The Median Sib

It’s the news story that won’t go away.

It’s obvious the Danish cartoons were just the vehicle for the Muslims to give rein to their intolerant, irrational and violent nature. I guess a day isn’t complete for a Muslim without beheading an infidel or two. (Infidel = Christian or Jew or you or me or your children. An infidel doesn’t have to DO anything - just existing is offense enough.)

I just finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel, and it’s spooky how closely the attitude and behavior of the Muslims follow those of the Nazis. And governments are bending over backwards to appease them rather than standing up to them. It’s amazing.

For a little levity amidst the rioting and burning, head over to The Crazy Rants of Samatha Burns. She’s got some great cartoons of her own.

Just found some other cartoons at Mike’s America. A comic book, huh?

Now check out Michelle Malkin’s latest on the situation.

Atlas Shrugs tells us how Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has responded to the terrorists’ reaction to the benign cartoons. The United States and others should follow suit.

Then Iranians shows their distaste for cartoons that are disrespectful to Islam by publishing cartoons disrespectful of Jews. None of that “turn the other cheek” crap for them! You can read about that at Stop the ACLU.

“Brokeback Mountain” has been in the news a lot lately. I haven’t seen it. A movie about gay sheepherders doesn’t sound very entertaining to me. Except for “Lonesome Dove,” I’ve never enjoyed westerns. It’s the kind of movie that I figure I’ll wait a few months, pay $2.99 to see it on Pay-Per-View rather than blow a fortune at the theater for something I’m not excited about seeing in the first place.

I understand that it has great music and sweeping panoramic photography and that many who see it walk out weeping for the poor, misunderstood guys who have to try to be something they’re not because of society’s disapproval of their nature. The fact that it’s a tear-jerker doesn’t particularly make me want to see it, either. I don’t know. As I said, I haven’t seen it. However, I have heard lots of news reports and read lots of blogging about it. So I gathered the best of what I’ve found in the blogosphere on the topic. To save time, I’ll just refer to the movie as BM. And no, I won’t make a joke about that. So here is the best of the “BM Blogging” I’ve seen so far - some positive, some negative, some neutral, some humorous. You’re welcome to let me know if there are other reviews or commentary about the movie you think are noteworthy:

Conservative Cat has an idea for how the Oscars should be handled in order to take into consideration the expected sweep of BM.

Blue Star Chronicles advises “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.”

Girl Friday writes from a Christian conservative viewpoint in her “Brokeback Mountain” Review.

Brokeback Mountain convinced me to feel compassion for two gay characters. But it didn’t make me agree with the homosexuality. And I don’t think it was trying to. The negative consequences of their relationship are everywhere.

In “Homo, Homo on The Range,” Rustbelt Ramblings discusses new brokeback vocabulary and phrases. My favorite is “Did you hear about Jack? He got all Brokeback after high school.”, but there are many others others to choose from.

My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy has a post that’s short - really the title of the post is the point of it. So I won’t give it away here. You’ll have to go and read it for yourself.

Ace Of Spades HQ gives a two-word review of BM. He also later describes it as “The Gay Slingblade.” Then there is another post that suggests that Hollywood doesn’t watch a lot of the movies they vote on.

Wizbang Pop! tells us that Brad Pitt is looking to cash in on the BM hype.

The Nihilist in Golf Pants gets musical about the movie.

Slapyo provides some Brokeback cartoons. (note: possibly offensive)

The Mumpsimus compared BM to “Munich” and then noted:

Brokeback Mountain could have been ridiculous. It could have been sappy and so earnest as to ooze good intentions all over the audience. It is, instead, remarkably restrained in tone. The only thing not repressed in the film is the landscape, which is vast and almost pornographic in its loveliness.

Reel Opinions definitely has an opinion on BM, and it has nothing to do with the gay sheepherder theme:

It’s so meandering and repetitive that I almost have to wonder how anyone can praise it to the skies the way many have. The movie attempts nothing new at its core, it’s simply an old story of forbidden love given a new coat of paint by having the two lovers be men.

So, there you have it. Lots of varying opinions about one movie. I’d say that’s typical. Some people like it. Others don’t. It’ll be interesting to see what the final score is after all the award shows are over.

