Posted at 08:42 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

click for video

Great Britain:  It must be interesting to live in a country where a tushie shot doesn't send the entire nation into apoplectic seizures

Get the Whole Thing via adrants

Posted at 09:39 AM in Music, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

George Orwell never had it so good:

via Patriot Boy

Posted at 06:08 AM in Books, Humor, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Why dont we adverts like this in the USA?

click for video

Posted at 06:21 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

There was a good documentary on the construction of this on Discovery. It's located in southern France, and is the highest bridge in the world. It is a truly amazing piece of engineering, especially considering the method used to span the distance between the piers.

The red support struts (1 left and 2 right in photo) were removed following completion of the bridge.

The Millau Bridge over the River Tarn in the Massif Central mountains is more than 984 feet high - taller than the Eiffel Tower.

click for larger photo

Posted at 09:28 AM in Design | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

How cool is this?

click for video

Posted at 09:10 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A Deal Seeker's Cheat Sheet

Veteran online bargain hunters employ a variety of strategies to secure the best prices. A look at some of them:

<spacer>

Posted at 06:42 AM in Shopping | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

One of the truly more amusingly warped -- and outright creepy -- tales of Thanksgiving. See if you can guess which house this is:

Karl sneaks furtive glances at Barb. He is awed by her natural power, her girth, her effortless cunning. That teal makes her look so ... so ... seaworthy. He wants her. Badly. She knows it. They have a secret thing -- it is matronly and sweaty and creepy as hell and takes place every other Sunday in a Ritz-Carlton just off the Beltway.

Rummy knows all about it. He and Dick stand near the bar and take huge swigs of scotch and puffs from thick Cuban cigars and speak in low, mean tones out the sides of their mouths, occasionally bursting into dark laughter that sounds like a brick being dragged over a cheese grater. Rummy says something about the Karl/Barb flesh-fest and wonders, a little too loudly, if Oedipus would have felt differently about his mother if she had spanked him. Cheney grunts, retorts with a joke about how pleasurable it must be to hold a lit cigarette near the open eyeball of a terrified prisoner in Guantanamo and demand Osama's cell phone number. Ha.

Dick glances over at Lynne, who is, of course, eyeing one of the Latina servants with open-mouthed hunger. Dick hasn't seen Lynne naked in years. He realizes this is a very good thing. Something to be thankful for, certainly. But Lynne is happy. Her life is full of joyous bridge tournaments and bashing of gay rights and copious lesbian fantasies. She is nothing like poor, lost Condi.

Condi is lonely. So, so lonely, sitting over in the far corner, all by herself, nursing her one glass of white wine. No one really talks to her anymore except Dubya and a maybe few brusque words from Rummy, who she suspects is always imagining her cleaning his guns and polishing his boots and calling him "master." Suddenly, her heart jumps. She sees Dubya looking at her from across the room. She smiles that demonic, dominatrix-y smile that always creeps out the Asian press. He does that thing with his thin little lips, that little gesture only she understands. Her body is instantly warmed. Oh their special bond, a dark secret. It is her breath, her raison d'être. It keeps her alive.

The entire column is one long increasingly funny draw on the same sick drink  . .  .

Source:
Scenes From A Bush Thanksgiving
Dubya pouts, Cheney scowls, no one brings pie -- and why is Rove looking at Barb that way?
By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2005/11/23/notes112305.DTL

Posted at 04:30 PM in Humor, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Its that time of year again:

Posted at 06:37 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

I'd love to see a playlist for ast night's show, if anyone has one.

Here's some snaps I took with the phone -- Despite what it says on the tickets, U2 (apparently) allows cameras. I would have brought the Exilim had I known . . . I could have taken some killer shots -- We were in GA, perhaps 6 feet from the stage!

Even with the phone, these are not too bad:

Bono on the Main Stage

Edge on the Ramp:

Bono on the Ramp

Bono and Edge (about 15 feet away from me)

Bono (8 feet)

The Main Stage:

just before this shot, Bono leans into the crowd right in front of me -- he was literally inches away, but I was so surprised I forget to snap a photo . .  .

Bono drumming

Loudest crowd of any live show I've ever been to . . . Knew and sang every word to every song.

