Beauty rests uniquely within each of us. Though we learn this only as age and experience grants us wisdom. Physical beauty is not everything.
Archive for August, 2008|Monthly archive page
Wisdom and Beauty
In culture on August 31, 2008 at 6:07 pmSarah Palin — Perspective
In Politics on August 31, 2008 at 4:00 pmThis was an interesting video considering that McCain is part of the established order and good old boy system despite his “maverick” reputation.
This one just made me laugh.
Fact Checking Obama
In Politics on August 30, 2008 at 6:39 pmApparently, Obama likes to play loose with the truth. Just like any other politician in Washington. When will people realize that Saint Baracka is not the Messiah but the anti-Christ writ large. He’s merely the latest socialist scum to sucker the liberals of the DNC.
August 29, 2008He stuck to the facts, except when he stretched them.SummaryWe checked the accuracy of Obama’s speech accepting the Democratic nomination, and noted the following:
- Obama said he could “pay for every dime” of his spending and tax cut proposals “by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens.” That’s wrong – his proposed tax increases on upper-income individuals are key components of paying for his program, as well. And his plan, like McCain’s, would leave the U.S. facing big budget deficits, according to independent experts.
- He twisted McCain’s words about Afghanistan, saying, “When John McCain said we could just ‘muddle through’ in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources.” Actually, McCain said in 2003 we “may” muddle through, and he recently also called for more troops there.
- He said McCain would fail to lower taxes for 100 million Americans while his own plan would cut taxes for 95 percent of “working” families. But an independent analysis puts the number who would see no benefit from McCain’s plan at 66 million and finds that Obama’s plan would benefit 81 percent of all households when retirees and those without children are figured in.
- Obama asked why McCain would “define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year”? Actually, McCain meant that comment as a joke, getting a laugh and following up by saying, “But seriously …”
- Obama noted that McCain’s health care plan would “tax people’s benefits” but didn’t say that it also would provide up to a $5,000 tax credit for families.
- He said McCain, far from being a maverick who’s “broken with his party,” has voted to support Bush policies 90 percent of the time. True enough, but by the same measure Obama has voted with fellow Democrats in the Senate 97 percent of the time.
- Obama said “average family income” went down $2,000 under Bush, which isn’t correct. An aide said he was really talking only about “working” families and not retired couples. And – math teachers, please note – he meant median (or midpoint) and not really the mean or average. Median family income actually has inched up slightly under Bush.
AnalysisDemocratic presidential candidate Barack Obama accepted his party’s nomination Aug. 28, speaking before more than 84,000 people in Denver’s Mile High football stadium. Some of his comments were worthy of a ref’s yellow flag.
Not Quite Every DimeObama reassured voters that he can pay for all his spending proposals:
Obama: Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I’ve laid out how I’ll pay for every dime – by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don’t help America grow.
This is misleading. Even by his own campaign’s estimates, closing corporate loopholes and tax havens won’t pay for all of Obama’s new plans. In July, the campaign told the Los Angeles Times that they estimate the yearly cost of their proposed tax cuts at $130 billion. They put revenue from closing tax loopholes at just $80 billion. Obama also proposes to raise taxes to pre-Bush levels for families earning more than $250,000 a year and singles making more than $200,000, yielding additional revenue. But he didn’t mention that in his speech.
But Obama’s claim is misleading on another level. According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, “without substantial cuts in government spending” Obama’s plan – and McCain’s, too – “would substantially increase the national debt over the next ten years.” Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor told FactCheck.org that the Tax Policy Center’s analysis “fails to take in account Senator Obama’s spending cuts, including ending the Iraq war.” That’s true, but Obama’s proposed cuts are dwarfed by the Tax Policy Center’s projected deficits. Obama’s new spending programs might be completely offset by new revenue and spending cuts. But overall spending will still exceed overall revenue, and the nation would face at least 10 more years of annual deficits.
Afghan Muddle
Obama twisted McCain’s words about Afghanistan, incorrectly implying that McCain saw no need for more troops there.
Obama: When John McCain said we could just “muddle through” in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11
Actually, McCain said in 2003 that the U.S. “may” muddle through, not that wecould or would. He also said he was very concerned about a rise in al Qaeda activity there. He said then that he was “guardedly optimistic” that the government could handle it.
McCain, 2003: I think Afghanistan is dicey. I think that there are certain areas of the country, particularly along the Pakistani border, that are clearly not under the control of either Pakistan or the Afghan government. … There has been a rise in al Qaeda activity along the border. There has been some increase in U.S. casualties. I am concerned about it, but I’m not as concerned as I am about Iraq today, obviously, or I’d be talking about Afghanistan. But I believe that if Karzai can make the progress that he is making, that – in the long term, we may muddle through in Afghanistan.
So I’m guardedly optimistic, but I am also realistic that the central government in Kabul has very little effect on the policies and practices of the warlords who control the surrounding areas.
