Oscar Jr. Was Here

Hiatus upon Hiatus

As I sometimes walk into light poles, my work-related hiatus of last week is about to collide with a vacation-related blogging break. I may be able to post on occasion, but posting and reading will probably be even more sporadic than usual.

To those I owe emails or other responses, I apologize and hope to catch up with you soon. Sidewalk obstacles allowing...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

The Iraqi Republican Party

Eric Pfeiffer has an interesting article on the Weekly Standard's website on the last remaining employee at Iraq's U.S. embassy, “The Haunted Embassy.” Excerpt:

ALKAISSY SEES IRAQ as a new beacon of hope not only for the Middle East, but for all countries suffering under oppressive regimes. He sees a nation that will serve as a testament to freedom around the world. And once his work at the Iraqi embassy is done, he plans to return to his native country and start his own political party. "It will be the Iraqi Republican party. These critics will say anything about George Bush. I don't care what they say. He's a good man. He made the tough decision and did the right thing."

It's an interesting read.

Back in a Few Days

Carnival of the Capitalists VI

I'm late to this, but Professor Bainbridge is hosting the sixth edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists.

It looks like another impressive effort, and I hope any readers will pay the Carnival a visit.

Researching a Forgotten Terrorist Attempt

I'd forgotten about this attempted NYC subway bombing:

The events leading to the arrests of Abu Mezer and Khalil, as described by government witnesses at a pretrial suppression hearing and at trial, were as follows. In late July 1997, Abdelrahman Mossabah, who was then living with Abu Mezer and Khalil in an apartment in Brooklyn, New York, informed officers of the New York City Police Department that Abu Mezer and Khalil had bombs in the apartment and planned to detonate them soon. According to Mossabah, Abu Mezer had said he was "very angry because of what happened between Jerusalem and Palestine." (Suppression Hearing Transcript, June 1, 1998, at 18.) Abu Mezer had shown Mossabah pipe bombs in a black bag in the apartment and told Mossabah that he planned to take the bombs to a crowded subway or bus terminal and detonate them. Mossabah gave the police a key to the apartment, diagrammed its layout, indicating where the bombs were kept, and led a team of officers to the building before dawn on July 31, 1997.

In the raid on the apartment, two police officers approached the bedroom where the bombs had been shown to Mossabah and heard "ruffling" noises. They opened the door and entered the bedroom, yelling "police, don't move, get down," and saw two men lying on the floor or on a mattress. One of those men lunged, grabbed the gun of one of the officers, and grappled with him; the other man crawled toward a black bag that the officers believed might contain a bomb. The officers shot and wounded both men, disabling them. The wounded men, later identified as Khalil and Abu Mezer, were handcuffed and taken to the hospital.

The officers peeked into the black bag and saw wiring. Technicians thereafter examined the bag's contents; they found pipe bombs, observed that a switch on one of the bombs had been flipped, and were concerned that the bomb would explode before they could disarm it. Other officers went to the hospital and questioned Abu Mezer that morning as to how many bombs there were, how many switches were on each bomb, which wires should be cut to disarm the bombs, and whether there were any timers. Abu Mezer answered all of these questions, stating that he had made five bombs, that they contained gunpowder, and that each would explode when its four switches were flipped. Abu Mezer was also asked whether he had planned to kill himself in the explosion, to which he responded simply, "'Poof.'"

Abu Mezer was questioned again that afternoon after being given Miranda warnings. He said, inter alia, that he had made the bombs, "want[ing] to blow up a train and kill as many Jews as possible" because he opposed United States support for Israel. (Trial Transcript ("Tr.") 1696.) Abu Mezer also stated that he was "with Hamas" (Tr. 1740), a terrorist organization, and had planned to bomb the "B" subway train at 8a.m. on July 31 because there were "a lot of Jews who ride that train" (Tr. 1696). Questioned as to where he had bought the bomb components, Abu Mezer said he had purchased gunpowder at a gun shop in North Carolina. He had used it to make the bombs found in the raid and had been planning to make one additional bomb in the future. Abu Mezer said that when he realized the police were in his apartment that morning, he had wanted to blow himself up.

(emphasis added.)

According to this CNN article, Hamas denied involvement.

A senior law enforcement official told CNN that one of the men being held in New York, Gazi Ibrahim Abu Mezer, had filled out an application for political asylum in the United States. In it, he indicated that he had been accused by Israeli authorities of belonging to Hamas.

He claimed he had been tortured by the Israelis for his alleged Hamas involvement. However, he did not indicate that he belonged to the group.

In Gaza, Mahmoud Aza'har, a Hamas spokesman, denied that Hamas had anything to do with the suspected plot to set off bombs in the subway system.