>

UPDATE: Novermber 23, 2005 10:06am 

Here's the set list, courtesy of Aaron:

Main Set:
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
The Electric Co. - Send in the Clowns
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
In a Little While
Beautiful Day
Original of the Species
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday - Rock the Casbah
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride
Where the Streets Have No Name
One
MLK

Encore(s):
Until the End of the World
Mysterious Ways
With or Without You
Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
Instant Karma

- U2 Tours

>

See also:
Wanted: Rocker-Activist's Support
Hoping His Help Will Salvage Free-Trade Talks, Officials Brief U2's Bono on U.S. Agenda
GREG HITT
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, November 23, 2005; Page A4
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB113268475504304324-
T1euc72NdsDyu0cb_OBXw3VSgsw_20061123.html?mod=blogs

Posted at 09:36 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

How cool is the Camera Toss?  Grab a digital camera, set the exposure to a few seconds, and "toss it" to a friend.

Posted at 06:43 AM in Art & Design | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

One of the commenters on "DRM Crippled CD: A bizarre tale in 4 parts" pointed out that any CD you can listen to -- regardless of DRM -- can be defeated quite easily:

HOW TO BEAT ANY AUDIO CD COPYRIGHT PROTECTION SOFTWARE

buy a discman - sony make goods ones (poetic justice dept!)
insert audio cd
link cd headfones/line out to the line in on pc soundcard
play audio cd
record each track one at a time
re-assemble audio cd and burn to disc

every copy made from that disc will be copyright protection software free, and there  is nothing anyone can do about this - if they did we wouldn't be able to listen to the audio cd's at all!

And, it is perfectly legal - you are allowed to make as many copies of a legally purchased product as you like so long as you can convince the judge that they are for personal use or are backup copies.

Posted at 06:39 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

How ridiculously cool is this video? 9 minutes of hair raising driving through the streets of Paris, at speeds approaching 140 mph:

click for video

You can see quicktime versions of the 9 minute flick at several sites :

bsdunix

dvblog

Here's the details from Wikipedia:

C'était un rendez-vous is a short film made in 1976 by Claude Lelouch, the director of Un homme et une femme. Lelouch's own car – a Ferrari 275 GTB – is driven by an anonymous driver at breakneck speed through the streets of Paris just after dawn, for a romantic "rendez-vous" at Basilica of the Sacré Cœur.

This cinéma vérité film was made in a single take with no editing, using a gyro-stabilised camera mount attached to the front of the car. The length of the film was limited by the capacity of the camera reel (under 10 minutes). There is no dialog, and the actors only appear briefly at the end; the driver's face is never shown.
Lelouch apparently sought an official permit but was denied by municipal authorities. Combined with low traffic, this probably influenced the early-morning hour of the shoot. The driver, purportedly an F1 racer, frightened unwitting pedestrians, scattered birds, ran stoplights, went the wrong way down one-way streets, crossed center lines, and ignored other traffic laws, in addition to speed limits. A close analysis showed the car at times approached 140 mph (220 km/h). Obstacles such as buses, garbage trucks, and small knots of traffic forced detours and abrupt downshifting. Though no police were encountered during the shoot itself, when Lelouch showed his film in public, he was arrested. Apparently no charges were ever filed, but as a result the film remained underground for many years.

The film has recently been re-mastered from the 35mm negative and released on DVD.

Here's the website for Rendez-Vous DVD

Or, you can purchase the DVD of this from Bentley Publishing.

click for video

via Fire Wheel Design

Posted at 06:05 AM in Automobiles | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Bob Rosenberg notes "The way I address people like the folks on the Kansas State Board of Education is with this short little essay:"

Evolution is 'only' a Theory.

When engaged in conversation by someone arguing for 'Intelligent Design' or 'Creationism', I respond thusly [it's better aloud, with appropriate emphasis, than it is on paper -- but, it works on paper]:

Evolution is 'only' a Theory.  Some people will tell you that a theory, "... is just somebody's idea of what 'might' happen."

Well, Evolution is 'only' a Theory.

The dictionary says that a theory is, "the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another".

So, Evolution is 'only' a Theory.  Evolution is 'only', "the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another".  That means Evolution is 'only' a discussion of the existing empirical evidence.

