From the Telegraph, via Aaron's cc:

The gulf between British and French treatment of preachers of hatred and violence was thrown sharply into focus yesterday when France announced the summary expulsion of a dozen Islamists between now and the end of August.

A tough new anti-terrorism package was unveiled by Nicolas Sarkozy, the interior minister and a popular centre-Right politician.

His proposals reflect French determination to act swiftly against extremists in defiance of the human rights lobby, which is noticeably less vocal in France than in Britain.

Imams and their followers who fuel anti-western feeling among impressionable young French Muslims will be rounded up and returned to their countries of origin, most commonly in France's case to its former north African colonies.

Mr Sarkozy also revealed that as many as 12 French mosques associated with provocative anti-western preaching were under surveillance. Imams indulging in inflammatory rhetoric will be expelled even if their religious status is recognised by mainstream Muslim bodies.

Those who have assumed French citizenship will not be protected from deportation. Mr Sarkozy said he will reactivate measures, 'already available in our penal code but simply not used', to strip undesirables of their adopted nationality. 'We have to act against radical preachers capable of influencing the youngest and most weak-minded,' Mr Sarkozy told the French daily Le Parisien.

More: Here's another foreign terrorism related story from the BBC:

Russia's defence chief has barred the ministry from contact with ABC TV after the US network's interview with Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev.

Sergei Ivanov said the ministry considered ABC 'persona non grata' following Thursday's broadcast.

The warlord has claimed the 2004 raid on a school in Beslan. In the interview he admitted he was a terrorist, but said the Russians were terrorists too.

Russia's most wanted man also said he was plotting more attacks.

'Today I have given the order to the head of the press service that not one serviceman of the defence ministry should have contact with the American television channel ABC,' Mr Ivanov said in televised comments.

'We will continue to act openly with the press, but this channel will not be invited to the defence ministry and no interviews will ever be given to it,' he said.

'This channel is now persona non grata for the defence ministry and is an outcast.'

The interview conducted by Russian journalist Andrei Babitsky was recorded at the warlord's hideout in Chechnya.

Russia is offering $10m (£6m) for the capture of the warlord, whom it accuses of several major attacks.

More than 320 people - around half of them children - were killed at the school in Beslan last September.

Posted by: annika at 09:31 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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i've posted some photos from last weekend's visit to USS Midway. You can find them here. It was interesting walking around a carrier with my dad, who served on one back in the day (not the Midway). We really got the inside story.

According the the Midway's website, it was the longest serving carrier in the U.S. Navy.

The USS Midway set new standards of naval aviation in the latter half of the 20th century. A captured German V-2 rocket was launched off the USS Midway in 1946—the dawn of naval missile warfare. The USS Midway blazed new trails of sub-Arctic air operations off the coast of Greenland. It was the first carrier homeported in a foreign country, calling Yokosuka, Japan home for 18 years. When others came home, the USS Midway remained at the “tip of the sword” on an odyssey shared by 200,000 Americans that spanned the surrender of Japan in WWII, the Cold War, Vietnam, the era of détente and Desert Storm.

Posted by: annika at 10:12 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 We literally must've been in SD at the same time, last week I went and saw the exhibit too! It is a great exhibit, definitely everyone should check it out. If only I'd known, then... then what?!

Posted by: Scof at July 31, 2005 12:09 AM (4P1HE)

2 The movie that goes best with this post is: "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" (1955) staring William Holden and Grace Kelly.

Posted by: Jake at July 31, 2005 07:57 AM (r/5D/)

3 Bloody tourists, and civilians! I was dining in the panoramic dining room of the University Club last night, and observing that most unique of sights, no carriers at North Island. Could the nippers be sneaking up on us again? In any case, when they parked the Midway at the foot of Broadway, they diminished the view of San Diego from the island, and limited the view down the bay in both directions from the SD side. The people running this concession are a bunch of idiots. I could go on at length, but witness the fifty dollar home depot park bench sitting at the business end of the flight deck. Good gawd, I wish they'd move it to Long Beach with the rest of the relics.

Posted by: Casca at July 31, 2005 08:21 AM (qBTBH)

4 Uh, were you drunk when you took these pictures?

Posted by: Casca at July 31, 2005 08:24 AM (qBTBH)

5 Scof: i was there on Monday, what a coincidence! Jake: got it on DVD. Casca: if there was any doubt that you're a Marine, it's gone now.

