Isaac Schrödinger

The Price of Freedom

Jane Novak:

Please join us and sign at this link in support of the heroic journalist, Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani.

Again, it's this link:

Renowned journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani is one of Yemen's most prominent democracy advocates - for which he has paid a steep price. His paper has been closed, his website blocked, and his children threatened. He is now due to be sentenced on May 21 for "insulting the president" and "demoralizing the military."

Too Blue

Sunlight would have enhanced the shot; still, even without it, the photo looks good.

Ignorant and Impotent

I didn't think it could happen but it did. My opinion of Senator Obama just tanked. (It wasn't that high to begin with.)

if elected, Obama promises to do his best to even the martial playing field world wide by gutting the military strength of the US — ostensibly, to divert that spending (from one of the few areas where government should be spending) to areas more in tune with his “vision” and to the vision of progressives everywhere

It's almost like he wants to lose the election.

Invisible Luxury

You will never never find me complaining about unfairness.

Not Enough Faith

It always sounds awful.

Socialism Going Out of Fashion?

I hope this coolness flourishes here in Canada.

Huskies!

Cute family.

Is America (Still) Great?

The Apostate:

Our leaders, the best among them, don’t do a very good job of representing our values. Half of them are in power to prevent government from actually doing anything useful — on principle, because dammit! they believe in “small government.”

More:

The people give generously to charities for services the government should be providing.

Since when was it the job of the US government to provide money for charity? There are tons of charities that one might not support. Why should any government take your money and distribute it among them?

I'd rather have the government not tax me for that sort of stuff; I don't mind giving money to worthy causes -- causes which I doubt the government would finance.

Still if you're feeling generous, here's a sample letter for the feds.

"Dear Federal Government,

I have so little time and energy for charities. So, here's [insert amount of money]. I trust you'll use it well!

Hugs and Kisses
[Insert name.]"

Moving on:

The people vote. The people fight. It’s not their fault that they are being systematically disenfranchised and it’s not their fault they don’t have the time, between holding down two jobs and taking care of their kids and doing the housework, to look up “the issues” on candidates’ websites.

So ... whose fault is it?

Working with what's given, there's a lesson here: Manage your lifestyle and don't have too many kids so that you can follow "the issues" on candidates' websites.

Or you can cut down on the TV viewing a little.

“Freedom” rings hollow when one examines America’s recent crimes against human rights at home and abroad.

America has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into the grand enterprise of establishing democracy, freedom and human rights in Afghanistan and Iraq. There are no guarantees; history will eventually decide if she fails or succeed.

There is, however, nothing criminal about this matter. If you want to see "crimes against human rights", then just look at the other side.

You don’t have to have a college education or any kind of authority to have faith in your humanity in this country — as an American, you are free. I hope this spirit prevails over the impending disasters and Americans, when it comes down to it, fight to keep their freedom. They’ve lost it already on the books.

I'm a bit dense to see that loss.

P.S. Yes, Larry and I are buying guns if the jackboots do come. Larry’s always been an anti-gun liberal [...]

Some freedoms can be compromised.

A commenter asked why The Apostate supports Hillary over Obama. The answer starts off thusly:

For me personally? Because she’s a woman.

I wonder what the reaction would be if someone asked a Democrat, "Why do you support Obama over Hillary?" and the answer was, "Because he's a man. (Not much of one but still a man!)"

Later in another comment:

DCC, about letting the people off easy… I didn’t use to. But think about it: They did elect both Gore and Kerry, you know? If the Republicans stole two elections, that is NOT the fault of the people.

Wow. They "stole" the one in 2004 as well by winning the electoral college again. Why those dastardly Republicans!

By the way, the answer to the question is a resounding, "Hell Yeah!"

Dedicated Photographer

She is quite skilled.

It Pops

It really does.

Child Bride

Yemen Post:

Just weeks after the country was shocked to hear about Nujood, the 8-year-old bride, who demanded the court to divorce her from her husband, today comes a much shameful case, as Arwa, a 7-year-old girl got married to a 35-year-old man in Ibb governorate.

The disapproval of such a practice and religious criticism are linked. One cannot abolish the practice without taking on the ugly legacy of Islam.

Link via Armies of Liberation.

Experts to the Rescue

Schmucks:

Though he preaches research and good science in the classroom, the world's most famous archaeologist often is an acquisitive tomb raider in the field with a scorched-earth policy about what he leaves behind. While actual archaeologists like the guy and his movies, they wouldn't necessarily want to work alongside him on a dig.

I think they secretly envy him.

Link via Anwyn.

Beyond Reform

The Manrilla Blog: The Trouble With Muslim Pundits Today.

