November 02, 2007

The White Witch Revealed

I haven't been all that keen on Peggy Noonan recently, but I think her article on Hillary! today is spot on. A quote:

What Mrs. Clinton revealed the other night was more than an unfortunate persona. What I think she revealed was that her baseline thinking has perhaps not changed that much since the 1990s, when she was a headband wearing, power suited, leftist-who-hadn't-been-wounded-yet. It seemed to me she made it quite possible to assume you know who she'll be making war on. And this--much more than the latest scandal, the Chinatown funny money and the bundling--could, and I think would, engender real opposition down the road. The big chink in her armor is not stylistic, it is about policy. It is about the great baseline question in all political life: Whose ox is being gored?

Go read the rest. Peggy's thesis is that Hillary! doesn't have the Bubba-like moves to cover up her old-fashioned 60's liberalism and that it's going to catch up with her.

Gives one some hope.

Posted by: Robert at 09:55 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

You Love Us! You Really Love Us!

Well, well, well, this is a nice Friday surprise. It turns out that we Llamas have made the final cut for the 2007 Weblogs Awards after all, skootching in as representatives of the TTLB Ecosystem, 501-1000 Category. (SOOPER SEKRET MESSAGE TO STEVE-O: How do you get the sidebar finalist banner thingy put up without trashing the entire site? I'm hopeless at the technical side of things here.)

Here's the list of the other finalists in our category, none of whom I know (you can link to them from the voting page):

The Poor Man Institute
Woman Honor Thyself
Smirking Chimp
Agonist
The Sideshow
Betsy's Page
The American Mind
All for Women
Coyote Blog

Early results have Betsy's Page out in front, but we Llamas are in the running for second. (If you'd care to drop by the voting page on our behalf - as often as possible - we'd appreciate it very much.)

On behalf of Steve-O, Gary, the LMC, Chai-Rista and everybody else we've given a set of keys and forgotten to take them back, thankee very kindly to all who conspired to get us into the running. I know that at this point I'm supposed to say something about how I really only blog for the pleasure of expressing myself and engaging in interesting conversation, but the truth of the matter is that I'm proud as Lucifer to get one of these things. Again, thankee very, very kindly. Yip! Yip! Yip!

Shameless Pandering Yips! from Gary:
As the campaign officially begins, I will be scouring through my collection of gratuitous 80's babe photos, perhaps even throwing an occasional bone to the ladies. Also, look out for the frequent obligatory "Where's Melissa Theuriau" posts!

Posted by: Robert at 09:30 AM | Comments (21) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

November 01, 2007

Your LLama Question of the Day

Resolved:

In the entire history of American sports hype, has there ever been any fraud more grossly fraudulent than Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis?

Extra points for throwing in tangential cheap shots at Bill Belichick.

Posted by: Steve-O at 04:29 PM | Comments (24) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gratuitous Llama Netflix Movie Review

Battlestar Galactica (197. This is the movie version of the original tee vee series pilot with some minor modifications (the most notable being that the Cylons whack Baltar). I tossed it into the Netflix queue a looooooong time ago. It was back-ordered or sumfin and I completely forgot about it. However, it turned up in my mailbox recently, so I popped it in after trick-or-treating duties were finished last evening.

I loved this series when I was a kid. I watched it religiously, even the appallingly awful Galactica 1980. I had models of a Colonial Viper and a Cylon Raider. I had the soundtrack album. I had a storyboard book of the pilot episode. And it was only because my parents wouldn't cough up the money that I didn't get one of those brown suede Colonial Warrior jackets.

On the other hand, I hadn't seen the show in something over 25 years, so I was a bit apprehensive. But you know what? For late 70's cheese, it's held up pretty well. Sure, little Boxey and the Daggit should be tossed in the airlock. Sure, the then-prevailing attitude that the primary form of entertainment not just in the future but across the Cosmos would be disco music seems woefully, well, woeful. Sure, the dialogue seemed awful weak and surface-y by today's standards. But so what? Some of those majestic Dykstra-effect shots of the Galactica (quite sophisticated and expensive for the time), combined with the swelling, hopefull music, still gave me a bit of a shiver. And the Cylons remain cool in a Soviet Robot Juggernaut way. Perhaps it was just the nostalgia talking, but I truly enjoyed this look back.