Recently, however, both candidates have called for an increased troop presence in Afghanistan. In July, Obama proposed sending two more combat brigades, drawn down from Iraq. McCain immediately followed this with a call for three more brigades, but later clarified that some of those troops would be NATO forces. A McCain spokeswoman said that the U.S. would “contribute” troops to the increase under McCain’s plan.
Tax Spin
Obama said: “I will cut taxes … for 95 percent of all working families.” And he said McCain proposes “not one penny of tax relief to more than 100 million Americans,” a claim his running mate, Joe Biden, made the night before.
Obama is right about his plan’s effect on working families. More broadly, though, the plan cuts taxes for 81.3 percent of all households in 2009, according to the Tax Policy Center. The TPC also says McCain’s tax plan would leave 65.8 million households without a cut, not 100 million.
The TPC’s calculations factor in what’s in effect a hidden tax on individuals that results from taxing corporations. McCain proposes to lower the corporate income tax rate, and Obama proposes billions of dollars in increased corporate taxes in the form of “loophole closings.” Individuals wouldn’t experience those changes as an increased tax bill from the government, but both the Congressional Budget Office and TPC allocate all corporate tax to owners of capital rather than to consumers. That means rather than flowing through to consumers in the form of higher prices or lower wages, corporate tax changes would show up as higher or lower returns on investments, which typically come in the form of corporate dividends, and profits or losses from stock sales.
Only by ignoring the hidden benefit to individuals can McCain’s plan be said to produce no cut for 100 million households. According to a calculation the TPC did at FactCheck’s request, 101.9 million see no benefit if the effects of a corporate reduction are set aside.
For the record, Obama aides say the indirect effect on holders of capital won’t be as large as TPC says. “We dispute TPC’s methodology here,” says Brian Deese of the Obama campaign. He says several of the “loophole closers” that Obama is proposing won’t affect corporations or are on offshore activity that will not directly filter through.
We’d also note that retirees would fare quite a bit less well than working families under Obama’s tax plan: The TPC estimates that 32 percent of households with a person over age 65 would see a tax increase.
Rich Humor
Obama used a clumsy attempt at humor by McCain as evidence of his supposed insensitivity to middle-class economic realities:
Obama: Now, I don’t believe that Senator McCain doesn’t care what’s going on in the lives of Americans; I just think he doesn’t know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year?
What McCain actually said at the Saddleback Church forum on Aug. 16 was that he favors low taxes for all income levels. He drew a laugh, then said, “but seriously” as he struggled to make his point:
Pastor Rick Warren, Aug. 16: [G]ive me a number, give me a specific number – where do you move from middle class to rich?
McCain: I don’t want to take any money from the rich – I want everybody to get rich. … So, I think if you are just talking about income, how about $5 million?
(LAUGHTER)
But seriously, I don’t think you can – I don’t think seriously that – the point is that I’m trying to make here, seriously – and I’m sure that comment will be distorted – but the point is that we want to keep people’s taxes low and increase revenues.
Health Care Half Truths
Obama gave only half the story when he described a feature of McCain’s health care plan:
Obama: How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people’s benefits…
McCain proposes to grant families up to a $5,000 tax credit to use for health benefits. The flip side of that proposal, which McCain seldom if ever mentions, is that the value of employer-sponsored benefits would also become taxable. Both candidates are trading in half-truths here; McCain talks only about the pleasurable side of his plan, while Obama’s speech mentioned only the painful aspect. Neither gives a complete picture.
Party Hearties
Obama painted McCain as a Republican partisan who’s supported the unpopular President Bush consistently:
Obama: And next week, we’ll also hear about those occasions when he’s broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need. But the record’s clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time.
It’s true that McCain’s voting support for Bush policies has averaged slightly above 89 percent since Bush took office, according to Congressional Quarterly’s vote studies. But it has ebbed and flowed. It reached a low of 77 percent in 2005. Last year it was 95 percent. By comparison, Obama’s own record of supporting Bush policies has averaged slightly under 41 percent since the senator took office. However, Obama’s voting record is no less partisan than McCain’s. He has voted in line with his party an average of nearly 97 percent of the time. The truth is that neither candidate can claim a strong record of “breaking with his party” if Senate votes are the measure.
He Didn’t Mean It
Obama also pulled some sleight of hand when he stated that “the average American family” saw its income “go down $2,000″ under George Bush. That’s not correct. Census figures show average family income went down $348.As it turns out, when Obama said “average family income,” he didn’t mean “average,” and he didn’t mean “family,” either. An Obama aide says he was really referring to median income – which is the midpoint – and not to the average. And Obama was talking only about “working families,” not retired couples.
For all families, median family income actually inched up under Bush by $272.
– by Brooks Jackson, with Viveca Novak, Justin Bank, Jess Henig, Emi Kolawole, Joe Miller, Lori Robertson and D’Angelo Gore
Sarah Palin (Alaska Governor) selected as McCains VP.
In Politics on August 29, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Will Palin Stand Up to Scrutiny?
