Digital Irony

Perspective On The Japan Earthquake | Patrick McKenzie | Kalzumeus | 13 March 2011

2011-03-14T08:46:00.000-04:00

Perspective On The Japan Earthquake | Patrick McKenzie | Kalzumeus

Japan's disaster preparedness 'one of the triumphs of human civilisation'. Millions survived because system worked perfectly. Even the nukes held up well. 'Every engineer in this country should be walking a little taller this week'

Stunning New Footage Of Incoming Tsunami

2011-03-14T04:28:00.000-04:00

Stunning New Footage Of Incoming Tsunami:

As per the BBC, newly emerged footage shows the force at which the tsunami struck Japan's coast. In the fishing port of Miyako, in Iwate prefecture, boats
were overturned, while video from Kamaishi city shows cars being dragged
down city streets by the water. Footage courtesy of TV Asahi.

And even more disturbing, courtesy of EscapeKey:

Horror: Before and After Pictures of Quake Zone

2011-03-13T04:33:00.000-04:00

You can donate to the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

Horror: Before and After Pictures of Quake Zone: From CNN, via Ace.

If you have a couple of bucks to spare, you can donate to the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund

The next star wars battle has begun...

2011-03-07T08:49:00.002-05:00

They are currently fighting in space. So begins the next round of battles with the second launch of the X-37B unmanned space plane March 5th.

Watch the last Discovery launch live - now!

2011-02-24T15:14:00.001-05:00

Watch live streaming video from spaceflightnow at livestream.com

Watch the live stream of the Discovery launch scheduled for 4:50pm EST today.

Video: Sanicole Airshow 2010 Evening Display in 60 Seconds

2011-02-24T04:37:00.000-05:00

Video: Sanicole Airshow 2010 Evening Display in 60 Seconds

Video: A Day Made of Glass... Made possible by Corning.

2011-02-16T07:28:00.000-05:00

h/t TheoSpark

Is a U.S. Nuclear Revival Finally Underway?

2011-02-16T06:53:00.001-05:00

Is a U.S. Nuclear Revival Finally Underway?:

The first new nuclear reactor ordered in the U.S. in roughly three decades is beginning to take shape in the red clay near Augusta, Ga. Southern Co. and its partners have dug 27.5 meters down into that soil to reach bedrock and are now filling up the hole to provide a stable foundation for what is likely to be the first of a new generation of reactors in the U.S.: two new AP-1000 models at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant that stand next to two older pressurized water reactors, which came online in the 1980s. [More]

T-Shirt Worthy

2011-02-02T07:25:00.003-05:00

Pure awesomeness...

Blogging at Doubletapper

2011-01-26T07:20:00.005-05:00

In what I would call a promotion in my blogging career (yet the pay is still the same), I started co-blogging at Doubletapper. I'll repost excerpts here, but for the full thing, check out Doubletapper's awe some blog.

Inspirational Beer Fridge

2010-12-28T13:20:00.001-05:00

This video was an inspiration to me, and even brought a tear to my eye. It was so beautiful.

(via Gizmodo: thank you, thank you, thank you.)

X-Men - stop whining!

2010-12-26T02:02:00.002-05:00

The immutable Frank J at IMAO rants (with a point) against the X-Men and their whining:

One thing, is the constant whining about how discriminated against they are, and you know how much everyone loves it when heroes whine! “People are so mean to us mutants! People say they don’t want their kids in the same school as mutants just because we’ve blown up classroom’s six or seven times!” So while we’re expelling kids for just drawing a picture of a gun, we’re supposed to feel bad that most people don’t want mutants around them who can touch things and cause them to explode.
...
And know who blows stuff up all the time and whines constantly about being discriminated against? Radical Muslims.

The sky's the limit.

2010-12-21T08:33:00.004-05:00

When you were a kid, your parents said you could do anything. Listen to your kid-parents. You actually can do anything.

Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson, team member of Expedition 24, on board the International Space Station. Floating in the cupola, she is wistfully gazing out on the Earth just a day before leaving space to come home once again. (via: Bad Astronomy)

I have seen the future, and it is now.

2010-12-17T05:28:00.004-05:00

Augmented reality iPhone applications have historically been nifty ways of viewing information, but has been nothing more than just cool. That is, until now. Word Lens is a new app which actually, well, augments reality. It translates stuff you see through your camera, but live. Watch this video. In it you will see the future, which you can buy today on iTunes.

(via Gizmodo)

Digital Irony - Wikileaks Edition

2010-12-16T08:37:00.004-05:00

In an astonishing display of Digital Irony (or should I say Chutzpah?) the man responsible for the publishing of hundreds of thousands of major diplomatic secrets, which have almost definitely cost lives, and whose secrets may yet start wars, has asked in court to keep his home address secret...

Maybe it's Digital Karma?

From The Daily Mail via JammieWearingFool:

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange tried to hide his bail address from the public in an astonishing move for the man responsible for leaking thousands of diplomatic secrets.

Assange's lawyers argued that the location - a 10-bedroom stately home - should not be disclosed on grounds of privacy during yesterday's hearing at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

But the move was dismissed by District Judge Howard Riddle, who ruled not to reveal the address would conflict with Assange's commitment to open justice.

The judge insisted the address - Captain Vaughan Smith's Ellingham Hall on the Norfolk/Suffolk border - was read out in open court as usual.

What Missile Crisis?

2010-12-16T02:51:00.004-05:00

President Kennedy and Secretary of Defense McNamara. (Wikipedia)

Elder of Ziyon remembers the news tidbit from two weeks ago regarding Iran installing medium range missiles in Venezuela, and asks a poignant question:

Why isn't this story on the front page of every major US newspaper?

A man cured of HIV

2010-12-15T08:20:00.004-05:00

The poor dude had both cancer and HIV. After the aggressive treatment for the leukemia, a funny thing happened:

The treatment Brown underwent was aggressive: chemotherapy that destroyed the majority of his immune cells. Total body irradiation. Finally, a risky stem-cell transplant that nearly a third of patients don't survive—but that appears to have completely cured Brown of HIV.

Doctors were savvy when they chose a stem cell donor for Brown. The man whose bone marrow they used has a particular genetic mutation, present in an incredibly small percentage of people, that makes him almost invulnerable to HIV. With Brown's own defenses decimated by treatments, the healthy, HIV-resistant donor cells repopulated his immune system. The initial indications that the virus had abated were promising. But only just now, having taken no antiretroviral drugs since the transplant, and following extensive testing shows no signs whatsoever of HIV, have his doctors given the official word:

He's cured.

Where is the siege?

2010-12-15T07:49:00.004-05:00

Gaza under siege
(pic from here, by way of Israellycool)

The following was quoted inside of a great article about Gaza by Barry Rubin.

"There are a slew of products here, and beautiful restaurants. Is this the Gaza we have been hearing about?" asked a Sudanese official arriving there, as quoted by the Palestinian news agency Maan. "Where is the siege? I don't see it in Gaza. I wish Sudan's residents could live under the conditions of the Gazan siege."

(hat tip: Power Line)

Dear General Eisenkot,

2010-12-15T02:53:00.008-05:00

dis·com·fort [dis-kuhm-fert] – noun
1. an absence of comfort or ease; uneasiness, hardship, or mild pain.
2. anything that is disturbing to or interferes with comfort.

Dear General Eisenkot,

As a resident of Israel, and having a strong command of the English language, I would like to help you with the use of the word 'discomfort'. Discomfort is when you are slightly irritated, or in very mild pain. Discomfort is being a little chilly, or slightly too warm. Discomfort is having an itch on the middle of your back, and not being able to reach it. However, discomfort is not watching high explosives rain down on your home. Discomfort is not having a metal cylinder penetrate your cement living room roof and explode next to your sofa. Discomfort is not huddling beside a cement wall trying to cover your child while praying for his life. Discomfort is not having to teach your toddler 'boom-boom' songs to defray the psychological trauma of those falling rockets.

That is called pain. Pain is what Israel went through in the past. Pain is what we would feel should it happen again. Don't belittle our suffering. Don't belittle our pain. Tell us the situation straight up, and don't mince words. Exalt our bravery and our sacrifice. Praise us for steadfastly manning the front lines of our wars. And lastly, damn those bastards who are aiming for our children, and send them all to hell.

Thank you,
Yishai

Excerpt from General Eisenkot's speech delivered December 12, 2010:

The [missile defense] systems are designed to protect military bases, even if this means that citizens suffer discomfort during the days of battle.

Israeli Airport Security

2010-12-14T06:14:00.006-05:00

I'm sure you've read the countless previous articles extolling the virtues of the Israeli method of airport security (you know, find the bad guys, not the bad stuff). This well-written one from the Daily Mail is another of those articles, but it is updated with some new facts, introduces a funky new technology concept, and includes one startling tidbit which shocked me:

How many times in the history of aviation have the scanners and security procedures that currently cause such huge anger and inconvenience actually found explosives in baggage or on a passenger? ...

The answer, shockingly, is zero.

ISDEF 2010 - Part II

2010-10-20T11:36:00.028-04:00

Doubletapper with the M60 machine gun.

Guns, guns, and more guns.

And so begins Part II of our trip to the ISDEF 2010, the Israel Defense Show that Doubletapper so kindly invited me to. It begins with guns.

We'll start with the big guns. The ones pictured above and below were made by US Ordnance who make some very high quality products. We were most impressed with them importing in to Israel 6 fully functional automatic rifles through customs. Besides that feat, the uppers of the 5.56 were a single piece machining. Even the rails were all made from the same piece of steel. They also made floating barrels which were quick-change, that is with only a few turns of a torx-wrench, you can swap out different length barrels.

The floating barrel

Note the torx screws in front of the magazine well for the quick change barrel.

A real single piece machined upper.

Is that an M60 in your pocket...?

For those select times when your party attire does not complement an M60, go with the more demure, yet quite lethal, fully automatic 5.56 Gilboa rifle. The recipe is: you take an M-16, take out all the stuff in the back end (the main spring becomes a "puller" instead of a "pusher" somehow), give it a 7" barrel (or if your party dress is really short, you can give it a 4.5" barrel), and presto! you have the new Gilboa rifle made by Silver Shadow.

