Sigh

The guest bloggers are killing Protein Wisdom. Don't bother clicking. It's not loading today.

QOD

Name some good songs to RUN to. I find running needs entirely different songs from, say, an elliptical trainer. System of a Down is great for that. Too angry for running though.

*Note: suggest Madonna and you will be banned.

My dog just farted

Right here, next to the computer.

I gotta go. Let things air out.

HELP!

I agreed (since I didn't exactly volunteer) to teach a Catechism class for my church. The church was (obviously) desperate. Anyway, I got stuck blessed with fourth graders. I don't want to say that they are little terrors, but they talk incessantly, giggle, fall off of their chairs ... you put it together. Not to appear sexist, but I have a class made up primarily of boys. Whose idea was it to give the new gal a class of boys? Trial by fire, I guess.

Today, I really have to get them under control, or I fear all is lost. I 'm thinking I have to come up with a game or something that we can regularly play if they get the "work" part of the class done in time. Any ideas? Any advice is welcome.

New on the Tube

The new fall television season is upon us, and I thought I'd list the new additions I plan on watching :







That ought to sum it up. I hate new shows, and I never watch them. Through the process of attrition, this would eventually lead to watching zero tv. That's not entirely how it works, because occasionally I'll hear someone talking about a show, and I might check it out. That's what happened with House. And, many moons ago, with Buffy. Sometimes, I check them out, watch for a few weeks and then decide I really don't like them; Desperate Housewives. To be honest, my goal is to watch less TV, not more, which is why I don't even start with new programs. That leaves me with:

24
Battlestar Galatica (which has a rather short season)
House

These are (pretty much) the only shows I TiVo. Everything else depends on how desperate I am to watch something (anything.) Last night I ended up watching the last forty-five minutes of Bridget Jones' Diary.

Pope Invites New Looks at Catholicism

Never mind the violence occurring today, let's focus on what the Catholic church used to do:
 Pope Benedict XVI's reference to dark aspects in Islam's history also has opened up another type of backlash for his church: fresh examinations of its past as conqueror, inquisitor and patron of missionaries whose zeal sometimes led to conflict with other faiths.

Right, let's dig into these past issues, because, you know, no on is going to declare a fatwa and go on jihad if we criticize Christians.

"No religion is without their unholy periods," said the Rev. Khalil Samir, a Vatican envoy for interfaith links in Lebanon. "To admit this is an important step to real understanding and dialogue."


Except, Islam will admit no such thing, of course.

In recent decades, Islamic groups and others have increasingly targeted Christian missionaries for allegations of forced conversions and as symbols of Western interference

Well, of course that is because there is no other God but Allah, and Mohammed is his Prophet. Duh.

FTR

I find that the endorphins don't kick in until after mile THREE (when I was younger, it used to be after mile two.) Of course, if I only run three miles, I completely miss the whole positive vibe of running. It's just one long, sustained effort to keep moving.

But, last night I went to four. Yea me.

Overheard on Medved

That the average home has more TVs than people.

We've got 7 people and 2 tvs. Actually, we have three - we bought a small one for the PS2, but it only occasionally gets used since the kids prefer to use the larger tv in the basemen.

What's this?

Typhoid fever is an infectious feverish disease with severe symptoms in the digestive system in the second phase of the illness.

Sounds good so far.

Classic typhoid fever is a serious disease. It can be life-threatening, but antibiotics are an effective treatment. The disease lasts several weeks and convalescence takes some time.

Do you think they have antibiotics in the caves of Afghanistan or Pakistan? Because I'm guessing that might be tricky.

The disease is transmitted from human to human via food or drinking water, and it is therefore mainly hygiene and sanitary conditions that determine its spread. It is primarily for this reason that it is no longer so commonly seen in Europe.

Bad hygiene you say? Well, I, for one, am shocked at the very suggestion.

You can read all the details here, but here is where it starts to get good:

2nd phase: in the second to third weeks of the disease, symptoms of intestinal infection are manifested and the fever remains very high and the pulse becomes weak and rapid. In the third week the constipation is replaced by severe pea-soup-like diarrhoea. The faeces may also contain blood. It is not until the fourth or fifth week that the fever drops and the general condition slowly improves

Unless, of course, you never got those antibiotics.

