tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34304572011-07-14T16:23:05.919-05:00Cheap ApodicticismJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1065497785522033342003-10-06T22:36:00.000-05:002003-10-20T22:02:48.003-05:00Folks, I hate to admit it, but this thing's dead. The network security folks have at work effectively ended it, because it really was nothing more than a diversion from work and I have no desire to either get fired or to come home and wait to make dumbass comments about old news.
Besides, if you couldn't tell, I'm not that good at punditry anyway - there are plenty of people who do it more Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1064462134915924672003-09-24T22:55:00.001-05:002003-09-24T22:56:19.726-05:00More on the Dixie Chicks "leaving" country music:
THE DIXIE CHICKS, you may have heard, have decided that they are no longer a country music band. Member Martie Maguire told the German magazine Der Spiegel, "We don't feel part of the country scene any longer, it can't be our home any more.. . . . So we now consider ourselves part of the big Rock 'n' Roll family."
Forget for a moment that this Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1064462128778188482003-09-24T22:55:00.000-05:002003-09-24T22:55:28.943-05:00HPD busting its own
Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1064461639097106382003-09-24T22:47:00.000-05:002003-09-24T22:47:18.760-05:00I agree 100% - The CURSE of Ben and Jen (and why we're glad it's almost over)Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1064461493887427982003-09-24T22:44:00.000-05:002003-09-24T22:44:53.560-05:00Pakistan is the enemy? You mean those guys who literally created the Taliban didn't just change their minds and switch loyalties because Musharraf told them to?
Also at Time this week - a very nice piece from Gregg Easterbrook on the truth about Bush's clean air record. Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1064461175576692722003-09-24T22:39:00.000-05:002003-09-24T22:45:51.826-05:00Orwell would be proud: Revamping the language of diplomacy
President or Prime Minister. These titles, customary and seemingly harmless, we unthinkingly accept from anyone who occupies the top slot of government in a sovereign nation. It's also standard newspaper style. But while in free nations such titles connote democratic leadership, in unfree nations they denote nothing of the kind. It wouldJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1064292022250196162003-09-22T23:40:00.000-05:002003-09-22T23:40:21.996-05:00UGHJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1064291879200095382003-09-22T23:37:00.000-05:002003-09-22T23:37:58.966-05:00Cool story here: the purposeful demise of GalileoJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1064289759596033582003-09-22T23:02:00.000-05:002003-09-22T23:02:39.713-05:00Also at Opinion Journal - an excellent defense of John Ashcroft:
Then there is the issue of the facts--a scarce commodity in the oceans of oratory now spilling forth about our threatened Bill of Rights, and about agents spying on Americans' reading habits. In none of the descriptions of the out-of-control attorney general, and accompanying suggestions of incipient fascism on the march, is there Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1064289343441623022003-09-22T22:55:00.000-05:002003-09-22T22:58:00.466-05:00The High School Caucasian Club? Sign me up!
Oh wait, I forgot that some citizens are more equal than others... nevermind... I think this piece probably explains it better than I can.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1064289229196740182003-09-22T22:53:00.000-05:002003-09-22T22:53:49.366-05:00The Dixie Chicks are "leaving Country Music?" I think a lot of people would say they left a long time ago.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063948737467161012003-09-19T00:18:00.000-05:002003-09-19T06:49:03.696-05:00Great interview with Dennis Miller at American Enterprise:
TAE: How would Americans respond to Senator Clinton as a Presidential candidate?
MILLER: Forty percent of voters would probably support her. I’d like to think there’s 60 percent who wouldn’t. Most people know that the Clintons are just career politicians, but it’s amazing to me that some people really believe in them. Bill and Hillary’sJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063948450784036492003-09-19T00:14:00.000-05:002003-09-19T00:14:10.780-05:00Astros still rolling...Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063948303237453442003-09-19T00:11:00.000-05:002003-09-19T00:11:43.270-05:00Rachel sends this along with the subject line, "This is cool". Yes, it is. We'll see if they can find any customers, but I definitely like the business case.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-106388504424805822003-09-18T06:37:00.000-05:002003-09-18T06:37:23.856-05:00Funny:
Arafat, Israel May Have Foundation for Peace
(2003-09-18) -- PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat yesterday hinted at "a foundation for peace" in the middle east, just as the so-called 'roadmap for peace' seemed doomed to collapse.
