A biblical question

This might be sacrilegious. Actually, I'm pretty sure it is, but it's sort of funny and worth the read.

This story was sent in by a buddy of mine (thanks Justin).

UN sticking nose in others business

Big surprise, but the United Nations is now making it their business to attack British celebrities for doing drugs. IS NOTHING SACRED ANYMORE! There are long standing traditions of celebs from the UK doing drugs and...making great music (see: Keith Richards), being hot (see: Kate Moss), becoming really dirty and nasty (see: Amy Winehouse).

While drug use really repulses me, I say stay out of their lives UN. Leave people alone and let them destroy their lives if they want to. I certainly want to help, but only through private, not public means. There are plenty of organizations out there to help out those in need of drug rehab.

Speaking of more fun

A pretty good blog entry from Andrew Malcolm at the LA Times. He brings up the possiblity of a shared ticket between the two Democratic frontrunners...wouldn't that be interesting. And perhaps the worst thing to ever happen to the United States of America.

Finally, it's over

This was just long overdue. McCain's got it. Huckabee's out. More fun still left for the Democrats.

DEEETROIT BASKETBALL!

Okay, so I'm a big Detroit sports fan, you name the professional Detroit sports team, and I am a fan. So you will now enjoy this Detroit Pistons/Boston Celtics preview. Hey, they are the best teams in the East after all.

Kids are fat and that is bad

Captain Obvious is here to tell you why. Kids today watch too much TV and play too many computer/video games. Man oh man, do we really need to do studies to figure this stuff out?

However, it is interesting how they did the study. So it's worth reading the article.

Herrrreeee's Johnny!

Jack Nicholson making his case for Hillary. I saw the video yesterday. Not that impressed, and I know it won't help, but at least it's sort of clever.

If this is real...

It's completely horrible. If it's fake, it's completely stupid. Just read the story.

At least they're trying

This is a good sign. The fact that a Palestinian leader is calling for a cease-fire is a step in the right direction. We'll see if it's followed up in good-faith by both sides. That has always been the question over there. One side won't put down their arms until the other does...and neither is willing to do so.

The end of an era

Brett Farve is done. He will be missed. And he will be remembered as one of the All-time greats of the game. Now...it's up to Peyton Manning to beat his consecutive starts record!

To run or to quit

I think Hillary should stay in. Here are some interesting poll numbers concerning public opinion on the subject.

I have a very convoluted theory behind it, but the short of it is that I believe that Senator Clinton is a more realistic person than Barack Obama. And I fear that if a Democrat wins, the country would be better served with someone who has more experience in the public sector as well.

A situation in S. America

Hugo Chavez loves the spotlight...especially when it comes to shouting down the USA for something or another. We shall wait and see what comes of this.

Turmoil in Somalia

After taking time to learn more about the continent of Africa over the past year, I better understand the problems that are going on there. Al Qaeda does not help the situation and they need to be removed. Although, it doesn't seem as though the US hit the target on this one.

Ouch, one and a half stars

There was a time when people my age anxiously awaited every film that Will Farrell put out. Now I can't keep up with all of the sport themed movies he has made. It seems he might have lost some of his luster in this one. However, I will say, even a "bad" Will Farrell movie is better than many other comedies.

He did what!?

Remember yesterday when I said no one cares that Bloomberg is not going to run for president? Yeah well you care less about this story.

Ugh...I drive way too much for this

This can't go on forever...

can it?

Conservatives biggest fear

Is that John McCain was telling the truth here. I think it was an honest mistake, but it was pretty funny.

Can you say rigged?

What a complete joke. The Russians are starting to scare me...check that...they continue to scare me. I heard one theory that the Russian people put up with the political corruption because they actually like the idea of having a strong ruler with near absolute power. If that's true, are we in for another Cold War? Who will be on Russia's side on this one now that Communism is (for all intents and purposes) dead?

What a shame

This story speaks for itself. A guy who gasses thousands of his own countrymen...is the scum of the earth.

Prince Harry = Bada**

Sorry, but this guy is hard. When you think of princes you think of prissy type guys right? Not Prince Harry of England. He's third in line for the throne and he puts his life on the line in Afghanistan. That takes some cojones.

As far as any debate as to whether it was right or wrong to embargo the story of him being over there...I think the media actually acted in a responsible manner here. I'm glad they didn't run the story. I'm glad he got a chance to do what he had been trained to do. I have so much respect for those who serve their countries honorably. Prince Henry is now added to that list.

Call me paranoid but...

I really don't like all of the vaccinations and shots that the government and doctors are recommending for young kids. I don't even like taking OTC medicine when I'm sick. But the whole injecting viruses into kids at a young age thing is not appealing to me. The government is now highly recommending that kids aged 6 months to 18 years get flu shots every year. I never get my flu shot and yeah, sometimes I get the flu. I'm just glad the government hasn't started mandating flu shots. That's when we know something is really wrong. I don't like the government mandating anything dealing with my body.

