More Shamelessness in DVD Form

Nomad is again selling off his DVD collection in the name of making room to actually live in his apartment. If you doubt the sincerity of this belief, just ask Ward. As of now, I have filled TWO 200+ DVD cabinets and have more piled on top. I know, it is sad. Very sad. Still, it means bargains for our fair readers.



Check them out!!! A special bonus if you mention that you are a Mod-Blog reader (unless you are Ward)!

Nomad Stuck in the Dark Ages

Well, we have reached Adelphia (first we tried their PowerLink site but that was less-than-helpful) and there is good news and bad news. Well, actually, bad news and bad news. The bad news is that our cable modem appears to be dead. The BAD news is that Adelphia won't send anyone out until Friday. That means I will be slumming it on dial-up all week. So if the updates seem a bit light... well... that is because the heavy stuff won't fit thru a telephone modem line.



Sigh. Who knew that it would be so hard to go back to what used to be state of the art?

Nomad Enters the Dark Ages

Ward and I recently had a moment of debate over the difference between the "Dark Ages" and the "Middle Ages" in our offline debate about genocide (which will be going online in the next week). Well, now it appears that I will have a chance to learn about this personally. My broadband connection thru Adelphia's cable internet is down as of now, and we have no idea when it will be back up. (Not for non-payment or anything. It appears to be an internal Adelphia issue.) So I am back to the "Dark Ages" back when man could only use (Ugh!) a 56K modem for his internet connections. I already feel like I should be cooking my food over fire, instead of with civilized microwave radiation! What is this?! Am I living in the 90s for goodness sake?!

O, Wildwood. How I Miss Thee

Every year, my brother and I take a trip down to Wildwood, NJ - a kind of "brothers vacation" where two single guys can enjoy the boardwalk, the eats, the fun, and the scenery. I am pretty bummed that this year - because of hospital time for me, wedding time, and other factors - we will not be able to make this pilgrimage. So in honor of this missed opportunity, I wanted to post a picture taken from our 1997 trip.

Kerry: Book 'em, Dano!

John Kerry today indicated that he supports the trial of Osama Bin Laden in the United States should he become president. This is really the capstone to an opinion Kerry has held for some time, but that he and others have kept quiet about up until now: the senator believes that fundamentall terrorism is a law-enforcement issue and not a military issue. If so, then OBL is a criminal, and not a hostile power.



This is a fundamental difference with President Bush, and is probably is the biggest issue that should drive the presidential race. Bush believes you target bad men who blow up buildings with planes the same way you target bad men who blow up buildings with B-2 bombers - you declare War. Kerry believes you target the same man the way that you target the mob - you gather evidence, put together a case, and live by the rules of procedure. These are both valid arguments, but lead to very different conclusions.



My own opinion? Treating terrorism as a simple crime is what lead to 9/11 - the FBI was not allowed to detain people for lack of evidence that would stand up in front of a judge, and so the terrorists were ultimately able to act. Whereas now that terrorism is treated as a declaration of war, the terrorists are spending most of their time fighting us in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel. i.e. A long way away from our own shores.

Oliphant Very Unhappy with Kerry Speech

Thomas Oliphant (a proud and persistent liberal, and lifelong democrat) is very unhappy with John Kerry's convention speech. Basically, he feels that the senator rushed through the speech, and tried to jam everything he has been trying to say over the last two years into a single speech. Thus, what could have been a battle cry for the Democrats, became little more than a garbled policy speech.



I must say this is what I thought when I read the speech this morning, but Ward felt very differently. What do all of you think?

I'm So Out of Here

Going to visit my fiancee for the weekend. I leave the blog in Nomad's capable hands. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Frankenkerry

Unlike Nomad, I was actually fairly impressed with the speech itself. He was clear, forceful, and spoke with more energy than I've ever seen from him. He made good points and sounded mostly the right notes. This had to be his "defining moment" and I think he did a pretty good job with it. He spoke strongly about taking the fight to the terrorists and he committed to Iraq. He didn't convince me but he made me at least a little more willing to listen to him. That's the good.



Now the bad. In the Democrats effort to convince the voters that they are "strong on defense" we had to endure yet another trotting out of Vietnam veterans and hear more about how brave Frankenkerry was. It's amazing that the Democrats are now so in love with the same veterans that they were busy spitting on calling baby killers thirty years ago. To trot out a few veterans and say "look, we're brave too!" isn't really relevant. We KNOW that Frankenkerry went to fight. We honor that. But it doesn't change the fact that he came home and called those same men murderers and worked against their efforts to win the war.



Universal healthcare also came up. Yuck. If Frankenkerry is elected, this debate will be replayed out like it was in '92. It's anyone's guess as to who would win this time. It will depend on how ends up in control of the Congress.



I also still found myself seriously doubtful about his commitment to the WOT. He said lots of the right words, but it is hard to look past his recent record and believe him. He claimed in one breath that he won't be a patsy for the French but in the next argued that we should never go it alone. To me, that translates to "I'll try to be tough but if the French don't agree, then I guess we won't be doing much." That's an attitude that we simply can't afford to take.



It gets to the real issue in this election. What decade do you think we're in? The Democrats, like the Europeans, seem to believe that nothing changed after 9/11. We're still sailing along in the post 90's afterglow to these people. On the other hand, President Bush realizes that the world changed suddenly on that day and our response needed to change as well. As much as I dislike some of Bush's plans and politics, I still feel that he is the candidate who is actually living in our reality.

John F. Kerry Speaketh

If you are like me, you had to be in bed last night before John Kerry gave his big speech (stupid 5 AM wake-up call!). But if so, we here at Mod-BLog wanted to make sure you had a chance to read the speech in its entirety. And for those who have read the speech,or who just want the pre-digested version you can just read some of the post-speech analysis. Or maybe a little more skeptical analysis. Enjoy!



Personally, I am still unimpressed. But then, Senator Kerry still has a ways to go for me to convince me to fire President Bush. And I doubt that I was really his target audience.

Wait... I know this one...

According to this article in Yahoo! News, anarchists have begun protesting the Democratic Convention. Hold on. Anarchists believe in no central authority, and the complete autonomy of all people. So, is an "anarchist protest" somewhat of an oxymoron? Or is it really just another way of saying "mob"?

Apple to "Get" Real

A few days back I told you that RealMedia had cracked the iPod DRM and would be selling RM songs that would play on the iPod. Well, Apple has now responded and they ain't happy! They charge that Real violated the DCMA and that they are acting like the worst kind of hackers in stealing Apple's intellectual property.



My opinion? Apple is protecting their brand and their music store jealously. They worked very hard to earn the trust of the major record labels, after so many others failed, and are terrified that any sign of weakness might cause someone to pull out, or might be a chink in the domination of the iPod. But truth be told, if Apple had just licensed their technology to Real months back, they would have a say over what content was sold and have the ability to punish Real for any infractions. Now, they have to go thru all kinds of legal hoops, while Real has more and more incentive to just release the crack to the world to punish apple.



Penny wise, pound foolish, Mr. Jobs.

More on Iraq

It's been quiet in the news concerning Iraq because everyone is so enamored with the DNC this week. But the killing of innocents has continued as has the caving in to terrorists. Here's an Iraqi's take on the decision by certain countries to pull out. He's understandably angry. Here's the conclusion,

"Can you answer the question what will be the response of Iraqis towards these horrible attacks? I'll help you; These victims came to volunteer to serve their country as IP members and this is not the 1st time this happens and the response of Iraqis to such attacks was always more volunteers and longer lines. What does that tell you Philippine and Spanish government? If this is bravery and wisdom, then how should your actions be labeled? Maybe it's not your business? That would've been a more honest answer had you said it, but you're not just cowards or stupid, you're also hypocrites. This include all the "anti-war" crowd with all the clowns there such as Michael Moore and George Galloway and their likes. You make me SICK when you support the "Iraqi resistance" and call these killers a revolutionists. Did you watch your "resistance" today? This is what you support and this is how history will view you; supporters of murderers and criminals, and for what? Fame and money! Enjoy it. It won't last, as the truth will soon be revealed and you'll be exposed to all as the disgusting parasites you are.



I doubt that we can forgive you all for your cowardice, stupidity and hypocrisy just as we'll never forget the sacrifices and the help of the Americans, Australians, British, Italians, Japanese and all the other coalition members."

Pretty condemning stuff and even more so coming from one that was just left by the cowards in the Philippines. They don't like being called cowards and are claiming that Australia offended them for saying as such. Here's an idea, if you don't want to be called a coward, then don't act like one!

The UN, Now Even More Useless!

Proving yet again why we shouldn't even bother listening the UN, the US has dropped the threat of sanctions against Sudan. Way to lead, US! That'll teach those pesky mass-murdering scum. Just back down. After all, it's not like we should be pressuring the corrupt government of Sudan to bring in their own rebels. Heaven forbid we actually say that they're doing something bad! Once again, the US fails to lead the way with any moral clarity.



