Birthday Surprise

How's THIS for a birthday present?

Good Riddance

Olmert has resigned.

The Bailout Mentality

What gall! Read Michelle Malkin's item about some very irresponsible people: "Extreme stupidity: No tears for latest 'victims' of foreclosure".

Watcher's Council

Soccer Dad has this week's Watcher's Council entries.

"The Prez & the Dude"

The Anchoress has a nice post, complete with photos, about President Bush.

McCain Can Win

Read what Jay Nordlinger has to say about McCain's chances: "Time is on McCain’s side — and the old warrior can win. I’ll say what I think I’ve said before (and forgive the repetition): At nearly every campaign stop, McCain should say (something like), 'I’m 71 years old, and I’m about to be 72. I look it. I’m all beaten up. I’ve done a lot, especially in the service of my country. I have experience, judgment, and scars. I know the world. Now, my opponent, Senator Obama, is a nice kid. But we’re at war. And he’s not ready to be commander-in-chief. I am. My friends, choose wisely.'"

Headline of the Day

This has got to be the headline of the day: "'Cheesus?': Woman Finds Jesus In Bag of Cheetos".

"We Speak Fall River"

Here's how we speak in my home town.

Do Me a Favre

Argus Hamilton says

"The Green Bay Packers said Brett Favre will report to the team's training camp Sunday. It will be taped for a reality show. Brett Favre is going to compete with Barack Obama in a series of challenges to determine which one of them is the Second Coming."

Warning Labels for Dummies

Here is an amusing list of wacky warning labels. The article is written by Richard Lederer, who has written
many articles and books about the English language.

Wordle Wiz

This is all Jack's fault.

Rescue Gilad Shalit ... Alive!

Esser Agaroth has created the above graphic for use on websites, e-mail, etc.

It's Haveil Havalim Time!

Jack colorfully announces that Haveil Havalim #175 is up at Frume Sarah's World, where you'll find a tidy collection of interesting reading.

John McCain for President

Ann Althouse said regarding the recent Obamamania, "There's a lilting cadence to CNN's pronunciation of the name: ba-ROCKO-ba-ma, with an arcing, hopeful inflection. It's most noticeable when they say 'John McCain' soon after. The nonObama candidate's name is said in a leaden singsong, ending in a flat low note." And so, because Obama is getting all the attention lately, I just wanted to put in a plug for John McCain.

U R a Moron

I really don't understand the obsession and preoccupation with cell phones and text messaging, and this story doesn't explain it to me any better. The Wall Street Journal's headline says it all: "Oblivious Thumb Typers Hit Walls, Lose Face; 'walk with ur chin @ about 45 degree angle'", and it ends with this paragraph:

"Despite the obvious hazards to person and pride, many mobile texters show little sign of giving up their potentially perilous practice. Bryan Fuhr was walking his dog, Ezra, in Manhattan last summer when he decided to send a text message from his iPhone. He looped the end of Ezra's leash around his arm and tapped away, stepping into the road between two parked cars -- and straight into the path of a biker. The biker ran over his foot and knocked him to the ground, spooking his dog, who tore off down the street. Ezra returned, but Mr. Fuhr was left with bruises, scrapes and two broken toes. 'I would not say that I learned a lesson, no,' says Mr. Fuhr, a 36-year old strategy director at an Internet marketing agency. He says he still frequently texts while walking his dog. 'I want to be in touch when I want to be in touch.'

The Book of the Messiah

From England comes this wonderfully satiric look at Obama. I found it at Michelle Malkin this morning, and it's getting wide play. Gerard Baker writes, "He ventured forth to bring light to the world." (The Fox News version, narrated by Baker himself, can be found here. How did he read this without laughing?)

Wow! W's!

Gail at Rubicon3 has this terrific story in which every word begins with the letter "W". I love things like this.

Voices of the Past

Greg Crosby once again writes a great column contrasting the great stars of the past to the mediocre stars of the present.

"Whenever people compare golden age Hollywood stars to the actors of today it's often said that 'they had faces then' - which is very true. Stars back then had individuality, each one a unique look, a distinctive personality. But they had something else, too, something that I was never conscious of until recently - the great stars had unique voices as well as looks."

The Name Game

So-called "parents" who saddle their children with bizarre names like this should be fined, and I'm certainly glad to read about a judge with some common sense. "The parents of a New Zealand girl named Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii have been ordered to change her name because it risks making her the target of abuse and ridicule."

