:: NEWS COCKTAIL aka BlahBlahBlog ::

:: 2.28.2003 ::

:: BLOGGER GETS GOOGLEY-EYED ::

OK. Here's a draft for my story about the Pyra/Google deal. It will be self-syndicated through several regional monthly computer rags. I just had to push past a headache today and crank something out. So, here it is, in all its splendid imperfection:

Blogger Gets Googley-Eyed
By Matthew W. Beale

As you’ve probably heard, Google acquired Pyra, the parent company of Blogger, in mid-February. The deal gave Pyra’s founders and backers shares of Google, but neither company has been very forthcoming with specifics.

Google responded to a request for a comment by repeating the news posted at the Pyra Web site: "We're thrilled about the many synergies and future opportunities between our two companies, vaguely adding: “in the coming weeks, we will report additional details."

Meg Hourihan, a co-founder of Pyra who has since left the company, said in an e-mail that she hasn’t “heard/seen too many weird reactions” to the deal, but was “surprised by how many people think it means Google's going to become a portal.”

GOOGLE + BLOGGER = WHAT’S UP WITH THAT?

There were of course jokes about Blogger's name being changed to "Bloggle" or even "Blogger powered by Google."

The big question, however, involves those “synergies” and “opportunities” -- what exactly does Google intend to do with Blogger? It’s been reported -- and hinted at above -- that the two companies signed onto the deal without any real plan with regard to how they would merge and work together. Altruism or business opportunity, everyone seemed to have some idea.

“I think the immediate impetus behind the Google/Pyra deal was a simple need for more resources by Pyra, along with a recognition on Google's part that Blogger, in addition to providing data that is useful to Google's index, provides a service that is valued and important on the net, but wasn't reaching its full potential due to resource constraints in the smaller company,” said blogger Anil Dash.

Pyra, still run by co-founder Ev Williams, along with a core team of developers, was, according to a FAQ posted at the Blogger Web site, “bootstrapping,” or “growing without funding.” “A company of Google’s size could give Blogger the resources we needed to do things better, faster, bigger.”

THE POWER OF THE BLOG COMPELS YOU!

A Blog, for the uninitiated, is short for the term weblog – a sort of personal Web page that’s oft described as an online diary or journal, and occasionally even an e-soapbox, although many blogs defy definition. The blog community – that numbers over 1 million on Blogger alone – is as diverse as you’d imagine, with active participants chronicling everything from their daily culinary obsessions to the news of the day, replete with links.

The links generated by bloggers, according to many observers, are crucial to understanding Google’s interest in the popular blog publishing tool creator. Bloggers create links to stories often minutes after being posted by online news services. Blogs are readable in what’s called RSS (rich site summary), a format that makes them readily available to bots that search engines use to crawl and index the Web.

Blogs can also serve to help measure the hotter news items, if you will, through the ability to examine what stories are being most frequently linked to by bloggers.

According to blogger Matt Webb, “Google could use the database to make their results 20-seconds-timely. That could be the next battle front of the search engines, not just breadth but up-to-the-second.”

Hourihan, in a New York Times report, observed that the deal is “about having the Blogger database, not so much the words but what people are pointing to, and getting their finger on that in real time.”

Blogs also tend to add a layer of commentary to news stories that have been linked to, making them compelling to readers online. But this particular deal could potentially have more of an impact.

“For users of the www, (this deal) says quite loudly that there is value in weblogs,” said Webb. “That is, there's value in ultra low cost, ultra low effort ways of individuals writing on the www, not just reading.”

Blogger didn’t create weblogs, and there are a number of other companies offering users access to the means to participate in what has become something of a mainstream phenomenon, including DiaryLand, LiveJournal.com, Movable Type and Radio Userland. Webb said that more blog services should be soon on the way and, according to a recent Microsoft Watch report, the monster from Redmond is gearing up its own related offering.

GOOGLE: SOME HISTORY

Part of the puzzlement that many observers have felt with regard to the deal involves the obvious: Blogger creates the content and Google indexes it. What will this mean for the larger online community?

Firstly, there is some precedent here. When Google acquired a massive Usenet archive from Deja.com in early 2001 and subsequently took most of it offline, Usenet junkies, researchers and others balked and rumblings of e-insurrections were lingering in the mist.

The company made a recovery later in the year, however, placing the archive back online -- at groups.google.com -- giving users access to some 700 million posts stretching back to an article from May 1981.

Google more recently created a news site – news.gogle.com – that’s been ridiculed by some journalists, while being lauded by other online pundits as a significant development in how news is featured on the Internet. Google News, which harvests items from reportedly more than 4,000 sources, has seemed to make itself immune to accusations of bias by automating the process of selecting the news to be featured.

DO NO EVIL?

According to many reports, including a January Wired Magazine feature, Google abides by and has prospered as a result of a simple rule: do no evil. (That and strong technology) The blogging community, closely watching developments, clearly hopes that's still the case.

Another significant concern involves users of other blogging services and whether or not Google will show preference for Blogger-generated pages.

“My initial concern, which is an issue that can't really be debated either way until we've seen some changes to the service, is that any special benefits afforded Blogger's sites will privilege them in the Google index over non-Blogger weblogs,” said Dash.

Added Dash: “most of the arguments that people have made so far about improving Google's index by owning Blogger and BlogSpot are ones that would make more sense when applied to weblogs as a whole. Having deeper links to one tool's output doesn't make any more sense with blogger than it would if Google had a deeper index of pages created by FrontPage or by BBEdit or by DreamWeaver.”

Blogger briefly addressed such concerns in its posted FAQ: “The people at Google have done a great job over the years making sure their search results are honest and objective and there’s no reason why they would change that policy for Blogger or anyone else.”

“My concerns are those of someone who values the weblog software ecosystem,” said Webb. “If Google extract a lot of value from weblogs, they're milking the whole weblog community.”

Webb, like many other members of the blogging community, appreciates the effort that people put into “weblog readers, aggregators, Daypop's WordBursts, reading suggestions, etc.”

He added: “If people feel like they're being taken for a ride, like what they do is just feeding into a profit-making company, they'll go elsewhere. If this happens, Google better give something back; I think they know this, and I think they'll do it.”

When asked what Google could give back, Webb replied that they could advance the way weblog data is handled -- “not just Blogger data, but every weblog they scrape - in an analogous way to the Google API lets people build interesting apps on top of the Google www database and search results.”

Dash summed up what’s on the mind of many bloggers: “I'm just hoping that it's clear that the value is in their links, content, and networking, not in the tool that creates them, and not in a subset of the entire realm of weblogs.”

