A Good Laugh

Aaron Goldstein has an amusing column titled My Favorite Marxists.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's a nostalgic look back at the 1950's. The author mentions Guy Lombardo, whose televised New Year's Eve parties I always considered the height of elegance.

Hail To The Redkins!

I hadn't heard the Redskins fight song sung with this much enthusiasm in ages! I was rooting for the Cowboys last night, but that RGIII is really something!

UK Mainstream Media

Pip pip, cheerio! It looks like the British Daily Mail has taken a lesson in Republican-bashing:  "Speaker Boehner spotted 'having a good time' downing margaritas and Mexican food hours after White House fiscal cliff meeting". 

Here's their more sympathetic -- but ungrammatical -- headline about Obama: "The Obama's head to Hawaii for a tropical Christmas...but looming fiscal cliff means the president has to return early to Washington next week".

Heaven Forbid!

When I heard about this, I was sure it was a publicity stunt: "CSPAN: Lib Caller Outraged With Republicans, Wants Constitution Amended To Allow Obama A Third Term."

Annoying Words and Phrases in 2012

Here's the list of banished words for 2012 from Lake Superior University. On this list, "baby bump", "ginormous" (especially when used by men) and "the new normal" (especially when used by Obama) are my most loathed. Too bad "moving forward" or "going forward" aren't included.

Some Good From Evil

Here's a very sweet story from The Times of Israel: "For young Holocaust refugees, early El Al trip proved love at first flight".

Don't Blame Me. I Voted Republican

Zero Hedge is a financial website I come across from time to time that has very good articles. Here are two:  16 Things About 2013 That Are Really Going To Stink, and 75 Economic Numbers From 2012 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe. It's scary stuff that the Obamamedia doesn't bother to discuss -- unless it's to blame Bush for it.

Reducing the Debt

You've got to be kidding! I saw this guy on TV --
"Infectiously Positive Man Implores Americans To Pay Down The Debt By Donating From Their Paychecks" -- and thought, “Is he nuts?"  I’ll donate from my paycheck when everyone else donates from their welfare checks!

Why Go To The Theatre In The First Place?

How ridiculous is this? From the Daily Mail: "OMG what a great soliloquy! The theatre offering 'Tweet seats' to patrons who just can't step away from their phone."  Why bother paying to see movies, plays, and concerts at all if you're not going to pay attention?

Fuming

I saw this story about banning candy cigarettes on "The Five" tonight. I still remember the delicious taste of the penny candy cigarette sticks I used to buy as a kid, when people were smart enough not to compare fake cigarettes with real ones.  But in today's moronic society, you can go buy "medical marijuana" on your way to getting an abortion, but you can't buy some candy cigarettes.

Showing Their Age

For those of us who grew up in the 60s, we still think of  the musicians as they looked back then. The Rolling Stones always looked old anyway (especially Charlie Watts), so it didn't come as much of a surprise to see them reach their 60s.   Paul McCartney still looks somewhat boyish and Beatle-ish at 70.  But Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have aged extremely badly!

"Low Information Voters"

Lloyd Marcus has written a very good column about "low information voters". He says, "It sticks in my craw that conservatives/Republicans are leaning toward, in essence, becoming immoral, stupid, and un-American to win low information voters.  Folks, I cannot do that." I had never heard that expression, but it sounds like those who vote for Democrats because they want something for nothing. Republicans should not be dumbing down in their desperation for votes.

Random Thoughts by Thomas Sowell

Here's Dr. Sowell's latest thoughts, including this one:

"If someone wrote a novel about a man who was raised from childhood to resent the successful and despise the basic values of America — and who then went on to become President of the United States — that novel would be considered too unbelievable, even for a work of fiction. Yet that is what has happened in real life."

The Year's Worst Reporting

Here are the winning quotes in the Media Research Center’s Best of Notable Quotables Annual Awards for the year’s worst reporting.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I got a kick out of this list of things to do when you don't celebrate Christmas. The Chinese restaurant and the drugstores have always been on my list!

The American Spectator has a list of lessons from Scrooge. They are: live modestly; give generously; spend wisely. I'm all for that.

It's a relief that this frenzy of greed and rudeness is over for another year, and the rest of us can get back to normal. With the de-emphasis on religion, and all this ridiculous political correctness, who know what next year will bring.

