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Bill Maher
A candid conversation with the godfather of political humor about the war, the president, sex crimes, religion and all sorts of political incorrectness
In an age when millions of Americans turn to late-night TV and YouTube videos for satiric commentary on the day's news, Bill Maher is, as he has put it himself, the godfather of political humor.
An "acid-tongued comedian" and "one of the establishment's most entertaining critics," according to The New York Times, Maher sends up the nation's movers and shakers on his HBO hit, Real Time With Bill Maher, a freewheeling and funny roundtable discussion of national and global issues. His guests have included George Clooney, Howard Dean, Michael Moore, Robin Williams, Drew Barrymore, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, General Wesley Clark, Gary Hart, Pat Buchanan, Ben Affleck, John Edwards and George Carlin.
On the show, which has received multiple Emmy nominations, Maher has continually attacked George W. Bush–calling the president "a catastrophe that walks like a man" and the "retarded child emperor"–and criticized the war in Iraq. But Maher is no knee-jerk liberal. He is pro-death penalty and pro-Israel, supports a powerful military and has strongly libertarian views on sex and drugs. For Maher there are no sacred cows. This past Halloween he angered the entire continent of Australia by dressing up as TV's Steve Irwin just weeks after a stingray fatally speared the Crocodile Hunter. More recently Maher was embroiledin controversy when he outed Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee at the time, as a homosexual; Mehlman later quit his job. Christian groups also frequently assail Maher for his cracks about religion, which he calls stupid and dangerous.
None of these storms compare to the hurricane generated by one of his comments following the 9/11 attacks. The president had called the terrorists cowards, prompting Maher to respond on his late-night ABC talk show, Politically Incorrect, "Lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away–that's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building–say what you want about it, it's not cowardly."
Maher was denounced by the White House and vilified by the media. Advertisers such as Sears and FedEx pulled their ads from the show, and it was soon canceled. Many people assumed it marked the end of Maher'scareer, but they were wrong. Six days after the cancellation, he received an award from the Los Angeles Press Club for championing free speech, followed by a Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award. In 2003 he returned to television with his smarter, funnier, hipper and, thanks to HBO, uncensored new show.
Besides working in television, Maher, 51, has written a number of books, including When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden, New Rules and Does Anybody Have a Problem With That? He was also one of the first TV stars to have a regular Internet show, on Amazon.com, and his blog appears on The Huffington Post. He is currently producing and directing a documentary about religion.
After the 2006 election, as Republicans lost control of the House and Senate, we decided to track Maher down for his second Playboy Interview. Contributing Editor David Sheff, who interviewed the comedian a decade ago, traveled to Los Angeles for the follow-up. Sheff reports, "Maher hasn't mellowed. Onthe contrary, he is more emphatic and confident–and funnier. The sessions, which took place at an L.A. hotel (Sylvester Stallone was hanging around) and at Maher's Beverly Hills home (yes, there is a stripper's pole in the club room), began at two P.M., which is early morning for him. He started off sleepily but quickly warmed to the subjects at hand, including the war in Iraq, past and upcoming elections, and the Hollywood trend of starlets eschewing underwear."
Playboy: After the Democratic upset in the midterm election and with a year and a half left for the Bush administration, are you feeling more optimistic about the country's direction?
Maher: Are you kidding? It's a disaster. Unmitigated. Every day we're killing more American soldiers for an immoral and unwinnable war based on lies. We're killing innocent Iraqis. The environment is disintegrating. It's one debacle after the next. Much of the rest of the world loathes us. We're infinitely less safe than we were before 9/11. Other than that, everything's great.
Playboy: President Bush may disagree. He maintains the world is safer now.
Maher: The world is not safer. We took Saddam Hussein out, but the idea that he was in league with Osama bin Laden was a direct lie, a bigger lie than the weapons of mass destruction. Being a power-hungry dictator, Hussein would never have given somebody a nuclear weapon, especially someone like Bin Laden, who hated him because he was a secularist. Even three years ago the world wasn't safer because we'd gone into Iraq. Now even Iraq isn't safer. We want to keep Muslim extremists who hate Americans from coming here and hurting us, so what do we do? We go into the heart of the Muslim world and start this cockfight. Muslims around the world do not look at our invasion of Iraq as an attempt to install democracy and freedom. They're far more cynical, and they have reason to be. America has meddled in foreign affairs many times, usually for its own self-interest. We meddled in Iraq in 1963 under Kennedy and put a young assassin named Saddam Hussein on the case of killing its leader. We abandoned the Kurds in 1991. When Bush's father encouraged the Shiites to rise against Hussein, we pulled a Bay of Pigs and didn't show up; they were massacred. In their view we went in for oil and perhaps just to fuck with Muslims. There will be angry Muslims for generations. To those on the right who say Muslims hated us anyway, yes, a certain number of them did. But I don't see how taking that hate and raising it from a simmer to a boil has helped matters. We were having a picnic and a couple of hornets were stinging us, so we went over and hit the nest with a stick. Exactly how is the world safer?
Playboy: What would you have the U.S. do at this point?
Maher: Get out of Iraq. Having troops and bases in the heart of the Muslim world is a thorn in the side of the people who live there. Throughout the region, we are building giant bases with Pizza Huts and car dealerships, stuff that goes over really well in that part of the world. Next there will be a Spearmint Rhino gentlemen's club.
Playboy: If we pull out, there will likely be increased chaos and slaughter.
Maher: The sooner we get out, the sooner it will end. Turkey will come in? Iran will come in? Maybe, maybe not. It's Allah's will. Who knows? Maybe it will shake out in a not so horrible way. The country of Iraq has existed only since 1932. It's seven years younger than Paul Newman. So what if it breaks apart into three countries? It's not worth one more dead American to uphold a line on a map that Winston Churchill drew, probably when he was drunk. We disbanded the Iraqi army, which was not a great idea because now there's a group of Sunnis who know how to use weapons, have no future and have reason to hate us because we put the Shiites in power. We created a massive insurgent guerrilla army. We painted ourselves into a corner, and Bush still doesn't get it. The Iraq that was is gone and will never rise again. It has already partitioned itself into three countries: Kurdistan is completely autonomous in the north, the Shiite southern part is a theocracy mostly allied with Iran, and the middle is a mess. The Sunnis are still trying to hold on. They're never going to put it back together again. When we went in, we were told Iraqis would throw flowers at us. Anyone who was of a mind to throw flowers is either dead or gone. Moderate Iraq doesn't exist anymore.
Playboy: Did the 2006 election vindicate your views on Iraq?
Maher: It was a breath of fresh air. Democrats may differ from Republicans only in that they are bought off by a slightly less scary group of special interests, but at this point a slightly less scary group looks pretty good.
Playboy: What will a Democratic Congress do better?
Maher: Put pressure on the administration to end the war. Barbara Boxer said she's going to hold hearings on global warming. With scientists! In America! Wow. Bush's theory is we should teach intelligent design along with creationism–treat stupidity as if it's a competing school of thought. In addition, in medical school, along with what ob-gyns normally learn, we're going to teach that storks bring babies.
Playboy: You once said that if we get any stupider about science, soon we won't even be able to make our own crystal meth.
Maher: Look at our leader. He doesn't believe in evolution. I'm embarrassed by the cretins who have taken over. Luckily they're on the way out. In the next election, even if the Republicans win the presidency, at least it won't be Bush.
Playboy: What Democratic candidate would you support?
Maher: Barack Obama is exciting. Everyone says he's a rock star, which is one of the most overused phrases these days; everybody's a rock star. You know what? If you're not getting blown after the event, you're not a rock star. But okay, Obama is a rock star. Fine, if that's what it takes. He seems articulate and serious and thoughtful and electable.
Playboy: Some people say he's inexperienced and unprepared to be president.
Maher: Bush was woefully unprepared. It obviously doesn't prevent Americans from voting for you. If Obama wants it, he's one of the Democrats' most viable candidates. John Edwards too. In America you can't get elected president unless you can pronounce all four e's in the word shit. Clinton, Carter and Bush could. Edwards can.
Playboy: Can you?
Maher: She-e-e-e-it.
Playboy: You'd be a great candidate.
Maher: Yeah, right. I think religion is bad and drugs are good. You want to be my campaign manager?
Playboy: Sure. We like a challenge, especially when dealing with your checkered past.
Maher: Who has more of a checkered past than Bush? He was a drunk until he was 40. He wouldn't answer the cocaine question, which was a way of saying, "Yeah, I did it, and go fuck yourself." That's one of the few things I admire him for. He basically said, "I was a sinner, and now I'm not." Americans love that. What they don't like is when you get blown in office.
Playboy: Speaking of Bill Clinton, you have said he should be allowed to run again.
Maher: In a democracy, the people should be able to elect whomever they want. It's not a very clever tribe of Indians that prevents its greatest warriors from taking the field of battle.
Playboy: The Constitution would have to be changed for him to do so.
Maher: We'll change it so both he and Arnold Schwarzenegger can run. Can you imagine the interest if Clinton ran against Schwarzenegger? The debate could be on pay-per-view.
Playboy: Would you support Clinton?
Maher: Sure. He has a reputation as a party animal because of the Monica Lewinsky situation, but basically he's a wonk. He can do Monica and run the country. He's a multitasker. If he had been president when Katrina hit, he would have been in New Orleans three days before the storm. He wouldn't have slept. Yes, he would have been getting blown–come on, Slick Willie in the Big Easy? He would have had some excellent étouffée. But he would have been working the whole time. I think the country has learned a lesson: If he can do the job, let the guy be who he is. People don't care about sex.
Playboy: They cared about Mark Foley.
Maher: Monica Lewinsky was an adult. Foley went after boys. Actually, I wasn't terribly taken aback by Foley. He was like a college professor, in a job where every year there's a new wave of fresh meat. He would look over the field and decide. He probably had pretty good radar to know which kids were amenable. From the evidence we have, he tried to do something only after they were out of the page program. If a 19-year-old gay kid wants to go out with an older guy, why not? The guys his own age are probably dumb doofuses.
Playboy: But even after leaving their jobs as pages, they were far younger than Foley.
Maher: Look, I'm a 51-year-old man, and I go out with girls in their early 20s. I'd be hypocritical if I said it's ridiculous for a gay man to do that. I'm very libertarian about love. I'm the only guy I've ever heard who defends Mary Kay Letourneau.
Playboy: Are you saying teachers should be allowed to have sex with their 13-year-old students, as she did, and not go to jail?
