St. Nick has been banned from kindergarten classes in Vienna.
VIENNA, Austria · St. Nick, nein! A ban on St. Nicholas at Vienna's kindergartens is taking some of the ho-ho-ho out of the holidays for tens of thousands of tots this year.
And it's creating a political ruckus, with opposition parties accusing City Hall of kowtowing to a growing Muslim population by showing Europe's Santa the kindergarten door.
Their reasoning? The ubiquitous it's for the children excuse:
Municipal officials insist their decision is prompted more by psychology than political correctness. Instead of joy, the sight of a strange bearded figure at the door evokes fear in most children, they argue.
A Spanish school has officially cancelled Christmas so as not to offend the tender sensibilities of Muslim children.
The Hilarion Gimeno school in Zaragoza said teachers had put forward various reasons for not celebrating Christmas, but ABC said the worry was that Muslim children might be upset.
The school will not put on a nativity play or hand out presents, but pupils will be free to decorate the halls and sing carols.
How ridiculous. If a nativity play would offend Muslim children, then I'm sure singing Christmas carols would be equally offensive. Certainly being subjected to seeing the halls decorated for Christmas would send them over the edge.
What happened to this PC world we've been living in? The globe has been indoctrinated for the last 20 years with multiculturalism; we must be tolerant and accepting of other cultures. Why are the Muslims not expected to accept our religious and cultural festivities?
Rhetorical question. We all know the answer.
Keith Ellison will be taking his oath of office on the koran. The very same book that prohibits Muslims from swearing allegiance to anything but allah. This same book that is used today by Islam in pursuing world domination and jihad.
I take issue with this. Ellison can opt out of swearing on the Bible, but to replace it with the koran is absurd. Our country was not founded upon Islamic law or intervention. While we respect their right to religious freedom, we do not replace our customs with theirs.
And before anyone gets their knickers in a knot by indignantly claiming the Bible is also violent, let me remind those that no one has been stoned per OldTestament laws in, say, at least a thousand years or more. No heads have rolled due to any Levitical verses. No children have been killed for rebellion. However, stonings, beheadings, amputations, and mutilations are presently normal and customary within Islam.
Just five years after 9/11 to have a member of Congress place his hand on the same book that motivated the horrendous attacks on the U.S. is incomphrehensible to me.
And yes, I do have some. Not good friends, of course. :)
I joke...don't kill me Rachael. And everyone else.
It is with the most humble heart that I sincerely apologize for my blog calling your pro-Bruin comments to my anti-Bruin post "spam." Though Tommy the Trojan and many other monuments on campus have been meticulously wrapped in protective tape and are flanked on all sides by rabid football fans guarding them from impending Bruin vandalism, I assure you that my site has no such precautions, intentionally. To prove the veracity of my claims, I will hereby try to upload an image to my post to show that my site not only hates on UCLA students, but also those hailing from their rival, ghetto located school.
Anything?
No?
There it is, folks. Proof positive that my blog host is an equal opportunity blocker and frustrating, to boot. I've not been able to upload pictures for about two weeks now.
Yes, the Trojans effectively stomped all over our dear leprechaun friends. And bumped the mighty Wolverines from their coveted number two spot. So, Glendale or Pasadena? We don't know yet.
In the meantime, it appears that losing to Oregon State was the best thing that happened to us this season.
But for all things Trojan football, I've found this wonderfully hilarious and remarkably articulate site regarding the grace, power and stylings of the men of Troy. I'll be back soon. The library beckons.
Visit the site. You won't regret it. Unless you're a Bruin or something pedestrian like that.
;-)
Big game today. Notre Dame's going down.
A three minute clip of the last second's of last year's game:
From The Onion:
Kim Jong-Il Interprets Sunrise as Act of War
Increasingly defiant toward international pressure since his nation's first nuclear test in early October, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il condemned this morning's sunrise, calling it "another hostile, deliberately timed act by the world community" and "a clear and blatant declaration of war."
