posits that Canada's purpose is now to serve as a "warning" to the U.S., and recounts a charming encounter with an addled American:

Last weekend a woman who was purchasing artwork from me at the dog show began to ask about "what it was like to live in Canada". She confided that they had to sell their house while it was "still worth something" and leave before the country was completely destroyed. Her young son's skills made him very attractive to the military and there was no doubt he'd be drafted. She was enthusiastic about our health care system, and wanted to live in a "more socialist" country.

Sometimes I wonder that there may be some force .... (fate?) .... that places people like myself in just the right place, at just the right time. For a moment I felt a twinge of guilt in the realization that my Canadian citizenship had been twisted into cruel bait for a hapless little moonbat - like savory French cheese perched temptingly in a leg hold trap.

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70,000th visitor.

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A complete list of Oscar winners is available here.

It was annoying to have that whitewash of Che Guevara shoved down my throat, and heartbreaking to see Carlos Santana participate in it by watching him sing a song from The Motorcycle Diaries. But I was gratified that an Academy full of people who are still (let's face it) a bit disgruntled at Bush's re-election decided not to punish Eastwood for his Republican leanings.

It's especially lovely to see Eastwood get this kind of recognition. I remember watching some prick journalist interview him before the awards show in 1992, and asking him "how many Oscars have you won?"

Clint, even and forthright: "Zero."

He's been written off a whole bunch of times, most of them before his three masterpieces, The Unforgiven, Mystic River, and Million Dollar Baby. And he's made a whole lot of crappy movies. (My favorite? Pink Cadillac.)

But he is still brilliant, and an American treasure.

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Iowahawk unearths the episode of Scooby Doo, Where Are You? that featured Hunter S. Thompson as a special guest:

We were ten minutes south of San Clemente when the putrid green daisy walls of the van started closing in. I recall the fat four-eyed lesbian sweater girl saying something like "are you okay, Mr. Duke? We've got a mystery to solve..." when suddenly the gullet of the garish chartreuse steel beast began to spasm, as if a digestive track readying itself to vomit. I began clawing at my hamstrings and when I turned my head I was looking into the irridescent eyes of a grotesque animal screeching "Ruh Roh! Ruh Roh!" in a hoarse irritating dog-accented gibberish. That's when it things began to turn weird.

It gets better from there; don't miss this one.

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Upper left ad space is open! This is a highly desirable adstrip, and it's terrific exposure for any project or blog you might have going. Also, it's super-affordable, and my readers have that elusive quality you've been looking for in your target demographic: they have jobs!

Come on, now: don't make me write a lame-o "house ad" that promotes Little Miss Attila right here. I'll feel dirty and stuff.

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1 Um. Premium Position. Upper left hand corner. Is it just me? Or is that in the, uh, general area of a particularly valuable part of LMA's anatomy?

Posted by: k at February 28, 2005 03:32 AM (ywZa8)

2 I do have sexy shoulders, if I do say so myself.

Posted by: Attila Girl at February 28, 2005 07:02 AM (RjyQ5)

3 OH! Shoulders! UPPER torso! I get it now. *phew* That's a relief. Very nice shoulders, yes!

Posted by: k at February 28, 2005 02:30 PM (6krEN)

4

Posted by: Attila Girl at February 28, 2005 05:09 PM (RjyQ5)

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Overtaken by Events has the definitive linkfest.

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So my friend Matt Carnation used to drink a lot. He's now been sober in AA for 20 years or more, but he refers to his drinking back in the day as that of an "outrageous, flagrant" alcoholic. The problem first appeared with wife #1, with whom he went so far as to have kids; and they now have grandkids. He's burned through two wives since her, and things are cordial in the way they have to be when eveyone has to see the grandkids, so the parents of those grandkids have to try not to play favorites—even when there's been a divorce in the family.

And though Matt lives here in the L.A. area, his son and daughter in law, and the children, live in Phoenix. His ex wife is there as well. So Matt flies off to spend holidays with his family, and that includes Wife #1.

At one point he opens the refrigerator and reaches inside. Because of the angle she does not see the coke cans adjacent to the beer, and is appalled, thinking he's reaching for a longneck. "You can't have that!" she exclaims.

"Why not?" he enquires, amused by the way she's jumping to conclusions.

"Remember the 1970s?" Her voice is starting to rise just a little in frustration.

"No," he answers. "I don't." And he smiles.

