The Locust Fork Journal: Merry Christmas From Don Siegelman

CHRISTMAS CARD FROM PRISON
Imprisoned former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman didn't forget his friends.
(LOCUSTFORK)

Black Cake: A History - The New York Times > Dining & Wine > Slide Show > Slide 1 of 9

BLACK CAKE? THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD!
Black cake, a dessert descended from the British plum pudding, evokes nostalgia for the islands, where its baking was a solemnly observed annual ritual.

(PS:I don't know who the hell the "Caribbean-born New Yorkers and their children, who number more than half a million" are, but this looks like something to try for the holidays.)
(NEW YORK TIMES)

www.sylvetterivera.com

PUERTO RICO'S MANY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
Puerto Rico celebrates more holidays than any other country in the world. And, for good measure, we start our Christmas festivities in November, ending them on the feast of the Ephiphany (Three Kings Day) on January 6. This is a very cute site that explains everything, but unfortunately, it's in Spanish.CLICK HERE FOR AN AWFUL GOOGLE TRANSLATION
Here's another interesting site on the subject.
(Suggested by Zaida Smith)

Merry Christmas

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN TICKER
Good friend Garet sent me this. Put it on your computer and watch the seconds drag by.
(Unearthed by Garet Cox)

GET YOUR GRINCH NAME
Leave it to my intellectual friends to come up with this one. I didn't even know we had Grinch names (or that we needed them, for that matter).
(unearthed by Russ Adams)

merryxmas.swf (application/x-shockwave-flash Object)

I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS
Just a little animated Christmas card with the popular song.
(Unearthed by Debbie Andrews)

The Scribe Who Gets The Candidates' Vote - washingtonpost.com

SCRIBE RIGHT

"At 57, having covered every campaign here since 1976, David Yepsen is the old-journalism king of the Iowa caucuses. He is also the new-journalism king of the Iowa caucuses. Heck, if the Iowa caucuses had their own currency, the bills just might have Yepsen's face on them. With his matter-of-fact newspaper assessments of candidates and their campaigns and his popular Register blog, launched for the 2008 cycle, he makes 'em and he breaks 'em.(WASHINGTON POST)

Christmas Carols for the Disturbed [Archive] - Xtreme PC Central Tech Forums

DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR (YOU DO, DON'T YOU?)
From The Garage's very own Debbie - Is There A Theme Here? - Andrews comes this Christmas Theme suggestion: Christmas Carols for the Disturbed. What I want to know is why they left out Attention Deficit Disorder (Silent night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy - can I have a chocolate, why is France so far away?) I guess the answer is obvious.
(Suggested by Debbie Andrews)

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Grandfather's Wooden Bowl

THE BOWL STORY
I love this story so much I wanted to know it's origin. Check it out.
(Suggested by Lonzo Smith)

ElfYourself™ : Brought to you by OfficeMax®

GO ELF YOURSELF
Looking for ways to squander the boss' time? Go Elf yourself!
(Suggested by John Milham)

NOW SHOWING
There will be a reception tonight from 6:30 till 8:00 pm for the opening of Works an art exhibition by Sara Jones at the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science at 1255 Dauphin Street.

Truthdig - Reports - Romney’s Religious Dodge

MITT'S TWO FACES
Buried in the middle of Mitt Romney’s religious mea culpa was a twist of logic that would take a knot-smith to untangle. He asserts that there are some questions about faith that a candidate should answer. Then he carefully chooses the one question that allows him to sound the most like an evangelical Christian.
(TRUTHDIG)

Bill Moyers Journal . Watch & Listen | PBS

POLITICS 2.0
Bill Moyers talks with Kathleen Hall Jamieson about how the Internet has transformed the political campaign in the United States.
(Suggested by ED OLIVER)

Truthdig - Reports - Disappointment Doesn’t Have to Be Normal

ARISE!
Is it foolish to think that a nation stained by centuries of slavery and racism is prepared to elect a black president? Rarely phrased so bluntly, that’s the central question posed by Barack Obama’s candidacy - especially for many African-American voters, whose doubts are informed by having seen many an oasis turn out to be a mirage.
(TRUTHDIG)

Truthdig - Reports - The Price of Antagonizing Latinos

SI O NO?
There is a little-noticed disconnect between how immigration is likely to play in the 2008 congressional elections and how it will affect the presidential campaign. A Latino backlash against the Republicans could hurt their nominee for president, but a backlash against illegal immigration could help Republicans in races for Congress.
(TRUTHDIG)

Howard Kurtz - Mitt's JFK Moment - washingtonpost.com

MITT'S JFK MOMENT
In his recent speech addressing his faith Mitt Romney struck some very nice notes in talking about tolerance and the role of religion in public life but he excluded even a throwaway reference to people of no faith, and that can't have been an accident. Perhaps he's more focused at this point on Iowa Republican voters than the general election, but it was a significant omission.
(WASHINGTON POST)

LIFE ON THE BLUE DOT
Our friends Christian Grizzard and Corky Hughes of THE ELECTRIC EXPERIMENT have released their debut recording. Co-produced by 4-time Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker, LIFE ON THE BLUE DOT consists of 14 original songs and features other special guests we love: Jimmy and Donna Hall (Wet Willie), Jack Pearson (The Allman Brothers Band), The McCrary Sisters (Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Elvis), Guthrie Trapp (The Jerry Douglas Band), Lisa Mills (Big Brother and the Holding Co.), John Milham (Grayson Capps, Kung Fu Mama), Rick Chancey (Hank Williams Jr., Wet Willie), Justin Amaral (Junior Brown, Bee Speed), Stan Foster (Rollin' in the Hay), and Rob Thorworth (Gravy).

THE ROAD TO HERE FROM THERE
"We need to take a picture of that," Carlos said, jolting me out of my interstate auto pilot daze. "Of what?" I didn't have a clue. "That trailer with the outdoor scene on it." I was still lost. The teenager pointed out the irony of the doublewide - right there in the midst of what looked like a moonscape that is the enormous Spanish Fort mall construction site. On its side was a glorious pastoral scene for the mall store that would soon be housed there. "Doesn't anyone see the contradiction?" he said. "They've destroyed that beautiful site to make an outdoors store." I was proud of him on several levels - for seeing it, for caring about it, for educating me - and we talked about the issue of development and progress and a little bit about the history of the area. I told him about THIS PIECE THAT I HAD WRITTEN for the Azalea City News & Review back in 1979 when they were building Jubilee Mall, how I would enjoy driving down the road into the country, especially the little untouched intersection near the Malbis Church where a Lowe's and a Sam's now stand.

Teenager arrested over '£9.7m computer hacking ring' | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited

THAT'S MY BOY!
A New Zealand teenager was today arrested on suspicion of stealing millions of pounds from bank accounts around the world and of being the ringleader of a hacking network which infiltrated more than 1.3m computers.
(Guardian)

IS OBAMA MAN ENOUGH?....
If I lose, then I think it's fine for people to speculate that I don't have the blood lust. I think I'm going to win doing exactly what I'm doing. This notion that somehow the only way to succeed in politics is to try to kneecap people, distort their records, engage in underhanded maneuvers--I just don't buy it. Now, you know what, if it turns out in this campaign that I have lost, and the reason I've lost is because I wasn't willing to do things that I think are wrong, I can live with that. I don't think that's going to happen. The one thing I won't tolerate is people trying to play that stuff on me. The one thing I hope people have become very clear about, and if not I will remind them, is I won't be a punching bag for anybody. I won't have people try to engage in unfair attacks against me. And if they come at me hard, I will come back at them harder. Alright?"

