tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34129882011-10-11T17:54:47.709-04:00I rail. I fulminate. I spell words correctly.K. Pablonoreply@blogger.comBlogger901100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-13673580175406065452009-07-23T12:39:00.001-04:002009-07-23T12:39:57.475-04:00

I'm a surgeon, a board-certified otolaryngologist who used to perform tonsillectomies, so naturally I awakened from the hypnotic slumber for a little bit during Obama's press conference last night. The man has just revealed himself as a colossal ignoramus when he was talking about that operation. First of all, most kids with sore throats are seen by pediatricians, not surgeons. The

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-32840692281061192072008-09-05T11:09:00.012-04:002008-09-05T22:43:48.536-04:00

Ever notice one particular political machine nearly always rules the management of the most violent cities in the U.S.? 1. St. Louis, MO: Francis G. Slay (D) 2. Detroit, MI: Kwame Kilpatrick (D) 3. Flint, MI: Don Williamson (D) 4. Compton, CA: Eric Perrodin (D) 5. Camden, NJ: Gwendolyn Faison (D) 6. Birmingham, AL: Larry Langford (D) 7. Cleveland, OH: Frank G.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-81183645387816496462008-08-27T09:22:00.006-04:002008-08-27T09:47:38.548-04:00

Well, first there's McCain referencing his POW experience in the Hanoi Hilton, most recently with Jay Leno. Next, tonight's speech by Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton has definitely jumped the shark a long time ago. I am quite looking forward to what the addled old loose cannon might ad lib at tonight's DNC speech. Added Shark Jumping points if he delivers one of his interminable three-hour

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-8112972330256211912008-06-02T19:45:00.005-04:002008-06-03T07:14:10.692-04:00

Death from Glioblastoma Multiforme is certainly not sudden, but it is inexorable. It shuts down the central nervous system as it grows, so one enters a progressively sleepy state punctuated by seizures. Along this downward course, other brain functions start to shut down: paralyzed limbs, a loss of speech. Eventually one enters the deep sleep of coma, and then death. I'm sure Allan Friedman

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-40562072728070879312007-09-25T21:51:00.000-04:002007-09-25T21:55:27.940-04:00

Finally the Chicago football franchise, Bears of Little Brain, are showing something akin to horse-sense, if we can believe this. Suffering through the Cowboys game last weekend, I couldn't get THAT mad at Rex for throwing a pick that was returned for a touchdown. The game was over by then. But the hangdog look on the face of the defense for the rest of the game was striking: their morale went

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-6294666790279467962007-09-09T08:36:00.001-04:002007-09-09T08:42:40.481-04:00

According to the transcript, bin Laden says there are two ways to end the war: "The first is from our side, and it is to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you." The second is to do away with the American democratic system of government. "It has now become clear to you and the entire world the impotence of the democratic system and how it plays with the interests of the

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-694148542571850952007-07-15T10:16:00.000-04:002007-07-15T10:43:18.914-04:00

He was born 11 years ago in Santiago de Cuba and had an uneventful infancy until he was 10 months old. One night the baby seemed more irritable and was clearly sick. His fever started to get worse and he began to have seizures, which frightened his mother terribly. They brought him to the local medical facility where a spinal tap confirmed that the baby had meningitis. He nearly died. It took

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-48894195350438475292007-04-18T21:38:00.000-04:002007-04-18T22:04:37.345-04:00

I'm watching Cho Seung-Hui's mouthparts moving like those of a housefly vomiting up some food to re-ingest, while some talking head voices over the footage provided by NBC, when I am struck by several observations: 1. Most students who write "dark" poetry in college English class are looking for attention, unlike Cho, who seemed to be quite avoidant. These people are called "goths" and are

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-64743912332226045262007-03-20T12:10:00.000-04:002007-03-20T12:13:26.457-04:00

"Petraeus" certainly looks like its derived from the Latin word for "rock". Initial reports certainly indicate that he is rockin'. Future president material, if he doesn't get whacked?

