sawyer hall

A Pint for London Paramedics

2005-09-01T19:46:00.000-05:00

Nosemonkey's piss-up for London emergency workers went off tonight in London. If you missed the details, one of his readers came up with the idea of buying a pint for hard-working emergency workers after the 7/7 bombings. Nosemonkey followed through and organized the event, giving people all over the world a simple way to show our appreciation and admiration for the guys from St. John Ambulance. Cheers to him for that.

Watch the BBC video here (click the "Watch Thursday's News" link in the upper right corner). The piece begins about halfway through, at 17.40.

UPDATE: Many more details from Nosemonkey here. Brilliant stuff.

(If you're not familiar with Nosemonkey, I should point out that he is one of the Internet's most powerful Website Masters. He's also a noted Online Diarist and an enthusiastic Internet-User.)

Yet Another Reason to Hate Katrina

2005-09-01T10:56:00.000-05:00

My friend Pete informs me that Andrew Brott, an old childhood friend from Chicago, is one of the countless New Orleans residents displaced by Katrina. We attended the same church as kids...Andrew has come a long way from being the Sunday School class clown (if he denies it, don't believe him...). He fled with his wife in advance of the storm, and they're currently living in suburban Chicago with his parents. They're not sure of the status of their home...but it's clear that returning to New Orleans in the forseeable future is not an option.

Andrew runs a glass-art studio in New Orleans. His artwork is really quite impressive. Many examples can be found on his studio website, as well as here. Andrew's resume is available here (wow). Since he has no idea how long he'll be displaced, he's trying to find work in the Chicago area.

I'll post more information as I get it. In the meantime, if you'd like to commission a stunning piece of glass art, contact Andrew by email (the address is available on his site).

UPDATE: Donating to the Craft Emergency Relief Fund is a great way to help artists in need. In addition, Tyler Green at ArtsJournal is blogging about the effect of Katrina on cultural institutions in Louisiana and Mississippi. It's an angle of the story that isn't getting much attention, but it's something I'm sure we'll hear more and more about as the humanitarian crisis eases. When the water finally recedes and the dead are buried, we'll find ourselves mourning the loss of the artistic and cultural treasures that make New Orleans so unique.

Remember Beslan

2005-09-01T08:17:00.000-05:00

Katrina dominates the news, but take a moment today to remember the children of Beslan, and their grieving parents. It's hard to believe that it was already a year ago.

"I draw the terrorist and burn them for all the children who died in the school. I want to take revenge on them for killing those children."

That's what you've created, Basayev--nine-year-old girls wishing for your death. May Laima get her wish.

You can still help the victims.

Hurricane Katrina - How to Help

2005-08-31T20:19:00.000-05:00

Hurricane Katrina has completely devastated large swaths of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. It's going to take a massive effort to get the people of these states back on their feet.

If you wish to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the best way is to send cash. Some organizations that allow you to donate online include:

Many groups are organizing relief efforts for the victims. FEMA has a list of relief organizations here.

If you're looking for a more direct way to help, there are many options that people don't always consider. Make yourself USEFUL! You might not be able to provide immediate help for the victims of Katrina, but this disaster shows just how important it is for every community to have citizens who know what to do in a crisis. Some ideas:

Volunteer with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
Take a Red Cross class in First Aid, CPR, or AED
Get your Ham Radio License, join the ARRL, and provide vital communications support during emergencies
Join the Citizen Corps and help organize and strengthen your community

Cheers to the US Coast Guard, the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, the local police, firemen, and first responders. Thank you for your tireless efforts to rescue victims and restore order. You guys are heroes!

UPDATE: Instapundit has much more information on how to help, as well as countless links to other Katrina-related news.

Technorati Tags: flood aid, Hurricane Katrina

Status of Public Radio Stations in Katrina-affected Areas

2005-08-31T20:09:00.000-05:00

Info that might be of use to Public Radio listeners...this gives a good feel for just how hard it is for people in the affected areas to get any useful information at all.

Status of Public Radio Stations in the Path of Hurricane Katrina

NPR is in close contact with stations affected by the storm, and is working to provide support where it is possible. The following was created by NPR's Station's Relations unit, in Member and Program Services, and was last updated at 5 p.m. Tuesday, 8/30. Questions? Contact Marguerite Nutter at mnutter@npr.org.

Louisiana

WWNO 89.9FM (New Orleans) - is off the air. They joined Channel 6 for rolling coverage when they evacuated on Sunday, but have since lost the signal. According to WWNO's engineer, CBS affiliate WWL 870AM may be the only radio station currently on the air in New Orleans, though he's heard that the TV stations have evacuated this morning because of rising water levels in the city. WWNO's transmitter, located in a swampy area south of the station on the University of New Orleans' campus, is under water. The generator is under water. As far as they know, their main tower is still up. They have an additional 400ft tower 30 miles east of the station in Slidell; the status of that tower is unknown at this stage.

WWOZ 90.7FM (New Orleans) - public radio station in NO, though not an NPR affiliate. Info via KRVS' engineer, the WWOZ studio has water on the first floor but the on-air and production rooms are on the second floor and they are ok. The transmitter system is under water. Before leaving New Orleans, WWOZ engineer tried to call his remote control to shut down the entire system including the emergency power generator but couldn’t get a phone line to work at the transmitter site. So he does not know the condition of his system at all.

