The View-Point

Who Needs Cable TV?

2009-01-25T01:00:00.003-05:00

Non-lame alternatives to the cable TV monopoly:

Hulu.com - Full, streaming episodes. Lots of Fox and NBC content, such as The Office, The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, Family Guy, etc.

Joost.com - Lots of CBS content and other older TV shows.

Like music? Try:

Songza.com - Internet Jukebox. Try it. Awesome.

And for the more adventurous, who know how to use search boxes and reference the lengths of video clips:

YouKu.com - What's on the local theatre marquee? the TV program guide? (No, you do not need to be bilingual...)

Let's not even talk about BitTorrent.

Hook up your computer to your TV with a cable from:
SVideo.com

Pay-for-access cable monopolies are dead. Long live the most democratic of communication mediums - the Internet.

MichaelSavage.com RSS/XML Feed

2007-12-17T22:50:00.003-05:00

Looking for an RSS / XML feed for Michael Savage and "The Savage Nation"?

If you answered 'Yes' to this question, you are not alone in the quest to find an RSS feed that monitors MichaelSavage.com and all of the daily updated 'Savage Approved' news stories.

Unfortunately, Dr. Savage's website does not provide an 'official' feed. Below is an alternative solution that allows you to never miss another great news headline. Works great in Google Reader!

~~RSS/XML: MichaelSavage.com News Headlines Feed~~
~~(via irisfeed.com)~~
[NOTE: Dead URL; As of September 2007, irisfeed.com is offline]

~~NEW FEED! (Updated 12/17/07):~~
~~RSS/XML: MichaelSavage.com News Headline Feed~~
(via Ponyfish.com)
[NOTE: Feed empty due to restructuring of MichaelSavage.com]

UPDATE (19-Feb-2009): If you can't listen to Savage, here is another on-demand listening option:

Daily archives of the Thom Hartmann Show

(Originally Posted: 7/31/2007 @ 10:30pm)

'Savage Nation' Preempted by Baseball - Alternative Listening Options

2007-07-31T22:00:00.000-04:00

Michael Savage fans in Pittsburgh, PA are steaming over the frequent preemption of "The Savage Nation" by Pittsburgh Pirates baseball. While listeners in the 'burgh are fortunate enough to have a FM News/Talk station that carries the program (8-11pm Eastern) in all of its stereophonic glory, 104.7FM, as of this summer, is now a Sports/News/Talk station, carrying each and every Pirates game of their (loosing) season. The unfortunate result is that serious discussion of national and international issues is being preempted by the frivolous and trivial distraction of baseball.

While I am not a baseball fan (Cricket is much more interesting), my objection is on the philosophical ground that discussion of serious issues should take precedent over sports, diversions, and other forms of entertainment. It is all the more insulting that the Pirates, despite having the most beautiful (tax-payer financed) stadium in the country, are a poor team with a terrible win/loss record.

So what other listening options are out there for Pittsburgh fans of The Savage Nation?

Via the Internet
Live Internet streaming is available from Savage's home station of KNEW 910AM in San Francisco, CA, at the 910 KNEW Live Streaming page. Note that the show is broadcast live 6-9pm Eastern, with the first hour rebroadcast 9-10pm Eastern. ~~For you l337 h4x0rs that prefer direct links and non-embedded media players, this is my gift to you (hint: WMA)~~ [UPDATE: Direct stream link is dead as of July 2007].

