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Friday, December 09, 2005
OC heading off to.... OC!
The OC Chronicle staff will be heading off tonight for a week-long fact finding mission to our sister-county, Orange County Florida!
One might wonder why we would leave the shadow of Sleeping Beauty's castle, fly across the country with three kids, and spend a week at a resort in the shadow of Cinderella's castle. Yeah, well, I'm wondering the same thing. But Dad doesn't always have much say when it comes to vacations! We OC Dads pick our battles.
Arnold's First Supreme Court Nomination: Harriet Myers Re-dux?
In a move that could define the depth of his conservative support in his upcoming re-election effort, Gov. Schwarzenegger has made his first supreme court nomination. California Insider's Daniel Weintraub has analysis:
"'One of the more conservative'
Here is a short profile from law.com of Carol Corrigan, the justice Schwarzenegger has appointed to the state Supreme Court. It says she is one of the more conservative justices on the first district on criminal justice issues. I guess we can start a list now of major decisions the governor makes that do not appear to have been pulled to the left by Susan Kennedy.
Note: The first draft of this post incorrectly quoted the item as saying she was one of the 'most conservative' members of the court.
UPDATE: An emailer sends along an LA Times story from Oct. 21, which I can't find a link to online, where Corrigan describes herself as a 'centrist' in the mold of Sandra Day O'Connor.
The relevant excerpt:
Corrigan, 57, a former prosecutor, described herself as a 'centrist.'
'I think I would probably be a centrist any place I found myself,' she said
Deukmejian appointed Corrigan to the Alameda County Municipal Court in 1987, and former Gov. Pete Wilson elevated her to the Superior Court and then the Court of Appeal.
Corrigan said she changed her voter registration from Democrat to Republican in the mid-1990s because 'that seemed the most accurate designation' at the time.
'I haven't changed,' she said. 'I think the political environment may have changed, and it continues to evolve in this country.'
Asked which present or former U.S. Supreme Court justices she admires, Corrigan cited Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. 'I think she is a centrist a real consensus builder,' Corrigan said."
Still waiting to see Hugh Hewitt's reaction.
A Foot-in-mouth Epidemic.
"For their part, the Democrats loudly responded that they have been quoted out of context. Drudge now reports that the Republicans intend on fixing that problem with a few web ads, using the actual recorded statements of each to show the nation that the Democrats have given in to defeatism:"
Isn't it uncanny that the same refrain is often heard from the Democratic Leadership? That they are being quoted out-of-context, or that their words are being twisted? The common thought is that Republicans are stupid, inarticulate dolts, and Democrats are educated, worldly, eloquent sophisticates. If this is so, why are they constantly stumbling through interviews and giving such asinine quotes for the GOP to use against them?
Must-see TV.
The GOP is finally fighting back against the "Aid and Comfort to the Enemy Party.Click here for the new White Flag Video.
The Friday Funnies...
I don't know how the guys at California Conservative survive up there north or the OC County line.
Camp Katrina: Schiavo Misses the Spotlight
"Check it out: Strange how all he wanted was to be 'left alone' when he was trying to get rid of his wife. Word now is that fifteen minutes of infamy wasn't enough for this dude:
Schiavo announced Wednesday he is forming a political action committee to support or oppose candidates depending on where they stood on the divisive case that ended when Terri Schiavo died of dehydration March 31, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed.
The spotlight is addicting, huh Mike? You and Cindy Sheehan should start a twelve step program or something."
I have my 1st New Year's Resolution: To not blog about this guy or Cindy Sheehan again. The Terri Schiavo and Cindy Sheehan stories paralyzed my blogging activity as I just couldn't being myself to write about them, or anything else as long as their stories were dominant. PLEASE GO AWAY!
Our Favorite New Blog.
All Things Beautiful is a great new blog and is truly creative. Take five or ten minutes to scroll through and see Alexandria's fine work.
She is an artist with wit and class, a rare combination.
Today's entry as pictured above is especially impressive as it depicts 3 of our favorite people: President Bush, Pope Benedict XVI and Michelle Malkin... now THAT's a dinner party I'd like to attend!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Up-date on Hewitt Interview with K-R's Henderson:
"SH: Well, it's not relevant. You know, every journalist has political beliefs, but my job is not to...I don't have a job in which I'm asked to, or expected to pursue my political beliefs through my work. My job is to report on what happens. And so, really, my personal politics, and I believe everybody's entitled to vote without telling anybody what they did. That's one of the things that I think is pretty important in this country."
As quoted at HughHewitt.com, Mr. Henderson did find it important to inject his opinion earlier in the week when being interviewed by C-Span::
"I think for example that we didn't find a single case in which Judge Alito sided with African Americans alleging racial bias, which I think, is again, rather remarkable. We found very few cases, maybe one or two, in which he sided with a woman in a gender bias case."
You think it's rather remarkable, Mr. Henderson? Why is that RELEVANT?
Katie Couric Speaks for the Average Person...
...and sound like an ignoramus! NewsBusters.org:
"Katie's guest was former air marshal Tony Kuklinski, who stated that 'by all accounts I've seen, what [the air marshals] did was necessary.'Katie wasn't so sure:
'Do they always shoot to kill, Tony? In other words, I guess the average person hearing this [on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Katie?] might think: isn't there a way where they could have shot this person and not killed him? Wounded him or incapacitated him in some way without killing him?'
As Kuklinksi patiently and professionally explained:
'law enforcement officials aren't trained to shoot to kill; they're trained to shoot to prevent the action from taking place. We're not trained to precision-shoot in the knee or in the arm or in the finger to prevent something from taking place. Your accuracy goes down, the potential for a stray bullet or a missed shot hitting a bystander goes up tremendously.'
That wasn't enough to satisfy Katie:
'I know that last July, London police shot and killed a Brazilian electrician because they'd mistaken him for a terror suspect. It raises the question: should there be further training? Do you think that air marshals should be taught to shoot at a specific location on a body?'"
I saw this this morning and hoped someplace like NewsBusters would pick it up. It was one of those moments that you could sense bloggers all around the country writing their post at the same time about the same thing.
Ms. Couric, with all respect, we here at OC Chronicle suspect that the "Average Person" [condescending on the face of it] would have the intelligence to think this situation through rather than immediately second-guess trained law enforcement officials whose sole purpose is to protect innocent passengers on an aircraft.
We here at OC Chronicle are the epitomy of average (except for our fabulous ability to sing any Broadway Showtune at the drop of a hat, yet still remain a bonified heterosexual) and here's what we thought:
1. A clearly deranged man exhibiting odd behavior [wearing a backpack across his chest as suicide bombers do] is screaming that they have a bomb.
2. Said deranged man does not respond to two, clear commands to desist and get on the floor
3. Federal Air Marshals are trained to know that suicide bombers are by definition... SUICIDAL, therefore, if they are truly nbent on blowing themselves and others up, they will not follow commands.
4. Federal Air Marshals are on a crowded, small aircraft filled with innocent civilians.
5. The only USRE way to stop a suicide bomber is TO KILL THEM.
Katie asks if the Air Marshals should be "taught to shoot at a specific location on a body?"... THEY ARE!!! The head, and the torso, to kill them.
Why would any average or exceptional person want it any other way?
Howard Dean's Talking Points Finally Find Their Audience!
"Zawahri said the United States had been defeated in Iraq and would eventually cut its losses and pull out its troops.'Iraq is a catastrophe for America and Americans will leave, it will only be a matter of time.'I say to Bush: you entered Iraq with lies, you will lose Iraq and lie about it and you will leave with the pretext that you have completed your mission ... America only has to decide on the number of (troops) it wishes to lose before withdrawing.'"
Without the attribution, we could have guessed this was Kerry, Pelosi or Dean talking.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Hewitt Hits a Homer
Hugh DESTROYS him!
I'll look for the transcript on Radio Blogger later tonight and link.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Why we're thankful for Ann Coulter.
"It is simply a fact that Democrats like Murtha are encouraging the Iraqi insurgents when they say the war is going badly and it's time to bring the troops home. Whether or not there is any merit to the idea, calling for a troop withdrawal � or 'redeployment,' as liberals pointlessly distinguish � will delay our inevitable victory and cost more American lives.
Anti-war protests in the U.S. during the Vietnam War were a major source of moral support to the enemy. We know that not only from simple common sense, but from the statements of former North Vietnamese military leaders who evidently didn't get the memo telling them not to say so. In an Aug. 3, 1995, interview in The Wall Street Journal, Bui Tin, a former colonel in the North Vietnamese army, called the American peace movement 'essential' to the North Vietnamese victory. "
Enjoy! And God Bless.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Hugh Hewitt Steps into John and Ken Territory!
Sad but true: If ANWR doesn't get out of the Congress, the GOP will have to do some housecleaning. There's national security and there's jduges. Everything else is a distant third issue. Those are the defining issues of our time, and they define the GOP.
There's got to be an edge to the big tent.
I want to anticipate one thing: If ANWR exploration does make it out of the Congress, I don't care if some GOPers voted against it. Realists understand the concept of a 'free vote,' and don't resent the party leadership managing to a majority.
But if it fails, it would be a very good thing to see some ANWR opponents tossed out in the primaries of '06, or even the general. "
Doesn't this sound a bit like the John and Ken effort to defeat David Drier as a "Human Sacrifice" to make a point about illegal immigration?
Hugh, we hardly knew ye.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Surber with more Jacko stuff
Today's Must-read Blog.
"There's an old story about a person who has two beasts living inside him and they war against each other.
Q. Which beast wins?
A: The beast that gets fed the most because that's the beast that's strongest. The other beast will be malnourished and weak.
The moral: Right now, I'm not betting on France being strong enough to re-establish Western values in their country."
Laugh out loud funny.
Kudos to GOP and the City for this very funny post:
"I have previously exposed the blatant conservative right-wing bias of the Wall Street Journal's stipple-artists. First they attacked a presidential candidate (who served in Vietnam), now they're going after Howard Dean on their Opinion Journal site."
Happy Birthday and Semper Fi.
This was my favorite moment of the first days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I thought it condensed the attitude and spirit of the Marine Corps into one perfect line:
News Reporter: "'Whats your strategy?'
Anonymous Marine: 'Get to Baghdad before the Army does.'
I remember seeing it, I think it was on Fox News, but I have not been able to find any reference to it except for this comment at Jedi Wisdom - www.ezboard.com
Earth to Peggy Noonan... are you there?
