If you are like my wife and I, your pets are a part of the family. Indeed, for us our dog actually is our family, since we have no kids. She even wrote this yearÂ’s holiday missive to friends and family members around the country.

But when your pet is family, it can be frustrating to travel. Many hotels do not allow pets. That limits your travel options. But instead of staying at home or traveling without your beloved pet, you can check out the list of Pet Friendly Hotels at OfficialPetHotels.com. This way you can travel with your furry four-legged friend or family member, and not feel guilty about having to leave that precious pet behind. Trust me – your pet will prefer traveling with you to staying behind in a kennel.

Posted by: Greg at 06:42 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 135 words, total size 1 kb.

I don't do geeky quizzes very often, but Hube over at Colossus of Rhodey scored an 85, so I had to try to beat him.

	I received 92 credits on The Sci Fi Sounds Quiz How much of a Sci-Fi geek are you?
Take the Sci-Fi Movie Quiz canon s5 is

Not only that, but I beat Jonah Goldberg from National Review, too!

OK -- who wants to shoot for a perfect score?

Posted by: Greg at 03:24 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 79 words, total size 2 kb.

Labor unions are up in arms over this one -- but ignore the fact that this is a restriction that can be easily circumvented.

The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that employers have the right to prohibit workers from using the companyÂ’s e-mail system to send out union-related messages, a decision that could hamper communications between labor unions and their membership.

In a 3-to-2 ruling released on Friday, the board held that it was legal for employers to prohibit union-related e-mail so long as employers had a policy barring employees from sending e-mail for “non-job-related solicitations” for outside organizations.

The ruling is a significant setback to the nationÂ’s labor unions, which argued that e-mail systems have become a modern-day gathering place where employees should be able to communicate freely with co-workers to discuss work-related matters of mutual concern.

Imagine that -- the work email system should be used for work. You aren't allowed to use your work email for union activity -- which is akin to using company letterhead for union solicitations.

There is, of course, a way around this. With all the FREE email programs out there -- Gmail and the like -- you can establish an address that you are can use for union activity as much as you want. And you can still send your notices TO employees at their company email address under the decision. And employees could, presumably, use their work address to email back to that free email address.

Posted by: Greg at 03:09 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 254 words, total size 2 kb.

Yes, there are many good blogging platforms out there. That includes a number that have the distinct advantage of being free, and therefore not costing you a penny. Well, I've recently come across a new one that appears sort of interesting to me at http://www.thoughts.com/.

Yes, that's right -- Thoughts.com offers you a free blog with many great features, including participation in a free blog community. And it is much more than that. For example, they recognize that many bloggers like to have a lot of graphics and photos on their websites, so you get great, high-speed uploading of your photos and other graphics files as a part of the free service. And in addition, you can also upload video and host it right from your own site – no more relying on YouTube and hoping that the code works right and the video isn’t removed. Even better, you have podcasting capabilities available through Thoughts.com, too. You also have the ability to create friends lists like on other big-name social networking sites. Good grief! What more could you ask for as a novice blogger – or even an experienced one?

Now all of that is in addition to all of the regular features we have come to expect. So what are you waiting for? If you are interested in trying your hand at blogging, check out Thoughts.com "!

Posted by: Greg at 03:07 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 230 words, total size 1 kb.

And we know which party ACORN is a surrogate for.

Eight people have been charged with faking voter registration forms in St. Louis city and county in 2006, federal authorities announced today.

The federal indictments were unsealed this morning. Some of the accused have not been arrested yet, so their names are being withheld.

The eight people were employed as voter registration recruiters by ACORN, the not-for-profit Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. ACORN ran a voter registration drive for the general election in November 2006.

This organization is involved in such cases again and again and again. There have been indictments, and convictions, in a number of states. I therefore find it difficult to accept at face value the claim that they are opposed to vote fraud.

Posted by: Greg at 02:39 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 137 words, total size 1 kb.

WouldnÂ’t it be great to be on a cruise trip sipping your favorite wine, dining on fine foods and dancing the night away with the one you love? WouldnÂ’t it be a wonderful experience to spend your day, soaking up the beautiful scenery and warm sun on a tropical beach? Imagine getting away to someplace without daily grind of work schedules, mundane daily tasks, or day-to-day drudgery in order to have a spectacular vacation. Doesn't it sound heavenly?

Holiday Travel of America can make those dreams happen, helping to ensure that you have the best vacation ever. Their mission? “Lower your overall marketing cost, increase the value of incentive offered, increase your store’s foot traffic and more importantly increase your sales revenue.”

This great company was established in 1988 and they have earned a reputation of giving full satisfaction to all their clients and customers. The staff is prompt, courteous and professional in assisting and accommodating their clientsÂ’ needs according to their many satisfied customers. Simply by filling out the form on their website will allow their representatives to answer your questions about your proposed travel plans during normal business hours.

Are there advantages to booking your trips early? Of course there are! We all know that early birds often catch some of the best available deals, meaning you save more money and be able to do more on your holiday. And with many of the most popular destinations in high demand, its not always easy to be fulfill your dreams for a perfect vacation without thinking and planning in advance. Also, the more flexible you are, the greater your chances of grabbing cheap tickets and low room rates.

Holiday Travel of America has received multiple awards and accolades from its satisfied customers. It is certainly to your advantage to consider http://www.holidayways.com when you want to book a trip to an exotic locale for your vacation getaway!

Posted by: Greg at 06:49 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 325 words, total size 2 kb.

After a Christmas party my wife and I attended last night, I have a few pieces of holiday advice for Ron Paul supporters.

1) Proper Christmas celebration headgear is a Santa hat, not a "Ron Paul for President" ball cap.

2) It is appropriate to share pictures (including those on your cell phone) of your family, pets, and close friends with other guests. It is not appropriate to share photos of Ron Paul with other guests in order to prove how close you got to him at a rally.

3) "He does have some interesting ideas" is properly understood as "He and his supporters are loons," not an opening to invite a Democrat to cross over to vote in the GOP primary (this is especially true when she is married to the GOP precinct chair/election judge).

4) "My cousin was seriously wounded in Iraq" is intended to shut down further discussion of Ron Paul, not encourage discussion of his plan to get us out of Iraq, the problem with the military-industrial complex, and Washington's words about entangling alliances in his Farewell Address.