Anyone who has difficulty understanding that concept is welcome to discuss it further with me.  I will suggest to them that we continue the discussion at the 'so-called' Trinity Site in New Mexico.  I choose that location because I know some of the same people who say that,  "Evolution is 'only' a Theory" (that Evolution is just somebody's idea of what 'might' happen") actually believe that if you bring together, in a small dense enough mass, some so-called 'enriched' Uranium it will spontaneously explode.  They even have a name for this 'Theoretical' idea:  The name they have for it is a 'so called' "Atomic Bomb".

However, we all know that Relativity is also 'only' a Theory.  It's just somebody's idea of what 'might' happen.

Relativity is 'only' a Theory -- Just like Evolution.   "It's just somebody's idea of what 'might' happen" -- just like a 'so called' "Atomic Bomb".

-Bob Rosenberg
via Interesting People

Posted at 11:29 AM in Politics, Religion, Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

These guys do way cool graphics: They are on my short list next time I need some work:

Firewheel Design
http://www.firewheeldesign.com/

Posted at 07:25 AM in Art & Design | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What makes a great steak? A few things: Prime beef, well marbled, and aged.

First thing first: Prime:

One of the most confusing things about beef is knowing what a restaurant means when it describes meat as "prime." The answer starts out on the range, with a head of cattle munching grass. Although some steakhouses make much of where their beef comes from, cattle from across the country are all genetically similar, according to Cattle-Fax. At 15 months, the typical steer or heifer is sold to a feedlot, where it spends about five months chomping on the bovine equivalent of ice cream: corn with some hay, wheat and protein supplements. As cattle eat their high-calorie rations, they develop various degrees of marbling, or thin lines of milky white fat running through their meat.

next up: Marbling:

Marbling is one case in life where fat is a good thing: When beef cooks, those lines of fat melt and essentially baste the meat from within, making it rich and tender. Marbling is so important to the taste of a good steak that it is the basis of the USDA grading system. After slaughter, an inspector looks at the rib area of each carcass and labels it prime, choice, select, or another lower grade, depending on how much marbling he sees. About 55% of all cattle develop what the USDA terms "slightly abundant" marbling and are graded choice; 42% with less marbling are graded select or below. At the very top of the pyramid is the elite 3% of carcasses that have lots of white lines and flecks. They are graded USDA prime.

last comes Aging:

There are two ways of aging beef. The expensive route is dry-aging, which involves storing large pieces of meat in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room, typically for two to four weeks. It is generally considered the gold standard, because the meat evaporates liquid as it ages, creating more concentrated meat with intense beefy flavor. But evaporation causes both weight loss and a thick, hard crust that needs to be trimmed, often by a salaried in-house butcher. Restaurants that buy dry-aged steak pay about a $4-per-pound premium, according to David Burke, the former culinary director at Smith & Wollensky who is opening a steakhouse in Chicago this winter.

Finally, knowing the lingo can help you get a better piece of meat. Here are some essential terms (via WSJ):

Certified Angus Beef: Brand name for meat from Angus-breed cattle that is graded in the top two-thirds of the USDA choice category.

Filet mignon: Usually "choice or better" grade meat and never dry-aged, because it is boneless. The most tender but often least flavorful cut, it tastes best fairly rare. Chateaubriand is an extra-thick filet mignon.

Hanger steak: Some of the new, independent steakhouses serve this cut from the underside of the cow. Generally cheaper than other steaks, with a rich flavor and chewy texture.

New York strip: Also known as the Kansas City strip or sirloin strip (on-the-bone sirloin strips are sometimes called shell steaks). It's the choice of many connoisseurs, especially when it is USDA prime and dry-aged.

Porterhouse: The two-for-one steak, with a sirloin strip on one side of the bone and a tenderloin filet on the other. Often big enough for two diners (or one rich and hungry one), it's usually the priciest steak.

Rib eye: The fattiest steak and thus the best choice for people who like beef more well done -- the fat keeps it moist. Prime rib is the same meat roasted whole rather than sliced into steaks.

USDA choice: Grade given by a Department of Agriculture inspector to meat with marbling that ranges from small to what the USDA terms "slightly abundant."

