C.S. Lewis' birthday is today (or was today, by the time most of you read this).
Being a Lewis aficionado, I decided my own birthday plans should have a theme this year: Have lunch with family & friends at an Irish pub, since Lewis was born in Belfast, and then see The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on a 65-feet-high, 98-feet-wide screen.
At least the beer would make Prof. Lewis proud!
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Yes, I Can ACT
Given the circumstances, my exam turned out nicely. I needed a 21, and...
I scored a 25!
So no need for despair.
I scored a 25!
So no need for despair.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Those Musicians Are Up To Something
Late composer George Antheil is at the heart of one of the most unusual tales of celebrity service:
At a dinner party given by Janet Gaynor, George Antheil met Hedy Lamarr. Shortly after this meeting, Lamarr and Antheil invented and patented a secret communications system, U.S. Patent 2,292,387. The patent was applied for June 10, 1941, and received August 11th, 1942. The purpose of the system was to provide reliable and jam proof control of long range torpedoes. The system involved the use of the frequency hopping principles of Spread Spectrum radio. However it was 20 years before it was put to effective use by the United States Navy in torpedo guidance systems, and 40 years before it was permitted by the FCC to be used in commercial radios. Among other things, Spread Spectrum forms the basic principle that allows the use of simultaneous multi-channel operation used in modern digital cellular telephone systems. Spread spectrum is the basis for the communications security of the strategic $25 billion MILSAT Defense communications system.
Now, rock guitarist "Skunk" Baxter serves as an adviser for the U.S. Department of Defense:
As a member of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, and as a session guitarist for Carly Simon, Bryan Adams, Ringo Starr and many others, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter has been a clandestine rock and roll hero since the '70s. Now, as a specialist in terrorism, missile defense and chemical and biological warfare, he's also a covert hero for the U.S. military.
He's currently working for the Department of Defense as an adviser to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and has also served as a top military adviser for numerous congressmen and senators.
And country singer Clint Black talks about rocket science:
"Did you know my guitar is like a rocket?" he asks.
Show-business exaggeration? No. It's scientific fact. Black's guitar is like a rocket.
"They both resonate," explains aerospace engineer Rodney Rocha of NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston.
"When you pick up an acoustic guitar," Black demonstrates, "one of the first things you'll notice is the body is basically an air chamber. The shape of the chamber is designed to be 'in tune' with the sound from the strings." He plucks the E string and the body of the guitar vibrates, producing "sympathetic" E-frequencies of its own.
What are the odds on Britney Spears having a missile silo under her swimming pool?
At a dinner party given by Janet Gaynor, George Antheil met Hedy Lamarr. Shortly after this meeting, Lamarr and Antheil invented and patented a secret communications system, U.S. Patent 2,292,387. The patent was applied for June 10, 1941, and received August 11th, 1942. The purpose of the system was to provide reliable and jam proof control of long range torpedoes. The system involved the use of the frequency hopping principles of Spread Spectrum radio. However it was 20 years before it was put to effective use by the United States Navy in torpedo guidance systems, and 40 years before it was permitted by the FCC to be used in commercial radios. Among other things, Spread Spectrum forms the basic principle that allows the use of simultaneous multi-channel operation used in modern digital cellular telephone systems. Spread spectrum is the basis for the communications security of the strategic $25 billion MILSAT Defense communications system.
Now, rock guitarist "Skunk" Baxter serves as an adviser for the U.S. Department of Defense:
As a member of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, and as a session guitarist for Carly Simon, Bryan Adams, Ringo Starr and many others, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter has been a clandestine rock and roll hero since the '70s. Now, as a specialist in terrorism, missile defense and chemical and biological warfare, he's also a covert hero for the U.S. military.
He's currently working for the Department of Defense as an adviser to the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and has also served as a top military adviser for numerous congressmen and senators.
And country singer Clint Black talks about rocket science:
"Did you know my guitar is like a rocket?" he asks.
Show-business exaggeration? No. It's scientific fact. Black's guitar is like a rocket.
"They both resonate," explains aerospace engineer Rodney Rocha of NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston.
"When you pick up an acoustic guitar," Black demonstrates, "one of the first things you'll notice is the body is basically an air chamber. The shape of the chamber is designed to be 'in tune' with the sound from the strings." He plucks the E string and the body of the guitar vibrates, producing "sympathetic" E-frequencies of its own.
What are the odds on Britney Spears having a missile silo under her swimming pool?
