Isaac Schrödinger

Hypocrites

Tony Snow asks a very simple question.

BJ's Legacy

Argus Hamilton:

Bill Clinton was in Copenhagen on Wednesday for a book signing and a meeting with Danish leaders. The next day he joined Richard Gere in Jordan for a meeting on global poverty. It made for quite a photograph, the American Gigolo and an actor.

A Car for Everyone

James Lileks:

It actually generates a moral-superiority field.

Only in America.

Raptor is the King

Hmm, I would still take the WD Raptor over the Hitachi Deskstar for my operating system. Even though the Raptor's cost, in $ per GB, is much higher than the Deskstar's, the Raptor is obviously a faster drive since it's 10000 rpm. Plus the Deathstar Deskstar brings back horrible memories; two died on me.

I would like to see more companies compete directly with the WD Raptor. For me that's the sweet spot between low prices (7200 rpm drives) and ultraperformance (15000 rpm SCSI drives).

Idols of the Left

Humberto Fontova:

... Carlos Santana at the Academy Awards, proudly showing off his Che Guevara T-shirt. As he entered the ceremony, Carlos stopped for the photographers, smiled deliriously and swung his jacket open. TA-DA! There it was: Carlos' elegantly embroidered Che Guevara t-shirt. Carlos' face as the flashbulbs popped said it all. "I'm so COOL!" he beamed. "I'm so HIP! I'm so CHEEKY! So SHARP! So TUNED IN!"

Tune into this, Carlos: in the mid 1960's, Fidel and your charming t-shirt icon set up concentration camps in Cuba for, among many others, "anti-social elements" and "delinquents." Besides Bohemians and homosexuals, these camps were crammed with "roqueros," who qualified in Che and Fidel's eyes as useless "delinquents." A "roquero" was a hapless youth who tried to listen to Yankee-Imperialist rock music in Cuba. So here's Santana, grinning widely – and OH-SO-hiply! – while proudly displaying the symbol of a regime that MADE IT A CRIMINAL OFFENSE TO LISTEN TO CARLOS SANTANA MUSIC.

It's odd to see the generous beneficiaries of freedom promote tyrants. But hey, as long as you're anti-American, your sins are forgiven.

Hand Over the Dollars, Kufr!

A perfect example of the pathological thinking in most of the Muslim world: We want prosperity! We like freedom! We love luxuries! But don't you dare change the miserable, Islamist, conditions in the Muslim world to make all that possible. Instead just give us the money, allow us to be parasites in the West, and sod off.

Enough, you ingrates. Time to give war a chance.

For the Sake of Allah ...

... stop this most odious and despicable behavior. Terrorists have feelings too.

Kufr's Devilry

Oh, yes. I remember viewing this a few years back. It was shocking then. Now, it's normal. All across Saudi Arabia, the only pop vending machines are from Pepsi. In over 15 years, I've not seen a single Coca Cola vending machine there. This was supposedly the reason. Though, oddly one finds both pepsi and coke products in convenient stores and other markets in Saudi Arabia.

Pepsi is, surprisingly for Westerners, more popular in the Muslim world than Coca Cola. For some it's the taste; I prefer pepsi. For others, Coke is un-Islamic. That is but one conspiracy from a whole galaxy that the Muslims believe in. Spread the word, kufr.

The Price for Mediocrity

I partly disagree with Larry Kudlow on this point:

... interesting to note that America's George Bush, Australia's John Howard, and Britain's Tony Blair -- all pro-war heads of state – won re-election. With this defeat, Schroeder's hopes are dimming. France's Chirac is in trouble too. Maybe the war isn't as unpopular internationally as the mainstream media would have us believe. Could it be that, even in the heart of Old Europe, pro-America capitalism trumps anti-war socialism?

