“Haven’t you been studying german? Can’t you tell me anything in German?”

“Ummm….I can tell you where the German Dictionary is…”

“You’re supposed to be learning to speak German!”

“Uh…I’m gonna do that tonight..”

“Well, you have to be able to speak it if you want to go there!”

“Um..yeah…Ja! Ja! I can speak it…

“OH sure…Nien!”

“Ja ja!

“Achtung!”

“Gesundheit!”

When I first heard the French called “Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys” it made me laugh. I wonder if that little epithet is widely known in France though?

Who knows? It’s hard for anyone to have perspective on themselves.

But this article is from the Moscow Times. It gave me a little perspective on how others view America:

“It was believed that the Americans were afraid of close hand-to-hand encounters, they would not tolerate the inevitable casualties, and that in the final analysis they were cowards who relied on technical superiority”

Basically, the Russians were convinced that Americans were ultra-sanitized technowusses.

It’s interesting to see that the same article goes on to say that the Russians were wrong:

“The worst possible outcome of the war in Iraq for the Russian military is a swift allied victory with relatively low casualties. Already many in Russia are beginning to ask why our forces are so ineffective compared to the Brits and Americans; and why the two battles to take Grozny in 1995 and 2000 each took more than a month to complete, with more that 5,000 Russian soldiers killed and tens of thousands wounded in both engagements, given that Grozny is one tenth the size of Baghdad.”

Interesting. The Russians mocked America for not wanting to get it’s hands dirty. I imagine some kind of mental equation, the Russians seeing a direct corellation to how dirty the hands are to the likelihood of winning the war.

As it turns out, the Hands-dirtying may have nothing whatsoever to do with winning a war. But Russia doesn’t want to admit that:

“The Russian media is generally avoiding the hard questions and serving up anti-American propaganda instead. It is alleged that the U.S. government is “concealing casualties” (like its Russian counterpart), and that hundreds if not thousands of U.S. soldiers have already been killed. Maybe this deceit will become the main semi-official excuse for disregarding the allied victory.”

Very Interesting.

Thanks to Jamie for bringing this article to my attention.

This morning, I woke up and I had to wear something colorful. The need was so intense, I could not ignore it.

Even though I was swept along on this wave of lust for bright color, I was confused by it. This has never happened before. It easy enough to recognize that–there is nothing in my closet that could fulfill the need.

Recently, I’ve stepped away from all-black-all-the-time to embrace colors such as beige or muted greens. Blue, there is a little navy or discreet blue in there.

As a teenager, I was very enamoured of the deepness of black. Black was so all-ecompassing. Black was simple, black was stark. This was the era of neon colors, so I had a few pieces of Red or Electric blue. But I loved to wear black and the other colors, becuase it set off the contrast. It was another kind of starkness.

Living in the San Fracisco area encouraged the my love of black. Black pooled in my drawers, and sulked in my closet. I laughed about it being difficult to find a particular item of clothing, because the black all blended together.

I learned to avoid cotton dyed black. It faded. Wool, or other fabrics held the deepness of the color better.

So where has this lust for color today come from?

It has been coming slowly, I recognize that. I’ve been lingering over the patterns and flower shades on the sales racks. Not quite taking the plunge, but thinking about it.

Why now?

Am I the pawn of fashion’s will? Have the designers dictated that Colors are now the thing, and I pant after them like Pavlov’s dogs?
Am I being influenced by this palm-tree and porsche city? The flowers growing year round, the huge billboards shouting for my attention with bright splashes? The dabs of mandatory paint on the feminine toes everywhere through sandals?Or, to be Alanis about it, had I finally come to a healthy place where I was comfortable with complications in my clothing? Maybe the huge numbers of people in my new city were intimidating, and I wanted to stand out.

These thoughts sifted through the cracks of my consciousness as I single-mindedly shopped for the brightest, loudest piece of color I could fasten to my body.

I wanted something that would announce my prescence boldly without me saying a word. I wanted to stand out and make heads turn.

