Weights & Measures

This post has been one in the waiting; but, it is better late than never. Do not worry- it has nothing to do with neither math nor education. I just want to put some thoughts on cyberpaper.

In regards to the weights, I am happy to announce that I am now down to 204 pounds, as of earlier today. This is not bad at all, considering that I tipped the scales at 235 on New Year's Day. My goal is to be at 200 by the end of this year. Right now, it definitely looks reachable. I hate to say it, but I really have no secrets on how I did it.

I am not on one of those advertised diets you hear or read about in any mass media. The only aid I have taken throughout this is a spoonful of Evercleanse. For the first month I had it, I took it according to instructions. Yes, the love handles have disappeared, and most of the spare tire has gone, too. If I was able to do stomach crunches, then the abdomen section would like tighter. However, since I have osteoarthritis in my neck, right shoulder, and right clavicle, I will err on the side of caution and not do them, at least he way we did them in school.

I have tried to practice common sense throughout the weight loss process, which I will share. I am going to post them as they come off of my head. I am not a nutritionist, so you may also want to ask your doctor.

1. I usually drink, at least, one 32-ounce sport bottle of ice cold water. I literally pack the bottle with ice, and then fill it with the water. This helped to catalyze my metabolism.,

2. I limit my trips to fast-food joints like McDonald's, and have a pizza once a week. As far as the pizza goes, a lot of it depends on the toppings. If I order from a chain store like Papa John's, I usually will gun for the grilled chicken. It depends on my mood. If I order from a mom-and-pop shop, I almost always order a white pizza with broccoli. Since I am considered at-risk for hypothyroidism, the less salt I have in my diet, the better.

3. For breakfast, I try to alternate between cereal, oatmeal, and scrambled eggs. You really can't go wrong with any of these. I usually will mix maple syrup with the oatmeal. If I should a slice or two of toast, I will spread peanut butter instead of butter/margerine.,

4. The only time I really snack is getting something out of the vending machine at work. Granted, all of the products are either sweet or salty, but I just pick my battles with it. I do have microwavable popcorn here at home, but I rarely get the craving to munch it down., and

5. For my lunch break at work, I almost always eat something that is either home-cooked or is as simple as the great American staple, PB&J.

For the record, I do have a subscription to Men's Health magazine. If I have a girl over and she wants to read, BE MY GUEST! Every issue tends to have something for everybody. Their magic formula for weight management success is the acronym ABSDIETPOWER. I will have to get back to you later as to what each means, because I honestly do not remember all of them at this time. Besides, I want to get into the "measures".

I just got done watching the Busch Sereis race on ESPN2. I would not be surprised if the ratings are less than expected. Why? For most of the race, it seem like they were waving the caution flag every ten laps. I kid you not- I was dozing off, even tough Jamie Little was one of the pit reporters. Denny Hamlin won the race despite battling the flu. Jersey boy Martin Truex, Jr. finished second.

Sorry for that tangent, but I wanted to get it off while it was still fresh in my mind. The measure I wanted to reveal is that I am in the early stages of trying to find a job closer to home. I do the papers on the overnight, which I deliver in my current hometown. It is also part of the reason as to why I have lost the weight I have mentioned earlier. My full time job is in Pennsylvania, and the commute has been starting to take a toll on me, physically, besides me busting my hump on a daily basis. Yes, you can include the $10.00 a week for tolls, on top of the mileage and fuel. I know my father has suggested that I ask for a transfer; however, it would be more of the same. Yes, I would be a mile or two closer to home, but there are other issues involved, which I will not mention in this domain.

Besides security, I do have some experience in the following: Customer Service, Data Entry, Retail, Accounts Receivable, and stocking shelves at a supermarket. Yes, I do have my resume posted on a job website (won't mention it here), so I will keep both my eyes and ears open. If I could find something in which I could do it from home on my PC, the better. (I know I am not the only one who thinks such.) I have a great work ethic,a nd I am able to work independently. I will say that I do not work well with a micromanageable type. To me, it means that an individual like that has issues of some degree.

I apologize for making this post as long as NJ 101.5 Meteorologist Alan Kasper's weather forecasts, but I had a lot to share. Thank you for reading. Take care, and have a great day!

Bill

Another dirty Democrat fundraiser: William Lerach pleads guilty to conspiracy By Michelle Malkin

Source: http://michellemalkin.com/2007/09/17/another-dirty-democrat-fundraiser-william-lerach-pleads-guilty-to-conpsiracy/

September 17, 2007 11:00 PM

William Lerach.

