My fantasy team is still mired in 7th place, despite my latest couple of genius moves. i picked up Joe Kennedy of Colorado (hopefully he won't crash and burn*); dumped Mike MacDougal who's never fully recovered from a stomach virus and was sent down last week; i replaced Marlon Anderson at 2nd base with Orlando Hudson of the BJ's (.296-5-21), i got a good feeling about him; and i dumped middle reliever Guillermo Mota for a true closer, Billy Koch of the White Sox, which will hopefully net me more saves.

But today, perhaps you heard, Milwaukee's Ben Sheets punched out 18 batters! Yah, i got 'im! Not only that, but the only run scored against him today was a 410 foot blast by Andruw Jones. Yah, i got 'im too!

What's really holding me back in the Yahoo! league is home runs and RBIs. Thank God for my twin belters: Beltre and Beltran, both of whom i got, and both of whom have 10 homers apiece. Still, i'm waiting for Bagwell and Jones to start hitting like i know they can.

* That was in poor taste, i know.

Posted by: annika at 07:41 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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What M*A*S*H character am i most like?

Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, according to this quiz.

Actually i never really identified with any of the characters in M*A*S*H. The only female, Hot Lips, i couldn't stand. Even during the later seasons, after Frank left and she stopped acting like she had a bug up her ass.

My favorite character was always Lt. Col. Blake. i liked his attitude towards work. "Just let Radar take care of it." He always had his priorities straight.

Got this link off of Pantherpundit.

Posted by: annika at 09:04 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Friday at work is my most healthy day. It's casual day, so i can wear a t-shirt and shorts and go for a walk at lunchtime.

But now i just learned that my other Friday habit is also very healthful for me. i'm talking about the binge drinking that usually commences at about 5:15 p.m. each Friday.

New evidence of the benefits of moderate alcohol use comes from research that identifies a physiological mechanism that apparently links regular consumption of beer to better cardiovascular health in older men and women.

'Moderate' in this context is defined as up to 30 grams of alcohol a day for men and up to 20 grams a day for women. For reference, a Dutch glass of beer contains about 10 grams of alcohol, while a U.S. glass contains about 12 grams.

Cool.

Posted by: annika at 03:59 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Kevin Kim and the Air Marshal are talking about me. As usual with Big Hominid, it's a deeply philosophical conversation, and worth your time.

The usual Glogger permalink problem prevents a link to the Air Marshal's post, but it's directly above Kevin's on the main page.

Posted by: annika at 12:10 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Here's a new dumb-ass quiz, which duplicates some of the stuff you can learn off my 100 Things list, but what the hell. i got this off Glamour Girl.

1. What time is it? Nine twenty-seven, pacific daylight time.

2. Nicknames: Annie, Sissy, and rarely Becky.

3. Birth Parents' names? Richard and Grete (pronounced like Gree-ta, short for Margarethe, ).

4. Number of candles that appeared on your last birthday cake? Twenty-seven.

5. Favorite animal: Wild animal or pet? i love any kind of dog, except for poodles or yorkies. But for wild animal, i like big cats, like lions or tigers or pumas.

6. Tattoo? Yes. A barbed wire design on my right arm and a little tiger's head on my back.

7. How much do you love your job? Moderately. i love my co-workers more than the work. We have a lot of fun together, which keeps the drudgery away. i'm a paralegal.

8. Birthplace? Copenhagen, Denmark.

9. Favorite vacation spot you have been to? Toss up between Spain and Jamaica.

10. Ever been to Africa? No. i'd love to go on a safari, even though it sounds kinda dangerous.

11. Stolen any traffic signs? Yes, as a matter of fact. i stole a street sign with my friend's name on it, as a gift. Also i've spray painted political propaganda on stop signs, but that was when i was in high school and crazier

12. Ever been in a car accident? i would guess about three. Nobody was injured. Two of them were solo spin-outs because i took a corner too fast in the rain.

13. Croutons or Bacon bits? You know that's a tough question. Generally it's croutons because i hate those fake radioactive looking baco-bits. But if it's real bacon, i'll go for that.

14. 2-door or 4-door car? i've had both. Two doors look sportier, but four doors are more convenient. If i had to choose, since i'm an Anglophile, i'll pick Tudor.

15. Coffee? Simple. Grande latte, non-fat. A little sugar.

16. Salad Dressing? Balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of good olive oil.

17. Favorite dessert? Hot pecan pie with a big scoop of ice cream.

18. Favorite Number? Ten.

19. Favorite movie? The Wizard of Oz.

20. Favorite color? In general or to wear? In general it's blue. To wear it's white or khaki.

21. Favorite Holiday? Thanksgiving. i like it better than Christmas because it's more focused on family and togetherness than Xmas, which is more about gift-giving.

22. Favorite Foods? i had a great butternut squash ravioli just recently.

23. Favorite days of the week? Sunday.

24. Favorite TV Show(s)? Tales of the Gun on the History Channel. No, just kidding. i love Emeril Live, though. And The Simpsons, of course

25. Most recently read book/magazine? Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton. Freaky, kinda weird, vampires and werewolves with a not very likeable main character. i didn't really like it.