Visit Soccer Dad!

Thanks to Soccer Dad for another spate of good things to read! More Carnival-Juggling can be found here, while the latest Watcher's Council entries can be seen here.

Our Friends at the U.N.

Smooth Stone has a story about our friends at the United Nations: "Israel is calling for removal of two UN soldiers from Lebanon after photographs surfaced of the soldiers saluting the coffins of Hizbullah terrorists during a prisoner exchange last week."

Holocaust-Denying

Little Green Footballs wonders "who’s responsible for letting scumbag Holocaust denier David Irving give a speech at a Catholic church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan?"

Criminal Sensitivities

Are the cops going to ask murderers and terrorists, "Do you have allergies?" before they sic the dogs on them???? Read this story for yet another example of self-destructive political correctness.

Incivility

This is a good column regarding today's lack of civility: "Have we really forgotten how to bother to get along with one another, or do I just need to change channels, on television and in real life? Because I have to tell you, some days I feel like going home and hiding under the bed."

An Honor Long Overdue

I was happy to read this article about the 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial.

It's Haveil Havalim Time!

Haveil Havalim #174 can be found at Esser Agaroth.

Starved for Attention

This typically liberal NPR story is all over the Internet, but it's too good not to save for posterity. If NPR wanted sympathy for this family, maybe they shouldn't have included the above photo:

"Nunez and most of her siblings and their spouses are unemployed and rely on government assistance and food stamps. Some have part-time jobs, but working is made more difficult with no car or public transportation.....Nunez, 40, has never worked and has no high school degree. She says a car accident 17 years ago left her depressed and disabled, incapable of getting a job. Instead, she and her daughter, Angelica Hernandez, survive on a $637 Social Security check and $102 in food stamps."

Obamamedia

The Anchoress comments on the Obamamaniacs in the media: "But be prepared - this is what the next 100 days will be like. All-Obama-all-the-time. His face will be on every channel you seek, every webpage you surf. Feel uncomfortable yet? I’m starting to."

This Day in History

On this date in 1969, Mary Jo Kopechne needlessly and tragically drowned in a car driven by Sen. Ted Kennedy. The folks at The People's Cube are marking this date as Ted Kennedy's International Swimmers' Day with a few choice barbs for the man who left her to die.

Terms of Endearment

There was an unbelievable exchange on "The View" yesterday: "On the news of Jesse Jackson’s use of the 'n' word, the conversation quickly developed into the double standard involved between a white and black person’s use of the word. Sherri Shepherd and Whoopi Goldberg admitted there is a double standard, but added there should be. Sherri Shepherd said she uses the word 'as a term of endearment,' but said to Barbara Walters 'I don’t want to hear it coming out of your mouth.'" In response to that twisted logic, my mother opined that we Jews should then be using the word "kike" amongst ourselves as a 'term of endearment'.

Analyzing Obama, at Jewish World Review

There's a lot of good writing today in Jewish World Review, including these 3 pieces on Obama, by Suzanne Fields, Nat Hentoff, and Charles Krauthammer.

Mr. Springsteen - Tear Down This Wall!

Read Betsy's Page regarding the end of the Berlin Wall.

"No Rules = No Restraint"

Gail at Crossing the Rubicon links to this must-read post at Treppenwitz called "Let the enemy decide the rules" in which he says, "By the time this is posted the so-called 'prisoner swap' will have been completed. But we really need to be honest about this… it wasn't really a prisoner swap. Prisoners are alive. Only monsters hold dead bodies for ransom… and only fools trade live prisoners for dead bodies.....When attacked by a wild animal you don't negotiate or ask what rules it wants to use in the fight. You strike it down without mercy and without remorse. If you are attacked by a pack of wild animals you fight savagely and without restraint until all of them are dead or neutralized. To do otherwise doesn't mean facing ignominious defeat. It means you move down the food chain and become an entrée! The only way Israel can regain its deterrence in the region after this recent debacle is to make it clear to all that, from this day forward, we will play by whatever rules our enemies are willing to honor."

Pat Buchanan: Anti-Israel Bigot

Here's part of an excellently-written letter to the editors of Townhall.com regarding Pat Buchanan's antisemitism:

"Mr. Buchanan, in attempting to paint the Israelis as nothing but bullies, has indeed shown himself to be an anti-Israel bigot. Politics and religion is inextricably woven together in that part of the world, and to denigrate Israel as warmongers is to paint the Jewish people of that country as villainous dogs. Like the Palestinians, the Israelis claim their land as their spiritual birthright; the tension between the two parties will never vanish, so we in the United States must choose sides. We have chosen Israel, for many sound reasons."

