I heard about this lady on NPR today. She is the winner of Ukraine's Got Talent for 2009. A sand artist, in this clip she tells the story of Ukraine's occupation by the Nazis from 1941 to 1945. An occupation in which 25% of the population was killed. I am not a super-sentimental person but I was almost in tears when it was over.

cross-posted at doubleplusundead

Posted by: Open Blog at 05:09 PM | Comments (1)
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And by "suckas" I mean all of you who couldn't pick a winning team against the spread if your life depended on it. Like me.

If I had a bottle of wine and a few pills left over from the knee scopes I'd likely be picking the Giants over Tampa Bay with the points.

But I don't.

So I won't.

Hmmm. Unrelated college note in prep for tomorrow.. Florida and Texas have kinda wuss schedules this year.

Discuss!

Also, I am a leg man so STFU.

I mean that in a non-racist way.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 04:48 PM | Comments (2)
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Not all "downfall" videos are created equal, and I've seen some pretty weak ones; this one, however made me lol:

more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 01:35 PM | Comments (14)
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Brace yourself for a shock...alcohol was involved.

VALLEY FALLS -- Some veterans in this community resorted to some medieval punishment after a village man burned the American flag on a pole in front of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

The young man, whose name was not released, was duct taped to the pole by veterans for about six hours last Sunday with a sign around his neck accusing him of being a flag burner.

... He was pilloried while the village held its fall youth soccer picnic, which included a long parade of children passing the man tied to the pole.

''He'll never disrespect the flag again, I can tell you that,'' post Commander Nick Normile, a Vietnam War veteran, said today.

Part of me thinks, "yeah, nice job". Part of me thinks, "Ah, you can't just tie a guy to a pole for a few hours cause I'm pretty sure that's illegal."

More importantly, if you do...don't put it on your Facebook page and give press interviews about it.

So far, no word that anyone's been arrested. Maybe the guy agreed to the deal in lieu of the VFW charging him with destruction of property or something?

UPDATE: From another version of the story.

"I found him on Sunday and I duct taped him to the flag pole," Normile said bluntly. "He didn't deny it, said he was drunk. Let's just say he volunteered to sit out here duct taped to the pole."

Okay, no harm no foul on the whole "Unlawful Imprisonment" thing, I guess.

Don't get me wrong, I like the idea that someone did something stupid and willingly took his medicine without get cops and lawyers invovled. Willingly however is the key.

Posted by: DrewM at 01:13 PM | Comments (1)
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Above The Story Update: They are cops. The College Politico has the confirmation.

Original Post:
Drudge is highlighting a video purporting to show members of the armed forces abducting protesters at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh.

Language warning for an F Bomb at the end.

Ed at Hot Air is skeptical.

So am I, to say the least.

First, really?

Second, the 'soldiers' (who are unarmed and have no hand cuffs) come from one direction and the scary unmarked car comes from another. Where the hell did those 'soldiers' come from? It wasn't the car they got into. Were they just milling around the crowd? With no protective gear or helmets?

Third, hello! BusHitler is gone, Hope, Change and Unicorns are in.

Fourth, commenters are pointing out the mismatched and outdated uniforms.

I'm going with the performance art idea as well. 9 out 10 for the idea, 2 out of 10 for the execution.

Cui Bono? Alex Jones, The Illuminati and of course, the Jews.

UPDATE: Bob Owens at Confederate Yankee makes the case these are Pennsylvania State Police Officers making an arrest.

He has a screen grab of what appears to be a holster, which would address one of my points that they were unarmed, which made it seem like theater.

So updated conclusion...not military as Drudge claims but maybe not theater either.

Posted by: DrewM at 12:26 PM | Comments (1)
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Mass. Judge rules in favor of Governor Patrick's assertion that Kennedy vacancy an "emergency", requiring immediate filling.

UPDATE, and bumped (for gratuitous Troll bashing if you like, although most the wounds appear to be self-inflicted.): It's Official. Kirk deputized by "The Sheriff".

Obama once again has his filibuster-proof Senate majority.

It is important to not feel defeated by this ruling, by Obama's interference in State's issues by intervening on this, or by the Democrat's raw end-run of their own legislation.

This is exactly who they are, and why they ultimately must always fail. Our modern neo-Liberal is nothing like the Liberals our Fathers knew and respected.

Instead, they are the warmed-over, rebranded and reorganized rejects from the fringe-left movements our Fathers rejected.

They must exceed the limits we, the people, have placed on them in order to aggregate their power to achieve their extreme goals. And they never feel the least bit burdened by the limits the place upon themselves.

Everything, every action, is but a means to an end for the modern neo-Liberal politician. (And please, don't mistake, the same is true for many Republican politicians.)