26. Perfume/Cologne? Tresor.

27. Favorite scent? Roses.

28. When was your last hospital stay? 1990, food poisoning. Bad shellfish.

29. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Passed the first time. i'm an excellent driver. Excellent driver.

30. Where do you see yourself in 10 Years? Married to a handsome literary guy, with two kids in school and a house in the suburbs of a city yet to be determined.

31. What do you do when you are bored? Mess around on the internet. Or do a crossword.

32. Furthermost place you sent this message? Huh?

33. Who will respond the fastest? Huh?

34. Least likely to respond? Huh?

35. Last Vacation? Summer, 2002, Spain.

36. Next Vacation? Not for a few years, until after law school. i'd love to go back to Europe.

37. Last concert? Rolling Stones. i'm not much of a concertgoer anymore.

38. First thing you would buy with a million dollars? A Lexus coupe. Then a villa.

39. What is your favorite meal? You already asked me this. Okay. Barbecued tri-tip, fresh corn on the cob, mashed garlic potatoes.

40. Who is your favorite actor or actress? Bill Murray, or Jimmy Stewart.

41. What is your favorite book? Ana Karenina.

42. Who is your favorite author? John Steinbeck.

43. Who is your favorite poet? Edna St. Vincent Millay.

44. If you could volunteer anywhere, where would you volunteer? i'd volunteer for the Republican National Committee.

45. What is your favorite time of day? Sunrise.

46. What is your least favorite time of day? Three o'clock. i get sleepy or bored. If i'm at work, i've still got two fucking hours left.

47. What time is it now? Eleven forty-two. i got interrupted by my boss while doing this dumb-ass quiz.

Posted by: annika at 11:54 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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What is it about So Cal teams and the last minute, come from behind, miracle shot?

Amazing!

Update: Read ESPN's Page 2 column: "Livin la vida Lakers."

Posted by: annika at 09:58 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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Think about shoes.*

Think.

About.

Pretty.

Shoes.

i do feel so much better now.

* A much needed contemplative moment inspired by the girls at Candied Ginger.

Posted by: annika at 03:56 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 Hahaha. Oh, Annika -- I was SO excited when I started reading this post. I gleefully selected my favorites and was ready to comment when I read your final line. I'm so glad we could help get your mind off the world's evils. Now, my selections: Pink croco Green polka dot with bow Black kitten heels with flower (bonus points) Isn't shoe-internetwindow-shopping a total breath of fresh air?

Posted by: candace at May 13, 2004 04:38 PM (Q1QDh)

2 Oh Candace, i can't tell you how much time i waste on Nordstrom's website, just endless amounts. i do have a sick obsession, i admit it. i looked at your new site design and here's how i got inspired: "Hmm, their going with a white background. Hmm, that means when she posts shoe pictures there won't be any frame around them. That'll look way cool. Hmm. Shoes. Shoes..." Then i went sorta catatonic for a bit. My faves gotta be the brown boots, the pink crocs, and yes i do crave a pair of the polka dot slides in each color!

Posted by: annika! at May 13, 2004 04:51 PM (zAOEU)

3 U r a fucking Goddess! If I were 20 years younger, I'd drive to LA just to stalk your sweet ass.

Posted by: Casca at May 13, 2004 06:48 PM (q+PSF)

4 Oooh are those ones with the grommets brown? Total winners. My friend/supervisor (who is moving to LA, coincidentally) went major shoe-shopping last weekend and got 5 pairs at Marshall's for something like $20 average each, and every day at work I want to die when I see them. That, or I'm fuming because, today for example, we're both wearing pink kitten sandals only hers are shiny patent leater with a buckle and mine aren't. Yesterday they were light pink with polka dots and a sexy slim wedge heel. And on Monday, they were beautiful bright green pointy mules. I was raging. ...And now I'm sucked into it too... Damn it, Annie!

Posted by: candace at May 13, 2004 07:52 PM (tawWr)

5 Are those the Marc Jacobs in the first photo...I love those! Tres chic!

Posted by: Courtney at May 14, 2004 07:25 AM (tyQ8y)

6 Courtney, it's the Unlisted "Hotness" boot, from Nordy's at only 59.95!

Posted by: annika! at May 14, 2004 09:22 AM (zAOEU)

7 those pointy pink heels in the second picture have made me a little giddy...tres chic for sure!!!

Posted by: missie at May 14, 2004 09:56 AM (sG+bl)

8 It's strange, but great shoes can make one go weak in the knees.

Posted by: annika! at May 15, 2004 10:58 AM (gdGRp)

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What's Brewing's Jennifer links to a column in the San Diego Union-Tribune by her brother, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer. It's entitled: "Gruesome act will strengthen America's resolve." Click here to read it.

Posted by: annika at 02:16 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Meet my newest fan: the American Skankwoman.