5) "Would you like some more chips" are words intended to distract you from further discussion of Ron Paul by filling your mouth with food, not an invitation to discussion of the federal budget and Ron Paul's plans to eliminate everything that he considers to be unconstitutional federal spending.

6) No, we don't want to know when Ron Paul is going to next be on C-Span. Don't ask, don't tell.

7) Comments about the amusing video another guest saw on YouTube are small-talk, not a request for you to drag someone back to the host's computer to show her the latest videos from Ron Paul and his supporters.

Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Sorry, that means we don't believe that Ron Paul is the Messiah, even if you do.

9) When someone steers the conversation to something other than Ron Paul (the guacamole dip, for example), that doesn't mean they want you to relate the new topic to Ron Paul and his campaign for President.

10) Shut up. We don't want to hear about Ron Paul. Really.

So, all you Truthers, conspiracy theorists, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other Ron Paul supporters reading my words from your room in your Mom's basement, feel free to print out this post and refer back to it so that your friends(?) and family members can have a Merry Christmas.

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Outside the Beltway, Stop the ACLU, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, The Midnight Sun, Rosemary's Thoughts, guerrilla radio, 123beta, Adam's Blog, Right Truth, Stix Blog, Shadowscope, Leaning Straight Up, Cao's Blog, The Amboy Times, Big Dog's Weblog, Chuck Adkins, Conservative Cat, Nuke's, third world county, Faultline USA, Allie is Wired, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove, Blue Star Chronicles, The Pink Flamingo, Right Voices, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Posted by: Greg at 03:58 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
Post contains 507 words, total size 5 kb.

Proving that a certain GOP presidential candidate doesn't know jack about our nation's foreign policy.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stuck a toe in the presidential race Friday, taking strong issue after Republican Mike Huckabee accused the administration of having an "arrogant bunker mentality" on foreign policy.

"The idea that somehow this is a go-it-alone policy is just simply ludicrous," she said, briefly weighing in on politics during a State Department news conference in Washington. "One would only have to be not observing the facts, let me say that, to say that this is now a go-it-alone foreign policy."

In response, Huckabee said he held Rice in high regard but questioned whether she had read the entire Foreign Affairs journal article in which he made the "bunker mentality" remark that has drawn fire from fellow Republican candidates.

"Certainly she has a right to speak out. She's still a citizen. I respect her very much," Huckabee told reporters as he campaigned in Iowa.

But he added: "Did she actually read the article or is she reacting as others have to the headlines and to the synopsis that has been printed?"

No, Governor, she read the whole thing -- and she is reacting to the comments of an amateur who is willing to lie about our foreign policy for his own political advantage. Fine, we expect that from Democrats. We expect that from Ron Paul. And now it seems we should expect such things from you. What do all of these individuals have in common -- THEY ARE NOT CONSERVATIVES.

Posted by: Greg at 05:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 262 words, total size 2 kb.

Thanks to Blogs for Victory for highlighting the sort of folks Mike Huckabee sees as a vital part of his campaign.

The Republican presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, has been garnering attention in the media with his surge in political polls. However, a campaign stop this Sunday by Huckabee at a mega-church whose pastor sees Hitler as linked to the Catholic Church, could soon steal the spotlight.

According to Mike HuckabeeÂ’s campaign website, the controversial stop at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas will take place this Sunday, December 23. He will speak at the church's two Sunday services at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m.

Hagee is clearly a hate-monger of the worst sort. He not only peddles theological opposition to Catholicism (which is fine), but he actually resorts to historical lies to support his position (witness, for example, his comments on the Church and Hitler -- both Pius XI and Pius XII spoke out against Hitler repeatedly). If Huckabeast wants to court such folks -- who use the same rhetoric about Catholicism that the KKK did for generations -- then he is more than welcome to do so. But it is incumbent upon every decent Republican to condemn him for doing so. There is no place for such bigots and bigotry in the Republican Party.

Posted by: Greg at 05:18 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 224 words, total size 2 kb.

I grew up a fan of the Washington Redskins, though I never had a chance to attend a game. Indeed, I finally did get to see them play in St. Louis when I was in my mid-30s, after the Rams moved there.

And today I am a big fan of the Houston Texans, with season tickets. But I would drop those tickets in a minute if this sort of stuff ever became the standard at Reliant Stadium.

I went to my last professional football game this month. My son and I braved frigid, remote FedEx Field to see our beloved Chicago Bears, the fallen Super Bowl champions, humiliated 24-16 by the struggling Washington Redskins. It wasn't the depth of our despair that will keep us away from football stadiums for good but the depravity of the fans.

I suppose depravity is a strong word. But what better describes drunken adult men, egged on by other grown beer-swillers, belly-shouting the most spectacular obscenities imaginable as they stand next to a 13-year-old boy? Every play was a competition to produce a more vile insult or a different suggestion about which Bear body part might be stuffed up which orifice. When the Redskins scored their first touchdown, four young women -- I'm guessing they were in high school -- turned around and did a little stripper's dance that made my son blush as I cringed. Even putting aside their ages, it was too cold to bare flesh.

Within 10 minutes of kickoff, I knew I had made a terrible mistake taking my son to the game.

The looming aggression and violence was more troubling than the foul language and drunken boorishness. Some of the men near us were enraged and barely in control of themselves. When Bears quarterback Rex Grossman went down with a knee injury, two obese drunks behind us bellowed that they hoped the [expletive] [expletive] would never walk again. They did this over and over, adding slurs and suggested tortures.

I had already pointed out to these gentlemen that there were kids around. They glared at me, furious. It was obvious to me that if I pursued it, there would be a fight or a screaming match.

And as a season ticket holder, I find this part of the story to be even worse.

My son wore a Bears jersey concealed under his layers of fleece and down. A man two rows in front of us who looked like Cpl. Klinger from "M*A*S*H" took it upon himself to needle my son every time something bad happened to the Bears, which happened a lot. He would turn and stare at him and wave goodbye in a threatening way. I know he was trying to be funny, ribbing us in good spirit. But when I asked him to stop, he just shook his head. The very nice man next to me, a season-ticket holder, told me that if I just waited until the second half, the guy would be too drunk to stand.

