She Ate It Braised, With Fava Beans and a Nice Chianti

A Salon magazine scribe who obviously has way too much time on her hands consumes placenta and writes about it.

Now there's something you won't find on the menu at any of the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (although one time one of them made fried pig's ear sandwiches, which kind of made me want to hurl).

Europe in a Tacky, Tuneless Nutshell

You won't be able to read it online unless you pay for it because it's behind a firewall, and you probably don't want to shell out the cash to buy it, so maybe you can pick up the New Yorker issue with Anthony Lane's droll piece about uber-kitschy Eurovision Song Contest at your local library, where it's free. If you do, you can read stuff like this, a delicious rebuke to those who tout the superiority of European ''culchuh":

The third method [of winning the contest], which is by far the most popular, and which has brought mirthful pleasure to millions on an annual basis, is to sing in Eurovision English: an exquisite tongue, spoken nowhere else, which raises the poetry of the heartfelt but absolute nonsense to a level of which Lewis Carroll could only dreamed. The Swedes are predictably fluent in this ("Your breasts are like swallows a-nesting,' they sang in 1973), and the Finns, too, should be hailed as early masters, with their faintly troubling back-to-back efforts from the mid-seventies, "Old Man Fiddle" and "Pump-pump," but the habit continued to flourish even during those periods when the home-language ruling was in place, as cunning lyricists broke the embargo by smuggling random expostulations into their titles and choruses. Hence such gems as Austria's "Boom Boomerang," from 1977 (not to be confused with Denmark's "Boom Boom," of the following year), Portugal's "Bem-bom," from 1982, and Sweden's "Diggi-loo Diggi-ley," which won in 1984. The next year's contenders, spurred by such bravado, responded with "Magic, Oh Magic" (Italy) and "Piano Piano" (Switzerland). Not that the host nation relinquished the crown without a fight, as anyone who watched Kiki Danielson can attest. Her song was called "Bra Vibrationer." It was, regretably, in Swedish.

In which, no doubt, it sounded far less weird and icky.

Update: This year's winner is a German named Lena, who sang "Satellite," not to be confused with a German named Nena, who sang "99 Luftballons," though not in the contest.

Update: The antithesis of--and antidote to--crappy European songs.

Update: The far-from-inimitable Kiki Danielson sings the all-too-forgettable Bra Vibrationer. With oddly-attired dance duo thrown in at no extra charge.

Update: Diggi-loo Diggy-ley, anyone?

Update: Nuki Nuki--a song that wasn't in the Eurovision contest, but sounds like it should have been.

Americans In the Mood for Hopenchange

The kind that leaves Obama out in the cold.

Zionhass on Parade

The problem with "diversity" and "inclusivity" is that, while those certainly sound like wonderfully warm 'n' cuddly concepts, the way they generally play out these days is that there's always a "diverse" faction that, to paraphrase a great Jewish malapropist, want to include the Jews out. Without perhaps intending to, Justine Apple, spokesperson for Jewish gay organization Kulanu, shows how it works in this Xtra report. The article details Jewish frustration/anger following Pride organizers reversing their decision to nix "Israeli apartheid" from this year's event. Justine isn't necessarily against QuAIA getting the axe. At the same time, though, she thinks their symbolism during last year's parade may not have been in keeping with the spirit of "inclusivity" and "tolerance" her group promotes:

Justine Apple of the queer Jewish group Kulanu told Xtra later that she isn’t opposed to policy discussions but that the QuAIA contingent in last year’s parade crossed a line. One marcher wore a T-shirt with a crossed-out Swastika on it.

“Their use of the swastika, whether crossed out or not, is absolutely unacceptable to me,” said Apple. “The minute any Jewish person – any informed person – sees that, you immediately want to leave that parade. It screams hate.”

Although Apple spoke against PT’s announcement, she still encourages members of Toronto’s Jewish community to march with her contingent in the Pride parade next Sunday.