The Super Bowl is over, and the commercials that were supposed to be so WONDERFUL were…..blah! Less than memorable. Except for the Hummer “It’s a Little Monster” commercial for H3 (HERE for info on the commercial) , they were completely forgetable. Not only blah, but bad. Seems to me that the sponsors paid a lot of money for 30 seconds and then didn’t spend enough on making a commercial good enough to make it worth their while.

And the game? Uhh…I guess Pittsburgh fans are happy. I don’t keep up with professional football much. I was kinda-sorta for the Seahawks simply because they were the underdogs. Until yesterday I didn’t even know what city the Seahawks were from. As I said, I don’t keep up with professional football. The game had a few exciting moments, but overall it was rather blah, too.

It looks like Darren at Right on the Left Coast agrees with me.

I’ve spent a little time surfing blogs this weekend. Topics range from crime, speeches, and poems to terror, humor and taxes. Here are some posts I found that get an A+. If you know of others, leave a comment about them.

Merri Musings gets a nod for this whole post but primarily for the title - clever and morbidly funny!

Charmaine of Reasoned Audacity discusses Tuesday’s SOTU speech.

Ruth at Ruthlace has a poignant poem in memory of her husband (who also was my father).

Michelle Malkin put together some clips to make a brief (under 2 minutes) movie. It’s good. She also has a post on buying Danish. I plan to print out the list and take it with me when I go shopping.

Captain’s Quarters take a look at the political party Hamas. It’s both frightening and informative.

Daddy’s Roses provides some humor to help us deal with the news.

Atlas Shrugs talks about Iran.

Baldilocks goes into a little background and her own take of the whole cartoon controversy.

Blue Star Chronicles is already looking at doing her taxes, and she’s not a happy camper.

Stop The ACLU wonders if we can co-exist with Islam.

When I was a child, my mother and father gave me the nickname Cabbie. I wrote about it awhile back. It always made me feel special when they called me that. Although my mother chose the nickname, I remember my father using it more often, and it’s tied into my memories of him.

A few years ago when my first granddaughter, Sweet Stuff, was born, I gave her a stuffed animal - a soft little brown dog. My daughter decided to call the dog “Cabbie” in my honor. Cabbie quickly became Sweet Stuff’s favorite toy - the one she HAD to have in order to go to sleep or for comfort when she was upset. When I realized how much she loved Cabbie, I checked eBay and bought 5 or 6 identical stuffed animals - just in case anything ever happened to Cabbie. However, having extra Cabbies didn’t help. Sweet Stuff knows the REAL Cabbie, and whenever she’d leave Cabbie at school or home, she wouldn’t accept one of the substitutes. Cabbie is now worn and dirty and the fur is worn off in places. The thread from some of the stitches is loose. The photo above is (obviously) one of the substitute Cabbies.

This past week Sweet Stuff’s class studied pets - especially dogs. On Friday the children brought in their favorite stuffed dogs for a class dog show. There was no doubt what Sweet Stuff would bring. Cabbie went to school for the dog show.

When the awards were announced, Sweet Stuff was THRILLED (to put it mildly) when Cabbie won a blue ribbon for “Oldest and Most Loved.” I got a call as soon as she got home from school telling me about it. I’m ridiculously pleased that Sweet Stuff loves Cabbie so much, and I’m ridiculously pleased that she’s so happy about the blue ribbon. BOTH the real Cabbies won that award.

I just read an insightful post from Baldilocks comparing two prominent women newsmakers from the past week. Go - Read. She expresses eloquently what I’ve felt all along. It comes down to dignity, respect and honor.

Nature woke me around 5:45 this morning. After a trip to the bathroom, I decided to come upstairs and check email before going back to bed. It’s Saturday after all, and the opportunity to sleep late is a treat that is usually reserved for only Saturdays. One of my emails was from my mother (of Ruthlace fame), and I wrote a quick reply to it. A few minutes later, I got the following email from my mother - in VERY large print:

Get back to bed! It’s too early to be up.

Yes, M’am! You don’t ever stop mothering your kids.

I’m finding that having morning bus duty can be enlightening. I greet the children as they first walk into the school from the buses. Then another teacher and I watch over the children in the gym and try to maintain some semblance of order and routine for 10 minutes before the bell rings for the children to go to their classes.

