Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Obama Declares Fox "Destructive"

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/28/obama-fox-news-is-destructive-to-america/?hpt=T2.  Rolling Stone interviewed President Obama and he says that Fox News is "destructive" and not in "America's best long term interests" or something to that effect.  Didn't see anything about Rolling Stone asking him what he thought about MSNBC, CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, New York Times, Los Angeles Examiner, Chicago Tribune, etc., etc.  I guess any reasonable, well educated person would conclude that those news sources are without bias or at least with the correct bias.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Dien Bien Phu Revisited

Great article by Robert Messenger laying out what went down at the famous battle-- the heroes, villains, folly, bravery, and what it all means and doesn't mean.  Best piece I've ever read about it:http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/theirs-do-and-die?nopager=1

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Good Stuff

A young Eugene Sledge
The WSJ lists five of the best of WWII first person accounts:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703466704575489831012445628.html?KEYWORDS=QUARTERED+SAFE.  I've read two of them: Fraser's "Quartered Safe Out Here" and E.B. Sledge's "With the Old Breed."  Outstanding books, both of them.  Fraser is a superior writer (see the Flashman series), so his is very, very well done.  Sledge is an interesting story due to the fact that he was sort of a smart, sensitive type who got thrown into the maelstrom of the Pacific island fighting against the Japanese and he kept quite meticulous notes between the lines of his bible and later wrote it all down years later when he was leading the life of a quite biology professor.  Haven't read the others listed though Von Lauck's "Panzer Commander" looks eerily similar to the last on the list.

Blue Pill News

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ianmcowie/100007666/why-supermarket-viagra-might-be-a-bad-idea/.  They are apparently selling Viagra over the counter in Europia--if they ever do that here they'll have to build a separate section for it at HEB.  Interesting that the article points out the side effects of the blue pill as men are now going to the doctor more and/or paying greater attention to their health which could and probably very well is enhancing their life expectency in addition to the quality of their erection experience.  This also, of course, probably means a boomlet for headache pill manufacturers.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Noonan Explains the Tea Party

Peggy Noonan writes a decent piece, giving her take on the Tea Party and what she thinks is going on with the conservative side of the electorate (no, she doesn't say anything about them being racists or insisting that the earth is flat):http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703440604575496221482123504.html

Sharia in the U.S.

Great piece by a Pakistani born lawyer on life as a Muslim woman and how our system is enabling feudal style "justice" under sharia: http://www.guernicamag.com/features/2030/zakaria_9_15_10/

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Fidel Goes to a Donk, er, Dolphin Show

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/09/fidel-cuban-model-doesnt-even-work-for-us-anymore/62602/.  A sort of remarkable and very odd write up by Atlantic Monthly on a recent visit with Castro in Havana.  Notable items were:
1. Castro says the Cuban model doesn't work for Cuba.  Now he tells us--what a joker that Fidel is with his revolutions and missile crisis capers and Bay of Pigs stuff and all that. 
2. He likes dolphins a lot and enjoys the local dolphin show which is closed on Mondays except when Fidel wants to see a good dolphin show on a Monday.  Then, the workers all "voluntarily" show up.
3. He knows a good Persian rug when he sees it.
4. He seems to have recovered from his digestive troubles to enjoy red (of course) wine.
5. Che Guevarra's daughter works at the dolphin show.  I guess that's better than the Bautista era show where she would have worked.
Castro ponders his love for Flipper
6. Fidel sometimes pretends that he is Ernest Hemingway, lounging nude while throwing down daiquiris and regaling visiting Harvard grad students with tales of downing the "big five" in Africa and sharing a safari tent with Ava Gardner and a stunning Nubian princess on the plains of the Serengeti.  Allegedly.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Emily Goes to a Nudist Camp

Nude Day at the offices of Wing Attack Plan R
Intrepid Slate reporter Emily Yoffe visits a nudist camp and tells all about it:http://www.slate.com/id/2266049/.  I'm glad that Emily did this and not me.  If you think you're into nudity, visit the men's locker room at the Jewish Community Center in Austin and it will cure you--the term "chamber of horrors" comes to mind.  Nothing like seeing an old guy standing buck nekkid in front of the mirrors drying his pubes with the hair blower.  Or, two of them having a non-descript conversation about the stock market or latest outrage committed by BusHitler--again, without draping as they say in the massage bidness.  Anyway, there's a damn good reason for clothes and a healthy percentage of our population need never forget that.