Manji’s axe to grind with authority extends even to basic tenants of Islam such as prayer. When asked about prayer she responded that she does not need anyone to tell her how to pray - that she can devise such a way on her own. Such thinking could not be further from the pale of Islamic theology 101. But make issue with this line of thought is not that Manji wants to “find her own way” but in that she wishes to seek accommodation in the orthodoxy of the religion. Wanting to be homosexual and pray in your own way is completely a matter of personal choice but there is simply no way to justify it with the texts, traditions and methodologies in Islam.

I can't disagree with that.

Link via Umar Lee.

Mmm

I bet it tastes sweet.

Just How Dumb Can One Be?

This dumb (via LFG):

Democrats are rebuking President Bush for saying in his speech to the Knesset, here, that to “negotiate with terrorists and radicals” is “appeasement.” The Democrats took it as a slap at Barack Obama. What bothers me is the continual reference to Hitler and his National Socialists, particularly the British and French accommodation at the Munich Conference of 1938.

The narrative we're given about Munich is entirely in hindsight. We know what kind of man Hitler was, and that he started World War II in Europe. From the view of 1938, what Hitler was demanding at Munich was not unreasonable, according to the prevailing idea of the nation-state.

Stefan Sharkansky:

promoting appeasement of Hamas and Iran now by saying that appeasing Hitler in 1938 was reasonable at the time, is not a very persuasive argument.

Indeed.

Warmth

What a beautiful capture.

About Art

Think Tank: Tom Wolfe and the Derriere Guard.

You might have to scroll down a bit to see the link to the video. I found the last part quite humorous.

The Only Thing Missing ...

... is an Indian movie song.

The Time Will Come

A quote from Boris Johnson:

When is someone going to get 18th century on Islam's mediaeval ass?

Best guess: When Westerners perceive that they have been pushed towards the edge of oblivion.

Islam has been in such a weak and decrepit state for almost a century that most paid no attention to it. But in the recent past with countless terrorist attacks and more and more contact with Muslims, the West is slowly waking up to the danger.

Those Crazy Chinese!

This is not a joke:

Apparently, the Chinese, in their all-out effort to hold onto Tibet (for reasons I do not understand, but I’m eager to be educated on the subject), “passed” decreed that Lamas in Tibet have to get permission from the Chinese government to be reincarnated.

I didn't know that the means of production included that.

Chinese Communists Motto: All your reincarnations are belong to us.

Link via Granite Grok.

Not Bowing to Terror

Haaretz via Isreallycool:

Award-winning American actor Jon Voight visited Israeli victims of Palestinian rocket attacks in Sderot on Tuesday, taking pictures with children and speaking out harshly against latest truce efforts to stop the rocket barrages and Israeli reprisals in Gaza.

Voight says it like it is:

"They are barbarians," Voight said, referring to the Gaza militants. "They are relentless, looking to destroy (Israel)," the actor said. "If somebody breaks your leg, don't give another. Don't play this game."

They've Got Two!

I've never seen one in person.

3-Shot HDR

Awesome sky.

Apostate-in-Chief

An op-ed about Senator Obama in The New York Times. [Registration required. Use Bug Me Not.] Here, the author is writing about apostasy:

it is the worst of all crimes that a Muslim can commit, worse than murder (which the victim’s family may choose to forgive).

With few exceptions, the jurists of all Sunni and Shiite schools prescribe execution for all adults who leave the faith not under duress; the recommended punishment is beheading at the hands of a cleric, although in recent years there have been both stonings and hangings.

This leads to a solid, and unpleasing, conclusion.

First link emailed by slickdpdx who blogs at Known Unknowns.

I Am Not Naughty

I swear!

The Hatred of Freedom

CBC via Celestial Junk:

Police in Halifax are investigating a complaint about a political cartoon that some members of a local Islamic group claim is a hate crime.

The cartoon, published April 18 in the Chronicle Herald newspaper, depicts a woman in a burka holding a sign that reads, "I want millions," and she says, "I can put it towards my husband's next training camp."

Later on:

In an interview with the Herald before the cartoon ran, Jamal said she wanted to sue the federal government for what her family has gone through and told the reporter, "I want millions," Leger noted.

"[MacKinnon] depicted her exactly the way she looks and used her own words, and that's the genius of cartooning that you're able to do that," he said.

Why do such Muslims get upset at those who merely point out the idiocies rather than the idiot? It's almost as if they don't have a rational response to the cartoonist. Their only recourse is to silence him. This has the effect of making free speech regarding Islam a bit expensive.

Hillary Clinton Meltdown

Celestial Junk: Possibly the Funniest YouTube Ever.

The little bit of Beethoven at the end makes it a classic.