"We are not looking for any activity against American targets in America or around the world. We don't believe this story is true, and we are denying Hamas involvement in this," Aza'har said.

Mezer's brother provides the usual peaceful man defense:

In Hebron, Noor Abu Mezer, Abu Mezer's brother, said he was shocked by the news of his brother's arrest. Noor described his brother as "a nonviolent person and a person who loves peace." He added, "It's impossible my brother would do something like that."

Noor, who is a lawyer, said his brother left the troubled West Bank town "to get away from the suffering of the people who are living here. He was looking for a good future for himself."

Rudy Giuliani makes a suggestion that should have been heeded:

"It makes no sense to parole into the United States somebody who is alleged to be part of a terrorist organization," he said. "How about from now on, we don't do it, and we'll be a lot safer."

This ABC News article, sheds some light on their motivation:

The note, which police say the suspects planned to leave behind after bombing a crowded subway tunnel, demanded the release of six Islamic or Arab extremists, including two suspects in the World Trade Center bombing.

If the authorities didn’t give in after the bombing of a Brooklyn subway station, the note warned, subsequent attacks would follow. Sources said the note was to be carried with the bomber in a container designed to survive the blast.

In addition to Trade Center bombing suspects Ramzi Yousef and Eyad Ismoil, the note demanded the release of Sheik Omar Abdul Rachman, now serving a life sentence for conspiracy to bomb the United Nations and other New York landmarks; and Sheik Ahmen Yassin, the founder of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, now imprisoned in Israel.

This bit is interesting:

In Jordan, Hamas political wing leader, Moussa Abu Marzook told ABCNEWS that Khalil, rather than being a member of Hamas, is actually an informant for Israeli intelligence. And Israeli officials could not discount that allegation.

“He may have given information in the past—I don’t know. But thousands of people gave information in the past,” said Israeli spokesman Moshe Fogel.

Mezer was sentenced to life in prison; Khalil was sentenced to three years in prison followed by deportation.

Random Blog #9

Weblog Name: TomPaine.com
Subtitle/Tagline: Take On the News: A Running Commentary on Current Events
Focus: Politics (Left)
Author: Anonymous
Blogger Occupation: N/A
Blogger Location: N/A
Ecosystem Rank: Playful Primate
TTLBBE Unique Inbound Links: 331
Average Daily Visits: N/A
Last Post: November 14, 2003
Posting Frequency: 5.00 posts/day
Blog Age: 51.4 months
First on Blogroll: Talking Points Memo
Blogroll Organization: Unknown
Comments Allowed: No
Selected Post: Damn Iran
Excerpt:

It's inconvenient for our White House when the facts don't support their policy positions. Take Iran, one of the points on the axis of evil. President Bush likes to say nowadays that the antidote to terrorism is democracy. Recently, he praised the reformist baby steps taken by Kuwait, Bahrain, Morocco, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. But, as Toronto Star columnist Haroon Siddiqui points out, Bush "invites mockery by holding them up as 'the stirrings of democracy,' while bearing down hard on Iran." Siddiqui argues that Iran is the most advanced in the debate on Islam and democracy. Iran has held more elections than any Arab nation. We may not like the outcome of their elections, but a lot of Americans don't like the outcome of ours, either.

Human Rights Watch comments on the same subject.

Bonus Link: Hailing Krugman (my title)

Comment: This is a popular, professionally-run site published by the son of Bill Moyers. I disagree with the blog's politics, but can understand why those on the (angry?) left find it worthwhile.

As of: November 14, 2003

Random Blog #8

Weblog Name: Fly Away (a/k/a cOpiOusity)
Subtitle/Tagline: None
Focus: Miscellany
Author: "Kim"
Blogger Occupation: Ecologist
Blogger Location: Canada
Ecosystem Rank: Insignificant Microbe
TTLBBE Unique Inbound Links: 0
Average Daily Visits: N/A
Last Post: November 12, 2003
Posting Frequency: 0.53 posts/day
Blog Age: 17.7 months
First on Blogroll: I'm like a superhero with no powers or motivation
Blogroll Organization: Unknown
Comments Allowed: Yes
Selected Post: a good case for free range (permalinks bloggered)

Excerpt:

everyday i get closer to becoming a vegetarian when i don't know where my food is actually coming from. i'll eat free range eggs and chickens (i know they're so because my family gets them from a neighbour's farm), get beef from local producers, get lamb (*shudder*) from friends of the family, but somehow, it never sits right with me if i don't know where my meal (particularly the meat part) came from. some days i wish for ignorant bliss and to assume that what i'm eating was always produced in the best way possible. i often wish i wasn't a realist... but on the other hand it's still powerful to know and be able to make the decision not to purchase the pork chops because i don't know where they came from and they could be produced in a non-humane way.