----30----

posted by me

:: 6:00:00 PM [+] ::
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:: TIA update ::

From CNET News.com:
Pentagon spy database funding revealed
By Declan McCullagh

Over the last few months, TIA has become a lightning rod for criticism, with Republican and Democratic legislators speaking out against it on privacy and security grounds. On Feb. 20, as part of a large spending bill for the federal government, Congress approved additional scrutiny of research and development on the TIA project.

Those restrictions do not halt TIA research.

posted by me

:: 12:37:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Run, Forrest, Run ::

From kuro5hin.org:
Ari Fleischer Laughed Out of White House Press Briefing
Thu Feb 27th, 2003 at 09:12:40 PM EST

Ari Fleischer, White House spokesman, was laughed out of the daily briefing on Feb 25th. Members of the foreign press asked about US vote buying for its resolution before the UN Security Council on Iraq. Ari reacted in a offended manner, eliciting loud laughter from the entire press corps. Ari gets a somewhat miffed look on his face and makes a quick exit to continuing laughter and the press making snide remarks amongst themselves.

Here's the end of the offical transcript:
... But think about the implications of what you're saying. You're saying that the leaders of other nations are buyable. And that is not an acceptable proposition.
(Laughter)
Thank you.

Join the discussion.

posted by me

:: 10:46:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Oversight? ::

From Crosswalk.com:
Domestic Surveillance Oversight Act of 2003
Senators Leahy, Specter and Grassley
Information Services

Note: The above is "a Sectional Analysis of the Domestic Surveillance Oversight Act of 2003."

In perspective, from internetnews.com:
Senators Want FBI Info on Web Spying
By Roy Mark

Three U.S. senators have introduced legislation to enhance congressional oversight and public reporting of the FBI's domestic surveillance efforts, including the agency's efforts to monitor Internet activity by Americans. The bill would require public accounting of the number of Americans subjected to surveillance under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the number of times FISA information is used for law enforcement purposes.

posted by me

:: 10:31:00 PM [+] ::
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:: A dark day for TV ::

Wait, did I really just type that? Hmmm. Let me try again... every day that TV exists is a dark day. Muy estupido, I know. OK. I admit it... I watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer! You've caught me in a weaker moment. Deadline stress, perhaps. Never mind. This is the only show that I really watch (I blame my brother for this, as he got me pathetically addicted to this show during a holiday visit in 2000).

Where am I going with this? I just learned that this will be the show's last season. Here's a couple of related stories:

Gellar Confirms Buffy End
It's the end of Buffy as we know it, and I feel fine...

Sarah Michelle Gellar confirmed reports that she will quit UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer at the end of the current seventh season, according to the cover story in the March 7 Entertainment Weekly magazine. "Buffy, in this incarnation, is over," Gellar told the magazine, her eyes welling with tears, according to a report on the Associated Press.

Here's the Slashdot discussion.

Hold on, I'm getting faklempt. Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic... the demise of Buffy and, well, me... are unmixy things!

posted by faklempt me ;)

"I didn't say I'd never slay another vampire. It's not like I have all these fluffy bunny feelings for them. I'm just not going to get way extracurricular with it."
--Sarah Michellle Gellar as Buffy Summers in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"

:: 5:46:00 PM [+] ::
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:: More on Iraq ::

The latest from our friends @ FOX:
Security Council Remains Divided After Meeting on Iraq

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council remained bitterly divided over what to do next about Iraq following a contentious closed-door session Thursday that one ambassador called "one of the most depressing meetings I've seen."

U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix, meanwhile, has concluded that Iraq's results on disarmament are "very limited so far," according to diplomats who have seen the draft of his new report to the U.N. Security Council.

posted by me

:: 5:28:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Bombshell revelation? ::

From Newsweek:
Exclusive: The Defector’s Secrets
By John Barry

March 3 issue — Hussein Kamel, the highest-ranking Iraqi official ever to defect from Saddam Hussein’s inner circle, told CIA and British intelligence officers and U.N. inspectors in the summer of 1995 that after the gulf war, Iraq destroyed all its chemical and biological weapons stocks and the missiles to deliver them.

Kamel’s revelations about the destruction of Iraq’s WMD stocks were hushed up by the U.N. inspectors, sources say, for two reasons. Saddam did not know how much Kamel had revealed, and the inspectors hoped to bluff Saddam into disclosing still more. And Iraq has never shown the documentation to support Kamel’s story. Still, the defector’s tale raises questions about whether the WMD stockpiles attributed to Iraq still exist.

There's a great resource page focusing on this story at The Bush Files blog.

posted by me

:: 5:23:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Additional Blogger Gets Googley-Eyed story research ::

I'm still researching a story on the Google/Blogger deal for a monthly computer rag, sending out e-mail interview requests. Here's another great response, this one from Matt Webb:

Google's acquisition is significant both for webloggers and users of the www. For webloggers, because it frees Pyra to build cool new features. It's got some catching up to do -- Movable Type is a really good product and competitor. (Pyra have had to put a lot of effort into Blogger's infrastructure, but now that's taken care of.)

For users of the www, it says quite loudly that there is value in weblogs. That is, there's value in ultra low cost, ultra low effort ways of individuals *writing* on the www, not just reading. So expect to see others making their offering soon.

As to what that value is... that's the big question.

Google could use the database to make their results 20-seconds-timely. That could be the next battle front of the search engines, not just breadth but up-to-the-second. Or Google could use Blogger's users as a representative constituency of the www to introduce novel new forms of searching (trails, etc).

My concerns are those of someone who values the weblog software ecosystem. It's not good for a single company to make money out of searching the content, but control the generation of the control too.

If Google extract a lot of value from weblogs, they're milking the whole weblog community. I like that people put effort into weblog readers, aggregators, Daypop's WordBursts, reading suggestions, etc. If people feel like they're being taken for a ride, like what they do is just feeding into a profit-making company (Google) they'll go elsewhere, and I'd prefer that not to happen. If this happens, Google better give something back; I think they know this, and I think they'll do it.

posted by me

:: 5:03:00 PM [+] ::
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:: It's Just A Ride ::

Today's blog entries are posted in honor of the late, great comedian/cultural assassin, Bill Hicks. He passed away from pancreatic cancer on February 26, 1994 at the age of 32.

A crazy genius from Texas, he would say things things like "we are the facilitators of our own creative evolution," making it seem like an offhanded remark.

Here's a great list of quotes from Hicks.

"I'm so sick of arming the world, then sending troops over to destroy the fucking arms, you know what I mean? We keep arming these little countries, then we go and blow the shit out of them. We're like the bullies of the world, y'know. We're like Jack Palance in the movie Shane, throwing the pistol at the sheepherder's feet."