As a side note, Nomad and I are currently having a lengthy discussion on this very topic. We're thinking about posting some of it. Based on what we've got so far, I definitely want to put it up. I think it's been great. But we'll have to see how it all turns out. We'll keep you posted.

Fear in the White House?

Backing off from earlier claims that the White House would not act immediately on the 9/11 report, there are now several drafts floating around listing measures to be taken sooner rather than later. This could have something to do with Frankenkerry's assertion that he would act on all the policies if he's elected. Of course, Frankenkerry would act on anything he was told to if we just had Frogman speak up. But at least in this election year the President can't afford to sit on the report. If that makes one American safer this year, then I'm all for it.

Wednesday's DNC - DOA

Could they possibly have put together a less inspiring show? They're supposed to be building up towards tonight. Instead, Wednesday saw a huge drop from the relatively good show on Tuesday. Of course, you can't aim too high if you expect Frankenkerry to actually appear as the star. Talk about listless. It was as if Teresa Heinz Kerry had spoken all night. We had Jesse Jackson, the self parody. And then of course there was Edwards. I'm sorry, I just don't see what everyone sees in him. I think he's just as monotone as Frankenkerry, he just hits a different tone. I guess he's endearing to a lot of people though, he sure made a lot of money chasing ambulances. He's about as energetic as Cheney during a heart attack. Scratch that, Cheney would probably win that contest too. Sharpton was the only highlight and that's only because he apparently didn't get the "be nice to Bush" memo circulating around the convention. His best line? "Our [black] vote is not for sale!" to the cheering crowd. You're right, it's not for sale. You sold it so long ago that you can't even remember. And the party you sold it to has sold you down the river without a paddle and you keep lauding them as your saviors. Yeah, Rev. Sharpton...You really got the good end of the deal. Wink Wink Nudge Nudge. We can only hope that perhaps Frankenkerry will be hit with another lightening bolt and maybe it'll bring him to life a little more completely. Otherwise, get ready to hear a lot of quiet snoring tonight.

More Farscape Coolness!

AICN is reporting on the Farscape booth from the Comic-Con. Just a few more tidbits about the upcoming miniseries, including the description of an all-new trailer, different from the one seen recently on Sci-Fi!

Major things that I remember- Grayza ... is pregnant! Sikozu, Scorpius, and Stark all were prominent within the trailer, as well as our intrepid crew. A Scarran says to Aeryn “You will never be reunited with your baby”. Overall, it looks really good.

I can hardly wait for October when this little baby finally comes to the small screen. Or as big a screen as we can find here in Mod-BLog's Eastern Command post. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, "Sci Fi Muppets Rule!!!"



As usual, those with small children and pets may wish to avoid the Talkback section of AICN's site, which includes unmoderated discussion which often veers into language you might hear on a middle-school bus.

Saddam Stroke???

The British tabliod The Mirror is reporting that Saddam Hussein's lawyer in Iraq is claiming the deposed dictator has had a stroke and may well die before he can be brought to trial. Allegedly, his lawyers is filing complaints, based on the report of the Red Cross.



It would seem to me to be poetic justice if God judged the Butcher of Baghdad before man had a chance to, but you have to wonder about this. Just last week there were pieces from journalists who claimed to have visited Saddam who claimed he was in good health and generally good spirits, one even claiming that he had "written a poem about George W. Bush." Is this really a true report, or just a legal maneuver to get the lawyer more access or possibly to excuse Hussein from appearing before an Iraqi Court?

America the Devil

There's a great and rather long piece about anti-Americanism here. It'll take a while but it's well worth the read. The author does a great job dissecting all the so-called reasons why Europe hates America and he explains why it isn't a new thing.

Fisking Sullivan

As much as I have long respected Andrew Sullivan's writing, he's getting a bit out of control and frankly, dishonest. It's about time someone stopped walking around the pink elephant in the "conservative" room. Right Wing News rightfully tears him a new one. His continuing hypocrisy concerning the new bill working its way through the House is frustrating and reflects his true purpose,

"Follow me here: Sullivan is obsessed with gay marriage and stopping a Constitutional Amendment, right? Furthermore, he claims to believe that supporters of the Federal Marriage Amendment who think judges will impose gay marriage are wrong, that it's "very unlikely that such a thing will happen any time in the foreseeable future".



If that were true then would this bill not be the answer to Andrew Sullivan's dreams? DOMA or no DOMA, Sullivan says gay marriage isn't going to be forced down any state's throat by judges, right (well except in Massachusetts where it has already HAPPENED)? However, if this bill were to become the law of the land, it would take away the "primary argument" conservatives like me have used to make a case for a Federal Marriage Amendment, which would in effect make a Constitutional Amendment a dead issue.



Given all of that, you'd think Sullivan would be spending almost as much time on his blog talking up this bill as he does attacking Republicans, the Bush administration, and those all those devout Christians that he loathes so much."

Personally, as a Christian reading Sullivan (a Catholic) I've grown increasingly disgusted with his bigotry and slander. He has had the reverse effect on me from what he is seeking. Instead of encouraging me to support gay rights even further, he is making me question just how honest the gay community is being and rather I can really support them as much as I have in the past. From the rumblings I'm hearing, I don't think I'm the only one.

How Much?!?

Conservatism (at least the financial kind) must truly be dead in the Republican party when they're celebrating only being $420 million in debt rather than $520 million. This is insane. We must realize that the WOT will affect our spending, but that can't translate to carte blanche for the President. I remember in 2001 when I thought that a Republican President and a Republican Congress couldn't be bad for the economy. Surely, the balanced budget forced upon Clinton by the Republican congress in '94 would continue and prosperous days would follow. Instead, we've gotten record spending from the most conservative administration and a very conservative Congress.



Have the Republicans truly given up fiscal conservatism? It seems that the liberals are coming out much stronger on this issue now. Of course, their arguments are flawed. Bill Clinton would not have acted as he had without a hostile Congress. But at least they're beginning to see the light of smaller government and fiscal responsibility. It's just a shame that the Republicans now seem to be loosing sight of those goals that they have fought so long for. Perhaps it is a result of the monopoly of power that they now enjoy. It's easy to want to spend money when you control everything. I wonder how the dynamic will change if Kerry wins the election or if Democrats take over one or the other of the branches of Congress. Perhaps we can get back to responsible financial policy.

Impressions From the DNC

Below are my thoughts and impressions on the speakers from last night at the DNC. Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments section, I'd really like to hear what other people thought too.

Kerry

Mrs. Kerry got the chance to speak and I have to say that one word came to mind. Boring. I thought this woman was supposed to be the spunk in the campaign? She's only moderately less boring than her husband. I fail to see how she inspires much of anything out of her husband's supporters. My guess is that if Kerry wins, she'll be no more visible than Bush is now.

Reagan

By far the worst speaker of the night. He was condescending, smug, and a parody. He's a tool (in every sense of the word) to the left now. The only reason he spoke was because of his name. Never mind that he voted for Nader in the last election and he refused to attend the naval display last week with his mother because he saw the ship as "a weapon of mass destruction."



The worst part of the whole affair was his insulting tone to those who have a different view. Not everyone who disagrees with a liberal is playing politics, nor do they have "axes to grind." To claim so is naive and stupid. President Clinton had the opportunity to open government money for stem cell research and refused. President Bush had the opportunity to do so and allowed money to go toward research. Who's got the axe to grind again? He also implied that the miracle cure was right around the corner. That is, of course, a lie. The research has only just begun and we are barely into the infancy stage of this study. Yet, already there is considerable research to show that embryonic stem cells are not only not as useful as originally thought, but also fraught with danger. Every test rodent injected with these cells has developed cancer, as opposed to no cancer among those injected with adult stem cells.



Ron Reagan; clown, tool, and liar. How proud your dad would be. (Insert sarcasm)

Moore

The most telling moment came from the Factor which finally got Michael Moore to sit down and have a chat. O'Reilly was trying to get Moore to admit that the President hadn't lied about WMDs because he had been told by Russia, England, and the CIA that Saddam had the weapons. Moore insisted that Bush was still a liar because he had been wrong. O'Reilly countered that it isn't a lie if you believe something to be true...A mistake yes, but not a lie. Moore continued to disagree.



The crowning moment came when Moore tried to turn the conversation on O'Reilly. Moore asked that if he had killed O'Reilly's son in a car accident, could O'Reilly forgive him? Assuming that it was an accident and was not something that Moore intentionally set out to do, O'Reilly replied that of course he would forgive him. That stopped Moore cold. He was literally paralyzed for several seconds before stammering, "You...You would forgive me?" O'Reilly replied that of course he would, it was an accident and Moore wasn't responsible. But Moore didn't get it.