I found the most amazing little red dress, with purple and orange and hot pink palm leaves in a pattern all over it.

And I really don’t care. I love it.

Disney Channel – Lizzie McGuire

I confess, I’ve seen the show but barely.

I did, however, notice the big billboard of Lizzie Mcguire as I was riding the bus downtown.

I noticed that she was rather developed for the age she is supposed to play.

Then I remembered Annette Funicello in the Mickey Mouse club.

Is it just me? I think Disney is working it.

CBS News | Guilty Until Proven | April 6, 2003 23:45:04

I certainly agree with the authorities fulfilling their responsibilities to question anyone and everyone that might be able to shed light on terrorist activities.

But it is necessary to hold people for so long?

“The government was able to hold Omar and hundreds of other Muslim detainees by charging them not as criminals but as visa violators. The law says criminals, even murderers, must be charged with a crime quickly – usually within 48 hours – or released.

Immigration laws used to work the same way, but after 9/11, the justice department rewrote the rules so that suspected visa violators could be held in jail as long as the government wants – without any charges filed against them. ”

Generally, America has a great system in place to protect citizens from government abuses.
This Afghani-American citizen believed in the system:

“Shokriea says she wasn’t worried when her husband was picked up for questioning. At least not right away.

“I knew the US justice system. You’re innocent until proven guilty,” she says. “I just thought, you know, he would be questioned and just released.”

But her husband was held for 10 months in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York. He later told his wife that “innocent until proven guilty” was not how it worked here. ”

I think vigilance is in order.

Thank you, Steve Rhodes, for pointing out this story.

Friends Plea for Release of Arab-American

Looks like there are some problems with this American citizen being able to get his civil rights.

What’s going on here?

“The government won’t give any details publicly about the case, including when a grand jury will convene or when Hawash will appear. His attorneys can’t discuss the matter because of a federal gag order. His wife, Lisa, won’t talk about it because she fears repercussions.”

Some people are getting together to do something

Yahoo! News – Rubber Bullets Used on War Protesters in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) – Oakland police fired rubber bullets to disperse about 750 anti-war demonstrators on Monday in what was believed to be the first use of the projectiles against U.S. protesters since the American-led war on Iraq (news – web sites) began.

I wish there were less shooting going on in the world right now.

The photo of the lady who was shot in the face looks painful

Message in a Battle By Holly Bailey

“Finally, coverage of the war in Iraq nearly overshadowed a major romantic development in Washington this week. As the WP reported yesterday, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, the National Zoo’s giant pandas, mated for the first time on Friday—though zoo staffers almost missed it. The encounter lasted just 15 seconds, forcing curators to study an instant replay of the exhibit’s security cameras to confirm it actually happened.”

Sounds more like a failed attempt to me. Ms. Panda shoved him off and said, “No way! They are going to play this clip on the internet, you perv!”

Professors Protest as Students Debate

“Irvine Valley College in Southern California sent faculty members a memo that warned them not to discuss the war unless it was specifically related to the course material. When professors cried censorship, the administration explained that the request had come from students.”

Yes, professors…We know you are really excited about the war. But the students know that they need to make it through class to graduate. And they need to graduate, so they can get PAID.

For those not tenured, these things are a consideration.

Stevens Speaks on Senate Floor in Support of Opening ANWR

One of the things that was not given a lot of attention, because of the war, was the opening of ANWR beign discussed in the Senate. There is an oil field in Alaska that has

Ted Stevens, the perennial Alaskan Senator, argued passionately for this development. He put it all on the line.

‘ “People who vote against this today are voting against me and I will not forget it,” Stevens warned his colleagues just before the Senate roll call vote began. As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Stevens can influence funding for a senator’s pet project or cause.’

That’s about as much pressure as he can possibly put out there.

It’s interesting that the vote was so close. 52-48 voted it down. Some Republicans went against party solidarity to vote against it. Some democrats went against their party to vote for it.

I am sure Stevens had a VERY stiff drink after that vote.