"Pick it up."

"I don't wanna pick it up, Mister, you'll shoot me."

"Pick up the gun."

"Mister, I don't want no trouble. I just came downtown here to get some hard rock candy for my kids, some gingham for my wife. I don't even know what gingham is, but she goes through about ten rolls a week of that stuff. I ain't looking for no trouble, Mister."

"Pick up the gun."

(He picks it up. Three shots ring out.)

"You all saw him - he had a gun."

AND...

"I'm gonna share with you a vision that I had, cause I love you. And you feel it. You know all that money we spend on nuclear weapons and defense each year, trillions of dollars, correct? Instead -- just play with this -- if we spent that money feeding and clothing the poor of the world -- and it would pay for it many times over, not one human being excluded -- we can explore space together, both inner and outer, forever in peace. Thank you very much. You've been great, I hope you enjoyed it." -Bill Hicks

posted by someone like me who knows that this world misses bill hicks more than it could ever realize

:: 10:22:00 PM [+] ::
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:: PR ::

Here's the Win Without War press release from today:
Virtual March Overwhelms Senate and White House

"The outpouring of support for tough inspections to disarm Saddam Hussein, and against an invasion and occupation of Iraq got through loud and clear today," said former Congressman Tom Andrews, National Director of Win Without War, the coalition of mainstream organizations that sponsored today’s Virtual March on Washington. "Americans want us to work with our allies through the United Nations to contain the threat from Iraq."

"Well over one million phone calls were made in just eight hours by people from every state in the country. Every Senator’s office and the White House switchboard received at least two and often more calls per minute. Many callers had to settle for busy signals,” he added.

posted by me

:: 9:53:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Peter Paul Rubens: The Horrors of War ::

From The Guardian UK: End of innocence
Rubens was a pacifist in a world of warmongers. So why was he so fascinated by bloody scenes of horrifying violence?
By Jonathan Jones, Thursday February 27, 2003

Rubens was a peacemaker in a world of martial enthusiasts. The painter, courtier and diplomat seems to have been a genuine rather than rhetorical lover of peace, and not surprisingly - he had plenty to lose.

2 paintings by Rubens viewable online:
"Allegory of Peace"
"The Consequences of War"
[Click "zoom" under the image on the left.]

"The principal figure is Mars, who has left the open temple of Janus (which in time of peace, according to Roman custom, remained closed) and rushes forth with shield and bloodstained sword, threatening the people with great disaster. He pays little heed to Venus, his mistress, who, accompanied by her Amors and Cupids, strives with caresses and embraces to hold him. From the other side, Mars is dragged forward by the Fury Alekto, with a torch in her hand. Nearby are monsters personifying Pestilence and Famine, those inseparable partners of War. On the ground, turning her back, lies a woman with a broken lute, representing Harmony, which is incompatible with the discord of War. There is also a mother with her child in her arms, indicating that fecundity, procreation, and charity are thwarted by War, which corrupts and destroys everything. In addition, one sees an architect thrown on his back with his instruments in his hand, to show that that which in time of peace is constructed for the use and ornamentation of the City, is hurled to the ground by the force of arms and falls to ruin. I believe, if I remember rightly, that you will find on the ground under the feet of Mars a book as well as a drawing on paper, to imply that he treads underfoot all the arts and letters. There ought also to be a bundle of darts or arrows, with the band which held them together undone; these when bound form the symbol of Concord. Beside them is the caduceus and an olive-branch, attribute of Peace; these also are cast aside. That grief-stricken woman clothed in black, with torn veil, robbed of all her jewels and other ornaments, is the unfortunate Europe who, for so many years now, has suffered plunder, outrage, and misery, which are so injurious to everyone that it is unnecessary to go into detail."
-Letter from Peter Paul Rubens to Justus Sustermans commenting on his painting The Horrors of War, 12 March 1638.

posted by me

:: 9:25:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Blair Revolt in the UK ::

From The Guardian UK: Rebel vote stuns Blair
Michael White, Patrick Wintour and Nicholas Watt
Thursday February 27, 2003

Tony Blair's Iraqi war strategy was shaken to the core last night when 121 Labour backbenchers defied a three-line whip to join a cross-party revolt and tell the prime minister that the the case for military action against Saddam Hussein is not yet made.

The vote, which came at the end of an impassioned and impressive six-hour debate in the House of Commons, dramatically reshapes the debate for the three crucial weeks ahead.

The vote "demonstrates there is no public support for a war. The prime minister has failed to convince the public or the party. It's time for him to think again", said the leftwinger Jeremy Corbyn.

ALSO:

From the Daily Telegraph UK:
Blair rocked by biggest revolt over war on Iraq

posted by me

:: 9:15:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: In other news ::

From the Austin American-Statesman: Senate Criticizes FBI on Anti-Terror Law
By JIM ABRAMS

WASHINGTON (AP)--The FBI has done a poor job with an anti-terrorism law that permits unprecedented levels of domestic surveillance, Senate Judiciary Committee lawmakers said Tuesday.

``The lack of professionalism in applying the law has been scandalous,'' said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who wrote the committee report with Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. ``The real question is if the FBI is capable of carrying out a counterintelligence effort,'' Specter said.

The report contended that the FBI and the Justice Department were guilty of excessive secrecy, inadequate training, weak information analysis and the stifling of internal dissent in using the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a key tool in the war on terrorism.

Information on the report can be found online.

posted by me

:: 5:51:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Another Virtual March report ::

From Wired: Protesters Take Capitol by Phone
By Leander Kahney, 02:08 PM Feb. 26, 2003 PT

Described as the first "Virtual March" on Washington, anti-war protestors from around the country deluged the Senate and White House with a coordinated barrage of phone calls, faxes and e-mails.

"We are overwhelmed by the reception we're getting," said Tom Andrews, Win Without War's national director. "I've just come back from the Capitol. The phones are very busy in every Senate office."

posted by me

:: 5:39:00 PM [+] ::
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:: I Virtually Marched ::

Well, I registered through MoveOn.org for the Virtual March on Washington taking place today between 9am and 6pm EST. In the process of signing up, I was asked what message I intended to deliver. I hadn't considered it specifically, but managed to write down the following off the top of my head that's been plagued with a bit of an ache today, I'm afraid:

George W. Bush, although giving some apearance of attempting to act in concert with members of the Security Council, has said that he will order military action against Iraq even without explicit UN approval. A bigger question at the moment, however, is not whether or not the administration will render NATO or the UN S.C. irrelevent in the future, but whether or not Bush cares what his own country thinks. Bush seems driven by a private agenda, pushing relentlessly toward war as if alternatives do not exist, arrogantly dismissing a swelling chorus of legitimate concerns from within the US and all over the world.

