Banterings

Been a while

2010-11-05T19:05:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a while since we've posted here, eh?

Star Spangled Banners

2006-08-04T13:42:00.000-05:00

I've never been a big fan of the Star Spangled Banner, thinking that God Bless America would be better. But the song is our National Anthem, and so we love it.

Having said that, here is perhaps the greatest peformance of the song ever: Marvin Gaye

And this is perhaps the sweetest, most heartfelt version you'll ever see. Mo Cheeks is a true gentleman.

And I'll offer up "O, Canada" as the best national anthem in the whole world.

2006-06-24T13:45:00.000-05:00

I'll have you know that I have reached the coveted milestone of "Addict" on Yahoo! Launchcast, now having rated over 5000 songs, albums, and artists.

I'll note, too, that my radio station plays almost nothing but songs I like now, even new ones that it finds for me. It's pretty cool.

Sweet

2006-06-08T22:35:00.000-05:00

Sweet

God Bless the United States Marine Corps

2006-06-01T10:58:00.000-05:00

God Bless the United States Marine Corps

Prediction

2006-05-26T15:19:00.000-05:00

Prediction: Barry Bonds will hit 715, and then retire, or at least get put on the Disabled List for the rest of the season.

Dr. Death is "depressed"

2006-05-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I'm crying myself to sleep every night for poor old Jack.

Michelle Wie

2006-05-16T10:03:00.000-05:00

She hits from the men's tees, right?

Exactly

2006-05-12T13:05:00.000-05:00

Exactly

Question for Mitt Romney

2006-05-11T14:07:00.000-05:00

Lots of folks want Mitt Romney to be the Republican nominee for President in 2008. Naturally, his Mormonism is an issue, and there is a question as to whether us Evangelical types will support him.

Well, if I had the chance to ask ol' Mitt one question, this would be the question:

"Gov. Romney -- you profess Mormon beliefs. Since Mormon doctrine holds that all Mormon men who are found worthy will get to be the god of their own planet (just as the god of our planet was found to be worthy to rule over us), do you aspire to be found worthy and someday be made the god of your own planet?

Gas Prices

2006-04-30T20:08:00.000-05:00

William F. Buckley takes up the subject.

And indignation at oil prices is not intelligently exercised by legislative action. Factors here to be considered are varied.

In the past 20 years, profits from oil and gas investment have been lower than the profits from many alternative economic enterprises. Ten percent profit is normal (and normative). Oil and gas investments have tended to run two or three points lower than that ten percent.
To effect an increase in supply requires a lot of investment and a lot of patience. Five to ten years, significantly to increase supply.
The stranglehold of OPEC is not easily dealt with by normal economic responses, given that it is a politically controlled oligopoly.
The causes of significant shortfalls in oil production are often political. Mexico is off on another nationalistic excess. Nigeria is in turmoil, reducing production. Iraq is almost one million barrels a day under what it used to produce. Iran is a day-by-day disrupter. The Saudis, who in the past, have with their huge reserves acted as a kind of federal bank, are needing to do more development.

There isn't anything the U.S. can do - except keep its legislative fingers out of the stew. And open its blinded eyes to the possibilities of nuclear energy.

110th Boston Marathon

2006-04-19T22:20:00.000-05:00

In case you hadn't heard, Robert Cheruiyot won Monday's race, setting a course record with his time of 2:07:14. Mr. Cheruiyot is from Kenya. The Americans made a strong showing placing 3-4-5.

Thus begins the World Marathon Majors competition, a 2-year series including Boston, London, New York, Berlin and Chicago.

Don't Hire This Man

2006-04-14T19:39:00.000-05:00

It looks like this youth minister might be out of a job soon - apparently he takes dodgeball a little too seriously.

David M. Boudreaux, 27, was charged Wednesday with one count of third-degree assault. According to court documents, the incident happened in February at Crescent Lake Christian Academy.

Authorities said the teen missed Boudreaux with one throw but then knocked the youth minister's glasses off with the next.

The boy apologized, authorities said, but Boudreaux pushed him backward, and when the teen got up again Boudreaux kicked him in the groin and left.

Laughing Babies - Google Video

2006-03-15T23:39:00.000-06:00

This may be the greatest video ever recorded.

A Message to All Record Executives

2006-03-14T22:02:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note to any and all record executives out there: No matter what happens on American Idol, I will buy any album recorded by Chris Daughtry.

20 Points

2006-03-04T07:55:00.000-06:00

20 of the most touching basketball points you'll ever see.

The Blog | Walter Cronkite: Telling the Truth About the War on Drugs | The Huffington Post

2006-03-03T11:15:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's a strange day indeed when I agree with Walter Cronkite.

Clay Dyer

2006-02-28T19:17:00.000-06:00

This guy's amazing. Clay Dyer was born with no legs and only half of one arm.

"I knew early that competition was something I would love to be able to do for the rest of my life," Clay said. "That's when I started getting into fishing. I realized it was something I could do, no matter if I was 6'5" and weighed 250 pounds or if I was 40 inches tall and weighed 85 pounds. And I thought it was a sport I could take up on a national level, versus trying to play in the NBA or NFL!"

Clay was right. He can do it - in fact, is doing it - on the national level.

"He's a giant among fisherman," said John E. Phillips, sportsman and outdoors writer. "In my opinion, Clay Dyer is the greatest bass fisherman with whom I have ever fished."

Jay Yelas, 2003 Bass Master Angler of the Year, said, "Clay drives his boat, runs his trolling motor, casts with precision, unhooks his own fish, even ties knots. Yelas lists Clay among his short list of heroes. "Few things move me as much as hearing Clay quote Philippians 4:13: 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,'" he said.

Curling Bronze

2006-02-24T23:12:00.000-06:00

The United States' first Olympic medal in curling was earned today by the boys from Bemidji when they defeated the British team 8-6. The team's skip (I think that's what you call the guy who sends the stone down toward the big target), Pete Fenson, is the owner of Dave's Pizza in Bemidji, Minnesota. Every student, past or present, of Bemidji State University has enjoyed a pie at Dave's. I had more than a few in the late 70's - early 80's. Congrats to Team Fenson!

But did you know ... ?

Britain was shut out of a medal one Olympics after Scottish housewife Rhona Martin threw the "Stone of Destiny" to win the gold medal in Salt Lake City. David Murdoch's team is also from Scotland, which is considered the birthplace of curling.

The "Stone of Destiny"? Did you know about this? I guess if you lived in Scotland you did. Here's more. (Obviously, this is not the "stone of density", with which we're all familiar.)

Debunked

2006-02-16T14:28:00.000-06:00

Debunked

re: Super Bowl

2006-02-07T11:53:00.000-06:00

Gary -- I totally agree. The refs did a job on the Seahawks, without question. On the Rothlisbergereiesligbergerwhatever "touchdown", you could see the ref running up, thinking "Okay, hmmm, spot this on about the one inch line.... oh, wait, that's right, we got that memo from Tagliabue.... TOUCHDOWN!".

Hines Ward was given the MVP award, but I think the Refs should have gotten it. Without them, Pittsburgh wouldn't have won. As far as I'm concerned, Pittsburgh's "victory" is completely tainted. It was almost like an NBA playoff game out there.

