EMail to MSNBC and Norah O'Donnell

Regarding this travesty of reporting. (Contact info here.)

Dear MSNBC

What an appalling performance by Norah O'Donnell with Sen. Leahy. Is the job of your Chief Washington Correspondent to parrot the White House's press secretary? O'Donnell said, and I quote: "Tony Snow said today that 'you guys want the truth, and in this interview you're going to get the truth from Karl Rove.' What's wrong with that?"

That is shocking. As a viewer I can only take from this that O'Donnell agrees with Tony Snow. While that's obviously her right as a person, as a reporter isn't it her job to give viewers unbiased information? I can picture her saying, "Tony Snow said today that 'you guys want the truth, and in this interview you're going to get the truth from Karl Rove.' How do you respond to that?" Then we get the White House's side and Leahy's side. That's fair reporting. For O'Donnell to inject herself into the story - I don't know what to say. It's just shocking. Aside from all the reasons that many of us viewers might not believe that we're "going to get the truth from Karl Rove" under the White House's proposal - it's just awful reporting.

A short time later O'Donnell said: "...and Tony Snow said today 'I thought this was a fact-finding mission, not a ratings-finding mission' - that you're trying to create a courtroom atmosphere."

That's just unbelievable. Again, aside from parroting - in a tone and in the wording of agreement - the WH press secretary, which you have to admit is just flatly wrong for a reporter to do, O'Donnell here does worse. A reporter could and should with Snow's statement point out the glaringly obvious without a bit of bias: that a "courtroom atmosphere" is, when you think about it for about a millisecond, a pretty darn good place for a "fact-finding mission." What exactly about speaking under oath goes against finding facts? Doesn't it actually improve the chances that you're going to get the truth? It of course does.

Again: appalling. Terrible, and appaling. [Note to self: That's "appalling," dumbass]

Video of the clip here.

15 British Sailors Seized by Iranian Forces

"We may well find that this is a simple misunderstanding at the tactical level."

Hope so.

Tony Snow: Congress Has No Oversight Ability

From TPM Muckraker we get to watch Tony Snow say:

The executive branch is under no compulsion to testify to Congress, because Congress in fact doesn't have oversight ability.

If you don't think that's a significant quote, it's not because you're not a constitutional scholar. It's because you didn't pay attention in elementary school. We should all know this. Think of the one glaring example: impeachment. Would Tony Snow say that Congress didn't have that ability? That oversight ability? Would he have said that when they impeached President Clinton? It's unbelievable that we live in a time we're such a thing could even be uttered by a White House official without that official immediately turning bright red, pissing his pants, and calling out for his momma.

Here is an excellent report (pdf), prepared for Congress in January, 2006, on congressional oversight of the presidency. The summary:

Congressional oversight of policy implementation and administration has occurred throughout the history of the United States government under the Constitution. Oversight — the review, monitoring, and supervision of operations and activities — takes a variety of forms and utilizes various techniques. These range from specialized investigations by select committees to annual appropriations hearings, and from informal communications between Members or congressional staff and executive personnel to the use of extra congressional mechanisms, such as offices of inspector general and study commissions. Oversight, moreover, is supported by a variety of authorities — the Constitution, public law, and chamber and committee rules — and is an integral part of the system of checks and balances between the legislature and the
executive. This report will be updated as events require.

And a great excerpt:

The authority to oversee derives from these constitutional powers. Congress could not carry them out reasonably or responsibly without knowing what the executive is doing; how programs are being administered, by whom, and at what cost; and whether officials are obeying the law and complying with legislative intent.

Video Montage to 2006-7 Buffalo Sabres

A thing of beauty. Wish I could post the goal from last night by Briere. Not up yet.

NYC: Illegally Parked Cars Shown on Web Site

The debate about them here, and the Web site here.

It's pretty funny. One story, with photo, at the site: "If you look closely at the 2nd photo, you can see the officer eating at the Chinese restaurant in the window."

Man Has Piece of Pizza Tattoo on Head

With pineapples.

Heaven's Gate Survivor Speaks

Remember them?

When I asked about the dropouts who later killed themselves, Rio was impassive. “People ask: ‘Why would they do that?’ ” he said. For him, their copycat suicides only further proved the point. “It doesn’t make sense to give up everything. Unless... you know. Unless you know what they knew. And what I know.” Which is? “That DO was the second coming of Jesus Christ. That’s what I’m here to help people understand.”

Flaunt Your Culture

A truly warped person:

She said, "It made me very angry, and I grabbed it. When you come to the U.S. you have to become an American. You can't flaunt your culture on us."

I hereby invite people from around the world to "flaunt their culture" on us whenever or wherever they like. Especially Mongolians - they're just so colorful and austere.

And in the same breath this candidate for sainthood said, "I praise God in this. I give Him all the glory," and, of the two people who disappeared, "I hope they are at the bottom of the river."

