Be there!

Last night

The Burka Band

- Of course it was a joke to sing in the burkas, but it was also necessary to wear them. If people in Afghanistan knew who the members of the Burka Band were, we could be attacked or killed because there are still a lot of religious fanatics here, says Nargiz, who hasn't told any of her friends that she has played in the Burka Band.

Meeting right here on Earth

Tom Waits meets Shane MacGowan on the way from Minsk to New York.

I've got it

The Bush administration is paying Haliburton to make it so cold out, so that they can deny the Global Warming

February Revolution

February Revolution 2007

For starters, I'm doing a little residency at the Theater for the New City, in a show called Voideville ( http://www.voideville.com/about.html)
The show is produced by Gordon Bressack, who won three Emmy awards for my favorite cartoons, Pinky and The Brain, and Animaniacs. Which means it most likely will be good. The show will go on for three weeks, but I'm only in it three times:

Friday, February 2, 10:30
Friday, February 9, 10:30
Sunday, February 18, 6 pm
Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave (btwn 9 and 10), $15

Another big thing for me is playing a 30 minutes music set in Bar 169 in Chinatown. It will be the first time in a few years when I play a full set.

Thursday, February 15, 9:30 pm sharp
Bar 169
169 East Broadway
This is the one where in addition to my ususal funny little songs I will play some more serious musical material, using some new nifty equipment.

Chat

chattin with cmr. Yaron

me: mah job wack krazy, yo
like a mothafuking monkey
krizazy
Yaron: That's ill.
me: ba isskool
for somebody wit ma attention span
Yaron: Do you have a handle on it?
Like on your job.
me: i try
i be pretty damn motivated
Yaron: Aight.
me: i give people shit
know whata mean?
i be hard ass on they ass
Yaron: I had a co-worker who was like that. He would yell "your code sucks!"
me: kuz i gots muthafukin reports to get out, bitch
so you betta fix yo sto proseejah
Yaron: Word up. Gotta lay down the law.
me: it's da nature od their bidnis to be wack like that
so it's all about fads
they gots to respond wit a quickness
Yaron: "Pass the bones/ let's get on this mission like Indiana Jones"
me: ???
Yaron: Some Wu-Tang wisdom.
me: hmm
Yaron: I have to make some stored procedures for my next project, actually. I hope I still remember how to do them.
Sent at 9:10 PM on Thursday
Yaron: How are your co-workers?
Sent at 9:12 PM on Thursday
me: cold blooded muthafackaz
Yaron: Aight.

Commenting on Michael Ledeen's article

The Mask Comes Off the Mullahs

Great article, Dr.Ledeen.
It looks like the "intelligence community and the diplomats" (which is often the same people) is where we should look into. To be successful, to do a good job for them, often means to work out a "diplomatic solution" - which can be the opposite of success for the country.
It's a shame how poorly the US is fighting its propaganda war - compared to what we - the Soviets could listen to back in the 1980s. All we have in Iran is Radio Farda (whose stand seems to be rather moderate). Considering the advance in technology - and the number of people with satellite dishes - we could do much better. Especially if we concentrated on unmasking our enemies - instead of trying to make America look good.

Survey

Who do you think is behind the murder of Litvinenko?

Genesis

...and on the next day, God made alka seltzer.

Best News on Depression Ever

Siberian scientists believe that addiction to alcohol and narcotics, as well as depression, suicidal thoughts and psychosomatic diseases occur when an individual loses his or her interest in life.
Genius! As James Taranto says, what would we do without the experts?

Doctor of Biological Sciences, Sergei Speransky, is a very well known figure in Novosibirsk. The doctor became one of the authors of the shocking whipping therapy. The professor used the self-flagellation method to cure his own depression; he also recovered from two heart attacks with the help of physical tortures too.

”The whipping therapy becomes much more efficient when a patients receives the punishment from a person of the opposite sex. The effect is astounding: the patient starts seeing only bright colors in the surrounding world, the heartache disappears, although it will take a certain time for the buttocks to heal, of course,” Sergei Speransky told the Izvestia newspaper.

This is what I've been saying all along: men love to be pussywhipped.

”People might probably think of me as a masochist,” Dr. Speransky said. “But I can assure you that I am not a classic masochist at all,” he added.

The revolutionary method may take the Russian healthcare to a whole new level.

So now we all understand why men pay such big money to all those dominatrix women: The effect is astounding: the patient starts seeing only bright colors in the surrounding world, the heartache disappears.

Thanks to Instapundit for blogging this story. I feel better already!