1230 WBVP / 1460 WMBA [AM Band]
PRO: Listeners in or near Beaver County, PA can hear The Savage Nation on these stations weekdays 7-10pm (7-9pm is a live broadcast of the second & third hours of the show; 9-10pm is a rebroadcast of the first hour).
CON: These stations also broadcast Pirates baseball (talk about redundant!) and are thus subject to the same preemptions!
[Pittsburgh Pirates 2007 Schedule]
570 WKBN [AM Band]
PRO: This Youngstown, OH station carries The Savage Nation weekdays 7-10pm (7-9pm is a live broadcast of the second & third hours of the show; 9-10pm is a rebroadcast of the first hour).
CON: WKBN also carries Cleveland Indians baseball, so it has its own preemption issues. At least the Indians' and the Pirates' schedules occasionally differ.
[Cleveland Indians 2007 Schedule]

(Originally Posted: 6/1/2007 @ 11:50PM)

Commentary: Cho Seung-Hui - A 'Christian' Response

2007-04-18T20:30:00.000-04:00

The View-Point:

Over the past few days, The View-Point has been getting a lot of hits from people searching for a connection between Christianity & the Virginia Tech massacre committed by Cho Seung-Hui. While I have no great argument to make at this point, I can only offer the following point:

"Why does God allow this kind of evil thing to happen?"
"How can He be a God of love and yet let such pain and suffering prevail?"

These are questions that many people may be asking at such a difficult time as we are now in. The essential question is one of the role that God plays in the actions and choices of individuals.

The Christian faith holds that God has created human beings with a 'free will' and as moral 'free agents'. Simply put, God allows us to choose to 'do our own thing,' whatever that may be. Indeed, the concept of sin essentially refers to actions and thoughts that are contrary to full communion with God and with His creatures and His creation (including our fellow human beings).

This may not be very comforting in such a trying time as this, as it leaves us in a state of temporal vulnerability to such evil, malicious actors. But the point is that the actions of deranged individuals such as Cho Seung-Hui cannot properly be attributed to God, no more than the actions of a child are the direct responsibility of its parents.

The perceptive reader, of course, will have noted that the key term in the previous paragraph is temporal vulnerability. It is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, fully human and fully divine, through his suffering, death, burial, and resurrection that God has come into our temporal realm of free will and free choice to freely offer to us the gift of eternal life.

(Originally Posted: 4/18/2007 @ 8:25pm)

Commentary: VA Tech Massacre & Gun Control Failure

2007-04-17T16:50:00.000-04:00

The View-Point:

If yesterday's horrible massacre on the Virginia Tech campus by South Korean native Cho Seung-Hui has proved anything, it has illustrated the utter failure and disaster presented by anti-Second Amendment, Gun Control laws.

As I understand it, after a round of so-called 'gun violence' last year, the campus of Virginia Tech implemented a "Gun Free Zone" policy. Now understand that I am no 'gun Nazi'; I've never owned or even held a real gun. But let's look at this issue from a philosophical perspective:

A person with a loaded and functional gun holds a significantly disproportionate amount of power over and above that held by people with no gun. Any decent person is unlikely to use this disproportionate power for selfish or personal gain, but a corrupt or troubled individual, simply from the possession of a gun, has a powerful tool to accomplish selfish and/or disturbed actions.

What does this have to do with gun control? The gun-holder only has this disproportionate power over non-gun holders; against someone who also has a gun, this disproportionate power is diminished and somewhat neutralized (given relatively equal skill levels in gun handling). As an extreme example, if Cho Seung-Hui would have walked into a classroom with 30 students, all armed and skilled at shooting, his only advantage would have been an element of surprise; other than that, he would have stood no chance.

It is absurd to think that everyone should have a gun, let alone be properly trained in shooting it. But it does not take a roomful of decent people with guns to reduce or neutralize the disproportionate power held by the malicious gun-bearer; it only takes one.

By instituting a "Gun Free Zone" policy/rule/law [Side Note: Criminals by definition do not obey policies/rules/laws!], Virginia Tech essentially sealed its fate in ensuring that no decent, altruistic, gun carrying individual could even potentially have come into contact with Cho Seung-Hui and 'neutralized' his disproportionately deadly level of power.

Gun Control -- It only benefits the malicious and ill-willed.

