EdDriscoll.com

Posted 9/20/2002 10:52:57 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING: Steven Den Beste just found out through his refer list that the Guardian has a message board. I found out this morning that Ann Coulter's site has one--I got a surprising number of hits when someone linked to my "Misanthropic" post. Not surprisingly, his post on what to do about radical Islamism went over much more poorly with the denizens of the Guardian than my post did with fans of La Coulter.

Posted 9/20/2002 07:28:36 PM by Edward Driscoll
"MOOCH" LOOKS TO STUN THE FUN 'N' GUN: Here's a preview of Washington at San Francisco this Sunday. What's the word frequently used to describe payback?

Posted 9/20/2002 07:19:19 PM by Edward Driscoll
YOU CAN HAVE MY RED RYDER WHEN YOU PRY IT FROM MY COLD, DEAD FINGERS: British gun control activists want to ban air rifles.

Posted 9/20/2002 07:17:07 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE FISCAL REPORT CARD: As issued by the Cato Institute. Not surpringly, "Most Governors Rate Fair to Poor Fiscally".

Posted 9/20/2002 04:54:24 PM by Edward Driscoll
HERE I AM AT CAMP AL-QAEDA: Those of you who are of "a certain age", will enjoy lyrics that begin with "Hello Mullah, hello Fatwa. Here I am at Camp al-Qaeda". (As found on VodkaPundit)

Posted 9/20/2002 02:42:41 PM by Edward Driscoll
AT BEST IT RHYMES: Is the Kyoto Treaty another Kellogg-Briand Pact?

Posted 9/20/2002 01:45:08 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE MASK SLIPS: Check out the BBC's bias in who they label as using "terror".

Posted 9/20/2002 01:25:54 PM by Edward Driscoll
SWEET IRONY. I love this headline: "Arafat Pleads for Help After Bombing". UPDATE: Steven Den Beste notes just the slightest of change in Arafat's tune compared to a few months ago.

Posted 9/20/2002 11:40:04 AM by Edward Driscoll
"TWO ROOMS AND A TOILET": Rather than killing Arafat, Israel is simply going to "bulldoze him into obscurity", according to this article by Uri Dan in the New York Post. Incidentally, Rod Dreher of National Review describes Dan as "a close personal friend of Ariel Sharon's, so when he reports something like [the above Post article], it's particularly credible".

Posted 9/20/2002 02:10:13 AM by Edward Driscoll
IS THAT ALL? Reuters says Almost 20 Percent of Dot-Com Era Start-Ups Failed. I actually thought the number would be higher--and it may be: the report mentioned in the Reuters article was prepared by research firm VentureOne, and "did not count start-ups that went public and then failed, the firm said".

Posted 9/20/2002 01:08:42 AM by Edward Driscoll
MORE ON BULLET BOB: Frank Luksa, longtime Dallas Cowboys beat reporter, has a nicely balanced look at the ups and downs of Bob Hayes' career. I love this exchange:

In my last chat with Hayes a year ago, he chose winning the 100-meter final in Tokyo as his crowning athletic achievement. He said Jesse Owens left the stands to remind him that the U.S. lost this event in 1960 to Armin Hary of Germany. "We want it back, but you have the worst lane ... No. 1," Owens worried. Hayes replied: "I didn't come here to lose. Americans don't say, 'We're No. 2.' I'm going to win this thing."

Catch a few from Johnny U, Bullet Bob.

Posted 9/20/2002 12:58:34 AM by Edward Driscoll
THE GREAT CLITORIDECTOMY HOAX: Michelle Malkin looks at how the truth can get mutilated. And yes this is the first, and probably last time this site uses the word "clitoridectomy", especially in a headline.

Posted 9/20/2002 12:47:32 AM by Edward Driscoll
IS FEBRUARY THE DATE? Rowan Scarborough of the The Washington Times seems to think so. Start cranking out that videotape, old boy.

Posted 9/20/2002 12:39:19 AM by Edward Driscoll
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: Here's a flashback to when Robert Fisk meets Osama Bin Laden in 1993. (Found via Andrew Sullivan.)