That isn't the way things are in our part of Reliant Stadium, or in other parts from my experience (and I've been to 90% of the Texans home games since the team was created). We have an alert staff of ushers and off-duty cops who make sure that everyone has a good time at the game, and that the place is family friendly. They even put up a phone number on the jumbotron for you to call if someone in your area is out-of-hand -- and they do take action.

Indeed, our biggest problem is fans coming from out of town to watch the games. I've been spit on by a Cowboy's fan and throughly cursed by a sluttily dressed Dolphinette for demanding that she quit move so that my wife could get to the bathroom from our handicapped accessible seat ("Move for the wheelchair!" was such an unreasonable expectation). One was thrown out of the stadium, and the other would have been arrested if he hadn't run off into the crowd. But other than the occasional drunk getting a bit out of hand, I've not observed the sort of problems described in this column here in Houston.

That's not to say that there isn't taunting -- there is. The funniest may have been a few weeks back when all the Saints fans started chanting "Reggie! Reggie!" after Reggie Bush made a first down near the goal line -- and when he lost the ball on the 1-yard line the very next play, we all dutifully turned around and reciprocated with the same chant of "Reggie! Reggie!" in honor of the running back we didn't draft a year ago. There was even a bit of laughter from both sides. And therein lies the key -- we are there for fun, for entertainment.

So Dick, I hope you don't give up on the NFL. If you get a chance, bring the boy down here to Houston for a game and see how football can be done right.

Posted by: Greg at 05:08 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 847 words, total size 5 kb.

I've refrained from commenting on this matter for a couple of days -- I wasn't sure how to approach it -- but the story in today's Houston Chronicle merits some mention.

International space station astronaut Dan Tani offered a passionate tribute to his mother on Friday, two days before her funeral service in the Chicago suburb of Lombard, Ill.

Rose Tani, 90, died Wednesday of injuries suffered when her car was struck by a freight train in the community 20 miles west of Chicago.

"My mother was a complete joy," said Tani in a statement distributed by NASA, his first public comments on her death. "Those who knew her will know that words cannot describe her vitality, generosity and warmth. She was my hero. We will all miss her dearly."

The tragedy marked the first time an American astronaut has experienced the loss of an immediate family member while on a space mission.

* * *

Services for Rose Tani were scheduled for Sunday at 1:30 p.m., CST, at the First Church of Lombard United Church of Christ, where the family has worshipped for years.

Other survivors include sons Richard and Steven and daughter Christine.

Tani planned to record a tribute to his mother from the space station to be played at Sunday's service.

Also, Tani's family plans to record the service so that it can be transmitted to him later by NASA, said Evans.

My heartfelt condolences go out to the Tani family as they face this shocking tragedy. They are in my prayers at this time.

This is a reminder of something that NASA folks take for granted, but we outside of the space program never even think about.

"Living on the space station means that I experience all aspects of life — be they joyous or tragic — while circling the Earth without a convenient way to return," said Tani. "Of course, I was aware of this situation before my mission, and I fully accept that I will proudly complete my mission and join my family when I return."

Thursday night, the men from church had our annual Christmas party. I was part of the minority there who had no NASA connection, either current or former NASA employees or contractors. I asked about this situation, and was somewhat surprised to find that there actually was already a protocol for handling this sort of situation. And as Dan Tani points out, the reality of space travel is that there is really no option for coming home in such a situation.

Posted by: Greg at 04:15 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 432 words, total size 3 kb.

It may, according to some analysts, as the law's requirements of less safe, less popular cars with higher fuel efficiency kick in.

For automakers, tougher fuel economy laws signed by President Bush this week represent a big challenge. For Houston's petrochemical industry, they could mean big business.

To hit the targets, automakers not only will need to develop more efficient engine technologies, but reduce the weight of vehicles, a shift that could open the door for greater use of plastics.

Chemical plants in this region produce many of the raw plastics that already are being used to make auto components.

"Materials manufactured at our facilities in Texas and many other areas of the world will be instrumental in meeting customer needs and new industry standards," said Steve Henderson, president of the Americas for Dow Automotive in Auburn Hills, Mich. The company has manufacturing sites in Freeport, Seadrift and LaPorte that produce materials used in automotive components.

But while chemical companies see opportunity ahead, others see limits to how much plastic and other lightweight materials can be added to vehicles without compromising safety or increasing costs.

Of course the new law is going to compromise safety. Of course it is going to raise costs of vehicles even further. But damn it, it is going to get us to 35 MPG like the greenie-weenies insist we must in order to be in compliance with the dogma of the religion of global warming as proclaimed by the Prophet Al Gore.

But on the bright side, it will boost the local economy, even as more Americans die on the roads and highways of America.

Posted by: Greg at 03:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 284 words, total size 2 kb.

George Romney did, in fact, march with Dr. King.

Shirley Basore, 72, says she was sitting in the hairdresser’s chair in wealthy Grosse Pointe, Mich., back in 1963 when a rumpus started and she discovered that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and her governor, George Romney, were marching for civil rights — right past the window.

With the cape still around her neck, Basore went outside and joined the parade.

“They were hand in hand,” recalled Basore, a former high-school English teacher. “They led the march. We all swung our hands, and they held their hands up above everybody else’s.”

And, of course, there is the press coverage that the Romney campaign has suppled.

No, Mitt Romney was not there -- though no doubt he attended other civil rights events with his father, to whom he was very close. But if this is what constitutes a "scandal" in Romney's background, there is truly a level of desperation among those who are seeking to discredit him. Why not focus on significant misdeeds like can be found in the past of Giuliani and Huckabee rather than a somewhat hyperbolic statement on Mitt's part regarding events that happened 40 years ago?

Posted by: Greg at 03:34 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 206 words, total size 2 kb.

UPDATE: Dear God, I recognized that this was a horrible tragedy. I didn't think the story could get any more gut-wrenching. It has.

Authorities now know the remains found Thursday morning by a commuter on the Gulf Freeway are those of a 12-year-old boy. They know he was a fifth-grader at Schneider Middle School, and that his mom reported him missing later that day.

But they don't know how Traveon Jamel Jordan LeBlanc ended up crossing the busy interstate, where it's theorized he was struck by several vehicles.

And that this boy's classmates spent much of the day on Friday, the last school day before Christmas, speculating that it might be their friend who had been killed and then having their fears confirmed, tears at my heart even more. may God send his healing mercy down upon his friends, his teachers, and his family .