It hit me then, Michael Moore has no concept of grace and forgiveness. He doesn't understand that people make mistakes and it's okay. To him, everything is a conspiracy and everything is intentional. It never crosses his mind that people might actually just be wrong. And even worse, it never crosses his mind that forgiveness is an option. What a sad, lonely, and pathetic way to live life. To think that there can never be a forgiving gesture after one has slipped up is to live a bitter existence without the benefit of compassion. I truly pity Moore now, more than previously because I see his anger is caused by such a flawed view of humanity and a great fear of his own short-comings.

Obama

He's the rising star of the Democratic party and for obvious reasons. He can speak well and he has a hopeful message. The only problem? He sounded like a Republican. Sure, he said a few liberal things but he said just as many conservative things. While I applaud this, I seriously doubt that the Democrats will tolerate if for long. Liberals aren't interested in moderation right now and a true moderate will not rise much beyond the Senate level. It's certainly about time that we had a black senator, but Obama will have trouble getting further along the path to success in his party unless he begins to toe the party line a little more strongly.



His speech had the right tone and the right rhythm. His comments couldn't offend anyone and will find resonance among moderate voters. But I still don't believe that they'll fall for Kerry.

Kennedy and Dean

Everyone now knows that Kerry's crew have been editing speeches to tone down all the anti-Bush rhetoric. While this is a good idea for the masses, it essentially left Kennedy and Dean with little room. Let's face it, these are your bulldogs and they love to attack. It's what they're good at. To make them speak without allowing them to "do their thing" is to neuter them and it reflected in the speeches. Without their hellfire rabid dog act, neither of these politicians even rate on the top tier of the political spectrum.



Despite all the toned down words, the reception that Dean received was still very telling. The most anti-Bush, rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth liberal to speak yet has also gotten the most applause. That tells us a lot about where the Democratic party is.

Affleck

Probably the biggest surprise of the night didn't actually come from the convention but rather from the O'Reilly show. Ben Affleck was the first guest and I have to confess that I have tended to look down on Affleck as an actor (although he was much better then the critics suggested in Paycheck.) He doesn't ooze thoughtful reflection when you see him. So imagine my surprise with how candid, intelligent, and polite he was on the show. Not only did he answer the questions given him, but he also refused to blather on with the regular talking points and tried to make some valid criticisms of the administration, and even more shocking was his refusal to demonize Bush. Affleck even admitted that during their one meeting, the President seemed very pleasant. Ben, what are you thinking? Your career in Hollywood will now be even more over than it was previously! You can be a Hollywood liberal and simply disagree with the President, you must hate him with all your irrational abilities!



I gained a considerable chunk of respect for Affleck last night because he has been the most thoughtful and honest critic of the administration I've seen from Hollywood yet. If only more in the left wing of this country would act with the same generosity and desire to actually see a better America, perhaps we could move this country forward. I can only hope that maybe Ben will be able to reach his "Bush lied, kids died...Bush is Hitler" peers and convince them to stop all the lunacy. We need more people who are willing to honestly debate the issues one human being to another.

Florida eVoting Records Go Kerflouey

The New York Times is reporting that all records from the last gubernatorial election - the first to use all-touch-screen voting - have been lost after two server crashes. This was to be the beginning of a new era for Florida elections, free from the hanging-chad-mania that humiliated the southern state during the 2000 presidential election. Now, instead, they are being humiliated by their computers. Ah, progress.



More proof - a reminder I do not personally need after events of this week - that you always need to back up everything on your computers, whether personal or governmental. And that putting any system onto a computer does not make it inherently better or more stable or secure than the paper version. It just means it is easier to make it look snazzy.

Teletubby Kerry Photos "Dirty Tricks"?

The Drudge Report is quoting the Kerry campaign as being quite peeved about some photos of the candidate which appeared on the internet yesterday. In them, the candidate is shown wearing a bio-hazzard suit at a NASA facility and, frankly, looking like a Teletubby! They claim that that pictures were taken without the candidates knowledge, and that the campaign was not informed about them either. "Dirty tricks!" They claim. "This is just an attempt to smear the candidate a few days before the big speech."



Now, I am actually one who enjoys taking candid photos of people. The one thing you learn quickly is that people do not tend to be smiling, comfortable looking, and looking right into the camera in candid photographs. You might get one of the three, but not usually all three. In the photo above, it can be argued but if you click on the link to Drudge's original story, these are obviously posed, photo-op pictures. Therefore, the candidate obviously knew about these, and thus his campaign should have, too.



And of course, I should note that is the campaign manager had not made a big deal about these photos, I would not be posting them here, and neither would millions of other BLoggers. Good job, man. If you had ignored these, they might have neem forgotten in a week. But now they have a chance to be Mr. Kerry's Dukakis-in-a-tank picture that will haunt the candidate thru the whole campaign.

Top Ten Reasons John Kerry Gives for Leaving the Toilet Seat Up

As the Democratic National Convention continually seems to take it self way too seriously (with the exception of Al Gore's self-deprecating comments last night), a little counter-programming seemed appropriate:



The Top Ten Reasons John Kerry Gives for Leaving the Toilet Seat Up

10. In Vietnam, where I earned three purple hearts, the toilet seat was always left up.

9. That is how Ralph Nader does it, and I want to appeal to his supporters.

8. I believe bathroom etiquette begins with putting the toilet seat down, but do not believe Congress should legislate seat position.

7. I did not actually leave my own toilet seat up, it was actually the toilet seat of another Vietnam veteran.

6. As John Edwards says, there are actually 2 Americas, one where the toilet seat is left up, another where it is left down.

5. As president, I would appoint a Toilet Seat Czar to look into this issue, and provide a single point of contact for all toilet agencies.

4. Toilet seats are a morality issue, and should really be left up to the states to decide.

3. I would like to see toilet seats left down only at the direction of the United Nations.

2. It is not my toilet seat. It is actually my wife's toilet seat.



And the number 1 reason given by John Kerry for leaving the toilet seat up...

1. I put the toilet seat down before I put it back up.

(Credit where credit is due: thanks to my brother CRChair for numbers 1 and 2!)

Frustration and Crossed Fingers

Well, I have been a big proponent of Apple Computer and my Powerbooks, iPods, etc. here on Mod-BLog, so it is only fair that I note when there is something about it that makes me scream. Last night, after almost a week of weird stutters and freeze-ups on my normally absolutely reliable computer, my Powerbook (PowerBook DVI 800 MHz, for those wondering) suddenly died. It was not a messy death - no blue-screen-of-death as you might see on a PC - but suddenly the "I am working" pinwheel appeared in place of my cursor (a name which was suddenly appropriate ) and nothing worked. I tried to reboot the computer, only to see the graphic which indicates that no hard drive was found. WHAT?! After several more reboots off of CD-ROMs, FireWire external hard drives, and others, I finally was able to bring up the hard drive and it seemed fine. I ran Disk First Aid and it said everything was honky dory. Not the first time a computer has given me a non-reproducible glitch, so I figured it was okay. Reboot. The computer came up. Then it refroze.



I attempted to run a backup overnight, but it froze again, and again, and again. Finally, this morning I tried to boot off of a CD again and... nothing. The computer would not even recognize the hard drive again, nor would it recognize the Hardware Diagnostics Disk that came with the Powerbook. I left for work depressed and wondering just how much money I would have to spend to fix this computer, or whether I would have to buy a new one.



Work was not fun, but I mostly tried to forget about the issue while there. But during the lunch time I did some checking. No help on how to fix the device. I did find a local Apple Store which could help me fix the computer via the Genius Bar. And I did some research on just how much I'd have to spend for a new one. Let us just say there was a lot more depression going on.



But when I got home after work, I decided to give it the old college try, one more time. First, I managed to get the computer to boot off of an external FireWire hard drive. (Not bad. ) I was able to back up all of the important stuff from my laptop's internal hard drive. (Better! ) Then I managed to get the Hardwarer Diagnostic Disk to boot, and ran all of their tests. No problems reported. Disk First Aid again, no problems reported. Hmm... Maybe this implied the hardware was fine, but my operating system had a bad file? (Good idea! ) So I used Apple Software Update and updated my O/S to 10.3.4 - something I had been waiting to do because of some problems reported with the update. It worked! (Woo-hoo! )



After several hours now, and a full back-up of my hard drive, things are looking good. It is probably too soon to be sure, but I am optimistic. Crossed fingers, but I am much encouraged. Here is hoping things are back to normal, and I will be posting to Mod-Blog regularly again!

Kerry Slipping

A new ABC Poll shows Kerry slipping. While it's still too far out to pay attention to certain numbers, there are significant findings in this poll. Kerry's biggest problem is still his inability to lock down a position. The poll shows that he's loosing ground in the major issues, mostly because no one actually knows what he is standing for.



