Funny, but is it really necessary on a children’s show?
This might only be of interest to language geeks – particularly those who’ve studied Arabic. It certainly makes sense and goes along with what I’ve been saying – that “Arabic” is not a language. It’s a series of languages and the only reason that “Lebanese,” “Egyptian,” “Jordanian,” etc. do not exist as a language is because of the Arab nationalism idea leftover from the Nasser age.
Last week’s massacre at Fort Hood was not the first time it happened there. In 1991, George Hennard killed 23 people before killing himself. Wait – George Hennard? That doesn’t sound like a Muslim name!
I found it odd that an English newspaper would write so much about US health care reform, as it’s one issue that has no direct bearing on the rest of the world. Indirectly, maybe. Because liberals are going to do their best to fight against those Democrats who voted against the bill. I’ll be one of them. It will be stupakendous to see them go down to defeat in the primaries.
That being said, the Stupak amendment doesn’t matter as much as it’s outspoken critics think it does. We need this reform to pass, and it won’t happen without compromise.
I mean, why would so-called progressives prefer no health care reform to a compromise bill with no federal funding for abortion language? Pass the bill, work to change the bad parts later.
If the woman had told the man that his fascist religion was wrong, he would have been pissed off and Faux News would not touch the story about her being fired.
Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. When all are free, then we can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great Continent of Europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. When that day finally comes, as it will, the people of West Berlin can take sober satisfaction in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades.
All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner."
I remember it vividly. It was 11/9/89. 11/9, a reverse of 9/11, and what had happened on that day was the reverse, too.
I first stepped into the city of Berlin on the eighth anniversary of that day, and it seemed like the celebration had never stopped. In 1997, Berlin held the promise of the future in its cranes and crania. The city looked much like Beirut does today and sounded much the same, too, a symphony of jackhammers and big yellow machines and clanging steel. Most of all, though, I remember the energy - it felt like the future, like possibility, like...Hope.
I was 12 years old when I watched people with sledgehammers breaking up a wall that had symbolized a global division and had been responsible for so many ruined lives, so many heartbreaks, so many deaths. In 1989 I saw that wall fall down through the miracle of television, a wall that had kept prosperity and humanity out, a prison wall, a tragedy. The wall fell and the cranes went up, cranes that would not leave a picture frame, cranes that would start the rebuilding process, that would give back Berlin its heart.
I remember it all even if I didn't understand it at the time. In school we had this good thing called democracy and this other, evil thing called communism, and that was the world and there was no other way to look at it. Then suddenly the definition of the world no longer defined it and people were proclaiming the "End of History" and other ridiculous notions and a lot of peacocks ruffled their feathers and couldn't keep their beaks shut about triumph and victory and blah, blah, blah. What was a kid to do except either ignore it or try to find out about the world and what was going to happen to it now that all the world's problems had been solved?
Indeed, it did feel like a victory of sorts. Back then cable news reported news instead of balloon boys. Back then my twelve year old eyes and heart knew this was something that was changing history. I didn't know why or how, but you could just feel it. The joy and unity people felt in seeing those Berliners dancing on top of concrete and graffiti was shared by everyone (aside from those Soviet fat cats who benefited from imprisoning a city and much of the globe for all those years.) There was a certain energy in the air that made it feel like that illusion the English language called "peace" was possible across the rest of the world.
Eight years later, I found myself getting off a train at the Zoo Station, a twenty year old university student carrying that same optimism for the world that had been born all those years earlier. (Whether that optimism and idealism was inspired by divinity or insanity has not yet been determined.) I had yet to notice the world's optimism was slipping, and it was tough to feel anything but awe and amazement as a city was rebuilding itself.
Another twelve years have passed since the first time I set foot in Berlin. The world is a vastly different place, and ominous clouds have replaced the sunshine of hope that could be felt in the last days of the twentieth century. When once the promise of peace graced us with its presence, now, "times of uncertainty" has become a cliche phrase.
Curious, I asked Lebanese Twitterers if there were any walls in Lebanon which divided the different communities. A couple of interesting responses:
@MXML: plenty of psychological walls, that's for sure.