Posted by: annika at July 31, 2005 09:00 AM (tuV7q)

6 btw, Dad remarked about the lack of carriers too.

Posted by: annika at July 31, 2005 09:02 AM (tuV7q)

7 this dosent have much to do with it, but my Uncle was a sailor on the Enterprise when it got set on fire by Kamakazis. He described the battle to me when i was a kid and it sure was an eye opener. He was a crusty ol fart who had some sage advice, about tatoos: He told me only bikers and whte trash get tatoos unless you are a sailor or marine then you can have a goddam anchor on your arm. about male jewlry: "the only men who where earings are pirates and butt pirates" about women: "Get one who can cook, you stop having sex after a year anyway." true stuff.

Posted by: Kyle at July 31, 2005 02:48 PM (H5KE9)

8 For a sailor, I kinda like your uncle.

Posted by: Casca at August 01, 2005 06:29 AM (qBTBH)

9 Wow, yet another thing we have in common, Annika. My dad worked on carriers, too. He was a civilian electronics technician. He would often get sent out for weeks at a time to meet the Midway wherever it happened to be (San Diego, Bremerton, Hawaii, Japan, or the Philippines usually). He also worked a lot on the Coral Sea, the Enterprise, and the Nimitz. I didn't know the Midway had set up shop in San Diego. I'll have to check it out next time I'm there...

Posted by: Score Bard at August 01, 2005 12:51 PM (IZAv6)

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Today is the 141st anniversary of the Battle of the Crater. If you don't know what that is, i suggest renting Cold Mountain tonight. i love that movie.

Anyways, the Battle of the Crater was one of the craziest episodes of the Civil War. It was an idea that should have worked in theory, but in execution was fucked up from start to finish. If you think of all the Federal blunders committed during the Civil War, it's a wonder we're not two countries today. But we stuck it out, thanks to a man named Abraham Lincoln, whose resolve did not waver despite innumerable setbacks and intense opposition to the war.

Speaking of Civil War films, one movie that i saw recently, which doesn't get enough credit as a fabulous CW movie, is The Horse Soldiers from 1959. It was directed by John Ford, and starred John Wayne and Bill Holden. i think that's all you'd need to know in order to go rent it ASAP.

Posted by: annika at 08:36 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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The category is "Profanity," for $200. Victor is in the lead with $1100, Casca has $900, Phil has $500, Skippy has $400, Jasen has $300, D-Rod has $200, and Ken has $200. Neither of the two Daily Doubles has been found yet.

Remember especially for this answer, in Jeopardy the judges can get quite picky about the exactitude of the correct response.

Posted by: annika at 08:02 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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The category is "Military History," for $200. Victor is in the lead with $1100, Casca has $900, Phil has $500, Skippy has $400, Jasen has $300, and D-Rod has $200.

You will note that since i am so nice, i haven't been penalizing anybody for wrong guesses as they do in the real Jeopardy. There are also two hidden Daily Doubles left, so get in the game if you haven't already.

Posted by: annika at 03:58 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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Check this out. lol!

a natural reaction to the self induced and largely imaginary pressures of blogging . . . an undertaking which was totally voluntary and which does not directly contribute to his or her continued survival, on this, our planet earth.

Posted by: annika at 09:27 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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The category is "Military History," for $300. It's another video clue, and i hope it's difficulty will make up for the other relatively easy clues in this category. Can i help it if you people are so smart?

Update: Now that there has been a correct response, i can show you the front of the mug. Click here.

Posted by: annika at 06:58 PM | Comments (25) | Add Comment
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If you, like me, were impressed by tonight's premier of FX's Over There, there's one thing we should both remember. Forty Americans died and 426 were wounded, most of them seriously, in the real life "over there" this month. Actors get paid big bucks and go on talk shows when their work day is through. While those who have volunteered to protect you and me in Iraq and Afghanistan don't get that kind of fame or money, but their sacrifices are real.

i hope the show stays centered on the American experience. i was happy to see that they did not try, at least in tonight's episode, to put a human face on the enemy or tell "their side." Let Ted Koppel and his buddies at Al Jazeera do that; there's enough relativism in the media as it is. i also did not detect any overt political messages, either right or left.

i imagine some observers might be upset that not every character was Tom Hanks. i don't mind that kind of realism in war movies. As a war movie fan, i like the Adam Baldwins and Nick Noltes the best. These are the complex characters who may seem like assholes with less than honorable motivations, but they get shit done. i bet there are lots of them in real life and thank God for it.

i'm also not bothered by Over There's portrayal of soldiers complaining about the Army. i'm not a veteran -- and i know that many of my visitors are, so correct me if i'm wrong -- but soldiers always gripe about the military. And there's always some incompetence and poor decision-making in any organization. Hell, does everything run smoothly at your job? It doesn't at my job, that's for sure. People who point to mistakes made in wartime as a reason to surrender are simply people who don't know what the fuck they're talking about.