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1172670492498463622007-02-28T08:46:00.000-05:002007-02-28T08:48:12.510-05:00

If you worry that the daft Murtha/Pelosi wing of the Democrat Party is going to pursue their disastrous and suicidal policies effectively, wrap your brain around this.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1170856780573436562007-02-07T08:46:00.000-05:002007-02-07T08:59:40.583-05:00

This is freaking ridiculous. A state senator from Brooklyn said on Tuesday he plans to introduce legislation that would ban people from using an MP3 player, cell phone, Blackberry or any other electronic device while crossing the street in either New York City or Buffalo. It is not enough that we can't be trusted to make our own dietary choices. It is not enough that we don't tolerate

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1170648228176354042007-02-04T22:52:00.000-05:002007-02-04T23:04:40.533-05:00

Thus endeth football season for the Monsters of the Midway and their long-suffering fans, including me. Rain, smudged camera work, and the same infuriating Rex Grossman we had to deal with all year. I took the 12-inch bear logo off of my car, the Bearsmobile, and stuck it on the garage fridge. I'm still going to wear my Bears surgical cap to the O.R. tomorrow, in a meaningless display of

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1166618684450286992006-12-20T07:42:00.000-05:002006-12-20T07:44:44.470-05:00

"Exclusive: A classified document suggests the Administration is considering a plan to fund political opposition to the Damascus government. Some critics say it would be an unwarranted covert action" Anybody remember a time when covert actions -- warranted or unwarranted -- were... um, COVERT?

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1166096983852046512006-12-14T06:42:00.000-05:002006-12-14T20:24:53.936-05:00

This post will probably have a very limited shelf-life, but my speculative interpretation of the confusion surrounding the Senator is 1.) he had a transient ischemic attack, or TIA, 2.) as part of the work-up he had carotid duplex imaging that demonstrated narrowing of his carotid artery, 3.) he underwent a carotid endarterectomy, and will be fine. So when his spokesperson states that "he had

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1166014932252701702006-12-13T07:30:00.000-05:002006-12-13T12:34:41.793-05:00

An old saw has it that if you want to boil a frog, put it in the pot before the water boils. He'll jump out immediately if you try to throw him into actively boiling water, and you'll have to chase your amphibious entree all over the kitchen. In intellectual circles where the downfall of western civilization is planned (Tehran, Waziristan, etc.), this old saw is intimately known and admired,

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1165501328841278312006-12-07T09:20:00.000-05:002006-12-07T09:22:08.853-05:00

... we may have found those pesky WMD's you missed. Please call your office.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1164123899113775042006-11-21T09:38:00.000-05:002006-11-21T10:46:48.933-05:00

The man who said "Convential armies lose wars by not winning. Unconventional armies win wars by not losing" recently generated headlines by saying the U.S. military could not win in Iraq. Meanwhile, a heavyweight collection of eggheads sits around a table and has difficulty defining what "victory" even means in Iraq. What these critiques all have in common is the projection of some kind of "

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1162216003917234142006-10-30T08:40:00.000-05:002006-10-30T08:52:48.296-05:00

Like many other Ammuricans, I submitted my absentee ballot last week (I'm leaving the friendly confines of the lower 48 for the next week or so). God help me, I am both craven and dedicated, having held my nose and voted for Katherine Harris!! I will be watching election returns and Bears games from Somewhere in the Pacific, but I don't expect to see definitive results from the former until

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1158232473139893512006-09-14T07:06:00.000-04:002006-09-14T07:14:33.153-04:00

If you grew up in Chicago at a time when saturday morning cartoons were a weekly ritual, you no doubt would be familiar with a show called Gigglesnort Hotel. One character whose name was Weird (don't know if he had a last name, it was just "Weird" ... like "Sting") is pictured in the photo at left (he's the one on the left in the pic). Later in life when Saturday Night Live replaced saturday

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1158146515364188802006-09-13T07:10:00.000-04:002006-09-13T07:23:52.326-04:00

Some dingbat commentator on CNN last night mentioned the "incongruity" of Syrian personnel killed in defending the U.S. Embassy during the recent attack. It's only "incongruous" if you don't understand the KGB-influenced Assad M.O., as Walid Phares explains. Oliver Guttia elaborates further: "Assad like his father is famous for playing the arsonist/fireman strategy. For instance when Western

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1157382489867083942006-09-04T10:46:00.000-04:002006-09-04T11:08:09.876-04:00

I can't count how many times I've heard the "overextended military" lament. Is the U.S. Navy overextended? Is the U.S. Air Force overextended? Aren't they part of the "military"? This leads me to the conclusion that the most viable military option against Iran is not a "shock and awe" style campaign against a widely-distributed and only partially-known nuclear infrastructure. The fact that

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1156969511432232202006-08-30T16:16:00.000-04:002006-08-30T16:25:11.446-04:00

Maybe the media in general is absolutely unbiased (and maybe dogs will fly out of my butt), but I still enjoy the occasional flagrant Yahoo! news headline such as Bush's Campaign Travel Bankrolled by Taxpayers. Gasp! Was... was this done with our consent?? Do you mean the little check box on my 1040 ("check here if you wish to contribute to the Presdidential Campaign Fund" or some such) is

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1156945367952363742006-08-30T09:39:00.000-04:002006-08-30T09:52:44.123-04:00

I always enjoy Donald Rumsfeld's viewpoint on things. While reading it, I thought about the poll showing 51% of people did not think the war in Iraq was "part of" the war on terror. Would the same proportion think the war on Nazi Germany was not part of the war on Imperial Japan? If so, would they be any less inclined to see the job through to the end?

