Posted 12:44 PM by Blah blah

Hunger

Arms Outstretched in Desperation (Washington Post). Vivid story of hungry people of Safwan, Iraq, fighting for Red Crescent food aid.

Iraqi civilians feed hungry US marines (AFP). Poor American troops! I wish them the best! "Sergeant Kenneth Wilson said Arabic-speaking US troops made contact with two busloads of Iraqis fleeing south along Route Seven towards Rafit, one of the first friendly meetings with local people for the marines around here.

"They had slaughtered lambs and chickens and boiled eggs and potatoes for their journey out of the frontlines," Wilson said....

As troops munched on their feast, one medic warned the food could have been deliberately contaminated.

He was quickly disregarded as the hungry marines forged ahead to make a fondue out of a donated tin of Australian processed cheese, but the potatoes were eaten before the cheese could melt.

"Man I never thought a boiled egg could taste so damn good," one burly marine observed.

New York Times' Bureau Chief, Kuwait City

Patrick Tyler answers a selection of readers' questions every day in the NY Times. Good!

Posted 8:54 AM by Blah blah

Internet Love Gone Wrong

While I've been overdosing here on war war war, Ellen talks about her new haircut, attending her friend's wedding, and feeling like a "muggle." :P

Boy do I have a HUGE gap with the "younger" female generation! Hahaha! Most of you are probably bored stiff by all my talk of war. To the 3 other people who actually read my war posts, you deserve a Purple Heart for Patience. Now Raymond is coming down to earth...

Ellen told this story about Internet love gone wrong:

The Philippine Daily Inquirer just wrote it up: Why do fools fall in love? OUCH! I'm not gonna give it away. Please read it.

The best site I've found with juicy horrifying stories of Internet love gone wrong is WildxAngel. Read and weep. She also gives lots of advice on how to protect yourself when starting Internet relationships. Some of the worst of their stories.

Posted 5:53 PM by Blah blah

War Aside, Bush and Blair Diverge on Key Issues (LA Times). This article lays it out well, Raven. Blair's worldviews are much more similar to Clinton's:
______________________
Blair has made it clear that his priorities in international affairs -- even his basic framework for organizing relations among the world's countries -- often depart starkly from Bush's.

Those differences reflect an underlying political distance that is even greater on domestic than international issues: Blair leads a left-of-center party that takes positions broadly similar to former President Clinton's "New Democratic" synthesis, while Bush has pursued an aggressive conservative agenda at home and abroad.

Blair and Bush diverge on the necessity of global cooperation in meeting environmental, economic and security challenges, and the proper role for the United States within such an international system.

Much like Democratic presidential contenders Sens. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts and Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, Blair argues that the best way to confront such issues -- and for the U.S. to minimize resentment of its preponderant power -- is to bind the nation to the world through strengthened alliances and invigorated international institutions.

"The countries and the people of the world today are more interdependent than ever," Blair said last year. "That calls for an integrated approach."

Bush, by contrast, has rejected international treaties on issues from global warming to a war crime tribunal and placed much greater priority on maximizing U.S. freedom of action.

Those differences were apparent during the long struggle at the U.N. over Iraq; Blair always appeared more willing than Bush to make concessions, and to extend the negotiations, in the hope of winning broader international support for military action.

On other international issues beyond Iraq and the Middle East, the same instinct divides Blair and Bush. Bush has renounced the Kyoto treaty to reduce emissions of the gases associated with global warming; in late February, Blair not only reaffirmed his support for the pact but called it "not radical enough" and pledged to achieve massive additional reductions.
______________________
Would the real George Bush please stand down (The Guardian). Bush supporters, please DON'T read this. The rest of ya, enjoy with glee! It's a riot. :D

Posted 3:10 PM by Blah blah

Iraq Military Guide

Fascinating and comprehensive! Iraq Military Guide: covers everything you might want to know about Iraq. Iraqi leadership, including chilling portrait of Saddam's son, Uday Hussein.

Chris Allbritton Gets Closer to Northern Iraq

From Warblogging.com:

Christopher Allbritton, the Internet's first very own war correspondent, has gotten his Syrian visa, he reports on Back To Iraq. He is currently in Ankara, but will be departing for Syria — and then the Syrian-Iraqi border — tomorrow morning.

Chris is travelling to Iraqi Kurdistan to report on the war in an independent fashion, outside the controlling influence of the US Army or major media organisations. His trip is entirely funded by his readers, who have so far donated more than ten thousand dollars. Panisonic, Motorola and other companies have donated equipment such as a laptop and satellite telephone.