Maher: I think it's a little offbeat, but you know, I believe in the double standard. If a 28-year-old male teacher is screwing a 13-year-old girl, that's a crime. But with Debra Lafave [another teacher who had sex with a student] screwing her 14-year-old boy student, the crime is that we didn't get it on videotape. Was he being taken advantage of? I wish I had been taken advantage of like that. What a memory she gave him! I would think he's a champion among his friends. Are you kidding? Even with Michael Jackson—-
Playboy: Are you defending him, too?
Maher: I'm not defending him, but I do believe his case has a nuance that makes it different from other child molestation cases–not that I'm saying he necessarily did it, but come on. Jackson's worst accusers never said he did anything brutal, like bend them over a table and ram them–you know, like a priest. The worst they said he did was a little grabby-grabby under the covers. Don't get me wrong. It's a crime. You shouldn't be able to grab a kid that age, but when I heard about it, all I could think of was my being brutally beaten up on the playground when I was 12–a kid punching me in the face while another held me down. If I could go back and trade that experience for being gently masturbated by a pop star, I would do it in a New York second. Frankie Valli could jerk me off. Bobby Sherman could. Marvin Gaye could.
Playboy: You're being remarkably open-minded.
Maher: Woody Allen is the one we might have been wrong about. I was pretty hard on him on my show, but how many years has his relationship continued? Maybe that, like Letourneau's, was true love. If you look at him or Letourneau, who is still with the guy after her time in jail–they have two kids–the lesson is love will take the form it's going to take. Sometimes it's at great variance with the mainstream. I don't think teachers should be allowed to do that. I think they should be fired. But to send that woman to jail and separate them all those years?
Playboy: You may think Clinton's or even Foley's personal life is irrelevant, but you apparently draw the line in some cases, such as when you outed Ken Mehlman, who was chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Maher: I didn't know I was outing him. My bad.
Playboy: How could you not have known?
Maher: I guess I'm in a bit of a newsjunkie bubble. For years everyone talked about him as if it was known he was gay. The truth is I don't know. I never dated the guy.
Playboy: Are you apologizing?
Maher: If I disrupted anybody's life, I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have said it. I'm not an outer. I don't believe in outing. I mentioned Mehlman because I had a joke about him. I didn't mean to out him.
Playboy: Were you surprised when CNN cut your comments about Mehlman and had YouTube remove the clip from its website? Also, The New York Times wrote about the incident but didn't print Mehlman's name.
Maher: I was surprised because I didn't think I was doing anything out of school.
Playboy: Do you make an exception to your feelings about outing if the closeted gay man espouses traditional family values, demonizes gays and pushes antigay legislation?
Maher: I don't. For years it was an inside joke about Mehlman, but do I really know? Everybody talks about everybody. Rosie O'Donnell said Oprah is "a little bit gay." I'd never heard that before. Everybody makes Tom Cruise gay jokes now. I don't know if that's true, either.
Playboy: You called Katie Holmes Tom Cruise's beard.
Maher: Yeah. There are something like 25 celebrity fragrances now, so on the show we made up fragrances by other celebrities. Tom Cruise's was called Bat Shit–the fragrance to use on your beard.
Playboy: As a comedian, do you rub your hands together when you wake up to news about the misadventures of celebrities like Cruise and Mel Gibson?
Maher: It's gold.
Playboy: What was your opinion of Gibson's arrest and outburst?
Maher: When you say things when you're drunk, it's not the liquor talking. The liquor makes you more honest. He's a bright, talented guy and a despicable anti-Semite. All those people live by the press, then they're surprised when they die by the press. At least Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are clever enough to take a page out of the old John and Yoko book and say, "If you're going to photograph everything we do, we're going to use that for good. You'll have to photograph starving children and AIDS in Africa." I admire them for doing that.
Playboy: Who are your favorite celebrities to make fun of?
Maher: We don't usually talk about celebrities much, but occasionally in the monologue we mention the brat patrol–the Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan contingent. I feel no guilt about whatever joke we do, because these people exist only to be made fun of. They don't otherwise contribute. I guess Lindsay Lohan is an actress, but Britney Spears doesn't seem to have a career anymore except as tabloid fodder.
Playboy: That group is continually photographed without underwear. What do you make of the trend?
Maher: I would never discourage it. Girls not wearing underwear is a wonderful thing.
Playboy: Have any of those girls been on your show?
Maher: Are you kidding? I don't know what we'd talk about. Paris Hilton is an amazing phenomenon, though. Did you notice that the second Britney Spears was free of her husband, she came under Paris's spell? Paris is the head-honcho cheerleader who decides who's cool and who's in her group. You can make fun of her, and I of course enjoy doing so quite often, but you have to give her her due. Somehow she is the head bitch in the high school of America.
Playboy: What is it about her?
Maher: I think it's confidence. She's a rich kid. I compare her to George W. Bush, a rich kid who really didn't accomplish anything but had the confidence rich kids often have–an attitude that the world should come to them because it always has. It's very attractive to a nation of followers. Britney Spears, who nominally should be the leader of the pack–she actually had a career, has sold millions of dollars' worth of records–and Lindsay Lohan, an actress who does movies, understand who the boss is: Paris Hilton. It's because she does what the Democrats don't do and the Republicans have consistently done. They let the country come to them. By standing their ground and standing by their principles, they have successfully moved the country way, way to the right. When Barry Goldwater ran in 1964, he lost by a landslide, but they didn't care. Ronald Reagan was a laugh-out-loud joke when he first ran for president, in 1968. But he stood by what he thought was right and true, and the country came to him.
Playboy: Why do Americans find that appealing?
Maher: Most people in this country want to follow. They want to be told what to think. It's an attribute that has served Bush well, too. He seems resolute. He seems as if he knows what he thinks. People like it when he says, "I don't follow the polls." To them it says leadership. Of course they forgot that his ideas are stupid and he's a moron. Finally they woke up to that in 2006. Resolute became stubborn. But by standing their ground, Republicans brought the country way to the right. It's why you had John Kerry closing out the election in a goosehunting outfit and why Hillary Clinton talks about a flag-burning amendment. Hillary Clinton, valedictorian at Wellesley, doesn't think we should be able to burn the flag? That's hard for me to believe. But they have put the idea into the Democrats' heads that to win you better move closer to where they are. As a result, nobody in Washington is suggesting programs and policies I would consider left-wing. Nancy Pelosi is not going to say we should legalize drugs. She's not for socialized medicine. She's not for a gasoline tax. Part of the genius of Karl Rove and the far right is they have convinced the rest of America that the center is way over to the right. It's one reason so many people don't vote. In the 2004 election 78 million people who could have voted did not. My guess is most of those 78 million would have voted liberal. Meanwhile conservatives vote. They're organized. They're squares. They get up in the morning.
Playboy: As opposed to…?
Maher: Us. We're sleeping it off from last night's clubs. If there were a draft and the Supreme Court outlawed abortion, you might see liberals set the alarm clock that Tuesday.
Playboy: Did the most recent election indicate that the religious right has been discredited?
Maher: No. From what I read they came out in about the same numbers as previous elections. This time, however, independents who were energized by Republican ineptitude outvoted them. The religious right is still there. The election just taught us that there is a counterweight to it.
Playboy: Do you agree that the election was a referendum on the war?
Maher: Mostly on the war but also on corruption. Also it was about Bush giving most of the treasury to his rich friends. People finally realized our money could be going to better things than Paris Hilton so she can gargle with diamonds after she blows a guy. The Democrats won this time only because people were fed up. The challenge now is for Democrats to see if they can win an election when the other party has not completely disgraced itself in every conceivable manner.
Playboy: People have said the results might have been different had Donald Rumsfeld been fired before the election rather than after. Do you agree?
Maher: People were looking for the president to make a change, to show he could be flexible. Rumsfeld was the face of a failed program. Bush had done nothing but stand by him. In fact, the week before the election he said Rumsfeld was going to be there until the end of his term. I think people just rolled their eyes at that. It was a political blunder.
Playboy: Have we heard the last from Karl Rove?
Maher: I don't know if people in the party blame him for that election. I think they blame Bush. Rove has proved he could win with a weak hand, but this was pretty much the weakest hand anyone had ever been asked to play in modern politics. Add up the war, Hurricane Katrina, Mark Foley, the debt–there was very little he could run on. Mostly, Bush lost the war. Mr. Kick Ass and Take Names lost. I'm sure Bush prayed a lot about Iraq, but he never learned about Iraq. Everybody in this country thinks praying is great, which to me is childish. But even if it isn't, it doesn't replace knowledge. [impersonating Bush] "Saddam bad. Freedom good." Well, the Iraqis saw something else. Sunnis out, Shiites in. In most of the Muslim world, Shiites are close to apostates. In the minds of most Muslims, it was impossible to imagine Shiites in power. That's what threatens them now. They see America enabling this impossible event. We went into their country without knowing anything about them. Half the people they originally got to go over there thought, We've sprinkled the freedom dust on them, and now everything's going to be cool. We don't need troops; we don't need a plan. Another problem is something we seem never to learn: You can't just instill democracy. You can't just graft it onto a society that has no institutions of public law. As I said, Saddam was a secularist. Now we have these crazy fundamentalists warring–a model democracy.
Playboy: How many of the problems in the Middle East are due to religious fundamentalism?
Maher: Religious fundamentalism is the root of problems everywhere. I could just as easily go on about the crazy Christian God-hates-fags types who have killed abortion doctors. I don't know if any religion has the monopoly on crazy factions. I've been brushing up on my Eastern religions, and they're crazy too. Their big superiority is supposed to be that they're peaceful, but Japan was Buddhist before World War II, and that didn't stop it from raping Nanking and bombing Pearl Harbor. People use religion to justify what they want to do. Some Mormons use biblical passages to justify the genocide of the Indians, as well as their longtime prejudice against blacks.
Playboy: Your views about religion have gotten you into trouble.
Maher: Like the old saying goes, the two things you shouldn't talk about in a polite dinner conversation are politics and religion–the two things I love to talk about. [laughs] At my dinner parties we talk about them.
Playboy: Have you been affected by religious organizations' angry reactions to you?
Maher: When ABC canned me for my 9/11 comments, a lot of it was because of what I had said about religion.
Playboy: But your show was canceled not because of anything you had said about religion but your comment that the U.S., not the terrorists, was cowardly.
Maher: A Houston disc jockey started all the mob action against me, but he had been trying to get me fired for 10 years because of my position on religion.
Playboy: Do you regret your remarks?