Horror and Celebration

As usual, Pamela Geller sums things up: "Child-killer freed: A short while after the bodies of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser were identified, murderer Samir Kuntar and the four Hizbullah prisoners headed to the Lebanese border." Gateway Pundit's headline says it all: "Hezbollah Welcomes Terrorists & Jew-Killers Back Home".

"Vaccine Denial"

At my library, they have flyers regarding polio epidemics. Diseases we thought were gone are making an unfortunate and preventable comeback, and Glenn Reynolds explains why.

"Fiddling to Impeach"

Read these letters to the editor from the New York Post: "We are waging a war against terrorism, banks are failing and gas prices are affecting the economy, but all this moronic Congress can think about is hearings about an impeachment that will go nowhere."

New Yorker Cover: McCain Version

Isn't this a scream? Here's a version of the infamous New Yorker cover of the Obamas showing McCain and his wife!

Carnival-Juggling

Please visit Soccer Dad to see his latest Carnival-Juggling act - it's always exciting!

Farewell to the World's Oldest Blogger

What an amazing story this is!

"A 108-year-old Australian woman hailed as the world's "oldest blogger" died Saturday after posting her final entry on June 26th, news.com.au reports. Olive Riley, who was born in 1899, shared tales of growing up in the early 20th century, recounting everything from washing day ("You 21st century people live a different life than the one I lived as a youngster in the early 1900s," she wrote) to living through two world wars. She began writing her blog — or "blob" as she called it — in February 2007, and her great-grandson Darren Stone said she "enjoyed the notoriety — it kept her mind fresh."

"Home of the Grave"

This is an amusing column by Cindy Adams regarding naming places after famous celebrities: "AMERICA, land of the free - home of the grave. After somebody goes to that great big planet in the sky, next up comes a street, a park, a bowling alley named for them."

President McKinney?

Get a load of this: "CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Green Party, which captured far less than 1 percent of the vote in the last presidential election, chose former Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney as its 2008 presidential candidate on Saturday." I guess her platform will be to blame the Jews for global warming.

Hype Hoopla

This Brett Favre non-retirement-retirement coverage is driving me crazy. Can't people just retire gracefully (and retire just ONCE) anymore? For those of you who are football fans, you might want to read this column by Sal Paolantonio: "We interrupt the continued deification of Brett Favre -- a first-ballot Hall of Famer and the most durable player in NFL history -- with the following reality check."

Haveil Havalim Time!

Make sure you pay a visit to Jack's Shack for Haveil Havalim #173: The Wait For Avrech To Name It Edition.

"A Nation of Whiners"

Amity Shlaes says "Phil Gramm Is Right", and I agree: "...Gramm faces political exile because he made the mistake of telling the truth. Gramm said that the country was not in a true recession but a 'mental recession.' He also said, 'We have sort of become a nation of whiners' and 'You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline.'" Read it all.

Tony Snow

Betsy Newmark pays tribute to former White House spokesman Tony Snow on his untimely death.

A New Low in Political Correctness

I thought this had to be a joke, but it isn't. It reminds me of the teacher or principal who was fired for using the word "niggardly". Instead of disciplining those who are intelligent enough to use proper English, how about criticizing rather than catering to these moronic politically correct fools?
Diana Hartman writes:

"... one wonders what is to become of black-eyed peas, black eyes, beatings that leave one black and blue, bleu cheese, something being red hot or white hot, Red Hots, telling white lies, white lightning, and the White House? What will happen to everyone with the last name of White, Black, and Brown, the first name of Redd or Violet, black magic, making my brown eyes blue, being black-balled, white noise, white trash, Black Beauty, white lining, being black-listed, blackouts, brownouts, blacking out (and seeing white spots), Monty Python's The Black Knight, Ajax’ White Knight, whiteheads, blackheads, redheads, and rednecks? "

Today's Quip

Argus Hamilton writes: "John Kerry told Face the Nation Sunday John McCain does not have the judgment to be president. Four years ago John Kerry asked McCain to be his running mate on the Democratic Party ticket. John Kerry was for John McCain before he was against him."

The Flag Ladies

From Reader's Digest comes this nice article on "The Flag Ladies of Freeport, Maine".