(Originally Posted: 4/17/2007 @ 4:50pm)

News/Commentary: "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" 'Documentary'

2007-04-12T17:10:00.000-04:00

***** Note: See Below for Latest Updates from 4/12/07 *****

Jesus Family Tomb Believed Found
(Discovery Channel, 2/25/2007)

'News':

"New scientific evidence [...] suggests a 2,000-year-old Jerusalem tomb could have once held the remains of Jesus of Nazareth and his family. The findings also suggest that Jesus and Mary Magdalene might have produced a son named Judah...."

"'Mariamene, or Mariamne, probably was the actual name given to Mary Magdalene.' [...] Although not included in the Bible, the 'Acts of Philip' mentions the apostles and Mariamne, sister of the apostle Philip...."

"Since tombs normally contain either blood relations or spouses, Jacobovici and his team suggest it is possible Jesus and Mary Magdalene were a couple. 'Judah,' whom they indicate may have been their son, could have been the 'lad' described in the Gospel of John as sleeping in Jesus' lap at the Last Supper...."

Commentary:

Along the lines of the "Da Vinci Code" comes the next assault on the foundations of the Christian faith: a Discovery Channel so-called 'documentary' titled, "The Lost Tomb of Jesus".

All of this comes from "Academy Award-winner" (and therefore expert on everything) James Cameron. The so-called 'documentary' will be shown on the Discovery Channel on March 4 at 9pm.

Question: Why don't we see any serious effort put towards trashing other religions (e.g. Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Materialism, Positivism, etc.)? Why must the assault unilaterally be against Christianity, in either its Catholic or Protestant forms?

Refutations:

Archaeologists, Scholars Dispute Jesus Documentary
(CNN.com, 2/26/2007; Thanks to BC)
Bones of Jesus & son uncovered in Jerusalem? Airing new evidence
(israelity bites, 2/23/2007; Thanks to KW)
‘Lost Tomb of Jesus’ documentary claims unfounded, hype, archeologist says
(Catholic News Agency, 2/26/2007)
Prelate's Assault on "Tomb of Jesus" - Archbishop Forte Says Discovery Is False
(ZENIT.org News Agency via EWTN, 3/1/2007)

Follow-up Commentary:

Now that this 'documentary' has aired, it seems to have come Dead-On-Arrival. (Full disclosure: I did not watch it.) Leading up to the 'exclusive' Discovery Channel showing, I saw about 3 stories refuting these ridiculous claims for every 1 promoting or supporting them. And a quick Google News search on 3/6/2007 presents the following sample of headlines:

'Lost Tomb of Jesus' doesn't shake the foundations (Siftings Herald, AR)
The Jesus Tomb: Find of the Century or Publicity Stunt? (Emediawire - press release)
Biblical Documentary Producer Challenges "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" (WDC Media News)
India won't air 'Jesus Tomb' documentary (Spero News)
'Tomb' can't keep Christianity down (Los Angeles Times, CA)

Note to James Cameron: You are known for producing high-quality fiction. What made you think you would be taken seriously with this 'documentary'? People are predisposed to expect high production-value fiction from you, and that is what they got. As for you, you've earned a reputation for shamelessly profiteering off of the sacredness of religion & religious belief -- and, no doubt, some extra punishment in your eternal rest.

The Discovery Channel Recants:

Is Discovery Burying 'Lost Tomb'? Net Pulls Repeat, Declines to Tout Ratings
(TVWeek.com, 3/8/2007)

"Departing from normal procedures, the cable network didn't tout its big ratings win. The network also scheduled a last-minute special that harshly criticized its own documentary, and has yanked a planned repeat of 'Tomb.'

"'This is not one where you necessarily beat the drum, from a business perspective,' said David Leavy, executive VP of corporate communications at Discovery. 'It's not necessarily about making money, or making ratings, or shouting from the highest office building. Sometimes having some maturity and perspective is more important than getting picked up in all the ratings highlights.'"

Scholars Backtrack on 'Documentary' Claims:

Jesus tomb film scholars backtrack
(Jerusalem Post, 4/11/2007)

"Several prominent scholars who were interviewed in a bitterly contested documentary ... have now revised their conclusions, ... a new study on the fallout from the popular documentary shows.