@srichani: imaginary walls btw different sects, political affiliations, social classes, ethnicities.
I imagine psychological walls are far more difficult to take down.
Today, a group of Palestinian youth knocked down a section of the Israel Wall.
Their retreat and the bullet trails were nothing like those iconic images of sledgehammers and dancing on top of graffiti covered concrete. Yet - there is a tiny victory in the defiance of these youth, a little of the spirit of Berlin, some of the hope.
That's enough to keep fighting for the future.
We are all Berliners. We are all Palestinians. We are all Earthians. Humans. And we all deserve the freedom that we watched unfold before our eyes on that blessed day in 1989 - 11/9, or as it's written outside of America, 9/11. That's the 9/11 that should shape our world.
Perspective on the shooting at Fort Hood. If more people would actually serve in the military, they'd understand how bad (and sometimes violent) harassment can be and how very little is done to stop it. They'd also know that psychological illness is still mostly treated as a "weakness" and there isn't much done to help those who need treatment, even if there are problems that are recognized. Often, psych patients are called liars by those who are supposed to treat them, because psych is viewed as a "way to get out" of the military.
The guy snapped. The fact that the wingnut media is making this out to be a Muslim thing is disgusting. Then again, the right rarely gets off their butts to serve their country, so how would they know what it's like?
Srsly, what is wrong with this country? Why do people think it’s ok to lie and involve emergency crews for attention?
A pro-net neutrality column in the Wall Street Journal. There have been a great number of pro-business, pro-net neutrality statements of late. Not, of course, from the US Chamber of Evil, because, you know, those who stand to benefit from controlling the internet – the telecoms – feed Tom Donohue’s bank account.
As if the Snows of Kilimanjaro wasn't depressing enough. The writer in the story realizes as he's dying from an infection that although he'd seen so much in his life, he never wrote about it. He lived for the moment, never thinking of his future.
The Exile of Satan from Heavy Metal Design. I'm not a metal fan, but I found this interesting from a sociological perspective. Article on child brides. Too bad we can't can some of the pedophilia paranoia in the US and give it to the countries where pedophilia is acceptable.
McCain adviser who attacked Dems' HCR is losing his insurance and may have a pre-existing condition. Karma's a bitch.
Sorry, but your daughter is LAZY. If she is in school, there were people with clipboards EVERYWHERE registering people to vote. Get a clue.
THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT CHRISTIANS. BTW, the Army of God is a terrorist organization. The people who run this website should be arrested and convicted of terrorism. Can you be convicted of "terrorism?" It seems like it. These people are certainly terrorists. Can we say Oklahoma City Bombing, Olympic Bombing, Abortion Clinic Bombings, the murder of Dr. Tiller...where in the Bible does it say thou shalt commit murder in my name?
Ayn Rand was one of the most terrible people to happen to America.
Lost on her followers (among many other things) is the fact that even though she was screaming that FDR was making America a fascist state, it did not become a fascist state. Funny how history continues to repeat itself and these people never get it.
Ayn Rand surely suffered from undiagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of having to escape Lenin's Soviet Union. As a result, she saw the boogieman everywhere and convinced others to be afraid, be very afraid. She was a nutjob. The capitalists and the mentality of greed she glorified and preached are responsible for this economic mess, as well as too little government intervention.
Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...uh...uh...you can't get fooled again.
The status: Boo! I was going to go to a party dressed as Fox News (the scariest thing out there), but I'm not much in the mood to go out tonight. It would be a fun costume, though. Maybe next year, as it will be election time...
CN: Fox "News" will still be scary next year. Don't worry.
BSS: Sorry, but I am a Fox news fan and it is the left that scares me! Oh well, that is what makes the world go around! We are all entitled to our own opinions!
Me: Social justice, equality for all, helping those in need...all really scary concerns of the evil left!
BSS: Like I said... we are all entitled to our own opinions... that is what makes this country great!
YN: Well said BSS; consider dressing up as MSNBC.
BSS: Yeah, I thought about that! At least I am not an Anne Coultier or however the heck you spell it fan! I am open to all kinds of opinions without judging... liberal or conservative or in the middle!
