"Deep Throat" Comes Clean

Most thought it would never happen. Some wondered if Woodward and Berstein made up the main character in their part of the drama known as Watergate. They speculated that "Deep Throat" was invented to protect several sources... or to obscure the fact that they did not have a real source. But such speculations are finally shown to be false. Deep Throat has been unmasked. And not only is he real, but his identity explains a lot about the access he had to secrets in the Executive Branch.

The Washington Post said Tuesday that a former FBI official, W. Mark Felt, was the confidential source known as "Deep Throat" who provided the newspaper information that led to President Nixon's impeachment investigation and eventual resignation.
The paper made its announcement on its Web site after Felt, 91 and living in California, talked to a lawyer who wrote a magazine article for Vanity Fair.
"The No. 2 guy from the FBI, that was a pretty good source," said Ben Bradlee, who had been the key editor at the Post in the Watergate era.
"I knew the paper was on the right track" in its investigative stories, Bradlee said, citing the "quality of the source."

This draws to a close one of the last mysteries of the Nixon Whitehouse. I didn't live through it, but have been caught up in it all thru "All the President's Men" - both the book and the movie.

More proof that the Brits are the keepers civility

It seems that one of the many ways our friends across the pond celebrate the coming of spring is by chasing a slab of cheese down a hill.

Teenager Chris Anderson, who won one of four cheese rolling races contested Monday, was taken to hospital on a stretcher, clutching his winning slab of cheese to his chest.

"The pain was worth it," Anderson said. "This cheese is going straight in a cupboard when I get home. It's definitely not for eating."

Yes, quite civil indeed.

The Bachelor Strikes Back

Both Ward and Sean here at Mod-Blog got hitched last year. While I celebrate with them, and am very happy for them. Some days, I just feel sorry for their wives. I saw this comic yesterday, and the more I read it, the more I suspect this very conversation has happened to both of them at least once in the last year.


Sometimes, it is nice being the bachelor in the group.

It's Official: The French Diss and Dismiss the EU

If it were not such a far-reaching and historic moment for France, it would be funny. For years now, the French govenrment has been pushing for a Pan-European government for the European Union. They saw themselves at the head of a virtual Franch Empire which would span from the Atlantic Ocean down to Turkey and over to the borders of the Former Soviet Union. It was such a well-publicized notion that the End-Times-obsessed types that particularly rankle Ward pointed to it as the reformed Roman Empire that presaged the end of all things. But now, the tiny nation that sees Charlemagne as the once and future kind, has rejected the EU Constitution that French leaders essentially wrote. And with a 70% turnout at the polls, it is hard to argue that the vote is due to a highly motivated by unrepresentaive minority. The French people rejected this wholeheartedly.

Of course, French politicians have rarely been ones to be bothered by reality. Jacques Chirac will find some way to spin this to his advantage, and use it as proof that the Union is inevitable. I wonder how long until the Constitution is changed so that it does NOT have to be ratified by all member nations? If they put it at 60%, it could become law against the wishes of the French people... and who knows who else?

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? That's For the Courts to Decide

No, that title is NOT simply a lame attempt at an original take on a classic joke. This last week a chicken in Ridgecrest, CA found itself on the wrong side of the law while innocently reinacting the old joke that it is unlikely anyone every actually found funny. Luckily, lawyers have no sense of humor, and got the chicken out of it.

A chicken that got a ticket for crossing the road has clawed his way out of it.
The $54 citation for impeding traffic was dismissed Friday after Linc and Helena Moore's attorney argued that the fowl was domesticated and could not be charged as livestock.
State law restricts livestock on highways, but not domestic animals.
The chicken was ticketed March 26 for impeding traffic after it wandered onto a road in Johannesburg, a rural mining community southeast of Ridgecrest.

It makes you wonder just how much livestock gets charged each year for such petty offenses. Perhaps we need a new "just say no to crossing the road" campaign to keep wayward fowl from recklessly putting themselves in harms way. Or perhaps we just need to give the reporters something more interesting to report on!

A new way to recruit priests

The BBC is running an interesting little story on the Catholic Church in Britain starting to use beermats (I believe that would be a coster in America) as a way of recruiting new priests. I suppose there is no better time to get a guy to give up his right to marry than when he is flat drunk. The article does go into some of the other options being looked at, but most of all it highlights that the Church does need to reform its policies surrounding what a priest may or may not do.

Congratulations Russ & Renee!!!

Congratulations from all of us at Mod-Blog go out to Russell Boronow and Renee Hoyt on their marriage today in Trumbull, CT. It was a beautiful ceremony, a fun reception, and I am sure it will be the start of a wonderful life together. May God bless your union as long as you both shall live. And may you walk with Him all the days of your life.

Dilbert on Upgrade Paths

Posted without further comment. Some truths are self evident... if depressing.

The OTHER Blog

You may have noticed that my Blogging has gone from 4 posts per day, down to about 2 posts per day. (One friend even tried to justify not having updated his blog in a week by saying, "But YOU only posted two stories yesterday!") This is mostly due to an insane workload at my real job. But it is also due to a new Blog I have started up for the Bible Quiz Team that I help to coach. It is absorbing a lot of my time, but is a worthwhile sister Blog to this one. Check it out, if you have the time.

UK To Ban Kitchen Knives?

Opponents of gun control have long ridiculed those who believes reducing the number of legal gun sales would lead to a lower crime rate. "What is next?" they would ask in jest, "Licensing for baseball bats? What about kitchen knives?" Well, it appears British doctors weren't laughing. A group of them is now calling for a complete ban on pointed kitchen knives in an attempt to reduce stabbings.

A team from West Middlesex University Hospital said violent crime is on the increase - and kitchen knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings.
They argued many assaults are committed impulsively, prompted by alcohol and drugs, and a kitchen knife often makes an all too available weapon...The researchers said there was no reason for long pointed knives to be publicly available at all.

This is the kind of thing that 20 years ago would have made an amusing Saturday Night Live sketch. I will admit that gun control lobbyists at least have one solid point - the only function of a gun is to kill or maim, whether you are shooting at a living thing or a clay pigeon. But knives? They have medical uses, artistic uses, practical uses, as well as potential weapon uses. And unfortunately, humans are infinitely inventive in finding ways to harm each other. If knives are banned then razor blades will see a sharp increase in sales. If razor blades are banned, then we'll see an increase in the use of tent spikes. If tent spikes are banned, then we'll see an increase in baseball or cricket bat maulings, etc. Sigh. But then, why blame the person, when there is something nearby that you can legislate?

The iPhone Rings Again

Ever since Steve Jobs made an off-handed comment years back in response to a question about bringing back the Apple Newton, saying "PDAs are dead. Cell phones are the way of the future," technophiles have been drooling over the idea of an Apple iPhone. Every few months some Photoshop Phreak comes out with a mocked-up speculative "photo" of the iPhone. And every year the rumors get stranger. Well, this time around we may have the topper, Apple as a cellular provider centered around its Apple Stores.

Because most phones are sold as loss-leaders to lock users into the provider's network, Apple can't compete on pricing unless they too are a provider. Thus, the hardware and the network must both come from Apple for Cupertino's new phones to have a shot at the kind of popularity enjoyed by the iPod platform.
In fact, Steve Jobs reportedly sees the cellular phone as a natural evolution of the iPod...The designs we've seen for the phones are 100% "flip phone" variety, with Bluetooth, camera and video capabilities, and large amounts of on-board storage. There will be two main types: those based around Flash memory, and those with on-board hard disks similar to those used in the iPod Mini.

This seems too strange to be true. Apple Computer has stayed on top by remaining focused on what makes it great - excellent industrial design and easy-to-use software. Cell phones hardly seem like part of their core competency. Then again, I remember saying something similar when I first heard rumors of the iPod - after all, what would Apple know about selling music?!

Star Guerrrrres

Just a few observations of Star Wars...

1. Where are the dark chocolate M&M's?
2. Does Padme not know the benefits of hair conditioner? She was looking frazzled throughout the whole flick, evil husband or not..
3. Why did Padme's outfits seem classic 1920's? It seemed a little out of place considering that good and evil were fighting intergalactically, and Bush is president.
4. How did Scorpius (Wayne Pygram) end up in Episode III? I just don't see Vader putting up with all his hissing and spitting.
5. There are NO dark chocolate M&M's!!
6. You cannot call one of the most evil dudes in the galaxy "Ani".
7. Girls can be Jedi? I didn't know!
8. Is shaggy hair a sign that you've given in to the Dark Side, because that's like 97% of male Hollywood right now, starting with Aston Kutcher.
9. Wouldn't all that O2 in the Vader suit cause even more irreparable skin damage what with all the free radicals?
10. Why are there NO MORE DARK CHOCOLATE M&M's but there are plenty of the Jedi mix left?

