My three drinking buddies
For those of you familiar with my Bill Moyers drinking game, I will try to make this explanation short. The best show on television is Bill Moyer's news magazine NOW on PBS. It airs at 9pm on friday nights which means that only bleeding heart antisocialites like me ever watch it, fewer still create drinking games about it. I do both. The game works as follows: take one drink as soon as Bill Moyer's beautiful, aged and wise face comes on screen. Boo a little when his younger and a tad arrogant cohost comes on, and jeer until the camera goes back to Bill. Take one drink every time Bill says something amazing. Another when he says something inspirational, and finally take a shot whenever he blows your mind.
Earlier this evening I was watching NOW and constantly being reeducated on issues ranging from the decline of labor unions in America to the unfortunate culture war that distracts us from real problems. And then, she appeared. Her name is Clea Koff and she is an absolutely fantastic human being. She wrote a book called the Bone Woman which tells her story as a forensic analyst who examines mass graves around the world. From the killing fields of Rwanda to the rubble of Serbia her work comforts the families of those killed in some of the worlds most heinous atrocities. Oh yes...and she is amazingly hot! Wowza! Imagine that tempting woman from Mission Impossible II crossed with the oldest daughter from the Cosby Show and then make her a forensic analyst who solves mysteries!! She enters my record book as the third member on...James' Ultimate List of Drinking Buddies!!
James' Ultimate List of Drinking Buddies!!
1. Clea Koff
2. Dr. Khassan Baiev
3. Raoul Wallenberg
Dr. Khassan Baiev is a super hero, and I use hyperbole only mildly. He wrote a book called The Oath about his experiences and reading it will just make you want to shake his hand, give him a hug, then a kiss, and then a little squeeze. He was once a Russian cosmetic surgeon who lived comfortably near Moscow. When the war in Chechnya began he went to help out. At one point he was the ONLY doctor in a city of 80,000 people. While Russian bombers sounded overhead he performed 67 amputations in 48 hours. Over the course of several years he treated anyone who was injured whether Russian or Chechyan, thanks to this humanity both sides labeled him an enemy. He was kidnapped once by both sides but was either released or escaped. Human Rights Watch has honored him, and oh yes, I kid you not he is a martial arts expert. Dr. Khassan Baiev...badass.
Raoul Wallenberg will only drink with me in spirit because unfortunately he was killed been missing since the end of World War II. Raoul was born in Sweden to a very rich family. During the war Sweden was neutral but when hearing about the final solution and the nazi death camps, they organized a clandestine program run by Wallenberg to save the jews. In 1944 Raoul went to Budapest Hungary and did some things that frankly would leave other men with soiled pants. He would bribe and openly threaten Nazi officials to give him phony passes and licenses for Hungarian jews and he set up "Swedish Houses" all over the city. Basically he took a house, declared it Swedish property and then had jews live there, completely out of the reach of Nazi hands. When the Nazis organized death marches in the winter of 44 to take thousands of jews to Germany, Wallenberg walked with them and after bribing Nazi guards he handed out hundreds of counterfeit licenses and passports. One time he organized a train full of jews to be stopped on the track leaving Hungary. He climbed on top of the cattle cars that was carrying the jews to their deaths and he started dropping passports to the teeming masses below him. It is documented that Nazi guards were ordered to shoot him but intentionally missed because they were so dumbfounded at his courage. Raoul climbed down from the train and then demanded that all the jews with passes he had just given them be released. Towards the end he wasnt even bothering to falsify the documents properly. His staff of a few hundred Swedes would just copy the Nazi passes and then sign them themselves. When the Nazi's finally started to retreat and pull out of Budapest, the General in charge was ordered to burn the city and kill all 97,000 jews that remained in the ghettos. Wallenberg sent this general a letter saying that he would hold that general personally responsible for every single death, and so the massacre was canceled. Hungary has since honored Wallenberg with saving the lives of 100,000 jews.