USDA prime: Grade given by a DOA inspector to meat with the most marbling.

click for much larger graph

<spacer>

Source:
Steakhouse Confidential
With demand for the best beef up and supply down, some restaurants are cutting corners. We serve up a guide to getting what you want
KATY MCLAUGHLIN
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, October 8, 2005; Page P4
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB112872297151463196.html

Posted at 07:00 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Posted at 08:15 AM in Photo Caption Contest! | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Ben Sargent:

click for larger toon

via Yahoo!

Posted at 08:42 AM in Humor, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Cleaning out some old files, I came across thois collection of snaps of poisonous frogs. I have no idea where they are from -- but they are definitely way cool:

Posted at 06:35 AM in Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Rolling Stones set list, San Francisco  11/13/05

Posted at 06:02 PM in Music | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Intelligent Design THIS:

photo courtesy of NYT

The New York Times reports:

Unlike most crocodiles today, this one possessed a snout that was short and stout, like that of Tyrannosaurus rex, and its foot-and-a-half-long jaws held 52 large teeth with serrated edges - the type that can tear chunks of flesh out of other large creatures.

"I'm sure it wasn't nice," said Diego Pol, a researcher at the Mathematical Biosciences Institute at Ohio State University and a member of the research team. "A top predator role in the food chain."

Perhaps a dozen or more feet long, it was not the largest of all crocodiles, nor was it the only one that swam the seas. But it is notable for being so sharply distinct from most other crocodiles, which generally have long, slender snouts and a mouthful of more than 100 small sharp teeth, useful for catching fish.

"It's like a crocodile with a dinosaur head on it," said James M. Clark, who is a professor of biology at George Washington University but was not involved in the research. "This is something really new and unusual. In the realm of fossil marine crocodiles, it's a big deal.

Source:
Scientists Find the T-Rex of Crocodiles
KENNETH CHANG
NYT, November 11, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/11/science/11croc.html

Posted at 08:11 AM in Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Good Morning Silicon Valley quotes the Dalia Lama on evolution:

"Although Buddhist contemplative tradition and modern science have evolved from different historical, intellectual and cultural roots, I believe that at heart they share significant commonalities, especially in their basic philosophical outlook and methodology.

"On the philosophical level, both Buddhism and modern science share a deep suspicion of any notion of absolutes, whether conceptualized as a transcendent being, as an eternal, unchanging principle such as soul, or as a fundamental substratum of reality.

"Both Buddhism and science prefer to account for the evolution and emergence of the cosmos and life in terms of the complex interrelations of the natural laws of cause and effect.

"From the methodological perspective, both traditions emphasize the role of empiricism. For example, in the Buddhist investigative tradition, between the three recognized sources of knowledge - experience, reason and testimony - it is the evidence of the experience that takes precedence, with reason coming second and testimony last.

"This means that, in the Buddhist investigation of reality, at least in principle, empirical evidence should triumph over scriptural authority, no matter how deeply venerated a scripture may be.

"Even in the case of knowledge derived through reason or inference, its validity must derive ultimately from some observed facts of experience."

-- The Dalai Lama at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience last Saturday.

Posted at 08:09 AM in Religion, Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

How effen annoying is this: this lady, in an attempt to learn English, has an electronic "Spell & Speak"  translating dictionary:

Look, I appreciate that you want to learbn the language of your new country -- thats admirable -- but may I suggest a pair of cheap headphones?  Your new countrymen would appreciate it.

Posted at 07:32 AM in LIRR Commuter From Hell | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

How great are these PSA cards, via Aaron Draplin (and Coudal Partners)?

<spacer>

The reasonably polite SHHH, the Society for HandHeld Hushing:

Awesome work, Aaron!

Posted at 06:14 AM in LIRR Commuter From Hell | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

When I found out that the Soup Nazi was opening up near my office, my curiousity got the best of me. We tried it today.

If you are wondering, the soup was quite excellent, but a $1 overpriced. No one needs a piece of chocolate and 2 mini Apples with their bowl of Sausage Gumbo; nor does anyone require an expensive handled Bloomingdale type paper bag (its fine for a cashmere sweater, but its a bit excessive for soup). 

It was as if they were trying to rationalize $7.95 for a bowl of takeout soup.

<spacer>

Here are the infamous Soup Nazi Rules:

The place is clean and well lit, and the line moves along fast (it was pretty busy at noon)

<spacer>

Bottom line: Excellent soup -- but it ain't cheap.

