YouTube on a Sunny Saturday

A variety of YouTube highlights for a sunny Saturday.

First, the Queen of YouTube has unleashed another great bit of video, enjoy.

Second, Bob Forrest's (his Myspace here) new CD will be unleashed in stores on Tuesday the 19th (or download it from iTunes where it's already available), enjoy this music video from back in the day. Also read Tony Pierce's appreciation for how great Thelonious Monster was back in the day.

Third, tacos rule! (plus a reminder, Sept 17th new Robot Chicken!!!)

Fourthly and finally, New Numa - The Return of Gary Brolsma!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things To Remember

A suggestion for a project for someone with the tools and time to get it done.

In all the brouhaha regarding the Clintonista anger over their depiction in ABC's The Path to 9/11, there's one party that seems to be getting a pass and shouldn't.

The Clinton Administration was terrible with regards to taking the threat posed by Islamic Fascism and the use of terror to intimidate governments and people worldwide seriously. They haven't convincingly disputed their unease at fighting back against terror as anything but isolated law enforcement actions. That continues to be the preferred path advocated by the Democratic Party. That in of itself is damning enough without scenes of 'fake but accurate' drama.

But I'm not interested in all of that, if the docudrama gets shown as is or in a chopped up form, or pulled completely, I won't be watching cause it rehashes things that don't require dramatization to remain fresh and raw in my mind.

When the question gets asked, "Why didn't we take the threat more seriously, sooner?". Remember what was important in the summer of 2001, Gary Condit and sharks. The media is as responsible for shaping the public perception that terror was something that happened in far off places as the government was.

I don't recall the nightly news doing a whole bunch of 'connecting the dots' stories throughout the 90s. The interesting project I'd like to see get done would be to follow the coverage of the coverage of the many terror attacks that happened against ourselves and our allies throughout the 90s.

I'm working on the assumption that those events rarely resonated beyond a day or two, and for the most part probably were utterly forgotten as far as the ABC, CBS or NBC nightly newscasts were concerned. I could also guess that the total minutes of coverage devoted to the OJ Simpson murder trial, just in 1995 on the various network newscasts probably outnumbers the total terror coverage spanning the entire decade by a considerable amount.

I'd pick 4 events to focus on the first WTC attack, Khobar towers, the three embassy bombings, and the attack on USS Cole. We know that all of these attacks were acts of war, and all should have got the attention of the administration, the media, and the populace. I'd like to see traced through the nightly newscasts, how much attention was paid to these attacks and for how long, and what other events deemed more important pushed these off the broadcasts. I'd love to see the producers of the newscasts interviewed, grilled even, over the editorial decisions they made back then, and see what their excuses are. The media seems so intent on demanding that politicians should have known better, but I don't see a lot of self-reflection. The print media shouldn't get a pass either, the NYT and WaPo weren't exactly known for their commitment to attacking the threat posed by Islamic terror head on and with a passion. If anything, the print media was always quick to search for 'root causes' of terror attacks and find a twist in the story that would blame the West for the desperation felt by these poor, poor folks, and not the nihilistic fascists themselves committing the acts of terror.

The response these attacks received, the fact that they weren't an issue in the 2000 election is path enough to lead to the 11th of September, 2001.

But, don't suggest for a moment that it was only the Clinton administration that didn't take the war on terror seriously. The Clinton administration was driven by polls, they were always ready to do what was popular, fighting terror in the context of a war and not as a legal matter was not popular. Of course, in the 90s big media had a much larger share of the total media pie, so they are also part of the problem along with the populations of western nations that chose to ignore the looming threat. Ultimately though, true leaders lead. Pres. Clinton was the President of the United States, if he really took terror as seriously as he would have people believe now, then he could have, should have, spoke directly to citizens and made the case for military action anywhere and everywhere to prevent the very real threat of terror at home. He didn't, his administration's preferred path was cruise missles, law enforcement, and useless treaties along ballroom dancing with despots and dictators.

We all saw on a beautiful Tuesday morning what that lead to.