Great Questions

The search engine worketh in mysterious ways, bringing me visitors with most inquisitive minds, capable of original, non-standard thinking. Welcom, komrades!

Why didn't anyone stop Ivan the terrible evil behavior?
Yes, why?

And here's the winner:
How do you grow armpit hair without buying anything?

One dog outsmarts four humans

Simon says

Come root for me!

Tomorrow, I will compete here.

MR LOWER EAST SIDE PAGEANT

bands, men's junk, old friends, new enemies.
21 and over
$3 "BONES"
WITH
special musical performance by THE NEW YORK HOWL

It's probably the craziest and most hilarious show I know. I've competed twice in the past, but didn't win - my rivals were really talented! And quite motivated, I should add. If you are a woman or a gay man, you get to vote. But even if you're neither, you should come - if nothing else, it will be something to remember.

Says the blog PAYOR
This annual audience-judged title comes with a crown, a custom bong, a slice of pizza and a six-pack of Budweiser. Yes, this is primarily a straight event. The Bud gives it away.

However, straight or not, it promises to be a real treat. The competition includes swimsuit, Les2 evening wear, talent, Q&A, best man boobs and the main reason to go? Best Nutsack.

Politkovskaya Murder

Instapundit quotes this, titled "Putin grows ever more thuggish".

Sigh.

I am no supporter of Putin. I think he is a thug, I think his way of running Russia is terrible for the Russian people in the long run, and I have no reason to think he's above resorting to murder for personal gain of power.

The question with Politkovaksya murder, that I wish Glenn had asked himself before accusing Putin, is simple: What the hell does he gain from it? More chaos? More problems with the West?

To think that Politkovskaya was a real danger to Putin is laughable. Those who complain about lack of freedom of press in Russia (and I'm among them, I do complain about it) should remember that Kremlin inteference has been only one part of the equation. It's only one reason why there is no viable opposition to Putin. The other reason for that is the people who head the opposition: not unlike in Belarus, thet are either incompetent, or dishonest, or both: these people profiteer from their opposition work, while having no ability or intention to win any elections. All these parties like Yabloko and SPS have discredited themselves even before Putin came to power, and since then, they've done nothing but cry 'fascism'.

People like Yavlinksi, Hakamada, Kasparov, all these human rights activists have been acting like clowns: they have nothing to offer to the Russian people. They claim to stand behind the kind of principles I support (private property, liberty, human rights, bla-bla-bla) But the way they stand for these principles has not gone beyond talking. All anti-Putin journalists combigned can't do enough damage to Putin for this scandal to be worth it. So far, I've seen Putin's loud critics benefit more from this scandal than Putin himself. And to those who think that murder of journalists has been introduced by Putin, should remember Vladislav Listiev, who was murdered in 1995, and was a far more famous and powerful figure in Russia than Politkovskaya.

Those who ordered this murder were most likely politically motivated, and it's very possible they are pretty high up in Putin's administration. But this event is so much more likely to destabilize Putin's regime than strengthen it, I find it hard to believe Putin is behind this. It's a crazy world, especially in Russia, and anything is possible; but concluding flat out that he's behind this, to me seems like a really bad idea. It is very possible that that's exactly what the murderers wanted. The question we need to ask is "Cui prodest?", and Putin is very unlikely to gain anything out of it.

UPDATE: Welcom Instapundit readers, and thanks Glenn for linking, and for pointing out a language error in the post.

Look at me!

You can say I look sad and ugly, but you can't say the picture is not beautiful.

UPDATE: NO, I don't really think I look ugly, thank you those who e-mailed :) It was just a plot to get compliments. "Pensive" is the word that the photographer used, and I agree.

Performace Blooging

Rev. Jen's Antislam open mike has moved, at least temporarily, to Downeast Arts Center in the East Village, and I attended last night. After a pretty long break in performance, I went to sive my newly written motivational speecj, and sing a new motivational song.

I got a late spot - in fact, I got pulled out last. But I was determined. I went in and out buying beer and going for food (first I had pizza, and then sushi, believe it or not). There were some nice performances. My old-time friend Margaret Dodge told her story about being bitten in the face by a crazy rotweiler bitch. Go to her blog for pictures and testimonies. She managed to make this rather horrifying story quite hilarious - such is the power of Dodge. She's a master of dark humor, and you gots to appreciate.

There were other funny performances, some by people I'd never seen before. There was this supposedly Russian dude Vladimir - Vladimir Lenin he calls himself, no less. He was actually very funny, I thought he was smart and subtle.