Bonus Link: None (permalinks bloggered)

Comment: This introspective, lower case-friendly blog contains some interesting posts and original haiku.

As of: November 14, 2003

Random Blog #7

Weblog Name: The Dawn Patrol
Subtitle/Tagline: The exploits of Dawn Eden.
Focus: Miscellany
Author: Dawn Eden
Blogger Occupation: Writer
Blogger Location: New York?
Ecosystem Rank: Wiggly Worm
TTLBBE Unique Inbound Links: 0
Average Daily Visits: N/A
Last Post: November 13, 2003
Posting Frequency: 1.83 posts/day
Blog Age: 21.6 months
First on Blogroll: N/A
Blogroll Organization: None
Comments Allowed: No
Selected Post: Fetal Attraction
Excerpt:

I didn't always think this way. I hated Reagan when he was president. I remember when he was shot and I quipped to someone, "You know what those bumper stickers said—"Reagan in '80/Bush in '81." I was only 12 then, but by the time 1988 came, I was old enough to vote—and I voted for Dukakis. Back then, one would have been hard pressed to find any item on the liberal Democratic agenda with which I didn't agree—including abortion, which I considered a right. That was the case from my childhood through the late 1990s.

Then I changed, and, yes, the change had to do with receiving strong faith. But when that faith gave me a new perspective on abortion, I realized that on a purely material level, I had been taking an obviously irrational view.

Believing in the rightness of abortion requires so many compromises, both moral and intellectual, all the way down the line. I like Reagan's statement because it points out the importance of, as he puts it, giving life the benefit of the doubt.

Bonus Link: Tom Jones Brafest (my title)

Comment: This is a fun, eclectic and well-written site. Even better, how many blogs have their own jingle and a personal illustration? I like it.

As of: November 13, 2003

Update: Eric Siegmund comments. Thanks, Eric, and I encourage others to check out the blogs in this series and add their thoughts.

More on the Cost of the War

In response to this post, Spyderhawk23 comments:

With the economy as bad as it is in the USA, we needed something like this war. Do not get me wrong, I do not like our president. He is doing what he thinks is right. In a sense he is right by trying to get our economy out of the gutter (which he put us in anyway), but on the other side, would you want a person getting involved in your business? No. We have torn apart Iraq, and found nothing, Now it is our job to rebuild Iraq. Not in our image, we have to rebuild like the Iraqi population wants us to.

and

BTW, you can only save 44.03808 Iraqs with the cost of the WW2 estimate of $20,388.

I started to respond in the comments section, but thought the discussion deserved a post of its own.

With the economy as bad as it is in the USA, we needed something like this war.

First, while “bad” is a subjective term, according to NBER, the recession ended in November 2001, and the economy had been growing pretty steadily for 17 months prior to the war:

The Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research met yesterday. At its meeting, the committee determined that a trough in business activity occurred in the U.S. economy in November 2001. The trough marks the end of the recession that began in March 2001 and the beginning of an expansion. The recession lasted 8 months, which is slightly less than average for recessions since World War II.

Second, the proposition that war causes economic growth is fallacious. For example, Henry Hazlitt wrote:

Technological discoveries and advances during a war may, for example, increase individual or national productivity at this point or that, and there may eventually be a net increase in overall productivity. Postwar demand will never produce the precise pattern of prewar demand. But such complications should not divert us from recognizing the basic truth that the wanton destruction of anything of real value is always a net loss, a misfortune, or a disaster, and whatever the offsetting considerations in a particular instance, can never be, on net balance, a boon or a blessing.

For further discussion, you might read this.

Third, if you think the economy “is” still “bad,” you might want to have a look at the recent economic news.

Do not get me wrong, I do not like our president. He is doing what he thinks is right.

It is, of course, your right to dislike the president. That said, I find it laughable to think that he (or any other president) would send our troops to war for the sake of (fallacious benefits to) the economy.

In a sense he is right by trying to get our economy out of the gutter (which he put us in anyway), but on the other side, would you want a person getting involved in your business? No.

I think it's nearly impossible for any politician to “put” the economy in “the gutter,” and I don't agree that Bush did. Regardless, if, by “in your business,” you mean removing the rule of an oppressive dictator over me, my answer would be “Yes, please.” While there were certainly those who benefited under Saddam Hussein's rule, I think the overall welfare of the Iraqi people has already improved. See here, here and here for opinions from those with a better perspective on this than either of us.