August 29, 2008 11:33 AM ET | John Aloysius Farrell | Permanent LinkDENVER—James Carville told reporters last week that his advice for potential presidents is to pick a vice presidential candidate who will make the opposition strategists retch with worry. Well, he said it more pungently than that, but you get the idea.
Sarah Palin fulfills that criterion. The poor Obama folk—they had about 12 hours to enjoy and rest, after putting on a successful and historic convention, and they get up this morning to this stomach-churning bit of news.
There is one important caveat: Palin is an unknown. In 1988, for many of the same reasons that Palin looks good now, Dan Quayle was the surprise veep pick who came bounding across the stage to George H. W. Bush like a big Labrador puppy on the eve of the GOP convention. He was almost immediately revealed as a shallow and disastrous choice.
So, Palin has to survive the vetting she’ll be getting from the national media and all those nasty liberal bloggers. She’d better not have a tangled financial history, or a spouse with questionable investments, like Geraldine Ferraro had in 1984.
And the Ferraro example gives us one more little splash of cold water: Even a historic vice presidential choice won’t help you much if, like Walter Mondale, you’re losing the argument with the other presidential candidate.
That said, Palin is a brilliant choice.
First and foremost, she does well what other alternatives did not—reinforce McCain’s claim to be a maverick, while not upsetting the conservative base. You can’t say too much about this. It is what choosing her says about McCain that is important.
Though I believe it is vastly overrated, Palin can tap what resentment there is among middle-aged women over Hillary Clinton’s loss. The GOP presidential field looked like a lot of aging white guys. Here’s a sign that the Republicans actually do have a future in our diverse democracy.
And though she comes from far-off Alaska, she will help—big time—in Montana, Colorado, and other western states that McCain has to lock up quickly. She can talk guns, and energy, and wildlife, and make conservative dogma sound reasonable.
So, a tip of the hat to John McCain. And can someone get a trash can, quick, for David Axelrod?
From what I’ve read, Governor Palin is an excellent choice for McCain. She’s cleaned up Alaska Republican politics. She seems to live the values that Republicans espouse as opposed to those who give lip service to those values. She’s anti-abortion. She’s just as maverick as he as she has taken on the old school GOP powers in the state. She sounds like a strong candidate for VP despite her relative inexperience.
But, Mr. Farrell says it better than I. So I’ll leave it at that.
Congratulations Governor Palin. Do us proud.
Hopefully, she’ll do well enough to be the first female VP and go on to become the first female President in her own right.
A fairly comprehensive article on the Bloomberg website.
This is Petra
In culture, Middle East, Travel on August 29, 2008 at 7:02 pmPetra, Jordan.
The magnificent facade pictured above was featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
I traveled to Petra in April of 1998 with the US Batt CSM and Chaplain. We traveled down through the Sinai via Eilat, Israel and Aqaba, Jordan. On the way there we stopped off at a Crusader Fortress Island on the Red Sea. We didn’t get to go into the Fortress as we had no means of crossing the Red Sea. We snapped a couple of photos and drove on.
Petra is high in the mountains. I was surprised to see snow drifts that were 3 feet high on the road there. One thinks of Jordan as arid desert. I never imagined snow. Certainly not that amount.
Petra is a city built into the side of cliffs by a civilization called the Nabateaens. They pre-date the Greeks and Romans by a few centuries. It is believed that they were a Semitic people related to the Arabs. The city was occupied by the Greeks and Romans in later times. Therefore, the architecture reflects the various styles of those civilizations.
Accessing the ruins of Petra is a bit of an adventure. One must walk down a steep valley and into what amounts to a crack in the mountains of the area. At points the path is no more than 2 or 3 meters wide. As you walk down the path, you see brilliant colors swirling all about you in the sandstone walls. Reds. Pinks. Blue. Purples and Browns. The path narrows and widens. Always sloping downwards. The end of the trail is fairly abrupt and leaves most of us stilled in awe. Mouth agape. Staring at what is truly one of the wonders of the ancient world. The Treasury. You’ll catch glimpses of it as the trail ends. Even so, nothing prepares you for the wonder of coming upon the Treasury. There are no words that can truly describe this place. I stared at it for 15 minutes before I finally remembered to snap a photo. It is as memorable and as beautiful as the Taj Mahal or the Pyramids.
After passing the treasury, you must climb several paths to access the incredible ruins dating from the Nabateaens, Greeks and Romans. There is the Roman Amphitheatre. Several tombs and catacombs. A prison. Roman and Greek buildings and temples. The masterpiece, though, is the Cathedral. A massive structure built high up on the mountain. It’s a challenging trek to reach the Cathedral but it’s well worth the effort.
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- Mount Aaron
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- Mount Aaron
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- Roman Amphitheatre
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- The Treasury
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- The Treasury
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- Arab girl selling rocks 3 for a buck
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- The Cathedral
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- The Cathedral
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- The Treasury
Barack Obama says “I’M BLACK YO!!!
In culture, Politics on August 28, 2008 at 4:40 pm
He’s black and that is historic. And, well, that seems to be the only qualification that he needs to be President. If you are a Liberal.