Reuters news agency reports that Mr. Arafat asked, "Is there anyone in Palestine who does not dream of martyrdom?"
An unnamed source on the Israeli cabinet welcomed MrJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063859996254497092003-09-17T23:39:00.000-05:002003-09-17T23:40:19.503-05:00When I first started the blog, I talked bad about William Saletan. I have since grown to admire him much the same way I admire Greg Easterbrook - because he's fairly balanced and rational about his opinions and not rabidly partisan for the sake of being partisan. For instance, he'll criticize President Bush on Friday and then write this on Monday, about Democrats hysterical over Republican "Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063857686240732902003-09-17T23:01:00.000-05:002003-09-17T23:08:35.466-05:00Another item that was recently in the news that I missed because of the new "company policy" was the proposed changes to New Source Review. Now, I work in the power industry and I hold a job dealing with a major aspect of environmental compliance. I have an opinion on this subject and I want everyone reading the blog to understand this, because the prevailing national media either doesn't Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063853777922460462003-09-17T21:56:00.000-05:002003-09-17T22:13:13.950-05:00Now, I love Greg Easterbrook, because even though he writes for the New Republic and his politics are a bit left of mine, he's not a whacky Bush hater and he's not overly sensitive to stupid PC mindsets soley out of instinct. Instead, he's a rational progressive mind that has done more to make me thoughtfully consider some liberal positions and sensitivity than just about anyone else in the majorJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-10638537535560702003-09-17T21:55:00.000-05:002003-09-17T22:08:13.520-05:00Dick Grasso resigned today. A buddy of mine who used to work at my company used to always comment on how Dick would slip in a quick hug after shaking the hand of whoever had the honor on any particular day of ringing the opening or closing bell at the NYSE. My buddy would always be looking at the television above our desk, always tuned to CNBC, and say, "Here he goes! Here he goes! Dick's going Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063853386528779842003-09-17T21:49:00.000-05:002003-09-17T21:49:45.953-05:00A novel idea to try and educate people about nutrition (and benefits of cooking for oneself relative to cheap fast food) - bring back Home Ec class?Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063853185353797902003-09-17T21:46:00.000-05:002003-09-17T21:46:36.440-05:00At this very moment:
Directv channel 249 is showing a group of policeman breaking up an over-the-top domestic disturbance...
Directv channel 248 is showing a man in a leopard-print leotard storming down the street away from a policeman trying to ask him questions about a crime that just occurred
Now I aks you which channel is Comedy Central and which one is FX?Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063852977891202662003-09-17T21:42:00.000-05:002003-09-17T23:08:18.810-05:00The Road Map is dead. So should be Arafat, and soon. The "Palestinians" don't like it? Fine, let's have a war and settle the whole thing. I've been saying this for the past three years now and I'm still saying it.
UPDATE: This is good too.
There are no Palestinian leaders who want peace. There never were. Oslo was a sucker's game from the start, a tactic in what Israeli scholar Joel Fishman Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063849405507265942003-09-17T20:43:00.000-05:002003-09-17T20:43:25.036-05:00I was kind of busy at the start of August and only recently got into the whole Episcopal Church debate with the gay bishop. Thing is, I think it's shameful and utterly unchristian and inconsistent with the whole foundation of Judeo-Christianity.
Mind you, I'm not saying that homosexuals don't deserve God's love or that they are going to Hell or that gays aren't welcom in church. Far from it - weJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063848505552434572003-09-17T20:28:00.000-05:002003-09-17T20:28:25.300-05:00I guess Russians can be macho too?
Thing is, I've been to Russia twice. They already have large smoke-belching vehicles that are driven with no regard for other people on the road - they're called every other car on the road. Trust me.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1063848295718456712003-09-17T20:24:00.000-05:002003-09-17T20:24:55.503-05:00HOLY BLOGGER, BATMAN! JOHN'S BACK! (sort of)
For the first time in many days I actually have time at home at night to blog a little bit. The new policies at work suck, but at least I'm online!
Let's get started... er, if you're reading this by now, you're done, but this is all reversely sequential... oh nevermind.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1062733557244211732003-09-04T22:45:00.000-05:002003-09-04T22:46:39.963-05:00Even though I haven't been blogging, I still have a ton of stories and news to link to. I will dump it all onto the blog Sunday afternoon. In the meantime, I'm going bird hunting in Scurry County and I'll see you all when I get back.
Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1062549838739241782003-09-02T19:43:00.000-05:002003-09-02T19:55:04.113-05:00Yes, I know I haven't blogged in nearly a week. Unfortunately, things are going to slow down permanently because my company recently introduced a more stringent computer use policy last week that most likely, should I continue to blog in my spare time at work, could be construed as reason to terminate my employment. As such, no more blogging at work, even though I feel that the brief time that I Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1062097062156597132003-08-28T13:57:00.000-05:002003-08-28T13:57:42.030-05:00Double standards rule the day!Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1062094377109458682003-08-28T13:12:00.000-05:002003-08-28T13:17:32.896-05:00I haven't said anything about the 10 Commandments fiasco in Alabama, yet. And I'm still not going to say much. Needless to say, it's frutrating and embarassing that people who call themselves "Christian" are more interested in the theatric misapplication of constitutional law rather than pursuing their faith and acting in Christian ways. Have these people never read the book of Romans or are theyJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061926066745724692003-08-26T14:27:00.000-05:002003-08-26T14:28:08.573-05:00Yes, it's a pet topic, and yes, it's a biased source, but I still feel compelled to share and I certainly can't disagree with any of this:
The U.S. leads the world when it comes to investigating accidents and mishaps, but it's performing rather poorly in trying to prevent terrorist attacks. It needs to adopt a proactive security system that would save citizens' lives as well as protecting Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061922874201817292003-08-26T13:34:00.000-05:002003-08-26T13:34:34.206-05:00I am late to the Star Wars Kid story, but it's blowing up - I just saw a trailer for an MSNBC feature - so I figure better late than never.
I first saw the video about two weeks ago of the fat kid playing with a fake lightsaber. It seems he was just goofing around with a video camera and then some other kids uploaded the video to the internet. Now his parents are suing the parents of the other Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061845966603973502003-08-25T16:12:00.000-05:002003-08-26T16:03:55.143-05:00From the mailbag - damn.
Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061845536014338322003-08-25T16:05:00.000-05:002003-08-25T16:28:48.786-05:00I've said before that I like the things that Larry Summers is doing at Harvard - now the New York Times has a surprisingly positive piece on his first couple of years in office.
Summers himself bridles at the suggestion that he is trying to speak against the grain of the institution he leads or to somehow bring it to heel. He declines the title of ''cultural conservative,'' not only because it Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061835964960993242003-08-25T13:26:00.000-05:002003-08-25T13:26:04.946-05:00Robert Bork, the greatest judge in recent history never to be affirmed to the Supreme Court, had an interesting piece on Opinion Journal today about civil rights after 9/11. One topic he touches on is one of my favorites - ineffective security techniques at airports for fear of offending persons who also just happen to be members of a high-risk segment of the population:
That profiling is wicked Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061828170541107532003-08-25T11:16:00.000-05:002003-08-25T11:16:10.610-05:00Q: What's the difference between Price William and Pink?
A: One's an uninformed talentless creation of the media and the other is the future Prince of Wales. Go Wills.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061585552843010302003-08-22T15:52:00.000-05:002003-08-22T18:01:41.056-05:00And now, it's the Redneck Bubb Rubb.
(The video kind of takes away from it, but the audio is great - I recommend you listen with your eyes closed)
Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061562213906671862003-08-22T09:23:00.000-05:002003-08-22T09:23:33.900-05:00I think my girlfriend will like this joke:
John Ashcroft was speaking at an elementary school when he told the class that they could ask him questions. Little Bobby raised his hand and said, "I have three questions. How did Bush win with fewer votes than Gore? Why are we not chasing Bin Laden anymore? And what was the real reason we invaded Iraq?"
Just then the recess bell rang and the Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061560469341886722003-08-22T08:54:00.000-05:002003-08-22T08:54:29.196-05:00So, to move to more lighter fare (but still a dead-end cause in itself): Etiquette lessons for Boston cabbiesJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061559739773246302003-08-22T08:42:00.000-05:002003-08-22T08:42:19.690-05:00Good point from Charles Johnson:
This is why the media drives me insane. Nearly every report on the long-overdue termination of Abu Shanab says that this action by Israel has led Hamas to “abandon the truce.”
But killing children with a suicide bomber is not abandoning the truce?
Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061558607000706142003-08-22T08:23:00.000-05:002003-08-22T08:26:08.310-05:00Ahh, civilization!