I can carry more ammo, I guess...

I didn't break it; it's a removable folding stock.

Admit it, you were about to call it "cute".

Reach out and touch someone

We spent some time admiring the .50 caliber sniper rifle made by McMillan . We weren't the only ones; many active IDF soldiers and snipers came to the booth and fawned over the guns and talked with the Navy SEAL sales rep. It was sorta like teenagers in a Ferrari shop, though, as they knew they'd never see them deployed (at least officially ;)

Oh, and the official range of the .50 is over 2km. Now that's a long distance relationship.

You talkin to me?

McMillan also makes a .338 which really impressed Doubletapper.

I can see my house from here.

No caption needed for the nice .338 bolt action.

A McMillan folding stock adjustable in three places.

Armor

Now let's force-protect.

There was a nice vehicle armoring company, HPC, which makes full B6 level protection for vehicles, which is really light (and expensive). Made out of compressed plastic fibers, it is only about a half-inch thick, and it can stop an AK round. Holy lead pancakes, Batman!

From a different company, here is a bullet resistant door, with a nice 'peephole', that can be opened, to shoot back. The peephole swivels like a gimbal, to allow for better aiming.

View from the outside. The bad-guy side.

View from the inside.

There were a surprisingly small number of body armor companies. Ken Johnsen from GlobalMotion will be offering a new, light, crazy-good body armor - once he can get the damn export license. For now he has a really nifty gel cooling pack to go under your body armor, and it can cool you for six hours. He even makes a mini cooling pack to put under your helmet.

Ken Johnsen of GlobalMotion - having a bad day. Half of his show display got taken overnight, he was missing his fridge for his cooling packs, and his A/V computer cables got snagged by customs. But he was still positive!

Remote control mania!

What do you get when you cross a bobcat digger with a expandable steel wall and then make it an R/C? That's right! Some rich guy's toy who should have played with more Lego as a child. That rich guy (who is from Slovakia) is marketing his toy as a riot control tool. I guess it might slow down a riot, but only because of the shock value (and also the bright blue color).

The video below shows the big blue bobcat in 'action' and also an R/C car with a paintball gun.

About that R/C paintball shooter - it uses a Playstation controller. Really. And the paintballs are not filled with paint. They're super hard and filled with CS liquid.

Vampire lights

Figuring vampire stuff sells well, Surefire developed a new and awesome family of flashlights called Vampire lights. They are both super-bright flashlights and, with a flick of the wrist, become super 'bright' IR lights. All in the same package you know and love from Surefire.

Surefire came all the way to Israel and saw that the IDF issued flashlights were their competitor's - Streamlights. Doh!

Here is a video of the Vampire Light in action. The purple glow of the IR was totally invisible to the naked eye.

All the rest...

New NBC detectors from Proengin. Hope nobody ever needs them. Ever.

Also, there was an encrypted cell phone app by Cellcrypt. You download the app on your Blackberry (iPhone is coming soon), and voila! your call is encrypted and secure. You need to pay Cellcrypt monthly for the service. (no picture taken)

Nice boots.

This lady sold body-worn thermal reflectors (note the poor sap in the background). We didn't care, we just listened because she gave us Snickers.

No water for you!

All the show had available to drink was free wine or beer. So what are the SWAT demo guys supposed to do after a hard day of pretending to storm stuff? That's right! Chug some beer!

ISDEF 2010 - Part I

2010-10-18T14:16:00.029-04:00

With thanks to Doubletapper, I was invited to the Israeli Defense show this year (ISDEF 2010). It was an amazing show with a lot of heavyweight companies and technologies showing up to vie for a piece of the multi-billion dollar Israeli (and worldwide) defense industry. Below are a bunch of new and impressive products now available to keep our armed forces safer and more effective.

Super sight

Vision-enhancing products this year ranged from super-high-def night vision to amazing thermal scopes, to seeing through walls.

No, Doubletapper did not forget to remove the lens cap...

There is a new monocle night vision scope from Nivisys (one of many such companies at the show) which provides an extremely high resolution image using amplified light. Because of the amount of ambient light in the showroom, it worked with a pinhole in the lens cap, so you look kinda silly trying it out (see above), but it still works great with the cap on:

The same company also makes a thermal imaging scope which can (of course) be weapon-mounted. It was one of many thermal imaging products at the show. This scope runs over $10,000.

A snapshot through the Nivisys thermal vision scope. The real-life image was much sharper.

We did not get to play with, but only got a brochure of, a new cheaper hand-held thermal imaging scope by Digital Ally. It is only (!) $4300.

Low-profile night vision goggles (NVG):

Sure I may look silly, but at least I can see in the dark.

These new NVGs from the O'Gara Group has low-profile, periscope style optics, and project the amplified light images onto translucent screens in front of your eyes. This results in less disorientation and the ability to see the actual world and whatever ambient light there is - with both eyes - all while being served a delicious entree of night vision.

An attempted photo of O'Gara's latest NVG offering - HUD style.

Oooh, but there's more... One of these goggle's "eyes" can be replaced with a mini projector which looks just like the NVG component, and can project whatever you'd like in front of your eye - maybe you'd like some realtime intel, overhead imagery, or even friendlies' positions - and still have the other eye use night vision.

Project whatever you like in front of your eyes - even the latest playoff scores...

But can it see through walls?

Enough talk of these cool but outmoded ways of seeing things. How about seeing people through walls? While the Camero system is not quite new, it will never cease to amaze me. Their large (and quite unwieldy) 3D version is simply amazing. You set up the Xaver 800 up near a wall, and it shows on the screen a 3D model of the room with its occupants, that can be spun around and analyzed. Awesome.

Stock photo. Sorry!

Camero's smaller version of Superman envy, the Xaver 400, is their more famous model which can see and track man-sized objects through walls, and show the people and their movements in 2D on the screen.

Doubletapper playing with Camero's sick see-though-walls toy.

In what may be a world-wide exclusive (I have seen no mention of this product anywhere else), below is a video of a Camero representative showing us their newest model, the Xaver 100, in action. This model is still in beta testing, which means that only a few lucky special forces units worldwide get to play with it while Camero works out any bugs. The Xaver 100 is small enough to fit in a double mag pouch, and it can detect the presence of a person through a wall (yet not plot and track in 2D).

I want one.

Sensing shots

Battlefield shot sensing - on a stick. (See that silver pencil thingy mounted next to the guy's barrel?)

Here is a company (Microflown Technologies) that is developing a 3D acoustic sensor that is rifle-mounted and can detect the location of shots fired at you. It feeds information to the rifle sight and can point you (with a constantly updated red arrow) towards those fiends who dared shoot at you!

It is amazing technology which uses sensitive sensors mounted on three different axes to pinpoint the location of the shot to within a 1 degree accuracy. Check out this demo video below. There were simulated shots coming from two computer speakers, and I was testing the sensor out with snaps.

But where are the guns, for dang's sake?!

Sorry to keep you hanging, but tune in to Part II, coming soon, to see new guns, accessories, and more awesome new technologies displayed at the ISDEF 2010.

Sound the Great Shofar

2010-08-10T08:24:00.002-04:00

From the Jewish Prayer service we say three times a day:

Sound the great shofar for our freedom; raise a banner to gather our exiles, and bring us together from the four corners of the earth into our land. Blessed are You Hashem, who gathers the dispersed of His people Israel.

On Saying Goodbye

2010-08-03T16:55:00.002-04:00

So we're leaving tomorrow to New Jersey on our way to Eretz Yisrael - the holy land of Israel. After much pushing off and denial, the time arrivesto say goodbye to various family members. We say we'll see each other soon. Not sure that it will be soon, but we say it anyways. I don't cry, but it is probably because I don't see the future as well as my wife does.

We're going to a good place for us and our children, but the pain of loss, absence and uncertainty causes me to second guess our decision. Friends of ours in Israel look back on their move and on being in Israel and can't imagine living in any other place in the world.

It is my ferverent prayer and hope that we will be feeling the same way, and soon.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-18T06:58:00.003-05:00

In these seemingly troubled times, we all should learn from Matt, who looks on the bright side, and just dances.

Happy Holidays.

Enjoy your worries...

2008-12-10T20:59:00.001-05:00

"Enjoy your worries, you may never have them again."

(h/t: Dark Roasted Blend)

On losing an election...

2008-11-04T21:56:00.002-05:00

I have been quite against the candidate Barack Obama. But now that the majority of United States citizens have spoken, and have voted him president, I am getting fully behind our new president, President Obama. I urge you all to do the same.

Congratulations, President Obama.

Israeli Political Correctness

2008-10-27T14:14:00.002-04:00

Awesome.

John McCain - HILARIOUS!

2008-10-18T23:28:00.001-04:00

OMG, there were a few serious moments interspersed throughout this hilarious speech, but don't let that deter you! Watch it all, in two parts below:

SNL: Bill Clinton clarifies his position

2008-09-28T21:11:00.001-04:00

Hi.larious:

(Hat tip: Hot Air)

McCain: All the right moves

2008-09-24T21:00:00.005-04:00

Including the Palin pick, McCain's moves at first seem unnecessarily risky and the payoff seems to be mediocre at best. But as with Palin, his latest call to postpone the debate seemed to be, like, huh? After seeing today's events (Obama's insistence on the debate, and Bush's summons for discussions Thursday), it is looking like this risk could pay off for McCain.

If McCain could possibly go to Washington and in the next two days do something for the economy, instead of just talking about what he would do, that would put McCain over Obama in an area that he has been very lacking - the economy. That rationalle is originally from Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:

I think Reid fears more than just the idea that McCain will “risk injecting presidential politics into this process or distract important talks about the future of our nation’s economy.” What Reid fears is that McCain will return to lead the Republican effort to reach a compromise, and the Senate and House GOP will let him do it. If McCain takes ownership of the bailout effort and manages to get his suggestions on limiting executive compensation and so on as part of the finished product, he will be able to trot McCain-Dodd on the campaign trail as yet another reform he’s accomplished by working across the aisle. And in a time of crisis, no less.

And what will Obama be able to say? He gave a couple of speeches and raised cash for himself while McCain went to work for the nation.