Does the name ring a bell? He was a deep-pocketed plaintiff lawyer who cozied up to the Clintons and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democrats. And he got his money’s worth. Left-wing magazine Mother Jones recounted more than a decade ago:

Attendees at a private White House dinner on December 15 may have seen Bill Clinton and William Lerach speaking and shaking hands. What they probably didn’t notice was Lerach twisting the president’s arm.

Four days later, the president vetoed the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The bill, which makes it more difficult for shareholders to sue their own companies for securities fraud, enjoyed wide bipartisan support, but Clinton startled his party with a last-minute veto. (In late December, Congress overrode the veto handily.)

Clinton’s veto seems to have been a “good faith” gesture to Lerach, head of the San Diego office of law firm Milberg, Weiss, Bershad, Hynes & Lerach. Milberg Weiss, the acknowledged leader in shareholder class-action litigation, secures annual settlements estimated at $225 million from this type of suit, according to the newsletter Securities Class Action Alert…

…Lerach, wife Star Soltan, and other associates of Milberg Weiss…have poured more than $1 million into Democratic coffers since 1990. According to Forbes, Lerach is among the nations’ top-paid trial attorneys, taking home an estimated $7 million per year. He is also among the most loathed men in Silicon Valley, where vacillating stock prices open the door for shareholders to sue companies if executives make incorrect predictions of corporate success. Milberg Weiss has filed such suits agains the likes of Apple, Silicon Graphics, and Intel (five times in 1994 alone). “The high-tech industry needs someone to demonize,” Lerach once told the San Francisco Examiner. “I’m the Willie Horton of securities law.”

Well, now Lerach may be headed to jail. The Washington Post reports tonight:

William S. Lerach, one of the nation’s best known and wealthiest plaintiff lawyers, is preparing to plead guilty as early as today to a single criminal conspiracy charge that could send him to prison for up to two years, according to sources familiar with the case.

Lerach, 61, resigned from his California law firm last month after intense speculation about his personal exposure in a lengthy federal criminal investigation. At the time, he said he wanted “to focus single-mindedly on putting the matter behind me once and for all.”

During his heyday, Lerach won settlements worth billions of dollars from major companies, including a record $7.3 billion payout from firms that helped Enron disguise its financial problems.

For seven years, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have been probing allegations that Lerach and his former partners at the Milberg Weiss law firm enlisted people to buy shares in big corporations and then paid them to serve as plaintiffs in lawsuits. Government lawyers said that the payments, totaling more than $11 million, were not disclosed to judges or other investors and allowed Lerach and his team to arrive first at the courthouse to seize control of the class-action cases and to collect bigger slices of settlements or court victories.

Lerach is to plead guilty in court papers to be released as early as this week, with a court appearance following over the next several days, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.

I know you won’t be surprised that there is no mention of Lerach’s political affiliation and prime benefactors in the WaPo piece.

Another Lerach beneficiary? Yup, Silky Pony:

[John] Edwards, a former trial lawyer and senator from North Carolina, led all other candidates in contributions from lawyers, with $4.9 million. One of the firms whose employees contributed significantly to his campaign was Lerach Coughlin, one of the most feared class action law firms on Wall Street. The firm, led by William S. Lerach, has filed hundreds of high-profile lawsuits on behalf of investors.

Via Opensecrets.org, here’s Lerach’s 2008 donor record:

Lerach’s 2004 and 2006 donations totaled $93,569…including 3 checks worth $3,100 to Hillary Clinton.

Manilow's Skewed View of Hasselbeck by Josh Grossberg

Source: http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=7930a03e-1707-41fe-a3e2-74bd0b0dc540

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 04:17:19 PM PDT

We're not sure about the smiling, laughing and singing, but Barry Manilow is finding it hard to do The View without you, Rosie O'Donnell.

In a message posted on his Website Monday, the pop icon announced he has scuttled a Tuesday appearance on The View because he did not want to take a seat next to Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

"I wanted to let you know that I will no longer be on The View tomorrow as scheduled. I had made a request that I be interviewed by Joy [Behar], Barbara [Walters] or Whoopi [Goldberg] but not Elisabeth Hasselbeck," he wrote. "Unfortunately, the show was not willing to accommodate this simple request, so I bowed out."

A spokesperson for the chatfest declined to comment on Manilow's exit.

Manilow had appeared on ABC's daytime talker twice in the past year without any such requirements, most recently last November. Of course, that was before his pal Rosie O'Donnell blew up at Hasselbeck over the war in Iraq and exited the show in May.