My favorite commercial was the one where the guy kept throwing the phone at the other dude. I want one of those theft prevention phones. My other favorite commercial was the little colt who pulled the Budweiser wagon. That was cool.

As for the Holmgren family, God bless 'em.

Super Bowl

2006-02-06T19:39:00.000-06:00

The Seahawks were robbed. It seems the NFL wanted a Steelers victory and a Jerome Bettis "retiring as a champion" story line (what is this, figure skating?). The memo went down to the zebras and they did their part - quite unconvincingly. We saw phantom pass interference, holding to negate any big play, and blocking below the waist - on a tackler! They tried to give the Steelers the ball on a non-fumble but the video evidence was too strong. The Seahawks didn't help their cause much - too many dropped passes and poor clock management. But even in spite of those mistakes, they should have won. Had the crowd not been 90% Steelers fans, we would have (and should have) heard the time-honored chant, "These refs suck! These refs suck!"

Some related stories:

Joe Montana didn't appear with the other Super Bowl MVPs at the beginning of the game because he wanted a $100,000 appearance fee. It is reported that Terry Bradshaw also had a problem with the money and stayed home.
Coach Holmgren's wife and daughter were also not in attendance - but for much better reasons. They were on a medical mission in the Congo. I'm sure they enjoyed their day more than Mike.
My favorite commercial: "The Magic Fridge."

Hero

2006-02-03T17:22:00.000-06:00

Hero

Happy Groundhog Day!

2006-02-02T11:14:00.000-06:00

How much better can it get? Jonah Goldberg writing about the movie Groundhog Day.

Sick

2006-02-01T23:42:00.000-06:00

Sick

Math Will Rock Your World

2006-02-01T18:56:00.000-06:00

Business Week explains how math is being applied to new problems.

The world is moving into a new age of numbers. Partnerships between mathematicians and computer scientists are bulling into whole new domains of business and imposing the efficiencies of math. .. They're helping to map out advertising campaigns, they're changing the nature of research in newsrooms and in biology labs, and they're enabling marketers to forge new one-on-one relationships with customers. As this occurs, more of the economy falls into the realm of numbers. Says James R. Schatz, chief of the mathematics research group at the National Security Agency: "There has never been a better time to be a mathematician."

Very interesting article.

Jack Bauer

2006-02-01T18:13:00.000-06:00

I know, I know, this has been all over the blogosphere. But, what the heck, they made me laugh ...

If you wake up in the morning, it's because Jack Bauer spared your life.
Upon hearing that he was played by Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Bauer killed Sutherland. Jack Bauer gets played by no man.
Jack Bauer's favorite color is severe terror alert red. His second favorite color is violet, but just because it sounds like violent.
Jack Bauer was never addicted to heroin. Heroin was addicted to Jack Bauer.
If Jack Bauer was in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Nina Meyers, and he had a gun with 2 bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice.
Jack Bauer doesn't miss. If he didn't hit you it's because he was shooting at another terrorist twelve miles away.
1.6 billion Chinese are angry with Jack Bauer. Sounds like a fair fight.
Jack Bauer once forgot where he put his keys. He then spent the next half-hour torturing himself until he gave up the location of the keys.
Jack Bauer does not sleep. The only rest he needs is what he gets when he's knocked out or temporarily killed.
Jack Bauer's family threw him a surprise birthday party when he was a child. Once.
Jack Bauer has no problem following orders, unless you tell him to do something he doesn't want to.
Everytime Jack Bauer yells "NOW!" at the end of a sentence, a terrorist dies.
As a child, Jack Bauer's first words were "There's no time!"
Guns dont kill people, Jack Bauer kills people.
Killing Jack Bauer doesn't make him dead. It just makes him angry.
When life gave Jack Bauer lemons, he used them to kill terrorists. Jack Bauer hates lemonade.
Jack Bauer got Hellen Keller to talk.
Superman wears Jack Bauer pajamas.
The only reason you are conscious is because Jack Bauer doesn’t feel like carrying you.
You can lead a horse to water. Jack Bauer can make him drink.
Jack Bauer can get McDonald’s breakfast after 10:30.
People with amnesia still remember Jack Bauer.
Jack Bauer makes onions cry.
Jack Bauer would have gotten the ring to Mordor in 24 hours.
Jack Bauer knows where Carmen Sandiego is.
Jack Bauer won the Tour de France on a unicycle to prove to Lance Armstrong it wasn't a big deal. He thinks yellow wristbands are gay.
When Google can't find something, it asks Jack Bauer for help.
Jack Bauer has been to Mars. That's why there's no life on Mars.

Wow

2006-01-30T10:23:00.000-06:00

Wow.

Millionaire

2006-01-19T14:01:00.000-06:00

I know you've heard of the Million Dollar Homepage, the fantastic brainchild of Alex Tew, a 21-year old student in Britain. Well, he's done it! All one million pixels have been sold. The guy did it in six months with an initial investment of about $90, and a subsequent $40,000 to push into the US market. The final 1,000 pixels sold on Ebay for $38,100. Impressive.

Haile Gebrselassie

2006-01-19T12:46:00.000-06:00

They're calling him the greatest distance runner ever.

Haile Gebrselassie broke the world record for the 20k and half marathon last Sunday in Tempe, Arizona. His time of 58:55 shattered the old mark by 21 seconds. It's the 20th time he has set a world record. The 32 year old Gebrsalassie has two Olympic gold medals for the 10k in 1996 and 2000, as well as 4 world championships golds, and 3 golds in world indoor championships. He is preparing for the 2008 Olympic marathon.

Hey, he's even got a movie out.

Thank Goodness

2006-01-17T16:26:00.000-06:00

Court losing O'Connor's unique voice - Yahoo! News

Sick

2006-01-13T13:46:00.000-06:00

Sick

Idiot

2006-01-09T20:10:00.000-06:00

Idiot

Interesting

2006-01-09T15:04:00.000-06:00

Interesting

2006-01-06T09:20:00.000-06:00

My aunt sent me this. It's a letter from father's father to his father (i.e. a letter from my grandfather to my great-grandfather) and I just thought it was beautifully written and had a wonderful senitment.

Jan. 4, 1934

To: E. A. Hodges

8 E. Stoddard St.

Dexter, Missouri

From:

Kaneaster Hodges

346 Arkansas Ave.

Fayetteville, Ark.

Dear Dad,

I congratulate you on your birthday and may you see many more. I wish that we could be with you on Saturday and that we could give you a gift commensurate with our love for you but thats impossible now and such a gift will always be though we gave you the worlds finery.

One of the prime objects in my life is to put myself in a position to give you and mother the things you are now denying yourselves so as to be able to give to me, security from worry, comforts and luxuries.

Yet weve all been wonderfully blessed (perhaps you havent in an extravagant son) and during times which were unbearably hard on some people weve eaten well and had good places to sleep. Theres no reason in this world why the future should not be the brightest and most profitable time of our lives. The rules for a successful life can be very simple; application and ambition, keeping ever in mind the precept of Christ, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I only hope that I can mould my life in such a fashion that will be a credit to you and mother. You have certainly given me a good foundation and if I fail the fault lies entirely with me.

Dad, I wish you would work it out so you could pass either the Arkansas or Missouri bar exam so that if you ever quit banking we can practice together.

