Welcome To The EU

The currency police have their work cut out for them

European Union officials insist it’s not a criminal offense to sell goods in pounds and ounces. They should tell that to the people prosecuting 63-year-old Janet Devers, who runs a fruit and vegetable stand in East London. Police seized nonmetric scales from her stand in September, and just before Christmas, authorities informed her they were charging her with 13 counts of violating laws requiring British merchants to sell in metric units. She faces a fine of up to £5,000 on each charge.

But what if she wants to pay in pounds? Would that be allowed?

The Other Horse Race

In case you haven't noticed, there's another race that's being just as fiercely contested as the one between Hillary and Obama:

As Paul's surprising bid for the GOP nomination winds down, it's clear that it was a boon for the LP after all. Paul's fundraising and gadfly debate performances got national pundits talking about the libertarian vote. 'I'm amazed at how often I hear that word in the mainstream media now,' says 2004 LP nominee Michael Badnarik. 'Four years ago it was a curse word.' Paul indirectly drew three high-profile candidates into the race. Bob Barr, an LP leader since 2006, introduced Paul at the Conservative Political Action Conference with a rousing speech that ramped up the movement to draft him. Mary Ruwart, a left-libertarian author as renowned in LP circles as she is obscure outside of them, re-engaged in electoral politics to support Paul, then jumped into the race as Paul withdrew. Mike Gravel, the biggest-name convert to the party since, well, Barr, made the leap in part because Paul was so successful at raising money.

The result of all this manuevering is a wild, unpredictable, and possibly disastrous battle for the LP nod. Every faction of the party is represented in the race, and the 702 delegates and 146 alternates slated to go to the national nominating convention over Memorial Day weekend are up for grabs. They will vote until one candidate scores an absolute majority.

Ron Paul may have been the best thing to happen for independent voters in a long time, in that he captured a mood of rebellion that will be difficult to ignore in the future, but this is why I'm not completely sold on the idea of going third party. If it's a choice between either/or, I'd still go with the lesser of two evils that sounded somewhat sane.

Wholesome Is The New Cool

Is Hollyweird finally getting the message?

America is in the throes of a raging decency epidemic. On American Idol, TV’s perennial ratings champ, even the edgiest contestants are a temporary-tattoo-removal away from blending in at an Osmond Family reunion. Reigning Disney Channel poppet Miley Cyrus oozes 100-proof adorableness so relentlessly that one suspects she actually has tiny little paws instead of hands and feet. The casts of tween favorites like Zoey 101 and High School Musical are so wholesome they make those hoodlums from Saved by the Bell look like extras in a Scorsese film.

Of the 20 movies that got the widest circulation in 2007, only two were rated R. From 2005 to 2007, during the traditional summer movie season—the first weekend of May through Labor Day—only 40 R-rated movies and zero NC-17 movies opened up in 500 or more theaters. According to the box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, this represents just 29 percent of movies in wide release.

In September 2006, Fox established a stand-alone division called Fox Faith to distribute movies with strong Christian themes. It also partnered with Walden Media—the production company created by billionaire Phillip Anschutz that has developed such hits as Charlotte’s Web, Bridge to Terabithia, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe—with the aim of producing a half-dozen family-friendly movies a year.

Even Hollywood’s bad boys are going soft. During their tenure at Miramax, Harvey and Bob Weinstein released movies like Priest, Kids, and Dogma, and were only slightly less reviled than gay marriage amongst the family values brigade. At their new gig, the Weinstein Company, they’ve signed a multi-year first-look deal with Impact Entertainment, a Christian production company.

“Studios who in the past weren’t even interested in talking to us about this kind of stuff are submitting products to us on a regular basis,” says the CAMIEs’ Joseph Lake. “This year, we could have picked 20 movies to honor. Or even more—there were that many really good ones.” The Dove Foundation, a nonprofit organization that encourages the “production, distribution and consumption of wholesome family entertainment,” issued its blue-and-white “Family-Approved Seal” to 58 feature films released in 2007.

As long as this is being consumer-driven, I don't have a problem with it. It does seem that the Morality Police are out of touch with what's actually going on.

McCain's Prescription

Hmm, this is a bit disappointing, if true:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is proposing a greater federal commitment to people without health insurance on Tuesday, suggesting that it help funds states to set up non-profit risk pools to help Americans who are denied coverage or can’t afford it.

McCain’s health-policy experts provided a ballpark estimate of $7 billion a year for the new federal commitment.

“Cooperation among states in the purchase of insurance would … be a crucial step in ridding the market of both needless and costly regulations, and the dominance in the market of only a few insurance companies,” McCain says in remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday morning in Tampa, Fla.

McCain is announcing his “Guaranteed Access Plan” on the second day of a “Call To Action” health-care tour that will later take him to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, and Colorado.

Notice that he's not going nearly as far as Hillary has-he's still saying that it should be done more at the state level-but personally I'm tired of the pandering over health care. You're either for socialized medicine or not. You can't try to have it both ways.

Money Management

Is this really a good idea?

The Federal Reserve could use proposed new regulatory powers to try to stop credit and asset market excesses from reaching the point where they threaten economic stability, the US Treasury said on Tuesday.

David Nason, assistant secretary for financial institutions, said the Fed could even use its proposed “macro-prudential” authority to order banks, hedge funds and other entities to curtail strategies that put financial stability at risk.

By “leaning against the wind” in this way, the US central bank could “attempt to prevent broad economic dislocations caused by potential excesses”, he said.

His comments come amid debate inside the Fed as to whether it should try to do more to contain asset price bubbles, following the housing and dotcom busts. Some see enhanced regulatory powers as a better tool for this than interest rates.

Bear in mind, all this is happening under a Republican administration. Feel better now?

Mr. Matthews Goes To Washington

Well, if Al Franken can be considered a serious political contender, why not this guy?

The possibility of the host of MSNBC's 'Hardball' Christopher Matthews, running against Senator Specter of Pennsylvania, a Republican, for Mr. Specter's senate seat in Pennsylvania is intensifying.

Although Mr. Matthews said to Bill Maher of HBO that he's 'not getting involved in it' when asked about whether he would seek the position in 2010, it is odd to employ his television program in a way that would make him a favorable candidate to run for senator of Pennsylvania as a Democrat.

Mr. Matthews, who is from the Philadelphia area, broadcasted his show from Philadelphia during the week of the Pennsylvania primary. Political figures that appeared on his national show were the mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, and an African-American congressman of Philadelphia, Chaka Fattah. In addition, Mr. Matthews interviewed on 'Hardball' the chairmen of the Democratic committees of Allegheny, Montgomery, and Lackawanna counties, James Burn Jr., Marcel Groen, and Harry McGrath, local figures vital to any statewide candidacy.

They say politis is show business for ugly people. Sometimes journalism can be that way, too.

Speed Of Sound

Coldplay have seen the future, and it's free.

Coldplay are to give away a free download of Violet Hill, the first single from their new album, for one week via their website.

The song will be available on Tuesday, with a normal digital release scheduled for 6 May.
The release of the album Viva La Vida or Death and all his Friends has been moved forward to 12 June in the UK.

The band have also announced plans to give away tickets to two free concerts in June, in New York and London.

The gigs will take place at London's Brixton Academy on 16 June and at New York's Madison Gardens on 23 June. Details of how to win tickets will be posted on the Coldplay website.

Free music

The download move follows a shift away from traditional sales by various acts last year.
Last June, Prince gave away copies of his album Planet Earth with the Mail on Sunday newspaper, and indie band The Charlatans gave away a free download of their new album on radio station XFM's website.

In October, Radiohead let fans decide how much they wanted to pay to download their seventh studio album, In Rainbows, from their official website.

A free 7-inch vinyl single of Coldplay's Violet Hill will also be given away on the cover of music weekly NME on 7 May.

The vinyl version will also include the track A Spell A Rebel Yell, which will not be available anywhere else.

And the downward spiral of the traditional music industry continues.

Toy Story

It has come to this: Abby Dinnerjacket's minions are scared of Barbie and Ken.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - A top Iranian judiciary official warned Monday against the 'destructive' cultural and social consequences of importing Barbie dolls and other Western toys.

Prosecutor General Ghorban Ali Dori Najafabadi said in an official letter to Vice President Parviz Davoudi that the Western toys was a 'danger' that needed to be stopped.

'The irregular importation of such toys, which unfortunately arrive through unofficial sources and smuggling, is destructive culturally and a social danger,' Najafabadi said in his letter, a copy of which was made available to The Associated Press.

Iranian markets have been inundated with smuggled Western toys in recent years partly due to a dramatic rise in purchasing power as a result of increased oil revenues.

While importing the toys is not necessarily illegal, it is discouraged by a government that made its name on preserving Iran from Western cultural influences.

In Monday's letter, Najafabadi said the increasing visibility of Western dolls was raising the alarm among authorities who were considering intervening.

'The displays of personalities such as Barbie, Batman, Spiderman and Harry Potter ... as well as the irregular importation of unsanctioned computer games and movies are all warning bells to the officials in the cultural arena,' the letter said.

There is something seriously wrong with a government that is afraid of plastic dolls.

Just Call Him Slim

You'd think he'd be grateful:

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - An inmate awaiting trial on a murder charge is suing the county, complaining he has lost more than 100 pounds because of the jailhouse menu.

Broderick Lloyd Laswell says he isn't happy that he's down to 308 pounds after eight months in the Benton County jail. He has filed a federal lawsuit complaining the jail doesn't provide inmates with enough food.

According to the suit, Laswell weighed 413 pounds when he was jailed in September. Police say he and a co-defendant fatally beat and stabbed a man, then set his home on fire.

'On several occasions I have started to do some exercising and my vision went blurry and I felt like I was going to pass out,' Laswell wrote in his complaint. 'About an hour after each meal my stomach starts to hurt and growl. I feel hungry again.'

But Laswell then goes on to complain that he undertakes little vigorous activity.

'If we are in a small pod all day (and) do next to nothing for physical exercise, we should not lose weight,' the suit says. 'The only reason we lost weight in here is because we are literally being starved to death.'

You'd think he'd have already lost some weight running from the police.

Dead Dictator Weeping

Saddam's personality cult still lives.

AWJA, Iraq (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iraqi schoolchildren were brought to the modest mausoleum of Saddam Hussein on Monday to celebrate the birthday of the executed dictator in the village where he was born.

Saddam, who was hanged in late 2006 for crimes against humanity, is hated in much of Iraq. But in parts of his native Salahuddin Province, especially among his fellow Sunni Arabs, he is still revered.

'Bush, Bush you low-life! Saddam's blood is not cheap!' a crowd of pupils in white uniforms from a nearby girls' school chanted while standing around Saddam's grave in the mausoleum where he is buried among displays and photos of his reign.

'There are two things we will never give up: Saddam and Iraq!' the girls chanted. Several of them wept.

Maybe they could dig him up and take him out on tour...

No Room For Shrooms

It's the end of an era:

The Dutch cabinet has proposed a ban on the sale of all hallucinogenic 'magic' mushrooms because they could induce life-threatening behaviour.

A bill will now pass to the Dutch parliament, where a majority of lawmakers are expected to back a ban after a teenage French girl who had eaten mushrooms died jumping from a bridge in 2007.

While dried magic mushrooms are illegal in the Netherlands, fresh mushrooms can still be bought openly in so-called 'Smart Shops'.

Posters in Smart Shops outline the effects the mushrooms have and whether users are more likely to feel chatty or exhilarated, for example.

'The use of mushrooms can produce hallucinogenic effects which can lead to extreme or life-threatening behaviour,' the health ministry said in a statement late on Friday after the cabinet decision.

We often complain that the Europeans don't like us. In some areas, they are perhaps becoming more like us than we'd like to admit.

Dude, Where's My Nuke?

This is what happens when you do business with thugs-they always want more:

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran demanded Sunday that Azerbaijan deliver a Russian shipment of nuclear equipment blocked at its border with Iran for the past three weeks.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said in his weekly briefing that his country has asked the Azerbaijani ambassador in Iran to get his government 'to deliver the shipment as soon as possible.'

The blocked nuclear equipment 'is in the framework of Iran-Russia cooperation' and there should be 'no ban on it,' he said about the shipment destined for a Russian-built nuclear reactor in the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr.

Azerbaijan has said it was seeking more information about the shipment due to fears that it might violate any of the three sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed on Iran over its failure to halt uranium enrichment.

Well, at least somebody's paying attention.

The Two R's

Two competing views on religion versus reason. First, this:

If religion isn't the greatest threat to rationality and scientific progress, what is? Perhaps alcohol, or television, or addictive video games. But although each of these scourges - mixed blessings, in fact - has the power to overwhelm our best judgment and cloud our critical faculties, religion has a feature of that none of them can boast: it doesn't just disable, it honours the disability. People are revered for their capacity to live in a dream world, to shield their minds from factual knowledge and make the major decisions of their lives by consulting voices in their heads that they call forth by rituals designed to intoxicate them.

It used to be the case that we tended to excuse drunk drivers when they crashed because they weren't entirely in control of their faculties at the time, but now we have wisely inverted that judgment, holding drunk drivers doubly culpable for putting themselves in that irresponsible position in the first place. It is high time we inverted the public attitude about religion as well, finding all socially destructive acts of religious passion shameful, not honourable, and holding those who abet them - the preachers and other apologists for religious zeal - as culpable as the bartenders and negligent hosts who usher dangerous drivers on to the highways. Our motto should be: Friends don't let friends steer their lives by religion.

And now, this:

Dennett seems to believe science is "the truth". Like many of my brilliant scientific colleagues, he conveys the notion that science is about a kind of certainty. For example, in his book Breaking the Spell, he quotes Eva Jablonka in support of his views on memes. He forgets that she challenges the very essence of Dawkins's view of evolution - a view Dennett obviously passionately supports.

(snip)

The problem is that scientists now too frequently believe we have the answers to these questions, and hence the mysteries of life. But, oddly, the more we use science to explore nature, the more we find things we do not understand and cannot explain. In reality, both religion and science are expressions of man's uncertainty. Perhaps the paradox is that certainty, whether it be in science or religion, is dangerous. The danger of Dennett's relatively gentle brand of certainty is that it increases polarisation in our society. With inflexible positions on both sides, certainty surely is the biggest threat to rationality, and to science.

I tend to be an agnostic when it comes to organized religion, and I know that devout belief can be like an addiction for some people. But the real issue, it seems, isn't either/or, it's dogmatic attitudes in both. While I would still put more trust in science to explain life's mysteries and to solve our current problems, that doesn't mean there's no room for faith in the modern world. But it needs to be put into its proper context-as a guide for living, not necessarily as an Ultimate Truth as to what you should believe in. In the same regard, skepticism is healthy and good for you (I display mine all the time), yet at the same time it would be arrogant for us to assume we know everything. Rigid fundamentalism exists in both sides; perhaps what's needed is a way to find some common ground.

A Uniter, Not A Divider

When conservatives and liberals can actually agree on something, you know it's a bad idea.

The Left is partly to blame just because they labor under the illusion that state planning can bring about better economic results. If ethanol is bad, then they might say we're just not subsidizing the right thing.

But today, liberal environmentalists are not the ones pushing ethanol. It's Agribusiness, all the way. Most reputable liberals believe ethanol to be a big joke — an enormous corporate welfare subsidy with no real benefits and many downsides.

On many issues, Conservatives have more in common with ideological liberals than we do with the business interests that come to Washington looking for a handout. Our goal should be to persuade the Left — to use clear failures we agree on, like ethanol — to demonstrate that Big Business will always come to Washington for handouts until Washington stops giving them altogether. Each new handout is the next ethanol, the next sugar — and once you've started giving a handout, it never ends.

Corporate subsidies for biofuel can be just as bad as subsidies anywhere else-it encourages laziness and doesn't solve the real issue at hand.

No Smoke, No Fire

On the subject of smoking bans, we have the down side of what happens when they come to the hallowed halls of bingo playing.

Banning smoking at charity bingo games may have health benefits, but it is proving harmful to earnings.

In Minnesota, which adopted a statewide ban on smoking in all indoor workplaces in October, revenue from all charity gambling dropped nearly 13 percent in the last quarter of 2007, compared to the same quarter the year before, according to state officials. More than half of the drop — the equivalent of about $100 million annually — was attributed to the new law, they said.