If that’s what McCain and the Republicans have in mind, this could be the coup of the entire campaign. While Obama went out and sucked up to fundraisers, McCain built the bipartisan compromise that saved the American financial system. If he succeeds, McCain will have trumped Obama on what should have been the Democrats’ best issue.

Palin on Ahmadinejad

2008-09-22T15:12:00.004-04:00

Even though Palin's invitation to speak at the anti-Iran rally today was rescinded, her prepared speech has been published by the NY Sun, and it's a doosie. Here's the closing:

Tomorrow, Ahmadinejad will come to New York. On our soil, he will exercise the right of freedom of speech — a right he denies his own people. He will share his hateful agenda with the world. Our task is to focus the world on what can be done to stop him.

We must rally the world to press for truly tough sanctions at the U.N. or with our allies if Iran's allies continue to block action in the U.N. We must start with restrictions on Iran's refined petroleum imports.

We must reduce our dependency on foreign oil to weaken Iran's economic influence.

We must target the regime's assets abroad; bank accounts, investments, and trading partners.

President Ahmadinejad should be held accountable for inciting genocide, a crime under international law.

We must sanction Iran's Central Bank and the Revolutionary Guard Corps — which no one should doubt is a terrorist organization.

Together, we can stop Iran's nuclear program.

Senator McCain has made a solemn commitment that I strongly endorse: Never again will we risk another Holocaust. And this is not a wish, a request, or a plea to Israel's enemies. This is a promise that the United States and Israel will honor, against any enemy who cares to test us. It is John McCain's promise and it is my promise.

Thank you.

The most expensive band-aid ever

2008-09-16T23:48:00.004-04:00

It cost us taxpayers a whopping $85 Billion. And yet all it does is buy us some time and some breathing room. But it sure is better than the alternative. If AIG would have been left to go under (like Lehman Brothers), we would have seen massive loss of wealth, and possibly the next major worldwide depression.

U.S. to Take Over AIG in $85 Billion Bailout
The U.S. government seized control of American International Group Inc. -- one of the world's biggest insurers -- in an $85 billion deal that signaled the intensity of its concerns about the danger a collapse could pose to the financial system.

The step marks a dramatic turnabout for the federal government, which had been strongly resisting overtures from AIG for an emergency loan or some intervention that would prevent the insurer from falling into bankruptcy. Just last weekend, the government essentially pulled the plug on Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., allowing the big investment bank to go under instead of giving it financial support. This time, the government decided AIG truly was too big to fail.

Associated Press
Businessmen leave an American International Group office building Tuesday in New York.
The U.S. negotiators drove a hard bargain. Under terms hammered out Tuesday night, the Fed will lend up to $85 billion to AIG, and the U.S. government will effectively get a 79.9% equity stake in the insurer in the form of warrants called equity participation notes. The two-year loan will carry an interest rate of Libor plus 8.5 percentage points. (Libor, the London interbank offered rate, is a common short-term lending benchmark.)

The loan is secured by AIG's assets, including its profitable insurance businesses, giving the Fed some protection even if markets continue to sink. And if AIG rebounds, taxpayers could reap a big profit through the government's equity stake.

"This loan will facilitate a process under which AIG will sell certain of its businesses in an orderly manner, with the least possible disruption to the overall economy," the Fed said in a statement.

It puts the government in control of a private insurer -- a historic development, particularly considering that AIG isn't directly regulated by the federal government. The Fed took the highly unusual step using legal authority granted in the Federal Reserve Act, which allows it to lend to nonbanks under "unusual and exigent" circumstances, something it invoked when Bear Stearns Cos. was rescued in March.

As part of the deal, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson insisted that AIG's chief executive, Robert Willumstad, step aside. Mr. Paulson personally told Mr. Willumstad the news in a phone call on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the call.

Obama confirms he hampered US-Iraqi negotiations

2008-09-16T09:17:00.004-04:00

This is a very big deal, which I hope gets all the play it deserves. From Hot Air:

Glenn Reynolds takes a close look at Barack Obama’s response to Amir Taheri and doesn’t see any daylight between them. Yesterday, Taheri accused Obama of attempting to derail a status-of-forces agreement between the US and Iraq by telling the Iraqis to wait until after the American elections and stop negotiating with the Bush administration. Obama responded by essentially confirming Taheri’s account:

In the New York Post, conservative Iranian-born columnist Amir Taheri quoted Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari as saying the Democrat made the demand when he visited Baghdad in July, while publicly demanding an early withdrawal.

“He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington,” Zebari said in an interview, according to Taheri.

“However, as an Iraqi, I prefer to have a security agreement that regulates the activities of foreign troops, rather than keeping the matter open,” Zebari reportedly said. …

Obama’s national security spokeswoman Wendy Morigi said Taheri’s article bore “as much resemblance to the truth as a McCain campaign commercial.”

In fact, Obama had told the Iraqis that they should not rush through a “Strategic Framework Agreement” governing the future of US forces until after President George W. Bush leaves office, she said.

Which is exactly what Taheri wrote. Barack Obama went to Iraq and interfered with the diplomatic efforts of the elected United States government, in a war zone no less, by telling the Iraqis to stop negotiating with the President. How exactly does that make Taheri’s column untruthful?
It wasn’t enough for Obama to fail at forcing the nation into a defeat in Iraq when he opposed the surge. Now he has interfered with our efforts to stabilize Iraq and provide for its security after the surge succeeded in keeping Iraq from falling into a failed state.

If you want to boycott Israel...

2008-09-15T12:41:00.002-04:00

...you'd better do it right!

So you want to boycott Israel...

(h/t: Israel Matzav)

Tough Love

2008-09-15T08:55:00.003-04:00

On one hand, way to go Paulson. The United States Treasury is not a backstop for stupid business decisions. While this of letting Lehman tank will be painful, it's the only way all the rest of the banks are going to get their affairs in order - which they are doing right now, very expediently, quietly, and after they change their pants. And yet, out of the other side of their mouth, the treasury is stepping up lending to financial institutions to calm the markets. There must be some bitter infighting about how to handle this thing. Who's driving this bus?!

This is what should have been done to Bear Stearns. What Bernanke and Paulson thought (evidently) was that B.S. was a lone problem, and if we bail out just this one, the rest will behave and get their act together. Uh, no.

Anyways, look for the market to tank, but hold this kernel of hope (and change?) in the back of your mind - that this will (probably) be the last one. If another major bank declares bankruptcy after Lehman, come back to Digital Irony for detailed instructions on how to panic. I read in the WJS article that it's only temporary. Heh. Sounds like Atlas Shrugged.

Crisis on Wall Street as Lehman Totters, Merrill Is Sold, AIG Seeks to Raise Cash

Fed Will Expand Its Lending Arsenal in a Bid to Calm Markets;
Moves Cap a Momentous Weekend for American Finance
By CARRICK MOLLENKAMP, SUSANNE CRAIG, SERENA NG and AARON LUCCHETTI
September 15, 2008 7:57 a.m.

NEW YORK -- The American financial system was shaken to its core on Sunday. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. said it would file for bankruptcy protection, and Merrill Lynch & Co. agreed to be sold to Bank of America Corp.
It was a gut-wrenching weekend for Wall Street, with Lehman Brothers headed toward possible liquidation, Merrill Lynch about to be taken over and AIG facing shareholder wrath. WSJ's Dennis Berman and Matthew Karnitschnig look at what's ahead.

The U.S. government, which bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac a week ago and orchestrated the sale of Bear Stearns Cos. to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in March, played much tougher with Lehman. It refused to provide a financial backstop to potential buyers. Without such support, Barclays PLC and Bank of America, the two most interested buyers, walked away. Barclays said Monday it pulled out of the potential deal after deciding it wasn't in the best interest of shareholders.

Navy SEALS fighting and dying for freedom in Afghanistan

2008-09-14T20:03:00.005-04:00

We don't know what exactly is happening in Afghanistan, but when three USN SEALs have died in two weeks, we know that something quite ferocious is up. I've toured their training base in San Diego, and let me tell you, these guys define badass. May God protect all of our armed forces defending our country while fighting for freedom on the other side of the world. And may He take care of the families of those who died in the fight (you can help too: Donate to the Naval Special Warfare Foundation). From CT blog:

Two more Navy SEALs from an extraordinarily elite and supersecret counterterrorism unit have been killed in Afghanistan, following the death two weeks ago of a SEAL from the same clandestine unit.

Details were - not surprisingly - vague. There is no direct evidence they died fighting in the new CIA-led offensive against Al Qaeda and the Taliban along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. But their loss in Afghanistan is certainly significant and a real blow to their fellow operators in the Joint Special Operations Command, which includes the Army’s Delta Force.

The two SEALs were killed September 11 somewhere “in Afghanistan,” according to military press releases, and were part of the shadowy Naval Special Warfare Development Group, the elite counterterrorism force once known as SEAL Team 6. Typically, the military identifies which Afghan town, district, city or province where American troops perish. But for the third time since August 30, when Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua Thomas Harris, a Bronze Star recipient, was reported killed after being swept away during a combat river crossing, the precise location of the latest “DEVGRU” combat casualties is unknown.

Killed last week were Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator John Wayne Marcum, 34, and Chief (select) Special Warfare Operator Jason Richard Freiwald, 30, the Navy said. Each man had served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was a highly decorated SEAL. Before Harris, no DEVGRU SEAL had fallen in Afghanistan since March 2002, according to a review of Operation Enduring Freedom deaths at iCasualties.org.

Marcum earned four Bronze Star medals with the combat “V” distinguishing device, as well as the Joint Service Commendation medal, four Combat Action ribbons and a chestful of other decorations in his career. The younger Freiwald had also earned a Bronze Star and Combat Action ribbon, the Navy said.

Sadly, both SEALs leave behind a wife and daughter. The Naval Special Warfare Foundation, which accepts donations, will likely provide support for each family.

May God protect Texas

2008-09-12T17:12:00.004-04:00

Hurricane Ike from the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA.

It's looking like Ike will be an extremely devastating storm causing immense damage and loss of life. May God protect all those in its path and those in its storm surge.

Dr. Jeff Masters: "Ike is...poised to become one of the most damaging hurricanes of all time."

The Weather Nerd has more and constant updates.

Live webcams in Galveston here (site is pretty overloaded).

