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Jbeatty's Journal

jbeatty
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09/24/2007 17:52 #41294

This bloke is barking mad
So at Columbia University today Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave a speech about various topics. It was a highly criticized appearance by many Americans, which I personally find to be lame. Not that I think the guy has anything worth saying that isn't as nutty as what comes out of the likes of Pat Roberston's mouth. But I am aware that one of the founding principles of this country is the right to free speech. So if that is still the case whats wrong with extending that privilege to our visiting(I use the term loosely) "dignitaries". I see nothing wrong with letting him speak and then questioning his logic and opinions in a good old fashioned American way.

So anyway he has made some pretty bold statements in the past that are just plain scary. He is also very misinformed about many things including the existence of the Holocaust. So I was very interested in what kinds of things would be said by such a crazed, although somewhat powerful guy. Thankfully he didn't disappoint. My favorite quote from today is definitely this:

In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country. We don't have that like in your country. ... In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who's told you that we have this.



Imagine that! Not a single homosexual in all of Iran? I haven't listened to the entire speech yet but I'm almost certain there are plenty of other good ones yet to come.
carolinian - 10/28/07 22:27
John, you're now an (e:peep). Congrats!
john - 10/28/07 22:23
Rollins opened up his shows here talking about Mahmoud. That guy is a complete lunatic, and we should let him spout off. Unfortunately, thanks to the far left and the far right, free speech and public discourse has more or less become a thing of the past here. Don't like what someone says? Shut him up!
jason - 09/25/07 08:37
PS - Opposition to this guy was definitely bi-partisan. The guy's a straight up Jew hater, and he's visiting NYC.......you sort of should expect some kind of outcry.

Now, me, I happen to agree that he should be allowed to come and talk, if only to expose the guy for the nut he is officially. That pretty much comprises the value of "negotiating" with someone like this. Apparently the Columbia President had no problem with using that approach.
jason - 09/25/07 08:33
I wouldn't think ol' Mahmoud would represent (R) any more than Stalin represents (D).
fellyconnelly - 09/24/07 23:00
Sounds like the gays should invade iran and do some recruiting!
drew - 09/24/07 19:35
I listened to some people say, "we shouldn't turn this into a photo op."

Yeah, Bush, Gulianni, and a million other politicians didn't do that.

Of course, if we allow him to express sympathy (which we might want to encourage--right?) then we can't claim that he did it, which I am sure Bush will try to claim, somehow, in the coming months.

And if this guy can prevent homosexuality in his country, why don't the republicans love him? Just asking. I'm surprised Cheney has invited him to his house for dinner (ooh. That was a cheap shot, wasn't it?)
james - 09/24/07 18:16
I did think he had a good point that the holocaust shouldn't be justification for the state of Israel; Nazi crimes payed for by the Palestinians. But, that isn't much of a point to make and a moot one at that, so a slight glimmer of reason in an otherwise vapid speech.

The prime minister of Japan said that his nation also does not have homosexuals. This was in the early 90's I think. We also make friends with loonies.


What bothered me about the whole fiasco was all the people wailing about Ahamadinejad wanting to lay a wreath at the world trade center. John McCain said he would personally restrain him if needed. We didn't want the guy to have his little PR coup. Is America so fragile that a leader, unpopular in his own nation and internationally, can't have a little photo op? Now that is might!

09/22/2007 16:44 #41253

My Weekend
So my first whole weekend off in a while and of course I have come down with something and feel fucking miserable. This may be a new record for me, only 4 weeks into the semester and I have already managed to stress myself out to the point of making myself sick. Usually I don't start feeling shitty till finals.

So in an effort to make myself feel better I shelled out $20 for a ton of spicy Korean Soups to get me through the weekend. I trekked to Seoul Garden on Niagara Falls Blvd, because they were the only Korean place in Buffalo I called that even had Jjamppong. I did however learn something today. Apparently Jjamppong isn't really Korean. It's a Korean adaptation of a Chinese Soup, although it's pretty popular in Korea. I also picked up an order of Yook Gae Jang for tomorrow.

So anyway Jjampong is a seafood soup with octopus, squid, mussels, shrimp, pork, kimchi, Spanish onion, green onion, carrot, and Chinese water noodles all swimming in a fiery orange broth. As far as I could tell it was pretty good, but in honesty I can't taste all that well, it didn't make me sweat like it normally does however. This was the first time I have had it with mussels and pork in it and I liked it that way. They give you so much for $8.00 that you can make two meals out of it. So I suppose its Jjamppong again for dinner. It did actually make me feel a little better for a little while at least.

image

As far as the restaurant goes I didn't eat there but it was packed full of Asians, which in my opinion tends to be a good sign. It's a pretty dumpy looking dining room really, but the kitchen they have is absolutely beautiful. You can see it from the front counter. It's massive, and from afar looks impeccably clean. You could squeeze 7 line cooks in there comfortably if needed. But the size of the "dining room" really doesn't merit such a behemoth. Any way I will definitely be going back for more, they have a whole bunch of Korean dishes that I have never had and a few Chinese ones as well. It's really a shame that its so far away from my place, I guess I will just have to stop there on my way home from school sometime.