Read this story of what appears to be a horrible accident here in Houston, and tell me what is missing from it.

Investigators are trying to determine the identity of a person they theorize may have been struck several times while trying to walk across the Gulf Freeway.

A motorist called police early Thursday morning to report seeing what appeared to be human remains in the main lanes of the freeway.

Investigators with the Houston Police Department and Harris County Medical Examiner's Office, while combing the freeway, would later find various pieces of a body.

The macabre scene, which police believe was the result of a pedestrian struck by several vehicles, slowed southbound traffic to a crawl for five hours.

Police could not determine the individual's gender or approximate age and investigators are calling on the public to help identify the person. Officials say the person could have been black. Little else is known.

"We're asking for anyone who was driving by that area before 6:40 (a.m. Thursday) to call us if they saw anything suspicious or out of the ordinary," said HPD spokesman John Cannon.

Police do not know when or if the person was killed after being struck by vehicles on the Gulf Freeway.

The article continues on in a similar vein to the end.

The more I read, the more I was struck by the missing detain. Where, exactly, on the Gulf Freeway did this incident occur. Surely we could have been given an exit or two in order to provide a frame of reference for readers. After all, the Gulf Freeway runs from downtown Houston to Galveston Island -- all of which is part of the Houston metropolitan area. And if you were not caught in the traffic jam, would you necessarily know where the incident took place. You know, especially if you were a teacher driving that stretch of road at 6:30 on the way to school and who didn't get out of school until 3:00 (I lived just off Gulf Freeway for four years and took it to work daily), you might never have been aware of the closed highway and the search for body parts.

Come on, Chronicle "professionals" -- why couldn't you offer your readers these salient details?

By the way, thanks to alert commenters on the website for noting that the incident took place between Airport Blvd and Edgebrook.Authorities now know the remains found Thursday morning by a commuter on the Gulf Freeway are those of a 12-year-old boy. They know he was a fifth-grader at Schneider Middle School, and that his mom reported him missing later that day.

But they don't know how Traveon Jamel Jordan LeBlanc ended up crossing the busy interstate, where it's theorized he was struck by several vehicles.

Posted by: Greg at 01:52 AM | Comments (101) | Add Comment
Post contains 628 words, total size 4 kb.

It is becoming more and more common for you to be able to access web based media on your mobile phone. That is true of many telephones, but you probably hear the most about it with the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

But like it was back in the bad old days of 9600 BPS dial =-up modems, web based video delivered to cell phones can be really slow to download results in poor quality and long delays when playing the video while downloading.
IÂ’m getting a new mobile phone with web capabilities and IÂ’m excited to hear about the Avot mV video delivery platform by Avot Media.

Avot mV seems to be the first solution that gives mobile users unlimited access to any web-based video. Once installed on your mobile device, it enables you to quickly and easily search, personalize and play videos from around the internet.

You can download Avot mV directly to your mobile phone by pointing your mobile browser to the Avot mV Product Site. On the other hand, using your computer you can simply visit the Corporate Site to learn more. You can also download a copy of Avot mV to your desktop while you are there. Then youÂ’ll need to hook up your mobile device to your computer to upload the program to your mobile device.

I suspect youÂ’ll enjoy using Avot mV. It features intelligent search capabilities that can be customized to your personal preferences, which should make searching for videos across the internet quick and easy. This will be great for political junkies out there who want all of the latest news on the 2008 elections, on the national, state, and even local levels. And they even have separate Republican and Democrat channels, so you can focus in on the candidates you are most interested in.

One great feature of Avot mV is that you can simply point and click on videos that you’re interested in instead of typing URLs. And when you’ve done that, the Avot mV platform transfers the content to your mobile device in just seconds -- much faster than previous programs. And that means you’ll be able to play the video in near real time and without grainy video quality, delays or stutters. After all, we know that none of the candidates sound like Max Headroom when they speak in person – why should they on your phone?

You can even maximize the size and clarity of the video! Sounds great to me, especially with all the great political coverage weÂ’ll be getting in 2008.

If you are interested in the Avot mV platform visit the website to learn more about it and you can also visit the Avot Media Official Blog to see the latest Avot mV platform news.

Posted by: Greg at 06:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 472 words, total size 3 kb.

Imagine that -- work done with public funds needs to be accessible to the public. What a novel concept.

It is barely a drop of ink in the gargantuan omnibus spending bill that Congress just passed. But a provision that would give the public free access to the results of federally funded biomedical research represents a sweet victory for a coalition of researchers and activists who lobbied for the language for years.

Under the bill's terms, scientists getting grant money from the National Institutes of Health would now have to submit to the NIH a final copy of their research papers when those papers are accepted for publication in a journal. An NIH database would then post those papers, free to the public, within 12 months after publication.

The idea is that taxpayers, who have already paid for the research, should not have to subscribe to expensive scientific journals to read about the results.

That populist line -- spearheaded by patient advocacy groups seeking easier access to the latest medical findings and supported by libraries whose budgets have had trouble keeping up with rising journal subscription costs -- ultimately overwhelmed objections from journal publishers. Those firms had complained bitterly that proponents bypassed the congressional committees that could have carefully compared the new approach to less disruptive systems for making information available to the public, some of which are already being used by other science-funding agencies.

I love the response from one of the lobbyists for the journal publishers -- "It's not over yet."

Yes, it is. It is called FEDERAL LAW. Comply or die when the lawsuits fly.

Posted by: Greg at 02:56 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 280 words, total size 2 kb.

This could be the big story of the political season -- and explain the solicitations that keep showing up in my email.

Fred ThompsonÂ’s plan is simple: Get on a bus and haul around to some 50 Iowa towns and cities between now and Jan. 3.

ItÂ’s the only option he has.

Thompson has little money left in bank and has had to slash his television presence here to a level well below that of Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. His cash crunch is so severe that heÂ’s even had to freeze his direct mail plan.

So now, for the next two weeks before the caucuses, he'll be largely living off the land.

As I look at things, Fred Thompson OUGHT TO BE one of the top three candidates in the race. He OUGHT TO BE drawing support away from Rudy and McCain. But he never has managed to do so at a significant level, because he never really got the campaign off the ground. He is great in debates. he is great in person. But while everyone else was out on the campaign trail, Thompson has been significantly less active on every front.