Brittany knows what fash-ism is all about. That's why she sports an annika's journal Trucker Hat whenever she hits up the Circle-K for some after-romp Cheetos and a pack of smokes! Nothing says "i'm a foul-mouthed, chain-smoking blonde who loves junk food and sex" quite like an annie's j Trucker Hat!

Wanna be like Brit? Visit my cafepress.com shop. No, don't just visit - Buy something! Get a bunch of stuff for yourself and don't forget, annika's journal merch makes a great gift.

Father's Day is coming up and you know my blog is a big hit with dads. An annika's journal Mug or Trivet would make the perfect gift. It's the least you could do for the guy who paid for all the beer you drank in college. Even if he thought you were spending it on books.

Don't you have a dog? i bet Rover would love playing catch with an annika's journal Flat Round Thing That You Throw. It'll provide good exercise for your puppy - nobody likes a fat dog (except Brittany fans, of course).

Guys, have you run out of gift ideas for the girlfriend? No girl says no to a nulla puella negat Cami. She'll either slap you or kiss you - or possibly both.

Did you miss Mother's day? If you did, you'd better make it up to her right now with a vastly overpriced, but highly artistic Burghers of Calais Abstract Lunchbox. She'll love it so much, she might actually forgive you. Then again maybe not.

Posted by: annika at 12:01 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 Dod you photoshop in that shiner, or is that hers? Wow...she looks pretty cracked out in that photo, but it makes me want a trucker hat. Nice advertising dear!

Posted by: Courtney at May 13, 2004 08:24 AM (tyQ8y)

2 I was going to say that Brit looks like she has a black eye, but Courtney beat me to it!

Posted by: Lorie at May 13, 2004 08:45 AM (PPPwU)

3 Courtney, i resisted the temptation to do my usual fattening on Brittany's picture. The only photoshopping i did was on her hat. What a skank!

Posted by: annika! at May 13, 2004 11:03 AM (zAOEU)

4 I was going to say the same thing...I was wondering whether it is a black eye or smudged makeup left over from a hard night of partying. She is foul.

Posted by: ginger at May 13, 2004 01:57 PM (BgaW7)

5 Who knew a Trucker's cap could class someone up? Dang!

Posted by: Dawn Summers at May 13, 2004 02:49 PM (HLOeu)

6 Just can't quite get a handle on how that "No Girl Says No" camisole would look...methinks a modeling pic might be required! -Boston Rob (not the one from Survivor, although I am in favor of girls wearing "I LOVE ROB" T-shirts.

Posted by: Rob at May 13, 2004 03:19 PM (IelzJ)

7 U r SUCH a ho. Let me find my wallet.

Posted by: Casca at May 13, 2004 06:37 PM (q+PSF)

8 After revisiting the pic, I notice that SOMEONE has stolen her tits. What's with that?

Posted by: Casca at May 13, 2004 06:38 PM (q+PSF)

9 Annika does a tremendous service for poor Miss Spears by adding her to her blog. Clearly Britney is starving for the publicity.

Posted by: Mark at May 14, 2004 12:12 AM (3dndt)

10 "nulla puella negat"? No fat chicks?

Posted by: GE at May 21, 2004 10:28 AM (waQOJ)

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The ghazal is a thousand year old poetic form, which can follow very strict structural and metric rules. It originated in Persia, but was also used by Hindu and other poets, up to today. The poems usually involve a series of couplets and often explore erotic or sensual themes.

i know very little about the form, except that the great Spanish poet/playwright, Federico García Lorca included a number of poems in his 1934 collection De Divan Del Tamarit, which he labeled Gacelas. Many of the poems don't appear to be true ghazals, since they don't strictly follow a couplet format, although some do.

One poem from De Divan Del Tamarit seems especially apropriate to my own dark mood, given the fearful state of our world as i'm looking at it today. García Lorca called it Gacela de la Muerte Oscura. The following translation is by Catherine Brown:*

Ghazal of Dark Death

I want to sleep the sleep of apples,
far away from the uproar of cemeteries.
I want to sleep the sleep of that child
who wanted to cut his heart out on the sea.

I don't want to hear that the dead lose no blood,
that the decomposed mouth is still begging for water.
I don't want to find out about the grass-given martyrdoms,
or the snake-mouthed moon that works before dawn.

I want to sleep just a moment,
a moment, a minute, a century.
But let it be known that I have not died:
that there is a stable of gold in my lips,
that I am the West Wind's little friend,
that I am the enormous shadow of my tears.

Wrap me at dawn in a veil,
for she will hurl fistfuls of ants;
sprinkle my shoes with hard water
so her scorpion's sting will slide off.

Because I want to sleep the sleep of apples
and learn a lament that will cleanse me of earth;
because I want to live with that dark child
who wanted to cut his heart out on the sea.

* from Selected Verse: A Bilingual Edition, edited by Christopher Maurer.