September 11, 2001: What We Saw

2008-09-11T12:21:00.003-04:00

Embedded video does not work in some browsers. Link here.

102 Minutes That Changed America

2008-09-11T12:00:00.005-04:00

Sometimes the most powerful footage of 9-11 comes from home video. Watching people going through the sheer terror and horror of 9-11 is extremely powerful. Here is an interactive map showing some of the footage of The History Channel's 102 Minutes That Changed America - home video shot from 10 different locations in New York. The full show (102 minutes of unedited, uncut and realtime terror) will be playing tonight on The History Channel at 9pm/8c (preview here). I don't think I'll be able to watch.

Never Forget

2008-09-11T09:02:00.005-04:00

Never forget that there are animals out there who would rather see you dead than they themselves live. There is no recourse against such intense hatred other than force. Any yahoo who says otherwise is either naive, delusional, or woefully underinformed.

May God avenge the blood of those people destroyed seven years ago today, and may He comfort their families in their sorrow.

Picture of the Day

2008-09-08T20:22:00.002-04:00

(Click to biggerify. Photo: AP)

The McCains and Sarah Palin at Saturday's rally in Colorodo Springs.

Whoa.

Pull our troops out now!!

2008-09-05T14:06:00.002-04:00

Via Of Arms and the Law:

Chicago's handgun ban seems functioning as expected: 125 homicides over the summer, more than the KIAs in Iraq. Glenn Reynolds suggests that with escalating violence and a corrupt regime, maybe we should just pull out of Chicago.

Palin - the scandal that never was...

2008-09-02T22:25:00.005-04:00

Money quote from the great summary and analysis from Allahpundit at Hot Air:

Given all of her enemies among the state party establishment, how is it these various and sundry nefarious scandals haven’t already emerged?

Here's more:

What does the media have to show for all these breathless scandals they’ve dug up? We found out her daughter’s pregnant, but McCain probably knew about that in advance; in any case, the base has rallied around her in the aftermath and independents are unlikely to care two months down the road. We found out she was once a member of the Alaska Independence Party — except that, er, she wasn’t, and as Smith notes, it’s not nearly as fringe a party as one might think. We found out Todd Palin had a DUI back when Wham! was still together. We found out she flip-flopped on the bridge to nowhere, which would sting if not for the fact that she flip-flopped in the right direction and ended up torpedoing it. We found out she requested earmarks as mayor of Wasilla in the fine tradition of The One, who also claims to stand for “Change.” We found out she hopes God approves of what our soldiers are doing overseas. And as to the one big story that’s cooking, Troopergate, we found out nothing: She has a private lawyer now and the Democrat in charge of the investigation is trying hard to make Republicans panic, but like the Bristol Palin news, this is one thing McCain probably did vet thoroughly given the stakes.

Oh, and have you heard she shoots?

Click here for the video.

Understatement of the year

2008-09-02T21:31:00.004-04:00

"We, uh, just had an anomoly..."

Watch the video below for context.

(h/t: Defense Tech)

Gustav - a miss

2008-09-01T18:41:00.004-04:00

It could easily have been disaster for New Orleans, but they dodged a bullet. The Weathernerd from PJM fed my news addiction with great insights and updates. For those hopelessly lost, here is a great addicts page with four live streams of local New Orleans TV coverage.

Palin picked as McCain running mate

2008-08-29T13:16:00.002-04:00

McCain just picked Palin to be his running mate. It is a really good move in my mind. Here is Ed Morrissey's take on it.

First, though, let’s assess the risk. Palin has served less than two years as Governor of Alaska, which tends to eat into the experience message on which McCain has relied thus far. At 44, she’s younger than Barack Obama by three years. She has served as a mayor and as the Ethics Commissioner on the state board regulating oil and natural gas, for a total of eight years political experience before her election as governor. That’s also less than Obama has, with seven years in the Illinois legislature and three in the US Senate.

However, the nature of the experience couldn’t be more different. Palin spent her entire political career crusading against the political machine that rules Alaska — which exists in her own Republican party. She blew the whistle on the state GOP chair, who had abused his power on the same commission to conduct party business. Obama, in contrast, talked a great deal about reform in Chicago but never challenged the party machine, preferring to take an easy ride as a protegé of Richard Daley instead.

Palin has no formal foreign-policy experience, which puts her at a disadvantage to Joe Biden. However, in nineteen months as governor, she certainly has had more practical experience in diplomacy than Biden or Obama have ever seen. She runs the only American state bordered only by two foreign countries, one of which has increasingly grown hostile to the US again, Russia.

And let’s face it — Team Obama can hardly attack Palin for a lack of foreign-policy experience. Obama has none at all, and neither Obama or Biden have any executive experience. Palin has almost over seven years of executive experience.

Politically, this puts Obama in a very tough position. The Democrats had prepared to launch a full assault on McCain’s running mate, but having Palin as a target creates one large headache. If they go after her like they went after Hillary Clinton, Obama risks alienating women all over again. If they don’t go after her like they went after Hillary, he risks alienating Hillary supporters, who will see this as a sign of disrespect for Hillary.

For McCain, this gives him a boost like no other in several different ways. First, the media will eat this up. That effectively buries Obama’s acceptance speech and steals the oxygen he needs for a long-term convention bump. A Romney or Pawlenty pick would not have accomplished that.

Second, Palin will re-energize the base. She’s not just a pro-life advocate, she’s lived the issue herself. That will attract the elements of the GOP that had held McCain at a distance since the primaries and provide positive motivation for Republicans, rather than just rely on anti-Democrat sentiment to get them to the polls.

Third, and I think maybe most importantly, Palin addresses the energy issue better and more attuned to the American electorate than maybe any of the other three principals in this election. Even beyond her efforts to reform the Oil and Natural Gas Commission, she has demonstrated her independence from so-called “Big Oil” while promoting domestic production. She brings instant credibility to the ticket on energy policy, and reminds independents and centrists that the Obama-Biden ticket offers nothing but the same excuses we’ve heard for 30 years.

Finally, based on all of the above, McCain can remind voters who has the real record of reform. Obama talks a lot about it but has no actual record of reform, and for a running mate, he chose a 35-year Washington insider with all sorts of connections to lobbyists and pork. McCain has fought pork, taken real political risks to fight undue influence of lobbyists, and he picked an outsider who took on her own party — and won.

This is change you can believe in, and not change that amounts to all talk. McCain changed the trajectory of the race today by stealing Obama’s strength and turning it against him. Obama provided that opening by picking Biden as his running mate, and McCain was smart enough to take advantage of the opening.

Obama's acheivements for civil rights

2008-08-28T13:04:00.003-04:00

Say what you will about Obama's capabilities and suitability for office, he sure has lifted civil rights to a whole new playing field. The Onion has more:

Portrayal Of Obama As Elitist Hailed As Step Forward For African Americans

It's the economy, stupid.

2008-08-28T10:31:00.004-04:00

If you say the economy is fundamentally strong, you are immediately branded as an out-of-touch wealthy elitist. "Sure," they say, "it's good for you. But for the rest of us regular Americans..." Now I'm not saying everything is good. I'm saying the economy is fundamentally strong overall. On average. We are currently not close to a recession, let alone any negative growth. To even mention a depression shows a person's utter incompetence, let alone stupidity. The economy is actually doing very well, for that matter. The GDP (how much we produced) went up 3.3% over the last three months. That growth is much higher than expected, catching many pundits and economists by surprise. To have GDP growth 6-7% over an entire year is considered very healthy.

So what will happen? [deep breath] The economy (overall, not including financials, housing or automotive) will be growing healthily which will put pressure on the Fed to increase overnight lending rates which will prop up the dollar (slightly) even though the dollar will still be overvalued (p.s., the Fed does not actually have to raise rates, people only have to think that they will for this to happen). That higher dollar and resulting increased stock prices (people bullish on the future) will drive down crude oil costs, stimulating the economy even further due to the lower gas prices. Unfortunately, the gas (and oil) prices will not remain low, as the old rule of supply and demand will come in to effect in about a month. In the short term, however, we will enjoy lower crude and gas prices - as soon as the hype from hurricane Gustav blows over (pardon the pun).

Thanks for listening.

The X(perience) Factor

2008-08-28T09:53:00.003-04:00

The United States Presidency is not a celebrity position. Real, hard decisions will need to be made in which human lives will be lost. What the president chooses will either increase or decrease human suffering, and I, for one, would like someone who has already learned the consequences of their decisions firsthand before attaining the most powerful position on this planet.

Here is McCain's most effective ad to date. Via Hot Air.

You know, I am a believer in … in knowing what you’re doing when you apply for a job. Uh, and I think that … if I were seriously to consider running on a national ticket, I would essentially have to start now, before having served a day in the Senate. Now there may be some people who are comfortable doing that, but I am not one of those people. — Barack Obama, 2004

Olympic Drama

2008-08-11T12:10:00.006-04:00

Phelps is ripped (Photo: AP)

In my new drive to maintain sanity, I will not talk of the Russian war with Georgia, or of the US Volleyball coach's father who was stabbed to death in China, I will instead talk about the amazing 4x100 men's relay in which the USA swim team came from far behind to beat the French. It is one of the most amazing come-from-behind victories in Olympics history.

One of the beaten French swimmers, Amaury Leveaux, has the best quote about the race. But before you read it, picture in your mind the French racecar driver Jean Girard from the movie Talledega Nights (played by Sasha Cohen of Borat fame) and read it in his French accent. And before you do that, to put this quote in context, let me give you a quote the French swimmer Alain Bernard spewed before the race:

"The Americans? We're going to smash them. That is what we came here for."

Here's what Mssr. Leveaux, one of the French swimmers, said after the US anchor, Jason Lezak, overcame a full body-length deficit behind the smack-talking Bernard in the final 50m lap of the race [don't forget the accent]:

"A fingertip did the victory. It is nothing."

HA! Classic. Anyways, I'm sure that you've been salivating to see video of the US team serving up a large helping of irony to the French team. Go here for the video from NBC. (I'm sure you can find it on You Tube, but the quality is better here.)

As a post-script, you can hear in the video that Michael Phelps first (coherent) words, quotable here in all their American glory:

"That's what I'm talking about!"