Bah, Humbug!

So much for cutting spending! "Spending to Increase 55 Percent Under Obama's Plan".

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

On TV tonight, I'll be watching "A Christmas Story" and the always-comforting midnight mass from the Vatican. (I already overloaded on "Miracle on 34th Street" this week. Why did they have to make an inferior remake of it? The original cast was perfect, and Natalie Wood was a great child actress -- and not a brat, either!)

He Should Stick To Vacuums

THIS is our Ambassador?! Can you imagine our late Ambassador Christopher Stevens or Madeleine Albright sending out cards like this?

Blackmailer-in-Chief

This infuriating and depressing news comes from Power Line and makes you wonder how we can possibly get through the next four years with this President.

"Mr. Obama repeatedly lost patience with the speaker as negotiations faltered. In an Oval Office meeting last week, he told Mr. Boehner that if the sides didn’t reach agreement, he would use his inaugural address and his State of the Union speech to tell the country the Republicans were at fault.
At one point, according to notes taken by a participant, Mr. Boehner told the president, 'I put $800 billion [in tax revenue] on the table. What do I get for that?'
'You get nothing,' the president said. 'I get that for free.'"

  No spending cuts -- just continue to attack and blame.

Watcher's Council

Here are this week's Watcher's Council winners.

Apocalypse Not Now

Are people crazy, getting panic-stricken over nothing?  Now I truly know the meaning of the expression "tin-foiler" in reference to crackpots!

Best Books of 2012

The New York Times lists some top ten book lists, and I see that Michiko Kakutani has 2 that I've read:"The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson", which I've read twice so far; and the very amusingly-written  "Hello Goodbye Hello: A Circle of 101 Remarkable Meetings".

Disgraceful!

Elizabeth Scalia asks "What the hell is WRONG with these people?"  I couldn't believe what I was reading.  It seems that St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and its priests, who have been ministering to the people of  Newtown, CT, have been the targets of bomb threats and death threats! There is no excuse acceptable enough, and no punishment strong enough, for the depraved people responsible.

Lots 'o Links

For lots of good reading, visit Betsy's Page, Maggie's Farm, and Laryn's Linx. They find the best of the web for you so you don't have to spend even longer online!

Most Ridiculous Story of the Week

These people need their heads -- and eyes -- examined.  Check out the photo: '"Jesus lookalike' darts fan ejected for 'distracting players' at Butlins Minehead"

Space Photos

Wow! Look at the Best Astronomy Images of 2012. I like the rotating gas cloud, among others.

The Top Of The World

Here's Mount Everest as you've never seen it before, plus the story behind the photo.

How Do You Spell Humiliating? J-E-T-S

Last night's Jets' game was so embarrassingly bad  it was hard to believe your own eyes. TV critic David Zurawik talks about the only highlight of the game, the analysis by Trent Dilfer & Steve Young that was "was so informed, passionate, fearless and honest that I literally wanted to get up out of my chair at 11:30 p.m. and cheer."

Rodgers Report

Here are two comments on the news from Lee Rodgers' column today.  He's like Argus Hamilton, but not quite so funny.

"If Republican House Speaker John Boehner gives in and allows Obama tax increases with no cuts in government wasteful spending, there is one word that describes him. Whore."
- - - - -
"Of course I believe Hillary fell and got a concussion (even though she didn't even go to a hospital) and is thus unable to testify about her role in the Beghazi, Libya, murders of Americans.    Now, excuse me while I make up my list for Santa …"

Ready For Some Football!

I'm so glad I've become a football fan just in time to see that exciting Patriots-49ers game last night! The 49ers won, but whoever could have imagined the Pats coming back from a 31-3 deficit?  Also, I think Trent Dilfer is an excellent analyst, especially when he's teamed with Steve Young, and I love to hear him talk.

Argus Hamilton Quips

Read his latest take on the news, including this item:  "The White House allowed Susan Rice to withdraw her name from consideration for Secretary of State. No one doubts her ability. Susan Rice lied to the American people on all five Sunday talk shows, breaking Hillary Clinton's one-day record by two interviews." It's funny how I wasn't the only one whose first reaction to Hillary's fainting and concussion was "How convenient!"