Out of curiosity, I also checked to see whatever became of the lovely ladies of BGTOS, if I may call it that.

Of course Jane Seymour (Serena) was the thoroughbred of the group. She still seems to be going strong on the Estrogen Network.

For some reason, I could never muster that much interest in Laurette Spang (Cassiopeia). She later appeared in the classik early 80's Sargasso Sea of Washed Up Talent (namely Love Boat, Fantasy Island and even the Dooks of Hazzard) before vanishing. However, I see that just this year she had a bit part in a USA Network movie.

Then there's Maren Jensen (Athena - my favorite). It was only on rewatching that I noticed she has a vague resemblence to Angelina Jolie (without all the extra, erm, enhancements). She, too, dropped out of the biz after doing the Fantasy Island/Love Boat tour and hasn't resurfaced, apparently having contracted the Epstein-Barr virus.

I also dimly remembered that JohnL of TexasBestGrok had featured the ladies of BGTOS in one of his Babes of SciFi polls. Upon checking again, however, I was surprised to see that all three of them had been badly left by:

Anne Lockhart (Sheba). She, too, is still working, seemingly in a lot of small parts here and there. I was surprised that she got so many votes because, again, I never really cottoned on to her myself.

Anyhoo, you younglings who didn't grow up with the real original Battlestar Galactica probably wouldn't understand, but I also found this flick much more enjoyable than the current version. You scoff, but let's see what people have to say about it thirty years from now.

Robbo's Recommendation: I'll give BGTOS - The Movie 3.5 Yips! out of 5, but only recommend it for people 35 years old and up who remember watching the original series. It's a nice little trip down memory lane.

Posted by: Robert at 01:50 PM | Comments (19) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Hogwarts Assimiliation Well Under Way

Already screeching to the end of "Prisoner of Azkaban". In anticipation of the developing Ron/Hermione intrigue coming up in the next installment, I give you...

Enjoy.

Hate to admit I find the Sugar Ray version of this song pretty durn catchy.

Posted by: Gary at 01:16 PM | Comments (20) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Supporters Of "She Who Must Not Be Named" Incensed Over Debate

The Presidential Campaign for You-Know-Who hosted a conference call with some of her supporters, who took the time to lash out over her treatment at Monday Night's debate.

While one supporter voiced his concern that the Clinton campaign is not devoting enough money and staff to Iowa, lagging behind Obama, most supporters who commented on the call expressed their displeasure with what they saw as the moderators’ focus on Clinton.

One caller from Oklahoma City said that “the questions … were designed to incite a brawl,” and that Russert’s and Brian Williams’s moderating was “an abdication of journalistic responsibility.”

Another said Russert “should be shot,” before quickly adding that she shouldn’t say that on a conference call.

Penn and Mantz said they were hearing a lot of the same sentiment from other supporters, but they do not plan to engage the media or the debate’s moderators.

“We’re not challenging the media on that, but the sentiment you’ve expressed is obviously one I’ve heard,” Penn said.

Yips! from Robbo: Do NOT underestimate the ability of She Who Must Not Be Named to gain sympathy by playing the victim when her political opponent lands a punch. Remember when Rick Lazio tried that petition stunt during the New Yawk senatorial campaign in 2000? On stage, SWMNBN looked flustered and foolish. Within a day or so afterward, Lazio was spun into a brute and a bully.

UPDATE:
Note exactly a "Leave ME alone!" response from the campaign, but it really smacks of whining.

To your point, Robert, I remember vividly the Lazio "space invader" moment. I agree, caution is warranted but that incident could easily be painted as borderline "threatening" or bullying. A stupid move on Lazio's part.

As far as directed criticism, the gender card will only work if she can be made sympathetic. Plus U.S. Senator and President are two different jobs. If you can't handle that kind of criticism from a political opponent, how are you going to protect the country against a terrorist attack? The "poor me" approach can easily backfire.

Posted by: Gary at 09:32 AM | Comments (20) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

It's Webbies Time

Well, unless we skootch in under our TTLB ecosystem category, it looks like we missed the final cut for this year's Weblog Awards.