The Future of China

Bill Rice from the Fourth Rail takes a stab at forecasting China's future. While some of his points are valid, I can't help but thinking that his conclusion is wrong when he says:

China's radicalism and its stoking the embers of nationalism can only scare neighboring countries. China's recent moves, including the threatening of "non-peaceful means" to re-unify Taiwan, can only be seen with a sense of wariness in Tokyo, New Delhi, Canberra and Seoul. All of these democratic nations can afford and are expanding their military capabilities. China would be well advised to walk with a softer footprint.

This is more like how I see it happening...

While it's true that these other nations can build up some military, they will never compete on a grand scale with China. Instead they will, like France and some other European countries, decide to move in close to China in order to build positive relations. They will build trade relations and make China rich while the Chinese military grows exponentially to become the defender of the East. China's military will become THE power and it will be used to defend its allies in the east who have worked along side of the giant to make it a superpower.

Why do I see this happening? Because it's already happened before, after WWII. But it was the US that took on the role. The American military force and economy was unparalleled so the Europeans didn't even bother building their armies back up. They simply set up lucrative trade agreements with us, and let us spend our money building up the best military in the world. They knew that when trouble came, we would move to protect them as they are our allies, and we protect those who are good to us. The situation will repeat itself in China after the American age of superiority has declined.

Most countries simply don't have the will or the resources to build up a huge fighting force. As a result, they offer other countries incentives for defense against aggression. Even though the East is a growing land of economic opportunity, I believe that we will see the same trends continue that have dominated history to this point.

Moral Equivalence

An excellent fisking of typical PC Thought. All religions are not created equal, and all do not choose the same path to their end goals.

You Can't Win Them All

No matter how good you are, even the best have to lose eventually. And he's still a lot richer than I'll ever be.

Just For Fun

The results of yet another political persuasion test.

You Are a Liberal Republican

When you tell people that you're Republican, they rarely believe you. That's because you're socially liberal - likely pro-choice and pro-gay rights. You're also not so afraid of big goverment, as long as it benefits people and not politicians. You are the most likely of any Republican type to swing over to the Democrat side sometimes.

What political persuasion are you?

It's actually not that inaccurate. The only thing I really disagree with is being pro-choice. That's one view I'll never hold. But then, it only asks 12 questions, so I guess that's not bad data from such a limited amount of info.

And while I'm at it, I had to try a second one too...

Your Political Profile

Overall: 55% Conservative, 45% Liberal

Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

How Liberal / Conservative Are You?

Even the French Will Vote "Non!" on the EU

After pushing the EU for years as a way to legislate French dominance in Europe, Jacques Chirac and other leaders have finally admitted - in private - that even French citizens are unlikely to ratify the Consititution. This comes as the European Union is heading toward a crisis which may cause some members to drop out, or at least take a more skeptical view of the fledgeling free-trade-zone-with-ambitions-of-Pan-European-Hegemony.

Ministers have privately told The Times that Britain is prepared to ditch its commitment to a referendum if France, or the Netherlands next Wednesday, vote against the constitution. They believe that if the French say “no”, President Chirac will have to declare the constitution dead or promise a renegotiation.
Because French voters consider that the treaty has already given too many concessions to Britain, ministers see no likelihood of the Government being able to put a renegotiated treaty to the country...The mood of pessimism that descended on the French Government after ten successive polls showing the “no” camp leading was echoed by Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, the former French President, who drafted the constitution. He blamed the failures of the “yes” campaign on the half-heartedness of France’s leaders.
“Our current leaders are of course believers in the idea of Europe but in their heart of hearts they are not men and women who are inspired by a European feeling,” he told a French newspaper.

Frankly, I think this is good news for the USA. If there is anything that the Americas do not need, it is a Europe which suddenly views itself as a Superpower and feels the need to flex its muscles in world affairs. As of now, the USA is an ally of Europe and a rival to China. I'd hate to see a time when Europe sees itself as only a rival to both China and the USA.

Intel Says, "Buy Apple Computers!"

If Bill Gates wakes up screaming at night with nightmares, they must go something like this.

Pressed about security by Mr. Mossberg, Mr. Otellini [CEO of Intel] had a startling confession: He spends an hour a weekend removing spyware from his daughter's computer. And when further pressed about whether a mainstream computer user in search of immediate safety from security woes ought to buy Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh instead of a Wintel PC, he said, "If you want to fix it tomorrow, maybe you should buy something else."

Then again, maybe this is validation for rumors ealier this week that Apple is seriously considering Intel chips for the next generation of Macs.

Leaving the Left

An important piece from the SF Gate about the left by a liberal. It would be easy for those of us not leaning to the left to read this and be arrogant. And I do agree with every single point that he makes. However, there is just as much a danger of doing this on the right as well. And that's the real lesson to be learned, never continue to hold to beliefs because you're afraid of examining them. There is no belief worth holding if it can't stand up to repeated challenges. The left in this country has become everything wretched that the author describes, but the right has plenty of its own dark corners that we should work to make better as well.

On the Filibuster Deal

John Hawkins has posted his excellent thoughts on the filibuster deal as well as some feedback from around the web. His opinion mirrors my own, the Republicans blinked and really didn't get much out of the deal. But it's hardly a straight up win for the Democrats either, who are displeased as well. Ultimately, it only cuts off the issue in the short term and leaves us with no resolution when it will be necessary later.

Mac Laptops

As a Mac fan, it pains me to read articles critical of the system. However, it's often times simply the ramblings of a Windows user that obviously doesn't know what they're talking about. But when it's a Mac user, it's worth considering. And in the case of Charles Moore's 2003 piece about the slipping quality of Mac notebooks, I am finding myself in increasing agreement. Muse and I have both had serious issues with our iBooks and I know of other users (including staff here) that have had problems with the Powerbooks of recent years. I can only hope that Jobs and Co. are listening to the growing grumbling being caused by shoddy work on their laptops and take steps to fix it. Otherwise, I agree with Moore that Apple's current rise will not last long.

Proof that Common Sense, Ain't So Common

With the advent of TheGimp, GraphicConverter, and so many other shareware and freeware apps that can do for Special Effects what 10 years ago was only doable on Photoshop (and 20 years ago required a whole team of effects experts), you'd think low-tech approaches to light saber animation would no longer be needed. But apparently, a British couple thought differently. Against all reason and common sense, they took a different approach.

TWO Star Wars fans are in a critical condition in hospital after duelling with lightsabres made by filling fluorescent light tubes with petrol. The pair - a man aged 20 and a girl of 17 - are believed to have been filming a mock fight when one of the devices exploded in woodland on Sunday.

For those not up on the latest British lingo, "petrol" is another name for gasoline. I hope and pray their burns heal quickly, but I also hope and pray their sense of shame is wounded enough to ensure no one every does anything like this again.

The Fun of Local Softball

Calvary 2 vs. Torino Auto Body
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

Okay, I admit it. This post is entirely self-indulgent. I just love this picture that I captured yesterday at my brother's Men's League softball game. It has been fun honing my photography skills while watching these guys play. And I just really am enjoying how this shot captured the whole story of that play.

Mutually Assured Detruction Averts the "Nuclear Option"

Back in the 70s and 80s, there was a doctrine that guided American nuclear policy called M.A.D. - Mutually Assured Destruction. Essentially, the idea is, "If your enemy knows you have the power to destroy him and the willingness to pull the trigger, he won't fire first." This kept nukes off the table in the Cold War until the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Republian Senate has been playing the same game with Senate Democrats over Judicial nominations. The "nuclear option" in this case was the removal of the Fiilibuster from all judicial votes - something that would reduce the Democratic minority to irrelevancy. The GOP proved it had the power, and was willing to use it. Therefore, the Democrats had no choice but to cave

Under the terms, Democrats would agree to oppose any attempt to filibuster - and thus block final votes - on the confirmation of Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor. There is "no commitment to vote for or against" the filibuster against two other conservative nominees, Henry Saad and William Myers.
As for future nominees, the agreement said they should "only be filibustered under extraordinary circumstances," with each Democrat senator holding the discretion to decide when those conditions had been met.

Maybe this means finally the courts can get some workers again. I hope that no more showdowns are on the way... at least until the midterm elections.

Many Banks Hit by One Data Theft Scheme

I work for a small New England Bank who is looking to get MUCH bigger. Unlike most companies, my bank is founded on a set of principles - moral principles - which are supposed to guide everyday transactions. They are generally common sense stuff, but the Way is up everywhere and employees are reminded of it often. I was somewhat skeptical about its effectiveness until I saw this story Suddenly, the principles and all the privacy training they force upon us each year makes a whole lot more sense.