The President needs to try again to make his case before the US. His attempts thus far have been woefully inadequate, relying on rhetoric and sometimes spurious evidence. I also don't think the potential consequences of a war in Iraq have been properly considred. It is apparent to myself and many others that Bush needs to take this very complex situation much more seriously before setting a plan into motion that will be irreversible and potentially disastrous for us and the international community.

Mathew Beale
blognation@hotmail.com

[I also added the following first sentence from the organization's template: I am a constituent of yours and I write today as a participant in Win Without War's Virtual March.]

Once I registered, I was given a calling time along with contact information for my Senators. Everyone who signs up is scheduled thus, assuring a steady stream of calls throughout the working day -- aiming for one a minute both to the US Senate and the White House. My calls are set to commence @ 5:35pm EST.

I also signed up with TrueMajority.org to send free faxes to my Senators. There's a related link from MoveOn.org once you're registered. Beyond that, I also went the e-mail route -- overkill, anyone? -- sending them thus far to not only my Senators (yep, they'll curse my name soon enough), but also to my Congressional rep. A simple search through Google should be able to produce needed electronic contact information. I'll probably send Dubya an e-mail as well. I'm sure that Condoleeza can read it to him. ;)

That reminds me, here's the contact info for the White House:

The White House Phone Numbers
COMMENTS: 202-456-1111
SWITCHBOARD: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

White House E-Mail Addresses
President George W. Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Richard Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov

Back to my own particular message: tis challenging to collect one's thoughts on such an important issue so quickly, trying to speak succinctly, and so forth. But I'm sure that I don't even have to mention that an original expression is highly preferable to copying WWW's "talking points." In any case, there's a hell of a lot more to say, and I'm sure that I'll find a way to express some of those things here @ this blog over the coming weeks.

If you have concerns about what seems to be an inevitable war with Iraq, there's still time to participte in this unique event.

You can also visit the "antiwar room" to see the comments of registered participants appearing at their individually scheduled call in times. So, mine should appear @, again, 5:35pm EST. It's a bit chaotic, but worth checking out. At the time of my visit (just after 4pm) they had already passed the 343,000 call mark.

posted by me

:: 3:01:00 PM [+] ::
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:: The Virtual March continues ::

From The Washington Post:
Antiwar Protesters Flood Senate Phone Lines
By Juliet Eilperin, Wednesday, February 26, 2003; 2:35 PM

Thousands of antiwar protesters flooded Senate phone lines today as part of a "Virtual March" on Washington.

The phone-in campaign was sponsored by the "Win Without War" coalition, which told Web site readers they could "join a massive march on Washington without leaving your living room."

By early this afternoon, several Senate office phone lines were jammed. While an overall count was unavailable, the Moveon.org Web site reported 85,000 supporters had signed up to call, a figure that would translate into more than one call per minute to each Senate office.

"The calls have been coming in steadily all day," said Megan Sowards, a spokeswoman for Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) who estimated the office had logged at least 200 by mid-morning.

The calls tied up the lines of war opponents, such as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), as well as supporters of Bush's strategy, such as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.). Possible presidential hopeful Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) had received at least 400 calls.

Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.), who voted against allowing Bush to use force without the United Nations' blessing, received dozens of calls backing his position.

"Senator Chaffee remains opposed to war and appreciates the time people are taking to express their concern," Chafee spokesman said.

ALSO, here's a Reuters AlertNET report:
US 'virtual' war protest jams congressional phones

posted by me

:: 2:42:00 PM [+] ::
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:: The Virtual March Has Begun ::

From PressDemocrat.com: Anti-war protest takes cyber turn
Phone, fax and e-mail will be weapons of choice in today's demonstration
By Cecilia M. Vega, February 26, 2003

George Bush, you've got mail.

Thousands of anti-war demonstrators are expected to launch a virtual march on Washington today, leaving their picket signs at home and flooding White House and Senate offices with a slew of e-mails, faxes and phone calls protesting war against Iraq.

"I don't think the powers that be acknowledge the protests," said Steve Miksis, a Santa Rosa accountant who will call the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., at 8:52 a.m. today.

"One e-mail to your representative may not be heard; but if you're one of a million or one of a thousand that do it in the span of five hours, then there's something there," he said.

To participate, go to MoveOn.org's Virtual March on Washington page.

posted by me

:: 9:27:00 AM [+] ::
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:: "I didn't want to do nothing" ::

From the International Herald Tribune:
E-mail and gray hair: Anti-war campaign has a new look

Modern technology has helped activists send out the anti-war message faster, farther and with finer grain. So, on Wednesday, a "virtual march on Washington" aims to flood congressional offices with thousands of anti-war e-mails, faxes and phone calls.

More humbly, the Internet helped a dozen Chicago residents, who had the simple idea of protesting war by lighting candles in their windows each Wednesday, go national.

posted by me

:: 1:07:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Saddam on Saddam ::

From CBS News:
Saddam On Exile: 'We Will Die Here'

Dan Rather's exclusive interview with Saddam Hussein has already been widely quoted in the media, even before being aired (which it will on 60 Minutes II on Wednesday, 9 pm EST). Hussein said a number of things, including: he will die before going into exile; he has no connection with Osama bin Laden; and, as you may have heard, that he challenges Bush to a debate.

CBSNews.com has posted excerpts from the interview (the link above). Here's one:

Rather: What is the most important thing you want the American people to understand at this important juncture of history?

Saddam: First, that you tell them that Iraqi people are not the enemy of the American people. If the American people want to know more through dialogue through television screens, I am ready to dialogue with Bush, with Mr. Bush, the president of the United States, and to appear together before the television. And I would say what I have to say, what I have to say about the American policy and he can say things about the Iraqi policy and let that be on television in a just and fair way.

Rather: Are you speaking of a debate? Yes, a debate. This is new. You are saying that you are willing, you are suggesting, you are urging a debate with President Bush on television?

Saddam: Yes, that's it. We are not asking for a contest with weapons. All I'm asking is to appear before the American people and other people in a direct discussion in a conversation between me and Mr. Bush that's broadcast by television.

This is an opportunity for him, if he is really convinced about his position, about preparations for war, or any other means, to convince the whole world about the reasons that justifies war. And it's opportunity for us to tell the world about our reasons to want to live in peace.

Rather: This is not a joke?