Please Stop Already

I have kept the cable news channels off because of this, so I agree with Matt K. Lewis:  "The media should be ashamed of its Connecticut coverage. What journalistic rationale could compel a reporter to interview young children at a mass-murder scene?" I don't need to see or hear about any terrible crime 24 hours a day (the only exception for me being September 11, which was completely different). 
I don't agree that violent movies cause violence, since the majority of us have seen such movies for years and have never gone on a murder spree.  This is a convenient excuse, and another politically correct way to avoid blaming the killer or judging anyone, lest it offend and cause hurt feelings -- and we can't have that.
But every time there is a copy-cat mass murder, and there will be, with an assortment of weapons, the part of this article about the ghoulish media should be reprinted, because this is definitely not considered entertainment.  

"And when it comes time for moralizing, the media predictably assumes the availability of guns is the problem, without considering how journalists themselves might be contributing to the coarsening of our already-violent society.

The entertainment-media complex promotes and glamorizes violence — for profit — in film and on TV. Meanwhile, the news media ensures that killers get the attention and fame they so desperately crave.

To be sure, a transparent society demands reporting newsworthy incidents — and this definitely qualifies. But it should be done responsibly. And that is not what we have witnessed. We have instead a feeding frenzy that is all about beating the competition — not disseminating information.

It's about being first, beating other media outlets, and making a name for themselves. It's a ghoulish mentality that stokes controversy and violence — for business purposes. It's a sort of  'if it bleeds it leads' mentality that causes cable networks to create logos and theme music for such tragic events (all the while, they feign maudlin concern and outrage.)"

What Is This, Nazi Germany?

Unbelievable. In Denmark, "Jews advised to keep faith symbols hidden"

Perfect Images

Varvel, doing a take-off of that great scene in "A Christmas Story".

Ramirez showing the bumper stickers on a union worker's car.

I also liked this video, Deck The Halls With Macro Follies, with the commonsense message that saving is better than spending money you don't have.

Watcher's Council

Here are this week's Watcher's Council winners!

The End of The Work Ethic

From Moonbattery, here's the result of political correctness, the entitlement mentality, and sheer stupidity:  "Unemployment Benefits for Illegal Aliens in Nearly Bankrupt California". 

"They say illegal aliens do the work Americans won’t do. Why won’t Americans do the work, with the unemployment rate hanging in the stratosphere thanks to Obama’s unremitting war on employers? Because it’s far easier to let the government pay you to do nothing. However, this is also true for illegal aliens."

How The Holocaust Destroys

This sad, sad story by David Goldstein reminded me of the stories in Daniel Mendelsohn's "The Lost" and shows the shared experiences of so many Jews.   It's called "Portrait of Papa as a Young Man. In my grandfather’s village, I found the man he’d been before memories of the Holocaust destroyed him"

What The Republicans Stand For

At Forbes, Louis Woodhill writes,  “The Republican Party is either the party of economic growth or it is nothing. The first step in reclaiming the Republicans’ brand as the party of economic growth must be to let President Obama take America over the fiscal cliff.”  I agree.  Better to stand on our principles than cave in to Obama – you might just as well have only one party, the Democratic Party,  if that’s the case!  We have two major parties for a reason. So if we have to lose, better to do so while standing firm rather than turning into Democrats.

Obama's Demonization of the Wealthy

Here's a great column by Deroy Murdock: 

"Publicly and vocally, 1 percenters should stand up and shout:
“Mr. President, my company hired X number of people last year. I obeyed the law and legally paid Y thousands (or millions) in taxes, which financed plenty of the social spending, ‘investments,’ and other stimuli that you love to spread around to other people. I gave Z thousands in charitable donations, and volunteered so many hours to help groups that are making people’s lives better.
“So, Mr. President, please kindly remove your boots from the necks of me and my fellow 1 percenters. If you stop manhandling us, we will do what we do best: produce goods, services, and more wealth for ourselves — yes — but also for our customers, our employees, our shareholders, and even our U.S. Treasury.
“We are not part of the problem, Mr. President. We are part of the solution. And we demand to be treated that way.”

Well, Here We Go Again!

Just my two cents worth, but this was a terrorist act. And if this murderer hadn't gotten a gun, he would have used another method, like the maniac with the knife in China.  Every time I hear about mass killings in public places like malls and schools, I can't help but think of the warning years ago of how terrorists would kill in public places on American soil. It's not the guns, it's the murderers! What we need are armed guards or policemen in our schools, our malls, and other places so that these rampages can be stopped sooner. End of discussion...for now.