YOU/TUBE WITH SUBSTANCE:

CHECK OUT BLOGGINGHEADS.TV

Especially this piece

(ALTHOUSE)

Bill Moyers | My Father and FDR

FDR REMEMBERED
Henry Moyers was an ordinary man who dropped out of the fourth grade because his family needed him to pick cotton to help make ends meet. The Depression knocked him off the farm and flat on his back. He never made over $100 a week in the whole of his working life, and he made that only when he joined the union on the last job he held. He voted for Franklin Roosevelt in four straight elections, and he would have gone on voting for him until kingdom come if both had lived that long. I once asked him why, and he said, 'Because the President's my friend.'
(TRUTHOUT)

A Hoax Turned Fatal Draws Anger but No Charges - New York Times

HOAX TAKES CHILD
Megan Meier died believing that somewhere in this world lived a boy named Josh Evans who hated her. He was 16, owned a pet snake, and she thought he was the cutest boyfriend she ever had. They had flirted for weeks, but only online — Josh said his family had no phone. Josh suddenly turned mean. He called her names, and later they traded insults for an hour. In his final message he wrote, “The world would be a better place without you.” Sobbing, Megan ran into her bedroom closet. Her mother found her there, hanging from a belt. She was 13.
(NEW YORK TIMES)

Law.com - Novelty Song About Reindeer-Trod Grandmother Leads to Multimillion-Dollar Lawsuit

PUTTING THE $ BACK IN CHRI$TMA$
A feud involving the man who sang 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer' could wind up in court, just in time for Christmas.
(LAW.COM)

NATO's new Afghan battleground: YouTube - CNN.com

NATO "OUTS" TALIBAN
NATO is acknowledging YouTube as its new battleground in the six-year war on Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, as the military alliance posts formerly secret surveillance and attack video. The Taliban, who are literally cave-dwellers, are doing better than we are on a key battleground -- and that's video," said a NATO spokesman.
(CNN)

TIPS FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPERS
Okay, I just bookmarked two of the sites that this article talks about. This is not your typical local newspaper holiday filler, but a really good article from a computer magazine that gives you some really valid holiday computer shopping tips. Retrevo is a site I'll be using well after the holiday shopping horror days have passed. And WhatTheyPlay is right on for anyone wanting not to screw up (too square? too inappropriate?) when they give some kid a game.

CLICK HERE FOR THEIR GIZMO GUIDE
(Suggested by Washington Post Tech blog)

mediabistro.com: UnBeige

WORD SMITH - "Quotidian"
As in: "This [Herbert]Hoover is the New York-based artist and designer who has made a name for himself by casting quotidian objects in metal, instantly transforming them into shiny morsels of pure joy."

JOHN MCCAIN INTERVIEW
John McCain will be interviewed by Charlie Rose on PBS on November 27. The great thing about the Rose format is that he's the new Dick Cavett. His interviews are far-ranging and in-depth conversations and you get a sense after each show that Rose is more interested in the conversation than at any particular agenda. His shows range from talks with directors and other stars to politicos and computer geeks.

Gonzales's Not-So-Free Speech - Bench Conference

CAVEAT EMPTOR
Thirty-five grand might not seem a lot to hear a former attorney general of the United States candidly discuss his role in a scandal that brought shame to the Justice Department and a sweeping investigation that continues even now that he's gone. But it's an awfully steep sum to hear an inept former politician talk about his few self-described successes.
(WASHINGTON POST)

Howard Kurtz - The Press's Post-Iowa Tailwinds: As Nature Intended It? - washingtonpost.com

IOWA EFFECT?
The chief reason for the Iowa effect is an explosion of media coverage that treats the winners as superstars and the also-rans as lamentable losers. Without that massive media boost, prevailing in Iowa would be seen for what it is: an important first victory that amounts to scoring a run in the top of the first inning.
(WASHINGTON POST)

Firemen told to abstain from sexual bribes | Oddly Enough | Reuters

DON'T TOUCH THAT, IT'S HOT
China has banned fire department officials from receiving sexual favors as bribes from companies seeking their business, local media reported on Friday. Fire department officials were also banned from letting their spouses and children run fire-fighting companies and market fire-fighting products.
(REUTER'S)

THOSE AREN'T LAWN JOCKEYS, THEY'RE GUATEMALANS
Mitt Romney's attempts to position himself as "the anti-illegal immigration candidate" are reminiscent of his attempts to establish himself as the "pro-gun," "pro-life" candidate. Senator McCain captured the hypocrisy best when he joked that Romney's immigration policies boiled down to a wish to "get out his small-varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his lawn."

Check out also:

RON PAUL

OBAMA

RUDY

RICHARDSON

CLINTON AND EDWARDS
(WASHINGTON POST)

Al Kamen - For Ashcroft, Something Old, Something Nude - washingtonpost.com

FORGET JUSTICE, PUT BLINDFOLD ON ASHCROFT!
It was, let's face it, inevitable. And so, on Wednesday, at the swearing-in of Attorney General Michael Mukasey at the Justice Department, former attorney general John D. Ashcroft was reunited with "The Spirit of Justice," the 12-foot Art Deco-era sculpture his aides once famously covered with giant blue drapes at a cost of more than $8,000.
(WASHINGTON POST)

Sexy Flyer Lands in Playboy - AOL News

SO MUCH FOR DEREGULATION
The 23-year-old college student who was forced to alter her skimpy outfit before flying on Southwest Airlines is wearing even less on Playboy's Web site.
(AOL)

"RAILROAD" WOULD BE PROUD
Now, this is carrying dedication to law and order a bit far.
(Suggested by LONZO SMITH)

FRIDAY NIGHT
This Friday night The Royal Scam features Rick Hirsch (Wet Willie) Scott Boyer (Cowboy) and Lisa Mills. Starts at 10. Cover is $5.

The Royal Scam is located next to Veet's at Government and Royal, directly across from the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel. Call 432-7226.

Mobile Homes: So Many Stories - washingtonpost.com

SO MANY STORIES
Mobile's old buildings are the strongest legacy of the city's special place in Southern history. Established as the capital of French Louisiana in 1702 and ruled by Spaniards from 1780 to 1813, it was at once a stronghold of Europe and a thriving port in the South.
(WASHINGTON POST)

Ron Paul raises lots of money in one day - On Deadline - USATODAY.com

RON PAUL KICKING MAJOR FINANCIAL ASS
"Ron Paul's Presidential campaign team reported today having raised $4.2 million in one day from 37,000 donors.
(USA TODAY)

Rising Up in New Orleans, the Post-Storm House - The New York Times > Arts > Slide Show > Slide 1 of 8

POST-KATRINA HOUSING STYLE: "VERNACULAR"
New Orleans has always been known for its eclectic housing styles — Greek Revival, Italianate, Creole. Now emerging is what could be called a post-hurricane vernacular, wide-ranging architectural responses to what everyone here refers to simply as "The Storm."
(NEW YORK TIMES)

RAT PACK SHOW
The Saenger Theatre is offering seats in the special symphony section for the Saturday, December 1 "Rat Pack" Show", Direct from Vegas the Rat Pack, a tribute to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Presented by the Saenger Theatre Centre for the Living Arts Saturday, December 1, 2007 at 7:30pm

Ticket prices: $30, $25, $20 plus service charge

Saenger Box Office 251-208-5600

6 S. Joachim Street

THIS WEEKEND
Quit bellyaching about there not being anything to do here. There are two really great events this weekend and you can still manage to squeeze in the Satan Bowl or watch Auburn get its well-deserved coast. FIRST:

Locally its Greek Fest, which runs from today until Saturday at 50 S. Ann Street at (where else but) the Greek Orthodox Church from 11 am to 10 p.m. No excuses. Even if it's just to get some take out. The food is great. SECOND:

You need to be in Pensacola's Seville Square this weekend for the mother of all local arts events the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival!. (Sorry Fairhope, but it's true.) Live musicians, Parrish Performing Arts Stage, Heritage Arts area, Children’s Arts Festival, etc.

9-6 on Friday and Saturday, November 2 and 3.

9-4 on Sunday, November 4

(Daylight Savings Time starts Nov. 4)

Children’s Festival Hours: Saturday & Sunday 10-4

From the Desk of Donald Rumsfeld . . . - washingtonpost.com

ANYWAY, HE GOT THE FLAKES PART RIGHT
In a series of internal musings and memos to his staff, then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld argued that Muslims avoid "physical labor" and wrote of the need to "keep elevating the threat," "link Iraq to Iran" and develop "bumper sticker statements" to rally public support for an increasingly unpopular war. The memos, often referred to as "snowflakes," shed light on Rumsfeld's brusque management style and on his efforts to address key challenges during his tenure as Pentagon chief.
(WASHINGTON POST)

progreso-weekly.com - Toward a ‘citizen's revolution’: President Correa's 21st-Century socialism

MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE AMERICAS
On Sept. 30, elections were held in Ecuador. The Alianza País organization won more than 70 percent of the votes. The runner-up received barely 7 percent. The foundations for the construction of a new Constitution, according to the Alianza, will be "21st-Century socialism," a type of socialism that "is not the socialism that had rooted its responses in manuals. We don't start from dogmatic visions. If we write a manual, it will be for the purpose of changing its pages every time we need to. It will be corrected constantly, because we do not believe in a definitive truth. Our task will be a permanent construction of democracy. That's how 21st-Century socialism must be constructed."
(PROGRESO WEEKLY)

