.

ELIZABETH
You’re not from around here are you?

KONG
GGGGRRRROWWWllllllll.

MR. BINGLEY
(somewhat encumbered by Jane clinging to his leg)
Permit me to translate. Mr. Kong just said, “I do not have the talent of conversing easily with strangers.”

ELIZABETH

(One of the few women of her generation to have read Giant Ape at Oxford)
ARRROOOOWWW, ARRRRGGGHH UUUGGGAUGGAAA!

MR. BINGLEY
Oh, Elizabeth, you speak Giant Ape, too? Isn’t that marvelous. Let me continue for the others: Miss Bennett just said, “Maybe you should practice.”

KONG
GROOOWWWWLLLL!!!

MR. BINGLEY
And Mr. Kong just said — I do hope I’m getting this right — “Maybe you should practice screaming, ‘Cause we’re out of here, babe.’"

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:57 PM | Comments (1)

The Advantages of Self Delusion

Several Democrats expressed frustration over what they saw as the Republicans outmaneuvering them by drawing attention to an episode Wednesday when Judge Alito's wife, Martha-Ann, began crying as her husband was being questioned. That evening, senior Democratic senate aides convened at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, stunned at the realization that the pictures of a weeping Mrs. Alito were being broadcast across the nation - as opposed to, for example, images of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, pressing Judge Alito about his membership in an alumni club that resisted affirmative action efforts.

"Had she not cried, we would have won that day," said one Senate strategist involved in the hearings, who did not want to be quoted by name discussing the Democrats' problems. "It got front-page attention. It was on every local news show."

"George Bush won the election," said Representative Rahm Emanuel, an Illinois Democrat. "If you don't like it, you better win elections."

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:44 PM | Comments (1)

A Sunday Love Note From Us

...to him.

Oh, yeah. I can feel the love.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:20 PM | Comments (5)

Damn You Chimpy!

Yesterday it was 60º and sort of misty-raining.

Today we woke up to this:

22º with 40 mph gusts creating lots of wind-blown snow whiteouts.

The weather changed. It's Bush's fault.

Where's that durned puppy...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:08 AM

Word of the Day

...in honor of Mr. Summers and the 'split infinitive'.

polymath \PAH-lee-math\ noun

: a person of encyclopedic learning

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:54 AM | Comments (3)

Tradition is a Terrible Thing

...to lose, sometimes.

After 155 Years, Marine Sentries Removed

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- A Naval Academy tradition that lasted 155 years has come to an end: The Marine Corps sentries who guarded the gates and the crypt of Revolutionary War Capt. John Paul Jones have been withdrawn and sent to war.

The four dozen Marines were released from their security duties in a ceremony on Friday and are being replaced by Navy enlisted personnel.

"Pray for them, for many of them are going into harm's way," a chaplain said in an invocation for the departing members of the Naval Academy Company, Marine Barracks.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:13 AM | Comments (1)

January 14, 2006

What I'm Drinking Tonight

Vintage-wise, I've lived a pretty charmed life. I graduated HS in 1982, took my University degree in 1986, and I got married in 1989. Those are simply the 3 finest wine years of the past century. Sadly, my parents lacked the knowledge at the time to properly commemorate (oh fine, I split the infinitive: "commemorate properly". And to boldly go where no man has...) the first two events with a case or two of delightful treats, and I sadly lacked the depth-of-pocket to properly attend to the later event. But I have managed over the years to scrape and scrabble out a few bottles of my favorite chateau. Unfortunately from a wine standpoint, my daughter was born in 1993, which was an awful year everywhere. I don't think she had anything to do with it.

Anyhow, what started me thinking along these lines was an article in Friday's Wall Street Journal, where the folks who review the wine talked about coming across the bottle of 1989 Chateau Latour in their cellar and wondering "is it time?" I must confess the exact same thought occured to me over Christmas. I have a few bottles of Latour, and they've been with us for many years, from apartment to apartment to rented house to owned house, kept under the best conditions I could manage but conditions far from ideal, and I thought "should I...should I?"...and I didn't. I haven't. I couldn't. It's a strange love affair that we have with those special bottles. We remember where we bought them, how we've cared for them. We guard them like precious children, waiting for that special moment to open and enjoy them. Is this particular moment special enough? Do you know how much this bottle is worth! When will they be 'perfect'? When is the right time? When it's opened, it's gone forever. There's a finality there that stays the hand. Oh, the torments we put ourselves through! And there have been times when I waited too long, when years of excited expectation are lost in a powdered cork, in a flat, dead wine, in a sour vinagrette.

