i think i'll watch a classic movie later tonight. High Noon, starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly.

: )

The IMDb plot summary says: "A sheriff, personally compelled to face a returning deadly enemy, finds that his own town refuses to help him." Sounds like a metaphor for George W. Bush and the Democrats.

Sorry, i couldn't resist the political jab.

Posted by: annika at 06:31 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Can you spot the irony in this holiday stamp webpage from the United States Postal Service's site?

i'll tell you. The word Christmas appears nowhere on either of the two pages from which you can order holiday stamps. Even though four of the eight selections on the first page are clearly and specifically Christmas stamps.

i can understand the view that the US government should not appear to endorse any particular religion by actually uttering the word "Christmas." i don't agree with that line of thinking, but i see how the argument can be made.

The problem with the USPS site is that their omission of the word Christmas, to describe stamps with Santa Claus, reindeer and even an image of the baby Jesus, cannot be based on any desire to adhere to the First Amendment.

Note that there are also stamps clearly identified with the names of two other religious celebrations: Hanukkah and Eid. (From what i understand, Kwanzaa and the Lunar New Year are cultural, not religious celebrations.)

As far as i'm concerned, the only way this PC bullshit can be interpreted is that the USPS thinks some people might be offended by looking at the word Christmas while shopping for stamps.* Either that, or the Postal Service marketing department has been taken over by anti-Christian wackos. (Not anti-religious wackos, mind you, just anti-Christian.)

i don't think anyone, even the most rabid anti-religious zealot, could possibly be offended by merely looking at the word Christmas. Those kind of people just do not exist. Oh i'm certain that there are some people who claim offense in order to advance a political agenda. But anyone who would be truly offended by the word Christmas simply could not function in society.

i think it's great that the USPS is commemorating Hanukkah and Eid-ul-Fitr with stamps. But how is calling a Christmas stamp a Christmas stamp somehow improper?

Maybe they should change their acronym to the USPCS.
_______________

* By the way, the function of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause is not, and has never been, to prevent people from being offended.

Posted by: annika at 10:11 AM | Comments (24) | Add Comment
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At lunch today, a bunch of us were talking about our parents, and the pithy, often funny things that they say, in an effort to impart wisdom on us.

i love my dad. If there's one man i admire more than any other it's him, because i consider him the standard by which all other males of the species should be judged. i like to think i inherited some of his brains (except for his genius for math), his sense of humor, and his love of science, technology and sports. i wish i had inherited his rock solid dependability and work ethic. Or his unflappable calm and good humor.

My dad's a quiet man with a very dry sense of humor. He doesn't often give advice or make declarative statements, unless it's something funny. This actually serves to increase the value of anything serious he does tell his two children. Like the old TV commercial says: When my dad speaks, people listen. At least his kids do.

Here's a compilation of the most memorable and infuential statements my dad has uttered in my presence.

