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Tuesday, August 27, 2002

I love my country and I love my slippers Ernst Lubitsch's To Be Or Not To Be is as unlikely a movie as you'll find, a comedy about the Nazi invasion of Poland, made in 1942, starring Jack Benny and Carole Lombard. It's quite funny in spots with some great lines, such as the one above, and "he does to Shakespeare what we're doing to Poland," among others. Benny is terrific, so is Lombard. Mel Brooks remade it a few years ago; I haven't seen it, but it seems pointless; I don't see how the original could be improved on. Recommended. 10:15:40 PM  Permalink  comment []

An American Abdication. The United States stands to forfeit much international good will by dragging its feet on the next great global issue: the environment. By Norbert Walter. [New York Times: Opinion] 8:31:29 PM  Permalink  comment []

Cuckoo in Carolina. The ruckus being raised by conservative Christians over the University of North Carolina's decision to ask incoming students to read a book about the Koran exhibits such profound lack of understanding of what America is about. By Thomas L. Friedman. [New York Times: Opinion] 8:31:07 PM  Permalink  comment []

Murphy Collection of Murphy's Laws. Samples:  Love Laws: All the good ones are taken. If the person isn't taken, there's a reason. The nicer someone is, the farther away (s)he is from you.  Technology Laws Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence. Whenever a system becomes completely defined, some damn fool discovers something which either abolishes the system or expands it beyond recognition. Technology is dominated by those who manage what they do not understand. War Laws Friendly fire - isn't. Recoilless rifles - aren't. Suppressive fires - won't. You are not Superman; Marines and fighter pilots take note. A sucking chest wound is Nature's way of telling you to slow down. If it's stupid but it works, it isn't stupid. I was looking for Cole's Law, but I couldn't find it... 5:27:41 PM  Permalink  comment []

A collection of word oddities and trivia Lots of fun stuff, but poorly organized. [goodshit] 5:23:33 PM  Permalink  comment []

Socialist Realism Posters A fantastic collection of posters from the former Soviet Untion, Cuba, Poland, etc. These are some amazing images. It says much of the collection was destroyed in the 90s so these are becoming collectible. I'm not going to buy, but this site is really something to see. [goodshit] Democracy means not only rights, it also means responsibilities, obligations, discipline. Just say No. I was looking for a Yuri Gagarin, but no luck. 5:22:30 PM  Permalink  comment []

State Dept. Insists Bush Is Undecided on War With Iraq. The State Department insisted today that President Bush had not decided on a military campaign against Iraq. By David Stout. [New York Times: NYT HomePage] 4:52:10 PM  Permalink  comment []

Four Years of Federal Budget Deficits Are Expected. The Congressional Budget Office predicted today that the government will be running big budget deficits through 2005. By Edmund L. Andrews. [New York Times: NYT HomePage] 4:51:51 PM  Permalink  comment []

© Copyright 2004 Steve Michel.