Fausta's blog

Faustam fortuna adiuvat
The official blog of Fausta's Blog Talk Radio show.

Friday, February 29, 2008

"Time is running out": Prince Abdullah of Jordan's speech at Princeton University

King Abdullah II, the reigning monarch of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan just concluded a fifteen-minute speech at Princeton University, at the invitation of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. The speech started a few minutes after twelve noon and had been announced as,
King Abdullah will address the future of Arab-American relations in the context of the Middle East's current challenges, particularly how to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which Jordan views as the most significant issue facing the region.
The main theme was, "Time is running out", a phrase he repeated several times during this brief speech.

King Abdullah stated that 2008 is a critical year for the solution of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, and that "we need the USA completely involved to ensure a final agreement by end of 2008."

He wants America's strong authority to act switfly, as the only time there has been peace in the Middle East has been when America took a strong leadership role: "If we fail to resolve the core problem of the region it'll become significantly harder for the countries of the region to work with America, and [those countries] will move further away from common principles of mutual respect and partnership."

He specifically asked for a homeland for the Palestinians, and believes that it'll bring security and new acceptance for Israel in region, and create a new partnership berween USA and the Arab/Muslin people.

He did take three questions:
Q. Why now?
KA: Because for the 1st time moderates have gained some ground in ME, and there is a process in place now. If that process falls apart, radicals may gain ground.

Q: Will there be greater Joradnian involvement?
KA: Whatever Israel and Jordan talk, they won't be able to solve status issues by themselves: that's when international community and the US will need to help with the obstacles.
There will be panArab involvement - the future of Israel is bigger than a 2 state solution. We're offering complete acceptance of Israel in the whole region up to and including Indonesia, that third of the world that still has no acceptance of Israel.

Q. How do you envision this Palestinian solution with Hamas in control?
Most Israelis & Pales want it. The future of the region are the 70% of the people who are under age 35 & want a future. The difficulty is the politicians who mess it up. It's going to be the Israeli & Palestinian people saying we want peace.

Reported by Fausta Wertz directly from Princeton NJ. Copyright 2008

UPDATE, Saturday March 1
King of Jordan: U.S. must step up in Middle East

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , ,

In today's podcast: Captain Ed

Listen to Faustas blog on internet talk radio
Today at 11AM Eastern, Ed Morrissey drops by! Siggy will be there, too.

The chat room's open by 10:45, and the call-in number is (646) 652-2639. Join us!

Labels: , ,

Hollywood A-List celebrity endorses staying in Iraq

Staying to Help in Iraq
We have finally reached a point where humanitarian assistance, from us and others, can have an impact.


Angelina Jolie says so.

Why? Because she listened to Gen. Petraeus:
In Baghdad, I spoke with Army Gen. David Petraeus about UNHCR's need for security information and protection for its staff as they re-enter Iraq, and I am pleased that he has offered that support. General Petraeus also told me he would support new efforts to address the humanitarian crisis "to the maximum extent possible" -- which leaves me hopeful that more progress can be made.
Michael Goldfarb has a suggestion to the presidential candidates:
She also asks each of the presidential candidates "to announce a comprehensive refugee plan with a specific timeline and budget as part of their Iraq strategy." McCain should be first in line to offer such a plan. The case for sustaining the U.S. presence there has always been based, in part, on the responsibility this country has to the people of Iraq. Let Obama explain how he's going to assure the safe return of refugees in tandem with a withdrawal of U.S. forces.
Warner Todd Hudson wonders what the Left's reaction would be if Obama were to embrace Angelina's line.

Next thing you know, celebs will be saying good things about George Bush.

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels:

The USS New York sails tomorrow


The USS New York will be formally dedicated tomorrow. The event will be webcast at 9AM Central.

Fron the NY Sun editorial: The USS New York
Congratulations are in order to the captain and crew of the United States Ship New York, which will be formally dedicated according to Navy tradition tomorrow when a bottle of champagne is broken across her bow at the New Orleans boatyard where it was built. A Navy press release reports the warship, an amphibious transport dock ship that can carry a landing force of 800 Marines, is named New York "in honor of the state, the city and the victims of Sept. 11, 2001." The release says 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center wreckage was melted and formed into the bow stem of the ship, symbolizing "the spirit and resiliency of the people of New York." The ship's first captain is himself a New Yorker, Commander F. Curtis Jones, of Binghamton. This is no small vessel — 684 feet long, it has a crew of 360 sailors and three Marines.
...
The Navy on Saturday will christen the New York, named in honor of the state, the city, and the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, during a ceremony at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding facilities in New Orleans. A unique characteristic of the ship is that 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center wreckage was incorporated into the construction process.
The ship was built by Northorp Grunman Ship Systems. Here's the Wikipedia page.

Congratulations!

UPDATE
Rising from the ashes

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , ,

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Racism, explored and exploited from the UK

Siggy just brought this article to my attention:
Obama victory will prolong US racial divide, says British equality chief


Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, claimed that the Democratic front-runner would ultimately disappoint the African-American community and dismissed the notion that he would be "the harbinger of a post-racial America" if he becomes the country’s first black President.
Let's take a brief look at this gentleman's occupation: he's "equality chief".

Would it be too harsh to say that he has a vested interest in perpetuating inequality, since otherwise there would be no point for his high-placed position in the bureaucracy?

Phillips believes that


guilt over transatlantic slavery was behind Mr Obama’s support from middle class whites
Let's ignore, for the purposes of this post, that Barak Obama's own mother is a middle class white. I don't expect Phillips considered this fact when making his assertions.

The United States waged the most deadly war in its history to abolish slavery. The struggle for human rights in the United States continues to this day to ensure that every person has equal rights under the law.

Additionally, most of the middle class whites in the USA are descendants of people who immigrated from other countries AFTER the emancipation proclamation, signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, or whose ancestors had arrived shortly before the Civil War, for instance, the Irish fleeing the potato famine of 1847.