Real GDP growth rates in 2004:

• US: 3.1%
• UK: 2.1%
• Australia: 2.8%
• Germany: -.10%
• France: .10%

Unemployment rates in 2004:

• US: 5.5%
• UK: 4.8%
• Australia: 5.1%
• Germany: 10.6%
• France: 10.1%

The major reason that Schroeder and Chirac are in political trouble is because of the miserable performance of their economies. I think their positions on the present war is not going to make a difference in the coming elections. That is not to say that they haven't milked anti-Americanism in the past for political gain. But after 3 years of a stagnant economy, the Germans and the French have had enough.

This, however, doesn't imply that Germany and France are going to become pro-America. Just that they'll have new leaders with likely pro-capitalist policies. I think that the majority of these populations will still remain fervently anti-war, and still vote in Israel as the greatest threat to world peace.

The coming French and German elections are going to be decided by national, not foreign, policy.

An Excellent Point

Virginia Postrel boils it down:

The American idea of a "culture war" is an entirely verbal debate over whether it should be constitutional to impose a small fine on someone who burns the American flag or whether art like Piss Christ should get federal subsidies.

Odd that the flag and Christ loving crowd gets rhetorically lynched in the MSM whereas the real war is said to be cooked up by neocons.

Geek Stuff

What in the name of Heaven?

Hunh, nice keyboard.

A condom?

I'm all in favor of EDR, er, XDR.

The Brutal Truth

VDH:

That long odyssey is not so in the world of bin Laden or an Iranian theocrat — or the ignorant who stream out of the madrassas and Friday fundamentalist harangues along the Afghan-Pakistani border. These fist-shaking, flag-burning Islamic fascists all came late to the Western tradition and now cherry-pick its technology. As classic parasites, a Zawahiri or al-Zarqawi wants Western sophisticated weapons and playthings — without the bothersome foundations that made them all possible.

An Afghan who riots because he learns of a rumor in a Western magazine, and those like him who explode and behead in Iraq, are emblematic of this hypocrisy. Nothing they have accomplished in their lives, either materially or philosophically, would result in a free opinion magazine, much less the technology to send out the story instantaneously — or, in the case of al-Zarqawi, to have his murdering transmitted globally on the Internet.

[Emphasis mine]

The Islamist thugs are proficient at destruction only.

Amen

Look who's dead.

Marvels of the West

Speechless:

A particle accelerator is being used to reveal the long-lost writings of the Greek mathematician Archimedes, work hidden for centuries after a Christian monk wrote over it in the Middle Ages.

Highly focused X-rays produced at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center were used last week to begin deciphering the parts of the 174-page text that have not yet been revealed. The X-rays cause iron in the hidden ink to glow.

"One of the delightful things is we don't know what it's going to say," said William Noel, head of the Archimedes Palimpsest project at the Walters Art Gallery.

Link via Pej.

Ouch

This is just mean.

A Morsel of Justice

14 and a half years ago, he had Iraq and Kuwait under his boot and Saudi Arabia was his for the taking. Today, he's in the slammer and the Iraqis laugh at his sorry ass.

Victory First, Respect Will Follow

Jonah Goldberg:

I’m a realist about some of this stuff. I don’t think the U.S. should go out of its way to offend Islam. Indeed, I do think we should, wherever possible or necessary, show as much respect as we can to ordinary Muslims everywhere. If there’s one lesson we can all take from the Newsweek scandal it’s that we live in a global media market which imperfectly and unevenly filters information across the globe. Small things can be made big by al Jazeera and Newsweek alike. But that doesn’t mean being “sensitive” is more important than winning. As Victor Davis Hanson has written many times, victory buys a lot more respect than condescension.

[Emphasis mine]

So very true. By the way, I second the asterisk.

WI vs. Pak, 3rd ODI

Holy Crap! The Pakistani batsmen ripped apart the West Indian bowlers. Afridi scored a rapid fire 30-ball 56. Hameed is back with a 54-ball 41, and everyone else made valuable contributions. The last 3 balls of the innings disappeared for sixes thanks to Akmal. Wow, a flawless batting display.

From the looks of the first 7 overs of the WI batting, they're not even attempting a run chase. CH Gayle is unusually sedate. WI on course for 3-0 in this series.

