Friday, February 08, 2008

Does it mean I'm really old if Luke Recker's going bald?

 
What ever happened to Luke Recker?

Big Ten basketball fans may recall the name Luke Recker. Recker was the Indiana high school phenom who dazzled observers as a big (6'6") guard with a sweet stroke and rocket booster-style leaping ability. He committed early to Indiana and Bob Knight, playing two years under the fiery coach before transferring to Arizona.

His plans all changed the evening he and his girlfriend, Kelly Craig, drove to a carnival while on vacation in Durango, Colorado. A drunk-driver smashed into their vehicle and a pickup truck packed with passengers. When police and paramedics arrived, bodies were flung over the highway while passers-by attempted to triage the injured. A state trooper noted in his log book that 14 people had been inured and one had died at the scene.

An empty 12-pack of Budweiser and a bottle of rum were rolling around the drunk driver's pickup; he had suffered minor injuries while Kelly Craig was paralyzed; Recker's head was slashed open and his left hand crushed. Only a nurse who happened to drive by the scene saved Recker from bleeding out: his temporal artery had been sliced open. 200 stitches were required to patch him up.

Recker never played for Arizona. He transferred back to Iowa and the Big Ten to be closer to his family and the Craigs. Kelly Craig was partially paralyzed, but has thankfully regained some movement in her arms and legs. She still requires a wheelchair, however. She and Recker later called off their relationship as he pursued his dream of playing professional basketball with a reconstructed hand.

After finishing his collegiate career with the Hawkeyes (he averaged 17 PPG while shooting 41% from three-land), he tried out with the Miami Heat and played a year in the NBDL. For the last four years, he's split time between Italian- and Spanish-league hoops. Over the last two seasons, he's been a major contributor for Bilbao Basket of the Spanish ACB league. Overall, during his Euro play, he's averaged nearly 14 PPG while shooting 38% on threes.

Luke Recker is 29 years old? And going bald? How can that be? Why that must mean Scottie May is nearing retirement. And Steve Downing, is he still playing? What about Tommy Baker? Young whippersnappers. *Grumbling noises*

More: Kelly Craig update: 2003, Luke Recker is going bald, we're getting old.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Nationalized Healthcare Success Story #4,323

 
London's Daily Mail:

Dentists are under pressure not to treat children as the NHS cannot afford to fund their care...

Health trusts want dentists to concentrate on targeting adult patients who have to pay for treatment, according to a pressure group.

The claims, to a Commons health select committee, come as figures show that one in three children has not visited a dentist for up to two years...

Kids lose their baby teeth anyhow - what's the big deal?

Double standard? What double standard?

 
Yesterday, a prominent U.S. Cardinal pilloried federal officials for permitting Iran's president Ahmadinejad to visit New York City last year.

We should have executed the dictator. Everyone in the West knows that Iran's president must die. And we could have easily made it appear he died of natural causes.

Oh. My mistake. Did I say a U.S. Cardinal?

I meant that a prominent Iranian cleric called for the beheading of George W. Bush; he expressed disgust with Arab leaders for not taking advantage of Bush's visit by assassinating the U.S. president.

Stepping back for a moment, what does it say about religious authorities who call for executions? And what does it say about a mainstream media that can't be bothered reporting this news. Of course, had a real Catholic official called for Mahmoud to be killed, we can be sure the New York Times would have erupted in righteous liberal progressive outrage.

Double standard? What double standard?

Hilarious health care question o' the day

 
EIB:

...Hillary had to loan herself money. Now, the question is, "Whose is it?" She's getting very testy about this. It's my money! It's my money! She's made about $6 million from her books. Her husband's made the rest of the money in the family, according to the financial disclosure forms and so forth.

Her staff, including the campaign manager... are now working without pay, and a reporter... asked her today, "Are your unpaid staff members getting health care coverage?" She dodged the question! ...I mean, this has gotta be stunning to these people to get questions like that from the [mainstream media] who they thought they had in the palm of their hands...

What's the emoticon for giggling?

Flight 93 Memorial: a Disrespectful Design

 
The Flight 93 Memorial is rightfully under fire.

The Park Service contact information for the Memorial:

Flight 93 National Memorial * 109 West Main Street, Suite 104 * Somerset, PA 15560

(814) 443-4557 Phone * (814) 443-2180 Fax

Make your voice heard.

Hat tip: Right on the Right

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Behead the Public Relations Department!

