July 10, 2009

Sloshed in the Suburbs: A Report From Westport Vice

Crime round-ups in newpapers are usually dreary, paragraphs on urban mayhem that lack the Dickensian details that make for compelling reading. So imagine my twisted pleasure today when I picked up a copy of the Westport Minuteman, a weekly covering the not-very-crime-riddled streets of Westport, Connecticut, where I once lived.

The "police reports" page provided loving details on the kinds of mayhem the WPD faces daily. I know all the locations discussed in the paper and can picture in my mind the WPD in action involving surly drunks, sodden underage drinkers, and alcohol-fueled confrontations in the parking lot at Trader Joe's on Post Road East (see a theme in these items?).

A number of them dealt with the aftermath of Westport's venerable Fourth of July fireworks event. Having attended this event in the past, I know the fireworks are great and the post-event traffic jams horrendous. Getting stuck in traffic is aggravating, but getting stuck in a traffic jam while inebriated AND holding a law degree sounds like a very bad situation indeed -- one that led one man to babble that his rights were being violated by jack-booted thugs of Westport traffic enforcement. Here is my favorite item in its entirety. The Volvo is an oh-so-Westport detail that's too delicious to omit:

Continue reading "Sloshed in the Suburbs: A Report From Westport Vice"

Van | 07/10/09 at 05:55 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

June 03, 2009

Uncle Obama Wants YOU to Have a Happy Marriage

The oddest commuter-train poster I've seen lately shows a man and woman in bed. The man is asleep, mouth wide open, presumably in mid-snort. His arms are around a woman who looks back at him with that sitcom-familiar look of exasperation and affection. Oh, those men! The ad text refers to "engagement ring, wedding ring, snoring?" which was pretty clever.

The ad could have been for a TV show, but in fact it came from a program supported by the federal government. It directed readers to the website www.twoofus.org. Who exactly runs the site is a little vague:

The National Healthy Marriage Resource Center (NHMRC) is a national resource and clearinghouse for information and research relating to healthy marriages. We strive to be a "first stop shop" for marriage and family trends and statistics, marriage education and programming, scholarly research, and the latest news and events. In particular, the NHMRC also provides training and technical assistance presentations and documents for federally funded Healthy Marriage Initiative grantees.

The NHMRC supports the Administration for Children and Families, furthering its commitment to promote and support healthy marriages and child well-being by providing research and program information and generating new knowledge about promising and effective strategies.

The Administration for Children and Families is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Is this a good use of "stimulus" money?

Continue reading "Uncle Obama Wants YOU to Have a Happy Marriage"

Van | 06/03/09 at 06:21 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

August 25, 2008

Signs of Apocalypse: Newspaper Prints Same Story 3 Times

I know the Newark Star-Ledger is struggling financially, but aren't ANY editors left? I got the Sunday paper yesterday during a lonnggg bus trip home from Washington, and noticed that the paper printed the same article three times. Pages 2, 3 and 31 printed "A Barren Forecast for Russian Oil Fields" by Tom Lasseter of the McClatchy-Tribune News Service:

The Russian oil boom, which has produced a gusher of cash, political power and an opulent elite — and has helped fuel the country's renewed assertiveness in Georgia and elsewhere — is on shakier ground than officials in Moscow would like to admit.

It's a solid story, but couldn't the Star-Ledger find something else to run in the space? Just look at the AP ticker and pull off the dog-show results, if nothing else.

Van | 08/25/08 at 07:10 AM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

January 01, 2008

End of the World, Radar Style

After my New Year's morning work-out at the New York Sports Club, I scanned the magazine rack there and selected Radar magazine. To my surprise, I found it intensely readable, despite the moronically conventional cover illustration of President Bush in a take-off of the closing scene from Dr. Strangelove. That was for an article called "Apocalypse Wow!," Radar's take on on the world could end, which seems to be a hot trend (I wrote about it, then I saw others doing it, so that's a trend).

The end of the world article includes a timeline of past threats and some recent cultist disasters I had forgotten, such as the 1997 Heaven's Gate suicide of 39 people. It also lists the most likely asteroids to hit the earth in the next 70 or so years, complete with size and probability of impact.

The issue had other highly amusing and visual pieces: "Gay for Pay," advertising to the gay market, and "The Ugly Awards," showing the hideous awards trophies given by groups like sci-fi novelists and Canadian TV.