There was also this girl who I hope is not reading this. She said she was an actress, and she had the most trite and ways of saying things. She said she was 26, but she looked more like 36, representing everything I don't like about aspiring actors. She was actually good looking, but her terribly unnatural facial expressions made her...well, whatever.

By the time I got to perform everybody was drunk and tired, including me. So I decided to skip the speech, and cut straight to the song. I was very satisfied. I must say, performing a set gives me energy for days to come, so here's to that.

Depression blogging

It's been a while since I blogged about depression. And there is a reason for that. And the reason is I no longer see myself as depressed.

Yes, I still take pills. Yes, I still get so down sometimes, I think my life is over. The last girl I was in love with once told me, "I think you'd be a dashing old man". And that's how I sometimes see myself: an old man, whose emotions have burnt him down, through all that "chasing women and drinking".

Papa was a rolling stone
Wherever he laid his head, was his home.

Sometimes I feel like there is nothing left in me. Sometimes I just want to give up, like, really really want to give up. And, as the last girl who was in love with me said, I have given up on almost everything. Well, not so fast.

I've decided, a few months ago, not to see myself as a sick, depressed man, even though it might be an accurate description. It's like in that drawing in which you can see either a young woman or an old woman. There is a lot of pain I have to deal with, but I also have a lot of blessings to count. You really have to count them and know what they are, because they are the points in the spacetime continuum of your life that you can lean on. Those are the only levers you can use to pick yourself up.

It's hard to identify them. It's hard to know what you want. It takes time, commitment, effort - just like about everything that's worth gaining. I still feel very confused. Clarity - that's what I'm after these days. I can't see exactly where I'm going, but I know I want to go there. I don't want to stand still or look back, so help me God - and give us more money.

When Whales Poo

don't they pollute the environment?

Opinion Poll

Would Janett Jackson make more money if she just made porn instead of trying to sing?

Heaven

Little Girl: Mommy, where is heaven?
Ghetto Mommy: Right around the corner from my ass.
OiNY

You tell them, Borat!

"If there is one more item of Uzbek propaganda claiming that we do not drink fermented horse urine, give death penalty for baking bagels, or export over 300 tonnes of human pubis per year, then we will be left with no alternative but to commence bombardment of their cities with our catapults," Borat said.

Amen!

Shame on Milinkevich

I can't believe what this clown is saying.

«Перемены происходят, когда на улицы выходит намного больше людей. Тогда не надо идти к резиденции… Нужно просто стоять, и власть сама убежит»

We just have to stand there, and the government will run away. Yeah, right. That's what dictatorial governments do. They voluntarily run away when they see people gather. Maybe I took it out of context? Here's the full paragraph:

«Перемены происходят, когда на улицы выходит намного больше людей. Тогда не надо идти к резиденции… Нужно просто стоять, и власть сама убежит»

Changes happen when a lot of people gop out on the street. Then we don't have to go to the residence [of president Lukashenka]. We just have to stay there, and [those in] power will run away.

"Cама" means voluntarily. What a wonderful world does this man live in!

It's a big shame that the brave Belarusians who were risking their health, their freedom, and their very lives didn't have a better leader than this guy - and no, I don't think Kozulin was better as a leader, though it's a big shame he's in prison. It is obvious Milinkevich and Co weren't planning to take power. It is obvious that he's not planning it now, and even if he were, it wouldn't matter: nobody will follow him anymore. Neither him nor other professional "oppositioners", who make a living out of pretending to fight the regime.

Islam: Apostacy is the best option

Dean is angry at some right-wing conservatives who don't make the distinction between Islamists and Moslems in general. In case my comment doesn't appear, I pasted it here, so it's not lost.

Dean,

My Grandfather was a Communist. Born and bred Communist, who had believed in Communism, and in the goodness of Lenin and Stalin. He was also a great human being, who fought bravely against the Nazis - so he too was a US ally in WWII, then he raised children, worked hard, and set an example for all in the family with his honesty and integrity. I loved him, and I would never want to disrespect his memory. He was anything but an evil person, and there were millions like him in the USSR.

But I am anti-Communist. I consider Communism an evil ideology.

Just because there are decent, good people among Moslems, doesn't mean Islam doesn't have a problem. Calling Islam evil is not the same as calling all Muslims evil. I can respect a Moslem, just like I respected my Grandfather, but I will go only so far in respecting his convictions.


According to Dean, accepting the statement "that Islam is incompatible with democracy... means we have to declare war on the entire Muslim world if we're to hope for human freedom to survive."