 
The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades -- consider them your garden variety insane, misogynistic terrorists -- took credit for a homicide bombing in the Israeli city of Dimona. A pair of homicide bombers killed one woman and wounded 11 others.

Aaron Klein describes a subsequent gaffe of epic stupidity.

Immediately after the attack, a leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group [took] credit for the bombing... [providing] names of the two bombers – Mussa Arafat, a PFLP terrorist from the Gaza city of Khan Younis, and Lawai Lawani, an Al Aqsa Brigades member from Gaza's Sabra neighborhood...


The head of Al Aqsa Public Relations moves on to his next job

The Hamas terror group today claimed responsibility for the suicide attack in text messages to journalists and on Hamas' official TV station. Hamas identified the two attackers as Mohammed Herbawi and Shadi Zghayer...

Israeli security officials realized the Al Aqsa Marytrs Brigades – after hearing of yesterday's successful suicide operation – mistakenly thought it was their bombers who had reached Israel and detonated their explosives and, in a rush to take responsibility, the Brigades released the names of their two bombers...

Oops! Now Israeli security forces have the identities of two potential homicide bombers.

I wouldn't want to be the head of Public Relations for Al Aqsa. The pink slip reportedly comes in the form of a garrote.

Zogby Polling Methodology

 
Tom Elia, writing at The New Editor:

Well, the Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby Poll in California had Obama winning by 13 points over Clinton and Romney by 7 points over McCain.

As of 12:30AM Central Time, it looks like both Clinton and McCain won by more than 15%.

That's not good.

An inside glimpse into the Zogby backoffice may help explain.

Snake-eyes!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Earmark Trolls

 
Don Surber coins a new term (hat tip: Larwyn).

Iran contemplating new punishments for Barack Obama

 
Joseph Grieboski reports on the latest doings in Iran's legislative branch. Put simply, the "crime" of apostasy may soon warrant the death penalty in Iran. Furthermore, the "crime" can take place outside the country of Iran, which expands the definition of the word fugitive.

The Iranian Parliament is reviewing a draft penal code that for the first time in Iranian history legislates the death penalty for apostasy...

Article 112 examines the extraterritorial application of the norms of the code, by extending its jurisdiction over actions that take place outside the country... Article 112-3-1 refers to actions "against the government, the independence and the internal and external security of the country." Security as a term is not defined in the law, thereby making any action qualified as such. Consequently, groups considered dangerous to the regime all over the world can be liable for actions taken outside Iran that are considered as contrary to the security of the country.

Article 225-1: Any Muslim who clearly announces that he/she has left Islam and declares blasphemy is an Apostate...

Article 225-3: There are two kinds of apostates: innate (Fetri) and parental (Melli).

Article 225-4: Innate Apostate is someone whose parent (at least one) was a Muslim at the time of conception, and who declares him/herself a Muslim after the age of maturity, and leaves Islam afterwards.

Article 225-5: Parental Apostate is one whose parents (both) had been non-Muslims at the time of conception, and who has become a Muslim after the age of maturity, and later leaves Islam and returns to blasphemy.

Article 225-6: If someone has at least one Muslim parent at the time of conception but after the age of maturity, without pretending to be a Muslim, chooses blasphemy is considered a Parental Apostate.

Article 225-7: Punishment for an Innate Apostate is death.

Article 225-8: Punishment for a Parental Apostate is death, but after the final sentencing for three days he/she would be guided to the right path and encouraged to recant his/her belief and if he/she refused, the death penalty would be carried out.

Article 225-11: Whoever claims to be a Prophet is sentenced to death, and any Muslim who invents a heresy in the religion and creates a sect based on that which is contrary to the obligations and necessities of Islam, is considered an apostate.

Article 225-12: Any Muslim who deals with witchcraft and promotes it as a profession or sect in the community is sentenced to death.

Article 225-13: Assistance to the crimes in this chapter, in case there is no other punishment assigned to it by law, is punishable by up to 74 lashes in proportion with the crime and the criminal.

Enlightened!

I'm just trying to figure out which kind of apostate Barack Obama qualifies as.

Update: here's one of the cutest apostates in the blogosphere.

Update II: Two Iranian sisters face being stoned to death after Iran's supreme court upheld death sentences against them. The two sisters were found guilty of adultery after a video was presented that showed them in the company of other men. Mega-enlightened!

Iran throws temper tantrum over Israel's new spy satellite

 
AFP reports that Iran feels angry, betrayed and post-menopausal over India's commercial launch of an Israel spy satellite last month.