I’m reminded of Chris Rock anytime an Obama disciple starts to froth at the mouth about the Obaminator. Inevitably they say something that amounts to “he speaks so well.” I can’t help but laugh.
If one of them can name some significant piece of legislation that he sponsored and ushered to passage. Name something that he improved in Chicago as a community organizer.
He’s said to be “bi-partisan.” Name one time that he crossed the aisle and voted against his party. He is THE most liberal Senator. The #1 liberal in the Senate. What about that speaks to a bi-partisan attitude.
He’s supposed to be eloquent. I’ve never seen his eloquence away from a teleprompter.
But hey, he’s Black. And that seems to be all that matters.
I agree that it is past time for the Causasian male monopoly on the White House to come to a graceful conclusion. But can’t we get someone who is qualified. Barack Obama and his empty slogans can not be the best option out there. There are other folks out there who are just as qualified, if not more, as George Bush, Al Gore, John Kerry and John McCain. I know that there are capable Black men and women. Capable Latin men and women. Capable White women. Capable Asian men and women. Capable Arab men and women. They are out there.
Barack Obama just isn’t one of them. But hey! He’s Black. And that’s historic. And that seems to be enough for the Democratic Party. Too bad he’s Jimmy Carter Redux. I’m sure he’ll be just as successful if he wins.
If we are who we were waiting for then we are all in trouble.
P.S. All of you Ultra Liberals out there. I know what you’re going to say now. You’ll call me a racist. Blah blah blah Why will you do this? Because you have no other argument. In a Presidential race that the Democrats should win running away, you picked an empty suit as a candidate and he may not win. That must make you guys feel stupid. Next time, don’t pick a Marxist wannabe. America doesn’t want to be a Socialist paradise. And if that is your desire. Swim to Cuba.
Another empty Obaminator slogan.
I know. I know. If you don’t support the Obaminator, you must be a racist. That can be the only reason. It can not be that he is a far left liberal who will take America back to being a Carter Era joke on the International scene. That’s change that I can do without.
That’s Obama in December. Waving goodbye to National relevance. Joining Mondale, Dukakis, Gore and Kerry in the list of also rans. That will be a historic moment as well.
Believe. I do.
Red Antics: a Khmer Delicacy
In Cambodia, culture on August 27, 2008 at 12:20 amThis one speaks for itself. The little girl in the video is Avins best friend.
Avin
Prassat Preah Vihear
In Cambodia, culture, Travel on August 26, 2008 at 5:22 pm
This is the disputed angkorean temple called Preah Vihear on the Cambodian-Thai border. There have been a few small clashes between Thai and Khmer forces over the land in this area. A few Cambodians have been killed by Thai soldiers.
Next trip to Cambodia/Thailand, I am going to see this place if I can. Look at the Temple and the area. Magnificent. Beautiful.
And, a bit dangerous:
In the guidebook, Adventure Cambodia, published at the end of 2000, the trek to Preah Vihear from Choam Khsan town is described as follows:-
Along the way to the mountain temple, you will notice pieces of vehicles hanging from up in the trees here and there from unfortunate souls that hit a landmine. It’s an eerie reminder in this peaceful and uninhabited forest area of the deadly devices that are still lurking about this area in big numbers. The soldiers at the base camp are a friendly lot that will allow you to park your bike at their camp while you hike up to the temple and you can figure that the bike will still be there when you return. It’s not required but it’s a real nice gesture to give these underpaid guys a few thousand riel to watch your bike – good insurance and you will make some friends. It’s a good idea to have your moto guy or a soldier lead the way on the winding upward climb to the temple. The mountain is riddled with landmines and while, if you follow the golden rule for Cambodia – always stay on worn pathways and roadways – you will be okay, there are intersecting pathways, where it’s difficult to figure out which way to go. I did the hike alone but there was some question on which path to follow at a couple of spots.
The MFO, Tel Aviv and Cairo in 1998
In culture, Middle East, Travel on August 26, 2008 at 12:00 pm
In 1997, I was sent to Sinai, Egypt by the U.S. Army. I had been stationed the previous 3 years in the Old Guard in Washington, D.C. The Old Guard is the primary ceremonial unit for the Military District of Washington and the US Army as a whole. White House functions. The Tomb of the Unknowns. Arlington National Cemetery. The Old Guard performs all of these functions and more.
After reading about the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Army Magazine, I volunteered to go to Egypt by calling up my career manager in the Hoffman Building in Crystal City. He told me that I’d need a waver to leave The Old Guard signed by my Regimental Commander. I told him that wouldn’t be a problem. I had a pretty good relationship with my Chain of Command. As the HQ Platoon Sergeant for Alpha Company, I knew most of the key players in the Regiment at the time.
About a year later, I was on my way to the Sinai.
