:: ::
:: MAX BLACK ::
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."--C.S. Lewis
"The Swiss pocket knife of conservative thought on the web..." - Eli Kardrakian
"Bookmark Max and dump your subscription to the newspaper; if you don't have a birdcage you really don't need it anyway..." - Shirley St. James
:: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 ::
"What's paper got to do with it?":: Saturday, April 23, 2005 ::
Safe to say you're probably not going to read about this in your morning newspaper (if you even subscribe to it anymore).
[Maybe they buried it in the obituaries...]
...
:: Max 7:55 AM [+] ::
...
Extra Credit
Do not miss the International Studies Institute John M. Olin Lecture Library where you can pick up an online lecture by heavy-weights such as Victor Davis Hanson. I just spent some quality time with a fidgety Columbia University crowd absorbing Roger Kimball's excellent "Culture or Multiculturalism?" Make sure to stick around for the high octane question and answer session.
Via Armavirumque [>]
...
:: Max 8:54 AM [+] ::
...
No Excuses?:: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 ::
Well, maybe one or two little ones: Haven't been blogging because a) I've got the damndest case of bronchitist I've ever had (my chest is aching); b) I'm punch-drunk from the downer-tedium of the blogosphere--from LGF to DU; from Atrios to Instapundit--I'm all busted; and c) I've been spending 4 days a week in the gym which has distracted greatly from my news addiction. However, Jeff Jarvis pointed me to a wonderful site that I think is, well, futuristic. So I've mustered up the energy (after having completed roughly 600 reps) to pass along to you (via Jarvis) Firehouse.com. Geez I love this internet thingy (cough cough).
...
:: Max 12:14 AM [+] ::
...
Holy Smokes!:: Monday, April 18, 2005 ::
You might want to think twice before you rip-off this guy's laptop. (tip: zoom to 48:00 in the streaming video and wait for the fireworks)
Via BoingBoing
...
:: Max 6:30 PM [+] ::
...
ACLU Fomenting Violence on the Border?:: Sunday, April 17, 2005 ::
As usual, SondraK is Blog-O-Riffic--I highly recommend you check into this blog DAILY. But this particular post caught my eye. Looks like the ACLU is stirring the pot (so to speak).
WTF is the ACLU anyway--all the law-school losers that couldn't get hired by a real law firm? Go get job scooter--I dare ya.
...
:: Max 9:44 PM [+] ::
...
A Classic American Idealist:: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 ::
Although I'm sure I'd probably disagree with this woman's politics, I cannot help but admire her strength, courage and intelligence. Marla Ruzicka sucked it up, left everything secure and sound in her world and packed-off to Iraq. With the single-minded intent of helping Iraqis to deal with the collateral consequences of the war, Ruzicka managed to leverage her substantial charisma to access very considerable resources--10 million dollars17.5 million dollars from the US Congress no less--to help Afghanis and Iraqis rebuild their lives. It's not surprising, really, that such a woman would ultimately have so much in common with the extraordinary young people serving in the US Military. I am personally diminished by her death, as all Americans should be. Like so many young Americans, she carried the torch of liberty fearlessly into a dark and deadly corner of the world and paid the ultimate price for having done so. Her parents, her friends and her countrymen should be damned proud to have produced an American with such admirable convictions. Although I know many would disagree, I don't think it at all inappropriate for this woman to be buried in Arlington National Cemetary. May God rest your soul Marla Ruzicka.
Update: I'm catching a lot of flak for this post but I believe American idealism takes many forms. No, I'm certainly not in line with Ruzicka's politics but at least she had the balls to shove all of her chips into the pot--unlike some on the left. Like say, Michael Moore who's satisfied to take cheap shots from the comfort of his gated mansion. And besides, by assisting the Iraqis and Afghanis, Ruzicka really did help the war effort--in spite of her highly publicized disdain of it.
...
:: Max 11:07 PM [+] ::
...
Slimeball Alert:: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 ::
John Kerry is soliciting negative stories from family members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Here's the link if you'd like to leave him a little message. Here's my effort:Dear John
I can't tell you how creepy your "give voice" solicitation is. I will say that it is entirely congruent with your slimy character. You're so transparently venal--just an archtypal, brown-nosing hairball, politician. I thank God you lost the election.