Chris e-mails reports from the field to those who have donated, and those reports then get posted to his weblog. He hopes to be in Duhok or Erbil in northern Iraq by tomorrow night.

Posted 2:50 PM by Blah blah

Missteps with Turkey Hurt U.S. Military Effort

General: A Longer War Likely (Washington Post). The story of unexpected resistance and setbacks that are delaying the U.S. military effort now.

Scott Rosenberg, managing editor of Salon.com, talks about all these dilemmas eloquently: "we're stuck in a no-win trap: Either we continue to do everything we can to minimize the bloodshed, quite possibly limiting our ability to bring the war to a successful close; or we untie the military's hands, let them bomb Baghdad and other cities to bits and not worry about the 'collateral damage.' In that case, we may well succeed at 'regime change' -- but emerge with a losing position on the global chessboard."

Missteps With Turkey Prove Costly: Diplomatic Debacle Denied U.S. a Strong Northern Thrust in Iraq (Washington Post). Here's the story of the soap opera the U.S. had with Turkey before the war:

"One week into the war, the administration's inability to win Turkey's approval has emerged as an important turning point in the U.S. confrontation with Iraq that senior U.S. officials now acknowledge may ultimately prolong the length of the conflict. It is a story of clumsy diplomacy and mutual misunderstanding, U.S. and Turkish officials said. It also illustrates how the administration undercut its own efforts to broaden international support for war by allowing its war plan to dictate the pace of its diplomacy, diplomats and other experts in U.S.-Turkish relations said."

Posted 12:45 PM by Blah blah

From SALTYT (the supermodel blog): At the After-Party, Less Cleavage, Unreal Tans and a Tossed Drink (NY Times). Breezy, bubbly account of the post-Oscar Vanity Fair party on March 23rd. I like the sweet photo of Adrien Brody with his parents:
______________
In was being nice. As when Janet Jackson was overheard asking Alana Stewart if Rod Stewart was her father. (Ms. Stewart is Mr. Stewart's ex-wife and was by all reports flattered by the question.) Or The New Yorker writer Susan Orlean and Meryl Streep hugging and chatting.

Out was being rude, as when the talent agent Ed Limato threw a cocktail at Richard Johnson. Two olives bounced off Mr. Johnson's nose. Mr. Johnson, who writes Page Six for The New York Post, said that Mr. Limato was angry about an item he had written about Mel Gibson.

Mr. Limato then asked Mr. Johnson if he would like to do something about it. Mr. Johnson demurred.

"I have better manners than that," Mr. Johnson said later. "At least it wasn't red wine."

Posted 10:30 AM by Blah blah

More of Our Dear Leader Kim Jong-Il

Oh hell. For you spoiled brats too lazy to click a link, I post this from Kim Jong-Il's LiveJournal:

License2KimJongill: ror
License2KimJongill: I mean, lol

Bush43: YOU ALWAYS DO THAT, HAHA

License2KimJongill: haha
License2KimJongill: it's still confusing for me
License2KimJongill: so what are you up to tonight

Bush43: NOT MUCH. I WAS ON THE FONE W/ TOMMY FRANKS
Bush43: WE DECIDED THE BEST WAY TO TAKE BAGDAD IS TO
Bush43: WAIT A SEC I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT, IT'S CONFISECRETIONARY

License2KimJongill: what?

Bush43: CONFIDENTIARY

License2KimJongill: that's not a word

Bush43: OH BUT ROR IS

License2KimJongill: shut up

Bush43: YOU SHUT UP
Bush43: YOUR DUMB

License2KimJongill: i thought it was supposed to be "you're" dumb

Bush43: I'M NOT DUMB YOU ARE. YOUR DUMB

License2KimJongill: no I'm saying I thought "you're" dumb is correct

Bush43: WELL IT'S NOT CORRECT CUZ I'M NOT DUMB. YOU ARE

License2KimJongill: shut up

Bush43: YOU SHUT UP

License2KimJongill: i will turn your house into a sea of flames
License2KimJongill: i hate you

Bush43: THEN WHY AM I STILL ON YOUR BUDDY LIST
Bush43: ???

Posted 6:46 AM by Blah blah

See Russell Wong in Black Sash

Premiering THIS Sunday at 9 pm/8 pm CST, on the WB network: what I wrote before. If Russell ain't YOUR love muscle, well TOUGH-ful!

Posted 5:19 AM by Blah blah

Paperdoll in Singapore sent me this. Thank you!

Our planet
is poorly equipped
for delight
One must snatch
gladness
from the days that are.
In this life
it's not difficult to die.
To make life
is more difficult by far.
-- Vladimir Mayakovsky, in a poem called "Sergei Yessenin"

Kim Jong-Il Speaks!