Intestinal perforation or profuse bleeding from the intestinal mucosa may occur if typhoid fever is left untreated.

Ouch, that sounds bad.

If Osama turns up dead, you can all thank me, because I have been faithfully praying to God to strike this evil man down. Or, should I say, you can Thank God. And go to church and show him a bit of gratitude.

On the shelf

Mark Steyn reviewing a new book by Lawrence Write on the development of the current jihadists we fae:

In an Islamist grievance culture, the tower doesn't have to be that tall to loom. The tragedy in Wright's book is that across little more than half a century a loser cult has metastasized, eventually to swallow almost all the moderate, syncretic forms of Islam. What was so awful about Sayyid Qutb's experience in America that led him to regard modernity as an abomination? Well, he went to a dance in Greeley, Colo.: "The room convulsed with the feverish music from the gramophone. Dancing naked legs filled the hall, arms draped around the waists, chests met chests, lips met lips . . ."

In 1949, Greeley, Colo., was dry. The dance was a church social. The feverish music was Frank Loesser's charm song Baby, It's Cold Outside. But it was enough to start a chain that led from Qutb to Zawahiri in Egypt to bin Laden in Saudi Arabia to the mullahs in Iran to the man arrested in Afghanistan on Sept. 11. And it's a useful reminder of how much we could give up and still be found decadent and disgusting by the Islamists. A world without Baby, It's Cold Outside will be very cold in

What a concept!

Use a skinny-ass, drugged-out, white chick in black-face to garner attention to the plight of Aids in AFrica.

Genius!

In the kithen today

Apfelkuchen

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
3 ounces sugar
1 1/8 cup warm milk
5 lg. peeled, cored, sliced apples
1 package dry yeast
1 package vanilla-sugar
3 ounces room temperature butter
Dash salt
--TOPPING:--
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash salt
3/4 cup sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter

Directions:

Mix all ingredients (except apples). Then blend on high for 5 minutes. Let dough rest for 5 minutes. Grease cookie sheet and with greased hands, pat dough into the pan. Place apples on the dough and push in lightly. Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Topping: Combine sugar, flour, spices and salt; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 20-30 minutes or until brown.

Recipe from CD Kitchen.

Dang, I'm busy

That is all.

You First, Buddy

Morocco's King Mohammed VI sent a letter to the Vatican in which he implored Benedict to show "the same respect for Islam that you have for the other religions," Moroccan media reported. Morocco withdrew its ambassador to the Vatican over the weekend

As soon as they stop beheading in the name of their relgiion, I'll start to respect it. The following statement does little to encourage hope:

The group said Muslims would be victorious and addressed the pope as "the worshipper of the cross" saying "you and the West are doomed as you can see from the defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere. ... We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (killed by) the sword."
Islam forbids drinking alcohol and requires non-Muslims to pay a head tax to safeguard their lives if conquered by Muslims. They are exempt if they convert to Islam.

I'm having 'puter troubles; my entire screen is fuzzy. Sigh. There could be a ton of typos here, but I can't see a thing. Sorry.

Is the Pope Catholic?

A quick read through the Pope's speech which has sent the Islamo-tards frothing:

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached". The emperor goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. "God is not pleased by blood, and not acting reasonably (F×< 8`(T) is contrary to God’s nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats... To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death...".

The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God’s nature. The editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident. But for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality. Here Khoury quotes a work of the noted French Islamist R. Arnaldez, who points out that Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God’s will, we would even have to practise idolatry.

And the Muslim response? Jihad.

Adnan El Shukri Jumah sighting?

Go read the thread to this post of SondraK's. The comment is from 7:18 yesterday and continues further down.

It does help to keep our eyes open and spread the word. These nuts do not have the power of invisibility.

Coincidence?

Growing up, one of my good childhood friends was Canadian. My family had a Cottage in Ontario, so I spent every summer with her. She was very sweet, but not the sharpest tool in the shed. One year, I wanted to learn a bit about how their government worked, but I quickly realized I was asking the WRONG person when she informed me that Ronald Reagan was her president.

