Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Week 4

So all right fellas, we're back. And did you notice something? I beat you last week, Decrepit!

Yeah, I noticed that, since you've mentioned it about every 10 minutes or so.

Just wanted to be sure, Dad. Okay, so let's get down to bidness.

Wisconsin Badgers (+2 1/2) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers. Apparently there's another Minnesota vs. Wisconsin football game. But this one only features guys who play for 4 years. Both quarterbacks are very similar but I think the difference is going to be the ground game. Minnesota 28, Wisconsin 17.

So let me get this straight, youngblood. You think the difference is going to be the running game, but you've picked the team with the inferior running game to win? I'm confused. But not as confused as the Gophers will be at the end. It will be close, but the Axe goes back to Madison. Wisconsin 35, Minnesota 29.

Meeshegan Wolverines (+2) vs. Sparty the Spartan. Well, nothing like picking a good rivalry game. I have to say that Michigan looks pretty impressive to date and I don't see a lot of good things happening in East Lansing for the home club. Meeshegan 31, Sparty 23.

Here's the deal on this one, grasshopper. The Spartans are in a tailspin. If they lose this one, their season is pretty much over. The Wolverines are much improved, but it's always dangerous to play a desperate team on the road. Sparty 34, Meeshegan 27.

Lake Forest College Foresters (NL) vs. Beloved Beloit College Buccaneers. We're going to Beloit this weekend for Mrs. D's college reunion and we'll see some of this game while we're there. I don't know a lot about either team, so unfortunately for all you Beloit College fans, I'm going to have to pick against them. Lake Forest 21, Beloit 7.

You think I'm going to pick against my alma mater, young fella? No. Way. Jose. Let's give the Bucs a little love and remember that they beat LF last year. And they'll do it again in front of the soggy home crowd. Beloit 34, Lake Forest 19.

Detroit Lions (+10) vs. Bear Down Chicago da Bearz. Well Gino and Rich, I'm siding with you on on this one. Detroit is Detroit and Matt Forte, Jay Cutler and Devin Hester are all going to have some fun in the Windy City. Bear Down Chicago da Bearz 40, Motor City Kitties 0.

I don't think the Lions are that bad. But they won't win on Sunday. Da Bearz are actually looking like a pretty good team, as much as it pains me to say it. Da Bearz 31, Lions 20.

Baltimore Ravens (+2) vs. New England Patriots. Mr. Brady is back and the jury is still out on him, at least for me. I know a little bit about anatomy and coming back from significant knee damage is very painful. Especially when Ray Lewis is draped all over you. Unfortunately, it's going to be tough for the Ravens playing a desperate team at home -- that's my Dad's theory so I'm stealing it. New England 31, Baltimore 17.

Well, it's about time you pay attention to one of my theories, whippersnapper. And as it turns out, I agree with your analysis. New England 24, Baltimore 10.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (+3 1/2) vs. Minnesota Vikings. Well, where do we begin? #4 is going to be playing his old team in his new home, where he's struggled for most of his storied career. The Packers come into this game looking for some blocking, but facing the Williams Wall and Jared Allen, whose very face would make an excellent Halloween mask, but the dark side will prevail! That's right, I'm calling it! Packers 40, Norsemen 39.

I'd love for you to be right, Seabiscuit, but it's awfully hard to score points when your quarterback is lying on his back with a dude with a mullet on top of him. And I'm afraid that's what we're going to see. Oh, it pains me to make this pick, but here it is: Vikings 24, Packers 13.

Do you fellows remember when I said Tim Tebow was the man? Well, he got a concussion, which made me think about some curses in sports. You've heard of the SI Jinx, the Madden cover curse and maybe even the Campbell's Chunky Soup curse. Now there's the Benster and D curse. So maybe I should talk up #4, He Who Must Not Be Named, Benedict Arnold, and any other name for a traitor you could think of. There's your wisdom from Benster. Do with it what you will!

Guilty Pleasures Part Fifty-Five -- The Beloit Blues

Fearless Maria reminded me that it's been a while since we did a Guilty Pleasures. So she's here to offer her wisdom regarding music. What should we talk about today, Maria?

Dad, we're going to Beloit tomorrow, right?

Yes, it's time for another visit to the old alma mater.