So the article made me think. By gum, I'm opening one tonight.

It's close enough to my birthday, so that can be the reason. But the real reason is I love life. I love my wife. And I love wine. What the heck other reason do I need?

So I bought a big honking rib roast. I'm making a nice sage-accented side of new potatos and canelli beans. We'll have a salad with a bleu-cheese vinagrette dressing.

And we'll open this

I'll let you know how it goes.

Update and bump below the fold

Well, I am quite pleased. When I first tasted it it had a sourish smell, but as it opened up during dinner it became quite nice. It still had a good deep ruby color, with no trace of the brick-red sign of over-the-hill-ness around the edges, and very smooth tannins with still some lovely fruit. Very impressive for a 20 year old wine that has been schlumped from closet to closet! Chateau Latour simply rocks.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:15 PM | Comments (11)

I Am PISSED!!!!

45 weeks a year of 697 channels with not one damn thing to watch, so WHAT DO THE S.O.B.'S DO??

Schedule the National Football League Play-Offs, the Eukanuba Cup National Championship AND The National Figure Skating Championships for the EXACT Same 3 HOUR BLOCK on Saturday night.

Jacka$$es.
UPDATE: And just for the record: No, Michelle Kwan should not get a free pass into the Olympics.

There. I said it.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:17 PM | Comments (9)

Speaking of Your Eating Pleasure

~ an on going theme as we've covered cannibals, zinful types, green hams and fine wines this week ~ the Carnival of the Recipes is up at The Common Room. Yums!!

Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:25 PM

What I Drank Last Night

I love Zins. I adore Zins. So I'm always on the lookout for new Zins to try, especially in the $13 or so-ish price range. Sure, some of us can plunk down 30 clams with out blinking an eye, and I certainly have a few muy caro bottles, but for, say we say, every day drinking that simply ain't an option. This is why I'm so fond of aussie Shiraz, where you get great big jammy wines for under $20 pretty consistantly.

Anyhow, I've been trolling the Zin Bin at the Evil Clown looking to see what jewels I could discover, and I came across this Clos du Bois Zin and I thought I'd give it a try. It was $12.99.

Well, if you are a fan of big Zins, this isn't for you. It's frankly one of the most un-Zin like Zins I've ever had. It is a soft, thinnish sort of wine that frankly tastes like a merlot, albeit a pretty decent one. With Zins I want/like big gobs of jam, a fair bit of spice and cedar, and by gum darn near 15% alcohol. This falls short on all accounts. Don't get me wrong, it is a pleasant-drinking enough wine...but it's not a Zin with a capital "Z".

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:29 PM | Comments (5)

January 13, 2006

An Ice COLD Swill Salute

...to Westerville, Ohio!!

The central Ohio city of Westerville, once known as the "dry capital of the world," is dry no more.

A pizza parlor on Thursday became the first establishment in Westerville's uptown business district to legally serve a beer since 1875.

Oh, I see Miss Emily's celebrating too!

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:26 PM

Why Bingley Doesn't Figure Skate

He can't think of things like this to say:

“Figure skating is an amazing ride,” Weir said. “You’re feeling like the lowest scum in the pond two hours ago, and go to the prettiest flower in the pond..."

Posted by tree hugging sister at 06:01 PM | Comments (5)

Nummies!

We've had this. We're looking forward to more.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 03:07 PM | Comments (9)

The Swilling is VERY Proud of Their Stature

...in the sports world. But rabid haters ~ like Bill and Kcruella ~ best avert their eyes, lest you be stricken BLIND by the radiant GLORY of it. Better yet...

DON'T CLICK THROUGH AT ALL !!

For the children.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:53 PM | Comments (8)

Twins?

Stolen, as always, from Ken.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:43 AM | Comments (10)

There's 'Whoops!'

And then there's WHOOPS!! This falls in the latter category.

A campaign fundraising group for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has agreed to a $35,000 fine for underreporting hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on a Hollywood fundraiser in 2000.