The Left hasn't just let the mask slip on their power-by-any-means, at-any-cost tendencies. The campaigns for 2010 are already shaping up, and the Left has expended all their political ammunition and good will forcing unprecedented Big Government expansionism down the electorate's throats.

So don't feel bad. Just add this incident to the long list of Democrat political thuggery when speaking with the politically ignorant Independents and JFK liberals in your lives.

And most critically - Stay involved. Make sure you support candidates from the Right that agree with and will pursue the agendas you hold dear.

Choosing the richest, best-connected candidates is easiest, but rarely produces a CongressCritter willing to actually go to the mat for the principles on which it ran.

Posted by: Open Blog at 10:58 AM | Comments (2)
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Good Afternoon, darling Morons, Moronettes, pinheads, mouthbreathers, and ineducable rednecks who possess owl DNA. My kind of people.

Happy Friday.
Boy.

I've got a syringe full of Gila Monster venom that says you're not getting any work done today.
Well, not full of GMV. Half-full. I shot a little into my neck after breakfast.

Which handily explains the talking syringe. Thank goodness. That was disquieting.

At least I'm having a better day at work than this poor bastard in Australia.

A parking inspector was writing out a ticket when the owner of the car, a stripper, came out dressed only in a parka to argue with him.

"And when I told her the fine was already written she was annoyed and flashed me."

Well that taught 'im. Horrifying. I doubt he'll be writing tickets in that area again, by cracky.

What are you doing this weekend? Anything fun? Home improvement projects? Engaging in behavior of questionable morality and texting your friends about it?

Let's entertain each other. Nobody should have to shirk work all by themselves.

Posted by: LauraW at 10:01 AM | Comments (2)
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It's Friday, and news is thin.

Ace & company have already checked out, giving up on the pointless enterprise of trying to recover from last-nights festivities: A ValuRite fueled steeplechase/hobo hunt.

There were a few minor injuries, mostly bruises and abrasions stemming from attempts to stay mounted on LauraW's hump as she hurdled trash cans and stray cats, but all suffer from the usual temporary blindness that goes with a VuR hangover.

What's on your addled mushy minds, dear Morons? Besides the clock of course.

Enjoy.

Posted by: Open Blog at 09:56 AM | Add Comment
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Uber Pig has perpetrated a most excellent funny over at B5.

ACT II, SCENE 3

Characters: GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL, erect posture, brow furrowed, gaunt frame, thoroughbred stride. McChrystal striding down a White House corridor, away from the Oval Office. PRESIDENT OBAMA has just finished explaining that he is considering replacing proven counterinsurgency techniques in Afghanistan with a new plan proposed by VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN. The new plan relies in equal parts on a) ninjas and b) trading hundreds of thousands of "Best of Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens" 8-tracks to Pashtun teenagers in return for their promises to enlist in the Afghan Army. JOE BIDEN, golf-ball white teeth, transplanted hair, checking his twitter account on his iPhone, walking toward the Oval office. Biden stops, looks up, holds out his hand to McChrystal:

Joe Biden: "Hey Stan."

The Man: ...

Joe Biden: "Sorry. Stanley? I always get confused with you military guys, about what I should call you."

The Man: ...

Joe Biden: "General McChrystal?"

(General McChrystal gives Biden a feral smile, holds out his right hand. Biden grabs it, then puts his left on McChrystal's bicep, a la Bill Clinton.)

The Man: "Mr. Vice President."

Joe Biden: "Hey listen, Stan, IÂ’m sorry about this whole report thing where I recommended troop reductions to B-Rock. ItÂ’s just that weÂ’ve been in Afghanistan for 8 years already and nothing to show for it except a disputed election for this Karzai guy. We need results. Yesterday."

The Man: ...

Joe Biden: "And as you know, nobody has ever conquered Afghanistan. Hitler couldnÂ’t do it. Napoleon couldnÂ’t do it. Heck, even Admiral Hirohito lost 4 aircraft carriers to the Taliban back in the World War I."

The Man: ...

There is much more here.

Posted by: Uncle Jimbo at 09:28 AM | Add Comment
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Yeah this drum has been beat pretty hard, but yet the march continues...

Christian hotel owners arrested after defending their beliefs in discussion with Muslim guest
Note that this was simply a discussion, but the Muslim woman was offended and so they were arrested.

Home Office staff told not to eat in front of Muslims during Ramadan
Because it might make them hungry. Even Muslim groups think this is over the top.

Christian nurse told to remove cross necklace
Not because of its religious nature but because they're afraid a patient might grab it. So they claim.

Note that in all of these cases laws and regulations are applied only to Christians while Muslims are given extra protection and deference. I believe it was Mark Steyn who noted that Islam is becoming the de facto state religion of Britain since it seems to enjoy protections and privileges not offered to any other faith. Once the government starts subsidizing mosques, the process will be pretty much over.

But there's more... more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 09:18 AM | Add Comment
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