Harryette and I are fine. As Ive written we made the trip O.K. Mrs. M. went home today....

H. and I send our love to you and mother.

Write often.

Your Loving Son,

Kaneaster

Vincent Schiavelli

2005-12-30T15:16:00.000-06:00

That's a name you probably don't recognize, but the face is unmistakable.

That's right, he played John O'Connor in the greatest film ever about the 8th dimension. He made 98 films in his 34-year acting career. Among them: Blade Runner, Escape To Witch Mountain, Better Off Dead, Amadeus, The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai, and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

Vincent Schiavelli died on Dec. 26 in Sicily, Italy, of lung cancer. He was 57.

Re: Insightful

2005-12-28T12:23:00.000-06:00

Excellent article. This blog adds some astute commentary.

Insightful

2005-12-27T17:17:00.000-06:00

Insightful

Sudoku!

2005-12-22T18:20:00.000-06:00

For all you Sudoku enthusiasts, American Scientist analyzes the puzzle and strategies for solving it. It's quite technical, but it may just provide the edge you need to become the Sudoku master you've dreamed about.

50 Marathons in 50 Weeks

2005-12-22T17:34:00.001-06:00

How 'bout this guy? On Dec. 10, Craig Holcomb completed his 50th marathon this year. Not only that, he ran one marathon in each of our 50 nifty United States. Some interesting facts:

He ran 22 of the 50 in under 4 hours.
The Lakefront Marathon in Chicago was supposed to be a marathon, but someone erred whilst measuring. It was a mile too long. Craig's time - 4:05.
Two of his races were 50k ultramarathons.
Five times he ran 2 marathons in the same weekend. In October, he ran 4 in 9 days.

Pretty amazing feat. Congrats to Craig!

Re: Saddened

2005-12-22T17:34:00.000-06:00

Very sad.

Saddened

2005-12-22T10:46:00.000-06:00

Saddened

King Bomb

2005-12-17T10:31:00.000-06:00

Looks like the new King Kong movie is going to be a huge bomb. I have a strange schadenfreude about it, and I hope it does bomb. I myself have no desire to go see it. Heck, it's the third version of this film, so we all know the story, and we all have seen it before. That was my first thought on hearing that this is what Peter Jackson was working on. I know I won't be seeing it -- maybe I'll NetFlix it, but I'm not in some huge hurry to see it or anything. I suspect that there are many others who feel the same way.

$300 million is a lot of money.

God Bless Matt Pottinger

2005-12-15T22:42:00.000-06:00

Wall Street Journal reporter Matt Pottinger explains his decision to put down his pen and take up the sword.

But living in China also shows you what a nondemocratic country can do to its citizens. I've seen protesters tackled and beaten by plainclothes police in Tiananmen Square, and I've been videotaped by government agents while I was talking to a source. I've been arrested and forced to flush my notes down a toilet to keep the police from getting them, and I've been punched in the face in a Beijing Starbucks by a government goon who was trying to keep me from investigating a Chinese company's sale of nuclear fuel to other countries.

When you live abroad long enough, you come to understand that governments that behave this way are not the exception, but the rule. They feel alien to us, but from the viewpoint of the world's population, we are the aliens, not them. That makes you think about protecting your country no matter who you are or what you're doing. What impresses you most, when you don't have them day to day, are the institutions that distinguish the U.S.: the separation of powers, a free press, the right to vote, and a culture that values civic duty and service, to name but a few.

He goes on to recount the path he took to eventually signing on with the Marines. It's a great story about an impressive man. Godspeed, Matt.

A Festivus for the rest of us!

2005-12-15T22:24:00.000-06:00

'Tis the season to celebrate the people's holiday - Festivus! Born out of the creative mind of Frank Constanza, Festivus has taken the country by storm. The 3 pillars of Festivus are

The Festivus Pole - The pole is aluminum, chosen due to its very high strength-to-weight ratio, and is never decorated (this stems from founder Frank Costanza's belief that "tinsel is distracting").
The Airing of Greivances - Festivus devotees inform all those in attendance how they disappointed him the year before. It is also a time to report any ongoing problem or irritation that one is having with anyone else celebrating at the dinner.
Feats of Strength - the head of the household (or the host of the Festivus dinner) challenges one of the guests to a test of physical strength. The challenger may choose anyone as an opponent and a challenge may not be refused unless, of course, the challenged has a previous engagement.

(Quotes from A Large Regular.)

Happy Festivus!

Weather Bias

2005-12-14T10:28:00.000-06:00

Ever notice that Drudge only post articles about bad weather in the northeast, and never when the storm is in the Midwest?

Good

2005-12-12T15:39:00.000-06:00

Good

Re: Ridiculous

2005-12-05T10:02:00.000-06:00

Here's the last line of the article Nick linked to below:

Thirty-three percent strongly agreed that Wal-Mart was a retail monopoly that threatened the future health of the U.S. economy, but 35 percent did not agree at all.

Monopoly! People are just really stupid when it comes to economics. Unbelievable.

Ridiculous

2005-12-01T14:04:00.000-06:00

Ridiculous

Gross

2005-11-26T12:18:00.000-06:00

Gross.

Kook

2005-11-25T17:40:00.000-06:00

Kook.

Beautiful

2005-11-20T01:38:00.000-06:00

Beautiful.

John McCain

2005-11-18T22:58:00.000-06:00

I like what Sen. McCain has to say in a NY Post editorial:

Imagine Iraqis, working for the new government, considering whether to join the police force, or debating whether or not to take up arms. What will they think when they read that the Senate is pressing for steps toward draw-down?

Are they more or less likely to side with a government whose No. 1 partner hints at leaving?

The Senate has responded to the millions who braved bombs and threats to vote, who put their faith and trust in America and their government, by suggesting that our No. 1 priority is to bring our people home.

We have told insurgents that their violence does grind us down, that their horrific acts might be successful. But these are precisely the wrong messages. Our exit strategy in Iraq is not the withdrawal of our troops, it is victory.

Americans may not have been of one mind when it came to the decision to topple Saddam Hussein. But, though some disagreed, I believe that nearly all now wish us to prevail.

Because the stakes there are so high - higher even than those in Vietnam - our friends and our enemies need to hear one message: America is committed to success, and we will win this war.

Excellent.

(via The Corner)

North Korea

2005-11-18T22:44:00.000-06:00

Hoystory.com brings us this peek into the character of the North Korean regime. He points out this story from the NY Sun:

The study recounts, for example, how in November 1996 in North Korea's South Pyongan province, a unit of the North Korean army was tasked with widening a highway connecting Pyongyang to a nearby port city. While demolishing a vacant house, soldiers found in the basement, hidden between two bricks, a Bible and a list of 25 names. Among the list were individuals identified as a Christian pastor, two assistant pastors, two elders, and 20 parishioners who were identified by their occupations.

Hunted down at their workplaces by military police, the 25 Christians were rounded up and detained without any formal judicial procedure. Later that month, the parishioners and their clergy were brought to the road construction site, where spectators had been arranged in neat rows to observe the public execution of the pastor, assistant pastors, and elders. According to a report based on an eyewitness account, the five church leaders "were bound hand and foot and made to lie down in front of a steamroller," accused of subversion and of being Kiddokyo, or Protestant Christian, spies.