I disagree with that. Declaring war on the whole Islamic world does not follow from that statement. Saying that Communism is incompatible with democracy, or is evil, didn't mean going to an all-out world with the Soviets, did it? Defeating the Nazi Germany didn't mean killing all those who had fought on the Nazis' side, did it? I think Dean can do a better job distinguishing ideas from people. Throwing around such words as "enemy" and "traitor" is a sign of a Western urbanite who probably hasn't seen much action triggered by these words.

We should not declare war on the Moslem world, but we should advocate apostacy. We should openly say to Moslems: look, we understand that this is the religion of your ansestors, and we'd like to respect that, but this Islam thing that you've got really doesn't work for us. We can tolerate your mosques, but don't expect us to like them. We have not seen much good coming out of them. It would be best if you stopped this nonsense altogether, but in the meanwhile we would appreciate if you started considering giving us the same kind of respect you demand from us. Perhaps then you'll have to admit that what you demand is not respect, but submission.

Dasha Kostenko's diaries published in Moscow

Sep. 27, Moscow - presentation of a new book called "Partisan Republic". It contains eyewitness accounts of those who participated in the protests of March 19-25, 2006, afainst election fraud in Belarus. Among the book's authors, talking to the journalists was Dasha Kostenko, famous for her "March Diaries" that she was publishing on the Interenet during protests.

She said, "I wanted to do something to make at least some people understand, that this is a development. Non-violent mass protest is always a development, and not just when it leads to something that people call a 'revolution', when it leads to change of government, to the triumph of new elites"


vis Salidarnasc.

What can I say? I'm very glad for Dasha, and for those who now have an opportunity to buy the book. In light of the recent protests in Poland, that make tent camp protests seem like entertainment for otherwise bored young people, it's important to remember how brave these young Belarusians were. They knew they would almost certainly get arrested and/or beaten - unlike their Polish counterparts. And, also unlike their Polish counterparts, they live in a country where voting doesn't matter. You're unhappy with your government? Don't vote for them next time around. That's what civilized people do. And when you don't appreciate living in a civilized country, you may lose that privilege. RDH just wrote brilliantly about it.

I've read people suggest that the recent protests in Hungary and Poland were instigated by pro-German-and-French forces that try to weaken pro-American governments in Estaern Europe. I don't know about German-French, but I'm sure there are plenty of anti-American Chomsky followers in Warsaw and Budapest. And I'm sure many of them are bored.

Blogroll update

Pretty numbers - a very personal blog by a very beautiful, talented and mysterious mathematical girl. Caution: hot!

Weenie Enema - I met her at the recent blog party that Karol threw. She is very funny, witty, and simply fun. She was there with two other hot chicks, and they promised to interview me. Teasing a poor guy!

Yaron Makaron Koren - genius! He recently created two cool websites: New York Nabes - a new concept guide to renting in New York, and Discourse DB - a wikipedia of political opinion. He also has a blog! SO you better watch out.

She is 14

Anastasia Nikiforova won the internation child beauty peagent "Mini Miss Universe 2006"

Via lipkovich

Is there an appropriate way to comment on this picture?

Say No to misanthropy, or "It's not our fault!"

Other prosimians, such as galagos and mouse lemurs, also hunt for insects, but they supplement their diet with different kinds of food, including lizards, bird eggs, fruit, and plant sap. This opportunistic approach to feeding is seen in the majority of monkeys and also in chimpanzees. Several species of monkeys, and chimpanzees, but not the other apes, have been known to attack and eat other monkeys. Baboons, the most adept hunters on the ground, often eat meat and sometimes manage to kill small antelope.

Primate

Russian Mushrooms

Kizhi, via zen_77

Everybody's sick

I'm sick with a cold, took a day off today, tomorrow probably will, too. One friend is going through a low depression period. And another friend got bit in the face by a dog; she had a surgery, but her face got infected, and she will be in the hospital for 4 days.

Today, I read about an adoption community in Russia, which has a huge number of orphans. It's great to know that there are Russian families who want to raise children, and I hope there will be more of them. Just look at them. Can you imagine what these faces would look like if the kids were never adopted? Scary.

I also read why Pokemon violates Muslim sensibilities and should be forbidden. The reasons include Darwin's theory, gambling, triangular shapes - symbolizing Jews and masons, and depiction of creatures that don't exist in the real world, which contaminates the pure minds of children. Allahu aqbar.

Yet another feminist Jessica

Left a comment. Thanks for commenting, Jessica. I'll just post my reply to her comment, because it sums up mu thoughts on the whole thing.