We have torn apart Iraq, and found nothing, Now it is our job to rebuild Iraq. Not in our image, we have to rebuild like the Iraqi population wants us to.

We “tore” Iraq apart only to the extent that doing so was necessary to remove Saddam's regime, and we avoided targeting civilians and vital infrastructure. I disagree that we've "found nothing,” though we're only starting to look. I don't regard it as “our job” to rebuild Iraq, though I know we will try to do so. I certainly don't agree that “we have to rebuild like the Iraqi population wants us to,” but I'm confident that most Iraqis want much of what we seek to help them build. Time shall tell, of course.

BTW, you can only save 44.03808 Iraqs with the cost of the WW2 estimate of $20,388.

What's this pedantry doing in my comments section? Still, I'll stand by my number. $125 billion multiplied by (282,798,000 (the mid-year 2003 middle-series population projection for the U.S. from the Census Bureau) divided by $20,388) equals 46.12548.

In any event, thanks for your comments.

Random Blog #6

Weblog Name: Crow's Nest
Subtitle/Tagline: Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.......
Focus: Miscellany
Author: Abdul Moiz
Blogger Occupation: Medical Student?
Blogger Location: Pakistan
Ecosystem Rank: Crunchy Crustacean
TTLBBE Unique Inbound Links: 2
Average Daily Visits: N/A
Last Post: November 9, 2003
Posting Frequency: 0.54 posts/day
Blog Age: 6.4 months
First on Blogroll: Jerlabs
Blogroll Organization: Randomized
Comments Allowed: Yes
Selected Post: Leprosy
Excerpt:

Inspite of all these things there are some other bitter facts that reminded me of thre amount of neglect that the Government has to offer to such voluntary services. We were expecting the center to be located in a building which atleast looks like a hospital. But to our astonishment it was one crumbling structure ready to fall on its own located next to a junk yard full of billowing smoke and a busy road on the other side. It gave a picture of living quartesr in a typical karachi slum. Short of beds patients had to be kept on stratures. Such were the conditions in the center but even then i laud the efforts of the staff there whose morale was sky high and they were all intent at providing as much relief as was in their capacity to the sufering and ailing.

Leprosy is curable but attitudes are not. Our general public and even our doctors have insulting attitudes towards patients of this ailment. We must keep in mind that this ws not patient's choice to be infected with this disease, if it were to be so than they would have chosen rather to die than be rebuked upon by the members of their families and society.

The people at the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Center are doing a comendable job and thus deserve our moral and material support. Everyone must chip in his part so that in the end it becomes a country wide effort.

Bonus Link: Matrix Revolutions Disappoints (my title)

Comment: This English-written, Karachi-based blog contains some long posts on medicine there and shorter posts on miscellaneous topics.

As of: November 12, 2003

New (to me, at least) Resource

New to the sidebar under “Additional Resources” is the Middle East Media Research Institute's News Ticker Headlines (“MEMRI News Ticker”) page. It's a handy source of headlines in Middle East-related media. Here are a few that may be of interest that are currently running:

LIFE IN BAGHDAD IS RAPIDLY RETURNING TO NORMAL, AS SEEN BY THE LATER HOURS COFFEE SHOPS, RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES ARE OPEN. THIS IS BECAUSE OF VISIBLE POLICE PATROLS AND THE DECLINING RATE OF SERIOUS CRIMES - BY ABOUT 40 PERCENT OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS. (AL-ZAMAN, IRAQ, 11/11/03)

THERE IS EVIDENCE OF WIDESPREAD LIQUIDATION OF SADDAM'S SUPPORTERS IN BASRA BEING CARRIED OUT BY A GROUP CALLED 'ALLAH'S REVENGE.' (AL-ZAMAN, IRAQ, 11/11/03)

AL-JAZEERA CORRESPONDENT SATTAR KARIN ADMITTED THAT HIS OFFICE IN THE MAHMOUDIYA, BABIL PROVINCE OF IRAQ HAS BEEN USED TO COORDINATE ATTACKS AGAINST COALITION FORCES. TWO SYRIAN NATIONALS WERE ALSO INVOLVED. (AL-SABAH, IRAQ, 11/9/03)

(emphasis added)

Interesting stuff.