According to North Korean military sources, the sunrise, sighted at 6:17 a.m. by patrolling officers, was not fully confirmed until an hour later, at which time Kim assessed the threat himself, and immediately released a harshly worded warning to the U.S. and the United Nations Security Council.
And...
Girl Moved to Tears by Of Mice and Men Cliff's Notes
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA—In what she described as "the most emotional moment" of her academic life, University of Virginia sophomore communications major Grace Weaver sobbed openly upon concluding Steinbeck's seminal work of American fiction Of Mice And Men's Cliffs Notes early last week.
Added Weaver: "I never wanted the synopsis to end."
John Whittier-Ferguson, her professor for the class, told reporters this was not the first time one of his students has expressed interest in the novel's plot summary. "It's one of those universal American stories," said Ferguson after being informed of Weaver's choice to read the Cliffs Notes instead of the pocket-sized novel. "I look forward to skimming her essay on the importance of following your dreams and randomly assigning it a grade.
Enjoy.
(Hat tip for story #2 goes to NasaNerd.)
Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Ian Thorpe retires from swimming.
Australia's greatest swimmer Ian Thorpe announced his retirement aged just 24 on Tuesday, passing up the chance to become the first man to win three gold medals at three Olympics.
The world and Olympic champion told a packed news conference broadcast live across Australia that he had decided to quit because swimming was no longer the most important thing in his life.
Read the rest of the article, his explanation and Australia's reaction here.
Thorpe said he had several opportunities open to him, with a career in television looming, but gave few other details.
"I haven't picked up a newspaper to look for a job, but if anyone's got any good ones for an ex-Olympic swimmer...," Thorpe said.
I'm sure he'll be just fine. In the meantime, it really is a bittersweet day for the swimming world.
I've recently become an audio book fiend. In an almost competitive manner (competitive against whom, I do not know), I'm attempting to see exactly how many classic books I can get through before the first of the year. Many of these books are read over the course of twelve-plus cds, so the race is hard and fierce.
Reading fiction is almost a guilty pleasure for a student. Actually devoting time to sit and read something unrelated to course work seems entirely irresponsible, so the indulgence is avoided at all costs. Raised a protestant, guilt is not a feeling I'm accustomed to living with. :)
My lengthy commute permits me to listen to books I've not read in quite some time, or to books I'm not sure I've ever read. Books that cannot be read, in print, by me (see above paragraph). One such book is Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Is it me, or is this the most annoying novel ever? I strive to be as feminine as the next girl, but my gosh, I couldn't get through the third cd. I also enjoy the story of the triumphant underdog, but hyper passivity and unnecessary subservience is not my cup of tea. (Pardon me for not elaborating the plot line. But I assume that if you've wanted to read this book, you probably already have at this point. If not, don't bother.)
For those who have read it, I only made it to her arrival and first few days at Mandelay. My literary journey ended there. Am I missing out? I don't feel I am. My drive is stressful enough, I don't need an audio book to make me crawl out of my skin more than the LA drivers do.
If I should continue--if ol' girl gets a backbone in the next couple of chapters--let me know. Otherwise, I'm enjoying The Hound of the Baskervilles just fine right now.
There is so much hurt, suffering, injustice and unfairness in this world. So much to grieve over. So much to carry--the burden often too great to bear. Little girls gang raped in the Middle East and then sentenced to 90 lashes because their brutal rape dishonored their nation, or someone. Children in many parts of Africa left as starving orphans because their parents were killed in sectarian battles, killed by Islamic fanatics, or because they died of AIDS and unknowingly passed it on to their surviving little ones. And in our own country, children are left behind every day, grow up to drop out of high school only to get tossed in and around the criminal justice system.
And yet, we have so much to be thankful for. In the face of all this suffering and undeserved pain, we, as blessed Americans, have much to thank Providence for bestowing upon us. We, who of our own have done nothing to deserve the freedom, blessings and abundance our forefathers labored to achieve.