No matter. I really wanted to put up this post to congratulate a couple of our blogpals who did make the cut:

First, in the category for Funniest Blog, hats off to Chip and the Crack Young Staff over at The Hatemongers' Quarterly.

And among Conservative Blogs, congrats to Dr. Rusty and the other denizens of the Sandcrawler at My Pet Jawa.

Well done, ladies and gentlemen!

With what very little pull we have in these here intertubes, we heartily recommend that you cast your votes in favor of our friends early and often as they square off against some very still competition in the finals.

Yip! Yip! Yip!

Posted by: Robert at 09:03 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gratuitous Domestic Posting - November 1 Edition

This morning, the seven year old said to me, "Daddy! Today is All Saints Day!"

"That's right," I replied.

"Daddy," she said, "What's a saint?"

"A saint is a person recognized by the Church for leading an especially good and godly life," I answered. "And we honor all of them on this day."

"Oh," she said. And then without missing a beat, "Daddy, I'm a saint."

Well, now.

Posted by: Robert at 08:37 AM | Comments (18) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Halloween Wrap Up

Lisa Schiffren over at The Corner, in a general rant about Halloween, winds up with a positive observation that resonates with me:

But, on a happier note, the media has again misled me into unnecessary anxiety. I read, yesterday, in the Washington Post about all the local Virginia parents who are so upset because their young daughters want to be sexy witches, sexy maids, sexy nurses, sexy, sexy sexy…you get the idea. The claim was that it was impossible to find traditional princess, witch, and fairy tale costumes in mainstream stores — and anyway the cool girls don’t want them. I took the story at face value — because I live with three preteen girls and it's clear to me that one has to actively resist the cultural push toward early displays of sexuality (that the children themselves don’t always understand).

The good news, is that here on the famously liberal, progressive, non-judgmental, Upper West Side of Manhattan stores seem to have been selling far tamer costumes. In a 30 block walk home earlier I saw only Disney princesses, and fully covered witches, ghosts etc. Not one of the kids who have come to the door has worn anything remotely sexy.

So, either the Washington Post has overstated the sexy maid costume issue for prurient reasons — or my neighbors are more conservative on basic values than I thought. Either way… it works.

I happened to see that WaPo article, too, and duly shook my head over it. However, we took the two younger Llama-ettes around our NoVA neighborhood last evening (perfect night for a walk - cool and crisp without being outright cold) and I have to say that I certainly didn't see any young thangs flauntin' it. As with Lisa, it was the usual bag of witches, Disney Princesses and the like. The closest to teh sexy that I saw was a youngish teenager dressed as a flapper.

Incidentally, this was just about the easiest Halloween I've had. The seven and five year olds pranced from house to house with two little boys who live down the street, while their mother, the Missus and I strolled along the street quite pleasantly. About half way through, the five year old, who was dressed as a witch, suddenly decided that she wanted to be a cowgirl instead. She spent the rest of the evening cantering about doing a Slim Pickens "YEEEEEEE-HAAW!" imitation at the top of her voice. (The eldest Llama-ette had gone to trick or treat with her best friend. She was dressed in a long, black robe with some kind of trimming and a big hood and called herself some character or other from Harry Potter - Destructor? Destroyer? Summit like that. However, she could just as easily have been a Nazgul or Death itself. When she got home, she completely freaked the Missus by suddenly dropping a fairly life-like mouse into her lap.)

BTW, would anybody out there like some extra candy?

Posted by: Robert at 08:30 AM | Comments (19) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Al Qaeda In Iraq Falling On Tough Times

Terror group "defeated" says spokesman for Iraq Islamic Party (as reported by Michael Yon).

“Al Qaeda in Iraq is defeated,” according to Sheik Omar Jabouri, spokesman for the Iraqi Islamic Party and a member of the widespread and influential Jabouri Tribe. Speaking through an interpreter at a 31 October meeting at the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters in downtown Baghdad, Sheik Omar said that al Qaeda had been “defeated mentally, and therefore is defeated physically,” referring to how clear it has become that the terrorist group’s tactics have backfired. Operatives who could once disappear back into the crowd after committing an increasingly atrocious attack no longer find safe haven among the Iraqis who live in the southern part of Baghdad. They are being hunted down and killed. Or, if they are lucky, captured by Americans.