None of those whites were in any kind of situation to own much property, never mind property in slave states, much less slaves.

So I'd like to ask Phillips, why should middle class whites feel any guilt over transatlantic slavery? How many middle class whites have even one ancestor who owned a plantation or worked in a trade associated with the transatlantic slavery trade?

Are there more important issues than "middle class white guilt over transatlantic slavery" to those very same middle class white prospective voters in this year's Presidential campaign?

Phillips continues,


"If Obama can succeed, then maybe they can imagine that [Martin Luther] King's post-racial nirvana has arrived. A vote for Obama is a pain-free negation of their own racism. So long as they don't have to live next door to him; Obama has yet to win convincingly in white districts adjacent to black communities," he wrote.
Record numbers of voters of every ethnic background are participating in the Democrat primaries and caucases, most of them white. Does Phillips sincerely believe they would not want to live next door to Obama but would gladly have him as Commander in Chief?

In Phillips's mind, Bill Cosby is a "sad and lonely figure". Cosby has laughed his way to the bank by being Bill Cosby, but let's not tell the "equality chief".

The "equality chief" believes that ultra-successful people like Bill Cosby and Oprah get there by "not making an issue of historical racism if their own race is not used against them". Phillips probably didn't have cable TV the day Oprah grilled Mark Furman over the coals during the OJ Simpson trial.

Of course, being in charge of an Equality and Human Rights Commission blinds you to the achievements any member of any minority may attain out of their own merit. The blacks who achieve, according to Phillips, do so only through cashing in on white guilt,


Mr Phillips said that there was no "British Obama" in part because the black British community was much smaller and therefore less likely to produce such high-achievers, and because "Black Britons can't bring centuries of white guilt to bear with the devastating impact that African-Americans have done for two generations?.
What does that mean, that to the "equality chief", a black Presidential candidate is one sign of "devastating impact"?

Perhaps Phillips is embarrassed. Alvaro Vargas Llosa, writing at The New Republic (that arm of the vast right wing conspiracy),
In Europe, one senses a quiet shame. The left, which loves to criticize the Unites States for its imperial foreign policy and its discrimination against blacks and Hispanics, is not really saluting Obama. There have been few gushing articles in Italy's La Repubblica or France's Le Monde. And by sending the message that it might be ready to elect an African-American, a part of mainstream America is showing the industrialized world a more open-minded attitude than the United States usually gets credit for. This is particularly embarrassing in socialist Europe. Contrast the attitude of those white Americans who are ready for a President Obama with the conditions that have led France's North African immigrants to riot on the outskirts of Paris. And have the Scandinavian countries ever generated anything comparable to Obama among the minorities who are tended to so generously as long as they don't make too much noise?
As long as he's secure his job, it probably doesn't matter.

UPDATE
Here's Erik Svane's letter to the IHT from June 20, 1997
As I wrote in letters to the editor to the Washington Post and the IHT 10 years ago (where it says "the/American president" below, I wrote "Clinton" at the time):

I should like to know on behalf of whom, exactly, America's president should apologize over slavery. I myself, like the majority of today's U.S. population, am descended from immigrants who arrived after the turn of the 20th century and therefore have nothing to do with the treatment of blacks on the plantations (or that of Indians on the plains, for that matter).

As for Americans living at the time slavery existed, over twice as many whites lived in states where slavery was illegal and where it had been so, for the most part, since before the French Revolution. The president can hardly apologize for the South either, since most whites even there — two thirds of them, to be precise — did not own a single slave.

Maybe the president should apologize for the planters and slaveholders? But they inherited the system they dwelled in, and although they certainly did little if anything to change it, in what way are they more guilty than the English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and other European nationals who introduced it in all their colonies (including, of course, the future United States) and whose only reason for not introducing it onto the European continent proper (as well as the North of the future U.S., needless to say) was the absence of a propitious climate?

And how, finally, are the above-mentioned whites more guilty than the African tribes whose warriors raided neighboring villages to sell their enemies to the Europeans?

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , , ,

McCain's Bloggers' Call this afternoon

Jim Geraghy at The Campaign Spot has a great summary of Sen. McCain's Bloggers' Call:
RedCounty Magazine: Hillary Clinton hasn’t really succeeded in contrasting her experience with Barack's; will you be able to?

McCain: I will portray stark differences in our positions. By the way, I would not count senator Clinton out. Anybody who has counted the Clintons out in the past has seen otherwise. But if it is Senator Obama, I will be expressing my experience, background and knowledge. We’ll be arguing higher lower taxes vs. higher taxes, bigger government vs. smaller government, a government run health care system or a system based on consumer choice.

He said he would sit down, without conditions, with Raul Castro. People know Raul Castro was the executioner. He’s the bad guy. I will discuss my qualifications but I will not talk down his qualifications.
Read the whole thing.

Labels: , ,

FARC releases four more hostages

Continuing his effort to remain relevant, Chavez has "brokered" the release of four more hostages, or so says the news,
Colombian hostages freed by Farc
Four hostages held by Colombian left-wing Farc rebels have been released, in a deal brokered by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

The four had a tearful reunion with relatives after being released in the Colombian jungle to Venezuelan envoys.

The Farc says it will not free more hostages until Colombia creates a demilitarised zone for talks.
The four are former members of the Colombian congress.

The BBC assesses the situation, which has four salient elements:
1. Be releasing a few hostages at a time, the FARC keeps itself in the headlines and maintains pressure on Uribe.
2. Chavez continues to be their tool, insisting that the FARC is not a terrorist organization. The French are not impressed.
3. Unfortunately, the efforts by France to keep Ingrid Betancourt in the news have backfired, making her a most valuable hostage among all the hostages.
4. The Colombian government is on the record saying they will negociate prisoner exchanges but that there will be no demilitarized zone, and Uribe will continue his "Democratic Security" policy.