He calls them "The Final Days"

Howard Kurtz, a columnist for the Washington Post, says it's almost over for Hillary Clinton. An entertaining column that spans liberal and conservative viewpoints.

Securing border costs $$$...duh

Did anyone think securing the southern border of the USA would be cheap or free? My guess is no. Now our government is saying it might be really expensive to secure the border properly. Yeah, it probably will be expensive and your point is? It can cost us billions and billions and the American people will not care. They want the border secured, bottom line.

If you're a conservative...

You admired William F. Buckley Jr...If you aren't a conservative you should have admired William F. Buckley Jr. if for no other reason than he was incredibly bright and he was not mean spirited like so many on the left tend to brand right leaning people. As President Bush said, "America has lost one of its finest writers and thinkers".

Bloomberg is out

Michael Bloomberg isn't running for president...does anyone care? I don't.

The "New" France

Dost mine eyes deceive me? This statement by the French foreign minister is quite a change from their past policies.

Democrats have a new whipping boy

There's a new Attorney General. Let the Democrat character assassination begin.

My apologies.

Friends, I'm sorry I haven't been blogging lately. I have recently started a new job and I am still trying to find out how to squeeze in time to blog. Bear with me and I'll try to do better.

Please keep coming back and post comments!

MTV: Saudi Arabia

Not quite like the American version of the music video channel, but closer than they have been before. Saudi Arabia strictly adheres to Sharia and they do not allow normal music videos that might show women in sexy clothing or saying things that might not be congruent with Islamic law.

Obama causing international crisis?

President Musharraf of Pakistan has pondered whether or not to issue a state of emergency for his country due to danger foreign and domestic. Partly due to Barack Obama's statements made a week or so ago. It doesn't look like he will, but he's certainly under a lot of pressure right now.

An interesting editorial details possible issues related to Obama's comments.

Banning the Koran in the Netherlands

Check out this story. If I was this guy I'd be afraid for my life.

Facebook mourners

This is a great piece by Travis Kavulla at the National Review.

I have been faced with a similar situation. It is interesting how the Internet and social networking sites have changed our lives in every facet.

Russia reengages

Russian long range sorties have been resumed...could this be shades of the Cold War? You be the judge. I just wish that Russia would just concentrate on their own country and leave the rest of the world alone.

Bible saves GI

Yeah you heard me right. I'm talking about The Bible. This is one of those stories that you wouldn't believe if it didn't happen. Read and enjoy.

Fake boobs lead to suicide

No, that's not a typo. There is a new "study" that shows that women who have fake breasts commit suicide 3 times more often than women who do not have them.

I thought fake boobs were supposed to make women feel better about themselves. This just goes to show that when men say "you're fine just the way you are," you should probably listen.

Worker status, what does it mean?

I am getting so fatigued trying to figure out all of the terminology associated with illegal aliens and what is politically correct at the time. This WSJ article makes some sense of what is going on in the legislative side of things.

I remember when I was younger living in Northern Ohio my parents would point out migrant workers that used to come all the way up from Mexico to the Midwest to help harvest the bountiful Ohio crops. Then just as soon as they came, they left. There was something about the fact that they traveled so far and long that made you respect those people. What ever happened to migrant workers? I wonder if they still exist.

Iran helping Iraq...yeah right

This is a funny story. It's not meant to be, but it is. Iran has pledged to help Iraq with security issues. Their pledge and the security of Iraq is of course contingent on the "American occupying forces" leaving Iraq (at least, according to Iran).

Iran is so delusional.

Some political tidbits

Some interesting stories from David Miller at CBS News:

The Latest Newt-O-Meter Reading: Every time former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks, political observers sift through his words to figure out whether he plans to seek the Republican presidential nomination. Lately, the odds of such a run seem to have fallen. But a Gingrich speech on Tuesday at Washington's National Press Club may set off a new round of speculation.

According to inside-the-Beltway publication The Hill, Gingrich said there's still a chance he will enter the race — and still a chance that the front-runners in the Republican race will falter. "I try to remind people, three weeks before the Iowa caucus in 2004 the Democratic front-runner was Howard Dean. He had raised more money, he had gotten more magazine covers — everybody though he was the front-runner," Gingrich said. "He had the biggest online contributor base."

Gingrich also flatly said he was "candidate material," which is a little more bold than the former speaker has sounded lately. It's possible that the delay in the launch of Fred Thompson's campaign — now expected in early September, less than a month before Gingrich says he'll make up his own mind — and Thompson's reported fundraising and staff troubles have renewed some of Gingrich's vigor.