Posted at 01:31 PM in Food and Drink, Humor, Television | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

If you are unfamiliar with the graphic artists R. Crumb, you have a unique and bizarre treat awaiting.

The creator of Mr. Natural and many other infamous characters, Crumb now has an online museum.

Have a look at his history of Amercia (in 12 panels):

If you find his work interesting, see this intriguing documentary -- it reveals how truly warped and bizarre the man is -- quite fascinating.

Posted at 06:55 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Hysterical!  An entire project about stuffed animals strapped to Trucks

<spacer>

click for larger snap:

photos courtesy NYT

<spacer>

Sources:
They're Soft and Cuddly, So Why Lash Them to the Front of a Truck?
ANDY NEWMAN
NYTimes, November 13, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/nyregion/13stuffed.html

See also Urban Beasts
http://urbanbeast.com/faq/strapped.html

Posted at 02:22 PM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

How bizarre is this:

The nude, warns Dr. Graziella Magherini, a top psychiatrist in Florence, can be dangerous to one's mental health. "The nude, the nude body, masculine and feminine, above all those done by the great artists," she said, "is very provocative on the mind of a person."

She is Italy's expert on strong reactions to art: 30 years ago, she began studying what she later called the "Stendhal syndrome," named after the French writer who collapsed, as he wrote after a visit to Florence in 1817, from "a pitch of excitement wherein the celestial sensations of the fine arts meet the passions."

Over 10 years, she studied some 100 cases of visitors to Florence suffering similar breakdowns after their encounters with Italy's art, architecture and history, experiencing panic, euphoria, depression, even hallucinations.

These days, her studies have zeroed in on sex, and specifically how Caravaggio's sexually ambiguous young boys have caused similar mental episodes especially in men - more broadly, how the charge of sex in great art can also overwhelm.

That's right: visitors to Florence Italy, which holds one of the world's great collection of classical artists painting Men and Women just as God created them, has been causing people to have reactions ranging from fainting to hallucinations.

The NYT discusses this rather perplexing reaction:

Here in Florence, Dr. Magherini has turned her attention to the most famous nude: Michelangelo's "David." She is studying reactions to the "David," and has been looking particularly at a recent exhibition in which five modern works were displayed aside the classical beauty of the "David." The exhibition provoked "particularly violent and exaggerated reactions to the contemporary works," according to Francia Falletti, director of the Galleria della Academia, where the "David" is displayed. There have been no unusual reactions recorded at the new exhibit on mythology and erotica, though in theory there is time: the show runs through May 15.

An Italian newspaper called it a "porno shop," a description that Ms. Casazza, the museum director and co-curator of the exhibit, dismissed with a laugh.

"When you look at one of these paintings, do you feel like you are looking at Playboy?" she asked, and again the visitor was relieved when she answered her own question.

"No," she said. "They are different from men's magazines. This has a universal character. There is also the ability to represent the human soul."

Oh, no! Boobies!

Photo courtesy of NYT

Source:
Blush if You Must, for Art's Sake, but Don't Panic
Florence Journal
IAN FISHER
NYT, November 11, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/11/international/europe/11florence.html

Posted at 09:43 AM in Art & Design | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Yo G!

You know us?

We be mouthy, obnoxious punks. Loud and foul-mouthed gangsta wannabes. Our parents gots the beuacoup bucks, so we be privileged and entitled and shit.

We're a pair of spoiled brats.

Here's da clues:  We's got no respect for anyone else -- certainly not the bee-yatch LIRR conductor (a nice woman just trying to do her job), who we gave a buncha lip to. She dissed us, askin for our tickets and shit. We wise-assed up some bull-shit about da other conductor on da other train takin em. When she saw through our crap, we gots loud and threatenin on her ass.

Cause that's what wiggers do.

Ain't like we respect our parents neither -- we just squeezin 'em for whatever bling we can get. We don't respect our sibs or teach or anyone else.

Hell, we too dumb to even respect ourselves.

Oh, yeah, and we live in Roslyn.

