A cynic is a person searching for an honest man, with a stolen lantern.
~ Edgar A. Schoaff
~ Edgar A. Schoaff
Friday, December 19, 2008
Panthers and Giants meet for top seed in NFC
Fifteen games into the season, the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants are going to play for a nice prize: the NFC's No. 1 seed, home-field advantage for the playoffs and a first-round bye.
Both teams also are experienced in playing in the big game.
Carolina's roster still has nine players who represented the Panthers in the Super Bowl in February 2004.
New York went to the Super Bowl last February, and stunned the unbeaten New England Patriots.
The Prize?
The team that finds itself the winner Sunday night will know whether the NFC road to the Super Bowl will go through either Charlotte or East Rutherford.
(Charlotte if you must know)
Both teams also are experienced in playing in the big game.
Carolina's roster still has nine players who represented the Panthers in the Super Bowl in February 2004.
New York went to the Super Bowl last February, and stunned the unbeaten New England Patriots.
The Prize?
The team that finds itself the winner Sunday night will know whether the NFC road to the Super Bowl will go through either Charlotte or East Rutherford.
(Charlotte if you must know)
Our readers
Some of our readers today hail from:
Klang, Malaysia; Bucharest, Romania; Bordeaux, France
Hockessin, Delaware; Cedarburg, Wisconsin; Yuba City, California
Klang, Malaysia; Bucharest, Romania; Bordeaux, France
Hockessin, Delaware; Cedarburg, Wisconsin; Yuba City, California
California Attorney General urges court to void gay marriage ban
The California attorney general has changed his position on the state's new same-sex marriage ban and is now urging the state Supreme Court to void Proposition 8.
In a dramatic reversal, Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a legal brief saying the measure that amended the California Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman is itself unconstitutional because it deprives a minority group of a fundamental right.
Earlier, Brown had said he would defend the ballot measure against legal challenges from gay marriage supporters.
But Brown said he reached a different conclusion "upon further reflection and a deeper probing into all the aspects of our Constitution.
"It became evident that the Article 1 provision guaranteeing basic liberty, which includes the right to marry, took precedence over the initiative," he said.
"Based on my duty to defend the law and the entire Constitution, I concluded the court should protect the right to marry even in the face of the 52 percent vote."
In a dramatic reversal, Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a legal brief saying the measure that amended the California Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman is itself unconstitutional because it deprives a minority group of a fundamental right.
Earlier, Brown had said he would defend the ballot measure against legal challenges from gay marriage supporters.
But Brown said he reached a different conclusion "upon further reflection and a deeper probing into all the aspects of our Constitution.
"It became evident that the Article 1 provision guaranteeing basic liberty, which includes the right to marry, took precedence over the initiative," he said.
"Based on my duty to defend the law and the entire Constitution, I concluded the court should protect the right to marry even in the face of the 52 percent vote."
Franken leads in Senate voting
From the Minnesota Star Tribune:
The intense scrutiny of "voter intent" resumed today by the five-member board charged with directing Minnesota's recount in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democratic rival Al Franken, and the day's rulings turned the challenger's slight deficit into a triple-digit lead.
The intense scrutiny of "voter intent" resumed today by the five-member board charged with directing Minnesota's recount in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democratic rival Al Franken, and the day's rulings turned the challenger's slight deficit into a triple-digit lead.
Read the rest here.
Mother of Palin's daughter's boyfriend arrested
Just when you thought they'd go away ...
Alaska State Troopers have arrested the mother of Bristol Palin's boyfriend on drug charges.
Sherry L. Johnston was arrested Thursday after troopers served a search warrant on a Wasilla home.
The 42-year-old Johnston has been charged with six felony drug counts.
Troopers did not identify the drug involved in a brief mention on the agency's Web site.
Johnston is the mother of 18-year-old Levi Johnston.
Alaska governor . Sarah Palin, the former repugican nominee for vice president, announced in September that her 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, was pregnant and Johnston was the father.
Sherry Johnston was released from jail in Palmer on $5,000 bail.
She was not scheduled to be immediately arraigned.
Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said no one else had been charged.
Other details could not be immediately released Friday because the investigation was ongoing, she said.
Palmer District Attorney Roman Kalytiak said information on the case had not yet been forwarded to his office.
Alaska State Troopers have arrested the mother of Bristol Palin's boyfriend on drug charges.
Sherry L. Johnston was arrested Thursday after troopers served a search warrant on a Wasilla home.
The 42-year-old Johnston has been charged with six felony drug counts.
Troopers did not identify the drug involved in a brief mention on the agency's Web site.
Johnston is the mother of 18-year-old Levi Johnston.
Alaska governor . Sarah Palin, the former repugican nominee for vice president, announced in September that her 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, was pregnant and Johnston was the father.
Sherry Johnston was released from jail in Palmer on $5,000 bail.
She was not scheduled to be immediately arraigned.
Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said no one else had been charged.
Other details could not be immediately released Friday because the investigation was ongoing, she said.
