This is American Patriot, or as he is also called on his packaging, A.P. He popped up in a little hole in the wall store full of cheap Asian imports around the corner from my apartment in Brooklyn shortly after 9/11. I can’t remember if he made the final cut or not, but you may have seen him briefly in Bowling for Columbine — the store had two of them, and I gave one to Michael M. (we were working on our ill-fated animated feature at the time).
Always wanted to share A.P. with the world, and thanks to YouTube, I finally can.
This one will have you checking your calendars to see if it’s April 1st (via Kottke) :
Monopoly board game players can now pay for properties with debit cards.
Game makers Parker have phased out the standard multi-coloured cash in a new version.
Players will instead use a Visa mock debit card to keep track of how much they win or lose.
It is inserted into an electronic machine where the banker taps in cardholders’ earnings and payments.
Parker said replacing of cash with plastic showed the game was moving with the times.
Spokesman Chris Weatherhead said: “The new electronic Monopoly reflects the changing nature of society and the advancement of technology.”
If they want to modernize Monopoly, why stop there? They should make the properties increase in value quickly so that anyone who doesn’t purchase the property early rounds will never be able to afford anything. The richest player at any given point in the game will be be able to buy his/her way out of jail, while the poorest has to spend twice as long in jail as any other player. Get rid of Community Chest, Free Parking, and Luxury Tax, since they’re just outdated relics of an era in which people cared more for their society than their wallets. And the person who buys the utilities should be allowed to change the rules at any point during the game to ensure they always win. That’s how it seems to work in the real world.
In supporting the attacks, Samuel Freedman doesn’t bother to focus on the enormous human cost to the Lebanese civilians who, in many instances reported on NPR and elsewhere, appear to have been deliberately targeted by Israeli missile attacks (there’s a word to describe deliberate attacks on civilians designed to terrorize them: the word is terrorism). To Freedman, such unfortunate deaths are collateral damage in pursuit of a higher gain. To me, these deaths are clearly immoral and can only serve as a catalyst for further radicalization, endangering Israel’s future as a nation.
Some other highlights of Freedman’s article include the assumption that Israel really isn’t at war with Hezbollah, but Iran. Using that logic, Hezbollah and Israel aren’t fighting at all. It’s a proxy war between the US and Iran. All of this dovetails very nicely with an insane PNAC fantasy: “we” can eliminate evil (a la Perle/Frum’s The End of Evil) if only we are brave enough to use our Kristol balls and tackle the “root causes” of terrorism.* And sure enough, on CNN this weekend, an earnest discussion was held under the caption: “Iran: The Root of Evil?”
Nevermind that the situation is far more complicated than a mere proxy war. You get nowhwere, and fast, unless you immediately, and directly, address the proximate issues. In this case, they are (1) The outrageous kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah; (2) The outrageous and counterproductive destruction of Southern Lebanon by Israel; and (3) the unconsionable and wholesale slaughter, on both sides, of utterly innocent civilians.
I’ve never entirely understood the tendency of bloggers who revile the DLC and everything it stands for to simultaneously revere Bill Clinton, who is pretty much the embodiment of the DLC and everything it stands for. I mean, I understand that he looks pretty good in retrospect, when contrasted with the emotionally-stunted intellectual midget who currently occupies the Oval Office — but his decision to stump for Lieberman should nonetheless serve as a reminder that this guy will sell out progressives at the drop of a hat if it is somehow politically expedient to do so.
That this is not exactly breaking news is something anyone who was paying attention during the nineties should understand.
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, meets Tony Blair in London today as violence in Iraq reaches a new crescendo and senior Iraqi officials say the break up of the country is inevitable . . .
Iraq as a political project is finished,” a senior government official was quoted as saying, adding: “The parties have moved to plan B.”
He said that the Shia, Sunni and Kurdish parties were now looking at ways to divide Iraq between them and to decide the future of Baghdad, where there is a mixed population. “There is serious talk of Baghdad being divided into [Shia] east and [Sunni] west,” he said.