...The satellite, blasted into orbit from southern India on January 21, is reported by the Israeli press to have the ability to see through clouds, carry out day and night all-weather imaging and will be used to spy on Iran's suspect nuclear programme.

"The Indian government says the issue is a technical and commercial one, but we hope that the matter can be considered from the point of view of protocol," Iran's ambassador to New Delhi, Sayed Mahdi Nabizadeh, told reporters.

"We hope that an independent and wise country like India will not give their space technology to launch any instruments of espionage. Our officials have expressed our point of view," he added...

In unrelated news, Iran also threatened (for the 702nd time -- *yawn*) to destroy Israel:

Ahmadinejad: Israel's 'days are numbered'... Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted the imminent collapse of Israel.

In a televised speech Wednesday from the port city of Bushehr, where Russia delivered the last of the uranium needed to start up Iran's first nuclear power plant, Ahmadinejad told Israel's friends to "stop supporting the Zionists, as [their] regime reached its final stage," according to news reports. "Accept that the life of Zionists will sooner or later come to an end."

"Abandon the filthy Zionist entity which has reached the end of the line... The ones who still support the criminal Zionists should know that the occupiers' days are numbered."

In also completely unrelated news, Iran is poised to attain offensive nuclear capabilities within 36 months, according to Israel's Mossad.

[Iran presents a danger not only due to its] nuclear weapons but also because of its influence on more imminent threats - such as Hamas, Hizbullah and Syria - according to an assessment presented to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee by Mossad head Meir Dagan Monday...

Iran is acting on two tracks, Dagan said, one towards the enrichment of uranium and the other towards manufacturing surface to surface missiles with large payloads... ...Syria and Hizbullah had studied the lessons of the Second Lebanon War and come to the conclusion that they cannot overpower Israel and contend with its far superior firepower. Therefore, he said, they were investing their energies in developing missiles to target the home front, which they had recognized as Israel's weak point.

Rockets and missiles are a more substantial threat than they were in the past," Dagan said. "Syria is upgrading its arsenal of surface to surface missiles, and the number of missiles and rockets it possesses today is twice the amount it had only two years ago..."

Trying to link all of these unrelated stories into a single, consistent thread is very, very difficult. Perhaps that explains why our beloved mainstream media hasn't bothered to explore this storyline.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Hillary vows to tax citizens who don't buy HillaryCare™

 
Gateway Pundit heralds the rise of U.S. Socialism in the form of HillaryCare v2.0. The New York Times and ABC News report:

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., this morning left open the possibility that, if elected, her government would garnish the wages of people who didn't comply with her health care plan...

"We will have an enforcement mechanism, whether it's that (garnishing wages) or it's some other mechanism through the tax system or automatic enrollments," Clinton said in an appearance on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos".

It's especially disturbing since Hillary won't even allow the release of millions of documents related to her first, aborted attempt at nationalized health care. Millions of those documents remain hidden from public view.

I think a better name for HillaryCare, in the unlikely event it comes to pass, would be ClusterCare™.

Gomer melts down

 
Huckabee hints that Clear Channel is conspiring to aid Romney ("...an astonishing case of conspiracy-peddling...").

Huckabee accuses Romney of buying Sean Hannity's endorsement

Huckabee's appeals to "racial nationalism"

Mike Huckabee's imaginary friends

Mullah Huckabee suggests changing the Constitution

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

It almost happened

 
Not only did John McCain almost leave the Republican Party, he was seriously considered for a VP slot by John Kerry*.

This was one of the secret bumper-stickers produced as tests back in 2004.

* Who, incidentally, served in Vietnam and led a courageous Christmas attack deep inside Cambodia.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Romney Resurgent

 

Gateway Pundit has the latest Romney news.

Mitt now leads in California, a closed (Republican-only) primary. McCain won't benefit from the gift of Democrats voting in the Republican primary that he received in the open primaries.

Need a refresher on the McCain list of infamy? DailyPundit has the must-read list.

Romney has the line o' the day, commenting on Hillary's proposal to freeze mortgage rates: I don't know if that even goes on in Russia today! On McCain: John McCain is called a maverick by himself and others. But, he's a maverick because he's gone against his own party..

