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March 2007 Archives

March 18, 2007

Israeli bonds

The story has been abuzz of the Israeli Ambassador to El Salvador being found "in a street, drunk, wearing only bondage gear" with a rubber ball in his mouth (BBC). He was then recalled, if not fired, for "behaving indecently on a public thoroughfare." Now I see this dismissal as discouraging. FIrst, this is El Salvador, one country of the world in the past few years which has had a free election for an American-friendly Palestinian head of state. Even worse and most significant, however, is punishing that all too rare thing these days --- an Israeli diplomat associated with a compromising position.

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 10:18 PM | Comments (5)
Filed Under: Humor Attempts

March 16, 2007

Top of the Mourning Ta Ya -- Our Irish contributions to America

In due honor of my privileges on my own little sub-blog space, and of the holiday of St Patrick, I link and re-excerpt an old essay on the contributions of my Gaelic forbears to these here United States. I do disclaim to the humor-impaired and ethnically hypersensitive. And also to those who might not be sufficiently a language nerd to stand the esoteric digression on the Irish language, aka Gaelic. Anyway, I give you here the contributions of my ancestors to this great land.

Continue reading "Top of the Mourning Ta Ya -- Our Irish contributions to America"

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 12:48 AM | Comments (5)
Filed Under: Humor Attempts

March 06, 2007

Best case against socialized medicine: Walter Reed

Just to tick off the idealists, and smug Canadians, nothing convinces me of the dangers of socialized medicine, at least here in the USA, like this recent brouhaha about the horrible conditions of wounded soldiers being treated in the Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington DC.

Continue reading "Best case against socialized medicine: Walter Reed"

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 06:13 PM | Comments (70)
Filed Under: American Culture , US Politics

March 03, 2007

The Swiss: Now Europe's Big Cheese?

First, ominous noises about expanded war in the Middle East, and now this anschluss, right in the heart of Europe. I am sure it happened like clockwork too. But would this mean that neither the Vatican nor the Red Cross can be neutral?

Posted by Matthew Hogan at 01:49 PM | Comments (8)
Filed Under: Humor Attempts