The 20 parishioners were detained near their clergy, and watched, along with the assembled audience, as the five Christian leaders were told they could escape death if they denied their faith and pledged to serve only Kim Jong Il and his father, the first dictator of communist Korea, Kim Il Sung. According to the eyewitness, the clergy remained silent.

For their steadfast belief, the Christians were executed. According to the report, "Some of the fellow parishioners assembled to watch the execution cried, screamed out, or fainted when the skulls made a popping sound as they were crushed beneath the steamroller."

Can we invade N. Korea next, please?

Happy 80th, Mr. Buckley

2005-11-14T20:33:00.000-06:00

This is a great post from the Corner today:

For all his versatility as editor, essayist, critic, controversialist and bon vivant, Mr. Buckley is widely credited as the driving force behind the intellectual coalition that drew conservatism from the fringes of American life to its center, with such side-effects as the utter collapse of the Soviet empire. "There's nothing I hoped for that wasn't reasonably achieved," declares Mr. Buckley, who will turn 80 later this month. "Now, I'm going to have a cocktail," he announces, flashing his oblique grin. "Will you join me?"

I love that. It must be nice to say, "There's nothing I hoped for that wasn't reasonably achieved." That's pretty good. Even better, "Now, I'm going to have a cocktail, will you join me?"

The above quote is taken from WSJ's article about The Man. Here's another nice excerpt, this regarding the problems in France -

"It seems to me that a very hard dose of market discipline would distract the attention of the young revolutionaries from their frolics, traditional and otherwise, and my sense is that if they had to worry about how to eat, and buy food, they would stop screwing around and face reality. If these people didn't wake up in the morning thinking about what cars to burn--instead of work--they might not be having these problems."

Very nicely put.

Oil Profits

2005-11-09T21:02:00.000-06:00

This kind of thing makes me so mad.

There is a "growing suspicion that oil companies are taking unfair advantage," Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., said, opening the hearing in a packed committee room.

"The oil companies owe the American people an explanation," he declared.

Moron!

"Energy prices have been too high and energy companies have realized significant increases in profits," said spokesman Scott McClellan. "It's important that the private sector be good corporate citizens and invest in the energy infrastructure and support those who are in need."

Moron!

Congress is concerned that oil companies are earning 7.7% profits! That's price gouging if ever there was. Either our senators are economic ignoramuses or they want to make/keep Americans economically ignorant. I don't call that serving the public.

Every congressman should be required to take a class from Walter E. Williams. He explains why "windfall profits" are not a bad thing.

American Girls

2005-11-09T19:23:00.000-06:00

I was disappointed to learn recently that the people who make American Girl dolls and accessories have decided to take up the cause of a group called Girls, Inc. Girls, Inc. call themselves "a national nonprofit youth organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold." That's great. But if an organization advocates abortion for girls, they can't be all that smart.

Why do I care? Our family made a trip to Chicago last year to buy an American Girl doll for our daughter's birthday. Our girls love the dolls, the stories, the clothes. We've been happy to let them get into American Girl because of the wholesomeness of it all. Now we're having second thoughts.

Rosa Parks

2005-11-09T19:17:00.000-06:00

I was not surprised to learn that Rosa Parks was a woman of faith, quite the opposite. But this was something new to me:

Parks wasn't the first black person to refuse to move to the back of the bus. Earlier that year, a woman had been carried off the bus clawing and kicking. Another woman had used profanity during her arrest. But the local NAACP declined to rally behind these women.

But Park's behavior throughout her arrest was above reproach. Because of this, and because of her well-known exemplary character, Alabama civil-rights leaders thought Park's arrest signaled the right time to act. They launched the famous yearlong Montgomery bus boycott, and the rest is history.

Sad

2005-11-06T16:33:00.000-06:00

Sad.

Shameful

2005-11-06T13:43:00.000-06:00

Shameful

Greeeaaat.

2005-11-05T09:26:00.000-06:00

Greeeaaat.

Bigots

2005-11-02T16:27:00.000-06:00

Bigots

Thieves!

2005-11-01T15:48:00.000-06:00

Thieves!

"Just Like Gerald Ford"

2005-10-27T23:05:00.000-05:00

I was surprised to learn recently that Gerald Ford said something worth quoting:

"The government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have."

That's pretty good.

(By the way, the title of this post is from what movie?)

Relief

2005-10-27T11:22:00.000-05:00

Relief.

Pop Tarts

2005-10-26T16:04:00.000-05:00

The candy machine at my office has PopTarts in it. For a low, low price of $0.50, you get two Frosted PopTarts ("Made with Real Fruit!") Pretty good deal, especially if you consider what comes in that small package of snack-cakes goodness.

A look at the back of the package reveals a bevy of amazing facts. First, the two pastries together have but a mer 10g of fat -- not much, consdering. But what really leaps out is the 75g of carbs and the astounding 410 calories. Those levels put the PopTart up into Survival Food range.

Those little snacks pack quite a wallop!

Exposed

2005-10-26T12:49:00.000-05:00

Exposed

Tricksters

2005-10-26T12:32:00.000-05:00

Tricksters

Worth

2005-10-26T11:39:00.000-05:00

My blog is worth $564.54.
How much is your blog worth?

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter

2005-10-25T23:30:00.000-05:00

Loved this blurb from Nordlinger in Impromptus -

Have another music item, most unexpected. An article was sent to me by a reader, concerning Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, guitarist for the Doobie Brothers (and others, but I care principally - no, exclusively - about the Doobies). The first paragraph:
As a member of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, and as a session guitarist for Carly Simon, Bryan Adams, Ringo Starr and many others, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter has been a clandestine rock and roll hero since the '70s. Now, as a specialist in terrorism, missile defense and chemical and biological warfare, he's also a covert hero for the U.S. military.
He's currently working for the Department of Defense as an adviser to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and has also served as a top military adviser for numerous congressmen and senators.

You never know. You just never do.

Or as Fats Waller liked to say, "One never knows - do one?"

Huh.

More Praise for Adult Stem Cells

2005-10-25T23:08:00.000-05:00

Several days ago I wondered about the popularity of embryonic stem cells while adult stem cells sit at home waiting for some beau to call for a date. Doesn't make sense when the neglected one is prettier, smarter, and doesn't mind springing for dinner once in a while. Want more proof?

[S]cientists from London's Imperial College report in The New Scientist that they have repaired patients' own damaged livers by using bone marrow adult stem cells collected from their own blood. Five were injected with a drug that stimulated their marrow to produce extra stem cells that were then injected into a blood vessel leading directly to the liver.

It worked. Both liver function and overall health of three out of five treated patients improved significantly within only two months of treatment. The two patients whose health did not improve were left no worse off.

And yet, the uglier girl - the whacked-out nut job you wish you'd never met - is still getting all the dates. Go figure.

Presumptuous

2005-10-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

Presumptuous.

Obviously

2005-10-25T14:16:00.000-05:00

Obviously.

David Gelernter

2005-10-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

Here's my advice to you - always read David Gelernter. Like this. The first graf:

THIS WEEK should have been a time of rejoicing in America. On Wednesday, Saddam Hussein went on trial - the ex-master butcher of Iraq, reeking of blood. And last Saturday, the newly freed Iraqi people pulled off a referendum right under the noses of terrorists whose hearts' desire is to blow democracy to bits. The United States - the armed forces especially, and the Bush administration's leadership - is largely responsible for both these amazing developments. Obviously Iraq is still in deadly danger. But if these two events don't call for congratulations, what kind of world events would?