"Warren Beatty has been all over the news as the leader of the anti-Schwarzenegger forces in California. He has emerged, and good for him. He's been making heavily covered speeches and shadowing GOP rallies along with his wife, Annette Bening, a truly great actress. But Wednesday Beatty told reporters, 'I don't want to run for governor.' Which left me scratching my head. This is politics, not showbiz. It has nothing to do with what you want. If you're serious you move forward, whether you're in the mood or not. You really don't want it? Then get out of the way! Get off the stage, let someone else stand there. The Democrats of California need a leader, not a handsome fly buzzing 'round their heads."
Um... Peggy? Come back to us, babe.
I respectfully disagree with Vodkapundit's assessment.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Hey Fraters... stick to hockey, youbetcha.
An embarrasing post from Atomizer at Fraters Libertas. He has the gall to protest Bartolo Colon's well-deserved Cy Young award and makes his case for Johan Santana:
"Total Strikeouts
Santana 238 (1st in the American League)
Colon 157 (8th in the American League)
Hits Allowed Per 9 Innings
Santana 6.99 (1st)
Colon 8.69 (13th)
Strikeouts Per 9 Innings
Santana 9.25 (1st)
Colon 6.35 (16th)
Opponent Batting Average
Santana .210 (1st)
Colon .254 (13th)
On Base Against Average
Santana .250 (1st)
Colon .291 (2nd)
Slugging Percentage Allowed
Santana .346 (1st)
Colon .407 (15th)
Walks + Hits Per Inning Pitched
Santana .970 (1st)
Colon 1.16 (3rd)
Earned Run Average
Santana 2.87 (2nd)
Colon 3.48 (8th)
Strikeout/Walk Ratio
Santana 5.17 (2nd)
Colon 3.65 (6th)
Colon 21 (1st)
Santana 16 (5th)
The Elder's now infamous prediction that the 2004 addition of Colon 'might help the Angels' was incredibly prescient at the time, but it is just a bit backwards in this instance. Their phenomenal production of 6.02 runs per game when Colon was on the mound attests to the fact that the Angels probably helped Colon just a bit more than he helped them."
First of all, I had no idea that the Cy Young is sub-titled "Best random statistics for a pitcher in a season award". I can understand how desperate one becomes as a Twins fan and Satana being considered for a Cy Young is pretty much the closest thing to a victory a Twins fan can approach, but let's get real. I can understand Yankee fans griping about Mariano Rivera not winning, but this is pathetic.
Many of the Angels' runs that Atomizer's referring to occurred in the late innings of games in which Colon pitched AFTER he had dominated the opponent and put the game firmly in the win column. Also, there was a stretch in July and August where the Angels were just not scoring ANY runs and Colon, Lackey and Santana held things together and kept them in the race. Colon ended up being the anchor of the rotation and always pitched a huge game when the Halos needed it.
One last thing... only losers claim wins aren't important.
Mary Mapes Needs Help.
"Like an instant replay review that will never end, apologists for CBS News, Dan Rather, Mary Mapes and the mainstream media in general insist on reconstructing the history of 'RatherGate,' the scandal that exploded more than a year ago when 60 Minutes II used obviously forged documents to attack George W. Bush and, perhaps, alter the course of the 2004 presidential election. "
Pre-mature Blogulation?
Terror in Jordan.
"This will backfire for these terrorists.� The people of Jordan will protest this, most likely in the capital.� Pictures of Zarqawi will burn.
I wrote that an attack in Jordan is imminent quite a while back.� Sadly, my nightmare has come true."
Let's hope this is the tipping point for the citizens of Jordan. They have benefitted from relatively sane governance in the past, this is an opportunity to join the right side of the GWOT.
And from Don Surber
At some point the Western world will have to stop being anti-Semitic and anti-American long enough to join this effort to rid the world of terrorism. We either pull together or get bombed separately.
San Francisco is a Joke.
Here's Michelle's excerpt from Neil Boortz: :
"require that every resident of San Francisco who owns a handgun to turn it in to the government by April 1st. April 1st, by the way, is more commonly known as 'April Fool's Day.' Even voters in San Francisco should be bright enough to figure out that law-abiding citizens will be the ones to turn over their guns, while the lawless, the criminal element, will not. The number of guns in the hands of law abiding citizens will go down. The number of guns in the hands of criminals will not."
More Perspective.
"Only in 1993 were the New Jersey and Virginia races a precursor of major change.
In 1997 and 2001 the parties that lost the two governorships went on to make gains in the following year's midterm elections. The only pattern we can see here is that in every election for the past 20 years, the president's party has lost both the New Jersey and Virginia governorships.
At the risk of being frightfully boring, our prediction is that the 2006 election, like the 2005 election, is likely to be a reaffirmation of the status quo. As we've argued, in the Senate the trend has been toward alignment with a state's presidential preferences in 2000 and 2004--but this trend is self-limiting.
In 2002 Democrats made big gains in Democratic states and Republicans made smaller gains in Republican ones, which means both parties' targets of opportunity are limited this time around."
As usual, the highlight of his post is found in the headline: "Yes, Santa Claus, there is a Virginia." - Brilliant!
Hugh Hewitt to the Rescue.
Nobody knows California politics like Hugh Hewitt. The Governor would do will to heed his sage advice: (Read the entire post)
"As Nixon often remarked: You can't win with just the conservatives, but you cannot win without them.
Your team told you that if you put enough bait on the hook, you'd get the troops to marching. While they no doubt dutifully voted for your four initiatives --and Prop 73, which would have required notice to parents when their teen daughter sought an abortion-- they most certainly did not march.
And they aren't even that upset this morning. They didn't lose a thing --you lost. Perhaps you will spend the next couple of weeks figuring out that you have exactly zero high profile GOP conservatives close to you, and that there are a whole bunch of lefties running around your offices busy advancing agendas with which the right cannot agree.
Name the conservative icon upon whom you depend and to whom you go for solid advice? There isn't one."
"Democrats won races in New Jersey and Virginia, so what? They are races that the Democrats were already favored to win anyway. Corzine's lead in New Jersey was well over the 10 points he eventually won by. Someone will have to help me with Virginia politics, since I don't care who the governor of Virginia is regardless of party. Personally, I'm just glad that I don't have to see another negative attack ad from New Jersey.Over the next few days months, the media will drone on about 'Bush-factors' and 'shifting tides' in these two elections. I will even bet $25 that I get an email from John Kerry claiming a huge victory, a blow to Bush and his cabal crony conservatives, and a beg for money."
It really isn't a shocking development that a millionaire, Democrat, US Senator won the NJ Governor race. Why is this such a harbinger? NJ hasn't gone Red State in over a decade.
Also, check-in on Don Surber today as he has an open post for multitudes of reactions and "blogpinions" on the election.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Muslims are Killing Christians in Indonesia.
Hat tip to Michelle Malkin for linking up to the latest horror in Asia::
"Poso (AsiaNews) Two men armed with pistols shot point blank at two female students in Poso, central Sulawesi, wounding them in the head at 7:45 pm local time (11:45 GMT am)
The new act of violence took place in the same town where three young Christian students were decapitated on October 29. A fourth student was seriously injured in the same attack.
The two 17-year-old victims, Yuli Siti Nuraini and Ivone, are in critical conditions, according to Nurhayati, a paramedic. Ivone was hit in the left jaw, whilst Yuli was wounded in the neck. They were operated at the Poso Hospital where they were taken by police, the paramedic said.
For the moment, local and regional police have not released any statement about the event.
A few hours before Central Sulawesi police Chief Oegroseno had reported that police had not yet identified the killers of Ida Yarni Sambue (15), Theresia Morangke (15), and Alfita Poliwo (19), the three Christian girls decapitated on October 29.
The fourth girl who was wounded in the attack is recovering under tight police security since she is a material witness to the crime.
From 1998 to 2001 the Sulawesi Islands were the scene of sectarian clashes between Muslims and Christians.
Many now fear that the new acts of violence might signal renewed inter-religious violence.
Local Muslim and Christian leaders have said that outsiders are responsible for the recent crimes, not local Muslims. They believe that the culprits acted on order by some group bent on reigniting sectarian hatred in the area."
Dog Pundit has more.
California moving a little right?
And yet with 50% of precincts reporting, the Union Dues protection act is winning by 4.5 points and the Teacher Tenure measure is too close to call. This is astounding as the polls for the past few months have shown "No" winning by double digits.
Even more remarkable is the Parental Notification measure winning by a slight margin. California is supposed to be one of the most liberal states in the US and yet a parental notification measure has a chance of winning? What's really interesting is the map of the state and how this one represents the divide between No. Cal and So. Cal (with the obnoxious exception of LA County).
Posting from mobile test.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Camp Katrina Blog
Give it a read and comment accordingly. The sacrifice and commitment our Americans in uniform make for us demands respect and attention whenever possible. God Speed Phil.
Thanks, Dennis
"The 'anti' arguments are effective. Conservatives have to spend half their time explaining that they are not bad people before they can be heard. But the Left has paid a great price. Because they have come to rely so heavily on one-word dismissals of their opponents, they have few arguments. "
Thank you, Dennis, for once again saying what I only think and have not been able to say myself.
Mark Steyn is a God!
"Oh, dear. Who's not 'being serious' here? In Normandy, it's not just the cheese that's soft and runny. Granted that France's over-regulated sclerotic economy profoundly obstructs the social mobility of immigrants, even Mr Debris - whoops, sorry - even Mr Debre' cannot be so out of touch as to think 'seriously' that the rioters are rioting for 'a fairer, more fraternal society'. But maybe he does. The political class and the media seem to serve as mutual reinforcers of their obsolete illusions. Or as the Washington Post's headline put it: 'Rage of French youth is a fight for recognition'.
Actually, they're very easy to 'recognise': just look out the window, they're the ones torching your Renault 5. I'd wager the 'French' 'youth' find that headline as hilarious as the Jets in West Side Story half a century ago, when they taunted Officer Krupke with 'society's' attempts to 'understand' them: we're depraved on account of we're deprived. Perhaps some enterprising Paris impresario will mount a production of West Eid Story with choreographed gangs of North African Muslims sashaying through the Place de la Republique, incinerating as they go."
Of course, to really appreciate Steyn's use of the language, you have to read the above in your very best British accent.
Sweeney's Story
His skin was pale and his eye was odd"
Hat tip to James Taranto at Opinion Journal for posting a link to this article on the Court TV web page detailing the true facts of the Sweeney Todd story.
OC Chronicle is on the road in San Diego this week and we wasted a great hour reading this after the kids and Mrs. OC went to sleep.
We always thought the Sweeney story was mostly legend, but according to this account, the details are true and remarkably similar to our favorite musical.
Malkin Does it Again.