Sensing An Opportunity: Republican Rep. Ron Paul raised some eyebrows when his second-quarter fundraising put him in fourth place in the money race against his fellow GOP candidates. Now, with the Iowa Straw Poll only days away, the candidate whose libertarian views have won him a significant Internet following is putting that money to use on a more traditional medium: television.

The campaign is airing its first ad in Iowa this week. The spot notes that Paul has never accepted a congressional pay raise, never voted to raise taxes and is running to "protect our liberties and save our Constitution."

It's unlikely Paul would spend money on the ad if he didn't think he had a chance of pulling off an Ames surprise. Conventional wisdom says that if anyone is going to benefit from the bickering between Sam Brownback and Mitt Romney, it will be former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. But for now, Paul is the only Republican candidate, aside from Romney, on TV in Iowa. It's possible it's too late for the ad to have any impact on the poll results, but it shows that Paul is a candidate who deserves attention heading into this early test of GOP strength.

The truth from Newt

I hate the current presidential campaign process. I don't hate many things in life, but I hate how the campaign process works. It is the most convoluted, corrupt and unhelpful period of time in American politics.

Newt Gingrich spoke to this recently at a National Press Club event. Read, enjoy, understand.

We need major campaign reform. The sooner the better. The US government cannot function much longer the way it is right now. Do you realize that we elect people on how they look and what they said in 10 second soundbites? We are in serious trouble.

The check's in the mail

Fewer Mexicans are sending money back to Mexico from the Estados Unidos. Some say it's because of increased border security, some say it's because of anti-immigrant sentiment, some say it's because they are unsure of their futures.

I don't know what it is, but it's an interesting trend.

Shiite pilgrimage to Baghdad

The Shiite pilgrimage in honor of an 8th Century Imam is pretty much over and there were no real terrorist attacks. Could this be a good sign?

The reason why I write about these events is because I want to let everyone know that there are positive things going on in Iraq. I am optimistic and I will continue to be that way because our troops and our country deserve that from American citizens.

Newark murders

You have probably heard about the execution-style murders of three college kids in Newark, NJ. They have arrested a 15 year old that was picked out of a line up by the lone survivor of the attack. This is an awful chain of events.

The thing that surprises me the most out of this whole thing is that some of the residents of Newark are not that surprised. Remind me not to live in Newark.

McDonald's tastes better than...

A "study" has just come out that shows that children prefer food from branded fast food restaurant packages rather unbranded. The study put the same food in bags that had logos on them and then in other bags that had no logos. The kids thought the branded food tasted better.

No wonder our kids are fat. We need to start branding some Brussels sprouts or something.

Rudy, Barack and Caroline

In case you haven't heard the big news Caroline Giuliani was once a supporter for Barack Obama on Facebook. OH NO! Since it was reported, she has left the Facebook group and changed her profile, but apparently the damage has been done.

You do know this means nothing to his campaign of course.

The UK state of mind

As I wrote about before, it seemed as though the United States and the UK were going to be getting along quite well in the Gordon Brown era. This continues to be true, but Mr. Brown continues to try to distance himself from the USA and his predecessor.

The UK government just asked the USA to release some of the detainees at Guantanamo who were not citizens, but legal residents of the UK prior to their capture on the field of battle.

This has also allowed UK liberal MPs to start talking about what an egregious breach of democracy Guantanamo is. I hope this is not the beginning of something more.

Sean Penn, just plain awful

Wow, this guy is just pathetic. He has on more than one occasion visited our enemies and turned his back on our country. Now he's meeting with Hugo Chavez. I wrote about the American traitor in Al Qaeda, well Sean Penn is skating on thin ice. Apparently, libs in Hollywood are also thinking what Penn is doing is wrong. That says a lot. Thank goodness no one takes this guy seriously. It's just too bad that our enemies can use him as a propaganda tool.

The truth about Al Qaeda in Iraq

This Michael Yon article was also featured in Glenn Reynolds' blog Instapundit.com, but I figured I would link it here as well (for those of you who do not frequent his site). It is a graphic and seemingly truthful picture of what Al Qaeda is capable of and willing to do in Iraq to try to defeat freedom.

I will echo Mr. Reynolds' sentiments: read the whole thing.

Why drinking is good before you are shot into space

This Charles Krauthammer column is just plain hilarious and it makes sense. Read it.

Treason

Any American citizen who joins up with Al Qaeda should be found and tried for treason and then given the maximum punishment for treason during wartime. Death. This guy, Adam Gadahn, who is also known as Azzan al-Amriki should be found and put to death. By the way there's a $1 million reward...so go out and get 'em.

Where is my AK?

Well apparently the US Government doesn't know either. There are 190,000 weapons missing from the arsenal bought for the Iraqi military. Umm that can't be good.