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1156418866306569092006-08-24T06:46:00.000-04:002006-08-24T08:08:36.036-04:00

Joe Biden's Plan to Hold Iraq Together starts out by dividing it into three zones based on ethnic lines. The Center for American Progress' Strategic Redeployment, which they had foreseen implementing starting January 2006, would have called for the withdrawal of 80,000 troops by December of 2006 (in which case, by now we would be quite far along in the process of withdrawal by August 2006) and

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1155836213094867492006-08-17T12:46:00.000-04:002006-08-17T14:39:16.460-04:00

Tigerhawk has linked to this NY Times article and used it to launch a discussion regarding What Is to Be Done. I sketched out a few operational ideas in my previous post, and I have continued to think about it as the implications of UN Resolution 1701 have begun to sink in and the impossibility of its implementation have become apparent. The overarching considerations are whether we capitulate,

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1155175151634929172006-08-09T21:08:00.000-04:002006-08-09T22:02:45.286-04:00

Generals Peter Pace and John Abizaid testified last week in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and (excuse the passive voice) much hay was made. I seem to remember the partisan media focussing on a testy exchange between John McCain and General Pace on whether the situation could have been predicted. It seems like the question Pace was answering was, "could you have predicted a

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1154646992317345102006-08-03T19:01:00.000-04:002006-08-03T19:16:32.373-04:00

...from the muslim world, according to Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution. In which case I vote the freeworld respond with a spinning reverse back kick and a sleeper hold. Or perhaps the 5 Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1154194962631830182006-07-29T13:32:00.000-04:002006-07-29T13:42:42.656-04:00

Ibrahim Totanji, a reporter for Al-Hayat, the Arabic-language newspaper published in London, chafes about the fact that there is (or, once was) a journalistic imperative to be objective in presenting both sides of a dispute. Such novices. They just need to watch the BBC some more to see how to subvert this imperative.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1154005069973448422006-07-27T08:22:00.000-04:002006-08-25T08:54:25.433-04:00

Another of the great misconceptions promulgated by Leftist demagogues is the idea that the election results empowering Hamas in Gaza are somehow a failure of large-D Democracy rather than a perversion of it. Close on the heels of this canard is the justified fear for the survival of Democracy in Lebanon. Underlying the leftist narrative is a sentimental misunderstanding of Democratic

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1153864954490568392006-07-25T18:02:00.000-04:002006-07-26T16:35:38.860-04:00

...or How Rumsfeld's Strategic Misconception may be of No Comfort to Liberals. A series of columns in the past few days illuminates the sea change that has taken place regarding the ethical justifications of Democracies waging war. As a starting point, let's look at John Podhoretz's recent column which questions whether liberal democracies have evolved into entities incapable of warfare,

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1153262778126928672006-07-18T17:55:00.000-04:002006-07-18T18:49:10.396-04:00

"You engage, and then you wait and see." [On s'engage, et alors on voit] So said Napoleon Bonaparte to Montholon at St. Helena. The Israelis have engaged, and now wait to see whether they have created an exploitable situation. Newt Gingrich has been accused of fear-mongering this past weekend when he characterized the GWOT as World War III. Other pundits (and I struggle to remember which of

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1150770106361807422006-06-19T22:07:00.000-04:002006-06-19T22:21:46.410-04:00

Time and again, when liberals are losing a debate, they make an attempt to introduce a new euphemism when no one is looking, in an effort to pretend they are bringing new ideas to that debate. The latest iteration can be seen in this essay from Dianne Feinstein and Chris Dodd. "No longer should 'we will stand down when they stand up' suffice as American policy," they declare, while articulating

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1149853748321436802006-06-09T07:46:00.000-04:002006-06-09T07:49:27.893-04:00

... and Lileks has got your number: But wait. You read that the suspects were not connected to al-Qaida, and you're confused for a moment. Maybe it won't be over if they get Osama bin Laden (provided he isn't really in an supersecret Idaho prison). What if the "terrorists" hate you for their own reasons? The evildoer-in-chief said "they hate our freedoms" -- as if we have freedoms, really, just