Uribe has broad support in his country, and I wish the US Congress would approve a free trade agreement with Colombia.

Gateway Pundit has more on the hostages.

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , , ,

Bloomberg's not running, and other items

Maria tells me that Michael Bloomberg announced he's saving himself $100 million:

I'm Not Running for President, but ..., thank you for not running anyway, Mike.

Will he back McCain, or Obama?

Or will he be content with his new showbiz carreer?
--------------------------------------------------------------------

I've been banned in China, but have I been banned by the Air Force?
The Air Force is tightening restrictions on which blogs its troops can read, cutting off access to just about any independent site with the word "blog" in its web address.
Perhaps if I changed the blog name to Fausta's coffee-politics-books-and-shoes parlor?

John Noonan at The Weekly Standard points out,
Also problematic is the fact that USAF bloggers have been among the most credible advocates for force-modernization plans, offering their strong support for the acquisition of the full fleet of 380 F-22s in particular. The Air Force has in one fell swoop discarded a valuable media asset, forcing the public to rely on cumbersome--and typically boring--USAF press releases instead.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Phyllis Chesler has written a beautiful tribute to a friend, An Elegy For My Friend "Babz," aka Barbara Seaman
--------------------------------------------------------------------

City Will Reward Students With Phones for showing up to school and behaving well. Who's paying for the monthly service and texting fees remains unclear but at least "the program is being privately financed".
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of schools, Betsy has the textbook case on how NOT to handle a cheating scandal: Cheating at Chapel Hill High School

Mamacita writes about Two Students: A Contrast. And Then Some More Opinionated Rants.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

How much does a house weigh?
(h/t Larwyn)
--------------------------------------------------------------------

When I turned on the TV this morning one of the talk shows was discussing whether men look good with a 3-day stubble.

The answer is NO.

If any of you guys have any doubt, the odds are that a 3-day stubble will remind ladies of Yasser, not Colin, and definitely not of Clive.

I hope that settles the issue.

You can thank me later.

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , , , , ,

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Remember that BBC paintball outing?

Last December I posted that the Beeb, rather than taking the trouble of finding law-abiding British Muslims that have completely integrated into society, and have them discuss the issues of the day at a nice restaurant, decided instead to take a few acussed terrorists paintballing on February of 2005, paying for the privilege.

All in the name of fun, while filming their program Don't Panic, I'm Islamic.

The Been was so far above the panic stage that

Nasreen Suleaman, a researcher on the programme, told the court that Mr Hamid, 50, contacted her after the July 2005 attack and told her of his association with the bombers. But she said that she felt no obligation to contact the police with this information. Ms Suleaman said that she informed senior BBC managers but was not told to contact the police.
That is, A BBC producer failed to give police information that would have helped track down the July 21 bombers.

Hamid, by the way, referred to himself as Osama Bin London. On Tuesday he was found guilty of training men in secret camps in the Lake District and New Forest to prepare them to fight abroad, including the four failed suicide bombers of 21 July 2005.

UPDATE, Thursday February 28:
More on Osama bin London and British Terror Training Camps

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , ,

William F. Buckley Jr. Is Dead at 82

From Maria,
William F. Buckley Jr. Is Dead at 82

Back in my childhood I always found him amusing. The old guy with the huge vocabulary, who was able to debate anyone without rasing his voice. And he always looked like an old Oscar Werner, too.
(Of couse, WFB would not approve of the run-in sentence).

Once I left my liberal ways, I recognized WFB's contribution to the American conservative movement.

NRO has an excellent tribute here.

I'm sure the Good Lord told his angels to "Bring me a dictionary, Buckley's coming."

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: ,

"What do you see as the nature of a man?"

One of the best things about blogging is the excellent people you come in contact with. As I have repeatedly said, Siggy, who I have never met and don't even know what he looks like, has been a most supportive friend of my blogging and podcasting. Shane Borgess of (link has sound) Political Vindication and Political Vindication Radio also is another great guy I would have never come across if it weren't for blogging and am honored to count him as a friend.

(You can see that Shane is very handsome. If you want to know what Siggy looks like, ask him - don't ask me.)

Yesterday Siggy and Shane discussed how we create men and women in our society. Shane asked Siggy the question, "What do you see as the nature of a man?"

This is not a trivial question. The answer to how we see as the nature of a man defines how we as a society raise our childen, behave in every relationship (be it familial, professional, or sexual), and what we expect from other societies.

Siggy explained that men want to protect and solve problems. Women want to communicate: with great nuance when they raise children, and in a protective way. Shane said, "Men want to solve problems, women want to talk about them". Shane also saw independence as another factor in men's nature.

Do men want monogamy? What are the conditions for monogamy? Do men want to be idealized by their wives?

Is there such a thing as love as first sight?

You must listen to the entire podcast.

My special thanks to Shane and Siggy for having this wonderful conversation.

UPDATE
Husband of the year

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , , ,

What's in a name?

People are debating whether or not it is correct to refer to Obama as Barack Hussein Obama.

Hot Air has the video.

Cunningham (who by the way I'd never heard of until this morning) correctly mentions the business dealings with Rezko (see yesterday's post), and some other allegations that should be discussed and investigated.

Obama has also made his position clear on disarming America; Doug Ross has the video (h/t Larwyn):

...I will cut investments in unproven [sic] missile defense systems...
...I will not weaponize space...
...I will slow development of Future Combat Systems...
...and I will institute a "Defense Priorities Board" to [prevent] unnecessary spending...
...I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons...
...and to seek that goal, I will not develop nuclear weapons...
...I will seek a global ban on the development of fissile material...
...and I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBMs off hair-trigger alert...
...and to achieve deep cuts in our nuclear arsenals...
These are matters of national security. The future of our country depends on them. By the way, Gerard is rather suspicious of that video.