Bank of America Corp. and Wachovia Corp. are among the big banks notifying more than 670,000 customers that account information was stolen in what may the biggest security breach to hit the banking industry.
Account information on the customers was illegally sold by bank employees to a man identified as Orazio Lembo, whom police said was doing business by illegally posing as a collection agency...Customer account numbers and balances were allegedly sold to Lembo, who then sold the information to collection agencies, the Hackensack police department said in a statement.

All this time we are shredding our statements to foil high tech computer thieves, and employees are selling the info right out of their cubicles. Amazing.

Troops

We're going to see Episode III tonight and since I can't wait for Star Wars, I sat down and enjoyed an old classic to hold me over. In case you missed it, or just wish that you could see it again, I present the funniest Star Wars parody ever, Troops.

Freedom!!!!

Graduation has come and gone! We're free! Of course, now we just have to find jobs...

I'm hoping to post a picture or two this week so that we can show off our newly earned hoods.

Wondering what it was like at a Midnight Star Wars show?

Well, one intrepid teen decided to make a short documentary to give everyone who actually needed sleep a chance to find out. It is interesting to see all of the costumed people who came out to celebrate the last of the Star Wars films. (Quicktime required.)

And keep in mind that this was in Lancaster, PA, so it is not even just the natural haven for strangeness that you can expect in places like LA and NYC.

Norman Rockwell, Eat Yer Heart Out

SmilingPup
Originally uploaded by nomad7674.

It was certainly a beautiful weekend, and not just inside the theater where I saw Star Wars Episode 3! Afterwards, I did what would be horrifying for some geeks - I actually took a walk outside! But I brought along my Canon Digital Rebel so that I could share some of the beauty of rural Trumbull, CT. Not many posts for a sleepy Sunday, but I hope this makes up for it.

Mod-Blog Review: Revenge of the Sith

Well, I abused a close friend when he failed to promptly post a review on his blog, so I feel compelled to get up my Mod-Blog review right away!

Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith is truly the darkest film that Lucas has made in the series - perhaps the darkest movie he has ever made. The film starts off with a bang in the midst of the first really big space battle of the prequel trilogy, and right away begins diving into the shadows. Anakin's slide from Jedi to Sith is relentless, following a cold logic with only a few leaps of faith required of the audience. The new baddie his time around completes Lucas's trend of producing villain after villain that prefigues Darth Vader. Darth Maul foreshadowed Vader's savagery, Count Dooku the manipulative treachery of the Dark Lord, and now General Grevious shows off the merging of man and machine that is the last Darth. This is also a film of treachery. Aside from Darth Sidious/The Emperor, every character walks out of this film feeling betrayed by the thing s/he holds most dear. We finally understand why Kenobi could not imagine the redemption of his former student in the original trilogy.

At the same time, this is definitely not a film without flaws. Many lines are stilted and ineffective even when delivered by the best actors. There are still leaps of faith required of the audience, and many times when Lucas produces beautiful (or terrible) vistas and then gives the audience no time to sit back and enjoy them.

But what is my final verdict? Well, it is Star Wars. Even more-so than the other films in the prequel trilogy. And it does a great job of bridging the gap between old and new. I plan on seeing it at least one more time in the theater, plan on buying it on DVD as soon as possible (even bootleg if needed), and I plan on making it part of the regular DVD rotation for years to come. Is it really possible to offer a better recommendation than that?

Star Wars 3 Breaks Single Day Box Office Record

Well, it is no shock to this long-time Star Wars fan, but it appears to be a shock to everyone else. Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith has broken the single-day box office record set by Shrek 2. I remember the dreams of some in Fox when Episode 1 came out anticipated a $100 million opening weekend. The Phantom Menace missed that goal, but it appears Episode 3 is on track to surpass it by quite a bit.

After starting the day with $16,912,367 from midnight shows alone Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith closed Thursday with $50,013,859 from an estimated 9,400 screens at 3,661 theaters. That's the biggest day ever for a single movie in history.
Shrek 2 previously held the single day record with $44.8 million on its fourth day of release, a Saturday last May, while Spider-Man 2 had the opening day record at $40.4 million, posted on June 30 of last year. Revenge of the Sith soared past them both with a gross beyond the rosiest of industry expectations.

Is it an irony that the darkest Star Wars film may be the most profitable? Is it a sign that the Dark Side is stronger? "No! Quicker, easier, more seductive it is," to paraphrase a unnamed green source.

Meditations on Family

Sorry, no news today. Had to be at work early and only have 5 minutes to post this before I have to get back to work. But I had a thought today I wanted to share, and was wondering if I could get some conversation going. The question I was meditating on today is this:

Are you happy with the family God put you into?

Today, I was sitting at my desk on a boring conference call, when I noticed the woman who works in the cube next to mine was talking with her son. She is a very nice woman - a woman of God - whom I respect as a person, as a thinker, and as a businesswoman. As she spoke with her son, I noticed how she was talking about nothing. I mean there was content to her speech, but pretty much it was so unimportant that it was obvious she was just talking to hear herself talk. And she was enjoying that her son was listening to her, knowing the conversation was of no import. Just bonding and communication. And I thought, "I am glad she isn't my mother!"

Now, my mother is not perfect. She was a VERY good mother when I was growing up, whom God blessed with great wisdom in knowing how to handle my brother and I. She was always loving, caring, but able to discipline us when needed and always alert to a teachable moment in our lives. She really loved us equally, and made the point early in our lives that God came first, then husband, then children... without letting us ever thing that we did not come first, if you know what I mean. And now that we are on our own, she goes out of her way to let us be our own men, even when she could really use us to be her little boys again for a little while. But she has her faults which I will not bother to mention here, as they don't matter.

But God has given me a mother who fits me. When we talk, it is about things that have some real importance. There is never a time when we are talking and I think, "She is just talking to hear herself speak," or "She is just talking to test my love." Even her faults fit me, in that they are ones that I am uniquely prepared to deal with, I think. God has fit us well.

What about you? What do you think about your family?

Designer Stem Cells

A team of Korean scientists have successfully cloned stem cells for sick people. The question is now whether this will ratchet up the debate about therapeutic cloning. One of the major successes of this study has been a 90% reduction in the number of eggs required in to make a viable stem cell. I would have no issues with this if it were possible to create these stem cells without harming anyone in the process, at this point women still have to donate eggs to the process and that could be harmful to their bodies.

Iran Won't Stop Nuclear Plan

What? Can you believe it? Iran's not going to stop its nuclear plan? Oh, it might stall "if it feels that the Europeans are determined to stick the agreements reached and do not want to waste time." Oh and remember "that such a step would not lead automatically to the next and most critical stage of the nuclear fuel process, the enrichment of uranium." Right. uh-huh. sure.

Microsoft Using Democratic Strategy

For the past couple of years we've all heard the democrats talk about the economy and republican success as if it's a blip on the historical radar screen. The say something to the effect of "well, they're strong, but it won't last and ultimately we'll win." Well, it seems that Microsoft has taken up this strategy in the areas where they are currently losing. Twice in the past week, MS has made a similar argument. First it was Bill Gates saying that the iPod won't be around for long, and secondly MS CEO Steve Ballmer is now saying that Google won't last as a successful company. I suppose that disparaging remarks by M$ are better than them trying to actively crush everyone with their bank account. Seems it hasn't worked for the dems, I suppose it won't work for MS either.

Star Wars Dance Music

Add another item to the weird Star Wars spinoff merchandise.

It's the President!

Some students and faculty at Calvin College are upset that President Bush will be delivering the commencement speech for their graduation. There is concern that it will be too political because they are unhappy with his decision to go to war in Iraq. Do they not get it? It's the President of the United States!

It doesn't matter if you disagree with him, you have the chance to meet and speak with him, even if only briefly. I think Bill Clinton was a horrible President in some respects, but I didn't complain when he spoke at the 97' Jamboree. It was still an honor to be addressed by the leader of the free world. Why has our country become so politicized that we can't even stand to listen to those with other views? What has happened to America that we have become so closed-minded?

People, the President wants to speak to you. Put your politics aside, shut up and listen.

Fun With PhotoShop

For a laugh, some edited images to prepare you for Episode III.

Star Wars: Misunderstood for All These Years

I'm sure that I wasn't the only one to be disappointed by the shallow and historically short-sighted comments made by Lucas this past week. To re-imagine the Star Wars trilogies in his vision is beyond depressing. Chrenkoff has put up an open letter to Lucas. It's worth the read, as he has a non-American perspective on the movies.

I'll still see the new one of course, and I'll continue to enjoy the series. But understanding the worldview Lucas was coming from really does take them down a notch in my eyes. It's hard to seperate the art from the artist when his message is so off base. It makes you wonder what Lucas hoped to gain by his comments. Did he think he would get more leftists to see his movie? Star Wars has always been a phenomenon that crosses political divides.