When I die, please form a mob of gangsters to drag around my body - and don't forget to bring your assault rifles!Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061506421803643062003-08-21T17:53:00.000-05:002003-08-21T17:53:41.880-05:00And if you're a rap star, you likely got counted twice.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061506163637017742003-08-21T17:49:00.000-05:002003-08-21T17:52:43.666-05:00You know what's sad about this? It really shouldn't be satire:
Arafat Orders Raids of Palestinian Terror Cells
(2003-08-20) -- Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestinian Authority, today ordered police to raid known hideouts of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and to apprehend all suspected terrorists "dead or alive."
Mr. Arafat's order comes in the wake of a yesterday's Israeli bus bombing which Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061504369960835202003-08-21T17:19:00.000-05:002003-08-21T17:31:02.216-05:00Check this out. Seems like somebody got duped.
Me? I would never just throw something up onto my blog without making sure it was 100% correct... heh hehJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061470306785292502003-08-21T07:51:00.000-05:002003-08-21T09:08:00.143-05:00Well, this is handy: Hamas calls off ceasefire after senior leader assassinated. I mean, it's fine and dandy and still within the "truce" when mothers and their children are wantonly and indiscriminately killed while riding a bus, but deliberately target the leaders of the group that is behind the wanton and indiscriminate killing - WHOA! Now you've gone too far, you vicious Jew devil!
Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061395623437017662003-08-20T11:07:00.000-05:002003-08-20T11:07:03.480-05:00I have added a new link to the left hand side. Probably a little but tedious for some people, but a good site with good information: The Conspiracy to Keep You Poor and StupidJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061390770992984372003-08-20T09:46:00.000-05:002003-08-20T09:46:24.470-05:00Oh dear:
Canada is a threat to all we hold dear. Consider that millions of Americans cannot subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket -- the product TMQ desires more than anything in life -- because they cannot or do not get the satellite signal of the Rupert Murdoch-owned DirecTV, which holds a monopoly over Sunday Ticket. Yet in Canada, anyone may subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket over cable. That's right, Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061389007599422112003-08-20T09:16:00.000-05:002003-08-20T09:17:13.000-05:00Every year the Little League World Series sneaks up on you - pro baseball is starting to go strong, the NFL preseason is at it's peak (if you can call it that) and winding up for the regular season, college football is starting, and kids are going back to school.
According to this article in Slate, the teams with the big kids always win.
...age-fudging isn’t the problem with the Little League Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061379499125237182003-08-20T06:38:00.000-05:002003-08-20T06:38:19.063-05:00This is obviously the worm I picked up (i.e. "your details"). I'm still confused how it's working because I don't have an email app that uses my email address on a local (POP) basis.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061379217396315722003-08-20T06:33:00.000-05:002003-08-20T06:33:37.473-05:00Get your hands off of my email, you damn, dirty, virus!
Well, I've protected my email address from spam, but now it's been hijacked by a virus of some sort. Yesterday morning I received an "undeliverable" email that was bounced back to my inbox. That same sort of mail you receive when you send an email to someone and get their address wrong.
"That's funny," I thought, "I never sent an email to Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061299764290854042003-08-19T08:29:00.000-05:002003-08-19T08:29:24.310-05:00Craig Friou and I are having a poker tournament. If anyone wants to play, go here for more information:
http://home.houston.rr.com/friou/Info.htmJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061220602370599202003-08-18T10:30:00.000-05:002003-08-18T10:30:02.406-05:00Want my opinion about "prison experience"? Don't break the law and you don't go to prison. Problem solved. Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061220130266940512003-08-18T10:22:00.000-05:002003-08-18T10:22:10.363-05:00This story about "sexual cleansers" in African villages sounds almost like a joke, but if it's for real, then kudos to the women who are resisiting "tradition" in light of the AIDS epidemic and modernity. Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061211401550050472003-08-18T07:56:00.000-05:002003-08-18T07:56:41.400-05:00Note to self: never ever try and sneak onto an elevator ever again.
Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1061030297641854922003-08-16T05:38:00.000-05:002003-08-16T05:38:17.603-05:00And multiply a schoolyard bully by years what you'd have is Saddam Hussein. And your point is.... what?Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060979814390892982003-08-15T15:36:00.000-05:002003-08-15T15:36:52.540-05:00Gotta share this (thanks to Best of the Web):
Sen. John Edwards of North Korea said he opposes the recall and will not back an alternative.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060973816116691252003-08-15T13:56:00.000-05:002003-08-15T13:57:13.556-05:00Sports Guy's wedding wagers:
1. Quality of the best man's toast vs. quality of the cake (even odds): This one could be especially fun if you wagered heavily on the best man, then he choked in his speech, and you wanted to kill him afterward. And yes, few things in life are more enjoyable than someone screwing up a best man's speech. I can't believe somebody hasn't turned "Worst Best Man SpeechesJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060958127879768362003-08-15T09:35:00.000-05:002003-08-15T11:11:08.690-05:00Photo gallery from the blackout. Some of these pics are surreal.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060890852688587712003-08-14T14:54:00.000-05:002003-08-16T05:40:03.653-05:00Poker advice from the KKK
UPDATE: Sorry for the misdirected link. It's fixed.
UPDATE 2: After consideration, I think "poker tips from Archie Bunker" would have been funnier. Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060889538188221342003-08-14T14:32:00.000-05:002003-08-14T14:48:02.830-05:00And, ladies and gentlemen, the perfect John Greene blog website: The 3rd Annual Nigerian EMail Conference
I present to you an urgent and confidential request: I request your attendance at The 3rd Annual Nigerian EMail Conference. This is an excellent opportunity to meet your distinguished colleagues, learn new marketing techniques, and spend your hard-earned money. Attending this conference Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060888785318539892003-08-14T14:19:00.000-05:002003-08-14T14:24:16.986-05:00Ouch ouch ouch: A Brooklyn man was bruised and battered - but lucky to be alive - after he was pushed onto the subway tracks and rolled between the rails as an oncoming train passed over him, officials said.
Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060791223989924842003-08-13T11:13:00.000-05:002003-08-13T11:18:30.456-05:00Also, when I got in this morning, I noticed a news piece with the alarming news that a popular drug used to treat Parkinson's Disease... might cause compulsive gambling! Like most of these alarm pieces, I just ignored it for a lot of reasons, no the least of which being that the science of the day is such that, given enough time, anything and everything can be proven to be harmful.
Then I got anJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060790751417659222003-08-13T11:05:00.000-05:002003-08-13T11:10:38.003-05:00If I lived in California, I'm not sure which Arnold I would vote for.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060702642352746512003-08-12T10:37:00.000-05:002003-08-12T10:37:22.280-05:00And to clarify the whole mini-debate in the feedback below about the Dixie Chicks.
I never said I didn't like their music. My argument is against their claims of "censorship" when a once-adoring public no longer adores them. They became popular because they played good music and, to a lot of people I know, for their image as empowered, attractive girls singing country music. Making derogatory Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060701997813903282003-08-12T10:26:00.000-05:002003-08-12T10:26:37.790-05:00Something that has bothered me for a while now is the use of the term "homicide bomber" to refer to suicide attacks in Israel. Fox News started this practice with the good intention of showing sympathy to the victims of the Arab terrorists, but the phrase is just plain inaccurate and it's beginning to annoy me. After all, anyone who detonates a bomb with the intention of killing someone else is Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060620651320553892003-08-11T11:50:00.000-05:002003-08-11T11:50:51.166-05:00Next up, the Dixie Chicks? U.S. Fines Woman for Being 'Human Shield' Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060609432579870472003-08-11T08:43:00.000-05:002003-08-11T08:43:52.496-05:00"Hasta la vista, Gray-bee"Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060178749353072942003-08-06T09:05:00.000-05:002003-08-06T09:05:49.360-05:00Remember this guy? Does he know Mike Price?Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1060054331161972112003-08-04T22:32:00.000-05:002003-08-04T22:32:11.246-05:00Sorry for no posts for a few days - I'm on vacation in beautiful northern Oklahoma.
But here's something nice: cell phones are beginning to outnumber landline phones. I've been doing this now for more than a year - does this make me a trendsetter?Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059667333270859702003-07-31T11:02:00.000-05:002003-07-31T15:33:02.356-05:00Funny - perfect blog material
(go to the bottom for a link to the referring page)
UPDATE: OK, I'll give Mookie credit for the link.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059622501891158842003-07-30T22:35:00.000-05:002003-07-30T22:36:12.663-05:00Given the way the whole Matt Millen thing has played out, this isn't far from the truth: NFL Orders QBs to Look at Black Receivers First Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059590544439997402003-07-30T13:42:00.000-05:002003-07-30T13:42:24.380-05:00This is nuts - but hey, it's a labor union!