Rev. Nutt Calls the Faithful to Prayuh

"Give me an amen, crackers!"
Brilliance from EDSBS after the Ole Miss melt down:http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2010/9/7/1674922/the-right-reverend-nutt-calls-a#storyjump

Varadarajan on Quran Burning

Varadarajan weighs in on the nut job who intends to barbecue a stack of qurans/korans:http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-09-07/terry-jones-burn-the-koran-pastor-wrecks-free-speech-debate/.  I pretty much agree with him.  The only other point concerning this is why are not more Muslims embarrassed by this?  That generals, politicians, Christian ministers, etc. are all pleading for the idiot pastor to stop this because it will incite the followers of a religion to commit murder over burned books, just like they do when their prophet is depicted in a cartoon.  Similar pleas and measures do not have to go out for the sake of other religions when bibles or flags are burned or Jews murdered --again, it's this conversion by the sword Islamic deal which the world must tread lightly around.  Again, would enjoy--for once--seeing "moderate" Muslims in the United States and other regions renounce violence above an occasional whisper or candle lighting at a Unitarian peace conference.  Still waiting.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Czarist Gold?

Some think that the mother lode of czarist gold sits in a Siberian lake:http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,715373,00.html.  I'll believe it when I see a photo of a shirtless Vladimir Putin with a hunting rifle slung over his chest straddling a big o' pile of gold bars.  Then, maybe.

Chairman Mao and other Labor Day Thoughts

They had great fun during the Cultural Revolution (the same one that Jane Fonda thought was such a swell idea):http://www.literaryreview.co.uk/mirsky_09_10.html.  I don't find any of this really very much of a surprise--it does, however, give me some small sense of satisfaction to know that for maybe a very brief moment it may cause some discomfort for the "Blame America First" crowd who are always on board with the latest Marxist lunatic parading around under the guise of a "people's paradise" or something equally ridiculous (see Chavez, Hugo and Penn, Sean et al).  Anyway, a fun read for a Mon--err, Tuesday.
Random Labor Day weekend items:
Chairman Mao declares war against the imperialist lackeys at Wing Attack Plan R
1. Played golf.  Yesterday, my cart partner was Mr. Retired Guy Who Doesn't Find it Necessary to Shower in the Morning.  Helluva guy, that guy--just stay upwind of him.  Hit the ball pretty well, though I couldn't drop any putts and otherwise engaged in some wildly imaginative scenarios involving me and the very attractive cart girl whenever she stopped by.  I'm pretty sure she wasn't doing the same.
2. Attended Baylor's home opener on Saturday (Bulba daughter #2 is a freshman there).  Decent crowd (about 43,000 with 50,000 capacity) and seems like that Ken Starr guy is shaking things up there--alumni and students seem a lot more energized and involved.  For the record, AT&T service SUCKS in Waco--resorted to asking people to make calls for us.  And, I don't think Apple or AT&T really give a shit about problems there or elsewhere.
3. Bulba Daughter #2 and one of her new friends followed us back to Austin.  That went fine until about 3:30AM on Monday morning when they called to come get them from the UT KA house or wherever.  They get credit for not driving that late after some illicit drinking (don't think they had much) but dad's loss of sleep didn't exactly make him a happy camper at that hour.  For those of you with kids not yet teens, rejoice and appreciate what you have and what you will soon kiss goodbye.
4. Attended a surprise birthday party last night for one of the guys I know from the golf club and was chatting with a woman in her late thirties who declared to me pretty much right off the bat that she ditched her husband because "he wasn't much fun" followed shortly thereafter by "he just wasn't that good."  Fortunately, Mrs. Bulba was nearby or I would have had a pretty good time exploring that statement with her in greater detail--"Okay, what's 'good' for you, mam?"  Sort of caught me off guard--just wasn't expecting that at 7PM after only one beer on a Monday night.  As they say in the Scouts: Be Prepared.  Or, at least try to be "good."

Friday, September 3, 2010

LA Times on Andrew Breitbart

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-breitbart-20100826,0,2362984,print.story.  Interesting guy--the villain in the Sherrod firing thingy--and not afraid to come across as bombastic in his effort to swim against the tide. 