To prepare for one of our next wars, check these blogs by Kim Jong-Il (Salon.com profile), the leader of North Korea! Who'd have thought the next dictator on the list would also have a sense of humor? Kim's chat log with Bush is HILARIOUS.

- Kim Jong Il (the illmatic)'s LiveJournal
- KIMJONGILonline

Dear Tita

Val told me about this advice blog she reads, for Filipinas: Dear Tita. Listen to her streetwise voice, with Tagalog spice! I want to say something funny, but I exhaust all my humor when chatting with people like Val.

Posted 12:45 PM by Blah blah

Why Amanda Marsh Broke Up with Alex Michel. Alex Enters Soft Porn.

For all who keep coming to this site looking for "Amanda Marsh," here is why she broke up with Alex Michel, The Bachelor from the first ABC TV version.

- See video of Amanda Marsh talking about this on Inside Edition.

- BACHELOR-RAT (NY Post): "A 'bitter' Amanda Marsh says she ended her relationship with The Bachelor star Alex Michel when she discovered he had slept with runner-up Trista Rehn during the reality show last spring."
- Bachelor Breakup (Entertainment Tonight): "She was shocked to discover that her 'San Francisco-based management consultant' was desperate for fame, and had even auditioned for Survivor before turning his sights on The Bachelor for his big Hollywood break. Amanda concludes, 'I guess I really don't know him well at all.'...Amanda still speaks to Alex, but says she could see that without the cameras, the romance was growing strained."
- Winner Of First 'Bachelor' Talks About Life After The Show (Kansas City Channel).

Not only was Alex a jerk, he has now entered the world of soft porn disguised as independent film. Looking through my favorite independent film site, AtomFilms, my jaw dropped when I found Alex Michel's film debut: Our Very First Sex Tape. You may watch it on the Net if you wish. No nudity, dumb script, and tasteless.

Way to go with your Harvard and Stanford education, Alex!

Posted 11:57 AM by Blah blah

Do We Fight China Too? The World Fears Us.

Oh my God! What a way to start off relations with the new leader of China. What a way to stifle budding democracy there too. Damned American arrogance. This feels like Dr. Strangelove. Please, Bush people, improve relations with our allies NOW! China readies for future U.S. fight (CNN):
______________
The Iraqi war has convinced the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership that some form of confrontation with the U.S. could come earlier than expected.

Beijing has also begun to fine-tune its domestic and security policies to counter the perceived threat of U.S. "neo-imperialism."

As more emphasis is being put on boosting national strength and cohesiveness, a big blow could be dealt to both economic and political reform....

Of more concern to the LGNS [CCP's secretive Leading Group on National Security] is the perceived expansion of American unilateralism if not neo-imperialism.

As People's Daily commentator Huang Peizhao pointed out last Saturday, U.S. moves in the Middle East "have served the goal of seeking world-wide domination."

State Council think-tank member Tong Gang saw the conflict as the first salvo in Washington's bid to "build a new world order under U.S. domination."

Chinese strategists think particularly if the U.S. can score a relatively quick victory over Baghdad, it will soon turn to Asia -- and begin efforts to "tame" China.

It is understood the LGNS believes the U.S. will take on North Korea -- still deemed a "lips-and-teeth" ally of China's -- as early as this summer.

These developments have prompted China to change its long-standing geopolitical strategy, which still held true as late as the 16th CCP Congress last November.

Until late last year, Beijing believed a confrontation with the U.S. could be delayed -- and China could through hewing to the late Deng Xiaoping's "keep a low profile" theory afford to concentrate almost exclusively on economic development.

"Now, many cadres and think-tank members think Beijing should adopt a more pro-active if not aggressive policy to thwart U.S. aggression," said a Chinese source close to the diplomatic establishment.

He added hard-line elements in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had advocated providing weapons to North Korea to help Pyongyang defend itself against a possible U.S. missile strike at its nuclear facilities.

Posted 9:52 AM by Blah blah

All Too Funny

More from Saddam's Cyber Palace:

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

President Bush has announced that his war will cost at least $75 Billion. WOW!!!! I am quite flattered that he is spending all that money on me. I hope he's not going to expect anything in return. I mean, yeah, sure, I can be a flirt at times, but that's just talk. I'm really not THAT kind of despot.

:: Saddam "No Nukes Here" Hussein 7:18 PM [+] ::

I have just received word that the citizens of Basra are revolting. So what? This is nothing new. Those Shi'ite Muslims have never been particularly fond of bathing.