The organization, New York Senate 2000, agreed to a federal finding that it failed to report $721,895 spent on the fundraiser to boost the former first lady's campaign for the Senate, according to paperwork provided by Peter F. Paul, who helped finance the star-studded gala that drew Cher, Diana Ross, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.

...the agreement ends the investigation and comes with a letter from the FEC stating that Clinton did not violate the law.

A state senator with two homes and a leased Lexus is not too poverty stricken to pay $8,750 in fines for campaign law violations, a judge said.

Noting that he had faced a much higher fine, Diaz de la Portilla called Clark's decision a "major victory."

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:44 AM | Comments (5)

Absolutely No Cannibals in New Orleans

And now it seems there were none in the Sierras, either.

There’s no physical evidence that the family who gave the Donner Party its name had anything to do with the cannibalism the ill-fated pioneers have been associated with for a century and a half, two scientists said Thursday.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:21 AM | Comments (22)

January 12, 2006

Channeling Tookie Williams

This didn't go too well for his legions of supporters. Glad Governor Warner pushed the doing tests, though.

DNA tests confirm executed man's guilt

Va. man went to his death in 1992 proclaiming his innocence in murder

Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:17 PM | Comments (2)

A Classic Headline

EU calls for UN action over Iran

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:18 PM

A Rare Ebola Sighting Last Night

He swooped in to pick up his Barnes and Noble package with the Firefly boxed set in it. Can't wait to hear what he thinks, not that he'll let us borrow it anytime soon.

After feeding, he left. (Leaving the packaging remnants strewn about and dishes in the clean sink, I failed to add.) Sucks to be him.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:58 PM

Work And Booze

Continuing today's theme of shoddy science, look at this little story that Sis saw and immediately thought of me:

Study: Alcohol affects 15 percent of workers Workers drink on the job, arrive under the influence or work with hangover

NEW YORK - There may be an alcohol problem brewing in American offices, shops and factories.

An estimated 15 percent of the U.S. workforce consumes alcohol on the job, has a drink before going to work or otherwise is under the influence of alcohol, according to a study by the University of Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions.

That equates to some 19.2 million workers impaired during the workday via intoxication, withdrawal or hangover.

I'm reminded of the old Twain bit about statistics. The headline on the article and the extrapolated math in the first few paragraphs pretty strongly implies, it seems to me, that 15% of the US workforce is working under the influence every day. But if you have the temerity to read some more you find out that's not the case.

Coming into work with a hangover was the most common finding.

Er, ok. This is something requires "clear policies" (and, of course, more government funds for "further studies").

The institute said that 10.8 percent admitted they either drank at work, before work or turned up with a hangover but that it happened less than once a month, while 2.9 percent said it was a monthly occurrence and 1.65 percent said weekly.

So that's where they get 15%! Oh sure, 11 of the 15% only do it less than once a month, and most of them are simply hungover. Nothing sexy in that headline. No, no, much better to get creative with the math and say "That equates to some 19.2 million workers impaired during the workday via intoxication, withdrawal or hangover." Much better copy, no?

Incredible.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:22 PM | Comments (11)

Whoopee!

The first big dog show of the year is on this weekend. A warm-up for Westminister. The National Agility Championship is on Animal Planet Feb. 13. Major Dad and I were at our local 'dog fanciers' agility/obedience trials this past Saturday and it was a hoot. (We left the Scottie home, luckily.)

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:20 PM | Comments (3)

A Little More Traffic in the Pattern

...than he'd counted on and the poopheads busted him. Lance 'Link', he's not. Well, okay, he is now.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:16 PM

Sometimes, You Just Have to Ask Yourself

...WHY.

A fluorescent green pig engineered by scientists stands next to normal pigs in Taipei, Taiwan on Thursday.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:59 AM | Comments (8)

A Note on Operation 14 15 (!) Marines of Christmas

I wanted to drop a quick post for those of you who haven't heard from 'your' Marines. It's turned out pretty much like I thought ~ they've been hugely busy in hi-tempo ops and were overwhelmed with the generosity of not only our little enterprise, but lots of church and other tender hearted folks. I'd like to pass along bits of a quick email from Lt. Sarah and I'm hoping to hear more.