The Living Room Candidate

REMEMBER. REMEMBER. THE FOURTH OF NOVEMBER
Where are the political smears of yesteryear? They’re right at hand in a graphic archive for voters who can’t wait for the election cycle to descend to maximum attack mode.
(Suggested by NEW YORK TIMES)

progreso-weekly.com - Broad-band carom

CUBA-VENEZUELA ETHERNET PACT
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez has signed a decree creating a state-run joint venture to install, operate and maintain a telecommunications system between Cuba and Venezuela which will enable a larger number of Cubans to access the Internet.
(PROGRESO)

travelx_papirkugle video in langers's public channel on Twango

OFFICE SKILLS PRACTICE
If you do anything repeatedly you get good at it, like the Chinese with their little plates spinning on rods. Here's a guy with tremendous office skills.
(TWANGO, unearthed by Matt McCarthy)

CNN/SI - Inside Game - Sports Illustrated - Life of Reilly - Life of Reilly: On a Wing and a Prayer - Tuesday September 14, 1999 06:12 PM

A WING AND A PRAYER
Before the flight I asked if there was something I should eat the next morning. "Bananas," he said."For the potassium?" I asked."No, because they taste about the same coming up as they do going down."
(SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, unearthed by Beth Adams)

HAUNTED PLACES
If you're wondering if there's a haunt near by

CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE

(Suggested by BETH ADAMS)

CUBA BOOK ANNOUNCED
ABC-CLIO has announced the publication of another book in their GLOBAL STUDIES: LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN Series, this time by good friend Ted Henken and about my favorite place Cuba. The press release for the book announces it as "a clear, provocative, and up-to-date overview of Cuban historical, political, economic, and sociocultural development from the pre-Columbian period to the present day with an emphasis on the Cuban Revolution, US-Cuban relations, and Cuba's current socio-economic reality." It is a comprehensive reference book of more than 600 pages presenting the many diverse characteristics of Cuba (music and dance, literature, cinema, revolutionary politics, Cuban exile politics, sugar/tobacco/rum, U.S. policy, history of the Spanish conquest and African slavery, and state socialist economics), as a complex but integrated whole - without trying to over-simplify or trivialize any of these characteristics.

INDIGO GIRLS HERE
Tickets went on sale this week for the Indigo Girls who will be appearing at the Saenger Theatre in Mobile on Saturday, January 26, 2008.

HBO's Maher runs and tosses heckler on live TV show

BOUNCER BILL
Bill Maher can add 'security guard' to his job description alongside comedian and political commentator.
(AP, unearthed by Mediabistro)

Clinton Finds Way to Play Along With Drudge - New York Times

SKULLDRUGERY
Aides in both parties acknowledge working harder than ever to get favorable coverage for their candidates — or unfavorable coverage of competitors — onto the Drudge Report's home page, knowing that television producers, radio talk show hosts, and newspaper reporters view it as a bulletin board for the latest news and gossip.
(NEW YORK TIMES, unearthed by Mediabistro)

ALICE COOPER PLAYS GOLF?
As promised, Bienville Books now has SIGNED copies of Alice Cooper's first book Golf Monster available on a limited basis. They are currently available for $25.00 apiece, making them a great gift for anyone you know who loves golf and rock n' roll. As far as we can tell, these are the ONLY signed copies available both locally and on the internet. One copy per customer please, and they can only hold them for 24 hours.
Also, stop by their Arts Alive Festival booth in downtown Mobile's Cathedral Square booth this Friday evening, October 26. At 6:30, Mobile Press-Register editorial cartoonist J. D. Crowe will sign copies of his latest collection Smell the Love. Also, artist Kate Seawell will sign copies of Reuben's Mobile, an evocative look at downtown Mobile through the eyes of Reuben, a Great Dane who belongs to Teddy Lee, the unofficial mayor of Dauphin Street. The book has lovely watercolors by Seawell and poems by Sue Walker, head of the University of South Alabama's English Dept. and this year's Poet Laureate of the State of Alabama.

Celluloid Tale of Rio's Drug War, Told From Police Perspective, Is the Talk of Brazil - washingtonpost.com

FILM EXPLORES LIFE IN FAVELAS
For decades, most of Rio's 600-plus favelas have been ruled by drug-dealing gangs. The police, both military and civil, have waged war on those groups, and they are often criticized for being as brutal -- if not more so -- than the gangs. Shootouts are common, and favela residents are often caught in the crossfire. Even before it was released in theaters this month, Elite Squad was Brazil's most-watched movie of the season. Director Jose Padilha said his intention was to show the drug war from the perspective of a cop and to let the audience judge whether the cop is good, bad or both. For those with firm opinions about Rio's violence, the movie's refusal to impose its own moral is offensive. (Ed note: for an optimistic view of things check out Favela Rising, an inspirational look at the efforts of a music group to bring some light to their darkness. CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE FILM. Of course, there is also the movie City of God a movie so violent that it upset my German friend for the rest of the day when we watched it in New York. There is also a very interesting TV show by the same name which truly merits watching.)
(WASHINGTON POST)

Kid Rock arrested in DeKalb after fight at Waffle House | ajc.com

MAMAS DON'T LET YOUR KIDS BUY KID ROCK ALBUMS
Kid Rock was released from an Atlanta Jail on Sunday afternoon after posting a $1,000 bond on a misdemeanor charge resulting from a Waffle House brawl. Five men in his entourage — including the guitarist and the bass player in his band, Twisted Brown Trucker — jumped into the fray, and the fight spilled from inside the restaurant into the parking lot. When the brawl ended, Ritchie and his group got into their tour bus and left the scene. An officer pulled the bus over at Buford Highway and Lenox Road, and all five men were booked into jail.
(ATLANTA JOURNAL)

Truthdig - Reports - Hillary’s Sex Appeal

HILLARY'S SEX APPEAL
Clinton is winning overwhelming support from women voters. The reason? The fact is that we’ve never had a female president. And for many women across the country—especially those of the boomer generation who have seen the role of women in American society change so dramatically—Clinton’s election would be a historic milestone and a source of great pride.
(TRUTHDIG)

HISTORICAL VIGNETTE
Forty seven years ago Saul Landau left Cuba on the last scheduled ferry from Havana to Key West -- just as the government passed the 1960 Urban Reform Law that nationalized commercially owned real estate and eliminated landlords. During the eight hour ride he chatted with middle class Cubans who decided to abandon their homes and leave the island after losing their businesses.

CLICK HERE FOR A PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE CURRENT SITUATION
(PROGRESO WEEKLY)

The ‘Good Germans’ Among Us - New York Times

BLIND I
By any legal standards except those rubber-stamped by Alberto Gonzales, we are practicing torture, and we have known we are doing so ever since photographic proof emerged from Abu Ghraib more than three years ago. As Andrew Sullivan, once a Bush cheerleader, observed last weekend in The Sunday Times of London, America’s “enhanced interrogation” techniques have a grotesque provenance: “Verschärfte Vernehmung, enhanced or intensified interrogation, was the exact term innovated by the Gestapo to describe what became known as the ‘third degree.’ It left no marks. It included hypothermia, stress positions and long-time sleep deprivation.”
(Suggested by Michael Smith)

ARTS SHOW SLATED
The Watercolor & Graphic Arts Society of Mobile announces its fall juried exhibition at the Bay Rivers Art Guild, 1704 6th Street, Daphne, Alabama, October 20 through November 19, 2007. The awards ceremony and Block Party is scheduled for October 20, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. Call (251) 621-0659 for information.
(Suggested by Lynda Touart)

village voice > news > Hillary's Infidelity: Clinton Drops Bill's Cuban Advances for a More Hardline Approach by Kirk Nielsen

INFIDELITY
Barack Obama has pushed Hillary Clinton into the Bush camp on Cuba policy. She has even parroted the neocon hard line. Obama may also have opened a serious fissure in the GOP's last Hispanic stronghold (Cuban-Americans)from which at least a trickle of new Democratic votes could flow.
(VILLAGE VOICE)

Media Matters - Gibson knew school shooter was white because "[b]lack shooters don't" shoot themselves; "they shoot and move on"

CAN YOU CITE THAT STUDY FOR ME?
On his FOX radio show, while discussing an incident in which a student shot four people at his Cleveland high school before killing himself, John Gibson - apparently also a noted sociologist on teen rampage and racial differences - asserted that "I know the shooter was white. I knew it as soon as he shot himself. Hip-hoppers don't do that. They shoot and move on to shoot again.
(MEDIA MATTERS)