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Going All The Galloway
On October 25th, the U.S. Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released their report (PDF file) on George Galloway's testimony before them. Two days later, the United Nations' Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme added relevant findings of their own (PDF). Among the shared accusations are that Galloway's wife received more than $120,000, and that Galloway received several million barrels of oil, with several million more allocated in his name. Blogger George at Seixon claims to have further evidence of his own, centering on Galloway's failure to register Fawaz Zureikat's donations for the Mariam Appeal and how his claim that the organization "publicly brandished [Zureikat's sponsorship] on all of our literature, along with the other donors to the campaign" appears demonstrably false.
These are not the only charges against international actors, but Galloway may be the most recognizable. He is almost certainly the loudest, apparently having become a minister of Parliament through browbeating rather than by legislative accomplishment. An English friend of mine suggests that by pursuing the MP, the U.N. and, particularly, the U.S. are playing with fire. I doubt it. For one thing, Galloway does not appear interested in becoming an American politician, and a teaching post at Berkeley seems more logical. Secondly, Galloway's Sir Oswald Mosley shtick plays well with the chattering class, but provides Lord Haw Haw-flavored entertainment for everyone else, such as this goofy attack on President Bush over Hurricane Katrina (the fisking of which I cheerfully purloin from Tim Blair)...
His is the America of Halliburton,
Curses to Bush for having a Vice President with ties to one of the world's most qualified businesses--one that has consistently served the U.S. government since World War II. We deserve less.
the M-16 rifle,
Made in Canada... (Bush is outsourcing the American War Machine!)
the cluster bomb,
Invented by Germany... And Great Britain still uses them, too.
the gated communities of the rich and of the billionaires he grew up with in Texas.
The gated communities of the rich and the billionaires Galloway knows in Syria are far more stylish.
There is another America.
I think I know this one: South America?
It is the land of the poor of Louisiana,
Oh. But as P.J. O'Rourke once noted, "Political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that when the official U.S. measure of poverty was developed in 1963, a poor American family had an income twenty-nine times greater than the average per capita income in the rest of the world. An individual American could make more money than 93 percent of the other people on the planet and still be considered poor." The poor of Louisiana are a lot richer than, say, the poor in African or Middle Eastern kleptocracies. I wonder why Galloway expresses more interest in discussing the poor of the U.S. than he did in freeing the needier people of, say, Saddam-era Iraq?
it is the land of the young men and women economically conscripted into the military.
Sure, the U.S. military is volunteer-only, but when made to choose between working at a grocery store, busing tables, or getting shot at, obviously people will rush to join the armed forces. The most damning evidence: The government offers additional financing and education to citizens in return for military service, and we even have career soldiers who "love" fighting for their country! Is any more proof of wickedness necessary?
It is the land of the glorious multiethnic mix that was New Orleans...
Complete with corruption and a murder rate nearly eight times the national average. Also, the hardest-hit section of the city, St. Bernard Parish, was 95% Caucasian. So not such a glorious multiethnic mix, really.
The oil-for-food charges are merely indicative of a more troubling problem: Galloway is a load of bull. Like too many of the "anti-war" crowd, he is not against a war on fascists; he is cheering for the other side. (Compare his appreciation for dictators to Condoleezza Rice, who literally tagged the president of Kazakhstan, brought him to a podium, and put in the position of answering questions from the press.) Galloway allegedly bruised the Senate in May; if so, it was because they failed to hold him to any rules of order: he freely dodged questions, interrupted senators, and gave a very clever performance of some very bizarre statements. (Comment at The Big Pharaoh: "US Senators are notorious gasbags who love to hear themselves talk. Apparently Galloway didn't realize that when a US Senator shuts up, he's giving you an opportunity to incriminate yourself.") It would be much more interesting to see whether Galloway could get away with his diversions in a hearing before a grand jury. Would a member of a foreign government stonewalling an American investigation, insulting American officials, demonstrating profound ignorance of American systems, and attempting to single-handedly boss the United States around impress many American citizens?
That brings us to the latest left-wing conspiracy, which is that Galloway and Bush are working together:
Where did this guy come from? Who invited him here? The answer: US Senate REPUBLICANS. As Cindy Sheehan was gathering public sympathy as the Gold Star mom against the killing in Iraq, the Republican party decided to import an easier target to pummel. So they brought over the "I-salute-your-courage, Saddam" religious fundamentalist crack-pot who can't tell us where the money went.
Maybe there is some truth to this paranoia. At the moment, few in the U.S. know or care about Galloway, but it might not be so smooth when the face of the anti-intervention movement becomes that of a man who engaged in duplicitous accounting; called the collapse of the Soviet Union "the biggest catastrophe" of his life; told Saddam Hussein, "Sir, I salute your courage, strength, and indefatigability;" cited Fidel Castro as his political hero; and in September of this year, in New York City, publicly suggested that America deserved the September 11, 2001 attacks.