So overall, i thought tonight's episode was pretty good, and i would say that if the rest of the series follows the same tone it should help our war effort. Which is more than i can say about anything else i see on tv that's war related.

[cross-posted at A Western Heart]
_______________

* If you're interested, you can read about the latest disgusting media attempt to demonize an American soldier here. Also, you might be interested to know that a soldier who used a dog to frighten some detainees might spend more time in jail than the convicted LAX Millenium bomber.

Posted by: annika at 11:52 PM | Comments (17) | Add Comment
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1 Judge Coughenour needs to be impeached for arrogance. Lyunddie England faces 11 to 16 for showing her tits and this asshole tries to blow up LAX and gets a slap on the wrist and a lecture on Civics. Better keep this from Leahy and Kennedy; they'll be recommending him to the President for the Supreme Court next.

Posted by: shelly at July 28, 2005 12:29 AM (pO1tP)

2 Bochco is not the usual hollywood leftie, so they will probably keep it honest. BUT! will they be able to resist turning it into a psychological, existentialist, weepy anti-war piece of crap ala "The thin red Line"? I don't think they can resist.

Posted by: Kyle at July 28, 2005 03:50 AM (7Re84)

3 When I heard the M-bomber's sentence, I couldn't believe it. Plus, WTF, it takes five years to bring him to "justice"? All these fuckers need to be tried in military tribunals. The courts are incompetent to handle this. "War Stories", how does one communicate that which the uninitiated can't understand? The thing they never get is the boredom, and discomfort. Nobody wants to watch that, and nobody wants to experience it.

Posted by: Casca at July 28, 2005 07:15 AM (Qlvb9)

4 annika, I'm not a veteran either, but I suspect bitching about your job is pretty much universal

Posted by: Victor at July 28, 2005 07:30 AM (L3qPK)

5 You see, Thin Red Line is my favorite war movie. i don't think of it as an anti-war movie at all. i don't understand that criticism. i know Hugh Hewitt hates that movie too. But i think its only anti-war in the sense that all war is horror, not that we are wrong to fight, like in an Oliver Stone movie.

Posted by: annika at July 28, 2005 07:58 AM (re5Ya)

6 Annie, if "The Thin Red Line" is your favorite war movie, you need to go rent some really good ones, like any John Wayne movie, "In Harm's Way", or "Sands of Iwo Jima" or any of another dozen or two. No worrying about political correctness or depicting the enemy without hurting his feelings. Just good old fashioned heroism and glorification of the American fighting man (no fighting women were there, except as nurses and WAC's, etc., but so what). "Over*There" brings some reality current, as it shows the grit of the women, and that works better for us these days, but things have changed in "This Man's Army". I predict this show will have long legs. Then tell me about The Thin Red Line. Ugh.

Posted by: shelly at July 28, 2005 08:30 AM (pO1tP)

7 Sorry, kid, but I'm going to have to disagree a bit with your characterization of the Salon story. It might not be easy to read, it might raise some issues, but it's not a "disgusting media attempt to demonize an American soldier." It's a reporter a) doing his job and b) looking for his friend's killer. Should this sort of thing be printed DURING wartime? Should the soldier have talked to the reporter? Should the reporter have offered full disclosure that the victim was a friend of his? Tough questions. I'm sure the young man regrets his actions and will now probably regret talking to the reporter. Yes, the reporter had an agenda, but he did seem to try to paint a sympathetic portrait of the soldier and clearly stated that the "rules of engagement" had been followed. Of course, from a legal point of view, it would be interesting to see if this reporter would go to jail to protect his source in the case of an investigation.