You're just an absolutely goldplated jerk. Well, I guess this scheme only serves to reinforce the public's perception of you as the spineless poseur you are.
Max
PS: Sign form SP 180 you coward
...
:: Max 9:36 AM [+] ::
...
The Spector of Inflation?
I know absolutely nothing about economics on this level but I'm not stupid. With the rise in energy prices and a shrinking dollar, the cost of all imports, including oil, will likely surge.
On the other hand, for every downtick in the dollar, US exports benefit tremendously. We already look cheap to many Europeans who love to vacation in places like Florida because for them, it's basically 1/2 price.
Until the dollar rebounds I'm limiting credit-card exposure and locking into a long-term, fixed rate mortgage. Here's the FT report that got me thinking about it (via Drudge).
...
:: Max 10:41 PM [+] ::
...
Asymetrical Journalism:: Monday, April 11, 2005 ::
No Pasaran has a link-filled post on Asymetrical Journalism--you know the kind of twisted, ommissive propaganda practiced by the likes of Dan Rather, CNN and the BBC. Fortunately, the blogs are slowly overtaking these discredited and agendized "sources" as a more credible option for the dissemination of news and opinion.
...
:: Max 9:03 PM [+] ::
...
FEMA Fraud
The South Florida Sun-Sentinal is all over FEMA for mismanaging the Florida hurricane disasters:"federal auditors will begin a two-year inquiry this week into whether 3,000 inspectors properly verified damage claims and the Federal Emergency Management Agency provided sufficient oversight."
After they've finished, investigators should make public a comprehensive, line-item financial breakdown of the Florida hurricane relief effort (including administrative costs) accompanied by detailed list of ALL of the beneficiaries. This thing is begining to look like a miniature version of Oil for Food scandal; the difference of course being that this documentation should be a matter of PUBLIC record. It will be interesting to see how much of it is made available for scrutiny.
Via Florida Cracker [>]
...
:: Max 7:27 PM [+] ::
...
Big Old TV:: Sunday, April 10, 2005 ::
Jeff Jarvis wonders why "big old tv" seems to be so clueless when it comes to streaming its product via the internet. It's a great question. They've got all this content and the technical and financial resources to archive and distribute it so what's up?
Last time I checked--and it's been awhile--CNN charged for a little video clip. Needless to say, I didn't take the time to get out my credit card, fill out a tedious and (probably invasive) Eform and "join" the CNN premium members club just to watch a little news snippet. One explanation might be they're still too covetous of their product and are afraid they'll lose even more "big old TV" viewership (and ad revenues) were they to stream their precious news via the internet. A better explanation might be that they're just clueless.
...
:: Max 7:27 AM [+] ::
...
Amazing Videos:: Saturday, April 09, 2005 ::
Who says white boys can't play basketball? [And they don't appear to be particularly tall either!] Hint: Click on the basketball.
...
:: Max 11:35 AM [+] ::
...
Swedish Feministas Propose Tax on Men!?
I'd go for this if the endusers picked up the tab. Apparently, this is not the case...
[is it ever?]
...
:: Max 12:53 AM [+] ::
...
Carjack this homeboy...:: Friday, April 08, 2005 ::
via the beguiling and indespensible SondraK
...
:: Max 12:43 AM [+] ::
...
Implausible Hollywood Movie Plot:: Thursday, April 07, 2005 ::
OK, so get this: German Neo Nazis gang up with Osama bin Laden to take down the "the USA, including its global Jewish influence-apparatus." No way, that's totally ridiculous--nobody would ever believe such an outlandish circumstance.
On the bright side, it's stories like this that make the "Nazis" look like such utter imbeciles.
...
:: Max 8:04 AM [+] ::
...
Spring Break
I'm taking a little R&R from the blog for a few days. In the meantime, just hit the blogroll--the World blogroll is a great place to start. See you in a few days.
...
:: Max 1:45 PM [+] ::
...