It can't be a good sign for Democrats, who argue that Bush is the most hated and horrible President in history, to see Kerry barely staying even with Bush. If their claims about Bush are true, then it doesn't say much good for Kerry that people don't like him anymore than they do the President.

Bush and Biking

It's a fluff piece to be sure but I think it gets into the head of President Bush better than most political correspondents have tried. Here's the best part,

"Bush has only been riding the knobby-tired mountain bikes since February, yet he takes on dangerous sections that would give veterans pause. He keeps a cramp-inducing pace on long uphill sections, pouring it on to reach each peak, backing off a little to recover and then attacking the next hill.



He pants hard, emitting low "hrrr, hrrr, hrrr" grunts with each stroke of the pedals, his shoulders bobbing up and down."

His opponents just refuse to understand that Bush doesn't do anything small or simple. He's not lazy and he's not incapable. Too proud? You could probably build a case for that without much trouble. But is he really any more arrogant then Clinton was? You'd have a hard time arguing that.

Gays and the Democrats, Do They Really Go Together?

It must be hard to be a politically active gay right now. The far right has made the dismantling of gay rights a front burner issue and the Democrats are only slightly less hostile to the movement. They're not willing to lift a finger to help the gays. This brings up what should be a natural question. Why do gays continue to be smitten to the Democratic party? There's a piece about the topic here that reflects some of the frustration within the gay community. Andrew Sullivan sees the same problems.



The gay argument seems to be "Bush is horrible and Kerry will be just as bad but he's not Bush." Sounds familiar doesn't it? The typical liberal mantra, willing to accept mediocrity. Neither candidate is going to do anything for the gay community and both have said that they oppose gay marriage. Therefore, there is no true benefit in the gays supporting Kerry. This gets to the shame of the affair, the gay community is allowing itself to be nothing more than a tool and a patsy to the Democratic party. They will blindly vote for Kerry just because they don't like Bush. Never mind that it won't make a shred of difference.



If gays really wanted to make a statement that counted then they should come together and refuse to vote for either party until one party or the other decides to actively pursue gay interests. The loss of millions of possible votes would force the Democrats to confront the issue and decide one way or the other. Currently, their position is even more reprehensible then the Republicans. At least the Republicans argue that their belief system concerning faith, family, and society form their argument against gay marriage. The Democrats claim to believe that homosexuality is a completely acceptable lifestyle but refuse to treat gays as equal human beings in policy matters. That is a far less tenable position.

John Kerry, Acrobat

That's the only way to describe his handling of this interview with Peter Jennings. He really is the king of flip-flop. Too bad, we could use a good alternative to Bush. Here's what Kerry believes about abortion for this moment in time,

Jennings: You told an Iowa newspaper recently that life begins at conception. What makes you think that?



Kerry: My belief, just my, my, my personal belief about what happens in the fertilization process as a, as a human being is first formed and created, and that's when life begins. Something begins to happen. There's a transformation. There's an evolution. Within weeks, you look and see the development of it, but that's not a person yet, and it's certainly not what somebody, in my judgment, ought to have the government of the United States intervening in. Roe v. Wade has made it very clear what our standard is with respect to viability, what our standard is with respect to rights. I believe in the right to choose, not the government choosing, but an individual, and I defend that.



Jennings: Could you explain to me: What do you mean when you say life begins at conception?



Kerry: Well, that's what the Supreme Court has established is a test of viability as to whether or not you're permitted to terminate a pregnancy, and I support that. That is my test. And I you know, you have all kinds of different evolutions of life, as we know, and very different beliefs about birth, the process of the development of a fetus. That's the standard that's been established in Roe v. Wade. And I adhere to that standard.



Jennings: If you believe that life begins at conception, is even a first-trimester abortion not murder?



Kerry: No, because it's not the form of life that takes personhood in the terms that we have judged it to be in the past. It's the beginning of life. Does life begin? Yes, it begins. Is it at the point where I would say that you apply those penalties? The answer is no, and I believe in choice. I believe in the right to choose, and the government should not involve itself in that choice, beyond where it has in the context of Roe vs. Wade."

What more does one need to say? You can't have your cake and eat it too. But then, moral convictions haven't tended to be staples of the lunatic left anyway.

Apple/Motorola Bring iTunes to Cell Phones

According to Reuters, Apple and Motorola have teamed up to develop a new generation of cell phones which can connect to iTunes and the iTunes Music Store and play music from it. This is the first non-Apple device (i.e. non-iPod) to play iTMS songs, and maybe the sign that Apple is finally openning things up to other players, thus openning the door to an even larger audience.



One analyst has postulated that Apple is looking to transform itself from a computer company into a record company. Maybe he was right!

iPod Cracked to Play RealMedia!!!

In April, Real Media attempted to make a deal with Apple to allow Real Media files - purchased from the Real Media Music Store - to play on Apple's own iPod. Apple flat-out refused. They liked their monopoly. Well, apparently Real Media does not take "No" for an answer! They announced today that they have cracked Apple's proprietary DRM (Fairplay) and the iPod, so that iPods will soon be able to play RM files easily.



As of now, there is no response from Apple. But I suspect Steve Jobs will not wait long to take Real Media to court. The question is, is it really worth it to spend the money on the lawyers now, when they can just license the technology and make scads of money off of it?

USA TODAY punts Ann Coulter

You probably had not heard that USA Today had hired Ann Coulter and Michael Moore as counterprogramming to the "4 day infomercial" that the Democratic and Republican Conventions have become. The idea was to have at least one decent dissenting voice at each event. But, as you may have heard today if you read Matt Drudge, listen to Talk Radio, or don't live under a rock, Ann Coulter has been fired from that job. Why? For being too controversial, which is hilarious if you have ever read an Ann Coulter column. Asking this woman not to be controversial is like asking Will Farrell not to be funny.



Here is a version of the column in question with added "editorial comments" alledgedly by USA Today editors. Or here is he straight column for those not interested in anything but pure Coulter.



I wonder if Michael Moore will be similarly treated at the Republican Convention. Then again, chances are someone from USA Today has actually read Moore's site or seen one of his movies. Unlike Ms. Coulter, obviously.

Hamas, Learning From Michael Moore

Taking a page out of Michael Moore's playboy, Hamas groups have begun making up quotes and attributing them to Israeli officials. Their suicide tactics haven't been paying off so well so now they hope that if these bogus quotes make their way into the press, the rest of the world will see how horrible the Jews are. Maybe then, Hamas will find some more help for their quest to rid the world of the Jews.

Calling a Spade a Spade

It's back in fashion to talk about the horrors of genocide this year, so I will take the chance to say something that has been bothering me for some time. When are we going to stop letting politics be more important than human life? When will we stand up and say wrong is wrong and we have to act to stop evil from spreading? Genocide is hardly a new concept but for the sake of familiarity I will discuss only the two most recent American Presidents and their dealings with genocide.



Bill Clinton refused to call the Rwanda "crisis" a genocide. Instead he said that there were "acts of genocide." Bull. These weren't a few acts of genocide, it was the systemic slaughter of one tribe by another because of hate. And Clinton failed us morally to not stand up to Rwanda before it became the disaster that it grew to. He also failed miserably in dealing with Bosnia. The world's willingness to wait until it was too late cost untold suffering not only among those being murdered but also those who paid with a ruined homeland because of our bombing runs. Now President Bush has likewise allowed the situation in Sudan to grow almost beyond salvation. Despite various group's pleas for help years ago, the world has sat by and done nothing. And Bush still refuses to call the situation genocide. We're looking at a situation that is "nearly" genocide. But apparently not quite.



Must we sit by and watch as people suffer because their country doesn't fit into our overall political plan? At what point does it truly become genocide and worthy of the world's aid and, dare I say, worthy of the world's action? As a country of freedom loving people who claim to believe in a just God above, it is time that we stop allowing suffering like this to continue. We must call the murder and extinction of a people-group exactly what it is, genocide. And we must act to stop it in all parts of the world.

Protesters and Protesting and Protesting Protestors and...

Nothing says freedom of speech like protesting. And just to prove that free stupidity...I mean free speech is still in vogue, we'll now have protestors to the protestors. That's right, loud and rude morons filling the streets aren't bad enough. Now we have to have more people crowding the streets and making noise. Misery loves company, I suppose. But isn't this sort of like protesting murder by killing people? Wouldn't the best possible method to undermine a protest be for people to IGNORE the protestors? It's just a thought, but I think it might have legs. Of course, it gets in the way of our idea that the loudest idiot "wins." Nevermind that they're still an idiot, winning is the most important thing after all.

If You Doubted Radical Islam Wants War...