Watch the Olympics online - Live!

2008-08-08T09:26:00.003-04:00

Y'all sad that you're at work and also can't watch the Olympics tonight because you're Shomer f---ing Shabbos? Well, you can watch the Olympics live right here:

McCain is a respectable, capable guy - just ask the Dems

2008-08-07T15:54:00.002-04:00

McCain's latest campaign ad is out, and it's a doosie. (h/t: LGF quicklinks)

Jewish Rapper 'E-Shy' hates on Obama

2008-08-07T09:34:00.003-04:00

I know some of you are convinced that I am a Mossad agent. Well, the truth is that I am actually a well-known rapper, known by my street name of E-Shy.

And I'm really good, too. (h/t: Gateway Pundit)

Obamanabull ESHY DISSES OBAMA
by thekoshanostra

Charlie bit my finger!

2008-08-04T20:19:00.001-04:00

Such a sweet boy. They are so cute! 42 million hits and counting... (Hat tip: Grandmama)

4-year-old drummer whiz Igor Falecki

2008-08-04T12:47:00.007-04:00

This 4-year-old drummer kid will knock your socks off (literally). Here is one of many videos of him. His talent is absolutely unbelievable. Off-tempo beats, changes in tempo, fills that match the music, and timing! My gosh his timing! Some kid geniuses go crazy with fills and such, but Igor patiently shows real talent by applying his skills with reservation. That takes maturity, and to find that in a four-year-old truly boggles the mind.

Update: He's actually six years old now (and five in the video below). But, whatever:

No-Drill Policy Of Democrats Harms Planet

2008-08-01T11:48:00.004-04:00

Below is a spot-on editorial by Charles Krauthammer decrying the "Save the Planet" rhetoric repeated mindlessly by Pelosi and the Democrats. If they would look at the issues holistically and see the sum of the damage done by their policies, the Dems should actually support indigenous drilling.

No-Drill Policy Of Democrats Harms Planet

By CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER | Posted Thursday, July 31, 2008 4:30 PM PT

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opposes lifting the moratorium on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on the Outer Continental Shelf. She won't even allow it to come to a vote.

With $4 gas having massively shifted public opinion in favor of domestic production, she wants to protect her Democratic members from having to cast an anti-drilling election-year vote.

Moreover, given the public mood, she might even lose. This cannot be permitted. Why? Because as she explained to Politico: "I'm trying to save the planet; I'm trying to save the planet."

A lovely sentiment. But has Pelosi actually thought through the moratorium's actual effects on the planet?

Consider: 25 years ago, nearly 60% of U.S. petroleum was produced domestically. Today it's 25%. From its peak in 1970, U.S. production has declined a staggering 47%. The world consumes 86 million barrels a day; the United States, roughly 20 million. We need the stuff to run our cars and planes and economy. Where does it come from?

Places like Nigeria, where chronic corruption, environmental neglect and resulting unrest and instability lead to pipeline explosions, oil spills and illegal siphoning by the poverty-stricken population — which leads to more spills and explosions.

Just this week, two Royal Dutch Shell pipelines had to be shut down because bombings by local militants were causing leaks into the ground.

Compare the Niger Delta with the Gulf of Mexico, where deep-sea U.S. oil rigs withstood Hurricanes Katrina and Rita without a single undersea well suffering a significant spill.

The United States has the highest technology to ensure the safest drilling. Today, directional drilling — essentially drilling down, then sideways — allows access to oil that in 1970 would have required a surface footprint more than three times as large.

Additionally, the U.S. has one of the most extensive and least-corrupt regulatory systems on the planet.

Does Pelosi imagine that with so much of America declared off-limits, the planet is less injured as drilling shifts to Kazakhstan and Venezuela and Equatorial Guinea? That Russia will be more environmentally scrupulous than we in drilling in its Arctic?

The net environmental effect of Pelosi's no-drilling willfulness is negative. Outsourcing U.S. oil production does nothing to lessen worldwide environmental despoliation. It simply exports it to more corrupt, less efficient, more unstable parts of the world — thereby increasing net planetary damage.

Raped Rain Forests

Democrats want no oil from the American OCS or ANWR. But of course they do want more oil. From OPEC. From where Americans don't vote. From places Democratic legislators can't see.

On May 13, Sen. Chuck Schumer — deeply committed to saving just those pieces of the planet that might have huge reserves of American oil — demanded that the Saudis increase production by a million barrels a day. It doesn't occur to him that by eschewing the slightest disturbance of the mating habits of the Arctic caribou, he is calling for the further exploitation of the pristine deserts of Arabia. In the name of the planet, mind you.

The other panacea, yesterday's rage, is biofuels: We can't drill our way out of the crisis, it seems, but we can greenly grow our way out. By now, however, it is blindingly obvious even to Democrats that biofuels are a devastating force for environmental degradation. It has led to the rape of "lungs of the world" rain forests in Indonesia and Brazil, as huge tracts have been destroyed to make room for palm oil and sugar plantations.

Here in the U.S., one of every three ears of corn is stuffed into a gas tank (by way of ethanol), causing not just food shortages abroad and high prices at home, but intensive increases in farming with all of the attendant environmental problems (soil erosion, insecticide pollution, water consumption, etc.).

This to prevent drilling on an area in the Arctic one-sixth the size of Dulles Airport that leaves untouched a refuge one-third the size of Britain.

There are a dizzying number of economic and national security arguments for drilling at home: a $700 billion oil balance-of-payment deficit; a gas tax (equivalent) levied on the paychecks of American workers and poured into the treasuries of enemy and terror-supporting regimes; growing dependence on unstable states of the Persian Gulf and Caspian basin.

Pelosi and the Democrats stand athwart shouting: We don't care. We come to save the planet!

They seem blissfully unaware that the argument for their drill-there-not-here policy collapses on its own environmental terms.

Make your own motivational posters

2008-07-31T14:54:00.002-04:00

They can be funny or serious. It is a fun site! Here is my first attempt:

10 Richest People of All Time and How They Made Their Fortunes

2008-07-30T13:13:00.002-04:00

From Neatorama:

Quick: who is the richest man of all time? Bill Gates? Warren Buffet? Not even close, though there's no denying they're very, very rich. The richest man of all time, when wealth is measured as a percentage of the national economy, was John D. Rockefeller, whose fortunes made Gates' and Buffet's look downright puny.

Happy Independence Day!

2008-07-03T09:16:00.002-04:00

Happy Independence Day! This country is an amazing gift from God. Enjoy every minute of it.

Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

- Patrick Henry
March 23rd, 1775

Hero quote of the day

2008-07-02T12:57:00.002-04:00

"He yelled 'Allahu akbar'; I fired."

- Moshe Plesser, the 18 year old soldier who shot and killed the terrorist today in Jerusalem.

Peace-Fire!! Huh? What alternate dimension am I on?

2008-06-19T00:11:00.007-04:00

What is going on? Does anything strike you as odd from the front page of Foxnews this evening?

"Truce between Israel and Hamas goes into effect in Gaza Strip amid a flurry of rocket attacks"

huh?

Breaking: Israel chooses a new national bird

2008-06-12T23:27:00.003-04:00

And Stephen Colbert is all over this report:

H/T: IsRaelli

I (heart) JSF

2008-06-11T22:38:00.004-04:00

Wow. I want one. Even more than a laser Hummer (believe it). The first flight of the vertical takeoff version of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) was today (but it took-off normally, horizontally. How boring.) They will go through flight tests until early next year when they will do the vertical hover takeoff and landing. Dude. More here from Popular Mechanics. And here is a video of their lift-fan test from last month.

Don't go, Jay! Don't go!

2008-06-05T16:39:00.003-04:00

I haven't watched him lately, but Jay Leno is the only watchable late night show (except when interviewing totally ditsy actors/actresses). He's pretty funny, too. From PJM:

Why Is NBC Chasing Away Jay Leno?
...
Flash forward to 2008, and Leno remains the undisputed late night champ. The Tonight Show earns more than $100 million annually for NBC, according to press reports. The program regularly trumps rival David Letterman’s The Late Show in the ratings with little sign of slipping.

The change is expected to happen mid-next year. O’Brien will assume The Tonight Show hosting duties, former Saturday Night Live star Jimmy Fallon slips into O’Brien’s Late Night slot and Leno gets to scratch his iconic chin while considering his next move.

NBC will offer what it can to keep Leno in the fold, but it’s taken away the one gig he’s best suited for — the network’s 11:35 p.m. slot. The irony is Leno isn’t nearly as talented as his predecessor, but he brings just the right mix of abilities to please the masses. Easier said than done in this highly splintered media age.

Actors love him because he rarely asks questions that push them out of their comfort zone. There’s never a whiff of danger when Leno’s on the beat, at least since former guest Howard Stern stopped making irregular appearances. Carson forged a TV empire with his sardonic wit, penchant for self mockery and a series of ridiculous bit characters. Leno simply went the common denominator route. Never tax the audience, always deliver a sharp monologue and let those late night hours float right on by.

To be fair, a few of his bits remain rigorously funny. The Monday night staple “Headlines” is a howl, letting Leno play off material submitted by the audience. Simple. Effective. Timeless.

And his Jaywalking bits let the stand-up comic think on his feet, something he’s still able to do when uncoupled from the show’s rigid format. Turns out that’s exactly what a tense nation needs late at night, a warm, witty host who won’t challenge any of your preconceived notions.

Leno’s apolitical mien surely plays into his good guy appeal. While Letterman occasionally reveals his true ideology - particularly when viciously attacking right-leaning guests like Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, Leno keeps attacking all sides without appearing beholden to either party. If his political broadsides hit one party harder, his choir boy veneer lets him sneak away without so much as a mark. He’s long since lost any cutting edge appeal to his comedy, but he’s grown a very thick hide that protects him against criticism.

Best of all, Leno brings a quality that’s nearly absent in Hollywood circles - consistency. He shows up to work every day, takes less vacation time than someone of his status might and never provides any embarrassing tabloid fodder. He’s a sure thing. How much is that worth in today’s marketplace? The mind reels.

So where will he end up next year? Wouldn’t TBS, rebranded as cable’s go-to comedy network, love to have Leno anchoring its late-night lineup? And ABC would gladly retire Nightline and bump Jimmy Kimmel Live by 30 minutes to make way for Jay. What about Fox? The list may be endless.