Keep reading.

4 Steps to Regaining Your Mojo

2005-10-21T23:01:00.000-05:00

Daniel Henninger (of the Wall Street Journal) has been kind enough to tell President Bush how to regain his mojo. As we all know, the President's mojo has been missing for a good while now with no hint of it returning. Thankfully, Henninger has provided an easy 4-step plan: Withdraw Harriet, nominate Edith.
Go to Baghdad.
Nail the Greenspan succession.
Embrace the sequester.
I suppose it's too much to hope the President will follow it.

Derb the Optimist

2005-10-20T21:41:00.000-05:00

You know Derb, always willing to take the "other" side. He was at it again today in The Corner. Listen to this:

All the windsocks are now pointing in the direction of more socialism. As the population ages, Americans will want more leisure, drugs, health care, nursing homes, security. As the Jihadist threat continues to metastasize (from the MidEast to Indonesia, Thailand, Africa, the Caucasus, Europe), we shall want the state to have more police powers, more scrutiny of us and our lives. The trend of the last 40 years away from the old Anglo-Saxon rights and liberties -- private property rights (google "tobacco settlement," "Kelo," etc.), freedom of speech, contract and assembly ("speech codes," anti-discrimination laws, etc.), limited government (is Washington DC shrinking? looking poorer and shabbier? not that I've noticed) -- will accelerate. And everybody will be fine with all this, because that's what everybody wants, except for a few freakish intellectuals like ourselves.

How 'bout that? It has the ring of truth - that is what people seem to want. But a lot of people want freedom, too, and they're willing to vote for it. The question is - which side's got more?

Abortion and Disabilities

2005-10-19T23:04:00.000-05:00

This Washington Post article struck me personally because we have good friends with a Down's syndrome child. The author, Patricia Bauer, says:

What I don't understand is how we as a society can tacitly write off a whole group of people as having no value. I'd like to think that it's time to put that particular piece of baggage on the table and talk about it, but I'm not optimistic. People want what they want: a perfect baby, a perfect life. To which I say: Good luck. Or maybe, dream on.

That's exactly what it's all about - convenience, absence of risk or difficulty, comfort.

Stem Cells and Cloning

2005-10-16T17:13:00.000-05:00

Don't ask where we've been, I don't know...

Here's a nice synopsis of the stem cell and cloning issue. I'm still mystified by the pundits' enthusiasm for embryonic stem cells when adult stem cells and cord cells have been shown to be so much more useful. What's going on here?

Cindy Sheehan, The World's Biggest Terrorist

2005-08-31T19:44:00.000-05:00

James Taranto (OpinionJournal.com) points out this interesting editorial in ... Arab News! They call themselves "The Middle East's Leading English Language Daily" and Steve Darnell writes,

It is time to put an end to the "Cindy Sheehan debacle" in Crawford, Texas. Since I am not one to sugarcoat a subject I will start by simply saying: Ms. Sheehan is a liberal nut case who needs to be put in her place. ...

Ms. Sheehan and other appeasers around the world provide the fuel that feeds the fire of terrorism. If not for this fuel, terrorists would realize that they do not have a chance to sway the minds of people and would end the bombing. Terrorists are not stupid, they understand that bombing innocent civilians will not change the minds of the strong, but will break the will of the weak. So they attack the weak and the weak fold.

Spain is a good example of this reasoning. Would the terrorists have attacked Spain if the whole population stood strong against terrorism? No. What would be the point?

Every time an appeaser voices his or her opinion against the war in Iraq terrorists gain hope that they can change the will of the people. So whether they want to admit it or not, appeasers protesting the war in Iraq are indirectly responsible for the death of the innocent. And the death of our soldiers.

In fact appeasers are directly responsible for the death of Ms. Sheehan's son, not George W. Bush. If the whole country was united for the war in Iraq, I doubt if the terrorists would have started their suicide bombing campaign.

Using this logic Ms. Sheehan has become the biggest terrorist in the world, not George W. Bush as she so eloquently stated. And the liberal media has become her ally by spreading the word of her protest to the terrorists.

Well said, especially in the Arab News.

Michael Yon

2005-08-30T18:41:00.000-05:00

Maybe you've seen this guy's blog before but, in case you haven't... read it!

"For God's Sake, Please Stop the Aid!"

2005-08-29T22:43:00.000-05:00

This guy, if we dug deep enough, would probably turn out to be a Thomas Sowell student. And just like the estimable Sowell, Kenyan economics expert James Shikwati should be heeded. He says huge foriegn aid pouring into Africa is hurting, not helping. Why?

Huge bureaucracies are financed (with the aid money), corruption and complacency are promoted, Africans are taught to be beggars and not to be independent. In addition, development aid weakens the local markets everywhere and dampens the spirit of entrepreneurship that we so desperately need. As absurd as it may sound: Development aid is one of the reasons for Africa's problems. If the West were to cancel these payments, normal Africans wouldn't even notice. Only the functionaries would be hard hit. Which is why they maintain that the world would stop turning without this development aid.

That says it pretty succinctly. Will anyone listen? Don't bet on it. Who could withstand the withering accusations of 'heartlessness' and 'greed' that would follow?

BlameBush!

2005-08-27T21:01:00.000-05:00

Oh man, this is pure brilliance.

The Stupidest Thing I've Ever Seen

2005-08-05T20:19:00.000-05:00

This is easily the stupidest thing I've ever seen.

Seriously, this is totally stupid. It also has the added benefit of being gutless, cowardly, and ridiculous. The NCAA is hitting the trifecta with one lousy press release!

I thought this was an Onion article when I first saw it.

Blessed Are The Peacemakers

2005-08-04T22:17:00.000-05:00

It's surprising that the Star Tribune would carry an article such as this - a defense of our use of the bombs that ended WWII - but they did. It was a reminder to me that Japanese brought war to us, we enforced peace on them.

Byron York on FEC & Bradley Smith on National Review Online

2005-07-12T10:13:00.000-05:00

"I think we would benefit by thinking of the First Amendment less as a sort of bizarre, libertarian impediment to badly needed regulation than as a well-thought-out approach to how political activity ought to work. And the basic premise is: It is very dangerous to give the government the power to determine who gets to speak and who doesn't." - Bradley Smith

No Sports Action Today

2005-07-11T20:28:00.000-05:00

Today is one of the few days in the year when there is no professional competition going on. No baseball - the All-Star Game is tomorrow (big whoop). The Tour de France has a rest day. No golf, tennis, NASCAR, WNBA, etc. Nada. Pretty depressing.

But here's something that'll cheer you up - the French are whining about losing the 2012 Olympics to London. It just brings a smile to my face.

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, the motor behind the French capital's failed bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, on Monday accused British authorities of breaking IOC rules to clinch victory for London.

"They crossed the yellow line with respect to the IOC rules," Delanoe told France-Info radio Monday after a meeting of the Paris city council. "Both Mr. Blair and Mr. Coe crossed the line."

I guess cheese-eating surrender monkeys would know something about yellow lines.