Law.com - Law Student Faces Disciplinary Action Over Facebook Photo of Pat Robertson

PRO SE
Adam Key posted a picture of Regent University's founder and president Pat Robertson making what appears to be an obscene gesture on the social networking Web site. Key copied it from a YouTube video in which Robertson scratches his face with his middle finger.
The second-year law student said officials at the private Christian university in Virginia Beach, Va., demanded that he either publicly apologize and withhold public comment about the matter, or submit to the law school dean a legal brief defending the posting. Key chose the latter, arguing that his posting was satire protected under the First Amendment. The only real question: how did a law student at Regents find out about the first amendment?
(LAW.COM)

Truthdig - Reports - The Martyring of Che Guevara

SO, WHO HAS CHE?
These days, few politicians in the United States even seem to care about the subversive Cuban influences in our own backyard that once haunted them. The embargo on Cuba remains to mollify Florida’s aging Cuban community, but what’s important to Washington today is Mideast oil, not protecting the peasants of Bolivia from the likes of Che Guevara.
(TRUTHDIG)

Bloomberg.com: Exclusive

TAKE THIS, JOBS, AND SHOVE IT!
At the end of an alley in Taiwan's most violent city, a black Mercedes-Benz sedan blocks a sliding-glass door that opens only from within. Inside, technophiles have been buying iPhoneys for two-thirds the legitimate price six months before the iPhone went on sale in the U.S.
(LUNDBERG)

Media Matters - Black and White and Re(a)d All Over: The Conservative Advantage in Syndicated Op-Ed Columns

LIBERAL PRESS?
Have you noticed column after column written by conservatives? A new report confirms what many have suspected -- that for the majority of daily newspapers across the country, conservatives dominate the op-ed page.
(MEDIA MATTERS)

Jay Rosen: "Would You Guys Like us to Come Without You?" - Off The Bus on The Huffington Post

ARE YOU ON THE BUS OR OFF THE BUS?
Journalists and their methods were overwhelmed by what the Bush White House did -- by its radicalism. There is simply nothing in the Beltway journalist's rule book about what to do, how to act, when a group of people comes to power willing to go as far as this group has in expanding executive power, eluding oversight, steamrolling critics (even when they are allies), politicizing the government, re-working the Constitution, rolling back the press, making secrecy and opacity standard operating procedure, and repealing the very principle of empiricism in matters of state.
(HUFFINGTON POST, unearthed by Media Bistro)

Winston-Salem Journal | Religion Briefs Coalition of nuns calls for impeaching Bush and Cheney

ET TU, SORORIS?
The National Coalition of American Nuns, a progressive group of U.S. nuns, has called on Congress to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
(WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, unearthed by Futurelawyer)

Truthdig - Reports - Why Is This Man Smiling?

KEEP ON SMILING
As the federal budget is hijacked by a bloated military-industrial complex wallowing in post-9/11 greed, the president smiles - the failures of this American experiment in imperialism becoming all the more costly, apparent and stupid.
(TRUTHDIG)

Homophobes, Hypocrites and Haters - CommonDreams.org

MAKING CRAIG'S LIST
When it comes to people like Foley, Haggard and Craig, the tragedy is more personal than political: As gay men, they hate themselves even more than they hate the rest of us.
(COMMON DREAMS)

Satellite imagery raises security questions - Military News, Navy News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Navy Times

I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE
Throughout the Cold War, satellite and spy plane imagery of military sites was the sort of valuable, close-hold information that could start or stop a war or spawn a new arms race. Only people with the highest of security clearances got to see those photos. Today, much of that same information is just a computer keystroke away. And you don’t need to be a spy to see it.
(NAVY TIMES)

Aquarium's beluga whale tank gets saucy | ajc.com

BIG LOVE
Beluga whales don't mess around when they mess around. If you doubt that, see the amorous antics of the smiling foursome at the Georgia Aquarium. They are trying, frequently and publicly, to increase their number. Amorous antics in the Georgia Aquarium's beluga tank are enough to make parents blush. "They have been active lately," said aquarium worker Josh Ford, who greets the public at the beluga display at the aquarium's Cold Water Quest gallery. "Extremely active."
(ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSITUTION)

The Sleuth

IDAHO?
The men of Idaho politics are a colorful lot.
(WASHINGTON POST)

Inside DCSNet, the FBI's Nationwide Eavesdropping Network

FBI POINT-AND-CLICK
The FBI has quietly built a sophisticated, point-and-click surveillance system that performs instant wiretaps on almost any communications device, according to nearly a thousand pages of restricted documents newly released under the Freedom of Information Act. DCSNet is a suite of software that collects, sifts and stores phone numbers, phone calls and text messages. The system directly connects FBI wiretapping outposts around the country to a far-reaching private communications network. The surveillance system, called DCSNet, for Digital Collection System Network, connects FBI wiretapping rooms to switches controlled by traditional land-line operators, internet-telephony providers and cellular companies. It is far more intricately woven into the nation's telecom infrastructure than observers suspected.
(WIRED)

"TREASON LABEL" BIG SELLER IN FRANCE
A washing instruction label on a US product that says "...our President is an idiot...." is getting rave reviews in Europe. More cynical observers believe that the message was planted by the company's owner as a means of garnering publicity for his company, with just enough ambiguity built in to get his point across while maintaining a modicum of deniability. (The idea doesn't even appear to be original to that company, as Joel Aufrecht was selling "American Traveler International Apology Shirts" with the very same message printed on them in six different languages back in 2003.)
Whatever the intent behind it, the controversial message has reportedly caused a surge in sales of Tom Bihn products, and the company now publicizes which of its bags carry the infamous "Treason Tags" and also markets a T-shirt with the washing instructions printed on the front. (Profits from the sales of the T-shirts go to the Seattle Vet Center, a program to assist homeless war veterans.
(Suggested by Drew Walch)

Table For Bedroom Security - Geekologie

FOR THOSE BLEAK KNIGHTS
The Bedside Table is a table that comes apart to form a shield and beating stick, just in case a marauding band of outlaws from the neighboring fief invades your manor.
(Suggested by FUTURELAWYER)

Mount Rushmore vs. the Crazy Horse Memorial -- chicagotribune.com

SET IN STONE
In the Black Hills of South Dakota you can roll between two of the largest sculpted mountains on the face of the Earth. Mt. Rushmore, of course, is your old friend from elementary school, and you think you know it well. It makes a startling difference, seeing a sculpture in three dimensions after you've gotten to know it in two - especially when that sculpture tops a 450-foot mountain. And it may be just as startling to learn that the man who made it spent most of his 50s as a mover and shaker in the Ku Klux Klan. Some17 miles southwest of those faces the mountain has a face -- a face nine stories high. This sculpture shows the warrior Crazy Horse on horseback, pointing southeast to the lands where many of his people lie buried.
(CHICAGO TRIBUNE)

FILM: DAYS OF GLORY
One of the great cultural equalizers for me is Netflix. I no longer have to go down to Blockbuster and pan for the occasional nugget of foreign fare. That is especially so with "Days of Glory" a film that celebrates the contribution of an Algerian (yes, Muslim) unit which joins the French Army to battle for the liberation of France.

MIDDLE EAST HEROES
What scares the hell out of most of us is that the forces of resacralization - both Christian and Muslin - are making such apparent headway without, it would seem, any apparent resistance. We need what Marcuse called a "great refusal". Oh sure, we see vestiges of resistance on the Western side, but it often looks to us from way over here that the debate in the Middle East is stilted.

Then along comes a video like this Aljazeera interview with Wafa Sultan that gives you hope that maybe things aren't quite as monolithic and hopeless as we fear.

Check out her bio.

Then, too there's this website called ALTMUSLIM that seems to take the liberal notion that all sides should be discussed. Here you can see the give-and-take debate that really is going on.

Check out their piece on Evin Prison in Iran.

Or,their piece on Comic Book Realities.

Another brave soul is Ibn Warraq, critic of Islamic fundamentalism and author of a recent book "Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out" and "How to Debate A Muslim"

The Australian Broadcasting Company has an online Radio Interview with him.