Republicans now realize the race is down to McCain and Romney, and therefore the choice is... obvious. Mark Steyn agrees:

The Clintons are nothing if not lucky, and Hillary must occasionally be enjoying a luxury-length cackle at the thought of being pitted against a 71-year-old "maverick" whose record seems designed to antagonize just enough of the base into staying home on Election Day. In the 2000 campaign season, running in a desultory fashion for the New York Senate seat, Rudy Giuliani waged a brief half-hearted campaign just long enough to leave the Republican Party with no one to run against Hillary except a candidate who wasn't up to the job... Has he managed to do the same this time round?

Vote Mitt Romney.

ADAA Presents: Super Tuesday Bowl 2008!

 
The American Dodgeball Association of America, America's finest Dodgeball Assocation, presents...

SUPER TUESDAY BOWL, 2008, the Dodgeball Tournament that pits the two Democratic Presidential front-runners against the two top GOP contenders...

...And now your hosts for this breathtaking event, Cotton McKnight and color man Pepper Brooks!

Thank you! Welcome, folks to Super Tuesday Bowl 2008. I'm Cotton McKnight with Dodgeball legend Pepper Brooks.

Yippy ka-yay, m[bleep]-[bleep]ers! Back to you, Cotton!

That's why Pro Dodgeball is on a five-second tape delay, folks. Pepper, break down this intriguing match-up for us.

No-problemo, cucaracha! The Democratic Purple Cobras have a beguiling combination of youth and experience with up-and-coming superstar Barack "Saddam" Obama and long-time standout Hillary "Saddlebags" Clinton.

And what about the underdogs, the Republican Average Joes?

Fascinating pairing, Cotton! More complex than a Rubik's Cube painted all one color! We've got the up-and-comer Mitt "The Hammer" Romney, representing the new guard of conservative thinking along with John "Two Parties" McCain. Of course, McCain almost joined the Purple Cobras a few years ago and many believe he'll become a spoiler this year!

A spoiler? How so, Pepper?

Remember, in political Dodgeball, there are no f[bleep]g rules, Cotton! During the match, McCain could actually switch sides, join up with the Purple Cobras, and start pounding Romney!

Wow, that's what makes this sport so great! The unpredictability... the action... the body parts scattered on the pitch after a match! Well, folks we're ready... here's Michael Bufffer to announce the start of the match!

Ladies and gentlemen......... welcome to Suuuuuuuuper Tuesday Bowl 2008. And now let's introduce the principals. Wearing the blue and purple of the Democratic Purple Cobras... Hillary "Cattle Futures" Clinton and Barack "Rezko" Obamaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Wearing the red and yellow of the Republican Average Joes... Mitt "the Comeback Kid" Romney and John "Keating Five" McCaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

And now, Dub Lite Beer and Aztlan-brand Dip'n'suck Tequila-Tortilla Chips are proud to present Super Tuesday Bowl 2008! For the thousands in attendance, and the millions watching around the world... let's get ready to Dodgeball!

Purple Cobras - ready? Average Joes - ready? Dodgeball!!!

Whoa, Pepper, they're cobra-quick! Clinton and Obama grab their balls and we're off!

I can't believe this, Cotton, McCain is hiding behind Romney! I've never seen that before!

Hillary, sensing an opportunity, strikes like the proverbial Chinese espionage agent!!

You're goin' down like a sweet muffin, Romney!

Hillary's throw goes low. Romney ignore Clinton's taunt, catches it on the bounce and fires!

Obama is... frozen... unprepared... his inexperience showing... OUCH!!! Wow, did he get tagged!

Cotton, Obama just got lit up like Happy Hour at Ted Kennedy's house!

Oh, look out! Hillary winds up and fires!

McCain, still hiding behind Romney! Hillary's throw narrowly misses Mitt!

McCain retrieves, throws... weak throw, almost a toss... Hillary grabs it! McCain's out!

It's almost like he wanted to lose to Hillary, Cotton! Now it's just Hillary and Romney, mano-y-mano!

And Romney unleashes a rocket!

Hillary dives, trying to catch it!

Whoa!!! She misses it! She's out! She's out! And Romney wins!

What an adrenaline rush! Cotton, I haven't seen anything like this since the Mongolians got upset by South Park in '99! Pepper needs to change his shorts!

I've got to say that Romney was impressive - the teams are congratulating each other now...

It was hard to tell whose team McCain was on out there, Pepper!

True dat, Cotton. Tru dat.

Well that's it for Super Tuesday Bowl 2008. Join us next week when Hillary Clinton and John McCain join forces in an exhibition match against Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson.

Linked by: Instapundit and Jules Crittenden. Thanks!