Update: I’m going to wait until the end of the week, and choose five winners from the inbox then. So if you’ve been wanting to send a note about anything, this is the week…
I have five signed copies of IAVA founder Paul Rieckhoff’s book, Chasing Ghosts, to give away this week. This is the first time I’ve done anything like this on the blog, so I’m kind of making it up as I go along — I guess I’ll arbitrarily/randomly choose one winner a day out of the email this week.
Here’s a bit more about the book:
As a First Lieutenant and Infantry Platoon Leader for the U.S. Army National Guard charged with leading thirty-eight men in Iraq, Paul Rieckhoff followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. After Rieckhoff volunteered to take part in the invasion of Iraq, he and his soldiers spent almost a year in one of the most dangerous and volatile areas of Baghdad, where they struggled to maintain order, protect Iraqi civilians, track down insurgents, and defend themselves against sniper and roadside bomb attacks.
But it was clear to Rieckhoff almost from the get-go that America’s mission in Iraq was deeply flawed - and that his platoon was overchallenged and underequipped. If there was a plan to stabilize Baghdad after the invasion, no one had let them in on it. And with so many obstacles to overcome, they faced enemies that included thousands of armed, angry, and unemployed men who had been unleashed into the streets when the U.S. government disbanded the Iraqi army.
The way that Rieckhoff responded to these and other challenges over the next ten months set him on a course that would forever change his life. And when Rieckhoff finally came home, he vowed to tell Americans the truth, however controversial, about what was going on in Iraq. He publicly demanded accountability from elected officials, created the first organization specifically for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and took the new fight to the airwaves and the halls of power in Washington.
For anyone who wonders what alternatives there are in Iraq to either “staying the course” or “cutting-and-running,” Chasing Ghosts is an uncensored and unrehearsed statement from a war veteran, providing a candid grunt’s-eye view of the harrowing, bloody battles on the streets of Baghdad-and a patriot’s vision of where America has gone wrong and how it can reset its path.
Finally, some intellectual consistency from Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens spent an enormous part of his pre-September 11th life criticizing Israeli policies in the mideast and supporting the Palestinian national movement. He co-edited a book with Edward Said, wrote countless articles, gave a million speeches, etc.
Then on 9/11 he realized the secular progressives he’d worked with for decades had been harboring a secret desire all along to live in a caliphate ruled by Osama bin Laden. It seemed like a strange thing for secular progressives to want, particularly the women, but that just underscored how dangerous they were.
Of course, Hitchens’ new allies were the exact same people he’d excoriated for decades on Israel/Palestine. The question then became how long he’d hold onto his previous views on this issue, since they were now glaringly anomalous. For a while he gave it a shot. Here he is in December, 2003:
HITCHENS: I think a second term for [Bush] is more likely to lead to pressure being brought upon the Israelis than the election of any feasible or possible Democratic candidate… it’s a great deal more likely that the regime change forces in the case of Iraq, in Washington, will be helpful in the solution of the Israel-Palestine dispute.
Right. It’s just this kind of clear-sighted, 100% accurate prediction for which Hitchens is justly famous.
In any case, as anticipated, he’s now given up the ghost completely. Dennis Perrin explains:
In the final spasms of our friendship, Hitchens and I exchanged numerous emails about his apparent lack of interest in the continuing woes of Palestinian life…Amid all this bluster, Hitchens never really answered why he was largely silent on Palestinian suffering.
Or at least Hitchens didn’t until he wrote a op-ed for the Wall Street Journal last Tuesday. Says Dennis:
Titled “The Politics of Sabotage,” the piece exposes a part of Hitchens that he’s been trying to suppress or explain away, namely, giving the Israeli state the benefit of the doubt when it’s engaged in full-scale aggression…Hitchens finds that Israel’s “blowing up of [Lebanon’s] bridges and the other interruptions of all air and sea traffic possess a certain grim rationale”…
So committed is Hitchens to this premise that he writes “the former Israeli fans of Vladimir Jabotinsky are saying in public that Israeli colonization of Arabs is demographically impossible and morally wrong.”