... dramatic clarifications, compiled by epigrapher Stephen Pfann of the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem in a paper titled 'Cracks in the Foundation: How the Lost Tomb of Jesus story is losing its scholarly support,' ..."

(Originally Posted: 2/25/2007@ 4:45pm)

News: "Durham Dirtbag" Identity Revealed

2007-04-11T21:40:00.000-04:00

Duke Charges Dropped - North Carolina attorney general calls lacrosse trio "innocent"
(The Smoking Gun, 4/11/2007)

Crystal Gail Mangum (Photo source: The Smoking Gun)
The identity of the accuser in the Duke Lacrosse Team rape case has been revealed, now that all charges have been dropped as completely baseless and unfounded. We now have the name and a photo of Crystal Gail Mangum, whom Michael Savage of The Savage Nation has dubbed "The Durham Dirtbag" -- a moniker that now has the evidence to back it up.

(Originally Posted: 4/11/2007 @ 9:40pm)

News: The Corruption of Dianne Feinstein

2007-04-03T08:55:00.000-04:00

Dianne Feinstein Resigns
(metroactive.com via MichaelSavage.com, 3/28/2007)

NEWS:

"Sen. Dianne Feinstein has resigned from the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee... she had a conflict of interest due to her husband Richard C. Blum's ownership of two major defense contractors, who were awarded billions of dollars for military construction projects approved by Feinstein..."

The View-Point:

This story first reached national attention on the 3/28/2007 edition of the Michael Savage radio talk show. Although the reporting newspaper and author are virtual unknowns, some simple Internet research using the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine can confirm the basic facts of Feinstein's exit from the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee:

Wayback Machine archives of: feinstein.senate.gov
- 7/1/2006 archive lists Feinstein as belonging to the following committees:
-- Appropriations Committee
-- Ranking member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee

Wayback Machine archives of: appropriations.senate.gov
- 5/25/2006 archive confirms the above information:
-- SUBCOMMITTEE on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs
-- Senator Dianne Feinstein (Ranking Member) (CA)

The current versions of both of these websites reflect that Feinstein is no longer a member of the subcommittee in question:
- United States Senator Dianne Feinstein: Committee Assignments
- United States Senate Committee on Appropriations - Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

Bottom Line: If my third-grade level of research can confirm a few of the most basic facts of this story, then I only expect that members of the 'professional' (read: paid) media can bust the full details wide open.

UPDATE:

NewsMax.com has picked up coverage of this story:
Sen. Feinstein Resigns Military Appropriations Post
(NewsMax.com, 4/2/2007)

(Originally Posted: 3/28/2007 @ 11:48pm)

News: Pope to Enhance Access to Latin Mass

2007-03-28T22:55:00.000-04:00

Motu Proprio Ready with Accompanying Letter, German Paper Reports
(Catholic World News Brief via EWTN.com, 3/28/2007)

NEWS:

"A papal document widening access to the Latin Mass is prepared for release... Die Welt reports that a motu proprio restoring regular access to the pre-conciliar liturgy has been completed. Pope Benedict XVI is determined to release the document, despite substantial opposition... Although no date for that release is given, the German newspaper says, 'the issue has been decided.'"

The View-Point:

Here it comes! The long awaited document broadening access to the pre-Vatican II Tridentine Latin Mass (Order of the Latin Mass) is about to be released. Upon release, the document should be available on the Vatican website at this location: Benedict XVI - Motu Proprio.

Cricket World Cup 2007 - Free Coverage Options for US Fans

2007-03-18T22:10:00.000-04:00

With the Cricket World Cup 2007 (Official Site) well underway, fans, such as myself, who live in the United States are finding themselves with a serious lack of coverage options -- other than the official DirecTv media partner. Here are a few free Internet resources that I have found useful -- feel free to comment with your own suggestions. Happy Cricketing!