Two New Links: Romenesko

I just added two new links to the news and blog rolls: Poynteronline and the Obscure Store and Reading Room, both run by Jim Romenesko. More on him at Wikipedia.

Why We Need to Fight the Right People

Because they're really sick bad horrible twisted people.

John Prine

The song that won't go away.

Tony Joe White

Just found this looking around the world in the box on my desk at work - which I get paid to do - and found this. I remember this song from my young days, most likely the version by Brent Brooke from 1970, but TJ White wrote it in 1962. Here's him playing it in 2006:



Here's another one of his songs you might recognize. 1969:

Memorize This Quote

But first, guess who said it:

So let’s get something straight right now. To point out that our military has been overextended, taken for granted and neglected, that’s no criticism of the military. That is criticism of a president and vice president and their record of neglect.

Yup. It's George W. Bush, not "s'portin' the troops, on the campaign trail in 2000.

More here.

The History of International Women's Day

Born in the worker's rights movement. More here.

Cheryl Hines Saves Man From Murder Charge

The story doesn't say that, but I'm sure that's what happened.

LOS ANGELES- A man who was cleared of murder when outtakes from the HBO comedy "Curb Your Enthusiasm" put him at Dodger Stadium when the crime occurred will get $320,000 in a settlement with the city.
The Los Angeles City Council agreed Wednesday to settle the police misconduct lawsuit filed by Juan Catalan, who spent nearly five months in jail before footage from the show cemented his alibi.

Catalan, 28, was arrested for the May 2003 slaying of Martha Puebla, 16, outside her Sun Valley home. He told detectives he was innocent and was at a Dodgers game when the crime occurred.

His defense lawyer, Todd Melnik, went through footage of crowd shots from the televised game between the Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves, but did not find his client. Then he learned that the HBO comedy starring former "Seinfeld" co-creator Larry David had been shooting at the ballpark that day.

"There he was in the outtakes," said Gary S. Casselman, the attorney handling Catalan's lawsuit.
...

Catalan was not a fan of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" before his time in jail.

"He is now," Casselman said.

Is there anything she can't do?

He Might As Well Just Say "Gergen Gergen Gergen Gergen Gergen..."

I got this CNN story and quote from CNN contributor David Gergen via TPM. It will make your head explode:

"This is an administration that has been mostly free of scandal over the last six years and now they have the taint that they cannot erase."

Blink. Blink. Blink.

Report: Israel on Alert After Kidnapping Iranian General

Israel Puts Embassies on Security Alert Following Reports It Kidnapped Irania (Via)

March 06, 2007 2:12 PM
Brian Ross and Hoda Osman Report:

Israel has issued a worldwide security alert to its embassies in the wake of reports it may have kidnapped a top Iranian general in Turkey, a senior Israeli official tells ABC News.

"This could be a reason for the Iranians to respond against us," said the official...

Great.

Hi

Powered by IP2Location.com

heagh heagh heagh

Tony Lagouranis: Former Army "Torturer"

From Metafilter: Confessions of a Torturer: An Army Interrogator's Story.

And there, as an army interrogator, he tortured detainees for information he admits they rarely had. Since leaving Iraq he’s taken this story public, doing battle on national television against the war’s architects for giving him the orders he regrets he obeyed.

Ai yai yai. What a world.

More here, here, here, and a response from the Army (Jan., 2006).

Speaking of Idiot Savage, Here's Some Freddy Mercury

I was just writing about this guy. Rock it, Freddy.

Melissa Etheridge Indirectly Punks Idiot Savage

Puke on that, asshole.

More from Gen. J.C. Christian, patriot.

Don't Fear the Rabies Shots

People are still afraid to get rabies shots:

The man — who lives east of Edmonton — did not get vaccinated after he was attacked in August 2006 and is now in serious condition in hospital, said Dr. Karen Grimsrud, a provincial health officer.

Grimsrud said the Alberta man woke up in the middle of the night when the bat bit him, but he didn't show any symptoms until January.

"Once you develop the neurological symptoms, there's very little that can be done," Grimsrud said Friday. "All we can do is make them comfortable."

It used to be 26 shots—directly into the stomach. And it hurt, they say, a lot. BUT THINGS HAVE CHANGED. Read:

DON’T WORRY; it’s not twenty shots in the stomach anymore. Today, the rabies vaccine has only 5-7 shots in the arm and the butt. The shots are spread out on different days, and they help your body fight the rabies virus, so you don’t catch the disease. If you get the shots started in time (usually within 7 - 10 days), you shouldn’t catch the virus at all. Your body fights it off. Without the treatment, a person bitten by a rabid animal will probably die.

That's my community service report for the day. Best of luck and health to the poor guy in Edmonton.

Can You Read This: 少許 托馬斯 Blog?