Saddam: Not at all. I'm not joking. This is because of my respect for the American public opinion. Conducting a dialogue could bring peace. Why not go and have a debate?

posted by me

:: 6:17:00 PM [+] ::
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:: fftgffr (food for thought, grounds for further research) ::

From CNET News.com: Spike in "spyware" accelerates arms race

"EarthLink's technical support staff handles a variety of problems: broken networks, corrupted files, coffee spills--and, increasingly over the past few months, bitter complaints from subscribers about 'spyware' and 'adware.'"

posted by me

:: 6:17:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Blogger Gets Googley-Eyed - story research ::

I'm currently researching a story on the Google/Blogger deal for a monthly computer rag, sending out e-mail interview requests. Here's a great early response from Anil Dash:

I think the immediate impetus behind the Google/Pyra deal was a simple need for more resources by Pyra, along with a recognition on Google's part that Blogger, in addition to providing data that is useful to Google's index, provides a service that is valued and important on the net, but wasn't reaching its full potential due to resource constraints in the smaller company.

That being said, there's no doubt that people on both sides of the deal understood that there would be larger opportunities down the road. We're already seeing some of those things taking place, with the presence of Google Text Ads on BlogSpot's hosted weblogs.

But I think there was a more benevolent, less directed motivation behind the deal, and that the later implications are just starting to enter the dialogue between the newly merged companies. A lot of those future possibilities are being discussed, such as being able to index links and content in Blogger weblogs as they're created, and being able to extract richer meaning from the sites that use Blogger to update.

My initial concern, which is an issue that can't really be debated either way until we've seen some changes to the service, is that any special benefits afforded Blogger's sites will privilege them in the Google index over non-Blogger weblogs, such as those powered by Movable Type, Radio Userland, and LiveJournal. Given Google's historically neutral position in indexing content, it's a radical shift, and one that leaves me concerned that they're created a higher tier of content for the first time, based solely on the tool that was used to create it.

All of that being said, Google's had a terrific track record of doing things the "Right Way" so far. I hope they keep it up. But most of the arguments that people have made so far about improving Google's index by owning Blogger and BlogSpot are ones that would make more sense when applied to weblogs as a whole. Having deeper links to one tool's output doesn't make any more sense with Blogger than it would if Google had a deeper index of pages created by FrontPage or by BBEdit or by DreamWeaver.

I'm very glad to see a big, established company recognize the value of weblogs. Frankly, it's about time that it happened. I'm just hoping that it's clear that the value is in their links, content, and networking, not in the tool that creates them, and not in a subset of the entire realm of weblogs.

posted by me

:: 6:00:00 PM [+] ::
...

: Just Saying No ::

From Newsday.com: Lawmakers oppose war against Iraq
February 25, 2003, 5:49 PM EST

Additional US local govt. anti-war expression.

"I have a duty to my constituents to urge the Bush administration to stop beating the drums of war, which will result in the loss of thousands of Iraqi and American lives," NY Sen. Thomas Duane said.

ALSO:

From MaineToday.com: Anti-war resolution awaits full Senate
From Ely Echo: Anti-war resolution clears council on 4-2 margin
From Palo Alto Online: Council passes anti-war resolution

posted by me

:: 5:49:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Berating Janeane Garofalo ::

Janeane Garofalo made her way to FOX News again, this time on the morning show Fox & Friends. I only caught a brief clip shown on Studio B where Brian Kilmeade berates Garofalo. How anomalous. Here's my own imperfect transcript of the clip:

Brian Kilmeade: We're still missing 100 tons of Anthrax and VX gas. Where is it?
Janeane Garofalo: OK. That's what you say. There is no proof or evidence that we are missing 100,000 tons of nerve gas.
BK: It has never been declared, and even Hans Blix himself has said that that Arab country kept better records than any Arab country that he's ever seen, let alone Iraq itself. If you...
JG: It's guys like you that are FOX. You. You're combative...
BK: No, I'm not gonna' let you sit there and get off because you're a celebrity.
JG: Why am I... What the hell does the fact that I'm a celebrity have to do with anything? What does my occupation have to do with anything?
BK: That's the only reason you're here.
JG: Exactly. Then why don't you book somebody you have more respect for in the anti-war movement.

That's all that I saw. Typical FOX guest treatment (well, typical for anyone who isn't capable of the "right" way of thinking, that is). She's been ridiculed by quite a few right-leaning folks (and others) online. I understand that there's resentment about celebs taking a political stance, I'm just not down with it. I'll recall a quote from an earlier post that, quite simply, makes some sense:

"We are not experts. What we are is citizens in a democracy. We are using our patriotic rights and our ability to get the attention of the media." -television producer Robert Greenwald, founder of the fledgling Artists United to Win Without War

You can watch a vid clip at the FOX & Friends page.

Garofalo also taped a segment on FOX News Sunday. I had heard it would air @ 6pm EST, so I tuned in. When introduced, however, she only made her way through part of a sentence before being interrupted by a live news conference. It possibly aired at another time. In any case, here's more related information (Also, here's the transcript).

posted by fairly imbalanced me ;)

:: 3:49:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: We are the World? ::

From VOA: Non-Aligned Summit Ends With Anti-War Declaration
25 Feb 2003, 17:13 UTC

"Ministers from 116 developing nations have declared their opposition to any war in Iraq without the approval of the United Nations Security Council, but they have called on Baghdad to actively comply with U.N. demands to disarm."

"The declaration is among several adopted Tuesday by leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement as they closed a two-day summit in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur."

"Anti-war sentiment was a key theme."

posted by me

:: 1:41:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: HelLA Weighs In ::

Los Angeles City Council Votes To Oppose Unilateral War In Iraq

"I hope people understand we're not a bunch of crazy politicians trying to dictate federal policy," said Councilman Ed Reyes, who voted for the resolution. "We are echoing the sentiments of people who are hurting. Where do we begin to matter in the priority of our federal dollars?"

posted by me

:: 1:33:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Blast from the Past ::

BUZZFLASH REPORT Tuesday February 25, 2003 at 2:28:32 PM
Right Now, Iran is Suing the U.S.
For Its Support of Saddam Hussein in the 80's

"A strange spectacle in court: As the USA prepares for a war against Iraq, it is being sued by Iran for its previous close relationship to Saddam Hussein. At the International Court of Justice, Teheran is accusing the United States of delivering dangerous chemicals and deadly viruses to Baghdad during the eighties."

posted by me

:: 1:29:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Bliss? ::

From Space.com:
Asteroids and Secrecy: If End is Nigh, Do You Want to Know?

posted by inquisitive me

:: 11:02:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Selling Out? ::

Dave Winer, in his Scripting News, discusses Ev Williams and the Pyra/Google deal:
Selling out.