This leads me to two conclusions.

1) Fred Thompson's only hope is a strong finish in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Second in any one of them would be great, but lower than third in more than one of them should drive a stake through the heart of his campaign.

2) Fred;s major asset now is that he is the ideal vice presidential candidate on any ticket except for McCain's (two Senators is a bad idea, though the Dems might do it). After all, Fred Thompson is the second choice of most Republicans, including this one. He effectively balances the ticket ideologically and/or geographically.

Six months ago, I suspected that I was standing inches from the next President of the United States when he flew into Houston. Now I'm pretty sure that he will max-out at Vice President.

Posted by: Greg at 02:50 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 341 words, total size 2 kb.

I'm a Christian.

I also believe, quite firmly, in evolution.

And I do not see a contradiction in the two.

Indeed, there are a pair of quotes in today's Michael Gerson column in the Washington Post that quite clearly reflect my point of view on the matter, each from author Leon Kass

The first notes that there is a rough parallel betwen evolutionary theory and the Genesis creation account.

Leon Kass, in his masterful work "The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis," observes, "The biblical account is perfectly compatible with the fact of a slowly evolving cosmos, with life arriving late, beginning in the sea and only later emerging on earth, progressively distinguished into a variety of separated kinds."

Indeed, if one does not read that account with a spirit of wooden literalism, that parallel is quite obvious. That would make the beginning of Genesis an allegory, rather than a history. And to those who object, may point out that if mere human beings are capable of using that literary technique, then so is an omniscient, omnipotent God.

But more important is the Kass quote that closes the column.

"Let us assume that creation is evolution," argues Leon Kass, "and proceeds solely by natural processes. What is responsible for this natural process? . . . Can a dumb process, ruled by strict necessity and chance mutation, having no rhyme or reason, ultimately answer sufficiently for life, for man, for the whole? . . . And when we finally allow ourselves to come face-to-face with the mystery that there is anything at all rather than nothing, can we evolutionists confidently reject the first claim of the Bible -- 'In [the] beginning, God created the heavens and the earth'?"

My argument is that no, that claim cannot be rejected. At the same time, God cannot be scientifically proven. There is no way to place God in a test tube or under a microscope slide, and there is no reagent that can test for his presence or absence. But as has often been pointed out, science and faith can be seen as -- and ought to be seen as -- complementary rather than contradictory. To place them at odds with one another is to present a false dichotomy, for coming to understand the divine miracle of creation AND evolution (which are, dare I say, one and the same) should not necessitate the the rejection of a Creator. Similarly, faith in a Creator God need not result in the rejection of the scientific laws and processes by which creation was carried out and which God gave us the intellect to understand. Indeed, both of those extreme positions fall well outside the boundaries of the Judeo-Christian faith tradition, and must be labeled heretical. Let them be anathema.

Posted by: Greg at 02:13 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 466 words, total size 3 kb.

I’ve been talking a lot about LED Christmas lights this year, especially since the National Christmas Tree in Washington, DC is using them instead of traditional lights. They save energy and give off less heat so that makes them great for home use, too. After all, who doesn’t like to save money – and with the lower cost and lower heat, you can leave that tree going 24/7. There are also other types of LED lights, too! Imagine lighting the way to your door or the edge of your yard with LED rope lighting. Frankly, I’m impressed with all the options in LED decorative lights that are available.

Posted by: Greg at 06:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 114 words, total size 1 kb.

Mitt and Rudy are essentially tied, with Huckabee within the margin of error of the two front-runners.

After holding a double-digit advantage over his nearest rivals just six weeks ago, the former New York City mayor now is tied nationally with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 20% among Republicans, just slightly ahead of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 17% and Arizona Sen. John McCain at 14%. Other polls show Mr. Giuliani's lead shrinking in Florida, one of the states he has built his strategy around.

With the poll's margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.1 percentage points, that puts Mr. Huckabee, who had only single-digit support in the previous poll in early November, within striking distance of the leaders. Mr. Romney's national support also has nearly doubled.

On the other hand, Huckabee leads in Iowa, so that could really shake matters up going into New Hampshire and South Carolina. And in a shift that may bode well for Romney, voters are now more concerned about the economy than about Iraq -- and Mitt's business experience will be a plus for him there.

My guess -- we may see a floor fight at the GOP convention, and a brokered ticket. My question is whether the resulting publicity will be a positive or negative thing for the GOP.

Posted by: Greg at 12:51 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 225 words, total size 1 kb.

I first wrote about this in October -- but it seems that Ron Paul is still holding on to that racist cash, despite his fund raising success. I guess that there is no contributor odious enough to be rejected -- so expect Ron Paul to solicit cash from Michale Jackson, OJ Simpson, and Drew Peterson.

Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul has received a $500 campaign donation from a white supremacist, and the Texas congressman doesn't plan to return it, an aide said Wednesday.

Don Black, of West Palm Beach, recently made the donation, according to campaign filings. He runs a Web site called Stormfront with the motto, "White Pride World Wide." The site welcomes postings to the "Stormfront White Nationalist Community."

"Dr. Paul stands for freedom, peace, prosperity and inalienable rights. If someone with small ideologies happens to contribute money to Ron, thinking he can influence Ron in any way, he's wasted his money," Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said. "Ron is going to take the money and try to spread the message of freedom."

"And that's $500 less that this guy has to do whatever it is that he does," Benton added.

Why is this a big deal? Aside from the fact that it tells us a great deal about Ron Paul's (lack of) ethics and morality, he has recently accused patriotic Christians of being fascists. How much credibility can he have on that score when he takes money from an actual fascist and refuses to divest himself of it? Seems to me that fascism in America already wears a Ron Paul for President button.

No one suggests that Ron Paul screen his donors -- but when he knows that he is getting cash from such a source, he has no business keeping it. And as I've suggested, Ron Paul does not need to return the money to Black -- give it to a charitable organization that Paul supports that is absolutely antithetical to Black's views, such as the US Holocaust Museum or the Congress on Racial Equality.

Lone Star Times, which first broke this story, has another possible revelation about Ron Paul's ties to Nazis, racists, and other scummy types.