Those of you who've been sending stuff to the Marines, I ask that you keep doing so. I know to you guys it seems like we're almost home, but to all of us out here we still have TWO MORE MONTHS. The virtual candy store my desk became is now barren and Marines have begun demanding new sweets again....so, I know I said earlier not to send anymore candy, but if you want to send stuff like treats and sweets I will definitely display them on my desk and share with everyone. :-) Also, if you do send packages to individuals, reference me in someway - not to give me credit, but so they know that it was from someone they "knew" and not just a completely random box. Because many of them are on other mailing groups, it's hard for me to tell them whether or not something they got was from someone I know. Anyway, if they know it's connected to someone here they know, they're more likely to be appreciative and send thank you notes and stuff.

It’s been great around here…I just start a box with magazines and wall street journals and people ask what’s that for? …and I tell them and the next thing ya know they are popping stuff in the box…….found out my company will pay for the shipping so it works out great….i just pack it up and take it to our shipping department – all our company asks is that we don’t pack booze, pork or porno. So we don’t.

If you'd still like to touch base with your Marine, schmaybe check up and see that things got there, just reference the Swilling and Lt. (Sarah) Plummer. If you'd like to adopt one or adopt another one, email moi! I'm so sorry we didn't think of that to begin with (It seems simple enough, right?), but this got started off the cuff and Lord knows, I have no organizational skills at all. My bad entirely.

Anyway, Mardi Gras's coming up and, in between paint sniffing, I'm getting party boxes together. Moon pies and beads are cheapcheapcheap and cheerful. All of us here at the Swilling would like to thank you incredible guys again for your awesome and unwavering efforts for our Marines. If I could buy you all a beer, I would. If you're ever down Bangla-cola way, I will. ( Excepting a certain bull-dozer happy tree-killer, that is. ::sigh:: )

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:59 AM | Comments (9)

More "DAMN You, Chimpy !"

...teeth gnashing required.

Trade gap narrows more than expected

...The monthly trade gap fell 5.8 percent from the record set in October and was significantly below Wall Street's median forecast of $66.25 billion.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:11 AM

A Bridge TOO Far

Navy Lt. Bryan D. Black, a U.S. Naval Academy faculty member, thought he was just shooting the breeze when he told a midshipman that getting on a battleship turned him on.

Such was the sentiment, at least, though the language was saltier than the Chesapeake Bay, where an inspired Black was serving as safety officer on an oceanographic cruise aboard a "yard patrol craft."

Unfortunately for Black, among the midshipmen was at least one sensitive female. He also made some other equally spicy comments about his ex-wife, of whom he apparently is no longer fond, that were overheard by, but not spoken in front of, female midshipmen.

Now he faces a special court-martial and three criminal charges.

UPDATE: Strange this should show up now, but Opinion Journal has a piece about a new book by Kate O'Beirne (who I personally can't stand) called (Ick ~ who thinks of this stuff?) "Women Who Make the World Worse". But how timely. There's this especially relevant quote:

Also from the Clinton era is Duke University law professor Marilyn Morris, who in her role as an adviser to the secretary of the Army urges the elimination of the "masculinist attitudes" of the military, such as "dominance, assertiveness, aggressiveness, independence, self-sufficiency, and willingness to take risks."

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:54 AM | Comments (3)

Alright, Mr. DeMille.

I'm ready for my close-up.

The eight-term senator belonged to an all-male social club -- the Owl -- at Harvard University. The Owl refused to admit women until it was forced to do so during the 1980s, according to records kept by the HARVARD CRIMSON, the student newspaper.

A Kennedy spokeswoman said it was an entirely different matter.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:45 AM | Comments (9)

This Would Be Sgt. Stallworth

...with his KKK membership card. I love it.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:36 AM | Comments (4)

What Happens When Your Big Mouth

...bites you in the a$$ ? Why, THIS, of course!

Pat Robertson, the American televangelist, today appeared to withdraw a diatribe against Ariel Sharon in an attempt to salvage his $50 million plan for a biblical theme park in Galilee

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:30 AM | Comments (3)

Another Mecca Stampede

Jeez. They do this every frickin' year. When are these people gonna learn to pass on the left?