The American government, as well as that of most nations of Europe, are finally waking up to to the horror going on in Sudan, where Arab Muslim "janjaweed" militias are raping, murdering, and pillaging members of the non-Arab non-Muslim tribes in the Darfur region. Most see this as a reasonable time for the U.N. to intervene to avoid genocide, though nothing on the level of Afghanistan or Iraq. Simply a peacekeeping mission, not a war. But now a Muslim group in Sudan is calling for holy war against any Westerners sent to Sudan to intervene. Thus, they hope to make Sudan the next stop in the War on Terror, so that they can claim Americans, British, and all Westerners are evil for wishing to end genocide.



Isn't it really time for moderate Muslims to condemn this kind of thinking? Yet, they still seem strangely silent on human rights abuses among their own.

Sledge Hammer TV Series coming to DVD!

Tomorrow, Season 1 of Sledge Hammer is coming to DVD! For those who may not remember, Sledge Hammer was a series about a Dirty Harry-esque detective who loved his gun more than life. made in the Airplane mode of comedy, it was easily the funniest series on television in its own time. Course, since I was in grammar school when it aired, many of our younger readers may not (or may barely) remember it.



I don't know about you, but I fully plan to be first in line Tuesday to pick up this piece of classic television greatness!

Protesters Form Human Chain Against Israeli Withdrawal

While Ariel Sharon's current plan to unilaterally disengage from the West Bank and Gaza Strip seems quite practical to many of us here in America, it is not being so viewed in Israel. Today, 130,000 protesters formed a human chain stretching from the Gaza Strip to Jerusalem to protest the move. That is a chain of people over 45 kilometers long. (That is about 30 miles for those who may be metric-system-disadvantaged.)



What we in America often fail to realize is that to many Jews the fate of the occupied territories is tied in with their own eschatology. They believe that until the Jewish people have occupied the entire land originally given to Abraham, the Messiah will not come. Thus, the Palestinian territories are not merely a political issue to them. They are a spiritual issue, as well. If we believed only by occupying a strip of land could your children see paradise, one wonders if we would react simlarly.

Arafat Opposes Israeli Wall... But Provides the Concrete for It

I don't think this needs much further comment.

Palestinian businessmen have made millions of pounds supplying cement for Israel's "security barrier" in the full knowledge of Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader and one of the wall's most vocal critics...A damning report by Palestinian legislators, which has been seen by the Telegraph, concludes that Mr Arafat did nothing to stop the deals although he publicly condemned the structure as a "crime against humanity".

How much longer until the Palestinians jettison Mr. Arafat and actually consider peace?

Apple wins Design Award for iPod Mini

I have enjoyed every generation of iPod I have ever owned, and it appears that the new iPod Mini is on its way to a similarly legendary status. The ways you can tell that the iPod has changed how I see music:



1. When I hear the iPod Mini only hold 4 gigs of music, I think it is small. My first computer had 2K expandable to 4K!

2. My last 5 bought "CDs" were all purchases of albums from the iTunes Music Store. The last physical CD I bought was... well... last year, I think.

3. I have seriously thought about upgrading my perfectly good Powerbook, because its hard drive is smaller than my iPod's!

4. When I thought I had lost my iPod, I did not think "Oh, no! $500 down the drain!" I thought, "Well, time to buy a new one."

5. A few months back, there was a special speaker at our church, whom I missed (in the hospital that week). The church sent over tapes of his sessions for me. "Tapes," I stared at the plastic thingies. "Do I even own a tape player anymore?" (I didn't!)

6. I find myself increasingly annoyed by the compilation CDs that the corporations put out. I keep thinking, "I could make a better collection than that with a Playlist on my iPod."

7. I have a friend planning to have an iPod at his wedding in place of a DJ. Cheaper (since the iPod was already purchased) and he gets exactly the songs he wants. The last DJ'd wedding I was at, they actually had to threaten the guy to play the songs the bride and groom had picked out. Apparently, the guy had just spent $$$ on a karaoke machine, and could only charge for it if he induced at least one guest to use it. He never did.

8. When I look back at my last diskman, all I can think of is how poorly it was designed. Who ever thought about how a thing was designed before the iPod?!

9. I now own more audiobooks on MP3 than I ever did on CD.

10. I never bought singles in record stores, but buy single songs almost every week.



Now all we need is someone to put out a decent video iPod. Maybe with video goggles.

STAR WARS EPISODE III TITLE REVEALED!!!

STAR WARS: Revenge of the Sith. Finally, a title worthy of the Star Wars universe!

Dennis Kucinich Drops Out

Apparently, Dennis Kucinich finally dropped out of the presidential race and plans to endorse the Kerry/Edwards ticket. Of course, one wonders whether it is proper to say that someone has "dropped out" when they never had any chance of winning. But then, I am sure John Kerry is thankful for the 4 to 5 supporters Kucinich might sway with his.. ahem... "endorsement."

Virus Watch

Just a heads up to readers, CNN is reporting a new virus.

Final Bush Military Records Found - Nation Yawns

MyWay News is reporting that the final pay records from President Bush have been found, and were not "destroyed" as previously claimed by the Pentagon. If this were a story about President Clinton, I'd be sneering here about their convenient reappearance, and actually Terry McAuliffe, DNC Chairman is furious. But after reviewing the documents, AP news and other have concluded they shed no additional light on the period of Bush's service. No smoking gun here.



I am sure we will hear more of this as the weekend goes on and the Democration Convention draws near. No doubt Mr. Kerry will complain that the release of this news now is an attempt to steal his spotlight - as though he were a bride and Bush wore white to the wedding - but the reality is the nation stopped caring about this a long time ago, and this news is being treated with a big yawn by the nation.



So calm down Democrats. You can still have your party, and be assured that Senator Kerry is the center of attention. (Though how much do you want to bet Mrs. Clinton elbows everyone else aside when the bouquet is thrown? )

Ronstadt Walkout III

In case you were under the impression that Linda Ronstadt has any common sense, apparently she has chased away another audience with her political remarks. Now, I am no fan of the lady - mostly because I have NO musical taste, as Ward can attest - but you'd think she'd at least let a week or two go by before reintroducing the "Desperado" song... or just sing it without the Michael Moore dedication.



Oh, well. It is just more proof that you do not need common sense to be an excellent singer.

Boldly Clueless Terrorists

Today we have more proof that the terrorists are clueless but boldly clueless. Militants have kidnapped an Egyptian diplomat as he was leaving a mosque. So not only are they now abducting arabs - sure to alienate those who have opposed the U.S. up till now. Not only are they abducting Muslims now - the people who might be likely to support the terrorists for religious reasons. But they are abducting them right out of the doorways of their own holy places.



If there are any Iraqi Militants reading this page (hey, you never know) let me give you a few reminders:

1. Egypt was one of the strongest allies you could have had in the Muslim world.
   
   
2. Egypt has an army, and is not afraid to use it.
   
   
3. If the Egyptian army comes into Iraq to rescue their diplomat, it is likely they won't leave.
   
   
4. Egypt is the best example of how Iraq might become a secular democracy.

In other words, this may have been the best thing militants could do for the U.S. effort.

Taking Off-the-Record Comments Onto the Record

Ward and I were having an off-the-record e-mail discussion today, and decided it was interesting enough to post. I had e-mailed Ward regarding the Patti Reagan piece he posted below, and said among other things:

Hey, I just read the Patti Reagan piece you linked to from Mod-BLog and that has to be the sorriest excuse for a piece of serious reflection that I have *EVER* read. It is the kind of thing that I think would have been failed out of even the "Personal Writing" course at [college]...She trusts Russert because of his "eyes"?! Doesn't she know that most tyrants came to power because of trustworthy facial features and/or mannerisms? And that includes Sadaam Hussein! Grrrr... Facts [are] optional, once you are sure how you feel about something... Sigh. Can the end of the days when the Vietnam/60s generation are in power come to an end too soon?

Ward then responded:

...I really feel like 2004 is turning out to be a bad year for our country. I'm not talking about end of the world type stuff, of course. But it just seems that everything this year is twisted and bitter. Hardly anyone seems to be thinking at all. I guess it's the election but it's too bad...

And I then responded:

Well, the "lack of thought" thing is really still the shadow of 9/11 falling over us.



Those on the left were shocked by the fall of the towers, and hate the feelings of fear they get. So they figure if they just roll back the world to the way it was before 9/11, everything will be great. It is the first stage of grief - denial - and it seems like John Kerry is gambling that this stage will last through the election. Add that to the Iraq War. It is the kind of war that the Vietnam Generation is "comfortable" with - it is far away, against a vastly overpowered people, by the U.S., for reasons which are somewhat hard to understand. In other words, to their minds it is Vietnam all over again. So the left can hate the war and hate everyone associated with the war, because really they are just borrowing emotions and philosophies from the Vietnam Era, when most of them were in college, busy getting stoned or... well.. enjoying the coed dorms. That is why Howard Dean was so powerful, until he freaked out the base with his primal scream. He was purely anti-war, and purely a throwback to Vietnam.