Jumping the Shark Again...

Wow, things are getting pretty bad out there. First, you'll need to read this piece discussing the growth of Christianity around the world. Read it? Okay. Now consider what Sullivan had to say about it...

NOW - WORLD DOMINATION!: You thought the fundamentalist right couldn't get nuttier? You were wrong. Christianism is now, for some of its fringe adherents, a full-fledged political ideology, aspiring to world domination. Just like Communism. And Islamism.

Hmmm, so a Christian rejoices in the fact that Christianity is growing around the world, makes NO political claims about it at all, and he's advocating world domination? Poor Sully really has gone off the deep end. And remember, he's a self-professing Catholic. How can a religious person be so hostile to religious people? It's beyond me.

History of the Sith

No, I have not yet seen Revenge of the Sith. I decided that with my current work schedule and pressure, I needed the sleep more than I needed the bragging rights.

In the meantime, How Stuff Works has posted an interesting article that can be used to expand your appreciation when you finally do see the movie. It is a "brief history of the Sith" and pulls in material from both Lucas's speeches, his scripts, and the "Expanded Universe" of the novels and comics.

Darth Maul was not the first Sith Lord to wield a double-bladed lightsaber. Centuries before, Dark Lord of the Sith, Exar Kun was actually the first person known to wield this insanely dangerous weapon. The use of a double-bladed saber is a deadly and esoteric saber-fighting style. No other Jedi or Sith has ever been known to use a double-bladed lightsaber on a regular basis, though the Jedi use them with training droids to simulate multiple attackers.

World Trade Center Lives Again... perhaps

The world's most famous real estate broker Donald Trump is up to it again. He has presented plans to rebuild the World Trade Center, except - in true Trump style - make it 1 foot taller than before. I sort of like the idea, heaven knows Manhattan needs the office space since the trade center came down. From my point of view the Freedom Tower is god awful ugly, so I think Trump may be trying to do something truly good for the city of NY - not to mention his ego.

Winning: Just Add Red

British scientists today revealed a new study that shows that competitors that wear red have a better chance of winning. It's an interesting study, but I'm not sure about the long-term truth of the study. From my own recollection I can't remember any of the great teams from history, other than my beloved Manchester United, that wore red - NY Yankees, no; Greenbay Packers, no; Pittsburgh Stealers, no; Boston Celtics, no; LA Lakers, no; etc... Recent history seems to support the claim with the devil's spawn Boston Red Sox winning the last world series. It's an interesting idea though.

iPod How I Love Thee

If you're in love with your iPod and feel that it deserves the most posh of cases, then I have the case for you.

[T]he case features a heart in white gold filled with 44 diamonds sewn in the leather by hand - each case is also signed and numbered by 'S. Schaming - Saint-Tropez,' according to Noreve.

For those of you wondering, the price tag on this honey is 1,390 Euros (or $1,762.38). Perhaps I'll be waiting on this one until I have bought myself the U2 Limited Edition iPod.

Those Awful People

Guess who they're talking about:

They are crazy drivers, strangers to customer service, obsessed by sex and food and devoid of a sense of humour.

But it doesn't stop there, boasting a breakdown, nation by nation, of what in the ____ irritates them.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Britons described them as "chauvinists, stubborn, nannied and humourless".

For the Germans, the ____ are "pretentious, offhand and frivolous". The Dutch describe them as "agitated, talkative and shallow." The Spanish see them as "cold, distant, vain and impolite" and the Portuguese as "preaching". In Italy they comes across as "snobs, arrogant, flesh-loving, righteous and self-obsessed" and the Greeks find them "not very with it, egocentric bons vivants".

Interestingly, the Swedes consider them "disobedient, immoral, disorganised, neo-colonialist and dirty".

But the knockout punch to _____ pride came in the way the poll was conducted. People were not asked what they hated in the _____, just what they thought of them.

Now any liberal will quickly jump on board and add their own list of insults to describe Americans. But they'd be wrong. The country in question is none other than liberal-loved France. That's right, American liberals are apparently the only ones who actually like the French.

I See the Light at the End of the Tunnel...

And I'm hoping it's not a train coming at me. Muse has finished all her work, she's done with her final paper. She just has to wait around for the weekend to walk and never look back at this school. I wish I could say the same. I've still got this little thesis thing to finish so posting on my end might be even lighter over the next week or two. But hopefully the end will soon be here for me too.

Team America

So, Muse was nice enough to buy me Team America yesterday and we sat down to watch it for some good laughs. I have to say that while I still really enjoyed it, the movie wasn't quite as funny as I found it in the theater. But then I might have just been over-analyzing it too much, thinking about if the next scene was really as bad as others had said or if the way I had remembered it was correct. Thankfully, I felt that it was at about the same level of offensiveness as I previously had. So I'm convinced that a lot of people just don't have a sense of humor. Of course, my moralising quotient was pretty low...And then there's also the fact that I saw it in the theater with several of my best guy friends. That always makes for more laughs in that manly sort of way.

Dilbert on Corporate Reimbursement

People who have never worked in corporate America think Dilbert's humor comes from exaggerting corporate idiocy to an unrealistic extreme. But I have literally had this conversation in two separate companies. One of them being MetLife, which you think would be used to handling Claims properly.

Sigh. I am sure the Seminarians won't believe me. Just remember, Accounting is heavenly when it is working well, and of the DEVIL when it is adhering to the strictest letter of the law, untempered by mercy.

NYTimes.Com Goes Subscription Only, Mod-Blog Stops Posting from It

Well, it is official. After starting out with a registration-required policy for reading the New York Times Online, the "Old Gray Lady" has decided it is no longer giving the milk away for free. As of September, they will be restricting their archives and their Op-Ed pages to folks who pay them $49.95 per year. A snippet of the announcement is posted here, as I am not making anyone click thru.

A decision by The Times about charging users for portions of its Web site had been expected for months in the media industry. While some efforts by other newspapers to charge for content online have worked, others have been withdrawn, including most recently one by The Los Angeles Times, which decided last week to stop charging users a fee for its online entertainment listings, reviews and criticism.
Though advertising on Web sites accounts for only 2 to 3 percent of the revenues of most newspapers, it is the fastest-growing source of revenue. Still, many newspaper Web sites fear that charging money for Internet content may send readers to free sites, with advertisers following close behind.
The New York Times's decision to charge a fee came after about a year of study, said Arthur Sulzberger Jr., chairman of the Times Company and publisher of the newspaper.
Mr. Sulzberger said that while some Internet users accustomed to free content might not be willing to pay, many others would be attracted by the online package of columnists, archives and other material.

I understand the need to profit from the web, but I can not support this decision. If everyone else can make a buck off the web without charging for existing content, why can't the NYTimes? It makes sense to offer NEW features for a price, but not ones that have always been free. In protest, Mod-Blog will not longer be posting New York Times articles. At all. Well, actually, I only speak for myself, but I suspect the others will agree. Too bad. I enjoyed reading Thomas Friedman each week.

Christian Screenwriting competition

I have a love/hate relationship with the Christian entertainment industry. There are some forms of Christian entertainment that are really good, but there are others that are frankly horrible. One of the really bad, if not horrible, areas is film. But alas, it appears somebody is trying to fix the problem by holding a Christian screenwriting competition. The first prize is $10,000 - so that should give some writer the impetus to produce something worthwhile. As long as we don't end up with another Megiddo or The Champion I'll be happy.

Removal of Homosexuality Through Natural Selection

Since Ward put up his question of whether the homosexual lobby would allow parent to genetically manipulate their children into heterosexuals, I've been thinking homosexuality from an evolutionary point of view. Now, I am a Christian and I don't accept most of the claims of evolutionary theory, but it's interesting that it is the secularists - who believe in evolution - that are most pushing for gay rights. Here's what I mean, the theory of natural selection as I understand it says that only species and genetic structures that prove to be productive will survive. Anything that is not useful or leading toward the next evolutionary change is selected out and left behind. From this idea it seems to me that homosexuality - if it is genetic - would eventually be selected out because it does not aid in the reproduction and growth of the human species. Maybe I'm not understanding the concept of natural selection, but it seems that people that are in favor of the theory of natural selection should not be the people pushing for an understanding of homosexuality as genetic - simply because homosexuals will eventually become a victim of evolutionary natural selection. The NY Times has an opinion piece on this (from a distinctly NY Times POV), from the sound of it, evolutionists are looking for a way around natural selection when thinking about homosexuals. Maybe genetic manipulation is the next level of natural selection - except this time it would be a more conscious evolution than before. Thoughts?