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:23 AM | Comments (6)

Oh, Like That makes a Big Difference

Defence lawyers had acknowledged this week that the tapes were genuine and that Mr Mohamed expected to be found guilty of people smuggling or other charges, but they denied he was a member of Ansar. "He feels himself committed to the 'Islamic holy war', but not to a particular organisation", defence lawyer Rolf Grabow said.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 08:41 AM

January 11, 2006

30% Of The Methane In The Atmosphere

That evil, nasty gas responsible for so much of the global warming that we all see about us, is potentially caused by:

1) The vast herds of cows that exist solely to keep us supplied with Big Macs
2) SUVs and minivans (but oddly not celebrities' Gulfstreams)
3) The bean burritos Ken has for breakfast every day
4) Virgin rainforests

I guess some virgins need to be sacrificed.

To their amazement, the scientists found that all the textbooks written on the biochemistry of plants had apparently overlooked the fact that methane is produced by a range of plants even when there is plenty of oxygen.

The amount of the gas produced increased when the air was warmer, and when there was more sunlight. The paper estimates that this unexplained phenomenon could account for between 10 and 30 per cent of the world's methane emissions.

The possible implications are set out in Nature by David Lowe of New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, who writes, "We now have the spectre that new forests might increase greenhouse warming through methane emissions rather than decrease it by sequestering carbon dioxide."

Defend Gaia.

Cut down a tree.

Update: Near the end of the article is this gem:

Michael Keller of the US Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, who carried out the study, said the new process discovered by the German scientists provided a plausible solution to the puzzle.

But he warned against making any assumptions at this stage about what it meant for the climate impact of forests until much more was known about the way this new phenomenon operates in different conditions and among different species.

Dr Keller said: "We know that when deforestation takes place we liberate large quantities of carbon dioxide, and indeed methane, into the atmosphere. We may be replacing that forest with vegetation which produces more methane.

"Until we know how this process works it is really unwise to come to any conclusions."

Ain't it amazing that whenever data appears that goes against their cherished beliefs we're sternly cautioned against "rushing to conclusions; it's not good science, old chum" whereas they conveniently forget that this whole global warming hullaballoo has been one yuge stampede by themselves, leftist groups and the MSM.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:37 PM | Comments (15)

The Ultimate Brünnhilde and Isolde

... the Turandot all others are measured against ~ has left for Valhalla.

The voice was gigantic and had the ability to slice through even the cruelest, loudest orchestras. Nilsson was a good performer on stage, but it was her sound that made her: the thrill of that sound, which was like an expressive laser beam, was almost unbelievable. It has, fortunately, been well-captured on CD. Nilsson recorded Turandot twice commercially. In both recordings (one with tenor Franco Corelli, the other with Jussi Björling), her clarion tones, her imperiousness, and her sheer potency take one's breath away. Just hearing her opening Battle Cry in Wagner's Die Walküre (the second opera of the Ring cycle, in which Brünnhilde is first introduced) makes you want to hear it again just to make sure you've heard right. And the fact that Nilsson's portrayal of the loving daughter of the King of the Gods, Wotan, is also at the same time defiant, loving, and tender makes one realize what a great artist she is. And her depiction of the Irish princess Isolde, complete with outrage and unmatchable nobility and humanity, is as fine as you'll ever hear. What if she breaks a few glasses? All the more thrilling!

Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:42 PM | Comments (5)

Damn You Chimpy!

If Sean Penn gets cancer, it's your fault!

Welcomed with a standing ovation, Cindy Sheehan and co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace gave a rousing talk. She stressed the need to impeach this administration as war criminals who continue to lie to the American public about pre-war Iraq intelligence. She also contends that Pres. Bush's assertions about pulling the U.S. troops out of Iraq would lead to chaos are a part of a calculated strategy to mislead the American public. Cindy reminded the audience that we all need to take responsibility for Iraq—as we elected the officials who ultimately allowed the invasion and occupation. We have the power to remove them from office. Cindy emphasized we must exit Iraq now to save precious lives. After expressing her support for a Dept. of Peace, Cindy concluded that she'd like to create a U.S. Dept. of History, with herself as the first secretary.