:: Saddam "No Nukes Here" Hussein 2:04 AM [+] ::

Sunday, March 23, 2003

My son Uday is not looking too good. I have had propped him up in a chair in the corner ever since we dug him out from under the 50 tons of collapsed concrete and steel. I had to use a bicycle pump to reinflate his body, which actually worked better than I expected. But now he just sits there. I talk to him, but he won't answer.

One of my cabinet aides, Abdullah, said that's because Uday has been dead since that initial missile strike Thursday morning. I thanked Abdullah for volunteering his opinion, then shot him. I don't need negative vibes like that. Not at a time like this.

On the bright side, I have been informed that we have captured some POW's. See? I'm feeling better already.

:: Saddam "No Nukes Here" Hussein 8:56 PM [+] ::

Finally dug my way out of there and went to the store. Stocked up on some basic necessities like French fries, French bread, French dressing, French's mustard, and German chocolate cake. I also decided to splurge a little bit and bought the latest Dixie Chicks CD and a couple of Sean Penn movies. If you notice a pattern there, it's because I know who my friends are.

Needless to say, there was no Texas Pete Hot Sauce on my grocery list.

:: Saddam "No Nukes Here" Hussein 7:26 AM [+] ::
________________
Here's the latest from Osama's Offerings:

Thursday, March 27, 2003

The war in Iraq has had the expected effect on our recruiting efforts. Applications at our terror schools have soared dramatically. This boom comes just as we are set to begin offering a new graduate program in biological terror. On the other hand, our new popularity is very much a double-edged sword. With more applicants, our quality of recruits obviously goes up. On the other hand, the smarter students quickly figure out that no matter how good you are at it, suicide bombing carries limited opportunities for career advancement.

:: Osama "binny" Laden 8:08 AM [+] ::

Tuesday, March 25, 2003

There are things in this world that even Allah would be hardpressed to explain....For example, we have been constantly on the run for months now. Every day we move to a new cave, or a new campsite, or a new mountain pass.

The world's top law enforcement agencies have been searching for us since the fall of 2001, but to no avail. Even the world's most powerful and technologically advanced military force has been engaged in a massive, unrelenting hunt for our hideouts. Yet they, too, have repeatedly failed to track us down.

Quite frankly, there are times even WE don't know where in the name of Mecca we are.

In light of all this, how is it that those cursed free AOL Version 8 disks continue to find us?

:: Osama "binny" Laden 10:43 PM [+] ::

Posted 9:29 AM by Blah blah

All Too Real

More on Salam Pax (Philadelphia Inquirer): "In Brazil and Sweden, in China and Australia, from California to Maine, the question flew across the borderless Internet: Where is Salam Pax?...On Friday, Pax - a gay man in a repressive society, an atheist in a Muslim land, a lover of democracy but a hater of war - filed a worried dispatch as he awaited the first shock-and-awe assault on the city he cherishes....'For many people, Salam is the face of this war. He articulates the anguish of being caught in the cogs of the wheel when it's out of control.'...

He appears to be well-off and well-educated [a 29-year-old architect], with eclectic musical tastes that embrace the Deftones, Amr Diab, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. His blog is named for a wealthy Jordanian friend he calls Raed. (Blog chat notes this is "dear" backward, perhaps a pseudonym to protect a lover.)...Pax says he speaks English, German and Arabic because his father's work required the family to settle abroad for 14 years....He's such a colorful character, so observant and bitterly humorous, that he seems to some too good to be true....

Visits to his site have intensified with the war. In December 2001, the blog's first month, Pax got 140 hits. A year later, there were 2,563. So far this month, there are 98,757."

If you wonder if he's real, he's been talking back-and-forth to Diana of Letters from Gotham. She said this about him being real. Paul Boutin, writer for Slate, checked up on Salam: Is the Baghdad Blogger for real?. Answer: YES.

Salam's blog from Baghdad, http://dear_raed.blogspot.com, is now one of the most linked blogs in the world. The Guardian, New York Times, and Washington Post all noticed him. The Guardian printed these excerpts from his blog. Since his site crashed from the surge of traffic, Blogger and Google helped create a mirror site for him, http://dearraed.blogspot.com.

The latest from Salam. I've edited his spelling/grammar:

March 22, 4:30pm (Day 3)

[H]alf an hour ago the oil-filled trenches were put on fire. First watching Al-Jazeera they said that these were the places that got hit by bombs from an air raid a few miniutes earlier, but when I went up to the roof to take a look, I saw that there were too many of them, and we heard only three explosions. I took pictures of the nearest. My cousin came and told me he saw police cars standing by one and setting it on fire. Now you can see the columns of smoke all over the city.