Posted by: annika at 05:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This is not a religious war like the Civil War was not about slavery. When the enemy prays to God while slicing off the head of an innocent civilian, you bet your ass it's a religious war. We just don't want to admit it.

The enemy has no problem admitting it.

How many of you realize that when the Ottoman Empire entered WWI on the side of Germany and Austro-Hungary (that's the losing side, for those who slept through history class), they did not do so by "declaring war," like any normal country would. No, the Ottoman Empire entered WWI by declaring "jihad."

It's always a religious war for those fuckheads.

The ultimate goal of the terrorists is religious. It is the establishment of a pan-islamic empire under religious rule according to shari'a law. It is the destruction of all jews. And by destruction, they mean slaughter. It is the forced conversion of Christians and Hindus, etc. to their evil bastardized religion.

They sliced off a guy's head.

They're barbarians. Brute animals. Worse than devil worshippers. At least devil worshippers only kill cats. These fucks kill innocent humans, and blaspheme the name of God while doing it. What awaits these pig-fuckers when they die? Eternal fucking fire, you can count on it. Hotter than a million mutha-fucking suns.

What does it take to slice off the head of another live, conscious human being? An innocent human being. With a knife. What is involved in that procedure? Could you do it? Do you think Private England would be capable of such a thing? Or Specialist Graner? Or General Karpinski even?

i bet even Scott Peterson couldn't do it. Not while the victim was still alive. Not with a knife.

Cutting through a fellow human's neck while they're still alive, with a knife, means slicing down through skin, severing arteries and veins, loosing a torrent of pulsing blood, sawing back and forth through thick muscle and tendon, crunching through the hollow, wheezing, screaming windpipe, hitting bone and disk, sawing again, pushing down, hearing it crunch, pop, putting your weight into it, slicing through the spinal cord, watching the body go limp, gripping the handle tight in all the slippery blood, sliding the blade through the last cords of muscle and tendon, blade striking the floor, watching the head roll forward, now just an inanimate object, though its eyes are open, then raising it, still warm, up to the camera.

Could you do that? Can you imagine the mind of someone who could? i simply can't fathom that kind of evil.

They chanted to Allah while they sliced off an innocent man's head. You can say this is not a religious war. You can say that God, assuming you believe in Him, doesn't take sides in a war. i say bullshit. God will deal with these unholy bastards. They will die someday, as all men must, and they will be shocked when they are finally confronted with His just punishment. His divine retribution. i pray too, that the United States will become the instrument of their death.

Posted by: annika at 06:53 PM | Comments (17) | Add Comment
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The true atrocities are being commited by our enemies, not by us.

But i pray that they will yet know the terrible retribution that awaits them. We must remain strong.

Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
'Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.'
[Isaiah 35:3-4]

Angry Update: What the hell's wrong with you people?! They fucking beheaded one of our guys! They fucking filmed it. i'm looking around the blogosphere and no-one, save Michele (God bless her), has a fucking word to say about it. Instapundit thinks it's only worth a measly line. Where's the Rottweiler? Where's Finch? Where's DuToit? Where's Lucas? i wanna see some rage, something, anything. Is everybody asleep, too shocked to care? The media will let this slip by if they can. i bet it won't be the lead on tonight's news. i bet it won't make tomorrow's front page. It's up to us to publicize this horror, people. Vent the outrage that the vast majority of non-blogging Americans are feeling right now. Just fucking say something!

Update 2: The Rottweiler checks in. Serenity checks in. Moxie checks in. Zomby too. And Reynolds deems it worthy of a few more lines. Sarah groks. So do Peter and Karol. LGF describes the video for those, like me, who can't watch it. Also, go read Will and Stephen at Vodkapundit. Then of course, there's Lileks. Tom draws strength from Churchill. See also Misha's second take, and Paul's take, and especially Banagor's "The Rage."

And many thanks go to my good friends at Candied Ginger for their link. Please read Candace's piece, perhaps the best of the lot on this tragedy.

As always, Wizbang was on top of it right away. But this morning's post disappoints me. Today is not a day for bikinis.

Sadly, the liberal bloggers that i read regularly have all chosen to ignore this atrocity. It's not a matter of left vs. right, Bush vs. not-Bush. Nick Berg was an American. How can anyone ignore his murder? It was intended as a message to all of us. A noteworthy piece at etalkinghead may explain why the only blogs that want to talk about Nick Berg seem to be on the right.

Posted by: annika at 11:51 AM | Comments (22) | Add Comment
Post contains 397 words, total size 4 kb.

1 Outrage? From OUR press? Are you nuts? They only get outraged when WE cut off someone's fingernail or hair. Oh, the beheading? They are just misunderstood; we need to treat them a little better. When will our media get it that these are really, really eveil people and need to be killed. Every fucking one of them, like snakes.

Posted by: shelly s. at May 11, 2004 01:49 PM (AaBEz)

2 A-Rab (and liberal) in appropriate environment!

Posted by: Radical Redneck at May 11, 2004 02:18 PM (oTkr8)

3 Sorry, I just heard about this an hour or two ago (workin' all day, y'know) and then posted something very brief about. I was going to post a more extensive rant, but I figired Misha had already done it better than I could.