The term "Must Read" is bandied about the blogosphere a little too loosely these days... but today's post from Michelle Malkin defines the term. She is thorough, brilliantly sourced, has extensive links and strikes just the right note of indignation and fury. She has so quickly become the "Lord of the Blogs".
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Finally, A Liberal Can Be Labeled a Hypocrite!
Hat tip to Anna at The Right Place for quoting extensively from Peter Schweizer's new book: "Do As I Say (Not As I Do)"
"The year that Moore claimed in 'Stupid White Men' that he didn't own any stock, he told the IRS that a foundation totally controlled by Moore and his wife had more than $280,000 in corporate stock and nearly $100,000 in corporate bonds.
Over the past five years, Moore's holdings have 'included such evil pharmaceutical and medical companies as Pfizer, Merck, Genzyme, Elan PLC, Eli Lilly, Becton Dickinson and Boston Scientific,' writes Schweizer, whose earlier works include 'The Bushes' and 'Reagan's War.'
'Moore's supposedly nonexistent portfolio also includes big bad energy giants like Sunoco, Noble Energy, Schlumberger, Williams Companies, Transocean Sedco Forex and Anadarko, all firms that 'deplete irreplaceable fossil fuels in the name of profit' as he put it in 'Dude, Where's My Country?'
'And in perhaps the ultimate irony, he also has owned shares in Halliburton. According to IRS filings, Moore sold Halliburton for a 15 percent profit and bought shares in Noble, Ford, General Electric (another defense contractor), AOL Time Warner (evil corporate media) and McDonald's."
As Dennis Prager often points out: "Being Liberal means never having to say your sorry". As a conservative (especially a religious type) one takes moral stands. One sticks one's neck (and some times other parts of the anatomy) out and clearly states a position and passes judgement on others. The biggest petard the Liberals try to hoist us upon is that we are "hypocrites" whenever we are found to have a normal human failing.
Therefore, William Bennet's brilliance is irrelevant because he gambles. Rush Limbaugh's logic and persuasive abilities are discounted due to a pain-killer addiction, The entire Bush Administration is a "Crime Family" because Scooter Libby has been indicted for perjury. And on and on...
The beauty of being a liberal is that since they never seem to make any moral condemnation or judgement upon other's behaviours, they are free of the dreaded hypocrite label and seem to exist in an "above the fray" legitimacy in the popular media.
Yet now Mr. Schweizer has exposed the sanctimonious Michael Moore (finally) and thus the hypocrite shoe can be on the other foot now. If Moore had not been such a blowhard and claimed such moral superiority he could have avoided this situation, but he made the mistake of claiming a position of ethical grandeur and now he must pay.
I have to say I'm a little surprised by this as it is a bit sloppy and stupid. I mean...Haliburton? That seems a bit obvious, doesn't it? Of course, I'm not surprised he owns stock in MacDonald's... it looks like he's making fine use of his dividends by re-investing them at the drive-thru via a #2 combo with extra fries.
To say that this is shameless and in horrible taste is beyond understatement...
Guess who registered Jesus Juice as a trademark during Jackson's criminal proceedings? Guess who is about to market a Jesus Juice wine? Guess whose wife is helping him market Jesus Juice?"
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Fantasy Football update.
various fantasy leagues.
To refresh your memories, we are operating the following leagues:
3 scrimmage squads operating through Yahoo Sports.
- Team 1 "AskMeAboutMelaleuca"
3-5 record, 7th place. (Interestingly, this is the league where we had the first pick in the draft and the draft robot automatically gave us Peyton Manning. NEVER draft a QB in the first round...NEVER!)
- Team 2 Red Stater in OC 6-2 record, 1st Place, 'Nuff Said.
- Team 3 OCChronicle.blogspot 5-3 record, 3rd Place (A true achievement as this team started out in the toilet and we've really battled back. Despite our team name, we have not been able to generate much traffic to the blog from here, apparently the FFL managers aren't blog readers.)
2 amateur teams on AOL Sports.
- Team 1 Shock and Awe 3-5 record, 3rd place in division (VERY disapointed in this team, I had high hopes, tough luck with injuries and such... could still pull it out in 2nd half.)
- Team 2 Ask Me About Melaleuca 5-3 record, 3rd place in division. (Despite drawing Peyton Manning, this team is doing OK)
1 minor league team on ESPN.com
- OC Shock and Awe 5-3 record, tied for 2nd in division (RBs have carried this team. Really enjoy the moments of banter between team owners in this team)
1 semi-pro team on NFL.com
- Shock and Awe 6-2 record, 1st place in division, 2nd best record in league. (My most talented team by far. Shaun Alexander, Julius Jones, Eli Manning, Marvin Harrison, Hines Ward - Fred Taylor and Stephen Davis ride the pines!)
A pro team ready to win it all on CBS.Sportsline.com owned by brother DOC
- Jayaco Football League, DOC - Probably password protected as this is a private league 6-2 record, 1st place in division, best record in league. (This is the team we spend most of our time on and are proudest of. We've been perennial losers in this league and this year, we're finally hitting our stride.)
I'm guessing your main observtion at this point is that we need to get more creative with our names... we know. But we really do kind of like "Shock and Awe" as the name for a football team. Feel free to submit your own favorites here.
Friday, November 04, 2005
The Alliance: New Filthy Lie Assignment: Evil glen's Musical
The Alliance is speculating that Glen Reynolds is poised to take over Broadway with a new show. This seems bit incongruous as Broadway is the epitome of OLD media... Like Ancient Greek old. That being said, we here at OC Chronicle are perfectly positioned to report on this given our "Inside Broadway" status.
The Instapundit show will be: Glengarry Glen Reynolds. A gritty, sometimes obscene drama about the lives of desperate bloggers trying to post the perfect entry and get a hit on Michelle Malkin or Hugh Hewitt or (gasp) LGF! While sitting in pajamas in a dark family room with the NBA playing on the TV with the sound down, our hero feverishly checks his page visits and his Google Ads click-throughs.
Friday Funny
Brilliant cartoon from the Dry Bones Blog. And revealing story behind its creation.
Maradona Protests Free Trade?
Michelle Malkin has photos of the "Anti-Free Trade" protests in Argentina today. First pic is of Diego Maradona, "Futbal" super star most famous for CHEATING in the World Cup!
To para-phrase Laura Ingraham: SHUT UP AND KICK!
Now we need to be lectured by an athelete who a) doesn't even play a real sport (metric football?) and b) is a smarmy little cheater who robbed the Brits of the World Cup!
Kind of makes us here at the OC Chronicle expect A.J. Pierzynski to be talking politics years from now.
Sweeney Todd | Broadway
Sweeney Todd | BroadwayThe revival of Sweeney Todd opened last night to rave reviews. This has always been a favorite show for us here at OC Chronicle and we count it as an American Musical Masterpiece (That's right, an AMM!) I'm a little skeptical of the concept of this staging since they are not using a full chorus. Nothing beats the overwhelming sound of the original Broadway cast singing the Ballad of Sweeney Todd in seven part harmony! Buy the CD, it's a seminal work from demi-God Sondheim. Also, after browsing the web page, I just get the feeling that the whole thing is a little to "Brechtian" in feel. It shouldn't look quite so Berlin circa 1928, I think.
One of OC Chronicle's inside Broadway sources has reported that the daily wrap today is not as large as the rave reviews should suggest, so if you are in New York, see this one before January as it might not make it past the holiday season.
What's French for Schadenfreude?
First, please understand that there is no excuse or rationalization for the kind of mindless violence gripping Paris over the past week. And I pray for any innocent victims of this hateful behavior.
But come on! How fun is it to see PM de Villepin struggling with this crisi and attempting to resolve the issues by initiating a dialogue with the "youths" engaged in these hateful riots? The smug, superior attitude the French Government has exerted over the rest of the world (especially the Yanks and the Brits) has set them up for ridicule ad justifiable disdain. They should ask Rudy Guiliani for help.
Read this blog for on the scene updates... pardon their French.
iNo Pasaran!"A bus was vandalised and fired on with real bullets in Sarcelles (which is, like, my fave place in the whole world). A supermarket was attacked in Montmagny and an underground parking torched in Persan. In Foug�res, firemen providing first aid in a housing project were trapped in an apartment and pelted with rocks. Their attackers then proceeded to torch the ambulance meant to evacuate the injured party.
In the Paris area other incidents are reported in Aulnay-sous-Bois, Clichy-sous-Bois and Saint-Denis, and in the north of France cars are being burned in Lille.
How's that dialogue thing going Mr. Vilepine? Getting anywhere with that?"
UPDATE: It has been brought to our attention that if it were not for the efforts of the American Military, Schadenfreude would, in fact, be French for Schadenfreude!
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Mary... I remembered what I was going to say...
"HH: You just broke a pretty big
story. I was watching up on the corner television in my studio,
and it's headlined that the Red Cross was blocked from delivering
supplies to the Superdome, Major Garrett. Tell us what you found
MG: Well, the Red Cross, Hugh,
had pre-positioned a literal vanguard of trucks with water, food,
blankets and hygiene items. They're not really big into medical
response items, but those are the three biggies that we saw people
at the New Orleans Superdome, and the convention center, needing
most accutely. And all of us in America, I think, reasonably asked
ourselves, geez. You know, I watch hurricanes all the time. And
I see correspondents standing among rubble and refugees and evacuaees.
But I always either see that Red Cross or Salvation Army truck
nearby. Why don't I see that?
HH: And the answer is?
MG: The answer is the Louisiana
Department of Homeland Security, that is the state agency responsible
for that state's homeland security, told the Red Cross explicitly,
you cannot come.
HH: Now Major Garrett, on what
day did they block the delivery? Do you know specifically?
MG: I am told by the Red Cross,
immediately after the storm passed.
HH: Okay, so that would be on
Monday afternoon.
MG: That would have been Monday
or Tuesday. The exact time, the hour, I don't have. But clearly,
they had an evacuee situation at the Superdome, and of course,
people gravitated to the convention center on an ad hoc basis.
They sort of invented that as another place to go, because they
couldn't stand the conditions at the Superdome.
HH: Any doubt in the Red Cross'
mind that they were ready to go, but they were blocked?
MG: No. Absolutely none. They
are absolutely unequivocal on that point.
HH: And are they eager to get
this story out there, because they are chagrined by the coverage
that's been emanating from New Orleans?"
Photo-ops you wish you could take back.
While reading the press releases and "facts" on the America's WETLAND web page it is not possible to find their ENTIRE position on the levee management in the N.O. area. Their main goal is for "Restoration of Coastal Louisiana" and their contention is that the existing Levee system implemented in 1927 has diverted the Mississippi from where it naturally wishes to go... DUH! That's the whole point.