Shuttle launch...with shades of the past

The Space Shuttle Endeavor will be heading up to space this Wednesday and will carry with it a school teacher. I think it is great that once again NASA will be sending a teacher into space. The Astronaut Barbara Morgan was the backup for Christa McAuliffe who was the teacher who died in the Challenger disaster.

Ms. Morgan is finally getting her chance to go to space. Even though Americans are no longer enamored with the space program it still provides a very useful service to our country's science community. And I am personally proud of the brave men and women who explore the Final Frontier.

Godspeed to our astronauts.

Lebanon and the future

Lebanon has for many years been a melting pot of sorts in the Middle East. A country that has as its citizens members from many different religious and ethnic groups. And for the most part they have lived together in relative harmony. This is to say that it was not the citizens that were starting the wars, but politicians in Lebanon and Syria.

Now Lebanon is facing an interesting and potentially dangerous future. While Iraq and Israel and the Palestinian Authority are making progress, Lebanon is teetering tenuously on the edge of breakdown. A series of political assassinations have led to political unrest and a shift in power. Half of the country is pro-Syria, the other half is anti-Syria. Even the Christians in the country (who were at one time a group of great solidarity) are starting to split into groups.

Lebanon could be a great ally in the Middle East if they would just get their act together. President Bush has issued a warning to those that might interfere with Lebanese politics and I can only hope that the country that used to be one of the most visited and beautiful countries in the world can return to its former glory during my lifetime.

Peace in the Middle East?

Not yet, but as far as I can tell Israel and the Palestinian Authority are meeting together without a direct request or help from the USA. This is extraordinary development and is good news for both sides.

Good things are happening in Iraq (on the military side) and good things are happening in the Holy Land (on the political side). If only both sides were working in both places.

Killing their own

It is just morally confusing to me to see what is going on in Iraq right now. There was a bombing this morning that killed 19 children. The fact that the followers of the "religion of peace" are killing their brethren is somewhat disturbing. What I don't think they understand is that it is not the US Military bearing the brunt of casualties anymore, it is the Iraqi people, and they are starting to get fed up with being killed by their own countrymen.

Political progress is needed now more than ever.

Just stop eating food

There is nothing left that is safe. Now it's green beans. I happen to like green beans and now I have to worry about getting botulism. Great, just another thing to worry about. At least this doesn't have to do with China...yet.

Space travel is still cool

Traveling to Mars was, is and continues to be cool. Well NASA is going to send a new probe to Mars to study the polar region there. And that is awesome.

Money in freezer

Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson, the guy that was keeping money in his freezer just got some good news. Apparently, when the FBI took a bunch of files out of his office on Capitol Hill it was against the law because executive and legislative branches are supposed to run equally without being intimidated by law enforcement run by the other branch.

Okay fine, I understand that, but the best part of this Reuters story is what Jefferson's lawyer said at the end of it..."We are confident that as this case moves forward, and when all of the facts are known, we will prevail again and clear Congressman Jefferson's name". HOW DO YOU CLEAR THIS GUY! He has been accused of accepting bribes and they found $90,000 in HIS FREEZER!!! What person keeps money in his freezer in different food boxes and foil. This guy is SO GUILTY.

As you can see, I feel pretty strong about this. I hate corruption and there is no shortage of it in Washington...Democrats and Republicans are both guilty.

21st Century voter fraud

Just what we need...voting machines that are susceptible to virus attacks. This is what "hanging chads" got us. 'Nuff said.

Iraqi political failure?

I want Iraq to succeed. I want Iraq to be a successful Arab state in the Middle East. I want Iraq to act as a beacon and a template for what other Arab states can achieve. I understand that making this happen is not an easy task. Defense Secy. Gates just came back from a tour of the Mid East and was not too impressed with the progress of their government.

When you compare what is going on in Iraq to what happened in the USA prior to independence and the ratification of the Constitution, you can get a true feeling for how (politically) difficult what they are doing really is. Admittedly, I am not that informed on what is going on over there, but I can see why there would be problems. These are people who have different ideas on how Iraq should be run post-Saddam. This is a revolutionary process. These politicians are having to create from scratch a secular Arab state that still adheres to Islamic principles. No easy task given the Islamic whack jobs killing each other and civilians all over their country.

He's been called a wunderkind

This story is the same old, same old from the Congress witch hunt on the US attorney firings, an "investigation" that seems to continue on with no end. This guy, J. Scott Jennings is a 29 year old White House staffer and he was called in yesterday to participate in the hearing. He of course refused to answer certain questions and invoked executive privilege on several occasions.

I just think it's crazy that these young people (many of those who have testified have been young) are so involved in what is going on. Or it might be that they are allowed to testify because they're not that involved. Who knows. What I do know however, is that firing US attorneys is something that the President can do at anytime for any reason because they serve at his discretion.