Posted 9/19/2002 11:03:50 PM by Edward Driscoll
"FIRST DO NO HARM": Excellent Peggy Noonan essay on Eunice Stone and three men who ought to have taken their Hippocratic oath a little bit more seriously.

Posted 9/19/2002 09:42:53 PM by Edward Driscoll
AN ARTIST APOLOGIZES: Unlike sculptor Gail Haffern, according to the BBC, "British artist Damien Hirst has 'apologised unreservedly' for suggesting that the 11 September hijackers had created a 'visually stunning' work of art":

"I apologise unreservedly for any upset I have caused, particularly to the families of the victims of the events on that terrible day. "I in no way condone terrorism of any kind and I deeply regret any offence caused by the misrepresentation of my thoughts and feelings."

Since we slagged Ms. Haffern for her comments, we'd like to give a hearty "way to go", to Mr. Hirst.

Posted 9/19/2002 08:26:22 PM by Edward Driscoll
POWER PLAY: Fred Barnes says "In the span of ten days, President Bush flexed his executive muscles and changed the conventional wisdom on Iraq...of the swiftest and most effective exercises of presidential power ever." Found via NRO's The Corner Weblog

Posted 9/19/2002 03:31:22 PM by Edward Driscoll
EURO-OIL: Nick Denton writes that "the war against Iraq may indeed be, partly, about oil. But not in the way you might think":

The international oil companies best placed in Iraq aren't American: they're TotalFinaElf of France, and Lukoil of Russia, according to this article in the Wall Street Journal. Which explains why those two countries have muted their opposition to US military intervention.

Posted 9/19/2002 01:52:09 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE AIR POLLUTION CON GAME: "The United States has achieved large declines in air pollution during the last few decades, yet polls show most Americans think air pollution has been getting worse", writes Joel Schwartz.

Posted 9/19/2002 01:38:35 PM by Edward Driscoll
SEGWAY UPDATE: Chicago cops are testing the high-tech scooter. If you haven't seen it, for our take on the Segway, check out our Tech Central Station piece from a while back, and our article in LiteWheels.

Posted 9/19/2002 01:29:31 PM by Edward Driscoll
UNPLUGGED U: Wired looks at Dartmouth's 802.11 wireless network. We took a look at USC's efforts in the current issue of Planning magazine, the house organ for the members of the American (Urban) Planning Association. Unfortunately, it's only available to members. But I from interviewing engineers at USC, I suspect both campuses are using 802.11 to reduce networking costs, provide greater flexibility to students and professors, and offer a great recruiting perk. Not to belabor the same sort of point I made below, but there's got to be some real battles going on, if only emotionally, between college and university engineers and researchers, who are using logic, science, technology and rationality to solve problems, and historians, philosophers, and sociologists, who consider all of those traits to be dated imperialist dogma. (Wired link thanks to Orrin Judd.)

Posted 9/19/2002 01:14:40 PM by Edward Driscoll
A 21ST CENTURY TRANSATLANTIC CABLE: The Internet2 high-speed Internet research consortium has just snaked a ten gigabit per second cable Internet connection under the Atlantic. Let's hope Europe's scientists and researchers are making more sense these days than their politicians.

Posted 9/19/2002 10:27:02 AM by Edward Driscoll
MISANTHROPIC: Here's the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary definition of the word:

One entry found for misanthropic. Main Entry: mis�an�throp�ic Pronunciation: "mi-s&n-'thr�-pik Function: adjective Date: 1762 1 : of, relating to, or characteristic of a misanthrope 2 : marked by a hatred or contempt for mankind synonym see CYNICAL - mis�an�throp�i�cal�ly /-pi-k(&-)lE/ adverb

Here's ours:

"What I found, when I went into work the day after, everyone was accusing somebody, everyone had something bad to say about somebody else, whether it was Bush or Osama bin Laden or al Qaeda or whatever - someone was in the wrong and I found that position quite hard to handle." * * * "Four planes? I thought it was an extraordinary idea to do this, somebody declaring war against the mightiest country that has ever existed with one of its own peacetime machines. Looking at this, and being an artist, I thought what if this had been a performance piece and Osama bin Laden had declared himself an artist, how would the world have seen it then?"