These former Jabotinsky fans are part of Kadima…to say that Kadima has renounced colonization is simply false, as continued settlement of the West Bank (establishing “final borders”) immediately shows. And at last look, I’ve seen no indication that Kadima plans to give up East Jerusalem…That Hitchens blames Hamas and Hezbollah for derailing something that doesn’t exist — de-colonization — and that he confuses political pragmatism and necessity for state morality (another phantom concept), merely deepens his deceit, whether intentional or unconscious. Hitchens may not see himself becoming an Israeli state apologist, but after reading this piece (which I’ll send to anyone who wants to read it), I can see why the Wall Street Journal might happily differ.
Update: turns out Google video churned out a vastly better-quality file. So if you play this version, you’ll can get a slightly better look at the nigh-infinite supply of throat lozenges, home games, and cleansers.
[Original post begins] Since it seems a bit of a casual Friday around here, thought you might find two minutes to enjoy this video I did in my tiny apartment shortly after the 1998 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions.
Incidentally, at the time I was under the false impression that the lifetime supplies of seemingly completely random items had stopped. This video actually only covers a little more than half of the ultimate haul.
If you enjoy the video, you’ll probably look forward to my new book, Prisoner of Trebekistan, which has so far gotten some great reviews and will hit the stores in a little more than a month now.
In any case, whether you pre-order now or later, meanwhile, ponder this: what would you do with an entire bathtubful of Mrs. Butterworths?
Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse has on an ongoing basis the Rolling Roadshow - an inflatable screen, good projection and sound — so they can show films at different locations. They showed Jaws on a beach where everybody had to have their feet in the water, Dazed and Confused at the Park where the park party scene was filmed, Goonies at the bottom of a cave, Earthquake on the Balcones Fault, Friday the 13th at a summer camp, and Shock Corridor at an insane asylum.
Last year they literally took their show on the road. They screened Close Encounters of the Third Kind at the Devil’s Tower, Once Upon a Time in the West in Monument Valley, Last Picture Show in Archer City, TX, It Came From Outer Space 3D in Roswell, NM, North By Northwest in Bakersfield, CA where Cary Grant runs from the biplane (they had the screening buzzed by crop dusters) and so on.
They are doing it again this year:
The Warriors shown in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Aug. 2
BEFORE THE SCREENING: Subway Scavenger Hunt - Meeting Location: 97th Street and Riverside Park (the filming location of the conclave) - Teams can sign up in groups of nine delegates. All participants are requested to be in full ‘colors’, just as gang members are in the film. The heir to Cyrus will be there to kick off the rally and give your team instructions. The team that arrives at the screening location first with all aspects of the scavenger hunt completed wins. Prizes: Brunch on Thursday August 3rd with some of the original Warriors, and a set of nine leather Warriors vests!
AFTER THE SCREENING: Members of the cast and crew will conduct a Q&A. Confirmed cast members are Deborah Van Valkenburgh (Mercy) , Michael Beck (Swan), Roger Hill (Cyrus), David Harris (Cochise), Terry Michos (Vermin), Brian Tyler (Snow), Dorsey Wright (Cleon), Tom McKitterick (Cowboy), and Thomas G. Waites (Fox). Stay tuned for more confirmations.
If anyone knows how to find PAUL GRECO please have him contact kier-la@originalalamo.com
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Jaws shown at Ocean Park, Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard
Saturday, August 5
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Clerks shown in an empty lot across the street from the convenience store where it was shot.
The Quick Stop, 58 Leonard Ave., Leonardo, N.J.
Aug. 8
BEFORE THE SCREENING: “Quick Stop Street Hockey Cup” Event Time: 5:30 Sign up, Face Off: 6:00
Dante was never supposed to go to work that day - he had a street hockey game that afternoon. As a part of the event, you can compete in the Clerks inspired “Quick Stop Street Hockey Cup”. Stay tuned for more details on how to enter.
AFTER THE SCREENING: Kevin Smith and members of the cast of Clerks will answer questions.
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Ferris Buellers Day Off at the Cedar Lane Water Tower, Cedar Lane, Northbrook Il. (The “Save Ferris” water tower),
Aug. 10
AFTER THE SCREENING: “John Hughes” 80s Prom - Join Netflix for an 80s prom, a tribute to “brat pack” director John Hughes. Vintage formal attire suggested but not required. A Prom King and Queen will be crowned at the dance. Dance contest will be judged by celebrity judges. The prom is 21 + and there will be an open bar . All attendees of the film are welcome to join us at the Prom. You MUST pick up a wristband at the screening location registration to gain entrance to the prom.