During the meeting, another member of the Iraqi Islamic Party said that al Qaeda has changed its strategy now that fomenting civil war between Sunni and Shia has backfired. Al Qaeda has shifted targets, now trying to generate friction between tribes. This time, however, the tribes are onto the game early, and they are not playing.

Sheik Omar, who has gained the respect of American combat leaders for his intelligence and organizational skills, said the tough line against al Qaeda is also enforced at the tribal level. According to Sheik Omar, the Jabouri tribe, too, is actively committed to destroying al Qaeda. So much so, that Jabouri tribal leaders have decided they would “kill their own sons” if any aided al Qaeda. To underscore the point, he went on to say that about 70 Jabouri “sons” had been killed by the Jabouri tribe so far.

Omar’s influence extends beyond tribal and party levels, to include important channels within the Iraqi government and the US military in Baghdad, as evidenced by the agenda of the hours-long meeting. But for the talk about al Qaeda, the focus was mostly on other topics, such as returning displaced persons to their homes, efficiently delivering basic services and jumpstarting the economy. In fact, more and more meetings in Iraq are turning to day-to-day business, and less time is required on military and security topics like targeting and addressing intelligence-type matters, which until recently monopolized most meetings across Iraq.

Posted by: Gary at 08:17 AM | Comments (19) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

October 31, 2007

Gratuitous Legal Research Observation

You know, if Westlaw were to add a spell-check function to its search engine thingy, it might save all of us a lot of time and aggrevation.

Grrrr.

UPDATE: No, I'm not going to tell you which word I misspelled. Too embarrassing.

Posted by: Robert at 02:04 PM | Comments (19) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gratuitous Colts Boosterism

It's always a pleasure to see a new face appear in the Sitemeter files and discover that somebody heretofore unknown was reading and linking us Llamas.

Today its the Gripping Hand, an apparently brand-knew blog. Gripping appears to be a pretty big fan of Llama Nation. He's also a Colts fan, however, and was not happy with a recent gratuitous dig I took at Peyton Manning.

Well, Gripping, I apologize if I came off a bit harsh. And if it makes you feel any better, I ask whole-heartedly for the Colts to thrash the bejaysus out of the Pats this weekend. I does asks, as Sam Gamgee would say, and if that isn't enough, I begs.

Posted by: Robert at 01:08 PM | Comments (19) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Gratuitous Halloween Observation

My favorite part of Halloween? It's actually my time-honored use of the expression, "Okay, Jack, time for your lobotomy!" as I proceed to open up the punkin for scooping-out-of-goop purposes. (That's a quote, btw, and bonus points will be awarded for spotting the source.) Actually, I beat the Missus and the Llama-ettes home yesterday and, in a fit of unwonted efficiency, not only got Jack ready for his face carving, but also went about and found all of our flashlights plus fresh batteries. We impose an iron eight o'clock curfew on the gels, so time is of the essence when we have a dinnertime project with which to deal. It was pleasant not to be hurried this year as we chipped out the ol' triangular eyes and nose and sawed up the mouthfull of sharp teeth. (This is as far as one should go, IMHO. I ranted on the subject of designer punkin carving last year.)

Posted by: Robert at 12:20 PM | Comments (20) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

I'd Like To Buy A Vowel, Pat

Pat Sajak asks the question "Is it time for the rest of us to start hating the Red Sox?"

It might seem strange to hate a team that spent so many decades enduring heartbreak, but those days are obviously over. If the Yankees do, indeed, fade back into the pack, there is little else in the Eastern Division to stand in the free-spending way of Boston for years to come. We might have to endure a long period of post-season appearances by the Red Sox and their Nation.

Besides, who else would there be to hate? The Angels? Cleveland? Detroit? Of the last twelve World Series, the Yankees and Red Sox have won six between them, while only the Florida Marlins have won more than one. Can you really work up any hate for the Marlins?

Sorry, Red Sox Nation, but success has its downside. Your team is no longer the sentimental favorite. They are the champions once again, and their future looks brighter than that of their arch-rival's. So revel in it, and rub the visiting teams' noses in it (even the home teams' when you can buy out their tickets), but somebody has to be the bad guy. Congratulations...it's you.

That vowel being "A" for "arsholes", of course. And same thing for the Pats, I think.