Two very rich guys

Presidential candidate and former senator John Edwards has attacked Rupert Murdoch and his company News Corporation for becoming too powerful. Edwards thinks that the acquisition of Dow Jones by Murdoch's News Corp. is media consolidation gone too far.

So Senator Edwards has challenged his fellow presidential candidates to refuse and return any money they might have received from News Corp., or their employees. Edwards was even quoted saying that he would never ask or accept money from Rupert Murdoch.

So why is it that Mr. Edwards took money from Mr. Murdoch's publishing company HarperCollins? In fact he took $800,000 from HarperCollins for his 2006 coffee table book "Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives".

Now this whole thing has been blogged out of control (evidenced from two of the links above (NYT and D.C. Post), so I'm not going to go too overboard on this, but this is hilarious. Is he clueless or does he just not care. For a guy who made MILLIONS as a weasel trial lawyer (don't get me started on tort reform), you'd think that he would be pretty smart. So he must not care right?

To come out and rip on Senators Clinton and Obama for taking money from News Corp. execs...that might be a little hypocritical. Now I understand he was being paid for his book and not for his campaign, but he said "John Edwards will never ask Rupert Murdoch for money — he won’t accept his money". So that is where the hypocrisy comes in play. Poor Edwards can't catch a break.

Chinese toys not so fun

Mattel the toy manufacturer we all remember from our childhood, has announced they are recalling 83 types of preschool toys that were made in China. No kidding. Something made in China that isn't up to USA standards. That is so rare.

My sarcasm drips from this post, but we really need to get involved in this epidemic. Stuff from China is just not really working out for Americans recently. There needs to be some sort of oversight of imports from China and it needs to start now.

Lead based paints on preschool toys...umm are you joking? What is the first thing little kids do when they get a toy? They try to eat it. Lead paint on preschool toys...not a good idea.

Whoopi on "The View"

I don't care about this, but it's an FYI for when you're around the watercooler. Whoopi Goldberg has joined female chat show "The View". I'm sure that someone somewhere will mention this to you and you will not care, but at least you will know. Yay.

The Sunni saga continues

Today the Islamic Dawa party, the party of Iraqi PM Maliki issued a statement asking the Sunni majority party the Accordance Front to reconsider their withdrawal from the cabinet.

This is starting to get interesting and I am truly curious to see whether or not Maliki and the others in the Iraqi government can convince the Sunnis to come back to the cabinet. If they do, it could signal a positive move toward some serious legislation and political improvement. If Maliki fails things will either stay status quo or disintegrate into complete political gridlock.

Complete political gridlock...where have I heard that before...oh yeah, right here in the USA.

Democrats stalling

The Democratic leadership in Congress is holding off on votes for spending bills until after their traditional summer break. President Bush unloaded on Congress today explaining his side of the story.

The bottom line is that the Democrats are being just as bad as the Republicans have been at playing partisan politics and "surprise!" nothing is happening in Washington. Yet another example of our representatives ignoring what the American public wants.

Honest to everyone?

I saw this guy on Fox News Channel the other day and I was really intrigued. The theory of Radical Honesty is interesting, whether or not it works has yet to be seen. Apparently it works for Brad Blanton, Ph.D. and I think it is worth looking into (if for no other reason than curiosity).

I think that being completely honest all of the time could be quite liberating. The problem I see with it is that if the people you are around are not being completely honest...then you're in trouble. In that case the, "Yes honey, you look great in that dress" comment should be a trusty stand-by in your arsenal.

Important step for Darfur

The commitment of 20,000 UN troops to the Sudan is an important step to try to stop all of the killing there in Darfur. It is also interesting to note that it is African countries committing a large amount of troops to help in the effort.

This kind of help is something that the African continent has been trying to focus on for many years. African nations have been trying to to break the bonds of colonialism by dealing with continental problems "in house" if you will. I believe that this is a positive way of doing things and that the increased communication and help between African nations will be good for the continent as a whole.

Rummy sticking up for himself

I think we can all admit that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has not always had the best of luck. Nor has he always made the best decisions. But I think that ultimately he is a pretty decent guy. A US House panel questioned Rumsfeld along with some other generals involved in the Pat Tillman screw-up yesterday.

According to accounts, Rumsfeld was pretty calm during the whole thing except when Rep. Kucinich (D, OH) decided to accuse him of a "cover up". That seemed to upset Mr. Rumsfeld, who adamantly denied any such accusations.

It was indeed a big screw up with the whole Pat Tillman situation. But dragging this out as long as it has been is starting to tarnish the memory of a great patriot.

Bridge collapse

I don't believe that you can turn on the news today without seeing something about this story. The bridge in Minneapolis, MN that collapsed yesterday evening has killed anywhere from 4-11 people so far (according to preliminary reports). Unfortunately, authorities are expecting to find more as today's recovery effort continues. This is truly a tragedy. We can only hope that it was a structural problem and not a terrorist attack.