I never assumed, though, that intellectual acuity was tied to her nationality. But, this (from AoS) gives me pause:

Sadly, a recent poll on another Canadian television network showed that 22 per cent of Canadians believe the American government was involved in 9/11. Another 53 per cent are of the opinion that US foreign policy was responsible for the attack. All of which shows a diminishment of trust in America

Twenty-two percent?!? That's a rather large percentage to be merely a loony "fringe." What is the problem Canada? Too much beer drinking? Been playing hockey without a helmet one too many times?? I'm about ->this<- close to declaring the entire country a lost cause. If it wasn't for the Tragically Hip I would have written you off entirely long ago. And I'll never forgive you for foisting Celine upon us.

Never forget. Never forgive.

Good News

Not everyone at Harvard is a total idiot:

The feminists at Harvard seek to remove every vestige of patriarchy in America, but they have said almost nothing about the complete dismissal of women's rights by radical Islam. To do so would be to attack Islamic culture, and according to multiculturalism, every culture is equal and none is evil. They forsake women in societies that repudiate women's rights and direct their complaints to societies that believe in women's rights. Of course it's easier to complain to someone who listens to you and doesn't immediately proceed to slit your throat. No sign of any rethinking of feminism has appeared in the universities where it flourishes.

So while Rosie equates Christians to homosexual-killing Islamists, and Harvard welomes Mohammad Khatami, there are small vestiges of intelligence to be found.

With Love from River Rat

Bush Poll numbers average at 42% approval.

Well his numbers are improving why so silent now, are those crickets I hear? Oh ya one other thing gas prices are dropping like Britney spears underwear, I thought GWB wanted high prices for his oil buddies.

Silly, we only hear stuff like this when it's bad news for Bush. Here in Detroit, there was a station selling gas at $2.05 a gallon.

Why I don't Watch Daytime TV

Because it is too farking stupid.

I missed Rosie's rant the other day on The View because I never watch that crap. But I did catch it on the intertubes. When I heard the applause , by a New York audience, to her line - "And just one second, radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America"-my first thought wasn't to wallow in despair that we were a nation of total fucking idiots, but instead to feel secure in the knowledge that on display was merely the low-caliber of intelligence (or rational thought) of those who watch daytime television.

A few years ago, I was shocked to learn that women I knew watched soap operas. I couldn't believe that anyone, over the age of 21, could find such dreck entertaining or interesting. I was so naive. It was said, long ago, that religion is the opiate of the masses. I disagree; mindless TV is the opiate.

Have you Seen This Man?

He's wanted by the FBI.

I don't know about you, but I'm thinking about taking a drive over to Dearborn and see what I can find. He's only 5'3 aND 135, so I'm thinking I can take him myself, but I might bring Greta, because I've heard these Islamic fascist Jihadists hate dogs. I might pull a Lynddie England on him myself (where did I put that extra dog collar?)

Do you think a bit of torture, before I turn him over to the FBI, would interfere with collecting the $5 million reward?

For those Keeping Score at Home

Ethan's head: 1
Erin's teeth: -3

Enough

I must stop watching and reading 9/11-related stuff on the internet.

"The Arab and Iranian Reaction to 9/11 Five Years Later

Democracy Now!'s Loose Change debate with the makers of crackpot film extrodinaire "Loose Change" and the editors of "Popular Mechanics." (h/t Hot Air).

The two above links are in competition; watch the Memri one and you will be amazed at the stupidity pouring out of the Middle East. But, then you watch the "Loose Change" debate and you see that we have some real weiners on our side of the pond as well. I'm undecided as to whether or not that is reassuring.

Allah put together 27 minuets of the CNN coverage from 9/11. PTL I didn't know CNN was going to do this (I found out in the afternoon) or I probably would have sat and watched it all day long.

For the last two days I've been wallowing in 9/11 . I didn't watch the miniseries, but I did watch the French documentary that was shown Sunday night. I need to stop. My children need schooling.

Abu Ghraib/ bias keeps flowing

Article in which complaints are made of treatment by Iraqi Guards since the Americans have left.

Some of the small number of prisoners who remained in the jail after the Americans left said they had pleaded to go with their departing captors, rather than be left in the hands of Iraqi guards.
"The Americans were better than the Iraqis. They treated us better," said Khalid Alaani, who was held on suspicion of involvement in Sunni terrorism.

Picture for the article? Lynndie England with the dogleash photo.

Do I Need to Remember what I Haven't Forgotten?