Comment is free: Plus ça change in Cuba

WHAT NOW FOR CUBA?
Since Fidel Castro was forced to undergo serious surgery and transferred all his powers to a group of senior ministers led by his brother Raúl in August 2006, Cuba has confounded those who predicted the collapse of the system without the supreme leader in charge. Now the agenda for the future must be to prove they can resolve some of the economic issues that the grand old man, now a semi-retired revolutionary who now longer appears in public, either could not or would not address.
(GUARDIAN, unearthed by Whythe Holt)

The Sleuth

HOW "QUAGMIRE" TAPE CAME TO LIGHT
The now famous Dick Chaney "quagmire" tape, which has gotten over half a million views on YouTube, may well have remained buried in the archives for another decade if it hadn't been for that one C-SPAN producer, an affable young Irishman named Emmanuel Touhey.
(WASHINGTON POST)

Rovian Ways: Comment: The New Yorker

HE DID IT HIS WAY
Before Karl Rove joined Bush full time, he had maneuvered himself into a position in Texas that was about as close as it is possible to get to being an old-fashioned political boss. The state, thanks in part to his efforts, was solidly Republican, and candidates at every level of elective office—the governorship, the congressional delegation, the state Supreme Court, the legislature—begged him to consent to be hired by them. If he agreed, he would run a typically ruthless and hyper-organized campaign, and usually win.
(THE NEW YORKER, unearthed by Mediabistro)

The War | PBS

SERIES TO PREMIERE HERE
The University of South Alabama is hosting the showing of a one-hour preview of the Ken Burns documentary "The War."The documentary explores the changes World War II brought to four U.S. cities, among them Mobile.USA Archives provided Burns with more than fifty images for the Mobile portion of the series. Some of those images will be on display for extended viewing during the event. Burns is expected to appear and take questions from the audience. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

8:00 p.m.

The Mitchell Center

University of South Alabama

EDUCATE THYSELF
What do you do to keep yourself educated about some of today's major issues? Yeah, I know, some subscribe to the Double Bill Theory: it's either O'Reilly or Maher for them. It's always worth checking out Reuters, BBC, Aljazeera, Washington Post, New York Times, Granma, and the alternative press. You might also consider adding these to your informational fare:

IRAQSLOGGER
This site is really a font of information on the Iraq war.

(Suggested by Arthur Madden)

LIVE LEAK
Iraqslogger seems to rely heavily on these guys, with good reason. This is YouTube, but for real.

MEDIA MATTERS
These are the guys that Fox hates. Enough said. (They are the actual flip-side of Fox and very doctrinaire Democrat but they always raise issues worth considering.)

ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
These guys are really fighting the good fight for some pretty ethereal - but hugely important - issues

Americans are Flocking to a Hi-Tech Creation Museum Where Man and Dinosaurs Frolick Happily Together - CommonDreams.org

OR NOT!
The Museum of Natural History in New York this is not. Welcome, rather, to the Creation Museum, a $27m facility that opened in May — to a veritable onslaught of enthusiastic visitors — on a 49-acre site in northeast Kentucky close to Cincinnati. There is no shortage of references to Darwin, whose teachings about evolution most of us are familiar with and more comfortable accepting. But the clear purpose is to demolish not celebrate them. You get the idea of where you are also when you learn that the folk behind it are the founders of a fundamentalist Christian ministry called Answers in Genesis.
(COMMON DREAMS)

village voice > people > Ask a Mexican!: Want to Stop Immigration? Go Pick Strawberries Yourselves. by Gustavo Arellano

PICK IT YOURSELF
So want to save America from the Aztlanistas? Head for the fields and groves, wrap a bandanna around your face to fend off the pesticides, and start picking. And make sure there are no bruises on the fruit, lest the foreman dock you an hour's pay.
(VILLAGE VOICE)

BarackObama.com | Join Barack at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

MASSAGING THE MEDIA
The Barack Obama campaign's latest gambit is interesting. As a contributor to his campaign, I got an email inviting me to participate in a Ponzi-like raffle scheme: they pay for travel and tickets to meet Barack and be part of the studio audience when he's on The Daily Show next week. All you have to do to win? Recommend someone and hope that s/he wins the opportunity and you, as the referrer, get to go along.

In an apparent reference to Stewart's jibes' at the Obama "dinner with the candidate" promo, the letter goes on to say:

We can't guarantee that Jon Stewart won't make fun of us for giving away these tickets or you for getting them -- but hey, it's about bringing more people into our movement.

CIA, FBI computers used for Wikipedia edits | Technology | Reuters

GHOST WRITING SPOOKS
People using CIA and FBI computers have edited entries in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia on topics including the Iraq war and the Guantanamo prison, according to a new tracing program.
(REUTER'S, unearthed by Mediabistro)

Patti Davis: At the Airport, You Better Smile - Newsweek National News - MSNBC.com

KEEP ON SMILIN', OR ELSE!
“Specially trained security personnel” will be watching passengers for “micro-expressions” that will reveal treacherous agendas and insidious intentions at airports around the country. These agents, who may literally hold your fate in their hands have been given a lofty, Orwellian name: "Behavior Detection Officers.
(MSNBC, unearthed by Brent Gourley)

Political hip-hop at SOB's

COMO SE DICE "BLING"?
Springing from a variety of U.S. and Latin American cities, the international coalition of Puerto Rican, Chilean, Mexican and African-American artists performing at New York's SOB's Grita/Say Something show share similar concerns, reflected not only in their combative lyrics but also in their community activism.
(NEW YORK DAILY NEWS)

The News and Tribune - UPDATE: Murphy resigns political posts; cooperating with police in apparent criminal investigation

ONE BIG CLOSET
On July 7, 33-year-old Glenn Murphy Jr. was elected chairman of the venerable Young Republican National Foundation. Last week, however, Murphy sent out a strange e-mail announcing his resignation, explaining that a "life-altering" business deal had arisen and, after praying with his family, he had decided to pursue this new business opportunity.In fact, as bloggers soon made public, Murphy had been accused of what is called in Indiana "criminal deviate conduct," a class B felony. After his election last month Murphy said he hoped to double the organization's membership by November 2008, hoping to be the "mouthpiece" for tens of thousands of Young Republicans across the country".
(NEWS-TRIBUNE, unearthed by Tom Cooksey)

The US Air Guitar Championships

IT DON'T MEAN A THING IF IT AIN'T GOT THE STRINGS
Oh sure, if you were in New York City today you could go to the Museum of Natural History or the Guggenheim, maybe take in a Broadway show. But why would you pass up your chance to go to the United States Air Guitar finals? Reigning champ Hot Lixx Hulahan will take on 14 challengers in a fierce musical competition involving absolutely no instruments. As an apertif, there’s Satanicide, the mock metal act known for its very real stage-diving. By the way, make sure you get yourself one of those cool (polyester) "official air ware" tractor caps with the US Air Guitar logo on it.
(Suggested by NEW YORK TIMES)

In China, a high-tech plan to track people | CNET News.com

CHINESE USE HIGH TECH TO TRACK CITIZENS
Following a directive from the Chinese government that all large cities apply technology to police work, at least 20,000 police surveillance cameras are being installed along Shenzen's streets and will soon be guided by sophisticated face recognition computer software. In Shenzhen, a city of 12.4 million people, residency cards fitted with powerful computer chips programmed by an American-financed company will be issued to most citizens. Data on the chip will include not just the citizen's name and address but also work history, educational background, religion, ethnicity, police record, medical insurance status and landlord's phone number. Even personal reproductive history will be included, for enforcement of China's controversial "one child" policy. Plans are being studied to add credit histories, subway travel payments and small purchases charged to the card.
(C/NET NEWS, unearthed by Slashdot.org)

ScreenSmasher - The Stress-Relieving Screen Smashing Simulator

VIRTUAL SCREAM THERAPY
Millions of people suffer from Computer Rage, the intense frustration of being tormented by soulless machines. Who hasn't fantasized about smashing their computer? This kit includes software for a Windows PC, a foam caveman-style hatchet and a U.S.B. motion sensor. You affix the U.S.B. sensor to the back of your monitor. Then, the next time your PC starts driving you crazy, you grab the mallet and start pounding your screen. SMASH! CRASH! SHATTER! With each pound, realistic sounds and animations make it look like you're breaking the glass of the screen.

And then, on the fourth smash, the glass shards fall away to reveal what's really causing your computer problems: a roomful of juvenile, out-of-control monkeys.
(Suggested by "CIRCUITS" NEW YORK TIMES)

HATE MALE
A friend of mine sent me this email:

Dear Friend

When you Google the word "Jew", one of the first websites that pops up is http://www.jewwatch.com/ --an anti-semitic, hate-filled harangue masquerating as "scholarly, factual, informational"

Add your name to the petition to remove www.jewwatch.com from Google's search engine. (Check out the site and you will understand why.) In order for Google to remove this, they would need a petition of over 50,000 requests....