The nature preserve was no place for hundreds of illegally dumped tires.
So when high school students in Beaver County got sick of seeing pollution in the park, they decided to do something about it, and volunteers from the Blackhawk High School recycling club removed the tires.
Now union employees of the Beaver County Public Works Department (searchJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059583705725247212003-07-30T11:48:00.000-05:002003-07-30T13:42:53.820-05:00Some of the big news yesterday was the story about the "terrorism futures market" idea and how the Pentagon killed it after Congress found out. Needless to say, I think that it was a novel idea that died a cheap political death just because Democrats in Congress smelled blood mixed with public ignorance. Too bad - novelty should be rewarded and not derided.
Try this and this and this for more inJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059502834215295902003-07-29T13:20:00.000-05:002003-07-29T13:20:34.270-05:00Balkanization: it's happening in America!Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059493110050162172003-07-29T10:38:00.000-05:002003-07-29T10:38:30.010-05:00Also - I've turned off private comments after some very rational complaints from readers. If you want to send me a private comment, then you are welcome to send me email, but comments on the site are intended to generate debate, anyway, so they might as well all be public.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059431782919980872003-07-28T17:36:00.000-05:002003-07-28T17:36:22.956-05:00HA HA! Literally! (except that it would be much funnier if they were already married and she was the one doing it to him)Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059431667298978372003-07-28T17:34:00.000-05:002003-07-28T17:34:27.330-05:00I was out of the office all day and away from the computer, so not much blogging (uh... um... not that ever is at work anyway, right, Boss?)
So here is something to chew on: New on Fox: When objects impale peopleJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059366960691989752003-07-27T23:36:00.000-05:002003-07-27T23:36:00.723-05:00Essay. How to spend a Sunday afternoon.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059149434325836162003-07-25T11:10:00.000-05:002003-07-25T11:10:34.376-05:00Been awhile since I wrote about online music sharing. Perhaps my feelings have slowly evolved in the past year, depending on the actions of the courts. I don't think that sharing songs electronically should be considered 100%-nonnegotiably-ILLEGAL-illegal but if the courts say that Napster in its heyday was even a little bit against the law, then I'm willing to listen. And since the evil music Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059147428073860002003-07-25T10:37:00.000-05:002003-07-25T13:35:45.683-05:00Ugh - I just got this email and I'm already having to defend the (boring) piece on apostrophes:
I know this mistake was a result of writing in haste and not because you don't know better, but in the paragraph that begins with a sentence that says something about ambiguity, the "its" somewhere deeper in the paragraph should be "it's", should it not? And, yet, I know this is nitpicky, too, but "Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059139471280742512003-07-25T08:24:00.000-05:002003-07-25T08:24:31.253-05:00More on the Cubans in the flabed truck. There should have been some sort of exception to the interdiction policy that would have allowed them to make it to American, if only because we need talented engineers in this country. Goodness.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059090081682409232003-07-24T18:41:00.000-05:002003-07-24T18:41:21.630-05:00Today's essay is ready, and one thing is clear - I have created monster, in many different ways. Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059064910838211562003-07-24T11:41:00.000-05:002003-07-24T11:41:50.913-05:00Pictures of the dead psychos. The Uday picture is pretty clear - it's the same guy - wide brow, slim mouth, flat nose. The other one is a little bit less clear, but if they say that they're "100% certain" that it's Qusay, I doubt that they would risk looking mistaken 6 months down the road if he were to show up.
That said, if these guys were as brutal and capricious and just all-around bad guysJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059059111354977572003-07-24T10:05:00.000-05:002003-07-24T10:05:11.413-05:00And this is interestingJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059058879475336432003-07-24T10:01:00.000-05:002003-07-24T10:01:59.896-05:00Pictures of the dead brothers are about to be released. Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1059010579328513832003-07-23T20:36:00.000-05:002003-07-24T08:09:02.200-05:00Something new to the blog. I'm trying to write more and I think this is going to be the way to do it. Go on and click through - all is explained over there.
Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058995083108434402003-07-23T16:18:00.000-05:002003-07-23T16:27:59.300-05:00The Economist has one of the most thoughtful justifications for the war that I have seen so far.
