Friday, March 14, 2008

Go ye therefore hence and read Vanderleun...

 
It's a classic:

And, strange as it may seem, I miss Costanza.

Hat tip: Larwyn

Transcript from Merkaz Harav

 
A young frightened boy calls the Israeli emergency services after a Palestinian terrorist entered the religious school of Merkaz Harav and started shooting. 8 died in the shooting and 11 more were wounded.


This is a transcript of the call:

Boy: (whispering) have you heard of the shots being fired at the Yeshiva (religious school) of "Merkaz Harav"?
Dispatch: I can't hear you!
Boy: There's a terrorist at "Merkaz Harav"!
Dispatch: What's going on there?
Boy: There's a terrorist in the Yeshiva, shooting all over the place
Dispatch: Where are you right now?
Boy: We're hiding
Dispatch: Where is it?
Boy: "Merkaz Harav"
Dispatch: "Merkaz Harav" in Jerusalem?
Boy: Yes
Dispatch: And has the terrorist entered the building?
Dispatch: I can't hear you!
Dispatch: Hold the link. Don't hang up on me now.
Boy: Hurry up!!!
Dispatch: Listen to me. Help is on its way to you... Help is on its way to you right now. OK?
Boy: OK
Dispatch: Can you see... Do you know how many people got shot?
Boy: I heard screams
Dispatch: You don't know what's going on?
Boy: No...
Dispatch: Hold the line. Hold the line. Don't hang up. Where are you right now.

Caution: the accompanying video is graphic.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

The uber high-class ethics of Barack Obama

 
Dan Riehl has blockbuster news:

...Mrs. Obama’s compensation at the University of Chicago Hospital, where she is a vice president for community affairs, jumped from $121,910 in 2004, just before her husband was elected to the Senate, to $316,962 in 2005, just after he took office.

[An Obama earmark set aside] $1 Million For Construction Of A New Hospital Pavilion At The University Of Chicago. In 2006, Obama requested that the University of Chicago receive $1 million to support its Construction of New Hospital Pavilion.

Talk about a quid pro quo.

Hat tips: Jack M. and Larwyn

The best of Barack Obama's friend, Pastor and inspiration

 
Actually, Jeremiah Wright is not simply Obama's Pastor, close friend and an inspiration; he also has a formal role on the campaign staff. Wright is a member of Obama's "African American Religious Leadership Committee."

ABC, The Washington Post and Fox have the money quotes:

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, G*d d**n America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people... G*d d**n America for treating our citizens as less than human. G*d d**n America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

On 9/16/01, blaming the U.S. for the 9/11 attacks: "We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye... We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost!"

"The government invented HIV to kill the man of color!"

In 2007, awarding the Church's Trumpeter award to racist Louis ("The Jews helped Hitler get the Third Reich on the road") Farrakhan: "Farrakhan epitomizes greatness."

"Barack knows what it means living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people."

"Hillary is married to Bill, and Bill has been good to us. No he ain't! Bill did us, just like he did Monica Lewinsky. He was riding dirty!"

"We are deeply involved in the importing of drugs, the exporting of guns and the training of professional killers. ... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God. ... We conducted radiation experiments on our own people. ... We care nothing about human life if the ends justify the means... And ... And ... And! God! Has got! To be sick! Of this s**t!"

Interesting. I didn't know that some "pastors" routinely curse in church. Wright is an ugly, divisive and racially polarizing figure.

That Obama is so close to Wright tells us much. Obama can't run on his experience -- he has none. Instead, he's running on his "judgment." His close association with Wright, a man who despises America, demonstrates appalling judgment.

Update: Gateway Pundit adds that the lovely Obama family donated $22,500 to the hateful Trinity United Church in 2006.

Money talks...

No wonder Michelle believes her country is downright mean.

Terry McAuliffe's suggestion for Florida's write-in ballot ...

 
Idea: Doug from Upland

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

A brief history of the Iraq War, presented by Harry Reid

 
2002: Go get Saddam, President Bush! We support you 150%!

2004: WMDs! Mission Accomplished! Bush is a nuclear moron!

2006: We're losing the war! Get. out. now!

2008: The war's too expensive! The Middle East ain't strategic! Let Iran take over control of the gulf!

Who's better at innovating: government or the free-market?

 
Charles Johnson alerts us to an ominous new threat to Google's dominant search engine:

The European Union is putting up $152 million to fund a search engine that will compete with Google.