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Field of Dreams at Left and Center Field of Dreams, 30318 Golf Course Road, Dyersville, IA
Aug. 11
BEFORE THE SCREENING: At 6:00 PM, Baseball players, families and movie fans alike can come out early to participate in the Shoeless Joe Jackson Run the Bases Tournament. At 7:00, the “Ghost Players” will emerge from the corn field, “have a catch,” meet the fans and answer questions about the making of Field of Dreams.
*Please note, there are two properties associated with the Field of Dreams. Our event is being held at Left and Center Field of Dreams.
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The Shining at the Stanley Hotel, 333 Wonderview Ave Estes Park, CO
Aug. 16
This screening is free, seating is first come first serve.
BEFORE THE SCREENING: 10 Minute Horror Story Contest: In honor of the Stanley Hotel’s place in the horror writing genre, Netflix will be accepting entrants in a horror story writing contest. Entrants will compete to write a short horror story in 10 minutes. Before contestants start writing, we will reveal an opening line of dialogue, an object to be incorporated and a charater’s name. Contestants have 10 minutes to write a short “Stephen King inspired” horror story. Every entrant gets to read their stories. The winning short story will receive a $1000 cash prize!
Complete the experience and reserve a room at the Stanley Hotel
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THE SEARCHERS at Gouldings Lodge, 1000 Main Street at Highway 163 Monument Valley, UTAH
Aug. 18
If the West is defined by the landscape of John Wayne films, this location is the epicenter. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the quintessential John Ford and John Wayne film. We’ll be screening the movie in the great outdoors near Gouldings Lodge, where director Ford and the cast and crew s stayed while filming “The Searchers.”
BEFORE THE SCREENING: The day of the screening, a tour of the shooting locations in the valley will be available. The Lodge is housed in an original 1920s trading post that featuring a museum devoted to the area’s cinematic and Native American history.
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Raising Arizona at 6109 N. Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ
Aug. 20
BEFORE THE SCREENING: Nathan Jr. Scavenger Hunt - Continuing the plot line from the movie, you can compete in the Nathan Jr. Scavenger Hunt before the film. Teams will meet at 1 p.m. at Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction. Each team will be given a list of items to be hunted, photos to be taken and additional challenges. A list of clues will lead teams to 10 Nathan Jr. baby dolls hidden around the area. Teams will report back at 7 p.m. with their items, photos and dolls.
AFTER THE SCREENING: Stick around after the film to watch a slide show of some of the more inspired scavenger hunt photos set to the soundtrack of “Raising Arizona.” The winning scavenger hunt team will also be announced. Grand prize: a vintage Airstream trailer similar to the one H.I. and Ed shared in the movie.
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Poseidon Adventure at R.M.S. Queen Mary, The Queen’s Salon, 1126 Queens Hwy., Long Beach, CA
Aug. 24
Star Stella Stevens live in person!
BEFORE THE SCREENING: VIP Winners will be treated to an invitation-only cocktail party before the screening on board the now permanently-docked Queen Mary. Memorabilia and photos from the making of the film will be on display.
AFTER THE SCREENING: Following the screening, winners of VIP tickets will take a guided tour of the elegant and historic ship, with an emphasis on the filming locations of “Poseidon Adventure.”
Since there is limited space at this location, tickets will be required for the screening. Check the Netflix Site for promotional details about how tickets can be won.
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Escape From Alcatraz at Alcatraz Island - Take the Ferry from Pier 41 in Fisherman’s Wharf on the Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA
Aug. 26
BEFORE THE SCREENING: Enjoy a tour of the prison’s filming locations and a VIP reception.
AFTER THE SCREENING: winners can spend the night in Cell Block D, the maximum security wing of the prison, where Al Capone and the Birdman of Alcatraz were locked up.
“This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others. It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect, so I vetoed it.”
Jesus H. Christ.
BAGHDAD, 20 July (IRIN) - The Iraqi government says it is worried about increasing sectarian violence in the country, following statistics released by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) stating that nearly 6,000 civilians were killed in May and June alone.