“We want to galvanise as many people as possible to march with us and show our strength in numbers,” she says. “Kulanu promotes inclusivity, diversity, acceptance, tolerance. We feel those values have been removed from the Pride parade and we want to bring them back.”

Maybe they should ban swastikas.

Me? I don't plan to march in the Pride parade. However, I'm seriously considering organizing a march for another derided, marginalized community--the Square, Straight, Monogamous and Tattooless, or SSMT. We SSMTers have been seriously underrepresented and misrepresented, and I feel it's high time to redress this unfortunate situation. Unlike that other parade, however, we pride ourselves on our lack of "tolerance" and "inclusivity" in the sense that we refuse to tolerate the intolerance of Jew-haters.

We're kind of funny that way.

No 'Jihad' Here Either

From the Telegraph via the National Post:

Saudi Arabia is reviewing its terrorism strategy after uncovering a female-run network that was fundraising for al-Qaeda. Heila al-Qusayyer, the middle-class mother described as al-Qaeda's "first lady," was running a cell of 60 alleged rebels. She is believed to have been the Arabian peninsula's main fundraiser for al-Qaeda. The woman was married to a former Aramco executive who gave up his material possessions to become a radical preacher. Counter-terrorism officials had assumed young men and boys were the principal agents of radical Islam. Saudi security chiefs have now set up a specialist all-female unit at King Saud University to study the appeal of Islamist insurgency to women and how best to tackle it.

I could be way off base here, but I think it might have something to do with the Koran's call to wage jihad on the infidel until the planet capitulates. (Or, in the immortal words of Islam's founder: "He who fights that Islam should be superior fights in Allah's cause.")

Just a hunch, mind you.

Whatever You Do, Don't Mention 'Islam' or 'Muslims' or 'Jihad'

John "Al Quds" Brennan demonstrates his (and Obama's) M.O. in this communique, from the Washington Times:

Dozens of Americans have joined terrorist groups and are posing a threat to the United States and its interests abroad, the president's most senior adviser on counterterrorism and homeland security said Thursday.

"There are, in my mind, dozens of U.S. persons who are in different parts of the world, and they are very concerning to us," said John O. Brennan, deputy White House national security adviser for homeland security and counterterrorism.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Washington Times, Mr. Brennan said he would not talk about lists of targeted American terrorists. However, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been tracking down U.S. nationals and U.S. passport holders who pose security threats, like the Yemen-based al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, he said.

"They are concerning to us, not just because of the passport they hold, but because they understand our operational environment here, they bring with them certain skills, whether it be language skills or familiarity with potential targets, and they are very worrisome, and we are determined to take away their ability to assist with terrorist attacks," Mr. Brennan said.

The remarks came in response to questions about procedures used by the president to order lethal strikes on U.S. citizens who have joined al Qaeda or other terrorist groups...

Nope. No jihad here, folks. At most, a question of "terrorism". Best shuffle off now.

QuAIA Riot

The movie.

From Shmuck to Esteemed Pundit in No Time Flat

Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer, who resigned from office due to a scandal arising from his predilection for doing the horizontal mambo with ladies for hire, has been hired by CNN.

There's No Escaping the Politics of Pride

Pride parade organizers pulled a fast one, promising to ban the big lie from having a presence in this year's event so that the city wouldn't nix its funding, then reversing themselves in the face of a sustained outcry from its own egregiously--and agressively--"progressive" community. Prior to the reversal, organizers had agreed to ban the words "Israeli apartheid" because they averred that "politics" had no place in Pride (or pride of place) in this supposedly apolitical exhibition. But it's awfully hard to keep politics out of things when a) the cancer of Zionhass has metastasized, especially in leftist and Islamist circles and b) it's an election year in the city, with each of the mayoralty candidates jockeying frantically for position. To give you a taste of the fallout from what is actually a hugely political event, here's a portion of the report by the Toronto Sun's Sue Anne Levy (a member of the LGBTQ community, which makes what follows seem that much odder) that was posted on the Ceej site:

...City officials appeared to be running for cover Wednesday.