There's another word for the artist, but I'd rather not use that kind of language here. Besides, it would be...judgmental. And I'd be accusing her of being "in the wrong", something that would be hard for her to handle.

Posted 9/19/2002 10:01:14 AM by Edward Driscoll
HERE WE GO AGAIN: Israeli Tanks Enter Arafat Compound.

Posted 9/19/2002 09:14:29 AM by Edward Driscoll
"BULLET" BOB HAYES DEAD AT 59: Hayes was an Olympic gold-medal sprinter and Dallas Cowboys star who was once considered the world's fastest man. He died of kidney failure at Shands Hospital late Wednesday. Hayes is still the only man with an Olympic gold medal and a Super Bowl ring. While his 1979 drug arrest has kept him out of the NFL Hall of Fame, he was inducted last year into the Cowboys' "Ring of Honor", a large blue band with the names of superstar Cowboy players and their first head coach, Tom Landry that runs around Texas Stadium. Here's a Dallas Morning News article, with some thoughts from Roger Staubach, who played with Hayes in the 1970s.

Posted 9/19/2002 01:17:08 AM by Edward Driscoll
BLOGGER GETS SHIP NAMED AFTER HER: Well, sort of. Check out the U.S.S. Shiloh.

Posted 9/19/2002 01:08:51 AM by Edward Driscoll
WAY TO GO TOM: We've frequently bashed Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle in the past, because, frankly, it's easy and fun. But we were happy to see this quote from him in the Washington Post:

"We all ought to recognize the military option ought to be the last option, but it ought to be a real option," Senate Majority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) said after today's meeting. "There is a great deal of support for pressing Iraq to open its borders and destroy its weapons." Daschle, who previously has expressed reservations about the White House's Iraq policy, predicted the resolution will pass with "strong bipartisan support," perhaps by early October.

Posted 9/18/2002 10:37:44 PM by Edward Driscoll
HOW YA GONNA KEEP 'EM DOWN? Ronald Baily of Reason has some suggestions on "how to achieve the miracle of poverty".

Posted 9/18/2002 10:06:08 PM by Edward Driscoll
IT'S NOT A TOOMMMAAAAH: It's Arnold Schwarzenegger, who might run as write-in candidate for California governor this year, according to Mickey�Kaus.

Posted 9/18/2002 10:02:52 PM by Edward Driscoll
ROACH MOTEL: Britain checks into the EU, but they may not be able to check out. (Link found via NRO's The Corner.)

Posted 9/18/2002 04:21:39 PM by Edward Driscoll
GUNS AND TERRORISTS: Rachel Lucas thoroughly Fisks a letter signed (if probably not written by) Jim Brady.

Posted 9/18/2002 01:16:29 PM by Edward Driscoll
WHAT IS DASCHELE CONCERNED ABOUT, AND WHEN DID HE BECOME CONCERNED? Happy Fun Pundit is concerned that Tom Daschele is concerned about concerns about the timing of the Iraq debate. We're not too concerned. We're merely disappointed (Daschele's other favorite word) at Mr. Daschele.

Posted 9/18/2002 10:22:36 AM by Edward Driscoll
SAY, WOULD LIKE BREASTS WITH THOSE FRIES?: "Lunch-time boob jobs" are apparently coming in a couple of years, according to this article.

Posted 9/18/2002 01:00:56 AM by Edward Driscoll
BUT THE B-3 IS STILL IN SERVICE AGAINST ALBANIA: The British government has given the US permission to build the special hangers needed for the B-2 stealth bomber on the tiny Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, according to "Group Captain Mandrake" in his Letter from the Olde Countrie blog. (Sorry for the gratuitous Wag the Dog reference. Fortunately, that film really seems like it's from a long ago era, doesn't it?)

Posted 9/17/2002 11:14:19 PM by Edward Driscoll
LOOK WHO'S ON THE BANDWAGON: Democrats endorse Iraq vote.

Posted 9/17/2002 09:49:19 PM by Edward Driscoll
LIFE IN AN ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE, PART II: So did you pick up Monsters, Inc. today, too? What a fantastic DVD. I'll try to write a detailed review for Blogcritics.