Back then, everyone heading to the Sinai had to inprocess through Fort Bragg, NC. I hated the place. Infantry Bureaucracy in it’s full glory. Serving in the Infantry in the US Army is a decent gig. I never thought to much of it. But Bragg takes everything to the next level. Bureaucracy. Stupidity. Everything. And the Bragg Airborne mentality is such that the Airborne Soldier is the greatest thing on the planet. Even the fat old ladies who guard the entrance to the commissary have attitudes.
After a week, I made it out of Bragg without being court-martialed. Airborne shuffled my way over to the Airport in Fayetteville and I was off to Egypt. Via JFK in New York and Tel Aviv, Israel.
After about 20 hours of flying and airport time, we arrived in Tel Aviv. it’s a different world. Israeli Soldiers and Civilian Police stalk the corridors of the Airport with Uzis and M16s in full view. Locked and Loaded and ready for action. These boys AND girls aren’t playing. I saw them tear through a couple of peoples baggage like it was nothing. they grabbed one Arab looking fellow and carted him off to some room for God knows what. No one is playing in Tel Aviv when it comes to security.
Our MFO liaisson meets us at the baggage carousel. Some Staff Sergeant whose name now escapes me. he ushers us off into a 40 pax white bus with the MFO insignia on the side.
If I remember correctly, we drive immediately for the border. Rafah gate. Right next to Gaza. I admit to being nervious. I had heard all of the stories of violence. Suicide bombers and such. We made it to the border without incident. We crossed out of Israel and into Egypt. My first 3rd World border crossing. In and out of your vehicles. Official Documents reviewed, stamped, reviewed again and stamped again. And a whole lot of waiting. On the Israel side, things were organized and clean.
Crossing over into Egypt was like crossing over into the apocalypse. There were people camped out like refugees. Waiting to get out of Egypt and into Israel to carry goods to markets in Israel or further on into Jordan, Syria and beyond. There was trash strewn everywhere. Israel is green everywhere. Crossing over into Egypt, the green abruptly ends and in it’s place is desert sand and trash.
As we drove off, one of the MFO vets yells; “LOOK! The Egyptian National bird!” and points forward to where a large black plastic bag flys across the front of the bus. We all got a good chuckle out of that.
The other thing that you immediately notice is the flies. They are out in droves. Flies in Egypt are a constant nuisance. Not like in America or elsewhere. You cross the border into Egypt and immediately you are surrounded by swarms of flies. Cross back over into Israel and they disappear. Perhaps, the plagues of Moses continues.
By way of explanation, one of the older MFO guys on the bus tells us that when you cross the border into Egypt, you are assigned your family of flies. They stay with you until you PCS out of Egypt. When you take a pass into Israel or take your mid-tour leave, your assigned family of flies awaits your return at the border. If you listen closely, you can hear them welcoming you back upon your return. “Hey Dave! We missed you!”
We get through the border and arrive at North Camp about 3 hours later. The whole process has taken about ten hours from airport to North Camp. We’re inprocessed. Assigned rooms. Given our work assignments. And then told to rest the next day. At that months Hail and Farewell, we are all greeted and introduced around.
After about two weeks, we start to venture out. My first foray into the Egyptian country side was Port Said. Rob Pando, Peters and I take a weekend trip to a shopping mall and on to Port Said. The strangest thing to happen was when Noon Prayers are called.
We are all standing on a street corner. People buzzing all about. Merchants. Folks out to purchase wares at the market. Kids begging us for a couple of Egyptian pounds.
Suddenly, the muezzin starts the call to prayer. Instantly the streets empty. The place is a ghost town. No people anywhere. I had no idea what was going on. Three of us start walking down the street. We look down one of the main streets and we see them. There must be hundreds. Possibly thousands. In the middle of the street. Prayers rugs out. Bent over praying towards Mekkah.
I wish I had taken a picture. I was too new and was fearful of giving offense. I had never seen anything like it. The whole town seemd to be praying towards Mekkah.
As fast as it started it finished and suddenly the streets were swarming again the mass of humanity that lives and works in Port Said.
Later, when we all became comfortable, we would visit Cairo many times. We would also learn about the lures and beauty of Israel and especially Tel Aviv.
I favored Tel Aviv over Cairo. There are bars and discos and beaches and women. Tel Aviv is similar to European cities. With enough of a mix of Americana to make it seem more at home for me. My second trip to Tel Aviv, I met a gal (Galit Kabra) there and fell madly in love in a relationship that had no future. But it was fun.
In our trips to Cairo, we explored the city, the Pyramids, the river and everything else. I watched the guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns and Sadats memorial change guard once. I saw the reviewing stand at which Sadat was assassinated. Rob Pando and I visited Sakkara and viewed the October War Panorama (Propaganda).
I made a couple of good friends in the Sinai that year. I had a series of outstanding experiences and visited some extraordinary places. Petra and Jerusalem among other places. 1998 was a good year for me.
All of the pictures below were taken from 1997 to 1998. I had an automatic 35mm film job that I got from my ex-wife. I think it was a hand me down from her parents. It took some decent pictures.
USA Basketball takes Gold!
