CNN: Bush tries mare's milk but avoids camels' spit Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (AP) — The scene was straight out of a Genghis Khan movie. There were Mongol warriors clad in armor and helmets, armed with swords and mounted on the short, stout horses unique to Mongolia. The warriors hoisted colorful battle flags on spears. Dancers in colorful costumes and elaborate masks that … [Read more...] about CNN: GWB Drinks Fermented Mare’s Milk
Sharon’s Shocker Fallout
Sharon's new party is bound to have big impacts in Israel. As a supporter of Shinui (Israel's current centrist party), I would be thrilled if a moderate coalition came to power in Jerusalem. I don't consider myself to be a big linker, but I went all-out on this reaction post. It's got links from all across the blogosphere, plus thoughts of my own interspersed between the sea … [Read more...] about Sharon’s Shocker Fallout
How Many Boards, Would the Mongols Hoard…
...If the Mongol Hordes Got Bored? 10 Points if you can identify the source. Anyway, Jason Zenegrle mocks President Bush for trumpeting Mongolia's 120 troop deployment to Iraq. Personally, I think we should be more aggressive in making Mongolia's presence known in Iraq. If the insurgents have any sense of history, they'll get the message. (And to folks whose irony-meter is … [Read more...] about How Many Boards, Would the Mongols Hoard…
America’s moral responsibility in Iraq
Andrew Sullivan responds to this excellent piece by John Burns in The New York Times. To quote Andrew: "One thing I wish were more insisted upon. It's not just that we have no interest in seeing Iraq degenerate into a brutal civil and possibly regional war. By removing Saddam, we created this vacuum. We own it. We have a moral responsibility to see this through." (OxBlog … [Read more...] about America’s moral responsibility in Iraq
A House Divided: Iraq, Murtha, and the passions of war
At Newsweek, Howard Fineman reports on the past week's drama in the House, with passions on both sides raising the political temperature to dangerously high levels. But here's what really happened, what it was all about: The drama on the floor was a shabby — at times, farcical — finale to a season that nevertheless had produced something serious: a transformation of the … [Read more...] about A House Divided: Iraq, Murtha, and the passions of war
Judging John Murtha
Does he want to "cut and run?" Does he sound like a "coward?" Watch the Meet The Press VIDEO HERE and make up your own mind. … [Read more...] about Judging John Murtha
MSNBC: Major Cuts at GM
Breaking News - General Motors to cut 30,000 jobs, shut five plants. … [Read more...] about MSNBC: Major Cuts at GM
Political freedom in the Middle East
From the BBC: "The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) [a leading research firm] ranked 20 countries on 15 indicators of political and civil liberty." The results are interesting, if predictable: Israel's at the top, Libya's at the bottom. And Bush's Saudi pals are third last. I've also got the list here. … [Read more...] about Political freedom in the Middle East
The castrated president: Bush in Asia
It's like no one's even paying attention to him anymore. And — with North Korea and China to deal with, two very different but two very serious problems, an emerging nuclear state and an emerging superpower with enormous military and economic might — he's stuck in his own Iraqi quagmire, unable to provide the statesmanship necessary to lead the international … [Read more...] about The castrated president: Bush in Asia
Locked door thwarts Bush — a metaphor
The BBC has the funny (and rather pathetic) story here: "President George W. Bush tried to make a quick exit from a news conference in Beijing on Sunday — only to find himself thwarted by locked doors." The Post (via Reuters) has it here. Steve Soto calls it a "moment of total buffoonery". Andrew Sullivan is more sympathetic and notes that Bush looked "shattered" on … [Read more...] about Locked door thwarts Bush — a metaphor
The Five Top Surnames In America
We'll give you a hint: "Gandelman" isn't one of them..... … [Read more...] about The Five Top Surnames In America
The Perils Of Driving In Beirut
Hey, it sounds just like Southern California... … [Read more...] about The Perils Of Driving In Beirut
“Oh, Yeah, Right. And Was Pope John Paul II Jewish?”
Asserting Independence
Jews are beginning to speak out against conservative Christian efforts to appropriate everything "religious" to themselves. And "that's a good thing" … [Read more...] about Asserting Independence
They Are Two Highly Awaited Movies
And we agree with him — the trailers look GREAT... … [Read more...] about They Are Two Highly Awaited Movies
Was Terrorist Bigwig Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Killed? (UPDATED)
It's deja vu all over again with yet another announcement that a top Al-Qaeda terrorist — a REALLY top Al-Qaeda terrorist this time — has been reportedly killed. You have to say "reportedly" and hedge your bets, since over the past few years perhaps dozens of Al-Qaeda's top three terorrists have been reported killed or captured — if you factor in each report … [Read more...] about Was Terrorist Bigwig Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Killed? (UPDATED)
Assisted suicide sometimes used on non-terminally ill – lying to get around national law
Cross posted at The Smoking Room If you're interested in medical ethics surrounding assisted suicide, quality of life and such, two great sources for such news and commentary are Slate's Will Saletan and bioethics writer Wesley J. Smith. The latter points out that assisted suicide has been carried out on the non-terminally ill -- with their representatives sometimes lying to … [Read more...] about Assisted suicide sometimes used on non-terminally ill – lying to get around national law
Bush Tries To Cool Fiery Iraq Debate A Few Notches
TMV NOTE: We often repost posts done the night before on the next day's blog, to make sure they get maximum readership. The post below ran mid-day yesterday — but we're reposting it today due to some of the important issues involved. Perhaps President George W. Bush has seen some new polls that we haven't seen yet about the impact of his White House suggesting that those … [Read more...] about Bush Tries To Cool Fiery Iraq Debate A Few Notches
A bit of backstory on Pajamas Media/OSM
Dennis the Peasant tells his side of the story with respect to Pajamas Media. While it should be read keeping the source in mind, much of what he describes is very consistent with events after he stopped working with those involved in creating OSM, including the erratic communication and changing business plan. --- Cross-posted to Random Fate (with slight edits). UPDATE: … [Read more...] about A bit of backstory on Pajamas Media/OSM
Jewish Leader Condemns Religious Right (UPDATED)
Two of the interesting developments in recent years has been the rise of the religious right and a generally more muted reaction from other religious groups and organizations about it then you'd expect. No more. A prominent Jewish leader has blasted the religious right in a very public way. The AP:HOUSTON - The leader of the largest branch of American Judaism blasted … [Read more...] about Jewish Leader Condemns Religious Right (UPDATED)