Sunnis in...and back out

Sunni members of al-Maliki's cabinet have "withdrawn" from their posts. This means that there are now no Sunni members of al-Maliki's cabinet. This is not a good thing, but it is not the end of the world either. The 44 Sunni members of the Iraqi parliament are going to stay on. It is good that the parliament is staying intact because it was not so long ago that I wrote about the Sunni representatives rejoining the legislature after their "protest".

We shall see if this government defection snowballs and creates a problem (both in Iraq and here at home). I believe that this issue will come to a head in September when the progress report on Iraq is due.

Obama's tough talk

Grrrr...says Barack Obama. In a speech today Senator Obama announced that he would not hesitate to attack terrorists in Pakistan if the situation warranted. Okay, I'm with him there, I think that is a good idea...in theory.

But as you have most likely heard the act of invading Pakistan in pursuit of terrorists would be devastating to the Musharraf presidency. And with the few allies we have in that area of the world, it would probably be best to keep the current moderate regime in place. The conventional wisdom says that Obama is talking tough to Pakistan to try to take a strong stance in foreign affairs, an area he has recently been criticized as being unqualified.

Castro's Cuba...that's Raul Castro

Fidel Castro, despite his lack of public appearances claims that he is still consulted on "every important government decision". Umm...news flash Raul is the new boss of Cuba. There must be something very wrong with the health of Fidel to keep him sidelined for more than a year now. His days must be numbered.

The question now turns to what will happen to Cuba after Fidel's death. Will Raul open up the government? Or will he continue in his brother's footsteps leading Cuba further into despair.

Bidding adieu to Adu

I'm probably not the first nor will I be the last to use that headline, but it's clever and I made it up, so I'm unapologetic about it. Freddy Adu, the US soccer phenom will be heading to Portugal to play for Benfica. I say good for him. I hope he gets a lot better there and is soon able to help the USMNT in a quest for the World Cup. It is somewhat of a loss for MLS, but honestly with Beckham here they have sort of traded talent with Europe.

An end to pork and special interests?

Well probably not, but I guess it's a step in the right direction. The US Senate is mulling over a bill to make what they call "earmarks" (a euphemism for what used to be called "pork-barrel" spending) a little bit more difficult to pass. There are some serious deficiencies in the bill including giving oversight to the majority leadership rather than the Senate Parliamentarian. We shall see how this ends up.

As the WSJ aptly points out, it will be hard for Republicans who are dissatisfied with the content of the bill to vote against something called the "Honest Leadership and Open Government Act".

USA-GB, still friends

As I wrote yesterday, the Bush-Brown meetings at Camp David went well and it seems as though the good relationship between Great Britain and the USA continues. This is good news for both countries as well as the world.

News Corp finally gets DJ

The Bancroft family has apparently finally accepted Rupert Murdoch's $5 billion offer to buy Dow Jones. Personally I'm glad, because I was tired of hearing the family bellyache about how they weren't sure if they wanted News Corp to own the WSJ. I can see why they would be apprehensive, but if they didn't want to sell it they shouldn't have put it on the market.

American oil

Marathon Oil is buying a Canadian oil company for $5.5 billion.

I don't know how significant this is, but it's good that American oil is acquiring more rights to oil across the world.

Vick is screwed

His buddy just decided to testify against him. That is really bad for Michael Vick.

US House getting a lot done

The US House of Representatives has passed a resolution demanding that Japan apologize for their part in creating a wartime sex slave ring during WWII. This is just another good example of what our Congress is doing for us.

This is a joke. As revolting as a sex slave ring is, the US Congress should not be demanding apologies from allies for things that happened over 50 years ago. I also find it interesting that our Congress is spending time dealing with the really important domestic issues of the day.

Another health tip

A new "study" at Rutgers University has determined that in mice the combination of voluntary exercise and caffeine can help prevent...you guessed it...skin cancer.

This is just another in a long line of "studies" that prove nothing. Except this one explains that coffee is good for preventing skin cancer...and there's probably twenty other "studies" that claim that coffee causes cancer. So it's really not very conclusive. I chalk this one up there with the milk is bad for you "study".

A NYT editorial you have to read

This might be one of the most important editorials written in the New York Times this year.

You should read it in it's entirety. And you should note that the authors of this editorial are both from the Brookings Institution...a liberal think tank.

Tax poor to help poor

That is the theory that many liberals believe and it doesn't make much sense, but it is something that occurs more often than you think everyday. The Democratic Congress is trying to get a new expansion of Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This is a program that helps to get children health care for little or no money. This is a good thing...in principle.