Maher: I was sorry it upset people at a time when they were traumatized anyway, but what I said wasn't wrong. Listen, after 9/11 Bush said the terrorists win unless we continue to do exactly what we've been doing. So go shop. Go back to work. Well, I went back to work. I was host of a show called Politically Incorrect, which prided itself on pulling no punches and saying the truth. The terrorists did not win with me.
Playboy: Did the reaction surprise you?
Maher: Oh my God. I don't think most people, even people in show business, will ever know what it feels like when that super-white-hot light gets turned right onto you in a negative way. I thought I was headed to Abu Ghraib. I was afraid to go out. I thought people were going to punch me or something. It was as though all of America was enraged about what had happened to us, but because the enemy was amorphous, people had nothing to turn their rage on until I stepped up. I provided a service for America. I gave people a target for their rage for a while. You're welcome, America.
Playboy: Were the sponsors who pulled out offended or just succumbing to your critics' reaction?
Maher: They reacted to money. They got letters saying, "We will boycott your product if you advertise on this show."
Playboy: Did you worry that the damage was irreparable?
Maher: At first, yes, absolutely.
Playboy: You have been at the heart of many controversies. Have any of the others compared?
Maher: No. None. And nothing ever will, which is kind of good. It's as if I've been inoculated. I know what it feels like to have people try to make me disappear.
Playboy: After that experience, were you bothered by the flak about your Halloween costume of Steve Irwin pierced by a stingray?
Maher: I didn't even flinch. I defend that, by the way. If you get killed by an animal, it means you were doing something to an animal that you shouldn't have been doing. Steve Irwin loved animals the way child molesters love children. They really do love them, but they also go too far.
Playboy: Who will you dress up as next Halloween?
Maher: I'll have to see what tragedy has struck the heart of most Americans. That's what Halloween is for. I don't understand why people don't get that.
Playboy: Clearly your political incorrectness still pushes many people's buttons.
Maher: Yes, America is still a place that wants to make people disappear if they make someone the least bit uncomfortable. What 9/11 should have done was toughen America up, but it didn't. We just absorbed it into our vast web of narcissism and general softness. I see things all the time that offend me or that I don't like. I turn the page or change the channel. I don't need to hear an apology. I'm like, "What an asshole. Fuck you. Next." But instead, I dress up like the Crocodile Hunter and people want me to apologize. At least I piss off Democrats as well as Republicans. I'm bipartisan.
Playboy: Are you a registered Democrat?
Maher: I'm an independent.
Playboy: In 2000 you supported Nader. Many people blame his supporters for getting Bush elected.
Maher: In 2000 a lot of us supported Nader. He represented more of what we were thinking. He still does, but in 2004 we felt it would be better to go the practical route, and this Kerry fellow was a decent man who had a chance of winning. We got fucked both ways.
Playboy: Will an independent candidate ever have a chance of winning?
Maher: No. It's ironic. This is a country that insists on 28 flavors of ice cream. You go down the aisle in the supermarket: Do you want Pellegrino or still water? Lemon? I'm just trying to get some fucking water, and there's a questionnaire I have to fill out. Christ, I don't care. I'll die of thirst before I get it. But somehow in politics it's always the same two choices.
Playboy: One issue on which you and the left disagree is the death penalty. You support it. Why?
Maher: I don't believe life is necessarily precious, I don't believe everything happens for a reason, and I don't think people necessarily have goodness in them. Most people in this country believe those three things. Life is precious? It can be. It can also be a waste of protoplasm. I certainly don't think everything happens for a reason.
Playboy: At least you're consistent. You support abortion, which some people also believe is killing.
Maher: I'm like the antipope. The pope is very consistent about life: Don't fuck with it. I'm that way about death. I'm pro-death. I'm for the death penalty. I'm pro-choice. I'm pro-assisted suicide, and I'm pro-regular suicide. Whatever gets the freeway moving.
Playboy: How about some other issues. What's your view of the poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko? Do you think Russian president Vladimir Putin was behind it?
Maher: Would it surprise you if ex-KGB Putin did that? It was priceless when Bush said, "I looked the man in the eye. I was able to get a sense of his soul." I looked into his eyes and saw Satan. Bush's idiocy is amazing. How embarrassing. Like the G8 summit–a graphic illustration of a clown on the world stage. He and Laura arrived like the Duke and Duchess of Hazzard. He was spitting food, grabbing the German chancellor. When he called to the British prime minister, "Yo, Blair," even Fox News had to gasp.
Playboy: How important a force is Fox News?
Maher: It's peaked. And I think the ratings back that up. The American public has caught on, just the way it caught on to the Bush administration. "Oh, just because they're saying it on TV doesn't mean it's not complete bullshit." Now everyone knows it's not really a news organization.
Playboy: But Fox has a sizeable audience.
Maher: A loyal audience not interested in the truth. For Fox, "fair and balanced" means all the news that's shit we print. The audience turns to Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly and hears one side.
Playboy: On your side, many liberals turn to comedians: you, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart.
Maher: We mostly preach to the converted, though on my show we try to mix it up.
Playboy: You have claimed to be the godfather of political humor. Are you proud to have Stewart and Colbert as progeny?
Maher: Absolutely. They're good at what they do.
Playboy: The New Yorker once called you a brainy bully. Are you?
Maher: Yeah, I guess. I can get overexcited. Sometimes I don't realize I'm being as impassioned as I am, and that can probably come across as bullying–especially since it's my show and I have home-court advantage. I should watch that. The real bullies are O'Reilly and Hannity, though. They never let you finish a sentence.
Playboy: Where do you get your news?
Maher: I read The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today and the newsmagazines.
Playboy: Any blogs?
Maher: I go to The Huffington Post. I watch the evening news–all three networks. I flip between the three newscasts, but all you get is about six or seven minutes of news and then segments like "Your Money," "Focus on the Family" and "How to Carve a Pumpkin."
Playboy: How has the Internet changed politics?
Maher: It's a bathroom wall. You can read great wisdom on a bathroom wall, and you can read, "Here I sit brokenhearted. Something, something and only farted."
Playboy: Growing up, did you read the newspaper and watch TV news?
Maher: Much more so than in the normal American family, because my father was in news as a radio staff announcer and then an editor. I can be a silly comedian one minute and then talk to Madeleine Albright the next because I've been reading the paper for 36 years. We had a Republican operative on one of our shows–I won't say who. Afterward we were discussing whether the Democrats would try to impeach Bush. I said, "I think what's impeachable is the fact that he went to war in Iraq without knowing Islam is divided between Sunnis and Shiites." This person said, "Well, five years ago did you?" Yes, I did. It's something you learn from reading the newspapers starting at 15. The people in this administration, however, know only that freedom's good and the other guys are bad.
Playboy: How did having a Jewish mother and a Catholic father impact your life?
Maher: My mother's Jewish, but I was raised very much a Catholic.
Playboy: Were you a believer?
Maher: Kids always buy everything. They have no power to resist. It's a form of child abuse. When kids are abused, very often they don't say much because they just figure, Oh well, that's what creepy uncles do. They touch you. I was traumatized even though I wasn't abused by a priest–and I'm a little insulted, because I was cute. Maybe I was just too sensitive as a kid, but I always dreaded going to church. The nuns would scare the hell out of you. I was slumping over once, and a nun said, "The boy who's slumping is going to go to hell." When you're a little kid, you take that seriously. One of the main differences with Eastern religions is that you get more than one shot. You can come back. In Western religions, you're up to the plate once, and you'd better fucking get a hit or you're going to burn in hell forever.
Playboy: Between your Jewish mom and Catholic dad, you must be very experienced with guilt.
Maher: On my first Tonight Show I said I was half Jewish and half Catholic, so I used to bring a lawyer into confession. "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I think you know Mr. Cohen." Johnny Carson loved that.
Playboy: In clips from those early days, you have a mullet. Does that embarrass you now?
Maher: Hair was pretty awful in the 1980s. There was something in the water. It wasn't really a mullet, though. I had a big squirrel on my shoulder from this giant flock of hair behind my ear.
Playboy: Now you have a stripper's pole in your home. Has anyone famous used it well?
Maher: It's amazing the way a woman of a certain age cannot pass a stripper's pole without at least wanting to try it. It's like a man picking up a baseball bat. You just want to take a few cuts.
Playboy: Has Paris Hilton tried it?
Maher: No, but if she ever comes over, she would be more than welcome.
Playboy: At the age of 51 are you a confirmed bachelor?
Maher: I know I have that reputation. Marriage never called to me, but I understand it works for a lot of people. You're a different person every decade. I don't know what's going to happen now that I'm 51.
Playboy: You're not pretty much the same guy you were when you were younger?
Maher: In my 20s I was a loser. High school, college–not much. I didn't have the college experience we see on MTV. I went to Cornell. There weren't very many girls, the ones who were there weren't very cute, and I wasn't very good at getting girls. I was in New York in my early 20s and was desperately poor trying to be a comedian. That formula didn't make me a big player. I lived in a horrible roach-infested studio over a bus stop on Eighth Avenue. I came out here to L.A. when I was 27. I felt as though I'd found paradise, because I lived in a nicer place for the same amount of money. I had a little car. I had just enough to be dangerous. That was the era of girlfriends–steady girlfriends, one at a time, some more serious than others. I had a very serious relationship in my mid-30s. When I got out of that I became a real bachelor, a player. I had a good time in my 40s. I had learned a lot about women by then.
Playboy: What did you learn?
Maher: To talk to them as you would talk to anyone you aren't trying to fuck.
Playboy: And then?
Maher: Then you'll get laid.
Playboy: Do you have a girlfriend now?
Maher: Yes, I do. I try to keep it private. What will happen? Who knows? They always say life begins at 40. I understand what that means, especially for someone ambitious and driven. It takes a couple of decades to set up your life. By 40 you've laid the groundwork. You've got your own business or whatever it is. But what they don't tell you about life beginning at 40 is that the next step is 50. I think my 50s are going to be good, but you're always looking ahead. Fifty seems old when you're 40, but at 50 you're looking at 60. Now that seems really old. I'm still having fun, though, and when I get bored, well, thank God for George Bush. He may be the worst president we've ever had, but he's been good for me.
Playboy: Will Bush leaving office be bad for your business?
Maher: Well, there will never be anybody as good as Bush. He provided everything except sex, and dumbness is probably even better than sex. There's a contradiction between what's good for my country and what's good for my living. Between Bush and Clinton, I've been lucky. Since I've been doing this we've had a horndog and an idiot.
Playboy: Which is worse?
Maher: No question. I'd rather have a horndog any day. I can relate to a horndog.
Playboy: And when there's no more George Bush to kick around?
Maher: I hope I'm wrong, but sadly, and given our recent history, there's a better than even chance some other idiot will come along, screw up miserably and provide me with endless opportunities.