For those on the right, this is a very familiar feeling as well. But instead of harkening back to Vietnam, they look back to the 80s and the Cold War that we all faced. They remember that Reagan stepped in and took all kinds of steps that seemed murky at the time but which in the end brought down the U.S.S.R. They remember the fear, and the joy that came with overcoming the fear and ending the threat for all time. Thus, they see the Iraq War as Gulf War II, or Cold War II, and feel that we simply can not back down under any circumstances. And this is why the right hates Michael Moore and Howard Dean so much - they are clearly the Benedict Arnolds of this war. Like the Rosenbergs who gave away nuclear secrets to the Soviets, these folks are opposing a clearly just war and giving aid and comfort to the enemy.



So the problem as I see it is that both extremes have decided, instead of fighting the current War on Terror, to fight older wars that they know well. The left has Vietnam, the right has the Cold War. And we are already seeing that both paradigms fail to capture the reality of the present war. Course, being slightly to the right, I would still suggest that the Cold War is the better example to follow. At least we won that one!

What do our faithful (or unfaithful, whatever) Mod-BLog readers think?

Review: STARSKY & HUTCH Remake on DVD

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson star in this campy remake of the campy 70s cop show. The basic plot? Well, basically the plot for every buddy movie or series since the Odd Couple. A gung-ho over-the-top serious cop is teamed up with a laid-back takes-nothing-serious cop and hilarity ensues. Add in a dash of Snoop Dogg as the "urban informer" Huggy Bear and you have a winner on your hands, right? Well, not exactly. Okay, then, we'll throw in Vince Vaughn as the villian, the best man for smarmy double-talk and innuendoed meanness. He was brilliant in ANCHORMAN, so he must complete the package here, right?! Um, no. Okay, then we'll put the icing on this cake! We'll throw in a significant cameo by the Vice President of Comedy himself, Will Farrell, as a hilarious prison informant for the dynamic duo, who gets them into all kinds of compromising positions while being his zany self. That makes for a perfect comedy, right?!!! Nope.



The problem with this film is not that it is lacking a great cast. It is not that the premise is lacking. It is not even that the script has no potential. It is just that it is pretty clear in every actor's performance what this film was to them: A PAYCHECK. No actor in this film really goes for the gold. Ben Stiller plays... well... the default Ben Stiller role of the serious but confused and therefore funny protagonist. Frankly, he seemed to be replaying ZOOLANDER at times. Owen Wilson plays Owen Wilson. Seriously. I am not sure he even had to change his wardrobe for this one, or brush his hair. Vince Vaughn is a little better as the villain, but I never got the sense that he was being anyone other than Vince Vaughn carrying a gun with blanks in it. And Will Farrell... well... he is funny - no doubt about it - but no funnier than an average night from his Saturday Night Live days. Frankly, I found the brief cameo at the end from the original actors from the TV series funnier than any of the comic gags earlier on.



Overall, STARSKY AND HUTCH is not a bad film. There are plenty of laughs, and lots of beautiful women to appreciate. But it definitely one of those films that will be forgotten in six months, because even for the actors it was merely a way-station and paycheck on the road between the interesting movies.

But...Hollywood Likes Kerry. So Should We!

At least, that's what this poorly reasoned garbage is claiming. I don't know if I could have made something so absurd up. Let's see, the argument goes like this, people who entertain us are a good barometer because they are "sensitive" to violations of civil liberties. So Michael Jackson's "sensitive" to civil liberties every time he sleeps with a young boy? And OJ was "sensitive" to civil liberties when he murdered his wife and her lover? Oh, and Tom Sizemore is "sensitive" when he's beating his girlfriend? And let's not forget Chevy Chase who is oh so "sensitive" when he's getting high as a kite.



Spare me the stupidity. How stupid do liberals think Americans are? It's not like Goldberg or Rondstadt were shot for saying what they said. They made their comments and they lost their gigs because of it. That's NOT crushing of speech. If our country was half as censorship happy as these lunatic left idiots claim, then Fahrenheit 9/11 would never have been allowed to be made. When will the stupidity end?



You can't say that artists are suffering or that we are censoring people just because the average American doesn't share the far left's beliefs. The biggest joke of the article?

Why should anyone -- especially conservative Republicans -- care what these people have to say? Because their numbers include some of the absolute best and brightest of American culture, people whose novels and paintings your great-grandiloquent may be studying decades from now.

Buzz! Wrong answer. America has some truly great artists and talent, but the best and brightest Americans are out there working 9-5 shifts for their families and trying to make their world a better place one day at a time. Morons who paint a crucifix in urine or the Virgin Mary covered in dung are NOT the best or the brightest we have to offer. Quite the opposite is true, they are the leaching garbage of our society and I'll gladly stand by anyone who upsets them.

The 9/11 Commission Report

The full report has been put up as a pdf by The Guardian. Since it just went up today, I clearly haven't had time to read it yet but I'm looking forward to it just the same.



The most ironic thing about the commission and the report has been the response. It was originally lauded by Democrats because it would prove what a horrible president Bush has been. And it was disposed by many Republicans because it would clearly be a vicious smear attack that amounted to nothing but pointed fingers. Yet, now that the commission has released its report (which by comments so far seems to be very balanced, fair, and apolitical) the Democrats are calling the report mostly useless and propaganda for the right while the Republicans are mostly applauding the hard work and dedication of the members of the commission.



It's telling of the political climate and season that the Democrats are reduced to slandering the report that they were so involved in forcing because it didn't find what they wanted it to find, and the Republicans are now defending the report despite their earlier assessments that it would all be political garbage.

Ronald Reagan, Spinning in His Grave

I can only imagine the horror that Reagan would have felt if he knew the sorts of things his children were saying these days. Of course, the Reagan kids have always been borderline legally retarded anyway, but it's just getting out of hand. First there was Ron and now there is Patti. Yup, dad must be proud to hear his children putting words in his mouth and claiming that a man who has called Americans stupid, fat, and ugly actually loves our country.



Look, I don't care what side of the aisle you're on, Reagan was just about the most conservative Republican to hit the party in the past four decades. And to hear his children and wife being used as political patsies for the lunatic left is just a shame. It only took a month for the Reagan legacy to be marked up by the remainder of the family, that must be a world record.

CATWOMAN as Bad as I Warned You It Would Be

CNN has up a hilarious "review" of the new Catwoman movie. If you doubted all of my warnings to avoid this movie at all costs, check out this choice excerpt.

If the "Spider-Man" movies represent all that can be wondrous and inspiring in a comic book adaptation, "Catwoman" is the absolute opposite...It's cinema for the attention span-challenged -- a soulless amalgamation of quick edits, computer images and swooping, nausea-inducing dolly shots. The dialogue (credited to four different people) is too awkward to be unintentionally funny and the urban setting is too muddled to be considered gritty.

You gotta love it! As of now, it you are in the mood for exciting super hero action with a strong storyline and interesting plot, you have two choices. (1) Go see Spider-Man 2 again. (2) Go and rent Dark City on DVD, one of Alex Proyas's best films (far better than I, Robot from what I am hearing).

Media targetted in new terrorist threat?

Yahoo! News is reporting that Homeland Security agents have warned media representatives at the Democratic National Convention that they have a "credible" warning of a possible terrorist attack against news organizations at the event. We should keep in mind that the original anthrax attacks, shortly after 9/11, were targetted at media organization, and that there is no reason to expect that threat has disappeared just because time has passed. Allegedly, the warning comes in light not because of a foreign terrorist organization, like Al-Qaeda, but because of a domestic terrorist or terrorist organization.



I guess 9/11 really has brought on the Age of Terrorism, if Americans are turning to it to solve their political differences.

Airport Express Reviewed

This thing is SO cool. When I replenish my funds from the trip out West to Sean's wedding, I might just have to get one of these things. After all, our Airport Network can always use a few extra feet, and it would be TOO cool to play my iTunes music thru our stereo.

Interesting Move in the Same Sex Marriage Debate

According to My Way News, the House of Representatives has taken a very interesting step in the debate over Same Sex Marriage. Today, they passed a bill which would explicitly exempt the Defense of Marriage Act from judicial review. DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) was passed during the Clinton Administration and said that no state would be forced to recognize the marriages of another state which were other than one-man-one-woman.



The interesting move here is this would not forbid states from passing their own marriage laws and arrangements. It simply keeps other states from having to recognize them. There are those who say DOMA violates the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the U.S. Constitution. However, this bill would remove that consideration, putting it outside the jurisdiction of the courts. Legal scholars have speculated for some time that this kind of move would be possible, and constitutional, but few have been willing to take the chance.



