David Foster – Page 330

Images of Hate

January 18, 2009January 18, 2009 by David Foster

Zombie has extensive photo and video coverage of anti-Israel demonstrations around the world. Not pleasant viewing, but it’s important to understand how much of this stuff is going on and just how virulent it is.

Here’s a video about the inculcation of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic beliefs in Palestinian children, and the use of these children as human shields by Hamas.

A report on the sinister activities of the United Nations agency known as UNWRA.

On a much more positive note, here’s coverage of a pro-Israel demonstration in Italy. Fiamma Nirenstein, a journalist and new member of the Italian Parliament, believes that the obvious thuggishness of Hamas is leading to a revulsion against the “progressive” justification and romanticization of terrorist violence. I hope she is right, but I’m less sanguine. Many of those who identify as “progressives” feel such rage against their own societies that they have no anger left for the terrorist enemies of civilization, and are indeed all too willing to make common cause with these enemies.

Job Creation

January 13, 2009 by David Foster

Politicians, from Barack Obama on down, are spending a lot of time talking about “job creation.” Businesses, labor groups, and “experts” of various kinds are getting into the fun, each emphasizing that their proposed project W will create X jobs within Y time frame at a cost to the government of only Z.

I know a way to create at least a million jobs, almost immediately, at no government expense whatsoever.

Regulatory Overkill?–Update

January 9, 2009January 9, 2009 by David Foster

Back in December, I posted about legislation which was passed to protect children from harmful substances in clothing, toys, and other products. However well-intentioned this legislation may have been, it was apparently drafted without proper attention to the practical issues involved with compliance, and it appears that it will devastate the businesses of many companies–especially small ones–and will greatly reduce product diversity.

It appears that homecrafters may also run into trouble with this law: where knitting and government meet.

What Year is This?–Updated

January 6, 2009January 5, 2009 by David Foster

…could someone please remind me?

Because based on the images and stories below, it seems like it might be 1932 in Germany, as Nazi street thugs work to complete the destruction of the Weimar Republic.

Or it might be 1928 in one of those American cities where the Ku Klux Klan is running rampant.

Here are reports and videos from some of the anti-Israel (and often openly anti-Semitic) demonstrations that have been held around the world since Israel launched its Gaza incursion:

San Francisco…also this

UPDATE: Read hating Israel in Trafalgar square

VALKYRIE–Brief Review

January 3, 2009 by David Foster

Went to see the film last Tuesday, and I agree with Lex that it is well worth seeing. Cruise does a credible job as Stauffenberg, and most of the acting is well done, although the mix of accents…a lot of American English and various flavors of English-English, plus a bit of German…was slightly bizarre. I was particularly impressed with Halina Reijn’s portrayal of a minor character, Margarethe van Oven (secretary to the conspirators.) She had almost no speaking lines, but has a wonderfully expressive face, and uses it well to portray her character’s emotions.

One aspect of the film, though, seems to me to be unjust and historically inaccurate.