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how nutty/
I've been browsing around for gluten free dessert recipes for a few days now. I wanted to keep things simple, so I didn't have to buy 4 new bags of GF flour while at my parents house. I know there are GF all-purpose flour blends, but I didn't want to go that route either. Not too long ago, I found Elana's Pantry. I'm not quite sure how it took me so long to find this amazing blog. One of Elana's main baking ingredients is almond flour. Blanched almond flour to be exact.
I did some reading on baking with almond flour and people specifically said not to use the Trader Joes Almond Meal as an almond flour sub. You really need to use blanched almond flour when baking. Blanched almonds have the skins removed which makes a nice, light flour. Elana also mentioned that she has not had any luck with Bob's Red Mill almond flour. She said it produced a runny result. She links to this brand in all of her recipes, and purchases it online.
For today, I made blanched almond flour, and it didn't turn out half bad! I did some googling to find out a method and found that a coffee grinder works best, and a blender is your next best bet. My parents don't have a coffee grinder but they did have a decent blender. It's tricky to not over process and turn it into nut butter or not process enough which will give you almond meal. I pulsed and scraped the blender down numerous times and only ground about 1c of blanched slivered almonds at a time. It worked pretty well! There were very small bits of almonds that didn't get ground, but all in all it was a pretty soft + smooth cupcake! You can always pass the flour through the sifter and re-grind the small pieces, but I didn't have a sifter.
While I found loads of good recipes + information at Elana's blog, I decided on a recipe from Roost blog. Such an amazingly gorgeous blog!
Orange Blossom Cupcakes with Cashew Cream Frosting
Frosting made from cashews? I could hardly believe it either!
I prepared tonight's dessert first and then got working on dinner. My mom and I went shopping for pizza night at Whole Foods. We bought a few of their whole wheat crusts [which I found very easy to work with], peppers, mushrooms, sausage, pepperoni, mozzerella, San Marzano pizza sauce, etc. We were planning on grilling the pizzas because it's so quick + causes less heat in the house. I was the pizza maker, and my dad + I both worked the grill.
I tore the dough in half and made a total of 6 pizzas. Tonight, I stayed away from the gluten. It was extremely difficult to pass up on this delicious, fresh pizza!
The family loved it, which made me forget I couldn't eat it. :)
Dessert was up, and I was nervous to test this out on everyone! My family is always really open to trying out anything I am willing to make, which makes things really fun.
I really had no idea what to expect with this cupcake! It looked like they baked properly, and the frosting was nice and thick, so I crossed my fingers and served them up!
I've never had an almond flour baked good before, and wow is it delicious. This was the softest, doughiest, cupcake I've ever eaten. There was no lack of moisture here! But it was in no way soggy.
The frosting was extremely thick. A little goes a long way! Everyone thought it was really fun and unique and they couldn't believe it was made from cashews.
You can tell how thick and moist this cupcake is. It had a great crumb!
I followed the recipe almost exactly, except for these few modifications:
- zest of 1 lemon, instead of orange
- 1/2T orange juice
- 2tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4c honey
- made this in a heavy-duty food processor, not a blender and worked perfectly
Since I was making this for a crowd, I wanted to sweeten up the frosting a bit. The 1/4c of honey made it just barely sweet. I felt it was slightly too tangy + tart from only using dates for the sweetener.
The flavors were perfect. The lemon was not overpowering. It was definitely a fun cupcake to make for my first GF baking adventure. Also a huge success with my non-GF family!
It's still crazy to me that almonds can be made into flour and then made into cupcakes. Same goes for cashews as frosting. I can't wait to do more experimenting!
Time to catch some zzZZzzz's….

