This is where I’ll be for the next three days. Stop by, say hi.
From Fr. Jim Tucker: This Week’s Ipod Shuffle
Get your iPod or media-player of choice, select your whole music collection, set the thing to shuffle (i.e., randomized playback), then post the first ten songs that come out. No cheating, no matter how stupid it makes you feel! Maybe link the songs to online music stores for readers’ convenience.
Here’s mine…
- I Could Get Used to This, Diane Schuur – Pure Schuur
- All My Ex’s Live in Texas, George Strait – Greatest Hits Volume II
- Splendid Isolation, Warren Zevon —“ Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon
- Boondocks, Little Big Town —“ The Road to Here
- Witaj Matko uwielbiona, In Crudo —“ Jest drabina do nieba
- In My Time of Dying, Led Zepplin —“ Physical Grafitti
- I’ll Hold You in My Heart (‘Til I Can Hold You in My Arms), Eddy Arnold —“ Johnny Cash Artist’s Choice
- Hawai’i ’78, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – Facing Future
- Active piosenka, Grzesiek Góralczyk
- Porcelana, Anita Lipnicka —“ Moje oczy są zielone
Based on Hugo Chavez’ insults directed at President Bush, do you think that one of Mr. Bush’s children (or his brother) will run for President so as to avenge the insults against the Bush family?
Think of it, the U.S. invades Venezuela to overthrow the mean Mr. Chavez (oh yeah, and the oil thing all over again).
You’re welcome to discuss in the land of nightmares.
It appears that Bush administration threats, and their way of doing business, are being exposed by world leaders. The President of Pakistan, in a stunning revelation, discusses Bush administration tactics with the Times.
While Bush’s father used diplomacy (walk softly and all that…) the son never got beyond the stick.
This little snapshot from the pages of the Bush doctrine should serve as notice to everyone in the world, and especially to opponents at home, that we will be crushed to powder if Bush Jr. doesn’t get his way. He might just begin to loose sight of the little barriers that exist in his mind between terrorism and democracy.
If anyone saw Mr. Bush on CNN the previous night you’ll have noticed just how prone he is to anger and threats when he is cornered.
Here are a few excerpts from the Times article on Bush administration threats past and present: We’ll bomb you to Stone Age, US told Pakistan: Musharraf reveals post-9/11 threat in book serialized by The Times
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, the President of Pakistan, claimed last night that the Bush Administration threatened to bomb his country —into the Stone Age— if it did not co-operate with the US after 9/11, sharply increasing tensions between the US and one of its closest allies in the war on terrorism.
The President, who will meet Mr. Bush in the White House today, said the threat was made by Richard Armitage, then the Deputy Secretary of State, in the days after the terror attacks, and was issued to the Pakistani intelligence director.
—The intelligence director told me that [Armitage] said, ‘Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age’,— President Musharraf said. —I think it was a very rude remark.— The claims come at the end of a week in which relations between the US and Pakistan have sharply deteriorated, and days ahead of the publication of President Musharraf’s memoir, In the Line of Fire, which will be serialised in The Times from Monday.
On Wednesday, President Bush, in an interview with CNN, said that he would not hesitate to authorise immediate American military action inside Pakistan if he had intelligence of Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts. Asked if he would give an order to kill the al-Qaeda leader, Mr Bush said —absolutely—.
President Musharraf was clearly angered by Mr Bush’s declaration that the US would act independently of his authority inside Pakistan…
Boże, który chcesz wszystkich pociągnąć ku synowi Twemu, spraw, abyśmy za przyczyną wyznawcy Twego błogosł. Władysława z Gielnowa ponad wszelką żądzę tego świata wzniesieni, dojść do żywota wiecznego zasłużyli. Przez Chrystusa Pana naszego. Amen.
It appears that Israel’s foreign minister has firmly told all Palestinians, in a United Nations speech, to make sure they stay out and never attempt to return to their homes.
From Aljazeera: Livni rejects Palestinian right to return:
Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, has used a speech at the United Nations to tell Palestinian refugees that they should not expect to be allowed to return to their homes in Israel.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out by Israeli forces in the 1948 Middle East war that followed the establishment of Israel and in 1967.
Many Palestinian refugees, the world’s largest refugee population, remain in squalid camps in neighbouring Arab countries. The right of return for them and their descendants has remained a key demand within the peace process…
This is nothing new of course, but I just wonder; if similar demands regarding European property rights and restitution, made by Israelis, or by Jewish people anywhere, were met with this type of response, those giving the response would most likely be called anti-Semitic and would be sued.
Turkey has always claimed to be a secular democracy. However, any real review of Turkish practice would indicate that it is a democracy where some (Muslims) are far more equal than others (Christians and Armenian and Kurdish minorities).
Calling yourself a democracy —“ and secular —“ may work as a disguise for a little while, but the proof is in the way you live out your democracy.
One of the traits of a democracy is the ability of its citizens —“ and anyone else —“ to comment on, criticize, and yes, even ‘insult’ the politics and practices of that democracy. Being ultra-sensitive and ultranationalist go hand-in-hand. They both act to stifle debate. Getting upset about criticism makes you anything but a democracy (by making laws against criticism) or just makes you childish.
Turkish judges seem to be getting that point. Zaman Online reports: Novelist Shafak Acquitted of Insulting Turkishness. Excerpts follow:
Well-known Turkish novelist Elif Shafak has been acquitted in the case against her for allegedly “insulting Turkishness” due to her remarks in her latest novel named “The Bastard of Istanbul”.