WRKF 89.3FM (Baton Rouge) - has no power and has been running on a generator since Monday. They were off the air for around an hour Tuesday, but came back onto the air while we were talking on the phone. While they were off the air, they were getting a signal from the board, but the board was not communicating with the transmitter. Other equipment failures are also affecting them today -- their NPR-dedicated demod is not working, they are using other demods to switch manually to NPR programming.

KRVS 88.7FM (Lafayette) - They continue to operate normally, have had no hurricane-related outages. They are helping coordinate information about transmitters and other logistics for WWNO, WWOZ and WRKF, and are also checking in on public station WLSU in Hammond, LA.

KDAQ/Red River Radio Network (based in Shreveport, but with repeater stations in Alexandria, LA / El Dorado, AR / and Lufkin TX) – Shreveport was not directly affected by the hurricane in terms of weather. Broadcast operations continue normally across their coverage area, including the repeater station in Alexandria whose 100kW signal at 1000 feet reaches almost all the way into Baton Rouge. There are 600-800 refugees from New Orleans (and their pets) now housed on a gymnasium on the LSU campus, across from the station.

Mississippi

Mississippi Public Broadcasting (Jackson) – Executive Director Marie Antoon says MPB made it through the storm but have no power at our office. They are on generators to keep radio and television on air. Reports say MPB is doing a tremendous job providing hurricane coverage.

WJSU (Jackson) - Via a very bad cell phone connection, WJSU is off the air. No power on campus or the majority of Jackson. In terms of physical damage, Larry says he’s never seen anything like this before. Staff is safe. The Jackson State campus was evacuated yesterday, including WJSU. Larry was the last person to leave campus.

WURC (Holly Springs) - Just spoke with Wayne Fiddis. Their station is without power, but that's it. Station/equipment/staff are doing fine. Power went out Monday, but should be back Tuesday.

Alabama

WHIL-FM (Mobile) - Last spoke on Monday at 1:50pm to General Manager Cat Sirten (via cell). All power is out, and nobody is physically at the station. All radio stations in the area are currently playing a local CBS-affiliates TV signal (instead of their regular programming), per arrangement with transmitter contractor. Cat says that water is reported to be at 22 feet in downtown Mobile.

WVAS (Montgomery) - no significant problems. Lots of rain and wind, a few trees down around the city. Staff is doing well. Station is on the air.

WTSU (Troy) - Staff is doing well. Station is on the air. Some rain and wind.

WBHM (Birmingham) – Program Director Michael Krall says everything is doing well. More wind, than rain. Some minor power outages. Station is on the air.

Florida

WUWF (Pensacola) - According to Station Manager Joe Vincenza, considering the significant severe weather they’ve experienced recently, they’re doing fine. A little soggy, about 50,000 without power. Station is on the air.

Tennessee

WKNO (Memphis) - According to PD Dan Campbell, one station of their network is down due to power outages. WKNO-Memphis is on the air. Lots of rain, some wind. Overall, everything is fine. Staff is safe.

WPLN (Nashville) - News Director Anita Bugg says everything is ok. Station is on the air.

WETS (Johnson City) - Director Wayne Winkler says they haven’t been affected too badly by the hurricane; they’re a bit north and east of the main damage. We’ve got some tornado watches in some areas, but so far it looks like the worst we’re going to get is a bit of rain for the next day or so. Station is on the air.

How Not To Conduct an Anti-Terror Operation

2005-08-17T14:57:00.000-05:00

This is unbelievable.

Devastatingly tragic incompetence.

Sky News mentioned this bit that still has me shaking my head in disbelief:

"The Brazilian was not even seen leaving the flats in Tulse Hill which were under surveillance because one of the officers needed the toilet."

Imagine if the victim really had been a bomber. The security of the United Kingdom would have been jeopardized because an officer needed to visit the loo.

Gads, I wish Nosemonkey wasn't on holiday. I'd pay good money to read him rant about this.

Zotob Wormslaying

2005-08-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

Time for a geeky break from political/military rants...

As you may have heard, a new worm is spreading very quickly in the wild. No one seems to be able to pick a name for it—it’s known as Zotob (Symantec), RBOT.CBQ (Trend Micro), Bozori (F-Secure), Tpbot (Sophos) or W32/IRCbot.worm!MS05-039 (McAfee...with a name that just rolls off the tongue!), depending on who you ask. The worm exploits a recent Microsoft vulnerability (MS05-039) that takes advantage of a flaw in the Plug and Play service. Some variants are also able to exploit an older ASN.1 vulnerability (MS04-007), so you should be sure to patch this vulnerability as well.

Here are some brief instructions on how to rid yourself of the worm, in addition to the obvious stuff like keeping your antivirus software up to date. I'd go into further detail, but hey...this is free, handholding costs extra. =)

Worm/Vulnerability Information
Symantec Security Response has good information on the latest variants. Links to each variant are available from their “Latest Virus Threats” page.

