If Italy Can Get Away With It...

Italy has barred hockey player Daniele Veggiato for life from the national hockey team on the account of Veggiato's screaming of racist slurs at a Cortina defenseman, Luca Zandonella.

As if the player's names mean anything to anyone in the U.S. (up until the day the U.S. Hockey team plays Italy during the Olympics, that is).

My point being - if Italy can ban players from the National team for life over racist slurs, then maybe we can take the cue and bar our own athletes who's "game" consists of racial slurs.

"Nigger" for example. When is the last time you suppose that hasn't been the greeting of the day on an NBA court?

And if we can ban them for slurs, maybe professional sports will put some teeth into their anti-drug policies. Three strikes for steroids?! Try one strike! It makes no sense that Pete Rose gets banned for life for betting (on his team to win, no less) when the Darryl Strawberries of the world are on their 17th chance.

So, hooray for Italy - for growing a pair. Maybe someone in U.S. sports will pay attention...

Christmas Music

Click here.

Media Biased - So Sayeth UCLA

While the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal is conservative, the newspaper's news pages are liberal, even more liberal than The New York Times. The Drudge Report may have a right-wing reputation, but it leans left. Coverage by public television and radio is conservative compared to the rest of the mainstream media. Meanwhile, almost all major media outlets tilt to the left.

These are just a few of the surprising findings from a UCLA-led study, which is believed to be the first successful attempt at objectively quantifying bias in a range of media outlets and ranking them accordingly. - UCLA News

I'm excited to see how the media apologists respond to this.

Frequently, what apologists don't say is more interesting than what they do say... so I wont hold my breath for a substantial rebuttal from any of the usual suspects.

Meanwhile, the report quantifies that 18 of the 20 major media outlets scored left of center with The Wall Street Journal, CBS Evening "News," NY Times, and LA Times scoring most-liberal. (Pardon my utter shock and dismay over the finding that CBS scored only second most-liberal).

On the other hand, FOX News' Special Report with Brit Hume scored the fourth most-centrist of the studied outlets. FOX, being the channel the left loves to finger as being oh-so-right-leaning. Surely, FOX commentary leans right; however, at least this viewer has no problem distinguishing commentary from the news. Over at CBS, LA Times, et al - even the "reporters" seem to have trouble distinguishing between the two!

And now, a word from media apologists...

"mum"

And that's the way it is...

Those Who Matter

TIME supposes the Vanity Fair "model," stands a better chance at coming across as someone who matters by dressing her up in a pair of jammies.

Fair enough, I guess...

I'dathunk they'd have projected ol' Joe as a forward-leaning arch-administration fist waiver, though. That, and color him in all nice and blue-like.

Meanwhile, none of these people made TIME's list of those who apparently mattered: John Kerry, Chappaquiddick Ted, Clinton, Monica, the other Clinton, and Screamin' Howie.

Their consolation lies either in that Cindy Sheehan made the list, or that the American Sailor, Soldier, Marine and Airman did not.

Iran: 'Holocaust a Myth'

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says, on live state television, The Holocaust was a myth.

"They have fabricated a legend under the name 'Massacre of the Jews', and they hold it higher than God himself, religion itself and the prophets themselves," he told a crowd in the southeastern city of Zahedan on Wednesday.

See: Washington Post




... standby for George Bush's condemnation of these comments, soon to be followed by Howard Dean's explanation of how Ahmadinejad's words are "being taken out of context."

Screamin Howie's Flag

Finally...

... a flag Screamin' Howie can be proud to salute.

Go Army, Beat Navy!

Who's going to be the First to 50?!

The Army Black Knights,

or the Navy Goats...

er... Midshipmen?

"In a rivalry that pits two of the nation's service academy football teams in a series that dates to 1890, the players share a unique bond knowing that their common objectives lie beyond the field of play. The players in this Saturday's game, particularly the seniors from both West Point and Annapolis, could ultimately be deployed for combat service in either Iraq and Afghanistan." - GoArmySports