Random Blog #5

Weblog Name: Joshua Claybourn
Subtitle/Tagline: "Joshua Claybourn is a patriot and a gentleman." -- Rich Lowry, Editor, National Review
Focus: Politics (Right)
Author: Joshua Claybourn
Blogger Occupation: Law Student
Blogger Location: Indiana
Ecosystem Rank: Large Mammal
TTLBBE Unique Inbound Links: 208
Average Daily Visits: 558
Last Post: November 11, 2003
Posting Frequency: 3.86 posts/day
Blog Age: 20.1 months
First on Blogroll: NRO's Corner
Blogroll Organization: Categorized by Beatles Song Title
Comments Allowed: Yes
Selected Post: Smelling the Roses

Excerpt:

I'm sure all of this sounds like arrogance and gloating, but it's far from that. Rather, it's me taking time to actually appreciate the advantages and opportunities that have been afforded to me. It's me consciously not taking it for granted. It's me recognizing that yes, we do have it well here. It's important for me to do everything I can to make those same opportunities available to others whose situation isn't so fortunate, which is no fault of their own. Yes, its true that Americans enjoy a life not afforded to others. But this American recognizes that and doesn't take it for granted.

Bonus Link: Indiana Election Reportage (my title)

Comment: An eclectic, well-written and attractive blog that's understandably popular. I thought I had this site on my blogroll. Hmm.

As of: November 11, 2003

Random Blog #4

Weblog Name: Timshel
Subtitle/Tagline: Eighteen years of education and all I got was this stupid website. . .
Focus: Politics (Left)
Author: "Ricky"
Blogger Occupation: Unknown
Blogger Location: Louisiana
Ecosystem Rank: Crawly Amphibian
TTLBBE Unique Inbound Links: 14
Average Daily Visits: 102
Last Post: November 11, 2003
Posting Frequency: 5.43 posts/day
Blog Age: 2.4 months
First on Blogroll: Slate
Blogroll Organization: Unknown
Comments Allowed: Yes
Selected Post: Impressions from tonight's debate
Excerpt:

I think Blanco continues to perform better in the one on one debates than she has in the festival seating free-for-alls of the primary. She stuck to a message of platitudes tonight (this has admittedly been the focus of her whole campaign) and sidestepped a few chances to really stick it to Bobby J. The format was more appealing than some other debates since it didn't stick to one issue and allowed the candidate to rebut their opponent. I've obviously got a horse in this race so take the rest of what I have to say with a grain of salt.

There is a smugness about Jindal that I can't get over. I don't feel like he has even the most tenuous connection to people of any socioeconomic or racial background. He foists his conservative values on the voters at every step, but as some commenters on this site have made very clear, it never seems sincere. This generally doesn't matter to me (hell, I voted for Al Gore in the last presidential election), but since I don't share his politics I don't see any reason to vote for him. I imagine his votes come from a general sense around Louisiana that he offers something new to this state even if I don't think there is anything new in any of his position statements. Anyway, this smugness came out loud and clear to me tonight. I don't know how many non-partisans felt that way though.

Bonus Link: Louisiana Gubernatorial Debate Drinking Game (my title)

Comment: This prolifically-written blog focuses on Louisiana politics from a liberal perspective, but generally in a thoughtful and non-strident manner. I think I'll add this one to the Blogs around the U.S.A. project.

As of: November 11, 2003

Random Blog #3

Weblog Name: In Context
Subtitle/Tagline: con-text (kon'tekst) n. 1. the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specified word or passage and can influence its meaning or effect. 2. the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event or situation
Focus: Israel
Author: "Lynn B"
Blogger Occupation: Unknown
Blogger Location: Unknown
Ecosystem Rank: Adorable Little Rodent
TTLBBE Unique Inbound Links: 54
Average Daily Visits: N/A
Last Post: November 10, 2003
Posting Frequency: 0.79 posts/day
Blog Age: 16.0 months
First on Blogroll: Meryl Yourish
Blogroll Organization: Unknown
Comments Allowed: No
Selected Post: Under the Bed

Excerpt:

Look. If you believe that a pluralistic democracy is a good thing, something that strengthens and nourishes the society it serves, then undermining pluralism could be seen as an effective weapon against an enemy. But if you believe that a pluralistic democracy is a bad thing, a sign of weakness and vulnerability, undermining it would be counterproductive. Instead, you would want to exploit it, even encourage it. And one way you might do this, just conceivably, especially if you realize that your enemy can't grasp the notion that you consider its strengths to be weaknesses, is to find a way to convince that enemy to hold ever tighter to idealized democratic and pluralistic "principles," like a security blanket that a child believes will protect against the world's unseen evils, the monsters under the bed.

Does this mean that pluralism, diversity, understanding and tolerance should be abandoned? Absolutely not. What it does mean, though, is that we need to take off the blinders and learn to differentiate between those aspects of our democracy that make us strong and those that make us weak. We need to resist clinging to ideals as a substitute for taking action. And we need to refuse to allow our most valuable principles to be turned against us.

Bonus Link: Laughing with "Allah" (my title)

Comment: This site is a member of the Blogmosis family of blogs. It focuses on Israel, and is well-written and interesting. Recommended.