Microsoft has a page describing the MS05-039 patch that protects against this vulnerability.

Removing the Worm
It’s possible to remove the worm manually by killing the process, deleting the dropped files, and manually cleaning up the registry, but Symantec created a remover that does all of this automatically. This is probably the easiest way to remove the worm at this time, unless you see a variant that it can’t clean.

1. Identify the worm process
Run Process Explorer (available free from Sysinternals) and check for the presence of a worm process (note that this list will change as new variants are released):

W32.Zotob.A – botzor.exe (may be described as “WINDOWS SYSTEM” in process list)
W32.Zotob.B – csm.exe (may be described as “csm Win Updates” in process list)
W32.Zotob.C@mm – per.exe (may be described as “WINDOWS SYSTEM” in process list)
W32.Zotob.D – windrg32.exe (may be described as “WinDrg32” in process list)
W32.Zotob.E – wintbp.exe (may be described as “Wintbp” in process list)
W32.Zotob.F – wintbpx.exe (may be described as “Wintbpx” in process list)
W32.Zotob.G – windrg32.exe (may be described as “WinDrg32” in process list)

2. Delete the worm with the Zotob Remover
A standalone Zotob worm remover is available from Symantec. Note that you can also run this tool silently from the command line if you'd like to script it...see their instructions for details.
Currently, version 1.30 of the Zotob remover is capable of dealing with 6 variants:

W32.Zotob.A
W32.Zotob.B
W32.Zotob.C@mm
W32.Zotob.D
W32.Zotob.E
W32.Zotob.F

At present, the tool will not remove a newer variant, W32.Zotob.G. It should be manually removed if found, using instructions available here.

3. Patch the System
After deleting the worm, apply the MS05-039 patch, restart the system, and verify that the worm process is not running. Patches from Microsoft are available here:

Word War II Poster of the Week - 3

2005-08-16T07:22:00.000-05:00

This week's poster is a dire reminder of the costs of war. Are you saving your waste fats for explosives? Every pound of bacon consumed is another bomb for the 8th Air Force to drop on the Reich. Save your drippings!

Ah, the Good War. "Honey, we should really have a second helping of bacon today--think of all the Liberators we lost over Ploesti! We need to do our part to win this war."

(This week's poster is from the Northwestern University World War II Poster Collection.)

Michael Yon > 'Over There'

2005-08-10T13:05:00.000-05:00

Should you find yourself idling in front of the television when the new show "Over There" airs, do yourself a favor. Turn off the television, turn on the computer, and read Michael Yon's latest dispatch from Iraq.

Yon is easily in the same league as John Hersey when it comes to battlefield reporting. We're seeing the Iraq war equivalent of Into the Valley being written before our very eyes.

Sandstorms and Black Clouds In Iraq

2005-08-09T20:34:00.000-05:00

Mohammed at Iraq the Model provides us with a graphic example of what we're fighting for in Iraq. Bravery is best captured on film in many cases...and this is certainly one of them. How can we not support these people???

Big Pharaoh sums up these images perfectly:

By God, which group of women look more forward looking, civilized, and hopeful? Which group of women would you like to be filling your country? I am not the kind of person who judges people by how they dress or by how they interpret their religion, but forgive me, I cannot help but say that those who want to suppress women in the name of God are purely wrong and I wish that they vanish from this world. Come on, which group is more likely to produce Iraq's Oprah Winfrey or Iraq's Carly Fiorina.

Not a particularly difficult question to answer, is it?

Bakri's Summer Vacation

2005-08-09T08:25:00.000-05:00

Facing possible treason charges, the radical Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed has left Britain for the Middle East:

The spiritual head of the extremist al Muhajiroun group - which is due to be banned under new anti-terror laws - claimed it is "God-forbidden" for Muslims to inform police about terror plots in the UK.

He also said they have a "duty" to fight British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In other words, Muslims should not be subject to British law. The Sky News article leaves off one important bit, which the BBC picked up on: "He said he would stop any potential attack himself, with the help of his "Muslim brothers"." Yes, well, that's all well and good, but the infidel laws that you have no interest in obeying also exist for your protection. Will your Muslim brothers also stop fringe right-wingers from bombing your mosques? Will they stop IRA violence, if/when it resumes? Wishing that the entire world revolves around you and your Islamist pals does not make it true. The legal system does not exist merely to oppress your fellow Muslims.

When speaking to the infidels, of course, Bakri sugar-coats his message:

Speaking to Radio Five Live, he said: "I want for everybody to cool down and live in harmony."

Never mind that the harmony he speaks of involves flying the flag of Islam over No 10 Downing Street ("I would like to see the Islamic flag fly, not only over number 10 Downing Street, but over the whole world," he said.). Never mind that "cooling down" will never really happen until his dream of world domination is achieved. Burkhas for the women, AK-47s for the men, bullets for the unbelievers who don't accept dhimmitude.

Boiled down, he's really just saying: "I'm out of here a while until these nutty infidels chill out a bit...once they turn on each other and start wringing their hands about how I'm a victim, I'll be back. Then we'll get back to the Master Plan! _long, maniacal laugh_"

UPDATE: Sounds like the vacation isn't going very well so far! No reason has been given for his detention yet...

