SOTU, Part One

The following is a roughly minute-by-minute account of the SOTU. I watched it- of course- on Fox News.

9:00 Anchors lead off by telling us that Cindy Sheehan was detained (not arrested) for trying to display some sort of anti-war banner. Not surprisingly, she is a guest of Lynn Wolsey, who, call me crazy, is one of the more...unworthy...members of Congress.

9:05 President enters. I find it remarkably classy, especially after the latest news, that he leads off with the moving words about Coretta Scott King.

9:14 President takes the offensive about the war on terror. Seems to be directing comments to the Dems, which I love. I like the new emphasis on promoting democracy, especially the mention of the regimes in Iran, Burma, Zimbabwe, North Korea and Syria (which was #1). This is followed by a denunciation of Radical Islam. Liking it. Mentioning Beslan is a good touch. Overall, his speech about the war on terror is fine. It is also old news, as anyone who follows the president knows that the man is not backing down.

9:18 Three-part plan for Iraq. Again, those on the right have been paying attention. Gentle reminder to everyone else.

9:22 "We are winning." Good to hear him say it; everyone needs to know this, not that the liberal media will report it. Most of the applause is coming from the GOP side here. I like the comments about candor and responsible criticism. Wonder who this is meant for...

9:25 General acclimation for troops after reading of Marine letter. I wonder if they actually know what it means...

9:27...Hamas reference, also Iran. I think the Hamas stuff is right on, though I don;t think the rest of the world will follow through.. Itan stuff was a little weak.

9:30 Interesting about the role of the US in fighting global disease. Lots of money, but we rarely hear of it.

9:33 Homeland Security time. Good but not great discussion of the Patriot Act. I think the stressing of Constitutional and Presidential powers, while on the ball, is a little forced. Stressing the effects of the wiretaps, and the link to terror, is a safer bet.

9:35 Hilarity ensues. Fox flips to Hillary just when the president points out that in the past terrorists have struck and we did nothing to respond to them. She has this incredulous look. Uh, yeah, that was your husband (or you) who did nothing, HRC. Just remember this.

9:36 Nice talk about leading with values. Preach to the base, W. Then, on to the economy. Funny; things are going well- consumer confidence high, interest rates moderate, minimal inflation, unemployment at 5- but everyone is down. Nice slam on the European and Japanese economies, W...

Anyways...sleepy boy for me...we continue tomorrow.

M

Moons Over My Hamas

The more I think of it, I think this electoral victory is not a good thing for them. While I doubt their aid packages will be fully cut, they will not be getting all they have been promised. This, of course, will impair their ability to pay salaries/bribe/buy bomb-making materials. Hamas, or is members, will strike against Israel. Even after Sharon, the Israelis are NOT going to take this laying down, which will entail precision strikes against Hamas and its leadership.

Israel will continue its wall-building, even moreso if attacks continue. It will become harder to attack Israel, while it will be easier to attack the infrastructure of terror there. Simply put, I don't think any Palestinian government will be able to bring peace or stability to the area, not until the Israelis slaughter several hundred more militants. And, with the reign of W, they will have carte blanche to do so.

The funny shit of the week is compliments of my friend Joe. Scroll down to the 1/23 post. Keep scrolling for informed musical commentary...
http://josephwaldman.livejournal.com/

Oh, the comedy

I have now read in a couple of places that Cindy Sheehan is planning on running for the Senate...and will challenge Diane Feinstein to do so. This is pretty funny; I bet Karl Rove and the braintrust will be laughing their dupas off over this one. I don't really see the Democraps gaining anything by this, and I can easily imagine a 1,000 commercials about this. Hillary Clinton is more pro-war that Dianne; I do wonder why Cindy isn't going that way.

This starts Catholic Schools Week. Don't drop the soap, kids.

Relatedly, Rick Santorum was within ten in one poll I read about. Coming from behind, it's what Santorum is all about.

I do love the State of the Union address. One of my favorite times occurred a couple of years, before the speech, when the camera zoned in on Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex); one of the more bleeding-heart libs out there. Her and her ilk were cramming the aisle seats to get a pic with the president, which is funny, since they are as TGTF as they come. Anyways, Peter Jennings was telling everyone how her and her staff live about four blocks from capital; everyday they use a special SUV to get to and from the Hill. I almost spazzed, since 1) If the Dems are the party of the environment, shouldn't they save the air and hoof it; and 2) If you've seen the woman, well, Sheila could stand eight blocks of walking a day, if you get my drift.