Update: After 28 overs, CH Gayle is still there. He has scored 86 runs off 93 balls. WI at 156/2. There is still hope for them. If they don't lose their middle order, then they can fight for a win. They still need a further 148 runs in 22 overs.

Update: Gayle scores a massive 124 runs but it's in vain. WI manage 281 runs in 49.3 overs. Pakistan wins by 22 runs, thus sweeping the series. Shahid Afridi takes both the MoM and MoS awards. Nice.

This WI team has lost more ODI matches in a row than any other before them. This Pakistan team has now won 7 successive ODI matches. The Pakistanis have increased their strength throughout this year. They should make it to the World Cup semi-finals in 2007.

Whoa

Gordon Smith (R-Oregon):

“Until we have someone on the other side who is willing to say ‘Yes,’ we’re not going to continue to prostitute the American presidency to people who aren’t serious,” said Smith, one of six U.S. congressmen who attended the forum. “It’s a mystery to me why Arab countries can’t work on their own countries before Palestine is fixed,” he added.

[Emphasis mine]

I think this was meant for Abbus. Oh, as to fixing their own countries: they're all dictatorships. The long-term fix would be to have free market democracies. Question: how many dictators do you think want that to happen? Answer: zero. Follow up question: so, what's the outlet for all the anxiety and frustrations of these Muslims? Answer: the Western world.

Obviously, Islam is a superior religion/culture. Thus, the only way, it's performing so atrociously is because of the devilry of the JOOOS/Christians/Americans/Whites -- anyone non-Muslim. Israel is nothing but a scapegoat for these regimes. Hey, it has worked for over 5 decades. Why stop now?

Very Un P.C.

Marianne M. Jennings:

When a woman asks, "Do I look fat?" every non-metrosexual male knows the answer that preserves his life: "No." Women don't want the truth; they want reassurance.

What she said.

The P.C. Disease

Cathy Young:

Welcome to Politically Correct World, where acts that would merit unequivocal condemnation if committed by white males are viewed in a very different light when the offenders belong to an "oppressed group."

Of course. When a white man beats up a gay person, it's despicable. When a brown man does it, it's understandable.

Lovely

The passionate followers of the Religion of Peace^TM:

"USA watch your back, Osama is coming back" and "Kill, kill USA, kill, kill George Bush".

Note, they want to kill USA. Do you know of any other group/culture/society/religion that actively calls for the destruction of a nation-state?

For the opposite, look at the US. The US went in Afghanistan and Iraq to remove the Taliban and the Baathist regime. Now that's done, we're spending billions of dollars in rebuilding these two countries. The US didn't respond to 9/11 by killing Afghanistan or Iraq but rather by liberating them. These Islamists, however, would have no hesitation in completely destroying the United States. That's their expertise: to destroy. The only thing they can create is misery.

This is crucial for non-Islamists to understand. The world is too small for these Islamists and us. They are in a perpetual Jihad against the kufaar. Appeasing the Islamists, like France and Spain, doesn't solve the problem. Taking the war to them is the only workable option.

Link via Andrew Stuttaford.

Update: It's not just the US they want to destroy.

Tsk tsk

Another riot because some in the US media mispelled Quran as Koran.

I Don't Get It

See the post and try to figure out what Tim Blair is trying to say. All I see is an E, K, U, and an N.

F the FEC

The Blogosphere is united on this issue. See La Shawn Barber's and Daily Kos's posts on this matter.

WI vs. Pak, 2nd ODI

CH Gayle is in fine touch. His score is a 40-ball 36 at the moment. He just might win this one for West Indies. Pakistan need to get him out very soon.

Update: Wow, that was quick. Gayle is gone for a 45-ball 43. Shabbir Ahmed takes the most important wicket.

Update: WI have lost 4 wickets with the score at 126. If one more player is out, then the lower order will be open. The chances of WI winning this one are slim. Shahid Afridi is set to bowl his first over.