Jessica,

Do you understand that when people are photographed with the most famous womanizer in America, their feminism can't be taken seriously? That she and others on that photograph look like a bunch of horny groupies around a celebrity?

I don't care about Jessica's breasts. I would rather she got over herself and felt better. I would rather she saw nothing wrong with wanting to be sexually attractive, and nothing wrong with showing off her boobs. I consider such behavior perfectly normal. Denial of it is what's abnormal, and that's why Jessica ended up looking so stupid, not because of anything I or Ann Althouse said.

I consider feminism a joke - and a sad joke at that, because it produces sad, belligerent, unhappy women. If feminism is about respect for women, then having a "movement" of angry, opinionated bitches who insult everybody they disagree with, is a really bad idea. Coming from a place where women have to endure more humiliation than most American "feminists" can imagine, I can't have respect for a movement of spoiled brats who can't get over their daddy issues, and take it out on men, on conservatives, on whomever they can safely scream at - while doing nothing to help women who really get victimized - women in Muslim countries, in Africa, in Russia. As much as I respect the women who started the feminist movement, I despise the modern "feminism". I don't hate anyone for being a feminist, but Jessica's example shows what this absurd "movement" really leads to - women making idiots of themselves.

Feminism and boobs: commenting on Dawn Eden's blog

Dawn's post here. Comments here. Dawn is being nice to Jessica - perhaps too nice. I wish I could be nice all the time. Anyway, here we go again.

Commenter Jody:
Ivan,
I think you are possibly half correct - in that much of the ridicule hurled at Jessica started because she refused to self-mockingly admit her pose with the former president could be construed as a sexy strut.

But some of us who strongly objected to Ann Althouse's comments felt this was pretty low. It's an old trick to get nasty if a woman refuses to chuckle over your comments about the way she looks. I am absolutely with Jessica, Dawn and others here.

It also drove me crazy that Ann Althouse kept praising the stunning originality of one commenter who had come up with the pun "tempest in a C-cup" to describe the blog row.

Original? That's one of the tiredest cliches of the British rag tabloids whenever there is a "kerfuffle" about "breasts"!

Commenter Jill
"I think Jessica deserves to taste a bit of her own medicine: look at her blog, and you'll find nothing but personal attacks on those who don't toe the "feminist" party line."

Does she criticize their physical appearance? No. She goes after their politics, which is fair game.

The issue is that Ann Althouse criticized Jessica for having breasts, and for standing the exact same way as everyone else in the photo. Instead of dealing with Jessica's politics, Ann took on her chest. That's dispicable.

Lenin speaketh:

Jody,
"possibly half correct" -
thanks for giving me this much :) I'm gonna use it for my blog's subtitle.

I agree that Althouse went tabloid, and I wish she didn't take herslef so seriously. I'm not trying to defend Althouse, though I'm grateful to her for starting this - I'm saying that Jessica made herself fair game for tabloid-style ridicule.


Jill,
You don't seem to see the difference between "criticizing their physical appearance" and mentioning their breasts while criticizing their behavior. If you criticezed me for sexually harassing my secretary, and said, for the sake of mocking me, that I had a small penis, what would be the reason for your criticism: the size of my penis, or my actions? Wouldn't you say I was asking for indecent jokes?

In any case, Althouse got called ugly by Jessica's defenders a lot more than vice versa, and when it comes to insults, I don's see how calling somebody an a-hole is better than calling them ugly.

Jessica is ridiculous because, after posing, all smiles and excitement, with a famous womanizer, she came out as an angry feminist. That's how the boob jokes started. In other words, she got attacked because everybody saw that her "feminism" was complete BS.

If Althouse said that Jessica looks like Monica because she is a chubby brunette, you'd have a point. But the comparison was not based on looks. It was based on the male celebrity known for his "consumption of women".

Bottom line: you don't come forward with feminist rants after getting photographed with Bill Clinton.

Lenin to Jessica the feminist

Did you or did you not stick those boobs into the camera?

Do you or do you not want to be sexually attractive?

Typical feminist behavior

Ann Althouse says that she doesn't find Jessica interesting. Lenin comments:

Jessica might not be interesting, but talking about her boobs is interesting.

The boobs is exactly what Jessica wants everyone to talk about, and while her boobs are not particularly interesting, it is interesting that Jessica denies wanting everyone to talk about them, screaming "No! I want everybody to talk about how smart I am!" - which is not very smart, but kinda interesting.