In culture, Politics, Sports, UK Basketball on August 24, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Team USA celebrates the Gold
Team USA takes Basketball Gold in a 118 – 107 win over Spain.
I sat and watched the game live in Herat, Afghanistan. I was in the Dining Facility with about 100 other American personnel. There were also 5 to 10 Spaniards in the room with us. I didn’t realize this until Pau Gasol made a play. I and the other Americans screamed “ARRRRRGH!!!” And a few other expletives that I won’t type here. The Spaniards applauded. Every American in the room turned towards the applause with malice in our eyes. lol Being intent on the game, we had not noticed the Spaniards enter the room. After the initial shock, a couple of us laughed and returned our attention to the game.
It’s always a special experience watching momentous games such as this in remote corners of the earth with fellow Americans. Back in the States. Everyone is American. It’s all taken for granted. This victory was made all the more special for me having watched it in Afghanistan. I can’t explain it. I just feel it more.
America reclaims it’s rightful place in Olympic Basketball. International Basketball. It was a game decided in the last minutes. Team USA was never down. But the Spaniards pulled to within 2 with a little less than 3 minutes remaining. Team USA started to act a little frazzled. Anger surfaced. They recovered quickly and retook the lead.
Navarro, the Gasol brothers and Ricky Rubio, the 17 year old future pro, were pulling out all stops. Fernandez seemed unstoppable at times. Dunking on Dwight Howard and showing no signs of quit or surrender. He eventually fouled out defending Kobe Bryant after sizzling Team USA for 22 points. That shot of him dunking on Howard will be shown as an Olympic highlight for the nest 100 years. It was that good.
It was a great game. The Spanish Team acquitted itself nicely. Played hard and played well. They played to win. But fell short. Team USA held on. Took the lead back to Ten and kept it there. Dwayne Wade was the high scoring genius with 27 points. Kobe Bryant and Lebron James were equally stars of the game for the USA. Tayshaun Prince even got some valuable playing time in there over the more heralded Carlos Boozer.
AND IT WAS A GREAT GAME! Well Played and hard fought.
Team USA 2008 will be remembered as the team that brought the Gold back to America. In Basketball, the Gold belongs in America. It’s our game. James Naismith invented it. Our people perfected it. It’s THE American game. More so even than Baseball. Jerry Colangelo deserves a good deal of credit for the redemption of USA Basketball. He was the architect of this Team USA. Coach K and the Boys deserve equal credit. After all, it is a team sport. They earned this Gold Medal over the course of last four years of work. The USA finally played as a team in the Olympics. And it paid off in Olympic GOLD!
Congratulations Team USA. Well played. The Basketball Gold is once more where it belongs. In America.
They lived up to the legacy of these guys.
The First Dream Team.
Global Warming on Mars!!!
In Politics on August 21, 2008 at 12:49 am
I think we should send Al Gore to investigate and document this phenomenon.
Senator Obama off kilter without teleprompter.
In Politics on August 21, 2008 at 12:41 am
No Contest
By INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Monday, August 18, 2008 4:20 PM PT
Election ’08: Last weekend’s McCain-Obama protodebate made it clear why Obama won’t keep his promise to debate McCain “anywhere, anytime.” McCain, with a robust resume and details at his fingertips, won big.
Read More: Election 2008 | Religion
It was only in May that Sen. Barack Obama cockily proclaimed he would debate Sen. John McCain “anywhere, anytime.” But in June, Obama said no to McCain’s challenge to have 10 one-on-one town hall meetings.After what happened at Lake Forest, Calif.’s evangelical Saddleback megachurch Saturday evening, we may have found that debating is Obama’s Achilles’ heel. Whether or not you like the idea of such events being held in religious venues, the plain-and-simple method of questioning used by Saddleback pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren revealed fundamental differences between these two men.
“It’s one of those situations where the devil is in the details,” Obama said at one point. He could have been referring to his own oratorical shortcomings when a teleprompter is unavailable. We learned a lot more about the real Obama at Saddleback than we will next week as he delivers his acceptance speech in Denver before a massive stadium crowd.
The stark differences between the two came through the most on the question of whether there is evil in the world. Obama spoke of evil within America, “in parents who have viciously abused their children.” According to the Democrat, we can’t really erase evil in the world because “that is God’s task.” And we have to “have some humility in how we approach the issue of confronting evil.”
For McCain, with a global war on terror raging, there was no equivocating: We must “defeat” evil. If al-Qaida’s placing of suicide vests on mentally-disabled women and then blowing them up by remote control in a Baghdad market isn’t evil, he asked: “You have to tell me what is.”
Asked to name figures he would rely on for advice, Obama gave the stock answer of family members. McCain pointed to Gen. David Petraeus, Iraq’s scourge of the surge; Democratic Rep. John Lewis, who “had his skull fractured” by white racists while protesting for civil rights in the 60s; plus Internet entrepreneur Meg Whitman, the innovative former CEO of eBay.