MORE AT Captain's Quarters, Hot Air, Stop The ACLU, FullosseousFlapÂ’s Dental Blog, Liberal Values, The Liberty Papers, Kevin McCulloch

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary's Thoughts, Faultline USA, Adam's Blog, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The Pink Flamingo, Celebrity Smack, Leaning Straight Up, Cao's Blog, The Amboy Times, Big Dog's Weblog, Wolf Pangloss, and Conservative Cat, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Posted by: Greg at 12:32 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 443 words, total size 5 kb.

Because if there were an actual demand for them, there would be no need for this legislation.

After a year of partisan combat and legislative stalemate, President Bush and Democratic congressional leaders came together yesterday for a holiday season consensus as they enacted legislation to promote energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) joined Bush for their first bill-signing ceremony with him since Democrats took over Congress in January, using the occasion to look past the disputes that marked a year of divided government.

* * *

The new law increases the fuel-efficiency standards for passenger vehicles for the first time since 1975, requiring new cars to average 35 miles per gallon by 2020 instead of the 25 mpg now required. It also requires fuel producers to use at least 36 billion gallons of ethanol and other biofuels by 2022, a fivefold increase over the current standard, to reduce the dependence on oil. And it includes new rules and incentives to encourage greater efficiency in light bulbs and buildings.

Americans have shown time and again with their checkbooks that they want bigger, more heavily powered vehicles. Increasing the fleet standards will likely require that the automobile manufacturers produce more small vehicles with less powerful engines. And we know that such vehicles are, by and large, less safe for drivers and passengers than the larger, heavier vehicles.

And for the record, I don't drive an SUV -- I drive a smaller vehicle that meets the 35 MPG standard (or at least comes close). I do so by choice.

When will the crew in Washington read Adam Smith?

Posted by: Greg at 12:06 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 301 words, total size 2 kb.

Looking to start a business? Well, you need to make sure you have the cash you need to begin and stay operational. Often this involves getting involved in some sort of credit agreement to ensure you have the cash you need.

One way to get fast business cash is to borrow against sales. Owners can get cash now and repay later, after customers have paid you. One option is to get a small business cash advance to tide you through the rough spots in business. At MeritCapitalAdvance.com, you can get cash advances based upon the sales you make using masterCard and Visa. Approval is quick and easy, too.

Posted by: Greg at 11:57 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 110 words, total size 1 kb.

I can understand that a politician may vote "present" on some legislation -- usually of little consequence -- when he is undecided. But Obama used it to avoid "NO" votes on politically sensitive yet popular legislation. Where is the leadership on that?

In 1999, Barack Obama was faced with a difficult vote in the Illinois legislature — to support a bill that would let some juveniles be tried as adults, a position that risked drawing fire from African-Americans, or to oppose it, possibly undermining his image as a tough-on-crime moderate.

In the end, Mr. Obama chose neither to vote for nor against the bill. He voted “present,” effectively sidestepping the issue, an option he invoked nearly 130 times as a state senator.

Sometimes the “present’ votes were in line with instructions from Democratic leaders or because he objected to provisions in bills that he might otherwise support. At other times, Mr. Obama voted present on questions that had overwhelming bipartisan support. In at least a few cases, the issue was politically sensitive.

The picture that emerges is of a legislator who was a follower much of the time rather than a leader -- and who lacked the courage of his convictions when confronted with tough votes. That isn't leadership for change -- it is political cowardice.

Remember, you don't get to vote "PRESENT" as president.

Posted by: Greg at 11:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 231 words, total size 2 kb.

Growing up in Southern California, my mother got used to wearing sunglasses much of the time. They weren't a fashion statement -- they were a necessity. Now in her 70s, Mom still wears them much of the time when she goes out -- though today she wears prescription designer eyeglasses with a tint to her preferred level. They are really great.

Now there are many places you can get good designer eyeglasses. One of those is at GlassesEtc.com, a fine online establishment that sells you great glasses at great prices. Best of all, they sell only authentic designer frames and offer free return shipping if you are unhappy with your purchase for any reason. But I'm sure you won't be unhappy.

Posted by: Greg at 11:40 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 123 words, total size 1 kb.

I like Tom Tancredo, and am in general agreement with him on immigration issues. That said, I never saw him as a serious candidate for the presidency.

Neither did anyone else. Tancredo is withdrawing from the race today.

Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, whose forceful opposition to illegal immigration vaulted him to national prominence, plans to announce he is abandoning his long-shot bid for the presidency, a person close to Tancredo said Wednesday.

The five-term Colorado congressman planned to make the announcement at a news conference in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for Tancredo or his campaign.

Tancredo's campaign would only say he planned a "major announcement" Thursday.

The interesting question will be where he throws his miniscule support. Having seen one of the founders of the Minutemen endorse Huckabee, will he go that direction? Or will he instead go for one of the other candidates? And given the fact that the Tancredo campaign never really took off, does it matter as more than a symbolic gesture?

Expect to see Tancredo compete for the Senate seat being vacated by Wayne Allard.

Posted by: Greg at 11:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 199 words, total size 1 kb.

Now I'll be the first to agree with the idea that positive thinking has a power all its own. But how far does that power extend? Does it project beyond the thinker, making changes in the course of the universe itself? That is a key question for many people who are interested in psychic phenomenon.

One group interested in this question is the Institute of Noetic Sciences. It is a non-profit research and education institution that seeks to advance the science of consciousness and human experience in order to bring about individual and collective transformation. Their Shift In Action offers an opportunity to connect with leaders in their field at a relatively low cost to the participants. I'd encourage you to check out their program if you have an interest in the issue.

Posted by: Greg at 06:58 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 139 words, total size 1 kb.

Some headlines just seem too obvious for words. Take this one from todayÂ’s Houston Chronicle.

Gunfire leads to the discovery of body

Shots fired. Dead body. Not a surprise. After all, when you are inside the city limits, it is unlikely that you are going to hear shots fired by someone hunting for game.

Posted by: Greg at 01:18 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 60 words, total size 1 kb.

Americans have made it pretty clear that they are against redefining marriage to be anything but one man and one woman. But it seems that John Edwards isn’t too concerned with what the American people thing – he wants to appeal to the left side of the Democrat base.

John Edwards said yesterday that if elected president, he would try to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, signed in 1996 by President Clinton, and do away with the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the U.S. military.

