tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90953554314891636702024-03-05T10:57:13.007-08:00Ambassador At Large"The world has become a moral basket case." - Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, President of the UN General AssemblyAmbassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.comBlogger714125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-70450513323721186802011-12-18T20:48:00.001-08:002011-12-18T20:49:02.912-08:00Kim Jong Il is deadAs you've probably noticed, I don't really blog over here very much but I have a big post up at my podcast's website, <a href="http://dontworry.tv">dontworry.tv</a>, about the death of Kim Jong Il. If you're interested, <a href="http://dontworry.tv/2011/12/18/kim-jong-il-is-dead/">read it</a>.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-11925232021924076142011-05-17T13:26:00.001-07:002011-05-18T09:25:36.990-07:00Best NFL helmetsLooks like ESPN has ranked the <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/27488/power-rankings-top-10-nfl-helmets">top NFL helmets</a>. Steelers and Colts are 1 and 2, according to them.<br /><br />Apart from inexplicably putting the Dolphins in the top 10 and leaving off the Rams, who <span style="font-style:italic;">invented the helmet logo</span>, for goodness sake, it's a pretty good list. And it inspired me to make my own. This list is below. This is harder than my previous NFL uniforms list because no NFL team has a truly bad helmet design at this point. Even the Bills, who I rank lowest because of their annoying multi-shade-of-blue thing, have pretty cool helmets. But once again, you'll see that I have a preference for the classic old-school look, as well as helmets of distinction (eg. Steelers' logo only on one side, the Eagles' wings, the Rams' horns). Heeere's my list:<br /><br />1. Steelers<br />2. Colts<br />3. Raiders<br />4. Packers<br />5. Rams (they were better with blue and yellow, not blue and gold)<br />6. Chargers (would rank higher if they went to the old 60s helmets with the numbers on them)<br />7. Browns<br />8. Eagles<br />9. Bears<br />10. Cowboys<br />11. Giants<br />12. Vikings (would rank higher if I didn't spend most of my childhood trying to figure out what the heck their logo was)<br />13. Saints<br />14. Bucs<br />15. Jets<br />16. Broncos<br />17. Redskins<br />18. Bengals<br />19. Dolphins<br />20. 49ers<br />21. Titans<br />22. Lions<br />23. Ravens<br />24. Patriots<br />25. Panthers<br />26. Jaguars<br />27. Texans<br />28. Cardinals<br />29. Chiefs<br />30. Seahawks<br />31. Falcons<br />32. Bills (will jump in the rankings as soon as they get rid of the horrible 3-shades-of-blue thing they've currently got going)Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-32955507274741809782011-03-29T21:23:00.000-07:002011-03-29T21:26:34.175-07:00I saw Sucker PunchDefinitely, it's the best music video I've seen since "Hypnotize" by the Notorious B.I.G. Wait, you're telling me Sucker Punch wasn't a music video and was actually supposed to be a movie? But movies, they have... plot. Dialogue. Characters. Sometimes they have character development. And... acting. And Sucker Punch didn't have any of these things. It was like Bizarro Inception.<br /><br />But as a music video, it's kickass and top notch.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-6541194491565932502011-02-09T09:14:00.000-08:002011-02-09T11:28:31.544-08:00What to call Africa's newest countryUNITED NATIONS - Today's Security Council meeting on Sudan highlights the remarkably peaceful referendum on independence that southern Sudan just completed. While much remains to be done, a peaceful transition now seems a likely outcome, something unthinkable even a few months ago.<br /><br />That said, a serious problem remains: what to call the new country. According to U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice today, the nation will be called the Republic of Southern Sudan. Does anyone else find this a rather blase name? Really, you don't get to be a new nation every day. Put the past behind you. Don't define yourself by the nation you were once a part of. And most of all, be creative!<br /><br />Here are some helpful suggestions for the nascent state:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Option 1</span>: North Sudan becomes Nubia (the historical Nubian kingdoms were in northern Sudan and southern Egypt), while south Sudan gets the "Sudan" moniker. And most of the oil. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Option 2:</span> Go with the "the." It's like the Justin Timberlake scene in <span style="font-style:italic;">The Social Network</span>, in reverse. "The Sudan" seems cooler somehow, albeit a bit more colonial, than just "Sudan."