Said Manilow: "It's really too bad, because I've always been a big supporter of the show, but I cannot compromise my beliefs. The good news is I will be on a whole slew of other shows promoting the new album, so I hope you can catch me on those."

Manilow, 64, has been making the promotional rounds for his latest release, The Greatest Songs of the Seventies, which hits stores on Tuesday and features new acoustic renditions of some his best-known hits, including "Mandy," "Weekend in New England," "Copacabana" and "I Write the Songs," as well as a duet with O'Donnell on Elton John's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart."

An avid Democratic supporter and contributor for years, Manilow has already maxed out his contributions this year, donating $2,300 each to the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, Joseph Biden and John Edwards. (He also wrote a similar check to Republican contrarian Ron Paul.)

He has portrayed his View adieu as a philosophical clash with the conservative Hasselbeck. TMZ quoted Manilow as saying, "I strongly disagree with her views. I think she's dangerous and offensive. I will not be on the same stage as her."

However, a show insider disputed the crooner's characterization, saying it was View producers who "canceled him" when they learned of his objections to Hasselbeck, and not the other way around.

"It's a show with five cohosts, and it's about having different perspectives. I mean, it's called The View," the source told E! Online. "Elisabeth has acted the consummate professional she is. It's very bizarre he would call her 'dangerous.' "

The insider noted that during Manilow's appearances last year, everyone got along just fine. "They sang, they danced, they laughed."

The source speculated that Manilow, who had been booked on The View since July, made his demands out of loyalty to O'Donnell.

"[His request] is kind of like wanting to be booked on [Live with] Regis and Kelly and not having Kelly on. I don't know if he's grandstanding on behalf of Rosie, but the hypocrisy is outrageous," the insider said. "He appeared twice before, and all of a sudden he has a problem with Elisabeth."

Manilow has seen a huge resurgence in popularity in the past year. His The Greatest Songs of the Fifties debuted at number one on the Billboard charts in January 2006, his first number one in 29 years, and has sold more than 3 million copies. Last October, his Greatest Songs of the Sixties, debuted at number two.

To the chagrin of Stephen Colbert, Manilow also earned an Emmy last year for his PBS special Manilow: Music and Passion.

Unpatriotic, Un-American Hollywood by Longstreet

Source: http://csadispatch.blogspot.com/2007/08/unpatriotic-un-american-hollywood.html

Back in the days when Americans had a sense of shame, Hollywood, a part of the political left in America, had the common decency to refrain from attacking the US military, and America, while the country was at war. It just wasn’t done! Why? Because people who love their country don’t do that sort of thing. It’s called “patriotism”. For those of you on the left… you can find the definition of patriotism in any dictionary. But, then, if you have to look it up… what does that say about you?

Now comes word that Hollywood is churning out a number of anti-war, anti US military, anti conservative, and anti Bush Administration films… just in time for the ’08 election cycle. Will wonders never cease??? Who would have thought that Hollywood had so little class? The answer: Just about anyone who has seen Hollywood’s products of the past 20 years, or so.


Well, Conservatives are fed-up with Hollywood’s self-appointed expertise in diplomacy, and in politics in general. Their slobbering after the Clinton Administration was the beginning of their fall. Their rabid attacks of the current administration has underscored their vacuous, brainless, emotion-based hate of anything even approaching Conservative. Their hedonism is held up to the light for all to see, and they attack the light because the truth of who, and what, they are, nearly destroys them. They live in a close-knit environment of fellow leftists and they have come to believe that their view is the view of all Americans. How wrong they are! Yet, their limited intelligence shields them from the truth of their foolish image as seen by sane, intelligent, people. They make spectacles of themselves revolting to Americans who believe in their God, their families, and their country.

So, what motivates them? Fear motivates them. Fear that their Godless existence will tarnish their carefully molded personas and mark them with the “Mark of the Beast”.

No single community in America has done more to destroy this nation than Hollywood. None. Their efforts have lowered the morals of America’s youth to the lowest common denominator… and then lowered it some more.

No longer does the public believe they create movies for the sake of the art of entertainment. Now we know they create movies as propaganda, as “How To” instruction for all sorts of crime and debauchery.

Their utter disregard for morality is disgusting. When we think they have sunk as low as it is possible for one to sink, they sink even lower.

And now… they want to dictate, to average Americans, how their government should conduct the people’s business. They call into question the veracity of a President, and a government, duly elected by the people of the US, and undermine the war efforts of this country by propping up dictators and publicly slandering the US while visiting other countries abroad. They slander their own country while bowing at the feet of some of the world’s worst dictators.