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Yesterday's revelations on Ward Churchill had the effect of reversing my position on what should be done WRT him. Malkin has the best summary of the '03 transcripts. That goes beyond mere speech, in my opinion, and crosses over into the realm wherein one is, indeed, yelling "fire!" in a crowded theater. Toss him out.

Via Mikal the bookseller comes the latest wrinkle: Churchill has also been in the habit of selling his own personal artwork, which draws on existing art about/by Native Americans to the point of plagiarism: it sparked this discussion on Little Green Footballs. Also, Malkin has a few of the side-by-side comparisons here, with links to the Freepers' coverage on this issue.

I can't believe this bozo was being supported with public money. I knew some elements in academia were beyond accountability, but the degree to which that is the case shocks me.

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I'll bet the Rez game with its "Trance Vibrator" is better than drugs. And, of course, even more so if you put the vibrator between your legs. Is this thing available in the States? Just askin'.

There is an old tradition of listing the various activities women can do that unadventantly—or incidentally—provide stimulation: my favorite is muleback riding (though not horseback, for whatever reason). And then there were the stories about a particular style of trundle sewing machine, used in factories in the late 19th century IIRC; word was, the seamstresses really threw themselves into their work with a will.

Hey. Don't complain, guys: you can pee standing up. And you have that muscle mass thing, too. Some of you even have wives and girlfriends who let you think you're smarter than they are: what a treat that must be.

Hat tip: Prof. Purkinje. (I'd link your page, dude, but you have real contact information there. What kind of a blogger are you, anyway?—get a gmail account. And a better name, like Cat Stevens Manque or something.)

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1 That post did more to bring me out of an alchohol induced vegatative state then all the coffee I drank today

Posted by: William Teach at February 25, 2005 02:58 PM (TFSHk)

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Iowahawk is on fire, writing on the international effort to save wealthy women in Chicago and the coastal cities from the dangers of perfectionistic parenting:

From its inauspicious beginnings in rural Florida, the battle to preserve priveleged urban women's happiness has spread like wildfire. America's minority communities have been especially active in the cause.

"Suffering knows no color," says Latasha Evans, 26. "When I heard about all the career and time management struggles of these unhappy white women, I knew as a Christian, I had to do my part."

A mother of two in Harvey, Illinois, Evans persuaded her fellow parishoners at Calvary Zion AME Church to act on behalf of the victims. Evans' church choir, The Mighty Gospel Wings of Mercy, recently recorded a self-funded album to promote awareness of Affluent Supermom Syndrome. Entitled "Sweet Glory of Self-Esteem," the CD's proceeds will go directly to offset victims' Ballet and Pilates class dues.

Evans is also donating her time to the effort, travelling by CTA bus twice a week to Chicago's Gold Coast and North Shore as a volunteer care provider for needy white supermoms in need of a break for self-reflection.

"It's tragic when you hear, first hand, how these women don't get the parenting help they need from their male partners," she says. "The experience has made me realize how lucky I am to have D'Shawn [Collins], my babies' daddy, and the $150 he sends me most every month."

Read the whole thing, and if you really want to be good to yourself, follow his link to Lileks, who also weighs in on "Mommy Madness."

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When Oakland Jeff posted a link to this site, I wasn't sure what to do with it—other than to stare at it in awe, and wonder, as usual, where does he find this stuff?

But I sent the link to my husband, who forwarded it to his best friend (also a veteran of the entertainment industry) with the subject line, "if studio executives wrote scripts."

Disclaimer: Not all studio executives are idiots, though many are. No studio executives were hurt in the writing of this post.

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One of those little things about political speech: the terms people use to frame an issue serves as a signal to the like-minded about where they stand. This phenomenon has its uses, but if you're writing about current events it never helps to persuade anyone to your point of view. Know the difference between cheerleading and persuasion; make it your friend.

For example, I have plenty to argue about with other SP Repubs in terms of immigration. Matter of fact, it's sort of an exciting time, because no real concensus has emerged among libertarian-leaning righty warmongers on this particular issue. Naturally, Malkin has persuaded a lot of people that the conservative approach—sealing the border, making sure everyone has to stand in line—is the way to go, but it's not really a done deal yet: we haven't tended to swarm one way or the other with respect to immigration policy, and people like Larry Elder and Desert Cat are still advocating a more flexible immigration policy that's libertarian in principle, yet common-sensical in its specifics. The President appears to be working toward this middle ground in his approach.