The issue also has a feature on the 9/11 truth movement, which looks worth reading in a train-wreck sort of way and a piece on the attempted comeback of an entrepreneur who lost everything in the dotcom bust and his current plans. Again, very strong, unexpected stuff.

The only problem: Radar makes none of this content available online, so if you're curious, and I hope you are, buy it, get it at the library, or root around in the slush pile at your gym.

Van | 01/01/08 at 01:00 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

March 13, 2007

The Solzhenitsyn Reader: The Cranky Prophet Returns

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the man I have called "the cranky prophet," is back in the literary news with a new book of selected writings, some of them never before in English. Called "The Solzhenitsyn Reader," it gets a major review in the Times Literary Supplement.

In November, the Philadelphia Inquirer interviewed Solzhenitsyn's sons, Ignat and Stephan. The article gives their thoughts on their father:

Ignat and Stephan agree that many stereotypes of their father deeply distort him.

"Everything is reduced to a political context," complained Ignat, who shares his father's strong chin line and build. "That's the fundamental way he's misunderstood. He rejects being classified as a politician, as a dissident, as a political figure. He has always participated in the political process unwillingly. Very successfully, very impressively, very courageously, but unwillingly in the sense that his first desire would have been to be left alone to write."

At the same time, Ignat noted, "he's a great philosopher and a great thinker. And you cannot reduce thoughts like that to simple 'Is he this or is he that?' That's the nature of the problem. People are too lazy to really think."

Van | 03/13/07 at 06:46 AM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

February 03, 2007

Positive Stories From Afghanistan

In the spirit of continuing to post items regarding Aghanistan that shed light on the complexity of the situation, rather than the MSM's steady diet of doom and gloom, I ran across two inspiring stories.

One is on the man they call the "Afghan Rambo" and how he prevented a suicide bombing at an American base in Kabul. Kim du Toit has the details.

Milblogger Captain Doug Traversa of Afghanistan Without a Clue provides a roundup of related links and elsewhere a rather touching story about Afghanistan's biggest new TV show, "Afghan Star." Kind of puts things in perspective.

Continue reading "Positive Stories From Afghanistan"

Cinnamon | 02/03/07 at 11:08 PM | 1 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

January 29, 2007

Wall Street Journal's John Fund Raises Questions About Sandy Berger

Fresh on the heels of my recent post on the subject, John Fund of the Wall Street Journal is raising questions about the Sandy Berger affair:

Paper Chase: Did investigators turn a blind eye to the seriousness of the Sandy Berger scandal?

Let's hope the rest of the somnolent press starts doing the same thing.

Cross-posted at CinnamonStillwell.blogspot.com.

Cinnamon | 01/29/07 at 01:18 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

January 26, 2007

Sandy Berger: The "Watergate" No One Wants To Talks About

Former Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein, who, along with colleague Bob Woodward, exposed the Watergate affair, has been grumbling that the Bush administration has done "far greater damage" than President Nixon. But perhaps the intrepid reporters of "All the President's Men" fame should turn their attention to a modern-day conspiracy of truly epic proportions.

When Sandy Berger, national security advisor under President Clinton, was caught stealing and destroying documents from the National Archives prior to appearing before the 9/11 Commission in 2003, there was barely a peep in the Democrat-dominated mainstream media. And the near silence has continued to this day. One can only imagine the uproar had a Republican committed an offense half so grievous.

Continue reading "Sandy Berger: The "Watergate" No One Wants To Talks About"

Cinnamon | 01/26/07 at 04:29 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

January 17, 2007

Blogosphere Roundup on Psychology Today's "Ideological Animal" Article

I posted an item last week regarding Psychology Today's "The Ideological Animal," an article in the current issue that purports to explain those of us who made the post-9/11 political shift from left to right (or somewhere in between). Many members of the 9/11 Neocons, the discussion group I started, as well as the group founded and moderated by Kesher Talk editor Judith Weiss, the Liberal Hawks, comprise this burgeoning political trend.

Continue reading "Blogosphere Roundup on Psychology Today's "Ideological Animal" Article"

Cinnamon | 01/17/07 at 07:22 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

December 20, 2006

The BBC Modernizes

Some good news from the BBC for those who are fans of its tv programming.

The BBC has entered into a deal to make available 100s of its television episodes with the bittorrent client Azureus on its Zudeo program, which offers high definition videos.

This will include current programs and some classics.