Palmer District Attorney Roman Kalytiak said information on the case had not yet been forwarded to his office.
It was fun while it lasted
Oh, well it was fun while it lasted! Our 7 out of 10 PageRank has fallen to 1 out of 10 again.
I guess this means we'll have to keep climbing.
I guess this means we'll have to keep climbing.
Oymyakon - The Coldest Permanently Inhabited Place On Earth
Oymyakon/Ojmjakon/Oimyakon is the coldest permanently inhabited place on earth. The lowest recorded temperature here is -71.2 degrees Celsius. Some authorities say this is the lowest officially recorded temperature in the northern hemisphere.
The village has a population of around 800 and is located 690 meters above sea level and lies in a valley between two mountain ranges (the reason for the low temperatures). The name Oymyakon means "non-freezing water" because of the natural hot spring close to the village.
War Criminals: The Torture report
New York Times op-ed piece calling for action from the Obama administration to reverse the legislation of impunity by the outgoing administration:
Most Americans have long known that the horrors of Abu Ghraib were not the work of a few low-ranking sociopaths. All but President Bush’s most unquestioning supporters recognized the chain of unprincipled decisions that led to the abuse, torture and death in prisons run by the American military and intelligence services.Now, a bipartisan report by the Senate Armed Services Committee has made what amounts to a strong case for bringing criminal charges against former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld; his legal counsel, William J. Haynes; and potentially other top officials, including the former White House counsel Alberto Gonzales and David Addington, Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff.
The report shows how actions by these men “led directly” to what happened at Abu Ghraib, in Afghanistan, in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and in secret C.I.A. prisons.
It said these top officials, charged with defending the Constitution and America’s standing in the world, methodically introduced interrogation practices based on illegal tortures devised by Chinese agents during the Korean War. Until the Bush administration, their only use in the United States was to train soldiers to resist what might be done to them if they were captured by a lawless enemy.
The officials then issued legally and morally bankrupt documents to justify their actions, starting with a presidential order saying that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to prisoners of the “war on terror” — the first time any democratic nation had unilaterally reinterpreted the conventions.
Mugabe says no African country will topple him
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said Friday that "Zimbabwe is mine" and vowed never to surrender, saying no African nation is brave enough to topple him.
Famous last words ...
With the utter collapse of everything in Zimbabwe, he will be 'toppled' - it is only a question of when and who.
He may be correct in that no African nation will topple him, but I would not lay bets on that assumption.
Famous last words ...
With the utter collapse of everything in Zimbabwe, he will be 'toppled' - it is only a question of when and who.
He may be correct in that no African nation will topple him, but I would not lay bets on that assumption.
Germans building memorial for Gypsy victims of Nazis
Germany has started building a memorial to about 500,000 Gypsies persecuted by the Nazis.
Construction on the square well in Berlin's central Tiergarten park follows 16 years of debate among leading groups representing Germany's Gypsies, or Sinti and Roma.
It is due to be completed in 2009.
Romani Rose, leader of Germany's Central Council for Sinti and Roma, spoke at Friday's groundbreaking ceremony.
Rose praised the government for "recognizing its historical responsibility for those Gypsies who were persecuted under the Nazis."
Some 220,000 to 500,000 Gypsies were killed during the Holocaust. Berlin also has memorials to Jews and gay victims killed by the Nazis.
Construction on the square well in Berlin's central Tiergarten park follows 16 years of debate among leading groups representing Germany's Gypsies, or Sinti and Roma.
It is due to be completed in 2009.
Romani Rose, leader of Germany's Central Council for Sinti and Roma, spoke at Friday's groundbreaking ceremony.
Rose praised the government for "recognizing its historical responsibility for those Gypsies who were persecuted under the Nazis."
Some 220,000 to 500,000 Gypsies were killed during the Holocaust. Berlin also has memorials to Jews and gay victims killed by the Nazis.
A Slice of Philosophy
犯了差错的一个人，和不改正它，犯另一个差错。
(A man who has committed a mistake, and doesn't correct it, is committing another mistake.)
Confucious.
So, I am in a philosophical mood at the moment - Sue me!
(A man who has committed a mistake, and doesn't correct it, is committing another mistake.)
Confucious.
So, I am in a philosophical mood at the moment - Sue me!
A Slice of Philosophy
δικό μου συμβουλή σε you is παντρεύομαι : εάν βρίσκω έναs καλός σύζυγοs εσύ θα να είμαι ευτυχισμένος ; εάν όχι , εσύ θα γίνομαι έναs φιλόσοφος.
(My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not, you'll become a philosopher.)
Socrates.
.
OK, this one from Socrates is a slice of wit as well!
(My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not, you'll become a philosopher.)
Socrates.
.
OK, this one from Socrates is a slice of wit as well!
Trial and Error
Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
~ Albert Einstein
~ Albert Einstein
Was he ever right about that! Just look back over your life and count the mistakes you've made. I stopped counting when the number made my head hurt - I am always doing something new!
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