Me: The other thing is that yeah, everyone is entitled to an opinion, but too often people spout off their opinions without bothering to inform themselves.
Half the time critics of MSNBC have never watched MSNBC. Meanwhile I'm puking my guts out watching Beck and Hannity bc to make a valid argument you have to understand the other side's view, otherwise you're just spitting out talking points (which is what most political discourse is in this country these days.)
As far as MSNBC is concerned, they make no effort to hide the fact that their business model was designed to counter Fox, & their slogan is not "Fair and Balanced." As far as commentators go, Olbermann may be an egotistical maniac, but at least he doesn't just make up stories to support his world view, doesn't spout off conspiracy theories (No birth certificate! Death Panels! They want to destroy America!), & doesn't start witch hunts (Beck: "I'm gonna take down this administration.") MSNBC also doesn't fire everyone who doesn't agree with them (see Colmes, Alan and Lamont-Hill, Marc - watch out Shep Smith - you're next!); in fact, their morning show is run by a flaming conservative piehole, Joe "I killed my intern after sleeping with her" Scarborough.
Beck, Hannity, and O'Reilly are quite a trio of angry white guys upset because America is no longer a place where you're better than everyone else just because you're white, and they can't handle that. Sadly, there are enough people who feel that way to make Fox the #1 news channel in the US.
I've said it a million times and I'll say it again: liberal mainstream media voices are funny guys Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Chris Matthews laughs and jokes a lot on his show. Rachel Maddow doesn't seem to have an angry bone in her body. Al Franken, a former writer for SNL, is a United States Senator. Cons main people are screaming nasty white guys - Beck, Hannity, O'Reilly, and Limbaugh - and a few screaming nasty women – Coulter, Bachman, Palin, and Malkin. Why is that? (I would love to delve into the psychological and sociological aspects of that here, but I have a book’s worth of notes on the topic and will save it for another day.)
Things to be angry at: 5,000 of your troops getting killed in two simultaneous (and unnecessary) wars; the torture of human beings in the name of your country; and nothing being done before a major city in your country gets wiped out. Things not to be angry about: a school choosing to not serve meat on Mondays to save money, Walmart greeters saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” and your government using the same macroeconomic principles that it has successfully used to get out of every other recession since Keynes proposed the ideas. (& this econ crisis shows once again that Keynes was right.)
I still want to know where were these anti-government people when Bush was spending more and expanding government more than any other president in history?
UPDATE: OMFG: Is this satire? He forgot the pictures of the dead fetuses.
Liberals vs. Conservatives: Satire vs. Insane Ranting
Do you want to know the difference between a liberal and a conservative? Look no further than these two videos. Liberals use humor and smart satire to talk about politics.
Contrast that with the insane rants of the most popular conservative television show.
Swiss cracking down on “suicide tourism.” Ominous sign of a changing view of centralized government in Switzerland? Are they succumbing to pressure from other European countries?
70% of Americans don’t think Flailin’ Palin is qualified to be POTUS. So WTF is wrong with the other 30% of you morons?
Speaking of Christian Crackheads™, these loving Christians have started a “Burn in Hell Pelosi and Reid” contest. Because, you know, no reason to actually LIVE the word of Jesus Christ.
"Here we are, quadrillions of bytes deep into the Information Age. And yet information, it seems, has never mattered less." Couldn't have said it better.
A live YouTube concert. 96,000 people attended. Another 2.5 million watched online. I did. I can't wait to get my tix for the Philly and NYC shows next year. I already ordered a ticket for one of the Paris shows (and hope to see another one there if I can find a ticket.)
I'm gonna go with a wild conspiracy theory based on zero evidence that this crime was committed by a fringe lunatic group that calls itself "Christian." Because, you know, science is the devil's work.
Girls accept rape to get into gangs. I don't know if this is sad or just plain stupid. Gangs are stupid. And is it rape if it is willful? I repeat: gangs are stupid. If you think you need to be a part of a gang, you are showing your insecurity and your total lack of individuality. Oh, and that you're a scumbag.
Jane Hall quits Faux News because of slanted coverage. You know what? You CAN blame the entire network, because as long as it tolerates Beck and Hannity, as long as those shows are on the air, the entire network is poisonous.