Describing Obama

In an article about the slickness of Obama, Ben Stein says,  “He can tell the most whopping lies, see them exposed as lies, and then blithely go forward to make the nation believe that he didn't do anything wrong and that it's all someone else's fault.”  And the idiots who voted for him are willing to believe everything he says!

They Had Faces -- And Talent -- Then

For some wonderful photographs from Hollywood's Golden Age, visit the Telegraph and look at these faces.

Lots 'o Links

For the usual good reading, check out Maggie's Farm; go to Betsy's Page (Betsy’s question about the fat cats makes me wonder what would happen to America if the "evil rich" were to leave the hostile environment here for more pro-business countries?);  and visit Larwyn's Linx.

Anti-Christmas Lunacy, Summed Up in One Line

It's been getting more politically incorrect all the time, but this is the best yet, and I give up: 

“I don’t like the religion part,” said Nancy Snyderman, the network’s chief medical editor. “I think religion is what mucks the whole thing up.” The 'religion' she was referring to is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.  The outburst came during a panel discussion with Matt Lauer, Star Jones and Donny Deutsch. Her response came after Jones said she focuses on the religious meaning of Christmas."

Excuse me, is it just my imagination, or didn't "the religion part" used to be the whole reason for Christmas in the first place?

Why Work? (Continued)

When you work hard and pay taxes, and then you read things like this every day, it makes you angrier and angrier. First there's this, which comes as no surprise whatsoever: "President Obama’s deleterious effect on America’s work ethic".

And from England, "Unemployed single mother on benefits who spends £2,000 on Christmas with 20 presents for each of her children". She says,  regarding upcoming benefit cuts, ‘I’m not against the cuts, but only if the Government helps me find a job. In the meantime, I’ll stay on benefits and get as much as I can out of it.’

As Rick Santelli says, our government isn't trying to fix the economy, they're coming to take our money! 

Why work?

How To Light A Menorah

Amazing!

Argus Hamilton Quips

Enjoy his take on the news, including this item:

"Detroit's city council demanded that President Obama grant them a bailout in return for all their votes for him last month. At least they're honest. People in Detroit don't care if the cashier says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to them, either way this is a robbery."

Grammar Pet Peeves

I haven't mentioned this amusing blog lately. It's called The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks,  perfect for those of you who do proofreading work!

Santa Obama

I found this cartoon at Lucianne.com today.

Oh, Boys!

Just when you think it can't get worse: "Two boys, aged 7 and 11, 'hold woman at gunpoint demanding car and cell phone'". It's scary what our society has come to.

The Festival of Lights...In More Ways Than One!

Wow indeed! I've always seen homes with Christmas light displays, but this is the first time I've ever seen a home with a Hanukah lights display. Great job!

Let's Hok a Tchynik!

I normally don't care for the UK Guardian, but how can you resist a headline like this: "Hanukah or Chanukah? Have the chutzpah to embrace Yiddish. A vocabulary bereft of schmooze, schlep, shtick, klutz, spiel, maven or glitch would be much the poorer". That's for sure!

It's Bo Time!

This "30 for 30" documentary on Bo Jackson brought back some good memories for me. I followed his career and was inspired by the way he came back from his hip replacement surgery. He was a decent man, a family man, and a role model -- and during the documentary, someone remarked that we were lucky he came on the scene before the steroids era, because nobody would ever have believed he had such God-given talent. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

Gee, What An Unexpected Surprise!

Per PJ Media: "Now They Tell Us: The economy never really got better, and now it's getting worse."

In My Life, I've Loved Them All

Here's a colorful infographic about The Beatles, including some of their music you can click on.  It's amazing that Beatlemania is still alive and well after all these years.

December 7, 1941

Here are some photos and videos memorializing the dastardly attack on Pearl Harbor 71 years ago today. Believe it or not, this eyewitness account was deemed too upsetting to publish at the time.

Watcher's Council

Here are the latest Watcher's Council winners, as they keep an eye on the weasels of the world.