Dating Lisa Loeb

I am not a fan of the show. Just saying. I mean, I think she's really attractive, and has had some incredible, near-tear-generating songs, and for her to sink to this is pretty ridiculous. Granted, all these celebrity dating shows are crap du jour (fueled by idiocy), but I do have limits, somewhere.

I think we should move the Quahog Museum of Irish Culture here. Just saying. I could um, improve on the quality of exhibits.

On a related note, I watched "The Boondocks" a few days ago; it's funny shit. I can see how some people would find it insulting. As a matter of fact, I have one in my mind, oddly enough.

Speaking of which, the party I attended last nite was quite cool. None of the atrocities I expected occurred, though I was under the threat on them at all times. Good food as always, and well, let us say that the gods of irony blessed me multiple times.

Pittstucky 77, Seattle 3.

Festage

I'll post more on the Crisp trade later, but I am liking what I see so far. Coco will be missed, but Michaels will be fine. The bullpen will require some retooling, to be sure, but Mota should be a help in that department. Marte becomes one of the organization' s top prospects, and will conveniently replace Boone next year. I am not sold on Shoppach; he can catch at Buffalo this year. Ryan Garko is getting stiffed, since the trust will prolly use Einar Diaz as the backup catcher, conveniently forgetting that he has looked done for three years or so.

Party tonite on the east side, a surprise bday bash. The menu was posted, and I am looking forward to it, to say the least. I suspect that I will be in the minority (in many ways) when it comes to the guest list, but this is why they invented CCW permits, and I will somehow manage. Alabama meets Pittstucky meets Greenwich Village tonight, and yours truly will be there for a full report.

Second Thoughts

Racked with sleeplessness as always, I kept turning over in my mind scenarios for the Food Bank. While the talk of our expansion remains just that for now, people are humming. My visit to the West Side Catholic Center was an eyeopener. However, if we are going to expand our service offerings...I am not quite sure that is the way to go. Much of what we do at the Ozanam Center is guided to helping the working poor (though we could offer services to the indigent), while at the WSCC, they offer services to the homeless, the mentally ill, etc. We don't have that problem (yet) in Slavic Village. Quite frankly, I would think that the services we should we offering at the expanded center should be those to make people less poor- resume writing, job training, budgeting, life skills, smoking and alcohol remission, etc.

All of this is far to the future, since we will need more space, cash and resources before we can consider any sort of expansion....and this is good.

Left Behind...

I see John Kerry has chosen to drink the Kool-Aid and will try to filibuster Alito. Ably supported by "Killer" Kennedy, let's hope this takes off. Nothing helps our cause more than two of America's leading liberals going further against the grain of American thought. Even the Senate's only Klansman, Robert Byrd, is voting for the guy. Somewhere the Rick Santorum campaign is drawing up a campaign ad.

I think the following link is an excellent idea: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/27/politics/27religion.html?th&emc=th

Maybe they can convince the rest of their friends in the party to read it.

I'll post on Hamas later.

The Times

I do so love the New York Times. Not only is it liberal fishwrap, but I think the Editorial Board suffers from collective schizophrenia. Today's entries include the usual Bob Herbert rant about how everything to the right of Che is evil and wrong; a more common-sense column by David Brooks explaining the values gap (which seems to be the current locale for everyone else on the NYT); a column by a DA gently mocking the carping of those who claim the innocence of everyone under the sun; and a column by the Clinton ambassador to France on why the death penalty is wrong, and those Europeans, who invented the Holocaust, are correct.

Spent the evening at the West Side Catholic Center for the quarterly Theology of Tap meeting (Kessla- your sister-in-law says hi). This is sort of what our food bank committee would like to see the Ozanam Center become, a place where numerous social services can be provided to people with varying needs. While this would be nice, I am not seeing in the near forseeable future, since, for one thing, their budget of $1.2 million exceeds ours by about, oh, $1.1 million, or more. To say nothing of space and clientele issues. Still, I learned much, and I do hope we can expand our services to provide both immediate and long-term assistance.