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Grudgingly Tolerate Anti-Terror Laws (for now)

2005-08-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

As the horror of the bombings in London fades, much of the debate has focused on how to combat the the threat at home. One question has continued to pop up--how do we secure our country without sacrificing our freedoms? If this is a war of ideas, then our democratic ideals of freedom and liberty are our greatest weapons. By curtailing freedom and liberty at home in the name of security, are we not fighting our enemy using the wrong strategy? We may well succeed in reducing the short-term threat of bombings, but what price are we willing to pay?

Tim Worstall explains it this way:

Yes, I realise that we’re in a battle. Yet I don’t see the point in winning the battle in order to lose the war. Beating off a bunch of theocratic fascists by becoming a police state ourselves just doesn’t really do it for me. Giving up our own freedoms and liberties because some bunch of (however dangerous) knobheads want to take them from us, I mean, what’s the fucking point?

We must also consider the danger that these "theocratic fascists" pose to us. Are they just a bunch of wankerish amateurs (note that Nosemonkey was calling the 7/7 bombers amateurs, not just the pathetic wannabombers of 7/21...)? What danger do they really pose to our way of life? Nosemonkey dismisses the assumption that we're up against a vast, organized conspiracy:

Of course, what this could be an indication of (my personal favourite theory) is merely that it's a piece of piss to conduct a terrorist attack. You don't need some vast intergalactic conspiracy of bearded men in caves. All you need is some desperate, stupid and psychotic people, access to the internet, and someone with the balls to track down some explosives. Or has every single suicide bomber on the West Bank or in Iraq since the occupation (yet more today, surprise surprise) been part of some vast, James Bond style organisation?

A fair point, and one that seems eerily prescient given that he wrote this just two days before the wannabomber attacks on 7/21. Yet the fact that the bombers often are, in fact, wankerish amateurs is not necessarily comforting--Nosemonkey has identified one of the nastiest weapons in the enemy's arsenal. It doesn't take a highly organized, well disciplined terror network to pose a threat. Anyone with Google and a grievance can not only find instructions on how to build a better bomb, but he can find both justification and support for his cause.

We would be fools to think this hasn't occurred to groups like Al Qaeda. Why should they rely exclusively on sophisticated training, difficult-to-maintain webs of contacts and agents, and the secrecy and discipline that these networks require? Why not just use the internet against the infidel, nurturing potential bombers through message boards and countless other electronic methods? The risk of e-jihad is minimal, the cost is negligible, and the rewards are potentially enormous. As incompetent and amateurish as 7/21 was, it was enormously disruptive and dominated the headlines for weeks. By their standards, it was a victory. It will be very interesting to see exactly where the wannabombers got their ideas.

So what can we do to fight this enemy, if the war is largely waged using ideas as weapons? In the Second World War, Britain made enormous sacrifices in order to achieve victory. Civilian consumption was severely reduced through rationing, voluntary restraint (like setting 'fuel targets' to reduce coal consumption), and countless other programs. Aliens were treated with great suspicion. In his brilliant social history London at War, Philip Ziegler notes that many were rounded up en masse, as in Hampstead in 1939:

The methods used by the police do not seem to have been particularly sophisticated; a constable simply walked into the public library and called for all Germans and Austrians to step outside. The operation may have eased pressure on the library's newspapers, but does not seem to have contributed notably to national security. It was perceived as a great success, however. Florence Speed from Brixton recorded in her diary that in the round-up secret papers had been found giving instructions for sabotage at key points: 'It does look as if all aliens should be interned just to make sure.'

When we talk about fearmongering tabloids and news broadcasts, we should also consider the atmosphere in London shortly after Italy entered the war. Ziegler provides some graphic illustrations of the fear and mistrust that gripped many Londoners:

The instinct that led louts to throw bricks through the windows of ice-cream shops or spaghetti houses did engender a brief madness in London. Cecil Beaton, trying to photograph some bomb damage a week or so before the blitz proper began, was set on by 'a little man with ferret eyes and a pointed red nose' who claimed the Ministry of Information would disapprove. A newspaper seller joined in and Beaton was taken to a police station where he was cautioned for 'provoking the antagonism of the crowd'...A seventy-year-old man stood watching workmen excavating a gas main. A passer-by asked what the men were doing. '"Looks as if they're digging a hole," I said. Well, it wasn't right, was it, asking a question like that. I knew what it was, of course, but I wasn't going to tell him.'...Nobody was martyred, but Londoners exposed an ugly intolerance which ill became the champions of democracy.

Yet unpleasant episodes like this did not reflect the true Britain, as we see now. Ideals like freedom and liberty were not lost for all time; rather, they were safely stored away for safekeeping, to be brought out, dusted off, and placed back on the mantle with the other prized possessions once Hitler was vanquished. Wartime Britain resembled a "police state" in many ways, but ultimately the British people did not forget the freedoms they had stored away for so long. This is important to keep in mind. While we must vigilantly protect the qualities that make our society great, we should also remember this precedent. We're right to be wary of anti-terror laws. We're right to question their effectiveness, and to consider the price we'll pay in our freedoms if such laws are enacted. Yet Britain has seen this all before on a much grander scale, and emerged with her freedoms intact. My point: do not assume that anti-terror laws are permanent, or that they can never be changed!