We breathe air that is, yes, taxed. Like everything else in this country. And in my location, it's air that is quite polluted. Yet, it's air that is breathed freely, and confidently, sometimes arrogantly, not realizing how much is taken for granted. That we are allowed to, and are encouraged to, attend graduate school. That we can leave the house without worrying if an unattended backpack is an explosive device. We don't worry that rebels will break through our doors and kidnap us. And though our universities are liberal, we still needn't fear that professors might turn us and our unconventional ideas into the authorities.
We have much to be thankful for. And with somewhat heavy hearts, we must give thanks. We have been blessed. But that blessing is not for us to consume irresponsibly so as to become morally obese. It's for us to bless those who have not been as fortunate. Our convenience is to serve those who have no such luxury.
This Thanksgiving, let's remember those in chains. And more than that, let's sign petitions and write letters begging for their release. Let's not only hold the starving orphan in our heart, let's provide what financial resource we can to feed him. And let's flood our political leaders with petitions to sanction countries who would so inhumanely brutalize girls.
Some links to get you started:
Samaritan's Purse is answering the desperate cries in Ethiopia
Egyptian Bloggers recently made political prisoners
Just one of many sites dedicated to attaining equal and at the very least human rights for women in the Middle East.
All the liberal angst and Bush hatred Cal might have conjured up just didn't cut it Saturday as they battled Southern Republican led USC. (Maybe the recent elections jinxed their hippie magic.) The Trojans played smart, hit their stride in the second half and won a game that many were sure they'd lose. Here's to the 23-9 score that proved them wrong.
Though the game was tense and exciting, it was, and usually is, the festivities before, during and after that are most worth writing about. Such as Cal girls taking lude pictures in front of Tommy the Trojan and hearing "Public Schoolers!" yelled at them whilst taking said inappropriate frames. Perhaps it's also worth noting the shirt du jour worn by many 'SC fans was a lovely cardinal fabric with gold letters spelling "Cal," only the "C" was a hammer and sickle. Very apropos.
A good time was had by all, except the Golden Bears of course. I will give credit to Cal Berkeley for one thing: they have a terrific marching band. Too bad some of them didn't join the football team.
Congrats to the Men of Troy. I smell roses!
Here goes that roller-coaster again. Nancy Pelosi, of the "I will clean up corruption in Congress" has set her sights on Alcee Hastings as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee (an obvious oxymoron right there). In case anyone's memory fails to go back to 1988, Hastings was impeached for conspiring to take bribes as a federal judge in Florida.
Eighteen years ago, Democratic Rep. John Conyers came to believe that Alcee Hastings, at the time a federal judge in Florida, was guilty of impeachable offenses. Hastings stood accused of conspiring to take bribes, and, although it is little remembered today, Conyers served as the chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee that investigated Hastings and unanimously recommended his impeachment. After the House voted 413 to 3 to impeach Hastings, Conyers went on to serve as one of the House impeachment managers who successfully argued before the Senate that Hastings should be convicted and removed from office.
I was able to obtain a declassified copy of Karl Rove's Vast Rightwing Conspiracy Playbook. Pelosi is playing right into his hands according to page 4, paragraph 3:
People are who they are. They don't change. If the Democrats are in control, sit back and watch the circus; they can't help themselves and will inevitably 'step in it'. It only takes time, so be patient.
This hasn't taken any time at all. Rove, you are a genius.
Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks is about to become the darling of the religious right in America -- and it's making him nervous.
The book, titled "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism" (Basic Books, $26), is due for release Nov. 24.
The book's basic findings are that conservatives who practice religion, live in traditional nuclear families and reject the notion that the government should engage in income redistribution are the most generous Americans, by any measure.
Conversely, secular liberals who believe fervently in government entitlement programs give far less to charity. They want everyone's tax dollars to support charitable causes and are reluctant to write checks to those causes, even when governments don't provide them with enough money.