I don't speak Chinese, but found an online translator to translate "Little Thom's Blog" into traditional Chinese characters: 少許 托馬斯 Blog.

If you can read it, can you tell me how it came out?

Merle Haggard Pens a Song For Hillary

Oh man, this is going to grow someone onions in the bathroom, which is a country expression I just made up.

About half-way through his set at Spokane’s INB Performing Arts Center Monday night almost 70-year-old country star, Merle Haggard played a song he told the audience he’d just finished up that morning.

It had a one-word title, he said, and was likely to “piss off” at least half of the audience. A few might even walk out, he said. But, an assistant brought out a music stand and Merle started crooning about a woman named “Hillary.”

“The country needs to be honest,” he sang. “Change needs to be large.”

“Let’s put a woman in charge.”

Too funny.

Here's a gem:

Steve Clemons

He's smarter than you, he's better connected than you, and he's talking about the latest U.S./Iranian news.

Repeat Post

Because it deserves more play. Via The Sideshow, a new song from Richard Thompson. Free.

As a commenter pointed out, "Dad" refers to Baghdad.

Don't Ask

Just enjoy. Really. I mean it.

Say It Ain't So, Jack

Put on your spittle-guard. Loony people will soon be freaking out about this story (via):

24 star Kiefer Sutherland has accepted an invitation from the U.S. military to teach army cadets it is wrong to torture prisoners.

Sutherland, who plays agent Jack Bauer on the show, has agreed to talk to cadets at the West Point military academy in New York state after army chiefs claimed the show's torture scenes are influencing its newest recruits.

More here from the New Yorker.

Interesting Things

• One less thing to worry about.

• Via: The Complete Sherlock Holmes.

• From Romenesko's Reading Room, everybody leaves a tip:

Go-go bar patron severs finger in bar stool accident

With blood gushing from his left hand, the 46-year-old man somehow stayed in his seat for 15 minutes before finally alerting a bartender. "I don't know if he was watching the dancers or embarrassed," says a cop. The finger tip was recovered.

Bad Music Radio

From Metafilter, Bad Music Radio. Just in case the music you've been listening too is too good and you need to bring yourself down to Earth again.

I Will Not Say "Down Under" Once in This Post

Australia rocked by 'lesbian' koala revelation

Female koalas indulge in lesbian "sex sessions", rejecting male suitors and attempting to mate with each other, sometimes up to five at a time, according to researchers.

The funniest part is that this is a paper from New Zealand—hence the "Australia rocked" headline.

Violet the Octupus

Another one from Biomes Blog.

Octopus Opening a Jar

Via Pharyngula:

Phasers on "Suck It"!

Second link from Steve Gilliard. Too damn funny.

Take the Sunni/Shia Test

Take the test. I got one wrong.

Brains on Display

That really says it all.

Mixed Doubles?

This article has a photo of Maria Sharapova in a bikini alongside it. I can't remember what it's about.

Chimps Make Bush Baby-Kabobs

From the L. A. Times:

The chimps were repeatedly seen using their hands and teeth to tear the side branches off long straight sticks and peeling back the bark and sharpening one end of the sticks with their teeth, the researchers report in Thursday's online issue of the journal Current Biology. Then, grasping the weapon in a "power grip," they jabbed into tree-branch hollows where bush babies — small monkey-like mammals — sleep during the day.

After stabbing their prey, they removed the injured or dead animal and ate it.

Man's Best Coat

That's ruff:

The Humane Society of the United States said it purchased coats from reputable outlets, such as upscale Nordstrom, with designer labels — Andrew Marc, Tommy Hilfiger, for example — and found them trimmed with fur from domestic dogs, even though the fur was advertised as fake.

Largest Squid Caught

36 ft., 990 lb. colossal squid caught off New Zealand.

If calamari rings were made from the squid they would be the size of tractor tires, he added.

No Balls

Really, no balls:

As the General Assembly debates global warming and the death penalty, Myers (R-Washington) has something else on his mind: the outsized plastic testicles that truckers dangle from the trailer hitches of their pickups.

Blogger Ate

i changed over to the new version of Blogger and it ate my link list, a couple of link lists, and changed the colors and all kinds of nonsense.

Richard Thompson

Via The Sideshow, a new song from Richard Thompson. Free.

Testing

Just testing.

S.O.T.D. 1/20/07

It just won't leave my head.

Turnabout

From TPM Muckraker, who's helping the terrorists now?

Maliki disputed President Bush's remarks broadcast Tuesday that the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein "looked like it was kind of a revenge killing" and took exception to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's Senate testimony last week that Maliki's administration was on "borrowed time."

The prime minister said statements such as Rice's "give morale boosts for the terrorists and push them toward making an extra effort and making them believe they have defeated the American administration," Maliki said. "But I can tell you that they have not defeated the Iraqi government."...