Watcher's Council Nominations

Catch up with the latest interesting Watcher's Council entries, courtesy of Soccer Dad.

In Praise of George W. Bush

I saw this article at Lucianne.com and thought I was seeing things! That's how rare pro-Bush articles are:

"Bush may not have the slickness of his predecessor, but he is a man you can trust and who prefers to tell it like it is. This is refreshing, and very scary for us who are used to our politicians always talking grandly about principles and hiding behind political mumbo-speak. The fact is you guys hate Mr Bush because he is not a hypocrite and you are used to hypocrites as your leaders. We hate what we don’t understand."

Favorite Mondegreens

Michelle Malkin asks: "What’s your favorite mondegreen?" (misheard song lyric). Even thought I knew it made absolutely no sense, I always thought that England Dan and John Ford Coley were saying "I'm not talking 'bout the linen" instead of "I'm not talking 'bout moving in" in the song "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight".

Bill Clinton: Mental Health Expert

This is just disgraceful. The New York Post puts it more succinctly: see "Bubba's Smear". It's beyond contempt that Bill Clinton, a man who "loathed the military", should imply by innuendo that John McCain might have psychological problems and "snap" as President, because he was a P.O.W. I wish McCain would fight back instead of playing "Mr. Nice Guy" -- he should remember that nice guys finish last.

Thanking A True Hero

Smooth Stone links to this great definition of a hero at YNetnews.com. "What is heroism? A pure moment where a person knowingly risks his life without considering personal benefit."

Haveil Havalim Time!

Get ready for a lot of good Sunday reading! Jack has announced that it's time for Haveil Havalim #172 - The Old Fogey Edition hosted by Daled Amos. Good job!
(As if you need any reminding, Haveil Havalim is the Jewish/Israel-related blog carnival created by Soccer Dad.)

Off With His Head!

This is vandalism I actually approve of! "An angry Berliner fought off guards and beheaded a life-sized waxwork of Adolf Hitler only minutes after the Nazi dictator's model went on public display at a newly opened branch of Madame Tussauds in the city."

Dara Torres: 5-Time Olympian!

What a story! The great swimmer Dara Torres made her fifth Olympic team last night by coming in 1st in her freestyle final. She embodies the Olympic Creed, which states, "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
(I had to use the "mute" button when announcer Rowdy Gaines [who truly lived up to his first name last night] kept shrieking about the fact that Torres is 41 years old. That's 41 -- NOT 81!)

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Michelle Malkin links to this blog from the National Republican Congressional Committee: "A great idea from the NRCC. Tell the world why you’re proud of our country." That's an offer no American should refuse! Also, take a look at the Declaration of Independence here.

An Absolute Disgrace

Read Deroy Murdock's column on "the wholesale lethargy at Ground Zero": "In olden days, Americans needed just 13 and a half months to erect the Empire State Building, four and a half years to build Hoover Dam, and six years, four months to install the Transcontinental Railroad. And yet this Independence Day, six years, nine months, and three weeks have elapsed since September 11, and Ground Zero remains an 80-foot-deep international embarrassment for the United States."

Selective Outrage

Tongue Tied 3 reports that "NYC blacks threw rocks at a bus full of Jewish toddlers but no media outrage and student protests about that."

Visit Soccer Dad

Michael Savage commented on his radio show last night, "How did we go from Moshe Dayan and Golda Meir to Ehud Olmert?" Read Soccer Dad on the disgraceful swap of "a live terrorist for two dead soldiers." (Also, while you're at Soccer Dad's, look at the Carnivals he's juggling.)

Seven Words

Bridget Johnson wittily analyzes "7 Words You Can’t Say in Campaign 2008". (The words are Swift boat, Reverend, experience, present, Hussein, financing, and change)

Outrageous!

Take a look at the amusing post and chart at Nealz Nuze that shows how many times Muslims have been outraged over one thing or another: "Clearly when it comes to being outraged, Democrats take the trophy home, with Muslims right behind, Libertarians and Buddhists bringing up the rear. "

Stop Complaining and Be Grateful!

I totally agree with the sentiments expressed in this letter to the editor.

About Wesley Clark

This is a great line from Confederate Yankee: "The Saddest Thing About Barack Obama's Available Military Expertise......is that though he has Wes Clark in his corner, the only person he knows with the experience of getting a bomb on target is Bill Ayers."