I would argue that the nature of the threat should dictate what measures are enacted. The difficulty lies in determining the capabilities of the enemy. We can't count the number of Ju87s, Ju88s, Do17s, and He111s we're up against, as in the Battle of Britain. The enemy is much more nebulous, and his order of battle is impossible to assess accurately. This makes it much harder to decide just how to fight him. It's tempting to say "Oh, they're simply wankerish amateurs, and we can live with anything they can throw at us. They're nothing." Yet they do have the potential to cause much more damage than we saw on 7/7. The attacks of 9/11 wreaked far more destruction, and showed an enemy that was both patient and relatively disciplined. We should not give them too much credit, but we must also be careful not to underestimate their capabilities.

And if they acquire a rusty old Soviet nuke?

No, I'm not trying to play scaremonger. If Bin Laden's fantasies come true and a nuke goes off in London or New York, then our civil liberties are sure to be a casualty as well.

Bah...I meant to end this on a happy note.

Word War II Poster of the Week - 2

2005-08-08T07:12:00.000-05:00

This week's poster was issued by the British Ministry of Health. Millions of people, mostly children, were evacuated from cities deemed to be at risk from attack by German bombers. The evacuation process was anything but smooth, and caused enormous upheaval.

As David Prest points out in a BBC article about the evacuations, many children suffered great hardships in the process of being relocated. Fear of German bombers led to the evacuations:

The fear of air attack from German bombers at the start of hostilities encouraged parents to send their children to safety. There were predictions of 4,000,000 civilian casualties in London alone, and, as early as 1922 - after the air threat from Zeppelins - Lord Balfour had spoken of 'unremitting bombardment of a kind that no other city has ever had to endure'.

The Government had stockpiled coffins, erected masses of barrage balloons and planned, at least in outline, for the mass evacuation of British cities before 1939. But it is now revealed that these plans were hopelessly flawed.
In the first place, the estimates of casualties were grossly over-exaggerated and the subsequent Government propaganda caused near panic rather than controlled movement.

There are several lessons to be learned from this, but I'll dwell on one in particular. A common thread I've seen running through many blogs these days (particularly Europhobia and other Britblogs, in the wake of 7/7) is that of the government and media overstating the threat. Are terrorist fanatics like Al Qaeda dangerous? Certainly, and to assume anything else is suicidally naive. However, the media prattles on endlessly about the danger, the imminent threat...as if there is anyone in London or New York who doesn't already have the thought in the back of their minds. The US government issues a travel warning for Americans visiting the UK, reminding us to "be vigilant". Why? What does that accomplish, other than create an atmosphere of distrust and fear? At best, it makes American tourists worry so much that they're afraid to take the Tube or ride a bus. At worst, it keeps them home--and damages all of the businesses that profit from their travel.

We are at war, of course. But we shouldn't panic. London suffered a terrible attack on 7/7, but look at the city today. Look at what remains untouched by Islamist terror-bombs. Stand wherever you are in London, turn in a complete circle, and note everything that remains untouched.
---
The Minneapolis Public Library has assembled a rather stunning collection of Second World War posters and other materials. It's worth a visit.

Action Not Words: Support the 3/25th Marines

2005-08-07T20:46:00.000-05:00

The 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment USMC(Reserve) has lost nearly 40 Marines since deploying to Iraq. They lost 21 Marines just last week alone.

Blackfive has plenty of details on the 3/25th...and also has a call to action. The 3/25th will likely be in Iraq until at least October, so there is plenty of time to send them packages and cards to show your support. A Marine Corps Captain explains how to help:

...It meant a great deal to us to know how much support we had from folks back home during those trying days. Many politicians and tv types talk about how their thoughts and prayers are with our troops there, but I believe that is not enough.

Actions of course always ALWAYS speak louder than words. If you can find it in your day please send them a box or even a letter to just let them know we have not forgotten them and that we hold them in th highest place of honor. 3/25 will probably be in Iraq until October. It takes about two weeks for mail to get to them.

You can send all sorts of stuff like books, magazines, dvds, candy, food, etc in a simple US Postal service flat rate box for less than 8 bucks. That's about two lattes at Starbucks. Most importantly you can also send a note or card for 37 cents and let a few American patriots know how much they mean to us.

The address for 3/25 is:

Adopt a Marine
c/o Capt Kasparian
3/25 H&S Co
Unit 72110
FPO, AE 09509-2110

Alternately, you can send a letter through MotoMail, which is fast and free.

The least we can do is show these guys that we're behind them. Send them something today.

UPDATE: Packages must be mailed by August 14th in order to reach the unit before their "mail stop" dated (since they'll be heading home in a few months), so SEND SOMETHING NOW!

22 HP - standard

2005-08-05T20:13:00.000-05:00

This is easily the most effective car advertisement ever filmed.
(via Blackfive)

The Question

2005-08-05T19:15:00.000-05:00

Big Pharaoh asks a simple yet completely devastating question:

When a Palestinian intentionally kills Israeli civilians, the Palestinians and the rest of the Arabs call him a martyr on his way to meeting a happy God.