Rita Davies, executive director of culture who issued the Pride grant, referred me to Diversity Manager Ceta Ramkhalawansingh for comment.

Late Wednesday afternoon Ramkhalawansingh, who indicated one month ago that the group might be in violation of the city’s anti-discrimination policies, left me a bizarre voice-mail message saying Pride Toronto is now in compliance.

But gay activist Martin Gladstone — who produced a DVD documenting the QuAIA contingent last year — said the facts about QuAIA’s hateful messaging haven’t changed.

“The only thing that has changed is that Pride has taken the city’s cheque and rebuked the city’s policy,” he said, adding that Pride’s actions have “emboldened” the group and will create a “free-for-all hatefest” at the parade this year.

Bernie Farber, chief executive officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress, said the group is “very disappointed” with Pride’s about-face. “They got bullied and intimidated into flip-flopping,” he said.

“It shows a lack of integrity, a lack of honour and a lack of justice,” he added, saying this will not stop any Jewish groups from marching in the parade this year.

[Mayoral candidate Giorgio] Mammoliti said he’ll put another motion to the July council asking that the grant money, plus the nearly $200,000 Pride Toronto will get in policing and clean-up resources, be paid back retroactively and all future city funding be discontinued.

“This is something Pride has to learn a lesson on,” he said. “Taxpayers cannot be expected to dole out money to spread hatred.”

[Mayoral candidate] Rocco Rossi said he was “appalled” and “disappointed” with Pride’s reversal, noting nothing has changed to support that decision. He said the next mayor and council should definitely discuss whether to fund Pride next year.

Openly gay mayoralty candidate George Smitherman would only say he finds it “entirely objectionable” the parade is being “hijacked and threatened by a sideshow” that has nothing to do with Pride.

“Unfortunately there are still those in our city who would look for any reason to deny funding and support for Pride and this only plays into their hands,” he said, no doubt referring to [conservative candidate Rob] Ford.

Time for Bernie to shake the mothballs off his queer T for the straight Jew, I guess.

One Jew-Hater High Fives Another

The sultry and adorable Wahida Valiante says, "You go, girl!" to the fetching and hoydenish Libby Davies.

'Peace' Naik

MEMRI has "an ideological profile" of Peace TV's Dr. Zakir Naik. Dr. Naik has the distinction of having been banned both in Britain and Canada.

Update: Naik's out; Yee's in. Here's how the Journey of Faith conference announces the change of keynote speaker due to circumstances beyond its control:

Dr. Zakir Naik Unable to Attend the 3rd Annual Journey of Faith Conference on July 2nd - 4th 2010

All praises are due to Allah and we seek His assistance and guidance for our success in this world and the next.

The organizers of the 3rd Annual Journey of Faith conference, regret to announce that Dr. Zakir Naik will be unable to attend this year's conference due to the uncertainty of his admission to Canada.

While no official public notice or announcement has been issued regarding the Canadian government's decision to revoke Dr. Naik's visa, we have no choice but to assume, based on various reports, that such a decision has been made and abide by it at this time.

Nonetheless, the attendees and supporters of Journey of Faith will not be left empty handed. The conference will go on as planned and Dr. Zakir Naik will be joining us via live video conferencing along with all the other speakers already scheduled. Join us this Canada Day weekend for a journey towards understanding our Divine Manual: The Holy Qur'an.

The Journey of Faith conference is an invitation to Muslims and peoples of other faiths to learn about Islam. It is not to promote a particular speaker or individual. We are confident that in keeping with our mission statement and vision we will continue to achieve our collective goals.

We seek to promote a healthy and balanced understanding of Islam through the Divine Revelations and Prophetic Traditions.

Our mandate is to endorse and present the proper understanding of religious sources and to avoid human whims and desires which often lead to extremism, intolerance and religious violence...

Yes, human "whims and desires" simply won't do: submission--complete and unquestioning--to Allah is the thing.