Charlie Lindstrom, who runs the bingo nights at an American Legion post in Fergus Falls, Minn., said some of his former customers now drove to casinos on Indian reservations, where they can puff away, or across the border to Fargo, N.D., where veterans’ organizations are exempt from that state’s smoking ban.

On a good night, Mr. Lindstrom said, bingo at the post used to attract 50 to 75 players. Nowadays it is more like 30 or 40.

“It’s had a profound effect on us here,” Mr. Lindstrom said. “We’ve sponsored several baseball teams here in the past, but we can’t give as much now because the smoking ban has really reduced our revenue.”

Maybe more of us should join Indian tribes-they seem to be the only ones who can still do what they want these days.

Waiting To Incarcerate

In case you hadn't heard, Wesley Snipe will be doing time.

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison on tax charges Thursday, a victory for prosecutors who sought to make an example of the action star by aggressively pursuing the maximum penalty.

Snipes' lawyers had spent much of the day in court offering dozens of letters from family members, friends — even fellow actors Woody Harrelson and Denzel Washington — attesting to the good character of the 'Blade' star and asking for leniency. They argued he should get only probation because his three convictions were all misdemeanors and the actor had no previous criminal record.

But U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges said Snipes exhibited a 'history of contempt over a period of time' for U.S. tax laws, and granted prosecutors the three year sentence they requested — one year for each of Snipes' convictions of willfully failing to file a tax return.

'In my mind these are serious crimes, albeit misdemeanors,' Hodges said.

Snipes apologized while reading from a written statement for his 'costly mistakes,' but never mentioned the word taxes.

'I am an idealistic, naive, passionate, truth-seeking, spiritually motivated artist, unschooled in the science of law and finance,' Snipes said.

"I know nothing of this income tax evasion of which you speak..."

Hold The Bottle

The Bottle Police are coming.

The party is coming to an end for Grey Goose-swilling big shots as the city’s licensing czar says he’s banning “bottle service,” an expensive perk that draws high-rollers to Hub hotspots.

The service - a staple in exclusive nightclubs from Miami to Manhattan to Las Vegas - allows big spenders to have private VIP tables in exchange for purchasing a bottle of high-end booze, usually for $300 or more. Servers bring buckets of ice, tumblers and non-alcoholic mixers to make cocktails.

But Boston Licensing Board Chairman Daniel Pokaski is cracking down, saying the pricey service violates state and city alcohol laws.

“This is totally prohibited and it won’t be tolerated,” Pokaski said. “It’s not going to happen in Boston. It’s just wrong. It forces alcohol consumption.”

Well, I guess this means that Ted Kennedy won't be coming to Beantown any time soon. And the rationale for this bottle prohibition?

But Pokaski argued that because bottles are so expensive, customers inevitably down all the booze. He said the practice conflicts with a citywide crackdown on trouble-plagued clubs and an effort to cut down on overserving barkeeps.

“We’re not New York and we’re not South Beach,” he said. “The city of Boston has a lot more to offer than just getting people inebriated. If all they can offer their clientele is just swilling down alcohol, then perhaps they shouldn’t be in the business.”

Well, score one for the Blue Bloods then. We all know none of them ever cause any trouble, right?

When Government Works For You

What's wrong with a little inefficiency?

According to a new report from the Government Accountability Office, since 2001 U.S. Customs and Border Protection has failed to collect more than $600 million in duties that should have been imposed on imported goods 'to remedy injurious unfair foreign trade practices.' Specifically, the goods, mainly food products from China, were sold at 'unfairly low prices,' thereby violating 'anti-dumping' rules. Due to CBP's dereliction of duty, American consumers presumably paid less than the government thinks they should for garlic, honey, mushrooms, and crawfish tail meat.

More like this, please. The government that governs least, and all that.

War Of Words

It has begun:

INEZ, Ky. (AP) — Republican John McCain on Wednesday asked the North Carolina GOP not to run a television ad that brings up the controversial former pastor of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

North Carolina Republican party officials insisted the ad will run as planned despite McCain's request.

The ad opens with a photo of Obama and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright together and a clip of Wright, whose incendiary comments about race have bedeviled Obama.

'He's just too extreme for North Carolina,' the narrator says in the 30-second spot.

'We asked them not to run it,' McCain told reporters traveling with him in Kentucky. 'I'm sending them an e-mail as we speak asking them to take it down.

'I don't know why they do it. Obviously, I don't control them, but I'm making it very clear, as I have a couple of times in the past, that there's no place for that kind of campaigning, and the American people don't want it,' McCain said.

McCain said the ad was described to him: 'I didn't see it, and I hope that I don't see it.'
Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan, who accompanied McCain, said he had left a voice mail message for state party chairwoman Linda Daves asking her to pull the ad.

McCain, in an e-mail to Daves, said he will draw sharp contrasts with Democrats. 'But we need not engage in political tactics that only seek to divide the American people.'

Unfortunately, McCain's pleas are falling on deaf ears. This is the modern Republican Party, where the tactics of Karl Rove have taken over. Real isues are for wimps, not real Republicans.

Taking A Stand

This is good news:

Nearly 70 percent of Italian gynecologists now refuse to perform abortions on moral grounds and the number is increasing, a report by the country's ministry of health said Tuesday.

Abortion was legalised in 1978 in Italy but pressure from the Vatican -- which is strongly opposed to abortion -- enabled doctors to claim a 'conscientious objection' clause and refuse to carry out terminations.

Between 2003 and 2007 the number of gynecologists claiming the conscience clause to avoid carrying out abortions rose from 58.7 percent to 69.2 percent, according to the report.
For anesthetists helping in abortions, the figure of those refusing to participate rose from 45.7 percent to 50.4 percent.

'In the south, this increase is even more pronounced and in certain areas the rate has almost doubled,' the report adds. In Campania, the region around Naples, the proportion of gynecologists refusing to carry out the procedure reached 83 percent, and in Sicily 84.2 percent.

This is important because these doctors are making a personal decision; this is not something that is being mandated from the government. Personal choice still exists; and the doctors are exercising theirs.

Who Speaks For The Dead White Men?

Hmm, I'm not so sure about this.

Arizona public schools would be barred from any teachings considered counter to democracy or Western civilization under a proposal endorsed Wednesday by a legislative panel.

Additionally, the measure would prohibit students of the state's universities and community colleges from forming groups based in whole or part on the race of their members, such as the Black Business Students Association at Arizona State University or Native Americans United at Northern Arizona University. Those groups would be forbidden from operating on campus.

The brainchild of Rep. Russell Pearce, the measure appeared as an amendment to Senate Bill 1108, which originally would have made minor changes to the state's Homeland Security advisory councils. The House Appropriations Committee approved the new proposal on a 9-6 vote.

Pearce, a Mesa Republican, said his target isn't diversity instruction, but schools that use taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate students in what he characterized as anti-American or seditious thinking. The measure is at least partially a response to a controversy surrounding an ethnic-studies program in the Tucson Unified School District, which critics have said is unpatriotic and teaches revolution.

SB 1108 states, "A primary purpose of public education is to inculcate values of American citizenship. Public tax dollars used in public schools should not be used to denigrate American values and the teachings of Western civilization."

For schools that violate the anti-Western-teachings provision, the bill provides the state superintendent of public instruction with the authority to withhold a portion of state funding.

Rep. John Kavanagh, a member of the Appropriations Committee, said he hopes the measure helps return cultural studies in the state's schools to a "melting pot" model.

"This bill basically says, 'You're here. Adopt American values,' " said Kavanagh, a Fountain Hills Republican. "If you want a different culture, then fine, go back to that culture."

Now, I'm all for ending the stranglehold that polical correctness in the name of "Diversity" has on our schools. But while this might be the sort of thing that Pat Buchanan would do cartwheels over, it might not be so good for real debate. Even idiots have the right to gather and speak, if not at taxpayer expense.

Bread Crumbs Of The Revolution

The good news about food prices? They make dictators nervous:

It's well known that the run-up in oil prices in recent years has had the unpleasant consequence of enlivening autocrats in oil-producing countries, from Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Hugo Chávez. Now the latest swing in global commodities seems to be triggering a reverse effect: As prices for bread and rice soar, dictators are tottering.

Oddly, one of them is Chávez, who lost a constitutional referendum in December partly because of the combination of soaring food prices and shortages he has inflicted on Venezuela. Another is Robert Mugabe, who to his surprise lost a presidential election in Zimbabwe three weeks ago, though he has yet to admit it. According to the U.N. World Food Program, the government of North Korea faces another food crisis; bread prices explain in part why Pervez Musharraf lost control of Pakistan's government in February.

Then there is Egypt, where the link between food and freedom -- or the lack of it -- has never been clearer. For more than half a century, the Arab world's most populous country has been run by a military-backed dictatorship that has supplied its millions of poor with subsidized bread. Consequently, Egypt consumes more bread per capita than France, and the only time the regime's power was seriously challenged came in 1977, when Anwar Sadat's attempt to cut bread subsidies provoked bloody riots.

Appeals to "The People" to continue the march towards a socialist utopia tend to fall on deaf ears when the people literally can't put bread on the table.

Those Keyes Don't Fit

A look inside the weird world of third parties shows why even they might not welcome Alan What's-His-Name with open arms.

THE BIGGEST issue separating Keyes from the Constitution Party is the Iraq war. Keyes has said that he would not have picked Iraq as the next target in the war on terror, but supported the president's policy in debates with Obama four years ago and would not withdraw U.S. troops today. His new party, however favors a noninterventionist foreign policy and opposes the war. This is not an insignificant difference of opinion.

Ricardo Davis, the state party chairman for Georgia, says any attempt to abandon the antiwar stance will go over about as well as the New Coke. "What if I was the new CEO of a midsized company and decided embark on a strategy to sell a 'me too' product that negates the company's unique sales proposition?" he asks. "What if that sales proposition is held dear by most of the sales and marketing management in the company? What do you think will happen to that company as I try to change the company's direction? A train wreck would look prettier!"

Some of the people Keyes might bring with him into the Constitution Party aren't budging in their support for the war, either. A poster on Keyes's web forum argues that "the CP expresses the same naive view as my long time congressional hero Ron Paul did" and questions why a Christian political party wouldn't "understand the nature of the enemy."

Is Keyes cooked? "What you run into are a lot of single-issue pro-lifers who view Alan Keyes as a positive name," says Red Phillips, a paleoconservative who opposes Keyes's nomination. Phillips also worries that other party members will want a well known presidential candidate. "There's talk about us crossing the million vote threshold if we nominate Keyes," he says. "I don't think that's very realistic, since not even Pat Buchanan got a million votes [as the Reform Party nominee] in 2000."

Well, when you're competing for that one percent of the vote, you've got to expect some opposition.

Paging Doctor Obama

Oh, for God's sake:

I know everyone's still preoccupied with Obama's 'bitter' comments, but I'd argue that something he said yesterday is much, much worse:

We've seen just a skyrocketing autism rate. Some people are suspicious that it's connected to the vaccines. This person included. The science right now is inconclusive, but we have to research it.

Actually, as the WaPo's Michael Dobbs points out, the science isn't inconclusive: numerous studies have found no link between vaccines and autism. But there are plenty of people who don't let the science get in the way of their suspicions. Having two out of the three presidential remaining presidential candidates fan those suspicions--McCain has made comments similar to Obama's--doesn't help matters.

It's kind of the same thing with climate change-which you could at least argue is a real issue. In this case, however, the candidates have apparently seized on the Luddite cause of the moment. Stick to stuff you actually know about, guys-leave the doctoring to actual doctors.

A Dictator Alone

It's just not easy being a third world thug these days.

A Chinese ship carrying arms for Zimbabwe has also become freighted in recent days with diplomatic significance as the vessel has sought accommodation and offloading in subsequent Southern African countries, emphasizing Harare's increasing isolation.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa urged African states Tuesday to bar the An Yue Jiang from their waters, saying unloading and transporting of its cargo of weapons to Zimbabwe could deepen the crisis there following elections in late March.

South African dockworkers refused to unload the ship, said to carry 3 million rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades and 2,500 mortar shells. Angolan and Mozambican officials subsequently signaled it is unwelcome in their ports.

The United States has stepped up diplomatic pressure to keep the weapons from getting to Harare. State Department Spokesman Tom Casey said Washington asked China not to ship further arms and 'if possible, to bring this one back” to China.

Sorry, Bob, it looks like you're going to have to rely on local thuggery to cling to power.

Black Diamonds

When in doubt, go with the basics:

Over the next five years, Italy will increase its reliance on coal to 33 percent from 14 percent. Power generated by Enel from coal will rise to 50 percent.

And Italy is not alone in its return to coal. Driven by rising demand, record high oil and natural gas prices, concerns over energy security and an aversion to nuclear energy, European countries are slated to build about 50 coal-fired plants over the next five years, plants that will be in use for the next five decades.

In the United States, fewer new coal plants are slated to go on line, in part because it is becoming hard to get regulatory permits and in part because nuclear power remains an alternative.

That darned clean energy we already have available, if the enviro-nuts would allow more of it. Still, technology is catching up. And don't forget those nifty portable nuclear reactors.

Webheads

I have to agree-letting politicians get their grubby fingers on the Web is a bad idea

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said Tuesday his agency has all the authority it needs to prevent Internet service providers from discriminating against Web surfers and that new legislation is unnecessary.

'I do not believe any additional regulations are needed at this time,' Martin said at a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee. 'But I also believe that the commission has a responsibility to enforce the principles that it has already adopted.'

The FCC has conducted two hearings on 'network management' following admissions by Comcast Corp. that it sometimes delayed file-sharing traffic for subscribers as a way to keep Web traffic flowing.

The hearing was called at a time when the issue of 'network neutrality'—the principle that people should be able to go where they choose on the Internet without interference from network owners—has heated up.

The network neutrality debate has divided Congress, with Democrats largely in favor and Republicans mostly opposed, a point that became clearer at Tuesday's committee meeting.
'It is a political division now and it's getting more so,' said Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. 'It is unfortunate.' He said a return to 'intense regulation' of the Internet is 'entirely unwarranted.'

Even a broken clock can be right about the Intertubes once. If enough people don't like one service's practices they will let them know by switching providers or getting them to improve service. The last thing the Internet needs is politicians trying to regulate it.

A Terrorist Of One

You know things are tough all over when Al Qaeda can't get recruits.

Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri criticised Muslims for failing to support Islamist insurgencies in Iraq and elsewhere in a new audiotape posted Tuesday on the Internet.

Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant also blasted Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas over their reported readiness to consider a peace deal with Israel.

'I call upon the Muslim nation to fear Allah's question (at judgement day) about its failure to support its brothers of the Mujahedeen (holy Warriors), and (urge it) not to withhold men and money, which is the mainstay of a war,' he said.

He also used the two-and-a-half hour message to urge Muslims to join militant groups, mainly in Iraq, where he claimed that the insurgency against the Iraqi government and the US-led coalition forces is bearing fruit.

'I urge all Muslims to hurry to the battlefields of Jihad (holy war), especially in Iraq,' Zawahiri said in the message, the second in a two-part series to answer about 100 questions put to him via online militant forums.

'The situation in Iraq heralds an imminent victory of Islam and the defeat of the crusaders and those who stand under their flag,' he said.

Turning his ire on Hamas, he said the Palestinian group's reported willingness to hold a referendum on any peace deal with Israel flew in the face of Sharia, or Islamic, law.
'How can they put a matter that violates Sharia to a referendum?' he added.

From ranting to whining. That's no way to run a Jihad.

The Popcorn Age

This is actually something I've been noticing for quite some time now, too:

What’s missing from Hollywood sci-fi, and what the comic adaptations continue to smother, is a celebration of smarts. The smaller movies have them—films like Sunshine and Primer. In fiction, writers like Charles Stross are pushing the limits of the genre. Maybe next year’s Star Trek reboot will make quantum physics look cool again. And if anyone can return some credibility to science-fiction movies, it’s James Cameron, whose long-gestating Avatar (about a human remote-operating a robot on a distant, alien planet) also shows up next year. And then there’s Watchmen, another comic adaptation, with its own slew of gadgets and improbable tech. Although no explanation is provided in the comic for Nite Owl’s hovering patrol vehicle, Watchmen is not a dumb comic. Its alternate history story is one of the most literary and complex comics ever created. But as another big-budget tent-pole release, it’s just another example of where science fiction is headed.