Posted by: Robert at 10:16 AM | Comments (23) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Eat Me

We Llamas are the number two google hit for what does llama taste like?

Chicken, of course.

The query came in from somebody at Cornell, btw. Remind me not to visit there any time soon.

Posted by: Robert at 09:49 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Greetings, Earthlings!

Probably a bit too true:

You Are an Alien

You're so strange, people occasionally wonder if you're from another world. You don't try to be different, but you see most things from a very unique, very offbeat perspective. Brilliant to the point of genius, you definitely have some advanced intelligence going on. No matter what circles you travel in, you always feel like a stranger. And it's a feeling you've learned to like. Your greatest power: Your superhuman brain Your greatest weakness: Your lack of empathy - you just don't get humans You play well with: Zombies

Yips! to the Vampirical Maximum Leader.

UPDATE: Speaking of monsters, here's a cranky little article debunking them, at least as they are popularly portrayed:

We have examined the science behind three of the most popular pseudoscientific beliefs encountered in Hollywood movies. We have shown two of them—the idea of ghosts and vampires—to be inconsistent and contradictory to simple facts. For the third—the idea of zombies—we have made no attempt to deny that it relies on real cases. However, we have reviewed evidence showing that the concept is a misrepresentation of simple criminal acts.

Popular belief in these myths is an indication of a lack of critical-thinking skills in our society. With simple arguments, one can easily discredit the validity of such claims. We thus finish with the following quote by Carl Sagan (Sagan 1979):

Both Barnum and H.L. Mencken are said to have made the depressing observation that no one ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the American public. The remark has worldwide application. But the lack is not intelligence, which is in plentiful supply; rather, the scarce commodity is systematic training in critical thinking.

Scoff if you like. Let's hope you don't come to rue the day.

Yips! to Arts & Letters Daily.

Posted by: Robert at 08:55 AM | Comments (19) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Robbo Service

As I made my way to the metro yesterday evening, I was accosted by a somewhat scraggly young man carrying a clipboard who said to me, "Sir! Surely you care about the environment, don't you?"

"Nope," I smiled encouragingly as I passed by, "Not in the least. Have a nice day."

The Missus laughed heartily when I told her about it, but then said she bet I did it just so I could blog about it. Not so, I replied. Instead, I did it so the young man would have a story of eviiiiil Rethuglican indifference with which to regale his friends. In fact, if he plays it right, he might even be able to score some sympathy tail.

A little touch of Robbo in the afternoon, spreading sweetness and light. That's what I like to think I'm all about.

Posted by: Robert at 08:30 AM | Comments (18) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Whoa

Had a dream last night that involved trying to crack an Illuminati-like conspiracy involving the Stations of teh Cross while, at the same time, fighting off Stonewall Jackson's flank attack at Chancellorsville.

Really. It was a bizzaro combination of continually-shifting images. The only ones I remember were measuring the distance between the three points at which Jesus fell and demanding to know where the hell General Devens had got to.

I'm exhausted.

Posted by: Robert at 08:14 AM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

October 30, 2007

Most Awesome Red Sox Quote of the Year

Well, enough baseball for now, at least until Spring Training. Not here at LLamabutcher Manor, where Mr. Skinny (age is getting Stratomatic for Christmas (with old time team cards in his and my stockings---and by old time teams I mean the 86 Sox and Mets, 75 Sox and Reds, the 46 Sox and the 32 Yankees).

But I'll leave you with this one quote from the Sox rally today in Boston. I'm doing this as a favor to LB Buddy, and to absolutely make our Yankees-nemesis in Toledo have his head explode like the Death Star in SW:IV. From a Sox fan who was describing the reaction of his seven year old son:

"He doesn't understand," Spurr said. "He thinks they win it every couple of years now. I mean, the Yankees have never won in his lifetime."

Posted by: Steve-O at 06:44 PM | Comments (20) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Halloween Costumes I Hope To God I Don't See On My Front Doorstep

(originally posted at Ex-Donkey Blog 10/28/05)

I got these via email, so I don't know the original source. Brings new meaning to the word "scary".

Some of these might be considered NSFW, so click "Read More" to see 'em as they're below the fold.

Posted by: Gary at 12:49 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

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