Hopefully Just A Horrendous Hoax

More proof that our world has gone insane. Let's hope that this so-called "artist" is just a lying mentalcase and not a depraved thief!  "Outrageous! Swedish artist causes uproar by using ashes of Holocaust victims to make painting."

The Shameless State of Our Nation

I saw this on the news: "Detroit councilwoman to Obama: We voted for you, now bail us out".  This councilwoman had the nerve to say, "After the election of Jimmy Carter, the honorable Coleman Alexander Young, he went to Washington, D.C. He came home with some bacon. That's what you do." Talk about sheer gall -- the entitlement mentality has taken over our country!

Lots 'o Links

It's Thursday, so that means lots of good reading at Betsy's Page, at Larwyn's Linx, and at Maggie's Farm.

Argus Hamilton Quips

Here are two zingers from the latest Argus Hamilton column:

"Bob Costas on the air Sunday blamed the Kansas City Chiefs' murder-suicide tragedy on handgun rights. It's not his first time misplacing blame for a tragedy. When he was covering for O.J. Simpson he called for a ban on waiters returning sunglasses in Los Angeles."

"U.S. Open tennis ref Lois Goodman was cleared of murdering her husband with a coffee mug in a Los Angeles court on Friday. It turns out he fell down the stairs. NBC's Bob Costas took back his call for a ban on coffee mugs and he declared that home elevators are a civil right."

Best Conservative Columnists of 2012

John Hawkins has compiled his list of The 50 Best Conservative Columnists Of 2012. You can always find some new blogs this way.

Righteous Reunion

I love stories about Holocaust survivors meeting their rescuers after many decades. That they have lived this long is the best revenge against the Nazis.

Cooking Latkes, Thug-Style

The language is atrocious, but when these two speak Yiddish, you can plotz from it. I want that "Kiss My Tuchus" apron!

Enough Already

Two stories I am already sick and tired of hearing about are the Jovan Belcher murder/suicide; and the pregnancy of Kate Middleton.
If Belcher wanted or needed help, he could have sought it anywhere. He also could have behaved like a rational adult and simply walked away after fighting with his girlfriend.  It wasn't the gun that was the problem, it was him.
As for the Royal Pregnancy, must we hear every detail for the next nine months?
(Here's Obama's tribute, via Doug Ross @ Journal)
(Above image also from Doug Ross @ Journal. I love that website!)

Politically Correct Denial

From Atlas Shrugs: "You have to hand it to Reuters. They do an entire article on 'the number of terrorist attacks quadrupling in the decade since September 11, 2001,' and they never mention jihad, Islam or anything that points to motive, the reason, for these acts of war in the cause of Islam. It is utterly amazing."

Obama's Obsession

By Gary Varvel.

Haveil Havalim Time

Haveil Havalim #388 is up at Ima 2 Seven.

You Said It!

For anyone who has watched the destruction of our country, the first paragraph of this Frank Kacer column can be greatly appreciated. Titled "Our looming national suicide dwarfs any fiscal cliff", he writes: 

"To the stunned surprise of much of the nation, voters awarded Obama four years to continue his 'transformation' of America. No matter what future historical research will claim, this election was driven more by personal self-interest than by any understanding of national imperatives. In one fell swoop, the world’s greatest experiment in limited government, personal liberty and self-rule took a dramatic turn towards self-extinction. When exit polling says: Obama phones; 'free' Obamacare; reproductive services; entitlements; food stamps; unemployment benefits; raiding the rich; and even Hurricane Sandy decided a person’s vote, it shows self-interest outweighs the national common good and the wellbeing of future generations."

Falling Over The Fiscal Cliff

The Christian Science Monitor has a helpful guide  to understanding the fiscal cliff talk. I couldn't stand listening to Tim Geithner on Fox News Sunday -- he's already blaming the Republicans for all this.

Plane Amazing

Take a look at this video at American Digest.

Student Debt Payoff

Here's Glenn Reynolds on yet another Obama proposal to pay off someone else's debt:  "Create a problem, then pay it off with other people’s money. Buy votes. Lovely."

The Entitlement Mentality

Lee Rodgers writes, "With the ongoing growth of middle-class entitlements, even as life becomes more difficult for the shrinking number of actual workers supporting those programs, the next looming tipping point is when a majority of working people decide they're suckers when they can have a standard of living as good -- or better -- by switching to the freeloader side.  That point is coming. Fast."