I assure you, we will be more reactionary tomorrow; sounding like a bleeding heart now...

M

Hold on to Coco...

It does seem that the Coco deal is off. For now. It does seem that the failed Mota physical is the stumbling. If Coco is NOT traded, it would make many of the other deals in the works less useful to the club- say, Michaels for Rhodes. Alas. The addition of the Reds to the mix...well, I know four-club deals can work. But it does add some unnecessary complexity.

Am progressing quite nicely on the next book on the list, "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Rhodes. It's quite a good read, and the science is complex but not incomprehensible. The first half is a review of every advance of atomic science in the first half of the 20th century, and it is quite engrossing. I do need to read more, and we are hitting the books with a vengeance.

Ahem...

First of all, I found this a few days ago, and it is simply hilarious..

http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=1848320

Rob, have you looked at the Pirates roster? I see some talent there, but look at the division. The Cardinals remain the team to beat. Houston will probably get Sir Roger back on May 1, and I think they will be quite competitive. Milwaukee is quickly coming together. The Cubs can succeed, if, say, Dusty has a massive attack of competence in lineup construction. I remain confident that the Pirates can beat the Reds, though.

Wow, being good in football. Rob, if you want to see hillbillies chase each other, I suggest the following alternatives:

1) NASCAR
2) The Jerry Springer Show
3) Throwing Skoal and Vaseline into prison yards

Moving on to more positive things, Benedict XVI put out (hehe) his first Encyclical today. From what I have read so far, it is nice. Nothing special, though, like a new crusade or instructions on the burning of heretics.

My political views. Well, here goes.

Taxes: Should be cut at every oppportunity.

Government Expenditures: See above.

Federalism: I am a firm believer in it, as the Federal Government is ossified. More to the point, throughout US history, when has the Federal government achieved meaningful reforms? Most important changes have began at the local and state level, the original laboratories of democracy.

Abortion: As a semi-practicing Catholic, it is horribly wrong. That said, I view this as a state issue, not something with which the Federales should involve themselves, especially with something as crappy and cumbersome as Roe v. Wade. Deciding the issue on a state-by-state matter would, I think, more closely replicate the populace's opinion on abortion- legal, with a varying degree of restrictions on local standards (which, by the way, is basically what the Court has decided on obscenity, and far fewer people get worked up over porn, pardon the pun, than abortion).

Censorship: Completely opposed. Do get a life, people.

School vouchers: I am not a fan of taking $$ from public schools, but I feel that large urban school districts are completely broken, and that the public good would be better served by innovation and the ability to completely educate some children, than the crappy system in place now.

Campaign Finance: Any restriction on it is completely contrary to the First Amendment. I think most Americans are smart enough to see through crap.

Religion: I have come to the conclusion that we need more religion in public, and the trend towards secularism, which may or may not be reversing, should be stopped. I am not saying only Christianity here. More people acting to the tenets and spirit of their respective faiths will improve society as a whole. I still want the return of the Latin Mass.

The War on Terror: Islamofascism should be smashed at every opportunity. Ditto for the last remnants of communism and fascism (which are terrors in their own right).

Foreign Policy: I believe that America is at its best when it concentrates on its own affairs.

Immigration: The problem is not one of people flow; it is of integrating these people. New immigrants are not being culturally integrated into the American fabric, which causes angst. English should be the language; immigrants must, as they did in the past; shed their old ethnic labels and make themselves Americans first. There is plenty of work for all who come.

Wal-Mart: Not a fan in general, though they do drive economic efficiency, and I think their effect on local employment/wages is overstated. The concepts of starter home and starter job have taken root in our psyche; why not starter job?

Gay Marriage: I readily confess my hypocritical paradox here, and you may crucify me accordingly. I do believe we will see it in my lifetime. I do not think it is right to deny two people who truly love each other the right to choose to spend the rest of their lives together. I do not think gay marriage in any way ruins the fabric that is heterosexual marriage, as straight people have f**ked it up quite well all by themselves. I am a Republican, and we still stand, or should, for personal freedom and responsibility. But... I do not believe, scripturally, that the homosexual lifestyle is... correct. I do believe it is a liberal shibboleth that marriage is marriage; in this country, it has a religious connection, and it would cheapen the Christian Rite of Marriage to equate it to a homosexual relationship. I do not see any way to reconcile these differences, and I expect this issue to be divisive for some time. Intellectually and morally, this gap in my beliefs has caused me more anguish than any other issue.