Video notwithstanding, Doug also links to Kudlow's list of Obama's voting record:
* Voted against extending the Bush tax cuts on capital gains and dividends.

* Voted against permanently repealing the Death Tax. (Called the cuts a "Paris Hilton" tax break for "billionaire heirs and heiresses")

* Voted against CAFTA.

* Voted YES on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25.

* Opposed the lifting of $0.54 per gallon tariff on cheaper Brazillian ethanol. Said, "ethanol imports are neither necessary nor a practical response to current gasoline prices."

* Voted against the bankruptcy abuse bill.

* Opposes privatizing Social Security

* Voted against drilling in ANWR.

* Voted against confirmation of Sam Alito AND John Roberts as chief justice.

* Voted against extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretap provision.

* Opposed any bans on partial birth abortions.
There's enough in there to give plenty of pause to any non-liberal.

Instead, what is the outrage about?

Cunningham called Obama, Barak Hussein Obama. Does it constitute pandering to fear and emotion?

Maybe.

But we would be better served if we started (finally) discussing what it is Obama stands for, instead of what his name implies or doesn't, or whether his wife made him quit smoking.

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , , ,

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

The Obama-Rezko-Auchi-Saddam link

I've spent most of the day attending to things other than the internet and blogging, but right before this morning's podcast Siggy brought to my attention this excellent post from Ed Morrissey,
Did Saddam Figure's Millions Influence Obama?
The Times of London follows the money in the journalistic tradition of Watergate and finds a strange connection between Tony Rezko, Barack Obama, and Nadhmi Auchi. The latter, one of Britain's richest men, has a long history of shady financial dealings as well as numerous connections to Saddam Hussein, who he helped to power. According to the Times, Auchi sent a lot of money to Rezko just before his wife bought property adjacent to the Obamas in a land deal that has already raised a lot of eyebrows.
The land deal involved a parcel of land that could only be accessed through the Obama property, therefore making it useless to anyone other than the Obamas.

The Times article is titled Mansion 'mistake' piles the pressure on Barack Obama, and, as Flopping Aces puts it,
How the three intertwine is by the fact that Rezko was pretty much owned by Mr. Auchi
Auchi is the thirteenth-richest man in Britain. So much for populism.

Rick Moran explains
Auchi is emerging as a key figure in the corruption trial of Rezko and also played a part in one of Rezko's attempts to exploit his relationship with Obama. Obama denies he ever did any favors for Rezko or his associates but the crooked Obama fundraiser told prosecutors that after Auchi gave him another "loan," he asked Obama to intervene with the State Department in order to get a visa for Auchi who was being denied entry into the US
And who is Auchi?
First of all, his business dealings make Rezko’s kickback schemes for political contributions look like the minor leagues of sleaze. Auchi had a hand in the biggest political and corporate scandal in post war Europe, the so-called "Elf Affair" where $2 billion francs up and disappeared from the French state oil company Elf.
Auchi was a long-time Saddam Hussein supporter. There's a lot more on Rezko and Auchi at Rick's post.

There's even a Rezkowatch blog.

What I don't understand is why this is not getting the publicity the Obama with the silly hat photos got yesterday. The media will bury this story even after Rezko gets convicted.

As Media Lizzy is mentioning in her podcast right now, Obama does not have the transparency issue that Hillary has, even considering this shady deal.

Will this become a non-issue? Very likely.

Or will it be Mansiongate?

We'll see what part the bloggers will play.

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , ,

FISA, global warming, and the new seal

Brian Faughnan, who I met at CPAC, posts,
So to sum it up: the Democratic leadership threw its weight around to block a bipartisan majority from getting a vote on a bill they supported to allow surveillance of foreign terrorists.

Who says Democrats aren't credible on national security?
Who, indeed!
--------------------------------------------------------------------

The Gore effect?
Temperature Monitors Report Widescale Global Cooling
Twelve-month long drop in world temperatures wipes out a century of warming.
...
All four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously.
Gateway Pundit has been noticing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Siggy's got a Proposed New Government Seal

Labels: ,

In this morning's podcast: How we create men and women in the US

UPDATE
You can listen to the podcast here

How we create men and women in the US and the effect of relationships between parents, children, and between the sexes. Siggy, Happy Catholic and Shane of Political Vindication talk about it today at 11AM Eastern.

The chat room's open by 10:45 and the call-in number is (646) 652-2639.

Join us!

Listen to Faustas blog on internet talk radio

Labels: , , ,

Behold, the "Charming Burka"

Via Larwyn, at Jammie Wearing Fool's Digital Repression: Behold the Bluetooth Burqa, a mind-boggling excercise in lunacy at Der Spiegel:
FOR THE MODERN MUSLIM WOMAN
Lifting the Veil Using a 'Bluetooth Burqa'


Say what? Burqas and modernity have absolutely nothing in common, dude. Take a look:

Makes me want to ask, whadssup?

Der Speigel asks,
Can a burqa be sexy?
Can an instrument of repression be sexy? Only to those who think women should wear chastity belts to avoid rape.

Of course the moron who wrote the article comes up with a masterpiece of euphemism to justify the burqa:
A burqa may not be the flirtiest garment ever invented for women.
You're darn right; It may not be, not by a long shot.

Seamed stockings, anyone?
The highly modest head-to-toe robe even shrouds the eyes, so for centuries it's been difficult for women wearing them to send suggestive signals to men.
So modest indeed that those shrouded eyes don't even get to see the traffic when crossing the street (never mind that it's a good costume for suicide bombers).

Where was this electronic garment of oppresion shown? Right here in the USA:
A model demonstrated a prototype of Kison's garment at the Seamless 2008 design and fashion show in Boston, a high-tech fashion event run with support from the Masschusetts Institute of Technology.
And
But Kison's new design turns a burqa into a walking MySpace page.
Peachy.