GO HERE FOR PETITION.

(P.S. For it's part Google just appears to be giving some sort of hand-wringing apology, CLICK HERE FOR THAT.) I did some research on this issue and found out some interesting things about this whole issue. The Jew Watch Project, which touts itself as "the Internet's Largest Scholarly Collection of Articles on Jewish History" providing "Free Educational Library for Private Study, Scholarship, and Research" does, indeed appear to be what it's critics say it is. It is run by Frank Weltner who has an M.A. in English and is a "Certified Librarian". It is "dedicated to news and analysis of the U.S.-Israeli Terror Nations and the History of Jewish politics today and in history. Information on News of Zionism, Israel, Neocons, U.S.S.R., Communism, Nazism, Judeo-Bolshevism, ADL," and of course, everyone's favorite Zionist group, the Southern Poverty Law Center. The links at the main site all point to Jews as the cause of all sort of modern blight.

But don't take my word for this, listen to Frank himself. He has a bunch of YouTube videos covering the gamut of Jewish hate items.

HERE'S LINK TO ONE

CLICK HERE FOR A PRETTY GOOD ANALYSIS OF THIS ISSUE FROM MY FELLOW TRAVELERS IN THE INTERNATIONAL BANKING CONSPIRACY

The New York Times > Style > Interactive Feature > Nerdcore Nation

HOW UNCOOL IS THIS?
Here's an interesting piece on Nerdcore, a style of music which is fashioned on rap but speaks to the suburban disaffected. How (un)cool is that?
(NEW YORK TIMES)

Bush Bombs With Bomber Jacket Gift for Brown - The Sleuth

BUSH BOMBS WITH BROWN
British prime minister Gordon Brown, intentionally it seems, did not reveal the gift that President Bush presented to him during his visit to Camp David early this week. Instead, they found it by happenstance: a gold box with a presidential seal sitting neglected in an empty seat in the back of the plane taking Brown back to London.
(WASHINGTON POST)

AR-bonics

SOUTHERN DICTIONARY
Well, just what is the difference between being cattytwompus and something that is antigogglin? These are actual words and phrases used in common parlance by educated people. While many of these words and phrases have their origins in a semi-isolated rural heritage, they do follow coherent and consistent grammatical rules.
(Suggested by Kathryn King)

San Francisco Orders Medical Marijuana Dispensaries to Sell Fatter Bags | Stop the Drug War (DRCNet)

MORE BUD, PLEASE
Regulation of medical marijuana distribution can have some interesting side effects. The following email, sent to a dispensary operator by an employee of the San Francisco Department of Health, shows that the city is requiring clubs to be more careful in their measurements.
(STOPTHEDRUGWAR.ORG, unearthed by Paul Whitehurst)

TSUNAMI TUESDAY?
Barack Obama has a slim advantage in two out of the four early primary states, but he would get crushed on "Tsunami Tuesday" by Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for President?
(TOWNHALL.COM)

NSA Spying Part of Broader Effort - washingtonpost.com

SPY PROBE BROADENS
The Bush administration's chief intelligence official said yesterday that President Bush authorized a series of secret surveillance activities under a single executive order in late 2001. The disclosure makes clear that a controversial National Security Agency program was part of a much broader operation than the president previously described.
(WASHINGTON POST)

Budget Office Analysis Says War Could Cost $1 Trillion - CommonDreams.org

WAR COULD COST TRILLION
The war in Iraq could ultimately cost well over a trillion dollars — at least double what has already been spent — including the long-term costs of replacing damaged equipment, caring for wounded troops, and aiding the Iraqi government, according to a new government analysis.
(COMMON DREAMS)

ABC News: Judge Awards $101M to Men Framed by FBI

FBI STUNG
In a stinging rebuke of the FBI, a federal judge has ordered the government to pay a record judgment of nearly $102 million because agents withheld evidence that would have kept four men from spending decades in prison for a mob murder they did not commit.
(REUTERS, unearthed by Paul Whitehurst)

WRITER DUMPS HUBBY FOR TED | | Gossip - New York Post Online Edition

TABLOID DREAM INDEED!
Put down your cup of coffee or you might spill it," Butler, 62, wrote to his graduate students and fellow professors at Florida State University in Tallahassee. "Elizabeth is leaving me for Ted Turner."

Elizabeth is Butler's wife of 12 years, Elizabeth Dewberry, 44, an author in her own right, who might be attracted to Turner, 68, because the media mogul resembles the grandfather who molested her as a child, Butler writes in the shocking e-mail.
(NEW YORK POST)

NPA.RMLABS.NET - Phone Number Geolocator

TRACK THAT PHONE NUMBER
Here's an interesting spin on telephone number lookups. Okay, so you tried finding their address using Google or some other reverse number lookup and you can't find it. Well, knowing the area code and the exchange can help you narrow down the location if you use the Geolocator. We tried this and it works pretty well - with one important caveat: the area codes appear to be out of date. We had to use Mobile's old area code (334) for this to work.
(Suggested by Lifehacker)

CINDY SHEHAN VISITS ALABAMA
“We can’t stay in the blue states always preaching to the choir" Cindy Sheehan told a group of Alabama fellow travelers during her recent visit to Mongtomery. "We can’t do that. … We need to come where we can make the biggest impact.”
(COMMON DREAMS)

Detainee Transfers Concern Senators - washingtonpost.com

GULAG TRANSFER WORRIES SENATORS
Senators have expressed 'grave concern' that detainees at Guantanamo Bay will be sent to countries where they have a credible concern of mistreatment upon their arrival. The senators cited recent transfers of detainees to nations such as Libya (yes, Libya!) and Tunisia.
(WASHINGTON POST)

Queen storms out of Leibovitz photo shoot | AccessAtlanta

ICE QUEEN
You'd have thought she'd been asked to pose with Johnny Rotten or something. Annie Leibovitz received an icy stare and a stern response when she asked Queen Elizabeth II to remove her crown for an official portrait, according to a BBC documentary.
(ATLANTA JOURNAL)

WORTHY OF A HEISMAN
A father and his two children awake to flames and smoke. An upstairs window is the only way out. A barefoot hero stands below ...Adolph Cobb and his two children leaned outside a window of their third-floor Decatur apartment gasping for air and trying to decide whether to trust a voice below urging him to toss his babies to safety.
(ATLANTA JOURNAL)

POLL SHOWS IMPEACHMENT SENTIMENT GROWING
A survey by the American Research Group found that 45 percent support the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Bush, with 46 percent opposed, and a 54-40 split in favor when it comes to Cheney.
(COMMON DREAMS)

FOR A NICE SPIN ON THIS ISSUE CLICK HERE TO JUMP TO TALKING POINTS

2 lawyers found after kidnapping | ajc.com

LAWYERS FREED AFTER BEING HELD HOSTAGE IN "CABBAGETOWN" (NO, REALLY!)
The text message sent by one man to his brother was chilling: "We've been kidnapped. Please call the police and help us."
(ATLANTA JOURNAL)

USA Today's 'Sicko' Debate

A DEBATE WORTH HAVING?
The United States spends twice as much or more on health care per capita than Canada, Britain, France and Cuba, countries with single-payer systems that USAToday criticizes as "beset by inefficiencies." The U.S. government spends about as much on health care as a share of GDP as the Canadian, British and Cuban governments do, and France's government spends only somewhat more--even as the U.S.'s private spending on health dwarfs that of any developed country.
(FAIR)

Music industry attacks Sunday newspaper's free Prince CD | | Guardian Unlimited Business

PRINCE CD DISTRIBUTED FOR FREE
The eagerly awaited new album by Prince is being launched as a free CD with a national Sunday newspaper in a move that has drawn widespread criticism from music retailers.
(GUARDIAN)

Trackstick

STICK IT
Okay, this is too weird. Google is offering a GPS "Trackstick" which "records its own location, time, date, speed, heading and altitude at preset intervals." It can store months of "travel information" and "is the perfect tool for individuals looking for a way to track anything that moves." While the ad postulates that you can use it to track your hiking, biking or vacationing moves, it sounds like it can be used for more sinister motives like checking out where your significant other goes at night.
(TALKLEFT, unearthed by Paul Whitehurst)

Warehouse Fire Claims Ton of Marijuana - washingtonpost.com

I DID NOT INHALE
Firefighters who spent half an hour fighting a blaze in which 2,000 pounds of marijuana went up in smoke breathed so much of it that they would have failed a drug test, a fire chief said.
(WASHINGTON POST, unearthed by Bill Messick)