These are not the only charges against international actors, but Galloway may be the most recognizable. He is almost certainly the loudest, apparently having become a minister of Parliament through browbeating rather than by legislative accomplishment. An English friend of mine suggests that by pursuing the MP, the U.N. and, particularly, the U.S. are playing with fire. I doubt it. For one thing, Galloway does not appear interested in becoming an American politician, and a teaching post at Berkeley seems more logical. Secondly, Galloway's Sir Oswald Mosley shtick plays well with the chattering class, but provides Lord Haw Haw-flavored entertainment for everyone else, such as this goofy attack on President Bush over Hurricane Katrina (the fisking of which I cheerfully purloin from Tim Blair)...
His is the America of Halliburton,
Curses to Bush for having a Vice President with ties to one of the world's most qualified businesses--one that has consistently served the U.S. government since World War II. We deserve less.
the M-16 rifle,
Made in Canada... (Bush is outsourcing the American War Machine!)
the cluster bomb,
Invented by Germany... And Great Britain still uses them, too.
the gated communities of the rich and of the billionaires he grew up with in Texas.
The gated communities of the rich and the billionaires Galloway knows in Syria are far more stylish.
There is another America.
I think I know this one: South America?
It is the land of the poor of Louisiana,
Oh. But as P.J. O'Rourke once noted, "Political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that when the official U.S. measure of poverty was developed in 1963, a poor American family had an income twenty-nine times greater than the average per capita income in the rest of the world. An individual American could make more money than 93 percent of the other people on the planet and still be considered poor." The poor of Louisiana are a lot richer than, say, the poor in African or Middle Eastern kleptocracies. I wonder why Galloway expresses more interest in discussing the poor of the U.S. than he did in freeing the needier people of, say, Saddam-era Iraq?
it is the land of the young men and women economically conscripted into the military.
Sure, the U.S. military is volunteer-only, but when made to choose between working at a grocery store, busing tables, or getting shot at, obviously people will rush to join the armed forces. The most damning evidence: The government offers additional financing and education to citizens in return for military service, and we even have career soldiers who "love" fighting for their country! Is any more proof of wickedness necessary?
It is the land of the glorious multiethnic mix that was New Orleans...
Complete with corruption and a murder rate nearly eight times the national average. Also, the hardest-hit section of the city, St. Bernard Parish, was 95% Caucasian. So not such a glorious multiethnic mix, really.
The oil-for-food charges are merely indicative of a more troubling problem: Galloway is a load of bull. Like too many of the "anti-war" crowd, he is not against a war on fascists; he is cheering for the other side. (Compare his appreciation for dictators to Condoleezza Rice, who literally tagged the president of Kazakhstan, brought him to a podium, and put in the position of answering questions from the press.) Galloway allegedly bruised the Senate in May; if so, it was because they failed to hold him to any rules of order: he freely dodged questions, interrupted senators, and gave a very clever performance of some very bizarre statements. (Comment at The Big Pharaoh: "US Senators are notorious gasbags who love to hear themselves talk. Apparently Galloway didn't realize that when a US Senator shuts up, he's giving you an opportunity to incriminate yourself.") It would be much more interesting to see whether Galloway could get away with his diversions in a hearing before a grand jury. Would a member of a foreign government stonewalling an American investigation, insulting American officials, demonstrating profound ignorance of American systems, and attempting to single-handedly boss the United States around impress many American citizens?
That brings us to the latest left-wing conspiracy, which is that Galloway and Bush are working together:
Where did this guy come from? Who invited him here? The answer: US Senate REPUBLICANS. As Cindy Sheehan was gathering public sympathy as the Gold Star mom against the killing in Iraq, the Republican party decided to import an easier target to pummel. So they brought over the "I-salute-your-courage, Saddam" religious fundamentalist crack-pot who can't tell us where the money went.
Maybe there is some truth to this paranoia. At the moment, few in the U.S. know or care about Galloway, but it might not be so smooth when the face of the anti-intervention movement becomes that of a man who engaged in duplicitous accounting; called the collapse of the Soviet Union "the biggest catastrophe" of his life; told Saddam Hussein, "Sir, I salute your courage, strength, and indefatigability;" cited Fidel Castro as his political hero; and in September of this year, in New York City, publicly suggested that America deserved the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
A Man Of Few Words
For the time being, anyway. Apologies for not being my usual loquacious self. My only excuse is that my mind is elsewhere... and, alas, not the sort of "elsewhere" wandering minds prefer!
So, how about a link to jumping cats?
Update: Might as well offer a potpourri while I am here...
Just what the world needed: A beer advertisement that cleverly (ab)uses Carl Orff's Chiquita Banana, Carmen Miranda, whatever.
Soldiers in Iraq are using advanced technology to save lives.