When Warren inquired into changes of mind on big issues, Obama fretted about welfare reform; McCain unashamedly said “drilling” — for reasons of national security and economic need.
On taxes, Obama waxed political: “What I’m trying to do is create a sense of balance and fairness in our tax code.” McCain showed an understanding of what drives a free economy: “I don’t want to take any money from the rich. I want everybody to get rich. I don’t believe in class warfare or redistribution of the wealth.”
To any honest observer, the differences between John McCain and Barack Obama have been evident all along. What we saw last weekend was Obama’s shallowness juxtaposed with McCain’s depth, the product of his extraordinary life experience.
It may not have been a debate, but it was one of the most lopsided political contests in memory. No wonder Obama wants to keep debate formats boring and predictable.
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Great Moments in Kentucky Basketball
In UK Basketball on August 19, 2008 at 10:08 pmAdolph Rupp and Cawood Ledford discuss Rupp’s 42 years as Coach of the Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Program.
Great Moments in Kentucky Basketball pt 1
Great Moments in Kentucky Basketball pt 2
1958 “Fiddlin’ Five” National Championship Team
Great Moments in Kentucky Basketball pt 3
Great Moments in Kentucky Basketball pt 4
(For some reason, I am having trouble uploading part 3. I’ll get it up as soon as possible.)
Billy Donovan, Lucas and Patterson
In UK Basketball on August 19, 2008 at 10:01 am
I found this picture while searching the web for an Adolph Rupp photo. I couldn’t help but laugh and remember. For a while, Kentucky fans were salivating over the prospect of Billy Donovan coming to UK. Also, Patterson and Lucas dominated the recruiting talk for months.
We got Patterson and another Billy. Billy Donovan left Florida for the NBA but changed his mind and came back. Lucas went to UF. UK fans now have a grudge against Donovan because he “snubbed” us. [But it was ok for Tubby to run off to Minnesota. Someone explain that one to me.] Kentucky fans have a hate fetish for Lucas as well.
Kentucky fans are an odd lot. I’m one. I’ll admit it.
The Pyramids and Sphinx at the Giza Plateau
In culture, Middle East, Travel on August 19, 2008 at 1:48 am
The Sphinx and Pyramid 1998
It’s been ten years since I last visited the Giza Plateau. Much has changed. Ten years ago, you could walk up to the Pyramids and actually climb them. I’m not sure if that was a good thing or not. But it’s much better than the Disneyland like setting that surrounds them now. It’s funny. I don’t remember the roads. I don’t remember the buses. I looked at my old pictures and at least one road was there. I can see one bus in one of the pics as well.
The last time that I was in Cairo. Back in 1998. Perhaps, I was there at a less busy time. I didn’t remember the roads and such around the Pyramids. There were a few other tourists during that visit. Not many, though. I rode a camel out of the desert to the Pyramids. We came upon them from the rear. Cairo looked far away. It gave the illusion of being out in the desert and away from civilization. I rode the camel to the smaller pyramids. Dismounted my camel and walked up to the three great Pyramids. On impulse, I started climbing. There were a couple of Bedouin and one or two tourist police hanging around. I got about 2/3rds of the way to the top of the Great Pyramid. One of the tourist police started pointing his AK47 at me and yelling for me to get down. I ignored him and continued to climb. Nearly to the top.
It is not possible now to climb the Pyramids. The Egyptian tourism authority has laid more asphalt roads around the pyramids. Buses actually drive up to the base of the Pyramids and offload hundreds of Japanese and European tourists each day. Possibly thousands. There were so many the day we were there, it was impossible to get a clear picture of the Pyramids without a Japanese or Euro tourist in the photo. There are hundreds of vendors trying to sell scarves, cheap jewelry, small statues and all manner of trinkets. You also have to contend with the Bedouins and their camels. The primary push is camel rides, of course. If they can’t get you to ride the camel, they attempt to have you sit on the camel for a picture. If they can’t get you to sit on the camel, they try to bully you into giving them money for taking a picture of them or their camel. I just laughed at them and sang “La La La” to them. La is No in Arabic.
I walked up to the Cheops Pyramid and started taking pictures of everything. Including a little guy with a camel. I walked up and snapped a few photos of his camel. The little dude asked me for a cigarette. So I gave him one. I kept taking pics of him and his camel and everything in the area. After a few minutes, an older Bedouin fellow walked up and demanded that I get on the camel for a pic. I said “LA!” He then told me to give him my camera so that he could take a pic of me with the camel. Again, I said “LA!” I would also say ; “Nah, I’m cool dawg.” He started saying “Doog! Doog?” I laughed. I like to throw American slang at these folks. It throws them off. Perplexes them. They usually don’t know what to say to it. Finally, he demanded that I give him money. “Baksheesh!” I laughed again and said “Hell no…” as I walked away laughing and singing “La La LA.” i do a lot of singing when I’m on vacation. I don’t know why. I guess because I’m so happy to be out there and free.
These guys try to bully or harass tourists into giving them money. Sometimes it works. You’ve got these small Japanese women walking around looking lost. Euros walking around looking bewildered. It was quite comical.