Now granted, these movies' first purpose is to entertain and make money, not be a science lesson. But for my own part, the golden age of science fiction film was the early 1950s through the late 1990s. At their best, these movies were both fun to watch and provided telling commentary on their times, from Cold War angst (Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Day The Earth Stood Still) to racial issues (Planet of the Apes) to post-Vietnam, post-Watergate analysis (Soylent Green and Logan's Run) and good old-fashioned fun with a Big Message (Star Wars, Close Encounters). It was a good run, but as with all golden ages it came to an end. Maybe we'll see a renaissance of real science in sci-fi with the game-writing industry, but for now we'll have to settle on the literary side as we did in days of old before science fiction became "Respectable" enough to make it profitable at the box office.

Ministry Of Wimps

What's the latest fundamentalist argument? That traditional churchgoing has turned men into wusses.

The message of Church for Men and GodMen is resonating with ministers of all stripes. Following Murrow's advice, Don Wilson, pastor of Christ's Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona, has geared his entire ministry toward reaching young men. And while his ministry is not to men in particular, Mark Driscoll, pastor of Seattle's Mars Hill Church, nevertheless desires greater testosterone in contemporary Christianity. In Driscoll's opinion, the church has produced 'a bunch of nice, soft, tender, chickified church boys. … Sixty percent of Christians are chicks,' he explains, 'and the forty percent that are dudes are still sort of chicks.'

The aspect of church that men find least appealing is its conception of Jesus. Driscoll put this bluntly in his sermon 'Death by Love' at the 2006 Resurgence theology conference (available at TheResurgence.com). According to Driscoll, 'real men' avoid the church because it projects a 'Richard Simmons, hippie, queer Christ' that 'is no one to live for [and] is no one to die for.' Driscoll explains, 'Jesus was not a long-haired … effeminate-looking dude'; rather, he had 'callused hands and big biceps.' This is the sort of Christ men are drawn to—what Driscoll calls 'Ultimate Fighting Jesus.'

There you go-Jesus as Action Hero. For people who don't approve of homosexuality, these guys seem awfully focused on Jesus' manhood.

A Trough By Any Other Name

Another point of view on McCain's anti-Pork crusade.

Personally, I think that there are two real problems with earmarks. The first has been largely fixed: that they need to be fully transparent. The second is that a lot of genuinely useful projects are funded via earmarks, and earmarks are generally a pretty lousy funding mechanism. There is no earthly reason why infrastructure projects shouldn't be funded according to actual need, instead of being largely funded through earmarks. But this is not an argument for defunding those projects; it's an argument for funding them via a different mechanism. Even using McCain's definition, cutting earmarks don't come close to funding his tax cuts; once we subtract out the genuinely useful programs that have the misfortune to be funded by this silly mechanism, the idea of paying for his tax cuts by cutting earmarks is risible.

To be fair, McCain also promises to eliminate 'myriad corporate tax loopholes' which he doesn't specify, and to freeze discretionary spending for a year, 'with the necessary exemption of military spending and veterans benefits' -- those same military people whose new housing he inadvertently proposed to eliminate. Whoop de do.

I'm in favor of cutting unecessary spending as much as anybody, and I believe if there are to be cuts they should be transparent and across the board. The problem with McCain's approach seems to be that it doesn't solve the real issue-how to keep spending down in the future without raising taxes or making some very unpopular decisions down the road.

Before The Flood

This sounds like an issue that Pat Buchanan and his ilk would sink their teeth into:

Roughly a billion people live on $1 a day. If, on a conservative estimate, the cost of their food rises 20% (and in some places, it has risen a lot more), 100m people could be forced back to this level, the common measure of absolute poverty. In some countries, that would undo all the gains in poverty reduction they have made during the past decade of growth. Because food markets are in turmoil, civil strife is growing; and because trade and openness itself could be undermined, the food crisis of 2008 may become a challenge to globalisation.

I'm not so sure. Yes people are hurting. But in some cases that is as much the fault of their own corrupt governments as it is whatever dispraportionate wealth has been created. I still think trade-fair trade-will be the long-term answer to most of the developing world's economic problems. Institutionalized poverty is simply a very hard nut to crack in countries where the same party has been in power for decades, or where most industries are nationalized.

The Final Assault

As the end approaches, Obama notes how much exercize the Clintons have been getting:

In Downingtown, Pa., Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., took the remark by the Clinton campaign -- that she would be employing the 'kitchen sink' strategy against him -- a step further.

'You know, over the last several weeks since she fell behind, she's resorted to what's called 'kitchen sink' strategies,' Obama said, per ABC News' Sunlen Miller. 'She's got the kitchen sink flying, and the china flying, and the, you know, the buffet is coming at me.

'And, you know, look, I come from Chicago, I know politics is hard, you know, it's not for the faint of heart, I understand that,' Obama continued. 'But when we end up involved in these constant distractions, these petty, trivial slash-and-burn, back-and-forth, tit-for-tat politics, so that we no longer talk about the things that the American people care about, that may be good for the television ratings, but it's not good for you.'

Well, when the politics of old don't work, and you run out of mud, desparation is pretty much all you've got left. And the Clintons know it.

Mile Higher City

What happens when you get thousands of stoners together in one place?

A crowd of about 10,000 people collectively began counting down on the University of Colorado’s Norlin Quadrangle just before 4:20 p.m. today.

Yet the massive puff of pot smoke that hovers over CU’s Boulder campus every April 20 — the date of an annual, internationally recognized celebration of marijuana — began rising over the sea of heads earlier than normal this year.

“Oh forget it,” one student said, aborting the countdown to 4:20 p.m. and lighting his pipe early. He closed his eyes, taking a deep, long drag.

“Sweet.”

I understand the National Guard had to make emergency drops of Cheetos and cookie dough over the crowd.

"Was It Over When The Germans Bombed Pearl Harbor?"

This picture has been making the rounds of the blogosphere:

Quiet, he's rolling...

Smell You Later

Should flowers be considered an endangered species?

Pollution is dulling the scent of flowers and impeding some of the most basic processes of nature, disrupting insect life and imperilling food supplies, a new study suggests.

The potentially hugely significant research – funded by the blue-chip US National Science Foundation – has found that gases mainly formed from the emissions of car exhausts prevent flowers from attracting bees and other insects in order to pollinate them. And the scientists who have conducted the study fear that insects' ability to repel enemies and attract mates may also be impeded.

The researchers – at the University of Virginia – say that pollution is dramatically cutting the distance travelled by the scent of flowers. Professor Jose Fuentes, who led the study, said: 'Scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 metres. But today they may travel only 200 to 300 metres. This makes it increasingly difficult for bees and other insects to locate the flowers.'

Where have all the flowers gone, indeed.

We Rove Our Country

Hmm. Somehow I don't think defending a Communist dictatorship is the right way to get your anti-discrimination message across.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Chinese-Americans rallied outside CNN's Hollywood office on Saturday to demand the firing of commentator Jack Cafferty for calling China's goods 'junk' and its leaders a 'bunch of goons and thugs.'

'We understand free speech,' Lake Wang, 39, told the Los Angeles Times. 'But what if Cafferty said this about other racial groups? I think he would be fired. I think he's jealous of China.'

A crowd estimated by police at 2,000 to 5,000 gathered, chanting and holding signs that read 'Fire Cafferty' and 'CNN: Chinese Negative News.' The crowd was peaceful, and no arrests were made, police Sgt. David Torres said.

Another two dozen people holding Chinese flags also demonstrated outside CNN's corporate headquarters in Atlanta.

They say they understand free speech-and support a country that doesn't have it. Can you say ironic?

The Spaghetti Monster Needs Love

On why some people prefer blind faith over free will:

Some individuals find it psychologically difficult or impossible to accept the existence of diverse, mutually conflicting authorities. They find that the freedom to choose is a burden and they seek solace in more overarching systems of authority. A predilection for dogmatic authoritarianism is the pathological tendency at this pole. A person in this situation is not necessarily a traditionalist, but essentially gives up faculties of critical judgment in exchange for the convictions supplied by an authority whose rules and provisions cover most aspects of his life. We should distinguish this attitude from faith, even faith in fundamentalist religious codes. For faith almost by definition rests on trust. Taking refuge in a dominant authority, however, is essentially an act of submission. The individual, as it were, no longer needs to engage in the problematic gamble which all trust relations presume. Instead, he or she identifies with a dominant authority on the basis of projection. The psychology of leadership plays an important role here. Submission to authority normally takes the form of a slavish adherence to an authority figure, taken to be all-knowing.

This adherence to a fundamentalist worldview should be seen by all conservatives as diametrically opposed to what conservatism is supposed to be all about. Real conservatism emphasizes personal responsibility, not attributing everything to a mysterious God who seems vague at best and uninterested at worst. The Bible says that God gave us free will-isn't it about time that "Real conservatives" started accepting that?

Fortress Iraq

Bryan Finoki on the subject of security, or the lack thereof:

Can a nation really be successfully rebuilt behind a micro-insertion of blast walls? I also understand that security needs to be obtained first, but will the walls lead to a more long term systemic security? An eradication of these militias? I seriously doubt that.

Essentially, Baghdad is being reconstructed behind a system of neighborhood dams; or, the warfare equivalent of an urban levee network. But, one wonders, when will we celebrate the stories of the walls coming down? Who knows when or how long that story will ever take in Baghdad to surface, or the West Bank, or anywhere else for that matter, aside from perhaps Cyprus (so there may be hope yet).

More than likely, however, we may be hearing more about the levees being blown apart in these street corners (remember the recent Gaza episode?) than being peacefully and politically deconstructed.

In America and most other stable countires, walled communities are status symbols. In other parts of the world they are basically used to turn entire neighborhoods into fortified camps. Keeping the bad guys out is reasonable. Keeping disgruntled people in only tends to breed more resentment.

Kofi's Quest

Kofi Annan has suddenly discovered Zimbabwe:

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has urged African leaders to do more to address the crisis in Zimbabwe.

He said the situation was dangerous and could have an impact beyond the country's borders.
Three weeks after polls were held, the presidential result has yet to be declared. Some of the votes in the parliamentary race are being recounted.

The parliamentary vote was won by the opposition, which insists its candidate defeated President Robert Mugabe.

Mr Annan made his comments to reporters in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, where he held talks with Zimbabwean opposition leaders on Friday.

'On the question of Zimbabwe there has been substantial international attention.
'The question which has been posed is: where are the Africans? Where are their leaders and the countries in the region, what are they doing?

'It is a rather dangerous situation. It's a serious crisis with impact beyond Zimbabwe.'

Well, what were you doing about Bob and his goons while you were taking bribes, Kofi?

Passing It Along

Did the rest of Europe fart in Britain's general direction?

Commuters in London and its neighboring towns and villages in southern England woke up to an unusual smell Friday morning: a stink that led many to wonder if the city's sewers had overflowed.

Not even the queen was spared, as newspapers reported that Windsor Castle also suffered from the effects of the putrid smell.

The U.K. Meteorological Office (Met Office) was quick to assure callers that there was no reason to panic.

The foul smell was not English, Sarah Holland, a forecaster for the Met Office told the BBC. 'The origins of the smell come from Europe,' she said.

Blame It on the French? Nice Try

British tabloid, The Daily Mail was quick to attack the French for 'le stink,' reporting that 'freak weather' had caused the 'French stench' to come to England.

But, according to Helen Chivers, a forecaster at the Met Office, the smell actually came across 'from Northern Europe.'

"The weather situation recently has meant that the air over Germany, Belgium and Holland hasn't moved for a while," Chivers explained in an interview with ABC News.

"One doesn't know whether the origins of the smell are industrial or agricultural, but we think it's built up over time, since it was trapped in the atmosphere for a while. That's why it's so intense," she said.

Or maybe the rest of Europe decided to adopt French hygiene, or the lack therof? We may never know...

Eat The Rich

First, there's this:

PALM BEACH — In another sign of just how hot the mansion market is, the oceanfront estate built by billionaire businessman and philanthropist Sidney Kimmel has sold for $81.5 million, a record for the island.

John L. Thornton, 54, a former Goldman Sachs partner and chairman of the Brookings Institution, is the buyer, people familiar with the transaction said.

While the sale price was officially recorded Tuesday at $77.5 million, listing agent Paulette Koch said the buyer also paid $4 million in closing costs. That means Kimmel got his full asking price of $81.5 million.

The deal underscores both the strength of the mansion market and the desirability of Kimmel's home at 1236 S. Ocean Blvd.

"The house was in impeccable condition, with the finest details," said Koch, adding that three other buyers were interested in the property.

The estate boasts 5 lushly landscaped acres and 300 feet of ocean frontage. The 32,000-square-foot home was designed by Thierry Despont, who also created Bill Gates' mansion.

Then there's this:

MOSCOW (Reuters) - One billion dollars is no longer enough to gain entry to Russia's rich list.

Ten billionaires failed to make Forbes magazine's annual list of the 100 richest Russians that is led by those who built their fortunes on the country's metals resources.


Oleg Deripaska, who controls aluminum producer United Company RUSAL among a host of infrastructure, energy and financial assets, tops the latest Forbes list with a fortune of $28.6 billion -- $11.8 billion more than he was worth last year.

Deripaska replaces Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich, who drops to third. The two are split by Alexei Mordashov, majority owner of Severstal (CHMF.MM), Russia's largest steel maker.

"After the bankruptcy of YUKOS and the strengthening of the state's position in the energy sector, you can count on one hand the number of oil and gas billionaires," Maxim Kashulinsky, editor of Forbes' Russian edition, said in a statement to accompany the launch of the May edition.

"The main fortunes are concentrated now in metallurgy, finance and property."

Mordashov was the biggest gainer among Russia's richest, adding $12.4 billion to more than double his fortune to $24.5 billion.

Abramovich, in third place, is worth $24.3 billion.

Another steel baron, Novolipetsk Steel (LSE:NLMKQ.L - News) owner Vladimir Lisin, is fourth with a fortune of $23.9 billion.

Forbes said in a statement that Russia's richest 100 people had a combined fortune of $522 billion -- 3.8 times more than the total when Forbes first published a Russian list in 2004.

And finally, there's this.

Haiti's hunger, that burn in the belly that so many here feel, has become fiercer than ever in recent days as global food prices spiral out of reach, spiking as much as 45 percent since the end of 2006 and turning Haitian staples such as beans, corn and rice into closely guarded treasures.

Saint Louis Meriska's children ate two spoonfuls of rice apiece as their only meal two days ago and then went without any food the following day. His eyes downcast, his own stomach empty, the unemployed father said forlornly, "They look at me and say, 'Papa, I'm hungry,' and I have to look away. It's humiliating and it makes you angry."

That anger is palpable across the globe. The food crisis not only is being felt among the poor, but also is eroding the gains of the working and middle classes, sowing volatile levels of discontent and putting new pressures on fragile governments.

In Cairo, the military is being put to work baking bread as rising food prices threaten to become the spark that ignites wider anger at a repressive government. In Burkina Faso and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, food riots are breaking out like never before. And in reasonably prosperous Malaysia, the ruling coalition was nearly ousted by disgruntled voters who cited food and fuel hikes as their primary concerns.

"It's the worst crisis of its kind in more than 30 years," said Jeffrey Sachs, the economist and special adviser to the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki Moon. "It's a big deal, and it's obviously threatening a lot of governments. There are a number of governments on the ropes and I think there's more political fallout to come."

And some people wonder why there's resentment in other parts of the world.

Sheriff Pimp

They're going to have fun with this SOB in the cellblock.

Sheriff Mike Burgess faces charges of coercing and bribing female inmates so he could use them in a “sex-slave operation” out of the Custer County Jail. Burgess resigned early Thursday and appeared in court.

Oklahoma prosecutors filed 35 felony charges against Burgess, including 14 counts of second-degree rape, seven counts of forcible oral sodomy and five counts of bribery by a public official. Burgess served as the top law officer in the county of 26,000 since 1994.

Among other things, Burgess is accused of having sex with a female drug court participant who was in his custody. The crimes are to have occurred between October 2005 and April 2007.

A federal lawsuit filed in October claims Burgess told one drug court participant he would have her sent to prison if she didn't comply with his sexual demands.

I only hope for his own sake that this moron knows how to give as well as receive.

The War On Bad Taste

It has come to this.

With the arrival of a half-dozen comedies, however, the post-Sept. 11 movie has quite possibly reached a new low.