What They Have Wrought

An excellent bit of coverage of all the damage that the Newsweek article has caused. And yet Sullivan can't stop taking up every other post at his site with screeds telling us that it's no big deal and that it's our fault that the story seemed believable. What a disgrace to reporting, and what a disgrace to the blogsphere. It's hard to believe that he used to be a reasonable voice in the WOT.

Newsweek Retracts Koran-Desecration

Newsweek has finally admitted the truth. A story it published in its Periscope column which claimed that the military was investigating claims that Guntanamo interrogators had desecrated the Koran in an attempt to break prisoners was completely unsubstantiated. The story had been picked up in the Muslim world and lead to violent protests in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Muslim world.

Protests broke out across much of the Muslim world last week after Newsweek reported that U.S. investigators found evidence that interrogators had flushed a copy of Muslim's holy book down a toilet in an attempt to rattle detainees. The violence left about 15 dead and scores injured in Afghanistan.
"It's appalling that this story got out there," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said as she traveled home from Iraq.
"The report had real consequences," McClellan said. "People have lost their lives. Our image abroad has been damaged. There are some who are opposed to the United States and what we stand for who have sought to exploit this allegation."

Now the question comes as to what the ultimate fallout for this debacle will be. Will it lead to a firing, as the Dan Rather fake documents story did? Here's hoping.

What Happened to Dave?

Those who follow pop-culture are probably aware of Dave Chappelle's sudden disappearance and cancellation of the third season of his show. There have been a lot of rumors going around about what happened to him, but Time has the answer. It's good to here that someone with such a sharp sense of humor and so much success is stopping to think about everything going on around him. Think of how many more famous comedians we might still have with us if more of them dared to get off of the ride for some introspection instead of following it all the way to the sad end.

Kingdom of Heaven

I haven't seen the movie yet, although I'd like to. But Dr. Frank has a review up for those interested. His conclusion? Fun and worth seeing, but suffering from the politically correct leftist vision. It's too bad, but the story appears to have been sanitized for a 21st century audience. I'd recommend reading the review, it's pretty funny.

Dangerous Play for Man U.

I have a feeling that many of the readers of Mod-Blog don't care much about the happenings of the British Premier League (that's soccer - or football - for those wondering), but there's a nasty play afoot. Malcolm Glazer is about to gain full control of Manchester United (Man U. to their fans), because he has managed to buy up 75% of the team's stock, in large part by incurring large sums of debt. Normally I would have no issue with someone buying up a team, that's the way things work. The issue comes in that Man U. has been for many years now a publicly traded company on the stock exchange. It appears that Glazer is going to take the team off of the stock market and make it a completely private company and place the debt he's incurred on the Man U. books, which up until this point have been debtless. Glazer has never, to anyone's knowledge, seen a Man U. game live and from the sound of things doesn't know who any of the primary figures on Man U. are. Why then is Glazer trying to buy Man U.? The reason is that Man U. is the most popular club in the world. This whole thing stinks as a rich guy trying to get richer by buying out a market that he has no clue about other than it could make him richer. The NY Times has a good editorial on the whole situation. I just thought that Mod-Bloggers should be aware of this situation.

Episode 3 Week Dawns...

That's right, kids. This week marks the release of what is allegedly the last Star Wars film ever. The movie debuted at the Cannes Film Festival over the weekend to generally positive reviews. There was some excitement when some tried to use the event to liken the rise of the Star Wars Empire to the current political events, but I don't think many were buying.

The end of an era... if George Lucas can really keep his resolve to NOT make episodes 7, 8, and 9. We have our tickets purchased for this coming Saturday already. (It ain't the midnight showing, but when you have to get up at 5 AM for work, being up until 2 AM watching Star Wars has much less appeal.)

Oh, and if you were watching any of the coverage of the premiere, YES, the bald chick was Natalie Portman. She is currently shooting her next film, "V for Vandetta" which required her character to be depilated. Not exactly the image we remember from Episode 1 where there was more hair than character in many scenes.

Bishop Spong's Argument from Ignorance

Bishop John Shelby Spong - the episcopalian minister who was recently elevated to Bishop despite an active homosexual relationship - apparently has out a new book where he challenges many of the "assumptions" of modern biblical authorship. It will come as no surprise to regular readers that I tend to find the allegations in the book reported by the New York Times suspect at best.

Bishop Spong particularly denounces preachers who selectively quote Scripture against homosexuality. He also cites various textual reasons for concluding (not very persuasively) that St. Paul was "a frightened gay man condemning other gay people so that he can keep his own homosexuality inside the rigid discipline of his faith."...The bishop also tries to cast doubt on the idea that Judas betrayed Jesus. He notes that the earliest New Testament writings, of Paul and the source known as Q, don't mention a betrayal by Judas. Bishop Spong contends that after the destruction of Jewish Jerusalem in A.D. 70, early Christians curried favor with Roman gentiles by blaming the Crucifixion on Jewish authorities - nurturing two millennia of anti-Semitism that bigots insisted was biblically sanctioned.

I have not read the book, so my ability to form opinions about it are limited. But it sounds to me like the arguments are the logical fallacy called "Argument from Ignorance." Essentially, it is an attempt to form an argument based on a lack of evidence to the contrary, rather than using existing evidence. It appears to be more wishful thinking than actual logical argument. Another attempt by men to twist scripture to fit their agenda, rather than using scripture and taking it at face value. Ironically, this is exactly what Spong accuses his critics of.

MAMP Allows Easy PHP Dev on MacOS X

This is one of those posts which likely will only interest a very small percentage of our readers, but I want to get it documented for any who might be interested and saved here in case I need to find it again in the future. I have discovered MAMP! MAMP stands for "MacOS X, Apache, MySQL, and PHP." (Some are now thinking, Is this post in English?) Essentially, Apache, PHP, and MySQL are among the main building building blocks of much of the World Wide Web. If you can program using these tools, you can build just about any kind of website that the average person may wish to create.

I have been trying to build a few web apps (most of what you see on Mod-Blog is free stuff and requires no real knowledge of anything beyond HTML) but needed a way to test them away from the prying eye of the World Wide Web. MacOS X does include a built-in Apache and PHP installation, but setting it up is not easy. And it can open your network-connected Mac to snooping by other parties. MAMP on the other hand installs a stand-alone version of this framework, and lets you play with it in a way that does not open you up to any risk... and it is as easy as openning and application and then quitting it.

We'll see how it goes and if I actually get anything going. But this little app seems like a keeper to me.

Do Abortions Risk Future Babies?

It is too early to know whether this report is reputable or merely a semi-scientific study to prove a preordained conclusion. But it if it is true, it appears to substantiate a claim made by anti-abortion protesters for some time - that abortions do not merely risk the life of the mother at the time of the procedure, but also risk her ability to bear healthy children in the future.

Having an abortion almost doubles a woman's risk of giving birth dangerously early in a later pregnancy, according to research that will provoke fresh debate over the most controversial of all medical procedures...A French study of 2,837 births - the first to investigate the link between terminations and extremely premature births - found that mothers who had previously had an abortion were 1.7 times more likely to give birth to a baby at less than 28 weeks' gestation. Many babies born this early die soon after birth, and a large number who survive suffer serious disability.

Reader of this page know I am unapologetically pro-life and anti-abortion. However, I am always cautious about immediately embracing information like this. Abortion is one of those issues which tend to polarize people, and tend to bring out extremists who use any scrap of data that they fell will prove their point. It requires some time in the harsh spotlight of public scrutiny before we'll know how trustworthy this report really is.

The Funniest Star Wars Film EVER

Forget SPACEBALLS. Forget THUMBWARS. This has got to be the funniest Star Wars film of all time. If you can manage to watch this without laughing, either you don't know Star Wars, have a defective humor gene, or simply don't have a media player that can handle Quicktime.

Star Wars 7: Revenge of the Candy Makers

darth maul vs. willy wonka
Originally uploaded by iushosh.

Apprently, Freddie vs. Jason and Alien vs. Predator are not the only cheesy movie crossovers in the works. Seen here is test footage for a movie due out in 2010: Willy Wonka vs. Darth Maul. I think I am betting on the Sith Lord for this one.

Star Wars Fathers & Sons

This one REALLY made me laugh. You know, if I were not a complete coward with the ladies, I might be having this conversation with my own son by now... or trying to convince my daughter she doesn't really need to see Kicking & Screaming this weekend.

Sigh. I wonder how many grandfathers, sons, and young grandsons are having this conversation as well? Hmmm... This post went from giggles to maudlin really quickly. I must need some caffeine!

End Times Bible College

A little Friday humor

ETBC: The last days of higher education

Here at the twilight of human history, young people are growing more and more dissatisfied with their educational alternatives. "Why should I spend four years of my life at a state university when Jesus will probably come before I graduate?" If you have asked yourself this question, then End Times Bible College is for you.