Posted by: Tuning Spork at May 11, 2004 04:15 PM (NgWVQ)

4 Where is the outrage from the Muslim community? I'm not counting on it. The "religion of peace" is the biggest threat to the civilized world...but we are not supposed to say that because it might offend somebody. I don't want here anymore bullshit about Muslims being peace-loving people until I hear one important Muslim religious leader condem this and the thousands of other atrocities these sick, demented people have commited.

Posted by: Blu at May 11, 2004 04:21 PM (lj3Ju)

5 I watched the ABC news tonight and they are attempting to blame the beheading on the anger the Arab world feels over seeing the pictures of the prisoners. They can't even own up to these people being evil when they behead one of our men. That is just disgusting.

Posted by: Jonathan at May 11, 2004 05:03 PM (8ygiB)

6 That doesn't surprise me Jon. Did they lead with the story, at least?

Posted by: annika! at May 11, 2004 05:17 PM (zAOEU)

7 It really is time to introduce these people to Sherman's philosophy of war, i.e. it's hell, and as soon as we make them figure that out, we'll be close to being done.

Posted by: Casca at May 11, 2004 06:27 PM (q+PSF)

8 Not too shocked to care... trying to find words filthy and low enough to describe the perpetrators of the atrocity done to this innocent being. People really need to get this and your description of beheading a living human being helps drive home the enormity of the act. I WANT THEM TO BURN!!!!! GOING OUT TO THE WOOD PILE RIGHT NOW!!!!

Posted by: Bonfire7 at May 11, 2004 10:58 PM (Ij50v)

9 Annika, look a Tomfoolery. http://djslybri.blogspot.com/ Mutted rage, but rage.

Posted by: Chuck at May 12, 2004 06:02 AM (s6c4t)

10 I have several things to say about it. I also have the links to video if you are so inclinded. naproom.mu.nu

Posted by: Tom at May 12, 2004 07:52 AM (eAINt)

11 i feel better knowing that many of you are angry as i am about this. i'm also surprised to see the LA Times put this story above the fold this morning. i won't buy that rag, and i'm sure the article is sufficiently tilted left-wing, but i truly expected them to bury it on page three.

Posted by: annika! at May 12, 2004 09:29 AM (zAOEU)

12 Peter told me the news over my graduation dinner and both of us posted as soon as we got home. I'm also surprised at the lack of insta-coverage though I think we'll see more about it in the next few days.

Posted by: Karol at May 12, 2004 10:12 AM (AGo3+)

13 As one of your readers who is further to the left, I feel the need to speak up. The thing is, I don't know what to say. I don't often blog about the war, because it upsets me to do so. I do discuss it - on online forums, at home. But I find it easier to participate in a dialogue about things like this than to make a singular statement. I guess I'm saying that just because something isn't in my blog doesn't mean that I'm not thinking about it.

Posted by: other Annika at May 12, 2004 10:51 AM (hQUF1)

14 To be honest, I'm not so much angry at the enemy, because you don't get angry at rabid dogs; you just shoot them. But I am angry at those who exploit the pictures of prison abuse to their political advantage, while saying nothing about this. That's not just hypocricy; that's plain treason, and people who help the enemy should be put to trial. I am sick of the "good guys" on the left who'd rather be politically correct than human.

Posted by: Ivan Lenin at May 12, 2004 02:43 PM (j3KG7)

15 The bikini pic was an on the way out the door quickie post, which given the tone of the day may have best been saved for later.

Posted by: Kevin at May 12, 2004 03:35 PM (bwshg)

16 I'm shocked, sad and angered. There are no words. Except you know what? You said what I think. If anyone had the slimmest notion that this war is NOT about the Islamofascists against anyone who isn't, then the events of this week should prove them wrong. It's frightening. Damned frightening. And when I'm this numb with rage and grief, I escape. Sorry, but that's what my blog is about - for me.

Posted by: Emma at May 12, 2004 11:22 PM (kpNlZ)

17 There is bit of a distinction between state sponsored abuse and the actions of a rogue agents. Especially when the state based its invasion on removing tyranny and introduction democracry. You can't invade a foreign nation and not expect people to live up to your words.