My sympathies here are with the President, but I listen to everyone. I have to say, though (getting back to my thesis) that whenever I hear the word "illegals," my mind tends to shut down: I figure whoever is throwing that word around is preaching to the converted, and I oughtn't to listen in on their private conversation.

Take-home questions for bloggers and political junkies:

1) When you talk, write, blog, or debate others on political issues, do you use terms that will be meaningful to them, or do you try to strong-arm them into thinking your way with your language?

2) Where are we going here regarding immigration policy? Is this something that the right side of the blogosphere (Malkin aside) hasn't focused on sufficiently? Discuss.

3) Who is doing the best job in covering this issue, other than the illustrious Ms. Malkin? Where are the best arguments for/against liberalization of these policies, a tightening of border controls, or some variation on guest-worker programs? How about amnesty—it that dead, or is there a good way to handle it?

4) When you think about immigration, are you driven by a) security; b) issues of fairness; c) culture and language; or d) economic concerns? How sensitive are you about cultural issues, and is this "fair game," or merely a reflection of prejudices? (That is, where do you draw the line between bigotry versus believing English should be the common language in the U.S. and/or wanting a certain "cultural imprint" on immigrants?)

5) How do immigration concerns in the States differ from those in other Western nations?

UPDATE: Steve at Secure Liberty has some practical, hard-headed suggestions for getting our arms around this problem. However, one element in his plan contains a small measure of "amnesty," a dicey concept (and also a good scare word for the anti-"illegal" hysterics).

And that's the problem at the heart of this: one side insists that we militarize our borders, and throw anyone out who didn't originally come here legally—no matter how long they've been here, how hard they've worked, or how clean a life they've led. The other side wants to ignore the problem entirely.

And, yes, at the fringes there are people who are simply turned off by Latin American culture and want it out of their cities. And at the fringes of my position there probably are corporate interests who want cheap labor, no matter what.

It's another "third rail" issue, for sure.

One more thing: for those of you who insist that this has to do with the "rule of law," and people following the rules no matter what it means to their families' lives, I'm just wondering if your grandparents were adults during Prohibition.

Are you sure they never took a drink? Positive?

How about you? Ever try pot? Not once?

Rule of law, Baby: it's a bitch.

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The President, in his Party Boy days, smoked weed.

I'm going to need to be alone for a while.

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1 No WAY! Who KNEW? Karl ROVE must have MADE him do it! WATEVER shall we do?

Posted by: RW at February 22, 2005 06:19 PM (GGtnr)

2 He never inhaled. I bet it was more like a kid trying a cigarette. Couple puffs, then never again.

Posted by: William Teach at February 22, 2005 07:22 PM (HxpPK)

3 Teach, George aint that sort of fellow. No obfuscating for him. He smoked, he inhaled, he got the munchies. Now he doesn't, and that makes all the difference. I can see a day when the President does smoke. Right about the time the Surgeon General releases a report saying that pot smoking causes cancer. Pot smoking: Gives you cancer, but you don't care.

Posted by: Alan Kellogg at February 23, 2005 06:54 AM (gy/JT)

4 That's it for me. No way I'm voting for him in '08.

Posted by: Kingslasher at February 24, 2005 09:53 AM (SOfML)

5 Back in the Day, everybody smoked - well a few dweebs didn't, so you can console yourself, your parents were never that cool.... Getting caught with smoke, was like getting a traffic ticket, several cities had basically decriminalized pot, and more were on the way. But the government - not learning the lesson from the 1920's prohibition - decided prohibition was the way to go, and Nancy Reagan said, "Just Say No," and we got the War On Drugs - fantastic success it has been! If look up some brand names, like Acapulco Gold, and Mexican Red, you will find that they are held - but not used - by various tobacco companies. They were getting ready for the day we realize "prohibition today, prohibition forever" probably won't work any better this time around. And you really shouldn't be shocked, GW has always said that when he was ypung and irresponsible, he was young and irresponsible.

Posted by: Zendo Deb at February 24, 2005 04:22 PM (S417T)

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. . . takes on the prospect of a Hillary candidacy in '08. Writing in Dean's World, he maintains that she won't run.

I think she will.

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Sorry about bringing the bad weather to California while guest posting. The weather is more like we get here in the Carolina's, whith the tornado's and all. Mudslides, no. Y'all be carefull out there.

Posted by: William Teach at 08:21 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 I'm having quite a bit of fun tweaking my California in-laws about the harsh and unpredictable weather out there in California. None of that for me here in Chicago, nosirree.