As of: November 11, 2003

Quiz Time!

Here's another fun but silly internet quiz...

You are DNA. You're a smart person, and you appear
incredibly complex to people who don't know
you. You're incomparably full of information,
and most of it is useless.

Which Biological Molecule Are You?

brought to you by Quizilla

Seems about right.

(via The Presurfer.)

Awed by N.Z. Bear Again

N.Z. Bear's at it again with his nifty coding tricks. Man Bear, I wish I could do that!

Have a look, and be awed yourselves.

Carnival of the Capitalists V

The Accidental Jedi is hosting this week's edition of The Carnival of the Capitalists. Once again, it's very well organized, and I look forward to reading many of the entries. And once again, at 9.1% week-over-week, the growth of the Carnival outpaces that of the general economy.

As always, I hope any readers will pay this week's Carnival a visit.

Random Blog #2

Weblog Name: Let the Record Show
Subtitle/Tagline: A Journal of Politics, Media, and Cultural Devolution
Focus: Politics (Left)
Author: "RJ"
Blogger Occupation: Unknown
Blogger Location: Unknown
Ecosystem Rank: Crawly Amphibian
TTLBBE Unique Inbound Links: 18
Average Daily Visits: N/A
Last Post: September 21, 2003
Posting Frequency: 0.19 posts/day
Blog Age: 8.0 months
First on Blogroll: Agonist
Blogroll Organization: Alphabetical
Comments Allowed: Yes
Selected Post: here
Excerpt:

These problems could all be easily solved by adding printers to touchscreen machines in order to provide a paper trail or using optical scan systems that read paper ballots. That, coupled with the reform of laws to mandate hand recounts when elections are decided by less than half of one percent of the total vote, is what people who are worried about the preservation of democracy should be talking about. Call your representatives... bitch, moan, complain and demand reform. Unless you're a republican -- then you're probably safe. Wally and Chuck have got you covered.

Bonus Link: Will Saletan-bashing! (my title)

Comment: I disagree with the author's politics, but the site is well-written and organized. It hasn't been updated in awhile, though.

As of: November 10, 2003

Random Blog #1

Weblog Name: Banana Oil!
Subtitle/Tagline: a movie blog now in fabulous WebniColor™!
Focus: Movies, of course!
Author: Ian Michael Hamet
Blogger Occupation: Submitting screenplays to agents and contests
Blogger Location: Unknown
Ecosystem Rank: Slithering Reptile
TTLBBE Unique Inbound Links: 19
Average Daily Visits: N/A
Last Post: November 10, 2003
Posting Frequency: 0.80 posts/day
Blog Age: 10.3 months
First on Blogroll: InstaPundit
Blogroll Organization: Categorized by Movie Quotes
Comments Allowed: via email
Selected Post: The Writing Bug Returns, Maybe

Excerpt:

Now this is a great idea. A modern day Tokyo Joe, or Sirocco, or the more successful models for those films, To Have and Have Not and, naturally, Casablanca. Let's even throw in a non-Bogie film and say The Third Man as well.

Of course we don't have Bogie anymore, but we do have the next best thing, Harrison Ford, who is conveniently experiencing an extended career slump much as Bogie was post WWII. Even if Ford won't bite, the role can be written in a way that, with a decent director, anybody who's ever been accused of being a wooden actor can play it and be seen as stoic.

Bonus Link: Yowza! (my title)

Comment: It's a new site to me, very well-written (of course) and interesting. I like it.

As of: November 10, 2003

New Feature: Random Blogs

Tonight, I'm inaugurating a new feature. Every day, as deadlines allow, I hope to visit a randomly-selected blog or two from N.Z. Bear's Blogosphere Ecosystem. Assuming one blog is chosen each day, and assuming the Ecosystem stays at its current size, it will take almost exactly 14 years to visit each weblog.

The purpose of this project is four-fold: (i) to gather data for future Quantifying the Blogosphere posts; (2) to identify new blogs to add to the Blogs around the World and Blogs around the U.S.A. projects; (3) to discover new blogs that I might not have found otherwise to add to the massive blogroll on the left; and (4) to introduce any readers to new sites to add to their own blogrolls or bookmarks/favorites.

For a time, I will include links to these individual posts on the sidebar under my normal blogroll. I hope any readers will pay these sites a visit.

Happy reading!

Blogosphere News

What's the fastest growing segment of the blogosphere?

(Click on "more" for the answer.)

Iraqi dentists, of course!