The boobs is exactly what Jessica wants everyone to talk about, and while her boobs are not particularly interesting, it is interesting that Jessica denies wanting everyone to talk about them, screaming "No! I want everybody to talk about how smart I am!" - which is not very smart, but kinda interesting.

The typical pussywhipped kiss-ass response, of course is: "No, no, it's not because of your boobs that we like you! It's because you're so smart! You're a princess, and anyone who says otherwise is an ASSHOLE!" God bless Ann Althouse for starting this.

Feminism is a great way to talk about sex while pretending it's not funny. "The real question is: Is it possible to laugh while fucking?" - Frank Zappa

Deep Thoughts on Feminism

I just realized that feminism is the best blog topic, because it contains the most comedic fodder, in other words - stupidity. The whole idea that one should be a feminist these days in America, is almost like campaigning for the rights of opressed Muslim men in Iran or Saudi Arabia - the difference being that feminists in America are not allowed to do things to us that Muslim men do to women in Asia and Africa. If they were, I'm afraid some of them would be happy to do that - humiliate, mutilate...After all, that's what they do to themselves.

This so-called "feminism" humiliates and mutilates a woman, because it says it's wrong to be a sex object. What man doesn't want to be a sex object? What woman doesn't want to be attractive? And this idocy that feminists try to force themselves to believe, makes them come up with all kinds of bullshit theory and long meaningless words. It makes them grow armpit hair and be mean to men. It makes them surround themselves with men without balls, and pussywhip those who have them - or at least used to have them. It makes these women lonely, unhappy, and fat.

Gosh, I could go on and on. This is a goldmine. In my next post, I should write how men want to be pussywhipped. Oh, we want it badly. Rob Shapiro is a genius. I'll tell you later.

Feminist Conversation with Jessica

No, not the beautiful Jessica who plays guitar in our band. I'm talking about the not-so-beautiful Jessica of the blog called "feministing". There's a whole scandal going on, courtesy of Ann Althouse. So, there is this photograph with a bunch of horny cows surrounding Bill Clinton (just because some of them are male, doesn't mean they are not cows), one of them sticking her boobs into the camera's lense. When Althouse mentioned that, the girl came forward and went bananas. I pitched in, and hilarity ensued. Read the other comments for some hysterical ass-kissing, as well as the usual feminist idiotisms about "patriarchal line" and "perceived intentions". I've known some smart, good-looking feminists, but for the most part, feminism seems to be an excuse for a (usually) dumb, ugly female to be a bitch yet think she's a princess.

From Jessica's post:
What's worse is that this comes from other women, other progressives, and other supposed feminists. How are we supposed to move forward as a movement if we're busy bashing each other with this ridiculousness?

Lenin:
How are you supposed to "move forward as a movement" if you do exactly what you condemn - i.e., advertise yourself as a sexual object? Got hypocricy, baby?

Jessica:
How exactly am I advtertising myself as a sexual object?

Lenin:
Gosh, what a difficult question. Let me guess...
By using your boobs to attract attention?

Jessica:
You mean, by HAVING boobs? What would you like me to do, asshole? Bind them down so you're not distracted?

Lenin:
Jessica, your boobs are not that distracting. What's distracting, apart from your "asshole" thing, is your cluelessness. You rub your boobs in your readers' faces, which would be fine if you didn't deny it. You're a clown and you don't even know it.

Stop calling us murderers!

...or else we'll kill you.

Pakistan’s parliament unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the pope for making what it called “derogatory” comments about Islam, and seeking an apology from him. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry also called the pope’s remarks “regrettable.”

“Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said.

via LGF

Brilliant strategy.

Are we all doomed? (Completion)

On my birthday, the first thing that happened was my Grandma called all the way from Eastern Belarus. Guess whose Grandma is the coolest babushka in the world? Kind, sweet, wise, funny, honest, hard-working, - not enough words in the dictionary - she has always been particularly nice to me. She probably did spoil me a little when I used to visit her and Grandpa while he was alive, which I did every summer, But I don't care, because having such a babushka is worth a lot. Then my Dad called - hey Dad! He reads my blog sometimes. That my Dad is coolest in the world I think is pretty much obvious by looking at me. Then my friends from San Francisco called. Then I treated myself to nice food and vacuuming my apartment. Then I took a nap. Then I went to my birthday party.