Well why don't we write about Beloit and Wisconsin, obviously! They have music there, don't they?

Actually rather a lot, Maria. Beloit College always hosts a music festival each year called Folk and Blues. They invite a bunch of bands to play. Some you may even have heard of.

That's a nice change. So, what's up first, Mr. D for Dad? I won't say D for Decrepit, because that's Ben's copyright.

And I'm not that decrepit anyway. Let's start out with some blues artists. The first selection tonight is a performance of two guys I saw up close in 1983. It was a rainy night and they had to move the festival indoors.

What, did they do it in the cafeteria, so that if the show wasn't good you could throw bad smelly food at them? Maybe the cooks could cook up some nasty cabbage or something.

I wouldn't have put it past the cooks in those days, Maria. But no, the festival actually took place in the college chapel.

Dad, Ben says that's not religious! Which is saying something, considering how Ben feels about church!

True, but the music was pretty righteous in its own way. Here are two of the most crucial Chicago bluesmen around, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy, performing:

Messin' With the Kid

Dad! Help! Somebody's messing with me!

Not again, Maria. Well, enough messing around. What did you think of that one?

I really like the guitar and the harmonica trick was cool. But you know what wasn't so cool?

No Maria, what would that be?

Have you gone blind, Dad? Those suits! It looked like Junior Wells had more rivets on his suit than the 35W bridge!

Yeah, it's a good thing that was filmed back in 1978, otherwise he'd have had trouble getting through the airport in that getup.

So were there any other famous bluesmen who came through Beloit, Dad?

Yes. One of the giants appeared in 1980. He was one of the key guys in Chicago and wrote a lot of songs that were famous for other people, including Cream, the Doors, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and a lot of other big rock bands. His name is Willie Dixon, and here he is performing a song that was a hit for Johnny Rivers, of all people.

Seventh Son

It's a great song, but what's up with the pink sport coat, Dad? If Willie Dixon wrote all those great songs, don't you think he could afford something that doesn't make him look like a snow cone? We should call him Pinky Dixon!

I don't think that would work so well, Maria.

Okay, but I have a question. Were there any girls who sing blues who came to Beloit?

As a matter of fact, there was the Queen of the Blues, Koko Taylor.

Wait, I thought Aretha Franklin was the Queen of Soul?

Yes, but Koko Taylor was always called the Queen of the Blues. And if you want to know why, check out this performance of yet another Willie Dixon song, from about 1967. Way back.

Wang Dang Doodle

So Dad, what the heck is a "wang dang doodle" anyway? It doesn't have anything to do with these guys, does it?

No, I think we're safe to say that Wang Dang Doodle has nothing to do with Wang Chung. If I'm understanding it correctly, a Wang Dang Doodle is some sort of a party or something. If you listen to the words, Koko is suggesting that we tell all sorts of people about it. The problem is, most of the people seem to have knives.

Maybe she forgot to bring knives and just had forks and spoons!

Okay, we'll go with that explanation.

But Dad, here's the thing. All those people weren't from Beloit, right?

That's true, Maria. They were from other places, mostly Chicago.

Aren't there any bands from around Beloit that sold any records?

As a matter of fact, I can think of two. The first are these folks, who were based in Madison and had a big run of success in the 1990s. In honor of the dismal weather forecast for this weekend, let's break out the Garbage:

I'm Only Happy When It Rains

P. U.! Did you wash your socks, Dad?

I always wash my socks, Maria.

I'm just kidding, Dad. Did you see that singer, Shirley Manson? She had on about a pound of eye shadow and she was almost like Sleeping Beauty, with a dress that goes from pink to blue! And her friends in the band seem to like to make a lot of garbage, so is that why they call themselves Garbage?

I hadn't thought of that, Maria. Good theory, though, and I'll go with it!

So is that the only band from around Beloit, Dad?

No, there's one other band from nearby Rockford, Illinois, which is 20 miles away from Beloit. The funny thing is, they got famous when they went to Japan.

Why Japan? Why not Beloit? Or Turkey? Or Chile? Or Hungary? This is making me hungry!

I don't know, Maria. All I know is that Cheap Trick went to a place in Japan called Budokan, recorded a live album and became huge stars. And this song was the big hit:

Surrender

Wow, can you believe that lead singer still says Mommy and Daddy? And what's the deal with the guy playing guitar? Did he have a bad incident at the clothing store?