Today, the third day in the war, we had quite a number of attacks during daytime. Some without air raid sirens. They probably just gave up on being able to be on time to sound the sirens. Last night, after waves after waves of attacks, they would sound the all-clear siren only to start another raid siren 30 minutes later.

The images we saw on TV last night (not Iraqi, Jazeera-BBC-Arabiya) were terrible. The whole city looked as if it were on fire. The only thing I could think of was “why does this have to happen to Baghdad.” As one of the buildings I really love went up in a huge explosion, I was close to tears.

Today my father and brother went out to see what is happening in the city. They say that it does look that the hits were very precise, but when the missiles and bombs explode they wreck havoc in the neighborhood where they fall. Houses near Al-Salam Palace (where the minister Sahaf took journalist) have had all their windows broken, doors blown in, and in one case a roof has caved in. I guess that is what is called “collateral damage” and that makes it OK?

Posted 7:58 PM by Blah blah

McCarthy's ghost (The Guardian): "Democracy is under threat in the United States; anyone who objects to the conflict in Iraq is not allowed to say so....

The rally to smash the Dixie Chicks' CDs and much of the impetus for the boycott of their single came from radio stations owned by Clear Channel Communications of Texas, which has close ties with Bush. The company's stations also called for the pro-war rallies that have cropped up in the past week....

[A]uthorities have been demanding records from Internet providers and libraries about what books people are taking out and which websites they're looking at.

The result is a symbiotic relationship between the mob and the legislature, whereby official repression provides the framework for public scapegoating with each gaining momentum from the other.

Most vulnerable are those who are most vulnerable anyway---Arab immigrants and non-white Americans. Men from countries regarded as potential sources of terrorism and who do not have a green card, are now required to be registered, fingerprinted and photographed by the immigration service. Many who have committed no crime but simply have their applications for a work permit pending are routinely arrested. 'Basically, what this has become is an immigration sweep,' said Juliette Kayam, a terrorism expert at Harvard. 'The idea that this has anything to do with security, or is something the government can do to stop terrorism, is absurd,' she told the Washington Post."

Here's to Moderation and Courtesy

On RBJ, Sarah started this talk about "damn the French" for their desire to have a commercial role in post-war Iraq.

Now regardless if you agree or disagree with the French, I despise all the vilifying and nastiness in America towards France and other Europeans the last few weeks, partly fueled by the Bush people. We need to work with them after the war. We need to heal the wounds that nasty words and arrogant acts have already caused. We need tact, something that is sorely lacking in both pro-war and anti-war zealots.

As Cyn said so nicely:

what if it were china instead? would it be damn the chinese? and that doesn't seem wrong to you, to damn a whole country for the action of their leaders, whether or not they support it? even if they do support it and it just happens to be against your own personal views.

see, i know there is a lot of damn those big headed shove down our throats with their democracy americans sentiments out there.

not only from 'the french'.

i think it's sad, and people at their worst, when we despise one another like this. it doesn't say much of humankind to me at all.

I replied: Hear hear, Cyn!

I say damn the EXTREMISTS on either the pro or anti-war sides.

Here's to moderation. Here's to not dehumanizing people simply because they disagree with you. Here's to having faith in others and not automatically resorting to cynicism and suspecting their motives.

Here's to respect for fellow human beings despite their opinions. Here's to courtesy.

While I'm at it, here's to Tony Blair and his push for the middle ground between two increasingly ugly, nasty sides. While I disagree with the French position, I love France and Europe.

Posted 2:23 PM by Blah blah

Adrien Brody Kissing Halle Berry. My Gun and Handcuff Story.

In the right lower part of this CBS page, see videos. The Sandra Hughes report includes brief parts from Adrien Brody's acceptance speech. The Jess Cagle report includes a brief clip of Adrien Brody kissing Halle Berry. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any longer clips on the Internet.

Watch the post-ceremony interviews here, in streaming video! Of course I had to see Michael Moore first. The director of Bowling for Columbine won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. He gave a scathing attack on Bush and the war during his acceptance speech (read it). I disagree with his style and thought it very bad taste, disrespectful to the occasion and the day in which people had just seen captured American soldiers paraded on Al-Jazeera. "[H]e couldn't resist the temptation to lump his antiwar stance in with the rest of his portfolio of grievances. As a result, he made a speech guaranteed to alienate even many people who are also against the war." Shame on You, Mr. Moore! Shame on You! (Time)

