2/13/05-2/19/05
Doing My Bit for the Blogosphere
Just a weekend or so ago the Blogosphere was ablaze with indignation and outrage. For it seems that one CNN news executive-an Eason Jordan, accused the American military of deliberately targeting journalists in its Iraqi operations.
Jordan made this outrageous assertion during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and indeed it is a horrific accusation if true; or utter and incompetent yellow journalism if not true.
The mighty Bloggers across the Internet screamed for detailed explanations from CNN and demanded to know why the rest of The Old Media wasn't covering this bit of news. The Old Media sure jumped on Abu-Gharab quick enough, or so went the Bloggers' laments, but they ignore a vaunted news organization's declaration that the US Military is targeting, and KILLING, journalists?
Of course the Bloggers considered Mr. Jordan's assertion a blatant lie and their attempts to get a retraction or verification from CNN were bluffs to get at the truth.
Myself also a Blogger, though not of the powerful and mighty such as Powerline and CaptainsQuarters, figured out what it was all about. Which was, specifically, CNN kowtowing to an international audience that they keep their European viewers. I mean, Switzerland of all places. If ever there was a pansy-assed country with no backbone, well there you go and yodel it out loud. The Swiss would absolutely love hearing that America's military was murdering
journalists that their secret bank accounts continue to fill with blood money.
Naturally that an American news organization would repeat what it knows was obviously a lie, and smearing our hard-working military in the process, is the bigger story here. Just as naturally, the other news organizations would rather it all just go away.
And so The Wise I jumps into the fray, however late, and lets it be known to yon wise readers that The Old Media, hell, they'll lie about anything.
Their morals and scruples disappeared along with the Swiss' many years ago.
From the NY Sun:
The head of CNN's news division, Eason Jordan, ignited an Internet firestorm last week when he told a panel at a World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, that the American military had targeted journalists during operations in Iraq. Mr. Jordan, speaking in a panel discussion titled "Will Democracy Survive the Media?" said "he
knew of about 12 journalists who had not only been killed by American troops, but had been targeted as a matter of policy," said Rep. Barney Frank, a Democrat of Massachusetts who was on the panel with Mr. Jordan.
Since I wrote the above, indeed Mr. Jordan DID resign from CNN. Why? Because the man was guilty! What right did he have to publicly accuse our soldiers of killing Journalists?
Dan Rather of CBS. Eason Jordan of CNN. Hey, they're dropping like flies here folks.
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Let Us Memorialize Forever ...
The following Senators voted against the nomination of Condaleeza Rice. Let us keep this list forever because someday folks, these guys are going to regret their decision. A decision, may I add, that makes NO sense whatsoever. Who else did they have in mind for Secretary of State? Not that they aren't the party in power and couldn't nominate anyone else anyway.
They voted against the very qualified Rice just to be MEAN.
Boxer
Bayh
Harkin
Kennedy
Byrd
Kerry
Akaka
Levin
Jeffords
Durbin
Dayton
Reed
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Hey, What's Going on in Merryland?
Just when I move to Delaware to suffer Joe Biden as my senator, all sorts of interesting things start percolating in my home state of Maryland.
The Wise I must provide background. Because how well I remember the vaunted O'Malley, now mayor of Baltimore and viewed as an up and comer in Maryland Democratic politics.
Before O'Malley, there was the hapless Mayor Kurt Schmoke who should have had "do-nothing loser" pasted on his butt so inept he was. O'Malley was viewed by the weary taxpaying citizens of Baltimore as their escape from mediocrity and endless taxation.
Only O'Malley, ahem, envisions himself as Baltimore's Great Hope and to that end he has become naught but another taxing Democrat with no morals.
In fact, scuttlebutt all over the state has it that the handsome O'Malley makes Bill Clinton and his love life look small time.
Ah so, a Blogger, a poster to FreeRepublic as a matter of fact, posts some gossip/rumination and speculation about O'Malley. It's the American way and the posts made were simply repeats of the stuff that has Baltimore whispering into its collective ears.
It also turns out, snort, that the poster was a member of Maryland Governor Ehrlich's staff!
FreeRepublic posters are all anonymous, adapting a user name only for Freerepublic, with such personal info as email and such kept secret to be revealed only at the member's wish. Someone in the Democratic party managed to find out the FreeRepublic poster who was dissing on O'Malley's REAL name. I don't know how. FreeRepublic is a fairly tightly run ship. I'm convinced that no one involved in running that group revealed it. More probable, the poster himself revealed his real name and occupation to someone and the info got out.