Sean Hannity tonight: President Bush and Condoleeza Rice, your today's Enemy of the State!

[Producer's note: The feature on Sean Hannity's teevee show known as "Enemy of State" for the one week of its duration, after being pointed and laughed at incessantly, will now be known as Enemy of the Week. Now back to our regular programming.]

S.O.T.D. 1/18/07

Song of the Day is Out on the Road, by Loudon Wainwright III. I couldn't find it. Here's another one, from the BBC, 1978.

Steve Clemons on Iranian Nukes

Steve Clemons, on a subscribers-only "email version of a daily blog" known as the Nelson Report:

If folks are interested in paying in the low five-figure range for his high quality daily reports, I'll link you up.

I'm very interested in paying the low-five-figure sum for any damn thing at all in the universe. Very. Really.

But on to the report, which the mysterious Nelson allows Clemons to sometimes reprint:

IRAN. . .recent news stories out of the Middle East seem to be generating a sense that Iran is closer to a successful nuclear weapons capability than had previously been thought, and that the risk to Israel is rising to the point where Israel is moving closer to a decision to "take out" the Iranian nuclear weapons facilities.

Balderdash, our informed sources continue to maintain.

Yes, it does seem to be true that Iran has accelerated its program to bring on line the 3,000 centrifuges required to generate nuclear fuel. . .but it also seems true (and not Iranian disinformation) that of the 50 centrifuges recently hooked up, all 50 blew up.

And dang the MSM for going on and on about that...

Nothing else. Just passing along some info from someone smarter and more involved than you myself.

Edge of Existence

British move to protect weird and rare mammals.

Welcome ot the Edge.

Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna is known from a single specimen collected by a Dutch botanist in 1961, and currently held in the National Museum of Natural History, Leiden. The species is believed to be restricted to a single mountain peak in the Cyclops Mountains in the Indonesian province of Papua (on the island of New Guinea). There have been few systematic attempts to survey the flora and fauna of the Cyclops Mountains and no mammal surveys in the region since the type specimen was collected. The main threats to the species are not known, although other long-beaked echidnas are threatened by hunting and human encroachment onto their habitat.

S.O.T.D. 1/17/07

Just five days ago I started the Song of the Day and already I have a short songlist for hell.

But no more.

News and Less

• Skull found in Romania shows humans and neanderthals may have interbred.

• Adultery could lead to life in prison.

• Humans rode pterodactyls!

• Fake outrage of the day.

• Beavers could be frogs best friends.

And a bat:



Cat brought the little bugger in. He was given another chance.

Holy crap - look at the teeth on the little monster!



She's a beaut, I reckon.

Song of the Day, 1/16/07

Hank, Jr.

Great News Reported For Nazanin

This horror story has been around for awhile, with little good news coming. (I posted about it here seven months ago, and the links give you all the background.) Short story: A 17-year-old Iranian named Nazanin Fatehi stabbed and killed one of three men who were trying to rape her and her younger niece. She was convicted of murder and sentenced to death by hanging.

But a judge has stopped that from happening.

Nazanin Afshin-Jam and Mina Ahadi spoke with Nazanin Fatehi's lawyers today regarding her retrial that took place on January 10th 2007.

They have received verbal confirmation from the court that she will be exonerated from the charge of murder. The incident that took place in March 2005 has been recognized as an act of self-defense, however the court has ruled that disproportionate force was used by Nazanin while trying to defend herself and her 15-year old niece. Accordingly, they have asked Nazanin to pay “dieh” (blood money) to receive a pardon from the family of the deceased. Once this amount is paid, Nazanin can be released from prison.

Shadi Sadr and Mr. Mostafaei, Nazanin Fatehi's laywers, are appealing this blood money because they believe that Nazanin is innocent for acting in self-defense and therefore she should not have to pay any money. Unfortunately, this appeal may take several months, so in the meantime arrangements may be made to have Nazanin released from prison by paying “bail” money into court.

Formal documentation should be available within days, including further details and specifics like the cost of bail and the cost of blood money.

Not perfect - but what is?

My warmest regards for the young woman far away, and a big "Bravo" to all of those who did so much to get her story out.

BIG HAPPY UPDATE:

Jan 15 : Nazanin could be freed on bail immediately!

According to Etemaad Newspaper in Iran, which also reported Nazanin's original death sentence in January 2006, three out of the five judges in Nazanin's retrial have ordered that dieh "blood money" be paid to the family of the man who was killed, although the other two had recommended Nazanin's unconditional freedom.

Nazanin's lawyers intend to appeal the payment of blood money, but since this appeal may take several months, they have also requested bail so that Nazanin may be released from prison immediately. The court has set bail at 400,000,000 rials (over US$40,000).

Because Nazanin's family is very poor and unable to make payment of the bail or blood money, immediate financial assistance is required to secure Nazanin's release from prison.