He dressed that way on purpose, Maria.

I can't think of any purpose for dressing that way, Dad!

Well, I'm not prepared to argue the point. But anyway, it's time to vote. Pick your favorite song in the comments. Anything else you want to add, Maria?

WE'LL MISS EVERYBODY WHILE WE'RE IN BELOIT! SO PICK YOUR FAVORITE OR PREPARE TO DEAL WITH THE WRATH OF FEARLESS MARIA WHEN I GET BACK! HA!

The Continuing Education of Professor Althouse

Our favorite Madison law professor asks:

But if we with the "Cadillac" health plans have to start paying taxes on our benefits, that's a huge middle class tax increase, and we were promised that wouldn't happen. Rebalancing the pay package doesn't save us from that tax hit — even assuming our employers would reshuffle things. Plus we love our great health benefits, and we were told if we liked them, we'd get to keep them. How is it fair to change the rules on us after we worked so hard to get what we have? The Democrats, including Obama, got elected by saying "middle class" over and over again. They never said they were going to provide for the less fortunate at our expense, and I don't see how they would have gotten elected if they had.

The answer comes at about 1:10 of this clip. Just so you know, the answer is not safe for work.

Video Killed the Self-Important Stars

So do you remember the lame Will Ferrell video from last week? Here's an appropriate response.

res ipsa loquitur 093009

Professor Althouse delivers a smackdown to a philosopher who engages in sloppy thinking, which seems to be contrary to the typical job description of a philosopher.

No, really? ACORN involved in voter fraud?

Another fair question that's related and a lot closer to home.

Rep. Alan Grayson explains it all to you. He's full of ideas, too.

Quickly

It's been busy around here and I haven't had much time to post. Two very quick thoughts in convenient bullet form:

• I love the movie Chinatown as much as anybody, and I certainly understand that having your pregnant wife murdered by the Manson Family would be enough to drive anyone crackers. Still, I don't get why Roman Polanski should get a free pass for what he did in 1978. You can find the details elsewhere but let's put it this way: would you want your 13-year-old daughter to go through what Polanski's victim went through?
• I understand that having the Olympics in Chicago in 2016 would be a Very. Big. Thing. I also understand why the President would want to go to Copenhagen if he thought his presence would seal the deal. Still, it seems to me he has more pressing matters on his agenda. I would hope that the IOC would understand.

Radio Free Dilettante - Instant Autumn Edition

The cold front came through Minnesota with a vengeance yesterday. iTunes responds thus:

Last Five:
Turn-Down Day, The Cyrkle
Willow Weep for Me, Frank Sinatra
Working for the Man, Roy Orbison
Ancient Highway, Van Morrison
Four Horsemen, The Clash

Next Five:
Father Christmas, The Kinks
My Gorilla Is My Butler, Sly and the Family Stone
Vogue, Madonna
What Can I Say, Boz Scaggs
Seven Nation Army, The White Stripes

The Meme Goes On

Night Writer did this one. So did Mitch. My turn.


1. The phone rings. Who will it be? Increasingly, it's a call for Fearless Maria.

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? Yes. It only takes a minute and as a former Targetoid I tend to worry about damage to vehicles in parking lots.

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener? It depends on the crowd. I can go into raconteur mode pretty quickly, but I usually prefer to listen and then fire off a one-liner. Better to pick your spots.

4. Do you take compliments well? **blush**

5. Do you play Sudoku? About once every 6 months or so, just to prove that I still can. I prefer crossword puzzles.

6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive? If I were armed, sure. If not, predators would be drawing lots.

7. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? Day camp once. My son is a Boy Scout, though, so I've more than made up the gap in the last few years.

8. What was your favorite game as a kid? Wiffle ball. We'd play all day long, all summer long. We'd keep track of our home runs. One summer I hit about 500 and still finished 3rd. Tough league among my buds at Alicia Park.

9. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew she was married, would you? Happens all the time -- that's the advantage of being married to a sexy person.

10. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you? Never seemed to work very well back in the day.

11. Do you like to pursue or be pursued? I defer to Satchel Paige, who said "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you."