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1149768005097658932006-06-08T07:36:00.000-04:002006-06-08T09:23:26.133-04:00

One more of the hydra's heads has been lopped off with the death of this fragrant piece of human offal. It is only a matter of time before another one or two emerge to replace him. Asymmetric warfare grinds along, however. Despite the fact that al-Qaeda is essentially unable to come up with an equivalent coup, like perhaps hunting down and killing a senior U.S. military officer, Islamists

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1149695969645593292006-06-07T11:49:00.000-04:002006-06-07T12:00:17.996-04:00

So says the (IMO) greatest living historian of Islam, Bernard Lewis, in a wide-ranging must-read dialog with journalists. Charles Krauthammer elicited from him the quote in the title of this post, in response to his question about what to do in Iraq, Iran, and against Hamas/Hezbollah. It was an enlightening forum and I was particularly struck by Lewis' analogy of Wahhabism occupying the same

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1149685549973993812006-06-07T09:03:00.000-04:002006-06-07T09:05:49.986-04:00

"The theory is if Democrat Busby can win today's election, Democrats will win a lot of other House races in Republican districts in November — giving them the net gain of 15 seats they need to control the House." Uh...now what?

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1148780447124194502006-05-27T21:39:00.000-04:002006-05-27T21:40:47.133-04:00

Couldn't have said it better myself. Happy Memorial Day, and Remember the Fallen.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1148475935862998212006-05-24T08:52:00.000-04:002006-05-24T19:16:00.213-04:00

This takes the cake. Robert Rey, M.D., the ridiculous plastic surgeon of Doctor 90210, positively crowed about restraining an unruly octogenarian on a plane. "When you get a black belt, at that stage your brain just clicks into action," the doctor said. "I restrained this gentleman in a very aggressive way without hurting him." Maybe I'm being too harsh because a.)I'm actually a surgeon in a

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1148436381291352092006-05-23T22:05:00.000-04:002006-05-23T22:10:07.646-04:00

This cluster of seven cases in Indonesia is disturbing. Six are dead, and 4 were involved in caring for the index case. Good news: no genetic reassortment, no significant genetic differences from the garden variety avian influenza virus, and still not resistant to Tamiflu.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1148241137662591212006-05-21T15:47:00.000-04:002006-05-23T14:53:20.116-04:00

Well, if you are two newly-arrived Saudi Arabian students at the University of South Florida, I advise you do not board a school bus to the local High School. Perhaps that was not sufficiently emphasized during Orientation Week. By now, however, you should have figured it out. UPDATE: Judge revokes bail, citing some personal discomfort. UPDATE 2: apparently a false alaarm.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1148172399598052552006-05-20T20:22:00.000-04:002006-05-21T11:45:30.426-04:00

"No," I would reply, "they are just terrible." But Paul Starobin, writing the cover story for the National Journal, seems to think they're all rational actors. For support he cites some ex-Clinton NSC staffer, and favors the credibility of Michael Scheuer over that of the simply awesome Bernard Lewis. When Lewis, the undisputed heavyweight champion of Islamic historians, describes the

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1148052148665908502006-05-19T10:49:00.000-04:002006-05-19T11:22:28.756-04:00

Amir Taheri's latest enumerates some benchmarks for success in improving conditions in Iraq. His indicators seem to be moving in a positive direction, and this made me reflect about what strategic advantages the U.S. might have attained in the GWOT. Here's my David Lettermanesque list. In no particular order, and I will probably continue to add to this list as these things occur to me: 1.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1148048343880268712006-05-19T10:08:00.000-04:002006-05-19T10:19:03.916-04:00

Huh? Many questions for Harry Reid (D-NV) on this one. Are there any races incapable of speaking English for some biological reason? Is Spanish less racist? Didn't both languages evolve in countries populated by essentially the same races? Aren't there many many races speaking English? Are we forbidding certain races to learn English? Are we forbidding anyone to continue the use of their

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1147546957793561242006-05-13T14:57:00.000-04:002006-05-13T15:02:37.803-04:00

Three more political non-entities have entered the fray in the race to grab Bill Nelson's Senate seat. It is a sad state of affairs to note that Katherine Harris is still the odds-on favorite to win. Probably the only thing that could give any one of these three individuals a leg-up on the campaign trail would be for Al Cardenas and Jeb Bush to fall solidly behind one of 'em. Mel Martinez

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1146839776402450672006-05-05T10:20:00.000-04:002006-05-05T10:41:07.026-04:00

