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Through the tension filled weeks of the Iraqi war, bloggers have characteristically
kept a sense of humor. This week we highlight pundits who illustrate the humor in
current events.
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We also highlight a blog written by a French wine importer. While his blog does not
center around the backlash against French wine, it's interesting to put a face
on someone personally affected by the French wine embargo.
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Week of April 28, 2003
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Happy Fun Pudit has out-scooped the major media outlets with its exclusive photos. Be sure to check out the candid shot that
Senator John Kerry regrets. Ooh-la-la, Frenchie is hot.
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04/21/2003:
Scoop on the latest endeavors of former Taliban mouthpiece Abdul Salam Zaeef and former Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Said al-Sahhaf:
"After hugs and exchanges of autographs, the two spent hours talking, and today issued a joint statement that they were forming a band:
Today the glorious and holy Taliban and Ba'ath Party have joined together to form the mightiest musical force ever seen in the history of the world! Already we are more popular than the Beatles, have released two albums, one of which went double-platinum, and are playing sold-out arenas across the Great Satan --- tickets available at ticketmaster.com. Also, we didn't know that there was already a band called the Proclaimers, so sorry about that. Does anyone know if Information Ministry is taken?
Sources close to the band report that negotiations are underway to sign Scott Ritter on as drummer, and that Robert Fisk and Peter Arnett are frantically trying to learn the bass."
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This new blog by Lugosi, a GeekPhilosopher favorite, includes the poll, "Who should the U.S. bomb the hell out of next?". Choices include:
- Syria. They're hiding Iraqis.
- Iran. We can always use their oil, too.
- France. What are THEY going to do about it?
- Switzerland. To hell with them always being neutral.
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04/27/03:
Donald Rumsfeld has reiterated that the Iraqi people are free to choose their own system of government, whatever it may be. But when the newly freed people said they wanted a theocracy along the lines of Iran, the Secretary of Defense said "Except that. Religion and government must be kept separate from one another."
Rumsfeld then led other Pentagon planners in prayer and called on "our God to allow us to smite thine enemies."
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Joe Dressner is "The Wine Importer" of French and Portugese wines. His livelihood has been affected by the negative French sentiment.
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03/23/03: Being a French wine importer
is becoming a political statement. There are various grumblings around the country about organizing a boycott of French wines because Chirac does not support the war effort. Strangely, there is no one calling for a boycott of BMWs, Volkswagons or Mercedes. So, given that I'm a French wine importer and given that I write compusively on the internet about wine and God knows what else, I suppose I should say something about the war here.
I'm opposed.
Everyone who works for Louis/Dressner Selections is opposed to the war.
Our French vignerons, many of whom are fairly right-wing, also seem to be opposed to Bush's war (although I think it is ok for pro-war boycottists to buy Franck Peillot's Altesse and Mondeuse).
If someone wants to stop buying Louis/Dressner wines because we don't support the invasion of Iraq then there is little I can say to convince them otherwise.
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Making the world safe for democracy, whiskey, and sexy since the other day.
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04/26/03 The Top 5 Signs Your MP May Be On The Take
5. He's building a new wing onto his house to display ancient Iraqi antiquities.
4. His pet Dobermans are named Uday and Qusay.
3. His face is on the Five of Clubs.
2. France is threatening to veto any sanctions against him.
1. Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf has said, "Be assured there is no evidence against this man. The British tabloid infidels are stupid. God will roast their stomachs in hell for these lies!"
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The Hartford Courant has joined CNN and Time magazine in squashing the personal blogs of their journalists. Why is the news media so
threatened by blogs?
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04/24/03:
Horgan said he then decided to set up
his own Web page, where he has commented on everything from baseball to the Iraqi information minister to same-sex unions. "It kept me happy and gave me a chance to keep doing things that I wanted to do," Horgan told E&P Online. "I do it on my own time, from my own house. I'm not competing with the Courant. I'm not looking for advertisers. In fact, it costs me money to do this."
But Toolan sees it differently. "Denis Horgan's entire professional profile is a result of his attachment to the Hartford Courant, yet he has unilaterally created for himself a parallel journalistic universe where he'll do commentary on the institutions that the paper has to cover without any editing oversight by the Courant," Toolan said. "That makes the paper vulnerable."
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04/26/03 The Webby Awards, the Internet community's biggest
annual event, has become a non-event this year.
The poor economy and fears about traveling were blamed for the cancellation of the seventh annual ceremony, which was scheduled for June 5 in San Francisco. Instead, the winners will be announced on the Internet.
"With our nominees now reflecting a truly global Web, we're facing new considerations, especially in light of everything that's going on in the world," Maya Draisin, executive director of Webby Awards sponsor The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, said in a release. "Presenting the awards in San Francisco without all of the nominees present is not true to the spirit of the Webbys, so we decided to bring the Webby Awards to them instead."
The cancellation of the event reflects the downsizing Internet industry. The ceremony in 2001 filled San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House to a capacity 3,100. This year's event was scheduled for a tent along San Francisco's waterfront that seats 295.
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Philosopher Picks Highlights
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04/26/03 Once seated, I noticed the
three empty chairs on the make-shift stage at the front.. 'Wow, I'll get to see them soon!' - I thought... My seat was on the top level looking down, about four rows back.. As I stuffed around with the camera to get the best setting in the dark (yet moody) lighting, two burly Aussie lads came and sat next to me.. Thinking how it was a bit of a coincidence to be seated together, we chatted and reminisced about memorable Goodies moments.. Soon enough though, it was made apparent by the accents being heard all around us, that basically the whole room consisted of only Aussies... I had no idea that the series was never repeated on the BBC since it was first aired in the 70s and early 80s.. Strangely, Australia is and has been the only place the series is repeated...
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04/27/03 but here's what i can't make people
but here's what i can't make people understand: it didn't ruin the sixth sense for me one bit that i knew from about 15 minutes in that the guy was dead. for real. i still loved it. thought it was a great, smart, very well-written, very well-acted movie.
so i knew who keyser soze was. big deal. still loved the usual suspects.
got unbreakable. adored it anyway.
that box with the head in it in seven? saw that one coming a mile away. and yet, i absolutely think that is a brilliant movie.
so, let me just be clear: i figure movies out. always.
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