This morning, a kindergartener came in crying. Her older sister had her arms around her. I asked, “What’s wrong?”

Older sister: “Her back’s hurting bad.”

I bent down to talk to the kindergartener. “How did you hurt your back.”

Older sister again: “She wouldn’t get out of bed and Mama whupped her.”

“No,” the kindergartener corrected her, “Mama set me down hard and hurt my back.”

I sent her immediately to the clinic and talked with the guidance counselor. You just never know what kids are dealing with when they come to school.

Reuters has the news that the State Department has issued a statement concerning the Danish cartoons of Mohammad.

Washington on Friday condemned caricatures in European newspapers of the Prophet Mohammad, siding with Muslims who are outraged that the publications put press freedom over respect for religion.

By inserting itself into a dispute that has become a lightning rod for anti-European sentiment across the Muslim world, the United States could help its own battered image among Muslims.”

These cartoons are indeed offensive to the belief of Muslims,” State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said in answer to a question. “We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in thismanner is not acceptable.”

“We call for tolerance and respect for all communities for their religious beliefs and practices,” he added.

It seems to me that IF the United States is going to officially insert itself into this controversy, it would side with freedom of the press.

And WHY were the cartoons written or drawn to begin with? If the Muslims did not use their religion as an excuse to kill, terrorize, burn, and destroy, there would be no material for such cartoons. Even Muslim “clerics” don’t preach brotherhood and peace. They encourage and incite people to rabid violence and hatred. I hear some people talking about how peace-loving and gentle the “true” Muslims are. But I don’t hear or read of Muslims condemning all the atrocities that terrorists are doing in the name of Mohammad. By their silence, they condone it. From all I see, read or hear, Islam is, in reality, a religion of fear, hatred, violence and injustice.

I think it’s time that the Muslim world start showing a little press responsibility and respect for religion.

Captain’s Quarters asks: Would the State Department have apologized to Nazis in 1938 for depictions of Hitler as a lunatic?
Michelle Malkin has a suggestion for the Islamic protestors.
Blue Star Chronicles says there’s a storm coming.
Dr. Sanity talks about how to deal with terrorists from the perspective of how to deal with a psychiatric emergency.
My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy write about democracy in a cartoon, and she is conducting a “buy Danish” campaign.
The Anchoress says we fight for the right to disdain you.
Atlas Shrugs wonders why Muslims are only now being outraged over cartoons that were published in September.
California Conservative says it’s all about politics.
Right Wing Nation posts about the cartoons, too.
The Business of America is Business gives a great lesson on the effects of boycotts.

Open Trackback Weekend - Linked to: The Conservative Cat, Stuck on Stupid, Jo’s Cafe, Linkfest Haven, Third World County, The Real Ugly American, A Tic in the Mind’s Eye.

Link to: http://themediansib.blogspot.com/2006/02/cacophony-of-cartoons-crazies-and.html

Trackback to: http://haloscan.com/tb/mcarol49/113901967305010988

This morning, I listened to Paul Harvey News and Comment on the radio as I drove to work. The last item he mentioned was of great concern to me. Seems there is a woman in Florida who is celebrating her 108th birthday today.

What, you may ask, is her secret to a long and healthy life?

And the answer is that she eats a dish of ice cream every single night before she goes to bed!

Okay, I guess if it’s FOR MY HEALTH, I’ll go ahead and do it. Oh, the things we do to maintain our health.

Another teacher mentioned today that there was an article in the newspaper I should read. When I said I didn’t get the newspaper, she told me I could check online - that it would probably be on the newspaper’s website. I went to the newspaper’s website - something I’ve probably only done a couple of times before. I never got around to looking for the article because as soon as the site came up on the screen, I noticed that they had a button to click for local stories. One of the stories was about a string of nearby home burglaries. Nearby burglaries concern me. So I clicked that link instead.

It seems that an alert police officer noticed a car being driven erratically and heading away from a home that had been burglarized. He stopped the car, questioned the young driver and found some of the stolen jewelry inside. The guy had burglarized five nearby homes - stealing jewelry, bottles of wine and DVDs. He was charged with five counts of aggravated burglary and, as of yesterday afternoon, has not made bail.