So yea, these be my drinking buddies. Though with this type of company I probably will exclude myself. I doubt that being a good tipper at restaurants, or being able to say the alphabet backwards is enough qualification to get into the same drinking table as these folks. Maybe I'll just bring Roy Orbison and play cards with him at the kiddie table. Regardless, Clea Koff is hot and the Bill Moyers drinking game will live on.
Earlier this evening I was watching NOW and constantly being reeducated on issues ranging from the decline of labor unions in America to the unfortunate culture war that distracts us from real problems. And then, she appeared. Her name is Clea Koff and she is an absolutely fantastic human being. She wrote a book called the Bone Woman which tells her story as a forensic analyst who examines mass graves around the world. From the killing fields of Rwanda to the rubble of Serbia her work comforts the families of those killed in some of the worlds most heinous atrocities. Oh yes...and she is amazingly hot! Wowza! Imagine that tempting woman from Mission Impossible II crossed with the oldest daughter from the Cosby Show and then make her a forensic analyst who solves mysteries!! She enters my record book as the third member on...James' Ultimate List of Drinking Buddies!!
James' Ultimate List of Drinking Buddies!!
1. Clea Koff
2. Dr. Khassan Baiev
3. Raoul Wallenberg
Dr. Khassan Baiev is a super hero, and I use hyperbole only mildly. He wrote a book called The Oath about his experiences and reading it will just make you want to shake his hand, give him a hug, then a kiss, and then a little squeeze. He was once a Russian cosmetic surgeon who lived comfortably near Moscow. When the war in Chechnya began he went to help out. At one point he was the ONLY doctor in a city of 80,000 people. While Russian bombers sounded overhead he performed 67 amputations in 48 hours. Over the course of several years he treated anyone who was injured whether Russian or Chechyan, thanks to this humanity both sides labeled him an enemy. He was kidnapped once by both sides but was either released or escaped. Human Rights Watch has honored him, and oh yes, I kid you not he is a martial arts expert. Dr. Khassan Baiev...badass.
Raoul Wallenberg will only drink with me in spirit because unfortunately he was killed been missing since the end of World War II. Raoul was born in Sweden to a very rich family. During the war Sweden was neutral but when hearing about the final solution and the nazi death camps, they organized a clandestine program run by Wallenberg to save the jews. In 1944 Raoul went to Budapest Hungary and did some things that frankly would leave other men with soiled pants. He would bribe and openly threaten Nazi officials to give him phony passes and licenses for Hungarian jews and he set up "Swedish Houses" all over the city. Basically he took a house, declared it Swedish property and then had jews live there, completely out of the reach of Nazi hands. When the Nazis organized death marches in the winter of 44 to take thousands of jews to Germany, Wallenberg walked with them and after bribing Nazi guards he handed out hundreds of counterfeit licenses and passports. One time he organized a train full of jews to be stopped on the track leaving Hungary. He climbed on top of the cattle cars that was carrying the jews to their deaths and he started dropping passports to the teeming masses below him. It is documented that Nazi guards were ordered to shoot him but intentionally missed because they were so dumbfounded at his courage. Raoul climbed down from the train and then demanded that all the jews with passes he had just given them be released. Towards the end he wasnt even bothering to falsify the documents properly. His staff of a few hundred Swedes would just copy the Nazi passes and then sign them themselves. When the Nazi's finally started to retreat and pull out of Budapest, the General in charge was ordered to burn the city and kill all 97,000 jews that remained in the ghettos. Wallenberg sent this general a letter saying that he would hold that general personally responsible for every single death, and so the massacre was canceled. Hungary has since honored Wallenberg with saving the lives of 100,000 jews.
So yea, these be my drinking buddies. Though with this type of company I probably will exclude myself. I doubt that being a good tipper at restaurants, or being able to say the alphabet backwards is enough qualification to get into the same drinking table as these folks. Maybe I'll just bring Roy Orbison and play cards with him at the kiddie table. Regardless, Clea Koff is hot and the Bill Moyers drinking game will live on.