• Sometimes Annie, you have to do things you don't want to do.¹


• Don't ask me, look it up.²


• Learn to like sports, and you'll never be sorry.³


• The Democrats are a bunch of fucking communists.⁴


• You can apply to that school, but I'm not gonna let you go there.⁵


• What did you do to your hair?⁶


• What do you wanna do that for? There's too many damn lawyers.⁷


• You ride a motorcycle long enough, you're gauranteed to get a broken leg.⁸


• Me too.⁹


• Your career goal shouldn't be to just be a lawyer. It should be CEO.¹⁰


• What the hell did you do to your hair?¹¹


• Go ahead and spend it, that's what money's for.¹²


• A little hard work never hurt anybody.¹³


• You don't like that? That's the best part!¹⁴


• You're not going out of the house looking like that.¹⁵


• As long as you're living here, you follow my rules.¹⁶

¹ Probably the best advice he's ever given.
² This recurring theme was responsible for fostering my lifelong love of books.
³ Ditto for sports.
⁴ The impact of this statement was magnified by the fact that it was the only time i have ever heard my dad use the f-word.
⁵ In reference to U.C. Santa Cruz.
⁶ Upon seeing his only daughter as a brunette.
⁷ Which is what my dad, a lawyer, said to me upon first hearing that i was thinking about going to law school.
⁸ Statement made about a month before my high school boyfriend crashed his motorcycle.
⁹ His standard mumbled but sincere response to "i love you, Daddy."
¹⁰ After warming up to the idea of me in law school.
¹¹ Upon seeing his only daughter as a redhead.
¹² i know, i still can't figure that one out. Like i said, a real dry sense of humor.
¹³ What dad hasn't said this?
¹⁴ My dad, the quintissential Midwesterner. This statement usually referred to the most disgusting by-product of a meal, like tripe, bone marrow or chicken kidneys, for example.
¹⁵ This was also a favorite of my mom's, along with the next quote.
¹⁶ Thank God for those rules, though. They made me the sweet young woman i am today . . . well, occasionally.

Posted by: annika at 07:54 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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Kevin at Wizbang has the photo of Cheney's . . . umm . . . dick. Kinda puts W's flight suit "package" picture to shame.

Best comment to Kevin's post is by Christopher Cross: "That must be what they mean by 'gravitas.'"

Heh.

Posted by: annika at 11:22 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Philadelphia at Dallas.
Philly is favored by 6½ points.
The Cowboy's quarterback is still Vinnie Testaverde.
Vinnie Testaverde still sucks.
He's thrown ten picks this year, six in the last two games.
He's awful.
Philly is coming off a loss to Pittsburgh.
They outclass Dallas at the QB, RB and WR positions.
You do the math.
Gimme Philadelphia minus the points.

Now onto sports news of the more prurient variety. Chicago Bears Linebacker Brian Urlacher admits that he went out with Paris Hilton, but that he's never seen her infamous video.

We met, had a good time in Vegas, and she came to a game. That was about it.

She's a nice girl.

And a busy girl

she goes all out.

I don't know what the big deal was. I was single, and we hung out for a while.

I didn't even see the [infamous] video, man.

I should've watched it; I heard it was pretty good.

Rock on Brian.

Update: With the Eagles' 49 to 21 shellacking of the Cowboys tonight (Someone forgot to tell Andy Reid that there's no BCS in the NFL, and thus no need to run up the score.), i improved my record for MNF prognostication to 6 and 3. My awesomeness continues to roll!

Posted by: annika at 09:55 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Philly bye 3 no more or less.

Posted by: Dex at November 15, 2004 11:10 AM (yw5Tu)

2 The rumor of last week was that Bill the Cat lost the mayoral election due to havin' been married to Paris Hilton for 17 minutes the day jes' before the election. Paris gets around, doesn't she. I wish she would come around here. I think she is cute.

Posted by: Tig at November 15, 2004 09:19 PM (G5PGV)

3 ...awesomeness continues... Then there's your sub-500 record in Blogger Bowl. (Trash-talking only because The Rats of Chaos are scheduled to roll over annika's journal next week, kiddo.)

Posted by: Victor at November 16, 2004 04:50 AM (L3qPK)

4 We're not gonna talk about Blogger Bowl. Not after Ted whooped my ass so badly this week.

Posted by: annika at November 16, 2004 09:14 AM (zAOEU)

5 It's not exactly a "pee-test" that's used. Very few of the nasties actually show up in urine. Usually, a blood test or a smear is what's needed. Drugs, OTOH, will usually show up in pee.

Posted by: John at November 16, 2004 02:05 PM (OmbAg)

6 Thank for this great post, i like what you read Menu Board. Thumbs up, and keep it going!Thanks for sharing I’ll email my friends about this too LED Billboard. This is a really good read for me, Must admit that you are one of the best bloggers I ever saw Led Signboard.Thanks for posting this informative article LED writing board. I look forward to more updates and will be returning.Cheers!