UPDATE: One of the elements that makes Pixar's digital films work is that they understand the importance of story and character. Once you accept that the world they create, mentally you forget that you're in a world of toys that move, think and talk, or in the case of Monsters Inc., that you're in the Monstropolis, a world where weird looking monsters have businesses, lead their lives, and you quickly accept how human they are. It doesn't hurt that Pixar hires excellent voiceover actors (heck, excellent actors--Tom Hanks, John Goodman, etc.) and gives them their head. Compare that, and your reaction to the Pixar films, with your reactions to the last two Star Wars films, which George Lucas directed. In theory, the Star Wars movies should be more believable, not to mention superior, because they're not cartoons. And yet, while Lucas often hires excellent actors (Liam Neeson for example), their performances are stiff, their dialogue even worse, and for the most part, we don't care about the characters--they're simply props for Lucas to maneuver along with the space craft and planets. He doesn't care about much about them--why should we?

Posted 9/17/2002 09:44:05 PM by Edward Driscoll
LIFE IN AN ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE, PART I: James Lileks interviews Scott Ritter, restaurant inspector.

Posted 9/17/2002 09:38:17 PM by Edward Driscoll
THINKING OF GETTING SATELLITE RADIO, but not sure whether you should get XM or Sirius? One way or another, this ought to make it easy.

Posted 9/17/2002 05:06:10 PM by Edward Driscoll
CNN: NO TIME FOR ISRAEL: Found on the New York Post's Page Six section:

CNN is refusing to run ads promoting Israel as the Middle East's only democracy. The American non-profit group israel21c.org is behind a campaign to educate Americans about Israel on issues other than the Palestinian conflict. The commercial in question, which runs on ABC and NBC in New York and Washington, D.C., states, "As in America, all Israeli citizens - Christians, Muslims and Jews - have freedom of religion and the right to vote." But CNN allegedly told the organization that carrying the spot "could increase the threat to our staff and correspondents around the world," a source tells PAGE SIX's Ian Spiegelman. Reps for israel21c.org asked CEO Walter Isaacson to reconsider, and were later told that CNN does not run ads dealing with international policy. "That's bullbleep," says our spy, adding that CNN has run commercials on global warming, landmines, and funding the United Nations, a pet cause of Ted Turner's. A CNN rep says the company has a blanket policy of "not running advocacy advertising regarding international issues from regions in conflict."

Posted 9/17/2002 04:38:22 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE END OF NATO? Steven Den Beste shows why the upcoming war with Iraq could also mean the end of US involvment in NATO.

Posted 9/17/2002 03:28:29 PM by Edward Driscoll
BUT WHAT DOES LOU REED THINK? Vaclav Havel endorses U.S. line on Iraq.

Posted 9/17/2002 03:27:14 PM by Edward Driscoll
AXIS OF EVIL, TAXI SQUAD: "North Korea amasses chemical weapons".

Posted 9/17/2002 02:44:50 PM by Edward Driscoll
MICHAEL APTED: The Digital Bits interviews the director of Enigma, as well as a host of other excellent films. Click here to read my review of Enigma from this summer.

Posted 9/17/2002 02:31:33 PM by Edward Driscoll
PETA=ECO-TERROR: And it's putting their tax-exempt, non-profit status at risk. 'Bout time. By the way, since ELF (Earth Liberation Front, whom PETA has donated money to), had admitted that they're terrorists (read the article), why isn't Craig Rosebraugh, their spokesman, whose photograph is prominent in the Fox News article, in jail as an accomplice?

Posted 9/17/2002 02:11:27 PM by Edward Driscoll
MOVE 'EM ON OUT: U.S. Seeks to Ship More Military Hardware to Gulf, according to ABCNEWS.com. (Link found via Steven Den Beste.)

Posted 9/17/2002 02:05:53 PM by Edward Driscoll
REAL LIFE EQUALS THE ONION PART 2,643,327: Little Green Footballs says "a reputed ally of Osama bin Laden was betrayed after United States spy planes tracked a takeaway pizza to his jungle hideout." No, really--check out the whole thing, in a post appropriately titled "Mmmm. Pizza".