Speaking of Faux News - the guy in the middle is a total douche. And no, I don't often use that word, but it just fits here.
DIPLOMACY WORKS, YOU NEO-CONSERVATIVE TWITS. If people would stop listening to Faux News - and really any American news outlet - and started learning about Iran and thinking about it for themselves, they would come to understand that it is not run by some maniacal spawn of satan intent on destroying the world but is very interested in NOT committing suicide by bombing something. Because if it bombed Israel, it knows it would be erased from the map. Ever heard of something called Mutual Assured Destruction? Guess you wouldn't think it applied to Iran since W. lumped all Muslims into one group and called them "terrorists."
They SHOULD have been fired! Kudos to the library for standing up for free speech and not sheltering children from reality!
British pilot dies saving nine passengers. Sad how the plane was overweight because of corruption in luggage weighing. Hopefully the pilot's death will change things. A chat with FCC Chief Genachowski. NET NEUTRALITY NOW! And while you're at it, can you do something about these stupid blackout rules sports have for watching games online? I mean, we have this amazing, amazing technology, and corporations do all they can to hinder it and block it and it just drives me CRAZY.
I am so happy to see that the threat climate change poses to international security has finally become mainstream. (It might be too late.) Archbishop Tutu writes about it here.
Wait, chickens have heads? OMG!!!!!!!!11!!11!! Seriously, people are so far removed from the process that goes into the food they eat that they find the head on an animal "disgusting?" How is it more disgusting than eating the rest of the bird? And why on earth did the store cater to the woman's disconnect? It's not like she couldn't eat the bird or it was rotten or something.
I can imagine the outrage of the - how should I put it - average Walmart shopper in Iowa or somewhere with only pickup trucks in the parking lot. I mean, this Sacramento woman is upset because now she'll have to *gasp* BUY trash bags for her bins. Can you imagine what Billy Joe from Kansas is going to do when he finds out he has to PAY to get a bag for his gun ammo? I'm sure the librul hippies will be to blame and the wingnuts will have another sign that this country is turnin' Commnist.
It's not hard to bring your own bags, ESPECIALLY when you have to drive to the store. Just keep some in your car.
Kudos to Walmart for doing something right. For once.
The cries rose up into the political sky spiced with dark clouds and sunshine. The uncertainty was there - would it rain? Would there be freedom? Their slogans were foreign, yet familiar, though they were wracked with anger and there was a chilling wrath to them that was not quite comfortable. Marg bar Khameneyi. Marg bar dictator. Death to Khameneyi. Death to the dictator.
A force was present in the park where Lincoln once took his walks on nights when he was plagued with insomnia. Something was tugging at the soul, something unnamed and fierce. While I wanted to show my solidarity with those seeking justice, I could not share in their thirst for death, for what will another death accomplish except more anger, more resentment, more death? It is not up to human beings to choose a person's death, no matter how repulsive his actions towards others. Why marg bar anyone? There is no justice in killing, there is no truth, no beauty. There is only more evil.
Of course I understand the significance, this Death to phrase, left over from the revolution that put this government system in place. It was "Death to America" that rang out then, a response to the fact that America had once killed democracy and installed a brutal dictator for oil and paranoia about Communism.
I thought it interesting that hippies and CATO folks alike were at the rally. Some people met up at Dupont Circle and walked down to the White House.
There is a real revolutionary feeling here, something I had only imagined before. I can only pray for the people of Iran, that they get their freedom, that they get their justice, that after centuries of being oppressed, they finally get their country back. This is not our fight, America. Let us lend our moral support and give them what they may ask for, but no interference. (I'm looking at you, neocons.) They have been dominated by foreigners for too long. They have discovered their voice now, and they are using it. Don't make it about you.
There are some slogans the whole world can shout together, however. Marg bar oppression. Marg bar injustice. Long live freedom.
Feel free to spread these photos and to repost at will.
"Under a democratical government the citizens exercise the powers of sovereignty; and those powers will be first abused, and afterwards lost, if they are committed to an unwieldy multitude." - Edward Gibbon