...or ski, or fly, or (I wish) vote! This is the most amusing news story in weeks. Patches Kennedy, a diagnosed bipolar guy with a hobby of berating airport personnel, who has spent time in drug rehab in the past, drives his car into a stationary roadblock. Police on the scene claim he was disoriented and mumbled something about driving in for a 3 a.m. vote in Congress. Mysteriously, no drug

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1146755532455505792006-05-04T10:45:00.000-04:002006-05-04T11:12:31.620-04:00

Zacarias Moussaoui's life will be spared, and he is destined to "die on a toilet in prison", as he said. That is, if his cellmates don't rip him to shreds. Responses to this sentence have been complex. A characteristically emotional Peggy Noonan calls for his head, while Dahlia Lithwick posts an alarmingly satisfied opinion in keeping with the deep thread of moral relativism she's displayed

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1146708461118085132006-05-03T21:54:00.000-04:002006-05-04T11:13:42.303-04:00

I had just mixed an exquisite martini, using Maxim's de Paris gin, Cinzano Dry Vermouth, and Feta-stuffed olives, and sat down for a relaxing evening of Hannity & Colmes after a very trying day at work treating dizzy patients. And there she was, in a campaign ad. I used to think of her as kind of a goyische, older Stacy London, but not anymore. I can never have the hots for this woman. I am

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1146593057649438762006-05-02T13:54:00.000-04:002006-05-02T14:04:17.760-04:00

It's pretty cliche for military historians to look at the conduct of a military establishment defeated in war and ascribe the defeat to "fighting the last war". This is true of analyses of Vietnam (trying to fight an insurgency using WWII/Korea-era large unit tactics), or of the Maginot line, or the Franco-Prussian War, on down the line. I've got to say this is the first time I've seen that

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1146535801510230342006-05-01T22:06:00.000-04:002006-05-01T22:10:01.523-04:00

If you haven't seen the movie United 93 yet, please do so immediately. It is frickin' gut wrenching. Then realize that the movie is a metaphor for what is happening in the U.S. and the world today. There are people who have realized what is really going on, and they are doing something about it. And there's some dumb-ass European (Dutch or Belgian, from teh actor's accent) telling us "if we

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1146149577897136942006-04-27T10:45:00.000-04:002006-04-27T10:54:00.296-04:00

Drudge links to an interesting news report on a recent study which demonstrates slowed reaction times from cell phone radiation. The report is a little bit misleading, in that the actual paper does not say people were having a conversation while tested for reaction times and memory recall; they were only being exposed to the cellphone (a Nokia 6110) radiation. The dosage was eqivalent to a 30

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1145563717242014002006-04-20T16:05:00.000-04:002006-04-20T16:08:37.256-04:00

I want to like you, Katherine, but you are just not very likeable. This Quinnipiac poll reinforces my point, as do the recent departures of your campaign manager and Ed Rollins. It's not your fault. You did a fine job as Florida Sec of State, but you had staff problems as U.S. Rep and now I believe you're finished. Please step aside and let someone else take on Sen. Nelson.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1145388541905987582006-04-18T15:26:00.000-04:002006-04-18T15:30:20.733-04:00

Yes, the effort to Disneyfy the Middle East is the last, best hope of the world to prevail against Islamic Fundamentalist Imperialism. I've long advocated this, and it is gratifying to see some preliminary plans. "But Iraqi leaders and United Nations officials are not giving up on it. They are working assiduously to restore Babylon, home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and turn it

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1144952716534826592006-04-13T14:14:00.000-04:002006-04-13T14:38:15.103-04:00

This post does a great job identifying vulnerable GOP House districts for the upcoming election: Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA) (out b/c corruption) Heather A. Wilson (R-NM) E. Clay Shaw, Jr. (R-FL) John N. Hostettler (R-IN) Jim Gerlach (R-PA) Christopher Shays (R-CT) J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) Deborah Pryce (R-OH) Anne M. Northup (R-KY) Charles H. Taylor (R-NC) Steve Chabot (R-OH) John E. Sweeney (

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1144375654133545142006-04-06T22:05:00.000-04:002006-04-06T22:07:34.146-04:00

...except they're not working. Only part of the problem can be ascribed to the obnoxious French national character. The major reason is ingrained welfare-state socialist indolence.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1143742243833428212006-03-30T12:52:00.000-05:002006-03-30T14:03:14.443-05:00

Charles Krauthammer says of course it's a civil war...Duh!!, but several others like Ian Bremmer and Bill Roggio have contributed, IMHO, a more sober and less sensationalistic analysis of what Civil War really means. I notice a conventional wisdom coalescing about the idea that civil war would somehow benefit Iran. I wonder if we should accept this opinion. Clear evidence exists that Iran has

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1143173485723149332006-03-23T23:09:00.000-05:002006-03-30T14:02:47.526-05:00

while I am ROTFLMAO!!!!!

