In other news from Outer Space
The 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco (aka "The Comedy Court"), demonstrating once again the lack of oxygen in the atmosphere of the planet they live on, has ruled that the 2nd Amendment does not give citizens the individual right to bear arms. A lack of oxygen can be about the only explaination for this ruling, given the wording of the Constitution

"the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

which seems pretty straightforward. Cause for the lack of oxygen is most likely the design of the headgear for their environment suits, devices which most other people use for different purposes entirely, and carry the common name 'lower colon'. In the opinion, Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote

"The historical record makes it equally plain that the amendment was not adopted in order to afford rights to individuals with respect to private gun ownership or possession"

Apparently, the judge, with his busy, busy schedule and intense workload, decided to skip the messiness of cluttering the issue with facts, and relied solely on a compendium work on the issue, written by some guy named BELLESILES. Glenn puts it this way

I understand that Judge Reinhardt may have been especially susceptible to Bellesiles' views because he is married to Ramona Ripston, Executive Director of the Southern California ACLU and fierce proponent of gun control. I'm not suggesting that Judge Reinhardt should have recused himself, as the ACLU was not, to my knowledge, involved in the lawsuit.

I'll not only suggest that Judge Reinhardt should recuse himself on this issue, but many, many others considering his spousal unit's affiliations and views. Talk about a basic conflict of interests, and undue influence. What chance does anyone arguing a case in front of this guy stand of getting a fair decision, if their position is competing with the Judge's wife's agenda, not to mention the 'positions' she can offer him? The pen may be mightier than the sword, but the power of the blowjob (or threat of termination of same) pretty much trumps either one. Crude view of the bottom line to this issue, but there it is.

BIG APPLE BLUES Okay, I'm back. A few observations about New York. I didn't get shot. I didn't get stabbed. I didn't get mugged. I didn't get ripped off (at least no more so than everyone else). I didn't catch a social disease. I didn't witness a single crime. No one said anything rude to me the whole time I was there. It's clear what the problem is - New Yorkers are losing their edge! Come on, I was expecting to be bashed and robbed immediately on exiting the airport terminal, chased through subway tunnels by Bloods and/or Crips, left for dead in an expanding puddle of my own blood while commuters stepped over my prostrate body withiout lifting their eyes from their morning copy of the Times...I mean come on! It's New York Fuckin' City people! Lets show a little team spirit here. I expect a bit more action next time, okay?

BTW It just my opinion but I think John Howard is one of only three world leaders with any moral fortitude. As for imposing "European values" on Asia, well shit I think you'll find that New Zealand and Australia are in fact western nations. You want to impose "Asian values" on us then you just brought youself a world of hurt. Fuck with our right to have Saturday afternoon sport and barbies and we'll get very focused. I repeat, "The last thing you want want is our complete and undivided fucking attention". Japan got it, I hear they may recover... one day. One more thing Dr M, it was ANZAC's that secured and ensured your nations "sovregnity" from the 50's through to the 70's. You weren't belly aching about our "European values' then. Or our money.

Alien Song Is A Clasic! Ok if you don't have it already go and visit Victor Navone and download "Alien Song". There is a very good reason why you actually have to do this - its funny. Yes I know how old it is, I don't care so don't bother telling me. I know there are people out there that haven't seen it yet, like that globe trotting hick Bruce Hill. If you have any interest in 3D animation you should have been there already anyway, if not get there, lots of intersting stuff. And while you're there, crack open the walet and buy something, people like this should be encouraged! This review just in from Bruce Hill: "I just about shat myself!"

DR M AND THE PENNINSULA OF DOOM The recalcitrantly retromingent Malaysian premier, bearer of the Bond-like monike "Dr M", famous for his James Brown impersonations and delusions of adequacy, has caused an editorial to appear in his state-controlled newspaper, the New Straits Times concerning Australian prime minister John Howard's stated intention to do his job and kill anyone, anywhere, anytime, who would slaughter his citizens - assuming there was no other choice. The leftist media are doing their usual bleats. You know the drill. Shocking. Racist. Gaffe. Blunder. Damage control. Cowboy. Try "Right ON!" The left have completely lost touch with both reality and public opinion. Dr M and his minions have never actually had to be terribly concerned about such things. If a politician looks like getting too popular, just accuse him of being a whoopsie and bung him in the brig for the duration. Apparently having a censored press, a racially gerrymandered electoral system which ensures that Chinese and Indians will never weild any power, and an obsession with imagined slights from anyone with white skin gives him the right to sit in judgement on Australia.

AUSSIE Prime Minister John Howard's message is chilling: He would order pre-emptive action in neighbouring countries to avert an attack either of a conventional kind or a terrorist kind on his country. It is a dangerous proposal.

No, it would be dangerous to do otherwise. Does the editorial board of the New Straits Times (or the little man from Dr M's office who actually wrote it and ordered them to print it) actually believe that countries must sit and wait to be attacked before they are allowed to protect their citizens?

As Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said, Howard should not let his arrogance run away with him. He ought to realise that the savage old days of shooting Aborigines like sitting ducks [are] over. There can be no return to such brutality.

Ah yes, the obligatory "You white devil roundeye rats are racists!" Thank you so much. So, how many Chinese and Indian MPs do you guys have these days anyway? And be sure and let us all know when you let non-Malay students study in their own country's universities in proportion to their actual numbers, won't you? And how's that whole "keep all power in the hands of a single race" policy working out for you anyway?

The push for the inclusion of pre-emptive strikes as part of the repertoire of global peacekeeping and legal order reveals too nakedly the insincerity of a country which claims to be part of Asia.

BZZZT! Wrong again, thanks for playing.

It shows Howard's ineptness in dealing with Asia. Aussie diplomacy has two languages: one line descending from Bush Jr's cowboy justice, the other from Howard's cant.

Anyone who can tell me what that sentence actually means deserves a valuable prize. I think the writer doesn't like Australian foreign policy, but that's about all I can decipher at this stage.

Howard's dismissal of criticisms from his own people indicates a "unilateral" premier in the making – a leader who abuses foreign policy to advance his popularity.

In the space of a single sentence, John Howard is able to leap straight from evil US tool, ignoring his own peaceful populace in order to follow his American puppet-master's wishes to slaughter the slit-eyed yellow hordes, right across to populist huckster. Well which is it? Either the Australians are critical of Howard, or they support him. How can it be both? Get a clue man!

Judging from the volley of protests from Asian countries, the question is: Does this portend some larger rift between Australia and Asia? Howard should stop deluding himself; he is no Bob Menzies. Besides, this is the 21st century, not the "white Australia first" of the last century.

Bob Menzies lauched pre-emptive strikes against Asia? Cool! Funny, my history books have that whole who-attacked-who thing round the other way, but I guess they were written by white people, so how can you trust them? We should all just join together in a pan-Asian trading bloc, a sort of Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere if you will. It worked so well last time.

We have a winner
In the contest announced by John Howard a few days back (cleverly disguised as his announcment of an Australian preventative first strike policy). The actual contest? Which paranoid tinpot whiner would go public with his panties in a bunch over the whole thing? And the winner is...(wait for it!) Malaysia. Leaves me to wonder - if these guys are all about preventing heinous acts of murder on a mass scale by raving lunatics, acts which would probably take out some of their own folks as well, what the hell are they sounding so damned paranoid about? Seems to me they'd welcome some rent-a-muscle from their Aussie neighbors to take care of annoying and dangerous zealots generally making a nuisance in their back yards. Unless they aren't really all that concerned about the mongrels loose in the neighborhood crapping on the neighbors lawns... Australia sticks out like a sore thumb, eh? Better to stick out than be where Dr Mahathir's thumb is stuck - in his mouth, attached to his head, which is firmly ensconced in his arse.

IBA radio reported today that the Cambridge University's equivalent of an American student association is discussing tonight a proposition for an economic and academic boycott of Israel. Such propositions have been recently brought in several British schools of higher education, and have had mixed success. Of course, if this is accepted in such an important university as Cambridge, it will have a much greater impact. A representative of an organization of Israeli students in Britain said that this proposition includes, among other things, an equation between Israel's policies in the territories and apartheid, and a differentiation between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. He says that his organization has joined British Jewish organizations (a rare kind of cooperation) in trying to prevent the resolution from passing. He also added that prof. Edward Said of Columbia University will attend the discussion, and lend his support for the passage of this resolution. I was unable to find anything on this issue on the web -please let me know if you do. Update 12/4: It did not pass.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS? I'm at LAX on my way home. Sasha Castel was good enough to see me off in New York. My final words were "If I get shot down, avenge my death!" Words to live by...

Notes on loading and unloading the Kiln
Do it enough times, and you WILL cut yourself. The cut WILL bleed like Niagra Falls. On the bright side, the blood will fire off the Kiln Furniture during the next firing cycle. What does this have to do with anything? Nothing in particular. Just worked up over the rookie mistake of inadvertently dry-footing an overglazed piece (forgot to stilt it), and the bottom rim of a beautiful bowl snapped off because it was fused to the kiln shelf, which was/is sorely in need of a new coat of kiln wash. And oh, yes, I did slice my finger open on the razor sharp shards of glassy material left behind, which is a switch from the usual culprit - the needlelike and razor sharp stilts. Odd, but the first you usually notice that its happened is the drops of red getting everywhere. You never feel them when it happens - the edges are, as I said, RAZOR sharp. But you sure feel it for the next two days, because its usually on a spot on your finger that contacts just about everything you pick up, reach for, etc. Thank goodness for Neosporin and little band aids, Scooby-Doo prints or not.

A fitting line
A suitable for framing quote from none other than Arab News (when they fix their server problem)

Jeddah is basically sitting on a sea of its own waste.

Shamelessly echoed from the head cat slave at Amish Tech Support.