Live Match Coverage & Statistics:

Cricinfo.com coverage of the Cricket World Cup 2007
By far, the best site for live match coverage -- use this site to follow the action as it happens. Exclusive & live ball-to-ball commentary and updates. Includes a new, experimental Cricinfo 3D feature that uses computer animation to render the action for you in near-real time. A full set of statistics and other analyses available for each match, plus News, Photos, Audio Commentaries, Video, and more.

Video Highlights:

YouTube Video Highlights from the Cricket World Cup 2007
A YouTube video search optimized to display the most recent video highlights from the World Cup. Note that coverage is rather spotty and limited to what videos fellow cricket fans have uploaded.
Options for downloading and saving YouTube video highlights:
KeepVid.com -- Download & save videos from YouTube & other video services
KissYouTube.com -- A simple option for downloading & saving YouTube videos
Options for playing YouTube Flash video (.flv) files:
Wimpy Standalone FLV Player -- For Windows 2000/XP & Mac OS X
K-Lite Codec Pack w/Media Player Classic (other D/L options) -- Best for Win98 / Win98SE

(Originally Posted: 3/18/2007 @ 10:05PM)

News: Pope Benedict XVI Endorses Widespread Use of Latin in Liturgies

2007-03-14T17:17:00.000-04:00

Sacramentum Caritatis: Pope Benedict XVI apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist
(Libreria Editrice Vaticana via Catholic.org, 3/13/2007)

News (excerpt from Sacramentum Caritatis):

"The Latin language
62. [...] In order to express more clearly the unity and universality of the Church, I wish to endorse the proposal made by the Synod of Bishops, in harmony with the directives of the Second Vatican Council, (182) that, with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful, such liturgies could be celebrated in Latin. Similarly, the better-known prayers (183) of the Church's tradition should be recited in Latin and, if possible, selections of Gregorian chant should be sung. Speaking more generally, I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant. (184)"

Official Full Text in English:

Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis
(Official Posting on Vatican.va)
Additional Languages:French, German, Latin, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish
(Official Postings on Vatican.va)

Related:

Vatican Releases "Sacramentum Caritatis" with Press Conference
(Catholic News Agency via EWTN.com, 3/13/2007)

(Originally Posted: 3/13/2007 @ 7:25PM)

Best of the Web: Zamzar & Daily Prayer Podcast

2007-02-27T23:30:00.000-05:00

Zamzar - Free online file conversion

Upload a file from your computer (or enter a URL) -- 100MB max -- select the file type you want to convert to, and Zamzar will email you when your file is ready! Very slick. Converts a ton of file types, including:
Image - bmp, jpg, gif, etc.
Document - doc, html, pdf, ppt, rtf, txt, etc.
Music - aac, mp3, wma, etc.
Video - avi, flv, mov, mp4, wmv, etc.

The Antiochene Syriac Maronite Church Podcast - Daily Prayers Podcast

Podcast recording of the daily prayers of the Maronite Catholic Church. Recordings can be played directly on the webpage, downloaded via MP3 file, or subscribed to with RSS/iTunes. Provides a very nice daily devotional.

Other Catholic Daily Devotional Podcasts
XML/RSS: Daily Office of Readings
XML/RSS: Verbum Domini

Best of the Web: KeepVid, vixy, & WorldCat

2007-02-13T16:30:00.000-05:00

KeepVid - Download & save videos from Google Video, YouTube, & more...

Very slick and straightforward to use. There are some issues with needing the correct codecs to play Google Videos (.avi / .mp4) and using a FLV (Flash Video) player to play YouTube videos (.flv).

See this article on Dvorak's blog for additional video download options.

vixy.net - Online FLV Converter: Download online videos direct to PC / iPod / PSP

One step beyond KeepVid, vixy automatically downloads (to its own servers) and converts those pesky Flash Video FLV's (YouTube, etc.) to an MPEG4 AVI/MOV/MP4/3GP/MP3 (audio only) file than can more easily be played on a variety of devices.