Posted by: Dave Schuler at February 22, 2005 09:39 AM (u/h/J)

2 Ca is getting the kind of weather we are used to here in NC. Been too nice in NC as of late.

Posted by: William Teach at February 22, 2005 10:27 AM (TFSHk)

3 It's just crazy: I actually drove through some of it yesterday while returning home. In between cloudbursts, it was beautiful in the Central Valley, though. Just gorgeous.

Posted by: Attila Girl at February 22, 2005 10:34 AM (RjyQ5)

4 I've been through more of those types of days that I care to remember. The type where you look up and see that funnel cloud.

Posted by: William Teach at February 22, 2005 01:36 PM (cuTsc)

5 I've never seen a funnel cloud in my life. I thought they were only on TV/movies . . .

Posted by: Attila Girl at February 22, 2005 03:59 PM (RjyQ5)

6 As with any chaotic system every now and then you're going to have extreme conditions. BTW, the last I heard this is not an El Nino year. Current Conditions: Sunny. But clouds are on the way.

Posted by: Alan Kellogg at February 23, 2005 06:59 AM (gy/JT)

7 El Nino turned out to be mostly hype anyway.

Posted by: Attila Girl at February 23, 2005 10:51 AM (RjyQ5)

8 AG, my understanding is that an El Nino year tends to exhibit certain conditions. But not always. When things line up just right (as in this year) you can get conditions such as what we're going through now. At the same time, if things line up just right even an El Nino year can be a tad ... usual. The worst case would be a situation where we are having a full-blown El Nino, and circumstances shake out as they have. Back when we had the last big bout of rain storms word was San Diego County would be getting 3" in one day. Only had one inch as it turns out, but the possibility was there. A full blown El Nino this year could've made it much more possible.

Posted by: Alan Kellogg at February 23, 2005 02:39 PM (eYPNt)

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Dr Rusty has had a an interview with Master Yoda, who gives forth on a variety of subjects. I would like to know what Yoda thinks of civility in Congress.

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A new analysis of bones unearthed nearly 40 years ago in Ethiopia has pushed the fossil record of modern humans back to nearly 200,000 years ago — perhaps close to the dawn of the species.

Researchers determined that the specimens are around 195,000 years old. Previously, the oldest known fossils of Homo sapiens were Ethiopian skulls dated to about 160,000 years ago.

Former Democratic presumptive Presidential candidate John Kerry stated in regards to the announcement "President Bush has done a great disservice to the American People, the world community, and my cousin by keeping this secret for 40 years."

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From the AP/ABC news:

After months of criticism, Secretary-General Kofi Annan decided that U.N. refugee chief Ruud Lubbers had to go because of the growing controversy over allegations that the former Dutch prime minister had sexually harassed female staffers.

Lubbers didn't go easily. He resigned Sunday but proclaimed his innocence, saying he felt insulted and accusing Annan of giving in to "media pressure."

Perhaps if Kofi had done the right thing in the first place, and investigated the allegations from the get go, it wouldn't have come to this type of parting. Lubbers could have gone out feeling the disgrace he should. The UN is now putting together charges against Lubbers. Barn door, horse.

Surprisingly, I took a tour of the 'Sphere, and only found one reference to this story, and that was at a site that LMA said she would never link again (hint, the Jordan/Political Teen affair). As much as the Right side dislikes the UN, would think there would be more interest in the story. Maybe today, since lots of folks take a break on Sunday.

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Goldstein has the links/details on his suicide-by-firearm. Most of us are still in shock.

I heard him speak once, at UCLA in the 1980s. He was a talented man, and the world will miss him.

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Paul over at Wizbang is discussing how, now that the whole gay bashing thing by the left hasn't worked (though, it is still continuing), the Left is pushing the "gannon wasn't a journalist" angle. He links to an interesting story regarding how many of the White House press corps view this "controversy."

Let's face it: the Left has nothing else. No one is really listening, and even Big Media has been ignoring them as of late. Leftist web sites such as the Democratic underground and the Daily Kos serve mostly to feed each other, not be opinion changers for the middle of the road folks, while we see the Right side reaching out to not only the base, but to those whose minds can be changed. Heck, I am one of those people. I'll admit it. I voted for Clinton's 2nd term and for Gore. I will vote for who I see as the best candidate at the time, after carefull consideration. There is no possible way this shat-slinging from the Left would persuade me to vote Dem. I may never vote for a Dem ever again, the way they are going, no matter how good the candidate.
more...

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