exvigilare

Welcome aboard to Michael from BestDestiny , the newest member of the Rocky Mountain Alliance.

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In my rush to post my self-indulgent findings yesterday, I inadvertently left out Kevin at PunditFilters. Huge thanks to Kevin and the rest of his lot for supporting new bloggers, and for directing readers to quality around the blogosphere. Read this site, you'll find loads of names you know (or should know).

Speaking of what you should know, several sites have already jumped on the news that Ralph Hall, the Democratic congressman from Texas, has decided to switch to the Republican party. We can always count on Mr. Reynolds to spread the word fast and wide.

Notice the objective reporting in the Newsday article:

Hall's switch follows a GOP-led drive -- bitterly contested by Democrats -- to remake Texas' congressional districts more to their liking.

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In the true spirit of the blogosphere, that of completely butchering proper Latin, I've kept the changes going (starting to be snowball-like, don't you think?) Most of it comes from GLOSSARIUM ANGLICO-LATINUM. One of the most appropriate phrases I found is Latine loqui desuevi, or "my Latin's rusty."

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Joe Carter is smarter than most of us, and I can prove it (twice, at least).

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The fair madam has graced us with another post.

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I'm currently ranked #3929 on the Truth Laid Bear site.. Further examination of the site's Ecosystem Detail indicates that:


Is this a good start to the year? I can't tell yet.
More Googling finds the site at Thinking Right (an appropriate name for the site. And, yes, Jim, you're up to it), tracked through Technorati, and linked by all the gentlemen at the Rocky Mountain Alliance and Friends and Family (I really need to find a better title for that one - any ideas? I'm thinking Latin.)
Remind me to do this a year from now. Hopefully the results don't lessen!

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My intent was to get all of the site changes completed by New Year's Day, and I think I've finally gotten there. Colors and fonts changed, some things moved around a bit. I hated to see the Garamond go, but the italics were too hard to read. The green (sage, I'm told) had to go as part of the original template, so I found complementary colors for the maroon. I'm fascinated with that color at the moment (its #800000 if you're wondering). Now that I think about it, it looks a bit like a gray suit with a burgundy tie, which is a look I tend to favor. Funny how those combinations tend to come out in everything.

Guy and I have been linked again by JP at Evangelical Outpost, as blogs to get to know better in 2004. This is a huge honor for me. I also received a nice comment from the elder, which is more than I could have hoped for in such a short time. I give thanks to all who read regularly, and those who just stop for a peek; a cuppa, as it were. Happy New Year to all!

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I've spent the better part of 6 hours tweaking this site and still can't seem to get the details right. I think another scotch would help greatly, though.

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Must read for today: Joe Carter's New Years resolutions.

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The more astute observers of this blog will immediately notice a difference in the site. My HTML knowledge has grown exponentially to almost a full thimble-full. Luckily, I have friends that are much more intelligent than myself. Thanks, John, for your help. John doubled (at least) my knowledge last night over a very nice single malt.

I will take credit, though, for the incredibly complicated process of choosing the new color scheme . Sure, the floating, newly formatted sidebar is impressive. The simplified code is easier to read. It's those impressive shades of grey that really grab you, don't you think?

Shame, really, that green was soothing, and I'm pretty sure the previous look was good at putting readers to sleep. Well, a trance, at least.

Posted by: RichieD / 5:18:00 AM

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This is truly astounding. For months, the BBC has been accused of being unnervingly sympathetic to the Baathist regime in Baghdad (my personal favorite is Andrew Sullivan's reference as the "Baathist Broadcasting Network"). Now the "news" organization is telling their reporters not to refer to Saddam Hussein as a "dictator." The article in today's Sun says,

"Instead, staff must refer to the barbaric mass murderer as "the deposed former President". A spokeswoman said: “This was reiterating existing guidelines to remind BBC News Online journalists of the need to use neutral language.”

Wow. Jonah Goldberg spells out just how ridiculous this is:

The designation "deposed former President" is preferred because Saddam had been supported in a national referendum in which he received 100 percent of the vote. By this standard, Hitler (who actually won a real election)should be referred to as the "deceased German chancellor" since he wasn't even deposed. But this is a but a morsel compared to the cornucopia to come in 2004 when Saddam stands in the dock.

It is this same organization that reports that :

The man who gassed his own people and despised Britain was the same one who composed romantic fiction while enjoying an old British favourite - Quality Street chocolates.

This by the organization that provides news to millions. No wonder half the world thinks they hate the U.S. - they're being told to.

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I know how ridiculous these types of "quizzes" are, but I find them irresistable. Jared had one yesterday, and I couldn't help myself.

I suspect Freud would have a field day.

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More fun with Dean. The NYTimes, (JODI WILGOREN) yesterday:

AMES, Iowa, Dec. 28 — Complaining about the torrent of attacks raining down on him from his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, Howard Dean on Sunday criticized his party's national chairman, Terry McAuliffe, for not intervening to tone down the debate.

So, how are we to take this? He can certainly dish it out, but apparently doesn't like being treated the same way he treats others. This guy makes friends everywhere he goes, doesn't he? Translation...

"If we had strong leadership in the Democratic Party, they would be calling those other candidates and saying, `Hey look, somebody's going to have to win here,' " Dr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont, told reporters trailing him as he campaigned through central Iowa. Referring to one of Mr. McAuliffe's predecessors, he added, "If Ron Brown were the chairman, this wouldn't be happening."

They're picking on me!

Dr. Dean also implied that many of his supporters, particularly young people, might stay home in November if another Democrat's name ends up on the ballot.

So I'll just take my ball and go home.

"I don't know where they're going to go, but they're certainly not going to vote for a conventional Washington politician," he said.

And none of my friends will play with you, either.

Though Dr. Dean has repeatedly said he would back whichever Democrat wins the nomination, he said Sunday that support was "not transferable anymore" and that endorsements, including his own, "don't guarantee anything."

I'll back anybody, as long as its me. I'll say anything to make you believe me.

"Right now those guys think we're the front-runner, so they're saying all this stuff, `He can't win'," Dr. Dean said. "How are they going to win?

Everyone else is just jealous of me.

"What I'm saying is I think we're the best and most capable candidate of beating George Bush because we're the only one that is exciting the party," he said.

You other guys suck.

Mr. McAuliffe could not be reached for comment Sunday. Debra DeShong, the party's communications director, said Mr. McAuliffe would be "handing the nominee, whoever that person may be, a very strong" party organization.

What has that idiot said now?

"Democratic primaries over the past 20 years have been just as tough and just as vigorous," Ms. DeShong said. "All the Democratic candidates, including Governor Dean, have been vigorous about drawing distinctions among themselves."

I'll try to justify his behavior because he's the only one getting any airtime.

In Ames, Dr. Dean repeated his promise to support whichever Democrat wins. "Any of them are better than what we've got right now," he said. But, he added, "you can't beat George Bush if you behave like the Democrats are behaving."

sniff

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