Barbeque is indeed pulled pork smothered in red sauce, but as a native Memphian I must add that the sauce should be sweet rather than sour, the meat should have some gristle, and the environment is absolutely vital: It is not real barbeque unless it is homemade or comes from some hole-the-wall restaurant. High dining barbeque is a myth.
California is preparing for a real-life remake of The Birds.
Senator John Kerry is trying desperately to be taken seriously, and failing comically.
Would this discovery qualify as good sex, or bad sex?
One of the title characters in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is rather wooden. Guess which one.
South London is dreaming of a politically correct Christmas. Not to be outdone, Brussels is dreaming of a politically correct Christ. (The Grinch could not be reached for comment.)
German authorities are not all smiles and sunshine: Some of Germany's taxes recently went toward the creation of Jew-hating agitprop.
Slither looks like another movie I can miss. The trailer brings back too many memories of cleaning aquariums.
Speaking of creepy things (hello, Mr. Carter), check out the National UFO Reporting Center.
And speaking of spacey things (hello, Mr. Luthor), it looks like Pluto has new-found companionship.
Film Music on the Web has my Cinderella Man and Jericho/The Ghostbreaker reviews.
For more aural goodness, try the archived shows at Mercury Theatre on the Air.
So, how about a link to jumping cats?
Update: Might as well offer a potpourri while I am here...
Just what the world needed: A beer advertisement that cleverly (ab)uses Carl Orff's Chiquita Banana, Carmen Miranda, whatever.
Soldiers in Iraq are using advanced technology to save lives.
Barbeque is indeed pulled pork smothered in red sauce, but as a native Memphian I must add that the sauce should be sweet rather than sour, the meat should have some gristle, and the environment is absolutely vital: It is not real barbeque unless it is homemade or comes from some hole-the-wall restaurant. High dining barbeque is a myth.
California is preparing for a real-life remake of The Birds.
Senator John Kerry is trying desperately to be taken seriously, and failing comically.
Would this discovery qualify as good sex, or bad sex?
One of the title characters in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is rather wooden. Guess which one.
South London is dreaming of a politically correct Christmas. Not to be outdone, Brussels is dreaming of a politically correct Christ. (The Grinch could not be reached for comment.)
German authorities are not all smiles and sunshine: Some of Germany's taxes recently went toward the creation of Jew-hating agitprop.
Slither looks like another movie I can miss. The trailer brings back too many memories of cleaning aquariums.
Speaking of creepy things (hello, Mr. Carter), check out the National UFO Reporting Center.
And speaking of spacey things (hello, Mr. Luthor), it looks like Pluto has new-found companionship.
Film Music on the Web has my Cinderella Man and Jericho/The Ghostbreaker reviews.
For more aural goodness, try the archived shows at Mercury Theatre on the Air.
So, A Frog Goes Into A Bank...
A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack.
"Miss Whack, I'd like to get a $30,000 loan to take a holiday."
Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name. The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's okay, he knows the bank manager.
Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.
The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.
Very confused, Patty explains that she'll have to consult with the bank manager and disappears into a back office.
She finds the manager and says, "There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral."
She holds up the tiny pink elephant. "I mean, what in the world is this?"
The bank manager looks back at her and says...
"It's a knickknack, Patty Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone."
(via Ron Burbella)
"Miss Whack, I'd like to get a $30,000 loan to take a holiday."
Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name. The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's okay, he knows the bank manager.
Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.
The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.
Very confused, Patty explains that she'll have to consult with the bank manager and disappears into a back office.
She finds the manager and says, "There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral."
She holds up the tiny pink elephant. "I mean, what in the world is this?"
The bank manager looks back at her and says...
"It's a knickknack, Patty Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone."
(via Ron Burbella)
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Magic Surrealism
"We will remain here until Bush disappears from the planet or leaves Brazil, whichever comes first," said one demonstrator, Rosa Marques, a history student at the University of Brasilia.
My bet is that he will leave Brazil first. Still, I wonder... If President Bush remained in Brazil but made himself invisible (American stealth technology, of course), would they leave? What if Brazil disappeared from the planet, taking Bush with it? Sounds too David Copperfield.
Wasn't McDonald's the favorite of that other President?
My bet is that he will leave Brazil first. Still, I wonder... If President Bush remained in Brazil but made himself invisible (American stealth technology, of course), would they leave? What if Brazil disappeared from the planet, taking Bush with it? Sounds too David Copperfield.
Wasn't McDonald's the favorite of that other President?
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Hands Off, Jedi! He's Mine!
Revenge of the Sith is out on DVD today, which means I have an excuse to post this still from a deleted scene...
The movie has steamy romance, and deep affection...
It is worth owning.
The movie has steamy romance, and deep affection...
It is worth owning.
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