However, the question of whether the war was, in retrospect, justified does not rest on that claim, or on the issue of whether Mr Bush or Tony Blair may at times have gone too far in turning possibilities raised by their spies into apparent certainties. Rather, the justification for the war is best Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058993682371342502003-07-23T15:54:00.000-05:002003-07-23T16:04:38.413-05:00Run for president, lose your memory.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058988117192981052003-07-23T14:21:00.000-05:002003-07-23T14:31:53.356-05:00I disagree with the first paragraph, but I'm willing to overlook it to link to this: The 'tolerant' DemocratsJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058986512223918742003-07-23T13:55:00.000-05:002003-07-23T14:06:10.230-05:00Fox News Chaneel is showing live footage of New York City Hall after the shooting that just happened a few minutes ago. The caption at the bottom of the page says, "Cops still looking for suspect."
cops
Not "NYPD"
Not "Police"
Not "Officers"
cops
Somehow I like the sound of that.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058984754746360642003-07-23T13:25:00.000-05:002003-07-23T13:36:13.516-05:00Don't give me any of this medicine:
Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058975811551574382003-07-23T10:56:00.000-05:002003-07-23T11:06:47.683-05:00Interesting historical perspective on the Niger "controversy":
Remember Yankee Station? It was a spot in the ocean where the destroyer USS Maddox — gathering intelligence for the South Vietnamese — was attacked by four North Vietnamese patrol boats on August 2, 1964. Maddox — aided by carrier aircraft — severely damaged the attackers, leaving at least one dead in the water. The next night the Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058919980643357532003-07-22T19:26:00.000-05:002003-07-23T06:42:21.356-05:00I like baby (cut) carrots because they're a tasty snack that is filling and very low in calories - a one pound bag has only 175 calories and lasts 2-3 days for me when I'm looking for a snack in the afternoons at work. Apparently, baby carrots are also something of a business success story as explained in this fascinating piece:
CUT-AND-PEEL, or “baby” carrots, transformed the industry, turning Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058908452048182492003-07-22T16:14:00.000-05:002003-07-22T16:14:12.116-05:00Charles Krauthammer has an excellent piece from last Friday on the debate of the moment concerning the president's "lies" and "false intelligence". Good piece.
Nonetheless, it was more than likely false, thus giving an opening to the Democrats, desperate for some handle to attack President Bush's huge advantage on the issue of national security. With weapons of mass destruction yet unfound, the Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058872351331991412003-07-22T06:12:00.000-05:002003-07-22T17:21:25.140-05:00Of course they're going to fight, they're Aggies!
"Don't go in that journalism building son, that's sacred ground!"
Um, I was just going to use the bathroom.
"I don't care what you were going to do, we don't let no queer 2 percenters from the vet school come in here and steal our crayons and manilla paper. This here's serious journalism, boy."
You idiot, I'm an Aggie too!. I'm even a yell Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058837734109609092003-07-21T20:35:00.000-05:002003-07-21T20:35:34.076-05:00Drunkenly driving an SUV 100+ MPH? I'd say that's just stupid.Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058817829703484982003-07-21T15:03:00.000-05:002003-07-21T15:03:49.660-05:00Cool: Research on the communication skills of dogs:
To test his ideas, Miklosi and his colleagues designed an experiment comparing dogs with their closest relatives -- wolves. They took 13 wolf pups from their mothers when they were just four or five days old and raised them in human homes just like puppies. As adults, the wolves received intensive contact with their human caretakers, who Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058812049574579032003-07-21T13:27:00.000-05:002003-07-21T16:46:26.213-05:00To answer some of the feedback to the Niger post below.
My point of that post and my reason for calling the Niger debate silly is because it is silly. Nothing that the president said was false. He said, ''The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." The British government did say this and continues to do so to this day.
Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058808160240922842003-07-21T12:22:00.000-05:002003-07-21T12:29:29.266-05:00Rachel sends a link to an article about something silly: expensive and elaborate 30th birthday parties.
Today, when marriage is routinely delayed past 30 and the 20's are often an extended adolescence — a time of romantic and professional hopscotch — a 30th birthday feels to many the way 21 once did, as the gateway to the more serious adult world. It is no longer a day to count up regrets Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058807774561838992003-07-21T12:16:00.000-05:002003-07-21T12:16:14.600-05:00Kobe Bryant gossipJohnnymacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3430457.post-1058565685917932272003-07-18T17:01:00.000-05:002003-07-18T17:01:25.770-05:00One more thing - I hope these guys are punished to the fullest extent possible. Johnnymacnoreply@blogger.com