Posted by: Advertising signs at January 21, 2011 03:56 AM (zpIH7)

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Why is Jimmy Kimmel famous?
Who is he?
Has he ever been funny?
Does anyone think he is funny
Or entertaining
In even the most slightest way?
Did you ever notice that
Even when he's smiling
He doesn't look like he's smiling?
Which would be okay if he had
A dry sense of humor, but he
Has no sense of humor at all.
Still,
He's funnier than Bill Maher.
Which is saying a lot,
Because Jimmy Kimmel is not funny.

Posted by: annika at 10:05 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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i got the strangest hate mail yesterday. From someone named Annika in the UK, who wants me to either kill myself or change my name. She was vague about her reasons. Here's the complete email thread (start at the bottom and read up):

annika! <coolconnector20@yahoo.com> wrote:

i am 27. You need to grow up.

annika 69<annika_69@yahoo.co.uk>* wrote:

At the grand old age of 26, I feel I am old enough to comment and I'm well aware of what I am saying. If your name was Sue, or Joanne, then thousands of people would share your name and the fact that you are tedious would not be an issue. The fact that the name annika is quite unique means that you fly the flag for a few certain individuals, I suggest you take a bath with your hair dryer in order to excape the monotomy that is your life! Either that or change your name to tracey and I will no longer find you offensive. Have a nice day hope to hear from you soon

Interesting Annika

annika! <coolconnector20@yahoo.com> wrote:
i think you are mean, and not very articulate. its funny that you say you read my journal at the same time as you say it is "borong." Why did you read it then? Not only do i think you are lying, i also think you are probably too young to really understand what you are saying. My advice to you is to please think before you insult people you don't know. There's already too much meanness on the internet, don't start out like that.

annika 69<annika_69@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
because I read your journal you tedious person!!!!!!!!!!!!

annika! <coolconnector20@yahoo.com> wrote:
Why did you leave such a mean comment? Why do you think i am "borong" when you don't even know me?

Reblogger Email Notification wrote:

Comment left by annika_69:

i am ashamed and saddened to share my name with someone as dull as you. stop writing poop and get a life. Annikas of the world rise up against this borong girl who shames our name!!!!

Update: My critic is pretty mild compared to the abuse Risawn got for her M203 picture, which is frickin' hilarious. (Risawn's sentiment, "I Am Not Sorry" is fully endorsed by this blog, btw.)

Via Desert Cat.
_______________

* Not her actual address. i altered it out of politeness. But she did use the "69" in her real address. People who include "69" in their email address are a bit odd, don't you think?

Posted by: annika at 09:50 AM | Comments (19) | Add Comment
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What the fuck?

They just don't get it.

Posted by: annika at 08:52 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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A few weeks ago, CBFTW of My War posted an email from his Battalion Commander in Iraq. You can read the whole thing here, but i wanted to excerpt the following passage because i think it's appropriate on this day, as we remember the sacrifice of our nation's veterans.

The will to be free comes at a heavy price. For some it is more than they can bear. Divorce, estrangement, financial burdens, health problems, depression, and even suicide are very real costs. Sacrifice is rarely recognized for what it truly is because the price of recognition is guilt. Parades, giving medals, issuing promotions,and rousing speeches are simply the thin veneer that masks the desperate need of those who are kept free by our endeavors for absolution from this guilt. Adam Duritz wrote in the song Mrs. Potter's Lullaby that 'the price of a memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings.'

I submit that it is our love of freedom, the embrace of our wives or sweethearts, the love of our children or family, and the earned respect ofour brothers in arms that cast the walls that make the will to endure a fortress that can never be taken. I will be proud to stand the watch until my time is at an end, but soon you will mount the ramparts and stand the watch alone. In closing, I leave you with the words of Marcus Aurelius 'Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what's left and live it properly. What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness.'

Posted by: annika at 01:57 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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When you think of the United Sates Marine Corps and the Korean War, one epic battle always comes to mind. Chosin Reservoir. Here's a selection by poet John Kent, which captures the bitter -25° cold experienced by marines during that battle.

Chosin

How deep the cold takes us down,
into the searing frost of hell;
where mountain snows,
unyielding winds, strip our flesh,
bare our bones.