“Caution to the Wind”

Alaa at The Messopotamian has a great post up. Brief excerpt:

Caution to the wind. Consider this: if the U.S. tommorrow announces that anybody willing to come to its land would be given the "Green Card" immediately with no further question, how many people do you think would stand in line? Answer this question if you dare ? Why if Western values are so bad and so terrible would you find Muslim, Hindu, Buddist, and every colour and every breed standing in that hypothetical line, in their billions ?

But America cannot take in the entire humanity, so america decides to go to them instead.

If you haven't already done so, please read the whole thing.

Not Cockroaches, Weasels

In The Spectator, Mark Steyn's latest column is headlined “Europeans are worse than cockroaches” and offers strong words on the ongoing demise of the Western alliance. He concludes:

Last Sunday, recalling the US–Soviet summits that helped ‘ease the tensions of the Cold War’, the New York Times’s Thomas Friedman proposed we hold regular US-Franco-German summits. Implicit in that analysis is the assumption that France and perhaps other Continental countries now exist in a quasi-Cold War with America. If that’s so, the trick is to manage the relationship until the Europeans, like the Soviets, collapse. Europe is dying, and it’s only a question of whether it goes peacefully or through convulsions of violence. On that point, I bet on form.

It's highly recommended reading.

Demo-lition Derby!

Mark Steyn is holding a Democratic Presidential candidate drop-out contest. The four categories are:

1) EIGHT IS ENOUGH! WHO’LL BE THE NEXT DEMOCRAT TO DROP OUT AND WHEN?

2) LITE FM TRIPLE PLAY! WHO WILL BE THE NEXT THREE DEMOCRATS TO DROP OUT?

3) ONE OVER THE EIGHT! WHO WILL BE THE NEXT EIGHT DEMOCRATS TO DROP OUT?

and

4) SECOND PLACE FINISH! WHO WILL BE THE VICE-PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE?

There are desirable prizes involved, plus “a copy of Richard Gephardt’s An Even Better Place: America In The 21st Century, one of the most exciting books this side of Bob Graham’s personal diary.”

I think I'll be entering.

(via Armavirumque.)

Who's the Enemy in Iraq?

On NRO, Michael Ledeen warns against focusing narrowly on Iraq and makes the point that the long delay may have made things in post-major-military action Iraq worse. Excerpt:

The destruction of the Taliban and the shattering of al Qaeda sent a shockwave through the Middle East, and the impending liberation of Iraq was only a matter of time. The terror masters and their gangs of killers did the rational thing: They planned for the next battlefield, and we gave them every opportunity, 14 or 15 long months. During that time they devised the strategy we see in Iraq: a terror war, modeled on their successful campaign against us in Lebanon. This required coordination, both between the tyrannical regimes that sponsor terror, and the various terrorist organizations. That was accomplished in two phases, first in the run-up to the Iraq campaign, and then inside Iraq itself once we had liberated the country from Saddam.

The regime worked out a battle plan, including the "disappearance" of Saddam along the same lines as Osama. And then the terrorists designed joint operations. It makes no sense, nowadays, to try to distinguish one group from another, because they are all working together. Osama and Hezbollah's operational chieftain, Imad Mughniyah, have met several times, and Mughniyah is now working closely with Osama's deputy, al-Zawahiri. The two met very recently in Iran to coordinate activities in Iraq. They have the full panoply of terrorists at their disposal, from Baathist survivors to the foot soldiers of Ansar al-Islam, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, al Qaeda, and all the rest.

The column contains lots of interesting information I've not seen reported elsewhere. "Faster, please" indeed.

Update: murdoc online comments. I agree wholeheartedly, and sure hope that we're correct.

Heads Should Roll!

Zell Miller on the memo:

“I have often said that the process in Washington is so politicized and polarized that it can’t even be put aside when we’re at war. Never has that been proved more true than the highly partisan and perhaps treasonous memo prepared for the Democrats on the Intelligence Committee.

“Of all the committees, this is the one single committee that should unquestionably be above partisan politics. The information it deals with should never, never be distorted, compromised or politicized in any shape, form or fashion. For it involves the lives of our soldiers and our citizens. Its actions should always be above reproach; its words never politicized.

“If what has happened here is not treason, it is its first cousin. The ones responsible - be they staff or elected or both should be dealt with quickly and severely sending a lesson to all that this kind of action will not be tolerated, ignored or excused.

“Heads should roll!”

The main news pages of the New York Times, the Washington Post and U.S.A. Today don't seem to mention this story. Odd, that.

Cricket?