“Sectarian violence in Iraq is increasing and day after day more bodies are being found countrywide after suffering serious torture,” says Lt. Col. Abdel-Kareem Hassan, a senior official in the Ministry of Interior. “The numbers presented by UNAMI has just confirmed this is reality and also increases fear among the local population.
“We [the government] have to act fast in holding talks with insurgents and the reconciliation plan should be put in practice to prevent more innocent civilians from dying due to the lack of security.”
According to the UNAMI report, insurgent, militia and terrorist attacks continued unabated in many parts of Iraq, especially in Baghdad and in the central and western regions.
“A total of 5,818 civilians were reportedly killed and at least 5,762 wounded during May and June 2006,” the report stated. “Killings, kidnappings and torture remain widespread. Fear resulting from these and other crimes continued to increase internal displacement and outflows of Iraqis to neighbouring countries.”
In the first six months of the year, 14,338 people were killed, the report added. The statistics were compiled with help from the Ministry of Health.
The Ministry of Health says that more than 50,000 people have been killed “in a brutal way” since April 2003. “All these bodies were unrecognisable and suffered serious torture,” says Safa’a Yehia, senior official in the Ministry of Heath. “What is more shocking is that this included women and children. We have reached a serious deterioration in conditions and instead of an improvement of this sectarian violence, the death toll is rising without control.”
An open letter to David Carr at the New York Times
David,
I have some thoughts about how the media have been covering the blogs lately that I’d like to share with you (and with my readers, hence the public format). First, I should make it clear up front that I understand you are not the author of, nor are you personally responsible for, any of the articles and/or media trends discussed below. However, since I don’t really have a lot of contacts at the Times, and since I’ve known you for awhile now, going back to your days in what we quaintly refer to as the “alternative press” — and more importantly, since blogs and New Media are at least part of your beat at the Times — I’m directing this toward you in the hope that you’ll be receptive to it.
To make a long story short, the mainstream corporate media in general, as well as the Times in particular, are missing the real story about the blogs lately, as everyone focuses on all the awful hate and anger emanating from the left, and specifically, how it’s being directed toward poor ol’ Joe Lieberman. It is true that language has been used on the left wing blogs that would not be appropriate for a polite tea party, or a church social, and I would certainly like to extend my sincere apologies, on behalf of my friends in the liberal blogging community, to those of your colleagues whose response has been a heartfelt “Mercy me!” as they fan themselves and clutch their pearls and wonder what the world is coming to. (Mostly what someone like, say, David Brooks is responding to in this context is probably the phrase “Rape Gurney Joe,” which I believe was coined by Jane Hamsher in response to Joe Lieberman’s suggestion that rape victims unable to receive appropriate medical treatment at a Catholic hospital should simply take a “short hike” to another facility. Personally, I’m more offended by the insensitivity of the Senator toward victims of a brutal and dehumanizing crime — but maybe that’s just me.)
The thing is, David, that while your colleagues focus on the occasional swear word or internecine pissing match on left wing blogs, they mostly ignore what’s happening on the right half of the blogosphere. And it’s a fever swamp over there, it really is. Accusations of treason, made in utter seriousness, are routinely levelled against journalists who have the audacity to report the facts, and against Democratic Senators who have the temerity to oppose the president. To their credit, Newsweek’s Blogwatch column this week notes a prominent right-wing blogger responding to the Supreme Court’s Hamdan decision with the comment “Five ropes, five robes, five trees. Some assembly required.” (A similar sentiment, aimed at journalists, can be found on the site of a t-shirt company that frequently advertises on right-wing blogs.) Here’s one question: if such rhetoric can be laughed off by your colleagues as mere hyperbole — particularly when they are frequently the suggested target — why on earth do they get so worked up over a few allegedly foul-mouthed liberals?
One example I’m sure you’re aware of: when the Travel Section of the New York Times published a puff piece about Cheney and Rumsfeld’s vacation homes, the right-wing blogosphere concluded that it was a deliberate attempt to aid an Al Qaeda assassination plot. Starting out from this delusional premise, they decided that the only appropriate response was to seek out and publicize the addresses and home phone numbers of New York Times reporters in retaliation — and started with the unfortunate freelance photographer who shot the article’s accompanying photos with Secret Service permission.