So Governor Ehrlich fired the FreeRepublic gossip, whose real name is Joseph Steffen. And we don't suppose that a state Governor's employee should be posting gossip on that state's largest city's mayor, especially not on company time.
Still it's all but a tempest in a teapot, the sort of thing the Dems are famous for. Give it time, ladies and gems. Soon enough the truth about O'Malley will explode on the national scene.
And Joseph Steffen's tales will be proved to be right on.
From WBAL.com we have:
Ehrlich asked Jervis Finney, a former state senator and head of his legal staff, to investigate the role Joseph Steffen played in spreading rumors about O'Malley's personal life and whether his Internet postings were done with state equipment on state time. Ehrlich fired Steffen and asked him to apologize to O'Malley.
In an e-mail to O'Malley, which Steffen provided to The Associated Press Thursday, he said he was "truly sorry, ashamed and remorseful and I ask that you and your family please find it in your hearts to forgive me."
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The UN..It Keeps Getting Worse
Not only did this world body, formed to aid in international crises, help Despot Saddam Hussein get lots of money for his palaces through their oil for food scam, now we find out that the UN botched it as far back as the Gulf War of 1990.
Also, just hitting the radar these past few days, UN "peacekeepers" discovered to be little more than perverts taking advantage of those they were supposed to protect.
From ARABNEWS.COM we have this:
GENEVA, 11 January 2005 - The United Nations overpaid by as much as $5 billion individuals, companies and Gulf states for losses in Iraq's 1990 invasion and occupation of Kuwait, auditors' documents showed on Sunday.
Well We Thought It Was a Good Idea
Though the Washington Times mocks, it seemed that banning the public revelation of one's underwear to be a fine notion. Although making it actually against the law is questionable.
No, it's not the plumbers and their jockey shorts that so offend. Even the butt cracks that are revealed when the plumbers bend over and under to fix our toilets can be ignored.
But when young people wear their outerwear so darn low that the unfortunate public can see underwear and thong tops, well this is a bit offensive.
So the fine state of Virginia wanted to charge those who would show us their underwear upon a public venue $50 for the privilege. The law, which passed at first, was rescinded due to public ridicule.
TOO MUCH TIME ON HIS HANDS
"(Virginia) Delegate Algie T. Howell Jr. doesn't want to see underwear hanging out of the back of your pants, and most lawmakers yesterday agreed with him. The House voted 60-34 for his bill, which would impose a $50 fine on anyone whose boxers, briefs or thongs peek above their pants or skirts. 'It's not an attack on baggy pants,' said Mr. Howell, Norfolk Democrat. 'To vote for this bill would be a vote for character, to uplift your community and to do something good not only for the state of Virginia, but for this entire country.' It's not clear if the fine would apply to plumbers, carpenters or other laborers who have problems with low-riding pants."
- Washington Times, 2/9/05
DROOPY-DRAWERS YANKED
"A (state) Senate panel yesterday decided to drop the so-called 'droopy-drawers' bill, saying the legislation - which called for a $50 fine for exposed undies - had made Virginia an international laughingstock."
- Washington Times, 2/11/05
The Clock Goes On
I've had this URL in an Excel comment since early 2004. I remember the first time I visited the site I pondered who on earth would design such a thing. A few month's later the URL crossed my email path yet again. And again I was amazed. The date was much later than my first visit but the hand keeps scratching the seconds which propels the minutes, hours, days, weeks and months.
With nothing more amazing on my horizon, I've decided to make this site the web site of the week because as I visited it again, I find the "clock" is still ticking.
Save this site in your favorites, amaze your friends and hey, you might need to know the exact date and time down to the second someday.
The Clock Scratches Ever Onward
Notes on The Apprentice
This past week Kristin Kirchner was fired. Kristin was a project manager but what’s more interesting about last week’s show is that BOTH teams failed!
The Wise I does, as should be expected, have the perfect 30 second commercial which the two teams were supposed to produce and I thought it up all by myself.
I must say as a younger women I’d have been right in there on The Apprentice as a contender. Probably be a winner too.
At any rate with modesty now shot to hell, Kristin was probably the worst of the two project managers although go on, it was the OTHER team that came up with the homo-cucumber idea. That had to be the dumbest of all time dumbdom.
The teams’ challenge was to create a 30 second commercial for Dove Body Wash. One team came up with some sort of homo-erotic thing where the woman massages the cucumber but the cuke runs off with the head-waiter.
Well I guess you had to be there.
The other team came up with the notion of having a long-distance runner stopping and taking a shower of sorts, rub-a-dub-dubbing Dove body wash all over his face while other runners use their water to, er, drink.