Well, their contention is that this is ultimately dangerous for New Orleans and contributed to the city's exposure to Katrina, but something doesn't wash here: Katrina actually didn't hit NO that hard, it was just the sheer VOLUME of rain that breeched the levees causing the floods. The city would have been saved if the levees had been larger and fortified from their eighty year-old construction, but this is a plan that this organization has not supported. They prefer to re-route the Mississippi in such a way that the coastline is restored, not necessarily in a way that increases the levee capacity.
Their priority has been protection of the wetlands, not protection of the city. And every Democratic politician from the state can be found on their web page as a supporter.
Mudville Gazette explains the feud between NO Mayor and Louis. Gov.
"In a bold and potentially risky move, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin crossed party lines Monday to endorse Republican Bobby Jindal, who is locked in a tight governor's race with Lt. Gov. Kathleen Blanco, the Democratic standard bearer in the Nov. 15 runoff.
In recent days, Nagin said he faced considerable pressure from the state Democratic power structure to go with Blanco, citing U.S. Sens. John Breaux and Mary Landrieu in particular.
Without naming names, Nagin said Blanco supporters attached words like 'risk' and 'consequences' and 'repercussions' to the prospect of his backing Jindal.
'They talked about this not being in the best interests of the city of New Orleans and that they would let people know that,' Nagin said.
Using what he described as the 'hip hop vernacular' favored by his teenage sons, Nagin hinted that Blanco's backers issued threats, indicating that 'if we get in we're going to basically ice you out.'"
Earlier this blog stated that "Only the Democratic Leadership could see the burning twin towers and see a fantastic opportunity for a Federal Jobs program.", now, one must observe that this same leadership witnesses the devastation from Katrina and only sees an opportunity for political payback.
Read this before you make another donation to Sierra Club.
The Bush administration%u2019s flood-control efforts were often relentlessly opposed by environmental groups, and this opposition was frequently echoed by liberal activists and in the press. Bush kept his promise, and his appointees at the Corps of Engineers have stopped the %u201Cspring rise%u201D plan that concerned so many about flooding. Environmentalists launched a barrage of criticism and a series of lawsuits. This was also the case with Bush%u2019s moves to stop the Clinton administration%u2019s plans to breach the dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers in the northwest. Even though the dams greatly help to control flooding in the region, American Rivers blasted the administration for failing to do enough to save the sockeye salmon native to the region."
Are You Ready...?
I know it seems trite in view of the national tragedy in the gulf states.
And I know there is much more for us to be focused on.
And I know that the Angels are in the heat of a Division and Pennant race...
OC Chronicle will be giving its readers regular update on the fantasy football teams we are managing this season. We currently have:
3 scrimmage squads operating through Yahoo Sports.
2 amateur teams on AOL Sports.
1 minor league team on ESPN.com
1 semi-pro team on NFL.com
the big daddy of them all...
A pro team ready to wein it all on CBS.Sportsline.com owned by brother DOC and managed by yours truly.
Are we sick? obsessed? too much time on our hands?
Oh yes. Oh yes.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Oh... THAT explains it.
an item yesterday, means. Actually, we spelled it out just before the block quote in the same item. It's an acronym for 'those who oppose restrictions on the destruction of live human fetuses, conditional only on the consent of the mother.'"
Say What?????
Anyone??? Anyone get this?
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Cindy Sheehan fallout and the danger of Hate e-mail.
But today something occurred that deserves attention. Michelle Malkin, who has been on this story like Gerber's Squash on my baby's face, began receiving vile and un-repeatable hate e-mail.
Click to her site to read them, she's posted some of the worst.
Well one of these braniacs sent the e-mail from his office computer. After Malkin posted it on her page, the company was swamped with complaints from Michelle's readers. Take a look at the response she got:
"Update, 1:50 pm eastern time: I have just received an e-mail and phone call from Gray L. Geddie of the L.A. office of Ogletree Deakins. Here's the e-mail...
Dear Ms. Malkin,
I am the Managing Shareholder of the law firm of Ogletree Deakins with offices located across the country. I was very disturbed to learn today that a legal secretary in our Los Angeles office sent you the vile e-mail referenced on your home page. Such remarks are clearly inappropriate in any context and an e-mail such as this certainly should not have been sent during working time using our firm's equipment. The comments of this employee are not reflective of the views or opinions of the firm and are directly in violation of our e-mail policy. As Managing Shareholder, I wanted to extend to you our apologies and let you know that this serious violation of our firm's work rules has resulted in the discharge of this employee.
Once again, let me offer you our deepest apologies for any discomfort that the referenced e-mail has caused. It will not happen again.
Gray Geddie
Thanks to Mr. Geddie and to all who wrote."
George Will hits a homer today.
That gets your attention, doesn't it? Read the entire column. The story has to do with President Carter accusing George Will of stealing his depate-prep book and giving it to the Reagan campaign! Seriously... Carter really believes this!!! And Will just destroys him!
"Regarding your briefing book, I will tell you what I have told many others. When I got to David Stockman's house on the day he was preparing to play the role of you in the debate preparations, he had on his kitchen table what I gather was the briefing book. I do not know how he got it; more to the point, I do not know who thought having it would be helpful. Frankly, you deserved better. My cursory glance at it convinced me that it was a crashing bore and next to useless — for you, or for anyone else."
UPDATE: Taranto with a great take at OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today: "So Carter (a) nurses this trivial grudge for 13 years (and still is after 25 years), (b) refuses to read Will's book because of it, (c) feels vindicated when he finds it on the remainder table, and (d) writes a letter to Will boasting about (c)! Next to this guy, Bill Clinton is Winston Churchill."
Monday, August 08, 2005
9/11 Slush Fund?
We start the day as we often do, with Michelle Malkin:
"Among hundreds of pages of other documents obtained by The Star-Ledger was a memo from a top administrator in the Attorney General's Office who describes the program as 'Christmas Tree funding' -- a term long used in Trenton to describe grants given along party lines to loyal and politically connected lawmakers for use on pet projects in home districts."
She links to the complete story that details allegations of the NJ Governors office funneling Homeland Security ant-terrorism dollars to districts controlled by Democratic Party cronies.
Notice something here... whenever Democrats try to sound tough on terror, they often sound off about "First-responders" or "Port security". What do these positions have in common? They translate to more jobs (and more federal money) for union members. Dock workers, police, firemen... these are unions that traditionally support the Democratic Party (the union leadership, the rank and file usually find Democratic positions to be repulsive).
And, remember their position on the original Homeland Security Bill? They famously attempted to block it because the Bush Administration wanted more freedom to fire union employees.
Now the State of New Jersey, dominated by a corrupt, state Democratic Party, has been channelling money meant for anti-terrorist efforts to cities controlled by the Party. I'm sure that on the surface, the funding will appear to have gone to more first-responders or perhaps to certain security measures that seem legit., but if they probe further, I'm confident the local union bosses have been well rewarded for their undying support.
A cynic might observe: Only the Democratic Leadership could see the burning twin towers and see a fantastic opportunity for a Federal Jobs program.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Spitzer's involvement was just a matter of time.
Michelle Malkin is linking to a story in the NY Post that reveals that State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer - the Uriah Heep of our time - is now stepping in to the Air Scamerica scandal.
This is going to be an interesting tight rope as Spitzer is running for Governor and has Proesidential ambitions. This could be his "Sister Soljah" moment.
Ultimately, New Yorkers should beware... the most dangerous place to be in NYC is between Eliot Spitzer and a camera!
Friday, August 05, 2005
This will lift your spirits.
Do yourself a favor and look at the photos posted at Cranky Neocon. These show the real spirit of our brave armed forces and the citizens of Free Iraq.
More good economic news.
"The oddest thing about the strong economic growth that has taken place over the last several years is how stubbornly many people refuse to recognize it. Polls continue to suggest that most Americans are unaware of the economy's excellent performance. Can that really be true?"
If it's Friday, it's Krauthammer.
Cell Lines, Moral Lines:
"It is a good idea to expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. It is a bad idea to do that without prohibiting research that uses embryos created specifically to be used in research and destroyed."
Given his unique experience, there is no better commentator on the subject of stem cell research than Charles Krauthammer. (Even if his name wreaks havoc on my spell check!)
Axis of Evil update.
"MS-NBC reported last night that American military forces captured a large shipment of shape charges, the kind of explosives used against American military forces by Iraqi terrorists. Sources within the military and intelligence communities told the network that the charges originated with Iran, an allegation that could have potential to escalate already-existing disputes between Washington and Teheran:"
Does the lack of news coverage on this significant story expose an ongoing resistance to acknowledge President Bush's courageous description of Iran as part of the terrorist Axis of Evil?
This guy is GOOD.
"'The public censured the Commander-in-Chief for the bloodshed, for this seemingly endless war. More and more politicians and journalists, Republicans as well as Democrats, called his administration incompetent. Military failures produced demands for peace negotiations. And the President was roundly condemned for curtailing civil liberties.'
Sound familiar? But the president in question (the quotation has been altered slightly to conceal this) is not George W. Bush but Abraham Lincoln. The time is not summer 2005 but the spring of 1863. The words are not those of some contemporary columnist but of poet and novelist Daniel Mark Epstein in his beautiful and elegaic book Lincoln and Whitman: Parallel Lives in Civil War Washington."
The decision of Michael Barone to start a blog is already reaping benefits. Do yourself a favor and read the entire post.
Malkin on the case...
That woman is ON THE CASE!
Laura Ingraham's Courage
SOme how I missed this picture of Laura Ingraham that was postedon her web page. I know many OC Chronicle readers are Ingra-maniacs and you've been inquiring about her condition.
This photo looks as though it is from the hospital right after a chemo treatment (see the IV hook-up in her arm.) The rest of the people are identified as "Lee, Patty, Felicia, and James" and they are the producer's engineers and staff for her radio program.
She looks tired (as well she should) but she also looks fantastic! God bless her speedy recovery.
Never again...
Ralph Peters in the New York Post has a nicely coherent warning to the US public:
"August 4, 2005 -- In Iraq yesterday a roadside bomb killed 14 Marines. Two days earlier, six Marines from the same outfit were ambushed and killed. Yet those Marines were not the terrorists' primary target.
You were.
Our enemies know the Marines won't quit. But they hope you will.
The terrorists realize now that they can't defeat our military. Instead, they hope to achieve what the North Vietnamese did: To blur the reality on the ground and convince the American public that we're losing.
Those Marines were tactical targets of opportunity. You're the strategic target. The terrorists hope that our media will create an atmosphere of failure � and that you'll give in to a sense of defeat.