12. Use three words to describe yourself? I think not.

13. Do any songs make you cry? No, but plenty of them make me cringe. And if you know me at all, you know better than to click any of those links. For the love of God, don't do it.

14. Are you continuing your education? Every day. In every way.

15. Do you know how to shoot a gun? Yes. Not necessarily well, though. Subject for further research.

16. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth? Sure, but not for a long time.

17. How often do you read books? Each day, without fail.

18. Do you think more about the past, present or future? Probably all in equal measure.

19. What is your favorite children’s book? I agree with Night Writer on this one: “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak.

20.What color are your eyes? Grayish blue. Kinda like my hair these days.

21. How tall are you? 5-11, if we're going to be honest about it.

22. Where is your dream house located? If I'm going to dream, I'm going to have more than one. A deluxe condo in either Chicago or New York, a nice estate in England and a home on the North Shore. And not necessarily in that order.

23. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed? If my wife and kids are safe, probably our wedding album. But even that could be replaced if necessary.

24. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden? A few months back -- I got a gift card from the parents of one of the teams I coached. It wasn't very good and the wait staff clearly was more interested in turning tables than serving us. They cleared my wife's plate even though she wasn't done eating, which was pretty lousy. We won't be going back any time soon. If you happen to be in Roseville, try something else.

25. Where was the furthest place you traveled today? Northeast Minneapolis, Roseville, Arden Hills. A whirlwind itinerary, I tells ya.

26. Do you like mustard? Darn right I do, and pretty much any kind you can think of. The more coarse ground it is, the better. Someday I gotta get back to the Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. It is one of many great Wisconsin shrines to gastronomy.

Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Week 3

Well, howdy! It's Week 3 and we're still picking those games.

And I'm still kicking your....

That's about to end right here and right now, Decrepit! It's a new week and I can feel the power. And that means it's time to get to it. Are you ready, Dad?

Yes I am, youngblood. Call it out!

Minnesota Golden Gophers (+1 1/2) vs. Northwestern Wildcats. No, I'm not talking about the Wildcat formation, because you don't build a university on a football formation. Needless to say, the Wildcats will not be running wild on Saturday. Minnesota 38, Cats 10.

Hmm. You have a little more faith in the pesky Gophers than I do, young man. The Wildcats have a quarterback named Kafka, who is the namesake of a man who wrote a famous book in which a man was turned into a giant insect. With all the weird stuff the Wildcats run, it could be a Kafkaesque afternoon for our locals. Northwestern 31, Gophers 27.

Michigan State Spartans (+3) vs. Wisconsin Badgers. This is going to be a good game. I do believe in Bucky, however Michigan State looks like they have a good team this year. But since the game is being played at Camp Randall, Bucky comes out on top, but just barely. Bucky Badger 40, Sparty the Spartan 38.

Last I heard, they do play defense in the Big Ten, grasshopper. So I think it will be a little more low-scoring than you do. But even though I'm tempted to pick the Spartans, whose season is in danger of circling the drain following two tough losses, the fact that the game is in Madison will make the difference. Wisconsin 28, Michigan State 19.

Iowa Hawkeyes (+9 1/2) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions. You've gotta like JoePa. After falling asleep while I was watching the Iowa game last week, I gotta say that Iowa is not a front-runner in the Big Ten this year. Penn State is my favorite to win the league this year. Penn State 28, Iowa 17.

Fearless Maria thinks that JoePa looks like the guy from the movie Up. You did fall asleep last week because you weren't feeling well, Benster. Then again, Iowa has that effect on a lot of people, so don't worry about it. The Hawkeyes ruined Penn State's season last year and they haven't forgotten in Happy Valley. I think it will be close but look for JoePa and his friends to prevail. If he doesn't, look for JoePa to attach about 10,000 hot air balloons to his house and drift off to South America. Penn State 24, Iowa 21.

San Francisco 49ers (+7) vs. Minnesota Vikings. So Fav-ray's next opponent is like the Sahara Desert. There's very few oases of talent on the Niners. I used to have Frank Gore on my fantasy team and he's still good, but there's little else to get excited about on the offensive side of the ball. Look for the Berlin Wall to stop them and it will not collapse like the real one. Vikings 30, Niners 7.