So I guess instead of cramming for my exams coming up this week I will just lie here on the couch pretending that I have nothing that needs to be done. Maybe I will get off my ass just long enough to rent a few films to make it through the night. Any suggestions as to what I should rent.


james - 09/23/07 10:17
Packed with asians is a good sign. When the place is empty, because it is an odd hour or something, I look and see how dirty the place is. Unless they serve sushi, the dirtier the place the tastier the food.

so far it has proved me right.
tinypliny - 09/22/07 21:41
Death at a Funeral
drew - 09/22/07 17:59
Movie: Blades of glory was awesome.

(e:janelle) and I watched "Deathproof" last night (my idea) no story, but some good lines/characters and some great car chases.

And the soup looks great. I love Korean food and will have to check the place out.
libertad - 09/22/07 16:57
That looks so good. I think i'll have to go there. I'm glad you said the kitchen looks clean. I don't eat chinese anymore because i haven't found a restaurant i feel is clean around me.

09/19/2007 18:19 #41198

Mailman
My Mailman sucks! The dude has refused to pick up my mail the last two days, and today he delivered one piece and left the outgoing stuff! Am I missing something here?
fellyconnelly - 09/20/07 08:55
i have to go to an outside mailbox as well. grr
orchidiamond - 09/19/07 22:28
thats a bit crazy--my carrier comes on foot and i just leave them sticking out of the box stamp side up and they took them...no problems. maybe you should put a note in there for them haha
jbeatty - 09/19/07 18:40
The weird thing is he has picked it up before. Otherwise I would have assumed what you found out the hard way Drew.
metalpeter - 09/19/07 18:36
As long as there is enough postage on it then it shouldn't be a problem. I wonder if you have a regular guy and a fill in guy and the fill in guy doesn't know the stuff that is going out isn't from the day before and that you didn't pick it up, but not really sure. That is why I just drop mine in a mail box. The only thing that I can suggest is maybe you left it on hooks when it should be in the box or the other way around, I really don't know where the problem is.
drew - 09/19/07 18:33
If your mail carrier comes on foot, then usually I think you have to drop your mail into the big blue mail boxes around town.
I learned that lesson after putting bills in my box and noticing it was still there weeks later!

09/17/2007 16:46 #41158

What was I thinking?
As with all things food and drink related I have a compelling urge to try things that I have never had. Sometimes it sounds really gross and turns out to be awesome, as was the case I discovered with carrot juice this summer. Other times it sounds really good and is really good. Well today's little adventure turned out to be neither of these. At the kosher deli at UB I noticed Dr. Browns Cel-Ray in the cooler. Thats right celery flavored soda. It sounded gross but I had to try it. Sometimes my instincts are dead on. Celery flavored soda is fucking disgusting!

image
bleh!
carolinian - 09/19/07 18:34
(e:jbeatty), to answer your question, during passover it's not permitted for us Hebrews to eat corn syrup (if we're really observant, that is), so Coke produces a special passover coke using real sugar in place of corn syrup. Kinda like the original formula and all, minus the cocaine, of course.

Not coincidentally, most of the stories I have about myself getting drunk on rum also tend to occur during passover.
mrmike - 09/18/07 11:41
I miss Zeltzer Seltzer -- that was good times
joshua - 09/18/07 10:17
Cel-Ray is shady. Dr. Brown's Cream Soda is divine though!
lizabeth - 09/18/07 01:28
JB, I can't believe you had to *try* the celery soda to establish that it's disgusting. You could've just asked me - I'd have told you!

(Full disclosure: this :::link::: should give you a pretty good idea of how I feel about celery.)

Some reviews of the Jones Soda Thanksgiving flavors:
:::link:::
:::link:::

Ohh, and btw, take my word for this, too - Jones Peppermint Soda (their Christmas offering) is *disgusting*, too. If you really want to try some, c'mon down - we've still got 3 bottles.
orchidiamond - 09/17/07 21:40
Hahaha....oh no. im always up for something new too but ive never even seen that in a case!
jenks - 09/17/07 20:41
like those thanksgiving sodas... who makes them... Jones maybe? but they have like stuffing soda and turkey soda... And there's a chocolate place in philly that sells chocolate covered onions- and they're like best sellers!
jbeatty - 09/17/07 20:31
Passover coke?
jim - 09/17/07 18:09
As opposed to Passover Coke, which is the awesome.
carolinian - 09/17/07 17:42
I remember every passover a few cans of the celery soda found their way into our fridge via my dad. Like gefilte fish, celery soda was one of those scary Jewish foods I always steered clear of and never tried.



zobar - 09/17/07 17:04
When I see that in the store I always wonder about it. I think I usually decide that it's so bizarre that it has to be good or they wouldn't even think to sell it. I'm a little wussy in the soft-drink department since I got burned by Goya Malta a little while back [think beer, only sweet and thick instead of bitter and crisp - that is, with all the good parts replaced with bad parts]. Thanks for the heads-up - now I won't have to try it.

- Z
james - 09/17/07 17:03
I come from a part of New York state where the Jews are as plentiful as rain drops in a storm. In this environment I have cultivated a love for Dr. Brown's cel-ray soda that boarders on cultish. It is so good. Perhaps that it tastes like no food should. But I love that soda.

Though I have to admit, who ever pitched the idea for celery flavored soda was almost as nutty as the board who approved it.

09/15/2007 15:45 #41118

Sweet!
It looks like I just lost another .000000011lbs!
lauren - 09/16/07 11:28
Ummmmm, is this some weird physics thing?
mrmike - 09/15/07 21:12
Woo-hoo!