Guns: I am a firm supporter of the Second Amendment, and find any attempts to reduce gun ownership an excellent example of the Law of Unintended Consequences.

I find American Idol ridiculous. I find the demise of traditional American journalism fantabulous. I would like to see the end of the DH. I find politically correctness a particularly obnoxious form of anti-intellectualism wrapped in censorship.

Good Luck and God Bless,

Mattie

O, Canada....

Splendid news from Canada, of a sort. Conservative Stephen Harper won the election, albeit not an outright majority, sending Paul Martin and his corrupt, thieving Liberals (imagine that) flying. Compared to the rest of the news from say, Latin America, this is a good thing. While Harper probably cannot enact the necessary reforms, his ascendancy will improve relations with Washington, increase Canada's military, and help enable our friends to the North to join the war on terror.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/23/alito/index.html

Well, the public seems to think Alito should be on the Court; will the Senate Dems do the right thing? One almost hopes they filibuster...

Friday nite I had a glass of pinot noir, something I had never sampled before. Quite frankly, I find wine to be a bitter, foul, foreign, French beverage, something one gives to a dog as punishment. This Pinot Noir stuff, though, well, I only tasted that bitter aftertaste a third of time, and at times, it was almost good. Miles may have been on to something.

I need to get my hands on a nut chopper.

No more Stellastar...

Big and joyous news from C-town, today. Coco Crisp has been traded to the Red Sux for Andy Marte and Guillermo Mota. Woohoo!!

The Good: Mainly, Coco and his .345 OBP, weak arm and circuitious paths to the outfield will be sent to Boston, who think they are getting a CF. Next to Manny and the sore Trot Nixon. *snicker*

Guillermo Mota, when healthy, will be a solid addition to the Tribe pen. Marte automatically becomes the best 3B in the system, assuming they have stones to play him, which they won't, with Aaron Boone and his albatross of a contract. The Tribe does have a hole to fill in LF, but there are options. Ryan Ludwick is still floating around. Ben Broussard (speaking of crappy hitters) came up as an OF. Jason DuBois and his bat would be nice, if given a shot. I keep hearing about a Jason Michaels trade, which would be fine, but I am not convinced it is necessary.

It's funny; I have read a couple of online articles, both of which were convinced that the Tribe bullpen was a weak link. I'm not seeing it. Yes, we lost Howry, and Bob Wickman is still the closer, but...before Mota, we had Betancourt, Rhodes, Sauerbeck, Riske (taterific, but still sueful); Matt Miller should be healthy as a ROOGY; Jason Davis and his arm of fire in Buffalo, and Kaz Tadano (make your own joke!!) as well. That is not a bad pen there, and the Indians have made other moves to try and pull some arms from the scrap heap. Let's not forget Jeremy Sowers and Jason Stanford.

I think the braintrust should instead consider the crappitude at the corners, and seek ways to improve that roster dreck...

Child-care central

Yes, the void in my life caused by D's trip to LA has been most ably filled by my niece, who is spending the nite at Chateau Mattie. Dinner at the Hard Rock. She talked the entire time, no surprise. In the meantime, all is fine, where Gilmore Girls Season 5 on DVD has been replaced by some totally gay (I mean, more totally gay than GG) Disney movie, about a musical. I cannot believe my life has sunk to this. By the end of the nite, I'll be broke and out of Chex Mix. At least this is good, Vatican-approved birth control.

I cannot believe the little contretemps about Senator Carpetbag and her plantation comments. Namely, there hasn't been more of one. Not only was she totally out of line (not that we expected a new level of classlessness from a Clinton), but it seems she was slightly ignorant of historical fact. I went to public school, and I seem to remember it was a bunch of Democrats who created and maintained the plantation system. Many of these Democraps were from...Arkansas. I also vaguely remember some Republican...I think his name was Lincoln... putting an end to all this nonsense. I think reparations are in order to assuage my tortured soul.