Well, the 49ers do come into the game 2-0. Of course, I believe they played Wofford College in one of their games, so I'm not sure how much stock to put in their performance. I suspect that the Vikings will play pretty well and that the game will follow a similar pattern to what we've seen this year, with the Purple wearing down the opposition in the second half. Purple 27, Niners 16.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-6 1/2) vs. St. Louis Rams. I will forever have some anger directed toward Marc Bulger, because in 2007 he was my fantasy league quarterback and he imploded and then I had to go with Gus Frerotte, who threw 5 picks in one game. It's enough to scar a kid for life! Even though there are injury problems for the Packers, they still have enough guns to beat the Rams. Pack 24, Rams 17.

I was somewhat surprised to find out that the Rams are still in the league. They might be the worst team in the NFL, which is a good thing because even marginally competent NFL teams tend to put Aaron Rodgers on his back these days. The Pack should win, but it's going to be an ugly game, I think. Packers 23, Rams 9.

Bear Down Chicago da Bearz (-2) vs. Seattle Seabags. First of all, please know that we're only picking this game for Gino's sake. The Walrus is gone from Seattle, most likely to an ice floe someplace in the Aleutian chain. Seattle is a mess and there is nothing anyone can do to say that Seattle is going to win the NFC West. I'm going to swallow my pride on this one. Bear Down Chicago da Bearz 20, Seabags 14.

Let's give the ursine wretches of McFetridge Drive some credit -- beating Pittsburgh was a pretty good trick. And I tend to agree with the young fella that Seattle won't pose much of a threat this week. Da Bearz 24, Seattle 16.

Remember the words of Tim Tebow: you'll never see a blogger pick games any harder than I will the rest of the year. Got that, Decrepit? Actually, that's the wrong speech, but you still da man, Tim Tebow!

I have no idea what that means, Ben. But rock on with your bad self.

A gentle reminder - now with images!

UPDATE: Instapundit has more. And an apt summation, to wit:

No arrests like these at the Tea Parties, either. Until we see scenes like this, I don’t want to hear yammering about the violence inherent in the Tea Party movement.

Just so.

******

Next time you hear something about the bad behavior and nastiness of those horrible tea-baggers (or whatever the term of derision is this week), remember: they aren't in Pittsburgh right now:

Protesters split into smaller groups. Some rolled large metal trash bins toward police, and a man in a black hooded sweat shirt threw rocks at a police car, breaking the front windshield. Protesters broke windows in a few businesses, including a bank branch and a Boston Market restaurant.

The video is here. Charming people.

LBD

Warning: If you are expecting a post about politics, Guilty Pleasures, football picks or the latest headlines please skip this post and come back and visit Mr. Dilettante's Neighborhood tomorrow.



Next week at this time, we will be packing our suitcases for a trip to Beloit, WI. We will be attending my reunion. Mr. D and I met many years ago at Beloit College. Since we both graduated from the college, we return every couple of years for reunions. We both love going back to Beloit.

This year we will be attending a cluster reunion which means that my class and the two classes behind me will all be attending the same 20th reunion cluster events even though for some people it will actually be their 21st reunion, others their 20th reunion and still others their 19th reunion. Interestingly enough, this year I also attended my 25th high school reunion. Because Beloit does the cluster reunions, every few years I have both a milestone high school and college reunion in the same calendar year.

Five years ago, I attended my high school reunion. I felt like I was back in high school, consulting with my two good friends about what we would wear to the event. The three of us all arrived in dress pants and it seemed like 99 percent of the other women wore their little black dresses (LBD), heels and diamond jewelry. Oops. About a month later, we attended a Beloit reunion. I did little if any consulting with my Beloit friends about what to wear. Many people spent the afternoon in jeans at the football game and went immediately went to the dinner still dressed in their jeans. I went back to the hotel, put on a LBD that I had purchased the week before the reunion and then went to the dinner. Oops.

Okay, I learned my lesson. Last month I appeared at my high school reunion in a LBD and fit in with all of the other women.

I'm not sure what to wear to the big dinner at the Beloit reunion. Truth is, I love to dress up. Casual is hard for women. For men, casual usually means simply a pair of khaki pants and a polo shirt. Casual is not well defined for women. Ultimately, I will probably end up packing several outfits and end up choosing something on Saturday afternoon.

Maybe I will split the difference and wear a LBD with Reeboks.

Real Wannabe Tinpot Dictators of Genius

Lately it hasn't been going very well for Manuel Zelaya, the deposed leader of Honduras. The good news is that Zelaya has analyzed the matter and has a theory about what is happening that he shared with the Miami Herald:

It's been 89 days since Manuel Zelaya was booted from power. He's sleeping on chairs, and he claims his throat is sore from toxic gases and "Israeli mercenaries'' are torturing him with high-frequency radiation.

"We are being threatened with death,'' he said in an interview with The Miami Herald, adding that mercenaries were likely to storm the embassy where he has been holed up since Monday and assassinate him.

"I prefer to march on my feet than to live on my knees before a military dictatorship,'' Zelaya said in a series of back-to-back interviews.

Israeli mercenaries? Probably Joooooos! Dammit, they'll getcha every time! I consulted my Spanish dictionary and found out that Zelaya is the Spanish word for meshuga.

Just a reminder: this is the man that President Obama wants to lead Honduras.

Comedy Gold, ACORN Edition

Great move, guys:

Community activist group ACORN is suing the makers of a hidden-camera video that showed employees of its Baltimore office giving tax advice to a man posing as a pimp and a woman posing as a prostitute.

Tax advice? Well, what kind of tax advice was that?

Two employees at the Baltimore, Maryland, branch of the liberal community organizing group ACORN were caught on tape allegedly offering advice to a pair posing as a pimp and prostitute on setting up a prostitution ring and evading the IRS.

Okay, let's be charitable and call it exceptionally ill-considered tax advice. But what would the cause of action be for ACORN? From the news report:

The liberal group contends that the audio portion of the video was obtained illegally because Maryland requires two-party consent to create sound recordings.

Which is, of course, an utterly ridiculous law. If the law were enforced at all times, it would be impossible for any company to have any audio/video surveillance tapes (excuse me, Mr. Liquor Store Armed Robber, may I have your consent to film you leaping over this counter and sticking a gun in my mouth?) or for news agencies to film any news event without getting prior consent (excuse me, crowd of protestors, may I interrupt what you're doing and have you all sign a waiver and release? Please line up over here to the right.)

But here's the fun part: if the suit were to go forward at all, the defense would have the opportunity to pursue discovery. And lo, can you imagine the interrogatories?

Please, please, please go forward with this suit, ACORN. We'd have to pop enough popcorn to keep Con Agra Foods subsidiary Orville Redenbacher in business forevah.

But What's Puzzling You Is the Nature of My Game

This is strange:

For the first time in nine years, the United States allowed Burma's foreign minister to come to Washington, a sign of softening U.S. policy toward the military junta that has run that Asian nation for nearly five decades.

Maj. Gen. Nyan Win quietly arrived in Washington on Friday night and left the next day after meetings with members of Burma's embassy, a U.S.-Asian business council and Sen. James Webb, the Virginia Democrat who has advocated closer ties to the junta, according to Kyaw Win, a spokesman for the embassy. The foreign minister also took in some sightseeing, visiting the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. A State Department spokesman said Nyan Win did not meet with any U.S. officials.

I guess I would have assumed that a United States Senator is a "U.S. official," but never mind that. Let's remember why Burma has been under sanctions all these years. Michael Goldfarb of the Weekly Standard explains:

All senior members of Burma's military junta are banned from visiting Washington except for very specific international meetings. Nayan Win would certainly fall into the category of a senior official. The visa ban went into effect under President Clinton, who implemented the restrictions in October 1996 against the so-called Law and Order Restoration Council -- an Orwellian term the junta decided to drop in favor of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) in 1997.

On October 1, 2007, President Bush announced that because of ongoing repression he was adding more than three dozen military officials, political leaders of the Union Solidarity Development Association (the junta's paramilitary thugs), and their families to the visa-ban list.

What is the reason for these sanctions, you might ask?

Granting a waiver for Nyan Win to visit Washington is a diplomatic coup for a regime that is continuing, as this is being written, a military offensive against ethnic groups that has already resulted in more than one million internally displaced refugees and tens of thousands more pouring over the border into China, Thailand, India and Bangladesh; more than 3,200 villages burned, and most heinous -- the use of rape as an instrument of war against women. The regime is actively engaged in war crimes. This is in addition to the oppression of Burma's democratic freedom fighters and the everyday killings and murders that are standard regime fare. If a Burmese official of comparable rank has visited Washington in the last 20 years, no one I talked to can remember it.

Clearly, Nyan Win is a guy that has blood on his hands. He is a Major General in the Burmese Army. He has participated in meetings where junta plans were discussed and approved -- including those dealing with suppression of democratic rights and the plotting of violence against ethnic groups the regime considers hostile. He designed the diplomatic blueprint for convincing the international community to swallow the regime's campaign of terror. He is Burma's von Ribbentrop.

Honestly, I don't get it. What do we gain from this? Somebody help me out on this one.

Hollywood Plutocrats, Standing Up for You!

Okay, here's the most risible thing I've seen in a long time. Behold as Will Ferrell, who gets paid $20,000,000 a picture, and a host of other Hollywood luminaries mount a mock defense of insurance company executives, who apparently are overpaid or something.

I can't claim credit for this thought as someone else said it first, but it's spot-on. It's just too bad that Natasha Richardson couldn't participate in this righteous project.

Radio Free Dilettante – 092209

The iTunes goes old school, mostly:

Last Five:
Walking into Clarksdale, Page and Plant
Blue Rondo a la Turk, Dave Brubeck
End of the Line, Traveling Wilburys
Just a Thought, Gnarls Barkley
Bloomdido, Dizzy Gillespie

Next Five:
Is That All There Is, Peggy Lee
Big Fat Butterfly, Saunders King and his Blues Band
Telstar, the Ventures
Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Major Lance
Aja, Steely Dan

18 Years Ago Today

Hours fly,
Flowers die.
New days,
New ways,
Pass by.
Love stays.

- Henry Van Dyke

Happy anniversary Mr. D!!

Now Starting At Offensive Tackle for the Green Bay Packers

This will not end well.

Guilty Pleasures Part Fifty-Four -- Nothing Compares to Pumping the Gun in the Vogue Shack Down Now

Hey people, Fearless Maria is back in town. So don't you mess around. And plus, we've got Mr. D!

Good day, everyone. So Maria, what are we looking at today?

Well, you should know, you helped pick the songs out!

True; we just had to set up the narrative a little bit. We've turned the Wayback Machine to the year 1990. And we've found a number of selections for you today.

You betcha! So if you want a sneak peek at the songs, you might be able to figure it out from the title. So where should we begin, Dad?

How about with one of the enduring video images of 1990, the giant face of Sinead O'Connor, singing and emoting with abandon as she updates an old Prince song in a very different way:

Nothing Compares 2 U

Hey, Dad! Was she one of the "Addicted to Love" ladies? She has that black short hair and the white face!

I don't think so. She seems to have a few emotions, including crying at the end. In fact, I'd guess that she would have nothing to do with the "Addicted to Love" people. Especially Robert Palmer.

Oww!!!

What's wrong, Maria?

I'm trying to strike a pose but it hurts because my arm is tangled around my neck and my other arm got caught in my sock so I'm hopping around on one foot!

That's not quite how Madonna planned it, is it?

No, Dad. This is what it look like:

Vogue

Wow, it looks like they just came out of Vintage Clothes R Us! They are striking a lot of poses, too. I wonder where they shot the video. It looks sort of like a haunted house.

I'm not sure about where they are. What Madonna is doing is combining what was then a current dance music style and some of the images of the late 1940s and 1950s. She was actually very interesting that way.

Well, at least they weren't doing the Strand!

Well, if Madonna stays on the same timetable, she should be getting to the Strand sometime next year, I think.

I hope not, Dad. Anyway, let's take a vacation! Dad, could you load up your Chrysler?

I don't have a Chrysler, Maria.

Aww, but we have to go with the B-52s to the:

Love Shack

Hey, Ben! Guess what? We just found that the B-52s "Love Shack" is at Tomahawk Scout Camp! And I didn't know they had goats and Chryslers as big a whale there! How come you didn't tell us?

I think it's supposed to be a secret, Maria. Just like the Knights of Columbus handshake.

Oh.