ONE MAJOR, NO MINORS!
Walk the campus of most liberal arts colleges and you'll find people majoring in science, literature, and even elementary education, and they have more minors than you can shake a stick at! But all that learning will be of no use on That Glorious Day. At ETBC, we don't have any "minors"--we focus on what's important. Everybody has the same major: Premillenial Dispensational Eschatology, or PDE. Here are just a few of the exciting courses you'll take at End Times Bible College:

DATE SETTING (3 credits)
When will Jesus come? Sooner than you think! And in this course you'll learn how to make basic predictions about the Rapture, the mid-point of the Tribulation, and Final Judgment. A practicum on the identity of the Antichrist will also be offered during Fall of odd-numbered years (while they last)!

INTERPRETING SIGNS OF THE TIMES (2 credits)
Do you have eyes to see? If so, you'll love this hands-on course in speculative hermeneutics. The key to modern prophecy is to combine unrelated events in an apparently meaningful (but ambiguous) chain of events. This class will teach you how to do it--even though it is already too late!

HOW TO MAKE END TIMES CHARTS AND SLIDES (3 credits)
"How can I warn people about the coming disaster?" End times charts and slides are a great way to share your predictions with friends and family. Advanced students will learn how to film and edit a warning video to leave behind for others.

ROTC TRIBULATION FORCE (4 credits)
"Should I become a Christian now, or wait until after the rapture where I can do more good as a guerilla fighter?" If you've ever asked this question, then our Tribulation Force Boot Camp is for you. Learn how to thwart the Antichrist's every move while at the same time forming committed relationships with fellow partisans. An important practicum in post-rapture soteriology is included to make sure you time your conversion just right.

The scary thing is that there are some people that would go to this college if it were real.

Another Reason To Do Your OWN Laundry

This is bad news for Apple, but worse news for an Australian teenager who forgot the age-old adage of consumer electronics: dangerous when wet. In case you are wondering, the proper equation is: Mom + iPod + Washing Machine = No iPod. And the follow-up is Wet iPod + Screwdriver = BAD NEWS.

And while we're at it, the Editors of Mod-Blog would also like to remind our readers that your iPod should only be dried on the gentle cycle with other delicates.

Border Patrol Discreditting Minutemen by Any Means Necesary?

The Washington Times is reporting that high-ups in the Border Patrol have given order to slow or stop arrests along the section of the border which the volunteer movement known as the Minutemen were guarding so as to make sure the statistics do not show an increase due to their activities. For those who may not recall, the Minutemen Project volunteers set up lawn chairs at about 1/4 mile intervals along the most porous sections of the Arizona/Mexico border to watch for illegal aliens attempting to cross.

More than a dozen agents, all of whom asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, said orders relayed by Border Patrol supervisors at the Naco, Ariz., station made it clear that arrests were "not to go up" along the 23-mile section of border that the volunteers monitored to protest illegal immigration...Rep. Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican, yesterday said "credible sources" within the Border Patrol also had told him of the decision by Naco supervisors to keep new arrests to a minimum, saying he was angry but not surprised.
"It's like telling a cop to stand by and watch burglars loot a store but don't arrest any of them," he said. "This is another example of decisions being made at the highest levels of the Border Patrol that are hurting morale and helping to rot the agency from within.
"I worry about our efforts in Congress to increase the number of agents," he said. "Based on these kinds of orders, we could spend the equivalent of the national debt and never have secure borders."

If this is true, it is proof that the Border Patrol needs new management and soon. Cooking the books to prove your point never works in a free society like ours, because there are too many people checking and rechecking the same thing. Maybe it is time for the president to directly order his Homeland Security Chief to replace the head of the BP, and start their mission anew.

Spyware

Spyware is like a pimple. It's ugly; no one wants one; but ultimately, it's a fact of life.

Fun With DU

Well it's been a while, with the mods over at DU deleting posts as quickly as possible, that there has been something worthwhile that wasn't taken down quickly. But that changed yesterday. Consider this poll reflecting that 60% of the DU crowd don't believe that Al Qeada exists. That's right, OBL and all his followers are just CIA plants. It was all the work of the US government. Welcome back to the "reality based community."

"Open Left" Watch

Conservative opinions should be illegal? There's no more of a sure sign that your side is losing than when you have to resort to silencing your opponents.

Morality Test

(Hat Tip: Althouse) Want to have your moral perspective in cold-hard numbers? Take the Taboo Morality Test. I don't know how accurate it might ultimately turn out to be, but it's interesting enough to get you thinking. My results:

Your Moralising Quotient is: 0.20.

Your Interference Factor is: 0.00.

Your Universalising Factor is: 0.33.

I'd be interested, if anyone wants to share, to see what others scored.

New Poll

There's a new poll up, so vote early and vote often. The winner of the last poll was "Fire Marshalls Gone Wild." So let's get some young, up-and-coming exec a script and get the ball rolling.

Pat Buchanan: Was WW2 Worth It?

Pat Buchanan is not my favorite commentator. His flavor of conservatism is generally not the one I adhere to, and his comments on the Jewish people which some find anti-semitic, I at least find troubling. But he does know how to ask the provacative question. And in this week's column he asks one so "provacative" as to be heretical: Considering the opression of the Soviet Empire afterward, was World War 2 really worth what we paid?

Bush told the awful truth about what really triumphed in World War II east of the Elbe. And it was not freedom. It was Stalin, the most odious tyrant of the century. Where Hitler killed his millions, Stalin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot and Castro murdered their tens of millions. Leninism was the Black Death of the 20th Century...Other questions arise. If Britain endured six years of war and hundreds of thousands of dead in a war she declared to defend Polish freedom, and Polish freedom was lost to communism, how can we say Britain won the war? ...If the West went to war to stop Hitler from dominating Eastern and Central Europe, and Eastern and Central Europe ended up under a tyranny even more odious, as Bush implies, did Western Civilization win the war?

For the record, my opinion is that even considering the worst possible view of the Soviet Empire, WW2 was worth the cost. It does not make an effort useless, when you stop the land from being flooded by the Sea, only to have a wildfire arise the next day. It just shows the reality of the human experience - we can not see the future, and have to deal with each crisis as it comes. We fought WW2 to defeat fascism. Then we fought the Cold War to defeat Communism. Now we fight the War on Terror to defeat Islamic facism. The only irony is that the seeds of the next war, are always growing in ashes left over by the last one.

Is that a STAR WARS Cough?

Mod-Blog in no way endorses or encourages this idea. But The New York post is reporting that an estimated 9.54 million American workers may be playing hooky the first two days of the release of Revenge of the Sith (next Thursday and Friday). Allegedly, this would cost employers as much as $627 million. Frankly, it is much ado about nothing. Most employees actually ask for time off for things like this in my experience, so I doubt that many employers won't be able to PLAN for the vacation days. Not all, certainly, but most. As for me, we have tickets for the first showing on Saturday of that week, so I shouldn't have to miss any work. God willing. (You never know when the boss might suddenly broach the idea of working on a weekend.)

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

puppy max
Originally uploaded by cstong.

The White House is evacuated when a reckless pilot drifts too close. Democrats blast the president as a "loser." North Korea whines for more attention over its nukes. Michael Jackson's defense fails to impress. Sigh.

Some days, you just need a cute puppy to bring it all into proper perspective.

What If it is Genetic?

The question, what will happen if we find out that homosexuality is genetic, is asked often of Christians. Will you still discriminate and hate us? Will you finally accept us when you see that it's not our choice? That's how the argument goes. But what would happen if we discover that homosexuality is indeed genetic? After all, if it is genetic, then we are only a couple of decades (at most) away from being able to change that. The age of genetic engineering is upon us and soon we will be able to wipe out genes that promote a whole slew of negative traits such as depression, obesity, anger, ect.

And if it is genetic then in our brave new world there will soon be a way to truly make it a matter of choice. If there is a "gay gene," would the homosexual lobby allow parents to have that gene "fixed" so that their child would be raised straight? Or would they insist that the gene must be left alone because it is how God wanted it made? And if that's the case, then what about diseases such as Sickle Cell Anemia? If genes are made the way they are by God, then should we affect change in any genes? And if they're not made that way by God, then why does it matter what we do to them? Parents should be free to choose. And for that matter, if the technology eventually allows it, adults should be able to as well. If a young person is gay and wishes to not be, would it be acceptable to the gay community for that person to undergo gene therapy of the future and turn their genes straight?