Posted by: jim jones at May 14, 2004 12:05 PM (3vAcw)

18 BUSH LIED - BERG DIED!

Posted by: fredhero at May 14, 2004 01:58 PM (w/nTu)

19 Please don´t feel ofended. The video is tricked. I´m video editor expert and FBI veteran for video works. The movie is the worst quality for webcams and reading the file with the most advanced tools for video editing I have four questions: 1. Where is the compression header of file for video files? 2. Not blood flow (maybe in the 326 missing frames on the long video) where is the blood?. 3. The screams is not in movement-audio sincrony (why the voice is in right sincrony but not the murder and the screams?). 4. In the head exposition (where is the blood?). In adition, in this part of video, with the video editing tools reveals most of 100 frames missing. My personal opinion with forense support is: This is a propaganda movie with the only goal for "war on terror" support. Please our president is a puppet member of a very powerful gang of killers, but they think about the all american people like an standar serie of Simpson Homer. PD If Nick Berg is Dead, God bless him. If youre are alive, take your money for a complete change of face and give some to your family. The FBI veterans are not killers

Posted by: Edward Maddox at May 17, 2004 10:42 AM (eDZ9g)

20 Interesting comment, Edward Maddox. How long have you been speaking English. You should brush up on your grammar, it might help your credibility just a tad. Good luck spamming!

Posted by: annika at May 17, 2004 07:14 PM (CmuaG)

21 Despite Maddox's grammar... those are very apparent and damning questions? You have no response? Come on... the most obvious one is the blood, or lack thereof of commensurate amounts. And just to give you something else to chew on (probably me in your response) - Or how about this one... when the first photos and reports of prisoner abuse (in Afghanistan and Guantanemo) were released to the public by the US. government last year why did the administration do nothing about it?

Posted by: rainlion at May 20, 2004 11:58 AM (zkjrJ)

22 i'm not sure it's true that the administration "did nothing about it." But if it is, you won't catch me defending them on the Abu Ghraib scandal. While i personally don't think we were hard enough on the fucks, there is such a thing as Geneva. But in regards to your "questions" about the Berg video. Why do you even have questions. After Daniel Pearl, and everything else, is it so hard to believe that a terrorist would behead a guy? Why are you so eager to play the hoax card on this one? What is the point? You don't give an alternate theory. Are you trying to say that the CIA killed Berg? If so, you're going to have trouble convincing reasonable people of it. Just because people can come up with questions does not mean that they're always reasonable questions. i can come up with good questions about whether the earth is round, whether evolution is true, whether we landed on the moon. Doesn't mean they're reasonable questions to ask. i didn't watch the video. i did see stills, and i saw enough blood in the stills to convince me. Then again, i've never seen anyone beheaded before, so i don't have a frame of reference. Do you? It's hard for me to decipher Maddox's "questions" because his english skills are so poor. Is he saying there are 100 missing frames or is he saying 326? (That's like the number of communists in the state department according to McCarthy. The number keeps changing.) The voice is not in "sincrony" because he's watching it over the internet. It's called streaming video. Someone who doesn't know how to spell "synchronization" probably doesn't make enough money to afford broadband. On the lack of blood, use your head to figure this one out. The heart pumps blood, not the head. The brain contains tiny blood vessels, blood is not going to pour out of them quickly. Certainly it's not going to gush. The only large vessels coming out of the head are the arteries and veins like the carotid and the jugular. These are going to drain (not gush) blood right away, probably as soon as they are severed. That probably happened early in the process of cutting the head off. By the time the whole neck was severed, the blood from inside the skull was probably dripping in drops too small to show clearly in the low quality video. Even still, i saw evidence of dripping blood in the stills i saw, when they held Berg's head up to the camera. Look, if it's a hoax, perpetrated by the CIA or Mossad, or whoever you want to blame it on, don't you think it would be more perfect? The fact that there are little flaws (like strange edits) suggests to me that it's authentic. If it were a hoax, the perpetrators would want to avoid giving people reason to doubt the video's authenticity. And come on. Maddox says he's an FBI veteran? Right. He couldn't even fill out an application, let alone pass a written test. If the very first line in his comment is an outright lie, why give any credence to the rest of it.

Posted by: annika! at May 20, 2004 02:54 PM (zAOEU)

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You know me. i'm a staunch Republican. Although i'd never vote for Nader, i can still listen to the man and put myself in the place of someone who opposes Bush, hypothetically speaking. And when i do, i can't see how any principled progressive can say that the man does not make a hell of a lot of sense.

What do we do as red-blooded Americans who want clean politics and progressive, responsive policies . . . ? We sit around engaging in the 'least worst?' [He imitates a voter, holding his nose.] 'I'll go vote for Gore.' Or do we get out there, like Thomas Jefferson counseled, try to change the paradigm, enrich the dialogue, get more candidates, local, state, national.

I'm going to say [to Kerry], look, you're not doing that well in the last month. Here's a chickenhawk . . . making you explain your first Purple Heart, and why you did this and that. You've had Dick Clarke . . . and . . . Michael Moore and . . . Bob Woodward putting Bush on the defensive, and you're getting blurred.

The problem is these consultants who have got their hooks into the Kerry campaign. I mean, $27 million for a Madison Avenue image builder? He's not his own person. If there's one thing the mass of voters can see through, that's someone who is not his own person, someone who has more antenna than brains. They really see through that.

You can take the greatest country in the world into a war quagmire, based on fabrications, deceptions, and lies.... The one thing you don't want to do when you're fighting terrorism is to produce more of it, and he's doing exactly that. He's now turned Iraq into a magnet for stateless terrorists, and we're stuck, because now collective ego is involved.