Of course, this law itself is subject to judicial review, and it would be rare for a branch of government to voluntarily limit itself. At the same time, this bill still has to pass through the Senate before it becomes law, and there is general agreement that it will not survive the harsh scrutiny of that part of Congress.



Still, it seems to me like a better solution than a Constitutional Ammendment!

Review: Beowulf

To call this version of Beowulf mediocre wouldn't be appropriate to the level of blandness that it brings to the screen. There's relatively little to like in this post-apocalyptic recasting of the ancient poem, itself a 10th Century Christianized retelling of an even older pagan myth.



Christopher Lambert stars (which should tell you most of what you need to know already) and does almost as a good job of acting as he did in the Highlander movies, which is to say not that well at all. To be fair, he isn't given much to work with here and neither is the rest of the cast (more on them later.) He pretty much broods around the screen with a perpetual scowl on. He's also very little like the Beowulf of legend. This version of Beowulf is an abomination (I don't want to say too much for fear of giving away the story) and is thankfully a virtual martial arts master as well. Ironically, for all of his talent he is unable to best Grendal nearly as easily as the original Beowulf who in one fight ripped the beast's arm off.



The cast is mostly a joke. It's clear that the director felt that recasting the tale in the future would give him more possibilities. After all, in the 10th century there were few women who liked to put their men to shame by kicking more butt then they could. And they also didn't care to dress with as little clothing as possible. As hard as it might be for our culture to realize, there was a time when modesty was a virtue. Also very rare among the 10th century Danes were black men who's sole purpose was comic relief. But fear not, this movie's got that angle covered. The king is well cast and is mostly sympathetic. But he ends up being part of the largest disaster to come along in this long, sad line of disasters.



Because see, what would Beowulf be without lots of sex? Oh wait, the original didn't have sex, you say? Eh, it should have. And this movie makes sure that you know that it's all about sex. Thankfully, we're spared most of the details but by the end (and again, I can't say too much without ruining the end) it's perfectly clear that no tale can stand up against our sex obsessed culture. Add to this a ridiculous interpretation of Grendal's mother and you're thankfully almost to the end of this garbage. As a note to those who are familiar with the poem, the movie does not cover the final third of Beowulf's story and barely manages to include a horribly mangled version of the middle third. Hollywood still seems obsessed with a "happy" ending and so that is what we get, albiet a shallow and absurd happy ending considering the rest of the movie.



If techno music, overly-choreographed fights re-using the same moves several times, shallow characters, mediocre effects, and flat acting are your idea of a good time...then go and pick this movie up. Otherwise, unless you're a hardcore science fiction fan, you'll want to stay away from it. For those of us addicted to sci-fi, it's probably worth seeing once just to say you have seen it. But after that, there isn't much there.

Black Holes, Sci-Fi Need Not Apply

It's a sad day for science fiction when even Steven Hawking has give up his previous theory about black holes. He now says that he is convinced that matter sucked into a black hole is kept and eventually spat back out at the end of the black hole's existence. This is in contrast to his previous view that allowed for the possibility that a black hole could serve as a gateway to other universes.



Black holes have, of course, been the fodder for some great science fiction and I'm sure they'll continue to be. But, when one of the world's leading scientists has given up the hope of such a theory, it becomes much more science fantasy rather than science fiction.

Chat Bots

For those who might have missed the fiasco with the liberal AOL room bot, there's a humorous response at Right Wing News.

Saudi Amnesty Fails to Bring in Many Militants

Newsday is reporting that the Saudi Arabian amnesty for terrorists, set to expire today, has done little to decrease the pool of militants fighting for Al-Qaeda. After examining the people coming in, it turns out that almost all of those who have turned themselves in are actually people who were about to quit the life anyway - who had run out of money, support, and places to hide. The Saudis claim that even so, they have gathered valuable information about terrorist organizations from the effort.



This raises a lot of questions about Iraqi plans to offer an amnesty for their own home-grown terrorists. Will it actually work (as it has in a few African countries) to bring militants from the fringes into society, or will it just allow some of the less committed or well-financed criminals to avoid prosecution? We learn more and more every day that the price of giving in to terrorists is more terror - check out the increasing and wacky demands of hostage takers in the Middle East. So I tend to suspect that offering the same people legitamacy is just likely to encourage them to larger acts of terror and lunacy.

What Logically Follows Same-Sex Marriage? Same Sex Divorce!

This article talks about Canada's first attempt at same-sex divorce, barely a year after same-sex marriage was legalized. Apparently, when the legislature passed the law allowing such marriages, it forgot to amend the "Divorce Act" to also include same-sex couples, so one short-lived marriage is pushing this issue through the courts to prove that the right to marriage logically implies the right to divorce. (Though I am not sure that one really logically follows the other.)



American advocates of same-sex marriage might want to tell their Canadian counterparts to cool it. This is exactly the kind of scenario that same-sex marriage opponents cite as evidence that the whole issue is really about "redefining" marriage down to the lower common denominator and thus destroying the institution in the end. Of course, hetero-sex couples have been divorcing for a very long time, so the argument is at least somewhat flawed. Still, this is more likely to add fuel to the fire in the debate here in the USA.

Nomad Shameless Promotes Himself Again

You WILL buy from eBay... YOU will buy from eBay...



Uh, I mean, if anyone is interested, Nomad is selling some DVDs again.

The U Network takes on MTV

FoxNews is reporting on a new campus cable station that looks to become the Fox News of the MTV niche: fair and balanced.

In addition to giving equal time to Republican politics, which Walker says is lacking for the college-age audience, the new network’s mission is to elevate the level of programming for 18- to 24-year-olds, give them balanced information and provide a forum for student-based work with no advertising or commercial meddling.

Well, it certainly is an interesting idea. But from my memories of college, it isn't necesarily all about finding "intelligent programming." Otherwise, I suspect Chris Farley would never have had a career, and Billy Madison would not have been the #1 video in my dorm.

Doonesbury Goes Down

Apparently, despite the increasing appetite for political content in other media (as shown by the rise of Rush Limbaugh and Michael Moore), some newspapers feel a need to stop carrying Doonesbury, one of the longest-running and highest quality of the daily political cartoons. The article cites repeated customer complaints, and a majority vote by the newpapers in the comics conglomerate. However, this still stinks to me. Doonesbury is one of the best political cartoons out there, always timely, always funny, with a pointed wit. I agree with the sentiment less than half the time, but so what? Political cartoons are supposed to take a point of view and thus inevitably generate complaints.



In protest of this stupid move, I am posting today's Doonesbury here for your reading pleasure. Or displeasure. Either way, it serves a purpose.

Oddity

A new creature is lurking in the Maryland area. Kinda strange. They're calling it a hyote. "Aww, look honey, there's a strange new creature in the neighborhood, let's take the kids over and pet it."

WMD?

I will start this post off with a fair warning...THIS IS NOT YET SUBSTANTIATED. The sole paper claiming the story was set up by the CPA in Iraq and the story has not been confirmed by Iraqi officials yet. However, it is all over the blogsphere this morning and I wanted to at least alert readers to this news.



With that having been said, Al Sabah is reporting that nuclear warheads have been found in Iraq. I will refrain from comments until more definite information comes in.

One More Meaningless Report, Ten More Meaningless Suggestions

Yet another commission is about to release yet another report concerning 9/11. This time, they plan to list ten ways that the 9/11 attacks might have been avoided. Yet, we’ve already been told that most of the ten are “long shots” and would require “a lot of luck” to have fallen into place. So why bother? In light of this new report, I’ve decided to serve my country here and list a few of my own ideas for how the 9/11 attacks might have been prevented:

1. If all the hijackers had caught a cold on September 10th, perhaps they would have needed to stay home. I’m sure we have some super-secret flu bug tucked away in a military base that could have accidentally been let loose.



2. If several of the hijackers had been eaten by alligators in the Florida swamp while they were training at flight schools in that state.



3. If Bill Clinton had not been so busy with Monica in the Oval Office.



4. If the Northeast power failure had only happened a year earlier.



5. If America didn’t exist.



6. If we had turned the Middle East into a glass parking lot after the first Gulf War.



7. If George Bush had honed his ESP abilities or only read the secret, invisible ink on the briefing page he received in August.



8. If we ceased to use air travel.



9. If we had been like France and Russia and had secretly cut deals with terrorist organizations to give them money and weapons.



10. If we had an airport screening system that actually screened suspicious looking characters instead of the politically correct system we have now that allows limited screening.

Those are just a few thoughts. Anyone else have any ideas of how we can beat a dead horse a little more by coming up with meaningless “insights” into how we might have acted if we could read the future?

What is wrong with the New York Times?!