Plus see my favorite actor from last year, Adrien Brody of The Pianist! He joked that kissing Halle Berry (the award presenter) was his giftbag to her. "I took my shot!" Read Brody's acceptance speech and see video of his post-ceremony interview!
_____________________
I must watch Bowling for Columbine. This documentary is about the 1999 Columbine High School killings and America's love for handguns. My gun story:

In college, I went on a fun week-long trip to Redding, a town 500 miles north of San Francisco, with some international students from my dorm. (I was the only American student.) We stayed with different host families in that tiny community, surrounded by forests and acres of open spaces. Most people in Redding go there to retire from the fast pace of city life. They are mostly conservative Republicans, Christians, and Rush Limbaugh radio fans. My host dad listened to G. Gordon Liddy. Liddy is notorious for being the ex-FBI agent who helped plan the Watergate break-in under President Nixon. He spent 4.5 years in jail. Now he hosts his own right-wing radio talk show. Many in Redding own guns and hunt for sport. Our host families were all members of the Redding Chamber of Commerce, and my host dad was a bald, friendly guy who ran a business making hot tubs. He and his wife treated me very well!

Despite our vast differences in politics, my host dad and I got along well. We went shooting. This guy collected WEAPONS for fun. His home was filled with shotguns, police revolvers, lady's handbag-sized pistols, nanchucks, crossbows, Japanese swords, a fake grenade, and even handcuffs. That wasn't enough. He rubbed his hands, explaining how his latest gun was coming in the mail soon. He had given the specs to a manufacturer for a gun of extra power, and he couldn't wait!

That day, he took me out in his pickup truck. We went shooting, in a valley with a herd of grazing cows. We put some cans on rocks for target practice. I ended up shooting SIX different types of guns! *TWANG* *BOOM* The cows barely turned their heads and kept chewing grass. They were bored of gun noise.

You may think this guy was wacko, but he and his wife were very friendly and normal. They let me try their home hot tub. He gave me a tour of his business. They'd raised a sweet teenaged daughter who had left for college. The typical American family. I liked them. But Berkeley and Redding are two foreign countries to each other. He'd lived in Los Angeles before, and he argued for MORE guns in LA so people could protect themselves.

"What if some thief breaks into your home and takes some of your arsenal of weapons? What if he uses them against you and your wife?" I said.

"I'll be ready for him," said my host dad with a wink. "If necessary, I'll get with my friends and form our own militia," he grinned. He seemed serious.

Once he was showing off his handcuffs to me. Telling me to stand near the fireplace, he handcuffed me to the mantelpiece. (I thought it was all cool.) Then he looked for the key. "OOPS!" he said. He searched for a while but couldn't find it.

Then his cheerful wife walked in from the kitchen, where she was cooking dinner. "Now, honey, WHAT did you do to our guest??? Get the hacksaw and cut him out right away!"

"Yes, dear," he said sheepishly. He said that often that week.

Posted 1:25 PM by Blah blah

Thomas Friedman's Latest Column. No Post-War Arrogance, America

As usual, I agree with Friedman. Says it better than I could: Scorecard for the War (NY Times):

"How will we know if we are winning in Iraq?

(1) Have we occupied Baghdad — without leveling the whole city?
(2) Have we killed, captured or expelled Saddam?
(3) Have we been able to explain why some Iraqi forces are putting up such a fierce fight? Knowing the answer is critical for how we reconstruct Iraq.
(4) Have we won this war and preserved the territorial integrity of Iraq?
(5) Has an authentic Iraqi liberal nationalist emerged from the U.S. occupation to lead the country? My gut tells me the only person who is going to be able to rule Iraq effectively is someone who has lived through Saddam's reign, not sat it out in London or Washington, and who is ready to say no to both tyranny and foreign control in Iraq.
(6) Is the Iraqi state that emerges from this war accepted as legitimate by Iraq's Arab and Muslim neighbors?"

Now that unexpected setbacks and accidental killing of civilians have begun, and now public opinion has begun to shift, people need to clearly understand the scope and purpose of what we are doing. They must have realistic expectations for what we are in and for how prolonged this battle could get. Plus we should be more careful than ever about how to deal with post-war Iraq.

So far I STRONGLY disagree with this and this, as well as Bush's proposed $726 billion tax cut. Hello recession!

But to make Barbara Bodine one of the administrators of a post-war Iraq? What the hell are they thinking? As I wrote here, Barbara Bodine, former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, the lady in charge during the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, was THE person who denied the visa to John O'Neill, the FBI's counter-terrorism and Al-Qaeda expert in charge of the investigation, to return to Yemen. She was the one who effectively blocked the case. An ego thing. Thus they never found out the connection of the U.S.S. Cole bombing to Al-Qaeda till it was too late. John O'Neill, the one man who was THIS close to uncovering the 9/11 attack before it happened, ended up being killed himself in 9/11.