( Hey, what's that guy doin with the camera phone ?!? )

Posted at 07:21 AM in LIRR Commuter From Hell | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack

How cute is this:

Via email . .  . More pics can be seen at Hamor Hollow Hedgehogs

Posted at 06:08 AM in Science | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Astonishing: This entire text is verbatim from senior Bush Administration officials and advisers:

<spacer>

Revision Thing:  A history of the Iraq war, told entirely in lies

Once again, we were defending both ourselves and the safety and survival of civilization itself. September 11 signaled the arrival of an entirely different era. We faced perils we had never thought about, perils we had never seen before. For decades, terrorists had waged war against this country. Now, under the leadership of President Bush, America would wage war against them. It was a struggle between good and it was a struggle between evil.

It was absolutely clear that the number-one threat facing America was from Saddam Hussein. We know that Iraq and Al Qaeda had high-level contacts that went back a decade. We learned that Iraq had trained Al Qaeda members in bomb making and deadly gases. The regime had long-standing and continuing ties to terrorist organizations. Iraq and Al Qaeda had discussed safe-haven opportunities in Iraq. Iraqi officials denied accusations of ties with Al Qaeda. These denials simply were not credible. You couldn't distinguish between Al Qaeda and Saddam when you talked about the war on terror.

The fundamental question was, did Saddam Hussein have a weapons program? And the answer was, absolutely. His regime had large, unaccounted-for stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons--including VX, sarin, cyclosarin, and mustard gas, anthrax, botulism, and possibly smallpox. Our conservative estimate was that Iraq then had a stockpile of between 100 and 500 tons of chemical-weapons agent. That was enough agent to fill 16,000 battlefield rockets. We had sources that told us that Saddam Hussein recently authorized Iraqi field commanders to use chemical weapons--the very weapons the dictator told the world he did not have. And according to the British government, the Iraqi regime could launch a biological or chemical attack in as little as forty-five minutes after the orders were given. There could be no doubt that Saddam Hussein had biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more, many more.

Iraq possessed ballistic missiles with a likely range of hundreds of miles--far enough to strike Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, and other nations. We also discovered through intelligence that Iraq had a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We were concerned that Iraq was exploring ways of using UAVs for missions targeting the United States.

* * *

Saddam Hussein was determined to get his hands on a nuclear bomb. We knew he'd been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and we believed he had, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons. The British government learned that Saddam Hussein had recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa. Our intelligence sources told us that he had attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear-weapons production. When the inspectors first went into Iraq and were denied-finally denied access, a report came out of the [International Atomic Energy Agency] that they were six months away from developing a weapon. I didn't know what more evidence we needed.

Facing clear evidence of peril, we could not wait for the final proof that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud. The Iraqi dictator could not be permitted to threaten America and the world with horrible poisons and diseases and gases and atomic weapons. Inspections would not work. We gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in. The burden was on those people who thought he didn't have weapons of mass destruction to tell the world where they were.

We waged a war to save civilization itself. We did not seek it, but we fought it, and we prevailed. We fought them and imposed our will on them and we captured or, if necessary, killed them until we had imposed law and order. The Iraqi people were well on their way to freedom. The scenes of free Iraqis celebrating in the streets, riding American tanks, tearing down the statues of Saddam Hussein in the center of Baghdad were breathtaking. Watching them, one could not help but think of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Iron Curtain.

It was entirely possible that in Iraq you had the most pro-American population that could be found anywhere in the Arab world. If you were looking for a historical analogy, it was probably closer to post-liberation France. We had the overwhelming support of the Iraqi people. Once we won, we got great support from everywhere.

The people of Iraq knew that every effort was made to spare innocent life, and to help Iraq recover from three decades of totalitarian rule. And plans were in place to provide Iraqis with massive amounts of food, as well as medicine and other essential supplies. The U.S. devoted unprecedented attention to humanitarian relief and the prevention of excessive damage to infrastructure and to unnecessary casualties.

The United States approached its postwar work with a two-part resolve: a commitment to stay and a commitment to leave. The United States had no intention of determining the precise form of Iraq's new government. That choice belonged to the Iraqi people. We have never been a colonial power. We do not leave behind occupying armies. We leave behind constitutions and parliaments. We don't take our force and go around the world and try to take other people's real estate or other people's resources, their oil. We never have and we never will.

The United States was not interested in the oil in that region. We were intent on ensuring that Iraq's oil resources remained under national Iraqi control, with the proceeds made available to support Iraqis in all parts of the country. The oil fields belonged to the people of Iraq, the government of Iraq, all of Iraq. We estimated that the potential income to the Iraqi people as a result of their oil could be somewhere in the $20 [billion] to $30 billion a year [range], and obviously, that would be money that would be used for their well-being. In other words, all of Iraq's oil belonged to all the people of Iraq.