And as I celebrated, surrounded by really good people, my beloved friends and comrades, some of my fears came into a different prospective. Thinking about politics and war makes you think about death - whether your own death in a terrorist attack, or deaths of innocents abroad. It is said that a samurai must think about death every day (or maybe even every second, I don't remember). I am not a samurai and I want to live a happy life. And the truth is that you are more likely to die in a car crash than in a subway terrorist attack, even if you spend two hours a day on a subway, and hardly an hour a week in a car. The thought of a dirty bomb or some WMD is a bit scarier, and chances of it happening are very uncertain. Uncertainty is a pretty scary thing - especially when it comes to scary events.

War creates a grim background noise in your psyche, and the more intense the war, the louder the noise. How much you want to handle is up to you: you can enlist and go to Iraq, or you can move to Montana. You can be a right-wing armchair general or a lefty self-righteous freak. You can ignore it all together, which is what most Americans seem to be doing.

But as I celebrated my birthday, I celebrated being alive. Every second of it. Despite the anti-depressants, the fears, and overeating for two days before my birthday and mixing beer with vodka at the party - ouch. I've been able to enjoy it so thoroughly because I had done certain things right - I had asked the right questions, I was determined enough to get the answers, I met the right people, and had enough desire to use what I'd learn as tools to become happier and stronger. I gots skills, motherpapa. I just really wanted to get happier, because I realized how miserable my life would soon become otherwise. Compared to my birthdays a year or two ago, I felt that I had made some progress - a feeling I had almost forgotten. Not a huge amount of progress, but tangible. Thanks to everybody who helped me keep my hopes up, and also thank everybody who attended the great party (and the evil ones who didn't make it) - I love you! And you better throw your birthday parties, too, so I can attend and bite your noses.

Are we all doomed?

Glenn Reynolds has sparked an interesting debate. James Joyner says

It is simply inconceivable that the Islamists will defeat us militarily, let alone impose their culture on us.

My comment:

Militarily - yes, but imposing their culture on us - goodness, they've already done it. Danish cartoons is just the beginning, along with European politicians hugging Hamas, along with Khatami being a guest of honor at Harvard and National Cathedral.

Those who help them destroy our culture have been doing it since the 60s in our universities and media. If (or when, rather) we have more 9/11-type attacks, who will want to live in New York, LA and Chicago? And what then will happen to our economic might?

...
I understand Glenn being tired of all the bloggers saying we're doomed. I'm tired of that, too. I'm also tired of being afraid that the subway car I'm riding in will blow up. The most natural reaction is to go back to business as usual, as James Lileks put it:

The good news? We returned to our norm: cheerful industrious self-directed Americans who think in terms of fiscal quarters, not ancient grievances, and trust in Coke and Mickey to spread our message of tolerance and prosperity. The bad news? Same as the good. Or perhaps it’s the other way around.

To make yourself feel better, you sometimes have to stop thinking about this threat, and politics in general. But in my opinion, to combat this threat, a collective intellectual effort is required - and after all, it's exactly this kind of effort that makes the blogosphere powerful. So the challenge is to be aware of, and honest about the extent of the threat - while keeping your sanity. Which for me was hard enough before 9/11. Nonetheless, despite my fear of subway terrorism that I feel every day, I also celebrate every day - I celebrate being alive, being able to see the sun, and do all kinds of things.

Unlike the Cold War, when there was very little an ordinary citizen could do about it, this jihad war is all about what ordinary citizens do. Will we turn into beasts while fighting beasts? Will we let them enslave us? Will we keep our freedoms and our dignity? Perhaps the answers will vary from person to person, but I'm afraid there is a chance we will lose. Maybe not lose our lives, but lose freedom of speech, and the safety and prosperity that Americans have built for themselves - hell, we've already lost some of that. So the question is, how can we keep and defend all that? There is no easy solution, which is why complacency is not an option, despite all the neurosis that's caused by thinking about this "war" thing.

Russian "philosopher": 9/11 inspired anti-american movement

In this post, an America-hating blogger from Russia says that the events of 9/11 inspired the anti-American movement for times to come. The most important conclusion from 9/11, he says, is that America is vulnerable, it can actually be blown up.

Then he goes on a rant about how he wouldn't mind doing it himself. While the idiot is pathetic in his impotent hatred, I actually agree with his points: America is vulnerable, and 9/11 did inspire a lot of anti-Americanism, both here and abroad.

More on Disagreement

“Do we listen to those that we disagree with, and vigorously challenge them, or do we close our ears completely?" -

says the Dean of Harvard, justifying the desicion to invite an Iranian mullah to speak at Harvard. via LGF

It's not so much that I disagree with the mullahs. It's that they want me dead.

Which part of "Death to America" don't they understand at Harvard? Or at the State Department for that matter.