While many of the top tier actors, and actresses, haven’t even a high school diploma, they know they are smarter than you and I because they can ACT AS IF THEY ARE. They have come to believe their own press releases!

Their disgusting, degrading, products have polluted the minds of our youth long enough. But they are not finished. Oh, no!

Now they are going after their own country, with renewed vigor, in a reinvigorated effort to exchange our democratic government for a socialist regime. The vast propaganda machine of the left is churning out the anti-American propaganda, which is coming to a screen near you very soon. Watch for it! And avoid it like the plague!

Longstreet

Diary: Benoit grieved fellow wrestler

Diary: Benoit grieved fellow wrestler


By ERRIN HAINES, Associated Press Writer
Fri Sep 14, 3:08 PM ET

ATLANTA - Journal entries written by wrestler Chris Benoit show he was wracked with grief and preoccupied with death after his best friend died in 2005, according to a lawyer representing Benoit's father.

Benoit, who killed his wife and 7-year-old son and committed suicide in June, wrote the diary as a series of letters to the friend, fellow wrestler Eddie Guerrero, according to lawyer Cary Ichter, who represents the wrestler's father in estate litigation.

Benoit's father, Michael Benoit, referred to the diary earlier this month, saying it was "written by someone who was extremely disturbed at the time." The father has said murder-suicide was out of character for his son and supported medical tests that recently showed Chris Benoit suffered brain damage that could have caused depression and irrational behavior.

Authorities say anabolic steroids were found in the home and Chris Benoit had a high amount of synthetic testosterone in his body when he died, leading to some speculation that steroid-induced rage sparked the killings.

Ichter, who said he knew Benoit for years, described what he said were Benoit's writings but he did not make copies of the journal available for review.

Ichter noted that at one point Benoit wrote to his friend, "I will be with you soon," an apparent nod to his own mortality.

"It showed that he was very depressed," Ichter said of the entries.

Benoit also wrote warmly about his son, Daniel, and his wife, Nancy, who had given him the journal as a way to cope with Guerrero's death, the lawyer said.

Prosecutors have said Benoit, 40, strangled his wife with a cord, used a choke hold to strangle his son placed Bibles next to the bodies and hanged himself on exercise equipment the weekend of June 22.

Ichter said a neighbor of the Benoits found the journal in the trash after the police and family had left the Benoits' house, and the neighbor gave it to Michael Benoit. He is permanent administrator to Chris Benoit's estate, and Ichter said the journal could become evidence in the estate litigation.

Authorities have said it could be months before the court determines the heirs, since neither Chris nor Nancy Benoit had a will. Whether Nancy Benoit died before Daniel will determine whether control of millions of dollars goes to Chris Benoit's two children from a previous marriage or to relatives on Nancy Benoit's side.

Wall Street Journal: Our New National Divide: America's soldiers are committed to the war. But they're not going to lie about its progress

Source: http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110010592

BY OWEN WEST

Wednesday, September 12, 2007 12:01 a.m.


Last month I was running the Central Park loop when a runner wearing a U.S. Marine Corps shirt approached. I alerted the two boys in the jog stroller and my eldest, who met this world with a father in Iraq, shouted, "Semper fi!"

The man saw the emblem on my visor and said, "You hear about Doug Zembiec?" If most Americans have six degrees of separation, Marines have no more than two. I nodded and stopped my watch. But all he managed to say was, "That one hurt." Then he plunged down the hill toward 72nd Street, cutting his own path against the flow.

I tried to make sense of it. Not the encounter but the sheer madness of the surroundings. Runners were chattering about school applications and subprime predictions. Yet most of them told pollsters that Iraq was the single largest anxiety in their lives. Like the majority of the nation, they were exhausted by a war in which they had no role. And they wanted out.

It was 65 degrees in August in Manhattan, about 65 degrees cooler than the temperature in Doug Zembiec's helmet as he approached a Baghdad target house in 90 pounds of equipment. He and his team wanted to be remembered for how they lived and how they helped others live. Inside was a group that cared only how it died.

A Marine company commander during the battle for Fallujah in 2004, Maj. Douglas A. Zembiec was famously profiled by the Los Angeles Times's Tony Perry as an "unapologetic warrior" who was ferocious while fighting al Qaeda in Iraq from house-to-house. "One of the most noble things you can do is kill the enemy," he said, expressing what many soldiers feel but lack the courage to trumpet for fear of being castigated outside the combat zone, as was Marine Gen. James Mattis when he expressed a similar sentiment.