When an Israeli Jew intentionally kills Israeli Arab civilians, the Israeli government calls him "a bloodthirsty terrorist."

Why can't we all treat civilians as red lines that cannot be crossed?

Exactly. If that day ever comes, we'll know the 'War on Terror' has been won.

The Sad Story of the Ilois

2005-08-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

With all this talk about deporting violence-inciting foreigners, Mike Cunningham posts about a group of British subjects who have already been 'deported' for the crime of living on a strategically important little island (read: forcibly relocated)...the Ilois, the original inhabitants of the island of Diego Garcia.

While the base at Diego Garcia is certainly important for strategic reasons (both now and during the Cold War), it's worth noting the price the Ilois have paid for the security it provides.

Much more on Diego Garcia here, including satellite images.

"...it was more of a small gasp they made."

2005-08-05T08:21:00.000-05:00

Mark Steyn's review of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is good enough in itself, but it contains a priceless bit about Christopher Lee:

Fortunately, pop Wonka is played by Christopher Lee — or, as one of my kids exclaimed, ‘It’s Count Dooku!’, that being the name of his splendid turn in Star Wars. Lee is having a grand old time at the moment, doing ten minutes in every blockbuster around. My favourite moment in the Lord of the Rings movies isn’t actually in any of the movies, but in one of those ‘the making of’ documentaries that appears on the DVD. It’s the scene where Saruman gets stabbed by Grima Wormtongue, and Lee explains to director Peter Jackson that the backstabbing sound isn’t quite right, because in his days with British Intelligence during the war he used to sneak up and stab a lot of Germans in the back and it was more of a small gasp they made. Jackson backs away cautiously.

Note to self: do not anger Mr Lee. Ever.

(via Pete, who is too lazy to create a blog)

Father Blair says: "Demons, out!!!"

2005-08-05T06:39:00.000-05:00

So, Blair is toughening up antiterror laws to make it easier to deport those who incite terror. Predictably, Liberty is outraged at these tougher measures:

...civil rights group Liberty said his plans attacked key human rights and would jeopardise national unity.

Director Shami Chakrabarti said: "It seems he no longer has much truck for fundamental human rights at all.

"He's talking quite actively about deporting people to face torture around the world - that is completely unacceptable and plays into the hands of terrorists."

OH, now I understand! Let me get this straight. Basically, the UK should allow extremists to freely teach their agenda of death and hate--to actively encourage wanna-bombers like the amateurs who attempted to sow terror on 7/21--because these individuals might face torture back home. Doing so "plays into the hands of terrorists"? Yes, of course, it's all clear now. By sending death-cult imams back home, we strengthen terrorists--why? Well, it should be obvious! We're violating the sacred tenets of multiculturism by not allowing angry imams to freely practice their faith (in blowing up innocents on the Tube)! How dare we deport those who actively call for the destruction of our country, our values, our way of life?!? Such arrogance! We should embrace these enemies among us, tolerate and respect them. Never mind that they don't return the favor. To show anything but tolerance for intolerance would be playing into the hands of terrorists.

If we send them home, they may also face torture. Better that they remain safe and warm in their cozy Londonistan flat, where they can freely advocate their views on how to build a better nail bomb, how to and how to thrill Syrian TV audiences ("Let me show you this quick videotape of one of my dearest friends, Mullah Galloway...").

If only Galloway held a Syrian passport...

UPDATE: Nosemonkey has extensive thoughts on the subject that are well worth reading.

Sassy Imam Brings Down the House in Syria

2005-08-04T20:05:00.000-05:00

The Sassy Imam speaks:

"Two of your beautiful daughters are in the hands of foreigners - Jerusalem and Baghdad. The foreigners are doing to your daughters as they will. The daughters are crying for help, and the Arab world is silent. And some of them are collaborating with the rape of these two beautiful Arab daughters. Why? Because they are too weak and too corrupt to do anything about it."

Galloway's comments have gone from silly to outrageous to downright dangerous. If this isn't incitement, then the word no longer has any meaning.

More reaction to Mullah Galloway's nonsense here, here, and here.

World War II Poster of the Week

2005-08-01T19:55:00.000-05:00

I found this gem of wartime propaganda while browsing through Northwestern University's excellent collection of WW2 posters. It was issued by the US government in 1943. Simple, direct, and still a bit shocking--this poster gets its message across with ringing clarity. The image is still effective today, and could easily be applied to the Islamist threat posed by Al Qaeda and their fellow travelers.

If you believe we live in a one-party state dominated by the religious right, then pause a moment and consider what the reaction would be if such an image was circulated by the US government today. The sound of the outrage would be deafening. It's pointless to speculate just how strong the opposition to such an image would be, because there is simply no chance whatsoever that the US government would dare to release such an image in 2005! The left's kneejerk rejection of anything vaguely religious (more specifically, anything Christian) has made propaganda of this sort a thing of the past, for better or worse.