Posted 9/17/2002 01:50:22 PM by Edward Driscoll
GOOD FOR THEM: "Bear Stearns Tells Employees Dress Up -- Dot-Com Boom Is Over"

Posted 9/17/2002 01:41:07 PM by Edward Driscoll
WHILE ABSTINENCE IS ALWAYS SAFEST, IT'S NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE: So don't have unprotected contact...with the Euro:

Swiss scientists say the two-tone 1- and 2-euro coins release high levels of nickel when they are exposed to human sweat. Nickel against the skin can cause eczema, irritation or other allergic reactions.

Posted 9/17/2002 01:27:02 PM by Edward Driscoll
INSPECTION CONDITIONS: Good post by Jonah Goldberg in National Review Online's Corner Weblog:

Even if there are no conditions on the inspectors (assuming there are inspectors) it's important to recognize how difficult these missions are. For example, I was listening to a congressional hearing with a panel of former UN Chief Inspectors on C-Span radio the other day (again, yes, because I am that cool). I don't know which one told this story, but it was pretty illuminating. Apparently, during one of the previous hunt and peck searches in Iraq, the inspectors received intelligence from a very reliable and high-ranking source that there was a huge secret stockpile of nasty weapons under the central Baghdad cemetary. Fortunately, the inspectors checked out the story and it turned out to have been a ruse set up by the Iraqi government. Saddam's people wanted the UN to bulldoze the cemetary, desecrating Muslim graves and the like just so the Iraqis could denounce the action for propaganda purposes. Even if we end up sending inspectors to Baghdad "without conditions", there is every reason to assume that the Iraqis will do everything they can to turn it into a circus. Remember Saddam has foregone 160 billion dollars in oil revenues just because he wanted to keep inspectors out. In other words, he has something to hide and he is willing to incur great costs to keep it hidden -- for a reason.

Posted 9/16/2002 10:08:50 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE MAKING OF KIND OF BLUE: My review of Ashley Kahn's book, which looks at how Miles Davis seminal 1959 recording came to be, is now online at Blogcritics.

Posted 9/16/2002 06:10:45 PM by Edward Driscoll
JAY MANIFOLD HAS THE SOLUTION FOR THE INFAMOUS ANTI-AMERICAN BUMPER STICKERS that we reported a few days ago. I like it. Setting your car alarm on extra sensitive wouldn't be bad, either.

Posted 9/16/2002 02:51:46 PM by Edward Driscoll
ANOTHER DOMINO FALLS: Little Green Footballs says that Jordan has quietly jumped aboard the war against Saddam Hussein. See also our post from over the weekend, about Saudi Arabia headed in a similar direction, as well. UPDATE: Strategy Page gives a preview of what the war could look like.

Posted 9/16/2002 02:46:58 PM by Edward Driscoll
SHIRI NEGARI: The family of 22 year old Shiri Negari, one of 19 people killed in a Jerusalem bus suicide bombing on June 18th 2002, have put up a Web page to memoralize her.

Posted 9/16/2002 02:35:47 PM by Edward Driscoll
CLINTON'S BIGGEST BLUNDER: As found by Patrick Ruffini. Of course, it's the logical extension of this article from last fall by Byron York. And this item, and its accompanying links on InstaPundit yesterday make for a nice side-pocket companion link.

Posted 9/16/2002 01:36:32 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE BLOGGER'S GLOSSARY: As compiled by Samizdata.

Posted 9/16/2002 01:32:54 PM by Edward Driscoll
ANTI-IDIOTARIAN DEMOCRATS: Not surprisingly, you'll find them at truck tire plants, but not at the New York Times, according to Joanne Jacobs.

Posted 9/16/2002 01:21:20 PM by Edward Driscoll
MEAT: It's what all the cool kids are trying these days!

Posted 9/16/2002 01:15:01 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE GEORGE S. PATTON, TOMMY FRANKS CONNECTION, as found by Steve Den Beste in a typically excellent analysis of military strategy then and now.

Posted 9/16/2002 01:08:57 PM by Edward Driscoll
NFL SHOCKER: The Rams and Steelers are each 0 and 2.