WorldCat [OCLC] - The world's largest library network

Search for 1.3 billion items in more than 10,000 libraries worldwide & sort results by proximity to your location

News: For Sale - Mike Veon's Political Connections

2007-02-13T00:05:00.001-05:00

Defeated Rep. Veon Now Tobacco Lobbyist
(Pgh. Post-Gazette, 2/12/2007)

News:

"[Veon] has created a new consulting/lobbying firm here, called, not surprisingly, Mike Veon & Associates. So far, however, it's just him, without associates. And his first, and so far only, client is U.S. Tobacco Co., which makes smokeless tobacco and cigars, both of which are targeted to be hit by the state sales tax under Gov. Ed Rendell's budget plan.

Mr. Veon [...] said he'll urge lawmakers not to extend the sales tax to cigars and chewing tobacco for the first time. Mr Veon said he will lobby members of the Senate and governor's office, but is barred for a year from lobbying his former House colleagues."

The View-Point:

It is painful to realize that we the citizens of Pennsylvania have footed the bill for what was, in effect, the 'job training' that enabled Mike Veon to setup this new private venture. Certainly many defeated politicians go the route of 'influence whore', but it is utterly disgusting that Veon would sell his soul to the tobacco industry in exchange for the almighty dollar. Coming from a county inhabited by a significant number of elderly people, many sick or dying from tobacco-related cancers, Veon should be ashamed of the crudity of his new venture. On the bright side: More confirmation that the voters of Beaver County were right to vote this 'bum' out!

(Originally Posted: 2/13/2007 @ 12:01am)

Commentary: Nancy 'Evita' Pelosi in 2008?

2007-02-11T00:09:00.000-05:00

Could Nancy Pelosi be the next Eva Perón?

Here's a novel idea for the Pelosi 2008 Presidential Campaign: 'Evita' Pelosi!

Whereas Evita Perón was "La Santa Peronista," Nancy Pelosi can be "La Santa Terrorista" (to secure that all-important al-Qaeda vote), or even "La Santa Mexicanos" to gain the support of the massive illegal immigrant voting block.

Now what about a theme song to appeal to the millions of entitlement-minded Democrat voters? With slight modifications, Sirs Rice and Lloyd Webber provide the solution:

"Would you like to try a college education?
[NEWS: Democrat-led House will try to help with college costs (USA Today, 11/8/2006)]
Own your landlord's house, take the family on vacation?
[Nancy] and her blessed [House] can make your dreams come true
Here's all you have to do my friends
Write your name and your dream on a card or a pad or a ticket
Throw it high in the air and should our lady pick it
She will change your way of life for a week or even two
Name me anyone who cares as much as [Nancy Pelosi]!"

(Source: Lyrics to "And the Money Kept Rolling In" from the musical "Evita")

(Originally Posted: 11/16/2006 @ 4:30PM)

News: Nifong Busted in Ethics Complaint

2007-01-24T17:20:00.000-05:00

Ethics Rap For Duke Prosecutor
(The Smoking Gun, 12/28/2006, 17 pp.)

The North Carolina State Bar accuses D.A. Mike Nifong, prosecutor in the "Duke Lacrosse rape case" (p. 2), of "engag[ing] in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation" (p. 16).

Justice may end up being served to the prosecutor (Nifong) who engaged in an abuse of his power in the so-called "Durham Dirtbag Case".

UPDATE: Nifong Charged With Withholding Evidence
(FOX News, 1/24/2007)

"Former Duke lacrosse rape prosecutor Mike Nifong has been slapped with additional ethics charges by the state bar association, which has accused him of withholding DNA evidence and making misleading statements to the court.

The new charges by the North Carolina State Bar against Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong were announced Wednesday and could lead to his removal from the state bar, according to a copy of the updated complaint....

Nifong's actions constitute a 'systematic abuse of prosecutorial discretion ... prejudicial to the administration of justice,' the complaint read...."

News/Commentary: Ungrateful Iraq PM Criticizes US - Time To Go!