Who was that snickering in the back of the room?


Government-funded innovation in action at the BMV

OK, maybe it was me. I can’t help it. I’m picturing an EU-approved search engine, and I can’t stop giggling.

EUgle! Bwa ha ha!

Big government spending bucket-loads of taxpayer money on innovation?

What springs to mind are the Democrats' rocket-scientist plans to fund clean energy technology (at taxpayer expense, of course). Hillary, for example, plans to spend $50 billion on a "Strategic Energy Fund" and a few more billion on "basic energy research."

No piker himself, Barack Obama plans to spend $150 billion on "clean energy", another $50 billion in clean venture funds, and an unknown amount to "Double Energy Research and Development Funding."

Funny. With $4 a gallon gas on the way, I thought there were plenty of free-market incentives to explore green technologies.

Like the Lexus Hybrid 400h. Or the BMW Hydrogen engine. Or the Saab Biopower engine. Or Volvo's flexifuel engine. Or Toyota's hybrids. Or VW's Passat powered by natural gas. Or Honda's Civic GX, also powered by natural gas.

But I suppose Obama and Clinton have the right idea. If given enough money, big government can out-innovate the free-market.

Can't it?

Terrorism: the X-Ray Project

 
The X-Ray Project is a traveling exhibition highlighting the effects of terrorism on a civilian population.

It consists of a stunning series of X-rays and CT-scans from the two largest hospitals in Jerusalem.

Behind the exhibition is Diane Covert.

The idea for Inside Terrorism began to coalesce in my mind in 2002 as a personal response to terrorism and to my discomfort with the way terrorism has been justified in some circles. This is a documentary of survivors of terrorism. Much like photographer Mathew Brady documented the Civil War, people in emergency rooms today are documenting the effects of terrorism. The exhibit is another form of "straight" photography - that is photographs made with an unaltered spectrum of light. With that technology, we are able to look inside terrorism.

Hat tip: Jim in Virginia

Line o' the Day: It's (not) settled

 
Edmonton Journal:

Only about one in three [of 51,000] Alberta earth scientists and engineers believe the culprit behind climate change has been identified, a new poll reported today.

The expert jury is divided, with 26 per cent attributing global warming to human activity like burning fossil fuels and 27 per cent blaming other causes such as volcanoes, sunspots, earth crust movements and natural evolution of the planet.

A 99-per-cent majority believes the climate is changing. But 45 per cent blame both human and natural influences, and 68 per cent disagree with the popular statement that "the debate on the scientific causes of recent climate change is settled."

A mere 51,000 specialists -- licensed to practice by the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta -- were surveyed.

My Daddy is a Dancer


Papa B writes:

One day last week, a fourth-grade teacher asked the children what their fathers did for a living.

All the typical answers came up: Fireman, Mechanic, Businessman, Salesman, Doctor........

However, little Justin was being uncharacteristically quiet, so when the teacher prodded him about his father, he replied, "My father's an exotic dancer in a gay cabaret and takes off his clothes in front of other men and they put money in his underwear. Sometimes, if the offer is really good, he will go home with some guy and stay with him all night for money."

The teacher, obviously shaken by this statement, hurriedly set the other children to work on some math problems and then took little Justin aside to ask him, "Is that really true about your father?"

"No," the boy said, "He works for the Democratic National Committee and is helping to get Hillary Clinton elected as our next President, but I was too embarrassed to say that in front of the other kids."

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Vanderleun spots Spitzers on magazine cover

 
American Digest spotted the Winter '07 issue of hoity-toity Boston mag 02138 (Cambridge's ZIP code, ergo Harvard's) with the following cover:

That's Client #9 with his current (well, I haven't checked the news lately, I think she's the current one) wife.

I've picked out some of the more streaming chunks of irony for your Spitzer stew of the day:

"To say that Wall softens his image would be to ignore the crackling energy between them."

"On the trail, Wall, who speaks with a subtle drawl, reminded voters that Spitzer is also a family man who likes to grill on weekends, wear sneakers, and watch NASCAR."

"...Asked if she and her husband take time together, just the two of them, Wall laughs. "With three kids and two dogs at the ages they areâ€"the ages they all areâ€"and our careers and community engagement, it's hard to say that we do."

Well, whatever time they were taking together, I think it is safe to assume that in the future, there will be less.