Apostropher Royale

Finished up two books in the past two days. The first was "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." The second was "Eats Shoots and Leaves."

Malcolm was quite good; at times it was even enjoyable. It was interesting in that one could actually sense his opinions modifying over time. He made no bones about his mistrust of women, or of white people; yet it seemed that his trip to Mecca made him realize that people, like the problems of the world, cannot easily be quantified into a few sound bites. Of course, he was done in by his own people. One is not taught in school about his Irish roots.

ESL, as I'll call it, was quite a droll little read. The author sends us on a charming tour of the English language, looking at the evolution of punctuation, and how often it gets mucked up. Or, up with which it gets mucked. Nonetheless, Truss also mentions, several times, the rules of punctuation, which can serve as a friendly little reminder or as basic grammar. "Elements of Style," by Strunk and White, is a better source for the rules, but ESL does jar one into proper grammatical sense.

Continuing the tenor of the email, are there any pieces of music more sublime than the Brandenburg Concertos? I think not.

M

Movie review

So..."Searching for Comedy in the Muslim World" was better than I thought. Starring Albert Brooks, it tells the story of a comedian (himself!) who goes to India and Pakistan to figure out what makes them laugh. The movie is quite humorous, in the Matt way, with sarcasm and irony and the requisite digs at the W administration, not that we didn't expect it.

I had won free passes, so I went with a bloody-heart coworker (she says she is not, but they all lie, don't they?). When we go there, the theater was practically full; some NPR station had been giving away free tickets. It was sort of like being the only white person in the building, but you are statistically safer in that situation. Fortunately, I avoided rapine, loss of cash and temporary insanity.

Also, the coworker with whom I attended this Filmfest... for her brother's bday, she is taking him to the...ballet. Yes, the ballet. This is worse than "Billy Elliott." She insists he likes it. Don't they all? I will try to intervene in this situation.

I also see that CA fried the old guy a couple of days ago. No crowds to protest the event; no Europeans ripping down Ahnuld nameplates; Jesse Jackson didn't take time from his busy schedule to protest. Was it b/c the executee was white? Old? Had bad hair? As they both killed four people, they were equally deserving, were they not? Liberals... is there no limit to their hypocrisy and stupidity? (No, there isn't, and we all know the answer.)

Role reversal

I see the NFL admitted it was wrong about ONE of the calls this weekend. Comparing this to baseball, it is sort of funny. Everyone remember Game 2 of the ALCS? Boy, every article was lambasting Doug Eddowes for mucking up the call. But, none of the articles I read about the NFL games this weekend hardly mentioned the numerous questionable calls. Not until a day later was there any coverage. Why?

I think the main reason is the quality of fans. NFL fans, by and large, are more or less fair-weather fans. Think about it; it's easy to be a fan- the games are on one day a week, nothing else is on at the time, and they are very user friendly- lots of commercials to get beer and snax, idiot commentators shoving 200 replays at you. People can watch and be entertained.

Baseball fans, however, make a commitment to the game. They have 162 games to watch; the games are often on cable; and the game has a lot more nuances that require complex understanding. (Yeah, yeah, football has nuances. But, how often do you hear commentators brag about the quality of line play, blocking, etc.? Far less than you do about big hits, showboating, etc. It's like NASCAR. Or WWE.) People are investing lots of time in this sport, and as such, they want it to be PERFECT. Football...less so. And, of course, there is the old canard about not letting the officials lose the game; players do.

But, this is exactly the wrong attitude to have. Rarely does one play make a difference in baseball, and, with a 162 game schedule, it is facile to blame one game for not making the playoffs. Even in the ALCS last year- the teams had FIVE more games to play, and with a 1-1, series it was still anyone's series. In the NFL, one game can make a difference, and the playoffs- win or go home- standards should be MUCH higher. One play CAN ruin a season. Yet every year, it's like hillbillies on parade.

Why don't NFL beat writers run to criticize the shitty officiating? It's one thing to see it on PTI. Are they afraid of losing their press passes? Are the football writers not the best of the bunch? Does Paul Tagliabue have incriminating photos?