subset: commoncrawl


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EDITOR'S NOTE _ An occasional look at claims made in political campaigns and how they adhere to the facts.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican National Convention is drawing to a close with some factually slippery statements coming from the stage.
Most prominently, on the eve of presidential nominee Mitt Romney's speech closing the convention Thursday night, running mate Paul Ryan ignored conspicuous parts of his own record on budget cuts, the stimulus and Medicare in his haste to accuse President Barack Obama of taking the economy off the rails.
A closer look at some of Ryan's remarks Wednesday at the GOP convention in Tampa, Fla.:
RYAN: Obama "created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report. He thanked them, sent them on their way and then did exactly nothing."
THE FACTS: It's true that Obama hasn't heeded his commission's recommendations, but Ryan's not the best one to complain. He was a member of the commission and voted against its final report.
RYAN: "And the biggest, coldest power play of all in Obamacare came at the expense of the elderly. ... So they just took it all away from Medicare. Seven hundred and sixteen billion dollars, funneled out of Medicare by President Obama."
THE FACTS: Ryan's claim ignores the fact that Ryan himself incorporated the same cuts into budgets he steered through the House in the past two years as chairman of its Budget Committee, using the money for deficit reduction. The cuts, used in part to expand health insurance to more people, do not affect Medicare recipients directly but ultimately could by cutting into the profits of hospitals, health insurance plans and other service providers. Even so, the cuts are part of an overhaul that extends the solvency of Medicare's giant trust fund by eight years.
RYAN: "The stimulus was a case of political patronage, corporate welfare and cronyism at their worst. You, the working men and women of this country, were cut out of the deal."
THE FACTS: Ryan himself asked for stimulus money shortly after Congress approved the $800 billion plan, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Ryan's pleas to federal agencies included letters to Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis seeking stimulus grant money for two Wisconsin energy conservation companies.
One of them, the nonprofit Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corp., received $20.3 million from the Energy Department to help homes and businesses improve energy efficiency, according to federal records. That company, he said in his letter, would build "sustainable demand for green jobs." Another eventual recipient, the Energy Center of Wisconsin, received about $365,000.
RYAN: Said Obama misled people in Ryan's hometown of Janesville, Wis., by making them think a General Motors plant there threatened with closure could be saved. "A lot of guys I went to high school with worked at that GM plant. Right there at that plant, candidate Obama said: 'I believe that if our government is there to support you ... this plant will be here for another hundred years.' That's what he said in 2008. Well, as it turned out, that plant didn't last another year."
THE FACTS: Although Obama did not explicitly promise to save the plant, Ryan is right that Obama implied that he had the backs of its workers when he spoke at the factory early in 2008 and issued a statement about its closure later. The plant halted production in December 2008, weeks before Obama took office and well before he enacted a more robust auto industry bailout that rescued GM and Chrysler and allowed the majority of their plants — though not the Janesville facility — to stay in operation. Ryan himself voted for an auto bailout under President George W. Bush that was designed to help GM, but he was a vocal critic of the one pushed through by Obama that has been widely credited with revitalizing both GM and Chrysler.
Associated Press writers Tom Raum, Andrew Taylor, Henry C. Jackson and Bradley Klapper contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
FACT CHECK: Ryan ignores parts of his own record
EDITOR'S NOTE _ An occasional look at claims made in political campaigns and how they adhere to the facts.


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text: I have been taking antidepressants since I voiced my preference for death. I have zero faith in their ability to do anything, but the docs recommended them, so whatever. I spoke to a shrink because the docs recommended it, so whatever. I let them adjust my happy pill dosage whenever they want, not because I think they will work, but because I literally don't give a shit about taking a couple extra pills every day.


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Southampton Cycle Campaign
Southampton Cycle Campaign
Southampton Cycling Campaign was constituted in 1989 to represent cyclists' needs throughout the city. Committee members Lindsi Bluemel and Dilys Gartside with others have tirelessly championed cyclists' needs at monthly meetings, on working party rides assessing potential cycle friendly routes, meeting with councillors to lobby and promote early implementation of cycle friendly plans and policy eg LTP3, with no outside financial support.
This year, they prevented removal of a vital cycle link for school pupils on the east of the city; ensured cyclists' rights over major city centre development; prepared cycle friendly plans for River Itchen bridges connecting west to east, concluding a 20 year battle for shared use paths; a live radio broadcast championing cyclists and removal of no-cycling signs; campaigning for missing links on otherwise safe routes; successfully speaking for a planning application to extend shoreline route 2, avoiding dangerous road.
Starting a ladies' cycling group Simply Fabulous and jointly planning all routes for Southampton Sky Rides, Lindsi and Dilys have continued to organise regular rides including 'Historic Southampton by Bike'.
Being mature, yet both well known locally for cycling feats, Lindsi and Dilys make great role models for all would-be cyclists and particularly the ladies.


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2538 National Rd
Directions Wheeling, WV 26003-5368
* The advertised price does not include sales tax, vehicle registration fees, other fees required by law, finance charges and any documentation charges.
* Images, prices, and options shown, including vehicle color, trim, options, pricing and other specifications are subject to availability, incentive offerings, current pricing and credit worthiness.
Elm Grove Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
2538 National Rd
Directions Wheeling, WV 26003-5368


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Culinary tourists savor Michigan foods, wines
LANSING — Miles of coastline, beautiful beaches and spectacular sand dunes. But traveling in Michigan offers more than that.
The state's wines and beers, fresh fruits, fish and other local flavors are attracting visitors, as well.
"Culinary tourism is an exciting new area of economic development for Michigan," said Linda Jones, executive director of the Michigan Grape and Wine Council.
On Jan. 10, a diverse range of businesses and organizations will celebrate their culinary assets and share ideas to promote culinary tourism at a statewide conference.
Jones said other states promote their culinary assets more aggressively than Michigan, such as Oregon, New York and California.
Culinary tourism includes cooking classes, foodie tours, events and festivals.
The Michigan Culinary Tourism Alliance is one initiative boosting local industry.
Dave Lorenz, manager of public and industry relations at Travel Michigan, said quality food is part of the traveling experiences people look for.
Michigan's diverse agriculture, hunting and fishing provide fresh foods, which creates this experience, Lorenz said. His office is the state's official tourism promotion agency.
For example, Culinary Escapes, a Detroit-based company, offers walking tours to restaurants, markets and local food purveyors in downtown Birmingham, Detroit and Royal Oak from April through October.
Learn Great Foods in Petoskey offers themed retreats, tours and cooking classes. One is Maple Madness Weekend on the Parsons Centennial Farm in Charlevoix, where participants learn how to make maple syrup.
Karel Bush, promotion specialist at Grape and Wine Council, said Michigan's 75 wineries also are travel destinations where people enjoy lush green valleys and savor award-winning wines.
Bush said there are wine routes along the coasts, such as the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail, the Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula and the Southeast Michigan Pioneer Wine. Another is the Sunrise Side Wine and Hops Trail along Lake Huron.
Experts said great dining and learning experiences attract more tourists and extend their travel time in the communities.
"They go out there and spend money that helps retain and build jobs," Lorenz said.
Jones said culinary tourism benefits the whole state, particularly areas with major visitor attractions.
Diane Dakins, assistant director of the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau, said the number of tourists in her region has increased because of the development of food-related businesses.
The bureau serves Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Boyne City, which are well-known for wines, whitefish and morel mushrooms.
"Farms and farmers' markets create jobs and also are a stop for tourists," Dakins said.
Cooking classes in restaurants and hotels have attracted many customers, Lorenz said. For example, Zazios in Kalamazoo has a Chefs Table, where customers learn how to make the food before eating it.
Andy Deloney, vice president of public affairs at the Michigan Restaurant Association said developing culinary tourism is particularly important to the hospitality industry. He said many people have a misconception that they must go to New York, San Francisco or Chicago for great dining experiences.
"In Michigan, we have lots of fantastic restaurants, too," he said.
Deloney said the conference will increase awareness of Michigan's dining destinations and build connections among businesses.
The Creating Michigan Culinary Destinations conference in East Lansing is being organized by the Culinary Tourism Alliance in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Travel Michigan and the Restaurant Association


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Student or Learner
This might be a trivial question, but I think "a second" means just "another", not implying any order, while "the second" means "the next after the first in order". Can "a second" have the meaning of order?
44)My father did not think about hiring someone for his new boat when he bought it, indeed. But soon, he realized that the new boat was going to be a lot of work and decided to hire Jimmy after several friends recommended him as a capable handyman. It did not take long for Jimmy to prove that my fathers friends were right about him. My father trusted him more and more and allowed me to spend a lot of time with Jimmy. Because of the time we spent together, we became really good friends. Eventually, he became like a second father to me. My father taught me many things, always showing his interest in my education. But Jimmy taught me a lot more about nature. I loved every minute of the time I spent with him and he became one of my best friends. Because of my sincere friendship with him, I grew up without any prejudice.