And the most important part:

Mostafaei said the court set Fatehi's bail at 400,000,000 rials or about US$45,000, and he would meet with her on Tuesday. He asked people to help collect money for Fatehi's bail to help get her released from custody.

DO WHAT YOU CAN.

Song of the Day, 1/15/07

Oh man. I found myself singing, sans melody and with nothing like the right words and based on some regurgitated memory from my preschool days John Jacob Jingleheiner Schmidt. There's a track in that link of a bunch of kids singing it, if one were so moved...

Bullfrogs Are Going to Eat You

Not that's ironic

Oh dang, it's just funny.

Via Metafilter.

Elephants Loot Tapioca Trucks

I wrote about something similar, strangely enough, a year or so ago.

The Bangkok Post:

Chachoengsao _ The chief of Khao Ang Rue Nai wants the road through the wildlife sanctuary closed at night after a herd of elephants held up and looted a string of cargo trucks. About midnight last Saturday a herd of 20 elephants blocked route No.3259 (the Ban Nong Kog-Ban Wang Nam Phon road) holding up 10 trucks, Yoo Senatham said.

They tipped some vehicles on their side, spilling the cargoes on the road so their young could eat, and gorged on sugarcane and tapioca.

Via Fark.

Eat your Bottomfeeders

Or get it by the song straight to your computer at iTunes.

• Or at Music is Here

• Or at Tradebit (search "Bottomfeeders")

• Or look in your own favorite online music outlet - I just may be there

The Klootchy Spruce

Really nice post from Loaded Orygun:

This 750 year old giant is near death having been damaged four decades ago by lightning. Last year's wind storm blew off a large chunk of the tree, revealing a rotting interior.

I really need to get out that way. It's been 23 years, and was the first place I saw the Pacific.

Winter Morning, Back Room

LT

Song of the Day, 1/13/07

I see, this is going to take over the LTB and it'll become nohing but a string of YouTube videos. Well, that would probably be an improvement.



I think this is a sign of a good day. And kite flying.

Song of the Day, 1/12/07

Here's a new daily feature that I'll probably forget about within minutes. And it's not the "Song of the Day" in a "really great song" sort of way - it's the song that first plays in my head when I wake up.

It has to be an unforced song, one that is already playing, or that I'm unconsciously singing along with, when I take notice of it. It usually happens in the shower, and I sometimes think it is a sign of things to come for the day. The theme song, maybe. Today's song:



Oh no.

Tulips For Lunch - Chuck Brodsky

I've got Chuck Bodsky's new CD, Tulips For Lunch.

I've only heard three songs so far, but they manage to be thick and lush and at the same time Chuck's signature stark.

Give it a listen. The Curse of the Billy Goat is gonna be another baseball classic from Chuck.

Here's Chuck with some friends at a show at the Tønder Festival in Denmark (with his Kerrville shirt on).

Enemy of the Brain!

Via Crooks and Liars, Sean Hannity is such a dolt. His new feature, This Week's Enemy of the State, obviously modeled after Keith Olbermann's Worst Person in the World, is, like the Right's War on College Professors, eerily reminiscent of Nazism and Fascism, and really, really dumb. Watch it:



He doesn't even give a reason for being "Enemy of the State" that resembles being a, you know, "enemy of the state." What earns him Sean's bizarro world distinction?

• He called Hannity a "whore in a recent speech"

• He's "called for the impeachment of just about everybody in the Bush administration"

• And "called them 'bastards'"

He then goes on to say that "Penn can say whatever he wants." And then invites him on his show. Pretty squishy treatment for someone who's a, you know, "enemy of the state." Hannity then goes on, apparently not even understanding the point of his own feature, to say, "But the real question is, Who does this guy speak for? Who does he represent, other than bad actors?"

What a noodle.

Sean Hannity, you're today's Enemy of the Brain!

Mano a Mano

One of the reasons I love going to Metafilter.

Bush Lifts Ban on OIl/Gas Drilling in Bristol Bay

My one time stomping grounds, as was Valdez before the spill (I'll try and find some pics). And it comes with its own Bushesque irony:

The news comes as a trans-Alaska pipeline was shut down after some 500 gallons of crude oil were spilled.

The report says that the move has the approval of the Aleutians East Borough, but H. Joseph Hebert of the Chicago Tribune finds other voices:

"It's outrageous. It's a sad day for Bristol Bay," Eric Siy, executive director of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council, said in a telephone interview, responding to Bush's action.

"It's one of the largest and most valuable commercial fisheries in the world," said Siy. "And precisely where they intend to drill and site rigs is the critical habitat, feeding grounds of the North Pacific Right Whale, one of the most endangered on Earth."

And more from the borough:

The Aleutians East Borough's administrator, Bob Juettner, said developing the offshore oil and gas presents "a wonderful opportunity" to bring jobs to area and help the economy which has declined because of competition from foreign fisheries and the growth of farm-raised salmon.

"But keep in mind our families have centered their lives around commercial and subsistence fisheries for thousands of years," he continued. "And we can't let anything threaten our traditional way of life."

Without strict safeguards, warned Juettner "we will withdraw our support."

More info on the Bristol Bay fishery here.

Doctors Without Borders

9th Annual Top 10 Most Underreported Humanitarian Stories of 2006.

Cicarelli: YouBoobTube

Sorry, not the link you wanted.

Daniela Cicarelli, a model and ex-wife of soccer star Ronaldo, and her boyfriend, Renato Malzoni Filho, sued YouTube and demanded $116,00 [sic] in damages for each day the video, which apparently showed them having sex on a Spanish beach, remained on the Web site.

Ten Airmen Killed in Iraq (Total) - (Updated)

Three Air Force Airmen First Class were killed in Iraq in the last 24 hours.

A car bomb in Baghdad on Sunday killed the three airmen assigned to the 447th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Division, the U.S. military said. A soldier died Saturday after coming under fire in the capital, and another soldier died Friday from combat wounds sustained in Iraq's volatile western Anbar province.

I haven't seen "airmen" linked to the sickeningly regular news reports of military deaths very often, so I looked at The Washington Post's Faces of the Fallen. The Air Force has lost the fewest members of the four major services in this Iraq war - 51 (that doesn't appear to include today's deaths).

Airman First Class - A1C - is the Air Force's third lowest rank, after Airman Basic and Airman, and the lowest rank listed in the Air Force's deaths in Iraq. According to the WaPo, only seven A1Cs have been killed there since the war started. They range in age from 20 to 22, with one 24, at the time of their deaths. And three were killed today.

I don't have any idea what, if anything, that signifies. A change in tactics? Desperation in deployments? I don't know. I just wanted to note it.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of three more brave young people.


UPDATE: The three were not Airmen First Class, but two Senior Airmen and one Tech Sgt., ages 23, 24, and 35.. My ignorance of Air Force terminology ("airmen" can signify any member of the Air Force) led to that assumption.

Also: I had to repost this after losing it and lost a comment - an angry one pointing out my ignorance and educating me about Explosive Ordnance Disposal airmen - from I believe it was David Dougherty, and my reply to it.

This is what a trained EOD airmen does. It is a decidedly difficult and dangerous job that requies a huge amount of know-how and courage.

Her Highness

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Royal Highness Christine the Indefatigable of London by the Bow Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Via The Sideshow.

Never Get Busted Again

Almost funny:

A one-time Texas drug agent described by a former boss as perhaps the best narcotics officer in the country plans to begin selling a video that shows people how to conceal their drugs and fool police.

A promotional video says [Barry] Cooper will show viewers how to "conceal their stash," "avoid narcotics profiling" and "fool canines every time."

Cooper, who said he favors the legalization of marijuana, made the video in part because he believes the nation's fight against drugs is a waste of resources. Busting marijuana users fills up prisons with nonviolent offenders, he said.

In 2005, 696,074 people were arrested for possession of marijuana in the U.S. 1,907 a day.

Happy holidays to everyone sitting in prison for possession of pot.

Jeff Ranjit Stanley

Just goofing in his studio in Manley.

He's agot a new CD out, you can hear it over here and over here.

Christmas Bottomfeeders

Or get it by the song straight to your computer at iTunes.

Laura's War

Laura Bush: James baker and Lee Hamilton work for CNN. And these guys do too.

Taking Mrs. Bush's argument at face value and agreeing, for this experiment, that the media isn't reporting enough of the "good news" about Iraq, exactly how much "good news" would it take to "win out," if that's the way to put it, over the actual carnage? Honestly? I think she must know that it would be an impossible amount, nothing short of, say, "Iraq War Finds Cures for Cancer!" and is therefore, along with the others who have been saying this for some years now, dishonest of her to push it.

Go Ron Go

Via TPM, Senator Wyden (D-Here) will will unveil his universal health care proposal today.

Wyden said his plan would allow workers to carry their health insurance from job to job without penalty and would cost the federal government no more than it's paying today for health insurance coverage. It would cover all Americans except those on Medicare or those who receive health care through the military.

Like I said, Go Ron Go!

Raw Links

I like Raw Story, but why would they uncritically link to crap like this?

GENERAL FORESEES 50 TO 100 YEAR TERROR WAR

In all caps no less to further its hoped-for urgency - why?




Beside the fact that it's God's Sun Myung Moon's newspaper, and that it's a Bill Gertz story (the Russians took the WMDs to Syria!), wouldn't a headline with, say, a question mark or something be more appropriate? Or "Air force General Goes Crazy Stupid" maybe?

The fact that a brigadier general in the Air Force said something so absolutley loopy is news, but not that kind of news. The people at Raw Story should know better.