Actor Sean Penn added to the enthusiasm of the day by stressing that all of the nation's anti-war activism was taking hold and was starting to work—while admitting that the stress of living under the current administration was making it tough for him to quit smoking. Stating that he "was not a pacifist on the inside", he was moved to be one on the outside for the sake of his children and grandchildren's future. He said we have to fight for everything we have.

Update: Dave E in comments:

"Guess I picked the wrong Presidency to quit sniffing glue."

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 04:19 PM | Comments (16)

Lileks Defines "oil"

Oil is God's way of saying "your house should be warm in winter and fresh green produce should be available in February, and never mind the birds. Oh look! I just made another billion birds! Like that! Because I can! So shut up and go drive somewhere. Floor it! I command you!"

Works for me!

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:31 PM | Comments (1)

HA HA HA HA !!

With Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito watching the theatrics from his chair, two senior senators on Wednesday engaged in a fiery exchange over a request for records tied to Alito’s membership to a Princeton alumni group more than 30 years ago.

Questions about Alito’s membership in Concerned Alumni of Princeton, a group that at the time tried to limit entry to Princeton by minorities and women, led to the exchange between Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa.

"I attempted to open the door and window of the car but I have no recollection of how I got out of the car. I came to the surface and repeatedly dove down to see if the passenger was still in it. I was unsuccessful in the attempt. I was exhausted and in a state of shock and I recall that I was able to get back to some friends who had a car parked in front of the cottage. I asked someone to bring me back to Edgartown. I remember walking around for a period of time and when I suddenly realized what happened, I immediately called the police," Kennedy said.

UPDATE: Oh saints preserve me, this is EVER SO MUCH MORE DEE-LISH-us than I have any right to expect. That thirty year old Alumni scandal Teddy's trackin' down? They've pulled the Democratic witness. Cause he writes things like this:

For the Democrats, Stephan R. Dujack had been scheduled to testify on Alito's membership in Concerned Alumni of Princeton, a group known for its opposition to opening the school to women and bringing in more minorities. Dujack, also a graduate of Princeton, covered the group for the Ivy League school's alumni magazine for a decade.

Problem: He wrote a column for the Los Angeles Times in April 2003 titled "Animals Suffer a Perpetual Holocaust," defending the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In it, he quoted his grandfather, Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer:

"In relations to (animals), all people are Nazis. For (them), it is an eternal Treblinka." In a column published in the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, Dujack said he has apologized to Holocaust victims who were offended.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:56 PM | Comments (7)

Fire Awareness In Japan

How do you say "Ooops!" in japanese?

Firemen in a small Japanese town were left red-faced after a party to mark the end of a fire awareness promotional event ended in a blaze that badly damaged their station.

And they weren't able to quickly put it out.

At the fire station.

Ho-boy.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:39 PM | Comments (4)

What A Mess For The Catholic Church

Now you've got a Bishop saying he was abused 60 years ago:

Gumbleton, 75, told The Washington Post in an interview published in Wednesday's editions that he was "inappropriately touched" by a priest in 1945 when he was a ninth grader at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit.

...He was appearing in support of a bill pending in the Ohio House that would open a one-year window for sex abuse victims to sue the church for incidents that occurred years ago. The state senate has already passed the bill.

...He told the Post that opening the window to additional law suits in Ohio and elsewhere "could cost the church some money, but it also could bring a great deal of healing to a lot of victims."

Certainly the Church brought a lot of this onto themselves by covering up, ignoring reports and shifting scumbags to different parishes, and for this they have rightly paid and continue to pay, both financially and morally as they should. But for a legislature to effectively write a blank check to anyone who has an axe to grind is just wrong. They will be no standard of proof in these cases; it's a mugging, plain and simple, sanctioned by the state. If someone was abused by an Ohio State Legislator 60 years ago would the Legislature give them another year to file a suit, so long after any reasonable semblence of a statute of limitations had expired? Hell, so long after many of the supposed perps had expired? I don't think so. All those who so zealously scream, and many times rightly so, about the separation of church and state, will they now speak out when the church is singled out unfairly?

Don't hold your breath.

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:33 PM

Program Note

It won't have Daniel Day Lewis...

...(more's the pity) but I'll be watching anyway. I love this stuff.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:37 AM | Comments (18)

Speaking of 'Master Plans'

...she's BAAACKKKKK....