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Option 3:</span> A long, specific and optimistic list of all the things your country will most likely not be. Eg. Shiny Happy Democratic People's Free and Independent United Sovereign Multinational Republic of Southern Sudan. A name that all but guarantees failed statehood. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Option 4:</span> Democratic Republic of Sudan. So that generations of American schoolchildren can be even more perplexed in geography class than they were already. The Congos already do this, so why not you? <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Option 5:</span> Guarantee war with the North by either including the words "and Abyei" in the title of your country (eg. Shiny Happy Democratic People's Free and Independent United Sovereign Multinational Republic of Southern Sudan <span style="font-style:italic;">and Abyei</span>) or, better, have a map of your country with the disputed region included on your flag. Kosovo did the latter with Mitrovica even though Mitrovica is 90% ethnic Serbs, and nobody's called them on it yet. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Option 6:</span> To borrow from Gregg Easterbrook's solution for the Macedonian name issue, you should really call yourselves "The Greatest Country In History." The tourism ads just write themselves.<br /><br />Update: Looks like Joshua Keating at <span style="font-style:italic;">Foreign Policy</span> already <a href="http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/07/what_will_southern_sudan_be_called">sorta beat me to it</a> on this topic.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-23264842277246557032010-12-21T09:16:00.000-08:002010-12-21T11:34:06.331-08:00Sewage backup delays UN meetingsThe UN's many critics who have called it a septic tank of corruption and incompetence were vindicated this morning, when UN meetings were postponed and the UN was partially evacuated as suspicious smells of methane and sulfur were reported. (The UN smelling of sulfur... didn't Hugo Chavez have something to say about this? Should we all cross ourselves?)<br /><br />According to the UN Spokesperson's office, FDNY and hazardous material experts were brought in and determined that high tides in the East River had created a sewage problem by backing up the pipes. Gases were released from the sewage backup but were deemed not hazardous. Press were allowed back into their offices around 11:30 a.m.<br /><br />So basically, the UN smells like shit.<br /><br />Sidenote 1: The UN declined to speculate if the lunar eclipse had anything to do with the tides.<br />Sidenote 2: The UN declined to say if its sewage system was pumping directly into the river.<br />Sidenote 3: The UN declined to say if this had anything to do with construction or methane leaks caused by the Capital Master Plan, the UN's ongoing renovation of its own building.<br />Sidenote 4: The UN announced that tours will be resumed. Now the general public too can come smell the United Nations.<br />Sidenote 5: The United States had meticulously organized a UN "youth day" where children and teenagers would submit comments to the Security Council and participate in a Security Council open meeting. That meeting has been moved to the Economic and Social Council chamber in the North Lawn Building and is not being telecast. As a result, no one will cover this and a generation of international kids will remember the day they came to the UN and were evacuated by the smell of shit. I rather think they will all become neocons, no?Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-75300211779733392212010-11-10T19:59:00.000-08:002010-11-11T11:14:07.776-08:00UN Women and hypocrisyToday the UN member states voted to decide which countries should serve on the board of the new UN Entity on Women. Note the use of the word "entity." The member states could not agree whether the new body should actually do anything, so heaven forbid it be called an "agency" because it might have, you know, agency. So it is an "entity." It exists. Whether it does anything else is an open question.<br /><br />So Iran, for some reason, decided that it wanted to be on the board. Why Iran did this I do not know. It's like being the unpopular kid in school and writing a sign that says "kick me!" on your own back, just to make a point. Naturally, the West jumps on the opportunity. Days before the vote, they nudge tiny Timor-Leste into running against Iran for the last remaining seat on the board. (Stop me when this sounds like your middle school student government. What, it already does? Yeah, mine too.)<br /><br />Western nations then browbeat, bribe and cajole every undecided country into swinging against the Iranians (footnote: I'm not kidding about the bribes. On voting day every delegation found a nice brown package of I-don't-know-what in red-white-and-blue ribbon on their desk. This is standard UN procedure, here.) In the end, little Timor-Leste — which barely even has a government — wins going away. Afterward, US Ambassador Susan Rice smugly speaks of how Iran was defeated, "and defeated handily."