Lil' Perjuror

2005-07-06T17:02:00.000-05:00

Looks like Lil' Kim is going to be doing a Lil' Time for telling a Lil' Lie under oath.

(Okay, I stole that from someone in The Corner. But it sure is funny.)

A Hero Falls

2005-07-06T09:42:00.000-05:00

I had the privilege of briefly meeting and shaking the hand of Admiral Stockdale while attending the Naval Postgraduate School. Each week we attended a convocation, and the school was able to get luminaries such as Admiral Stockdale to give speeches. I confess I don't remember exactly what Admiral Stockdale said that day, but I do remember his indomitable spirit, and the fact that he didn't let his tortured, broken body slow him down. I wish I had a better story to tell about him, but I don't. I just know that he was strong and brave and courageous.

He passed away yesterday. May he Rest in Peace, and may we never forget the sacrifices he made for his fellow POW's and his country.

Beware The Angry Swede

2005-06-30T19:59:00.000-05:00

Ulf Hjertstroem was a hostage in Iraq for 67 days - and he's none too happy about it. In fact, he's so ticked that he's become an unofficial "coalition partner."

"I have now put some people to work to find these bastards ... I invested about $50,000 so far and we will get them one by one," he told Channel 10.

Mr Hjertstroem declined to say what fate awaited his kidnappers, but he told Expressen that two had already been captured.

He's already got two! Tough and efficient. I, for one, am glad to have Ulf on our side.

(hat tip: Vikingpundit )

Sauce for the Souter

2005-06-28T15:35:00.000-05:00

Now here is some eminent domain that I can get into. I love it when someone gets their just deserts.

Movie Quote Wrap-up

2005-06-23T10:10:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, AFI unveiled their choices for the top 100 movie quotes in American film. As you know (and are probably sick of hearing), I came up with my own list. So how did these movie elites stack up against this average Joe movie fan? Some observations:

I won't quibble with their #1 ("Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."). They put my #1 ("Here's looking at you, kid.") at #5. But my #2 ("There's no place like home."), probably the most quoted line from one of the most popular films in history, was #23 on their list. But they didn't leave The Wizard of Oz unrepresented in the top 5. They put a different quote ("Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.") at #4. A great line, no doubt, but I'm not following their logic.
I had all of their top 10 on my list. The lowest on my list (#45) was their #6 ("Go ahead, make my day."). A great quote, for sure. I probably put it too low.
I had 4 of their top 10 in my top 11.
Which brings me to my first glaring error - #11 ("What we've got here is a failure to communicate."). It wasn't on my list. In my defense, I've never seen Cool Hand Luke but I certainly have heard the line before. I booted that one. But this and other rankings indicated to me a higher appreciation for films from the 60s and 70s than I have. Cool Hand Luke was a 1967 release. More on that later.
My next glaring omission was #13 ("Love means never having to say you're sorry."). I carry this "error" as a badge of honor. What a stupid line. And when was this film released? 1970.
They put "E.T. phone home." down at #15. I thought that was too low.
And again, "There's no place like home." at #23. Morons.
I had 16 of their top 20 on my list.
I omitted 5 of their next 10 (#21-30). Oops. One was "Show me the money!" There were actually 2 Jerry Maguire quotes in the top 52. The other was "You had me at hello." (lame.) Way too much respect for that film.
I didn't have #21 from Silence of the Lambs. I don't enjoy cannibal quotes as much as most people, I guess.
Another miss was #27, "I'm walking here! I'm walking here!" (Midnight Cowboy, 1967). Never saw it.
Going down the list I had 8 of 10 (#31-40) and 6 of 10 (#41-50).
Of the top 50 on their list, I was only missing 15 from my full list.
#31 ("After all, tomorrow is another day.") was a surprise. I've heard a lot of Gone With the Wind quotes, but never that one.
#35, "You're gonna need a bigger boat." (Jaws, 1975) is way too high.
Another quote from the late 60s doesn't belong at all - "We rob banks." (Bonnie and Clyde, 1967).
Also overrepresented: The Graduate, 1967.
Not right: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Ryan O'Neal, & Barbra Streisand made the list. Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne did not.
Humphrey Bogart had 5 quotes - could've been more.
Tom Hanks, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, & Bette Davis had 3. All well deserved. Heston, Nicholson, & Eastwood had 2.
There were 6 quotes from Casablanca, shoulda been 7. Only 3 quotes from The Wizard of Oz.

So that's it. I enjoyed it but I will now show you mercy and never mention it again.

I Love Gitmo

2005-06-22T12:02:00.000-05:00

Actually, I'm not sure that I love Gitmo. I think we are pussy-footing around a bunch of psycho-pathic murderers. Frankly, I wish there actually was some torturing going on down there.

Now that "Senator" Durbin (I use the scare quotes because I think the guy is a disgrace and should resign. I'm not even sure I consider him a Senator anymore anyway. I think of him more as a weasely, terrorist-loving pile of putrid cat vomit, but there you are.) has called our servicemen working there Nazis, I'm a little more inclined to love Gitmo.

So, since we know that the MSM and the likes of Durbin and horrid Star-and-Sicle (I wish I could call up and cancel my subscription, but I don't subscribe) won't tell you the truth about what is going on down in Gitmo, here's an interview with a guy that served there for a year. He gives you the straight scoop. Read and learn the truth. Read the Star and Tribune and learn the lies.

Comments on the NBA Finals Last Night

2005-06-22T10:54:00.000-05:00

I confess complete surprise that the Pistons won that game last night. I thought the gut-punch loss on Tuesday would be the end of them, but this is a pretty amazing, tough, resilient team. I haven't got a clue who will win Thursday night.

Some general comments:

Chauncey Billups is one heck of a player, but I guess the Wolves didn't need him. Man, he can really play. He runs the offense, attacks the rim, and hits big shots. He's clearly one of the best players in the league.

If you were the Spurs, whom would you rather have as your Power Forward right now, Duncan or Garnett? That ought to be an easy question to answer. Let me help out: Garnett's career free throw percentage is 76.8%. Duncan can't hit the side of a barn with his free throws. His clanging absolutely killed the Spurs chances last night. When he needed to make some free throws to make a difference in the game, he's clanging them. Jordan, Bird - they make those free throws. Great players make those free throws. Until Duncan gets his act together in that regard, he'll be a second tier superstar. Detroit may very well go to the "Hack-a-Duncan" strategy. Why not? Really an ugly site watching Duncan at the line in the fourth quarter. Quite painful.

Another fun stat? Garnett's career assists per game? 4.6. Duncan's? 3.1. The Pistons have figured out that Duncan can't effectively pass out of a double-team and so guess what they are doing? Double teaming him effectively. Garnett can and does pass out of the double team, as his assists indicate. Garnet is the superior player -- seems pretty clear to me.

The funnest thing to watch in the series is the Bowen/Hamilton matchup. It's this kind of thing that makes a 7-game series so much fun to watch. These guys are going at it with each other when Detroit is on offense, and they have been for all six games now. Hamilton likes to run around those staggered screens, and Bowen is good at defending against it, but along the way there is a lot of bumping and grabbing and whatnot, and often the trend of the game is determined by how the referees call it. And of course, since the referees are merely David Stern's play toys, we now have a seventh game. Seventh games are David Stern's idea of heaven.