Full steam ahead for Oriskany

Aircraft carrier could be sunk before next hurricane season

Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:11 AM | Comments (3)

The Mouse That Flambeed...

Evidently didn't:

A small -town rumor that sparked world -wide interest about a mouse burning down a house has been found to be untrue.

The story always sounded a little cheesey to me...

Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:42 AM | Comments (7)

Pedagogical

Say THAT three times fast! or just read the article.

In the last few years, law school clinics have put the Berkeley, Calif., school system under judicial supervision for disciplining black and Hispanic students disproportionately to their population (yes, that's Berkeley, the most racially sensitive spot on earth); sued the New York City Police Department for its conduct during the 2004 Republican National Convention; fought "gentrification" (read: economic revitalization) in urban "neighborhoods of color"; sued the Bush administration for virtually every aspect of its conduct of the war on terror; and lobbied for more restrictive "tobacco control" laws. Over their history, clinics can claim credit for making New Jersey pay for abortions for the poor; blocking job-providing industrial facilities; setting up needle exchanges for drug addicts in residential neighborhoods; and preventing New Jersey libraries from ejecting foul-smelling vagrants who are disturbing library users.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:59 AM | Comments (1)

The 'Master Plan'

...is at last revealed. Great. The school of 'throw it all up in the air and see what comes down'. And it's either "not our fault" or "all our idea" depending how the wind blows.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:27 AM | Comments (4)

Playing Russian Roulette

Viktor Yushchenko, Ukrainian president, on Wednesday condemned the decision by parliament to oust his government over last week's gas deal with Russia but reassured European gas consumers that there would be no disruption to supplies.

...Ukraine was plunged into fresh political turmoil on Tuesday as its parliament sacked the pro-western government of Yuri Yekhanurov after he was accused of striking a poor deal to end the gas price dispute with Russia

...The vote was a heavy blow to the presidency of Mr Yushchenko, who now faces the prospect of working with a hostile government after parliamentary elections in March. Ukraine's new constitution, which came into force on January 1, has stripped the president of the power to appoint the cabinet.

Supporters of Volodymyr Lytvyn, the centrist speaker of parliament, joined pro-Russian opponents of Mr Yushchenko and supporters of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko in the vote to sack Mr Yekhanurov

...Hryhory Nemyria, an adviser to Ms Tymoshenko, said Mr Yekhanurov and his cabinet would probably stay on as the acting government for 60 days, which is the maximum allowed after dismissal.

A caretaker government would then serve until a new government was formed by the newly elected parliament.

Tuesday's vote raises the possibility that the pro-Russian opposition, which held power until the Orange Revolution in 2004, could attempt to regain power before the March elections by using powers granted to parliament under a revised constitution.

One Thursday morning this past September,Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine's prime minister, came to work to discover she had been fired. It is rare that events conspire to nudge Tymoshenko off balance. In a photograph taken that morning, the heroine of Ukraine's Orange Revolution and, as prime minister, her country's second most powerful official, looks stricken, gaping at a television screen on which her former ally, President Viktor Yushchenko, announces his decision to dissolve a bickering and ineffective government. By the next day, Tymoshenko would be swinging a hatchet in the sort of political brawl at which she excels. But for the moment, the peasant-braided field marshal of mass protests in this ex-Soviet republic resembled that archetypal creature: a handsome woman wronged.

At the rally in November, Yushchenko's new prime minister, Yuriy Yekhanurov, was greeted with shouts of ''shame, shame'' when he took the stage. Shame, one of the shouting men explained, because he had had the temerity to replace Yulia. It may or may not be shameful, but it is a fact in Ukraine that there exists frustration with the Yushchenko team's abdication of the idea that the revolution was significantly meant to exact justice from a criminal elite.

All of this is significant because this poor, sprawling nation of 47 million people now matters in a way it has not since the Soviet Union's collapse. Bordered by the European Union on the West and by a newly fractious Russia to the north and east, Ukraine is today, as it has been in the past, a buffer space over which empires eye each other warily.