* * *

We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories. And we found more weapons as time went on. I never believed that we'd just tumble over weapons of mass destruction in that country. But for those who said we hadn't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they were wrong, we found them. We knew where they were.

We changed the regime of Iraq for the good of the Iraqi people. We didn't want to occupy Iraq. War is a terrible thing. We've tried every other means to achieve objectives without a war because we understood what the price of a war can be and what it is. We sought peace. We strove for peace. Nobody, but nobody, was more reluctant to go to war than President Bush.

It is not right to assume that any current problems in Iraq can be attributed to poor planning. The number of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region dropped as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This nation acted to a threat from the dictator of Iraq. There is a lot of revisionist history now going on, but one thing is certain--he is no longer a threat to the free world, and the people of Iraq are free. There's no doubt in my mind when it's all said and done, the facts will show the world the truth. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind.

All text is verbatim from senior Bush Administration officials and advisers. In places, tenses have been changed for clarity. Originally from Harper's Magazine, October 2003. By Sam Smith.

<spacer>

Source:
Revision Thing:  A history of the Iraq war, told entirely in lies
Sam Smith
Harper's Magazine, Monday, November 7, 2005
http://harpers.org/RevisionThing.html

Posted at 06:26 AM in Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

After an arduous day that started way too early, I take an early train home. I am sitting one row in front of my usual seat home -- and thank goodness for that.

Sitting 2 rows behind me -- one behind my regular spot -- is this utterly heinous creature.

She was:

- on the phone
- the entire ride home
- in an increasingly loud voice
- speaking only in Russian

Abysmal. The guy sitting in my usual seat -- a carpenter who has a few 2 foot long wood segments on his lap -- somehow manages to sleep through this entire aural assault.

<spacer>

Mobile Yapping Muscovite:
click for a more annoying view

<spacer>
I bought an iPod for this exact scenario (I have a tendency to run into conflicts with these self-absorbed dingbats) Out come the headphones, in goes Matisyahu.

Only our Russian commuter is getting louder and louder, and I can hear her over the Reggae (actually, between the beats). So I switch to the Stones, and she disappears.

Besides, I'm only a stop away. When we are 2 minutes from my stop, I get up, snap a photo (above), and wait for my station.

Only the poor bastard sleeping in front of her is finally awoken by this shrill blonde banshee.

He is not happy . . . And, he is holding large pieces of wood.

He politely -- more or less, and certainly more polite than I would have been in the same cuircumstances -- asks her to keep it down.

Banshee just ignores him -- if anything, she talks louder.

The guy has literally just woken up, and it takes a few seconds for him to realize how he is being dissed by this bitch. So he stands up, and as the train pulls into my station, he stares at her, and in a very loud voice says:

SHUT UP! --  S H U T  U P !! SHUT UP!

She looks to me (of all people) for help. I say: 

"Lady, you were loud and obnoxious all ride. You should do what he asks, and consider yourself lucky he doesn't clock you with the lumber. . ."

For the first time all ride, she is struck dumb.

The doors open at my station. The carpenter and I get off. I go home.

Posted at 11:32 AM in LIRR Commuter From Hell | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

On our sister blog, we detailed the DRM Debacle (in 4 parts).

If you missed the earlier story, Sony DRM prevents users from ripping the CD to iTunes or iPods. Even worse, it installs a Rootkit on your (Windows) system after you try to listen the discs below on your PC.

The rootkit is a Trojan Horse, that keeps itself, other files, registry keys and network connections hidden from detection. It runs at the lowest level of the machine and typically intercepts common API calls. It is exploitable by virus writers and hackers.