Here in the United States, the vast moral chasm that so clearly separates the combatants in Iraq is too rarely discussed. Disillusion with the entire effort has obscured and in some cases mutated the truth that small numbers of evil men tilt entire populations. Many Americans, including prominent senators, cringe when they hear about warriors like Zembiec going door-to-door, notwithstanding the fact that most Iraqis in the neighborhood greet them as deus ex machina.

Nearly six years into the war on terror--which is being fought by less than 30% of the military and less than one-half of 1% of the nation--and the stark irony of America in modern war has emerged. Our professional warriors who take the most risk believe the nation must commit to a long-term fight that includes Iraq in some form. Overall support for the endeavor wanes with distance.

This divergence isn't new. Those who have battled the enemy up close have always been more heavily invested in the cause. What's different is that in past wars, the nation was tied to its soldiers and had a familial barometer. Today most Americans have never met a Gold Star family, let alone shaken the hand of a fallen soldier. The military community is increasingly insulated even as the burden of global war swells. Within it there are those who drift in and out of the fight according to orders. But there is also a group that is distinctive--those who join the military to hunt the enemy for a living, and for the rest of us. Doug Zembiec was such a man.

When he first returned from Iraq, Zembiec relinquished command to his friend Maj. Ray Mendoza. Though they came from different backgrounds, like all of our warrior elite they shared an overwhelming martial calling. Doug was an all-American wrestler at Navy. Ray was the top heavyweight wrestler at Ohio State and an Olympic alternate. Their Marines used to joke that if the pair ever fought it would be like the movie "Clash of the Titans."

A year later, on Nov. 14, 2005, Mendoza was leading his company in an attack near the Syrian border when he was struck down. He was the only man killed in his company. I received an email from a lieutenant in his battalion that read, "It was leadership from the front but it's crushing."

Zembiec, who had returned to Iraq for another tour of duty, wrote to Mendoza's two young children. The note was upbeat, blunt and unapologetic. "Your father reminds us there are men willing to fight for people that they don't even know," he wrote. "Even now, as I write this letter in Iraq, I will honor him on the field of battle by slaying as many of our enemies as possible, and fight until our mission is accomplished."

Men who carry rifles for a living do not seek reward outside the guild. The most cherished gift an infantryman receives is a nod from his peers. When Zembiec, "The Lion of Fallujah," fell this May 11 while commanding a raid on insurgent forces in Baghdad, the loss was symbolic of all those men whom the rest of us aspired to be in combat: fearless guardians of our fellow soldiers and our nation. It's not surprising then that more than 1,000 mourners--generals and enlisted men alike--attended Doug's memorial service in Annapolis, Md. And when Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke of his courage at the Marine Corps Association annual dinner in Arlington, Va., he fought back tears.

It has become commonplace to assert that the nation's most precious resource is our children. God knows the debt the nation owes the three little ones Doug and Ray left behind, and the hundreds of other shattered families. But during wartime our greatest asset may be our guardians. We should take solace that while we are off to a terrible start in the long war, having allowed the Iraqi battlefield to embitter and weaken the country, our nation produced men like Mendoza and Zembiec. And right now somewhere some other American walks their tracks.

The public recognizes this blessing. In July's Gallup Poll on America's most trusted institutions, the military ranked highest with a 69% confidence rating. Congress ranked last (below HMOs), with a 14% confidence rating.

So it was surprising to see that, according to an August CNN poll, 68% of Americans said Gen. David Petraeus's congressional testimony on Iraq this week would not sway their personal view one way or the other. Worse, 53% of Americans do not trust him to report what's really going on in Iraq, according to a USA Today/Gallup Poll published Monday.

This wrenching inconsistency indicates a deeper problem than a fickle public or an inherent distrust in hierarchy. The poisonous partisan climate in Washington has seeped beyond the Beltway and is now harming the public's trust in the institution that will continue to sacrifice most in the coming years. Extremists from both political parties have used Iraq as a zero-sum emotional battle for votes instead of putting the battlefield in proper context.

The evidence of this is the blatant absence of common ground. First, the Republicans declared the enemy in Iraq defeated before we started fighting, later employing invective to attack rational critics of the order of battle. Then Democrats declared the war lost just as we employed a new strategy. Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, has been especially careless, declaring defeat last spring, labeling the new strategy and the surge in troops a "failure" before it began, slandering an elite warrior in Marine Gen. Peter Pace, and continuously undercutting Gen. Petraeus--most recently dismissing his forthcoming testimony as "Bush's report."