<br /><br />Why is this hypocrisy? Because <a href="http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7020495979?Saudi%20Arabia,%20Libya,%20Congo%20Get%20U.N.%20Womens%27%20Rights%20Agency%20Seat,%20Iran%20Fails">here</a> are the countries that got elected unopposed, with no complaint or opprobrium by anyone:<br />- <span style="font-weight:bold;">Libya</span>, where women can technically own property but in practice <a href="http://www.wikigender.org/index.php/Gender_Equality_in_Libya">don't</a>, and where Muammar Qadaffi is escorted about by a phalanx of all-female bodyguards<br />- <span style="font-weight:bold;">Saudi Arabia</span>, ranked second to last among 93 countries on the <a href="http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_GEM.pdf">Gender Empowerment Index</a>, a country where women still aren't allowed to drive cars or go anywhere without a male family member escort<br />- <span style="font-weight:bold;">Democratic Republic of Congo</span>, where pretty much everybody — government soldiers, ethnic rebels, foreign militias, even the occasional UN peacekeeper — uses rape as a weapon of war. Three months before the vote, several hundred women were systematically raped in a 24 hour rampage in the country's lawless east and the UN didn't even find out about it for a fortnight. Five DAYS before the vote, the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/06/world/africa/06congo.html">mass rape of over 600 women</a> on the Angolan border was uncovered.<br /><br />Rice, asked to explain why the Congolese and the Saudis got a free pass, said "I am not going to deny that there were several countries that are going to join the board of U.N. Women that have less than stellar records on women's rights, and indeed human rights."<br /><br />Fair enough, Ambassador. Iran getting on the UN Women board would have been ridiculous. But DR Congo getting on was an atrocity.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-27156439091131712092010-11-02T08:12:00.001-07:002010-11-02T08:16:02.303-07:00Did Than Shwe's astrologer predict this one?What is it with Myanmar getting leveled by horrendous cyclones right before shame elections? We all remember Cyclone Nargis (see all my "Burma and the Death of Responsibility To Protect" posts from a while back) striking right before the vote on the new constitution, but now category 4 cylone Giri has <a href="http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2010/october/myanmar-more-than-170000-people-affected-by-cyclone-giri.en">hit the country</a> barely a week before its <a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Former-Burmese-Political-Prisoners-Pessimistic-as-Election-Day-Nears--106511258.html">sham democratic election</a>.<br /><br />I blame the <a href="http://www.newser.com/story/103483/myanmar-unveils-new-flag.html">new flag</a>.<br /><br />Speaking of elections, I'm off to vote now myself. And you should do the same.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-45198919012685789492010-10-22T10:56:00.000-07:002010-10-22T11:02:36.506-07:00Week 7 PicksThe <a href="http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml">spread</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">sunday</span><br />steelers (-3) over DOLPHINS<br />FALCONS (-3.5) over bengals<br />jaguars (+9) over CHIEFS<br />TITANS (-3) over eagles<br />redskins (+3) over BEARS<br />SAINTS (-13) over browns<br />RAVENS (-13) over bills<br />49ers (-3) over PANTHERS<br />BUCS (-3) over rams<br />SEAHAWKS (-6.5) over cardinals<br />patriots (+3) over CHARGERS<br />BRONCOS (-8.5) over raiders<br />vikings (+2.5) over PACKERS<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">monday</span><br />COWBOYS (-3) over giants<br /><br />Last week: 7-6-1<br />Season: 41-44-5Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-828035166081057752010-10-15T11:09:00.000-07:002010-10-15T11:22:42.519-07:00Week 6 picksWell, I finally got over .500 for Week 5. Let's see if I can keep it going and get back to .500 for the season. You know, so that my guesses will be more accurate than actually guessing. Here's <a href="http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml">the spread</a> again:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">sunday</span><br />STEELERS (-13.5) over browns<br />saints (-4) over BUCCANEERS<br />chargers (-8) over RAMS<br />PACKERS (-3) over dolphins<br />falcons (+2.5) over EAGLES<br />PATRIOTS (-2.5) over ravens<br />chiefs (+4.5) over TEXANS<br />GIANTS (-10) over lions<br />BEARS (-7) over seahawks<br />raiders (+6.5) over NINERS<br />jets (-3) over BRONCOS<br />VIKINGS (-1.5) over cowboys<br />colts (-3) over REDSKINS<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">monday</span><br />titans (-3) over JAGUARS<br /><br />Last week: 8-6<br />Season: 34-38-4Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-62702785726655103952010-10-05T20:54:00.000-07:002010-10-08T08:30:58.966-07:00Week 5The <a href="http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml">spread</a>:<br /><br />broncos (+7) over RAVENS<br />jags (pk) over BILLS<br />COLTS (-7) over chiefs<br />rams (+3) over LIONS<br />falcons (-3) over BROWNS<br />bucs (+6.5) over BENGALS<br />PANTHERS (-1) over bears<br />packers (-2.5) over REDSKINS<br />TEXANS (-3) over giants<br />saints (-6.5) over CARDS<br />RAIDERS (+6) over chargers<br />titans (+7) over COWBOYS<br />eagles (+3) over 49ERS<br /><br />JETS (-4) over vikings<br /><br />Last week: 7-7<br />Season: 26-32-4Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-85681536927412210592010-10-01T07:52:00.000-07:002010-10-01T08:00:51.508-07:00Week 4 picksHere's <a href="http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml">the spread</a>.<br /><br />Here's my picks:<br /><br />sunday<br />TITANS (-6.5) over broncos<br />STEELERS (-1.5) over ravens<br />bengals (-3) over BROWNS<br />lions (+14.5) over PACKERS<br />SAINTS (-13.5) over panthers<br />FALCONS (-7) over 49ers<br />seahawks (-1) over RAMS<br />jets (-5.5) over BILLS<br />JAGUARS (+7) over colts<br />texans (-3) over RAIDERS<br />CHARGERS (-8.5) over cardinals<br />EAGLES (-6) over redskins<br />GIANTS (-4) over bears<br /><br />monday<br />patriots (-1) over DOLPHINS<br /><br />Last week: 7-9<br />Season: 19-25-4Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-38136302105176724812010-09-23T15:33:00.001-07:002010-09-23T20:09:10.170-07:00Week 3 NFL picksOK, so Week 2 was a total fiasco, let's see if I can get this under control for Week 3. Once again, <a href="http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml">against the spread</a>. Home team in CAPS.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">SUNDAY</span><br />titans (+3) over GIANTS<br />PATRIOTS (-14.5) over bills<br />RAVENS (-10.5) over browns<br />steelers (-2.5) over BUCCANEERS<br />bengals (-3) over PANTHERS<br />SAINTS (-3.5) over falcons<br />CHIEFS (-3) over 49ers<br />lions (+11) over VIKINGS<br />TEXANS (-2.5) over cowboys<br />redskins (-3.5) over RAMS<br />eagles (-2.5) over JAGUARS<br />colts (-5.5) over BRONCOS<br />chargers (-5.5) over SEAHAWKS<br />raiders (+4.5) over CARDINALS<br />DOLPHINS (-2) over jets<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">MONDAY</span><br />packers (-3) over BEARS<br /><br />Last week: 5-9-2<br />Season: 12-16-4Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-32461077055934824022010-09-20T09:31:00.001-07:002010-09-20T09:31:59.367-07:00the spreadI went 5-8-2 on Sunday. Horrible. Worse than guessing. I gotta right this ship before I start putting any money down. We'll start with New Orleans blowing out San Francisco tonight.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-64009220803918220642010-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:002010-09-20T09:08:40.920-07:00MUTANT FISH!!!!!Not to be alarmist, but I'm a bit leery of this new genetic advancement on salmon that makes them <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129939819">grow twice as fast as normal salmon</a>. To wit:<br /><br /><blockquote>"There is virtually no possibility of escape and interaction with wild populations,” says Stotish.<br /><br />That’s because the fish eggs will be sterile, and they will all be female. Plus, they'll be grown in tanks on land, rather than nets or pens, floating in the ocean, the way most conventional farmed fish is raised.</blockquote><br />I hate to break it to these guys, but I'm pretty sure they relied on that trick in <span style="font-style:italic;">Jurassic Park</span> and it didn't work then either. How long before mutant mega-salmon are roaming the earth, seeking revenge on their human creators? FDA, thou shalt reapeth what thy soweth.<br /><br />As Shaggy 2 Dope of Insane Clown Posse <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/f-cking-magnets-how-do-they-work">memorably opined</a>, "I don’t want to talk to a scientist, y’all mother fuckers lyin, and gettin me pissed."Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-19707606356337506242010-09-20T08:34:00.001-07:002010-09-20T08:35:15.871-07:00MDG Summit in twitter form<a href="http://twitter.com/joeskeys">Live-tweeting </a>the silliest highlights of the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals. I'm here so you don't have to be.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-47691635384068397562010-09-17T11:11:00.000-07:002010-09-17T11:13:14.272-07:00puts it in perspectiveRemember reading a few weeks back about those Chilean miners that were trapped a third of a mile underground?<br /><br />Well, they're <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11350066">still there</a>. And it'll be a few weeks before anyone can get them out. Amazing story...Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-39242234984312593032010-09-16T12:02:00.001-07:002010-09-16T12:06:55.398-07:00I hope that "unnamed team" is the BearsSo ESPN is reporting that the Chargers' Vincent Jackson's <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5579273">suspension will be reduced if he's traded</a> and that an "unnamed team" is already in talks with San Diego.<br /><br />Chicago needs a deep threat and already has the NFL's 3rd-best collection of screw-ups and head cases (trailing only Cincinnati and the New York Jets).<br /><br />Sidenote: what sense does it make to reduce a guy's drunk-driving suspension if he's traded? Like, if he goes to New York and it's a public transport city, he's less of a risk? I don't really get it.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-42796701353877034222010-09-16T08:23:00.001-07:002010-09-17T11:05:04.514-07:00NFL picks week 2In other obvious news, it's much harder to pick <a href="http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml">against the spread</a> in the NFL than it is to just pick the winners outright. Nonetheless I'll be trying again, and here's my best shot for Week 2:<br /><br />Sunday<br />kansas city (+2) over CLEVELAND<br />GREEN BAY (-13) over buffalo<br />baltimore (-2.5) over CINCINNATI<br />TENNESSEE (-5) over pittsburgh<br />philadelphia (-6.5) over DETROIT<br />chicago (+7.5) over DALLAS<br />CAROLINA (-3.5) over tampa bay<br />arizona (+6.5) over ATLANTA<br />miami (+5.5) over MINNESOTA<br />OAKLAND (-3.5) over st. louis<br />DENVER (-3.5) over seattle<br />houston (-3) over WASHINGTON<br />jacksonville (+7) over SAN DIEGO<br />new england (-3) over NY JETS<br />INDIANAPOLIS (-5) over ny giants<br /><br />Monday<br />new orleans (-5) over SAN FRANCISCO<br /><br />Last week: 7-7-2Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-81126064621932014512010-09-16T08:06:00.000-07:002010-09-16T08:07:46.924-07:00The discomforts of terrorismToday in the Security Council meeting on Somalia, the Kenyan Ambassador said:<br /><br /><blockquote>"If the Transitional Government would fall, the group called al Shabaab would take over and export an ideology dedicated to the destruction of all non-Muslim people in the region. And we would be uncomfortable with a situation like that."</blockquote><br />I don't know about you, but "uncomfortable" is a word I use when, say, the air conditioning is too high, or when I try on a pair of shoes and they do not fit. Not when a militia dedicated to wiping me off the face of the earth seizes control in a large neighboring nation.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-77460135262180193412010-09-11T16:16:00.000-07:002010-09-13T21:02:44.623-07:00Dispatches from the 9/11 Memorial CircusNEW YORK - The road to lunacy is paved with good intentions.<br /><br />Before today's 9/11 ceremonies, several 9/11 family groups had requested people not to protest, either in favor of or against the proposed "Ground Zero mosque," out of respect to the sacredness of the day. Good intention, right? Well, the end result was that all the reasonable people stayed home and the crazies came out of the woodwork like a horde of termites. Today was the political equivalent of World's Deadliest Swarms. A complete three-ring circus.<br /><br />Qurans? We got 'em. You want to stomp on them? There was a guy doing that on Chambers street. You want free ones? A Muslim group was handing them out on Broadway outside the Duane Reade. I almost took one, but let's face it, I'm a bit behind in my summer reading list, and I already read the most inflammatory bits in Sam Harris.<br /><br />Costumed heroes? Yeah, we got those. A guy dressed in a homemade Captain America costume, complete with USA flag cape. Affiliation? Unknown. Some guy showed up with a gorgeous blue and yellow parrot on his arm. "Does it talk?" we asked. "When it wants to," he said. We got clowns, too. Loony Lenny showed up in full costume. I know his name because it was on his hat. Not sure which side he was on either. Not everybody had one. One guy was just holding up a peace sign at the midpoint between the two protests. All he wanted to know from me was whether I'd seen any violence. Not here and not today, I said. Not in 9 years, actually.<br /><br />Completed unrelated causes turned out, because, hell, it's a protest, right? Anti abortion groups arrived in matching t-shirts and a decked-out minivan. 9/11 family groups were literally screaming at 9/11 Truthers. Nothing like wearing a "9/11 Was An Inside Job" t-shirt to rile up a crowd of flag-waving patriots. An ironic bunch of college kids trolled about with signs that read "Bigots are Americans too!" and "Bigotry is a right!" So there!