Yet the basic premise of the poster is valid, regardless of whether the enemy is Nazi or Islamist. The bible in the image could be replaced with any emblem of Western society, and the poster's message would still be true. Replace the bible with any non-Al Qaeda-approved holy text, and it gets the dagger. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue? It gets the dagger. My comprehensive Pet Shop Boys CD collection? Skewer the whole lot (and yes, I'm aware that many non-Islamist types might form a temporary alliance with bin Laden for this one...). Your freshly minted same-sex marriage certificate? Skewered. My DVD of La Dolce Vita? Many daggers ("Um, Osama...we will destroy this evil, infidel Fellini film, but first we must watch the scene with Anita Ekberg prancing about in the fountain in order to, uh...better understand the nature of the enemy we fight...yeah, that's the ticket..."). The thong bikini? Skewered, if you can find enough material to drive a dagger through it. Any and all pieces of feminist literature written since the dawn of time (actually, make that anything written by a woman, just to be on the safe side)? Daggers all around. Our precious little blogs, regardless of the opinions they express? Skewered, provided you burn them off to DVD first so you have something to stab. All that we stand for, all that we value, all that we take for granted, all that we freely debate and complain about and vote for or against--all will get the dagger if bin Laden's fantasies come true.

Just remember what we're fighting against. We might differ on the methods used to fight this enemy, or on the seriousness of the danger. However, do not forget that he is, in fact, our enemy.

Baseball Supermen Conquer the World

2005-08-01T12:09:00.000-05:00

Evidently it's time to add Raphael Palmeiro to the ever-growing list of baseball stars with asterisks next to their names in the record books.

It's a bit shocking for a star of Palmeiro's caliber to get caught in a year when scrutiny of the sport is at an all-time high. What could he be thinking? It's rather depressing to see a star that you've enjoyed watching since he first came up to the Big Leagues resort to this:

In a prepared statement, Palmeiro said he could not explain how the steroids got into his body. "I have never intentionally used steroids. Never. Ever. Period," he said. "Ultimately, although I never intentionally put a banned substance into my body, the independent arbitrator ruled that I had to be suspended under the terms of the program."

Sure, Raffy. Just like Cookie Monster in rehab on a recent episode of The Family Guy, trying to convince the rehab staff that "those cookies aren't mine!!!". I want to believe you, but it's not an easy thing to do these days.

Guess it's time to find a DVD of old Ryno highlights. Note to all aspiring MLB players: listen to what Ryno says, and take it to heart. Congratulations Ryne Sandberg on your induction into the Hall of Fame!

Yon on Iraq, and a pointless mini-rant

2005-08-01T07:04:00.000-05:00

If you haven't read him yet, I highly recommend checking out Michael Yon's brilliant battlefield reporting from Iraq. His dispatches on the Battle of Mosul are priceless. This week he's reposting earlier dispatches as a prelude to his latest entry. Read part one of the Battle of Mosul here.

His time spent on the ground has given him a perspective that is simply lacking in the MSM. He has a much keener grasp of the successes and problems on the ground than you'll ever get from a reporter holed up in the Al-Rashid hotel in Baghdad. His extensive military background makes it easier for soldiers to confide in him, and at the same time it allows Yon to understand and accurately describe what he sees. Jason at Iraq Now/Countercolumn has written extensively about the importance of having veterans in the newsroom, if for no other reason than to correct glaring, obvious errors ("...after the F-15s took off from the carrier, they linked up with a B-52 to take on fuel then progressed to their target..."). Surely his argument can be extended to include 'embedded' reporters like Michael Yon. To an outsider, the military can seem alternately confusing (acronyms, anyone?), simplistic (because many military men and women don't wring their hands about issues like whether America is a force for good in the world, etc.), and exclusive (which is a product of many things--camaraderie, training and discipline, a healthy disdain for academics who think attending 6 hours of classes constitutes a "hard day"...).

Where was I? Oh right...read Michael Yon. And toss some coins in his tip jar.

Cool, Clear Water...

2005-07-29T20:38:00.000-05:00

Exciting news (if you're into that sort of thing) from the ESA Mars Express mission--a large patch of water ice has been found in a crater near the Martian north pole.

Send in the rovers...

Grounded again...

2005-07-27T20:19:00.000-05:00

The shuttle fleet has been grounded again, after a large chunk of material was spotted falling off the external tank during the launch.

Key quote:
"Since the Columbia tragedy, NASA has spent over $1 billion on making sure shuttles would be safe from falling foam debris."

That figure doesn't include the enormous cost of the ISS, which is a mere shadow of what its planners hoped it would be...and is probably the primary reason why the Space Shuttle still limps its way into orbit. Now we discover that $1 billion has been spent to improve safety, yet a piece of foam (warning: links to large hi-res photo) as large as three feet peels off of the external tank. NASA admits that it's basically 'good luck' that it didn't strike the shuttle.

To me, the issue is not whether NASA is competent...I'll leave that to others. I'm more concerned with the fact that the shuttle is looking more and more like an obsolete hunk of failed space race dreams. How long have we been reading about replacements for this aging beast? X-this, X-that, aerospike engines, launch costs so low that you can send grandma to the moon for her birthday. When? "The near future. 2000 at the latest. Maybe 2005. When you get to 2005, make it 2010. I mean 2020..."