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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House has assembled a short list of candidates to succeed Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, a source familiar with the process said on Thursday, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is running the search.
Bernanke is expected to leave when his second term as head of the central bank ends on January 31, after an eventful eight years in helping the U.S. economy recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression.
President Barack Obama hinted in a television interview this month that Bernanke would step down, comparing him to longtime FBI Director Robert Mueller, who agreed to stay two years longer in the job than he had planned, and is now to leave.
Lew has assembled a short list with help from several senior White House officials, the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
There was no information on who is on the list, although Fed Vice Chair Janet Yellen, former Obama adviser Lawrence Summers and former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner are considered to be likely leading choices.
"We decline to comment on speculation on any personnel matters until the president has made his decisions and is ready to announce them," said Amy Brundage, a White House spokeswoman.
"The president believes that Chairman Bernanke is a vital and excellent partner in promoting our economic recovery and he continues to serve admirably and with distinction during this important time for our country," she said.
Bernanke has yet to say whether he would like to serve another four years at the helm of the central bank, but has done little to dampen speculation he is ready to leave.
The likely succession could come at a delicate juncture for U.S. monetary policy.
Bernanke said last week that the central bank expected to lighten up later this year on the amount of money it is pumping into the economy each month through a bond-buying program.
He said the Fed would likely draw that program to a full close around the middle of next year, when policymakers at the central bank expect the jobless rate will have fallen to around 7 percent from its current 7.6 percent.
Those comments spurred a big selloff in stock markets around the globe and sent the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note soaring. It reached a 22-month high of 2.67 percent on Monday.
Fed officials have mounted a concerted effort to convince markets they overreacted to the chairman's remarks, and they have underscored the central bank's commitment to keep overnight interest rate near zero until unemployment drops to at least 6.5 percent. Stock markets have since stabilized and bond yields have fallen back.
The market volatility, however, underscored the tricky task the Fed faces in stepping away from the controversial and unprecedented easing of monetary policy Bernanke led.
To combat the deep recession and heal the scars from the financial crisis that followed the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble, the Fed pressed overnight rates to near zero, where they have been since December 2008. It also more than tripled its balance sheet to $3.4 trillion through a series of bond purchases.
The next chairman of the central bank will likely face the task of unwinding that monetary largesse.
In a Reuters poll of economists earlier this month, the vast majority said Obama was likely to tap Yellen to take over.
Yellen, who has served as Fed vice chair since October 2010, is considered a forceful advocate of aggressive action to lift unemployment. If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first woman to lead the central bank.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Douwe Miedema and Tim Ahmann; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
SEE ALSO: A Woman You've Never Heard Of Is About To Become The Most Powerful In The World


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Cameos are often considered some of the vintage and classy jewelry designs of history. This time we see this iconic type of jewelry in a new light. The Amedeo 2012 jewelry collection envisioned by Amedeo Scognamiglio aims to revolutionize the art of cameo carving. Using skulls, the images of different animals and the portrait of beautiful women is the secret to meet the style expectations of fashionistas with different fashion identities. Forget about ultra-polished evening looks which can be complemented with cameos. It's time to fuse some ... Read More


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Shipping to: Norge
01 Biscuit
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A package of 25 make-up remover wipes for the face, eyes and lips
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Colin Tudge, the author of The Secret Life of Trees, is invited by the UK's Telegraph newspaper to give his reaction to efforts to breed a Dutch elm disease-resistant species.
It's an interesting read as he gives his reaction to this battle with nature, so here it is:
Could the English elm, so sadly laid low by Dutch elm disease, make a comeback? Paul King, who breeds trees at Raine in Essex, is on the case. Nearly 25 years ago he acquired cuttings from a few mature trees. He has now multiplied the tissues to produce a whole new generation of young elms that seem to be resistant (and are on sale for £120 apiece). Scientists at the Forestry Commission's research centre in Surrey welcome his initiative – they are on the case, too – but are cautious. Resistance, they point out, is a tricky business.
The English elm, Ulmus procera, is probably not a "true" native – Britain has only 39 "truly" native trees – and was most likely introduced by Neolithic farmers from south-east Europe, via Spain. But it is an honorary citizen, treasured for its usefulness and its looks, favourite of landscape painters, notably of Constable; a tree of open woodland but just as happy in hedgerows where, if it was left alone, it flourished by the tens of millions. In the West Country it was known as "the Wiltshire weed".
The first sign of trouble came in 1910 when the fungus Ophiostoma ulmi, a distant and degenerate cousin of the truffle, started killing trees in mainland Europe. It acquired its name, Dutch elm disease, in 1921 because it was first properly researched in Holland. It arrived in Britain by 1927 and looked very nasty. Happily, the disease died down by the Forties, after killing 10 to 40 per cent of our elms. Dr Tom Pearce of the Forestry Commission predicted, in 1960, that such a thing should not happen again – unless, he added, "the fungus completely changes its present trend of behaviour".
Which it duly did. A new, closely related species of Ophiostoma appeared in North America – Ophiostoma novo-ulmi. It arrived in Britain in 1967 on imported logs, and throughout the Seventies and into the Eighties it killed about 25 million out of about 30 million elms, including most of the particular English species, Ulmus procera.
Dutch elm disease has all the biological attributes needed to be thoroughly nasty. It is one of the many "wilt diseases" of trees, which spread through the vessels of the xylem and block them. The spores are carried passively with wonderful efficiency in the sap, through the whole tree, and spread via the roots of separate trees that are often joined underground. The spores don't live long once the tree has died and so should die out as their host succumbs – but they have a trump card: they are carried from tree to tree and from forest to forest by flying bark beetles of the genus Scolytus.
There is some innate resistance among the world's many species of elm. The Ophiostoma fungus probably arose in Asia, so the Asian elms have evolved in its presence – and have developed considerable resistance. Breeding programmes are afoot in Europe to introduce genes from Asian species into European types by various means – and may yet succeed. Meanwhile, as Paul King has found, even within susceptible species, such as Ulmus procera, there will usually be some resistant strains. If they can be bred, perhaps we will have a new resistant strain.
So why the caution? Well, for one thing, it depends what the tree is really resistant to: the fungus or its insect vector? Paul King's new trees are probably not resistant to the fungus itself, but are simply less palatable to the beetle. Of course, the fungus can't usually infest the tree without the beetles – but it surely would be better to be specifically equipped with genes that would protect it even if beetles did get in.
The sad tale of Britain's elms parallels that of the American chestnut, Castanea dentata – with some intriguing contrasts. For the American Indians and for the first immigrant Europeans, the American chestnut was a wonder tree. Its nuts were a food staple – and supported 40 million wild turkeys for good measure – and its trunks provided timber. There were so many that a squirrel could travel from chestnut to chestnut from Maine to Georgia without setting foot on the ground, or so the story went.
But the overconfident forestry "improvers" of the 19th century were still not content. They began to import Asian species with bigger nuts, to crossbreed. Inevitably, the newcomers came with their own diseases. And the American chestnuts, beset by novel pathogens, succumbed. By the end of the Twenties, the American chestnut, once perhaps the commonest North American broadleaf, was all but gone.
Again, through too much zeal, the Americans felled great swathes of chestnuts to create a firewall against the spread of infection. This failed to contain the disease – but it did, so some biologists suggest, remove the myriad genetic variations from among the wild trees, which might have included some that would have conferred resistance.
By leaving our own beleaguered elms to live on in the hedges, and nurturing the few survivors, as Paul King and others have been doing, we may avoid that final fate. (In truth, the American chestnut might not quite be dead. At least, George W Bush planted one outside the White House on Arbor Day in 2005 – but it is a hybrid: 15 per cent of its genes are from resistant Asian species. It is a sad relic, like an exhumed dodo).
Overall, the message is mixed. We could see the heroic efforts of a few growers and scientists as a triumph of human ingenuity over natural adversity – the continuing tale of "man's conquest of nature". Or we could see this endeavour as a desperate, last-ditch attempt to ward off the consequences of our own folly. For these are tales of hubris. We thought we could do what we liked in the name of commerce. But actually, life is more complicated than we ever supposed – and in the end, it is beyond our ken. Cause and effect relationships in nature are non-linear, which means it is intrinsically impossible to predict the outcome, beyond saying it won't be good.
Source: Telegraph newspaper
Date: 09/06/2010
Filed under: biodiversity, conservation, dutch elm disease, protest, research | Tagged: biosecurity, conservation, disease management, dutch elm disease, elm trees, environment, forestry, forestry commission, replanting, tree disease, trees, uk, woodland, woodlands | Leave a comment »


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This Keepsake Box for 5 NFL Championship Rings is made from premium wooden material, real glass, premium metal hinges, foam insert. Gorgeous wooden material grain lends the ring display box a sense of timeless class. Solid, thick construction gives the piece weightiness that is appropriate for displaying well-deserved victory rings.
- Size: 6.8" x 5.9" x 4.7"
- Weight: 630g WITHOUT RINGS
- Shipped by DHL Express, normally takes 3-5 business days. Won't deliver to PO Box. Please leave your street address for delivery.