A Lapel Pin for Obama

It's quite funny.

Happy Birthday

For sixty years she has been a beacon of light in a neighborhood filled with darkness.

May she forever shine bright.

Chasing Away the Goose

The Wall Street Journal:

Massachusetts legislators, demonstrating a growing resentment against the wealth of elite universities in tight economic times, are studying a plan to levy a 2.5% annual tax on the portion of college endowments that exceed $1 billion.

The effort takes aim at one of the primary economic engines of the state, which is home to nine universities with endowments that surpass the $1 billion level, led by Harvard University's $35 billion cache, the nation's largest.

What a spectacularly dumb idea. Harvard ought to retaliate. Professor Greg Mankiw offers a good idea:

If this were to pass, here is what I would consider:

1. Instead of expanding the university into Alston, Harvard could create a second campus in another state. Call it Harvard South. (Put it in a better climate than Boston, and I would be one of the first faculty to volunteer for the move.)

So Not Cool

And not romantic.

I Can't Say No

The question doesn't matter.

A Simple Freedom

May this trend continue:

A Malaysian Islamic court allowed a Muslim convert Thursday to return to her original faith of Buddhism, setting a precedent that could ease religious minorities' worries about their legal rights.

It wouldn't be surprising to see imams across the globe, especially in the Middle East, railing against this "evil" decision.

Link via Instapundit.

Smokin'

Rofasix: Probably NOT a Dumb Blonde.

Democracy = Suicide ?

Macleans:

Palestinian Arabs present a challenge to Israel that is at once more straightforward and infinitely more difficult to solve. Within one or two decades, the number of Muslim and Christian Arabs living under Israeli control (including in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel itself) will surpass the number of Israeli Jews. When that happens, if there is still no Palestinian state (and in the absence of large-scale ethnic cleansing), Israelis will be forced to choose between two futures. Their country will either be Jewish, but not democratic — in other words, a Jewish minority will control a land mostly inhabited by Palestinians — or Israel will be democratic, but not Jewish, because Arabs will form the majority in what will become a bi-national state.

Link via Elphi Delphi.

Intel vs. Nvidia

Good for us:

The Intel-NVIDIA war heeds warning from CRT Captial Group, saying NVIDIA maybe providing motivation to the chip giant. CRT Captial Group analyst Ashok Kumar issued a warning stating the recent tirade by NVIDIA CEO, Jen-sun Huang may have adverse effects – angering a “huge, rich, motivated design powerhouse.”

More:

NVIDIA’s ongoing “war” with Intel started with Huang adlibbing during a financial analyst meeting, stating NVIDIA was about to “open a can of whoop ass” on Intel.

Huang further belittled Intel’s graphics solutions as a “joke” and being abysmal in the visual computing world. NVIDIA’s VP of content relations added to the fire with a declaration that the CPU is dead.

It's more likely that Nvidia will go caput; my money is on Intel.

The Choice of a Jew Generation

LFG: Hamas MP: Pepsi Stands For 'Pay Every Pence to Save Israel'

Awesome! I just had one an hour ago.

(Title shamelessly stolen from Damian Penny; linked earlier here.)

Perpetually Inflamed

Sam Harris:

Wilders, like Westergaard and the other Danish cartoonists, has been widely vilified for "seeking to inflame" the Muslim community. Even if this had been his intention, this criticism represents an almost supernatural coincidence of moral blindness and political imprudence. The point is not (and will never be) that some free person spoke, or wrote, or illustrated in such a manner as to inflame the Muslim community. The point is that only the Muslim community is combustible in this way. The controversy over Fitna, like all such controversies, renders one fact about our world especially salient: Muslims appear to be far more concerned about perceived slights to their religion than about the atrocities committed daily in its name.

Indeed.

There is an uncanny irony here that many have noticed. The position of the Muslim community in the face of all provocations seems to be: Islam is a religion of peace, and if you say that it isn't, we will kill you.

They can be so charming sometimes.

Link via the Intergalactic Source of Truth.

Who Needs Democracy?

The Guardian:

Vivienne Westwood
Fashion designer

"Boris as mayor? Unthinkable. It just exposes democracy as a sham, especially if people don't vote for Ken - he's the best thing in politics. Unthinkable."

David Thompson:

Ms Westwood appears to have difficulty grasping the concept of democracy, which generally entails the possibility that other people – perhaps a great many of them – will have preferences that differ from one’s own. Still, there’s an almost charming megalomania to the implication that a system which allows people to vote on those preferences must be a “sham” when the people doing the voting disagree with Vivienne Westwood.

"Playing is Harmful"

Apparently being chained and getting a beating is quite harmless.