It's a combination of supporting the oppression of women by giving the woman a chance to show off at the same time.

Don't be surprised if next MIT/Seamless design and fashion show feature a chastity belt with GPS. For the "modern Muslim woman" who doesn't want to ask for directions, of course.

MEANWHILE...
While the Boston fashion show features the "Charming Burka", in Iran Shoppers Riot Against Modesty Police

Digg!

Update
Der Surrender continues.

Share on Facebook

Labels: ,

Monday, February 25, 2008

Falling Slowly

The Oscar winning song,


I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

I also liked Raise It Up

Labels:

What can you do in 15 seconds?

Via Jose and Maria,

Labels:

Paul wants to know, "WWBD?"

The other day my friend Paul Budline and I were discussing the fainting for Obama phenomenom and all the cult-like devotion, and Paul's now asking, "What Would Barack Do?"

To read Paul's questions go to my article at the Star Ledger's NJ Voices.

Labels: , ,

Spring Blogfest East now taking reservations

Spring Blogfest East a.k.a. Jersey Blogmeet now taking reservations:
When: Saturday April 5, 2008
6-11PM

Where: Sky Suite,
Triumph Brewing Company
138 Nassau Street
Princeton NJ 08540








You can pay through paypal, or you can make a $45 check payable to Fausta Wertz, PO Box 1589, Princeton NJ 08542-1589.

Bloggers who stay overnight in the Princeton area can continue the Blog Fest the next day, Sunday morning April 6, at JB Winberie's Restaurant, 1 Palmer Square East, Princeton, for brunch (not included in the $45 fee for the Triumph Brewery Saturday night buffet).

For more information on accomodations and directions, click here.

Labels:

The Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean

Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean.

If you would like your posts included in the Monday Carnivals, please email me your links, faustaw "at" yahoo "dot" com.

Last week's big story was Castro's resignation. I did a huge roundup and follow=up, but Babalu did an excellent job covering the story. Babalu's Val Prieto was in our podcast.

Let's start with some humor:
Top Ten Reasons Fidel Castro Is Retiring

MEDIA:
New Spanish TV channel – online and totally free

BAHAMAS
How Castro's Exit will Affect Cuba and the Bahamas

BRAZIL
Raul prefers Lula over Hugo? Lula and McCain are on the same page

Whodunnit? A strange theft of oil and gas secrets

COLOMBIA
Betancourt: 6 Years As Colombian Captive

Big Labor Can't Handle the Truth About Colombia

No Mas Farc, by Mario Vargas Llosa (in Spanish)

Kouchner in Colombia gets told by Uribe

Colombia rebels get foothold in Venezuela

COSTA RICA
Costa Rican National Parks, and Costa Rican Food.

CUBA
Freed dissidents expose Castro's brutal regime

Perhaps Michael Moore could talk with these gentlemen

Attention Gitmo protesters, the only one torturing political prisoners on the Isle of Cuba is Castro

RAUL CASTRO'S LONG HISTORY OF CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

Ending Embargo Won't Free Cuba

MARK FALCOFF: CASTRO RAISES A TOAST

Castro Resigns! Sanctions Work!

Council on Foreign Relations: Manners Over Life?

By Tottenpundit, Golf courses will return to Cuba

Cuba Warms to the US

Raul Disses Hugo

Cuba's Phony Transition: Fidel Resigns, Raul Reigns, also at HACER



Castro's Legacy, the Economist's cover story.

Fidelistas forever

La victoire des barbudos a réveillé en l'intelligentsia française une vieille passion française pour la révolution

Via Larwyn, Selective Ignorance

El cadáver insepulto de Fidel Castro

Statement on Cuba's Transition from Secretary Condoleezza Rice

Fidel Castro urges changes in U.S., not Cuba
Retired leader says democracy in Cuba would mean 'annexation' by U.S


CUBA LIBRE: NEXT STEP FOR ISLAND SHOULD BE DEMOCRACY

History will never absolve Castro

Models for Cuba

People Don't Improve What They Don't Own

ECUADOR
Correa is Truly Aligned in Every Sense with Chavez

MEXICO
Mexico under siege, via Real Clear Politics.

NICARAGUA
Ortega burps: "Castro is still the leader"

PARAGUAY
Mengele in Paraguay
On the jungle trail of the Nazi doctor.
Via Meganpundit

Paraguay in a panic over yellow fever

PUERTO RICO
McCain gets Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico’s Political Melodrama Plays On, With Its Governor in the Lead Role

London Times Story Urges Travel to Cuba Before 'Golden Era' Ends

Castro: Not a president

TRINIDAD TOBAGO
Radical Islam in the Caribbean

VENEZUELA
The Bolivar obsession

Tragedy strikes one more time on Venezuelan air

Chavez Officially Merges with Iran

Rationing cards, another smart Chavista invention coming soon at a PDVAL market near you

An interesting series of events:
Los lodos que traen los polvos de Hugo Chávez, Estalla artefacto explosivo en sede de Fedecámaras - Un muerto, and Fuente: Carlos Arreaza director de PoliChacao

Exxon v PDVSA? Hugo Chavez v Venezuela actually

Special thanks to Siggy, Larwyn, Maggie, Maria and Elisa.

I started this Carnival with humor, and I'm ending it with humor: Yesterday Pat's Carnival featured the dancing Fidel:


UPDATE
Commenter Joated requested news on Guyana:
Guyana's crime challenge
Massacres cutting into Guyana tourism
Guyana struggling to cope with tragedy
I'll make sure to include Guyana news in all future carnivals.

Blogging about the Carnival
GM Roper

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Sunday, February 24, 2008

The Beeb calls them "conservatives"

The news: A bunch of guys go to the mall to check out the girls, and they get arrested after the mutaween filed a complaint.

Saudi men arrested for 'flirting'
Prosecutors in Saudi Arabia have begun investigating 57 young men who were arrested on Thursday for flirting with girls at shopping centres in Mecca.