Steyn is hilarious

... in his article about the Australian PM. Right on target, too.

Why would gazillions of American radio listeners appreciate a line from Howard? Because he says things that none of their own leaders ever quite say. Last week it was the stuff about Muslim immigrants needing to learn English and making sure they're cool with this equal-rights-for-women business. The soi-disant arrogant Texas cowboy rarely shoots from the lip like that. Instead, he says things such as: "Freedom is the desire of every human heart."

Look, I'm a supporter of the Bush doctrine to spread liberty throughout the Muslim world, but I support it on hard-headed grounds of national security. You only have to watch a couple of minutes of the lads in Gaza and southern Lebanon on the telly every night to realise freedom comes pretty low down on the list of their hearts' desires.

Go read it. I think Bush's approval ratings at home would be higher if he dropped the "every human heart" kind of talk about freedom: it makes him sound idealistic. It makes him sound like he's on a quest to spread freedon, whereas he needs to be on a quest to defend America. Democracy in the ME is a means to an end, and the Bush Administration doesn't seem to be clear on that.

The State Department's keeps trying to appease our enemies, letting Iranian mullahs into the country. Bush's "compassionate" stand on borders and immigration doesn't make it look like he understand how serious the threat is.

R.I.P. Julia

Our comrade died, I found out today. It's sad news, and I find it hard to believe, remembering how full of life and energy Julia was. May she rest in peace.

Expropriation and Confiscation

I am mentioned in Weekly Standard.

The last time Clements came here in vain, he made the trip worth his while by confronting Mayor Brian Wahler at a street fair with a camera and a Vladimir Lenin impersonator. Clements and Lenin tried to present Wahler with the "People's Award for Expropriation and Confiscation." The award was an old cheerleading trophy, the cheerleader's megaphone replaced with a hammer and sickle. Wahler wasn't in the mood to accept, telling them, "I'm going to give you exactly two minutes to get out of here."

When Wahler put a hand on him, Clements snapped, "Don't put your arm around me. You're not my friend. You're an enemy of property rights, you're an enemy of the Constitution, and you're a little dictator. And you're taking the Halpers' land. So we're going to be here all day. Lenin, you like cotton candy don't you?" Lenin never got his cotton candy. The Piscataway dictator's police force soon chased them off.

Read it all!

No Public Transportation For You Today!

...in the town of Luban in Belarus.

agafon_bel reports:

All the buses are beimg used to transport citizens to rural areas so they can perform the infamous agricultural labor

They did it to us from the 7th grade on - back in the good old Soviet days. For Belarusians, the good old days are still on. Lenin is always alive! Long lives the Soviet Union!

Doesn't it?

Misunderstanding and Disagreement

Oh, that was just a misunderstanding. I was like 14, and I was wit' ma man, and we was having words--like, we was having a disagreement--and I stabbed him, is all. It was just a misunderstanding.

via the fabulous oiny

Our peace-loving dissidents

All War is WRONG

and if you don't agree with me...

I WILL KILL YOU!

via LGF, this great news:

The soldier was walking to a convenience store when a sport utility vehicle pulled up alongside him and the driver asked if he was in the military and if he had been in any action.

The driver then got out of the vehicle, displayed a gun and shouted insults at the victim. Four other suspects exited the vehicle and knocked the soldier down, punching and kicking him.

“And during the assault the suspects called him a baby killer. At that point they got into the car and drove off and left him on the side of the road,” Detective Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

On Role Models

Bill Linskey, more commonly known as "Dartmoor Bill", who died on Tuesday aged 85, was the longest-sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous in Britain and Europe, having not touched a drink for the past 53 years.

Hey, he was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Who leaked his name to the press?

James Taranto

Ann Althouse re: Rudy

I commented on this post by Ann Althouse. I agree with most of what she says, except this:
Hawkins faults Giuliani for accepting some gun control and for taking a moderate position on immigration. These aren't my issues. I see other people getting fired up or manipulated over them. I just want sensible people to make sophisticated policy decisions.

So, here's my comment.

I like Rudy. In my opinion, his weakest point is illegal immigration - and I don't think that it's just the social conservatives or isolationists who take this issue seriously. I think for most Americans, it is their issue - just look at how Buchanan's book is selling. I don't see how you can be strong on national security and weak on illegal immigration. Btw, I think Bush's position on this issue contributes a lot to his low approval ratings.

Publius Pundit returns from Belarus

...after a trip to Belarus and Ukraine.
Here is the first post in what I expect to be a big interesting series.