You have got to love the New York Times. They post this article which proclaims that American, Israeli, and British soldiers will be allowed to carry guns at the Athens Olympics to protect athletes against terrorism. Then they say:

The Greek government, which continues to state publicly that no weapons will be allowed, has also been worried that if it is publicly known that United States forces are going to be carrying weapons, other countries will demand similar rights. The Greeks have had serious discussions with other European countries, principally Germany and Spain, Greek and European officials said. Both have now agreed not to send armed escorts.

So, the New York Times has decided to MAKE the news by reporting other news. The Greek government is making a secret concession in order to enhance security and shield against terrorism. They know that if it is publicly known, this will weaken their ability to protect against terrorism. So the NYTimes decides to make it publicly known.



I know that the press has the right to report such news, but isn't there occasionally a time when it is best for everyone NOT to report such news?

The Politics of Yoga?

The LA Times has a funny piece out that I can't link to but I've copied a part of the article below,

"As if President Bush didn’t have enough trouble, the yoga community of Los Angeles launched its campaign of chakra and awe against him on Sunday.



“Voting is one of the ways society gives us to express our values,” said keynote speaker Robert Rabbin, a writer who has practiced meditation for 35 years. “If we don’t vote, it’s a betrayal of the very yoga and meditation we pursue. There’s no such thing as being apolitical. I hope to get out the vote for the mystic crowd. Twenty million U.S. adults practice yoga and meditate regularly — that’s one hell of a swing bloc.”



At a Hollywood yoga studio called Focus Fish, about 250 people took part in “Yoga for Kerry,” an all-day fund- and consciousness-raiser aimed at regime change in the United States. For donations starting at $50, attendees could take classes with respected teachers, listen to kirtan music and political speakers, and take part in group meditations.

Organizers had hoped the event would draw about 300 people, which it nearly did, and raise as much as $20,000, which it didn’t (early estimates were about $3,600).



Nevertheless, event co-producer Michael Mollura thought the day served its purpose.

“We didn’t think we’d change the balance of the financial competition,” Mollura said. “We felt like we wanted to imbue the election process with love. It’s really an attempt to create something that is positive and loving in something that is otherwise thought of as cynical. I think everybody who came here today felt loved, felt cared for. Usually these things are Bush-bashing and people-bashing, but this was a positive event.”



The crowd seemed generally in agreement that Bush had not obeyed the yamas, or moral tenets, but there was little negative rhetoric. The most pointed barbs came from speaker Rabbin and in private conversations. Most participants who took issue with the Bush administration’s mantra of preemptive war countered with their own Weapons of Meditation and Dharma."

Now this is a perfect example of what happens when liberals are left with too much time on their hands. I happen to enjoy yoga and know plenty of others who do as well. Thankfully, I can say with confidence that you don't have to be a far left nut to practice this very helpful physical discipline. But sadly, it seems that the bulk of yoga practitioners in this country are flaming leftists. At least it seems that the yoga was mellowing the participants out enough as for them to not take part in their usual lunatic left tactics. Maybe someone should start a yoga group for Bush. Then we could have competitors to see which group has the most flexible members.

Yet Moore Lies

More evidence that Michael Moore is willing to do anything to oust Bush. Will it never end?

Arafat Losing His Grip on Power

CNN is reporting that Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority is continuing to implode in the face of Israel's wall. Now, the PA's Prime Minister - hand-picked by Arafat - has resigned, but the long-time Palestinian leader refuses to accept it.



It seems as the Wall continues to prevent further steps in the Intifada, the Palestinians are forced to turn from pursuing terrorism and face the fact of their own corrupt and ineffective governance. And the more they look within, the less satisfied they are with Mr. Arafat. For years, he has been honored as the face of resistance, but with no more real chance to resist he is revealed for what he is: a self-serving political hack with no moral center. Surprise, surprise.

Giving Single Fathers a Bad Name

According to Yahoo! News, Michael Jackson is about to become a father to 4 more children, even as he faces child molestation charges. Who is the "lucky" lady, you may ask? No one Michael knows. Turns out he hired a surrogate mother!



What is the one thing more likely to terrify a child court judge than a father of 3 facing child molestation charges? Oh, I know! How about a father of 7 facing child molestation charges.



They say truth is stranger than fiction. In Michael Jackson's case, truth is even stranger than BAD fiction!!!



Michael Jackson has officially denied this story. Updated 7/21/04 at 4:49 pm



The magazine which put out the original story is standing by its report. Updated 7/21/04 at 7:12 pm

Election Day Is Election Day Even in the Face of Terrorism

CNN is reporting that the idea floated a week or so back of authorizing a federal election commission to postpone the November presidential election in case of terrorism is now DOA. Lawmakers are livid over the idea, pundits are sputtering, and the Bush administration denies ever having planned to push the proposal in the first place.



This is the right choice, but it is important for folks to realize why this idea was brought up when there was pretty much no chance of it passing through Congress. (After all, we had elections during the Civil War when there was the real possibility of Southern sabotage at the polls, during both world wars when bombings were a real possibility, and during the Cold War when we knew Soviet agents wanted to skew election results.) This idea had to be brought up now - and widely rejected by Democratic and Republican sources - so that if a terrorist attack DOES happen on election day, no one can question the results. This goes a long way toward avoiding a protracted Florida-style legal battle by the loser in a close race if this were to happen.



Let us consider this hopefully-unlikely scenario. Bush and Kerry are neck and neck coming into the last days of the campaign. Statistically in a dead heat, with only a few battleground states left, both candidates, along with the wives, children, and handlers are appearing everywhere. It becomes clear that the election will come down to a single state - let's say Rhode Island. Suddenly, the morning of Election Day, white powder is found on the floor of a voting precinct in Providence, Rhode Island. Initial results are inconclusive, but it is the right consistency to be anthrax. All over the state, Rhode Islanders decide to stay home, rather than risk exposure and possible illness. We learn the next day that President Bush has won the state by only 100 votes, all cast at the Providence Rhode Island precinct where the anthrax was found. What would have happened? Al Gore showed us what probably would have happened if this scenario had not been talked out, and a consens!

us reached: lawsuit after lawsuit from John Kerry charging that "the people had not been fairly represented" and that a new election should be held. "They should have postponed the election until this issue was cleared up," partisans would have screamed. "But the Bush administration knew that terrorist attack would help themselves, so they did nothing!"



But now, the issue has been discussed. The Congress is in the process of drafting a resolution specifically forbidding the moving of Election Day without its own express approval. No matter what happens, our course is set. And hopefully, we will be spared this kind of nightmare. Then again, we were all praying that kind of nightmare would be spared us, anyway.

Ronstadt II

Thanks to the Drudge Report for finding this interview. It's a pretty normal interview until she gets near the end where she lets this go,

"This is an election year, and I think we're in desperate trouble and it's time for people to speak up and not pipe down. It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is a Republican or fundamental Christian. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know."

I see. So it's okay to force your opinion on others while you're performing, just as long as they don't get to force their opinion back on you. She'd rather not know if someone is a Christian or a Republican but she thinks it's okay to make her own preferences known even after someone has paid to hear her crappy music. After all, we're all clamoring for has-been musicians to tell us what to think. Obviously, we all would love to hear her views even if she has no respect for our own. The joys of the lunatic left.

For A Laugh

This is just too funny. Be warned, it's about 3.7mbs so it's not for a slow connection. But if you're lucky enough to live around a good speed network, you should check it out.

The Battle for Education Continues

There's an article today at CNN dealing with the origins of "No Child Left Behind" that gives us a view of a group of professors supposedly influential to President Bush. It would be interesting to know how influential their ideas really were. I don't know of any links between anyone in the administration and the schools but several mentioned are big enough that it's not impossible to imagine. The ideas are certainly similar, but then the idea of testing students isn't exactly a novel idea. I mean, I grew up being tested in my classes. It wasn't until I arrived at Grad School that I found out that tests were not popular anymore.



The teachers I know tend to be down on the President's plan. They argue that the testing doesn't reflect what students have learned. There is certainly truth to that, we all know people who are very smart but poor test takers. And my experience (and it is admittedly limited) is that the process is flawed. I am all for teaching reading and math primarily, but high school students back home now have a math class and then they are taught math a second time during a period that used to be dedicated to another subject. It's a shame that we have to take away other knowledge to make sure our kids can add. My hometown school has scored among the highest in the state since the testing began and Delaware is doing pretty well in the testing ranks nationally. Yet, we still have to have our kids do extra math just to stay ahead. There is also another issue that teachers have complained about, the issue of the rising bar. Since my old high school rated so well, they are now expected to do even better the next year. If they fail to perform better, then they risk becoming a "troubled" school and face a number of challenges. That seems unfair and unrealistic.



There must be a balance somewhere between testing kids to death and letting them go without requiring anything. Rather we like it or not, testing is the most accessible way to monitor how children are learning. But it is also undeniable that treating school like a mill won't solve the problem either. We could surely use some more creativity not only in the discussion but in the class room as well to solve this problem.