<br /><br />Religiously, the full gamut was on display. Between Broadway (site of the pro-mosque protest) and West Broadway (anti-mosque) was the ironically named Church Street, and that's where the crazier elements of each protest gathered to shout at each other. One Christian group came to decry the sins of abortion and homosexuality. Atheists came out to support the First Amendment. Jews came out to support Israel. Or protest Israel. Or whatever. One man wanted to burn all religious books. He got into a shouting match with a Muslim cleric who said, "Hitler burned all religious books! It was called Kristallnacht." Since the old debate adage says that the first side to mention Hitler loses, I'm afraid the book-burning guy took that argument.<br /><br />The anti-mosque protesters were certainly better organized. They had a giant TV screen. They had far more people. That didn't, of course, make their speakers make any more sense. At least the aldermen and activists had enough media experience to avoid saying anything incredibly awful. But cue the groans when some speaker gets up there and begins "I'm just an ordinary American citizen and I want to have my say..." That's really what this day was about. But it's kind of like Terry Jones in Florida. The guy can have his say if he wants to. It's a free country. But I'm free to ignore him.<br /><br />Moving east to City Hall, Broadway was blanketed in a pu pu platter of leftist causes from the past 40 years. Free Palestine! Free Lynne Stewart! Works of the world unite! Islamophobia is Racism... So Join The Socialist Workers Party! USA Exports Ground Zeroes In Iraq and Afghanistan! Viva Chavez and Ahmadinejad! These were actual signs, by the way. It was all so caricatured, I began to suspect this was actually a right-wing crowd pretending to be a left-wing crowd. I'm still not convinced it wasn't. I mean, viva Ahmadinejad? Really?<br /><br />One speaker lamented that "the revolution" was being undermined "because we can't get organized!" Which was painfully obvious from the disparate causes jockeying for elbow room. Right after him, an activist lawyer attempted to get the crowd riled up about the rights of Guantanamo Bay inmates — what does this have to do with Park51 exactly? — but was drowned out when the protest was buzzed by a giant motorcade of anti-mosque biker guys in leather revving their engines at north of 100 dB. Since when did the Hell's Angels join the Tea Party?<br /><br />As the anti-mosque protest dispersed, along came a 4th-of-July-parade-style float that can only be described as an anti-Islammobile. "America Repent!" its placards screamed. "Islam is a false religion." And at the top, larger than anything else: "STOP THE INSANITY!"<br /><br />My thoughts exactly.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-39342190696280170552010-09-08T12:21:00.001-07:002010-09-08T12:30:52.651-07:00Week 1 PredictionsHey all, it's time for another year of football prognostication. This year, I'm gonna do it a bit differently by picking against <a href="http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_point_spreads.shtml">the spread</a>. Home team in caps:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">THURSDAY</span><br />NEW ORLEANS (-5) over minnesota<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">SUNDAY</span><br />carolina (+6.5) over NY GIANTS<br />miami (-3) over BUFFALO<br />PITTSBURGH (+2.5) over atlanta<br />CHICAGO (-6.5) over detroit<br />NEW ENGLAND (-4.5) over cincinnati<br />cleveland (+3) over TAMPA BAY<br />denver (+2.5) over JACKSONVILLE<br />indianapolis (-2) over HOUSTON<br />TENNESSEE (-6) over oakland<br />green bay (-3) over PHILADELPHIA<br />san francisco (-3) over SEATTLE<br />arizona (-4) over ST LOUIS<br />dallas (-3.5) over WASHINGTON<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">MONDAY</span><br />baltimore (-2) over NY JETS<br />san diego (-4.5) over KANSAS CITYAmbassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-70282184800571570492010-09-01T18:53:00.000-07:002010-09-01T19:12:22.885-07:00Quinn is the new Salinger, and other thoughts on the Discovery Channel hostage crisisA few thoughts on today's bizarre 4-hour standoff at Discovery Channel headquarters...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1.</span> Why the hell did this guy go after the Discovery Channel? This would be like a Tea Partier hijacking Fox News for not being right wing enough. <span style="font-style:italic;">They were on your side</span>!!!! Initially, all my Japanese friends were afraid the guy was a Japanese radical protesting <span style="font-style:italic;">Whale Wars</span>, and were relieved to learn he was of Korean descent instead. In other news, had this been an anti-<span style="font-style:italic;">Whale Wars</span> protester, I think that would have made for the best season finale of any show in Discovery Channel history.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2.