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Lombardi

Some interesting photos of the late Vince Lombardi:http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/1009/vince.lombardi.rare.photos/content.1.html?xid=cnnbin&hpt=Sbin.  As a kid, I watched Lombardi's Packers rip the hearts out of all of us who were pulling for the Cowboys ( the Oilers were my team but the Cowboys were in the NFL, so there was no real disloyalty in my feeble mind).  Later, I read Jerry Kramer's account of that famous 1967 championship season, "Instant Replay" which is devoted in large part to the character of Lombardi and how his players alternately cursed and worshipped him.  And, in the past several years, I've been to Lambeau Field in Green Bay a couple of times and walked beneath the statue of Vince clad in a marble overcoat.  Pretty neat franchise, Green Bay--owned by the fans who pass season tickets to relatives via their wills and work the turnstiles and all that.  The only problem with Green Bay is this thing called, winter.  It happens there.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Hump Day: Don't Worry...Be Happy Edition

A study says that happy people tend to be extroverts, engaged, and making over $75 large a year:http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/01/money-and-happiness-over-75k-doesnt-matter/?hpt=C2.  Also, Dems and R's tend to be equally happy but those with very strong political views such as "Greens" and "Libertarians" tend to be unhappy.  That sort of mirrors what Franklin said--that "there is no happiness to be found among zealots."  Heartily agree with this sentiment and I find those always on point for both ends of the political spectrum a bore and damn tiring.  Though I do find myself voting mostly for candidates from one party, I'd be damned embarrassed to be a "registered" voter of either and couldn't stand a minute around the party convention types--I would sooner embrace Islam and crystal meth.

Some other random thoughts:
1. I've noticed that every female driver between the ages of 18 to 28 or so is either engaged in the act of texting or at least is reading a text--in all kinds of traffic, including on the interstate.  Speak to your daughters about this.  It will do zero good but at least you will have done it.
2. Saw "Get Low" with Duvall, Murray, and Spacek this past Saturday.  So-so.  Worth it to watch Duvall and Murray but the story didn't develop like it could have and should have. 
3. So far, I give empty nesting high marks and endorse the practice.  Freshman daughter will return on Saturday evening along with three of her new found coed friends, so we'll suspend the practice of dad walking naked from the laundry room back to the master bedroom (the wife will be grateful for this).
4. Football season is here, more particularly, the college variety which is the better game.  Hard to explain that statement when obviously the best players are in the professional ranks.  It's just better in the sense that the players are mostly all strongly committed as are the schools and alumni and t-shirt alumni, and the game itself is just more interesting to watch than what shows up on Sundays.  Anyway, it's back after about 8 long months of exile and the nation rejoices.
5. Going on a dove hunt tomorrow--a customer thing--and will probably repeat last year's performance of not firing a single shot while mostly tracking down the truck driving around the ranch that has all of the iced down beer.
6. I "liked" Texas Tribune on Facebook for the sole reason of posting a question asking why they bill themselves as "nonpartisan" when they are nonpartisan in the sense that the New York Times or National Review are nonpartisan--they're not.  Got a lot of snotty responses from their largely hipster and humorless reading audience to the tune that I just don't get it.  You know, I don't get a lot of things but on this, I do.  The TT, the NYT, and their enthusiastic reading audience are both smart and fascinatingly tone deaf--they'll look at you with a quizzical gaze of wonderment if you even mention that there's some bias there--always amuses me.  Same thing with the Austin American Statesman and other rags that pretty much report whatever the NYT or AP sends them, and they do that dutifully and in a spirit of earnest Christian labor in order to pass on the gospel to the faithful.  Whenever some apostate questions something, they're labeled a reactionary or just a poor soul needing enlightenment and direction.  Funny stuff.
7. I never want to go to: Russia, China, or India.  Call me whatever you want or just plain unadventurous but I'm almost 53 and I like having a nice place to take a shit.  I don't have a problem with outhouses when I'm hunting or even having to squat over a downed mesquite log if there is an imminent situation but I really don't want to pay to visit a country where having a clean, comfortable place to take a dump is an issue.  All that said, taking a leak outside is one of life's great pleasures, especially if you're hosing down a fire ant bed or the fence of the neighbor you don't like.  John Wayne once pissed into Ward Bond's whiskey flask to the immense enjoyment of John Ford.  Ford was so inspired that he cast both in "The Searchers" and the greatest western of all time resulted--urination can be so inspirational.  We'll devote a future post to urinals and piss troughs and to the larger world of male urination--let me know if there's something you want me to include.
"I like being around happy people and the offices of Wing Attack Plan R: their bathroom is so nice."
8.