Ev Williams responds. Here's the Saltire blog Blogger Sells Out post from yesterday.

posted by me

:: 10:54:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: "Web logs are journalism" ::

Blogging comes to Harvard
By Paul Festa, CNET News.com
February 25, 2003, 4:00 AM PT

This is an interview with Dave Winer regarding his fellowship at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for the Internet and Society. Winer will head up the fledgling Blogs at Harvard Initiative.

"Before becoming blogging guru to the academic elite, Winer founded and was chief executive of Millbrae, Calif.-based UserLand Software, which specializes in content-publishing tools and services. He wrote or contributed to a number of relevant specifications, including SOAP, XML-RPC, RSS and OPML. He is perhaps best known for launching Scripting News, one of the Internet's longest-running Web logs."

EXCERPT:

What impact has the blog had on the way information is shared, particularly with respect to journalism?
In some areas, like tech reporting, the Web logs have largely replaced the professionals.

Hey, wait a minute.
News.com might be the exception. Think about what the landscape looked like five or 10 years ago, with just a handful of publications instead of a whole industry. People now get the information from each other and for each other using Web logs. There are still professional journalists writing, but a lot less. Web logs are journalism. Have they had a big impact? Absolutely. When a big story hits, I don 't necessarily trust the professional journalists to tell me what's going on. If I can get the Web logs from the people who were actually involved, I'll take that.

A really remarkable thing came out from the BBC, where they asked amateur photographers to send them pictures. So they're jumping onto the trend that's going to grow and grow and grow. With the Columbia disaster, where did the pictures come from? Not from professional journalists.

posted by me

:: 10:46:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Spirited Protest ::

Anti-war messages muted at awards show

New York-AP -- There had been concern that last night's Grammy Awards would become a forum for anti-war sentiments -- but most of the anti-war messages were low-key.

The words "NO WAR" were written in silver letters on Sheryl Crow's guitar strap as she played -- but her hair usually covered up most of the word "NO."

Bonnie Raitt said "let's build some peace" before handing out an award.

No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani wore a halter top with the word "love" -- along with combat fatigue hot pants.

Before giving out an award, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst said "this war should go away as soon as possible."

The top Grammy winner, Norah Jones, made a passing political reference, saying, "at a time in the world that's really weird, I feel really blessed."

What a shock to learn that some members of the FOX News staff enjoyed the show. Actually, they probably would've preferred to have someone more vocal so that they could berate... interview them sometime after the awards show.

posted by fairly imbalanced me ;)

:: 9:19:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: "This is our house..." ::

From the Guradian UK:
Activists Occupy Spanish Embassy in Iraq

Baghdad, Iraq (AP) - "Spanish anti-war activists occupied Spain's embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, saying diplomats who left Iraq while their country supported the threat of war have abandoned hopes for peace."

"Stringing up white banners reading "no sanctions, no war" from the white stucco house in Baghdad's diplomatic section, the 17 activists posed for pictures and read their manifesto to journalists from a balcony."

"'This is our house,' proclaimed Pedro Pablo Vicente Torres, a union leader from Malaga. 'Why did they abandon the embassy if they don't want war?'"

[I Still haven't found a copy of this "manifesto."]

posted by me

:: 9:01:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Choosing sides ::

From Reuters AlertNet:
Who is for and who against a war on Iraq?

A brief summary of the positions of the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council with regard to the new draft resolution.

posted by me

:: 8:52:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: New draft res ::

Text: U.S.-British Draft Resolution Stating Position on Iraq

posted by me

:: 12:48:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Fast Food for Thought ::

Iraqi Drones May Target U.S. Cities

This is from FOX News. Something smells... but, you decide.

posted by me

:: 12:48:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: 10, 9, 8... ::

Iraq failed to disarm says new resolution
United Nations | Reuters | 25-02-2003

"The U.S. and Britain circulated a new UN resolution yesterday that sets the stage for war with Iraq by declaring Baghdad had failed to take advantage of its final opportunity to disarm peacefully."

"U.S. President George W. Bush called for swift UN Security Council approval of a new resolution paving the way for war on Iraq. He said the new measure would decide that body's relevance to global affairs and renewed his warning that he will order military action against Iraq even absent explicit UN approval."

ALSO:

From The Times of India:
US faces polarised UN on new Iraq resolution
REUTERS [ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2003 08:27:33 AM ]

"No vote was expected on the new resolution, introduced formally by Britain, for another two weeks. Members are expected to wait until after chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix speaks to the council around March 7."

"France, which has led the anti-war opposition that has strong support throughout the world, floated a 'memorandum,' which would lengthen UN weapons inspections by about four months."

"Asked about the French memorandum, British Ambassador Sir Jeremy Greenstock said, 'Inspections reinforced, without full cooperation are like a ship without fuel. It's been tossed around on the waves and it's not getting to port.'"

"Before the resolution is adopted or rejected Saddam faces a test on whether or not he will destroy dozens of (Al-Samoud 2) missiles and their component parts by March 1 as ordered on Friday by Blix."

"In an interview with Saddam, CBS News anchorman Dan Rather indicated the Iraqi leader did not intend to destroy his Al-Samoud 2 missiles."

Meanwhile, Saddam challenges Bush to debate.

[That'd be a "reality" show that I might actually watch. ;]

posted by me

:: 12:33:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Bashing the Bush Basher ::

Anti-Bush T-Shirt Banned at Mich. School
White House (AP), Wed Feb 19,11:52 AM ET

DEARBORN, Mich. - "School officials ordered a 16-year-old student to either take off a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "International Terrorist" and a picture of President Bush or go home, saying they worried it would inflame passions at the school where a majority of students are Arab-American."

"The student, Bretton Barber, chose to go home. He said he wore the shirt Monday to express his anti-war position and for a class assignment in which he wrote a compare-contrast essay on Bush and Iraq President Saddam Hussein."

"Schools spokesman Dave Mustonen said students have the right to freedom of expression, but educators are sensitive to tensions caused by the conflict with Iraq."

"'It was felt that emotions are running very high,' Mustonen said."

"Dearborn is the center of an Arab-American community of about 300,000 in southeastern Michigan. About 55 percent of the district's 17,600 students are Arab-American."

HERE'S a more extensive piece from The Detroit News:
Student gets sent home over his anti-Bush T-shirt

RELATED archive story from The Freedom Forum, 9.1.01:
Man's anti-Bush bumper stickers prompt visit by Secret Service

posted by me

:: 8:44:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Blogger Gets Googley-Eyed chit-chat ::

I found a great online discussion of the Google/Pyra deal at the blog maintained by Anil Dash.

posted by me

:: 6:54:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Another PATRIOT Sequel update ::

From FindLaw's Legal Commentary:
The Sequel Why It's Even Scarier than the First Patriot Act
By ANITA RAMASASTRY

"At the very least, Congress and the public should insist on a full understanding of what the Justice Department is doing before granting the executive branch still more authority via Patriot II."

posted by me

:: 11:03:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Yet another Blogger Gets Googley-Eyed update ::

From Wired: Why Did Google Want Blogger?