The men are accused of wearing indecent clothes, playing loud music and dancing in order to attract the attention of girls, the Saudi Gazette reported.
The How does the Beeb describe the mutaween?
The mutaween enforce Saudi Arabia's conservative brand of Islam, Wahhabism.
Backwards, repressive, sexually frustrated, yes. "Conservative"? Only in the Beeb's perverse eyes.

Another attempt of the Beeb to associate American conservatism with Islamist backwardness?

Probably.

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , ,

Give it up, Ralph

Nader announces another presidential bid

Labels:

The Turn of the Screw, and other Sunday items

The Fox Movie Channel is playing The Innocents, with Deborah Kerr, the film adaptation Henry James's The Turn of the Screw.

The Turn of the Screw kept you wondering if you were reading a ghost story or a tale of insanity.

Deborah Kerr is always an excellent actress and she was particularly good at portraying women tottering at the edge of insanity (in Black Narcissus she not only tottered but fell in head first). In The Innocents she makes perfect sense at the same time as the back of your mind tells you she's totally nuts.

The Innocents is an enthralling movie showcasing a tour de force performance by one of the best film actresses of the 20th Century.


--------------------------------------------------------------------

This week's WSJ's 5-Best Books, on psychology, chosen by Steven Pinker:




I read The Nurture Assumption several years ago and found it fascinating.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's shoes:
Merrell" Relay Tour. Very comfortable, sporty, and look great. They tend to run small, so order a 1/2 larger just in case.


--------------------------------------------------------------------

Pat has the Carnival of the Insanities, complete with the dancing fidel

Labels: , , ,

Saturday, February 23, 2008

The Wall Street Journal Looks at the State of the Toll and Spend State

My latest article is now up at the Star Ledger's NJ Voices website.

Labels: , ,

Now with Paypal, Saturday April 5: Spring Blogfest East (a/k/a Jersey Blogmeet)








Spring BlogFest East a.k.a. Jersey Blogmeet is approaching fast.

When: Saturday April 5, 2008
6-11PM

Where: Sky Suite,
Triumph Brewing Company
138 Nassau Street
Princeton NJ 08540

Buffet Menu:
Hors d'oeuvres
House salad
Organic New York Strip "Prime Rib"
Seared Salmon with Pineapple-Mango Coulis
Tortellini with Tomato Parmesan Sauce
Chocolate covered white cake with peanut butter mousse and strawberry jam


How much: $45 per person, plus CASH BAR

You can pay through paypal, or you can make a $45 check payable to Fausta Wertz, PO Box 1589, Princeton NJ 08542-1589.

Triumph Brewing Company needs to know ahead of time the number of people attending. Please reserve early since the Sky Suite has capacity for only 75 people.

Bloggers who stay overnight in the Princeton area can continue the Blog Fest the next day, Sunday morning April 6, at JB Winberie's Restaurant, 1 Palmer Square East, Princeton, for brunch (not included in the $45 fee for the Triumph Brewery Saturday night buffet).

For more information please click here.

If you are a blogger and you're attending, please also invite your readers and link here.

Labels: ,

Raul prefers Lula over Hugo? Lula and McCain want real change in Cuba

Last night Expat commented,
Yesterday Captains Quarters had a post on about Raul rejecting Chavez for Lula. The report cited said that Lula pressed Raul to allow dissent and to free political prisoners. I haven't seen anything else on this topic. Have you heard anything?
I didn't find anything offhand at Captain's Quarters on it,
CORRECTION:
Here's Ed's post, and also Brian Faughnan's post, with apologies to both Ed and Brian for the omission.

but Mercopress Independent News Agency has a report from Lula's visit to Havana last month :Raul Castro asks Lula da Silva help with transition process
Cuba's interim president Raul Castro requested advise and help from Brazil's Luis Inacio Lula da Silva "to accelerate the political and economic transition process" in the island according to Wednesday edition of the prestigious Folha de Sao Paulo.

The newspaper reports that during the January Brazilian presidential visit to Havana, Raul Castro praised Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez for having helped Cuba “in a particularly tough moment of the ongoing confrontation with the United States George W Bush administration”.

Nevertheless Fidel Castro brother is quoted saying that Brazil "is a far more convenient associate than Venezuela's Chavez", for the transition period.
Who leaked the story?
The Folha de Sao Paulo piece based on data allegedly disclosed by members of the Brazilian government delegation that visited Cuba with the Brazilian president, says that Raul also requested Lula da Silva to convince United States to end the economic embargo dating back to 1962, and which President Bush has made even stricter.
Interestingly, Lula pressured Raul on human rights,
Lula da Silva went further and suggested to the Cuban interim president "gestures in the field of human rights (release of political prisoners), evidence of a real transition intent and not only a follow up of the Chinese model (economic opening and iron hand in politics)"
In yesterday's Bloggers' Call, John McCain insisted on the same if the US is going to talk to Cuba.

McCain specifically stated (and I'm quoting him verbatim from the notes I took during the Bloggers' call) that "the danger of [unconditionally] sitting down with Raul is that it legitimizes Raul and his regime", and "everything we do to legitimize him will be a mistake and will lead to further misfortune". Earlier in the call, McCain had said, ""We should be very clear [that we'll talk] after prisons are emptied, there are free elections, human rights organizations are allowed in, and after his brother has the chance to meet Karl Marx."

UPDATE
Welcome, Tottenpundit readers! Please visit often.

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , , , , ,

Moral Thinking: Pentecostals vs Episcopalians

At The Economist, Human evolution: Moral Thinking
Biology invades a field philosophers thought was safely theirs
WHENCE morality? That is a question which has troubled philosophers since their subject was invented. Two and a half millennia of debate have, however, failed to produce a satisfactory answer. So now it is time for someone else to have a go. And at a panel discussion at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, a group of biologists did just that.