The Marines are looking for a few good men (and women). The terrorists are looking for headlines"
We hope that in this age of alternative media and instqant communication, we will not succumb to the constant drumbeat of quagmire and defeatism led by "The most trusted man in America" we saw in the Vietnam era.
Let us not allow the brave Marines on the other side of the planet to struggle and sacrifice in vain.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Bob Novak sandbagged on his own network!
DRUDGE has a breaking item:
"BOB NOVAK WALKS OFF CNN LIVE 'THAT IS BULL*HIT'... Was on with Carville talking Katherine Harris make-up... Host Ed Henry ended segment by telling viewers he had told Novak in advance he would ask him about the CIA leak case. Henry said CNN hoped to get Novak to answer such questions in future... DEVELOPING..."
You know, Novak has to take a lot of abuse on CNN. He's constantly the only conservative on panels of three or four liberals, they routinely gang up on him. And on Capital Gang, the other panelists regularly use personal invective and ad homenim attacks when debating the guy. Now he gets sandbagged by a guy during an exchange that was supposed to be about Katherine Harris?
Maybe this will push the guy over the edge and he'll join FOX News.
I wonder... could this be considered workplace harassment? Does Novak have a case?
Huge drop in productivity today.
God help me. Between obsessively checking my hit counts from yesterday's "Best of the Web Today" link and the Angels' afternoon game, I'm not going to get ANYTHING done today.
Irreverant? Yes. Funny? God yes!
Musum Pontificalis is a new blog by "Papa Ratzi". You guessed it, it's Benedict XVI himself in the blogosphere!
Check out the former Joseph Ratzinger's bio on the blog:
"Basically, I'm just your average Joe. I like to drink beer and muse like everyone else. I love the Good Lord with all my heart and He has blessed me immensely, for which I am eternally grateful. I work very hard trying to shepherd His flock; which is no small task when you consider all of the wolves in sheep's clothing out there! So occasionally, I need some R&R. For me, that comes in the form of musing. Thanks to Blogger, I can muse all I want and it doesn't take a single penny from Peter's Pence."
See, we Catholics are smart, funny AND don't take ourselves TOO seriously all the time.
HT: Roman Catholic Blog: Truth Through Satire
Michelle Malkin: SNEAK PEEK: UNHINGED
Michelle Malkin's new book will be out in October but she's released the artwork for the cover yesterday. You just can't look at it and not chuckle, and see Howard Dean.
Just when you thought they couldn't sink any lower...
DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005: "The TIMES has investigative reporter Glen Justice hot on the case to investigate the status of adoption records of Judge Roberts' two young children, Josie age 5 and Jack age 4, a top source reveals."
Michael Barone is now blogging
Hugh Hewitt on Michael Barone's blog: "Welcoming Michael Barone to the blogosphere is like welcoming the 1927 Yankees to the local Triple AAA park."
Barone has always appeared to us as the most brilliant mind inAmerican politics today. His performance on Fox News the evening of the 2000 election was brilliant. As the growing importance of a re-count in Florida was becoming clear, he rattled off almost every county in the state, from memory and gave Brit Hume an analysis of how each county might end up going for either Gore or Bush. It was something we'll not soon forget.
Over the years, his opinion on just about any major political issue has been spot on. We'll be checking his blog daily.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
OC Chronicle invades the Northern Alliance territory
It's official, the OC Chronicle will be traveling August 13 - 17 to the hot and wet environs of the twin cities. I have a pretty full schedule for the visit, but I'd love to hook up with the goof balls at Fraters Libertas. Well, actually I'd like to have a pint or seven at Keegan's Irish Pub & Restaurant and I figure if I link to them enough, I'll get them to buy a round.
---Also at OC Chronicle: President Bush's comments on intelligent design draws curious comment from Barney Frank
UPDATE: Fraters Libertas: "Keep dreaming Larry. Keep dreaming." - Apparently there's some confusion over the OC Chronicle's "OC" designation. (Explanation here)
Although it's true that we are not OFFICIALLY affiliated with that trashy documentary of my high school years at Newport Beach's Corona del Mar High School I do intend to bring Rachel Bilson with me to Keegan's. We all know each other here in OC, you know?
Bush Remarks On 'Intelligent Design' Theory Fuel Debate
Within the Washington Post's front page article on the somewhat benign remarks President Bush has made about including the Intelligent Design theory along with the theory of evolution in school curricula is this little gem of a quote from Barney Frank:
"It is, of course, further indication that a fundamentalist right has really taken over much of the Republican Party,' said Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), a leading liberal lawmaker. Noting Bush's Ivy League education, Frank said, 'People might cite George Bush as proof that you can be totally impervious to the effects of Harvard and Yale education.'"
Get it? Bush is stupid!!! Ha ha ha ha ha! Wow, that's a really brilliant wit Barney displays there... what an original thinker he is!
But let's explore Mr. Franks' embrace of natural selection a little further. It's no secret that Rep. Frank is gay. How, exactly, does natural selection (survival of the fittest) fit in with the scientific basis of homosexuality? If natural selection is truly the scientific basis of our existence and survival, then wouldn't homosexuals be extinct by now? I mean, it's hard for a species to survive or thrive if there's no procreatin' goin' on, right Barney?
If I were gay, I'd be embracing the idea of intelligent design. It supports the position that I am one of God's children and should be afforded the same respect and dignity of any other person as I am created in His image.
More on Air Scamerica
is all over the Air America scam over mis-appropriated funds from the NYC Boys and Girls Clubs. Her weekly column takes a great angle asking why Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have not expressed outrage over a corporation taking funds from poor, inner-city minority children:
"If a conservative radio network had been entangled in a scam to steal from black children to line the pockets of wealthy white con artists, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would already be staging hunger strikes in protest. But both have hefty political and financial stakes in Air America's success -- and the big mouths aren't about to badmouth their friends.
Air America's flagship New York City station is housed on Park Avenue at WLIB-AM, owned by Inner City Broadcasting. The company shunted aside its black-themed talk format at WLIB to accommodate Air America. In return, Air America made room for a few minority radio hosts and also entered into lucrative lease management agreements with Inner City Broadcasting, which owns and operates 17 radio stations in five markets."
If only Haliburton were somehow involved in this... THEN we'd hear about it!
Steven Vincent, RIP
(Welcome 'Best of the Web Today' readers! Please feel free to look around. I couldn't be prouder than to be linked by Mr. Taranto)
These are the words of Steven Vincent, a brave and talented journalist and blogger who reported from the heart of Iraq. These words probably helped get him killed. His murder was announced this morning:
"Words matter. Words convey moral clarity. Without moral clarity, we will not succeed in Iraq. That is why the terms the press uses to cover this conflict are so vital. For example, take the word "guerillas." As you noted, mainstream media sources like the New York Times often use the terms "insurgents" or "guerillas" to describe the Sunni Triangle gunmen, as if these murderous thugs represented a traditional national liberation movement. But when the Times reports on similar groups of masked reactionary killers operating in Latin American countries, they utilize the phrase "paramilitary death squads." Same murderers, different designations. Yet of the two, "insurgents" and especially "guerillas" has a claim on our sympathies that "paramilitaries" lacks. This is not semantics: imagine if the media routinely called the Sunni Triangle gunmen "right wing paramilitary death squads." Not only would the description be more accurate, but it would offer the American public a clear idea of the enemy in Iraq. And that, in turn, would bolster public attitudes toward the war.
Supporters of the conflict in Iraq bear much blame for allowing the terminology ---and, by extension, the narrative--- of events to slip from our grasp and into the hands of the anti-war camp. Words and ideas matter. Instead of saying that the Coalition "invaded" Iraq and "occupies" it today, we could more precisely claim that the allies liberated the country and are currently reconstructing it. More than cosmetic changes, these definitions reflect the nobility of our effort in Iraq, and steal rhetorical ammunition from the left.
The most despicable misuse of terminology, however, occurs when Leftists call the Saddamites and foreign jihadists "the resistance" What an example of moral inversion! For the fact is, paramilitary death squads are attacking the Iraqi people. And those who oppose the killers--the Iraqi police and National Guardsmen, members of the Allawi government, people like Nour--- they are the "resistance." They are preventing Islamofascists from seizing Iraq, they are resisting evil men from turning the entire nation into a mass slaughterhouse like we saw in re-liberated Falluja. Anyone who cares about success in our struggle against Islamofascism, or upholds principles of moral clarity and lucid thought--- should combat such Orwellian distortions of our language..."
A more fitting epitaph one can hardly imagine.
---Also at OC Chronicle: President Bush's comments on intelligent design draws curious comment from Barney Frank
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Bush out-smarts them again
"The pact's stated goal is to cut production of "greenhouse gases" in half by the end of the century. What distinguishes this plan from the Kyoto protocol is that it will actually lead to a major reduction in carbon emissions! This substitution of practical impact for well-crafted verbiage stunned and infuriated European observers."
As The Anchoress points out:
"I still maintain that if President Clinton - or to be fair ANY Democrat president - had done exactly the same things Bush has done, the press would be laying down palms and crying out Hosanna's and writing editorials screaming for the abolition of the 22nd amendment. Heavens, they practically did that when Clinton was ending his second term after doing nothing re Kyoto, nothing on terrorism, nothing on Social Security, nothing on Education, nothing on taxes…"
Top 11 Creative Financing Ideas for Air America
Once you're up to date, you'll appreciate this little take from Nihilist In Golf Pants: Top 11 Creative Financing Ideas for Air America:
"11. Fencing candy stolen from babies.
10. Renting out homeless shelters for raves.
9. Smuggling untaxed cigarettes into Minnesota.
8. Importing olive oil from Sicily.
7. Using Air America's bank accounts to help corrupt Nigerian government officials sneak embezzled funds out of the country.
6. Selling phony draft deferments to gullible left-wing college students.
5. Opening an Air America donut shop across the street from Michael Moore's apartment.
4. Setting up a brothel catering to conservatives who have a thing for Janeane Garofalo.
3. Smuggling illegal aliens across the Rio Grande.
2. Stealing Howard Dean's medication and selling it on the street.
1. Selling bumper stickers accusing Bush of being corrupt."
(HT:Fraters Libertas)
Monday, August 01, 2005
The Truth about Hillary
RealClearPolitics has a terrific post on some recent articles sighting Democrat insiders worrying about Hillary's ability to win a general election.
"More recently, Ruy Teixeira, co-author of The Emerging Democratic Majority, told the Daily News that 'people don't like to come out and say it because they don't like to tick her off, but privately most people don't think she can win.'"