"Weblogs are a rich source of links, which are posted in a fast, timely manner. Not only that, many weblogs are readable in RSS, or rich site summary, a standard syndication format that is easily parsed and indexed by search engine spiders, the bots that search engines use to crawl and index the Web."

"Web pages are hard to index without a standard structure. But Google can easily index RSS feeds."

posted by me

:: 8:58:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Quote for the day from Time ::

"The President is not a king. He does not have the power to wage war against another country absent a declaration of war from Congress."
-John Bonifaz, Boston lawyer who filed a lawsuit on behalf of military personnel, parents of soldiers and six members of Congress, demanding congressional approval before a war against Iraq starts

posted by me

:: 8:53:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: So Weird ::

From Chuck Shepherd's News of the Weird:
War News

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wrote to Yasser Arafat deploring public bombings, at least when the bomb is delivered (as one was on Jan. 26 in Jerusalem) on a donkey. (Said a PETA official, "It's not my business to (comment on) human wars.") And to help the U.S. military, a Las Vegas porno distributor offered 500 videos free of charge (except for postage) to servicemen as thanks for their sacrifice. And in Cebu, Philippines, in February, a German man, Frank Oesterle, was detained by police after knifing an American tourist at a bar; they were arguing over their respective countries' views on imminent war in Iraq (i.e., U.S., fight; Germany, don't fight). [Washington Post, 2-5-03] [PRNewswire, 1-29-03] [(Philippine) Daily Inquirer, 2-3-03]

(Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa FL 33679 or WeirdNews@earthlink.net)

posted by me

:: 8:48:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: More from the Pope ::

From the Sunday Mirror UK:
POPE'S PEACE PLEA TO BLAIR
By Chris McLaughlin, Feb 23 2003

"TONY BLAIR was yesterday given a stern lecture on the perils of a war against Iraq by the Pope."

"The PM was severely reprimanded by the Pontiff, who believes military action against Saddam Hussein would represent 'a failure of humanity.'"

"His private audience with the Pope came as the PM announced that there would be 'one last push for peace.'"

Elsewhere, from Yahoo! News:
Pope Calls for Day of Peace on March 5
Sun Feb 23, 8:59 AM ET

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - "Pope John Paul, concerned that the world is being held hostage by the 'logic of war,' called for a day of peace on March 5."

"'The future of humanity should never be tied down by terrorism and the logic of war,' he said during his regular Sunday address."

"'Never, never, never!' he reiterated forcefully from his window overlooking pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square."

"The Vatican has refused to bless a possible U.S.-led attack on Iraq, which it believes could unleash terrorism and lead to the killing of civilians."

posted by me

:: 8:39:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: JANEANE ON FOX ::

Transcript: Janeane Garofalo on Fox News Sunday
February 23, 2003

This is from an interview with Tony Snow of FOX News to air at 6 pm EST tonight. Here's an excerpt:

GAROFALO: Well, yes, I guess it's a lot of coercion and arm- twisting. I would say -- I would say that it has been the idea since 1990, '91 to go into Iraq and to have hegemony over the region, redraw the map. Oil is a part of it, not all of it.
But 9/11 has been a way to reinvigorate the plan that the right- wingers and the ideologues and people like the people at the American Enterprise Institute and...
SNOW: Well, OK, whoa, whoa, whoa. This seems highly fanciful. Go in, occupy the region and redraw the map?
GAROFALO: Yes. Oh, don't pretend that this is like some crazy conspiracy theory and I'm...
SNOW: Well, but it strikes me as a little far-fetched. I mean, the British tried to do it in the beginning of the century.
GAROFALO: Well, what is far-fetched...
SNOW: But you...
GAROFALO: What is far-fetched about wanting hegemony over the region? Since the 1940s, American diplomats and government people have been very vocal about the fact that there is a lot of wealth to be obtained in that area and it behooves anyone to be in charge of that area.
SNOW: Well, wait, wait, wait.
GAROFALO: And it behooves anyone -- yes.
SNOW: No, I'm just curious about it, because again, the idea of hegemony -- trade relations are a way to build wealth.
GAROFALO: Sure.
SNOW: Hegemony is a way to build trouble. And the United States has no record...
GAROFALO: Yeah, absolutely, hence my problem.
Oh, I just spit. Sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
Hence my -- I'm foaming at the mouth, Tony.
Hence my problem with it. I also...
SNOW: I'm happy I've been able to get you so passionate about this.
GAROFALO: You've gotten me all flumoxed.

Garofalo is part of The Win Without War Coalition that will sponsor the Virtual March on Washington on February 26.

RELATED:

From Yahoo! News: Should Celebrities Speak Out Over Iraq?
By Jill Serjeant

"We are not experts. What we are is citizens in a democracy. We are using our patriotic rights and our ability to get the attention of the media." -television producer Robert Greenwald, founder of the fledgling Artists United to Win Without War

Also from Yahoo! News: Clooney Exhorts Americans to Speak Out

posted by me

:: 11:26:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Zoe! ::

I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ZOE! She's five years old now.

Here's a photo.

This is a beautiful cat that Melina, my former fiance, has called "our love child." Sure, I'm a proud Dad.... But, Melina has custody, and what more can I say? I miss Zoe ("the terror muffin") terribly.

posted by pathetic me=)

:: 12:43:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: NEAT COMET ::

From Space.com:
Amazing Live Images:
Sungrazing Comet Possibly Hit by Solar Eruption
By Robert Roy Britt, posted: 09:40 am ET 18 February 2003

"The SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) spacecraft is currently generating spectacular images of a recently found comet called NEAT as the icy body circles the Sun and appears to have been struck by a massive solar eruption. The chance encounter could lead to new discoveries about the interactions of comets with hot, charged particles billowing from the Sun."

It was discovered by NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Tracking program.

Check out the Slashdot discussion.

"In the case of the comet NEAT, the last time it would have passed through the inner solar system was 370 centuries ago (37,000 years)!" - from an Astrobiology Magazine story

"This is obviously old news. Duh ;-). Does anyone have any theories as to why this comet never tore itself completely apart once it got so close to the sun?" -$$$$$exyGal (638164)

posted by me

:: 9:26:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: The Loyal Opposition ::

On War: some great stuff put together by my old friend Andrew Williams & posted at crispinsartwell.com. You can find a selection of his original writings here.