And, of course, the funniest thing is, they have instant replay to make sure they get the right call...

On to something more intellectual than football (Next I'll be comparing Skoal), tonite we are seeing "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World." Thank God it is free, but review to follow at 11.

M

Reflections

Well, we had our Board meeting for the Food Bank Thursday. For the five months we were open...we served 382 clients (a total of 683 visits), supposedly accounting for 1,042 people. The total value of food is estimated at $47,810, but is prolly higher, as this does not include fresh baked goods, frozen turkeys and other sundries handed out when available. We have handed out over 2,500 garments, and have provided utility assistance on a limited basis to a select number of "clients." These totals do not include school supplies, winter coats, blankets, heaters, furniture and other types of assistance periodically handed out. Better (from my point of view), the accounts are in better shape, due to solid purchasing decisions.

This is fine and good. And, talks are underway to expand our space, to better assist people. However...for one thing, we're not really making people less poor; we're simply helping them out in times of need. Call me crazy, but in the long run, this becomes unsustainable. Two, we have to cut back on certain types of assistance, since the fraud and chicanery is becoming too much. I suggested calling the cops on some of the more egregious forms of abuse, and everyone thought I was kidding. But I wasn't.

In other things...I am not really sure how football became more exciting than baseball. The games last a hell of a lot longer; and, like an NBA game, while the last two minutes were fun, the other 58 were like my wisdom teeth extraction, without the steady stream of drugs. Part of the reason is b/c when you are sitting at home watching the thing on the tube, the announcers are morons. God, where do they find these people; they say the dumbest things. And they are ALL like that.

I know what you are saying; Tim McCarver exists. Yes, but he is the only one. Joe Morgan, while he has flights of cluelessness, also says some highly intelligent things. Plus, due to the wonders of modern technology, one can listen to Vin Scully call a game. It's like a baseball history lesson, and he actually EXPLAINS the game. I can't think of anyone close in football.

If we see David, ask him about the attractive fans he met while watching the game. Ask him why he couldn't stay and hang out with them. Trust me, it's funny.

Updates

Lots of fascinating news stories in the past few days.

First there is this: http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/01/12/dna.execution.ap/index.html

Shock of shocks, the silence from the left is deafening. Quite frankly, I hope the latest technologies are always used in the beginning in capital cases. Maybe we can actually fry these scumbags even fadter.

Is it me, or does the idea of having Ted Kennedy on the Judiciary committee seem a little, um, odd? I would be humming "Bridge Over Troubled Water" or something like that at every opportunity.

That said, I think Alito will be a fine justice; not quite as conservative as I would have liked, but conservative enough. If only we could put some real Republicans in Congress...

Food bank today; I will post an update of our six-month summary later today.

M

Dear David:

Nobody likes you. You have no friends.

M

HOF results

Sutter is in, and no one else.

Quite frankly, I think this is crap. For one thing, Sutter is a borderline candidate. For another, he was the worst of the three closers on the ballot. Gossage should be in (several years ago), and, while I am not sold on Lee Smith...he is clearly a superior player than Sutter.

No Blyleven. What are they thinking? Rice...I think he is overrated. Very overrated, really helped by his park. Was he a good player? Of course. But not HOF. Dawson is even worse; much like his MVP. It is nice...but not supported by a scintilla of evidence.

Not a lot of other surprises. Well, sort of on the Belle total. I thought he would pulled a few more votes. Mind you, I don't think he is Hall-worthy. (Full disclosure: my favorite player, for several years, was indeed Albert "Joey" Belle.) His numbers are good, as much as any 90s player can have good numbers (unadjusted for context). It does seem people are remembering him for being a jerk.

Season Five of The Shield started. Good shit as always; I watch so little TV, but this show is one I do set the clock for. Scandalous, to be sure.

One more gripe, namely, the continued existence of Ben Broussard in a Tribe uniform...but that will be tomorrow's rant.

I found this on the Forbes.com newswire. I submit this to you all without comment, as it really says it all...

Ok...Splash the water dog?