The problem is that they are trying to expand the program with money from tobacco taxes. Umm...guess who smokes more...rich people or poor people? You guessed it, poor people smoke more than rich people. So guess what, that health insurance is being paid for by the poor people for their own kids that they couldn't afford to insure in the first place. Sound convoluted? It is. But this is how our government works. It's all about ideals and helping people (and in turn getting re-elected), but never about what the effect of the government "help" will be.

Our politicians seem to lose all sense of logic when they reach their offices. Maybe all of the "global warming" scientists should start to study that phenomenon...

Global warming causes hurricanes

The "scientific community" continues to engage in "studies" that focus on "global warming" which they are now calling "climate change". This time a new study says that "global warming" is causing all of the hurricanes in recent years.

What they don't tell you is that hurricanes have increased in number and power over the past 100 years. I just cannot buy into the whole "global climate change" thing. As far as I'm concerned the Earth is doing what it wants no matter what we think or do. In other words my SUV isn't having a bit of difference on whether or not a hurricane hits the eastern seaboard or not.

You Tube Debates...good or bad?

There has been a lot of talk about the YouTube debates that CNN is putting on for the Democrat and Republican presidential candidates.

Some people say the irreverence of having normal people asking questions as opposed to journalists infused the debate with a new energy and entertained the public. They claim that the more people that are entertained the more people will watch. Point taken...

On the other hand, the argument is that it is beneath the office of President of the USA answering questions from a snowman (as they did during the Dem. debate for a question about global warming).

So now the Republican candidates are reluctant to do the YouTube debate and as far as I'm concerned it is for good reason. I believe it is below the office to answer questions like that. However, I also believe that the idea behind the YouTube debate is a good thing. The candidates should be subjected to questions from the normal people in this country. Most of these men...and women have been insulated from the "real world" for so long they have no idea what is important to the American public. That is why they declare their own agendas like Al Gore did with global warming and John Edwards is trying to with poverty.

As much as I care about taking care of poor people who need our help, sorry, that is not at the top of priorities list. I care more about illegal immigration, the war, Social Security reform, tax reform and a slew of other things that the current politicians won't touch with a ten foot pole due to special interests and lobbyists and the like. I'm getting pretty tired of the inaction and ignorance of the US government.

Bush and Brown, new allies

This weekend, the PM of Great Britain visited G-Dubs at Camp David. They spoke about many things and seemed to be getting along well. They are continuing the meeting today. In fact according to the Forbes article I linked to they are going to be having cheeseburgers and fries for lunch in an hour or so.

I am curious to see what comes of the new relationship between the USA and GB that has so often been defined by the leaders of the two countries.

Obama vs. Clinton: The battle begins

Well it was bound to happen sometime and we'll see if it actually continues, but Obama has taken some swings at Hillary Clinton about her view on diplomatic relations with "Axis of Evil" countries.

Who would win in a street fight between Hillary and Barack? Whew...that's a tough one...if you have an opinion post it on the comments board.

Is that an appropriate subject to discuss about two US Senators...probably not, but it's fun to think about.

Ford, where "Quality is Job 1"

Does anybody remember that slogan Ford had in the 80s? Well I do and I always thought it was a good slogan. But that really has nothing to do with this news story. Ford Motor Company after 2 straight years of profit losses has turned a profit in 2Q.

Even though North American sales for the company still lag, I'm glad that an important American company is making some money again. Hooray Capitalism!

Fidel or Raul...

Today Raul Castro, Fidel's younger brother is leading National Rebellion Day festivities in Cuba. This is not very noteworthy except for the fact that the last time that Fidel was seen in public was at the last commemoration of his attack on Santiago one year ago today.

Some have thought that Fidel's failing health and Raul's subsequent ascension to power might lead to a more open government and economy in Cuba. So far this has not been the case. I can only wonder what might have been had Cuba never become a communist country. Maybe the 51st state? We'll never know.

Tour de Drugs

Not the most clever headline, but appropriate nonetheless. The Tour de France has become a drug fueled race across the French countryside. Many European papers are even calling for this years race to be canceled. I don't really care since there are no Americans in the running and I didn't really care that much about the race anyway, but it's a shame that one of the great sporting events in the world has been tainted so badly.

No joy in Iraq

It seems as though there is no happiness allowed in Iraq. The insurgents have decided that they are going to keep Iraqis from enjoying their soccer team's victory in the Asia Cup.

Insurgents launched at least two attacks yesterday after the streets of Baghdad overflowed with overjoyed Iraqis celebrating their national team's win. The win, against South Korea put the Iraqi national team in the finals of the Asia Cup (against Saudi Arabia).

The attacks left around 50 people dead and over 100 injured. You know what boggles the mind is that it is their own Muslim brethren killing them. That isn't congruent with what Islam is supposed to stand for. So who are the "real" Muslims? The ones that kill or the ones that don't?