[People say:] 'We're not going to cut and run. We got to support the troops.' To which I say, I want to to protect the troops, to get them out of there. [emphasis added]

Stop voting defensively, stand up for your principles and for what you really believe. You hate the war? You hate corporate power? You wanna see the environment protected? Gotta have those abortions on demand? Do you really think Kerry shares your principles? A former military man whoÂ’s admitted to shooting civilians in wartime? An elitist snob who's been sucking off the tit of corporations by way of marriage all his adult life? A hunter who owns guns and SUVs is gonna care about the environment? Can you really trust a churchgoing catholic to defend your precious abortion rights?

You progressives. Why would you vote for the status quo? Another Yale rich boy president who, instead of having cronies in Big Oil dictating the shots will simply take his direction from his Big Ketchup in-laws. Don't play that game anymore.

[Democrats] say, 'support us, we have to beat George Bush.' I'm sorry. We played that game for 20 years. We're not playing it.

In October there will probably be a last minute surge in support for Nader when people realize KerryÂ’s going to lose, and Nader will get blamed for blowing the election again. In reality, a surge in Nader votes will be a protest of people who realized that Kerry was going down anyway and they felt free to vote their conscience.

So why not follow your conscience right now and tell everyone that you're voting for the guy who agrees with you the most? Suggest to your friends that they do the same. Build momentum for Nader now, don't wait until it's too late. If Nader starts polling high early in the summer, one of two things might happen. Either his support will snowball and he might win, or Kerry will realize that he needs to move closer to Nader's ideology to have a chance. Either way, you progressives come out ahead!

Seriously.  ; )

Posted by: annika at 08:32 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac informs us that today is the anniversary of Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle's birth. Who he? Well, he wrote the French national anthem, better known as La Marseillaise. It was originally entitled Chant de guerre de l'armeé du Rhin, which means "War Song of the Army of the Rhine."

Musically, i think the Marseillaise is one of the most inspiring national anthems ever written (i think the Internationale is quite rousing too, even though i hate communism as much as i hate the French). i get goose bumps watching that scene from Casablanca in Rick's bar when the Frenchies try to drown out the Nazis by singing their anthem. But i never knew what the words meant until now.

Garrison Keillor says that the Marseillaise's lyrics "are filled with some of the most bloody and violent imagery of any national anthem." i guess he's referring to lines like this:

The bloody flag is raised,
The bloody flag is raised.

. . .

They come right into our arms
To cut the throats of your sons,

. . .

Let us march, Let us march!
That their impure blood
Should water our fields

The Writer's Almanac also notes that on this day in 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated president of South Africa. There follows a pretty glowing bio of President Mandela, but read this AP story if you don't mind your heroes having feet of clay.

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1 Go ahead, admit it, Annika. From the Internationale to the Dixie Chicks, we lefties have ALL the good songs!

Posted by: Hugo at May 10, 2004 08:28 PM (jdBQm)

2 Pardon me, but when did the Dixie Chicks record a good song? I'm sure I'd have heard about this 180' change in their material. I mean after their mediocre (at best) cover of Landslide I'd hope they'd be repentent enough to do the right thing, but I had no idea it came to fruition. But other than the Dixie Chicks & Willie Nelson (now that's a performer with talent) I can't think of anyone in country music who is a lefty. But assuming you're talking quality rather than personal preference I'll see your Dixie Chicks & raise you one Lynyrd Skynyrd (yes I know they're not country but the southern rock genre is all but dead [Drivin' & Cryin' may have been the last band that came close - if you doubt me check out their song Honeysuckle Blue]& most people nowadays would label them as country rock). They may very well have been Democrats, but they were Southern Democrats & not lefties by any stretch. & any one of the Van Zandt brothers (or their back-up singers for that matter) had more talent in their individual lower intestines than the Dixie Chicks possess collectively going back a generation or two. Name one Dixie Chicks song that even comes close to the simplistic beauty of Tuesday's Gone or the odl time nuance of Things Goin' On. & how many people do you know that, 30 years after its release, will flick their bics in unison & sing along loudly (& correctly) to a Dixie Chics song being played instrumentally? & be thankful I don't call on the name of Bocephus or Merle or The Possum. Democrats they all may be but if they are it's a helluva lot closer to the Zell Miller kind of Democrat than the Kucinich kind. I'll grant that a lot of good performers & artists lean Democrat, but in the country & southern rock genres they are definitely in the minority. heh (when I say they may have been democrats I'm merely conceding the possibility that they may have been democrats. I have no idea as to their political leanings, except to note a few who are pro-Right to Arms or anti-Right to Arms.)

Posted by: Publicola at May 10, 2004 10:27 PM (Aao25)

3 Many years ago, there was a summer where the frogs considered changing the lyrics of their anthem from the blood-soaked gore it has to something a little more friendly. I remember reading one submission that started, Oh, how lucky we are to be French! and the rest of it sounded like something written by Up With People. It might as well have been I'd like to teach the world to sing/In perfect harmony... Can you imagine the Nazis in Rick's Cafe hearing that? They would've laughed their asses off.