Mark Hauser, of Harvard University, opened the batting by asking whether morality is more than just the refined application of the emotions. He thinks that it is. Human brains, he believes, have a separate morality module.
The researchers looked Protestant students: Pentecostals, which tend to be conservatives, and Episcopalians, which tend to be liberals
(In Princeton, the Church of the Latter Day Globally Warmed Liberal Saints I used to go to is an Episcopal church; I have yet to meet any Pentecostals, but I digress).

I found this particular paragraph interesting:
Dr Wilson and Dr Storm found several unexpected differences between the groups. Liberal teenagers always felt more stress than conservatives, but were particularly stressed if they could not decide for themselves whom they spent time with. Such choice, or the lack of it, did not change conservative stress levels. Liberals were also loners, spending a quarter of their time on their own. Conservatives were alone for a sixth of the time. That may have been related to the fact that liberals were equally bored by their own company and that of others. Conservatives were far less bored when with other people. They also preferred the company of relatives to non-relatives. Liberals were indifferent. Perhaps most intriguingly, the more religious a liberal teenager claimed to be, the more he was willing to confront his parents with dissenting beliefs. The opposite was true for conservatives.
Wilson then jumps to conclusions,
Dr Wilson suspects that the liberal package of individualism and confrontation is the appropriate response to survival in a stable environment in which there is leisure for learning and reflection, and the consequences for a group's stability of such dissent are low. The conservative package of collectivism and conformity, by contrast, works in an unstable environment where joint action, and thus obedience to their group, are at a premium. It is an interesting suggestion, and it is one that plays into the question of how morality actually evolved.
My experience in this very liberal town, where even from the pulpit we were preached the virtues of voting for John Kerry and accepting unthinkingly the Global Warming faith, is that it takes a real individualist to stand away from the collectivist conformity of the obedience to the liberal group.

In another study by Samuel Bowles, of the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, Dr. Bowles thinks that the virtues of human collaboration are so great that groups composed of genuine, self-sacrificing altruists would outcompete others.

I'm sure we'll be reading more about these studies.
Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels:

From this morning's email basket:

"Don't vote for McCain because he's ... bald."

What in the world?

Clearly the author of that post misjudged me:

--------------------------------------------------------------------

When I first did the Patrick Stewart post above, Jeremayakovka reminded us all of Johnny Carson's "Daddy Sang Bass (mamma sang tenor)", so here's the video:


Jeremayakovka's got The O-Bomb Threat

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Le Monde interviewed Little Miss Atilla, and she looks marvelous!
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Michelle Obama's Princeton thesis is now public. Jammie Wearing Fool has the links (h/t Larwyn).

If I have time, I'll read it, but to me what counts is what she's saying now, which bears all the signs of Ivy League Populism (h/t M.).

Barack means "blessing" in Arabic.

Isn't that precious.

From Maria, Habla Usted English, Mrs. Obama?
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Now the Iranians are holding mass executions of people "offending the sacred". (h/t Larwyn)
--------------------------------------------------------------------

In an effort to remake Weekend at Bernie's as performance art on the Oscars' red carpet, Michael Moore wants to bring Castro to the Oscars (h/t Laura).

Speaking of Castro, Mark Falkoff remembers a dinner from 2001. Castro was cleary senile even then, but the ones who were wrong not to act immediately were the Americans.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

The Anchoress is Grateful for art.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Poonovation. Take The Tour

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , , , , , ,

Friday, February 22, 2008

Friday night Bei mir bist du schön

Via Maria, a song,

Labels:

Today's Bloggers' Call with Sen. McCain

Sen. Johm McCain opened the call by hoping for a good outcome in the Belgrade situation despite the outbreak of violence at the embassies, and remaked that Putin's statements are outrageous. He also criticized Barak Obama saying that Obama would talk unconditionally to Raul Castro, since Raul Castro has condemmed people to death, maintained the Cuban prison system and has sponsored terror. "We should be very clear [that we'll talk] after prisons are emptied, there are free elections, human rights organizations are allowed in, and after his brother has the chance to meet Karl Marx."
(UPDATE, Saturday, Feb. 23: Reuters noticed, too.)

The rest of the call was questions from the bloggers, namely, Arizona Republic, Jennifer Rubin of Human Events, Matt Lewis, Town Hall, James Joyner of Outside the Beltway, Phillip Klein of American Spectator, Real Clear Politics, Abe Greenwald, Commentary, and myself. (click on the links for those bloggers' posts on the call)

I asked Sen. McCain what his position was on the Akaka Bill, i.e., the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005. He replied that he had looked at that legistation a couple of years ago, and being a Federalist, believes that the Hawaiians themselves should make decisions in their state. At the time he was very concerned about an issue that was settled at the time of statehood, that is, that native Hawaiians would not be accorded the status of native Americans. The State of Hawaii has come a long way towards helping the education and economic progress of native Hawaiians. He asked me if the legislation would be coming up again, and I stated it can be (see last Tuesday's podcast).

Se. McCain was very concerned about the passage of that legislation, and the issue seemed to get very hot. He had met with the governor of Hawaii, and then the legislation died in the Senate. If it's resurrected again, he'll have to be briefed again, but he's very concerned if it would.

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , , , , ,

The view from my front door



We have 6" of snow on the ground, enough to have the schools closed for the day.

I hope the bugs froze.
Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels:

"When backing Barack feels like joining a cult"

While the BBC says that Senator Barack Obama is proving hard to stop, Boston Herald columnist Margery Eagan, a self proclaimed "Obama girl" is having some misgivings: When backing Barack feels like joining a cult
I’m nervous about the "O'Bambi" factor. Will the terrorists move in next door when Obama’s in the White House?

I'm nervous because too many Obama-philes sound like Moonies, or Hare Krishnas, or the Hale-Bopp-Is-Coming-To-Get-Me nuts.
Applause for blowing his nose included.
Oh - I'm nervous because it's all gone to his head and he hasn't even won yet.