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Remember when Adam Sandler made movies that didn't induce vomiting? No? I can't either. Sandler will be well represented Sunday at the 2011 Razzie Awards, awarded for the worst films of the year.
Remember when Adam Sandler made movies that didn't induce vomiting?
No? I can't either.
While he's churned out more than his fair share of detritus over the years, the Sandman hit the junk jackpot in 2011, producing, writing and/or starring in three movies guaranteed to test your gag reflex. These would be "Jack & Jill," "Just Go with It" and "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star." The latter ranks as one of the worst movies made EVER. If you liked this movie, please don't breed.
Sandler's annus horribilis hasn't gone unrecognized. The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation has nominated the alleged comedian for a record 11 Razzie Awards. Eddie Murphy previously held the record with five, set in 2007 for "Norbit." Expect Murphy to be in the running next year for "A Thousand Words," a film so toxic it merits its own Superfund site.
Appropriately enough, the Razzies will be presented tonight on April Fools' Day. Submit snide remark here. Let's just say the joke will be on Sandler, who is sure to win multiple awards.
While "Bucky" is infinitely more dreadful than "Jack & Jill," the latter received 12 nominations — the most this year — while the former only picked up five. That's probably because the people who saw "Bucky" were too embarrassed to admit they saw it.
Though "Bucky" should triumph in every category in which it's nominated, look for "Jack" to dominate.
These are comedies in name only, folks. They're not just unfunny, they're painful to watch. It's almost as if the filmmakers set out to make movies that act as torture.
Sadly, both "Just Go with It" and "Jack & Jill" made money, proving that the lowest common denominator crowd still has money to throw away. But even they avoided "Bucky." It grossed only $2.5 million on a $10 million budget.
Anyway, here are the nominations for the 32nd annual Razzie Awards, followed by my predictions:
WORST PICTURE: "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star," "Jack & Jill," "New Year's Eve," "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1"
A grisly lot, but the battle should be between "Bucky" and "Jack."
WILL WIN: "Jack & Jill"
SHOULD WIN: "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star"
WORST ACTOR: Russell Brand, "Arthur"; Nicolas Cage, "Drive Angry 3-D," "Season of the Witch" and "Trespass"; Taylor Lautner, "Abduction" and "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1"; Adam Sandler, "Jack & Jill" and "Just Go With It"; and Nick Swardson, "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star"
Yet another contest involving the year's two worst films and the year's two worst performances.
WILL WIN: Sandler
SHOULD WIN: Swardson
WORST ACTRESS: Martin Lawrence as Momma in "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son"; Sarah Palin as herself in "Sarah Palin: The Undefeated"; Sarah Jessica Parker, "I Don't Know How She Does It" and "New Year's Eve"; Adam Sandler as Jill in "Jack & Jill"; and Kristen Stewart, "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1"
No "Bucky" competition here, giving Sandler the opportunity to pull off what should be an unprecedented two-fer: winning worst actor AND worst actress awards. His main competition comes from Lawrence, the most untalented actor in films today. People who find Lawrence funny must guffaw at funerals.
WILL WIN: Sandler
SHOULD WIN: Lawrence
WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Katie Holmes, "Jack & Jill"; Brandon T. Jackson as Charmaine in "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son"; Nicole Kidman, "Just Go With It"; David Spade as Monica in "Jack & Jill"; and the Underwear Model (aka Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), "Transformers: Dark of The Moon"
Most of these performances are more embarrassing than horrific. With that as the criteria, Holmes edges out the competition.
WILL WIN: Holmes
SHOULD WIN: Huntington-Whiteley (her underwear has more personality than she does)
WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Patrick Dempsey, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"; James Franco, "Your Highness"; Ken Jeong, "Big Mommas," "Hangover Part 2," "Transformers" and Zookeeper"; Al Pacino as Al Pacino in "Jack & Jill"; and Nick Swardson, "Jack & Jill" and "Just Go With It"
If the standard is the more the "unmerrier," Jeong should win, but Pacino is an Academy Award winner stooping to depths so low he could nuzzle with Beelzebub.
WILL WIN: Pacino
SHOULD WIN: Jeong
WORST SCREEN ENSEMBLE: "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star," "Jack & Jill," "New Year's Eve," "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" and "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1"
When you consider all the talent wasted in "New Year's Eve," (the cast includes three Oscar winners: Robert De Niro, Halle Berry and Hilary Swank), there's a chance it might beat "Bucky" and "Jack." Then again, you don't need a barf bag to watch "Eve."
WILL WIN: "Jack & Jill"
SHOULD WIN: "New Year's Eve"
WORST DIRECTOR:Michael Bay, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"; Tom Brady, "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star"; Bill Condon, "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1"; Dennis Dugan, "Jack & Jill" and "Just Go with It"; and Garry Marshall, "New Year's Eve"
Another showdown between "Bucky" and "Jack." Duggan has the edge because he directed two dreadful films.
WILL WIN: Duggan
SHOULD WIN: Brady
WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF OR SEQUEL:"Arthur," "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (rip-off of "Boogie Nights" and "A Star is Born"); "The Hangover Part 2" (both a sequel and a remake), "Jack & Jill" (remake/rip-off of Ed Woods' "Glen or Glenda") and "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1"
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. England vs. France, "Bucky" vs. "Jack."
WILL WIN: "Jack"
SHOULD WIN: "Bucky"
WORST SCREEN COUPLE: Nicolas Cage and anyone sharing the screen with him in any of his three 2011 movies; Shia LaBeouf and The Underwear Model (aka Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), "Transformers"; Adam Sandler and either Jennifer Aniston or Brooklyn Decker, "Just Go with It"; Adam Sandler and Katie Holmes, Al Pacino or Adam Sandler, "Jack & Jill"; Kristen Stewart and either Taylor Lautner or Robert Pattinson, "Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1"
Sandler gets to compete against himself here. Pick him for "Jack & Jill." It's a much more vile film.
WILL WIN: Sandler for "Jack & Jill"
SHOULD WIN: LaBeouf and Huntington-Whiteley (not even Sir Laurence Olivier could create chemistry opposite a mannequin)
WORST SCREENPLAY: "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star," written by Adam Sandler, Allen Covert and Nick Swardson; "Jack & Jill," screenplay by Steve Koren and Adam Sandler, story by Ben Zook; "New Year's Eve," written by Katherine Fugate; "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," written by Ehren Kruger; and "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1," screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, from the novel by Stephenie Meyer.
The sound you hear is a broken record spinning. "Jack" vs. Bucky" again. "Bucky" has to win at least one award.
WILL WIN: "Bucky"
SHOULD WIN: "Bucky"
In case you're wondering, Sandler has another film due to open this year. Look at it this way, he can't make movies any worse than he did in 2011 — I hope and pray.


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Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Sprint (1999) Oak Leaf Stakes (2001) Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile Stakes (2001, 2002) San Gabriel Handicap (2002) Beverly D. Stakes (2003) Los Angeles Handicap (2003) Santa Anita Derby (2004) Tuzla Handicap (2004) Vernon O. Underwood Stakes (2004) San Juan Capistrano Handicap (2004) Manhattan Handicap (2004) Palomar Breeders' Cup Handicap (2004) Del Mar Oaks (2006) Del Mar Derby (2006) E. P. Taylor Stakes (2006) Eddie Logan Stakes (2006) All Along Stakes (2007) Dahlia Handicap (2008) New York Stakes (2009) Hollywood Gold Cup (2009)
Breeders' Cup wins: Breeders' Cup Mile (2001)
Jose Valdivia, Jr. (born December 8, 1974 in Lima, Peru) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. The son of a top South American jockey, he is the nephew of retired jockey Fernando Toro and trainer, Juan Suarez. He and his family moved to the United States in 1989 and settled in the West Palm Beach, Florida area where his father worked as a trainer.