"These are not the sort of conclusions I ever thought I would reach when I started looking at charitable giving in graduate school, 10 years ago," he writes in the introduction. "I have to admit I probably would have hated what I have to say in this book."
Still, he says it forcefully, pointing out that liberals give less than conservatives in every way imaginable, including volunteer hours and donated blood.
If you're ever curious as to who the big tippers are, just ask a waiter or waitress. They'll be happy to give the lowdown on who expects great service but leaves no tip, and there are web sites dedicated to naming poor tippers! It was also interesting during the last two presidential elections the IRS returns from Gore and Kerry revealed dismal charitable giving compared to Bush.
This is a refreshing read after hearing for so many years from the left that because conservatives do not support government spending we're Scrooge incarnate.
Germans are so threatened by a particular group of folks that jail-time is mandatory with no appeals. Surely they must be talking about the ubiquitous hooligans , or other Mohammad Atta types hiding out in Germany. Who would these pariahs of society be? They are parents who homeschool their children.
According to this article from CBN, just about anything goes in Germany except homeschooling.
Although attitudes toward homeschooling are changing here…Homeschoolers are still thought of as weird, and homeschooling as damaging to children. And that's an interesting claim, considering what German public school children are exposed to in the classroom.
"In public school, the occult is in all subjects -- be it math, language, or science. There are essays about witches and the occult. They have to practice all week and then they'll write about it. And it gets ingrained into their beings," said Waldemar.
And young school children are exposed to a graphic sex-ed curriculum. Joel Thornton of the International Human Rights Group represents the home school families. "When you get a fourth grade class with a 10-year-old child," Thornton said, "and you're having explicit videotapes that are showing sexual relations going on to the child, to the children in that class…there are boys and girls in that class."
Waldemar said, "We visited a kindergarten where they have places in the classroom where the kids are naked, and no one can bother them and they're playing together." And there is no established parental right to "opt out" your child.
Here's the kicker:
What makes this an especially embarrassing issue for the German government is the German Chancellor who first approved Germany's compulsory education law: Adolf Hitler.
Thornton said "This is word-for-word the Nazi education law…There are parents now that have fines up to $15,000 right now against them for home schooling, and these are families that don't make $15,000 in a year. Without a hearing. Without being convicted of a crime, they have a fine. And there's no appeal to it. All they can do is put their children in school and the fines will go away…the government can come in and confiscate their home and begin selling off their furniture to pay for their fine."
Read the entire article here.
This is hilariously funny, in an incredibly sad, sad sort of way.
Please pass the Jawa Juice!
Umada, 27, and Yunyun, 24, both from London, want the day to be renamed the ‘Interstellar Day of Tolerance’ to reflect millions of people across the globe who have chosen to follow the Jedi code as a religion and truly reflect social diversity.
Apparently someone forgot to tell them that their numbers are much less than one million...priceless. Now take me to your leader.
And your quote of the day goes to Jedi Umada for his entry:
"Like the UN, the Jedi Knights are peacekeepers and we feel we have the basic right to express our religion through wearing our robes, and to be recognised by the national and international community."
Now if we can only have a small force of Jedi to fight "the phantom menace" (terrorists)...I'm sure Ackmed would be terrified of Umada's toy lightsaber and willingness to finally move out from his parent's basement...once this relationship with his online gf, "hawtgurl_251", pans out.
The Girl Scout Law was apparently never memorized by these parents.
A Girl Scouts council has sued 10 parents, alleging they kept more than $8,000 from cookie sales.
Parents have kept cookie sales money in past years, but the problem is getting worse, said council CEO Marlene Cosby. "Increasingly we are seeing larger sums of money being held and no attempts to pay the money back," Cosby said. The group's attorney Patrick Lyp said the council had debts of about $19,000 in 2004 and of more than $20,000 in 2005, primarily because of missing cookie money.
The lawsuits against parents who owe significant amounts could help deter others from keeping cookie money, scout officials said.
