Average Joe got some video of the Weiner protests in NYC.

Posted by: Ace at 03:02 PM | Comments (538)
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Here are the rules from the original Saturday Afternoon Experimental Insta-Story:

Anyone can add to the story. But you can only add three words at a time. Any meta comment or any other comment that is not part of the story must be set apart in square brackets. [Like this.]

Let's have this one be a mystery. In space. With phasers and big boobs. And a princess. A gold ring. A wolf. And a shrubbery. I'll start it off:

Once upon a...

So, here we go: Once upon a...

Posted by: rdbrewer at 01:00 PM | Comments (942)
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President Awesome asserted that Israel must create a nation for knuckleheads, and return to the "pre-1967" borders.

Benjamin Netanyahu said "well, no".

Obumble didn't really care to hear that. He likely had no idea that when Israel fought for its survival in the 6-Day War, they faced Arab armies in M-48 Patton tanks. When they say "never again", they really mean it.

In June of 1967, almost a quarter-million Israeli troops, of which only 50,000 were regulars, the rest reservists faced off against a half-million Arab soldiers from Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Israel prepared by collecting vital intelligence regarding enemy positions, and battle plans, and by launching a devasting air attack against the air forces of the combatants,

late Sunday update (thanks for reading you readers!).

Question asked by Conor Cruise O'Brien in "The Siege".

Does Israel have the right to exist?

Regardless of our answers, they think they do. more...

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 11:05 AM | Comments (183)
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In which The Comely Coed insists that sure, Weiner sent her that pic, but she didn't do anything to encourage that.

This is less of a "I believe you" than a "I'm not sure it matters at this point so, whatever."

She goes on to explain that most infamous of "Ethel's" tweets -- the one about honey-mustard -- was most likely a case of a friend, or boyfriend, typing up an embarrassing message on to her left-open Twitter.

Ethel did immediately say "Hacked... obviously." And reading this so-dirty-it's-ludicrous tweet, yes, I have to say in retrospect, this does not read like a girl being dirty. It reads like a guy being funny.

That over-the-top sexual thing? That's a guy thing. We do that 200 times a day here.

Plus, it was public.

It should also be noted that it wasn't like "Ethel" typically said such things on Twitter. Nope, that was out of character. That jumps out in the tweet history.

As an added bonus, it would explain a lot. The first part of that tweet praises someone I take to be her friend and/or boyfriend, the guy I am guessing actually wrote it. But the second part mentions "weiner" -- my thinking is this is razzing her about her crush, even as he sockpuppets her into praising himself.

So based on this, I have been on Team Pranked Tweet as regards this particular item since yesterday.

However, as regards Weiner's state of mind...? Weiner would not have known the backstory here, and might have said, "Hey, this girl's got potential."

By the Way: I realize many of you are going to say "That's not true."

I'm going to have to ask you not to do that. I know you disagree. I get that. Consider it judicially noted that there are many objections to this post.

But this is not just an argument, you know. There are issues here beyond who's right and who's wrong.

This'll Put The Kibbosh On Such Outrageous Slanders: As I wrote in a comment, and now have asked The Comely Coed:

The odd thing here is that if Weiner and The Comely Coed are being truthful, than what is admitted is worse than what is merely suspected: That the claim is that he sent, unsolicited and unwarned, a picture of his erection to a 21 year old college student who was, we are informed, merely talking about being harassed by PatriotUSA76.

Ironically, the claim is this: The Comely Coed was talking with Weiner about how PatriotUSA76 was accusing Weiner of talking dirty with underage girls, which then provokes him, it seems, to send an underage (or near-underage) girl a picture of his erection.

Was his intent... deep, black-humor irony?

I don't get the joke. "That's such an outrageous claim, I shall parodize it by... sending a 21 year old an unsolicited picture of my erection! And let this sarcastic missive stand as my response to such risible claims!"

Or, as a commenter puts it:

Why did the chicken cross the road?

A: Here's a picture of my penis.

I Asked... The Comely Coed two questions. In response to Worthington, she alleged:

He wasnÂ’t inappropriate with me, though. Our talks were about people like Wolfe. I was intrigued by them. I still am. IÂ’ve watched closely. IÂ’m considering writing a piece on it.

So, my first question was a variation of:

Am I to understand, per the interview with Aaron Worthington of Patterico.com, that you were only DMing with him about these scurrilous allegations made by the #bornfree crew that he was behaving inappropriately with underage girls, and, in response to this complaint of this absurd charge, he sent a picture of his erection to you, thereby confirming the charge?

Or was it some attempt at deepest irony?

OUT: Anthony Weiner is an out-of-control cybersexer

IN: Anthony Weiner is an out-of-control ironist

Her answer was:

Why would I tell you what my speculation is? You want to know his intent? Ask him.

A commenter, May Bee I think, points out she is more eager to offer an explanation for Ethel's tweets, one that helps Ethel. I actually believe that explanation, but do note the disparate treatment. I take from that she has no speculation that could help Weiner and so chooses to clam up. On this one.

Which leads to my next question. I asked a variation of:

Since you are now alleging, and agreeing with Weiner, that he sent an unsolicited, unwarned, uninvited picture of his erection to a 21 year old girl -- a nonconsensual sex act, like flashing -- which is prosecutable (see Alvin Greene's prosecution for the obscenity of showing a coed a dic pic on the Internet), will you now join me in calling for Anthony Weiner to resign?

She did something like what she did at Patterico's place -- she stomped off and didn't answer.

Can I just say, Id rather get 20 unsolicited "lewd" pics than the THOUSANDS of harassing tweets Ive received from the obsessed extremists!

BTW, I said this on Twitter too: Please don't harass her when she's actually answering questions with an interviewer. What do you hope to accomplish? To the extent we get anywhere it is from her answers. What is the point of 1000 people shouting at her?