Consider Boll’s “Postal,” opening nationwide May 23. Touted as a “shock comedy,” the film begins by depicting the Sept. 11 hijackers making moronic comments about the paradise that awaits them. The film is likely to offend just about everyone with its premise that includes “a gang of bosomy commandos [who] face off against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban in an epic battle that will determine the fate of the world.” Since its opening cockpit sequence was first promoted on YouTube last May, it has been viewed more than two million times.

Starring Zack Ward of “Transformers” and Kids in the Hall comic Dave Foley, the self-described “outrageous political and social satire” also features Larry Thomas as bin Laden (he portrayed the Soup Nazi on “Seinfeld”) as well as Verne Troyer, the dwarf best known as “Mini-Me” in the Austin Powers series.

And the folks in Hollyweird wonder why no one goes to the movies anymore.

All Hail Oprah

Look on the bright side-this will give Bender a mainstream alternative a thouand years from now.

Oprah Winfrey may have gone too far in exploiting and distributing the teachings of a questionable New Age writer.

On Monday night, Winfrey conducted her weekly Web "event" seminar with New Age writer Eckhart Tolle. His message: "Life is the dancer and you are the dance."

Got that?

The seminar was No. 7 in a series of 10. On the first 90-minute Webcast with Tolle, Oprah extolled the author’s virtues, calling his best-selling "New Earth" book "one of the most important books of our time," the seminars one of "the most exciting things I’ve ever done."

Imagine that Winfrey considers her conversations with Tolle, a man with a shady and un-checkable background, more important than her schools in Africa and Mississippi for underprivileged children, more important than her Angel Charity network or her zillion-dollar syndicated TV show. Tolle must be something else!

But it’s not like Winfrey is endorsing Maya Angelou or Toni Morrison, serious, educated artists with portfolios. Tolle is more like Kilgore Trout, Kurt Vonnegut’s science-fiction crackpot alter-ego.

And what’s different about the Tolle connection for Winfrey is that for the first time in her much-applauded Book Club’s history, she’s gone into business with the author. And the author is not one of a novel, memoir or cookbook; he’s the mysterious creator of a philosophy that Winfrey endorses and suggests her readers live their lives by.

I'd be more worried about that Star Trek religion than Oprah-ism. I mean, those people were nuts.

Quest For Getting Fired

Heh. Maybe this could explain some of their coverage:

Richard Quest, a reporter for CNN International, was to be arraigned Friday on drug possession charges after police said he was found in New York City's Central Park with methamphetamine, the New York Times reports.

Quest was arrested Friday after violating park curfew, police told the paper. He reportedly told the police 'I have meth in my pocket' as he was escorted out of the park at around 3:40 a.m.

Police reportedly recovered a small amount of methamphetamine in a plastic bag, the Times said.

Quest, who is British, hosts 'CNN Business Traveler' for the network. CNN had no comment, the Times reported.

Frankly, I thought CNN's viewers were the ones more likely to be on drugs.

Our Politically Correct Cousins

So this is what happens when you let a country get taken over by lawyers:

Concerns still swirl around Bill 107 and what impact the new role the legislation ascribed to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal will have when it begins directly receiving applications next year.

Ontario’s new direct-access system for human rights complaints will ‘open the floodgates’ to grievances, says David Elenbaas.For example, with the Ontario Human Rights Commission no longer involved in screening complaints as of June 30, 2008, the new direct access system “will open the floodgates” for people to file grievances, predicts David Elenbaas, chief professional partner, and head of the employment and labour relations practice group at McMillan Binch Mendelsohn LLP.

“There doesn’t seem to be any ability to weed out complaints that are frivolous or vexatious, as there was under the old legislation,” he says, adding individuals will have more time — a year, as opposed to six months — to file.

Elenbaas expects there will be more hearings, since the tribunal won’t be able to dismiss complaints, until both parties in a dispute make oral submissions.

Not all applications will result in formal adjudication proceedings, since the tribunal gives the option to settle through mediation, says Michael Gottheil, the tribunal chair and a former Ottawa labour, employment, and human rights lawyer.

No, they'll just clog up the Canadian legal system to the point where it makes ours look streamlined by comparison. Welcome to th wonderful world of social engineering by whining.

The Yard Sale Police

Apparently even yard sales are now politically incorrect:

In what way can outdated children's coats pose risks? Health writer Kim Painter never quite gets around to telling us. Presumably she is not referring to the risk of taunts from peers who are scornful of your child's out-of-style hand-me-down clothes. Possibly she is thinking that an older coat might have a drawstring around the hood, which 'can cause strangulation.' Or maybe she means that the buttons could be attached with thread that the Consumer Product Safety Commission later deemed inadequately thick; after all, such buttons, if swallowed and lodged in a child's windpipe, can cause suffocation.

Painter also wants parents to be 'extremely cautious' about 'used cribs or other nursery gear,' since 'anything over five years old may not meet safety standards.' The phrase 'death trap' appears. Yet Painter is not talking about a crib that's so rickety it could collapse at any moment or so worn that your baby could be impaled by shards of wood; presumably you would notice such hazards. She is talking about a crib that's just like the one in which you, or even your older children, slept for years without injury, but that has been retroactively declared unsafe by government regulators. For Painter, who is dismayed by the fact that most people fail to return recalled products even though the government says they should, exercising independent judgment in assessing and addressing a putative hazard is unthinkable.

My God, it's a wonder any of us survived our childhoods with all these dangerous items that people had been using for years. If we're going to demonize places that sell dangerous clothes, we should add thrift shops to the list (well, for reminding people of the bad taste they had in the seventies, at any rate). And flea markets, and pawn shops, and so forth. Remember, every time you buy something you put your kids' lives in your hands. Maybe we should just ban buying and selling?

Grass For Gas

We don't need no stinkin' crops:

can we grow crops for converting into fuel without catastrophically upsetting the world's food supply?

The answer is an unqualified 'Yes,' says David Tilman, ecology professor at the University of Minnesota and one of this morning's speakers. He deplored the polarization of the biofuels debate, pointing out that that biofuels were first touted as a savior a couple of years ago, with public opinion shading into doubt not long afterwards, and now in full-swing backlash mode, with people like the United Nations special rapporteur for the right to food, Jean Ziegler, calling biofuels 'a crime against humanity' because it takes food out of the mouths of the hungry according to today's Times.

What's needed instead, says Tillman, is a rational look at the big picture, backed by good science. Yes, he acknowledges, the demand for biofuels derived from traditional food crops like corn has contributed to a rise in global food prices, but so has increasing demand for food from burgeoning populations in China and India.

More to the point, though, is the mistaken notion that we have to use food crops for fuel production. In test fields in Minnesota, Tilman and his colleagues have found that the best energy yields actually come from native prairie grasses, not corn or soy. And, said Tilman, 'there's a surprising benefit from the mixture of species. Farmers know this from growing pastures. Nobody plants a pasture of a single species. They put out a variety of grasses, legumes...and so on. They do that because that gives them a higher yield.'

The great thing about biofuels is that they can come from plants we don't eat. So, yes, the veggies and hippies can keep their soy beans and the rest of us can grow grass for both gas and livestock. Everybody wins.

Creeps Of A Feather

Call it Debategate:

Amid a storm of criticism that Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate focused too heavily on “gotcha” questions and not enough on substance, ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos defended his decision to ask Illinois Sen. Barack Obama about his relationship with former political radical William Ayers. Stephanopoulos denied he’d been spoon-fed the question by Fox News host Sean Hannity.

“We have been researching this for a while,” Stephanopoulos said in a phone interview from New York. ABC News political correspondent Jake Tapper, he said, had blogged about the issue April 10, after it was first reported by Politico, the political news website. “Part of what we discovered is that Sen. Obama had never been asked directly about it, even though it’s being written about and talked about and Republicans are signaling that this is gonna be an issue in the general election.”

(A spokesman for Obama did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.)

On Tuesday, as a guest on Hannity’s radio program, Stephanopoulos said, “Well, I’m taking notes now, Sean” when Hannity suggested he raise the topic of Ayers with Obama.

In Wednesday’s prime-time debate, co-moderated with Charles Gibson, Stephanopoulos asked Obama: “…On this issue, general theme of patriotism, in your relationships. A gentleman named William Ayers. He was part of the Weather Underground in the 1970s. They bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol, and other buildings. He's never apologized for that…. An early organizing meeting for your state Senate campaign was held at his house, and your campaign has said you are ‘friendly.' Can you explain that relationship for the voters and explain to Democrats why it won't be a problem?”

(snip)

Progressives pounced. “The real story of this debate,” said MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann, may be “where one of the moderators found his questions.”

Stephanopoulos dismissed the idea that he was doing Hannity’s bidding.

“The questions we asked were tough and fair and appropriate and relevant and what you would expect to be asked in a presidential debate at this point,” he said. “The questions we asked…are being debated around the political world every day.”

Well, it's not just progressives who should be upset. Actual conservatives should be asking Hannity some tough questions now. Who says the far right and the far left can't get along? They seemed to be doing well enough at the debate.

Obama Burnout

Andrew Sullivan reacts to Obama's bad night:

I've seen it before when he is tired, but this was his worst performance yet on national television. He seemed crushed and unable to react. This is big-time politics and he's up against the Clinton wood-chipper. But there is no disguising the fact that he wilted, painfully. Clinton has exposed herself in this campaign as one of the worst shells of a cynical pol in American politics. She doesn't just return us to the Morris-Rove era, she represents a new height for it. If she somehow wins, it will be a triumph of the old politics in an age when that is exactly what this country cannot afford. But Obama has also shown a failure to be resilient in this grueling process.

If there was a moment during this campaign when Obama showed that he still wasn't quite ready for prime time, this was it. If he gets the nomination he will be mincemeat for McCain. This was Clinton's (and her allies in the MSM) moment to pile it on, and they did, big time.

Take Your Gun To Work Day

For a guy who was accused of being one of them durn queers, this sounds fairly conservative to me:

TALLAHASSEE — Employers and business owners can no longer bar workers and shoppers from bringing guns onto their property and leaving the weapons locked inside their vehicles under a bill signed into law today by Gov. Charlie Crist.

The new law allows employees and visitors who have concealed weapons licenses to leave their weapons locked in or to vehicles. But concealed weapons license records are not available for public inspection so businesses would have no way of verifying if employees actually have the licenses.

The business community objected to the bill, backed by the National Rifle Association, saying property owners should be able to have control over whether people can bring guns to work.

I'm sure a way could be found so that businesses can verify whether smeone has a valid license. Nobody wants their workplace turned into a shooting gallery, but if the sane employees are allowed to carry that might be prevented.

The Payback

Hmm, is this really such a good idea?

WATERBURY, Conn. (AP)_ Students who pass Advanced Placement tests at Wilby High School in Waterbury will be getting hard cold cash rewards.

The students who pass their final AP tests next year will earn $100 for themselves for every test they pass.

The cash rewards are part of a new program to expand student participation in Wilby's Advanced Placement program.

It's funded by a $451,113, grant from the National Math and Science Initiative.

I'm not against rewarding students who actually do their homework. But shouldn't they be paying the teachers for the answers like other kids?

Blowin' In The Wind

I'm guessing Ted Kennedy wouldn't complain about this:

Wind turbines, once used primarily for farms and rural houses far from electrical service, are becoming more common in heavily populated residential areas as homeowners are attracted to ease of use, financial incentives and low environmental effects.

No one tracks the number of small-scale residential wind turbines — windmills that run turbines to produce electricity — in the United States. Experts on renewable energy say a convergence of factors, political, technical and ecological, has caused a surge in the use of residential wind turbines, especially in the Northeast and California.

“Back in the early days, off-grid electrical generation was pursued mostly by hippies and rednecks, usually in isolated, rural areas,” said Joe Schwartz, editor of Home Power magazine. “Now, it’s a lot more mainstream.”

“The big shift happened in the last three years,” Mr. Schwartz said, because of technology that makes it possible to feed electricity back to the grid, the commercial power system fed by large utilities. “These new systems use the utility for back up power, removing the need for big, expensive battery backup systems.”

This is one area where green dreamers and business should be able to work together. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but it's capitalism that gets the invention out on the streets.

The New Favorite

Hmm. Let's see how long this lasts:

McCain's moderators, the AP's Ron Fournier and Liz Sidoti, greeted McCain with a box of Dunkin' Donuts. 'We spend quite a bit of time with you on the back of the Straight Talk Express asking you questions, and what we've decided to do today was invite everyone else along on the ride,' Sidoti explained. 'We even brought you your favorite treat.'

McCain opened the offering. 'Oh, yes, with sprinkles!' he said.

Sidoti passed him a cup. 'A little coffee with a little cream and a little sugar,' she said.

The dueling appearances by McCain and Obama nicely captured the current dynamic in the presidential cycle. McCain, his nomination secure, had the luxury to joke and pander.

Obama, wounded by the Democrats' internecine fighting, was defensive and somber.

I guess this means McCain is safe from the media for the moment, unless Saturday Night Live starts making fun of him.

Le Politically Correct Prosecution

When in France, do not criticize.

PARIS (Reuters) - French former film star Brigitte Bardot went on trial on Tuesday for insulting Muslims, the fifth time she has faced the charge of 'inciting racial hatred' over her controversial remarks about Islam and its followers.

Prosecutors asked that the Paris court hand the 73-year-old former sex symbol a two-month suspended prison sentence and fine her 15,000 euros ($23,760) for saying the Muslim community was 'destroying our country and imposing its acts'.

Since retiring from the film industry in the 1970s, Bardot has become a prominent animal rights activist but she has also courted controversy by denouncing Muslim traditions and immigration from predominantly Muslim countries.

She has been fined four times for inciting racial hatred since 1997, at first 1,500 euros and most recently 5,000.

Prosecutor Anne de Fontette told the court she was seeking a tougher sentence than usual, adding: 'I am a little tired of prosecuting Mrs Bardot.'

Bardot did not attend the trial because she said she was physically unable to. The verdict is expected in several weeks.

I'm with the prosecutor. I'm a little tired of seeing Ms. Bardot prosecuted for saying what she thinks, too.

You're Not It

And the death of childhood continues.

A playground pastime is getting a timeout this spring at a McLean elementary school.

Robyn Hooker, principal of Kent Gardens Elementary School, has told students they may no longer play tag during recess after determining that the game of chasing, dodging and yelling 'You're it!' had gotten out of hand. Hooker explained to parents in a letter this month that tag had become a game 'of intense aggression.'

The principal said that her goal is to keep students safe and that she hopes to restore tag (as well as touch football, also now on hold) after teachers and administrators review recess policies.

The decision has touched off a debate among parents. Some call the restriction an example of overzealous rulemaking that fails to address root problems and undermines children's development; others say it's best to err on the side of caution.

'We are regulating the fun out of normal childhood activity,' said Jan van Tol, father of a Kent Gardens sixth-grader. 'In our effort to be so overprotective, we are not letting children be children.'

Gerri Swarm, secretary of the school's Parent-Teacher Association, said she was glad the principal was taking seriously student concerns about being pushed or shoved. 'In this day and age, you can't dismiss this as something not to worry about,' she said.

Many schools nationwide have whittled down playground activities in response to concerns about injuries, bullying or litigation. Dodge ball is a thing of the past in many places, and contact sports are often limited at recess.

I'm all for keeping the little tykes safe on the playground. But the way things are going, there won't be any playgrounds left. And that's a shame.

Shakin' Street

Great. Along with the possibility of Earth being swallowed up by a black hole this summer, something else to worry about.

LOS ANGELES — California — the land of sun, beaches and earthquakes — faces an almost certain risk of being rocked by a strong temblor by 2037, scientists said Monday in the first statewide forecast of the seismic threat.

New calculations reveal there is a 99.7 percent chance a magnitude 6.7 quake or larger will hit the Golden State in the next 30 years.

The odds of such an event are higher in Southern California than Northern California, 97 percent versus 93 percent.

The last time a jolt this size rattled California was the 1994 Northridge disaster, which measured 6.7 on the Richter scale, killed 72 people, injured more than 9,000 and caused $25 billion in damage.

'It basically guarantees it's going to happen,' said Ned Field, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena and lead author of the report.

Of course they've been saying this forever, but the time for the Big One could be coming closer. You have been warned.

Beghe Deal

A former member has escaped the cult.

Ruggedly handsome actor Jason Beghe was best man at the wedding of 'X Files' star David Duchovny (his childhood pal) and actress Tea Leoni. In 1998, he starred as Demi Moore’s love interest in “G.I. Jane.” He’s been featured in numerous TV dramas such as 'Criminal Minds,' 'Numb3rs', and 'CSI.'