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1143048033708579442006-03-22T12:19:00.000-05:002006-03-22T12:22:11.700-05:00

"Our foreign policy up to now was to kind of tolerate what appeared to be calm. And underneath the surface was this swelling sense of anxiety and resentment, out of which came this totalitarian movement that is willing to spread its propaganda through death and destruction, to spread its philosophy. Now, some in this country don't -- I can understand -- don't view the enemy that way. I guess they

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1142359580940159942006-03-14T13:00:00.000-05:002006-03-14T14:51:45.656-05:00

From an interview of Mullah Krekar by Norwegian journalist Carsten Thomassen: “We have no fear of the Western mindset. It can never be victorious. In Iraq the two sides are facing each other. On the side of Islam are men who love death and are willing to become martyrs for their beliefs. On the other side are soldiers who fight for a 1000 dollars a day. The number of dead American soldiers are

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1142051657409168552006-03-10T23:24:00.000-05:002006-03-11T00:00:43.756-05:00

First off let me convey my condolences to the survivors of Tom Fox in the unlikely event that they would run across this post. It saddens me that he died at the hands of evil subhuman filth, but it does not surprise me. He belonged to an archetypal group of peaceniks called Christian Peacemaker Teams who, judging from the lit on their webpage, bend over so far to appease that they can kiss

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1141139657680981562006-02-28T10:08:00.000-05:002006-02-28T11:18:53.603-05:00

Thursday March 2 2006 I will be lurking in the musical background during Chaotic Formula Orkestra's resident gig at Mirta's Gallery and Coffeehouse, 119 S Hyde Park Ave., Tampa, FL 33606. 813.259.0305. I've been experimenting with generative music software in Max/MSP so my plan is to deploy some of that kind of sound. If I can sample some of the live performers and then load it up into a

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1140544330047772422006-02-21T12:29:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:40:09.526-05:00

Ronald D. Asmus argues that it should based on his inclination to pursue a strategy containment with Iran, rather than one of confrontation. I have too many posts all over the blogosphere where I advocate for containment; I don't keep track of these things. Not having as much access to State Department internal documents as I would like, I am forced to speculate about the implementation of

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1139803109635152372006-02-12T22:55:00.000-05:002006-02-12T22:58:29.646-05:00

I'm not going to defend this. I AM kind of anxious to see how this is demagogued, however....

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1138815706953643692006-02-01T12:28:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:41:15.026-05:00

"I know what honor is. It has been an honor to protect and serve all of you. I faced death with the secure knowledge that you would not have to ... Never falter! Don't hesitate to honor and support those of us who have the honor of protecting that which is worth protecting." Marine Staff Sgt. Dan Clay, (KIA, Falluja) quoted in 2006 State of the Union Address. "I�m going all over the country

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1138240098149961112006-01-25T20:47:00.000-05:002006-01-25T20:49:19.693-05:00

we should send this guy!

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1138193716661566902006-01-25T07:37:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:42:41.806-05:00

Joel Stein gives voice to something many conservatives have suspected, but liberal pacifists have always denied: leftists loathe the U.S. military on both a personal and political level. Long before this guy's pathetic mewlings, the awesome George Orwell put it best: "The majority of pacifists either belong to obscure religious sects or are simply humanitarians who object to taking life and

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1137608381393004962006-01-18T13:18:00.000-05:002006-01-18T13:19:41.406-05:00

Pig Latin and liberal quantities of cheap gin were used to persuade largely illiterate followers that they would be rendered bulletproof by their amulets of consecrated oil of wintergreen...

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1137530935355845342006-01-17T15:41:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:43:02.443-05:00

The new year is extremely busy. I am recording the Tailspin Recovery album, working on an IRB on outcomes treating migraine-related dizziness, finishing up my own album Electron Beach, getting married in February, trying to read up on phobic positional vertigo, trying to read up on primary upbeat nystagmus, trying to read up on military modernization (U.S. and China), plus the usual beginning of

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1136583132671807992006-01-06T16:32:00.000-05:002006-01-06T16:53:48.563-05:00

I will be performing a two-hour abstract ambient Laptronica/Live P.A. set at the opening of Dragon Veins: Traditional East Asian Art and Contemporary Paintings, at the USF Contemporary Art Museum. The show is Friday January 13th from 7-9 p.m. I'll be playing Five Elements Fist, my composition consisting of five 20 minute ambient environments with elements of traditional chinese music (but