But we watched OJ, and ignored Khobar towers. We were more worried about stained blue dresses from the Gap than we were about hundreds dead and thousands injured on or near our embassies. An attack directly on a US warship was just another small band of crazies, "Move along people, there's nothing to see here". We were all (or at least most of us, some sounded an alarm, but they were most likely called alarmists back then) Officer Barbrady back then. Nobody gets a pass.

Well, At Least It's Good Advertising for In-N-Out Burger

Mmmmmmm, In-N-Out Burger, I may have to run out and get me some, too.

(but not after a long day of 'work' and after only drinking 'one' margarita, plus I probably weigh a good 70-80 pounds more than she does, so it would take more to raise my blood alcohol)

For those that don't know, In-N-Out Burger is a SoCal (and a few Nevada and Arizona locations) institution known for their excellent burgers, tasty fries and creamy shakes.

It's distinct from most fast-food chains in that it's still privately owned, and doesn't franchise, all locations are owned directly by the company.

Also their off menu items are legendary, they'll make whatever you tell them to make, even if it's a potentially lethal combination like the $100, 100 patty, 100 slices of cheese burger.

And of course, their bumper stickers have been popular around here forever, especially with the B and R in burger obscured in some fashion.

Below is an image of their drive-thru menu board, simplicity itself (and exactly as it should be for a drive-thru burger joint, the bigger chains forget this, it's not always good to try and be all things to all people, pick one thing, and do it better than anybody else).

(photo borrowed from this post at Lifelike Pundits)

If Only ALL Actors Were This Boring

Natalie Portman, once again being boring.

When You Suggest Something In Jest, and Then the World Insists on Trumping You, Do You Become Concerned?

My most recent post was suggesting men should protect their genetic legacy by protecting and preserving their healthiest swimmers.

Well, the 'anything you can do, I can do better' theory of gender difference would seem to be at work here.

A fertility specialist in Birmingham (the English one, not the one in Alabama) is suggesting that women put their better, younger eggs on ice, so that when they are finally ready for progeny, they'll have better odds of success.

(men still have a huge advantage given that gamete extraction is considerably easier for men, ours are practically screaming to be set free in massive quantities on a regular basis, while for women they actually have to have a medical procedure to extract just a single ovum)


(hat tip Drudge)

Some See the Small Plastic Cup as Being Half Empty, I See It As Being Half Full, of Profits!!

Some see this story, about older fathers contributing a higher risk of autism in their offspring, as a reason to worry.

I see it as a reason to create a new business opportunity.

Most men in their teens and early twenties become pretty well adept at various techniques of 'self love'.

Why let all that 'baby batter' go to waste? Most likely, that's the healthiest, least mutated sperm that those men are going to produce in their lifetimes. Seems like a reasonable precaution to take would be to store all that recreationally obtained genetic material so that in the event that said gentleman waits to their 40s or 50s or 60s to settle down, that they have a ready supply of healthy 'swimmers' with which to combine with their future mating partner's ova.

In the back of every refrigerator each family could protect their future reproductive success, simply by storing a discrete little cup of genetic material preserved and cared for, just in case.

It seems like a no-brainer, and a great business opportunity.

(plus the excess could be sold in Mexico as 'facial cream')

Lefty Losers, Behaving Like Losers. Violence Imminent?

Things could get ugly. Civil war in Mexico could be disastrous on both sides of the border.

Not a Bad Job if You Can Get It

Assisting Professor Stephen Hawking, position available, pays up to £23,457. Applicants should contact the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University.

All Suggestions That China Will Become the Dominant World Power By the End of the Century Can Now Be Dismissed

(Via Throwing Things)

As reported by the state media organ Xinhua

"Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties" grossed 46.4 million yuan (5.8 million US dollars) in its first three weeks in China, breaking the Chinese box office record for an animated film held by the Lion King for 12 years, the Beijing News reported Wednesday.

The animation directed by Tim Hill debuted in cinemas on Aug. 11, taking in 13.92 million yuan (1.74 million US dollars) in the first weekend, six million yuan (750,000 US dollars) more than "Ice Age 2", another Fox animation distributed in China in March.