I felt sick when I read the next part of the article because it listed the full name and address of the “man” who had committed the crimes. It was an 18-year old former student of mine. A boy I’ve known since he was in kindergarten when his older sister was in my class. A couple years later, when he reached second grade, he also was in my class. Smart - a handful - and the apple of his mother’s eye. He was one of those students that made a lasting impression - a student and family I will always remember.

My heart is now broken for him and his family. I can only imagine what might have led to his actions. His mother and older sister must be light years beyond devastated and humilated. And I wonder how he is feeling…an 18-year old in an adult jail?

What do you do when someone you know has been arrested? It’s a small community - everyone knows. Do you send a card to him or his mom? Do you call or visit? Do you write an email? If so, what do you say? Is there ettiquette for handling something like this.

I wrote several months ago about how I have each child I work with keep a journal. After the children write their entries, I always write a response to each one. It has been going very well. Kids have even ASKED to write in their journals lately, and they’re always eager to read my replies.

Yesterday one small group of children came into my room and sat at the table with me. One of them, Billy (name is changed, of course), sat across from me. He propped his face on his hands, elbows on the table, eyes half closed.

“What’s up, Billy?” I asked.

“I’m tired,” he replied.

“Why don’t you write about it in your journal?” I suggested.
He did. I loved the result! Notice he has a thermometer to gauge his mood (measured from 100 at the top to -100 at the bottom). The petals on the flower are another indication of his feelings. When the thermometer is in the bottom numbers, the petals fall off the flower and pile up at the bottom.

Take a couple minutes to study the journal entry. I think it’s wonderfully expressive. By the way, he was smiling by the time he left my classroom, and when he came in today, I asked how he was feeling.

His reply: “About 60.”

I admit that I love watching “The Biggest Loser” on NBC. Right now the final showdown between two families is on TV. The results will be revealed in a few minutes. I just think it is an inspiring show. I watch these people who stick with their diet and exercise for MONTHS and are successful. The change that losing weight and exercising makes in both their appearance and their attitude is just phenomenal. Sometimes one can hardly believe that the before and after photos are of the same person. I mean, really — Matt before “the ranch” and Matt after the competition ISN’T the same person. Just incredible!

They had open auditions for the show a few weeks ago in Nashville. It would be a good thing to do, but I could never wear those skimpy weight-in outfits and be weighed on national TV. Every bulge and ounce of fat emphasized and out there for the world to see. I could handle having Bob as my trainer . . . but Jillian……Jillian scares the crap out of me!

I am saddened that two ABC employees (a news anchor and a camera operator) were injured by an IED this week. I am saddened even further after reading Code Red: Women for the Troops’ post referring to the news. If importance is measured by the amount of media coverage, then our soldiers are being seriously short-changed.

Other bloggers post on the topic:
The Dread Pundit Bluto has some quotes from the troops and choice words about Christiane Amanpour.
Prairie Pundit checks in, too.
Real Republic asks WHO is fighting the war anyhow?
Blonde Sagacity talks about a “conspiracy theory” related to this story.
The Astute Blogger suggests that maybe it’s time to redeploy all reporters.

Joan, over at Daddy’s Roses, has a new meme up: Questions for Jesus. What are the first five things you want to ask Jesus when you get to heaven. Joan provides some very thoughtful responses. I kinda took a different road - a lighter look at the meme.

Here are my questions for Jesus:

(1) Heaven! Wow! How did I get here?
(2) OK, since this is heaven, I must be skinny! So where are the scales? I want to see for myself. No, on second thought, just throw the scales away. I don’t need ‘em now. I never want to see them again. Just show me to the mall. I want to get some size 2 clothes immediately. Maybe a mirror?
(3) Where’s the chocolate room? If this is heaven, there must be lots of chocolate somewhere.
(4) Could you show me to the computer room? I need to blog about this!
(5) Oh yes - is there a “heaven blogroll” I can join? That’s sure to increase my links.

So, all you THE MEDIAN SIB readers, what would be YOUR five questions for Jesus?

If you’re interested in reading the best of the past week’s posts on education, head on over to Diane Weir on Education where this week’s Carnival of Education, Week 52 is ready for your reading pleasure. And yes, faithful readers, I have a post on there this week.