Some could argue it’s the Tonight Show brand which deserves credit for Leno’s success. Don’t buy it. It’s Leno’s presence, his familiarity and comfort level that breeds a winning show.

There are precious few sure things in entertainment. Leno, who took over for Johnny Carson in 1992I, is one of them. NBC will likely pay dearly for their misjudgment come 2009.

Comedy you can learn from

2008-06-05T14:44:00.002-04:00

Watch and learn about conservatism. Fun!

15 Seconds

2008-05-21T12:24:00.000-04:00

Whoa.

Barack Obama is the enemy of Jews and of Israel

2008-05-12T22:07:00.002-04:00

Sorry to sound so hateful and virile. I usually save my spite for others, and now I break it out for the man who has finally failed at keeping his hatred for Jews and of Israel a secret. The mask has slipped, B. Hussein. The mask has revealed your ugly side.

Jeffery Goldberg interviewed BO. Read it all for context and the full effect, but here are some choice quotes (including a particularly nasty one at the end):

JEFFREY GOLDBERG: I’m curious to hear you talk about the Zionist idea. Do you believe that it has justice on its side?

BARACK OBAMA: [Blah, blah,blah, DOES NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION] You know, when I think about the Zionist idea, I think about how my feelings about Israel were shaped as a young man -- as a child, in fact. I had a camp counselor when I was in sixth grade who was Jewish-American but who had spent time in Israel, and during the course of this two-week camp he shared with me the idea of returning to a homeland and what that meant for people who had suffered from the Holocaust, and he talked about the idea of preserving a culture when a people had been uprooted with the view of eventually returning home. There was something so powerful and compelling for me, maybe because I was a kid who never entirely felt like he was rooted. That was part of my upbringing, to be traveling and always having a sense of values and culture but wanting a place. So that is my first memory of thinking about Israel.

And then that mixed with a great affinity for the idea of social justice that was embodied in the early Zionist movement and the kibbutz, and the notion that not only do you find a place but you also have this opportunity to start over and to repair the breaches of the past. I found this very appealing. [I like chummus too, Hussein, but do you think ZIONISM IS JUST?!]
...
One of the things that is frustrating about the recent conversations on Israel is the loss of what I think is the natural affinity between the African-American community and the Jewish community, one that was deeply understood by Jewish and black leaders in the early civil-rights movement but has been estranged for a whole host of reasons that you and I don’t need to elaborate. [Why don't you elaborate Hussein? Or should I ask your spiritual advisor for more information?]
JG: Do you think that justice is still on Israel’s side?
BO: I think that the idea of a secure Jewish state is a fundamentally just idea [uhhh, answer the question Hussein], and a necessary idea, given not only world history but the active existence of anti-Semitism, the potential vulnerability that the Jewish people could still experience. I know that that there are those who would argue that in some ways America has become a safe refuge for the Jewish people, but if you’ve gone through the Holocaust, then that does not offer the same sense of confidence and security as the idea that the Jewish people can take care of themselves no matter what happens. That makes it a fundamentally just idea.

That does not mean that I would agree with every action of the state of Israel, because it’s a government and it has politicians, and as a politician myself I am deeply mindful that we are imperfect creatures and don’t always act with justice uppermost on our minds. But the fundamental premise of Israel and the need to preserve a Jewish state that is secure is, I think, a just idea and one that should be supported here in the United States and around the world.
...When Israel invaded Lebanon two summers ago...

...I said that there’s not a nation-state on Earth that would tolerate having two of its soldiers kidnapped and just let it go. So I welcome the Muslim world’s accurate perception that I am interested in opening up dialogue and interested in moving away from the unilateral policies of George Bush, but nobody should mistake that for a softer stance when it comes to terrorism...[which is it Hussein? Dialogue? Or kicking terrorist butt?]
JG: If you become President, will you denounce settlements publicly?

BO: What I will say is what I’ve said previously. Settlements at this juncture are not helpful. Look, my interest is in solving this problem not only for Israel but for the United States.
JG: Do you think that Israel is a drag on America’s reputation overseas?
BO: No, no, no. But what I think is that this constant wound, that this constant sore, does infect all of our foreign policy.

WHAT?! HUSSEIN! DID YOU JUST CALL ISRAEL A FESTERING SORE INFECTING ALL OF OUR FOREIGN POLICY?!

To tell you the truth, Hussein, I'm surprised you made it this far in the race, given that us Jews control everything. You really hid it well.

Uchh.

There's one more:

I want to solve the problem, and so my job in being a friend to Israel is partly to hold up a mirror and tell the truth and say if Israel is building settlements without any regard to the effects that this has on the peace process, then we’re going to be stuck in the same status quo that we’ve been stuck in for decades now.

Bastard.

The Subprime Mess in 45 easy cartoons

2008-05-12T17:30:00.002-04:00

Funny and good explanation of this subprime mortgage mess - in 45 easy cartoon slides.

By the way, I still believe the dollar will go down, even though it is showing strength currently.

Tentacles of Death

2008-05-12T15:26:00.004-04:00

Gazan terrorists have killed another Israeli civilian today - this time an elderly woman. The last time the terrorists blew up a 70-year-old woman there was candy and pastries passed out in the streets of Gaza and much celebratory jubilation.

Hashem yikam damah.

PA Terrorists in Gaza Kill Seventy-Year-Old Israeli Woman

by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

(IsraelNN.com) A 70-year-old woman was killed early Monday evening when Palestinian Authority terrorists fired a rocket into the western Negev community she was visiting. Her name has yet to be released.
There was nothing for medics to do but find the woman's son.

The enemy rocket slammed into the residential area of Moshav Yesha, in the Negev's Eshkol region, around 6:00 pm. It landed in close proximity to the victim, killing her almost instantly. She was in the community with her son, visiting a friend. When the Red Alert siren went off, the visitors took refuge in a nearby home, but for a reason that is still not clear, the woman who was killed was standing outside the building when the rocket landed.

A paramedic who was on the scene said that they got ready to move the minute the Red Alert was sounded. Unfortunately, he said, there was nothing for medics to do but find the woman's son in the house and give him the tragic news.

Start Drilling

2008-05-01T16:55:00.003-04:00

Via Instapundit, Robert Samuelson suggests rather logically that America should start drilling:

It may surprise Americans to discover that the United States is the third-largest oil producer, behind Saudi Arabia and Russia. We could be producing more, but Congress has put large areas of potential supply off-limits. These include the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and parts of Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. By government estimates, these areas may contain 25 billion to 30 billion barrels of oil (against about 30 billion barrels of proven U.S. reserves today) and 80 trillion cubic feet or more of natural gas (compared with about 200 tcf of proven reserves).

What keeps these areas closed are exaggerated environmental fears, strong prejudice against oil companies and sheer stupidity. Americans favor both "energy independence" and cheap fuel. They deplore imports -- who wants to pay foreigners? -- but oppose more production in the United States. Got it?

Got leftover matzah? 20 tips...

2008-04-30T22:14:00.002-04:00

Via IsRaelli - 20 tips on what to do with your leftover matzah!

Caption Contest!!

2008-04-15T22:30:00.002-04:00

Please help me out with some good ones... I'm too tired to come up with them by myself.

"Words don't stop missiles, and [in any case,] there's nothing to talk about"

2008-04-15T15:38:00.004-04:00

"Words don't stop missiles, and [in any case,] there's nothing to talk about."
- Defense Minister Ehud Barak

Via Israel Matzav comes a short report on the Israeli verbal reaction to Syrian mobilization and Iranian threats of genocide.

The best line is above, from the defense minister Ehud Barak.

On a personal note, in the Jewish month of Nissan we were redeemed from Egypt, and in this month of Nissan we will be redeemed in the future. May it be God's will that there be no more war and that He bring peace speedily and in our days.

Chag Kasher v'Sameach.

Cleanup on aisle 4!

2008-04-14T15:44:00.003-04:00

Israeli Pilot Causes Alert in North
(IsraelNN.com) An Israeli pilot accidentally put the army on alert on Saturday when he failed to identify himself after taking off in a light aircraft. Air Force planes and jets were called to the scene, and area residents reported seeing heavy aircraft traffic for several minutes.
The incident ended when the pilot [desperately] contacted air traffic control and identified himself [shrilly]. The IAF went off of alert, and all planes returned safely to their bases. The IAF will not be responsible for the pilot's laundry costs. [ed. ok, I added the last sentence]

When you sell stuff, you always need a buyer

2008-04-14T09:28:00.004-04:00

So everyone is freaking out about the huge debt sell-offs. My thoughts on the issue are that while some banks were not properly positioned for the current economic climate, in no way does that mean the economy itself is tanking. For when banks sell off their debts to generate liquid cash, there is a buyer out there willing to shell out those billions of dollars, betting that the economy is not tanking, and that the borrowers, whose loans they have just purchased, will be paying the loans back in the future.

But the dollar still will tank much further. Gold, oil, and food prices will increase substantially. But that's neither here nor there. I was just sayin'.

Deutsche Looking to Sell Private-Equity Debt
Following Citigroup's bid to dump the broad array of troubled debt weighing down its balance sheet, Deutsche Bank is trying to "sell as much as $20 billion of debt related to leveraged buyouts to a collection of investors that include private-equity firms," people familiar with the matter tell The Wall Street Journal. But unlike Citi, "which is looking for buyers of a $12 billion package of loans and bonds, Deutsche Bank is selling off its debt in parcels," the Journal reports. Separately, Wachovia, fifth-largest U.S. bank, "which barreled into adjustable-rate mortgages with the huge acquisition of Golden West Financial near the peak of the housing market, could announce as soon as today that it is getting a capital infusion of several billion dollars from outside investors," the Journal adds, citing people familiar with the matter. In exchange for $6 billion to $7 billion in cash, the investor group would get shares in Wachovia priced at about $23 to $24 apiece, a 15% discount to Friday's closing price.