Posted by: ken at July 28, 2005 08:36 AM (xD5ND)

8 I'm not sure The Thin Red Line is my favorite war movie, but I did like it a lot for the same reasons as Annika. It's not like it portrayed the Japanese as heroes, it just pointed out that war is hell and is fought imperfectly even when the reasons are right. Ken, re: the E&P story (I'm not signing up for salon to read the original.) I thought it was relatively fair until the last paragraph, and that changed my entire perspective of it. When the writer tries to stick that last sentence in there about the soldier's feelings of guilt it seemed more like an attempt to project the author's feelings onto the soldier, not a legitimate attempt at reporting. Seeing how the entire paragraph is a quote from the Salon article there would have to be a good amount of information supporting the soldier to make me think it was doing anything but trying to demonize him.

Posted by: Trevor at July 28, 2005 09:43 AM (RwZxT)

9 I experienced some of Casca's boredom and discomfort just trying to sit through "The Thin Red Line." Normally, I might make a mental note to rewatch a movie to see what the hell Annika's talking about. But that movie is so boring, I would rather stick needles ...etc. Re: "Over There" This is Bochco and Hollywood legitimately trying to be fair about the war experience. IMO, of course, they fail miserably - but at least they're trying, and that's something. I agree that, overall, this show might be a net positive in the "Struggle Against Extremism". Might. We'll see. My biggest complaint: Bochco portrays what soldiers' attitudes might be like if the soldiers had been DRAFTED and sent to Iraq. We have an all VOLUNTEER military. Granted, there's always a significant amount of bitching, pissed off, and confused people in any such situation. But, to a far greater degree than was portrayed by Bochco, our VOLUNTEER military know why they are there, and believe in what they are fighting for. Also, to a far greater degree than was portrayed by Bochco, our military can SEE why they are there, through interaction with and observation of the Iraqi people and the Iraqi nation. The military tactics portrayed were beyond parody. One thing especially pissed me off, because this mistake should not have been made be the rankest amateur: Americans do not spray barely discriminate gunfire from M-16s. Americans shoot two-shot groupings at a target. That's how you can tell Americans are in a fight: you hear the two-shot groupings being fired off. Being from Texas, I had to laugh at this unconscious parody of Hollywood typecasting - which also comprised a writer or producers' obscene gesture at all things Texan: The one soldier who knew damn well why he was there, and believed in the cause, and loved being in the Army, was from Texas. Bochco literally blasted that guy's buttocks off, and then showed his blasted off and hanging by a flap of skin buttocks on the screen. This is Bochco's F you to GW Bush, and his F you to every conservative Texan. I take it a bit personally, like a black guy watching another big-hat pimp show up on a cop show. So, F you Bochco. Right back atcha, you dumb-ass poseur. At least you opened with the Texas guy displaying tremendous virility. You got that part right.

Posted by: gcotharn at July 28, 2005 10:45 AM (OxYc+)

10 interesting points, gcotharn. Since i don't have any experience in these things, i'm always hesitant to spout off about squad level tactics, with so many experts in the blogosphere. But i did find that one scene where the sgt says, lay down some cover fire until morning, or something like that, kind of weird. and i thought the new M-16s were limited to only 2 or 3 shot bursts and weren't fully automatic anymore. Also, regarding the morale portrayal, i'm not sure i agree that the characters were acting like draftees, not volunteers. But i would have found it more realistic if when the terrorist's body got blown up and his legs kept walking before falling down, some of the soldiers had let out a whoop or some sort of bravado yell. Thats what kids in an intense situation would do. Standing and staring in awed silence is what Hollywood writers would do.

Posted by: annie at July 28, 2005 01:38 PM (zAOEU)

11 For a great many reasons I thought Thin Red Line was simply one of the worse movies I have ever seen, and ALL of my friends agreed with me. But, If you liked it, then you might like this show because the first episode had a lot of the same feeling to it. Plenty of angst and shithouse philosophy.

Posted by: Kyle at July 28, 2005 02:51 PM (7Re84)

12 Annika, If you want to see the comments of a bunch of veterans, go see Blackfive's post on it (at blackfive.net)

Posted by: JJR at July 28, 2005 03:31 PM (HxEi3)

13 "weepy anti-war piece of crap" Kyle, I don't know about you or what you have done, but the veterans I have spoken to come back from war distinctly anti-war. It is the men in power that have never been or seen who try to glorify the event. You do realise that you are not unique, kindred-spirits exist/ed in iraq, China, Japan, Germany, North Korea, who think that war is the way to get what they want. They don't think or don't know about the fucking raw horror of it all, perhaps Thin Red Line and its like are a very small step in this educational process?