After a star-studded campaign event in this small town's opera house, the former North Carolina senator said the law known as DOMA is "discriminatory."

"I think we should get rid of DOMA; I think DOMA was a mistake from the beginning, and discriminatory, and so I will do everything in my power as president to do that," the Democratic candidate said in a three-minute meeting with reporters.

Asked by The Washington Times why the act is discriminatory, he bristled, then said: "I think it's discriminatory against gay and lesbian couples, that's what's discriminatory about it."

An Edwards staffer ended the press conference one minute later.

Interesting, isn’t it, that the staff made sure that Edwards didn’t do himself any additional damage there. After all, he pretty clearly revealed his contempt for the majority of Americans, including the majority of his own party. And while I think he is correct with his assessment of “don’t ask, don’t tell” as a nonsensical policy (see the great piece by my friends at GayPatriot on the topic), the gay marriage issue is different. When the American people have spoken at the polls, they have made it clear that the overwhelming majority of us oppose the redefinition of marriage away from its traditional definition as one man and one woman. We need a Federal Marriage Amendment now to stop a radical ideologue from overturning the will of the people on this matter.

Posted by: Greg at 01:07 PM | Comments (34) | Add Comment
Post contains 340 words, total size 2 kb.

Could an undetectable mini-asteroid be the end of the world as we know it?

AN ASTEROID too small to be picked up by telescopes could wipe out a city, killing up to a million people, a leading scientist has warned.
Objects less than 460ft across are not currently detected, but research suggests they pack a far mightier punch than previously feared.

A computer simulation carried out in the United States shows asteroids as small as 100ft wide could cause "airbursts" similar to one that flattened 1,250 square miles of Siberian forest almost a century ago.

Dr Mark Boslough, in a report published in New Scientist, said: "It is becoming clear previous models are not right. If one of these events hit an area of high population density, it could kill a million people."

I’ve always wondered about the possibility of another “Tunguska event” occurring – and the effect of such an event over a city. Imagine the possibility of something like this happening over, for example, San Francisco or Paris or Tokyo. There would be mass devastation. Similarly, a modern blast of this sort in Russia or China might trigger a nuclear response before there was even time to investigate what happened.

Posted by: Greg at 01:06 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 210 words, total size 1 kb.

Iraq funding passes.

The Senate last night approved a $555 billion omnibus spending bill to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year, shortly after bowing to President Bush's demand for $70 billion in unrestricted funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Democrats had vowed only weeks ago to withhold any Iraq-specific money unless strict timelines for troop withdrawal were established, but they instead chose, on a 70 to 25 vote, to remove what appeared to be the final obstacle to sending the spending bill to the White House, where Bush has indicated he will sign it. Senators then passed the omnibus bill, 76 to 17.

The House still must approve the spending, but will really have no choice but to do so. And if they get into a budget showdown with the President, they lose -- just as the GOP did when they went toe-to-toe with Bill Clinton. History has repeatedly shown that a president who stands firm wins in such cases -- and this president has absolutely nothing to lose by standing firm against a Congress that is even less popular than he is.

Posted by: Greg at 11:18 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 196 words, total size 1 kb.

With Christmas coming, I am put in mind of one of our older relatives, now passed on, who used to send us big fruit baskets every year. I always looked forward to the exotic apples and pears, and my parents loved the oranges. And I was particularly amused the year the basket included a pineapple! I miss those days.

The Fruit Company delivers premium fruit baskets to friends, loved ones, and business associate. They offer a variety of pears, apples, peaches, and cherries, and also have desserts and confections to choose from as well. So choose a gift of something healthy – or something decadent – for those on your holiday shopping list.

Posted by: Greg at 11:10 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 121 words, total size 1 kb.

The cell phone has become ubiquitous in America. Most of us have (at least) one. And they cost a pretty penny, too -- more than our land lines do. So why is anyone surprised by this report.

With Americans cutting the cord to their land lines, 2007 is likely to be the first calendar year in which U.S. households spend more on cell phone services, industry and government officials say.

The most recent government data show that households spent $524, on average, on cell phone bills in 2006, compared with $542 for residential and pay-phone services. By now, though, consumers almost certainly spend more on their cell phone bills, several telecom industry analysts and officials said.

"What we're finding is there's a huge move of people giving up their land line service altogether and using cell phones exclusively," said Allyn Hall, consumer research director for market research firm In-Stat.

As recently as 2001, U.S. households spent three times as much on residential phone services as they did on cell phones. But the expansion of wireless networks has made cell phones more convenient, and a wider menu of services, including text messaging, video and music, has made it easier for consumers to spend money via their cell phone.

"Frankly, I'd be shocked if (households) don't spend more on cell phones at this point," said Andrew Arthur, vice president of market solutions at Mediamark Research & Intelligence.

When taxes, fees, and everything else is taken into account, I spend something like $15 more a month for two cell phone lines on a family plan than I do on our home phone (until you throw in my internet service which comes on the same bill -- but that would be cheating). And when you look at families of four and five with everyone carrying a cellular phone, it must cost significantly more.

And, of course, there are the folks with no land line, just a cell phone.

My question is when prices will drop as demand increases.

Posted by: Greg at 11:09 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 344 words, total size 2 kb.

Who doesn’t love free stuff. You know you do – and you always try to get your hands on promotional products being given away at conventions and other events. It’s just plain fun to walk away with a couple of bags of swag, even if it does just clutter up your desk drawers or go home for the kids to play with. But you know, that swag does bring in customers.

And you know what? Promotional products are proven to work – if it is done right.

For example, my teacher’s organization gave us calendars and highlights – and it reminds me to check up on news updates and special bulletins for members. It has also reminded me to call them once or twice when issues have arisen on campus. And that pen from a local garage in my car caused me to have the car towed there when it broke down a couple of years ago,
Looking to market your company through giveaway items? The check out Gimmes.com.

Posted by: Greg at 11:05 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 171 words, total size 1 kb.

Well, that is what one poll tells us.

A new InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion poll out of Iowa shows John Edwards leaping from third to first place in Iowa, and the GOP field ever-tightening, as the Jan. 3 caucuses approach.

The Democratic poll, taken from Dec. 16-17 of 977 Democrats who said they intend to participate in the caucuses, showed Edwards with 30 percent, followed by New York Sen. Hillary Clinton with 26 percent and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama with 24 percent.