It seems very hard to believe that Detroit can win a Game 7 on San Antonio's home court, but if any team can do it, these Pistons can. These guys are good. This has in my mind been a great series, because I love to watch good basketball played the right way, and these two teams do that. Thursday night will hopefully be one to remember

It seems that the Spurs had already planned a victory parade for Thursday, the day of the now existing Game 7. I'll try to think of a dumber thing to do. [thinking......thinking......thinking] Nope, I can't think of anything dumber. Sorry.

My Kids Will Never Go to a Public School

2005-06-22T10:18:00.000-05:00

My Kids Will Never Go to a Public School

IMDB and The Corner

2005-06-21T14:04:00.000-05:00

By the way, I note that Derb is not longer the only one on the Corner with an entry in the Internet Movie Database.

A Colossal Jackass

2005-06-21T13:49:00.000-05:00

Here is the tale of a Colossal Jackass, Mr. Fred Phelps, of "GodHatesFags.com" fame. I won't do this guy the service of a link to that putrid site.

Hat tip to Jonah.

Big Shot Bobby

2005-06-20T10:58:00.000-05:00

Boy, if you didn't watch that game last night, you missed a HUGE one. This is one of the greatest Finals games of all time. I could hardly watch it, because I thought for sure that the Spurs were going to lose, and I want them to win. They were behind almost all night, and when they got ahead, the Pistons just kept coming back and taking the lead away. It was back and forth, up and down, left and right, in and out... well, you get the idea. It was a great game. And I'm just talking about the first three quarters.

Then, there was the Robert Horry quar... er,sorry, the Fourth Quarter. Okay, it really was the Robert Horry Quarter. Or, if you want to count the killer three pointer he drained with about a second left in the third, it was the Robert Horry Quarter and Two Seconds More. Horry simply took over. He scored 21 of San Antonio's 34 points. All but one of those buckets either tied the game or put San Antonio ahead. He threw down an unbelievable left-handed dunk over about three guys that was easily the "Greatest Dunk by a Guy over 34 in the NBA Finals Ever". Truly stunning. He scored the last five points of the game after the Spurs were down by four in the waning minutes of overtime. Then, of course, he sinks a deadly three pointer with about five seconds left in overtime that saved Tim Duncan's legacy, made Rasheed Wallace look like the dumbest man on the planet, and pretty much handed the Spurs the Ring this year.

Duncan's legacy got saved because he missed six free throws in crunch time. Six big, Michael-Jordan-and-Larry-Bird-Would-Have-Made-Every-One-of-Those-to-Seal-the-Victory free throws, and then the less-noticed, but incredibly irritating missed tip in to win the game in regulation. (DUNK THE BALL, TIM!! Sheesh). Rasheed looked like an idiot because he left Horry , only the guy who has made more big three pointers in the history of the league, at the three point line to double team Manu Ginobli in the corner. (Lest we forget, Ginobli also had his back to the basket. Earth to Rasheed.) Horry had gone four of five on threes in the second half, was absolutely on fire, and has made more big shots in his career than a mob hit man, but there he is, wiiiiiiide open behind the arc with the game -- the championship, really; does anyone believe that Detroit is going to win both games in San Antonio? -- on the line.

Anyway, I watched the game, and I can tell you, I won't soon forget that stunning display by Big Shot Bob.

My List

2005-06-19T23:21:00.000-05:00

AFI's list of top 100 movie quotes will be aired Tuesday. Here's my shot at it.

Here's looking at you, kid. - Humphrey Bogart (CASABLANCA)
There's no place like home. - Judy Garland (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. - Clark Gable (GONE WITH THE WIND)
E. T. phone home. - Joe Welsh (voice) (E. T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL)
Rosebud. - Orson Welles (CITIZEN KANE)
I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse. - Marlon Brando (THE GODFATHER)
Bond. James Bond. - Sean Connery (DR. NO)
You don't understand! I could've had class. I could've been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. - Marlon Brando (ON THE WATERFRONT)
If you build it, he will come. - Ray Liotta (voice) (FIELD OF DREAMS)
Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die! - Mandy Patinkin (THE PRINCESS BRIDE)
Why don't you come up sometime and see me? - Mae West (SHE DONE HIM WRONG)
I see dead people. - Haley Joel Osment (THE SIXTH SENSE)
Tell 'em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper. - Pat O'Brien (KNUTE ROCKNE ALL AMERICAN)
Is it safe? - Laurence Olivier (MARATHON MAN)
Who's on first. - Bud Abbott (THE NAUGHTY NINETIES)
Magic Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all? - Lucille La Verne (voice) (SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS)
May the Force be with you. - Harrison Ford (STAR WARS)
Stella! Hey, Stella! - Marlon Brando (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE)
Elementary, my dear Watson. - Basil Rathbone (THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES)
All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up. - Gloria Swanson (SUNSET BLVD.)
Jane. Tarzan. Jane. Tarzan. - Johnny Weissmuller (TARZAN THE APE MAN)
You talkin' to me? - Robert De Niro (TAXI DRIVER)
You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow. - Lauren Bacall (TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT)
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. - Gregory Peck (TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD)
Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night. - Bette Davis (ALL ABOUT EVE)
Play it, Sam. Play "As Time Goes By." - Ingrid Bergman (CASABLANCA)
Follow the money. - Hal Holbrook (ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN)
Madness. Madness. - James Donald (THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI)
Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole! - Bill Murray (CADDYSHACK)
Houston, we have a problem. - Tom Hanks (APOLLO 13)
A martini. Shaken, not stirred. - Sean Connery (GOLDFINGER)
As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again. - Vivien Leigh (GONE WITH THE WIND)
I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore! - Peter Finch (NETWORK)
Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges! - Alfonso Bedoya (THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE)
Hasta la vista, baby. - Arnold Schwarzenegger (TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY)
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine. - Humphrey Bogart (CASABLANCA)
Look, Daddy. Teacher says, "Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings." - Karolyn Grimes (IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE)
Shane! Shane! Come back! - Brandon De Wilde (SHANE)
Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. - Judy Garland (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. - Yul Brynner (THE KING AND I)
That'll do, pig. That'll do. - James Cromwell (BABE)
That dirty, double-crossin' rat! - James Cagney (BLONDE CRAZY)
It's alive! It's alive! - Colin Clive (FRANKENSTEIN)
Go ahead, make my day. - Clint Eastwood (SUDDEN IMPACT)
We'll always have Paris. - Humphrey Bogart (CASABLANCA)
Mama says, "Stupid is as stupid does." - Michael Conner Humphreys (FORREST GUMP)
Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape! - Charlton Heston (PLANET OF THE APES)
I am not an animal! I am a human being. I am a man. - John Hurt (THE ELEPHANT MAN)
You've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk? - Clint Eastwood (DIRTY HARRY)
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room! - Peter Sellers (DR. STRANGELOVE)
There's no crying in baseball! - Tom Hanks (A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN)
Funny like I'm a clown? I amuse you? - Joe Pesci (GOODFELLAS)
Now, I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country. - George C. Scott (PATTON)
I do wish we could chat longer, but I'm having an old friend for dinner. - Anthony Hopkins (THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS)
Wax-on, wax-off. - Pat Morita (THE KARATE KID)
Hi-Yo, Silver! - Clayton Moore (THE LONE RANGER)
They're here! - Heather O'Rourke (POLTERGEIST)
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! - Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. - Humphrey Bogart (CASABLANCA)
My mama always said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." - Tom Hanks (FORREST GUMP)
Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into! - Oliver Hardy (SONS OF THE DESERT)
They call me Mister Tibbs! - Sidney Poitier (IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT)
My precious. - Andy Serkis (THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS)
I am your father. - David Prowse, James Earl Jones (voice) (STAR WARS V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK)
I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too! - Margaret Hamilton (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
I'll be back. - Arnold Schwarzenegger (THE TERMINATOR)
Here's Johnny! - Jack Nicholson (THE SHINING)
You can't handle the truth! - Jack Nicholson (A FEW GOOD MEN)
Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope. - Carrie Fisher (STAR WARS)
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! - Frank Morgan (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
You betcha! - Frances McDormand (FARGO)
You'll shoot your eye out. - Melinda Dillon (A CHRISTMAS STORY)
I'm an excellent driver. - Dustin Hoffman (RAIN MAN)
What do they think I am, dumb or something? Why, I make more money than Calvin Coolidge! Put together! - Jean Hagen (SINGIN' IN THE RAIN)
I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! - Margaret Hamilton (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
She's my sister! She's my daughter! - Faye Dunaway (CHINATOWN)
Mein Fuhrer! I can walk! - Peter Sellers (DR. STRANGELOVE)
Round up the usual suspects. - Claude Rains (CASABLANCA)
Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes? - Harrison Ford (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK)
Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. - Gary Cooper (THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES)
I'm here to fight for truth, justice, and the American way. - Christopher Reeve (SUPERMAN)
I'll be taking these Huggies and whatever cash you got. - Nicolas Cage (RAISING ARIZONA)
I love the smell of napalm in the morning. - Robert Duvall (APOCALYPSE NOW)
They may take away our lives, but they'll never take our freedom! - Mel Gibson (BRAVEHEART)
I'd love to kiss you, but I just washed my hair. - Bette Davis (CABIN IN THE COTTON)
Yo, Adrian! - Sylvester Stallone (ROCKY)
I'll have what she's having. - Estelle Reiner (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY...)
Bueller?... Bueller? ... Bueller? - Ben Stein (FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF)
Surely you can't be serious. - Robert Hays
I am serious. And don't call me Shirley. - Leslie Nielsen (AIRPLANE!)
You aren't too bright. I like that in a man. - Kathleen Turner (BODY HEAT)
Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. - Humphrey Bogart (CASABLANCA)
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. - Al Pacino (THE GODFATHER: PART II)
Does your dog bite? - Peter Sellers (THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN)
The list is an absolute good. The list is life. - Ben Kingsley (SCHINDLER'S LIST)
But I would be proud... - Billy Crystal
But I would be proud... - Meg Ryan
...to partake... - Billy Crystal
...to partake... - Meg Ryan
...of your pecan pie. - Billy Crystal
...of your pecan pie. - Meg Ryan (WHEN HARRY MET SALLY...)
Dave, stop. Stop, will you? Stop, Dave. Will you stop, Dave? Stop, Dave. I'm afraid. - Douglas Rains (voice) (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY)
I'd like to make her look a little more attractive. How far can you pull back? - Doris Belack
How do you feel about Cleveland? (TOOTSIE)
Over? Did you say "over?" Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no! - John Belushi (NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE)
Oh, hold me closer! Closer! Closer! - Esther Muir
If I hold you any closer, I'll be in back of you. - Groucho Marx (A DAY AT THE RACES)
A man takes a drop too much once in a while, it's only human nature. - Humphrey Bogart
"Nature," Mr. Allnut, is what we are put into this world to rise above. - Katharine Hepburn (THE AFRICAN QUEEN)