The trembling of uncertain hearts,
scream out to echoes not impressed,
as swirling mists of laughing death,
reach out their fingers to compress.

How white the withered skin exposed,
turns into black and brittle flesh,
and limbs cast out from conscious thought,
still stagger on the arctic frost.

Immobile does the breath extend
as crystal on the mountain wind,
and eyes now fixed in layers of ice,
see nothing through the dawning light.

This road that leads down to the sea,
twists and turns at every bend,
and Chosin's ice that molds like steel,
rains the fire that seeks our end.

The trucks cry out a dirge refrain,
their brittle gears roll on in pain;
upon their beds, the silent dead,
in grateful and serene repose.

Still the mind resists the call,
to lie and die in final pose,
where blood in stillness warms the soul,
and renders nil the will to rise.

The battle carries through the night,
give witness to the dead betrayed,
when frozen weapons fail to fire,
their metal stressed by winter's might.

Still we fight to reach Hungnam,
in solemn oath and brotherhood,
as every able-bodied man,
will bring our dead and wounded home.

Uphold traditions earned in blood,
break through the hordes that press us in,
depress their numbers to the place,
where waves of dead deny their quest.

And on to the sea...

Posted by: annika at 07:00 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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After hanging on, Rasputin-like, for fucking ever, chief Palestinian scumbag Yasser Arafat finally kicked the bucket, according to Fox News. It's not on Drudge yet, but there's a banner on the Fox site.

Update: Reuters now confirms the good news.

Posted by: annika at 07:00 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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These days, my thoughts and prayers return often to our men in Fallujah. While the battle rages, i wanted to post a martial poem that might honor the brave marines and soldiers in combat as we speak. In that regard, i can think of no better poet than Shakespeare himself, and the most famous martial speech of all, from Henry V:

Henry V, Act IV, Scene III
(the English camp at Agincourt, before the battle, King Henry speaking)


This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Oh, and Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps! Semper Fidelis!

More: Matt posts Lt. Gen. Jim Amos's birthday message to the 2nd MEF. Smash posts a 1776 recruiting ad for the Continental Marines. And Mike's USMC birthday tribute is full of cool links.

Posted by: annika at 07:29 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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You know i think the liberal mass hysteria about the "evangelical vote" is totally overblown. But then i'm a churchgoing Catholic, so that makes my opinion suspect to secularist ears.

But celebrity blogger Michele Catalano, an atheist, is not convinced either.

I do believe the Democrats have just switched one brand of Kool-Aid for another. Their new drink is Jesusland flavored and they are swallowing it by the gallon.

If you read them correctly - and I'm not just talking about the fringe elements here, but your everyday journalists, talking heads, bloggers and Democrat on the street - the Christians are coming and they are going to burn crosses on your door and kidnap your heathen babies.

Oh, sure, I've said that I don't want to see this administration move towards the religious right. The difference between the Kool-Aid drinkers and myself is that they truly believe this is going to happen while I don't.

. . .

The Democrats seem to think that two things lost them the election: Christians and idiots.

. . .

Funny how those of us who voted for Nader or Gore last time around are now considered too stupid to breathe. What a difference four years makes. And I wonder if the Dems aren't being willfully ignorant in glossing over the other mitigating factors in their loss, the most blatant being that John Kerry was just not electable material. No one is talking about swing voters, the war on terror voters, security moms, first time voters. All we are hearing is how the moral majority sunk their claws into the too stupid to think for themselves hicks and brainwashed them into voting for a religious mandate that would sweep the nation and force us all to kneel down on Sunday and praise Jesus.
[links omitted]

Update: Celebrity blogger Moxie is another atheist who is not buying the "Jesusland" myth.

Posted by: annika at 11:06 AM | Comments (26) | Add Comment
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i'm locked in a pretty tight Fantasy Football battle this week with a team called Vehement Spittle, run by Bryan from Spare Change. Right now i'm leading 106 to 97, but the Monday night game between Minnesota and Indianapolis will be decisive. i have Marvin Harrison (WR, Ind) and Morten Andersen (K, Min) on my team; Bryan has Brandon Stokley (WR, Ind) and Michael Bennett (RB, Min).