Well, the point is she gets to do what she did here, which is disappear from the interview, using harassment as a reason.

And I actually was sort of getting somewhere.

Anger is not useful. Repetitions of the same allegations are not useful.

I was actually asking provocative questions and now she's gone.

Please don't do this. All the anger in the world isn't going to solve anything.

I hate to pull rank here but some people really do not know what the F*** they're doing and seem to think that just shouting and jumping up and down is somehow aiding the cause.

Posted by: Ace at 08:33 AM | Comments (647)
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"What was once the most exciting city on the planet has turned into the world capital of health-obsessed control-freakery."

Interesting that a British publication would be the one to publish a scathing article about the negative effect of overbearing, paternalistic government. But the author, Brendan O'Neill, is also a contributor at Reason.

If you had to think of one city on earth where the rulers should not try to impose a standard of ‘good behaviour’, it would surely be New York. Who in their right mind would seek to sanitise this concrete jungle, to sedate the city that never sleeps, to demand conformism and obedience from the inhabitants of a place which, in the words of a popular tourist T-shirt, is known as ‘New York F**kin’ City’?

You’d be surprised. New York is currently governed by a gaggle of health-obsessed bigwigs who believe they have a duty to grab New Yorkers by the scruffs of their outsized necks and drag them towards lives of bicycle-riding, non-smoking, booze-avoiding, fruit-snacking conformity. City Hall, under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is awash with that new breed of psycho-politician known as the ‘nudger’, who believes that he has the right to use psychological techniques and brute censorship to manipulate and ‘improve’ human behaviour.

The Bloombergers have become world-beaters in the banning of public smoking and the demonisation of junk food. It is testament to their successful colonisation of these islands that the banning of smoking in all public parks, pedestrian plazas and beaches . . . .

The Wikipedia entry on O'Neill says, "In January 2006, he co-founded the Manifesto Club, an organisation 'with the aim of challenging cultural trends that restrain and stifle peopleÂ’s aspirations and initiative.'" His journalism can also be found at Spiked. (Link fixed.)

Posted by: rdbrewer at 08:23 AM | Comments (36)
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Just happened to spot these two videos on Twitter.

In the first, not even David Gregory is buying DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz's latest pants-on-fire claim that the Democrats and President Obama have "turned this economy around." Gregory scoffs.

In the second, T-Paw coins a new term, "ObamneyCare", that we'll be seeing again, I'm sure, at tomorrow's debate. I still can't believe Romney is standing by the Massachusetts healthcare system.

Both videos are below the fold. more...

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 07:29 AM | Comments (45)
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I'm beginning to think there's something wrong with me.

Am I not worthy? What, I don't rate? (Now that I think about it: Hat tip to Dom Irera. That's his joke.)

More pictures of Weiner. Oh my dear sweet raging schadenboner.

Now he's taking semi-nude and nude pictures of himself at the Congressional gym.

I'm linking the full-nude holding-his-package pic. It's actually pretty safe for work. You can also see it at Weasel Zippers if you'd prefer to give them the traffic.

But it's hard to pick a favorite. Oh wait, no it's not.

TMZ has confirmed the pics were sent online to at least one woman.

I'm going to make a philosophical point here. Please do not mistake this for "going soft" on Weiner. (Believe me, I'm not gettin' soft at all, IYKWIMAITYD.)

Think about where Anthony Weiner was 15 days ago. Puffed-up bantam of a partisan venom-spitter -- a liberal cockatrice -- and a big fightin' hero on MSNBC and Daily Kos and partisan hate-rallies (like the Wisconsin rally he was scheduled to attend). Generally considered to be the prime contender for the next mayor of New York City.

And after getting serious executive experience... who knows what next.

Think about where he is now.

Now think about what caused this.

No, don't say "immoral behavior" or "reckless sexual compulsiveness" or "hubris" or the "entitlement of the putative elite" or "the need of high-functioning, modern men to take the edge off."

Yes, those caused this, but they weren't the immediate cause of this. He was doing that stuff for years without any problems arising from it.

No, what caused all this was.... a typo.

The Typo From Hell. Possibly the worst typo in the history of politics.

Not saying he doesn't deserve it -- he does -- but consider that but for a single clumsy move by an errant left forefinger, none of this happens.

The smallest error of a fingertip, and a man is wholly undone.

Just a little mindblowing.

I can't even comprehend how deeply that twitch of a fingertip is burned into his brain at this point. How he has revisited and revisited a single errant keystroke.

Thanks to George Orwell.

more...

Posted by: Ace at 06:44 AM | Comments (276)
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Before the covers (which you've probably guessed at), Businessinsider discusses a new term, "Screwflation," which the author defines as inflation plus getting hit by other rising costs.

The actual coining of this term is by Doug Kass at Barron's, but it's behind a subscription wall.

more...

Posted by: Ace at 06:26 AM | Comments (46)
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On Monday, I happened to send a "don't forget it's the 67th anniversary of D-Day and, oh, look at this statement Gen. Eisenhower prepared for in case it was a disaster" email to my team. Just in case, y'know, they were interested. On Tuesday, my boss--figuring from the email that I'm into WWII stuff--popped into my office to lend me his copy of Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer. Originally written in French and later translated to English, it's the mostly-autobiographical account of a German conscript from Fall 1942 to Spring 1945.

Whenever I read something that has been translated, I wonder how much of the tone and the rhetoric makes it through. This translation maintains a plodding meter and vaguely stolid tone throughout so unlike normal English prose it makes me think it deliberate. Perhaps mimicry of the original's tone. Or it could just be an awkward translation.

Any thoughts on translations? And what did you folks read this week?

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:27 AM | Comments (85)
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For the less literate among us.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 03:59 AM | Comments (141)
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