Archive for July, 2006

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Images from Schloss Linderhof and Schloss Neuschwanstein

Friday, July 14th, 2006

Schloss Linderhof and Schloss Neuschwanstein were both castles of “Mad” King Ludwig II of Bavaria, thus called due to questions concerning his sanity. Both are fairly recent, being constructed in the late 19th century.

The six photos below are from Schloss Linderhof:

Inside a cave that contained an opera house. Ludwig was an admirer of Richard Wagner.

Ludwig’s tea room.

The five images below are from Schloss Neuschwanstein:

Schloss Neuschwanstein was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland.

View from a castle window.

Posted in History, Photography | No Comments »

GOP Debate

Thursday, July 13th, 2006

So I caught the debate between Republican Senate hopefuls Ed Bryant, Van Hilleary, and Bob Corker tonight. I thought all three men did a good job overall. I’ve long been a Hilleary critic, but I must say that his style has improved considerably since his 2002 run for governor. Bob Corker struggled a bit on the question of making his tax returns public (basically he skirted the issue), but Hilleary’s jabs at him had the effect of giving him more time to explain himself, and I think overall he did fairly well. Ed Bryant also did well, as he managed to stick to the issues, but I’m not sure he got his points across as well as he would have liked (although I have a hunch that his stance against renewing the Voting Rights Act will show up in a campaign ad if he wins the nomination).

WBIR did a good job hosting this debate, but I was very surprised that the topic of immigration was not addressed. It was mentioned by a few of the candidates, but no one asked about it. A very strange omission.

UPDATE: Apparently immigration was addressed, and I somehow missed it.

Posted in Tennessee Politics | No Comments »

English Only!

Tuesday, July 11th, 2006

Those who want to deport everyone who can’t speak English might want to start with this woman.

Posted in Immigration, Weirdness | No Comments »

I Concur

Tuesday, July 11th, 2006

Michael Silence:

…isn’t it clear that East Tennessee is the capital of blogging in the state?

Posted in Blogs | No Comments »

Congress Tackles Gambling

Tuesday, July 11th, 2006

Well, it’s good to see that Congress is tackling one of the greatest threats to humanity out there – internet gambling:

Gamblers who prefer their laptops to blackjack tables won’t like what Congress is doing. On Tuesday, the House plans to vote on a bill that would ban credit cards for paying online bets and could padlock gambling Web sites.

The legislation would clarify existing law to spell out that it is illegal to gamble online.

To enforce that ban, the bill would prohibit credit cards and other payment forms, such as electronic transfers, from being used to settle online wagers. It also would give law enforcement officials the authority to work with Internet providers to block access to gambling Web sites.

Gambling is stupid. But so what? Why is it necessary for Congress for interfere in our lives? There was a time when conservatism spoke against such meddling. But no longer, apparently. Now, it seems it’s the government’s job to protect Americans from themselves. So much for rolling back the nanny state.

Via Professor Bainbridge.

Posted in American Politics, Civil Liberties | No Comments »

Mumbai Bombing

Tuesday, July 11th, 2006

You’ve probably heard about the bombing in Mumbai, India already:

A series of seven explosions killed at least 145 people on crowded commuter trains and stations Tuesday evening in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, police said.

Officials said 250 to 300 people were injured in the blasts in the city’s western suburbs as commuters made their way home.

There’s really not much I can add that hasn’t already been said. Clearly, this is a great tragedy and my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. This should serve as a reminder to the world that the war on terror is still being fought all over the world.

Posted in Foreign Affairs | No Comments »

The Importance of Immigrants

Tuesday, July 11th, 2006

Think we don’t need immigrants? Read this.

Posted in Immigration | No Comments »

Images From Salzburg, Austria

Sunday, July 9th, 2006

Salzburg is a fairly large city located in Austria near the German border, about 180 miles west of Vienna. The area has been inhabited for more than 2,000 years. Salzburg is probably most well known as the hometown of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and as the setting of the musical The Sound of Music.

The statue of Mozart in the center of town.

The house where Mozart was born.

The cathedral in Salzburg.

Another shot of the cathedral.

Inside the cathedral.

The fortification around the city.

Salzburg, as viewed from the fortification.

Another shot from the fortification.

Posted in History, Photography | No Comments »

My Thoughts Exactly

Friday, July 7th, 2006

Michelle Malkin takes issue with William F. Buckley’s belief that illegal immigrants currently in the United States should not be uprooted. Instead of offering a reasoned critique, Ms. Malkin feels it necessary to personally attack Mr. Buckley for his “idiocy” and for being an “elite.”

Music City Oracle defends Buckley against Malkin’s attack:

To put it kindly, Malkin calling Buckley an idiot would be a bit like Pee Wee Hermann accusing the Incredible Hulk of being a shrimp. Or, to change the metaphor, Malkin calling Buckley an idiot would be a little like Hugh Hefner calling Jesus of Nazareth a sinner. Or, it would be like Tony Soprano complaining that the Quakers are so violent. Or, Van Hilleary saying that Albert Einstein was stupid.

Then, she dismisses Buckley as an “east coast elite” who should “shut up.”

How classy.

The difference between Buckley and Malkin is this: Buckley, at great personal cost, provided intellectual, national, popular, and organizational heft to conservatism during years when it was widely regarded as dead. Malkin writes a nice blog — sometimes.

Posted in Immigration | No Comments »

The War on Drugs

Thursday, July 6th, 2006

If America is engaged in a declared “war on drugs”… does that mean that prison inmates serving time on drug charges are entitled to Geneva Convention protections?

Posted in Civil Liberties | No Comments »

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