Somehow, I can't help but thinking that the homosexuals would disapprove of all this rather strongly. Despite the fact that the argument goes, "No one would choose this lifestyle," I have a hard time seeing the gay lobby allowing an effective end to homosexuality. And let's not kid ourselves. Can there be any doubt that the vast majority of people would choose to "fix" the gene and have a straight child? The number of parents that would choose to have a gay child is probably too small to be a mathematically significant figure.

So let's embrace this question, what would happen if homosexuality turned out to be genetic? In the near future, the weapon that homosexuals use to tear Christians with might well end up being a very sharp double edged sword.

May Day Protests

This site is hilarious. Make sure to read the accompanying captions with the photos.

The Babe Theory of Political Movements

The coverage of the Cedar movement really brought to light something that male bloggers have been excited about for some time now, hot arab girls. There are now whole sites dedicated to pictures of Lebonese protestors, focused on the attractive females.

This has led to the Babe Theory. The basic premise is simple: if you've got attractive women protesting with you, chances are you're on the side of freedom. Now, I'm not going to endorse this as indisputable, but the pictoral arguments speak for themselves.

The Prison Problem

Fresh off news that more Americans are in prison this year, we come to another story of an ex-con recently out of jail committing a crime, this time the murder of his daughter and her friend. Florida has been wracked of late by sexual predators who hardly spent any time in prison and are now free to harm children again.

So we have two points: More people are going to prison, and prison isn't doing the job of "rehabilitation" for the prisoners. Therefore, we have a serious problem. It seems to me that the answer is straight-forward. Give up this stupid idea that prison can rehabilitate most people. Do I believe that no one ever comes out of prison better than they went in? No. But the conditions in prisons do little to bring about any positive change. Therefore, prisons should serve the purpose they were intended for, to hold people who are a threat to society.

I am willing to allow my tax money to go towards holding violent, evil men and women from ever being free to prey on others again. Much has been made of the increase in prison population. But the number of Americans serving time in prison is 2 million (this number includes local jail holdings, which should not be considered because many of these will never see prison time.) But even with the trumped number, that makes for .7%, hardly a large segment of our population. Am I willing to see .7% of the population put away for life? If they break the laws and harm others, you better believe it. The safety of the law abiding citizens far out-weighs any rights that criminals should have. And it's about time that we start putting our contributing citizens first, and the offenders a distant second.

Panoramas from Around the World

Thanks to Jim for bringing this one to my attention. Makes me wonder how hard it'd be to make one of these in my own corner of the world. Mmmm... Shelton 360!

EU & China Not Serious About Nukes

Thomas Friedman has up another insightful column about what is needed to end the nuclear threats in North Korea and Iran. Unfortunately, it is the one thing that is not going to happen - China and Europe getting serious about the issue, even to the detriment of their own economies.

The prevailing assumption in Washington is that if something really big is going wrong - like North Korea and Iran going nuclear - it must be because America messed up. Yes, the Bush nonproliferation policy has been pretty dysfunctional, but the real problem is that those parties with the leverage to make a diplomatic difference refuse to use it. (We have already largely isolated Iran and North Korea. There is nothing much more America can threaten, short of using force.)
This is not a joke. If North Korea and Iran both go nuclear, that step may trigger a major realignment of geopolitics - the likes of which has not been seen since the end of the cold war. If North Korea sets off a nuclear test, how long will Japan continue relying on the U.S. for its nuclear shield? And what will South Korea and Taiwan do? And if Japan or South Korea goes nuclear, how may an anxious China react? And if Shiite Iran becomes a nuclear power - in tandem with Iraq's being run by Shiites - the Sunni Arab world will go nuts, not to mention the Israelis.

Sometimes is makes you wonder. If the world doesn't want America as "The World's Policeman", why won't the local powers police their own spheres of influence? (Answer: Because in the short term, its a lot easier/cheaper to criticize the U.S.)

A Criticism Of Star Wars

Star Wars fans will probably think "them's fightin' words", but hear this guy out. I don't agree with everything he says; however, I have to agree about episodes I and II ruining my taste. I also have to agree with those who are getting too excited.

I'll admit that my feelings for the original series were further damaged by the absolutely atrocious Episodes I and II. In the opinion that those films were sterile, overdone CGI-fests, I am far from alone. And yet, somehow, perhaps through Jedi mind tricks, "Star Wars" fanaticism has managed to rise even as the franchise has gotten worse and worse. To top it off, Lucas' continuing insistence on tinkering with the original films displays an annoying fanboyish obsession with continuity. Who really cares that different actors later played Boba Fett or the Emperor? It's probably only a matter of time before the Muppet Yoda in the original series is replaced with CGI. (And don't even get me started on the Greedo-shooting-first debate.) Ironically, these alterations don't seem to bother fans who treat the films with a near-idolatrous reverence.

Despite everything, I understand why even people who thought Episodes I and II sucked would still wanna see III. Anakin becomes Darth Vader. I get it. It's almost as if the point of the insufferable Jar Jar Binks was merely to make the payoff sweeter for fans. But I am amazed at the lack of skepticism regarding "Revenge of the Sith." Barely anyone seems to be going in with guarded expectations. Even the M&Ms are geeked!

I had my hopes up for Episode I. I had my hopes up for Episode II. I'm waiting on Episode III. I'll probably go see it in the theater, but after the crowds when the theater gets more of my money rather than having it all go to Lucas (after the first two weeks the theater gets more and then after a month they get even more).

Delta Airlines In Trouble

Well, I guess I should use my frequent flier miles soon. Delta is looking like it's in deep water. Everything they own is being used as colateral already and if they can't refinance their debt, they're going to owe a bunch now and they don't have the money to pay it.

They've mentioned chapter 11 bankrupcy. Not sure what that means as far as them keeping their planes, etc.

Time Travel

Ever wonder about the possibilities of time travel? Well, for some entertaining possibilities, I'd recommend considering this post for those into that sort of thing. While you're there, check out the rest of the site. There's some really interesting stuff if you're into archeology.

Unlikely Allies

There have been some encouraging signs from al-Jazeera of late. Of course, eventually you have to start talking about the good news too, especially when it is coming in abundance. But it's still good to see some efforts at balance, even if it might be begrudgingly.

Local Solider Comes Home from Iraq

The Trumbull Times has up a report on a soldier that came home from Iraq and sat down with his hometown First Selectman. How is this different from any other soldier who came home and had a photo-op with any other random politician? Well, I grew up with this soldier.

Stempien, a Trumbull native and 1995 Christian Heritage School graduate, spent most of the past eight months flying combat support missions in Iraq. Following his visit to town, he said he was heading back to his unit's home base at Camp Pendleton in California...Piloting a Bell AH-1 Super Cobra, Stempien flew close support for the troops on the ground. The Cobras worked in conjunction with jet fighters and unmanned targeting aircraft to assist ground troops in the fighting.
"Our information was very accurate, with all the streets having specific names," Stempien said. "Our guys would radio and tell us that they were taking fire from a building, and we could take it from there."

Brian was a good kid and has grown up into a good man. I am proud to have him serving in Iraq. I know if he was on the ground then the Iraqis not only saw a good soldier, but a man of God who could witness of Christ's love.

Blame it on God

I recommend reading Ann Althouse's discussion of the approaching demise of Joan of Arcadia. I think her assessments are right on.

The creators can blame Christians, the very people who started out watching the show, but the real fault lies in their own terrible decisions. Muse and I watched the better part of the first season and found that it was sometimes enjoyable, and at least somewhat thought provoking on occasion. We watched it with another couple that we're friends with here. Near the 3/4 mark of season one, our schedules simply became too busy to make time for the show and we didn't really miss it that much. The other day, we saw the episode just prior to the season two finale, and we both felt glad that we hadn't bothered to keep up with it. Why?

Because nothing had changed. Sure, Joan's boyfriend had cheated on her so they weren't together anymore, and Joan's brother finally hooked up with the rebel. But the characters were basically still the same. And that highlights exactly what is wrong with the show. Every episode runs something like this:

Joan starts a normal day with her emotionally cut-off boyfriend and God shows up in some form or another to speak cryptically about some upcoming event. God tells Joan to do something that she doesn't understand the purpose of and disappears. Joan sets off to do said task as best she can. Mom gets angry about something (whatever the anger issue is that week), dad takes on another big crime and even though he's the chief, manages to get his hands into everything, usually bringing Joan and her rebel friend along with him. Smart brother is in the background usually espousing some sort of wisdom or serving as the butt of some nerd joke. Wheelchair bound brother is sagely and offers pointed advice that no one listens to. Joan finds she is having trouble with task assigned by God and in a fit yells, "I hate you! Why do you make me do this!" Then God shows up and shows Joan why she's doing the task. Joan says, "Oh! I get it, you rock! But you're way too hard on me, I'm only human." God says, "No Joan, you are capable of more!" Mom gets over anger at this weeks episode, dad solves crime, boyfriend continues to be cut-off and emotionally stunted. Then, we start the whole cycle over next week and it's like no one remembers the "progress" that they made the week before.