Maybe it's just wishful thinking here at the OC Chronicle, but we've never really believed the HRC has a chance in a Presidential Election. Our theory is this: People always vote for the more likeable person, period. And even if the Republican's nominate someone as abrasive as Newt Gingrich, he'd still win over more voters than Hill. For most people I know, even many of those that agree with her views, listening to Hillary speak is like nails on a chalkboard. No one wants to live with that for four years of their lives.
Do they? Ugh.
They Took Her T-Bird Away
I'd like to know who is advising Ms. Sommers and her erstwhile husband Alan Hall on how to spend their investors (I am generously guessing that they didn't personally bankroll the ENTIRE production budget) money.
Here is free advice to anyone out there considering producing a Broadway Show: If your show is booked to open at the BROOKS ATKINSON in the middle of JULY.... it's a BOMB! Your show STINKS! It doesn't have a CHANCE IN HELL! This was the live theatrical equivilent of your movie being released direct to video.
Suzanne: Next time you want to do a show, hire a consultant or General Manager with some scruples who will tell you the TRUTH!
PS: I'm available.
Wishful Thinking
"The day I say Dick Cheney is going to run for president, I'll kill myself." - Helen Thomas, American journalism's crazy old aunt in the attic. (HT: Best of the Web Today)
Welcome back from vacation, Best of the Web Today.
"Who is Anita Hill? She is best known as a pioneer in bawdy broadcast humor, a sort of American counterpart to England's Benny Hill. In 1991 she made history by becoming the first person ever to utter the phrases 'Long Dong Silver' and 'pubic hair on my Coke' on national television. Everyone knows what happened next. Americans turned out to have an appetite for juvenile sexual comedy. The following year they put Bill Clinton in the White House. In 1993 'Beavis and Butt-head' picked up where Anita Hill had left off. After Clinton's second inauguration, in 1997, 'South Park' took televised ribaldry to new extremes. Part of Hill's shtick was to allege that that Clarence Thomas had written her gags a decade earlier. Although he disclaimed authorship, some Democrats said that they believed her and that this made Thomas unsuitable to be a justice. Thomas was of course confirmed, but given Hill's role in trying to keep a black man off the Supreme Court, for her now to pose as a champion of diversity seems the height of hypocrisy."
Hugh Hewitt is best when excoriating the LA Times.
It's hard to pick just a few lines from Hugh Hewitt this morning:
"The Los Angeles Times' Ronald Brownstein writes on the 2008 presidential race today. He does not disclose that his wife is a senior aid to John McCain. Which candidate does McCain favor getting the Democratic nod? My guess is that it has to be Hillary as that will significantly boost the Beltway chatter about McCain's cross-party appeal.
Indeed, it seems odd that this article does not mention the DLC's role in blunting a potential McCain or Rudy challenge from 'the center.' You have to wonder if Brownstein is holding back on references to McCain because of the problem his wife's employment poses.
The Times recently pledged transparency in conflict-of-interest matters. I guess that means if you declare a conflict once in print, every reader for all time is presumed to know and not care about it. BTW: To my knowledge, the paper has still not detailed Mrs. Brownstein's job or salary, or how funds paid her by Senator McCain are not part of Ron Brownstein's direct financial interest that would preclude him from covering McCain or related stories, like today's on Hillary: '[S]taff members may not cover individuals or institutions with which they have a financial relationship.'"
Bravo, HH. The Times will never learn.
Vince Vaughn, I'd cast this guy in a heartbeat.
Michelle Malkin comes out early with her 2008 Endorsement
OC Chronicle back and better!
I'm sorry for the lack of posts over the last 2 weeks. Our home office has moved to a new location and we were out of commission for the time of the moving process. But now, the Chronicle is back and BETTER!
We've upgraded our operating system at the office to MAC OSX and we are now capable of utilizing all of the bells and whistles Blogger makes available through the Safari Browser. What does this mean to you, our loyal reader (all 9 of you)? It means that blogging will be easier for me here at the office making posts more frequent and rapid!
Stay tuned and click back often!
Thanks for your support,
Larry O'C
Friday, July 29, 2005
Friday Fun Blogs for all to enjoy.
A Red Sox Fan In Pinstripe Territory is fun to read once you get over the dillema of hating both the Red Sox AND the Yankees so who really cares about these particular issues?
FREEDOM EDENIs an AWESOME blog. I only wish the OC Chronicle looked as sharp. I have to get to work on a new look. The author describes herself as: "Mary Location:In a Blue State, in a Red State of Mind, United States"... this isn't a certain Mary I know in New York, is it?
Congratulations to "The Elder", The Frater is now a Father
Some day, I hope, little Nate will get some positive exposure to some quality teams. Instead of suffering with the Twins, Timberwolves, Wild and the Vikings, he should start following the Angels, Lakers, Kings and ...... well, I guess the Vikings are OK for now.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
OC in SD.
Niece Kate from Detroit is here for the week and we expect to relax and enjoy all of the great San Diego attractions.
We'll blog as much as possible to make you all the more envious of our Life in the OC.
Today's weather, 72 degrees, gentle ocean breeze, 5% humidity.
Memo to President Bush: Nominate Bork!
"Once the justices depart, as most of them have, from the original understanding of the principles of the Constitution, they lack any guidance other than their own attempts at moral philosophy, a task for which they have not even minimal skills. Yet when it rules in the name of the Constitution, whether it rules truly or not, the court is the most powerful branch of government in domestic policy. The combination of absolute power, disdain for the historic Constitution, and philosophical incompetence is lethal."
I know he's not young, and I know it would be a bloody battle, but wouldn't it be great if President Bush nominated Bork as Chief Justice? Give they guy another chance! And let's see if after proper reflection, Senator Spector repeats his shameful performance of 1987.
Little Ron, Your 15 Minutes are up.
If you missed Ron Reagan Jr.'s MSNBC show (and who doesn't regularly miss it) you missed a fantastic dressing down by Christopher Hitchens. The transcript is on Radio Blogger but here is a critical exchange between Hitchins, a man who has reported from hte belly of the terrorist beast since the eighties, and Reagan, a man who has been fortunate to stretch his inherited fame all the way to a TV show on a third rate cable station:
"CH: Excuse me. When I went to interview Abu Nidal, then the most wanted terrorist in the world, in Baghdad, he was operating out of an Iraqi government office. He was an arm of the Iraqi State, while being the most wanted man in the world. The same is true of the shelter and safe house offered by the Iraqi government, to the murderers of Leon Klinghoffer, and to Mr. Yassin, who mixed the chemicals for the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. How can you know so little about this, and be occupying a chair at the time that you do?
RR: I guess because I listen to the 9/11 Commission, and read their report, and they said that Saddam Hussein was not exporting terror. I suppose that's how, Christopher.
CH: Well, then they were wrong, weren't they?
RR: No, maybe they just needed to listen to you, Christopher.
CH; Well, I'm not sure that they actually did say that. What they did say was they didn't know of any actual operational connection...
RR: That's right. No substantive operational connection.
CH: ...which was the Iraqi Baath Party and...excuse me...and Al Qaeda. A direct operational connection. Now, that's because they don't know. They don't say there isn't one. They say they couldn't find one. But I just gave you the number, I would have thought, rather suggestive examples."
Note the smug attitude from Little Ron as he attempts to sound intellectually superior by reading his DNC talking points. He is silly enough to bring up the 9/11 commission findings as "proof" that Saddam was not involved in international terror and then within ten seconds must concede that they actually stated they had no PROOF of a "substantive operational connection" between Hussein and Al Qaeda. Of course, he concedes this point and his hoisted with his own petard.
The most important point that Little Ron never concedes in his depate is that he is an amateur and is completely out of his league with Hitchins. how much you wanna bet Mr. Hitchins is not invited back for a while? Some producer in MSNBC land is in BIG trouble right now... you never book a guest that will make your show's talent look THIS stupid!
Baldilocks agrees that Ron Reagan was not even closely matched with Hitchens... nice stuff here.


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|Should you wish to read about USS Constitution in depth, the following current books are recommended:
For Teachers Only:
"All Hands On Deck: Learning Adventures Aboard 'Old Ironsides'" is an award-winning theme unit based on the 200-year history of USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") you can use as a diverting reinforcement of your regular classes in social studies, mathematics, science, teamwork, and discipline. It contains lessons for all grades from kindergarten through high school, and includes a 20-minute full color video and a poster for your classroom. It is free to any teacher who writes to the USS Constitution Museum (Attn: Education Department) and requests it. The address is: Box 1812, Boston, Massachusetts 02129. Inquiries may be made by phone to (617) 426-1812 or (617) 426-1813.
For Pre-Teens:
"USS Constitution." Cobblestone:
American History for Kids, Vol. 16, No. 6 (Sep 1997). Peterborough, NH: Cobblestone
Publishing Company, 7 School Street, Peterborough, NH, 03458.
For Junior High Schoolers:
Weitzman, David. "'Old Ironsides':
Americans Build a Fighting Ship." Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. Orders: 1
(800) 225-3362.
For Adult Readers:
Martin, Tyrone G. "A Most Fortunate Ship." Revised edition. A Timonier Book. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1997. Illustrated. 400 pages. Recipient of a George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation and the 1997 Robert G. Albion Award of the National Maritime Historical Society. Winner of the Naval History Center USS Constitution Bicentennial Book Prize. The ship's complete 200-year history. Orders: 1 (800) 233-8764.
Martin. "The Constitution's Finest Fight, 1815. " Mt. Pleasant, SC: Nautical & Aviation Publishing Company of America, 2000, Illustrated. 104 pages. The edited journal kept by the ship's chaplain during her last war cruise and her twin victories over HMS Cyane and Levant. Never before in print. Orders: 1-843-856-0561
Martin. A Timonier Publications working monograph, this work compiles equipment and appearance information covering the ship's years of front line service (1798-1855), providing the modeler and artist a comprehensive source to support greater accuracy in his or her work. Amended as research uncovers more information. Illustrated. More than 125 pages.
Price: $35.00
Order from Timonier Publications at: 70 Devil's Ridge, Tryon, North Carolina 28782
|The author is a former captain of "Old Ironsides" and the first to be decorated for his command tour since Captain Charles Stewart in 1815. He has been cited as the 1997 Naval History Author of the Year by the U. S. Naval Institute.
For a recent video of USS Constitution, get:
"Old Ironsides: Living The
Legend." Anchors Aweigh Productions, Bainbridge Island, Washington. 1997.
And Music
This CD has 17 songs about "Old Ironsides" dating from 1797 to the late 1920's.