I'm done.
Crossposte at DKos.

The Poetry Man

Videos. Music. And poetry from one of the hardest working people on the tubes.

Browse. Listen. Read. Look. There's a whole world in there.

Horny Manatee Dot Com

Now this is funny.

At the end of the skit, in a line Mr. O’Brien insists was ad-libbed, he mentioned that the voyeur (actually Mark Pender, a member of the show’s band) was watching www.hornymanatee.com. There was only one problem: as of the taping of that show, which concluded at 6:30 p.m., no such site existed. Which presented an immediate quandary for NBC: If a viewer were somehow to acquire the license to use that Internet domain name, then put something inappropriate on the site, the network could potentially be held liable for appearing to promote it.

In a pre-emptive strike inspired as much by the regulations of the Federal Communications Commission as by the laws of comedy, NBC bought the license to hornymanatee.com, for $159, after the taping of the Dec. 4 show but before it was broadcast.

By yesterday afternoon hornymanatee.com — created by Mr. O’Brien’s staff and featuring images of such supposedly forbidden acts as “Manatee-on-Manatee” sex (again using characters in costumes) — had received approximately 3 million hits, according to NBC. Meanwhile several thousand of Mr. O’Brien’s viewers have also responded to his subsequent on-air pleas that they submit artwork and other material inspired by the aquatic mammals, and the romantic and sexual shenanigans they imagine, to the e-mail address conan@hornymanatee.com.

Go. Look at the horny manatees. Oh no, don't!

929 Speakers

At Le Web3.

Steve Does Clarence

Steve Audio (this is becoming a habit) put a bunch of time into this piece on guitar god Clarence White. History, links, videos, thoughts, as only Steve can do.

The Sun Came Up Again

Christine got a good one. I was still in bed.

Frizzarday

He has hit the jackpot with this regualr feature.

Kangaroos. Boxing.

Like I said, Boxing Kangaroos.

Niel Young: "Living With War" Raw Version

From an email from Jeff Watson, Director of New Media at Warner Brothers Records:

"Living With War - In The Beginning" is a new CD/DVD version coming on December 19th that includes the original mixes done the day of each session (the CD-only version is out on iTunes today as well). These raw mixes do not include the choir that was added in L.A. the week after the original recordings were done. These recordings are not remixed. They are the first mixes that were made in the heat of the moment. Although they are not polished, they represent the essence of Living With War, in the beginning.

LIVING WITH WAR - IN THE BEGINNING

Included in the new set is a DVD of all 10 of the videos done in the LWW network form, as well as all 10 of the documentary videos of the original sessions. These Living with War documentary videos show the choir and the sessions, day by day, as the project was evolving.

The Raw version "In the Beginning" is a separate CD within the package. This new LWW package, including the Raw CD and the DVD of the videos, along with a new cover, will be will be released on December 19th.

You can get the audio only version digitally right now though at iTunes! Click here to get it - RIGHT HERE!.

Give a listen to the raw version of the song "Living With War."

Windows:

56 Kbps

128 Kbps

Quicktime:

56 Kpbs

128 Kpbs

A perfect present: Let's Impeach the President for Christmas!



Bonus:


Crossposted at DKos.

TV5, Ulaanbaatar

Via Metafilter, TV5 is the first Mongolian TV station on the internet. Sign up here. Schedule here.

And the blog, Mongolian Matters.

Like a Hollywood Script

Republicans in Hollywood.

Hollywood producer bilked $5.5m for TV show claimed "backed by Bush"

One of Dana Rohrbacher's friends.

According to today's Los Angeles Times, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) received a $23,000 option on a screenplay he wrote 30 years ago from Hollywood producer, Joseph Medawar. Rohrabacher, clearly in return, helped introduce Medawar to at least five Republican congressmen at the House Homeland Security Committee in 2004, including then-Chairman Christopher Cox.

At the time, Medawar was pitching his latest Hollywood project, a TV series about the Department of Homeland Security. It was reported that Medawar bragged about his access to Washington big-shots when discussing his project with journalists and selling it to potential investors in his company, Steeple Enterprises.

Hey! This would make a great screenplay...

Steve Audio

Steve Audio puts his expert ear to the Bare Naked Ladies.

How expert? He's been in the business for so long and so hard that he's heard the 5 hidden guitar solo tracks on the 2" master for Steely Dan's "Peg".

Damn.

Rush Limbaugh Admits to Cat/Girlfriend on Radioshow

You heard it here first folks. Or possibly here.

Rush Limbaugh admitted on his radio show yesterday that, "This cat's taught me more about women, than anything my whole life."

Than anything. Including...actual women.

"She gets loved," said Limbaugh, speaking again of his cat.

"She gets petted."

I interviewed the cat at at a safe house not far from Limbaugh's Florida home.