</span> On the same point, this guy clearly had an obsession with the Discovery Channel. Not only had he previously caused a public disturbance outside their offices two years earlier, but he also claims to have learned bomb-making tips from <span style="font-style:italic;">Mythbusters</span>. <span style="font-style:italic;">Mythbusters</span> happens to be one of my favorite shows on TV, and I'm pretty sure the <span style="font-style:italic;">Mythbusters</span> guys are quite clear that you're not supposed to try this stuff at home, dude.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />3.</span> It's a pity this ended in tragedy—though thankfully not for the hostages, who all survived. Because James Lee's "manifesto" is one of the <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/36763699/James-Lee-Manifesto">funnier documents I've read in years</a>. Most of it is suggestions for programming content.<br /><br /><blockquote>Focus must be given on how people can live WITHOUT giving birth to more filthy human children since those new additions continue pollution and are pollution. A game show format contest would be in order.</blockquote><br />Furthermore, Lee doesn't understand that this is a manifesto, not an SMS. Otherwise, why would he feel the need to write:<br /><br /><blockquote>WTF??? STUPIDITY! MORE HUMANS EQUALS MORE WAR!</blockquote><br />I'm pretty sure neither the Communist Manifesto nor the Unabomber's Manifesto (both of which, mindblowingly, I read for class in high school), had that many exclamation points or capitalized passages.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4.</span> What is it with crazy gunmen sending their shit <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38962968/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/">to NBC News</a>? Is NBC news the "it" place for these guys to contact? First it was the Virginia Tech killer sending an entire press kit of photos and video to them, and now this.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5.</span> Daniel Quinn is the new J.D. Salinger. His disassociations notwithstanding, people will forever associate <span style="font-style:italic;">Ishmael</span> with this lunatic, and any future eco-lunatics who follow in his footsteps. The same fate awaits <span style="font-style:italic;">Ishmael</span> that has befallen <span style="font-style:italic;">Catcher In The Rye</span>. Now I have my issues with Quinn's book, but no author deserves this sort of thing. Except possibly Ayn Rand.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-60090012844531886132010-09-01T18:41:00.000-07:002010-09-01T18:46:42.934-07:00The more you know... Equatorial Guinea edition!UNITED NATIONS - Equatorial Guinea executed 4 people yesterday for attempting to assassinate the President. The prisoners were reportedly executed 1 hour after conviction, with no appeal. Since some in the international community viewed this as something of a human rights violation, Equatorial Guinean Ambassador Anatolio Ndong Mba held a press conference at the UN today attempting to explain his country's actions. Let's see how his attempts fared:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1st Attempt:</span> These guys were terrorists!<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Analysis:</span> Since 9/11, this has been perhaps the single most often employed justification by every state for anything that could conceivably be called a human rights violation, and they do it largely to shut the US up. This sort of thing was more effective in the Bush years, but even yesterday's protest from the State Department <a href="http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE67U05F20100831">was qualified</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2nd Attempt:</span> "Legislation set out in the constitution ... provides for the application of capital punishment for crimes such as those judged in this case."<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Analysis:</span> This would have been more convincing if his strong accent hadn't made "this case" sound like "discos." The law in discos, I believe, is not recognized internationally.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />3rd Attempt:</span> Critics do not even know our country. They cannot even find our country on a map.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Analysis:</span> True!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4th Attempt:</span> We support the UN's Millennium Development Goals.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Analysis:</span> A naked appeal for developing country support. When in doubt, name-drop the Millennium Development Goals. The Secretary-General does it all the time. Why shouldn't Equatorial Guinea?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5th Attempt:</span> We protect our environment.