Update: And Afridi makes a difference. He took 4 wickets. WI crashed to 218 all out, losing by 40 runs. Pakistan comfortably wins the 3 match series. That's twice WI couldn't finish batting the 50 overs. They'll likely get thrashed in the Tests as well.

Another Innocent Slayed

A young Afghani woman murdered. Randall McElroy:

It’s almost mind-boggling to think about, but just a few years ago women were not allowed outside the house without a male relative accompanying.

That's still the case in the desert Kingdom of Mordor. The only time girls can go outside alone in Saudi Arabia is when they're going to school. Any other reason -- for example, shopping, traveling, going to the hospital -- requires the presence of, at least, one male relative. Allah help you if the male is not a relative. Women are not allowed driver's licenses, and cabs and buses refuse to accept unaccompanied females. Hence, the life of a female is very limited.

But remember: Islam treats women with tremendous respect. Unlike the wretched and exploitative West.

/sarcasm.

LMAO

Really Impossible:

Canoli...Cuc...tater...more chemical than vegetable...yogurt.

Link via Polipundit.

Never Piss Off the US

Ahmad:

... nothing in the world that can be done to him could be compared to what he had done to millions of innocents.

True. I'm all for the Mussolini treatment for Saddam. Though, we'll take any humiliation of this SOB that we can get.

Update: Charles makes a valid point about the leak.

Reality

An incredible article by a Saudi Muslim living in the US. Read and shudder:

The Bible in Saudi Arabia may get a person killed, arrested, or deported. In September 1993, Sadeq Mallallah, 23, was beheaded in Qateef on a charge of apostasy for owning a Bible. The State Department's annual human rights reports detail the arrest and deportation of many Christian worshipers every year.

[Emphasis mine]

Yes, a truly superior culture. Much better than the immoral West. Read the full article to understand the respect accorded to the Holy Book.

Link via Andy McCarthy.

Of Course

Now now, we have to dig deeper and understand the root causes of this enmity. Obviously, it's our fault. All this hatred can't be irrational.

100 Gs

I'll believe it when I see it.

I Will Never Die

That was the best quote from the movie, IMHO. Here's the list of the top 10.

Supporting the Troops

John Hawkins:

To believe that the troops are deliberately murdering journalists, you must have a very low opinion of them and apparently this belief is quite widespread in the media because we keep hearing it again & again. Does anyone believe that the military is going to be treated fairly by journalists who think the military has marked them for death?

That's just a part of it. Read the entire post for more examples of liberal compassion.

I've had tremendous respect for the US military since I was 9 years old. You'll find out soon why.

Are You Not Entertained?

This made me laugh:

Even half-dead on horseback on his way to Spain, he’s more a man than any of these three dandies.

It's true. Read the full column to alleviate your confusion.

That's Expensive

Read it for yourself:

... engaging their brains ... physiological changes ... £850 per week on ...  Heidi Klum.

The Gap Between the US and EU Grows

This doesn't bode well for the EU. Italy has been hit the worst.

Increasing productivity translates into higher wages, and thus, higher standards of living in the long run. That's good news for everyone. Simply compare the "poor" in the US to the poor in the EU or, for that matter, anywhere else in the world. Poor people outside the US have to worry about starvation; in the US they worry about obesity.

For an amazing view of the increase in US productivity, see this column by Arnold Kling.

First link via Marginal Revolution.

YES

Bigger. Stronger. Bolder. The New Twin Towers.

Against Allah's Wishes

Off with your head, kufr.

Link via Israellycool.

Nuts

Ladies and gentlemen, the face of the Democratic Party: the yahoo from Vermont.

Update: He sure seems to be paying dividends.

The Point

A vexing question:

Why would Mossad agents be carrying the Quran?

To fool the rest of us, of course!

Support Liberty

This man should be heard:

"So-called stability brought by dictators brings about long term instability," said Sharansky.