Nationwide Emergency Drill

2008-04-08T09:55:00.003-04:00

Children carry a "wounded" classmate to a bomb shelter at the Frankel school in Jerusalem on Tuesday as sirens wail across the country during the largest civil defense nationwide exercise in Israel's history.
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski

The picture above shows the disparate rearing of children in the Arab communities and the Jewish ones. The Arabs give their children suicide vests and rifles, the Jews teach their children how to sing through with raining missiles and explosions, and to hide from attempts to kill them.

May God end all war in the world and bring Mashiach quickly.

From Haaretz:

Defense Minister Ehud Barak assembled the new National Emergency Authority on Monday as part of the Home Front preparedness exercise being conducted this week throughout the country.

As part of the drill, known as Turning Point 2 (Nekudat Mifne 2), the siren sounded for a minute and a half. There was no alarm sounded for the drill in Sderot and the rest of the communities bordering Gaza.

Before the warning sirens sound, the Home Front Command inaugurated its new broadcast studio in the command's Ramle headquarters with a live TV broadcast on Channel 33 on proper emergency procedures.

As the sirens sounded, school and nursery school children were taken to the closest shelters, to spend an hour learning about emergency procedures. Government employees will also be expected to man their posts in shelters and protected rooms.

All local authorities were to undertake drills, based on different scenarios provided by the Home Front Command. In the afternoon there will be emergency exercises in Nazareth and the Northern Galilee, to practice rescuing survivors from buildings hit by missiles.

And so it begins - Fitna the Movie

2008-03-28T12:39:00.003-04:00

Very disturbing images (close your eyes during them). It must be shown, though, to see the kids being taught to hate and kill from infancy. It must be shown to publicize the sanctified calls for terror and murder against the infidels and Jews. It must be shown to shout out that we will not bow to Muslim intimidation! That we live by free speech, even if that free speech disagrees with you. We are a free country and you can not take my freedom away!

Context: Iraq fighting not bad news

2008-03-26T11:35:00.004-04:00

Know your context before reporting that the recent spate of fighting in Iraq is due to ethnic tensions, that the fighting is worrisome and is foreboding for future US troop withdrawals. It's not. Michael Yon is on the ground there and understands the situation and the big picture.

MICHAEL YON EMAILS: "It's important to contextualize the fighting in Basra. That the Iraqi Army apparently is fighting JAM is important; a largely Shia Government of Iraq is in command of the Iraqi Army. The Iraqi Army is fighting Shia militia. This is not bad news."

Dude, Where's my nuke?

2008-03-26T09:51:00.002-04:00

From the WSJ's Morning Brief:

The Defense Department mistakenly shipped secret fuses for Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles to Taiwan more than 18 months ago and did not learn that the items were missing until late last week, Pentagon officials acknowledged yesterday, deepening concerns about the security of the U.S. nuclear arsenal six months after the Air Force lost track of six nuclear warheads for 36 hours when they were inadvertently flown on a B-52 bomber between bases in North Dakota and Louisiana. Defense Secretary Robert Gates learned of the erroneous shipment on Friday and informed President Bush, but officials waited until yesterday -- after Saturday's elections in Taiwan -- to disclose the incident.

Why didn't Taiwan let us know?

Who knew? Hulu!

2008-03-20T00:45:00.004-04:00

Well, the internet is quite an amazing place. Firstly, there are tons of free e-books at Wowio (they just put ads on the fist pages of the pdf ebook). Now you can watch TV episodes and a handful of really good movies - free and pretty good quality (480p). Hulu. Hmm.. I guess all of the good domain names were already taken.

EXTREMELY strong language warning... But this clip must be embedded for the good of all mankind.

Far out product placement

2008-03-19T10:36:00.005-04:00

You can't buy this type of product placement - at least not for a terrestrial price. From BAB:

BABloggee and webmaster of the fantastic What’s The Harm? website Tim Farley pointed out to me that NASA has released an incredible picture of the Space Shuttle Endeavour:

The picture was taken from the space station using a telephoto, and the linked page goes to a huge 1.6 Mb picture that’s ~~1200×800~~ 3000×2000 pixels. It’s really quite stunning!

… but Tim also pointed out to me that you can see something sitting on the window console:

Now THIS is a true speech on race

2008-03-19T10:15:00.003-04:00

It seems that even as far as we have come, the world's efforts to unite us all and end racism only seems to divide us further. Rather than defend some nutjob's wacked out racist tirades, why don't we cultivate the potential of the individual to become great and rise above platonic differences? Why don't we strengthen America with what made her great in the first place - freedom!

Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring - when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children - black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics - will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Gray skies are gonna clear up?

2008-03-19T10:10:00.002-04:00

Cramer thinks so! And since he has made more millions than I have, his opinion carries a little more weight. I think he may be right, if the Fed and Bernanke behave themselves.

This huge oversold market may have finally hit bottom, Jim Cramer told viewers of his "Mad Money" TV show Tuesday.
"Last Tuesday's rally was not the bottom of this market," he said, "but today's rally was." Cramer cited several reasons why he now feels the markets has finally reached a sustainable bottom.
First, there was a significant change in attitude in Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's comments Tuesday when he said his agency is prepared to do whatever it takes to turn the economy around.
Cramer: NYX Buyback Means Bottom Is Near

Mortgage bonds traded higher Tuesday. "These low rates will signal re-fi madness," he said.
The fabulous numbers posted by both Goldman Sachs (GS - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr), a stock which he owns for his charitable trust Action Alerts PLUS, and Lehman Brothers (LEH - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) signal that not all financial stocks are damaged.
There's now a president dealing with banks and brokerages that go under, and that people needn't be worried about losing their life savings.

Stocks such as Nucor (NUE - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) and CSX (CSX - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr), which both hit 52-week highs Tuesday, signaling the economy isn't as bad as is being reported.
Momentum names like Intuitive Surgical (ISRG - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr), First Solar (FSLR - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr), Google (GOOG - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) and Apple (AAPL - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) are showing signs of life for the first time this year. Cramer reiterated a buy on Apple.
The markets will bottom in part to the VISA IPO, which was priced at $44 a share Tuesday evening. He anticipates the IPO will prove lucrative for those able to get in and will instill some confidence back into the market.
The market has bottomed because the market rallied despite Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's disappointing rate cut.

Forget the dollar, the sky is falling.

2008-03-17T10:31:00.007-04:00

Well, I sat here this morning pontificating how much money I could have made had I shorted Bear Stearns (I'm not an investor, though, and I don't have any money to play with). I also am so frustrated at having been sure over six months ago that the dollar would fall, yet being too chicken (or conservative?) to act on it.

Well, now I'm done with the dollar. I'm done with house prices. What I'm talking about is the collapse of the US economy. I am Chicken Little and I would like to let you know that the sky is falling.

The U.S Federal Reserve has officially thrown it's hat into the ring of the 'credit crisis' and is behaving like just another investment firm. Sure the Fed would be the biggest investment firm out there, but the moment it began acting like a puny bank and not the Federal Reserve of the richest and most powerful country on the planet, it began the decline to its own demise. And when the Fed goes, we all go.

Sorry for this doom and gloom. But there was hope even with a weak dollar. There was hope even with $10 a gallon gas. But there is no hope when the Fed goes down.

Sorry.

One could almost hear the panic in the Fed's announcement yesterday, that it was taking extraordinary weekend action ahead of today's resumption of trading in Asia to "bolster market liquidity and promote orderly market functioning." First, the Fed board unanimously authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York open its bank-lending facilities to non-bank securities firms, starting today. For at least six months, these securities dealers will be able to borrow from the Fed using "a broad range of investment-grade debt securities" as collateral [ed.- aka b.s. paper-backed nothingness], and they will benefit from the same discount rate charged to banks [ed. - sounds just like the 0% mortgages that started this craziness]. Secondly, the Fed lowered the discount rate by a quarter percentage point to 3.25% -- just one quarter point above its target federal-funds rate, which affects a broad field of mortgage and other consumer loans. Those decisions mark "one of the broadest expansions" of the Fed's lending authority since the 1930s, The Wall Street Journal notes, adding that the sharp market downturns in Tokyo, Hong Kong and elsewhere that ensued suggest "additional steps might be needed to calm markets." [ed. - there are no steps left. You can only go to 0%, and you subsequently will run out of money 'bailing' people out] The Fed's next scheduled meeting is tomorrow, when it is expected to again lower the federal-funds rate by at least half a percentage point [ed.- HOLY $HIT!!!].

Almost as an afterthought, the Fed statement adds that "the Board also approved the financing arrangement announced by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and The Bear Stearns Companies Inc." But as the New York Times reports, that amounts to approval of a $30 billion credit line that engineers the takeover [ed.- nope. It's not a credit line. JPMorgan borrowed the funds needed for the purchase from the Federal Reserve to buy Bear Stearns at a firesale price. Shouldn't the funds have come from non-governmental sources? WTH is going on? The Fed is supposed to lend for basic overnight transactions, not long term buyouts!!]. This sum is aimed at helping J.P. Morgan deal with the mortgage-backed investments and other soured debt that no one wants to buy and that got Bear Stearns -- and so many others -- in trouble [ed. - so let me get this straight. Rather than let Bear Stearns pay for it's own bad business deals, the US Federal Reserve is financing the purchase of those very same bad business deals. Again, WTH?]. It sure isn't needed for the acquisition itself. J.P. Morgan is paying about $236 million, compared with Bear Stearns's stock-market value of about $3.5 billion as of Friday, after its initial bailout, and the $20 billion it was worth in January 2007, as The Wall Street Journal reports. Once customers and trading partners started fleeing Bear Stearns last week, it was left with what the Journal calls "a horrible choice: sell the firm -- at any price -- to a big bank willing to assume its trading obligations or file for bankruptcy." Or as one person involved in the negotiations tells the paper: "At the end of the day, what Bear Stearns was looking at was either taking $2 a share or going bust."

My recommendations? Dig a hole and crawl into it.

Flying "A National Treasure" - the SR-71 Blackbird

2008-03-09T21:42:00.005-04:00

Here's a great piece written by one of the only 93 SR-71 Blackbird pilots. I quoted some poignant sections below, but I recommend you read it all.

The Blackbird was a remarkable achievement in engineering and design resulting in the fastest airplane ever, with its first flight in 1962. With all of our great modern technology, we have not beaten her yet.