COMPUTER FIRST AID KIT
So, going out of town? Whether it's a seminar, deposition or vacation, if you're taking your laptop you might want to pack a few of those USB flash drives and load them up with portable apps. This Wikipedia site has an exhaustive list of portable software that will come in handy in a pinch. See Also the Portable Apps.
(Suggested by FUTURELAWYER)

Local News | Man who lied about actions in Iraq admits faking forms | Seattle Times Newspaper

DOUBLE, DOUBLE, TOIL AND TROUBLE
Jessie MacBeth claimed to have killed more than 200 people, many at close range, some as they prayed in a mosque. He spoke at an anti-war rally in Tacoma and appeared in a 20-minute anti-war video that circulated widely on the Internet. The trouble is that none of MacBeth's deeds were ever done. He made it through only six weeks of Army basic training, was never a Ranger and never set foot in Iraq.
(SEATTLE TIMES)

THESE SANDALS MAKE YOU THINK YOU CAN WALK ON WATER
I couldn't have said it any better than this ad that advertises the Reef Men's Dram Sandal. They feature a flask (just one?) in the heel "so you can smuggle your moonshine into any sporting event, concert, or even a boring lecture" and a "polyurethane-encapsulated canteen in the heel opens with the included church key/fin key. How dope is that? But the Drams don't stop there. These flip-flops' synthetic nubuck uppers and compression-molded EVA uppers are mad comfortable and they won't get thrashed by the water, which makes the Dram Sandals great for boating or chilling on the beach".
(REEF)

US Border Vigilantes Declare War on Themselves - CommonDreams.org - Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community

PARAMILITARY GROUPS ARE INFIGHTING ON OUR BORDER!
In 2005 the Minutemen attracted volunteers from all round the country to protest at the numbers of immigrants crossing the border clandestinely. Amid much publicity, they set up their own border patrol posts. The anti-immigrant vigilante force is now in danger of imploding in a row over finances. The group, which split within months of its formation in a row over funds, has now fragmented again. A breakaway group, the Patriots’ Border Alliance, is being set up and has established a website.
(COMMON DREAMS)

WHO ARE CAROLINE LYDERS AND CYNTHIA RODRIGUEZ?
So who the hell are Caroline Lyders and Cynthia Rodriguez? Well, that's what I was wondering when I looked at their ranking today on Hot Trends. With this nifty site you can see a snapshot of what's on the public's collective mind by viewing the fastest-rising searches for different points of time. You can see a list of the current top 100 fastest rising search queries in the U.S. You can also select a recent day in history to see what the top rising searches were and what the search activity looked like over the course of that day.
(Suggested by INFOPACKETS)

Antiwar Art in a New Medium: Paintball-on-Web - washingtonpost.com

HOLED UP IN CHICAGO
Wafaa Bilalan, an Iraqi has holed himself up in Chicago for a month where people shoot at him 24 hours a day. He pokes his head out from behind a screen and -- splat! -- inches from his face. "They wait for me to let my guard down, like predators," he said. More than 40,000 shots have been fired at him.
(WASHINGTON POST)

BLOOD IN THE WATER
Those of us who practice criminal law can see the shipwreck debris and, yes, what looks like blood in the water floating around Monica Goodling's testimony yesterday. It began with her previously invoking the fifth which - as we have been told by most jurors is just a silly Constitutional conceit and something that indicates a guilty mind. Having gotten immunity for her testimony she set out a Harvey torpedo in the midst of her testimony yesterday about the hiring of Immigration judges. This little unsolicited nugget has resulted in the broadening of the investigation of the U.S. attorney firings, The Los Angeles Times and New York Times report this morning, to cover political hiring of career employees at the department. While pundits from both sides will argue the merit of her testimony, it is easily recognizable as a great criminal defense ploy: get immunity for your testimony and then make sure you testify about anything for which you might have exposure.

Of course, the credit for initially uncovering the whole DOJ fiasco goes to TALKING POINTS MEMO
and they are in the midst of airing this latest little wrinkle, that while their attempts to pack the judiciary have been hobbled by the whole advice and consent procedure the regime of George II has run amok in the appointment of immigration judges. CLICK HERE FOR RELATED STORY
You need to read TPM regularly.
(TPMMUCKRAKER, unearthed by Arthur Madden)

G.O.P. Hopefuls Differ on Response to Terror Attack - New York Times

TORTURE IS OK THEY SAY
If you watched Jon Stewart this week you saw him make fun of Mitt Romney's "Double Guantanamo" comment. However, as the debate by the 10 Republican presidential candidates at the University of South Carolina in Columbia shows, what these guys think is far from funny. It included arguments for "enhanced interrogation techniques", a euphemism for torture.

For the full debate transcript, click here.
(HUMAN RIGHTS FIRST)

EVEN DOJ STALWARTS REPULSED BY SPYING ON CITIZENS
Yesterday's Frontline on governmental internal spying was informative but rather ho-hum, especially considering that it was put together by someone with the stature of Hedrick Smith. That James Yoo was highly placed in the Bush Administration is understandable. That he is a lawyer is downright scary. But even Big Brother Boosters have to concede that the concerns, like those voiced in the program, come from all sectors of this society.
In that vein, at Tuesday's hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey provided new details about an internal Justice Department rebellion against the White House's warrantless surveillance program in 2004. In remarks that drew stunned looks from senators, Comey - no smelly workshirt ACLU liberal he - described an White House effort to circumvent him in seeking reauthorization for the secret eavesdropping program while Comey was serving as acting attorney general.

READ THE NEW YORK TIMES STORY ABOUT THE INCIDENT
READ THE NEW YORK TIMES STORY ABOUT COMEY
(LAW.COM)

Dick-George Tenn-Tom

DICK-GEORGE, TENN-TOM
Richard M. Nixon visited Mobile in 1971. He shook 100 feet of hands, lost a cuff-link, and shared a stage with his biggest political rival, Governor George Wallace. "Dick-George, Tenn-Tom" is a sardonic look at their rivalry, the creation of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and the attempt on Wallace's life less than a year later. The film mentions the protest activities of some University of South Alabama students, one of whom was me.
(Suggested by Kyle Craig)

FRANCE'S NEW PRESIDENT'S ETHNIC ROOTS
By the time Hungary became a real democratic republic in 1989, Alattyan was a sleepy village of about 2,000 souls with little memory of its feudal past, and Nicolas Sarkozy was mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, a deputy in the French National Assembly and a rising star in French politics with little interest in his feudal roots.

In "FRIEND OR FAUX"Olivier Roy says that Nicolas Sarkozy may not be what the French call a “libéral,” but he’s no neocon, either.
(NYTIMES)

GOOGLE GETS INTO DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE
In case you missed the news, Google just introduced another free life-changing service. Call (800) GOOG-411 and it will look up any business number for you, purely by voice, and connect you, for free.
(Suggested by David Nihart)

UNFLUENCE NOW!
You don't have to be a fan of C. Wright Mills' Power Elite or decry the idea of interlocking corporate directorates to enjoy this site. It lets you track who is giving money to your candidate.
(UNFLUENCE, unearthed by Kyle Craig)

Lois Romano - Survivors of Tulsa Race Riots Seek Help From Congress for a Wrong Never Righted - washingtonpost.com

TULSA REPARATIONS EXPLORED
A Congressional hearing this week heard testimony this week urging members to pass legislation that would clear the way for survivors of the nation's worst race riots to sue for reparations."Olivia J. Hooker, six years old during the 1921 Tulsa race riots, said her mother told her "your country is shooting at you."
(WASHINGTON POST)

CHIP DRAGO COLUMN ON THOMAS' TRAVAILS
If you don't already get Chip Drago's column, you miss out on some really interesting insider stories. Chip is an ex-Register reporter (as am I) and does an excellent job of dispassionately picking up on the inner workings of the Mobile political scene. Most times the stories are mundane crap no one (but the rest of us who are living in the crap) really cares about and, of course, given Chip's passive style, you read into it based upon what you know and what you want to believe. They are shot little pixel shots of the big picture here. For example, this little article on Thomas is interesting, not only because of the topical nature of the piece, but because he puts the whole thing into the context of Thomas' rise to power, Demo/Repub politics, who is hacking at his heels, and (perhaps) why.
(MOBILE BAY TIMES)

Keith Richards: `I Snorted My Father'