2007-01-18T11:35:00.000-05:00

Iraq PM Criticizes US Effort In Iraq
(1/18/2007, AP via Yahoo! News)

News:

"...The Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported that al-Maliki was deeply critical of President Bush during a briefing with a small group of reporters.

'The situation would be much better if the United States had immediately sent our security forces more adequate weapons and equipment. If they had committed themselves more and with greater speed we would have had a lot fewer deaths among Iraqi civilians and American soldiers,' the newspaper quoted al-Maliki as saying...."

Commentary:

How many billions of dollars have we spent cleansing this God-forsaken country -- and the Iraqi PM still has the nerve to be "deeply critical"? I say that enough is enough! He wants "more adequate weapons and equipment" -- then give him everything he wants and then leave! If the PM of Iraq, functioning as that country's spokesperson, does not even have the decency to express gratitude for the money and lives we have spent in his awful country, then I say that it is time to go. The guests are no longer welcome at the party, so let us leave the gifts of "weapons and equipment" that we have brought and go home. Good luck on your own, al-Maliki.

News/Must-See Videos: Saddam Hussein Execution

2007-01-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

The Execution of Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein was executed on December 30, 2006 at approximately 06:00 local time (03:00 UTC) according to the Wikipedia entry on his execution.

*** WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT -- VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED ***

Saddam Execution - Poor Quality Cell Phone Video
*** GRAPHIC CONTENT ***
YouTube: A - B (embedded below)
Google Video: C

'Official' Video from Before & After the Hanging
*** SEMI-GRAPHIC CONTENT ***
YouTube: D

(Originally Posted: 1/1/2007 @ 1:10PM)

Must-See Videos: Hitler's Nazis Do the Lambeth Walk

2006-12-26T13:52:00.001-05:00

The Lambeth Walk, Nazi Style
(Quicktime & Windows Media formats; FLV embedded below)

This clip is worth a view for a bit of entertainment and jolly fun -- as well as an example of the effective use of visual rhetoric to lambast an unpopular figure. (See the link above for QT & WMV formats.) Also embedded below is a more 'traditional' performance of The Lambeth Walk. Enjoy -- Oi!

News: Pittsburgh's New Riverfront Casino

2006-12-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

Casino Coming To Pittsburgh's North Shore In '08
(KDKA.com, 12/20/06; with video clips)

"The Pa. Gaming Control Board voted this morning to award Pittsburgh's only stand-alone slots license to PITG Gaming/Majestic Star on the North Shore... Don Barden tells KDKA he's planning to open his new casino in March 2008..."

Majestic Star Casino (Pittsburgh, PA) Conceptual Drawings
(from STRADA, LLC)

Five artistic renderings of the new North Shore riverfront casino, with details on proposed amenities.

Satellite Photo & Map of the New Casino's Location-To-Be
(via Google Maps)

The new casino will be located to the west of Heinz Field and the Carnegie Science Center (the building facing the river-bound submarine), presumably in the large, open parking lot area.

Must-See Videos: Borat & Unreflective Thinking

2006-12-19T12:10:00.000-05:00

Borat & the Ultimate Test of Reflective Thinking
(via DailyMotion.com, embedded below)

While superficially offensive in its apparent anti-semitism, Jewish comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (see also his exclusive Rolling Stone interview), as the character Borat Sagdiyev, effectively puts to the test the level of reflective thinking that patrons of a country-western bar engage in. Granted that most of them are totally smashed, you would think that at least someone would have the sense to question what they were singing.

(Originally Posted: 12/11/2006 @ 11:20AM)

News: Debunking Global Warming with Senator Inhofe

2006-12-16T14:25:00.000-05:00

A Skeptic's Guide to Debunking Global Warming Alarmism -- Hot & Cold Media Spin Cycle: A Challenge to Journalists who Cover Global Warming (PDF from epw.senate.gov)

From the office of US Senator James Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, comes an outstanding document debunking how the media has fueled one side of the so-called global warming controversy.

