Hardly anyone in the western world had ever heard of Nanking, or cared about what transpired there during 1937-1938 when the Japanese invaded the city. Then came 1997 and the release of The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang. Suddenly it seemed like everybody was talking about it. The Rape of Nanking became to those of us in our college's history department what Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was to the residents of Savannah: if you asked...
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
A hearty hello to all the good folks making their way to this blog from Democratic Underground
I just hope this doesn't put the brakes on any of the friendships I still have with a lot of the good folks at Free Republic.
It ain't easy being me, I'm tellings ya...
Hey guys, please remember that I'm like Michael Corleone in The Godfather before he pulls the gun out of the toilet and shoots Sollozzo and that scumbucket police captain: I'm "a civilian". The whole war for power is something I don't want a piece of action in. And I'm gonna be...
A picture so funny you’ll choke on your haggis
Had a friend in college who was a nut for Scottish history and heritage. Every Saturday at noon he and his roomie (who was an Irish nut: what are the odds that Campus Housing could put two guys like that together) would crank up Braveheart on their VCR and spend the next three hours getting all liquored up drinking Scotch while watching William Wallace crack open English...
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
If Chevy Chase is praying for a career comeback, now's the perfect opportunity...
We now take you live to the news desk of NBC's Weekend Update at Rockefeller Center Plaza in New York City...
"Our top story tonight is this breaking news: Yasser Arafat is dead! No, we're now getting further word: Yasser Arafat is alive! Excuse me, this has just been handed to me: Yasser Arafat is dead again! And this is now coming across our desk: Yasser Arafat is still alive! And now we've been given a further update: Yasser Arafat is dead...
Monday, November 08, 2004
WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION?! CLICK THIS LINK LIKE YOU GOT A PAIR YOU SCUM-SUCKING MAGGOT!!
If you want to partake in something real real funny that is.
"And that's a fact, Jack!" ...
Sunday, November 07, 2004
Thank goodness we're going after the REAL terrorist threats: Megatron and Starscream
It's a serious news story but a friend sent along this link and I just had to bring some attention to this pic they made for the story...
Personally, I think everyone's will see how big a wimp he REALLY is when he refuses to say that Unicron is part of the "axis of evi...
CRAP ON A CRUTCH!! E-voting errors plague too close to home
Okay, NOW it's personal. Guilford County is where we live and a 22,000 vote difference is a MAJOR fraggin' thing. From The Charlotte Observer (registration required) a few days ago...
Winner so far: Confusion
Agriculture, education races change as counties fix vote-tally errors
MARK JOHNSON
Raleigh Bureau
RALEIGH - Winner so far: Confusion Agriculture, education races change as counties fix vote-tally errors Mark Johnson
RALEIGH -- For a few...
The Incredibles review
The Incredibles is Alan Moore’s Watchmen as conceived by Ben Edlund (creator of The Tick comic and cartoon). Too bad next year’s Cars will be the last project Disney and Pixar Animation collaborate on, ‘cuz the House that Mickey Built has NEVER before released an animated feature with so much mindless death and violence. I hope they do it again.
Leave it to Pixar to shed...
Saturday, November 06, 2004
My e-mail to Jerry Falwell: "a more evil person than any 'liberal'"
I've noticed that quite a few "Christian leaders" are barely containing their glee in the wake of this past Tuesday's elections. Even the ministers on the local "conservative Christian" AM radio station have sounded more upbea... no, not "upbeat". "Swaggering" is more like it. If - as the Bible says - all the angels of Heaven rejoice when just one human soul cries to God for forgiveness, there's a lot more rejoicing from many professing Christians...
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Star Wars Episode III teaser IS ONLINE!!!
Being a subscriber to StarWars.com's Hyperspace service, the Revenge Of The Sith teaser trailer was available for me to see before it's made available for most people later on this evening (if yer a die-hard Star Wars geek, Hyperspace is well worth the twenty bucks per year, I can safely say).
Well, what can be said but... DAAAAAAAAAMMMMMNNNNN!!
The Duel. 'Nuff said.
And...
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Doesn't this concession by Kerry seem almost half-hearted...
...especially given that his running mate is John Edwards?
Say what you will about trial lawyers, but Edwards has consistently been among the best of them. By all rights he should be frothing at the mouth before the cameras while ranting and raving that "it's not over" until ALL the ballots from Ohio and Florida have been counted. That's what he promised in the wee hours of the morning anyways. Now Kerry is making his concession speech at this...
Ahh geez... not THIS again!
It's 2:10 AM on November 3rd. And shaking my head at what's coming down all over the place.
Folks, for the longest time I've had a feeling in my gut that this year's election would become a fiasco that would trump the nonsense in Florida four years ago. So many factors figured into that thought: proliferation of electronic voting, the polarisation and animosity between...
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
"Eminem is the WHAT?!?!"
Something occurred to me last night: Eminem is the 21st Century's answer to Thomas Paine!
Think about it: Paine stirred the American people to action with his pamphlet "Common Sense" in the 1770s. Just as Eminem is doing now with his "Mosh" song and video.
Juxtapose that lil' analogy in yer head: "These are the times that try men's souls" has found a worthy heir in "Mr....
I stood up to be counted today...
...And in the end, I voted for John Kerry.
There are three names for President on the North Carolina ballot: Democrat John Kerry, George W. Bush from the Republicans, and Michael Badnarik representing the Libertarian Party. And had Michael Peroutka of the Constitution Party been a choice on the ballot, my pen would have unhesitantly hit the screen next to his name (this was also the first time I've ever used a computerized voting system).
I think...
Okay, after the Diebold machines, THIS will be today's biggest FUBAR
This just in from Yahoo!
Court OKs Voter Challengers at Ohio Polls
9 minutes ago
BY LISA CORNWELL, Associated Press Writer
CINCINNATI - Giving a pre-dawn Election Day boost to the GOP, a federal appeals court early Tuesday cleared the way for political parties to send in people to challenge voters' eligibility at Ohio polling places. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to step in.
Overturning the orders of two federal judges, a three-judge panel...
Get your black hoods ready: today we "Mosh"
Click here for Eminem's "Mosh" video (32 MB Quicktime)
Was up 'til 2 A.M. this morning watching the first bits of news trickle in on today's election. Already there's chaos brewing in Ohio and Florida.
And the day is just getting started.
I'm heading to the polls in another hour or so. The only thing I'm really willing to openly predict is that this may be the most mechanically-plagued...
Monday, November 01, 2004
Halloween 2004: SHE made me do it!
A month ago Lisa suggested that maybe I get this Jango Fett costume she'd seen in a Halloween store at the mall, so that I could wear it with the Jango helmet that I got two years ago (when I wanted to build a good set of Fett armor). I suspect the REAL reason she wanted me to spring for it is so she could wear my Jedi Knight costume, which is practically movie quality. ...