Virtual world for real nerds

Sorry if I just offended you, but I just heard about this website today called Second Life. This website allows you to "live" a second life in a virtual world. You can buy and sell things (with real money) and do pretty much whatever you want. You create your own character, so if you're a skinny loser, you can create a character that is buff and cool. You get the idea.

I'm just thinking that this is certainly a long way from Atari. Check it out for yourself. People are actually making money in this virtual world. It sort of blows your mind.

Professor no more

Professor Ward Churchill has been fired from the University of Colorado...and thank goodness. This guy is not the guy that you want teaching your children. He has in the past written about some pretty awful things including comparing the men and women who died on September 11, 2001 to a Nazi leader (calling them "little Eichmanns"). Man this guy is a class act.

This guy was a tenured professor and therefore almost impossible to fire, but Colorado found a way to do it. They charged the prof with plagiarism and research misconduct. Now he has vowed to fight back. Hooray! This guy has a psychological need to fight the establishment, so I'm sure we'll continue to see him in some capacity in the future. I'm just hoping he never returns to teaching and that eventually he'll become even more irrelevant than he already is.

I'm not going to comment on this...

So here's a link, you can think what you want. This person needs help. Oops, that's a comment...

Weirdos on the Internet? Nah...

Umm...it is guaranteed that there are going to be complete weirdos, perverts, psychos and nutjobs on the Internet. It didn't take the North Carolina Attorney General to point this out.

While I am not in favor of these types of people, I am also not in favor of trying to regulate what people and how people use the Internet. The Internet remains one of the few (maybe the only) place that people truly have free speech. What it really comes down to is that PARENTS need to keep an eye on what their kids are doing on the Web. And that whole issue is for a different day.

Chavez kicking out foreign critics

Well I guess that's better than what he does to domestic critics. "President" Hugo Chavez has decided that if you are a foreigner in his country and you are being "outspoken" in your criticism of his country you will be deported. Well I'm glad he is tolerant of other people's opinions.

This guy is a joke and a serious problem for his country. I find it humorous that dictators in the 21st Century do not act like old time dictators. They act like they're being democratic and sensitive to the needs of their citizens. It makes you question that if being democratic makes the citizenry happy, why not just be democratic? Well that would make entirely too much sense for these power hungry whack-jobs.

Kosovo's long journey

This is probably a story you won't hear about today on the news. Kosovo is fighting (diplomatically) for their independence. You might remember the whole war over there or you might not, but this is an important step for another former Eastern Bloc country. The USA firmly supports the move for independence, but the UN is in control here. We shall see where this goes.

Democrats will not give up

Russ Feingold (D, WI) has decided he wants to censure President Bush again (he tried last year and got 3 Dems to support him).

Congress is becoming quite a dog and pony show. First, they keep everyone overnight debating the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Now, they are proposing a censure resolution during wartime.

I know you and those like you know that is this horribly counterproductive for the country, the war effort and general morale of the voting public. But who are we to argue; we're just lowly citizens. I'm getting really tired of politicians thinking they're more intelligent and have a better moral compass than the American public.

Privacy and the Internet

Privacy on the Internet might have just gotten a boost. Microsoft and Ask.com are teaming up to try to increase privacy when it comes to what you are searching for on their search engines.

This is a good thing and a step in the right direction, but we will see how much of a change this will actually bring. I think one of the big problems is that the Internet hackers and such are light years ahead of the ISPs and other Internet corporations.

Heavenly hot dogs

So while I was thinking about hot dogs, I thought about some of my favorite hot dogs of all time. I will list them (in no particular order). None of these are tainted by botulism.

Netty's Chili Dog - Toledo, OH
These dogs are just boiled and topped with chili, cheese, onions and grease. And oh do they taste so good. And they're cheap. Netty's also has great ice cream products.


Tony Packo's Cafe - Toledo, OH
These dogs are not only scrumptious, but they are world famous (watch the TV show MASH). If you're ever in Toledo, you must go to Packo's. I suggest the original store on Front Street on the East Side. As long as you're there you might as well get some extra pickles and peppers as well as some fried pickles and some chili-mac (a Toledo favorite).

Any "True" Chicago style hot dog - Chicago, IL and the World
If you have not had a "true" Chicago style hot dog, you must indulge in one immediately. It is a meal in itself and boy does it taste good. The link above is a really great resource about Chicago style dogs.

Yes, all of my favorite hot dogs are from the Midwest. That's because we know how to make a good dog.

Hellish hot dogs

So I was reading stories this morning and I saw this story about the hot dog chili laced with botulism. If you read down at the bottom of the story it lists all of the brands of hot dog chili that are recalled...then it gives the name of dog food that is also involved in the recall. Does that make you think about the quality of hot dog chili meat?