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Analysis:</span> An even more naked appeal, this time for leftist support in the developed world. The way the Equatorial Guineans see it, the same people who care about the environment are the sort who care about human rights in oil-rich countries. And they're absolutely right. What's more, Equatorial Guinea <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/08/bioko-primates/morell-text">actually does a fairly decent job of protecting its environment</a>, particularly its primate population on the island of Bioko. Despite being completely unrelated to the charges at hand, this proves to be, sadly, the Ambassador's best defense.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6th Attempt:</span> "Please, give the opportunity of Equatorial Guinea to at least know it properly. Instead of condemning what is being done, nobody is speaking of development in the country. We are building hospitals, schools, roads. Equatorial Guineans are free to go anywhere, anywhere in the world!"<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Analysis:</span> First of all, if you have to advertise this, it's probably not true. Equatorial Guinea has one of the highest per capita incomes on earth, but its citizens are some of the world's poorest. Virtually all of its oil wealth goes to the President and his family and friends, and Transparency International ranks Equatorial Guinea 168th out of 180 on its <a href="http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2009/cpi_2009_table">corruption index</a>. The President's son is a rap mogul in LA, so, yes, that's at least one Equatorial Guinean who travels the world freely. As for the rest, the country's government is regarded as one of the most autocratic and brutal to political dissent and no country in Africa <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/06/21/africas_north_korea?page=0,1">save possibly Eritrea</a> is as tightly or ruthlessly controlled.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />7th Attempt:</span> Responding to allegations that the President's son <a href="http://www.globalwitness.org/media_library_detail.php/877/en/secret_documents_reveal_multi_million_dollar_shopp">spends</a> his ill-gotten millions on Bentleys, a recording studio, a private jet, and <a href="http://bossip.com/212209/feds-go-after-stacked-up-african-sons/">lavish nights on the town with</a> his sometimes-girlfriend Eve: "Anybody is free to do his business."<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Analysis:</span> True... I guess. Sigh...<br /><br />Meanwhile, Equatorial Guineans also packed the press room with pro-government people who all applauded after the Ambassador's opening statement. This trick is so transparent to real journalists that <span style="font-style:italic;">even North Korea doesn't do it</span>.<br /><br />Equatorial Guinea! Staking its own little claim to be the worst-governed country on earth.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-69751968072635328652010-08-23T08:47:00.000-07:002010-08-23T08:50:44.976-07:00Anti-mosque protesters don't know where halal food is from<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_jaXU-sz1AXhXPiFbBxTie5b0TFtEEegXs-HMfAlNtEAkXIOd18R0iSnWUpulAIsWYQ5mUjCbE6JCxzUmeeOesszGNerNkEqZC4GvDoF0aDPNUKaqJ8Z1VrnOTNO2b4r28XhmSKl4eaX/s1600/halal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_jaXU-sz1AXhXPiFbBxTie5b0TFtEEegXs-HMfAlNtEAkXIOd18R0iSnWUpulAIsWYQ5mUjCbE6JCxzUmeeOesszGNerNkEqZC4GvDoF0aDPNUKaqJ8Z1VrnOTNO2b4r28XhmSKl4eaX/s400/halal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508632867887927618" /></a><br />But they do know it's delicious.<br /><br />And yes, the picture shows some 500 anti-Park51 protesters marching by Ground Zero, passing a halal stand on the way, and, in some cases, <span style="font-style:italic;">ordering falafel and kebabs</span> from it. Islamic house of worship near Ground Zero? No way! But Islamic food near Ground Zero? Yum.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095355431489163670.post-18337321546572734792010-08-22T14:12:00.000-07:002010-08-22T14:15:29.722-07:00Mosque-a-raid<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii71by6epr3HwTJesUnhJ5ohnkNDTZwF9IUzteU4Lp3cubnrL16txKnZUweAI0fnKtjzPjJ8bu5dWKL8F1Ye7kUAJJ2WwDHB_NCkGqZID9iS1cBorvrAq-kiZ4A8ltODVdSKkf9x8lJ7rI/s1600/mosque-a-raid.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii71by6epr3HwTJesUnhJ5ohnkNDTZwF9IUzteU4Lp3cubnrL16txKnZUweAI0fnKtjzPjJ8bu5dWKL8F1Ye7kUAJJ2WwDHB_NCkGqZID9iS1cBorvrAq-kiZ4A8ltODVdSKkf9x8lJ7rI/s320/mosque-a-raid.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508345391730475026" /></a><br />Covered the anti-mosque protests in lower Manhattan today. This photo pretty much sums it up.Ambassador At Largehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00917959083520911953noreply@blogger.com0