Prison time is a great deterrent for stealing. In the meantime, here's a refresher course for any other clueless parents on the tenets of the Girl Scouts:
Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be:
Honest and fair,
Friendly and helpful,
Considerate and caring,
Courageous and strong, and
Responsible for what I say and do,
And to respect myself and others,
Respect authority,
Use resources wisely,
Make the world a better place, and
Be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Remember Pelosi's shrill voice exlaiming that when she stepped into Speaker of the House the culture of corruption would cease? Pelosi is hoping no one will notice the 500 lb. gorilla on the Hill: Democrats have their own culture of corruption as well, but if we close our eyes really tight, no one will see it!
The Washington Post has an article about Pelosi drawing fire for her support of Murtha as House Majority Leader. If we were to believe her promises, that would make Murtha one of the most ethical, honest, integrous men on the Hill. Not even close.
Murtha, a longtime senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, has battled accusations over the years that he has traded federal spending for campaign contributions, that he has abused his post as ranking party member on the Appropriations defense subcommittee, and that he has stood in the way of ethics investigations. Those charges come on top of Murtha's involvement 26 years ago in the FBI's Abscam bribery sting.
Even her own people are shocked:
"Pelosi's endorsement suggests to me she was interested in the culture of corruption only as a campaign issue and has no real interest in true reform," said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a Democratic-leaning group. "It is shocking to me that someone with [Murtha's] ethics problems could be number two in the House leadership."
Sans any horrific consequences to our country resulting from this election such as national security issues, stock market crash, unemployment out the roof, losing more religious freedom or the implementation of sharia in Dearborn, and, of course, any terrorist attacks from the religion of peace -- to name a few -- this next two years may be the Goliath of all roller coasters. It will certainly give conservative talk radio a boost.
Coming from one who hates roller coasters, I'm going to sit back and enjoy the ride.
The Los Angeles Daily News has a great article describing the almost unbelievable events in NCAA football yesterday.
"All the breaks are going USC's way:"
On the same week the Democrats took control of Congress, USC was reborn as a national championship contender.
History can decide the more stunning turn.
On Thursday, unbeaten and third-ranked Louisville started the unexpected turn of events by losing in the final seconds to Rutgers.
Then Saturday, it all started getting out of hand.
First, Auburn, one spot ahead of USC in the BCS poll, was upset by unranked Georgia.
Then No. 4 Florida needed a bit of good fortune to rally at home to edge 5-5 South Carolina, 17-16.
And finally, No. 4 Texas was shocked 45-42 by Kansas State.
USC should leapfrog past Louisville, Texas and Auburn in the next BCS poll. And with Florida struggling, and USC winning impressively over a ranked opponent, the Trojans have a reasonable chance of also slipping past the Gators.
Let's not forget Cal's upset to Arizona, 24-20.
Read the rest of the article here.
The Trojans have managed a 31 game winning streak at home. They have the homefield advantage for their two toughest games coming up against Cal and Notre Dame. Let's hope it stays an advantage. Oregon sure must think it was one.
I am writing this as an open response to the former MoD Chief Nick Pope's article stating that Aliens prefer the Brits. My response:
What's so wrong about an extraterrestrial invasion in another part of the world, huh? Oh, you Brits are sooooo stuck up, but I didn't think you were that stuck up. What, would you get jealous if The Aliens went off abducting people from some other nation? It's not like you guys are an item or anything. I just thought it was an 'open' relationship. My bad!
I believe that The Aliens are more likely to invade here in America first, launching their global attack from the bases they set up after decimating our cities and enslaving the survivors. It will be from America that our new Alien Overlords will rise up and crush all other nations before their slimy fist or tentacle or possibly Amoebic protoplasm of doom.
They landed here first (well, if you can call that an landing), and the will invade here first. We, in the US, had the first religion with Aliens in their belief system (Google "Joseph Smith + Moonmen"), and we will be the first ones to be conquered. Yes, it is true that "Crop circles" were first discovered in the UK, however those were merely created by "unbelievers" out to taunt and tease those of us who eagerly await the chains of our Almighty Alien Overlords.