Alcibiades | 12/20/06 at 11:22 AM | 4 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

November 21, 2006

The blogoglobosphere revolves

Thanks to today's Instalanche, Powerlinelanch, and Malkinlanch, our nifty visitor counter on the lower right has now registered 157 countries which have visited Kesher Talk since July 5th, 2006. The counter reads 116,150 visitors since that date. Thank you for taking the time to visit us. If you want to keep up with our posts, you can subscribe via Feedburner by clicking the bar on the upper right just under the search function.

Judith | 11/21/06 at 04:12 PM | 3 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

June 06, 2006

Happy 666 Day! So, Do You Think 666 = WWW = JEWS?

Judith got 06-06-06 off to a jumping start today, and for those KTers who need some more jolly reading while anxiously repeating "Is he here yet? Is he here yet?" should look no further than this scholarly discussion of that burning question:

"Is "www" in Hebrew equal to 666?"

The discussion involves the gematria value of the Hebrew letter "vav." The argument, proofs, calculations, digressions, and intrepretations are far too complex -- and too much fun to read -- to be summarized. Just take a look. SPOILER ALERT: We're pretty much off the hook (hook, "vav," get it??). I'm so relieved.

Van | 06/06/06 at 01:51 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

June 04, 2006

Router Bleg

So, I'm looking into getting an apple laptop and have a router question for knowledgeable or opinionated folk.

Besides the cool spaceship shape of the apple Airport extreme Base, is there s a reason of better functionality to spend the extra money on that (or even on the AirPort Express Base Station with AirTunes) or will a far less expensive linksys router serve just as well.

Alcibiades | 06/04/06 at 04:11 PM | 2 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

April 04, 2006

An Iraqi Politician Speaks Out -- And It's All Good

Powerline Video is hosting a must-see video of Iraqi politician Iyad Jamal Al-Din asking questions and commenting on the situation in Iraq - and on Israel and America - in a reasonable way that I wish was far more common.

He looks sedate and unworried. But I hope the fact that this has appeared now in a public forum doesn't put his life in danger.

Alcibiades | 04/04/06 at 07:06 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

December 26, 2005

Technical Bleg

Does anyone know what you are supposed to do if you get a feedback from Trackbacks that "You are pinging trackbacks too quickly." Is there a fix for that? Or just wait and trackback later on?

Alcibiades | 12/26/05 at 01:30 PM | 1 Comments | 1 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

June 11, 2004

Way cool stuff

This guy lived with American soldiers in Baghdad for weeks, going out on patrol with them, and he's making a film about it. Check out the trailers. Speaking of Baghdad, in the midst of swirling chaos some people can . . . more »

Judith | 06/11/04 at 09:48 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

May 03, 2004

Of interest

If you don't want your kids to enjoy reading, here's what to do. Speaking of how not to raise children, read how not to treat school bullies. (Why am I not surprised this is happening in Berkeley? At a . . . more »

Judith | 05/03/04 at 01:08 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

April 13, 2004

Of interest

The new issue of Bad Subjects includes a number of articles which might be of interest to Kesher Talk readers, among them Loolwa Khazzoom's excellent American, Iraqi, Jewish: So It Makes Sense for Me to Live in Israel and . . . more »

Judith | 04/13/04 at 08:11 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

April 07, 2004

Of interest

I forgot to note the 10th anniversary of spam several weeks ago. Actually, I remember the furor over the Canter-Siegel email. I forgot I'd been online that long. That's scary. Speaking of scary uses of computer technology: Unfortunate ad . . . more »

Judith | 04/07/04 at 06:32 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

February 29, 2004

Of interest

A handy site for complete sun and moon data per day: "times of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, transits of the Sun and Moon, and the beginning and end of civil twilight, along with information on the Moon's phase." Better . . . more »

Judith | 02/29/04 at 07:48 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

February 17, 2004

Of interest

Here's one way to make money on eBay. I'm not much of an entrepreneur, I guess - this would never have ocurred to me. (If you see any misspelled ads for a new 15" Powerbook with the 1.25 Ghz processor, . . . more »

Judith | 02/17/04 at 11:19 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

February 05, 2004

Of interest

These are your taxes. These are your taxes on drugs. This is disgusting in a fascinating sort of way. So is this. One more example of the far left and radical Islam converging, in - where else? - Santa . . . more »

Judith | 02/05/04 at 01:49 PM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest

January 01, 2004

The pivot of the secular global year

I'm too lazy to come up with predictions and lists of my own, but here's what some other folks think was important from last year, and what is going to happen this year: . . . more »

Judith | 01/01/04 at 12:56 AM | 0 Comments | 0 TrackBacks | Categories: Linkfest