The Garfield craze continued in the second week, generating 20 million yuan (2.5 million US dollars) in ticket sales, although the third week saw its takings halved.

Before Garfield, The Lion King, made by Disney, held the record of 41 million yuan (5.12 million US dollars) for 12 years. However, another Disney animation with high box office expectations, "Cars", opened last weekend, taking merely 10.8 million yuan (1.35 million US dollars). Some cinema managers say Cars opened at the wrong time, when most school kids were busy finishing their summer vacation homework.

I printed the entire report, because A, it's just so incredible, and B, it's not like the Chinese are known for their respect of copyright, so sauce, goose, gander.

Really though, a nation that embraces the 2nd Garfield film so whole heartedly must not be ready for consideration as a major global player.

Moments In Another Blogs' Comment Section That Reflect An Evergrowing Fact of Human Discourse and the Uncertainty of Identity

Relating to this post at Captain's Quarters regarding the 'American Taliban' idiot goat-boy, Al Qaeda spokesmodel Adam Gadahn.

First this comment by docjim505

His broadcasts clearly amount to a classical definition of treason.

Treason? How 18th century of you! He's simply voicing dissent, and that, my friends, is the highest form of patriotism. If the filthy dems take control of the Congress in the upcoming election, I look for this guy to be invited to address a Joint Session of Congress. Offered a teaching position at Harvard or Yale. A documentary about his life to be made by Michael Moore, starring Sean Penn as Azzam the American. He's their kind of hero!

If it was up to me, dealing with the likes of him would be simple: trial by court martial by the unit that captures him, followed by hanging. However, I fear that "treason" isn't a crime for many (lefty) Americans anymore, unless the accused is a Republican.

Phaagh!

Then this comment within a minute with a similar sentiment, but worded differently from AnonymousDrivel

In the spirit of the Lord, I hope we'll martyr Gadahn (and anyone dying under Islamofascism these days is, by definition, a martyr and, ironically, great spin a lá the best Satan-worshipping, Western-loving stylism our own media can preach) under the legal recourse of our Constitutional writs.

I'm not convinced we have the spine of our forefathers, or even grandfathers, to impose such penalties in this day and age. It's time we recall the guides from "simpler" times and actually engage the enemy on all fronts as opposed to passing the responsibility to our fighting forces in the field of battle alone while carrying on in our ankle-biting lives. Some insist that we, as a nation, will not make the sacrifices required to support our troops, our ideals, or our interests. Here's our chance. When the likes of a Gadahn preach treason, we should demand swift and final justice without the self-flagellating rhetoric or "free speech" tripe that inevitably follows when such individuals are captured.

Put a bounty on his head, capture him if convenient while mocking his pitch during the interim, and hang him sans fanfare on the battlefield. Exact the penance but minimize his "martyrdom".

And just a few minutes later, Anonymous Drivel comments again

docjim505,

Wow! Are you my sockpuppet or am I yours?

Uncanny.

Glenn Greenwald, Michael Hiltzik, and Lee Siegel could not be reached for comment.

Serious Siren Abuse

Drudge couldn't wait to post the entire story, he had to go with the flashing siren and huge type headline (without link, just yet) for this stunning development (this is big news on a holiday weekend?)

(yaaaaawwwwwwwnnnnn)

UPDATE: The **DRUDGE REPORT FLASH** that headline is meant to go to is up now. here's the link. Enjoy.

If I Were a Betting Man . . .

(results here)

. . . these would be my picks for the opening week of NFL football. I don't care about fantasy football. It's too early to worry about the playoffs, but it's never too early to place some 'action' on the contests. No sport is better suited towards gambling than football. No sport has benefitted more from folks gambling on it, than football. Sports betting should be legal, and taxed throughout the nation, not mostly illegal and underground.