In 2005, Beghe appeared in promotional spots for the Church of Scientology.

But now Beghe has escaped the Church after taking courses since 1994. He’s made a video that’s up on YouTube.

This is what he has to say:

“Scientology is destructive and a rip off.”

He also says: “It’s very, very dangerous for your spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional health and evolution. I think it stunts your evolution. If Scientology is real, then something’s f——ed up.”

You can see from the video that Beghe does not mince words. But his refreshing candor about the religion he joined in 1994 should shake the Celebrity Center to its core.

“It ain’t deliverin’ what it’s promised. It sure has not."

Tom Cruise will not be pleased. They may have to send Darth Chef after him.

Robopal

Finally, companions for lonely nerds:

Fictional robots always have a personality: Marvin was paranoid, C-3PO was fussy and HAL 9000 was murderous. But reality is disappointingly different. Sophisticated enough to assemble cars and assist during complex surgery, modern robots are dumb automatons, incapable of striking up relationships with their human operators.

But that could soon change. Engineers argue that, as robots begin to form a bigger part of society, the new machines will need a way to interact with humans. In short, they will need artificial personalities.

This week, engineers, psychologists and computer scientists from across Europe will begin a major project that aims to develop the first robot personalities.

'What we're looking at here is long-term interactions between people and robots in real situations,' said Peter McOwan of Queen Mary, University of London, coordinator of the £6.6m, EU-funded Lirec project. 'The big question is: what sort of properties does a synthetic companion need to have so that you feel you want to engage in a relationship with it over an extended period of time?'

Just so long as you don't develop Robot Fever...

Change In The Weather

Is Bush finally coming around?

President Bush is poised to change course and announce as early as this week that he wants Congress to pass a bill to combat global warming, and will lay out principles for what that should include.

Specifics of the policy are still being fiercely debated, but Bush administration officials have told Republicans in Congress that they feel pressure to act now because they fear a coming regulatory nightmare. It would be the first time Mr. Bush has called for statutory authority on the subject.

'This is an attempt to move the administration and the party closer to the center on global warming. With these steps, it is hoped that the debate over this is over, and it is time to do something,' said an administration source close to the White House who is familiar with the planning and who said to expect an announcement this week.

I guess the subject of climate change (which I happen to believe is happening-how much and how responsible humans are for it is what's up for debate) suddenly becoms a bit more relevant when you're looking at your party possibly losing the White House. We'll see if this amounts to anything.

Their Fare Share

Is it time for Iraq to start paying its bills?

WASHINGTON — Iraq's financial free ride may be over.

After five years, Republicans and Democrats seem to have found common ground on at least one aspect of the war. From the fiercest war foes to the most steadfast Bush supporters, they are looking at Iraq's surging oil income and saying Baghdad should start picking up the tab, particularly for rebuilding hospitals, roads, power lines and the rest of the shattered country.

'I think the American people are growing weary not only of the war, but they are looking at why Baghdad can't pay more of these costs. And the answer is they can,' says Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

Nelson, a Democrat, is drafting legislation with Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Evan Bayh of Indiana that would restrict future reconstruction dollars to loans instead of grants.

Their bill also would require that Baghdad pay for the fuel used by American troops and take over U.S. payments to predominantly Sunni fighters in the Awakening movement. Plans are to propose the legislation as part of a war bill to cover spending through September.

Nobody likes a deadbeat-especially one that keeps expecting others to do its work for it.

Greed Is Not Good

I'm guessing he won't be invited to any corporate dinner parties soon.

Sen. John McCain this morning said 'greedy' Wall Street investors are partly to blame for what he said is probably an economic recession the nation is now suffering.

'There has to be a modification of the greedy behavior of some of these people,' he said, using the word 'greedy' repeatedly in remarks to the Associated Press annual meeting at the Washington Convention Center today.

For shame, Senator. Don't you know that as a Republican you're supposed to support corporate greed as "The engine of capitalism?" They'll take away your Republican Merit Badge for this.

Long Train Runnin'

Take that, disgruntled truckers and incompetent airlines:

John R. Stilgoe, Robert and Lois Orchard Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Harvard Graduate School of Design, predicts that trains will once again play a key role in shaping American life. Based on an analysis of real estate investment patterns along railroad corridors, Stilgoe predicts that trains will make an important comeback, and not only for long distances but also back for freight, mail and express packages.

Stilgoe's arguments are based on the increase of estate prices along railroad lines. According to him, investors are purchasing everything from derelict buildings to gravel plots, which can be easily transformed into parking lots when the time is right, and he expects the time will be right when there are 150 million more Americans (i.e., 2050). By then, no more land will be available for roads, and available roads will be full (see also: Europe). Not to mention that if these new railways can get speeds above 90mph, the notions of urban and extra-urban settlement will be altered. According to Stilgoe, motorists will switch cars to railroads because the more gasoline costs, the cheaper traveling by train becomes (although you should see how expensive is in London, UK). So is the train going to make a comeback in the U. S.? In some areas they already have. One successful example is the Rail Runner service in Albuquerque, N. M.

It stands to reason that what was once the main mode of transportation a hundred years ago would make a comeback in our age of overcrowded freeways and broken-down airlines. Long live the Iron Horse!

The Chinese Connection

Somehow I'm not too surprised by this.

NEW YORK -- As Chinese authorities have clamped down on unrest in Tibet and jailed dissidents in advance of the 2008 Olympics, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has taken a strong public stance, calling for restraint in Tibet and urging President Bush to boycott the Olympics opening ceremonies in Beijing.

But her recent stern comments on China's internal crackdown collide with former President Bill Clinton's fundraising relationship with a Chinese Internet company accused of collaborating with the mainland government's censorship of the Web. Last month, the firm, Alibaba Inc., carried a government-issued "most wanted" posting on its Yahoo China homepage, urging viewers to provide information on Tibetan activists suspected of stirring recent riots.

Alibaba, which took over Yahoo's China operation in 2005 as part of a billion-dollar deal with the U.S.-based search engine, arranged for the former president to speak to a conference of Internet executives in Hangzhou in September 2005. Instead of taking his standard speaking fees, which have ranged from $100,000 to $400,000, Clinton accepted an unspecified private donation from Alibaba to his international charity, the William J. Clinton Foundation.

The former president's charity has raised more than $500 million over the last decade and has been lauded for its roles in disaster response, AIDS prevention and Third World medical and poverty relief. But his reliance on influential foreign donors and his foundation's refusal to release its list of donors have led to repeated questions about the sources and transparency of his fundraising -- even as Hillary Clinton has talked on the campaign trail about relying on him as a roving international ambassador if she is elected president.

Foreign contributions to American-based charities are allowed under U.S. law, but political and philanthropy ethics advocates worry that Bill Clinton's reliance on international businesses and foreign governments to finance his worldwide charity campaigns raise issues of potential conflicts of interest if he were to take an active role in his wife's administration.

Bill loves to schmooze with foreign leaders as a way to prove he's still relevant. Unfortunately, so is his sleaze.

Lonely Phony

It must be the year for fake writers.

THE Lonely Planet guidebook empire is reeling from claims by one of its authors that he plagiarised and made up large sections of his books and dealt drugs to make up for poor pay.

Thomas Kohnstamm also claims in a new book that he accepted free travel, in contravention of the company's policy.

His revelations have rocked the travel publisher, which sells more than six million guides a year.

Mr Kohnstamm, whose book is titled Do Travel Writers Go To Hell?, said yesterday that he had worked on more than a dozen books for Lonely Planet, including its titles on Brazil, Colombia, the Caribbean, Venezuela, Chile and South America.

In one case, he said he had not even visited the country he wrote about.

'They didn't pay me enough to go Colombia,'' he said.

'I wrote the book in San Francisco. I got the information from a chick I was dating - an intern in the Colombian Consulate.

'They don't pay enough for what they expect the authors to do.'

This guy's in the wrong profession. He should be working for the New York Times, or at least for Reuters.

Law And Order: Politically Correct Special Victims Unit

It's nice to know the British police are on top of things:

Seven years ago, a teenage girl was raped, and she described her attacker as 'black, large and tall.' So why did police recently arrest Mark Minick, a white, thin, short man? Britain's national DNA database linked him to a hair found on the girl while she was lying in a hospital bed. He says police told him they had airtight evidence against him, never mentioning he didn't come close to matching the description of the rapist. It turns out Minick worked at the hospital, moving beds, when the girl was taken there, and that's how his hair may have gotten on her. Prosecutors dropped charges against Minick at trial, after he had spent several months on house arrest.

Well, it's not like they have real crime in Britain. Ask Michael Moore.

The Right Hand Versus The Left Wing Hand

Score another victory for that pesky Second Amendment:

(04-10) 05:04 PDT San Francisco, CA (AP) --
A ruling by the state Supreme Court has brought an end to San Francisco's attempts to ban handguns in the city.

In a ruling Wednesday, the court unanimously rejected the city's appeal of a lower-court ruling that sharply limited the ability of localities to regulate firearms.

The ruling deals a final blow to Proposition H, an initiative voters passed in November of 2005.

The ordinance would have forbidden San Francisco residents to possess handguns, as well as prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of any type of firearms or ammunition in the city.

Somewhere, Charlton Heston is smiling.

No Pesky Science For Me

In the battle between common sense and craziness, crazy is winning.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government began an unprecedented effort Friday to give vaccine critics a say in shaping how the nation researches safety questions surrounding immunizations.

The meeting, the first in a planned series, came amid new controversy about vaccines and autism—and a fledgling theory that vaccinations might worsen a rare condition called mitochondrial dysfunction that in turn triggers certain forms of autism.

Federal health officials said the work, being planned for two years, wasn't in response to that controversy, and encompasses many more questions than autism—from rare side effects of the new shingles vaccine to how to predict who's at risk for encephalopathy sometimes triggered by other inoculations.

A government-appointed working group is charged with picking the most important safety questions for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research over the next five years. What's unique is that the group also is supposed to get significant public input in setting those priorities, an effort to ease skepticism that authorities hide or discount important information about vaccines.

'A crisis of trust is going to be a crisis of public health,' said Dr. Bruce Gellin, head of the National Vaccine Program Office.

'There's been a lot of anger and a lot of distrust over issues of vaccine safety,' Dr. Andrew Pavia, a University of Utah pediatric infectious disease specialist who is chairing the group, told the meeting Friday.

'There's a need to engage as many voices as possible,' he added. 'It's a chance to make sure the right questions are going to be asked.'

The right questions-or the politically correct accusations? Remember, junk science only needs a few people in high places to get taken seriously.

Safe At Any Speed?

No more room to vroom?

While sections of the Autobahn have been speed restricted for years, the city of Bremen in northern Germany has just become the first state to introduce a speed limit on all of its Autobahn areas today. While the news instantly sent shudders through our throttle feet, further investigation revealed the state of Bremen has just 60 km (about 37 miles) of roadway within its jurisdiction. Regardless, for the automotive passionate among us, this move is a frightening baby-step for the German Green party (Die Grünen) and the Social Democrats (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands). Both groups not only oppose unrestricted speeds on the Autobahn, but they also share the power in Bremen. Thankfully, German Chancellor Angela Merkel continues to rule out a national speed limit for the Autobahn.

The Autobahn was a marvel of German engineering when it was built; even Eisenhower was so impressed that he used the idea for America's own interstate highway system. I understand the desire for safety, but the right to drive like a maniac on one of the world's busiest roads has long been a part of Western European lore. Some things just shouldn't be messed with.

Cheney Is Fly

Sometimes a fishing trip is just a fishing trip.

Since Wednesday, the blogosphere has been atwitter over a photograph on the White House Web site of Cheney with a caption that said he was fly-fishing on the Snake River in Idaho.

The photo is a tight shot of Cheney's face sporting dark sunglasses and his trademark grin.
What's stirring all the buzz is the reflection in the vice president's dark glasses. Some thought that the reflection looked like a naked woman and, this being Cheney and this being the Internet Age, they immediately shared that thought with the world.

(snip)

The vice president's office saw little humor in the buzz.

"Clearly the picture shows a hand casting a rod," grumbled spokeswoman Meagan Mitchell.

As journalists, however, the word of an official spokeswoman isn't good enough.

So McClatchy/Tribune Information Services photo editor George Bridges used the latest digital technology to enlarge the picture, took a close look at Cheney's sunglasses and concluded that Mitchell was telling the truth.

The image is of the vice president's hand on his fly rod.

"In one lens of his sunglasses you can clearly tell it is a sleeved arm of Cheney or a fishing companion. The other lens has an extreme distortion that, without looking at it closely, could be misconstrued," said investigative photo editor Bridges.

Darn. Although the thought of Cheney living it up with a lap dance is pretty funny. Disgusting, but funny.

Espresso Deluxe

Now that's an expensive cup of poop.

It might not be to everyone's taste - and that's not just because at £50 a cup it's the most expensive coffee in the world.

The secret behind the special blend about to go on sale at an upmarket department store is that it is made from cats' droppings.

While such an ingredient might leave many spluttering into their cups, Peter Jones thinks it is on to a winner.

For the rest of April, it is serving espressos, Americanos and lattes made from the droppings in its in-store coffee shop in Sloane Square, central London.

And for those who want the ultimate talking point over the after-dinner mints, the coffee beans are also on sale at £50 for 100 grams.

The store, part of the John Lewis partnership, has bought 60 packets of the exclusive blend of Jamaican Blue Mountain and the Kupi Luwak bean.

So if I make coffee from my cats' poo, can I sell it for big bucks, too? The things people do to stay trendy.

Family Affair

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

LEESBURG, Va. (AP) -- A jury convicted an iconic civil-rights figure of incest Thursday after concluding that he had sex with his teenage daughter 15 years ago. The Rev. James L. Bevel, 71, a top lieutenant to Martin Luther King Jr. who also helped organize the Million Man March, faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced.

The four-day trial in Loudoun County Circuit Court included bizarre testimony about Bevel's philosophies for eradicating lust, and parents' duty to 'sexually orient' their children.

Bevel's daughter testified that she was repeatedly molested by Bevel beginning when she was just 6 years old, culminating in an act of sexual intercourse in 1993 or 1994 that formed the basis of the incest charge.

The jury reached its verdict after about three hours of deliberations.

Before the verdict, the jury had heard only passing reference to Bevel's role in the civil rights movement. But during the sentencing phase of the trial Thursday afternoon, the jury saw a documentary that spelled out Bevel's key role in organizing the 1963 Birmingham Children's Crusade. Bevel and King were leading organizers of the marches, in which police turned fire hoses and dogs on child protesters, drawing international attention to the brutality that was keeping segregation in place in the South.

Bevel was also a leading organizer at other iconic events in the civil rights movement, including the 1965 march at Selma, Ala.

Prosecutor Nicole Wittmann acknowledged Bevel's accomplishments but said the jury shouldn't be swayed by them.

'There's nothing I can say to take away what this man has accomplished, but there are two Jim Bevels,' Wittmann told the jury. 'We're talking about the one who had sex with his child.'

Somehow I don't think MLK would have approved.

My Own Mouthpiece

The road to conviction starts here:

NEW YORK (AP) -- An accused high-ranking mobster whose lawyer son has been barred from defending him says he wants to represent himself in a sweeping racketeering case.

'I really don't want Legal Aid,' Joseph 'Jo Jo' Corozzo told a federal judge on Wednesday.
Corozzo, a reputed Gambino crime family consigliere, or chief adviser, is among more than 60 people charged in an indictment targeting the once-formidable mob empire. Authorities have called the case one of the largest Mafia crackdowns in recent memory.

The charges against the dozens of defendants span three decades and include a vicious killing of a court officer and claims of extortion at a failed NASCAR track.

Corozzo, 66, has pleaded not guilty to cocaine trafficking and other racketeering charges. When he mentioned his plans to defend himself, U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein asked him whether he understood that doing so could amount to 'a very serious detriment' for him.

'I think I have very serious detriments right now,' Corozzo replied.

Common sense being one of them, apparently.

Slap Of Approval

Yoogate keeps growing:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Bush administration officials from Vice President Dick Cheney on down signed off on using harsh interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists after asking the Justice Department to endorse their legality, The Associated Press has learned.

The officials also took care to insulate President Bush from a series of meetings where CIA interrogation methods, including waterboarding, which simulates drowning, were discussed and ultimately approved.

A former senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the meetings described them Thursday to the AP to confirm details first reported by ABC News on Wednesday. The intelligence official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue.