It can be ordered from the USS
Constitution Museum at

subset: commoncrawl


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In a recent chat with a Project Management Institute (PMI) – certified senior project manager, I had asked her about what it was like to be a PM on complicated projects. Her reply was somewhat amusing – "it's like driving a bunch of wild cats in the same direction, with all of them spitting and hissing at each other and at the PM". While that may be a slight exaggeration, anyone who has been a project manager even for a very short while knows that it calls for every iota of patience and diplomacy, coupled with the right amount of drive and push to get the job done on scope, on schedule, with the required quality, and while keeping relationships intact with the team and the customer. In an ideal world, the entire eLearning team would work seamlessly, turn out brilliant courses together, and everyone, including the customer, would live happily ever after. If only workplace reality was as simple as that!
As a project manager on an eLearning project, here are a few back-to-the-basics tips to help you steer your project in the right direction.
1. Follow the process – When deadlines loom large, you might be tempted to cut corners on the process, figuring it will help you save time in the long run. Watch out – any short cut at this stage can come back to bite you later, and make the process even longer drawn and fraught with more tension towards the end.
2. Get signoffs in time – Again, in a severe time crunch, it is very tempting to go with a verbal assent given by a Subject Matter Expert(SME) on the last call you had with her or him. Even if you have a good relationship with that SME and have a track record of working well together, get the signoff in writing. This will help ensure that adequate thought has been applied for reviews and will help reduce re-work later.
3. Cut done on iterations – While you can accommodate a reasonable amount of additional changes after the final signoff, too many rounds of reviews defeat the purpose of having a clear signoff process. Having a signoff and limited reviews in your process will help make the project manageable. You'd be amazed at how many times, even with the best of intentions of following a clear-cut process, there is so much back and forth between members in the team. Keep this to the barest minimum. It's important for the project. And for your sanity and your team's.
4. Educate your SMEs – This step is particularly useful if you have a new process or a SME who is not familiar with your old process. Before the start of the project, run the SME through your process, particularly the stages were you need review signoffs from the SME. Once the customer can get a bird's eye view of the entire project, he/she will also be more careful about last minute changes as they will appreciate the fact that every new input of theirs might involve going through the process and hence lengthening the delivery cycle.
5. Don't interfere unnecessarily – As PMs, we could sometimes be trigger happy. We could get so used to doing things that when everything is going smoothly, it's difficult to let things run their course. The most difficult thing for anyone with a let's-fix-it-before-it-breaks mindset is to step back and do nothing. Resist the temptation to interfere in a process that is already streamlined and working smoothly. Your team will thank you for it.
6. Take non-team discussions offline – If you have assembled your team for a project update, stick to the plan. Don't get side tracked with detailed discussions that are best handled offline. It might seem too obvious to state this, because that's what we do anyway. However, in the heat of the moment, it's very easy to get caught up in an animated discussion with someone about just one aspect of the project (say technical details) and forget that the rest of them team is anxious to get back to work.
7. Be a shock absorber – Unfortunately, this is part of the package deal of being a PM. Many years back, we had to contend with a customer who wanted us to change the tool we used for courseware development mid-way through the course development process. This was an expensive change and was the result of their post eleventh hour changes in the design strategy. No prizes for guessing who had to absorb this shock and soften the blow for the team and pass on the bad news upwards to the leadership.
8. Back up your team – The customer is king, but so is your team. Every once in a while you get saddled with a nightmare customer who keeps trying to push his/her luck with unplanned work, delayed reviews, and an unprofessional attitude. While you have to walk the tightrope between keeping your customer and your team happy, it is important that you protect your team against unjustified criticism – however important the customer might be. Thankfully, such customers are few and far in between. But in case you are stuck with one, let your team know that you are watching their backs. This will help them give their best to the project, ultimately affecting its success.
What are your favorite tips for managing eLearning projects better? Do share your views; we'd love to hear from you!


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Teaching, in view of the SpiritSubmitted by theshovel
Hello my friends!
I hope this letter finds you well, but more so, that it finds you standing firm in the amazing grace of Christ Jesus, our deliverer. This Spoonful comes from an email response I sent out this morning.
These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. 1 John 2:26-27
Pay attention to how clearly John stated that we (those in Christ) already know the truth. We didn't need men to teach this to us. What we have already received from God, which is the anointing of his Spirit, teaches us all things.
Can we still learn from one another? For sure, but that learning can only come as it is built upon the reality that the knowledge of God is already within the one we would teach. I cannot teach you something that you don't already have inherently within you through the Spirit of God. If you read the letters of the apostles, it becomes clear that they fully understood this in how they taught. While the religious world uses the written word of God, especially the new testament letters, to teach you what they assume you do not understand, they were written with a view to the mind of Christ within you. Paul's main approach in writing his long logical letter to the Roman believers was to systematically destroy the logic of the natural mind that constantly presenting itself as wisdom, while at the same time, he uncovered the truth of their new life in Christ — the truth that was their inheritance, the truth that was within them because of the mind of Christ within them.
Shovel Audio
Unfortunately, the ease of making a Facebook update caused me to forget that I had not also sent out a Spoonful with our Shovel Audio files. Adam and I are in the midst of a series of discussions/teachings on the letter to the Hebrews. We'll be recording another one in just a little over an hour from now, probably after most of you read this (as if that should make any difference to you! I still have to edit it after that. LOL!). Anyhow, here are the THREE Shovel Audios that have been added to the website since the last Spoonful:


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BMX Master
Must Box >> BMX Master
|Similar games
BMX Master
BMX bike games
Gaming online is a fun activity as you get to move from one site to another trying out new games. BMX Games Online are numerous and new ones keep on developed. All through the past years, the BMX bike has been considered to be a cool bike and one that is a 'must have' in almost every household. Therefore there was the need to design BMX games online in order to target such market. Designers have since created the various BMX games and improved the graphics over the years to attract more people other than the kids.
It is easy getting BMX Games Online because of the many sites that have games. But the problem is the type of site that you are going to use. Some sites lag therefore it is hard to play the game online. The best sites are those that are quick to respond to demands. Some sites also offer downloading option. If you have liked the BMX game and you would like to play it several times you can have it and then transfer it to our flash then your laptop or phone.
There are many types of BMX Games Online. The one that is within your capability is the one that you will choose. For example the BMX stunt games, where you have to do flips, mad stunts and tactical moves that will get you high marks and scores sometimes even money that will purchase fuel. Then there is BMX racing games. This is about competing with the fellow bikers within a certain time frame. If you manage to finish you advance to the next level. Others include experiencing different terrains like hilly, rocky and snowy. The advantageous part is the fact that you are the one with the decision to choose what kind you want to play. BMX Games found online are a fresh start for your day.


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Fine-sprayed water modules «Buran-15FSW» of various modifications (hereinafter modules) are intended for use in automatic fire extinguishing installations with fine dust used for extinguishing fires of the class A, B, and fires occurring in electrical equipment that is under voltage up to 1000V.
Separately, the modules, complete with remote start devices, can be used as stand-alone units for extinguishing local fires in small rooms.
Modules are not designed to extinguish fires and fires of alkali and alkaline earth metals, magnesium and their alloys, as well as other materials, the combustion of which can occur without access to air, or materials reacting with water, accompanied by an explosion.
The modules are manufactured in the climatic version «U» of installation category 2 in accordance with GOST 15150, at the same time storage conditions are provided at ambient temperature from minus 40 °С to plus 50 °С and operation at ambient temperature from minus 40 °С to plus 95 °C.
The module is the main element of fire extinguishing systems.
The module belongs to the class of stationary fire extinguishers, and does not contain ozone-depleting substances.
The extinguishing agent of the module is an aqueous solution of potassium acetate.
Modules «Buran-15FSW» are issued in six modifications, which mean:
- «Buran-15FSW4» — ceiling mounting module, with built-in sprayer, module installation height up to 4 m;
- «Buran-15FSW6″ — module of ceiling mounting with built-in sprayer, installation height of the module up to 6 m;
- «Buran-15FSWT4″ — ceiling mounting module, with output from the module for piping and sprayer with installation height up to 3.5 m;
- «Buran-15FSWT6″ — ceiling mounting module, with a terminal from the module for piping and a sprayer with an installation height of up to 5.5 m;
- «Buran-15FSWTW4″ — module for wall mounting, with output from the module for piping and sprayer with installation height up to 3.5 m;
- «Buran-15FSWTW6″ — module for wall mounting, with a terminal from the module for piping and a sprayer with a height of installation up to 5.5 m.
- Module mass: 25 kg.
- Volume of extinguishing agent: 13,6 liters.
- Mass of extinguishing agent: 16,6 kg
- Actuation current: 0,5 A.
- Electrical resistance: 3,2 … 5,0 Om.
- Operation temperature: -40…+95 °C.
- Storage temperature: -40…+50 °C.
- Service life: 10 years.
|Length * Width (or diameter) * Height, mm
|Height of sprayer installation, m.
|Protected area with vertical position of sprayer, m2.
|Protected area with an inclined sprayer (45 ° — 60 °), m2.
|Ø 300 x 405
|from 2.0 to 3.5
|Ø 300 x 408
|309 x 300 x 386
|Ø 300 x 395
|from 3.5 to 5.5
|Ø 300 x 408
|309 x 300 x 386


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Winter Weather
Sponsored By
Sheriff Puts Punxsutawney Phil On "Wanted" ListPunxsutawney Phil is a wanted ... groundhog. A Pennsylvania sheriff's officer has put up a wanted poster for Phil.
Icy Weather Results In Power Outages: 'I Didn't Have Internet, I Just Watched Trees Fall All Day'The power outages were caused by trees buckling under the weight of ice. The snapping limbs brought down power lines.
News Now: Ugly Weather & National Margarita DayIt's another morning of ice, rain and treacherous roads across North Texas. But if you need to cheer up, it's also National Margarita Day!
News Now: Ice Storm Warning & Rev. Billy Graham DiesIt's a nasty weather day. There is an Ice Storm Warning in effect for parts of North Texas. Plus, Rev. Billy Graham has passed away.
Slick Roads Make For Potentially Hazardous Conditions Winter weather sweeping through North Texas on Tuesday night sent temperatures plunging below freezing and drenched the area with heavy rains.
List: Cancellations/Delays For DFW Area Activities - Tuesday, February 6The threat of winter weather has some area school districts changing plans this evening. Here is a list we have compiled so far.
2 People May Have Frozen To Death In DallasA woman's body was discovered inside an enclosed bus stop just before 8:00 a.m. Wednesday at the intersection of S. Malcolm X Blvd. and Peabody.
Kids Left Out In Cold After Some School Bus Drivers Don't Make It To WorkCedar Hill ISD didn't want a repeat of what happened on Tuesday, so on Wednesday they delayed the start of school a couple of hours.