The risks simply seem to outstrip the rewards. I could live with the shuttle if it could do something other than spin around our planet in a low orbit. So much risk, for what? Science that robots could do cheaper and more safely. We spend billions so the Canadarm can poke around looking for holes with a new sensor stuck on the end of it. This isn't the stuff of dreams, it's a snoozer. It's the equivalent of reading the dictionary from cover to cover while standing on top of a metal tower in a thunderstorm. Terribly boring, and oh so dangerous.

It begs a comparison to a few recent space missions:

Mars Pathfinder: $280 million (including launch vehicle and operations)
Mars Exploration Rovers: $820 million (including the launch and initial 90-day missions of both Spirit and Opportunity)
SpaceShipOne: ~$20 million (development costs and suborbital flight)

The robots sent to Mars captured the world's imagination, and have returned enormous amounts of useful science. They create a sense of wonder, they appeal to our sense of adventure. We really are boldly going where no man has gone before. If we had more money for robotic missions, we could take even bolder risks--dropping rovers into the Valles Marineris, or on top of Olympus Mons...the possibilities are endless.

SpaceShipOne serves a different purpose--it puts the Buck Rogers back into spaceflight. There's something thrilling about seeing a bunch of plucky rich guys blow a small (very small, by NASA standards) fortune to cobble together a spacecraft capable of suborbital flight. Even though it achieved nothing "new" (save the fact that it's privately built), it still had that critical quality--it captures our imagination. The design says it all--SpaceShipOne looks *cool*, like it wasn't simply designed to be functional. It's Buck Rogers in real life--so what if it's not in orbit? SpaceShipOne and its mothership, the White Knight, look like something a 10-year-old boy with an overactive imagination would design....

Robots for exploration. Private spacecraft for manned flight.

Cheers to the brave Shuttle astronauts, nevertheless. They're heroes without a cause, I fear.

UPDATE: Mike's Noise (via Instapundit) details some very interesting information about the type of foam used for insulation. This line really jumped out at me: "After the new foam was used on Columbia mission STS-87 in November 1997, post-flight examination of the craft found that 308 of the special heat-absorbent ceramic tiles that cover the Shuttle's outer skin were damaged. The average number of damaged tiles for previous missions was 40."

Blasts in Sharm el-Sheik

2005-07-22T20:05:00.000-05:00

A series of blasts in Sharm el-Sheik, an Egyptian resort on the southern tip of the Sinai, has killed at least 36 and wounded 150. The resort is popular with Europeans, Israelis, and Egyptians.

It should come as no surprise that many of the dead were Egyptian. Animals don't worry about distinctions like that. Besides, I'm sure they'll argue that the murdered Egyptians were guilty of "consorting with the infidels". Perhaps they had the nerve to stay in the same hotel as Europeans (oh, the horror) or Jews (*gasp*). Perhaps they were guilty of the crime of sipping coffee with friends at a cafe that happens to be in an area popular with infidels.

Sadly, Norm Geras will be able to add yet another entry to his summary of the many ways the enemies of humanity fight their "war". They murder sleeping tourists on holiday. They murder Egyptians out for a cup of coffee with friends.

At times like this, I wish I was British. They are simply unsurpassed in their ability to express their disdain for cowardly death-obsessed murderers like these bastards. Americans simply lack the centuries of refinement that have allowed Brits to raise profanity to an art form.

WW2 RTS Chat

2005-07-22T07:08:00.000-05:00

LOL to this. World War II summed up in l33tspeak...
(via Chrenkoff)

Stockwell

2005-07-22T06:35:00.000-05:00

Police have shot a suspected suicide bomber at Stockwell station this morning. Nosemonkey is liveblogging the events again.

It's sounding more and more like the police acted in the only way they could considering they were chasing a potential suicide bomber. After the suspect (who was wearing a long, heavy coat...in summer) ran onto a train, the police had a split second to decide. If they hesitated and he was able to set off an explosive device, any number of civilians (not to mention the police themselves) could have been killed. They acted decisively, and eliminated any possibility of the suspect setting off a device.

I'm sure this sends a message to the wannabombers as well. We're not particularly afraid. We know who you are, we'll find you, and we'll bring you to justice, one way or another.

Cheers to the Metropolitan Police.

London Liveblogging

2005-07-21T19:48:00.000-05:00

Nosemonkey liveblogged the wannabomber "attacks" in London today. Excellent coverage as usual.

A sure sign that the "attacks" were an abysmal failure? *I* was more interested in the cricket result today. Let me spell this out for the wannabombers, since they don't seem to be too bright. An American living an ocean away from London was more interested in watching the opening day of the Ashes series than he was in following the terminally boring news of your sad little misadventures today.

You know your life amounts to nothing when Americans would rather watch cricket than tune in to coverage of your failed little plot. Read a few sites like Europhobia, and you'll see just how little of an impression you've made on Londoners. You could barely hold their attention through the afternoon. On this day, the Aussie cricket squad caused far more terror in the UK than you!!! Pathetic.