Tonight's real life game between the Colts and the Vikings will be at Indianapolis. The Colts are favored by seven points. i don't understand why. Look at the quarterback comparison:

Daunte Culpepper, MIN: 183/258, 2180 yds, 20 TDs, 5 INTs, rating: 114.2
Peyton Manning, IND: 156/240, 2161 yds, 22 TDs, 4 INTs, rating: 117.4

That's pretty darn close. Is Randy Moss's injury really worth the seven point spread? i just don't know enough about it to say. So i'll take Minnesota and the seven points. i can't resist, since i am Scandinavian and they are the Vikings.

Update: Was i right or was i right? Am i awesome or not? Indy wins by three. i picked the Vikings plus seven points. That means i am, indeed the awesomest! At least this week.

i'm now 5 and 3 for Monday night predictions.

Posted by: annika at 07:04 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Yesterday, i got a favorable mention from across the Pacific at BigHominid's Hairy Chasms. His election wrap-up post contains some reasoned analysis, most of which i agree with, along with this very funny analogy on a non political subject:

Fuck fucking Blogger. I haven't had much trouble with Blogger, but every now and again it'll seize up at the wrong moment and ruin my day. It's a bit like humping a sheep and having your dick ripped off by a sudden, violent, ovine pelvic spasm. It's always a nuisance to have to stop what you're doing, dig around the sheep's ass, retrieve your dick, sew it back on, and then keep on humping. If anything, you're too pissed off to hump but you feel, bizarrely, that you owe your spectators their money's worth. So you reestablish your rhythm and pray the sheep doesn't rip your dick off a second time.

I'd written a long post earlier today, only to have it sucked into the cosmos's asshole by an 'internal server error,' followed by a personal message from Bill Gates that read, 'Yeah, baby! Whatcha' gonna do about it, huh? Huh? Huh?' What follows is a severely truncated version of what I wrote earlier, pieced together from anguished memory.

Anyways, that wasn't the favorable mention i was talking about. Here it is:

It's simplistic to say merely that 'America is conservative,' as if that were the end of the story. What counts as 'conservative' is always in flux. Well over a century ago, everyone in white America knew it was scandalous for women to expose their ankles. Today, a midriff-exposing, thigh-baring little hottie like Annika represents the righties. Old mores crumble and tumble; change is part of life.

i took Kevin's quote out of context though, which is unfair to his larger point, which i also agree with:

There's a huge debate going on right now about the extent to which this election was a referendum on 'morality.' I contend that it wasn't: it was, fundamentally, about the war.

. . .

I still maintain that Andrew Sullivan is on to something re: where the country is trending in terms of gay marriage. Conservatives have a point when they say that the present hysteria about impending theocracy is way over the top. But the right shouldn't be too dismissive of the gay lobby: it needs to get ready for what's coming in a few years. . . .

. . . But what the righties need to remember is that Sullivan is correct to see a huge demographic shift going on. . . .

[G]ay marriage will never become mainstream (which also means that gay marriage is no threat to hetero marriage). But tolerance and affirmation of a gay person's right to marry-- and to receive the legal benefits of marriage-- will become mainstream, probably sooner than many think. If the Dems were unable to see certain realities this time around, I submit that the GOP needs to reconcile itself to the inevitable as well, or risk future marginalization... though not for a few years yet, obviously.

The truth is, though traditional "values" motivated a lot of Bush voters, the argument that "values" won the election ignores young conservatives like me. i recognize that gay marriage prohibition will likely die a natural death within my lifetime, and i'm more focused on the fact that there's a bunch of people out there who want to kill me. That, more than anything else, was why Bush got my vote.

Posted by: annika at 10:03 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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What is "wrong" with this banner ad, i found while websurfing?

