ninme

These are the people we’re dealing with.

Tim Blair - ADVANCES SHUNNED

Research-minded lefty Rex Ringschott states quite categorically: A 40-year-old VW Beetle produces far fewer pollutants per kilometre than a modern Ferrari. Rex—I’m guessing he isn’t a car guy, or a guy [...]

Categories: Science and Nature

LGF - State Dept Document Admits Arafat Ordered Killings of US Diplomats

The State Department has declassified a document that finally admits Yasser Arafat personally ordered the killings of Cleo Noel, the American ambassador to the Sudan, his deputy, George Moore, and a Belgian diplomat, Guy Eid, during a 1973 terrorist takeover of the [...]

Categories: Geography and Foreign Affairs

This is hilarious. A bit too weird to be the funniest item, though. And, well, it’s educational, isn’t it.

(SFW; in Japanese but well-subtitled in kana, romaji, and English. The beginning’s a little, well, weird, but get past that and the music starts.) (Mini Moni is from Morning Musume, the source of many diverting [...]

Categories: Geography and Foreign Affairs

I’m quoting myself, but this, too, it fascinating.

Times Online - Obituary: Gerald Ford July 14, 1913 - December 26, 2006 The 38th US President played key role in picking up the pieces in the wake Watergate

First of all, I didn’t notice a lot of mention of Keynesian economics in the American obits (hey, he’s just our ex-president), [...]

Categories: History

“Who knew we had combat artists?”

Who knew indeed. He gets another one today cuz this is so cool.

Sketchpad Warrior

Kristopher Battles I am a landscape and portrait painter of the Classical Realist school, inspired by the masters of art history as I paint the world around me. I am one [...]

Categories: War and Peace

As chestnuts go, it’s an old one, but always a laugh:

Divert Your Course

This is the actual radio conversation of a US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October, 1995. Radio conversation released by the chief of naval operations, 10-10-95.

Categories: War and Peace

The Times - A new year’s resolution for the chattering classes, by Dean Godson (research director of the Policy Exchange think-tank) We shouldn’t fall for pessimistic propaganda on Iraq

That conventional wisdom holds that Tony Blair and George Bush made the world a much more dangerous place by invading Iraq. That we’re losing badly in [...]

Categories: War and Peace

Times Online - Saddam: ‘Make me a martyr’

[cough]

Times Online - Saddam ready for ’sacrifice’ as Baathists vow revenge

“I sacrifice myself. If God wills it, he will place me among the true men and martyrs,” he wrote. “O faithful people, I bid you farewell as my soul goes to God the compassionate…Long live Iraq. [...]

Categories: War and Peace

This is fun. And we don’t have to deal with any of the crap had we been doing it. And you know if they lose a helicopter they’re not going to freak out and have to redeploy for national crisis counseling.

Telegraph - Islamists flee Ethiopian onslaught in Somalia

Ethiopian troops routed Islamist [...]

Categories: War and Peace

Aww…

FOXnews - Former U.S. President Gerald Ford Dies at 93

Best blog announcement goes to Bubblehead. That’s a cool picture. Plus, it always tears me up when he uses that line.

I always liked him, but for personal reasons having to do with him always being there the whole time I’ve been alive, so nothing [...]

Categories: Politics

LGF - Grim Milestone Watch

Mainstream media is full of stories this morning trumpeting the “grim milestone:” U.S. Troop Deaths In Iraq Exceed 9/11 Toll, 6 More GI Deaths Put Military Past Grim Milestone As 36 Iraqis Die In Other Attacks. The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks claimed [...]

Categories: War and Peace

Times Online - Saddam to hang within 30 days

(The FOXnews headline: “Saddam’s Noose Tightens“, which I took to be another article on the legal process, so I skipped right over it. Went to the Times website and “Woah, really?” Why do they have to be cute? Why can’t they just write the [...]

Categories: People and Current Events

Christmas Eve dinner:

And Christmas dinner: …is in the oven.

St Stephen’s Day Update:

Okay, American food just doesn’t photograph well. Even the most superior piece of beef just looks like a lump of brown sitting on a platter. (Unless I was going to slice it open and watch it cool as I arrange it on [...]

Categories: Food

John Kerry writes an op-ed column.

The Sunday Times - Bush ponders £10bn New Deal to create jobs in Iraq

The Observer - Channel tunnel is terror target

The Sunday Times - UN imposes nuclear sanctions on angry Iran

FOXnews - Ehud Olmert Makes Goodwill Moves After Meeting With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Reuters - Olmert suggests Palestinian [...]

Categories: People and Current Events

For those of us who can’t make it, and don’t get up in time for a live broadcast at 1500 GST, here it is:

Radio 4 - Festival of 9 Lessons and Carols Live from the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, the traditional service that for many people all over the world marks the beginning of Christmas. [...]

Categories: Art and Literature