Now they don't get the U.N. involved from the START in post-war reconstruction? And they reward Bodine? Two dumb decisions.

As before, I agree with Tony Blair's priorities. Go Blair! "Whatever else the Europeans may disagree about, there is consensus that the United Nations must be involved in both the aid provisions and the establishment of a post-Hussein administration in Baghdad. 'We are quite clear that any such administration has to be endorsed by the U.N.,' Mr. Blair said."

I'm amazed several people signed my guestmap. I should offer pretty pictures more often! My Berkeley site has been down for the last few days---hence no pix. Patience.

Posted 1:49 AM by Blah blah

Sergeant Hook

Check out the blog of Sergeant Hook, who serves in Hawaii now as the "first sergeant of [an aviation] unit with over 120 soldiers." He signed my guestmap. I'm flattered that someone from the U.S. Army, a non-commissioned military officer, likes my blog! Best wishes to you, sir! Your blog is heartfelt and inspiring. Says he's been an officer for 16 years:

[W]ar is imminent. I listened with great anticipation to the Commander-in-Chief’s speech and am proud to be wearing the uniform under his leadership. I am also proud to be the father of four boys who made sure I had an absolutely great time on our outing this past weekend. I am equally proud to be married to the beautiful, intelligent, and compassionate Mrs. Hook...

My oldest son is Renegade Ryan, a rough and salty 10-year-old pirate of the high seas who quite frankly would sign on to any sea-going vessel provided there was plenty of fishing and no classrooms. Next is my 8-year-old, Typhoon Tyler of Trieste, a determined and crafty privateer whose passion for reading surpasses my own. Then there is Andrew the Adventurous, 5-years-old and a swashbuckler who is captain of his own vessel and eager to sail the seven seas. The youngest at 20-months is Castaway Conner, a savvy buccaneer who courageously sets sail with this handsome band of brigands every chance he gets. And last, but certainly not least, is the lovely and talented Mrs. Hook whom I adore as she expertly mans the helm somehow always keeping our ship on course.

Read of how he dealt with a soldier who told him he wanted to quit the Army.

Read his story about their attempts to rescue a pilot who had crashed his F-16 into the Adriatic Sea, near Italy and Croatia. This was an old assignment for Sgt. Hook, as he said on March 13.

Posted 10:55 AM by Blah blah

Most Popular Blog News Links: Technorati

Don't have time to review the news. Please go to Technorati: Current Events. Technorati is like Blogdex in listing the most popular links today in the blogging world, as well as who links to you. But "Current Events" is a new feature. It lists the most popular NEWS links people are talking about. Lots of goodies! The most popular blogs tend to be by conservative Republicans, except the Daily Kos, a political blog by a guy in Berkeley.

I need at least 4 more people to sign my guestmap!

Former CBS anchor [Walter] Cronkite voices disappointment in move to war (Daily Record). Cronkite: "Every little country in the world that has a border conflict with another little country…they now have a great example from the United States."

Posted 5:39 PM by Blah blah

Who Are You? Why Tattoos?

I've been getting all these new visitors to this page. Who are you? Please sign my guestmap up above, or send me a note if you want to stay private. C'mon, people from Sweden, Paypal, Seattle, New York, Connecticut, San Francisco, Northwestern University, Singapore, San Jose, etc. I see you come here every day! I don't bite. Say hi!

If at least 6 more people sign my guestmap, I will show you some fresh pics of hot Asian girls. It seems like the girls like female eye candy more than the guys. At least they respond!

I have a question: what is it with hot women and tattoos? Would someone please explain why some women feel the urge to mark their beautiful skin with tattoos? If they haven't done it, at least they've considered it. Case in point: Angelina Jolie. See How many of the world's top 100 sexiest women have tattoos? From the list by FHM, 37 out of the top 100 have 'em! The guys too.

Tell us where you have a tattoo already. Or if you ever got one, where on your body would you pick, and of what?

Even Thomas Edison had "five dots on left forearm in dice like design." He was one of my idols as a kid. The world's sexiest inventor! One time I met George Shultz. I was in this special program at Stanford, and he came from the Hoover Institution to speak to us. He was Secretary of State for President Reagan. Someone asked him why he had never run for President. He said, tongue-in-cheek: "Actually, I have a tattoo of a tiger on my butt, in honor of my alma mater, Princeton. I never wanted that to be a problem in a political campaign, so I never ran for President." Ha! I've read he actually DOES have a tattoo on his butt.