Abbas has turned out to be a sly politician. He has received words of praise from abroad including the US while simultaneously allowing, let's be honest, incorporating Islamist terrorists in his circle. Abbas has, for the time being, pleased the terrorists and doped the foreigners. It is sad and true that most in the West refuse to learn from history. As a consequence, they'll pay with more blood and treasure.

The pull out from Gaza is, no doubt, going to embolden Islamist terrorists all across the globe. "See terrorism works", will be their mantra. In this, they won't be wrong.

Update: Al Qaeda-linked terrorists in the Gaza Strip. No surprise.

Jaded

Scott at Power Line:

"My family had flown a great distance and spent a large sum of money to come celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and were quite disturbed that the president and CFO of a U.S.-based company made such a comparison at a business school ceremony."

Read this post to see what Indra Nooyi said. There, you'll also find this from a Power Line reader:

I just read Ms. Nooyi's speech, and I did not find it as unpatriotic and acerbic as Mr. Martin depicted it to be, but insulting none-the-less. The insult comes not from the sentiment so much as the condescension of the world view and philosophy being preached by Ms. Nooyi. Ms. Nooyi states that her objective is to speak about the world business perception of the US, but she never makes any distinction in her speech between the actual character of the US versus how we are perceived. In this way, Ms. Nooyi makes the implication that world perception of the US is unbiased, not jaded, and a reliable evaluation and representation of the US's character and behavior. In other word's she ascribes the US's own perception of good and bad to be inherently irrelevant, and "the world's" perception to be the right, the good, and the measure by which to judge ourselves. I find it ironic that for so many years, parents, teachers, coaches, and the like encouraged me to stand up for what is right, and not to care about what other people think, only to have the antithesis of that lesson propounded at the pinnacle of academia.

When it comes to Islamists, I don't think that being hated by such people -- who are antisemitic, enslave women, spew venom at infidels, cut hands off for stealing, and decapitate one for consuming alcohol -- is all that bad. Of course, to Indra Nooyi the world's noxious mixture of hatred and envy could be solved by modifying ... America's behavior.

Read the entire post till the end where you'll find a letter from a soldier in Iraq.

PJ Media Update

Iraq the Model:

Charles johnson, Roger L. Simon and Marc Danziger together with a number of fine bloggers are putting the final touches on the Pajamas Media; an ambitious experiment that will hopefully open new horizons for blogs and blog-based news services.
Pajamas also plans to make blogs a more valuable source of income for bloggers who sign up to join the team through organizing advertising on blogs.
Till this moment, more than 300 bloggers worldwide have joined the Pajamas and I'm one of them. All bloggers are welcome to sign up through contacting "[email protected]".

Remember, all views are welcome.

NOOO

Anakin finally succumbs to the Dark Side of the Force. He's now a capitalist pig!

More info here.

Man on Fire

I've never seen Pej this furious. He rightfully thrashes a few bloggers.

Trust me, I'm an Islamist!

Saudis eliminate terrorism. Just like the Evil Empire eliminated poverty in the 20th century. Right?

Geek Stuff

I am sooo gonna buy this. Not.

This has the Sony look going for it. Price too hefty, though.

Good news for all you XBOX game owners.

Heirs to Nazism

Here's something you won't see in Newsweek:

"...Ask Czarist Russia, which welcomed the Jews, who plotted to kill the Czar - so he massacred them. But don't ask Germany what it did to the Jews. It was the Jews who provoked Nazism to wage war against the entire world, when the Jews, using the Zionist movement, got other countries to wage an economic war on Germany and to boycott German merchandise. They provoked Russia, Britain, France, and Italy. This enraged the Germans toward the Jews, leading to the events of those days, which the Jews commemorat [sic] today."

[Emphais mine]

That's part of a sermon given on Palestinian Authority TV.

Oh oh oh, let's give them their own lovely state. Then, the Israelis won't have to worry about poverty/imperialism-induced terrorism. /sarcasm.

Link via EconoPundit.

Bwahahaha

OMG, this really cracked me up. No picture of InstaPooch?

Update: He's back.

Update II: Don't give in, Jeff. Resist the Dark Side.