Posted by: annika at 12:01 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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1 Re Rotating Epigram -- the flip side (of right to be heard is not a right to be taken seriously epigram) is "Just because you have a right to an opinion, does not mean your opinion in right."

Posted by: Iam Doubt at November 06, 2004 12:47 PM (9kTFs)

2 Let's see.....an F-18 Hornet in an ad for the Air Force does not compute. The F-18 is supposed to be exclusive to the arsenal of the Navy and Marine Corps. I don't believe the Air Force has any Hornets in any of their tactical fighter wings. Basically, the Navy is either advertising for the Air Force or the Air Force is advertising for the Navy in some sort of bizarre recruiter swing party.

Posted by: reagan80 at November 06, 2004 01:09 PM (hlMFQ)

3 Reagan80, since they give a non-US phone number and the site is the Australian version of Yahoo, I assume it's an ad for the Australian AF. I know the USAF has no F-18's, but the Australian AF has 71 according to their website. But as far as answering the question of what's "wrong" with the picture, I've got nothing.

Posted by: Paul W at November 06, 2004 04:16 PM (Xho2N)

4 The F-18 is flying west but the shadows clearly indicate the sun has set. Or is it that the plane looks like it is standing still and the water is moving. No, Wait, now that I moved the picture into photoshop, I see that the pilot has his oxygen mixture set to rich for such a low altitude.

Posted by: mike at November 06, 2004 04:18 PM (0ZdtC)

5 Could it be a Su-27 Flanker, painted haze grey, with USN insignia. Nah, Reagan80 got it; I just wanted to post a comment to celebrate the return of aviation trivia. Annika, have you read Ben Rich's 'SKUNK WORKS'? If not, I'd certainly recommend it. Rich was Kelly Johnson's protégé and worked for Johnson on the U-2 and SR-71. After Johnson retired Rich led the Skunk Works team through the F-117 program.

Posted by: Jasen at November 06, 2004 04:25 PM (WXicR)

6 Yeah, reagan80 nailed it -- but I think Paul made a very good catch. Our clever hostess put "wrong" in quotes because "the" (U.S.) Air Force doesn't fly the F/A-18 (thus the ad seems wrong), but she knows the RAAF does (thus it's not really wrong -- i.e., "wrong"). Annika's busting out a little of that freshman psych on us.

Posted by: Matt at November 06, 2004 04:59 PM (eWM9Y)

7 Annika, I just saw an ad saying the Marine Corps is looking for women to fly high-performance aircraft. Sure you really want to go to law school?

Posted by: David Foster at November 06, 2004 07:19 PM (0PXmV)

8 Foster, the two aren't mutually exclusive: military JAG's can do ANYTHING. I saw it on TV, so it must be true. ;-)

Posted by: Dave J at November 06, 2004 09:26 PM (GEMsk)

9 You guys are too fucking good. i thought this was much harder than it turned out to be. Paul W. got it first. There is nothing "wrong" with the ad. It is for the Royal Australian Air Force, which does indeed fly the F/A-18, built in Australia under license from McDonnell Douglas.

Posted by: annika! at November 06, 2004 09:40 PM (ZW23W)

10 She's like fucking with our minds and shit ...only cuz I did not catch it...

Posted by: Scof at November 07, 2004 12:16 AM (Oo2Oh)

11 In the interest of full disclosure, I should add that I went for it hook, line and sinker. I was going to comment that the AF doesn't fly F/A-18s, until I saw Paul's comment.

Posted by: Matt at November 08, 2004 10:10 AM (SIlfx)

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Two things are inevitable after a Democratic loss. One, the liberals will call the American people stupid. Two, they will call their own candidate inept. Newsweek hits hard on the latter point in this fascinating story, which manages to slam their candidate while simultaneously reinforcing the "evil Republican" stereotype with subtle editorializations.

Many voters, i'm sure, were swayed by the Swift Vet ads, but just as many thought that Vietnam was irrelevant. Kerry could not escape his own words, though. In my opinion, while the Swift Vets had their effect, nothing was more devastating to Kerry's chances than his infamous "87 billion" quote. The Newsweek piece reveals the key moment of the 2004 campaign, and its true heroes (or villains, depending on your point of view).