Posted by: Victor at May 11, 2004 05:23 AM (L3qPK)

4 On another note, I've finally heard the tripe that is L'Internationale. Figures it was originally written in surrender-monkian. You can find a brief history of it, along with a circa 30's recording, right here.

Posted by: Victor at May 11, 2004 05:28 AM (L3qPK)

5 Country artists against the war? I'll give you my three fave lefties, and their music cred is top notch 1. Emmylou Harris, quite simply a goddess. I love love love her. 2. Steve Earle 3. Lucinda Williams All listed at http://www.moveon.org/musiciansunited/

Posted by: Hugo Schwyzer at May 11, 2004 02:55 PM (lQSoR)

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Lately, whenever i'm feeling a bit tired, confused, or overwhelmed by the news of the day and/or my own problems, i pay a visit to Rocket Jones' great blog. He's always got something posted that's worthwhile reading, friendly, never overwrought, and often worth a chuckle. Like this interesting little piece about the bald eagle. i don't know, there's something about Ted's writing that has a calming effect on my spirit, and i'm sure i'm not alone in that. He's the great elder statesman of Munuviana, after all.

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1 Elder statesman, eh? I'll assume you mean in a Harrison Ford kinda way and not in a Wilford Brimley kinda way. Thanks for the kind words. You've got a full plate right now, so just hang in there and keep plugging, and things will work out just fine.

Posted by: Ted at May 10, 2004 06:39 PM (ZjSa7)

2 Dittos, Annika. Ted's a calm voice in a cyberstorm. That's why he's a daily read!

Posted by: Tuning Spork at May 10, 2004 09:40 PM (Y5TqK)

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Good thing they caught the Sasser Worm author. My brother's laptop got the Sasser virus last week. i spent a night removing it for him. It had all the classic symptoms: slow performance when not on the internet, shutting down when logged on after a dialog box opens with a countdown timer.

He's a computer illiterate and had no idea what was wrong. i'm a little more knowledgeable than he is, but at least i had a working computer of my own to get help with. i did a control-alt-delete just to see what was running and i saw some suspicious looking exe files. Then i did a google search on my own computer using some of the file names, and the message in the dialog box that kept popping up.

i found a site called annoyances.org, which contained very helpful instructions and a link to Symantec's downloadable Sasser removal program. i shut off my brother's Sasser file temporarily, which i did in safe mode, then downloaded the removal tool and fixed the thing. It took me all night, because i had no idea what i was doing, but the Symantec instructions were surprisingly figure-outable.

Anyways, i think it worked, and his laptop is fine now. Next i think i'll try to find a better program to remove the lingering effects of my recent When-U-Search infection. i hate that thing.

Posted by: annika at 02:46 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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The calls for Rumsfeld's resignation seem to be nearing the point of critical mass. i'm as yet undecided on the issue. i've always liked the guy, and i think he's been a great Secretary of Defense. i think it's unfair to blame him for what happened at Abu Ghraib, yet i understand the doctrine of accountability. The demand that he resign is mainly hardball "gotcha" politics, in my view.

Yet i don't see the demands lessening any time soon. Rummy did not make friends among the uniformed elite, with his abrasive management style. i doubt they'd go to bat for him. The left is salivating at the chance to force a resignation, because they so desperately want to recapture the power they think they had back in the days of Vietnam.

Ideally, i'd like to see Rumsfeld stay, but CENTCOM go, along with a lot of the top brass over in Iraq. Sacrificial lambs? Maybe, but i think there's plenty of legitimate criticism regarding the post "end of major combat" phase, which would justify an overhaul of the leadership now. Often in war -- and you saw this in WWII a lot -- turnover at the top is the only way to get younger, more effective officers into command positions.

However, i'm afraid that the chant "Rumsfeld must go" may get so loud that politically, Bush may have no choice but to get rid of him. Unfair as i think that would be, it might also be the best thing for our country.

Posted by: annika at 12:04 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Trying to get her living situation in order. Trying to find a roommate and an apartment by long distance. Trying to spend the last few weeks of quality time with family, best friend, cute/sad boyfriend, without crying all the time. Trying to figure out how i'm going to afford everything: rent, food, books (text, horn, fiction, etc.), beer, DVDs, gasoline. Deciding whether to continue working, blogging, exercising, smoking, dancing, reading, writing, shopping, etc.

Posted by: annika at 11:33 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Here's a bit of good news out of LAX, if you can believe that. Six French journalists were arrested and deported when they tried to enter the country to cover a trade show.

Six is definitely a good start. Now, how quickly can we round up the rest of the journalists and Frenchies and kick them out too?

Posted by: annika at 11:42 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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"Here is the most powerful guy in the world, and he wants to make sure I'm safe."

Via Blogs for Bush.

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