Posted by: Ivan at July 28, 2005 05:30 PM (GpcqB)

14 You know Anni, your site is like a really good cocktail party. Lots of smart interesting people, and always one fucktard to be a spectacle. I'll bet that Ivan gets his ass beat before he makes it to the door.

Posted by: Casca at July 28, 2005 08:35 PM (qBTBH)

15 Ivan, I have a very realistic view of warfare, but being "Anti-war" is the surest way to get your ass into a war. Why dont you pick up a history book? Antiwar movements have historicaly led to weakening democratic governments and strengthing agressors.

Posted by: Kyle at July 29, 2005 03:04 AM (7Re84)

16 Hey Kyle: Ever hear of Neville Chamberlin? He had nothing on Howard Dean. The surest way to get your ass beat is to cower away from war. As our leader has said, "We didn't start this war, but we will finish it at a time and a place decided by us". You bet your sweet ass we will. For once, we are led by a man who means what he says. If you think Bush is wrong, maybe you need to find a friendlier place to blog around. Not much sympathy around here for that kind of a pacifist... We all believe in peace, just our way to get there is different than the "Blame America First" bunch. Enjoy your day; thank a G.I. today.

Posted by: shelly at July 29, 2005 05:50 AM (pO1tP)

17 "I don't know about you or what you have done, but the veterans I have spoken to come back from war distinctly anti-war." True, but most veterans aren't on the Left's bandwagon of military self-defeatism either.

Posted by: reagan80 at July 29, 2005 08:54 PM (ShYwz)

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The category is "Fash-ism," for the big 500.

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1 Ding! What are panties?

Posted by: Casca at July 27, 2005 06:03 PM (qBTBH)

2 BANG! What are studded neck collar and wrist restraints?

Posted by: d-rod at July 27, 2005 06:24 PM (KS19q)

3 *buzzz* What is a nose stud?

Posted by: Victor at July 27, 2005 06:30 PM (IBRcA)

4 Ding What is your super secret Vast right wing conspiracy decoder ring. I know I took mine off when I started law school!

Posted by: lawguy at July 27, 2005 08:08 PM (OL3mT)

5 BUZZZZZ What is "halter tops"?

Posted by: Robbie at July 27, 2005 08:51 PM (htx4h)

6 ding ding ding What is the "roach clip" cleverly disguised with feathers on the end to look neat in your hair. Easily purchased at most of the fine vendors who line Telegraph Ave. Go Bears

Posted by: Paul at July 27, 2005 08:59 PM (5xAvb)

7 boom! what is an ankle bracelet! what do i win? duke sucks.

Posted by: nikita demosthenes at July 27, 2005 09:04 PM (Y3Wne)

8 panties are an accessory???????

Posted by: louielouie at July 27, 2005 09:12 PM (xKfMm)

9 wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong

Posted by: annie trebek at July 27, 2005 09:21 PM (7iJmr)

10 RRRRiiing, RRRRiiing: What is a watch?

Posted by: shelly at July 28, 2005 12:21 AM (pO1tP)

11 DING! What is a normal social life?

Posted by: Mark at July 28, 2005 12:55 AM (i4KCE)

12 (lapdances atop buzzer) What is a penis? Kevin

Posted by: Kevin Kim at July 28, 2005 01:26 AM (TDwc6)

13 (let's off an 8 round volley formt he primary signaling device) What is a belly button ring/stud? (let's off yet another 8 round volley from his primary signalling device) What is the "know what ya call 500 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?" charm bracelet? (let's off yet another 8 rounder from the signalling device of choice) No more guesses; I just like using my signaling device.

Posted by: Publicola at July 28, 2005 01:31 AM (zNUri)

14 Dang. When will we be allowed a second try?

Posted by: Victor at July 28, 2005 02:16 AM (IBRcA)

15 >Ding< What is, a bow/ribbon in your hair? you silly girl. >Ding< What is, cut off jeans? >Ding< What is, a saftey pin in your lip?

Posted by: Kyle at July 28, 2005 03:47 AM (7Re84)

16 WHat is a tongue stud (ring or whatever the peoper term is)?

Posted by: Phil at July 28, 2005 05:39 AM (HFzU8)

17 Ding. What is a Che Guevara T-shirt?

Posted by: DBrooks at July 28, 2005 06:36 AM (w6ScD)

18 Ding! What is a purse?

Posted by: Trevor at July 28, 2005 06:58 AM (RwZxT)

19 BZZZZZZZ "What is a sorority pin?" (ducks behind podium to avoid getting hit by flying law book)

Posted by: Robbie at July 28, 2005 07:31 AM (lbWbV)

20 good guesses. lol, kevin, penis is always the default answer whenever we play trivial pursuit and can't figure out the answer. But Phil is correct, and has control of the board.