I'm nervous because it's gone to a lot of other people's heads as well. Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings introduced Obama last week in Baltimore and said, "This is not a campaign for president of the United States, this is a movement to change the world."
And to save your soul, too.

Do you really want a President with a Messianic agenda?

I certainly don't.

Then there's the reality of the Obama campaign: Sister Toldjah explores Barack Obama's ties to lobbyists and special interests
Let's break this down: Obama saw the influence of lobbyists during his two little years in Washington, so he wanted to "take a different approach" to fundraising (cough) - which, as I noted before, now includes collecting cash from state lobbyists. This, in spite of the fact that as a state senator in Illinois for 8 years, surely he had to have seen the influence lobbyists had/have over state politicians - and what even the taint of having a lobbyist associated with a politician had to look like. Surely he knew this, because he took big money from them.

Obama's "disdain" for lobbyists hasn't stopped him from having - you guessed it - state lobbyists play prominent roles in his campaign.
There are also those foreign millions for Obama I posted about the other day. Sister Toldjah continues,
Regarding his (non-transparent) contributions of $200 or less, which constitute over $47 million to his campaign, that's obviously very impressive, but over $92,000,000 has contributed by the $201+ donors, with $49 million of that being $2000+ donors.

As I noted earlier, my intent isn't to make BO out to be this evil Washington ogre, but instead to prove that he's no stranger to how the game works. He's not a Washington outsider, and outside of being charming and eloquent, is not that different that most other Washington politicians and his agenda is pretty much standard fare for his side of the aisle. Dazzling smile and killer speeches aside, Barack Obama is a half term US Senator who served 8 years in the Illinois state senate, and who has gotten where he is today with an incredible amount of luck and smarts and help, and not just fom "the people," but from big money, too.
But back to Obama girl Eagan; her question is,
I'm nervous because John McCain says Obama's is "an eloquent but empty call for change" and in the wee, wee hours, a nagging voice whispers, suppose McCain's right, too? Then what?
Then what, indeed.

UPDATE
Via "They were actually capturing tally-ban weapons because it was easier getting Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current Commander in Chief."

From Gateway Pundit commenter Amy Proctor:
Okay, Gateway, hubby e-mailed me pretty upset over the Obama transcript. He said this:

1. CPT's command companies, not platoons.
2. Platoons are not divided up to go to 2 different theaters, EVER.
3. There is no ammo shortage in OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan). Many platoons are deployed to remote sites in the mountains and require aerial resupply. Those resupply missions are dependent on favorable weather conditions.
4. Taliban weapons are usually not very good and we would not use them without a very high level of command approval.
5. The CDR in Chief is so high above the platoon level that comment doesn't even deserve a response.

He's just trying to exploit democratic boilerplate about OIF being a diversion from "the good war" (OEF). He's wrong on many levels. We are winning in OIF. I just left Baghdad. We have everything we need except for our OWN government to be united behind victory in OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom)
More at Amy Proctor's blog.

Kat says Obama's got his countries confused.

UPDATE 2
That captain story goes down the shredder, Matthew Igleasias believes it.


Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , , ,

In today's podcast: JD Johannes of Outside the Wire

Today at 11AM Eastern Outside the Wire's documentary filmmaker JD Johannes of talks to Siggy and I about his documentary film series on the Marines in Iraq.

I'll open chat by 10:45, and the call-in number is (646) 652-2639. Join us!

Listen to Faustas blog on internet talk radio

Digg!

Share on Facebook

Labels: , , , ,

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Announcing Spring Blog Fest East: Saturday April 5, Triumph Brewery

Parkway Rest Stop and Fausta's Blog cordially invite you to

SPRING BLOG FEST EAST

When: Saturday April 5, 2008
6-11PM

Where: Sky Suite,
Triumph Brewing Company
138 Nassau Street
Princeton NJ 08540

Buffet Menu:
Hors d'oeuvres
House salad
Organic New York Strip "Prime Rib"
Seared Salmon with Pineapple-Mango Coulis
Tortellini with Tomato Parmesan Sauce
Chocolate covered white cake with peanut butter mousse and strawberry jam


How much: $45 per person, plus CASH BAR

I'm in the process of setting up a paypall account, but in the meantime you can make a check payable to Fausta Wertz, PO Box 1589, Princeton NJ 08542-1589.

Please reserve early since the Sky Suite has capacity for only 75 people.

Bloggers who stay overnight in the Princeton area can continue the Blog Fest the next day, Sunday morning April 6, at JB Winberie's Restaurant, 1 Palmer Square East, Princeton, for brunch (not included in the $45 fee for the Triumph Brewery Saturday night buffet).

Accomodations in the Princeton area:
Within walking distance of Triumph Brewery: The Nassau Inn, 10 Palmer Square, Princeton NJ
Three miles from Triumph Brewery: The Palmer Inn 609-716-9100
Courtyard Marriott Princeton 609-716-9100 .

Any questions? Email faustaw "at" yahoo "dot" com


PS, To those of you asking, it's "Spring" BlogFest because if it's a success we might have another one later in the year, and "East" because I don't know of any other in the region, but I may be wrong. If there's another BlogFest in Spring in the East, we might change the name to "Spring BlogFest NJ", or even more specific, "Spring BlogFest Princeton".

How to get to Princeton:
Princeton has its own (small) airport, but you can also fly into Philadelphia and drive into Princeton (apprx. 1 1/2 hr drive), or fly into Newark Airport and take NJ Transit to Princeton Junction and change to the train to Princeton.
NJ Transit runs trains from Philadelphia and New York City. You can also use Amtrak from locations in the East.
For driving directions, here's how to get to Triumph Brewing Co.

UPDATE, Saturday
Paypal now active:





Labels: ,