I find this document to be useful for illustrating the epistemological crisis that results from bombardment by an endless stream of messages from various media-created information environments. How do we know "What is truth?" (cf. John 18:38)

News: Detailed Coverage of Islamic Terrorism in America

2006-12-09T13:16:00.000-05:00

FBI says Muslim in Illinois planned grenade attack in mall (AP, 12/9/2006)

I am happy to report that this story represents a succesful thwarting by the FBI of an attempted terrorist attack by a Muslim, one Talib Abu Salam Ibn Shareef, to whom the ex-mainstream media will only refer to as Derrick Shareef.

The Smoking Gun (as pointed out on national radio on 12/8/2006 by Michael Savage) has the full text of the 11-page affidavit that details the incident, including the reference to "shank[ing]" DeKalb, IL area Jews with a "steak knife" (source) that most ex-mainstream news sources have failed to report:

Affidavit: Shopping Mall Terror Plot Foiled (TSG, 12/8/2006)

Hit-run suspect tricked family, fled in the SUV (San Francisco, CA - 8/31/06)

"Omeed Aziz Popal's family, worried about his recent mental breakdowns and erratic behavior, tried to keep an eye on him all the time. But Tuesday morning, relatives and authorities say, the automotive worker from Fremont slipped away -- pulling a trick on his mother and sister that got them out of his sport utility vehicle, then speeding off on a hit-and-run rampage that killed one man in Fremont and injured at least 19 people in San Francisco."

No mention is made in this story of Omeed Aziz Popal's (pictured above, on right) self-made claim that he was committing an act of terrorism. As with the July 28, 2006 incident in Seattle, WA (see below), the accused is being labeled as mentally unstable. This is an example of using words to define reality as meaning what one wants it to mean (see Michel Foucault, "Madness and Civilization"). I say that all Islamo-Fascist Terrorists are by definition Mentally Unstable!

The ex-mainstream media continues to hammer more nails into its coffin with the refusal to cover the latest incident of Islamic terrorism in the United States. This is where Daniel Pipes comes in. One paragraph of one article on his website contains more information on the recent incident of Islamic terrorism in Seattle than any other reporting I have seen from the ex-mainstream media.

"Sudden Jihad Syndrome" in Seattle - by Daniel Pipes

"At about 4 p.m. on July 28, on the eve of the Jewish sabbath, a Muslim terrorist of Pakistani origins named Naveed Afzal Haq forced a 14-year-old girl to get him into the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle building by holding a gun to her back. He then pulled out the two large-caliber semi-automatic pistols he had just purchased and went on a murderous rampage...."

More on Naveed Haq, Seattle's Sudden Jihadi

Flashback to University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill:
Sudden Jihad Syndrome (in North Carolina) - by Daniel Pipes

"...a just-graduated student named Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, 22, and an Iranian immigrant, drove a sport utility vehicle into a crowded pedestrian zone. He struck nine people but, fortunately, none were severely injured."

More on the North Carolina Jihadi, Mohammed Taheri-azar

(Originally Posted: 8/12/2006 @ 2:21PM)

Commentary/Photos: Hugo Chavez vs. Baby Huey

2006-11-30T17:30:00.001-05:00

The View-Point

Presents

A Photo Juxtaposition

Between

Hugo Chavez

and

Baby Huey

News: It's Official: Women Talk More Than Men

2006-11-30T14:55:00.000-05:00

Women talk more than men: official (The Register, 11/28/2006)

This is the most recent take on the research of Dr. Louann Brizendine that The View-Point originally covered back in August 2006. An excerpt from that story:

"'Connecting through talking activates the pleasure centers in a girl's brain. We're not talking about a small amount of pleasure. This is huge. It's a major dopamine and oxytocin rush, which is the biggest, fattest neurological reward you can get outside of an orgasm.'" (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/6/2006)

The latest story adds the following memorable quote:

"'the simple act of talking triggers a flood of brain chemicals which give women a rush similar to that felt by heroin addicts when they get a high.'" (The Register, 11/28/2006)