Jeff Harrell puts into words something that's been lurking in the attic of my brain, but just I couldn't put my finger on it:

[W]ith all due respect, you can blow your memorials and your big-screen movies and your documentaries out your ass. Remembering 9/11 isn’t the problem.

I started watching "The Path to 9/11" last night, but then stopped. It's TiVoed in case I change my mind at some point, but I don't really need a movie to reenact the events. Who does, at this point? If someone is living so outside of the events of the world, that they need a refresher course on this stuff- well, I Just don't know what to say about that.

I'm still mad

On 9/11-today- I opened my local newspaper to read this dreck:

Sept. 11 only heightened the misconceptions about Islam. Islam-phobia has risen in the post-Sept. 11 era among certain populations in the United States.
If there was a different administration [with] a difference language about the Muslim community and had a different foreign policy and a domestic agenda, and a different agenda on the so-called war on terror, I think Islam-phobia would decrease.Dawud Walid, executive director of CAIR

Look, buddy, 9/11 didn't heighten the misconceptions about Islam, your jihadist muslim Brothers did that with their actions. He references 9/11 as if it were just a date unattached to the most horrible act of terrorism committed in the name of HIS religion.

I remember 9/11. The World changed. My world changed. But, I'm not going to write about where I was, or what I did (although I remember everything about that day), because I'm sure others have more poignant tales to tell. And, I'm not posting a tribute to someone who died; or to the heros or victims in general. On this day, five years later I am mad. Mad again.

Mad because of people like Walid, for whom 9/11 is a date from which to trace his victimhood as a Muslim.

Mad because a movie about 9/11 moves politicians to make grave threats against a network lest their inactions against terrorists be widely exposed to a television watching audience.

Mad because people believe that appeasement will work.

Mad that this war is being fought on unequal footing; they act with 7th century barbarity, while we acting with a 21st century sense of human decency.

This list is by no means complete. But now I've gotten myself good and worked up.

Did anyone watch that miniseries last night?

Like Peanut Butter and Chocolate

Two great things that go great together. NIN and "Angel".

Mood check

I believe I can see the future
Because I repeat the same routine
I think I used to have a purpose
Then again, that might have been a dream

I think I used to have a voice
Now I never make a sound
I just do what I’ve been told
I really don’t want them to come around
Oh, no.

Every day is exactly the same
Every day is exactly the same
There is no love here and there is no pain
Every day is exactly the same

I can feel their eyes are watching
In case I lose myself again
Sometimes I think I’m happy here
Sometimes, yeah, I still pretend
I can’t remember how this got started
But I can tell you exactly how it will end.

Every day is exactly the same
Every day is exactly the same
There is no love here and there is no pain
Every day is exactly the same

(spoken)
I’m writing on a little piece of paper
I’m hoping someday you might find
Well, I’ll hide it behind something
They won’t look behind

I am still inside here
A little bit comes bleeding through
I wish this could have been any other way
But I just don’t know, I don’t know,
What else I can do…

Every day is exactly the same
Every day is exactly the same
There is no love here and there is no pain

NIN

Yea, whatever froggie

Against terrorism, what's needed is not a war. It is, as France has done for many years, a determined fight based on vigilance at all times and effective cooperation with our partners.

"But we will only end this curse if we also fight against injustice, violence and these crises."

What does that even means? A fight based on vigilance at all times? And, we will only end the curse (of terrorism, I suppose) if we fight against "injustice"? The injustice exists in the Arab culture, and if you buy the multi-cultural mumbo-jumbo, that should mean hands-off in influencing them. Isn't that cultural imperialism?

Wow

No blogging for a week! Probably a record. Things are just busy - lots of traveling and visiting for the past month. Now, we've got to get our homeschool groove going. Add to that a cat that bugs me WHILE I'm at the computer, and a "v" key that won't work, and a "c" key that repeats. Oye.

I must mention that I loved the Crocodile Hunter, and this ESPN ad is a hoot.

Wow

No blogging for a week! Probably a record. Things are just busy - lots of traveling and visiting for the past month. Now, we've got to get our homeschool groove going. Add to that a cat that bugs me WHILE I'm at the computer, and a "v" key that won't work, and a "c" key that repeats. Oye.

I must mention that I loved the Crocodile Hunter, and this ESPN ad is a hoot.