These are not people upon whom reality exerts an undue influence. It would be laughable, if not for the very real possibility that some nutcase out there will take it all a little too seriously.
So how about it? How about writing the story that really needs to be written — the story of major right wing blogs, and the unhinged rhetoric and implied threats they either routinely employ or uncritically link to? I’m sure Glenn Greenwald would be happy to talk to you — he’s been covering this lately with the single-minded focus of a former trial attorney (which he is). For example:
The extremist and increasingly deranged rhetoric and tactics found in the right-wing blogosphere — not only among obscure bloggers but promoted and disseminated by its most-read and influential bloggers — is, indeed, “a very common disease.” When it becomes commonplace to hurl accusations of treason against domestic political opponents, or when calls for imprisonment and/or hanging of journalists and political leaders become the daily fare — all of which is true for the pro-Bush blogosphere — those are serious developments. And they merit discussion and examination by the media.
Instead of yet another story on whether Kos diarists are arguing with each other more than before or whether liberal bloggers curse too much, let us read about the extremist rhetoric, vicious character smears, and deliberate incitement to violence that has become the staple of the largest pro-Bush blogs –Malkin, Powerline, Instapundit and LGF — along with the bloggers whom they tirelessly promote. Hundreds of thousands of people each day, including pundits and television news producers, are reading this material. The journalistic value in examining it and reporting on it ought to be self-evident.
…LGF has a post today entitled “The Media are the Enemy” — a title which really summarizes one of the principal points made on a daily basis by the blogs maintained by Powerline, Instapundit, and Malkin. Today’s treasonous act is that a NYT photographer took photographs of a member of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army engaged in combat with American forces. Apparently, taking a photograph of someone engaged in a war is the same as aiding and abetting them and being on their side and rooting for them to win. Hence, photographers who take photographs of the enemy are themselves “the enemy.”
LGF then links to Jeff Goldstein, who — in a post entitled “Sleeping with the Enemy” — declares: “Looks like the NYT has decided to go with neutrality over objectivity—essentially severing ties with their own country in the service of what they believe is a higher journalistic good: Pulitzer Prizes.” He then thanks Michelle Malkin for the tip.Goldstein’s post is then predictably followed by comments such as this:
It is clear (as it has been) that the NYT’s has chosen their side. They should suffer the consequences thereof. I just hope they do.
And this:
Talk of treason is out of fashion for some reason, but I could see some photographer hanged without losing too much sleep over it.
And this:
As i said over at LGF, pity the reporter didn’t catch any return fire.
That’s just from the first few comments I looked at following Goldstein’s Treason Accusation of The Day against the NYT. Undoubtedly, there are scores more like them as his comment thread “evolves.”
That’s just the briefest taste, David. Media Matters has more here. Glenn has more too (this is a particularly good rundown of some appallingly lazy media coverage of the blogs).
As I tried to point out in this cartoon, I don’t know why the mainstream media continue to not only give these right-wing bloggers a pass, but in many cases to actively provide them with a larger platform — because these people despise you. They think you’re the enemy. “Rope, Tree, Journalist” — you think that’s just a wacky harmless joke? They want to publish your home addresses — one right wing blog has published satellite photos of Arthur Sulzburger’s home, for chrissakes. You think they’re encouraging their readers to stop by with unexpected gifts, or maybe pizza and beer? They’re immature children lashing out with threats of implied violence that they probably don’t really ever expect to see carried out — but I’m sure you know as well as I do how many crazy people are out there online. Somebody has to shine a light on this before it gets out of hand, because otherwise, one of these days, we’re going to have another Alan Berg on our hands.
When liberals criticize the media, we do so because we want you to do your job better. When right-wingers criticize the media, they do so because they want to destroy you.
See the difference?
So that’s my pitch. Your colleagues have written enough stories about how left wingers use swear words. It’s time for somebody smart to take a real, in-depth look at how major right wing blogs, some with circulations that are probably higher than you enjoyed as an altweekly editor, are actively inciting violence against politicians and judges and journalists — and to call bullshit on it.