''In Ukraine the stakes are incredibly high,'' says Oksana Antonenko, a senior fellow on Russia and Eurasia at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies. New E.U. member states like Poland and Hungary that have traumatic cultural memories of Russian dominance, Antonenko says, see Ukraine as ''a symbolic issue, for stopping Russia's post-Soviet neoimperialism.'' This is a neoimperialism that worries Ukraine -- a place that even today many Russians have a hard time imagining as something other than the southern portion of their own country. Europe, for its part, has everything to gain from stability on its borders. **

UPDATE: A profile piece on her from The Age.com.au.

**Riveting reading, but it's a Times Select piece, damn their eyes.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:15 AM | Comments (2)

The First Time I Saw This Guy Tonight

...I thought "What's Scott Ritter got to do with this?"

Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:17 AM | Comments (1)

Quote of the Day

Ouch.

HughHewitt: Did you see Teddy Kennedy lie through his teeth?

JohnPodhoretz: Of course it was...lied. Lied, like he knows. Teddy Kennedy doesn't have a functioning brain cell left, as far as I can tell. Who knows? Some robot programmed him to open his fat mouth.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:46 AM

January 10, 2006

Yeesh

Just got this through my little circle of New Orleans area artists. Shame I can't make it. I'd go dressed like a crawdad er sumthin'. Maybe a nutria.

Yeah. That's it.

Nutria.

I can see the headlines now:

Loud, foul mouthed Florida nutria infiltrates peaceful levee protest. Film at 11.

DEMONSTRATION AT JACKSON SQUARE

When: Tomorrow (Jan 12th), Thursday at 10AM

There will be a nonpartisan, single focus demonstration in front of

Jackson Sq this Thursday at 10 am, Jan. 12, to coincide with the

President's visit to New Orleans.

The purpose of the demonstration is to draw attention to the

nonpartisan need for Cat 5 levees AND coastal restoration. The

notice explaining the purpose and parameters follows this email. Here it is:

LET THE PRESIDENT HEAR WHAT AMERICA NEEDS

We need Category 5 levees AND coastal restoration NOW, but

insufficient funds have been allocated for this effort. We will

continue to be at risk until adequate funding is realized.

Our weakened levees and eroding coasts are the result of bi-partisan

neglect over several administrations. The issue of Category 5 levees

AND coastal restoration must be unshackled from partisan politics,

and addressed NOW.

The only way to do this is to de-politicize the issue.

President Bush will be in New Orleans on Thursday. Let the President,

Congress and the world see us together without political or racial

divides on this very important issue. Come one, come all -

Republicans, Democrats, New Orleanians, Jeffersonians, residents of

St. Bernard and Plaquemines - all those who have been affected. Let's

unify on this issue.

Here are the ground rules for this grass-roots effort:

1. No politics. The ONLY issue for this demonstration is Category 5

levees AND coastal restoration. No anti-Bush; no pro-Bush; no

anti-Iraq; no pro-Iraq. No politics. JUST pure focus on the need for

Category 5 levees AND coastal restoration.

2. Bring signs that say only:

- "Cat 5 Levees AND Coastal Restoration NOW!!!!"

Capitalize "AND" and "NOW" to emphasize the need for both.

- "Party Affiliation: Louisianian."

3. Wear a life jacket or bring other items to underscore what will

happen to this area if the funding is not allocated. You can have fun

with this one.

4. Meet on Thursday, January 12, 2006, in front of Jackson Square

where President Bush announced the start of the "Greatest Recovery

the Nation Has Ever Seen."

Thank you,

::sigh:: But they mean well. No politics. What a hoot.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:48 PM | Comments (4)

Hmmmm...

...Pies.

And Hubig's Said, Let Them Eat Pie

This city savors some pleasures not so much for what they are as for what they were.

Thus the local esteem for the Hubig's Pie, a glazed turnover of fried dough and fruit filling, sugary-sweet, palm-size, modest in its aspirations but, since the 1920's, unaltered. And, until Hurricane Katrina, never absent.

But for four months now, New Orleans has done painfully without: Hubig's lost half its employees and a third of its trucks, and returned to huge cracks in its ancient bakery.

Monday, the pies were back. All over town, any driver the Simon Hubig Company could find walked into whatever grocery stores were open, bearing cardboard trays of pies, palm up.

Posted by tree hugging sister at 02:22 PM | Comments (3)

I KNOW These Are Deadly Serious Headlines

...but they're so damn funny together on Drudge.