Actually it wasn’t all that bad an idea but the commercial was too confusing and it was very stupid to have the guy wash his face with no water. What they should have done is have the runners running by and grabbing bottled water from the sideliners. All of the runners would immediately begin drinking their water as expected. Except for one fellow, all tired and sweaty and in need of a second wind. A sideliner would accidentally have handed him a bottle of Dove body wash. The runner looks at what he holds in his hand and looks again to the other runners grabbing bottled water from the sidelines. He looks again at the Dove body wash then grabs a bottle of water from a sideliner.
THEN he continues to run but pours some of the water down his back. Then he adds some of the Dove body wash. He grabs a cloth from a sideliner and begins to scrub his back and chest. Suddenly he gets a burst of energy and takes long strides to pass those in front of him to eventually cross the finishing line first. All the while, you understand, as he smiles, runs and continues his impromptu shower of bottled water and Dove body wash.
But forget all that. My idea is just much better and add to the bonus of my expected amazing knowledge, I happen to use Dove Body Wash on a regular basis. HAH!
Ten seconds are spent showing snippets of a women’s vollyball team during play. Each second would be intense, a snip of one player cursing, a quick flick of another vowing to knock off someone’s head. A quick span to set up the scenario of a group of very rough and tough ladies.
Coach says ten minute shower allowed, then it’s back to practice. Ladies go into shower, still bitching, vowing to rip out intestines, continuing tough talk. The showers start running and fifteen seconds are spent showing different parts of female bodies being rubbed and cleaned by Dove body wash.
Nothing obscene, but sexy. Perhaps the ample curve of a female hip, a sluice of water and Dove body wash down a washboard stomach. Also very evident to the viewer would be the complete silence as the showers are happening. A second ago, angry and strident female voices. With the sensuous application of Dove Body wash the viewer hears silence and sees various parts of the female body rubbed, squirted, slathered and soaped with Dove Body Wash. It should be obvious that it is the application of the body wash that has turned these bitchy female volleyball players into sensuous women. Maybe a pretty theme song for the fifteen seconds the women are enjoying their shower, maybe Celine Dion’s “I’m Your Lady” plays on the locker room radio. The container of Dove Body Wash would be flashed on the screen plenty of times.
Coach calls out time’s up. The song stops, water switches off, tops of Dove Body Wash flip close.
The grouching and bitching then re-commences.
I’m saying my idea above is 30 seconds of pure genius. And me with no qualifications except, hey, I’m a woman, I use the product, I know why I even bought the product (because it seemed so ‘feminine’). Logic compels to me a commercial creation of above that reinforces my own ordinary American female impulses. My American consumer self would understand a commercial like I’ve described explicitly.
American Idol Note
So far only thing interesting of note is that the lady who sold her wedding rings to attend the competition, instead, I might add of her karaoke machine, did not make it to the next level.
I’m glad the show didn’t follow that sappy story. Lady wasn’t all that great either though she says she’d kill herself if she didn’t have her singing.
Another interesting tidbit was the contestant who went on the wrong bus. It was kind of cute watching her struggle to get back to the theater in time to audition. By me this is just so dumb I think it alone would disqualify anyone from being any sort of American Idol, the moron.
So What’s on the Boob Tube This Week?
Couple of post Grammy fashion critiques on this week.
On Weds, Feb 16, @ 8pm, ETV will have a fashion critique bash.
On Thursday, Feb. 17, @ 8pm, TVGOS will have Joan and Melissa Rivers do their fashion thing. I have a modicum of respect for Joan, who has fought and clawed her way to the top, not to mention all those surgeries. But that Melissa is one talentless and dull lady. Should anyone ask me.
I don’t know how Michael Jackson did it with his trial in full bloom but there will be a two hour feature on Thursday, Feb. 17, @ 9pm, ABC, “The Secret World of Michael Jackson. Promo blurb says:
Martin Bashir offers new interviews, details and allegations about pop singer Michael Jackson's friendship with boys.
On Saturday, Feb. 19, @ 9pm, Food Network will offer Cooking at the White House and Bush Ranch.
It’s a Reunion Show But I’m a Sucker for Them
On Tuesday, Feb. 22, @ 9 pm, CBS is having a reunion of, well remember ‘One Day at a Time’?
Red-headed lady raising two daughters, had that quirky janitor character, Schneider?
Yes it’s a reunion of this show. One of those daughters, MacKenzie Phillips, is the daughter of Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas. She was one messed up kid. I’d think it would be worth a tune-in just to see if she’s off heroin yet.
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