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1136413332457686412006-01-04T17:16:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:43:37.046-05:00

Damn, this isnt good. Earlier he'd had a minor stroke, probably the embolic type judging from reference to a heart defect and by the fact that he had been placed on blood thinners. Now he's had a hemorrhagic stroke, and probably the blood thinners exacerbated the condition. Facts such as "massive hemorrhage," morbid obesity, and being in respiratory failure, if true, do not portend well for

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1136394112934547052006-01-04T11:47:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:43:56.260-05:00

Throw away your iPods, chillun, lest you end up like Pete Townshend, says Pete Townshend. It would be irresponsible of me, as a highly-trained specialist in hearing and balance disorders, to advocate excessive exposure to high amplitude noise of any kind. But. Come. On. Noise-induced hearing loss is cumulative over a lifetime. Townshend's career spans something like 42 years of playing a

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1136352425860239942006-01-04T00:19:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:44:22.163-05:00

The New York Times has been the butt of jokes by conservatives for a brand of reasoning peculiar to liberals. "Why do we keep putting so many people into our prisons when the crime rate is going down?" was the formulation. Yuk yuk. Then I picked up State of War : The Secret History of the C.I.A. and the Bush Administration by James Risen, and got as far as the prologue. This stopped me dead

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1136310972050189102006-01-03T12:50:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:45:14.006-05:00

I posted this on Belmont Club recently, but it has been a familiar theme of mine earlier. The one 20th century model which may see resurrection in 2006 is that hoary old concept containment. Allow me to be so bold as to predict that, for the forseeable future, this will be the policy towards Iraq. Basing rights in Turkey, Oman, Iraq, etc. will be used to establish anti-missile defenses (

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1136046502104265842005-12-31T11:00:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:46:07.473-05:00

Quietly and without fanfare, it looks like the above-cited law is in the preliminary stages of being enforced.(Thanks to Honest Partisan for providing a link to the law, BTW). The only penalties I have seen for breaking this law seem to do with confiscating any financial windfall accruing to the law-breaker. Does this, in the larger context, constitutes treason? I am of the opinion that: 1.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1135975890636620132005-12-30T15:43:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:46:48.606-05:00

Thusfar, my blog FBRU has remained resolutely apolitical, but I may as well use it for my musings rather than plague the comments section on other people's blogs. First couple of articles I would like to juxtapose will start with this one about the Bolton U.N. interim appointment. Great quote: For some reason, Bolton's critics felt no need to reform the United Nations, which under the

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1135220680862849492005-12-21T22:00:00.000-05:002005-12-21T22:04:40.873-05:00

Probably nothing. I'm getting presents for my kid, my fiance, my secretary, TruckerJohn, my ex-wife, my parents, and one of my residents who is having some problems getting laid and needs some moral support. Oh, and 3 of my 6 partners. The rest of you? Nothing, even though you may be quite important to me, e.g. my 3 brothers, bandmates, O.R. personnel, etc. C'mon. Don't forget the reason

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1133459589804203712005-12-01T12:51:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:47:38.176-05:00

1. If my band is unpopular, does that mean that we suck? Not necessarily. Many popular bands suck. Many excellent bands are unpopular. The music world is like a big High School, only moreso. 2. This band really sucks and they got more fans than we do. Waaaah!! Yeah, some bands can get a crowd out because, frankly, they suck in a pleasing manner. There are hordes of bands ripping off Dave

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1132949193424530132005-11-25T15:06:00.000-05:002005-11-25T15:06:33.436-05:00

Okay, my mom surprised me by asking me to say grace at Thanksgiving so I improvised the following prayer: Dear God In Heaven, Thank you for getting us through another year and allowing us to meet at this table today to eat and to give thanks. We are grateful for all of the victories and bountiful treasure that you have bestowed upon us to date. We worship you for visiting despair and death

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1132091504078450992005-11-15T16:43:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:48:05.786-05:00

A band I shall not name preceded us on Saturday night at the Pegasus. They were a skatepunk kind of band; the kind that cranks out tunes usable on Xbox racing games. Singer guy was into the Johnny Rottenesque practice of distributing spit all over the stage. As our turn came I had to kneel in substantial puddles of this guy's spit while setting up all my guitar pedals. There's spit getting

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1131404044063117042005-11-07T17:49:00.000-05:002005-11-07T17:54:04.076-05:00

..needs a new name. How bout Crapahassee? Tallahassle? Just got back from there. Maybe it's cuz Jeb Bush put me up at a Homewood Suites in the middle of nowhere. Nearest place to eat was a Chinese fast food in a strip mall.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1131231678484306242005-11-05T17:22:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:48:45.036-05:00