So, "Why America?" you might ask yourself. Here's why:
1. Although we're not the largest land mass in the World, we do have Oklahoma. Believe it or not, The Majestic Almighty Alien Overlords prefer states that they can handle. Literally.
2. "To Serve Man". You know, that old Twilight Zone episode. That wasn't fake. That idea came to the writer through trans-galactic psychic waves sent out by the All-Powerful Majestic Almighty Alien Overlords. They're really hungry and no place on earth can you snatch up an intergalactic meal. I mean, do you honestly believe that the overly obese population of America can outrun an Intergalactic Cruizer? I think not. (Also, I think this should serve as a warning to my good friend Michael Moore. Ya need to follow in Peter Jackson's hobbit sized footsteps and loose a few.)
3. Three Words: In-N-Out. Alright, so that's technicaly three words hyphenated into one word, but still, you get the picture. They can't restist a good Double-Double Animal style...
I could go on, but I'm afraid it would only help bring about the Alien Apocalypse. It's not that I don't welcome it, I'm just not finished making the huge "I'LL BE THE FIRST HUMAN HOST FOR YOUR GLORIOUS ALIEN RACE" sign to place on the roof of my house.
TTFN, and remember, they're always watching...even when you're sleeping (They're a bit creepy, but you'll get used to it.)
- Nasa Nerd
USC should have won the game v. Texas at last year's Rosebowl. And now we have proof. An article up on AP discusses the fallibility of the instant replay system in college football.
I'm just waiting for someone to blame Bush. (Not Reggie.)
You'll just have to read this article to get the full story.
Student trustees at Orange Coast College ban the Pledge of Allegiance.
The wisdom of the youth summed up in this one's quote:
"That ('under God') part is sort of offensive to me," student trustee Jason Bell, who proposed the ban, told Reuters. "I am an atheist and a socialist, and if you know your history, you know that 'under God' was inserted during the McCarthy era and was directly designed to destroy my ideology."
It's so cute to hear college students who've grown up in America say they're socialists. But don't anyone tell him that it was actually more that communism ideology that was under attack during the McCarthy era. And that socialism and communism have been responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. Don't want to burst his little bubble now.
This is the price of freedom. God bless America. (Hope I didn't offend anyone.)
The best medicine to counteract disappointment is to count our blessings, put on an attitude of gratitude and give. So open your hearts, your wallets, and give, give, give to our troups!
Operation Gratitude's mission is to put a smile on a service member's face, lift morale, and express the appreciation of the American people for the sacrifices of the men and women defending our freedom. To see more information on Operation Gratitude's program to Support the Troops, click here: Operation Gratitude Video
If you're feeling a bit down after this election, celebrate Veteran's Day by sending some good, old-fashioned gratitude to lift the spirits of those who are serving in Iraq. And don't forget to put out the flag. :)
It's bad enough going to bed knowing that Nancy Pelosi is the House Speaker, but waking up to find out that Tom McClintock and company lost the races for our California offices just puts icing on this bitter cake. Apparently only the red districts were reporting last night close to midnight, because the precincts were reporting a fairly significant lead for McClintock, Parrish and McPherson. This morning saw a different outcome. It's Schwarzenegger and a gaggle of democrats, spare Poizner.
As far as California politics go, no one should be surprised that Prop 85, the Parental Notification intiative, didn't pass. It is shocking, however, that despite the biggest liberals pushing for the approval of Prop 87, it failed to pass. Al Gore must be so disappointed. He'll get over it, as the Dems have taken the house.
I suppose it's only natural. We had it for twelve years, we can let them borrow it for two.
Well, congratulations to all the democrats. Ya had the media, ya played dirty and ya won. Fair and square. Here's to you.
Joining the likes of the European Union, British Prime Minister Tony Blair opposes the death penalty for Saddam Hussein.
I wonder if Sir Winston Churchill condemned the Italians for hanging Mussolini.