The poll, which is an automated survey taken overnight, suggests the former North Carolina senator - who has been steadily trumpeting his anti-special interest, populist message - is resonating in Iowa. Other recent polls showed Obama overtaking Clinton, and Edwards stuck in third.

But maybe not, folks, when you look at who is most likely to turn out for the caucus.

However, when the InsiderAdvantage pollÂ’s sample group was narrowed to 633 Democrats most likely to caucus, Obama retained a 1-point lead. That poll gave Obama 27 percent, Edwards 26 percent and Clinton 24 percent. The tighter sample group had a margin of error of 3 percent, while the broader group had a margin of error of 2 percent.

In other words, Iowa is a toss-up for the Dems.

And for the GOP, too, with the same sort of mixed results depending on what your sample looks like.

On the Republican side, the broader poll of 835 voters who intend to caucus showed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 28 percent, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 25 percent. When the screen was tightened to 418 likely caucus-goers, the race flipped: Romney took 28 percent and Huckabee took 25 percent. The poll is a reversal from recent surveys showing Huckabee leading Romney by double digits.

The tighter sample group had a margin of error of 5 percent, while the broader group had a margin of error of 3 percent.

The short answer is that, two weeks out, we have a statistical tie in both parties. That means that Iowa belongs to anyone -- and with it, the (temporary) title of front-runner for the nomination.

Posted by: Greg at 11:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 362 words, total size 2 kb.

It hasn't been that long since the big scare about Bird Flu -- folks were expecting a world-wide epidemic to bring widespread death around the world. Fortunately, it hasn't happened quite that way, but that does not mean that avian flu is not a threat. And it is important that we not forget about the existance of this disease and take appropriate precautions regarding it. After all, the World Health Organization has recently reported outbreaks of the illness in Pakistan and Burma. And it is even possible that we have had human-to-human transmission of the disease, which is one of the things with which health officials have been quite concerned. The folks at DrugDelivery.ca have an ebook on Bird Flu if you want to learn more about the disease and its threat to the human population.

Posted by: Greg at 06:44 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 140 words, total size 1 kb.

UPDATE: Bill Clinton lied!

In a statement sent to CNN Tuesday afternoon, former President Bush’s chief of staff Jean Becker said that he “wholeheartedly supports the President of the United States, including his foreign policy. He has never discussed an ‘around-the-world-mission’ with either former President Bill Clinton or Sen. Clinton, nor does he think such a mission is warranted since he is proud of the role America continues to play around the world as the beacon of hope for freedom and democracy.

“President Bush is excited about several of the excellent Republican candidates running for president, and looks forward to discussing their candidacy once the Republican nominee is determined.”

I’m curious – did Billzebubba and Hildebeast get the approval of former President George H. W. Bush to associate his name and prestige with their insult directed at his son, the current occupant of the Oval Office.

Former President Bill Clinton said Monday that the first thing his wife Hillary will do when she reaches the White House is dispatch him and his predecessor, President George H.W. Bush, on an around-the-world mission to repair the damage done to America's reputation by the current president — Bush's son, George W. Bush.

"Well, the first thing she intends to do, because you can do this without passing a bill, the first thing she intends to do is to send me and former President Bush and a number of other people around the world to tell them that America is open for business and cooperation again," Clinton said in response to a question from a supporter about what his wife's "number one priority" would be as president.

IÂ’m willing to bet that the appropriation of the name and reputation of the father to damage the son was done without the knowledge, much less the permission, of the father. It is a thoroughly disgusting, classless act. But it is also typical the unscrupulous manner in which the ClintonÂ’s operate. After all, they are both very skilled liars.

Posted by: Greg at 12:09 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 347 words, total size 2 kb.

Gotta love this video brought to you by the Religion of Blow the Infidels to Pieces!

A children's sing-along DVD for would-be suicide bombers is being investigated by police after being found on sale in one of Britain's terrorist hotbeds.

The disturbing disc of music videos - part of an Egyptian-made series - shows a young girl singing about following in the footsteps of her suicide bomber mother.
A group of self-proclaimed orphans also turn against the West over the plight of the Palestinian people.

The shocking DVD was purchased in Bradford, West Yorks, and full details of the Leeds-based UK distributors are contained on the back of the cover.

The West Yorkshire Police specialist counter terrorism unit are investigating the contents - which contain three tracks sung by children in Arabic with English subtitles.

There is just something fundamentally sick within a faith that so regularly produces crap like this. It has even ceased being shocking – especially after it has been determined that the bomb that marred Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming was actually strapped to an infant. Therefore, I can’t even profess to be surprised by the evil contained in the tape.

H/T Malkin

Posted by: Greg at 11:01 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 203 words, total size 2 kb.

Great news on the cinematic front. Peter Jackson will be making the film version of The Hobbit.

Peter Jackson has won the battle for Middle-earth and is to make The Hobbit.

The Oscar-winning Wellington film-maker and Hollywood studios New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios announced today that they had resolved their legal dispute. Jackson and partner Fran Walsh will serve as executive producers on two Hobbit movies.

Pre-production will begin as soon as possible and both will be shot simultaneously, tentatively in 2009. The Hobbit is likely to be released in 2010 and the sequel in 2011.

I’m pleased to hear that Jackson’s masterful interpretation of Middle Earth will continue – but I do have one question. A sequel? What sequel? What sequel is the sequel to The Hobbit?

Posted by: Greg at 10:58 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 145 words, total size 1 kb.

My God – is the woman really this stupid?

The hotel heiress was so enamoured with the two dwarf actors - who were dressed as the blue cartoon characters to promote Haribo's new Smurf sweets at a Christmas market in, Berlin, Germany - she asked if she could take them home with her.

A source said: "When Paris saw the guys on the sweet stall she squealed. We heard her saying, 'Oh my, real life Smurfs. I always wanted one when I was a kid', before turning to her pal and asking, 'Can I take them home?'

"Then she added 'I didn't realise this is where they came from'."

“I didn’t realize this is where they came from?” You must be freakin’ kidding. Nobody is this far out of contact with reality. Surely this has to be a put on. At least I hope it is.

Posted by: Greg at 10:56 AM | Comments (94) | Add Comment
Post contains 154 words, total size 1 kb.