Some musicians resemble the mouth, some have guts, others are assholes. Musicians generally resemble a type of noisy alimentary canal, and are predisposed to swallowing any of a number of romantic lies. This is true of every one of them that I have worked with or met. An entire industry has been founded upon this vulnerability. To sustain themselves during times of unpopularity, anonymity,

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1130451887337442392005-10-18T23:23:00.000-04:002006-03-22T20:50:07.803-05:00

My preoccupation recently has been the publication of the genome of the 1918 flu virus, which Ray Kurzweil thinks is a bad idea. He reasons that it is akin to handing terrorists a blueprint for a nuclear weapon. I like Ray Kurzweil's keyboard samplers, and have always enjoyed his books (particularly The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transend Biology) but this latest seems a little

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1130450776095691292005-08-02T18:02:00.000-04:002006-03-22T20:51:34.010-05:00

I hate manatees. If a manatee were a human, it would be a morbidly obese trailer park woman in a stained floral muumuu. A lifetime of indolence and a steady diet of McDonalds would have rendered this woman nearly immobile and profoundly unattractive. The manatee regards me with the placid gaze of the dullard doing 50 mph in the left lane. The propeller of my cigarette boat hacks it into

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-1130452149917173142005-03-05T18:28:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:52:08.690-05:00

Our drummer quit, which sucks because he rocked. He had issues & history with the bass player, as well as in his own life. A whiff of wellbutrin may have gotten him right, but that's not my business. So now we are auditioning drummers. What a sorry lot, these drummers in Tampa. An endless supply of them, if you want to play nu-metal. I am fucking nu-metalled out; never did like that updated

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-939679952003-05-07T23:28:00.000-04:002006-03-22T20:53:55.616-05:00

I am convinced that I am a Bartending Genius. I am reminded of my serious talent as I sip the latest drink I invented, the Blackberry Martini. This is no bitch-ass faggy fruity martini such as you might find in a so-called "Martini Bar", but an actual TASTY Man's Drink. The ingredients are gin (either Tanqueray Ten or Tower of London -- other gins do not work well with blackberries. I tried

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-915196542003-03-27T21:51:00.000-05:002003-03-27T22:01:19.000-05:00

Crap, this ankle already... so I tried to keep off the Ibuprofen today and the whole stupid leg is cramping up. My anterior tibialis muscle feels like ass. I've started blogging more often because I am encouraging Truckerjohn to commit his voluminous thoughts to blog. Played two coffehouses last night. Robb the singer is gay & so one of the places was a gay coffehouse; the people there

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-913577222003-03-25T13:03:00.000-05:002003-03-27T21:43:23.000-05:00

Ugh, yes, it's been a while but you know how shit goes. Had a visit from Truckerjohn last night & we toasted to his birthday. He is responsible for the crutches my brother gave me when I broke my ankle last week. I broke my ankle in a manner which reflects no credit upon myself.

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-764073122002-05-10T15:44:00.000-04:002002-05-10T15:44:13.646-04:00

Well, a month has passed by and finally the dust has settled somewhat. I bought a house & moved, and my life is steadily making its way out of a pile of boxes and back into some semblance of normal. The problem this past week has been the fact that there are no "window treatments" & so when I stumble naked toward the shower in the morning, any potential observers are treated to a

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-113208162002-03-31T18:16:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:55:18.823-05:00

Sick of human stupidity on this Sunday evening, waiting for my third facial fracture case to start. MAFAT going on: Mandatory Anesthesia Fuck Around Time. Don't try to stop the trajectory of a swinging tire iron by interposing your face in its path. And why try to break up a fight between drunks? Why not just let them beat the piss out of each other, even if they're your friends? Anyone

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-111830772002-03-27T15:01:00.000-05:002002-03-27T15:01:58.953-05:00

Hopped up on strong coffee, healing the ill, educating the ignorant, and listening to a Sci-Clone remix on Bassdrive that sounds like everything else by Sci-Clone, with dat sax...

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412988.post-111467932002-03-26T15:34:00.000-05:002006-03-22T20:55:56.833-05:00

I am on Trauma Call and I am irritable. When the pager goes off, it feels like a 500 Joule hit off the defibrillator and I snarl at the paging operator. They connect me to an incredibly stupid emergency room doctor who wants to transfer a most unfortunate but still incredibly stupid patient to me. It is clear that the doctor has tried to get local M.D.'s to take care of his patient, but

K. Pablonoreply@blogger.com