| Random Thoughts From a Confused Mind | ||||
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Saturday, September 20, 2003 ( 2:26 PM ) MB September 20 to 27 is Banned Books Week The American Library Association has a list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990 - 2000. Forbidden Library lists the reasons for some book challenges just in case you're curious what problems people found with Where's Waldo?, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, A Light in the Attic, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Little House on the Prairie, A Wrinkle In Time, and others. Permalink Thursday, September 18, 2003 ( 9:25 AM ) MB From The Valley Independent: Police say a Hempfield Township man who pedaled a panty-decorated bicycle onto the Youghiogheny River Trail was sighted just off the recreational path exposing himself and performing a sex act on a rock. I've said before that rocks are dangerous. But this was something I couldn't have imagined. For that matter, I still have no idea what he was doing with the rock and I hope not to know. Permalink ( 9:16 AM ) MB Distance of my house from the nearest nuclear waste route: 3.8 miles (nearby railroad tracks) Distance from Watts Bar, the nearest waste source: 192.4 miles (Tennessee) Permalink ( 8:57 AM ) MB Reporter regrets exposure of Kelly A British Broadcasting Corp. reporter who raised concern that the government inflated its case for war against Iraq apologized yesterday for indirectly naming his source to a member of Parliament. BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan eventually confirmed that his source was David Kelly, a government weapons adviser who apparently killed himself after being identified by the Ministry of Defense as the unidentified official cited in Mr. Gilligan's piece. Mr. Gilligan refused to identify his source to the House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee, but he did send a note to a committee member revealing that Mr. Kelly was the source of a report by a BBC colleague and suggesting questions the member could put to Mr. Kelly. "It was quite wrong to send it [the message], and I can only apologize," Mr. Gilligan told a judicial inquiry into Mr. Kelly's death. "I did not even know for sure that David Kelly was [BBC reporter] Susan Watts' source," he said in response to questioning from his attorney, Heather Rogers. "I was under an enormous amount of pressure at the time. I simply was not thinking straight, so I really want to apologize for that." Even better, a public show of protecting his source but then sending the name of someone else's source. Or not. He wasn't thinking straight. Maybe he got confused...program, publication, promotion, persectution. At least he apologized. I'm sure that was an enormous comfort to Kelly's family. Permalink ( 8:34 AM ) MB Boycott Hollywood has a post (from September 12) about Al Franken quoting an article from FrontPage Magazine: Where did a comedian like Al Franken get the time, research power and expertise to cover such a wide range of subject matters, almost all of which are out of his normal depth? The answer (which Franken provides himself) is Harvard. I had already heard Franken talk about this when I caught part of an interview with him on Fresh Air. What caught my attention in the interview was when he told about making the decision to go to Harvard. He said his son was a high school senior and that this period was a kind of goof-off time at his school. If your child's school is wasting his all or part of his senior year just keeping him occupied until it's time for graduation, wouldn't your time be better spent trying to create a change in the school? Oh, wait, that would actually benefit someone and wouldn't be about me, me, me! Guess he still thinks it's the Al Franken Decade. Calyton Cramer has a post about a cartoon in Franken's book. Permalink ( 7:43 AM ) MB Workweek Causes Climate Fluctuations And all along I had been blaming some butterfly in Brazil. Permalink ( 3:38 AM ) MB The weather here in Louisville has been nice for the last few days. Clear blue skies with random streaks of white from contails. I can't look at them without thinking of the days two years ago that there were no contrails because all the planes had been grounded. Seeing them now gives me a feeling of reassurance that things are as they should be, but there's something more. There's anger and sadness at what happened. There's also, not really fear, but an awareness of the possiblity of something similar happening again. Lives were changed on September 11, 2001. Many in profound ways that I can't even begin to really understand. Many more in small ways, in knowing that things will never be the same. We had underestimated terrorists, not really believing that they would attack us here. They underestimated us even more. Looking at us from the outside, you see political parties arguing over everything and anything. You see people from a wide variety of countries and cultures, all with different opinions, different beliefs. It would be easy to think that all the disagreements that come of this is a weakness. It's not, it is democracy and freedom in action. It is what makes us strong, what helps us to recover from attacks with a resolve that makes us even stronger. Our country isn't perfect but democracy believes that each person has the ability to make his life better. Democracy believes that together we have the power to make our country better. It is this belief that gives us something they can't take away, faith and hope. Permalink Tuesday, September 16, 2003 ( 12:47 AM ) MB In Don't wait for government protection (link via Four Right Wing Wackos), Mark Steyn writes about the murder of Anna Lindh and how none of the many bystanders did anything to either prevent it or to stop the killer from leaving. I can see where people would be stunned and might be afraid to tackle the man, but where is the anger? I get pissed, I throw things and if seeing someone stabbed to death doesn't make you mad, what will? There's enough stuff in your average department store that you could throw at him. Lob some perfume testers, even if it didn't stop him, he would at least have been easier to track. Knock over some displays in front of him or into him. And don't these people have camera phones? If it had happened somewhere else where camera phones are popular there would have been dozens of pictures of him posted on the Web within the hour. While reading the article, two other things came to mind. While I'm sure Mr. Steyn would be an interesting dining companion, if I were ever to be seated next to him I think I would ask to be moved. (Read the article to understand why.) Secondly, my great-grandmother's family left Sweden about a hundred years ago. For that, I am grateful. Permalink Monday, September 15, 2003 ( 10:10 PM ) MB I heard a Clinton sound bite this morning. He was saying that the Greeks had a saying, "Whom the gods destroy, they first make angry." Um, no, it's "...they first make mad." As in crazy, demented, insane. We frequently hear how smart he is so I have a feeling he knows the correct quotation. Does this mean he thinks that his audience wouldn't know it? I think intentionally misinterpreting the quotation is worse than someone of his level of education not knowing it. It's an insult to his audience. At least I felt insulted, and worse for him, I have no idea what point he was trying to make because I quit listening as soon as he said the word "angry". It's not even important if no one recognized it or if everyone said, "Hey, he's misquoting Euripedes!" It could have been an honest mistake. If so, then shame on him and shame on his speech writers. It still came off (to me) as part of an attitude where he thinks voters are stupid. But then after being elected president twice, why should he think otherwise? I would prefer as friend a good man ignorant than one more clever who is evil too. -- Euripides Permalink Sunday, September 14, 2003 ( 11:19 AM ) MB Speaking of a comics dream team, I've read that Opus (remember Bloom County?) will be back on Sundays and that Far Side will be back in newspapers temporarily (September 28 through December 28). Now, if Bill Watterson would start writing Calvin and Hobbes again.... Permalink ( 12:14 AM ) MB The ultimate chocolate mousse from Boston's Daily News Tribune: CHOCOLATE MOUSSE INGREDIENTS: 8 ounces semisweet chocolate 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 large eggs, separated 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 2 tablespoons sugar 3/4 cup heavy cream DIRECTIONS: Melt chocolate with the butter in a microwave oven. Use 50 percent power for 2 minutes, stir, and then go another 1 to 2 minutes until done. Or, melt in a double boiler or heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir in salt and vanilla and then whisk in yolks, one at a time. Set mixture aside. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks just begin to form. Add sugar and beat until whites are firm but still glossy and smooth. Whisk one quarter of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining whites with a large rubber spatula. Whip the heavy cream until firm and fold into chocolate mixture. Spoon into individual serving dishes or glasses or into a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with additional whipped cream. Serves 8 to 10. The newspaper column also includes mocha, rum, and cinnamon variations. Permalink |
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