With that said, it's very easy to put my mouth where my money isn't, so here are my purely theoretical picks for opening week of football (lines are the MGM-Mirage lines posted (@ 11:41 09/03/06) at Vegas.com)

(each team's name links to their NFL.com training camp preview)

Thursday Night (09/07)
Miami at Pittsburgh(-4)[no line]
I think this game isn't going to be close. Miami looks solid on both sides of the ball, and Culpepper will be reborn as one of the top QBs in the NFL. Roethlisberger on the other hand, might still have timing and jitters issues after his accident, plus other than the Pats, teams recently in the Superbowl haven't fared well. Miami will win on the road, in a walk. I still think Miami has a real shot at making it to Superbowl XLI in their home stadium.
[UPDATE] Due to Ben Roethlisberger's emergency surgery for appendectomy he's out of the game, and therefore, no line. Get well soon, Big Ben, tough off season (you'd think he was on the Madden '07 cover, or something).

Sunday (09/10)
Denver(-3.5) at St. Louis
The Rams are home underdogs against Denver, and they deserve to be. Denver will threaten to win the AFC West as usual (boringly competent is the best I can say about Denver, though Plummer can be exciting). The Rams on the other hand are going nowhere fast.

NYJ at Tennessee (-3)
Pennington's arm strength remains questionable for the Jets, and by the way, they are less talented on both sides of the ball than the team that went 4-12 last year (yet I think they'll do better, just not much better). Tennessee is usually tough at home, but not last year. This team is also coming off of a 4-12 season, great scheduling this duel for the opener! The Titans aren't as bad as their record was, and will improve this season, starting with beating a bad Jets team. A game not worth watching outside of New Jersey or Tennessee, or even paying attention to, basically.

Buffalo at New England (-8.5)
Biggest blowout of the week, according to the odds makers. Of course, they set the lines to try and get equal money on both sides of the line, so the betting line isn't a reflection of the relative talent of both teams. The disparity is much larger than the line would suggest. The Pats at home will romp, this has the looks of a 42-10 massacre.

Baltimore at Tampa Bay (-3)
Both these teams are going to have good, possibly excellent, seasons. The change of scenery will do McNair good, and Baltimore's defense will continue to dominate the opposing team's offense. A healthy Lewis for an entire season, and a healthy McNair could make this squad a premiere team in the league, but those are big ifs, and if either of them struggle with their health, it could be another tough season for the Ravens. Tampa also has great talent, and Chris Simms seems to be really 'getting it' as QB and could have a monster season with numbers that will rival both Mannings, Plummer and Brady. Tough game to call actually, but I think that the Bucs will prevail at home, and cover the spread. This should be one of the best games of the week, probably low scoring but intense.

Cincinatti at Kansas City (-3)
Is Palmer back completely? If he is, then Cincinatti will upset KC at home. Cincinatti has to be one of the teams favored to win it all this year (I can't believe I just typed that sentence). The Bengals are for real. KC is in a transitional year, probably. Green will not stay healthy the entire season, he holds the ball too long, and will get hit, and knocked-out of some games. It's a huge change from being coached by Vermeil to being coached by Edwards, personality wise, hard to know how the players will respond. KC has amazing talent at many positions, yet they seem less than the sum of their parts. They may start cooking after a few games, but I don't think the fire is lit, just yet, I expect Cincinatti to win on the road and get the upset.

Seattle (-5.5) at Detroit
Seattle is fighting the Superbowl loser jinx. They are also fighting the Madden Curse. They could be dealing with the Cubs curse, and the pre-championship Red Sox curse combined and still beat Detroit, though. Detroit is still Detroit, that's all that needs to be said about this game. If you watch this game, even if you are from Seattle or Detroit, you are a looooooser. (In the NFL.com training camp preview they seem pretty optimistic about Detroit's chances this season, even talking playoffs, {insert comment that expresses both disbelief and derision, here}). As for the pick, Seattle on the road will still cover the spread and demolish Detroit.

Atlanta at Carolina (-5)
Atlanta will be an exciting, unpredictable team, so long as they have the exciting, unpredictable Marcus Vick[oops!] Michael Vick (what the hell was I thinking? How 'bout I just call him Ron Mexico?) as their QB. They are talented, unfortunately they open the season against a division rival with even more talented. Carolina may be the best team in football. They have depth and talent on both sides of the ball. They have excellent coaching, and they probably feel they have something to prove after getting beat in the NFC Championship game. Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson are a great pair of targets for a talented QB. Plus they have one of the best defenses in the league. They are going to have a great season in a tough division, but I think they'll still lose their home opener as Atlanta is going to get lucky, and Vick will play inspired ball, for at least one game. I'm picking against common sense and going with the Falcons in this game, even though I think the Panthers could go all the way and win their first Superbowl this year. Should be a great game to watch, anyway.