Between 2002 and 2003, the Justice Department issued several memos from its Office of Legal Counsel that justified using the interrogation tactics, including ones that critics call torture.

'If you looked at the timing of the meetings and the memos you'd see a correlation,' the former intelligence official said. Those who attended the dozens of meetings agreed that 'there'd need to be a legal opinion on the legality of these tactics' before using them on al-Qaida detainees, the former official said.

And here's the money quote:

Not all of the principals who attended were fully comfortable with the White House meetings.

The ABC News report portrayed Ashcroft as troubled by the discussions, despite agreeing that the interrogations methods were legal.

"Why are we talking about this in the White House?" the network quoted Ashcroft as saying during one meeting. "History will not judge this kindly."

I'd say that's quite an understatement, sir.

What They Say Isn't What You Get

A word of warning to voters: to quote Marvin Gaye, when it comes to campaign promises, believe half of what you hear. Case in point: liberal uber-icon FDR.

It might sound odd coming from a libertarian, but I wish the Pelosi-Reid Democrats had more in common with Franklin Roosevelt. Not the Franklin Roosevelt who occupied the White House from 1933 to 1945, but the Franklin Roosevelt who aspired to the White House in the election of 1932. The Democratic platform of that year is a remarkable document, considering the way the party's candidate went on to govern. It isn't a libertarian manifesto—it endorses several subsidies and regulations—but it hardly embraces the enormous expansion in federal power that FDR would achieve. The very first plank calls for "an immediate and drastic reduction of governmental expenditures by abolishing useless commissions and offices, consolidating departments and bureaus, and eliminating extravagance to accomplish a saving of not less than twenty-five per cent in the cost of the Federal Government." (It also asks "the states to make a zealous effort to achieve a proportionate result.") Subsequent planks demand a balanced budget, a low tariff, the repeal of Prohibition, "a sound currency to be preserved at all hazards," "no interference in the internal affairs of other nations," and "the removal of government from all fields of private enterprise except where necessary to develop public works and natural resources in the common interest." The document concludes with a quote from Andrew Jackson: "equal rights to all; special privilege to none." It sounds more like Ron Paul than Pelosi.

FDR's campaign reflected that platform. He accused Herbert Hoover of "reckless and extravagant spending," and he further denounced the Republican incumbent for believing "we ought to center control of everything in Washington as rapidly as possible." Even when he called for interventions in the economy, he generally couched his words in the old liberals' language of equal treatment rather than the new liberals' vision of enlightened central planning. In his famous Forgotten Man speech of April 1932—itself a sustained allusion to an essay by the pro-market sociologist William Graham Sumner—the Democratic candidate pointed to the wave of foreclosures sweeping the nation. Noting that Hoover had created a "two billion dollar fund...put at the disposal of the big banks, the railroads and the corporations of the Nation," FDR averred that the government should "provide at least as much assistance to the little fellow as it is now giving to the large banks and corporations."

Once in office, the new administration did indeed repeal Prohibition, and it eventually lowered some trade barriers as well. The rest of Roosevelt's anti-statist rhetoric resembles his actual policies about as closely as the last seven years reflect George W. Bush's promises to give us a smaller federal government and a "humble foreign policy." In 1932, a classical liberal could easily conclude that Roosevelt was closer to his views than Hoover, an old progressive who had displayed a lifelong love of central planning and government-enforced cartels, a man who bragged during the campaign that he had responded to the Depression with "the most gigantic program of economic defense and counterattack ever evolved in the history of the Republic." Among other things, President Hoover had jacked up spending, installed agricultural price-support programs, pressured businesses to follow Washington's wage dictates, and created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. But by the time a cerebral hemorrhage cut short FDR's fourth term, the federal bureaucracy's power had grown so enormously that Hoover was widely remembered as the last apostle of laissez faire.

Roosevelt represented the birth of the modern big-spending Democratic Party, but he didn't start out that way. And, ironically, many of his ideas came from progressive-era Republicans. Conversely, George W. Bush has acted more like the way FDR governed than the ay he campaigned. Who are the real economic conservatives these days-and who are the real progressives?

Security Blanket

On recent polls that show McCain beating Obama by a wide margin, some cautionary advice for the GOP:

Internal GOP polling shows John McCain leading both of his potential rivals and enjoying a healthy advantage among independents. However–and this is a big however–GOP consultants do not expect this lead to withstand a post-nomination bump in the numbers of whomever the Democrats nominate.

The report suggests the GOP consultants are pleased to see McCain running ahead in a mythical “generic Republican vs. generic Democrat” race. But that’s consultant-think: he has to come out ahead of his real opponent. Poll-wonks are convinced that McCain’s advantage lies in his atypical GOP profile and his personal characteristics: even Democratic polling reveals that McCain’s greatest strength is his reputation as “a man of integrity.”

But herein lies a trap for the McCain team: the temptation to run on biography alone. Biographical campaigns did not treat Bob Dole or John Kerry well. And it seems foolhardy to say “We’ll take the biography; let the Democrats take the issues.” The danger with that is that Americans will end up voting for the candidate speaking to their issues and concerns. (It may also overlook the lesson of Rudy Giuliani’s campaign: sky high early polling numbers for a national hero can melt away overnight.)

Many national heroes have tried and failed to make it to the White House. It's true that McCain has the most impressive resume of anyone we've seen in awhile. But resumes alone don't win elections, and at a time where the mood for change is strong that just might not be enough.

Warped Justice

Talk about bad karma:

A lawyer for one of Britain’s biggest law firms may be released from prison before he has served half his sentence for murdering his wife. And he may stand to inherit her nearly $4 million fortune, Britain's Telegraph reported.

Christopher Lumsden, 55, has been released from prison after serving only two years of a five-year sentence for stabbing his wife, Alison, to death after she admitted to an affair, the Telegraph reported.

He was convicted of manslaughter after claiming he suffered from a mental disorder at the time of the killing.

Lumsden, a former managing partner at the international law firm Pinsent Masons, stabbed the mother of his two children more than 30 times with a kitchen knife after she came home from a date with her lover, the Telegraph reported.

He may now benefit by inheriting the $2.7 million home near Altrincham, Cheshire, England, where he carried out the attack. He could also get the $1.9 million his 53-year-old wife left him in her will.

'The sentence is ridiculous and now it looks like he will benefit from everything,' Sheila Hannam-Andrews, of Support After Murder and Manslaughter, a group that helps relatives of murder victims, told the Telegraph.

It appears you can literally get away with murder...

Homo Pharoahbia

Where's Moses when you need him?

CAIRO, Egypt - An Egyptian court convicted five men Wednesday on charges of homosexual behavior and sentenced them to three years in prison, officials said.

Defense lawyer, Adel Ramadan, said the judge found the men guilty of the 'habitual practice of debauchery' — a term used in the Egyptian legal system to denote consensual homosexual acts.

The convictions were confirmed by a judicial official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists.

Homosexuality is not explicitly referred to in Egypt's legal code, but a wide range of laws covering obscenity, prostitution and debauchery are applied to homosexuals in this conservative country.

The five men were arrested in what human rights groups describe as a crackdown on people with the AIDS virus, using the debauchery charges as a means to prosecute them.

Bear in mind, there are people in the USA who would love to do the same thing. Only a little thing like the Constitution is stopping them.

Gangsta Law

Speaking of things that were bound to happen:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hip hop mogul 50 Cent, Universal Music Group and several of its record labels were sued on Wednesday for promoting a 'gangsta lifestyle' by a 14-year-old boy who says friends of the rapper assaulted him.

The lawsuit filed by James Rosemond and his mother, Cynthia Reed, says Universal Music Group -- owned by Vivendi SA -- and its labels Interscope Records, G-Unit Records and Shady Records, bear responsibility for the assault because they encourage artists to pursue violent, criminal lifestyles.

The lawsuit also names 50 Cent -- whose real name is Curtis Jackson -- Violator Management, Violator CEO Chris Lighty, Tony Yayo, a rapper and a member of 50 Cent's G-Unit hip hop group, and Lowell Fletcher, an employee of Yayo.

All defendants declined to comment.

Now, if MTV itself could just be sued for bad taste...

"That Was Bloody Awful"

It figures this would happen sooner or later:

For the first time in any of their respective campaigns, presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain are all uniting for one cause: 'American Idol.' The three wanna-be Commander-in-Chiefs will each make an appearance on tomorrow night's 'Idol Gives Back' special that aims to raise funds to benefit various U.S. and international charities.

Embracing pop culture trends in an attempt to amass additional votes is nothing new to this group of candidates: McCain has used the endorsement of 'The Hills' star Heidi Montag as a way of seeming more in touch with the nation's youth while Obama has shaken his booty on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' and Clinton lampooned herself on 'Saturday Night Live.'

The three Senators will be joined by a cavalcade of celebrities who are all aiming to surpass the $76 million that was raised by the Emmy Award winning special last year. Miley Cyrus performs her hit song 'Broken Chains' while 'American Idol' winner Carrie Underwood covers George Michael's 'Praying for Time.' But arguably the biggest star lending his wattage to the event is Brad Pitt whose sheer presence caused such an uproar in the studio, filming had to be halted while the crowd calmed down.

Maybe we should do this on election night too. Who needs the Electoral College when you've got Simon?

Muddling Through

Petraeus, explaining himself: (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan)

The strategic considerations include recognition that: the strain on the U.S. military, especially on its ground forces, has been considerable; a number of the security challenges inside Iraq are also related to significant regional and global threats; a failed state in Iraq would pose serious consequences for the greater fight against Al Qaida, for regional stability, for the already existing humanitarian crisis in Iraq, and for the efforts to counter malign Iranian influence.

After weighing these factors, I recommended to my chain of command that we continue the drawdown in the surge to the combat forces and that upon the withdrawal of the last surge brigade combat team in July, we undertake a 45-day period of consolidation and evaluation. At the end of that period, we will commence a process of assessment to examine the conditions on the ground and over time determine when we can make recommendations for further reductions. This process will be continuous, with recommendations for further reductions made as conditions permit.

This approach does not allow establishment of a set withdrawal timetable, however it does provide the flexibility those of us on the ground need to preserve the still-fragile security gains our troopers have fought so far and sacrifice so much to achieve.

In other words, we want to be able to leave but until the Iraqis really learn how to do this for themselves we should really stay. Sounds like an open-ended committment to me.

Heil Heinz?

At least they did their research:

In the May 2008 edition of Loaded, we published an article on page 32 called 'Pointless But True' in which we alleged that between 1937 and 1945, Heinz produced a version of Alphabetti Spaghetti especially for the German market that consisted solely of tiny pasta shaped as swastikas.

In fact, we now accept that Heinz has never produced Swastika shaped spaghetti nor did it support the Nazi regime in any other way. Indeed, we accept that Heinz was a major contributor to the Allies' war efforts, producing rations for the troops. We apologise unreservedly to Heinz and to anyone who was offended by the article, which we admit was false and irresponsible.

I didn't like Ketchup Boy and his wife any more than anyone else, but to accuse the family's company of being Nazis was a bit over the top. Now Henry Ford, on the other hand...

Smoking And Driving Do Mix

Well whaddya know.

MADISON — Enacting city smoking bans appears to increase drunken driving, according to a new national study of arrests by Wisconsin researchers.
Fatal accidents involving alcohol increased after communities banned public smoking, the study to be released by the Journal of Public Economics found. The authors attributed the increase to people driving farther to drink, either to a place with an outdoor smoking area or a city without a ban.

“The increased miles driven by drivers who wish to smoke and drink offsets any reduction in driving from smokers choosing to stay home after a ban, resulting in increased alcohol-related accidents,” the study says.

The researchers, Scott Adams, of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Chad Cotti, now at the University of South Carolina, said they were surprised by the results.

“We thought we would see a reduction,” Adams said. “Our first thought was, ‘Throw it away, it must be wrong.’”

But it wasn’t, he said.

The study looks at highway fatalities from 2001 to 2005 involving at least one driver with blood alcohol content over 0.08. It compares those in cities and counties with bans to crashes in surrounding areas without bans. It found an increase in accidents after smoking bans were enacted, both in ban areas and near boundary lines.

Ban one thing, people will do something else. It's known as the Second Law Of Nannystating Dynamics.

They Durk Ur Smart Jobs

That librul rag the Wall Street Journal is concerned about keeping the kind of people we should be letting into the country:

Two decades ago, professionals from developing countries such an India and China who managed to obtain a visa from Uncle Sam and got a job from an American company – or admission in a U.S. graduate program – took a one-way flight across the Atlantic. Returning home, instead of landing a job and a coveted green card here, was a sure-fire way of being branded a loser. Only those who couldn't get to the U.S. tried other Western destinations or Australia.

But America's ability to attract new foreign-born workers – and just as importantly, to keep the existing ones – is diminishing, thanks to the enticing opportunities opening up for them elsewhere, including in their own countries.

A 2005 study by the Pew Hispanic Center's Jeffrey Passel showed that new temporary legal arrivals – the vast majority of them skilled workers, university students or their dependents -- dropped to 185,000 in 2004 from 268,000 in 2000. From 2001 to 2003, applications from foreign students to American universities dropped by 26% while they increased in the United Kingdom (36%), France (30%) and Australia (13%). While some of this might be due to the aftermath of 9/11, there's another, stunning trend: Many high-tech immigrants are voluntarily returning home.

Those other countries are just offering them the opportunities American politicians don't want to.

History's Second Worst Monster

They really don't like the guy.

America’s historians, it seems, don’t think much of George W. Bush.

Now in all fairness, historians should wait a while before passing judgment on a president’s who served recently, much less one still in office. But the current incumbent is a special case. After all, 81 percent of Americans, according to a recent New York Times poll, believe he’s taken the country on the wrong track. That’s the highest number ever registered. The same poll also says 28 percent have a favorable view of his performance in office, which is also in Nixon-in-the-darkest-days-of-Watergate territory.

But, as George Mason University’s History News Network reports, the historians have a different measure. They want to stack him up against his thirty-three predecessors as the nation’s chief executive. Among historians, there is no doubt into which echelon he falls–his competitors are Millard Fillmore, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Franklin Pierce, the worst of the presidential worst. But does Bush actually come in dead last?

Yes. A Pew Research Center poll of 109 leading historians found that 61 percent of them rank Bush as “worst ever” among U.S. presidents. Bush’s key competition comes from Buchanan, apparently, and a further 2 percent of the sample puts Bush right behind Buchanan as runner-up for “worst ever.” 96 percent of the respondents place the Bush presidency in the bottom tier of American presidencies. And was his presidency (it’s a bit wishful to speak of his presidency in the past tense–after all there are several more months left to go) a success or failure? On that score the numbers are still more resounding: 98 percent label it a “failure.”

This marks a dramatic deterioration for Bush. Previously he wasn’t viewed in the most positive terms, but there was a consensus that he wasn’t the “worst of the worst” either. That was in the spring of 2004. In the meantime, Bush has established himself as the torture president, the basis for his invasion of Iraq has been exposed as a fraud, the Iraq War itself has gone disastrously, the nation’s network of alliances has faded, and the economy has gone into a tailspin–not to mention the bungled handling of relief for victims of hurricane Katrina. In 2004, only 12 percent of historians were ready to place Bush dead last.

Granted, Bush has been a bad president in many ways, but worst? Sorry, but to me Jimmah still holds that honor.

We Are Legend

A Cold War fad is making a comeback.

Survivalism, it seems, is not just for survivalists anymore.
Faced with a confluence of diverse threats — a tanking economy, a housing crisis, looming environmental disasters, and a sharp spike in oil prices — people who do not consider themselves extremists are starting to discuss doomsday measures once associated with the social fringes.

They stockpile or grow food in case of a supply breakdown, or buy precious metals in case of economic collapse. Some try to take their houses off the electricity grid, or plan safe houses far away. The point is not to drop out of society, but to be prepared in case the future turns out like something out of “An Inconvenient Truth,” if not “Mad Max.”

“I’m not a gun-nut, camo-wearing skinhead. I don’t even hunt or fish,” said Bill Marcom, 53, a construction executive in Dallas.

Still, motivated by a belief that the credit crunch and a bursting housing bubble might spark widespread economic chaos — “the Greater Depression,” as he put it — Mr. Marcom began to take measures to prepare for the unknown over the last few years: buying old silver coins to use as currency; buying G.P.S. units, a satellite telephone and a hydroponic kit; and building a simple cabin in a remote West Texas desert.