The Smoking Gun today has a report of a recent arrest and nolo contendere pleas:

NOVEMBER 5--We're happy to report that the case of the drunk, nude Wisconsin lawyers has ended. On Monday, Todd Buss and David Burleson pleaded no contest in Dane County Circuit Court to disorderly conduct charges and each paid about $360 in fines and court costs. The attorneys, both 40, were arrested October 12 after they were found sans clothes in the laundry room of an apartment complex where neither man resides. Seems that the guys had been out celebrating the University of Wisconsin's upset football win over Ohio State when they got caught in the rainstorm. Burleson told cops the pair were "just attempting to dry their clothes" in the laundry room. According to the below Madison Police Department report, a building resident told officers that the lawyers were spotted doing a "strip tease." We feel bad for the cop who had to collect and "property tag" the mesh bag that Buss had been using. (3 pages)

The arrest report itself is pretty funny in an I'm-glad-it-wasn't-me-this-time kind of way, but this detail, used to point out the inappropriateness of the arrestees drying all of their clothes at once, caught my eye:

Burleson could also be seen from the hallway, as there were windows on the door, and it should be noted that there were approximately five Asian males outside the laundry room in the larger hallway playing cricket.

That brings back some fond college memories, but isn't it strange that drunken, naked clothes-drying is “disorderly conduct,” but indoor, hallway cricket is not? What a world!

Quote of the Day

Alan Colmes on Hannity & Colmes tonight:

CBS buckled [on the Reagan “biographical” movie] because of political correctness.

Is “political correctness” now equivalent to factual correctness? Or, is it now considered “politically correct” to defend Ronald Reagan?

Have we entered Bizarro-World? Can someone help me out here?

Carnival of the Capitalists IV

Robert Prather of Insults Unpunished is hosting the fourth Carnival of the Capitalists. Once again, it's very well presented, and this edition contains a record number of entries. I'm not complaining about the 7.2% GDP growth rate, but how about that 17.9% Carnival growth rate? (Tax cuts for bloggers!)

I hope any readers will once again pay the Carnival a visit.

Bachelor Housekeeping Tip #4

Yes, Zombyboy, Melissa's Bowl of Lasagna is really, really good and quite easy to make. (Well, it would have been easier had the ricotta that I purchased today with the December 2003 expiry not been spoiled.)

A pretty good Chianti, as VodkaPundit suggested, was involved.

Yet Another Blogiversary

Samizdata turns two today. Happy birthday!

Angie, Definitely Angie

Charles G. Hill has a celebrity leg-art question for any readers interested in celebrity leg-art. (And who isn't?)

My vote is noted above.

It’s a Photoshopped World

Am I alone in my amusement at the fact that al Qaeda posts the hoax World Trade Center “Tourist Guy” photograph on one of its websites? Does al Qaeda recognize that it's using Western (specifically, Hungarian ) black humor for propaganda purposes?

I wonder why it doesn’t post this one, too…

Steyn on Democrat “Metrosexuals”

Mark Steyn has a great column in the Sun-Times today. Excerpts:

What's ''fraudulent'' about the coalition that toppled Saddam? The principal players -- the Americans, British and Australians -- are three of only a handful of countries to have been on the right side of every major conflict of the last century: the First World War, the Second, the Cold War and now the war on terror. I bet on form. When it comes to standing up against totalitarianism, the heavy lifting has been done by America and the British Commonwealth. Kerry's the first to get all hoity-toity if he feels someone is insufficiently deferential to his war service. So who's he to mock the brave Royal Marines, Desert Rats and other British forces who took and held southern Iraq? Who's he to mock the Australian SAS who did such a great job in seizing so many Baathist bad guys in northern and western Iraq? Or the Polish troops leading the multinational contingent in central Iraq right now?

It's taken as a given among Democrats that somehow this administration has needlessly offended the French and Germans. But insulting Britain, Australia and Poland as a cheap way to get at Bush demonstrates your superior sense of the subtleties of foreign policy? I'd say it's going to be very difficult for President Kerry to work with these chaps after his election victory -- or I would say it if I could type that sentence without collapsing in giggles.

and

Trying to work out what Clark and Kerry truly believe reminds you that what defines metrosexuals isn't that they're gay or straight but that they're preening narcissists. You want to know what's ''fraudulent''? These guys' campaigns. Driving through a big swathe of western and northern New Hampshire the other day, I saw gazillions of Dean signs and none for any other candidate except one Edwards sign in Hanover. Kerry's been in the Granite State a lot longer than the Americans have been in Iraq, and he's getting nowhere, he's bogged down in a ''quagmire.'' Maybe the reason he keeps mentioning Vietnam every 10 minutes in New Hampshire is because for him the parallels between the latter and the former are becoming more and more ominous. Could it be that he and Clark went into this thing without (drum roll, please) a plan?

It's well worth reading in full.