Meet the latest children's author, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and his Portuguese Water Dog, Splash, his co-protagonist in "My Senator and Me: A Dogs-Eye View of Washington, D.C." Scholastic Inc. will release the book in May. "I am very excited about the opportunity to create a book for young readers and their families that will deepen their understanding of how our American government works," Kennedy said in a statement Monday issued by Scholastic. According to Scholastic, Kennedy's book "not only takes readers through a full day in the Senator's life, but also explains how a bill becomes a law." Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, was inspired to write the book from his work with a Washington-based reading program, "Everybody Wins!" Kennedy's net proceeds will be donated to charity. Books are a Kennedy family tradition, from John F. Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Profiles in Courage" to the poetry compilations edited by Caroline Kennedy. Books about dogs are a Washington tradition, thanks to the best-selling "Millie's Book," by then-first lady Barbara Bush. Ted Kennedy's book is 56 pages and includes illustrations by David Small, winner of the 2001 Caldecott Medal for his pictures in Judith St. George's "So You Want to Be President?"

The news...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060107/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/iraq_body_armor;_ylt=AiuQS1Cz_wXSU4sCilCrMX9vzwcF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--
I found this article on yahoo. Everywhere else the front pages were reporting that thousands of troops could have been saved from death had they been equipped with armor. However, as the above link shows, many of the men view improved mobility as more important.

I am not willing to bet the farm here, but I think most journalists aren't aware...historically, the trend has always been to less protection and more mobility; it wasn't that firearms destroyed armor (though it helped), to use a medieval example; but that the armor kept getting larger, bulkier and heavier; warriors felt that they had a better chance if they could avoid the blows than to stand there in heavy metal and get clanked upon.

I know, I know, dumbshit reporters...who knew? Next you'll tell me that once in a while they commit plaigarism...

M

Movie

Watched A Very Long Engagement last nite. It is a French film starring Audrey Tattou and a fine European cast, as well as the extremely good Jodie Foster. Wonderful story; a girl searches for her missing fiance in the aftermath of WWI. Tells like a detective story, with plot twists and turns, but at its core is a young girl determined to find out what has happened to her love. It is quite hauntingly good; I watched the ending three times (I do love the DVD format), and those last lines -- "et le regard, et le regard, et le regard" -- are still with me today. Highly recommend it.

Double Event

So much to say...Net was down last nite, and I could not post.

First, saw Brokeback Mountain tonite with a coworker. It's good, like an Ang Lee film, but I would not go as far to say great. Had its moments. On the other hand...they really, pardon the pun, hammer the gay shit. Too much so; I mean, overdone on the symbolism, boys and girls. Plus, I did get a kick out of the obvious discomfort my coworker had over the um, graphic description of the mechanics of sodomy. So, it's prolly worth the $8 to see it, but, let's face it, everyone gets screwed by love in the end.

Last nite...Pub Quiz...we won. Seven months in a row. Phew. Won it by one point, and it was a close-run thing. Late scoring avalanche did it, the result being that I am not $39 richer, subsidizing gay cowboy nite. And, sad to say, no pudding in the movie.

But back to pub quiz. The real comedy came late. The table of females next to us, one of them came over and did this spiel about being with the Pain Dealer, how this was a story, yadda yadda, could I come over. So, I did, not realizing I was being scoped. Anyways...we got to talking, and these females were quite hammered. And, to use an equine phrase, let's just these females, had, um, a nice personality. Somehow, the conversation shifted to dogs, how wonderful they were, and all that crap. Since I have not yet been lobotomized, I didn't share their views. So...the one chick, after a coupleof minutes of kvetching, tells me to "Go home and masturbate." Funniest thing I have ever heard...I've been told a lot of things by women, but this does take the cake..

Post III:

Ah, mixed feelings here at Heston House. Just left the bachelor party of my good friend Sri. I helped to get him thoroughly plastered, but I couldn't hit the strip joint afterward, even if I missed out on the $5 lap dances by poor college students who are quite hot. I think it's trashy; I've done it enough in my life to know I don't like it, and that is that.

However...in the past three months two of my best friends have, or are, getting married. Scary shit, quite frankly. And I am nowhere close to this phase of my life.

Anyways, I just realized that I should have some sort of year-end review. All I can say, is, all things considered, it was quite a good year for me.

Pub quiz tomorrow. Team 11 goes for seven in a row...

M