Philadelphia (-3.5) at Houston
The Eagles will rebound this season, but they aren't a deep into the playoffs team anymore. Houston will improve on last year, but that's not saying much, but they aren't yet a team worth paying attention to. This is a big 'who cares' game. Go with Philly and the points to win on the road, but again, who cares.

New Orleans at Cleveland (-3)
New Orleans should have a much better season than last season, and this team does have some talent. Reggie Bush may have an impact as a rookie, especially as a receiver out of the backfield. But, they're in the same division as Carolina, Tampa Bay and Atlanta, they'll be lucky to win even one game within their division. Cleveland also made a bunch of changes, and are in transition. I think the Saints will play with more passion than the Browns do, and pull off the mild upset, winning on the road in Cleveland, but this also is a big, who cares, game.

Dallas at Jacksonville (-2.5)
Dallas, much ink has been spilled about the Cowboys. I'm sick of them. I don't care much about TO or Tuna, either. They are probably going to end up having a good season, and maybe even make a run deep into the playoffs, assuming TO really isn't injured, doesn't have a meltdown, and Bledsoe doesn't get knocked out of half the games this season. That's a lot of assumptions. Jacksonville, on the other hand, are one of the best teams in football, and aren't dealing with a soap-opera. Jacksonville will win at home (and cover the small spread), but it could be a fun game to watch.

Chicago at Green Bay (-3.5)
Chicago is a hard team to get a feel for. They looked like a monster late in the season, and then got ripped apart by Carolina due largely to some questionable decisions defensively (don't let the opponent's star wide-receiver expose your weakest corner, there are plenty of defensive schemes that could have prevented that). They still are monsters on defense and have a credible offense. Green Bay on the other hand, suck. Green Bay will lose this game, and badly. The Packers are favored due to sentiment, and not reason. Sentiment, or cheeseheads, won't help the Packers in this game against the Bears.

San Francisco at Arizona (-7.5)
When the Cardinals are a 7.5 point favorite, you know the other team really stinks. The Niners stink worse than the loser hippies that still infest Haight-Ashbury. San Fran will earn themselves the #1 pick in the draft for '07, that's probably the safest prediction that can be made about this football season. Arizona may or may not be a good team this year, it's hard to tell. Warner might do well, and they actually have an offensive line that could give him the time to rekindle the old magic. Edgerrin James could have a huge impact here, giving this team the balanced offensive attack they desperately need. This game won't tell you one way or another though whether Arizona is for real this season. They will win easily, and prove nothing. Another game that nobody should watch.

Indianapolis (-3) at NYGiants
The premiere game for NBC's Sunday Night Football with Madden and Michaels, expect hype! hype! hype! Did Indianapolis hit the wall last year? Are they going to start to slip? Will the loss of James and Vanderjagt prove significant? Naaaaaaah. This team is so good it's scary, plus they manage to replace Vanderjagt with the only better kicker playing, Adam Vinatieri. The Giants are going to get hyped, given that they are in NYC, and have a decent team. Eli might put it together, or he might not. He was more hype than substance last year. The Colts still have the talent on both sides of the ball to dominate the other team either on offense or defense. This team is scarily good, the Giants aren't. The Colts will win, and cover, and you'll be so sick of hearing comparisons about the two Manning brothers during this game that you'll hope that they never play each other, again.

Monday Night (09/11)
Minnesota at Washington (-4.5)
Minnesota has many question marks coming into this game. New Coach, new starting QB (an old Brad Johnson), I don't expect them to be ready to do much damage, yet. Washington has plenty of questions to answer themselves. Will they get it together as a team and continue playing up to their considerable talent level? This game won't tell one way or the other. The Vikings are no challenge, if they are pressed at home against the Vikings, then expect a long season for the Redskins. They should romp at home, running up a nice big score on offense and holding Minnesota to less than 2 touchdowns on defense. A blowout in the making.

