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Updated: 01/28/03



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Tuesday, 28 January, 2003

Jon is shunning us today. Oh well, we can take a hint.

It was seventeen years ago today that the space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lift-off. It was early morning in California and I was preparing a paper for one of my graduate courses, watching the morning news. Only one station - I believe it was NBC - was televising the launch. One of those "Where were you?" moments.

Sadly, the only major news organization reporting the anniversary appears to be the BBC. (Via Juan Gato).

But enough seriousness. Apparently Rumsfeld has found a way to combine the Hollywood Anti-War Movement with the Human Shields.

Once the United States begins carpet bombing Iraq, the likes of Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Phil Donahue, Woody Harrelson, Kim Basinger, Jessica Lange, Barbra Streisand, Sheen, Penn and others will be tied to columns and posts in strategic locations across the middle-eastern nation so that they, and not innocent Iraqis, will be on the receiving end of the bombs.

Rumsfeld felt certain that the anti-war celebrities in question would be willing to do their part. "I saw Sean Penn on Larry King the other night, talking about the innocent civilians of Iraq, and he is obviously very compassionate and concerned. I was moved by what he said, and it occurred to me there was a way he could help. After all, the President and I have no desire to hurt civilians, and we encourage bipartisan involvement in our policies."

Reached for comment about the possibility of walking their talk, Penn, Sarandon, Lange, Sheen, Streisand and Harrelson all sent statements through "their people" saying they would be away "on location" for the duration of the war against Iraq. "Otherwise they'd love to help," asserted all of their respective agents.

Back to Peeps. In case you didn't get enough of it yesterday I found - to my horror - that there is actually a hidden world of Peeps Fans out there. Salon.com ran a story a couple of years ago about Peeps and how they're made. It also has several links, including one with a page of Peeps FAQ. My favorite:

Are Peeps Kosher for Passover?

Nope, see (above) ingredients. However, the Teenie Beanie and Peeps Jelly Beans logos contain the (U) (Orthodox Union) Kosher designation.

(A reader has noted that the market for Kosher Easter candy may be quite limited.)

[I haven't seen Peep Dreidels, either.]

UPDATE: Jon isn't shunning us anymore. We're delighted.

By the way, Miss Manners DOES, in fact, advocate shunning, but only in extreme circumstances:

Etiquette deals with the most severe cases of rudeness by shunning people -- cutting them, walking out on them, refusing to acknowledge their existence. This may sound wimpy, but she assures you that it is a fierce weapon.

[Well that's Jon. Fierce.]

~ ~ ~

Quote du jour:

"Oh, that way madness lies; let me shun that."

-- William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616),
"King Lear", Act 3 scene 4

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