If you are curious about the Labels Sony owns and the CDs with DRM, here's a comprehensive list:

The list of Labels distributed by Sony include:

(BMG) Arista Records, BMG Classics, BMG Heritage, BMG International Companies, Columbia Records, Epic Records, J Records, Jive Records, LaFace Records, Legacy Recordings, Provident Music Group, RCA Records, RCA Victor Group, RLG - Nashville, Sony Classical, Sony Music International, Sony Music Nashville, Sony Wonder, Sony Urban Music, So So Def Records, Verity Records;

(EMI) Angel Records, Astralwerks, Back Porch Records, Blue Note Records, Caroline Records, Caroline Distribution, Capitol Records US, Capitol Records Nashville, Chordant Distribution Group, CyberOctave Music, EMI Latin, EMI Christian Music Group, EMI Music Publishing Nashville, Forefront Records, Higher Octave Music, Manhattan Records, Narada, OmTown Music, Priority Records, Real World US, Shakti Records, Sparrow Records, Virgin Records America. 

(Hat tip: Word up).

The list of Sony CDs with this malware are:

Nothing Is Sound. Switchfoot
Unwritten [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
Natasha Bedingfield

Ride [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Shelly Fairchild

12 Songs [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Neil Diamond

Touch [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Amerie

Bloom Remix Album [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
Sarah McLachlan

Kasabian [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Kasabian

The Essential Pete Seeger [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
[CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Pete Seeger
Jeru [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Gerry Mulligan
Times Like These [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Buddy Jewell,

Bob Brookmeyer & Friends [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Bob Brookmeyer

Healthy In Paranoid Times [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
Our Lady Peace

Cautivo [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [DUALDISC]
Chayanne

The Invisible Invasion [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Coral, The Coral

Defined [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Amici Forever

Suspicious Activity [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
The Bad Plus

Manhattan Symphonie [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Dexter Gordon

Phantoms [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Acceptance

On Ne Change Pas [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Celine Dion

Get Right with the Man [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Van Zant

To Love Again [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
Chris Botti

Life [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [DUALDISC]
Ricky Martin

The Essential Dion [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
[ENHANCED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Dion

Faso Latido [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
A Static Lullaby

Change It All [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Goapele

Susie Suh [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Susie Suh

My Very Special Guests [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
George Jones

Broken Valley [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
Life of Agony

Silver's Blue [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]
Horace Silver

Z [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD] [ENHANCED]
My Morning Jacket

The Dead 60s [CONTENT/COPY-PROTECTED CD]
The Dead 60s

hat tip: Slashdot

Posted at 08:34 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Here's a little musical thought experiment:
<spacer>

Download this MP3 (Don't worry, its a legal download from Amazon -- the RIAA won't arrest you) -- give it a good listening to.

Pretty damned good, right? I find the artist amazing.

Now:  Try to imagine what this guy looks like -- visualize it -- the dreads, the beard, the multicolor Rasta hat, the man himself.

Download for Free:

 

 
See more product details

Listen to the music again -- impressive Reggae artist, IMHO.

Now have a look at him: His name is Matisyahu:

Check out his video of the song "King Without A Crown" -- its from the CD: Live at Stubb's: Austin, TX 2/19/05 [LIVE] -- you see what makes his artists so unusual . . .

spacer>

Click for Video

Really makes you think about your own prejudices and preconceptions . . .

The music stands on its own -- but once you see the guys background, there's nothing esle to say but -- WTF?!?

<spacer>

Keep reading for more details about his background . . .

Amazon review:

"Although reggae's religious overtones are often overshadowed by the music's ties to ganja and the hippie movement, there are some socially active or religious leaning artists out there. One of the newest comes in the unlikely figure of a young Hasidic Jew named Matisyahu. Singing with a slight ghetto patois, in Yiddish, and even displaying considerable beat-box skills, the New Yorker is at his best when he works himself into fits of righteous indignation and Old Testament fervor (the limits of his vocal range are laid bare when he croons on ballads).

The lean three-piece band on this live recording, his second album, is aerodynamic and flexible, able to do the slow reggae groove or rock out with ferocity. After 12 tracks of stripped-down reggae, however, the music tends to blend into one long groove.

Nonetheless, there is an undeniable urgency in this live recording that comes through loud and clear, making it a live document of note by one of reggae's most interesting new figures.  -Tad Hendrickson

For obvious reasons, his website is called Hasidic Reggae

And this Song is available for free on Amazon

Posted at 06:05 AM in Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

This site is hysterical: 

Choice government careers for the taking. No experience necessary

<spacer>

And, you can buy lots of amusing crony items -- shirts, mugs, bumper stickers:

<spacer>

Posted at 06:37 AM in