"Shoot me! Just friggin shoot me!" the kitty screamed over and over and over. I shot him. It was for the best, considering what it had been through.

Rush Limbaugh: Hillbilly heroin and a cat for a girlfriend. What will he admit to next?

Little Thom's Video Blog

I've got a new blog - Little Thom's Video Blog - which will be about and for music.

It'll be up and running in a little while with the first song, My Own Best Friend.

And don't forget: The perfect Christmas gift for friends and enemies alike is my CD, Bottomfeeders. God said so. Get it by the song - just 99 cents - or the entire album at the following links:

iTunes
Little Thom's Music at CDBaby

And just for a listen:

LT at MySpace
LT at Podsafe Music Network
LT at Pure Volume

When Harry Met a Knucklehead

Harry Shearer gets out the shears and shaves a few inches off Newt Gingrich’s knuckles. And head. Or something.

The Jesus Bird

The Comb-crested Jacana, according to the very knowledgeable and perfectly-talkative guide on the South Alligator River in Kakadoo National Park (part of the Yellow Waters cruise), has the longest feet, per bird size, of any bird in the world. Allows in to "walk on water."

The Comb-crested Jacana [check out the illustrations circa 1800 by John Gould], also known as the Lotusbird, has a red fleshy forehead comb, a black crown, back and breast and brown wings. The belly, face and throat are white, and there is a faint yellow tinge around the eye and throat. Both sexes are similar in appearance, but the female is larger than the male, and slightly brighter in colour.

At a distance, the Comb-crested Jacana appears to have the ability to walk on water. In fact, it is walking on floating plants. Its extremely long toes help it to spread its body weight over a larger area. In flight, the long legs and toes trail behind the body.

Kangaroos. Boxing.

This is just too cool. I just registered with YouTube so I can put some video from Australia up. I took this is Canberra in mid-October. I had gotten up at my usual Australian waking time of 5:30 and gone for a walk. This is right in the center of town. I saw my first two kangaroos, in the wild (zoos just aren't the thing), munching grass at a high school not far from the Australian War Memorial.

I was ecstatic.

And they did a show for me. Unbelievable. The buggers even seemed to stop and wait until I had my camera ready. Check it out.

Bottomfeeders on Tradebit

My CD Bottomfeeders is available at CDBaby, and they've sent it out to so far 26 online music distributors. iTunes has had it for some time, and I just found out that Tradebit now has it up. Looks pretty simple. You can even use PayPal.

A bargain at a buck a song download. Perfect for the holidays. (Just found out the entire album is available on this page.)

Katia and Kylie Mac: The Podcast

I got a notice a while back from a couple new computer radioheads in Paris letting me know that they had used a song of mine for the teaser for their upcoming podcast. They are now up and running. And they've used the song as their theme song:

k&k podcast : Katia and Kyliemac, an Australian and an American living in Paris, podcast about the expat life and how they eat Oreos.

(Thanks to Little Thom for the great song we've used as our theme tune!)

Thanks Katia! Thanks Kylie!

You can subscribe to their show on iTunes and various pod places at the above link and here at the Podsafe Music Network, which is where they found me.

South Africa to the Fore

An example for the world.

S Africa approves same-sex unions

South Africa's parliament has voted to legalise same-sex weddings - the first African country to approve such unions.
The controversial Civil Union bill was passed by 230 votes to 41.

...

The ruling was based on the constitution, which was the first in the world specifically to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference.

Photos by the Sea

Sculpture by the Sea in the east Sydney suburbs is a truly enjoyable, makes you happy to be alive kinda event. A few kilometers of wind-sculpted sandstone beachfront (Tamarama to Bondi) with cleverly (and not-so-cleverly) installed sculpture, some on a grand scale, appearing along the way. People seemed to arrive in a good mood and it got better through the day. Many thanks to Christine's sis Shannon and her Kevin for taking us there.

Extra coolness: Kodak, the major sponsor of the 17-day—and free—event, had booths set up along the way where you could, if you had a digital camera (we got one the day before the trip) get three free prints and enter one into a photo contest. I entered this one:



It was one of the five finalists for the day and I'm now in the running for the grand prize (camera and cash). How cool is that?

Lots more photos coming, flora and fauna.

UPDATE: I didn't win. Bastards.

Back From Australia

Saltwater crocodile on the South Alligator River in Kakadoo National Park.

I was in a boat.

It was still a little freaky.

Top 300 Songs of the 20th Century

I normally don't give a crap about such lists, but NPR puts a personal hero up high where he belongs.

#12: "Angel from Montgomery" John Prine, as performed by Bonnie Raitt (1971)

The Constitution of the United States 2.0

Political Cortex:

ARTICLE I

Section 1

All legislative Powers are hereby ceded to the Executive branch, though the Congress will still make a Grand Noise and wave their arms as if they give a Damn.

Browsing

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