I like a show that can reflect human weakness. But this show revels in that weakness. It makes a display of it in place of real drama. Every week, it's the same thing. Strife, anger, and fear are rampant in these people's lives for 50 minutes until God "does something." Then everything is justified in the last 10 minutes, only to start the whole cycle over again next week.

Maybe it isn't the "theocracy" that we're living in that has made us give up on the show. Maybe it's the clear impression that the writers just don't get it. We want to see growth and progress, not cheesy drama at the expense of characters that we can really believe in.

Star Wars is Coming!

Only a little over a week, now, until Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith appears in theaters! We're not doing the midnight showing thing - most of the folks in my family have to be up at 5 AM for work - but we have already bought our tickets for the first weekend!

Narnia Trailer is Online!

UPDATE 3:31 PM: If you have broadband, here is a direct link to the BIG version.

Finally, we have a real trailer for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe rather than just a series of promotional pieces for WETA. I must say, everything I have seen up until now has been somewhat disappointing and very reminiscent of the LOTR series. But this one finally does set it apart, and shows that the story is VERY different, even if there is armor and magic involved. I am glad to see and hear it.

The latest news - which I somehow missed - is that Brian Cox has been fired as the voice of Aslan, leaving few people with the talent to really play the "Son of the Emperor across the Sea." After all, do you really want to invoke LOTR more by using Ian McKellan or Johnathan Rhys-Davies? And I am not sure that it would be right to have James Earl Jones voice yet another major character without invoking Darth Vader, the Lion King, and countless others.

And of course, my ferverent prayer is that they keep around the elements the C.S. Lewis most desired - those which are an echo of the story of our Savior. And that should be doable without making it a "Christian Film" since Lewis's desire was always that the story not be overtly Christian, but simply introduce the ideas that can be applied later in life when a child comes to know the greatest story.

Dean Does Not Equal Dollars

When Howard Dean was pursuing the DNC chairmanship, many worried he would not be able to do the main job of the chairman - generate funds for the party. Some pointed to Dean's past success at internet fundraising, while others point out that he wound up frittering away all of the funds early in the campaign. Well, Robert Novak is reporting that the skeptics may have been right.

Democratic National Committee (DNC) fund raising under the chairmanship of Howard Dean shows a disappointing $16.7 million raised in the first quarter of 2005, compared with $34 million reported by the Republicans.

Is it any wonder Hillary Clinton is seen as the only rising star in the Democratic party?

Wondering how a Light Saber works?

As we quickly approach the official release of Star Wars Episode 3, I am sure many questions are forming in the minds of Mod-Blog readers. Perhaps most important among them is, "How do light sabers work anyway?" Well, the folks at "How Things Work" have put together a step-by-step guide to the engineering and physics of your jedi weapon.

Important Safety Information
A lightsaber is not a toy! Keep it out of reach of children at all times. Lightsaber locks are required in most states.
There are two ends to any lightsaber -- one end has the belt ring, while the other end houses the blade arc tip and blade emitter. NEVER point the blade emitter of a lightsaber toward your own body. NEVER look down the "barrel" of a lightsaber, even if you are "sure" it is in safe mode. If you accidentally activate the lightsaber, serious injury could result.

Now I understand why my home made version never worked quite right. My neighbor would have a lot more fingers today if only we had properly understood the technology. Not to mention the Cat we all renamed to "Darth Mauled."

New Research On Star Wars Fans

Since we may have younger readers, I won't post the exact article or title, but I found yesterday's Borowitz Report particularly funny.

Apostles Creed: Seeker Version

While we seem to be on the topic of humor today. A friend of mine sent me this and I got a good chuckle out of it.

I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, maker of heaven and earth, who gave the world to me and other Americans along with the authority to possess and exploit it in order to increase our wealth and comfort, regardless of how we may destroy the earth or cheat others out of its benefits.

I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST who was born of a Virgin on Christmas Day in order to become the Reason for the Season.  He was a really nice guy--strong, white, and gentle--and was the friend of sinners like me because he knew no one is perfect.  He was crucified by Jews and other non-Christians but rose from the dead on Easter so that we can always have spring-like hope.  He went to heaven where he reigns with God in order to guarantee my rights.  He will come again to pass judgment against those who are different from me and to condemn them to eternal damnation.

I BELIEVE IN KEEPING A PLEASANT SPIRIT toward men who agree with me, that going to church is an admirable practice, that there are good people around the world who support the American way, and that I, my family, and those like us will, together enjoy life everlasting, which we richly deserve.

Airline Humor

I guess it is joke day at work around here. We're so overstressed that everyone is looking for an excuse to laugh. Here is another from the same coworker. I admit in advance I have no idea where this came from, and these may all be made up. I made no effort to check the validity. Either way, the responses are hilarious.

After every flight, Quantas Airline pilots fill out a form, called a gripe sheet, which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by Quantas' pilot and the solutions recorded by maintenance engineers.

By the way, Quantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident.

> (P= The problem logged by the pilot.)
> (S= The solution and action taken by mechanics.)
>
> P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
> S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
>
> P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
> S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
>
> P: Something loose in cockpit.
> S: Something tightened in cockpit.
>
> P: Dead bugs on windshield.
> S: Live bugs on back-order.
>
> P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
> S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
>
> P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
> S: Evidence removed.
>
> P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
> S: DME volume set to more believable level.
>
> P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
> S: That's what they are there for.
>
> P: IFF inoperative.
> S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
>
> P: Suspected crack in windshield.
> S: Suspect you're right.
>


> P: Number 3 engine - missing.
> S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.
>
> P: Aircraft handles funny.
> S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.
>
> P: Target radar hums.
> S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
>
> P: Mouse in cockpit
> S: Cat installed in cockpit.
>
> P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
> S: Took hammer away from midget

I almost choked to death laughing on this one. But I might just be easily amused.

Computer Science Humor

I had to share this, but credit goes to a friend of a coworker.

There are 10 kinds of people in the world:

1) Those who understand binary

10) Those who don’t understand binary

If you don't get it, find a mathematician or computer science major. If they don't get it, check out their diploma as it is probably fake.

More to the Story

Apparently, CBS has found new evidence that President Bush isn't the only one to have shirked off his duty.

Finding Zarqawi

Apparently, intelligence believes that Zarqawi might be sick or injured. That's got to be good for helping track him. But the article itself highlights the continuing problem.

We believe him to be in the Anbar area, so what do we do? We guard it lightly instead of pouring troops in to search every inch and close the border. If we want this guy, it seems that maybe we should dedicate a few more resources to his capture. Otherwise, it just looks like we don't really care that much.

Reaching for the Heavens

The story is about the redesign of the freedom tower but the comparison to other buildings made me think. Even in an age of terrorism and big targets, we still seek to build structures taller and taller. It's an amazing sight to see these massive buildings, especially in a city. One can easily sense the awe-inspiring power that humanity possess.

All the way from Babel through to today, humanity has sought to climb physically higher toward heaven and has failed to see the vanity and hopeless in the desire. All the towering accomplishments will not last, someday they will be thrown down to rubble and we'll have only ourselves left. What will humanity do then? Will we learn or will we try to do it our own way again? Will we learn that it is our spiritual selves, and not our buildings, that we must cultivate into towers to heaven? Or will we continue to delude ourselves, as those at Babel did, and believe that our works will gain us access to that highest prize?

Another One Goes Down

Remember, we're losing the war on terror. It's all a setup by the Bush administration to make us fearful. There is no one out there that wants to hurt us.

Explosion at British Consulate in NYC

No idea yet if this is terrorism, stupidity, or some kind of "political expression", but an explosion has gone off at the British Consulate in New York City. The explosive appears to be an "Improvised Explosive Device" (IED - a term popularized in Iraq). No one was hurt, and there was barely any damage to the building. But with British elections in full swing the connection seems to be pretty strong to a terrorism/political statement angle.

Here's hoping the authorities can catch the culprits quickly. No matter the reason, this kind of thing can not tolerated in a free society.

Dirty Computer Screens?

Posted by Young Pundit, the newest miracle of technology! Or maybe not.

The Curse of Ugly

Do pretty people get all the breaks? According to a recent study, yes - and it begins when we're babies. The report is kind of sketchy, but still interesting. Maureen Dowd - one of my liberal guilty pleasures - has posted some interesting comments on the report. Perhaps this is why I am underpaid in my profession - or maybe it's because I work for the United Methodists who are renowned for underpaying their staff, but that couldn't be it - it must be because I'm ugly.