Ironically, the plane was dripping, much like the misshapen model had assembled in my youth. Fuel was seeping through the joints, raining down on the hangar floor. At Mach 3, the plane would expand several inches because of the severe temperature, which could heat the leading edge of the wing to 1,100 degrees. To prevent cracking, expansion joints had been built into the plane. Sealant resembling rubber glue covered the seams, but when the plane was subsonic, fuel would leak through the joints.
...
I came to the program in 1983 with a sterling record and a recommendation from my commander, completing the week long interview and meeting Walter, my partner for the next four years. He would ride four feet behind me, working all the cameras, radios, and electronic jamming equipment. I joked that if we were ever captured, he was the spy and I was just the driver. He told me to keep the pointy end forward.

We trained for a year, flying out of Beale AFB in California, Kadena Airbase in Okinawa, and RAF Mildenhall in England. On a typical training mission, we would take off near Sacramento, refuel over Nevada, accelerate into Montana, obtain high Mach over Colorado, turn right over New Mexico, speed across the Los Angeles Basin, run up the West Coast, turn right at Seattle, then return to Beale. Total flight time: two hours and 40 minutes.

One day, high above Arizona, we were monitoring the radio traffic of all the mortal airplanes below us. First, a Cessna pilot asked the air traffic controllers to check his ground speed. 'Ninety knots,' ATC replied. A twin Bonanza soon made the same request. 'One-twenty on the ground,' was the reply. To our surprise, a navy F-18 came over the radio with a ground speed check. I knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, he had a ground speed indicator in his cockpit, but he wanted to let all the bug-smashers in the valley know what real speed was 'Dusty 52, we show you at 525 on the ground,' ATC responded. The situation was too ripe. I heard the click of Walter's mike button in the rear seat. In his most innocent voice, Walter startled the controller by asking for a ground speed check from 81,000 feet, clearly above controlled airspace. In a cool, professional voice, the controller replied, 'Aspen 20, I show you at 1,742 knots on the ground.' We did not hear another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast.
...
The Blackbird had outrun nearly 4,000 missiles, not once taking a scratch from enemy fire. On her final flight, the Blackbird, destined for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, sped from Los Angeles to Washington in 64 minutes, averaging 2,145 mph and setting four speed records.
...
To keep from worrying, I glance outside, wondering if I'll be able to visually pick up a missile aimed at us. Odd are the thoughts that wander through one's mind in times like these. I found myself recalling the words of former SR-71 pilots who were fired upon while flying missions over North Vietnam. They said the few errant missile detonations they were able to observe from the cockpit looked like implosions rather than explosions. This was due to the great speed at which the jet was hurling away from the exploding missile.
...
It is a race this jet will not let us lose. The Mach eases to 3.5 as we crest 80,000 feet. We are a bullet now - except faster. We hit the turn, and I feel some relief as our nose swings away from a country we have seen quite enough of. Screaming past Tripoli, our phenomenal speed continues to rise, and the screaming Sled pummels the enemy one more time, laying down a parting sonic boom. In seconds, we can see nothing but the expansive blue of the Mediterranean. I realize that I still have my left hand full-forward and we're continuing to rocket along in maximum afterburner.

The TDI now shows us Mach numbers, not only new to our experience but flat out scary. Walt says the DEF panel is now quiet, and I know it is time to reduce our incredible speed. I pull the throttles to the min 'burner range and the jet still doesn't want to slow down. Normally the Mach would be affected immediately, when making such a large throttle movement. But for just a few moments old 960 just sat out there at the high Mach, she seemed to love and like the proud Sled she was, only began to slow when we were well out of danger.

I loved that jet.

2008-03-07T10:06:00.003-05:00

Heart-wrenching quote of the day

2008-03-07T09:38:00.003-05:00

“God picks the most beautiful flowers for his garden,” said the mother of 16-year-old Avraham David Mozes. “He (God) sees him as an angel, and we should thank him for the privilege of raising him for 16 years. Sixteen years of purity and integrity and kindness.”

From Ynet via Israellycool.

The names and ages of the victims:

Yochai Lipschitz, 18, of Jerusalem
Yonatan Yitzchak Eldar, 16, of Shiloh
Yonadav Chaim Hirschfeld, 19, of Kochav Hashahar
Neriah Cohen, 15, of Jerusalem
Roey Roth, 18, of Elkana
Segev Pniel Avihayil, 15, of Neveh Daniel
Avraham David Moses, 16, of Efrat
Maharata Trunoch, 26, of Ashdod.

Police photos of the day

2008-03-06T12:07:00.002-05:00

From Dark Roasted Blend comes these two funny pictures of the police in action. Different caption ideas are welcome.

"Feelin' lucky, punk?"

"Nice kitty..."

Video: Blogger moved to tears by awesomeness of new machine gun

2008-03-05T20:36:00.002-05:00

Title of this post was directly ripped from HotAir. And I have to admit, I also misted up a little bit.

Geert Wilders' movie is coming soon...

2008-03-05T20:08:00.003-05:00

Fitna the movie. It's all the rage.

Proportionate Response

2008-03-05T18:59:00.004-05:00

Finally. After the unending complaints of the apartheid Zionist entity abusing the poor palestinians with "Disproportionate response", a Zionist resident of Ashkelon came up with a proportionate response. The only problem is that the police stopped him before he could respond. I'm not sure why they stopped him, though. It was proportionate...

(Picture thanks to Atlas Shrugs)

Ashkelon man builds homemade missile
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND REBECCA ANNA STOIL
Ashkelon resident Moshe Nissimpor decided that the best way to halt rocket fire from Gaza - in light of what he terms the government's failure to do so - is some vigilante justice.

Nissimpor developed a homemade 200-millimeter ballistic missile which he planned to launch from Ashkelon into the Gaza Strip.
"From this day onwards, we will push back to the stone age every place which dares shoot missiles into Israel's sovereign territory," he said Wednesday. "It is time the world understood Israelis' lives are not expendable."
"I'm afraid this is the only language the Palestinians understand, and this is the language in which we'll speak to them. I have many Gazan Palestinian friends who live as Hamas hostages. Once we bring an end to the rocket fire, Gaza's residents will also live in peace," he said.
Nissimpor arrived at the Ashkelon Municipality building with the missile painted black and lettered "to Hamas, from the residents of Ashkelon" in red, and was planning to launch it.
Ashkelon residents gathered round to cheer him on and protest the government's conduct, but at the eleventh hour, police stopped him from firing the missile and seized it.

"I wish there were more 'crazies' like me in Israel," Nissimpor said as the crowd was dispersed by the police.

Go Jews! MacBook Air edition

2008-03-04T20:22:00.003-05:00

Via IsRealli comes the nifty fact that the song in that new MacBook Air commercial is by the Israeli singer Yael Naim. Sweet! Click the image to watch.

Oh, and you can buy her song New Soul on iTunes, too.

S'derot - another must-watch video

2008-03-03T22:35:00.004-05:00

Have you seen the one of the little children running for the bomb shelters in kindergarten? Have you seen the one of the children singing at the top of their lungs while they wait for the rockets to rain down? Have you seen the boys playing basketball huddling against a wall because they are too far from a shelter?

Well, now watch this. Watch the children sleeping on mattresses in their hallways. Watch the children running for their lives during recess. Watch the four-year-old screaming desperately for his lost Mommy. See the human side of the daily tragedy in S'derot and now in Ashkelon that those homicidal animals cause.

Thanks to Sderot Media for everything they do. Click here to search Digital Irony for "Sderot" and see how far back this mess goes and how much the people of Sderot have gone through.

And Again - Hamas kills Israeli student by Qassam barrage

2008-02-27T12:01:00.004-05:00

Our cookie jar of miracles ran out. One dead amidst a barrage of over 30 qassams, some of which hit a hospital center in Ashkelon. More updates at Israellycool.

At least one Israeli has been killed, and several others wounded after palestinians fired as least 30 Qassam rockets into Sderot and surrounding communities.
The dead man was a 30-year-old student in his car, who suffered lethal shrapnel wounds to the chest after a Qassam hit Sapir College.

The deadly barrage came hours after the IAF killed five Hamas terrorists apparently planning a large scale terrorist attack against Israel after having been trained in Iran.

I'm praying God refills our cookie jar and that nobody else will be hurt by the terrorists.

The real Star Wars

2008-02-21T11:16:00.003-05:00

And so it begins... From Hot Air:

Video: Navy gives rogue satellite the full Death Star treatment
They needed steady seas, had a time window of only a few seconds to shoot, and were aiming at something no bigger than a bus, and they still got it. Man, did they ever:

[Marine Gen. James Cartwright] estimated there was an 80-90 percent chance that the missile struck the most important target on the satellite — its fuel tank, containing 1,000 pounds of hydrazine, which Pentagon officials say could have posed a health hazard to humans if it had landed in a populated area…

The size of the debris is smaller than the Pentagon had forecast and most of the satellite’s intelligence value was likely destroyed, Cartwright said. Though the Pentagon has played down that aspect of the shootdown, analysts had said one of the reasons for the operation was that officials worried that without it, larger chunks of the satellite could fall and be recovered, opening the possibility of secret technology falling into the hands of the Chinese or others.

“Football-sized chunks,” quoth the AFP. Goldfarb sees it as a de facto ad for missile defense. If shooting down an ICBM is like hitting a bullet with a bullet, this is like hitting a wafting tennis ball with a bullet: Not quite as impressive, but darned sweet.

Check out the awesomely awesome high-rez photos here, then click the image to watch.

Update: Cuffy Meigs knows his missile defense.

Caption contest!

2008-02-21T10:51:00.002-05:00

I hope some of my creative readers can come up with some good captions. I'll start you off.

"It's good!"

"I have a headache this big..."

Quote du jour

2008-02-21T10:35:00.002-05:00

"If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the mighty one. Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

- J. Robert Oppenheimer, quoting from the Bhagavad Gita after witnessing the detonation of Trinity, the first atomic bomb.

Drew Carey on Reason.tv

2008-02-19T21:36:00.001-05:00

Funny man Drew Carey tells it like it is - how we in modern America have it better than we ever had had it - in history.

Obama! Obama!

2008-02-13T11:19:00.003-05:00

From Day by Day: