Lou Pickney's Online Commentary
Honey Bees
Thursday
November 30, 2006
Did you know that the war on terror has now brought bees into the mix? That's right, bees. According to this AP article, "US military defense scientists have found a way to train the common honey bee to smell explosives used in bombs, a skill they say could help protect American troops abroad." Didn't we learn a lesson with the creation of killer bees that we should leave well enough alone sometimes?
On the topic, I was horrified to read this: "Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich yesterday said the country will be forced to reexamine freedom of speech to meet the threat of terrorism." The attack on the Bill of Rights has been stiff from both major United States political parties, and it disappoints me that Gingrich would suggest this.
I was quite surprised to stumble across the Unabomber's Manifesto via the KPIX-TV website. I had thought that he was an isolated lunatic, but his text is actually written on a highly intelligent level. He is horribly misguided when it comes to believing that violence is justified to fight against the industrialized world, but he has some spot-on brilliant observations about both major political parties, including the best description I've read about the leftist/liberal agenda.
One line about leftists that stands out: "For one thing, their attack is an outlet for hostility, and, to the extent that it is successful, it satisfies the drive for power." The explanation backs it up, and it makes sense. It is a real shame that it came from someone deranged enough to attack innocent people with bombs, as it takes away from a message that, in many ways, is accurate (about the way society has changed relative to how human beings evolved and the conflicts/problems that came as a result.)
The NFL had another Thursday night game on the NFL Network tonight... and, naturally, I wasn't able to see it, as this week we flipped the script with me in Nashville on Monday/Tuesday and Patrick up there on Thursday/Friday. But, if things go as expected, I'll be watching the Browns/Steelers game in HDTV brilliance in Nashville next week. To be sure, it's not a terribly exciting thought to see a pair of struggling teams face off with the smug Bryant Gumbel on play-by-play. But it beats no NFL action, which is what was on the docket here tonight.
One thing I neglected to discuss on here before was how hilarious the Borat movie is. I went to see it on Thanksgiving night with my bro Matt, Richard Karg, and Andy Karg. If you're easily offended, the film is probably not going to be something you'll enjoy, but it is a quirky movie with many, many laugh out loud moments. There's a disgusting naked wrestling scene that I could've done without, but overall the way that Sacha Baron Cohen portrayed the character was the work of genius.
If you like mash-ups, you definitely need to visit DJSwa.com and download his Shapeshifters vs. Black Eyed Peas - Incredible Humps mash-up. Also, I have to put over Grover (who creates weekly rap songs recapping the past week of the Howard Stern show) for making two great mash-ups involving the White Stripes, one with Obie Trice (of D12) and the other with Cassidy. I don't have a link for those (I found them via a thread on the Stern Fan Network) but they are really well-done. I don't have the slightest idea how they can separate the vocals and music to make mash-ups, but some of them turn out as well as the originals that are cut up to make the combination.
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