Posted 9/16/2002 11:02:08 AM by Edward Driscoll
SINGAPORE ARRESTS 21 AL QAEDA SUSPECTS, according to The Brothers Judd Blog. When I interviewed Alvin Toffler right after 9/11/01, one of the most interesting comments he made was that Islam is as much an Asian religion as a Middle Eastern one. Glad to see the Singapore authorities doing their bit to roundup its more radical members.

Posted 9/16/2002 10:52:50 AM by Edward Driscoll
"JACKBOOT LIBERALISM": Doug Bandow looks back at Clinton-Gore and Civil Liberties on National Review Online.

Posted 9/16/2002 12:26:13 AM by Edward Driscoll
THE BILL CLINTON/BOB GREENE CONNECTION as discovered by Orrin Judd. I'm actually sorry to see Greene in hot water--I've thoroughly enjoyed a number of his articles, dating back to when he wrote for Esquire in the mid-1980s.

Posted 9/16/2002 12:21:42 AM by Edward Driscoll
COULD IRAQ HAVE THE BOMB BY EARLY NEXT YEAR? Group Captain Mandrake links to an article which says it's a possibility. Scott Ritter couldn't be reached for comment.

Posted 9/16/2002 12:12:31 AM by Edward Driscoll
SHILO BUCHER HAS A NEW WEBLOG: Stop by her spiffy new site at the eponomously named shilohbucher.com today!

Posted 9/15/2002 11:19:46 PM by Edward Driscoll
LESS OF THIS PAUL WOULD BE A GOOD THING: Stephen Green thoroughly Fisks the inanities of Congressman Ron Paul and his appeasement cliches.

Posted 9/15/2002 08:45:53 PM by Edward Driscoll
THE WILLIAM SHATNER/DUBYA CONNECTION, as found by Sgt. Stryker.

Posted 9/15/2002 08:34:43 PM by Edward Driscoll
HERE'S A URL I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SEE: http://www.masturbateforpeace.com/. Why yes, I did say "Masturbate for Peace.Com". I'll leave it to yourselves to come up with your own jokes here. Taking shots at a Web site with bumper stickers with slogans such as "All we are saying, is give peace a wank"? is just too easy. It would be merely....self-indulgence--if not self-abuse. (Link via Jenett.Radio.) UPDATE: VodkaPundit lends a hand (one hand, of course) with his comments.

Posted 9/15/2002 07:49:34 PM by Edward Driscoll
ED ON DEAD TREE UPDATE--here's where to find me in print this month: I have an article on the home theater of Mr. and Mrs. Don Rhymer in the November issue of Audio/Video Interiors (my subscriber copy just arrived at my house this weekend). Don Rhymer is the screenwriter of Big Momma's House, among other movies and sit-coms. The Rhymers have created a very child-friendly home theater, under the logical assumption that they'd rather have their teenagers and their friends home, where they can keep an eye on them, than doing God-knows-what at a friend's house. My history of the Les Paul Custom guitar is in this month's Vintage Guitar magazine. This article began as an offshoot of this post, and my online interview with Les Paul himself. It's an all Les Paul issue in Vintage Guitar (the man and his guitars), so if you're interested in guitars, be sure to check it out. My article on Stanley Kubrick and his computers, which we first tipped you off about first here, is in this month's Nuts & Volts. Fans of 802.11b wireless networking should check out my article in this month's Home Automation magazine, which explains how to add a wireless spur to an existing hard wired Ethernet. And an article I'm particularly proud of, but may not be too easily obtained, is a piece I wrote on the urban planning implications of 802.11 for this month's issue of Planning, the house organ of the American Planning Association. The Summer Fall issue of Smart TV & Sound has my article on DirecTV's interactive services, which is also available online, but don't let that stop you from running out and buying truckloads of hard copies! So wake the kids, feed 'em with diet pills, and head over to your local magazine seller, and stock up today!

Posted 9/15/2002 03:41:40 PM by Edward Driscoll
BIN LADEN IS DEAD, says Aimee Deep, on her Musicpundit site. Considering that he was nowhere to be found on the one year anniversary of 9/11, I'm inclined to believe it. (Link via InstaPundit.) Say, I wonder if Saddam is burning the midnight oil even as we speak with his Camcorder, so that al-Jazeera can run his taunts long after he's dead? UPDATE: He's not dead yet, he's getting better...