The controversial trial of the famous author Shafak commenced this morning at Beyoglu court amid protests from ultranationalists against the European Union (EU).
Beyoglu 2nd Court of First Instance decided on Thursday to acquit Shafak in the case in which she was charged with “insulting Turkishness” due to lack of legal grounds for the crime in question and insufficient evidence.
…
Turkey’s 35-year old novelist was sued under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, the same law that ensnared Orhan Pamuk, one of Turkey’s best-known contemporary authors, last year.
Late in July, an Istanbul court decided to open a case against author Elif Safak on charges of denigrating Turkishness for remarks made by Armenian characters in her book named “Father and Bastard” in Turkish version, aka “The Bastard of Istanbul.” Shafak faces up to three years imprisonment if found guilty.
Shafak’s book recounts the story of relations between an Armenian family and two Turkish families. An Armenian character in the book says that “Turkish butchers” killed her family and that the deaths were “genocide.”
The ultra-nationalist Turkish Lawyers Association Chairman Kemal Kerincsiz, who is infamous for filing complaints against journalists and authors, was also responsible for opening the case against author Elif Shafak, an assistant professor of Near Eastern studies at the University of Arizona, in the U.S.
…
The European Union has repeatedly criticized Turkey for its lack of progress on the freedom of expression of writers and journalists. Several writers have been convicted under the notorious Article 301; however, none have been jailed; instead, the courts have tended to hand down fines, the maximum amount being $4,000.
Earlier this year, an Istanbul court dropped a case brought against Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk, also charged with ‘insulting Turkishness’, following remarks he had made concerning the killing of Armenians during the last years of the Ottoman Empire.
In July, Perihan Magden another famous Turkish author and journalist was acquitted in the case against her for discouraging people from performing their military service due to remarks in her column in a Turkish daily.
Chávez Calls Bush ‘the Devil’ in U.N. Speech from the NY Times
President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela bitterly and sarcastically assailed President Bush before the United Nations General Assembly today, portraying Mr. Bush as —the devil— who thinks he is —the owner of the world.—
—Yesterday, the devil came here,— Mr. Chávez said, alluding to Mr. Bush’s appearance before the General Assembly on Tuesday. —Right here. Right here. And it smells of sulfur still today, this table that I am now standing in front of.—
I’m prepared to send the following to Mr. Bush:
It’s the haz-mat sign used for class 4.1 substances, particularly sulfur. I can hear the conversation now, ‘Agent, we’ll need enough for Washington, the cars, and enough for Crawford (the new Palm Springs).’
Unfortunately, Mr. Chávez made a bad character assessment. Remember, the devil is wily… I’m just not seeing the crafty, clever, cunning, and sly part. I’ll give Mr. Bush the devious and scheming though.
Niech nas wspomagają Panie modły błogosławionego Apostoła i Ewangelisty Mateusza, a czego przez ułomność naszą otrzymać nie zdołamy, abyśmy otrzymali za jego wstawieniem się przyczyną. Amen.
Jesus saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him
Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him: Follow me. Jesus saw Matthew, not merely in the usual sense, but more significantly with his merciful understanding of men.
He saw the tax collector and, because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him, he said to him: Follow me. This following meant imitating the pattern of his life —“ not just walking after him. St. John tells us: Whoever says he abides in Christ ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
And he rose and followed him. There is no reason for surprise that the tax collector abandoned earthly wealth as soon as the Lord commanded him. Nor should one be amazed that neglecting his wealth, he joined a band of men whose leader had, on Matthew’s assessment, no riches at all. Our Lord summoned Matthew by speaking to him in words. By an invisible, interior impulse flooding his mind with the light of grace, he instructed him to walk in his footsteps. In this way Matthew could understand that Christ, who was summoning him away from earthly possessions, had incorruptible treasures of heaven in his gift.
As he sat at table in the house, behold many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. This conversion of one tax collector gave many men, those from his own profession and other sinners, an example of repentance and pardon. Notice also the happy and true anticipation of his future status as apostle and teacher of the nations. No sooner was he converted than Matthew drew after him a whole crowd of sinners along the same road to salvation. He took up his appointed duties while still taking his first steps in the faith, and from that hour he fulfilled his obligation and thus grew in merit. To see a deeper understanding of the great celebration Matthew held at his house, we must realise that he not only gave a banquet for the Lord at his earthly residence, but far more pleasing was the banquet set in his own heart which he provided through faith and love. Our Saviour attests to this: Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
On hearing Christ’s voice, we open the door to receive him, as it were, when we freely assent to his promptings and when we give ourselves over to doing what must be done. Christ, since he dwells in the hearts of his chosen ones through the grace of his love, enters so that he might eat with us and we with him. He ever refreshes us by the light of his presence insofar as we progress in our devotion to and longing for the things of heaven. He himself is delighted by such a pleasing banquet.
— A sermon by St Bede the Venerable from today’s Office of Readings
The most well written, concise, and understandable article I’ve ever read regarding statistical analysis of your blog’s performance.
Doug Karr, guest blogger at Have Laptop Will Travel shares his well written Blogging E-Metrics Simplified (PDF) in Blog E-Metrics.
I recently switched to Google Analytics and wow – I can see what’s going on in a snap.