Monday's MoveOn.org advertisement, which depicted Gen. Petraeus as a traitor, has been dismissed by Sen. Reid as an inconsequential distraction. But according to the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan research group, the ad reflects the growing distrust of a Democratic Party that may be taking cues from its leadership. Last month 76% of Republicans expressed confidence in the military to give an "accurate picture of the war," while only 36% of Democrats did.

This explains the collective skepticism surrounding Gen. Petraeus's comments but does not excuse it. For while the country can thrive as a politically divided nation, its ability to defend itself diminishes alongside faith in the fidelity of the military. The unbalanced portrayal of the conduct of our soldiers has done damage enough. To impugn our warriors' motives as political is thoroughly corrosive and hurts all Americans.

Stepping back from the froth, this week will strengthen the country if our political leaders recognize two things. First they must resist the urge to engage in what traders call "backtrading" and prevent hindsight bias from clouding future decisions. Whether or not the decision to invade Iraq was correct, whether or not our presence created al Qaeda in Iraq or attracted them or emboldened other enemies, we now face the complex task of securing America while living up to some responsibility in Iraq.

Second, they must recognize that a bipartisan course of action must be chosen in the context of a much larger war on terror. If the politicians continue pulling the country apart, this game of chicken will end badly and imperil both Iraq and the U.S. If America were hit tomorrow there would be more finger-pointing than ranks closing. That must change.

Finally, we should remember that Doug Zembiec and Ray Mendoza saw the true face of terror in Fallujah, and it cemented their resolve. Like them, Gen. Petraeus is a guardian whose lifelong calling is service to his country. He knows the enemy. He knows our limitations. And he is telling the truth.

Mr. West, a trader at Goldman Sachs and a director of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, served two tours in Iraq with the Marines.

Wall Street Journal: Trashing Petraeus: MoveOn.org, and the new standards of Democratic debate

Source: http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010587

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 12:01 a.m.

Important as was yesterday's appearance before Congress by General David Petraeus, the events leading up to his testimony may have been more significant. Members of the Democratic leadership and their supporters have now normalized the practice of accusing their opponents of lying. If other members of the Democratic Party don't move quickly to repudiate this turn, the ability of the U.S. political system to function will be impaired in a way no one would wish for.

Well, with one exception. MoveOn.org, the Democratic activist group, bought space in the New York Times yesterday to accuse General Petraeus of "cooking the books for the White House." The ad transmutes the general's name into "General Betray Us."

"Betrayal," as every military officer knows, is a word that through the history of their profession bears the stain of acts that are both dishonorable and unforgivable. That is to say, MoveOn.org didn't stumble upon this word; it was chosen with specific intent, to convey the most serious accusation possible against General Petraeus, that his word is false, that he is a liar and that he is willing to betray his country. The next and obvious word to which this equation with betrayal leads is treason. That it is merely insinuated makes it worse.

MoveOn.org calls itself a "progressive" political group, but it is in fact drawn from the hard left of American politics and a pedigree that sees politics as not so much an ongoing struggle but a final competition. Their Web-based group is new to the political scene, but its politics are not so new. More surprising and troubling are the formerly liberal institutions and politicians who now share this political ethos.


In an editorial on Sunday, the New York Times, after saying that President Bush "isn't looking for the truth, only for ways to confound the public," asserted that "General Petraeus has his own credibility problems." We read this as an elision from George Bush, the oft-accused liar on WMD and all the rest, to David Petraeus, also a liar merely for serving in the chain of command. With this editorial, the Times establishes that the party line is no longer just "Bush lied," but anyone who says anything good about Iraq or our effort there is also lying. As such, the Times enables and ratifies MoveOn.org's rhetoric as common usage for Democrats.

Late last week, for instance, we heard it said of General Petraeus that, "He's made a number of statements over the years that have not proven to be factual." This was from Harry Reid, the Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate.

The Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Lantos, said Thursday that General Petraeus would not be the author of his report; it would be written "by Administration political operatives." He opened yesterday's hearing, moments before General Petraeus was to speak, by saying, "We cannot take anything this Administration says on Iraq at face value."

So far, only two Democrats that we are aware of have repudiated this political turn. Joe Lieberman, already ostracized from the party for dissent, called the MoveOn ad an "act of slander that every member of the Congress--Democrat and Republican--has a solemn responsibility to condemn." And Joe Biden, after the MoveOn ad was read to him on "Meet the Press" Sunday, replied: "I don't buy into that. This is an honorable guy. He's telling the truth."

These are the exceptions. Another of the party's activist groups, Democracy for America, released a statement about the time General Petraeus began to speak: "It is offensive that our commander-in-chief has ordered a four-star general to mislead Congress."

As General Petraeus finished his statement yesterday, Senator Chris Dodd's Presidential campaign spammed an email about "the accuracy" of the report: "The fact that there are questions about General Petraeus's report is not surprising given that it was brought to you by this White House." Thus in Mr. Dodd's view, General Petraeus, returned from the Iraq battlefield, is a complicit ventriloquist's dummy.


Can this really be the new standard of political rhetoric across the Democratic Party? There was a time when the party's institutional elites, such as the Times, would have pulled it back from reducing politics to all or nothing. They would have blown the whistle on such accusations. Now they are leading the charge.

Under these new terms, public policy is no longer subject to debate, discussion and disagreement over competing views and interpretations. Instead, the opposition is reduced to the status of liar. Now the opposition is not merely wrong, but lacks legitimacy and political standing. The goal here is not to debate, but to destroy.

Today General Petraeus testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Its Democratic Members include Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Barack Obama, John Kerry, Barbara Boxer and Jim Webb. This would be the appropriate setting to apologize to General Petraeus for the MoveOn.org ad. Or let it stand.

Engagement: Solomon-Narod

Source: http://www.jewishexponent.com/solomon-narod

SOLOMON-NAROD

August 30, 2007

Caren Solomon of Yardley, and Michael and Judy Solomon of North Wales announce the engagement of their daughter, Julie Rachel Solomon, to Gregg Jeffrey Narod, son of Chuck and June Narod of Langhorne.

Julie is a graduate of Millersville University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. She also holds a master's degree in social services from Bryn Mawr College. Julie is a social worker in the Research Treatment Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

Gregg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in operations management, as well as a Master of Business Administration degree, both of which he earned at Penn State University. He is a senior manager of global planning in Johnson & Johnson's Global Biologies Supply Chain.

Julie is the granddaughter of Mildred Solomon and the late Milton Solomon, and Norman Paul and the late Lorraine Paul. Gregg is the grandson of Edith Mendl and the late Herbert Mendl, and Max Narod and the late Sylvia Narod.

The couple met on JDate, only to discover that they both grew up at the same synagogue, Shir Ami-Bucks County Jewish Congregation in Newtown.

They are planning an October 2008 wedding.

Barry Manilow Shines in First Ever Box Set, "BARRY MANILOW: THE FIRST TELEVISION SPECIALS"

Source: http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=762753

Five of the Legendary Performer's Beloved Television Specials Are Collected for the First Time With a Historic DVD Boxed Set Spotlighting Programs That Aired Originally Between 1977 and 1988

Available November 6, 2007 From Barry Manilow, Rhino Entertainment, and STILETTO New Media

Barry Manilow: The First Television Specials

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - August 21, 2007) - Dubbed "The Showman of Our Generation" by Rolling Stone Magazine, Barry Manilow has sold more than 75 million records since his debut more than 30 years ago. The Brooklyn-born artist was
already a chart-topping singer and songwriter when he launched a series of television specials in 1977. Audiences loved the hour-long variety programs and tuned in by the millions. Rhino, in association with STILETTO New Media, gathers five of those specials for a DVD boxed set containing shows that originally aired between 1977 and 1988. BARRY MANILOW: THE FIRST TELEVISION SPECIALS will be available November 6 at all retail outlets, www.manilow.com and www.rhino.com for a suggested retail price of $39.99.

Following the triple-platinum success of "Barry Manilow: Music And Passion" -- released last year by Rhino -- this boxed set is the very first to spotlight Manilow's beloved television specials. The collection features "The First Barry Manilow Special" (1977), "The Second Barry Manilow Special" (1978), "The Third Barry Manilow Special" (1979), "One Voice" (1980) and "Barry Manilow: Big Fun On Swing Street" (1988).

"We are thrilled that STILETTO New Media is able to bring everyone great moments in television history with the release of Barry's first DVD box set, BARRY MANILOW: THE FIRST TELEVISION SPECIALS," STILETTO New Media Principal Mark C. Grove explained. "Barry's audience has grown through the years, the '70s were a magical time for Barry, and for music in general, and we are delighted that multiple generations of fans can now enjoy some of his best performances on television night after night. Perhaps this release will spark the long overdue return of superb variety programs to television."

The set opens with "The First Barry Manilow Special," winner of an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Music Special" in 1977. More than 37 million people watched as Manilow and his back-up group, Lady Flash, delivered sensational live versions of the classic tracks "It's A Miracle" and "Mandy" along with "A Very Strange Medley" -- an assortment of well-known commercial jingles that Manilow was a part of. Special guest star Penny Marshall and Manilow make the rafters swing with Manilow's "Bandstand Boogie." The show also includes a moving and exciting segment of Manilow's songs of people's lives bookended by "New York City Rhythm," which was filmed on location in The Big Apple. The special ends with Manilow's first produced performance of "I Write The Songs."