San Diego (-3) at Oakland
San Diego could be one of the best teams in Football, or they could be mediocre. A lot depends on whether or not Rivers turns out to be a legitimate starting QB in the NFL. With the tools at his disposal, he should be able to succeed and flourish. Oakland on the other hand, has been terrible lately, and despite a perfect pre-season record, look awful. Art Shell may be able to bring some pride back to the Silver and Black, but he's going to have to do it without a lot of talent. With that said, whenever these teams play, the talent level and records don't seem to matter. This rivalry gets ugly, as ugly as Raiders fans (and that's some serious ugly). Expect the Raiders to play an emotional game, and challenge the Chargers, but superior talent will prevail, even in a hostile environment. The Chargers will win, and cover the spread (but it will be closer than it should be).

That's week one of the NFL, every team is a Superbowl contender, at least to some fan somewhere. By week 3-4 a lot more will be known about which teams are good, or just good on paper, and which teams are better than they look. For now it's all speculation.

Succinct Film Reviews

CRANK

For a film, it makes a good video game.


Less succinct take on the same film.

Crank, is an interesting picture. It's inventive, quick, and well put together. But it has a gaping soulless void in the center of this picture that keeps it from either being as dark or as light as it should have been. Its wildly uneven tone works for it and against it. Its quick-cut, get on to the next moment pacing also works for and against it. It borrows elements from a variety of genre styles of the past 3 decades. It's got heavy doses of 80s Hong Kong, a dash of 90s QT-worship, and quite a bit of seedy 70s anti-hero picture thrown into the mix.

It is as good and as bad as you'd expect with that mish-mash of influences. With all those influences working on it, the writer/director pair of Neveldine/Taylor (both credited for both), have created something that feels original and unique, yet at the same time kind of tired and derivative. It's hard to point out what doesn't quite work, or what does work, for that matter. Everyone really gives a top-notch performance, and this film is very 'cinematic' and very well made. Yet, it still feels less than it might have been. Relentlessness on screen, can actually become a touch tedious for the audience.

Bottom line, it's entertaining, just not always in an enjoyable way.

Great Moments In MSM Q&A Transcripts

From the Transcripts of today's Q&A with Warren Brown, the cars columnist for the Washington Post

Cadillac SRX Sexy ?: Looks like the child of Robocop. Robocar.

Warren Brown: Some people regarded the Robocop movie as soft porn.

(seperated at birth?)

(and Warren, TMI!)

Jihadi=Mein Kampf

(hat tip Kudlow)

From Victor David Hanson posting at NRO

Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad trumps that Hitlerian nihilism by reassuring the poor, maltreated Germans that there was no real Holocaust. Perhaps he is concerned that greater credit might still go to Hitler for Round One than to the mullahs for their hoped-for Round Two, in which the promise is to “wipe” Israel off the map.The only surprise about the edition of Hitler’s Mein Kampf that has become a best seller in Middle Eastern bookstores is its emboldened title translated as “Jihadi” — as in “My Jihad” — confirming in ironic fashion the “moderate” Islamic claim that Jihad just means “struggle,” as in an “inner struggle” — as in a Kampf perhaps.

Let me fill in the usual response from the other side of the aisle, "He invoked Hitler! Loser, he totally Godwinned! There is no parallel between violent, nihilistic, fascistic, supremacist Islamist today and violent, nihilistic, fascistic, supremacist Nazis of the 30s and 40s. The very locution of 'Islamist' or 'Islamofascist' is just more eeeevil Roveian doublespeak designed just to scare us into giving up all our rights and justify their imposition of a 'Christianist' government here at home just as eeeevil, nay more eeeevil, than anything any poor dispossessed and downtroddened Arab, Persian or South Asian could ever come up with"

The netroots, and 'reality based' folks need to come up with their own animal mascot to differentiate themselves from every day average Democrats, my suggestion below