Posted 8:08 AM by Blah blah

Yay Adrien Brody! Roman Polanski is Vindicated

HAHA! My Oscar hope and prediction came true! Adrien Brody wins actor award (SF Chronicle). My two favorite movies from 2002 (The Pianist and Chicago) both won big time last night at the Oscars. The Pianist won Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Director (Roman Polanski), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood)! At the BAFTAs (British version of the Oscars), The Pianist won Best Film and Best Director (Polanski). At the Cesars (French Oscars), this film won Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor (Brody). It also won the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm), the top award at the Cannes Film Festival.

When this film premiered at Cannes, it won an "emotional 20-minute standing ovation...from a 3,500-member audience."

Brody was so excited at his Oscar, he rushed up to the stage and kissed Halle Berry hard on the lips! He is a great, unnoticed actor from New York whose time has come. He is also the youngest Best Actor winner ever, at age 29. He was the only American (I think) in the cast of The Pianist. He stole the night with his impassioned acceptance speech, in which he almost cried thanking his parents. He was the only person to defy the rules and keep speaking far past the allotted 45 seconds. He made a plea for the soldiers in Iraq that stirred the crowd to give him a standing ovation!

This is what I said about The Pianist right after seeing it:

"It gave me the chills. This Roman Polanski film is the most emotionally gripping and horrifying film I have ever seen since Schindler's List. In some ways it's MORE effective than Schindler. The Pianist and its main actor, Adrien Brody, richly deserve Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actor of 2002. No one else comes close. I literally felt that I had just lived through the Nazi Holocaust. At the end of the movie, no one left until they finished playing the music of the last haunting credits. We all watched in stunned silence. This film is more scary than any horror movie I've ever seen."

After I left the theater, I went to the supermarket and marvelled at how much food we have in this country. The movie's starvation and poverty made me hungry, and all I wanted to do was pig out, gain 15 pounds, and bow down to the farmers of America. (Just kidding.)

Roman Polanski still may not return to the U.S, after fleeing to Paris in 1978. As soon as he enters, police may arrest him for his crime from 1978. What a vindication this is for him and for the idea of judging an artist's work independently of his personal life. I believe the same about people like Woody Allen.

Posted 10:44 AM by Blah blah

Saddam seriously injured, Cabinet told (Daily Telegraph). "Saddam Hussein was badly injured. He was so badly injured he needed a blood transfusion. Unfortunately, he was not critically injured. We think he is still alive. We also think his son Uday was killed or badly injured." Also, by Salam Pax: "the absolute biggest best most wanted brain-stuff-specialist (i am sure it has a name can't think of it now) [has been called] and taken to a location outside baghdad, he called his family and said he can't come back tonight. something has happened to someone."

Idealism Hits Reality

See the infamous video of Bush getting his hair combed by a female stylist before giving his speech about the start of the war. Ha! We Begin Combing in Five Minutes! (Washington Post)

I was a naive fool to be a human shield for Saddam (Daily Telegraph):

"We just sat, listening, our mouths open wide. Jake, one of the others, just kept saying, 'Oh my God' as the driver described the horrors of the regime. Jake was so shocked at how naive he had been. We all were. It hadn't occurred to anyone that the Iraqis might actually be pro-war. The driver's most emphatic statement was: 'All Iraqi people want this war.' He seemed convinced that civilian casualties would be small; he had such enormous faith in the American war machine to follow through on its promises. Certainly more faith than any of us had.

Perhaps the most crushing thing we learned was that most ordinary Iraqis thought Saddam Hussein had paid us to come to protest in Iraq. Although we explained that this was categorically not the case, I don't think he believed us. Later he asked me: 'Really, how much did Saddam pay you to come?' It hit me on visceral and emotional levels: this was a real portrayal of Iraq life. After the first conversation, I completely rethought my view of the Iraqi situation. My understanding changed on intellectual, emotional, psychological levels."

Also, Lucky Break for Jordan (UPI):

A group of American anti-war demonstrators who came to Iraq with Japanese human shield volunteers made it across the border today with 14 hours of uncensored video, all shot without Iraqi government minders present. Kenneth Joseph, a young American pastor with the Assyrian Church of the East, told UPI the trip "had shocked me back to reality." Some of the Iraqis he interviewed on camera "told me they would commit suicide if American bombing didn't start. They were willing to see their homes demolished to gain their freedom from Saddam's bloody tyranny. They convinced me that Saddam was a monster the likes of which the world had not seen since Stalin and Hitler. He and his sons are sick sadists. Their tales of slow torture and killing made me ill, such as people put in a huge shredder for plastic products, feet first so they could hear their screams as bodies got chewed up from foot to head."