[W]hen Kerry addressed a veterans group in West Virginia, a heckler kept demanding to know why he had voted against more funding for the troops. In his considered but long-winded fashion, Kerry tried to explain that he had wanted to vote for the funding, but only if the Senate passed an amendment that would whittle down President Bush's earlier tax cut for the rich. Kerry voted for the amendment, but when it failed, he voted against the funding. The heckler pressed, and Kerry, losing patience, fell into senatorial procedural shorthand. 'I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it,' he said.

At Bush-Cheney headquarters, Joe Kildae, a 25-year-old campaign intern who monitored the war room (and never seemed to sleep), was watching. In his cubicle he kept three televisions and a battery of TiVos and VCRs. As soon as he saw Kerry make his remark on Fox News, he stood up in his cubicle and caught the eye of his boss, Steve Schmidt. Schmidt had seen the clip, too. The two men nodded at each other. Kildae thought to himself: 'We're going to be seeing this a lot.' He immediately hit pause on his digital recorder, wound the clip back and copied it to tape. Using a program called TVEyes, he pulled up an instant rough transcript. He e-mailed the transcript of Kerry's 'flip-flopping' to an 'alert list' of top aides, who could then click on a link to see the video.

'You gotta see this,' Kildae told campaign communications adviser Terry Holt. 'Oh, my God,' Holt replied. 'You have to send that to me on my BlackBerry.' The video of Kerry's shooting himself in the foot flew around Bush-Cheney headquarters and, very soon, into the hungry ether beyond.

McKinnon and his ad team wasted no time. 'The second we saw it, we knew we had a new ad,' McKinnon later recalled. 'The greatest gifts in politics are the gifts the other side gives you.' It was so simple. All they had to do was drop the footage of Kerry saying 'I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it' into the ad that was already running, chastising Kerry for cutting funding. McKinnon called the new ad 'Troops-Fog.' Much of its airing was free: news shows picked up the clip of the 'flip-flop' and plastered it on screens like wallpaper.

It took a while for the Kerry campaign to even realize that its candidate had been badly wounded. Kerry himself realized he had made a mistake, but at his headquarters, most of the chatter was about the 'weird heckler' who had asked him the question. The Kerry campaign would later insist that the Bush campaign had spent millions that spring to smear its candidate without much effect, but in fact Kerry's 'negatives' climbed in some key swing states. Just as important, perhaps, he had missed an opportunity to define himself in a positive or memorable way. The Bush 'Troops-Fog' act blew enough fog to unsettle voters, to make them wonder about Kerry's consistency and the depth of his conviction.

Kerry once remarked to an aide "I can't believe I'm losing to this idiot." Well, who's the idiot now, Senator?

Posted by: annika at 10:22 AM | Comments (35) | Add Comment
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Physics Geek posted about the Great American Smoke Out, scheduled for November 18th. i'm definitely going to try it this year (again). It's only one day. i can do 24 hours. The date is soon enough to plan for, and far enough away that i can look forward to enjoying many many more cigarettes before the nightmare of withdrawal starts.

Posted by: annika at 09:02 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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What was this guy thinking?

A Romanian father-of-five needed medical help after he superglued a condom to his penis.

Nicolae Popovici, 43, told doctors he didn't want any more children, reports National newspaper.

The man, from Topraiser in Constanta county, named only as NP in the paper, already has five children.

He and his wife decided to use contraception but the condom they bought was too big so he stuck it on with glue.

After sex, the man realised he couldn't remove the condom and went to his village's medical clinic for help.

A nurse said: 'He even said that he thought the condom could be used several times and that he wanted it stuck on his penis so he could use it again later. We barely managed to remove it in the end.'

From Ananova.

Posted by: annika at 06:51 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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If it's true, may God have mercy on the evil man's soul.

Posted by: annika at 09:12 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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