“If all these planets line up and things do get really bad,” Mr. Marcom said, “those who have not prepared will be trapped in the city with thousands of other people needing food and propane and everything else.”

And don't forget the zombies.

Careful With Those Keystrokes

Who needs big brother?

The online behavior of a small but growing number of computer users in the United States is monitored by their Internet service providers, who have access to every click and keystroke that comes down the line.

The companies harvest the stream of data for clues to a person's interests, making money from advertisers who use the information to target their online pitches.

The practice represents a significant expansion in the ability to track a household's Web use because it taps into Internet connections, and critics liken it to a phone company listening in on conversations. But the companies involved say customers' privacy is protected because no personally identifying details are released.

The extent of the practice is difficult to gauge because some service providers involved have declined to discuss their practices. Many Web surfers, moreover, probably have little idea they are being monitored.

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out so Spam you.

Democracy Yes, Bobby No

Sorry, Bob, it looks like you're still out.

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader has rejected calls by President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party to re-check the presidential election results.

Morgan Tsvangirai said such a move would be illegal and impractical.

Eight days after the poll, the country's election commission has yet to announce the results.

The High Court in Zimbabwe has said it will rule on Monday on an opposition petition demanding the immediate release of the poll results.

A judge at the court in the capital in Harare said he would first consider an argument by the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC) that his court did not have jurisdiction.
It's ridiculous and absurd to talk of a recount before you know what the result is

Mr Tsvangirai, who leads the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has claimed victory in the election and called on Mr Mugabe to step down to allow a peaceful handover of power.
He has accused the 84-year-old ruler - in power since independence in 1980 - of plotting a campaign of violence to stay in office.

I'll say this for American politicians: When they lose, they just whine about it and threaten endless lawsuits, not civil war.

Hand On The Torch

I wouldn't want to be the one who carried it:

Thirty-five arrests have been made after clashes between pro-Tibet protesters and police as the Olympic torch made its way through London.

Protests over China's human rights record began soon after the relay began at Wembley, and prompted an increasing police presence through the city.

One protester tried to snatch the torch from former Blue Peter host Konnie Huq.
After an unpublicised change to the route, the Chinese ambassador carried the torch through Chinatown.

It later made an unscheduled move onto a bus.

I'm all for the Olympic spirit. I just wish it wasn't headed towards a country which didn't really share it.

"It's Been Quite A Ride"

And yet another icon has left us.

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Actor Charlton Heston died at Beverly Hills home at the age of 84 Saturday, his family said.

Heston was suffering the late stages of Alzheimer's Disease.

Heston, known for portrayals of larger than life figure including Moses and Ben Hur, was suffering the late stages of Alzheimer's Disease.

Heston's wife of 64 years, Lydia, was by his side at the time of his death, according to the family statement.

Heston is survived by a son, a daughter and three grandchildren.

'We knew him as an adoring husband, a kind and devoted father, and a gentle grandfather, with an infectious sense of humor,' the family said. 'He served these far greater roles with tremendous faith, courage and dignity. He loved deeply, and he was deeply loved.'

While no funeral plans have been announced, the family said it would hold a private memorial.

To those of us in a certain generation he was known mostly for his science-fiction roles in the Seventies following "Planet of the Apes." Mr. Heston was one of the few stars to rise during Hollywood's Golden Age who didn't have to worry about crossing over to a new audience. R.I.P., Mr. Heston.

They Wants To Get Paid

See what happens when you create a world of dependency?

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Developing countries and environmental groups accused the World Bank on Friday of trying to seize control of the billions of dollars of aid that will be used to tackle climate change in the next four decades.

'The World Bank's foray into climate change has gone down like a lead balloon,' Friends of the Earth campaigner Tom Picken said at the end of a major climate change conference in the Thai capital.

'Many countries and civil society have expressed outrage at the World Bank's attempted hijacking of real efforts to fund climate change efforts,' he said.

Before they agree to any sort of restrictions on emissions of the greenhouse gases fuelling global warming, poor countries want firm commitments of billions of dollars in aid from their rich counterparts.

The money will be used for everything from flood barriers against rising sea levels to 'clean' but costly power stations, an example of the 'technology transfer' developing countries say they need to curb emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide.

As well as the obvious arguments about how much money will be needed -- some estimates run into the trillions of dollars by 2050 -- rich and poor countries are struggling even to agree on a bank manager.

Of course, it hasn't occured to these global dole dolts that maybe encouraging free-market economies and innovation would help bring in the cash for climate change.

Rice-A-Worry

No war for stir-fry?

Rice prices rose more than 10 per cent on Friday to a fresh all-time high as African countries joined south-east Asian importers in the race to head off social unrest by securing supplies from the handful of exporters still selling the grain in the international market.

The rise in prices – 50 per cent in two weeks – threatens upheaval and has resulted in riots and soldiers overseeing supplies in some emerging countries, where the grain is a staple food for about 3bn people.

The increase also risks stoking further inflation in emerging countries, which have been suffering the impact of record oil prices and the rise in price of other agricultural commodities – including wheat, maize and vegetable oil – in the last year.
Kamal Nath, India’s trade minister, said the government would crack down on hoarding of essential commodities to keep a lid on food prices. “We will not hesitate to take the strongest possible measures, including using some of the legal provisions that we have against hoarding,’’ he said on Friday.

Of course, there's always the Soylent Green option. Maybe Ted Turner was right after all...

Absolut Stupido

Oh, jeeze. Is anyone else as tired of this crap as I am?

The latest advertising campaign in Mexico from Swedish vodka maker Absolut promises to push all the right buttons south of the U.S. border, but it could ruffle a few feathers in El Norte.

The billboard and press campaign, created by advertising agency Teran\TBWA and now running in Mexico, is a colorful map depicting what the Americas might look like in an "Absolut" -- i.e., perfect -- world.

The U.S.-Mexico border lies where it was before the Mexican-American war of 1848 when California, as we now know it, was Mexican territory and known as Alta California.

Following the war, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo saw the Mexican territories of Alta California and Santa Fé de Nuevo México ceded to the United States to become modern-day California, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. (Texas actually split from Mexico several years earlier to form a breakaway republic, and was voluntarily annexed by the United States in 1846.)

The campaign taps into the national pride of Mexicans, according to Favio Ucedo, creative director of leading Latino advertising agency Grupo Gallegos in the U.S.

Ucedo, who is from Argentina, said: “Mexicans talk about how the Americans stole their land, so this is their way of reclaiming it. It’s very relevant and the Mexicans will love the idea.”

But he said that were the campaign to run in the United States, it might fall flat.

“Many people aren’t going to understand it here. Americans in the East and the North or in the center of the county -- I don’t know if they know much about the history.

“Probably Americans in Texas and California understand perfectly and I don’t know how they’d take it.”

I have been on record as stating that I am not against a guest worker program or paths to citizenship for illegals. I also don't like the idea of turning the border into a fortress. But this kind of nonsense only adds to the anti-immigration fervor. At any rate, I now remember why I don't drink this stuff.

Ron & John

And Ron Paul wonders why he can't get taken more seriously:

APPLETON, WIS. — April 4, 2008 — Congressman Ron Paul has endorsed The John Birch Society in a statement received from his office this week. His statement also congratulates the Society on being “a great patriotic organization” now in its 50th year.

John McManus, president of JBS, responded, “We graciously accept Dr. Paul’s endorsement. He continues to demonstrate what an elected official should be doing … obeying the Constitution. We thank him for his continuous commitment to protect the freedoms of all Americans. There’s a reason why he consistently rates toward the top of the Freedom Index, our Congressional scorecard rating legislators’ votes published twice a year in The New American magazine.”

Dr. Paul stated, “The John Birch Society is a great patriotic organization featuring an educational program solidly based on constitutional principles. I congratulate the Society in this, its 50th year. I wish them continued success and endorse their untiring efforts to foster ‘less government, more responsibility … and with God’s help … a better world.’”

Those who play with the fringe, stay with the fringe.

Plane Insane

The airline plotters are getting their day in court.

Yesterday eight men went on trial at Woolwich Crown Court in South-East London accused of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to commit an act of violence likely to endanger the safety of an aircraft.

Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, said: 'What these men intended was a violent and deadly statement of intent which would have a truly global impact.

'These men were actively engaged in a deadly plan designed to bring about what would have been, had they been successful, a civilian death toll from an act of terrorism on an almost unprecedented scale.

'If each of these aircraft was successfully blown up the potential for loss of life was indeed considerable.

'And there would be little if any chance of saving any of them from their impending disaster.

'For when the mid-flight explosions began the authorities would be unable to prevent the other flights from meeting a similar fate as they would already be in mid air and carrying their deadly cargo.'

He described the defendants as having the 'cold-eyed certainty of the fanatic'.

But, according to John Yoo, you don't have to put these cretins on trial. You gotta be able to torture 'em and not give 'em any rights at all, right? Clearly the Brits are missing something here.

Lonely Rhodes

So this is what happens when you're too hateful even for Err America:

Randi Rhodes, an afternoon host for the progressive Air America radio network, was suspended Thursday after repeatedly insulting Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton at an event last month.

Ms. Rhodes used vulgar language that likened Mrs. Clinton to a prostitute at an event sponsored by KKGN, the Air America affiliate in the San Francisco area, on March 22. A video of Ms. Rhodes’ remarks was published to the video-sharing Web site YouTube on Tuesday, prompting condemnations by some bloggers. In a statement, Charlie Kireker, the chair of Air America, said the radio network “encourages strong opinions about public affairs but does not condone such abusive, ad hominem language by our hosts.”

The network called Ms. Rhodes’ suspension “indefinite” and did not elaborate on the fate of her daily three-hour radio show. “The Randi Rhodes Show” is normally broadcast from 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays. Sam Seder, another Air America host, was scheduled to fill in for Ms. Rhodes on Thursday.

Hell hath no fury like a lefty scorned.

Ants Marching

Well, what would you say?

As former President Bill Clinton was extolling his wife's credentials, Obama's campaign office in Bloomington began giving away tickets to Sunday's Dave Matthews concert at Assembly Hall.

Jason Schechtman, 19, Deerfield, Ill., a student at IU, got his tickets about 8 p.m. after waiting more than three hours. He met folks in line who said they'd left the Clinton rally to wait for tickets.

'I was leaning toward Obama, but this sealed the deal for sure,' he said. 'The Obama campaign announced this right as (Bill Clinton) was about to speak, and it brought everyone from over there to over here.'

It's the important issues that matter to voters, after all.

Get Out Of Jail Free Card

What do you do when your prison system is broke? Set them free.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Lawmakers from California to Kentucky are trying to save money with a drastic and potentially dangerous budget-cutting proposal: releasing tens of thousands of convicts from prison, including drug addicts, thieves and even violent criminals.

Officials acknowledge that the idea carries risks, but they say they have no choice because of huge budget gaps brought on by the slumping economy.

'If we don't find a way to better manage the population at the state prison, we will be forced to spend money to expand the state's prison system — money we don't have,' said Jeff Neal, a spokesman for Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri.

At least eight states are considering freeing inmates or sending some convicts to rehabilitation programs instead of prison, according to an Associated Press analysis of legislative proposals. If adopted, the early release programs could save an estimated $450 million in California and Kentucky alone.

Maybe we should just borrow an idea from the Russians and make our own Gulags. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. Montana and Wyoming have lots of space...

Hunka Hunka Burning Amore

Sometimes it's good to be the King.

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - It's 'Love me tender' between the United States and France after President George W. Bush compared French President Nicolas Sarkozy with rock'n'roll singer Elvis Presley.

Bush told NATO leaders at a Bucharest summit on Thursday that when Sarkozy visited the United States recently, he was seen as 'the latest incarnation of Elvis'.

Such an example of 'Burning love' marks a sea change from the 'Suspicious minds' that clouded Franco-American relations under Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac, who often seemed to see Washington as 'The devil in disguise'.

Bush has made clear the diminutive French leader, who recently married another singer, Carla Bruni, is now his 'Good luck charm' and 'My little friend'.

Here's hoping Sarkozy gets to stick around for awhile and doesn't wind up in Heartbreak Hotel.

The Gentle Tapping Of Big Brother

And John McCain wonders why people are cynical.

Intelligence centers run by states across the country have access to personal information about millions of Americans, including unlisted cellphone numbers, insurance claims, driver's license photographs and credit reports, according to a document obtained by The Washington Post.

One center also has access to top-secret data systems at the CIA, the document shows, though it's not clear what information those systems contain.

Dozens of the organizations known as fusion centers were created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to identify potential threats and improve the way information is shared. The centers use law enforcement analysts and sophisticated computer systems to compile, or fuse, disparate tips and clues and pass along the refined information to other agencies. They are expected to play important roles in national information-sharing networks that link local, state and federal authorities and enable them to automatically sift their storehouses of records for patterns and clues.

Though officials have publicly discussed the fusion centers' importance to national security, they have generally declined to elaborate on the centers' activities. But a document that lists resources used by the fusion centers shows how a dozen of the organizations in the northeastern United States rely far more on access to commercial and government databases than had previously been disclosed.

Those details have come to light at a time of debate about domestic intelligence efforts, including eavesdropping and data-aggregation programs at the National Security Agency, and whether the government has enough protections in place to prevent abuses.

One thing's clear: Whoever's president twenty or thirty years from now will have a lot to work with. Thank you, President Bush.

Island Girl

Shades of '82:

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands, which remain in British hands after the 1982 war between the two countries, is 'inalienable,' President Cristina Kirchner said Wednesday.

'The sovereign claim to the Malvinas Islands is inalienable,' she said in a speech marking the 26th anniversary of Argentina's ill-fated invasion of the islands, located 480 kilometers (300 miles) off shore.

The April 2, 1982 invasion prompted then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher to deploy naval forces to retake the Falklands, known as the Malvinas in Spanish.
The short, bloody conflict led to Argentina's surrender on June 14, 1982 after the death of 649 Argentines and 255 Britons.

Of course, I'm sure the knowldedge that the islands are swimming in oil has nothing to do with this tough talk.

They Heart John

This could be a good sign-McCain Mania has hit the Old World.

John McCain traveled the world last week — visiting Iraq, Jordan, Israel, France and Great Britain — hoping to demonstrate to voters at home his foreign policy chops and to people abroad his intent to repair damaged alliances. Seizing upon McCain’s remark that Iran trains Al Qaeda operatives. the media missed the bigger story: the largely positive reception that McCain received overseas. Rather than confirm to the world that he is the scary right-winger many of them envisioned, McCain instead reassured his hosts that his presidency would be markedly different than the current one.

McCain racked up positive reviews nearly everywhere he went. Previewing his trip with a column in the Financial Times, he stressed the importance of strong Europe-American alliances and “welcome[d] European leadership to make the world a better and safer place.” The first stop on McCain’s trip was to meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Great Britain, fitting, seeing that last year, a Pew poll found that only 51% of British respondents viewed the United States favorably, down from 83% a year before the war in Iraq. Of his visit, the left-wing Independent allowed that “a McCain brand of hawkishness is likely to be less inflexibly, and ignorantly, ideological than George Bush’s.” Even the viciously anti-American Guardian advised its readers that “Mr. McCain should not be dismissed as Bush mark two” because he is “made of sterner stuff and he has a lifetime of engagement with the outside world — and the scars to prove it — that gives him the moral seriousness Mr. Bush so lacks.” While lamenting that “the next president may be neither black nor a woman,” the paper praised him for being “wholly clear about the need to rebuild America’s reputation in the world and about the importance of treating allies seriously.” McCain received even more glowing press in Israel and France.

Whether we like it or not, the rest of the world is ready for change. If McCain can deliver on his promise to be more diplomatic, it could be a fresh start.

What Say Yoo?

The Yoo memos have been raising a lot of eyebrows, mostly because of stuff like this:

One after another, complex questions of constitutional law are dispatched as if there's no cause for any debate. The president has all the war-making power. Congress has none. The president's commander in chief powers extend to interrogations (no matter how far from the battlefield in space and time they take place). Guantanamo Bay detainees and enemy aliens enjoy no constitutional protections. And then the pages Jack points us to, which include "Congress can no more interfere with the President's conduct of the interrogation of enemy combatants than it can dictate strategic or tactical decisions on the battlefield." In other words, Congress cannot prohibit any sort of treatment that the president chooses to allow.