THAT'S NO BOOGER, THAT'S MY DAD
Keith Richards, the 63-year-old Rolling Stones guitarist, has acknowledged snorting his father's ashes mixed with cocaine.
(BREITBART.COM, unearthed by Connie Acevedo)

mediabistro.com: TVNewser

...BECAUSE HE CAN
Bill O'Reilly ordered his producers to cut retired Col. Ann Wright's mic off during an interview on Friday, leaving Wright, an expert on the Geneva Convention who was being asked about the Iranian (British) hostage situation, visibly trying to continue to explain herself but not being heard.
(MEDIABISTRO)

Barr shifts in support of medical marijuana | ajc.com

CONGRESSMAN DOES ABOUT-FACE ON POT
A former Republican congressman and anti-drug crusader, has become a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project. Once termed "the worst drug warrior" on Capitol Hill by the Libertarian Party, Georgia's Bob Barr joined the Libertarians last year because, he said, of the GOP's move "toward big government and disregard toward privacy and civil liberties. Barr's move puts him in the unusual position of lobbying to overturn a law he sponsored.
(ATLANTA JOURNAL)

Newseum | Today's Front Pages | Map View

EXTRA!EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
A friend of mine just sent me this link and it is SO COOL! This link is a map with today's newspaper's front pages. But there is so much more on this site. Check it out!
(NEWSEUM: The interactive Museum of News, unearthed by Drew Walch)

TORTURED TV
Human Rights First has mounted a campaign to challenge a growing and troublesome trend: TV shows like "24," "Lost" and "Law and Order" often depict torture as an effective and even heroic tool for interrogating suspects. The impact is far from fictional: U.S. soldiers, under pressure to get information but confronted with conflicting rules of interrogation, have imitated the gruesome techniques they see on TV.

HERE'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING:

Human Rights First has arranged a series of meetings for the Dean of West Point and three seasoned Army and FBI interrogators with prominent TV producers and writers.

The Executive Producer of "24" recently announced that the show would "tone down" its use of torture. And the star of the show, Kiefer Sutherland, said that he would work with the Army to train soldiers.

They are in production on a training film that shows, through TV clips and interviews with experienced interrogators, that the methods you see on TV would not work in the field.

PLEASE CONSIDER GOING TO THEIR SITE AND MAKING A DONATION TO THIS CAMPAIGN

American Journeys in Mobile, Ala. - Travel - New York Times

AZALEA TRAIL FEATURE STORY
WHEN thousands of athletes from around the world pull on their running shoes in Mobile, Ala., tomorrow and set out through the streets in the 10-kilometer Azalea Trail Run, they will race past antebellum mansions, ornate old commercial buildings, majestic churches and storefronts topped by lacy cast-iron balconies and grillwork. The run, now in its 30th year, is timed for late March to coincide with the bloom of azaleas and dogwood, one of the prettiest seasons in Mobile, an easygoing port town spread along the banks of the Mobile River and bell-shaped Mobile Bay.
(NYT, unearthed by Marsh Acker)

Daily Kos: Republicans fail to learn the Vote Vets lesson; still voting to kill troops

VOTE ON TROOP ARMOUR SUBJECT OF BLOG EXPERIMENT
You want proof that we're living in a changing world? The blogs DailyKos and KagroX wrote a post about Republican "Troop-Killers". They are attacking a recent vote by GOP members of the House Appropriations Committee (which includes Alabama's Robert Aderholt) unanimously opposing a requirement that the troops sent to Iraq be properly protected with armor. (Check out the YouTube video on this link.) Here's the twist. As a way to continue to push this story and trying to hold Aderholt and company accountable for this vote they have proposed a coordinated day of action that runs primarily through local blogs like this one.

IN THE NEWS
You might remember that we threw a party for Ernie Laird. It seems the accounts of his death had been overly exaggerated. When we found out he wasn't dead, we threw him a Mark Twain Party and last Friday good friend Gary McElroy wrote a story in the Press-Register about it.

Brother and former partner Peter Madden (now with the Federal Public Defender's office), was featured in a news story about his client, a Flomaton man whose federal trial on bomb charges ended in a hung jury last month and who now faced new charges under an indictment handed down last week by a grand jury in Mobile. (Post-script: his client pled guilty to a misdemeanor. Way to go, Peter.)

Meanwhile, Arthur Madden is in an account in today's paper about his representation of Mobile-based Applied Pharmacy Services. The company has been indicted by an Albany, N.Y., grand jury in connection with a supposedly illicit steroid distribution network involving high-profile customers.

Top News- Man Breaks Into Home Over Porn Screams - AOL News

HIS STEELY DAN?
"'Where is she?' Van Iveren demanded, thrusting the sword at the neighbor, the complaint said. 'Where is she?'"
(AOL NEWS, unearthed by Eric Davis)

CUBA TRAVEL BAN LIFT BILL INTRODUCED
There has been a lot of activity around the nation concerning the effort to end the ban on travel to Cuba. The latest is the "Rangel (D-NY)-Flake (R-AZ) Bill" (H.R. 654 "To allow travel between the United States and Cuba" (introduced 1/24/2007, Latest Major Action: 1/24/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.)
At present, the bill has 60 co-sponsors and the proponents of the act are trying to secure a minimum of 100 cosponsors. Needless to say, Alabama will probably not be in that vanguard. However, there seems to be some momentum for abolishing this ridiculous ban on our right to travel. So, why not start softening these guys up with calls, letters, faxes, etc telling them people here actually do support the lifting of the ban?

DILDO LAW UPHELD
In upholding Alabama's vibrator law on Valentine's Day (someone over there has a sense of irony) the 11th Circuit's decision in (click on the red headline and then follow the link to Williams v. King) reiterated what it thought about the law and the dildos that passed it:

By upholding the statute, we do not endorse the judgment of the Alabama legislature. As we stated in Williams II:

However misguided the legislature of Alabama may have been in enacting the statute challenged in this case, the statute is not constitutionally irrational under rational basis scrutiny because it is rationally related to the State’s legitimate power to protect its view of public morality. “The Constitution presumes that . . . improvident decisions will eventually be rectified by the democratic process and that judicial intervention is generally unwarranted no matter how unwisely we may think a political branch has acted.”
(Suggested by Paul Whitehurst)

PETRAEUS' GUYS
Army officers tend to refer to the group as "Petraeus guys." They are smart colonels who have been noticed by Petraeus, and who make up one of the most selective clubs in the world: military officers with doctorates from top-flight universities and combat experience in Iraq.
(WASHINGTON POST)

COPS TRADE DRUG PROSECUTION FOR CAR
The Milwaukee Police Department is accused of taking possession of a Mercedes-Benz convertible from a drug-addicted local businessman in return for agreeing not to prosecute him for cocaine possession. The businessman, Jordan M. Beck, was president of Mill Valley Recycling, a scrap metal business. Beck died at 42 from a drug overdose five months after his June 2005 arrest. Beck's family is trying to get the car back, arguing that he was pressured into making the deal and that he might be alive today if police had treated him as an ordinary drug offender.
(MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, unearthed by Joel Sogol)

IRAQ WAR BENCHMARK
If U.S. involvement continues on the current scale, the funding for the Iraq war — combined with the conflict in Afghanistan and other foreign fronts in the war on terrorism — is projected to surpass this country's Vietnam spending next year.
(LOS ANGELES TIMES, unearthed by Common Dreams)

SMILE, YOU'RE ON CANDID CAMERA
Well, I get this video from a friend this morning. It is a cop describing this handy-dandy Orwellian gizmo the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have. Since the video looked legit or was, at the very least, a very slick hoax I set out to debunk/authenticate it and came across a whole body of knowledge centered around car thefts.
It seems that British Columbia is using a new technology called Automatic Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR), to target both traffic violators and stolen vehicles.

HERE'S THE VIDEO FOR THAT.

As you can see from the website address, it's tied to something called baitcars. Hmmmm. Well, go to their MAIN SITE for an explanation of all manner of things. For example: a "baitcar" is, as the name implies, a car put out by the police who hope that you take it off and they can study your nasty little behavior, find your hidy hole, etc.; a "lo-jack" is an aftermarket vehicle tracking system that allows vehicles to be tracked by police after being stolen; and a "honey trap" is a form of sting operation, in which "wrong doers are lured into revealing themselves to a policing organization. This would include a bait car, where a sting operation targets a known or suspected individual and attempts to trap them committing a specific case of crime, a honey trap establishes a general lure to attract unknown criminals."

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO FOR EXAMPLES OF PERSONS CAUGHT IN THE ACT
(Suggested by DREW WALCH)