The appropriately titled "The Second Barry Manilow Special" was taped at the celebrated Pantages Theater in Hollywood and featured Ray Charles as a special guest. Nominated for four Emmys, the program features memorable debut performances of "Daybreak," "Can't Smile Without You," "Looks Like We Made It," and "Copacabana (At The Copa)" complete with nightclub showgirls.

The late John Denver joined Manilow as a special guest for "The Third Barry Manilow Special," which earned an Emmy for "Outstanding Achievement in Choreography." The show featured Manilow paying tribute to the movie musicals of the 1940's for "I Write The Songs." The hour-long show wrapped with Manilow singing "Even Now" and "Somewhere In The Night" at his trademark white grand piano.

His fourth special in as many years, "One Voice" was also nominated for an Emmy. Featuring Dionne Warwick as special guest, Manilow opens the special with "Who's Been Sleepin' In My Bed" before tap dancing his way through "I Don't Wanna Walk Without You" and the touching "Sunday Father." The show wraps with Manilow leading a youth choir as they sing "One Voice."

BARRY MANILOW: THE FIRST TELEVISION SPECIALS closes with "Barry Manilow: Big Fun On Swing Street," which originally aired in 1988. Manilow envisioned the special as a fantasy trip down a timeless jazz street that could exist any time or any place. Combining the great sounds of big bands, hot jazz and Latin rhythms, the program featured a number of guests including Kid Creole and The Coconuts, jazz greats Carmen McRae and Gerry Mulligan, and singers Diane Schuur and Phyllis Hyman to name a few. The show includes performances of "Dancin' Fool," "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," "Hey Mambo," and the unforgettable "When October Goes."

For additional information regarding BARRY MANILOW: THE FIRST TELEVISION SPECIALS, please contact Christoph Buerger in the Rhino's Media Relations Department at (818) 238-6248 or christoph.buerger@wmg.com or Pamela Golum (for STILETTO New Media) at (323) 965-1990 x325 or pgolum@lippingroup.com.

DISC 1 - THE FIRST BARRY MANILOW SPECIAL (1977)
 1. It's a Miracle
 2. This One's for You
 3. Could It Be Magic?
 4. Mandy
 5. Jump, Shout Boogie Medley
 6. Bandstand Boogie (with Penny Marshall)
 7. A Very Strange Medley
 8. New York City Rhythm
 9. Sandra
10. Early Morning Strangers
11. I Write the Songs

DISC 2 - THE SECOND BARRY MANILOW SPECIAL (1978)
 1. Beautiful Music
 2. Daybreak
 3. I Was A Fool (To Let You Go)
 4. Copacabana (At The Copa)
 5. One Of These Days (Ray Charles)
 6. It's A Miracle (with Ray Charles)
 7. Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again
 8. All The Time
 9. Can't Smile Without You
10. Looks Like We Made It

DISC 3 - THE THIRD BARRY MANILOW SPECIAL (1979)
 1. Ready To Take A Chance Again
 2. Weekend In New England
 3. (Why Don't We Try) A Slow Dance
 4. I Write The Songs
 5. What's On Your Mind (John Denver)
 6. Everly Brothers Medley (with John Denver)
 7. Copacabana (At The Copa)
 8. Even Now
 9. Somewhere In The Night

DISC 4 - ONE VOICE (1980)
 1. You Could Show Me
 2. Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed
 3. Rain
 4. When I Wanted You
 5. I Don't Wanna Walk Without You
 6. We'll Meet Again
 7. After You (Dionne Warwick)
 8. Déjà vu (with Dionne Warwick)
 9. I'll Never Love This Way Again (with Dionne Warwick)
10. Sunday Father
11. Ships
12. One Voice

DISC 5 - BARRY MANILOW:  BIG FUN ON SWING STREET (1988)
 1. Swing Street
 2. Big Fun
 3. Right This Way
 4. Hey Mambo (with Kid Creole and The Coconuts)
 5. Stardust
 6. Not Another Night Of This (Phyllis Hyman)
 7. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (with Diane Schuur)
 8. When October Goes
 9. Black & Blue (with Phyllis Hyman)
10. Paradise Café
11. Evie
12. Blue (with Carmen McRae)
13. Dancin' Fool
14. Stompin' At The Savoy
15. One More Time