The Pyramids and Sphinx are now surrounded by asphalt roads. Tourist police in the hundreds walking about. Riding camels and horses. The tourist police try to get you to give them money as well. Sometimes, they just see you walking by and ask you to take their picture. If you do, they ask for “baksheesh.” Arabic for money, I think.
Walking around Cairo, invariably you’ll have little kids running up to you whispering “Baksheesh.” They put on these sad faces for you. I’ve seen a group of kids laughing and playing. Suddenly, one of them will spot a tourist and he will assume the saddest posture and look imaginable and walk up to you saying baksheesh in a low voice as if he is sad and hungry. This was similar to the kids begging in India.
The Pyramids and the Sphinx are still magnificent. Don’t get the wrong idea. The asphalt does make them more accessible. Unfortunately, the roads and buses and massive crowds detract from the beauty and mystery of these ancient monuments. It was still immensely enjoyable visiting Giza and gazing upon the Sphinx and it’s sister monuments. And, of course, this time we had Shaimaa telling us wonderful stories and histories which made this visit all the more enjoyable.
Enjoy the pictures.
Tubby and Pitino in Phoenix
In UK Basketball on August 18, 2008 at 9:39 pmIn 1997, Pitino left the University of Kentucky to take the head coaching position at the Boston Celtics. One of the most storied programs in NBA history. 12 Championships (now). More stars came out of Boston than the Milky Way. Russell and Bird to name the greatest.
Almost ten years later, Tubby Smith, Pitinos successor, leaves UK for…Minnesota. Yes, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers. HUH?
Most UK fans didn’t mind that Pitino left for the Celtics. He was going to a storied program. He was being paid handsomely. HUGELY. He was off to his next challenge. AND…people were a little put off by his constant flirtations with the NBA. Some suspected that these flirtations were hurting recruiting. There is probably some truth here as his final recruiting class had one commit. J.P. Blevins who had committed when he was in 8th grade.
Pitino left. Smith stepped in.
Ten years later. Smith leaves for the Golden Gophers. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad. Why did he leave? Because he couldn’t handle the pressure? Because he could not meet the expectations of running an elite program? He could not get to the Final Four on his own. 16 or 17 years of Coaching and his championship team was created by another coach. The man can not recruit a complete team. He can’t coach talent. Tubby Smith takes talent and clamps it to the floor. He can take decent talent and put together decent teams. But when those decent teams ran into real talent, the inevitable occurred. They lost.
So Tubby took his sorry act to Minnesota who paid handsomely for his services.
And now, Kentucky has these damned Smith fans, who constantly make stupid comments like this:
Originally Posted by cumberlandredskinHere’s a link to the entire article. One thing that may bring some interest is that Minnesota will play Louisville in Phoenix this season. I wonder who UK fans will be rooting for in this one?post by JayB: Minnesota….True fans will anyways
Louisville will play Minnesota in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m hoping that the Gophers and Smith are humiliated. Smith is the greater traitor in UK history. The man spent the better part of the his last season planning his escape to Minnesota.
I won’t go into all of the old Tubby arguments or the reasons that Smith is a loser when it comes to his final dealings with UK and his former players (December contacts, no contact with his guys at UK after he left even after they had attempted to contact him). It’s well documented even if some refuse to acknowledge.
As a Kentucky fan there will never come a day that I will cheer for a “Ten Loss Tubby” coached team. For a UK fan to hold Orlando “TLT” Smith in great esteem is a slap in the face to the University of Kentucky. Let these fools go root for the Gophers and leave UK fans in peace.
So, here’s to the Gophers being crushed and Pitino tripping and falling on his face on the way to the postgame handshake. lol
Excellent Blog on the Hand Gestures and Postures of the Buddha
In culture, Travel on August 16, 2008 at 9:12 amBuddha images were not made during the first few centuries after the life of Lord Buddha. They first appeared during the 1st and 2nd century A.D. in India. Almost immediately, a set of rules developed on how the Buddha should be depicted. It is worth remembering that a Buddha image is considered to be a hypostatis, endowed with supernatural powers and therefore has to be properly rendered. The Buddha is believed to have 32 major characteristics (and more minor ones).
Some examples that can be seen
on Buddha sculptures are:
- The Buddha is flat footed
- Long and slender fingers and toes (often with the four fingers of both hands and the five toes of each foot of the same length)
- A tuft of hair between the eyebrows
- Head like a royal turban (or with a protuberance on top of the skull)
- No furrow between the shoulders
- Although not strictly listed as a major characteristic, Buddha images also have distended ear-lobes (from wearing heavy rings in early life)
The Buddha is always in one of four postures deemed suitable : Sitting, Standing, Walking or Reclining Postures. The dress of the Buddha is the monastic robe, draped over both shoulders, or with the right shoulder bare.
There are six major hand gestures of the Buddha (called mudra in Sanskrit).
[original article at baanjochim.wordpress.com]