Guess we have to move on, then, don't we?

Yes. It seems like a lot of people were dancing in 1990, Dad. Like these Technotronic people:

Pump Up the Jam

Hey Dad! You what would make my day. Make my day. Make my day?

I'm almost afraid to ask, but what would make your day, Maria?

If Technotronic would take speech class or something. I had to go to speech class and I'm a lot easier to understand than those ding dongs. "Pump oop the Jeee-aamm?" What's that all about?

Commerce, Maria. Commerce.

Oh yeah, I just thought of something else, too. They should do one of those mash up things with them and Prince. Get it? Raspberry Jam!

That would probably be easier to take and sets up a really good corporate partnership possibility with Smuckers. Good thinking, Maria!

Help! Run for your life!

Why, Maria?

Because Aerosmith just told me that:

Janie's Got a Gun

So why did Janie get the gun, Dad?

Because it's hard to buy a rocket launcher, Maria.

Couldn't she have used one of these, instead?

Seems like a better idea to me, Maria. But it's time to move on, doncha think?

Yep. Hey check out what's inside the t.v.! It's a World Party!

Way Down Now

Dad, you realize they're dumping garbage on these people. If they were any further down now, they'd be in China!

It doesn't seem like a good place to play music to me either, Maria.

But didn't you say that sometimes it feels like people are dumping garbage on you, Dad?

I must have had a bad day at work when I said that.

Well, fortunately for everyone here, we threw this trash out before we started the contest. So it's time to vote, people! Pick your favorite in the comments section. But stay away from rocket launchers on the strand, or you'll be addicted to not having your vote count, baby.

Good advice, Maria. Always good advice.

The Original Neocon

That would be Irving Kristol, who died today at the age of 89. The link from the Associated Press provides plenty of good biographical information on Mr. Kristol. Over at Commentary magazine, editor John Podhoretz explains why Kristol matters so much:

The intellectual and political life of the United States over the past 60 years was affected in so many important and enduring ways by Irving Kristol that it is difficult to capture in words the extent of his powerful and positive influence. Irving, who died today at the age of 89, was the rarest of creatures—a thoroughgoing intellectual who was also a man of action. He was a maker of things, a builder of institutions, a harvester and disseminator and progenitor of ideas and the means whereby those ideas were made flesh.

High praise indeed. And utterly true. Podhoretz:

The number of institutions with which he was affiliated, or started, or helped grow into major centers of learning and thinking is hard to count. There is this institution, COMMENTARY, where he began working after his release from the Army following the conclusion of the Second World War. There were two other magazines in the 1950s, The Reporter and Encounter, which he helped found and whose influence on civil discourse was profound and enduring, even legendary. There was The Public Interest, the quarterly he co-founded in 1965 with Daniel Bell and then ran with Nathan Glazer for more than 30 years, which was the wellspring of neoconservative thinking on domestic policy issues. He helped bring a sleepy Washington think tank called the American Enterprise Institute into the forefront. And he made Basic Books into a publishing powerhouse that was, for more than 20 years, at the red-hot center of every major debate in American life.

It was through his encouragement and lobbying efforts that several foundations began providing the kind of support to thinkers and academics on the Right that other foundations and most universities afforded thinkers and academics on the Left. Through his columns in the Wall Street Journal, he instructed American businessmen on the relation between what they did and the foundational ideas of capitalism as explicated by Adam Smith and changed many of them from sideline players in the battle over the direction of the American economy into frontline advocates.

Aside from William F. Buckley, Irving Kristol was arguably the most important intellectual figure on the American Right in the 20th Century. Lately the term "neocon" has become something of a slur in certain precincts of American life. Much of the venom comes from the backstory of neoconservatism, which was largely an intellectual movement of American Jews away from the increasingly radical leftism of the 1960s. Kristol, along with individuals such as Norman Podhoretz (John's father), David Horowitz and Ronald Radosh, were the prime movers in this movement. It took no uncertain courage for Kristol and his colleagues to make the move -- he and the others have been objects of derision and scorn on the Left for well over 40 years.

John Podhoretz's piece has a lot more and you should read it. But more importantly, I'd commend that you read some of Kristol's highly influential essays. Commentary has opened its archives and has made 45 of Kristol's available online. They are worth your time.