Posted by: annika trebek at July 28, 2005 08:02 AM (re5Ya)

21 Annika, I'll take Military History for 300, please

Posted by: Phil at July 28, 2005 08:46 AM (HFzU8)

22 Damn - I really thought the correct answer was your pointy toed erotica boots.

Posted by: d-rod at July 28, 2005 09:43 AM (xmskQ)

23 More and more, I see I'm an old fuddy-duddy, because I'm glad that tongue-stud is gone.

Posted by: gcotharn at July 28, 2005 10:50 AM (OxYc+)

24 Dammit, I keep showing too late to get any of these. I'm also kind of surprised you would have taken it out: I had several female law school classmates with tongue piercings, and Tulane's a relatively conservative school (well, I mean, it's in the South and not EVERYONE on the faculty is foaming-at-the-mouth lefty).

Posted by: Dave J at July 28, 2005 03:14 PM (8XpMm)

25 at my school there's plenty of girls with tongue studs too. my roommate has one. but i don't see how you can expect to be taken seriously as a professional woman with one.

Posted by: annika at July 28, 2005 04:18 PM (zAOEU)

26 anticipating the next question: what about my tat? well, i didn't think about that when i got it. But still, that can be covered up at work.

Posted by: annika at July 28, 2005 04:21 PM (zAOEU)

27 Gotta admit, annika, at the law firm where I work, you don't see too many tatoos, nor piercings in places other than the earlobes, on any of the attorneys.

Posted by: Victor at July 28, 2005 05:34 PM (IBRcA)

28 I have a tattoo that I can easily hide too. My boss would have my head on a silver platter if I showed up to work in with a stud in my tongue though. I'm loving these Jeopardy posts by the way!

Posted by: Amy Bo Bamy at July 28, 2005 05:53 PM (TcPdg)

29 No tattoos or piercings, and I have black (not jet black) hair. I guess I'm boring.

Posted by: Mark at July 28, 2005 06:08 PM (Vg0tt)

30 OK, just one question Annie: Why would any attractive, educated woman feel the need to deface her natural beauty with a piercing of any kind, anywhere, other than the standard earring piercings? What drives you guys? I could never understand it, or, for that matter, tattoos. I guess I am old fashioned, but I feel that the female form is attractive enough (when cared for) to do the job on any man, without all the piercings and colorings.

Posted by: shelly at July 28, 2005 06:34 PM (M7kiy)

31 Shelly, You mean chunk of metal coming out of some chick's lip and eyebrow doesn't make your heart flutter? Ha.

Posted by: Mark at July 29, 2005 02:04 PM (Vg0tt)

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Well, i'm back from San Diego. i ate too much food and got too much sun, but it was beautiful. My dad served on a carrier years ago, and we took a tour of the new USS Midway museum, which was fascinating. Lots to see for fans of Naval aviation, especially Vietnam era stuff. i'll post some pictures later. During the tour, i found this painting on a bulkhead in the forecastle.

Here's a submarine poem by the 20th Century New Zealand poet Will Lawson.

The Submarine

The grey of OceanÂ’s denseness
     Surrounds her like a veil;
In silent deepsÂ’ immenseness
     No laughing seas give hail;
But round her, rudely riven,
     The sullen waters feel
Her stout hull, engine-driven,
     A thrilling thing of steel
That cleaves a pathway under
     The breakersÂ’ snarling lips—
That mocks the big gunsÂ’ thunder
     And scorns the battle-ships.

She goes by deeps and shallows
     Â’Neath blue Australian seas,
Where never sun enhaloes
     A wandering ocean breeze;
Yet, at her steersmanÂ’s willing,
     She lifts her stalk-like eye
To see the sunlight spilling
     Its gold on sea and sky;
And, mirrored in fair colour,
     The picture true is thrown
Where, in the sea-light duller,
     Her spinning engines drone.

When, with her bearings taken,
     She plunges deep again,
She is as one forsaken,
     Beyond the world of men.
Yet living men tend truly
     Her tanksÂ’ and air-valvesÂ’ flow,
And oil her engines duly,
     For it was ordered so—
Aye, thoÂ’ beyond the borders
     Of human worlds they be,
Their orders still are orders,
     And what avails the sea?