I Am Now An Addict

2005-06-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

A Launchcast "addict," that is. When you reach 5,000 rankings you're known as an addict. It's a proud day. I have really enjoyed Launchcast since I started earlier this year. The variety of songs is simply astounding. I've heard songs and artists I never would have otherwise heard - people (and groups) like Etta James, Norah Jones (I know, I know, a little late to that party), Pinetop Perkins, Mississippi John Hurt, The Trash Can Sinatras, Susan Tedeschi, Jorma Kaukonen, Sanctus Real, Mighty Joe Young, Madeleine Peyroux, Jonny Lang, Over The Rhine, Big Dismal, Delbert & Glen, etc. Man, it just keeps throwing new and different music at me, including songs I hadn't heard from stalwarts like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, U2, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and more. I love it! If you work at a computer all day and can listen while working, you gotta get Launchcast.

By the way, my 5,000th ranking was Lakeville, by Amy Correia. Never heard of her? Me neither. But it wasn't bad - I gave it a 50.

Deadwood

2005-06-09T12:54:00.000-05:00

Last night, I finished up the twelve episodes that make up the first season of Deadwood. This is a great television show. HBO television shows seem to me to be far, far better than anything else on Television (Think "The Sopranos", "Curb Your Enthusiasm". I suppose you shouldn't think "Sex in the City", but oh well). Deadwood is as good as any movie in the theater. The production quality is equal to that of the most expensive Hollywood film. The story is compelling, the characters well drawn, the script superb, and the acting flawless. It's really a marvelous show.

First, let me say that this show is most assuredly R-rated. Very R-rated. The language alone would peel the paint off of your car. There is quite a bit of nudity (including some folks who really need to keep their clothes on) and a number of people meet graphically violent and untimely deaths. But that's par for the course in an unincorporated town in the Black Hills in 1876. Deadwood is an "illegal" settlement, started in land that technically belongs to the Sioux. Thus, they have no law and no government. Deadwood is as "Wild West" as it gets. Deadwood also happens to be settled near a big gold strike, so money is in the air, even if the streets are full of mud and manure. (As an aside, Deadwood was a real settlement and remains to this day. I guess I don't give away much when I say that it is the place where Will Bill Hickok was murdered and buried.)

The main hero is Seth Bullock, a former marshall in Montana, and now a hardware store seller in Deadwood. Bullock is a good man with a fierce temper -- a temper than usually results in some scumbag getting what they deserve within the confines of the morality of the times and locale. The main bad guy is Al Swearengen, the owner of the Gem Saloon and the kingpin in town. Swearengen is a simply marvelous character -- he's ruthless, funny, smart, and compelling to watch. The rest of the cast of characters is brilliant, including Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, a grouchy doctor, funny, semi-competent henchmen, and sundry prospectors, hotel owners, whores, and merchants.

The show is gritty and real. There are no happy endings here -- only real life. The storyline is compelling -- of the sort that makes it really hard to save an episode for tomorrow night. The first western I ever read was Lonesome Dove, and that ruined me for all other westerns. No book could ever match it, and so I couldn't read westerns anymore (at least until I discovered Elmore Leonard's westerns, anyway). Deadwood is on par with Lonesome Dove, and anyone who knows me knows that is saying something.

I've always been attracted to tales of the American Frontier -- the freedom, the hardship, the hopes and dreams that it represented, and the strength of character that it took to succeed there where the rewards for hardwork were great and the dangers real. Deadwood brings all this to life. If you can take the f-word every three seconds, I heartily recommend Deadwood and eagerly await the second season's release to DVD.