Hat tip: Larwyn

EmperorsClubVIP.com is down... but here's the cached version

 
This is how the site appeared in 2004.




Client #9 was unavailable for comment.

Update: Doug from Upland writes to alert us to a related eBay auction.

Chart o' the Day: the candidates and their earmarks

 
WSJ: Earmark Showdown

Top 8 reasons Mrs. Spitzer should have known Eliot was cheating

 
1. While in the throes of passion, kept moaning his Mastercard number
2. Referred to his privates as the "stimulus package"
3. Mentioned that he kept running into Charlie Sheen.
4. Mysterious collection notices from "Pleasure Island"
5. Always humming theme song from Shaft in the shower
6. Traded in Ford Explorer for '72 Cadillac Fleetwood with curb feelers
7. Wore mink overcoat and hat in bed
8. Discovered yellow crime scene tape in his pants

Also see: Eliot Spitzer croons his greatest hits!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Abu Mazen's Martyr Beat Magazine

 



Gateway Pundit has the disgusting back-story. Nice work, Condi.

What Dads do with kids' action figures

 
Hat tip: Sean

Update: jpm100 provides the photo of what kids do after the Dads have gotten finished with the kids' action figures.

Uhmm, yep, that's about right.

Eliot Spitzer croons his greatest hits!

 
Call now! Operators are standing by!

Update: The National Review's Corner has the transcript.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Technology: the Carver One

 
Motorcycles and automobiles have been around for decades. Truly new, differentiated vehicle concepts are few and far between. But I think the Carver One qualifies: it appears to be the first viable cross between a two- and four-wheeler.

Here is something that will make you go out of your way to find curvy roads: the Carver One! You steer it like a car, but when cornering it banks like a motorcycle while you feel like you are flying a jetfighter. The thrill of this tilting capability combined with the handling of a sports car makes for an exhilarating driving experience unlike any other!






The vehicle is marketed in New Zealand, Poland and (soon) Russia.

As for the U.S.?

Over the past few years we have been receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from American and Canadian automotive enthusiasts. Obviously, as part of the global roll out of the Carver One, we have been looking into distributing to the North American market as well.

Naturally, the European-specification model will have to be modified to meet national standards. And there is more to that than meets the eye.

We initially appointed a dedicated team for the North American market, responsible for the roll out of a nationwide sales and service network. Meanwhile, it has become clear that additional market analysis and funding are required for the launch to be successful, after which we will resume our active marketing efforts.

A dedicated team has started an in-depth analysis of the requirements to make the vehicle ideally suited to the North American market. One of the most important modifications involves the engine. Further planned enhancements include the addition of air-conditioning...


Carver One Links: Vids, Pics. Carver Europe BV website (Photography: Koop Photography).

Blood money in Saudi Arabia

 
The concept of "Democracy" may be problematic in the enlightened Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Ali Sina describes the crucial reasons for this disconnect (hat tip: Spencer).

In the April 9, 2002 issue, The Wall Street Journal published the concept of blood money in Saudi Arabia. If a person has been killed or caused to die by another, the latter has to pay blood money or compensation, as follow.

100,000 riyals if the victim is a Muslim man
50,000 riyals if a Muslim woman
50,000 riyals if a Christian man
25,000 riyals if a Christian woman
6,666 riyals if a Hindu man
3,333 riyals if a Hindu woman

According to this hierarchy, a Muslim man's life is worth 33 times that of a Hindu woman. This hierarchy is based on the Islamic definition of human rights and is rooted in the Quran and Sharia (Islamic law). How can we talk of democracy when the concept of equality in Islam is inexistent?

Further, how can we speak of equality between the sexes when a female's value is pegged at half her male co-religionist's life?

The reality is dark. Dr. Abdul Momen describes the appalling situation of Bangladeshi workers transformed into virtual slaves by employment agencies in concert with the Saudi government.

Many [Bangladeshi] workers... stated that they are mostly without job since their arrival 2-7 months ago. At times, they are employed for a month and then its all over.

In any case, none of them received wages other than SR100 ($27) on their arrival. They have no money and no job and therefore, they are not afraid to be arrested, they said. They prefer arrest as jail may provide them food, water and shelter or deport them 'free of charges'. Anis (17) and Murshid (18) showed marks of torture...

Human Rights Watch has additional detail.

It's down to this: Last Tango in Pennsylvania

 
Dick Morris says it's over.

Image idea: Reliapundit