Â’Neath bright electrics glowing
     They reck not that outside,
In age-long course, is flowing
     The grey-green under-tide.
By periscope and needle
     And pressure gauge they steer;
For who with steel can wheedle
     As does the engineer,
In whose quick brain is hidden
     The secrets of the stars—
Who on the storms has ridden,
     And hurled the thunder-cars?

He hears the steady murmur
     Of engines in the gloom.
Could deck or floor be firmer
     Than his deep engine-room?
And he whose touch the rudders
     Respond to like a child,
Calm, when she turns and shudders,
     With silent mien and mild—
He makes new pathways under
     The breakersÂ’ snarling lips;
He mocks the big gunsÂ’ thunder
     And scorns the battle-ships.

Posted by: annika at 08:18 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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When did the accent switch from the first syllable to the second?

Posted by: annika at 11:31 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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The category is "People annika Would Like To Meat," for 300.

Posted by: annika at 11:17 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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This is hilarious. Via The Cotillion.

By the way, this week's hostesses for the Ball are: Sadie (warning: femme fatale alert), Beth (warning: sticky fingers alert), Claire (warning: shoe fetish alert), and Denita (warning: Sweet lyrics alert)

Posted by: annika at 10:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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i'm taking a short mid-summer vacation with my family, into the land of all-you-can-eat buffets. i'll be back Tuesday night!

Posted by: annika at 03:14 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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i have a minor pet peeve. Ever since this War on Terror started, i've heard the same stupid phrase over and over:

"If we _______, the terrorists have won."

When the terrorists win, they will pack up their suicide belts and their scimitars and stop killing people. Until then, they will not have won.

My point is that if we were to "give in to fear," for instance, the terrorists wouldn't consider it a victory because, contrary to what the government and the media want us to believe, they don't give a crap if we're afraid or not. They want us all to either convert, redraw every map to 14th Century borders, or die. So unless you fill in the blank with one of those three things, the statement will invariably be incorrect.

Posted by: annika at 03:12 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Casca has $900 so far. Victor has $800 and Skippystalin has $400. The category is "Places That Suck," for 200.

Posted by: annika at 07:27 AM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
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Hugo Schwyzer, who was once involved in Feminists for Life, has some interesting thoughts on Judge Roberts and his wife.

While my pro-choice friends might be discomfited by Sullivan Roberts' close ties to a pro-life advocacy group, I'm heartened by it. It's not just that I am (prayerfully and awkwardly) pro-life; it's also that as a pro-feminist man, I know full well that Feminists for Life is a long way away from more traditional anti-abortion outfits like National Right to Life. Though I've criticised FFL in the past for being insufficiently concerned with issues other than abortion, there's no question that they've historically taken a more progressive stance than their conservative sisters on a variety of issues. FFL has historically been strongly anti-death penalty, for example. FFL is also listed as a member organization of the Consistent-Life Movement, which has as its mission statement:

We are committed to the protection of life, which is threatened in today's world by war, the arms race, abortion, poverty, racism, capital punishment, and euthanasia. We believe that these issues are linked under a consistent ethic of life.

If Jane Sullivan Roberts is a card-carrying member of FFL, that means there's a better-than-sporting chance that she holds the Consistent Life Ethic position (an ethic rejected by most traditional conservatives, who don't see poverty and the arms race and the death penalty as being nearly as egregious as abortion). After all, if she didn't hold the Consistent Life Ethic, there are plenty of more conservative pro-life outfits out there to which she could lend her time and name and money! And if she held or still holds the Consistent Life Ethic position, is there not some hope that her husband shares her views?

A man who marries a brilliant woman who is his intellectual equal when both are in their forties, and happily adopts children with her, is no troglodyte. And a man married to a woman who is a proud member of a group that has 'Feminist' in its title may not be the disaster for women's rights that some liberals are predicting, nor the champion for the right that some conservatives are hoping.

To paraphrase Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Who is this guy?

Posted by: annika at 09:05 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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The category is "Profanity," but it could also be called "dumb-ass actresses in dumb-ass movies." This one is for 500!

Posted by: annika at 08:23 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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The category is "Military History," for 400!

Posted by: annika at 06:58 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Good coverage over at Anubis.

No casualties, thankfully.

Posted by: annika at 07:43 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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