Crowley ISD Opens Schools Early To Help Keep Students WarmThe goal of keeping kids safe in the freezing cold is something schools across North Texas are working hard to do.
Frigid Temperatures Trail Storm Dropping More Snow On SouthThe South awoke on Wednesday to a two-part Arctic mess. First came a thin blanket of snow and ice, and then came the below-zero wind chills.
Bitter Cold Bears Down On North TexasSchools in Fort Worth ISD, Crowley ISD and likely other districts, will be opening the buildings early so students don't have to wait in the cold when they get dropped off.
Bitter Blast Has Big Impact On Navarro CountyNavarro County closed a few bridges in an attempt to prevent wrecks and spin-outs but wrecks still happened.


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Week 11 Starts and Sits
November 21, 2015 | Chet
I'm not going to lie, I went a little overboard with the Week 11 Starts and Sits video. I'll try to rein it in and keep future videos a little more digestible, but I had a lot to say this week, so feel free to jump ahead if certain match-ups don't have any bearing on your start/sit decisions this week. Enjoy the content smörgåsbord:
2015 Game Flowbotics (Week 11)
- Blake Bortles vs. TEN: A TNF call that did not work out, Bortles was doomed by turnovers in this game, something that will continue to be a risk going forward.
- Tyrod Taylor @ NE: He went off in garbage time the last time Buffalo faced New England. I don't necessarily expect a repeat performance, though. My primary concern is the injuries to Dion Lewis and Julian Edelman causing a shift in NE's plan to more of a running-based attack with Blount. A grindy game script could limit Buffalo's offensive opportunities. Still, Tyrod's floor is solid and he'll need to remain engaged both running and passing to compete with the Pats, so I'm starting him with confidence.
- Matthew Stafford vs. OAK: The Raiders' already shaky defense tends to play worse on the road, which bodes well for Stafford and his receiving options.
- Alex Smith @ SD: The Chargers rank 27th against the pass and their offense should put up enough points to keep Smith throwing.
- Ryan Fitzpatrick @ HOU: All systems are go for Fitzmagic coming off hand surgery. The Texans' recent stretch of formidable defense gives me a little pause, but I like New York coming off a long week against Houston on a short week.
- Charcandrick West @ SD: West gashed the daunting Denver defense last week, so my imagination has been running wild thinking about him this week against San Diego's league-worst run defense.
- LeGarrette Blount vs. BUF: The Bill have the league's 4th-worst run defense by DVOA. Look for the Pats to lean on Blount for clock control to avoid another garbage time assault from the Bills.
- Jeremy Langford vs. DEN: One successful game doesn't make Langford match-up proof, but it's easier to run than pass against the Broncos, as shown in Week 10 by Charcandrick West.
- Ronnie Hillman @ CHI: I try to avoid tabbing opposing RBs as starts, but Hillman's match-up against the Bears is too appealing to ignore, regardless of how much I like Langford.
- Karlos Williams @ NE: A pure rankings pick. As mine were coming together this week, Williams slotted right into that 20-24 range among running backs and I had no reason to move him down.
- Andre Ellington vs. CIN: Only deep leaguers and PPR proponents need apply. Ellington deserves a bigger workload and he might get it in this potential shootout with the Bengals.
- Eric Decker @ HOU: See Ryan Fitzpatrick above.
- Danny Amendola vs. BUF: He was already soaking up targets from the departed Dion Lewis. Now he'll absorb Julian Edelman's workload, as well. He'll produce if he can stay healthy.
- Stevie Johnson vs. KC: The Chiefs' defense is firing on all cylinders, but someone needs to catch the passes thrown by Philip Rivers.
- Davante Adams @ MIN: While not particularly efficient, he's been a target hog lately. Keep rolling with the hot hand in Aaron Rodgers' arsenal.
- Golden Tate vs. OAK: See Matthew Stafford above.
- Leonard Hankerson vs. IND: The Falcons have missed him, and he should get back on the field this week for a nice match-up against the Colts' 21st-ranked pass defense.
- Dontrelle Inman vs. KC: Still only worth consideration in deeper formats, but Inman stands to inherit even more targets now that Malcom Floyd is hobbled.
- Eric Ebron vs. OAK: See Matthew Stafford above. Plus, Oakland's pass defense is particularly lax against tight ends.
- Jason Witten @ MIA: Welcome back, Tony Romo!
- Crockett Gillmore vs. STL: Not an easy opponent, but Gillmore remains the Ravens' best red zone threat.
- Coby Fleener vs. ATL: Matt Hasselbeck should have time to throw against Atlanta's 31st-ranked pass rush, which bodes well for all of Indy's receivers. I like Fleener in particular because he runs the intermediate routes that Hasselbeck is accustomed to targeting.
- Jameis Winston @ PHI: My mom always said to avoid rookie QBs on the road against good defenses. Great advice. Thanks, mom.
- Jay Cutler vs. DEN: He burned me last week with his performance against the Rams, but Alshon Jeffery seems to have aggravated his injury (or injuries), so I'm doubling down against Cutler.
- Joe Flacco vs. STL: Simply a bad match-up for the Baltimore passing game. There are too many other QB options with easier opponents this week.
- Teddy Bridgewater vs. GB: Teddy wins my award for 2015's most boring and unusable fantasy quarterback. He hasn't performed well in good match-ups, so you'd be foolish to use him here against Green Bay's 12th-ranked pass defense.
- Kirk Cousins @ CAR: From the best possible match-up to one of the worst. Luckily, we can get off the Kirk Cousins roller coaster whenever we want (in standard leagues, at least).
- Jeremy Hill @ ARI: Brutal match-up. Besides, this is Giovani Bernard's backfield now.
- Melvin Gordon vs. KC: Speaking of promising young RBs usurped by more malleable options, Gordon's value is still bottled up by his cork-sized teammate Danny Woodhead. Ultimately, the Chargers are not a good rushing team, which leads to more work for the pass-catching Woodhead and more time on the sidelines for Gordon to secretly commiserate via text with DeVante Parker.
- Antonio Andrews @ JAC: Exceeded my expectations with a clip of 5.2 yards per carry against Jacksonville's 2nd-ranked run defense (totaling 9.4 standard fantasy points). I thought David Cobb would get more run, but he struggled, carrying only 4 times for -3 yards.
- Shaun Draughn @ SEA: Niners? Nope.
- Alfred Blue vs. NYJ: The Jets sport the league's best run defense. This game sets up better for Jonathan Grimes and Chris Polk.
- Joique Bell vs. OAK: Whether it's this week, next week, or the week after that, Ameer Abdullah will need more work, so I'm hedging against the underwhelming Bell now.
- James White vs. BUF: This is actually a nice match-up for White (see Blount above), but I just couldn't rank him ahead of other similar passing down backs.
- Kamar Aiken vs. STL: See Joe Flacco above.
- DeSean Jackson @ CAR: See Kirk Cousins above.
- James Jones @ MIN: The James Jones fade out seemed to happen last season with the Raiders as well, and Davante Adams' emergence over the past couple weeks has exacerbated the situation for Jones.
- Nate Washington & Cecil Shorts III vs. NYJ: Nothing can stop DeAndre Hopkins, but there's no way I'm using Houston's secondary receivers with T.J. Yates under center.
- Mike Wallace vs. GB: See Teddy Bridgewater above. Kyle Rudolph led the Vikings in targets last week with 4. The work isn't there for Wallace.
- Torrey Smith @ SEA: NINERS?! NOPE.
- Jacob Tamme vs. IND: Not an awful match-up, but Leonard Hankerson's return will sap Tamme's target share.
- Martellus Bennett vs. DEN: Another difficult opponent for the Black Unicorn.
- Zach Ertz vs. TB: Mark Sanchez stifles Ertz's value.
- Jordan Cameron vs. DAL: He's averaging fewer than 3 targets per game over the past 4 weeks. The Dolphins just aren't using him.
Thanks for reading/watching and good luck this week.


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7:00 AM | Very warm and continued unsettled for today and tomorrow
Paul Dorian
6-Day Forecast
Mostly sunny, very warm and humid, highs in the upper 80's
Partly cloudy, mild, slight chance for showers and thunderstorms, lows by morning in the upper 60's
Partly sunny, very warm, humid, showers and thunderstorms possible, mid-to-upper 80's
Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy, mild, still the chance for showers and thunderstorms, upper 60's
Mostly sunny, warm, cannot rule out a shower or thunderstorm, mid 80's
Mostly sunny, warm, mid 80's
Partly sunny, warm, low-to-mid 80's
Partly sunny, warm, low-to-mid 80's
A weak frontal system generated a band of showers last night that dropped southward through Pennsylvania in the overnight hours and it has cleared the skies for this morning in the southeastern part of the state. As a result, sunshine will be abundant today and temperatures will climb to very warm levels into the upper 80's (normal high at PHL is now 84 degrees). Another frontal system will approach the region on Wednesday and continue our unsettled weather pattern with a renewed threat of showers and thunderstorms. Weak high pressure will follow for the second part of the week, but additional showers and thunderstorms cannot be ruled out. The highest temperatures relative to normal over the next few days will be across the Plains and Midwest in a reversal of a pattern that brought them cool weather for much of the prior part of the month.


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Netflix has released a trailer for Snowpiercer director Bong Joon Ho's Okja, which finally gives us a look at the massive animal that has won a young girls heart. The film mixes both comedy, poignancy and drama, as it tells the story of a girl's desperate bid to save her friend from a corporation intent on serving the gentle creature on a plate.
"Our super pigs will not only be big and beautiful, they will also leave a minimal footprint on the environment, consume less feed, and produce less excretions," boasts a pink lipped Tilda Swinton as CEO Lucy Mirando.
"And most importantly, they need to taste f*cking good."
For 10 years, Mija (An Seo Hyun) has been a companion and caretaker to Okja at her home in the mountains of South Korea. But, when the animal is taken by a family-owned multinational conglomerate Mirando Corporation, run by Image obsessed and self-promoting CEO Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton), Mija must set off on a rescue mission. Her daunting journey to bring her friend home becomes complicated as she crosses paths with groups of capitalists, demonstrators and consumers, each battling to control the fate of Okja.
Okja stars Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine), Hee-Bong Byun (The Host), Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead), Lily Collins (Stuck in Love),
Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul), Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko) and An Seo Hyun (The Housemaid) as Mija. The film will make its worldwide premiere at the 70th Cannes Film Festival and will be the closing night film at the Sydney Film Festival.
Okja launches globally on Netflix on June 28. Check out the trailer below: