Spanish Phrase of the Day

Awesome Video Saturday XCIX

2009-07-11T06:02:00.000-04:00

These are some pretty funny elevator gags by a crazy Frenchman.

Obama Subverts Democracy

2009-07-08T21:38:00.000-04:00

I'm extremely frustrated with the Obama administration's disregard for the sovereignty of Honduras.

Mary Anastasia O'Grady continues to do a fantastic job of highlighting the very real difference between our diplomatic stand and what it the actual LEGAL FRAMEWORK in Honduras.

Hundreds of emails from Hondurans flooded my in-box last week after I reported on the military's arrest of President Manuel Zelaya, as ordered by the Supreme Court, and his subsequent banishment from the country.
Mr. Zelaya's violations of the rule of law in recent months were numerous. But the tipping point came 10 days ago, when he led a violent mob that stormed a military base to seize and distribute Venezuelan-printed ballots for an illegal referendum.
All but a handful of my letters pleaded for international understanding of the threat to the constitutional democracy that Mr. Zelaya presented. One phrase occurred again and again: "Please pray for us."
This administration needs to change the way they look at the situation or they risk serious damage to whatever reputation we have for supporting the sovereignty of our allies.

Honduras Heats Up

2009-07-05T21:43:00.002-04:00

I never would have expected to devote so much attention to Honduras, but the small nation has become a lightning rod in the debate between the rule of law and the efforts of leftists to push their agenda.

No matter whether the method used to remove Zelaya from power was the most appropriate, he was acting against the spirit and letter of the constitution of the country.

He is attempting to return. I hope the interim government can maintain order without bloodshed, but I expect some of Zelaya's supporters have no qualms about violence.

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T17:33:00.002-04:00

Enjoy this patriotic Muppet salute-

Be safe and blow some pretty stuff up.

Awesome Video Saturday XCVIII

2009-07-04T09:03:00.002-04:00

Happy Independence Day!

I like this little video-

If you're in the mood for a fairly recent war movie with a good message, you can watch Saints and Soldiers below.

SPOTD #156

2009-07-03T09:15:00.008-04:00

As you know, tomorrow is Independence Day. I hope that you will be able to take a moment during your celebrations to remember the singular events that have led to the great liberty that we enjoy. It is clear that many in this world are willing to die for that kind of freedom.

Today's Phrase:
We who enjoy freedom should never mistake it for what the regime in Iran claims to provide their citizens. From 19th century cleric Adolf Kolping.

Actual
Libertad falsa y tiranía son gemelos.

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable
Lee-bare-tahd fall-sah ee tee-rah-nee-ah sewn hay-may-lows.

Translation
False liberty and tyranny are twins.

The Law
What if there was a country that followed its legally established Constitution, and we condemned them for it?
That is happening in Honduras. We have friends living there and they are fascinated that the coverage outside of the country is getting the story so wrong.
For more info you can read my post on the subject.

Incredible
I recently watched the documentary Man on Wire. It won the Oscar last year for Feature Documentary, and it was well-deserved. This is an engaging and well-produced film, combining actual archival footage and dramatic reenactments.
It is a fascinating story about a man who dared to do insane things, but there is a beauty in it.

Mighty Bad
Eric Snider has a weekly feature where he reviews bad movies. Last week's edition, a review of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, es muy excelente.

Lego
I never knew there was such competition to be professional lego-builders. See what I mean.

5 Things
TV Pitchman Billy Mays passed away last week. Here is a list of some of his greatest hits, from Popular Mechanics.

Link of the Day
The Alligator Gar is one crazy-looking fish, and you can hunt one for just $750!

More from Honduras

2009-07-03T00:02:00.001-04:00

Gateway Pundit has some pictures from demonstrations in Honduras. As I mentioned before, there seems to be strong support for the government action that removed former president Zelaya.

Quick Hits

2009-07-01T23:07:00.002-04:00

Just some things on my mind that I don't have time to write about individually-

The people of Honduras are responding to extranational meddling.
The EPA may be politicizing the debate over climate change.
Want to know where we may be headed with our growing entitlements and government spending? Just take a look at California and New York.

Libertad y la Ley

2009-06-30T22:14:00.002-04:00

Our president has made a grave error. From an Investors Business Daily Editorial:

During his campaign, President Obama made a big deal of criticizing leaders who are elected democratically but don't govern democratically. He's had a chance to show that it mattered in Honduras. He didn't...
There was a coup all right, but it wasn't committed by the U.S. or the Honduran court. It was committed by Zelaya himself. He brazenly defied the law, and Hondurans overwhelmingly supported his removal (a pro-Zelaya rally Monday drew a mere 200 acolytes).
Yet the U.S. administration stood with Chavez and Castro, calling Zelaya's lawful removal "a coup." Obama called the action a "terrible precedent," and said Zelaya remains president.
In doing this, the U.S. condemned democrats who stood up to save their democracy, a move that should have been hailed as a historic turning of the tide against the false democracies of the region.

What's worse is that we have persisted in this error for several days, an error made very quickly. By comparison it took the Obama administration days to say anything of substance about the upheaval in Iran.

To understand how Zelaya violated Honduran law, this piece by Mary Anastasia O'Grady is excellent.

Now the United Nations has sanctioned Honduras and other states (such as Venezuela) have threatened to overthrow the new government. We are complicit as long as we toe the same line that we have taken we put real democracy in Latin America in jeopardy.

Awesome Video Saturday XCVII

2009-06-27T07:49:00.000-04:00

This AweVidSat is a follow-up to this fine edition. More commercials from the same guys. The first one is my favorite (obviously). Thanks to Chris for the heads-up.

SPOTD #155

2009-06-26T07:35:00.000-04:00

As always, check out the blog for more and varied content.

Today's Phrase:
I've been very moved by the events in Iran. They have a long way to go before they can be said to enjoy liberty, but you have to feel a kinship with them.

Actual
Donde mora la libertad, allá está mi patria.

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable
Don-day more-ah lah lee-bare-tahd, ah-ya ess-tah mee pah-tree-ah.

Translation
Where liberty dwells, there is my country.

Movies
We enjoyed UP immensely.

On Broadway
This is an interesting article about changing social mores at the theatre.

Nerd Alert! Raise Shields!
This is nerdy but cool. It is a 360-degree panoramic view of the bridge of the Enterprise from Star Trek.

The Greatest
One man's list of the greatest athletes of all time. What say you?

A Bigger Boat
I don't think Jaws could have done much damage to this beauty, the largest yacht in the world, more than 550 feet long! I know it seems excessive, but it is also awesome. It belongs to Russian oil tycoon Abramovich.

Family Photos
We live in a global era, when one family's Missouri Christmas photo becomes one Czech store's advertisement.

Link of the Day
This link takes you to archival footage of a spiritual precursor to the Humvee and other military vehicles.
It's a cool look back.

The King is dead

2009-06-25T21:41:00.002-04:00

As the news about Michael Jackson's death sinks in, I find myself saddened in a way that I usually don't when a celebrity dies. There seems to exist a demarcation that determines how some people feel about this. People just a few years younger than me know him more for his extracurricular troubles than his extraordinary music.

I always felt like his situation had a tragic element. I wanted him to have another great song, another comeback, but nothing had really materialized in past years.

If there is good in this, it's that the circus of his life will not overshadow his excellence as an artist. His early death will no doubt give him the status of an Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe, for better or worse.

This is a nice retrospective on his career.

¡Feliz cumpleaños Walkman!

2009-06-25T08:30:00.002-04:00

I liked this retrospective on the now-30 year-old Sony Walkman. Check out this page to see more of that first, brave model. It was very expensive, at over $500 inflation-adjusted dollars!

I remember borrowing my dad's enormous SPORTS Walkman. Not only did it play cassette tapes, but it also had an FM Tuner.

Then there were the exciting models that also had the 3 or 5 band equalizers and the MEGA BASS button. And then came the Discman, with models like this that could even be used IN THE CAR!

Still, for a long time, the Walkman was the most practical and attainable personal musical device. I think I owned this model, near the APEX of Walkman technology, enjoying Kris Kross and other great music.

Happy Birthday Walkman!

Iran

2009-06-24T09:42:00.000-04:00

I have held these articles back for when I have more time, but I'm not sure when that time will come, so here are some quick hits.

The reality of an aggressive North Korea and an oppressive Iran has made Obama's desire to be seek dimplomatic solutions problematic, as this WSJ editorial explains.
Some reactions from Iranians to the election struggles.
Lest anyone think that criticism of the Khamenei regime is criticism of Islam, there is a strong and well-regarded theological alternative. Read this for more.

More to come.

Movie Stuff

2009-06-23T09:37:00.002-04:00

Here is the new G.I. Joe trailer. This actually makes me want to watch it, and nothing so far has really worked for me. G.I. Joe was the toy of my youth, more so even than Transformers or He-Man.

Here is some wild renderings from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. That is going to be one trippy movie. Anyone remember how freaky the 80's TV movie was? With that crazy Jabberwocky?

Also read some advance reviews for Transformers. Decidedly mixed, which is not surprising.

Down the Drain

2009-06-22T21:55:00.002-04:00

This article underscores the rightness of questioning when government or bureaucracy demands more money.

The UN has very little to show for the $196 billion spent on health programs.

For Dads

2009-06-21T08:31:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day to the dads out there (me too).

In a very manly bit of helpful information, given a recent uptick in animal intrustion into suburban areas, here is how to predator-proof your home AND survive angry animal attacks.

Happy hunting.

Awesome Video Saturday XCVI

2009-06-20T06:59:00.003-04:00

This is a very funny spoof of Magnum P.I.

Compare with the original-

Pretty cool and also nerdy (via Popwatch).

Mothering Fathers

2009-06-19T10:50:00.001-04:00

This was an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal on how a protective mother can affect a father's parenting, and in turn, a child's development.

Fortunately, I don't have that problem.

Big Trouble in North Korea

2009-06-18T22:11:00.002-04:00

There is a report that North Korea intends to launch a missile towards Hawaii in early July. This would constitute a major escalation, and in my opinion, an act of aggression bordering very close on war. It doesn't matter whether they have the capability to hit Hawaii.

I hope the report is incorrect, but the regime is more reckless than ever.

Amends

2009-06-17T07:18:00.000-04:00

I don't know if anyone is following this, but I think Letterman has finally dealt with this appropriately. It took him awhile, but I don't think a firing is the right outcome here.

Letterman's problem is that he is not as funny as he used to be. He's a little too bitter and angry, and it shows in his humor. Not everyone will agree. I always preferred Letterman to Leno, but on those rare occasions where I actually watch the late night talk shows Conan is my choice.

History Repeats?

2009-06-16T21:40:00.000-04:00

I think you can look back at most of what I've written about Obama and find that my concerns have been reasonable, with the most serious differences coming on economic issues.

I've been reading an excellent book about the Great Depression. One of the recurring points made by the author is that many initiatives that were part of the New Deal actually had a damaging effect on economic recovery. These include high taxation, arbitrary regulations, and persistent and erratic government intervention in capital markets. I'm very concerned about how the Obama administration is operating economically, and the parallels to Roosevelt's injurious economic policies.

I have issues with Obama's health plan (explained well in this Op-Ed) and I have concerns with how he proposes to pay for it. Here is a live-blog of the response of the American Medical Association to Obama's speech at their conference.

I agree with this opinion piece, which relates the real impact of these proposals on business and investment.

There is ample reason to be concerned AND to encourage a much slower process than what the Obama administration wants.

2009-06-16T08:50:00.001-04:00

I'm text-blogging today from the road.

2009-06-16T08:47:00.001-04:00

Listening to Sebellius on NPR re: "Public" Health Insurance plan. She won't provide any details.
Not impressed.

Back to the Hill

2009-06-14T21:43:00.001-04:00

There is a new statue in the Capitol rotunda- Ronald Reagan.

Each state is allowed to have two representatives in the rotunda, and California recently updated theirs to remove a Civil War-era figure in favor of the former President.

Peggy Noonan wrote about the installation here. As a former speechwriter for President Reagan she had an emotional connection to the day.