Saturday, December 31, 2005
FUTURE PRESIDENT PROMISES PROHIBITION
Democrat Congressman Joseph Crawley recently dropped by the Al-Razi Islamic school in Queens, where he encountered aspiring political leaders:
Among these young hopefuls is seven-year-old Mayar, of Egyptian origin, who during a conversation between teachers and pupils, stated that she wished to become President of the United States, and would “ban alcohol, pork and smoking!"
Oh, dear. The same ban-happy tyke advanced on Crawley after his speech:
As she handed him the flowers, he asked her, “Where do you come from?” Mayar replied “Egypt”, whereupon he asked the question again, and she repeated Egypt. Crawley repeated his question three times, hoping for a different answer each time. He had to be more specific in his question and ask, “Where do you live?” Her answer, “Astoria, Queens,” was what he had preferred to hear originally.
This might be the saddest politician-child interface since Peter Garrett ran into the kids from Matraville.
PREJUDICE AGAINST PROTOCOLS
A new documentary by US film-maker Mark Levin explores post 9/11 anti-Semitism. One French viewer isn’t convinced:
Dorith Bensala, a member of the audience, thought the film lacked objectivity. “The cameraman is Jewish, all the Jews in the film are good Jews. The others are portrayed as baddies. The main goal of the film is to say that the Jews do not control the world, that the Protocols of Zion are wrong. The film is totally prejudiced.”
Equal time for the Protocols, please! And is it too much to ask for a non-Jew cameraman? Let’s not be totally prejudiced!
BAGS
The Sydney Morning Herald’s environmental reporter Stephanie Peatling in early 2004:
The Federal Opposition has pounced on community hatred of plastic bags, agreeing to ban them as it beefs up its environmental credentials before the election later this year ...
But that plastic hatred turns out to have existed only in Stephanie’s mind. An attempt by retailer Coles Myer to introduce reusable, enviro-friendly, non-biodegradable bags has delivered hilarious results:
Less than 1 per cent of the non-biodegradable bags have been reused, according to Coles’ own calculations.
The despised green-pleasing bags, some 30 million of them, are reportedly destined for landfill.
BLIZZARDS EXPLAINED
“Enviro-tards are probably holidaying in Europe,” writes Art Vandelay, “which would explain the blizzards.” He’s referring to the inverse law of global warm-mongering, which holds that global warming protests invariably result in local colding. So, does Art’s travel theory hold up?
Exhibit A: Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating, a Kyoto supporter, is currently holidaying in Paris.
Exhibit B: “Paris had its first substantial snowfall on Friday, as icy weather continued to grip much of Europe.”
Coincidence? Unlikely!
BORED WITH WARD
Ward Reilly—a popular figure at this site in recent months—wonders where the children are:
Having been a part of the anti-war movement since before the “war” with Iraq started, I can attest to the fact that what was sorely missing before this year was the “youth of America.” Our meetings and marches were dominated by Viet Nam era citizens, and some of the students that did come to our early meetings quickly got bored with hanging around with an older generation, understandably ...
Meetings are tedious. As much as we encouraged and recruited, we had very little luck in drawing the youth of our nation into the movement in large numbers.
Kids are smart these days, Ward.
DANCE FOR YOUR CORPORATE MASTERS!
Welcome to 2006:
Former Labor leader Mark Latham and convicted drug felon Michelle Leslie are among the names rumoured to have signed up for this year’s Dancing With The Stars series.
Whoever Mark is partnered with—and this rumour isn’t exactly new—expect the couple to be dubbed the dancing bears. By me, anyway.
UPDATE: “Who’s in a Conga Line now, then?”
YEAR'S LAST POST
James Lileks and Mark Steyn review 2005—which ends, at least in my zone of Australia, in just over five hours. See you in 2006, folks!
Friday, December 30, 2005
PORK ATTACK
Another mass murder in Indonesia:
A blast that was probably a bomb rocked a crowded market in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi today, with a local television station reporting that six people were killed.
Another local news report said 43 people were hurt.
One official was quoted as saying a second bomb was found and was being dealt with by a bomb squad.
The market hit today was one that sold pork, forbidden to Muslims, reports said.
It’s the only pork market in Pelu, apparently. There are also reports of unexploded bombs being discovered in two provinces on Sumatra island.
But back to pork ... anyone want to talk about root causes here?
UPDATE. Death toll now up to eight:
The bomb went off in a slaughterhouse that also sold meat directly to the public in the town of Palu on Sulawesi island. It was packed with people buying pork for Saturday night’s New Year celebrations, said Brig. Gen. Oegroseno, the police chief of Central Sulawesi province.
The bomb appeared to be a homemade device, he said, loaded with ball bearings and nails to maximize the number casualties.
Indonesian pork markets could use some human shields. No blood for ham!
INVERSE LAW OBEYED
December 3: Perth activists fly Kites for Kyoto as part of an international protest against global warming.
December 31: Perth records its coldest December in 83 years.
(Via Rex)
GOOD CALL
The Bullletin’s Laurie Oakes reports:
Soon after the Al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington, Kerry Packer and I were among a small group of business and media people invited along to meet the army’s top brass. One of the generals, while condemning the terrorists in the strongest terms, unwisely ventured the opinion that it was impossible not to admire their courage.
“Bullshit!” thundered Kerry.
Exactly right. Complete Packer coverage here; also, via Bob Carter in Houston, confirmation from Mirage Resorts CEO Bobby Baldwin of several Packer gambling stories—including the wonderful tale of the braggart Texan.
UPDATE. Not many have noticed the sad symmetry involving Kerry Packer, his father Sir Frank, and son James. Sir Frank died at 67; Kerry at 68. Kerry inherited the family business at 37; James has inherited it at 38.
READ IT AND SLEEP
Just what readers of the Melbourne Age were screaming out for: 3315 words about Maureen Dowd, “the most dangerous columnist in America.” Dangerous to stock prices, maybe.
(Via Hal Colebatch)
MOLLY BITES
Credulous Molly Ivins corrects an error:
Apology: I bit on a bad story in my Dec. 21 column ["Because He’s The President?"]. The tale of the UMass-Dartmouth student who was visited by the feds for checking out Mao’s “Little Red Book” has turned out to be a hoax. So sorry.
Via Jim Treacher, who emails: “At least she didn’t say ‘So solly.’” Australian blogger collective Larvatus Prodeo were also among the duped; no correction there, as yet. The joint’s got problems. (But, hey, third least unpopular!)
GET A JOB AT WEBDIARY
Cartoony Sydney Morning Herald leftist Cathy Wilcox:
"Two thousand and five has completely proved to me my ineffectiveness as a cartoonist,” Wilcox says. “Everything I’ve tried to stop or change hasn’t."
Good.
YOUR PRIMO SITE FOR CELEBRITY GOSSIP
Startling—and deeply intriguing—background on former child star Hayley Mills in comments. Via Hollywood insider Ned Wynn.
BONZONAZI
Bush nic latest:
Bonzonazi Warmonger Surveillabush
Neo-Jew-Goebbels von Gaia-Rapist
Chimpen-Hawk W Joo-Puppet
Chimp-enHawk von DisenfranchizoGraib, p-Resident of the United Hates of A-MurderiKKKa
Three of those are from Murph, the last at 2.30am.