(snip)

On Page 47 of the Yoo memo, if I'm not mistaken, there's the amazing assertion that the Convention Against Torture doesn't apply whenever the president says it doesn't. "Any presidential decision to order interrogations methods that are inconsistent with CAT would amount to a suspension or termination of those treaty provisions." Doesn't this mean that whether or not a treaty has been ratified, with or without express reservations, Yoo is saying that the president can implicitly and on his own authority withdraw the United States from the treaty simply by not abiding by it? Is there precedent for such a claim? In my quick scan so far of the tortured (sorry) reasoning here, I can't find anything other than ipso facto—because I say so, the president says so.

Once again, we have an instance where the President thinks he is an Emperor who does not have to answer for what he does to us lowly peasants. And people are worried about the kind of power a Democratic president would wield.

Eat Me

Ted's back!

Interviewed Tuesday for Charlie Rose's PBS show, CNN founder Ted Turner argued that inaction on global warming “will be catastrophic” and those who don't die “will be cannibals.” He also applied moral equivalence in describing Iraqi insurgents as “patriots” who simply “don't like us because we've invaded their country” and so “if the Iraqis were in Washington, D.C., we'd be doing the same thing.” On not taking drastic action to correct global warming:

Not doing it will be catastrophic. We'll be eight degrees hotter in ten, not ten but 30 or 40 years and basically none of the crops will grow. Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals.

And there will be cats and dogs living together...mass hysteria!

The Trade-Ins

They were for capitalism before they were against it.

As recently as 2006, Hillary Clinton positioned herself as the heir to this trade-accommodating policy. She was not a “die-hard free-trader,” she said at the time, but she also wasn’t “an unreconstructed protectionist with very little regard, frankly, for how trade agreements are actually working.”

It’s not a mystery how NAFTA is working, actually. America’s GDP and industrial production have grown about 50 percent since the trade pact took effect. Total U.S. unemployment was 6.9 percent in 1993, before NAFTA went into effect; today it’s 4.9 percent. Hillary Clinton once considered this an accomplishment.

But then came the 2008 presidential campaign. In a November 2007 Iowa speech to the United Auto Workers, Clinton called for a “time-out” to “take stock of where we are on trade.” As the mortgage default wave gathered momentum in late 2007 and early 2008, Clinton proposed freezing adjustable rates by legislative fiat. To help eliminate the gender gap in salaries, Clinton endorsed the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would require a federal study to pave the way for an eventual legislative fix.

Barack Obama, meanwhile, matched her stride for stride toward the old economic left. Before the January 3 Iowa caucus, the Iowa Fair Trade Campaign, a union-backed group that describes NAFTA and the World Trade Organization as “a proven failure for working people,” asked the candidates to explain their trade stances. Obama promised that revisiting NAFTA was “one of the first things I’ll do as president,” language in line with what he’s said to other audiences but a lot tougher. (Clinton has vowed to review trade agreements every five years.) Obama also played up his support for the Fair Pay Act, which makes it easier for employees to sue for pay discrimination based on gender.

As the campaigns headed to the populist temptations of Wisconsin, Ohio, and Texas, Clinton put out word that she was never on the record agreeing with her husband about NAFTA. The evidence, apparently, is on her side. In For Love of Politics, Sally Bedell Smith’s 2007 biography of the Clintons, former U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor claims he had to convince Hillary Clinton that NAFTA would be good for the country.

“If she would somehow come out and tell the real story of what she fought for in the White House,” Hillary biographer Carl Bernstein said in February, “and failed in a big argument with her husband, she would end up moving much closer to those Edwards followers.”

That’s what Democratic economic politics, and especially trade politics, have been about in 2008: pleasing the John Edwards voter. The slick-talking North Carolina trial lawyer did not win any primaries this year, but he did intuit that the new Democratic majority in Congress was far more trade-skeptical than the one that Bill Clinton split in half to pass NAFTA. Former Rep. David Bonior (D-Mich.), who led his party’s charge against the NAFTA vote in the 1990s, was Edwards’ campaign manager. Before Edwards dropped out Bonior told me the public’s distaste for outsourcing and allegedly rising prices for consumer goods was much more obvious now than when Edwards first ran in 2004.

What this is really about is pleasing those die-hard Union voters who want to bring back a bygone era when they called the shots in national politics. Sorry, folks-that's not going to happen. The free market-warts and all-is here to stay.

Springtime For Max

Oh, my. The apple didn't fall far from the tree here.

Max Mosley, one of the most powerful men in world sport, was under pressure to resign as boss of Formula One’s governing body last night after he was exposed enjoying a Nazi-style orgy with five prostitutes.

Jewish groups condemned the behaviour of Mosley, 67, whose father, Sir Oswald, was the leader of the British Union of Fascists and a friend of Adolf Hitler.

Mr Mosley was caught on video by the News of the World with five women in an underground “torture chamber” in Chelsea, where he spent several hours allegedly indulging in sado-masochistic sex.

The Oxford-educated former barrister, who is president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), reenacted a concentration camp scene in which he played the role of both guard and inmate.

Speaking in German and brandishing a leather whip, he beat the women after allowing himself to be subjected to a humiliating inspection for lice and an interrogation in chains.

Mr Mosley, a close confidant of Bernie Ecclestone, who holds the commercial rights to Formula One, paid £2,500 cash for the sex services, the Sunday newspaper claimed.

His antics stunned Jewish leaders and motorsport insiders. “This is sick and depraved,” Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said. “For anyone to be in such a position of influence and power beggars belief. I am absolutely appalled.”

Stephen Smith, director of the Holocaust Centre, said: “As Mr Mosley has condemned the racism in motor sport he should live up to the standards he sets. This is an insult to millions of victims, survivors and their families. He should apologise. He should resign from the sport.”

Sir Stirling Moss, the former world champion racing driver whose father was Jewish, said: “I don’t see how he can continue. I hope he can, frankly, because I think he’s very good at what he does. I suppose what goes on behind closed doors is his business but when a thing comes out like this . . . it’s an absolute shocker.”

Yet more proof that what happens in Nazi families doesn't stay in Nazi families.

A Non-Citizen Of The Realm

A legacy of colonialism has come back to bite Britain in the arse:

Mr Jean-Baptiste, who became a police community support officer after leaving the army in 2006, applied for citizenship on January 17 this year.

But he was told by the Home Office that his application had failed because he had not been in the UK on the same date five years earlier - the way the qualification period is calculated.

Stunned, Mr Jean-Baptiste realised that he had indeed been out of the country on January 17, 2003 - after six months in the army he was serving with fellow recruits on a base in Germany.

He was in British uniform but not on British soil.

If he had applied for citizenship on January 15, before the date of his posting to Germany, it would have been granted without a problem.

But the inflexible Home Office bureaucracy would not budge.

Without a British passport, 29-year-old Mr Jean-Baptiste, who works for the Metropolitan Police, says he cannot travel freely outside the UK.

The former soldier, whose Caribbean birthplace is part of the Commonwealth, described the Home Office verdict as a 'slap in the face'.

He said: 'I felt insulted. I felt humiliated. If I had died in battle the politicians would have told my family 'he was a hero'.

'But here I am, I'm alive, I'm trying to help myself and I'm being turned down. That is blatant hypocrisy.

'It's a waste of my time and everything I fought for. It's a betrayal.'

"Sorry you joined up to fight for a government that doesn't want you, but God save England, eh what?"

Bubba Unleashed

What happens when Bill really speaks his mind?

According to those at the meeting, Clinton - who flew in from Chicago with bags under his eyes - was classic old Bill at first, charming and making small talk with the 15 or so delegates who gathered in a room behind the convention stage.

But as the group moved together for the perfunctory photo, Rachel Binah, a former Richardson delegate who now supports Hillary Clinton, told Bill how "sorry" she was to have heard former Clinton campaign manager James Carville call Richardson a "Judas" for backing Obama.

It was as if someone pulled the pin from a grenade.

'Five times to my face (Richardson) said that he would never do that,' a red-faced, finger-pointing Clinton erupted.

The former president then went on a tirade that ran from the media's unfair treatment of Hillary to questions about the fairness of the votes in state caucuses that voted for Obama. It ended with him asking delegates to imagine what the reaction would be if Obama was trailing by just 1 percent and people were telling him to drop out.

'It was very, very intense,' said one attendee. 'Not at all like the Bill of earlier campaigns.'

When he finally wound down, Bill was asked what message he wanted the delegates to take away from the meeting.

At that point, a much calmer Clinton outlined his message of party unity.

'It was kind of strange later when he took the stage and told everyone to 'chill out,' ' one delegate told us.

'We couldn't help but think he was also talking to himself.'

The Clintons are sorely in need of a long, long vacation.

David Versus Goliath

Via Slashdot, it's those meddling kids again:

They've gone and filed a Rule 11 motion for sanctions (PDF), seeking — among other things — an injunction against all such 'John Doe' cases, arguing that the cases seek to circumvent the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act which protects student privacy rights, are brought for improper purposes of obtaining discovery, getting publicity, and intimidation, and are in flagrant violation of the joinder rules and numerous court orders. If the injunction is granted, the RIAA will have to go back to the drawing board to find another way of finding out the identities of college students, and the ruling — depending on its reasoning — might even be applicable to the non-college cases involving commercial ISPs.

Now, nobody's denying the right of artists to get paid. But Draconian measures in opursuit of supporting a woefully outdated business model have proven to be counterproductive. Radiohead has shown the way for artists to go-and that's what the RIAA is really afraid of.

Two Legs, Not Four

Seriously, who do they do these things?

Embryos containing human and animal material have been created in Britain for the first time, a month before the House of Commons votes on new laws to regulate the research.

A team at Newcastle University announced yesterday that it had successfully generated “admixed embryos” by adding human DNA to empty cow eggs in the first experiment of its kind in Britain.

The Commons is to debate the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill next month. MPs have been promised a free vote on clauses in the legislation that would permit admixed embryos. But their creation is already allowed, subject to the granting of a licence from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

The Newcastle group, led by Lyle Armstrong, was awarded one of the first two licences in January. The other went to a team at King’s College London, led by Professor Stephen Minger. The new Bill will formalise their legal status if it is passed by Parliament.

In the future, if I eat a steak that has human DNA in it, is that cannibalism? Would meat really be murder then?

An Empire Of One

Does anyone else find what's happening with NATO these days a bit odd?

President Bush, heading to his final NATO summit as president, made an overnight stop in Kiev, Ukraine, to meet with President Viktor Yushchenko.

U.S. President George W. Bush, left, Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko, center, and their spouses U.S. first lady Laura Bush, second from right, and Kateryna Yushchenko, listen to the national anthem of the United States, at an official welcoming ceremony in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 1, 2008.

(Gleb Garanich, Pool/AP Photo)Bush made a joint appearance with the Ukrainian leader and proclaimed 'the U.S. strongly supports' Ukraine's effort to join the NATO alliance, despite Russia's strong opposition.

The issue has caused great consternation for some NATO members who fear the matter will only increase the growing tension between the United States and Russia.

I'm not against alliances with former colonies of the old Soviet Empire. But what exactly is the purpose here? Russia, while still annoying, aren't exactly the bad guys they once were, and the notion of using NATO to curb the ambitions of a country like Iran doesn't quite have th same ring to it that holding the line against the Russkies did. I know we have a role as the guys who won that tussle, but is it really our job to just keep adding members to a club that really doesn't have a whole lot to do anymore?

Detroit Crock City

If there's a better example of what liberalism can do to a once-important city, I can't find it.

Detroit suffers from every possible malady except a plague of locusts, and that’s only because they find urban living uncongenial. The city has a revitalized downtown, but all around it, the city rots. Forbes magazine declared Detroit “America’s Most Miserable City,” on the basis of its unemployment and crime rates, among other things. The unemployment rate of 8.2 percent is the highest of any major urban area in the nation, and its homicide rate is higher than New York’s in the bad old days of the early 1990s.

The city has lost 1 million residents since 1950. It was hit by the decline of the auto industry and white flight, fueled partly by racism. These trends would have rocked the city no matter what. Detroit compounded them with disastrous governance, personified by Mayor Coleman Young, who held office for 20 years beginning in 1974.

His record raises the question why, if it wanted to engage in a nefarious plot to hurt blacks, the federal government would invent the AIDS virus when it could simply emplace mayors like Coleman Young instead. “Imagine a Rev. Jeremiah Wright with real power,” says urban expert Fred Siegel. Coleman taunted suburbanites, accusing them of “pillaging the city,” while his scandal-plagued administration managed the city into the ground.

He neglected policing, maintaining that “crime is a problem, but not the problem. The police are the major threat ... to the minority community.” The 1968 riots never really ended in Detroit, dragging on in a long crime wave. With government services terrible to nonexistent and both crime and tax rates high, there was no reason for anyone to stay. “Several Detroit mayors have been the best economic development officers Oakland County ever had,” comments Michael LaFaive of the Michigan-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy, referring to the county to Detroit’s north.

Public-sector unions protect the dismal status quo. Detroit high schools graduate just a third of their students, according to an estimate by Michigan State University. But when a philanthropist offered to spend $200 million to create 15 new charter high schools, teachers staged a walk-out. Mayor Kilpatrick spurned the offer. These failing schools throw kids with no skills into a struggling economy in an environment characterized by social breakdown.

Kilpatrick is just the end result of decades of bad leadership. Unfortunately, America's cities have too many Coleman Youngs and far too few Rudy Giulianis.

But We're Entitled

The problem with big government:

The fundamental problem with the social safety net, however, isn't bankrupt economics but bad philosophy.

A government can only provide a safety net insofar as the wealth that net consists of — food, clothing, shelter, medical services — has been created by productive individuals.

The freebies government is so eager to expropriate don't grow from the ground, but must be produced by entrepreneurial individuals who create corporations, raise cattle, invest in financial markets, run restaurants, develop pharmaceuticals, and so on. From the creation of kidney dialysis to the transportation of affordable food, it's the reasoning mind that produces the wealth that makes our lives secure, not a bloated government bureaucracy.

But at the core of it all is this:

Most disturbing is the reality that the "security" promised by the safety net is anything but secure. Unlike a mutual fund or checking account, there's no actual investment or savings when it comes to Social Security. It is, at its core, a Ponzi scheme in which the government loots your money today for the benefit of retirees and promises to do the same to future generations on your behalf.

At a time when people in both parties are supporting bailouts for those who made bad decisions, the biggest bad decisions continue to haunt us. They'll catch up with us down the road. I just hope we're ready when they do.

Liar Of A Lifetime

Hillary has apparently made a career out of untruthfulness that goes back decades.

As Hillary Clinton came under increasing scrutiny for her story about facing sniper fire in Bosnia, one question that arose was whether she has engaged in a pattern of lying.

The now-retired general counsel and chief of staff of the House Judiciary Committee, who supervised Hillary when she worked on the Watergate investigation, says Hillary’s history of lies and unethical behavior goes back farther – and goes much deeper – than anyone realizes.

Jerry Zeifman, a lifelong Democrat, supervised the work of 27-year-old Hillary Rodham on the committee. Hillary got a job working on the investigation at the behest of her former law professor, Burke Marshall, who was also Sen. Ted Kennedy’s chief counsel in the Chappaquiddick affair. When the investigation was over, Zeifman fired Hillary from the committee staff and refused to give her a letter of recommendation – one of only three people who earned that dubious distinction in Zeifman’s 17-year career.

Why?

“Because she was a liar,” Zeifman said in an interview last week. “She was an unethical, dishonest lawyer. She conspired to violate the Constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality.”

Rules are for little people. Hillary knew that even then.

The Inside Man

Keep dreaming, Sid:

Could John McCain have been the Independent or Democratic senator from Arizona?

Though that sounds awkward, especially in the midst of a presidential race with McCain as the GOP’s nominee, but one Washington insider claimed McCain considered abandoning the Republican Party.

According to Sidney Blumenthal, a senior adviser for former President Bill Clinton and current adviser to Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton, at one point McCain was going to leave the Republican Party and caucus with Senate Democrats.

“And although he doesn’t want to talk to reporters about it now, there was a time and I was privy to some of those who were involved, did conduct negotiations through third parties about whether or not he would leave the Republican Party and become an independent more or less aligned in the Senate with the Democrats,” said Blumenthal on April 1. Blumenthal did not say when those negotiations took place.

I think McCain is independent enough (by today's GOP's standards) that he didn't have to strike out on his own. Whether he can teach some of that independence to the Republican Party is another matter, but at least he may get four years to try.