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Proxy Tempest Platinum/Diamond Info
- This tournament is for INVITED WINNERS/SEMIFINALISTS of previous Proxy Tempest Plat/Diamond tournaments ONLY
- Join in-game chat channel "Proxy Tempest" on the NA server to find your admins, casters, and opponents.
- The tournament is Bo3 format until the finals, which are a Bo5.
- The maps will be picked using the ABAB format used in WCS. The higher seed bans first (A). The lower seed bans next (B). The bans continue until only three maps remain. The higher seeded player then picks the first map, and the lower seeded player picks the second map. (ABAB ABC)
- Laddering is discouraged while playing in this tournament. If you are laddering during the tournament and it causes a delay of a match, you will be disqualified.
- Games will be played on whichever US server both players agree to. In the event an agreement cannot be reached, the admin will decide which server is most fair for both players. Playing games on another region, for this tournament, is not allowed.
- ALL of these rules, as always, are at the current admin's discretion.
It is the discretion of the admins to determine if a player is smurfing. If a player is believed to be smurfing, the admin may remove him/her from the current tournament. If the player is cleared from the accusation, the player may return to play in the following tournament. If it is determined by the staff that the player is smurfing, the player will be temporarily banned from all Proxy Tempest tournaments for 3 months.
We are adding and removing rules based on feedback from the community. Feel free to message us or send us feedback on our website at www.proxytempest.com
If you need further help, you can speak to an admin in the Proxy Tempest Public discord. https://discord.gg/0zSKO1KPjgrtkFnQ
Résultats finaux
|Gagnant du tournoi:
|Digne adversaire:
|Peut-être la prochaine fois:


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Washington D.C., Dec 19, 2008 / 09:01 pm (CNA).-
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday issued a final regulation explicitly clarifying the rights of health care providers to decline participation in services to which they object in conscience. The rule will help protect those individuals and institutions in the medical field who object to abortion.
An HHS press release reported that several statutes have been enacted by Congress to "safeguard the freedom of health care providers to practice according to their conscience."
"The new regulation will increase awareness of and compliance with these laws," it continued.
"Doctors and other health care providers should not be forced to choose between good professional standing and violating their conscience," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "This rule protects the right of medical providers to care for their patients in accord with their conscience."
"Many health care providers routinely face pressure to change their medical practice – often in direct opposition to their personal convictions," said HHS Assistant Secretary of Health, Admiral Joxel Garcia, M.D. "During my practice as an OB-GYN, I witnessed this first-hand. Health care providers shouldn't have to check their consciences at the hospital door."
According to the HHS press release, the final rule clarifies that non-discrimination protections apply to institutional health care providers as well as individuals who work for recipients of HHS funds. Under the rule recipients of certain HHS funds will be required to certify their compliance with conscience protection laws.
The HHS Office for Civil Rights has been designated as the entity to receive violation complaints. If a state or local government or entity is in violation of the statutes, HHS officials may assist them in becoming compliant. If such efforts fail, the entity may be penalized by termination of funding and may be required to return funding already received.
The HHS also encourages providers to disclose to patients what services they do not provide.
Describing remarks received concerning the proposal, the HHS press release said "the comments consistently bore out the necessity of the regulation to implement the statutes enacted by Congress."
"Many commenters exhibited a lack of understanding of these laws. Others articulated a general knowledge that conscience protections exist for providers, but the scope of these protections was not always widely understood. Still other comments came from health care workers relating personal experiences of what they perceived to be discrimination on the basis of their personal or religious beliefs."
Dr. David Stevens, CEO of the 16,000-member Christian Medical Association (CMA), on Thursday welcomed the regulation, saying it will "protect patients and patient access to physicians who adhere to life-affirming ethical standards."
"By protecting physicians and other healthcare professionals who still adhere to the Hippocratic Oath, the Judeo-Christian Scriptures and other objective standards of medical ethics, this regulation serves to protect patients who want access to conscientious and compassionate care from life-affirming physicians," he continued, adding "this regulation insures that physicians and others won't be run out of the profession for upholding those standards."
According to Dr. Stevens, only 38 percent of Americans realize that physicians may not legally be coerced into performing or referring for abortions. He also reported that 41 percent of CMA members who responded to a survey reported being "pressured to compromise Biblical or ethical convictions."
"Physicians report being forced out of medical positions, residents report loss of training privileges, and students report discrimination in medical school admissions," he stated. "Medical students have been reporting to us that they are deciding not to pursue careers in obstetrics and gynecology for fear of coercion to do abortions."
The rule is opposed by many abortion rights groups and also by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association. Sources close to President-elect Obama's transition team told the Wall Street Journal the Obama administration will try to change the rule through the HHS regulatory process.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Health Association, which represents Catholic hospitals, both support the new rule. They say it is needed to protect health care providers from being forced to perform sterilizations and abortions.
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Szálasi, Ferenc (1897-1946):
The leader of the Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross party. On October 15th, 1944, he replaced Horthy as head of state with the help of the Germans. Szálasi's brutal and murderous regime lasted until the end of the war. When the war ended, he was captured by the Americans and extradited to Hungary. Found guilty of war crimes and crimes against the people, he was executed on March 12, 1946.


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Iran has test-fired four missiles in the Persian Gulf, according to an Iranian news agency.
The report quoted General Ali Fadavi of the Revolutionary Guard as saying the missiles were fired simultaneously at a sea target as large as a warship and sank it within 50 seconds.
Fadavi "stressed Iran's missile capability, and noted that Iran's missile systems can reach the entire Persian Gulf coastline and beyond where the US bases are," according to Fars.
This is an escalation of Iran's counter drills in the Gulf, held at the same time as international naval exercises.
While the US-led fleet practices minesweeping, the Iranians have practiced mining.


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Finance the purchase and installation of a photovoltaic (PV) system for your home.
Save automatically whenever you sign or select 'credit' when using your Business Debit MasterCard.®"
Specifically applies to CPB's online use and disclosure of information collected from visitors during the use of our website.
In today's world, your financial health impacts your ability to purchase that new house, buy a car or even get a job. One important factor lenders look at is your credit score. This important piece of financial information can affect your ability to qualify for credit. So what affects your credit score and what can you do to improve or protect it?
- How will accepting that charge card offer or closing an old unused charge card affect your score?
- What happens to your score when you shop around for a loan by applying at multiple financial institutions?
- Will delaying payment hurt my credit?
Central Pacific Bank thinks that it is important that you understand how your actions can affect your credit score and ultimately, your ability to borrow money. Below are links to helpful sites that you can use to educate yourself on your financial health.
FICO's ScoreInfo.org site provides information and insight on your FICO credit score, currently the most widely used credit score in the nation. Here, you will find expert information from the company that invented the FICO® Score. The website will cover such topics as score basics, score factors and tips for a better score. It even has an interactive FICO® Score estimator.
Learn More
VISA's WhatsMyScore.org site provides good information in a fresh and exciting way. Not only does it provide basic information on credit score, but it also contains guides and downloadable resources covering a whole host of topics ranging from buying a car to renting an apartment.
Learn More
VISA's PracticalMoneySkills.com site is an exciting, fun and educational website which offers a variety of tools for learning and teaching wise financial habits. There are articles, financial games, helpful calculators, videos and even podcasts; something for everyone! Teachers and educators, there are even lesson plans for you covering grades from kindergarten to college age topics! Some examples of the innovative financial games are listed below. Check it out today!!
Learn More
FINRA's SaveandInvest.org Military Center site is geared towards the military family and provides not only good basic financial education information, but also covers topics specific to our service members. The site is provided by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation in association with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Both FINRA Investor Education Foundation and FINRA are independent, not-for-profit organizations, whose mission includes financial education.
Learn More
Brought to you by VISA, the following games test your knowledge of basic consumer financial information.


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Conditional Panel
The conditional panel is used extensively in the winter as a guide for precipitation type. On this chart, blue indicates that precipitation will likely fall as snow, magenta as freezing rain, yellow as pellets or grauppel, and green as rain. The orange line is the 0ºC isotherm at 925 MB which can be useful in locating areas of warm air just above the surface that can affect precipitation type (should be used in conjunction with the 850 MB chart). Finally, the dashed set of lines are 1000-850 MB thickness lines in decameters. With thicnkess over 131 decameters (red lines) rain is favored, from 1290-1310 (purple lines) all precipitation types are possible, with thicknesses of less than 1290 (blue lines), precipitation is most likely to fall as snow.


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Spire Company necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 208 diseños de 44 diseñadores freelance.
Spire Running
We are a husband and wife team looking to expand a track & cross country running program that was created for teens without access to high school teams i.e. home school, private school, etc., Our program is producing exceptional athletes and we are interested in expanding and looking for other opportunities like running camps and possibly franchising teams.
This is a new market not currently being tapped. There's great potential. These are high schoolers that understand trends and are brand loyal, but who are also very serious athletes. They like to wear their team apparel off the athletic field and want to take pride in wearing it. As a secondary market we want parents and college recruiters to recognize the logo easily and see it as a symbol of excellence.
We are looking for a logo that reflects Spire as in the pinnacle, peak or highest point, but is represented subtly. Also, "spire," as the root of aspire, inspire, inspiration, we'd like the logo to reflect the bigger meaning.
We would love to have the logo incorporate our running figure (attached) but we're not hooked to it if there's a compelling design without it. Also...
1. No Cartoons - we don't want it to be cheap or childlike.
2. It should be attractive to teens, something they would love to wear off the field.
3. The typeface should be clear, simple and bold. We want something that stands out and can stand alone.
4. The team colors are green and black... logo green and the shirt black but we're open to new ideas as long as it retains that color theme.
5. The logo does not have to include the name, Spire.
The files we will require are:
Print file format - .ai (CMYK)
Web file format - .jpg and layered .psd (RGB)
Please do not use any stock images or clip art in the logo
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.