"When a man says he hates war, but believes it's got to come, he's a coward-the kind that makes war possible. He says you must be practical-you mustn't-as soon as you're practical you're a coward. The stupidity of politicians is the only cause of war. And property, in the name of efficiency, is trying to get control of the war machinery and so more effectively establish itself in control of this country."
-Charles Ives, composer and insurance executive

You might also want to check out "AND THERE WILL COME HARD RAINS," a piece about 9.11 by Andrew Williams.

"All I will do is repeat the one message of all great sages and philosophers from all time: Think for yourselves."

posted by me

:: 8:36:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: A veritable witch's brew... ::

The United States vs. Iraq --
A Study in Hypocrisy
By William Blum, author of Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II.

"According to a Senate Report of 1994 {1}: From 1985, if not earlier, through 1989, a veritable witch's brew of biological materials were exported to Iraq by private American suppliers pursuant to application and licensing by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Amongst these materials, which often produce slow and agonizing deaths, were: Bacillus Anthracis, cause of anthrax. Clostridium Botulinum, a source of botulinum toxin. Histoplasma Capsulatam, cause of a disease attacking lungs, brain, spinal cord and heart. Brucella Melitensis, a bacteria that can damage major organs. Clotsridium Perfringens, a highly toxic bacteria causing systemic illness. Clostridium tetani, highly toxigenic. Also, Escherichia Coli (E.Coli); genetic materials; human and bacterial DNA. Dozens of other pathogenic biological agents were shipped to Iraq during the 1980s. The Senate Report pointed out: 'These biological materials were not attenuated or weakened and were capable of reproduction.' 'It was later learned,' the committee revealed, 'that these microorganisms exported by the United States were identical to those the United Nations inspectors found and removed from the Iraqi biological warfare program.' These exports continued to at least November 28, 1989 despite the fact that Iraq had been reported to be engaging in chemical warfare and possibly biological warfare against Iranians, Kurds, and Shiites since the early 80s."

{1} U.S. Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual Use Exports to Iraq and Their Possible Impact on the Health Consequences of the Persian Gulf War (May 25, 1994)

posted by me

:: 8:27:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Uninformed? ::

From Denverpost.com:
What protesters ignore
By Anushka Anastasia Solomon, February 21, 2003

"It is disheartening to observe among Americans a form of anti-Americanism, of self-hate, that transforms into a nebulous, rude and uninformed rebellion against a president and an administration that has been called into power for such a time as this."

An uninformed rebellion is an ugly thing to see. Uninformed conformity to a potentially disastrous policy is probably worse.

If you are tapping into the US v. THEM model, placing all those with anti-war sentiment into the anti-American column, you are gravely mistaken and committing the very sin that plagues Dubya, the chawbacon that he is -- seeing the world in terms of black/white, good/evil, and so forth.

A siginificant part of being informed on the issue is understanding the history of our involvement in the Middle East. Yes, there are Islamic regimes that are brutal and oppressive, and I do not personally know anyone against the war who wishes to relocate to, say, Iraq. However, the US has been actively involved in the affairs of some of the groups that it now demonizes. Please see other links on this blog for examples of US support for Iraq, which includes not only private companies supplying weapons of mass destruction materials, but the government looking the other way when "Saddam killed many thousands of his own Kurdish population with chemical weapons (see below)." I'll do my best to provide relevant links here as a resource.

A season of sequels: as George II prepares to take us into Desert Scam II, everyone can stand to become better informed (myself certainly included).

posted by semi-informed me=)

:: 8:23:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: RE Iraq ::

From the Houston Independent Media Center:
History of US-Iraq Relations
By Robert Buzzanco

"As Ayotallah Khomenei’s Islamic Revolution took hold in Iran, the United States saw Teheran as its main adversary in the Middle East, as did Iraq. Consequently, with huge levels of American support–over $40 billion in weapons and technology through the 1980s, with many transactions 'off book'–Iraq fought against Iran for nearly a decade. In the latter stages of battle, eventually won by Iraq, U.S. officers provided intelligence and tactical advice to the Iraqis, all the while Baghdad was using chemical and biological weapons on the battlefield to suppress the Iranians. Once the war ended, Saddam killed many thousands of his own Kurdish population with chemical weapons. Meanwhile, U.S. economic aid to Iraq increased."

posted by me

:: 11:38:00 AM [+] ::
...

From Yellow Times: "Uninformed protesters drive the wrong message home"
By Ash Pulcifer, February 21, 2003 @ 16:08:16 EST

[This is actually worth a read]

"Worrying to regional powers is the general theme of this administration developed by nationalist administration members Elliott Abrams, Richard Armitage, Richard Perle, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. These figures shaped the National Security Strategy of the United States of America, released by the White House in September of 2002. In this document, the Bush administration warned that they "will not hesitate to act alone" in defending the American people. While this sounds noble to the average American, it is not hard to see how this statement is a justification for U.S. military interventions in nearly any corner of the globe. It is not difficult for a government to scrounge up some minute threat and then drive the American public into fear in order to gain support for public policy. Looking back only three decades, the American government initially had an easy time justifying their involvement in Vietnam by saying that American lives were in imminent danger through some far reaching communist conspiracy; they stated that while Vietnam may not be a direct threat to the American people, Vietnam was merely a puppet of the Soviets and Chinese who were a direct threat to the American way of life. After U.S. involvement in Vietnam ended, it become painstakingly clear to Americans that no such communist conspiracy existed in Vietnam; they found that the Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi resented the Chinese and the Soviets just as they resented the Americans."

"This unrestrained superpower status that the Bush administration desires is the lynchpin reason why there is so much official resistance from regional powers against U.S. plans in Iraq. Yet rarely anyone protesting in the streets of New York and London publicizes these motives. Instead, they march down the alleyways with their traditional mantra "No blood for oil," incorrect as it is, and are unwilling to listen to any views that force them to rethink their argument."

"To give credit to the left, those on the right are in a similar dilemma. Ignoring the massive history of U.S. government lies, from Vietnam to Nicaragua, these self-proclaimed 'patriotic' Americans still believe that their government is only interested in peace and spreading the seeds of American morality throughout the world. When it comes to incorrect assumptions, and uncompromising dogma, the left and the right have more in common than they can even begin to comprehend."

posted by me

:: 10:45:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Jimmy Weighs In ::

Carter: U.S. Mideast Policy to Blame for Anti-Americanism

[Yes, this link is from FOX News. I didn't find it anywhere else.]

"Carter ... noted that the United States is a major world supplier of weapons and ammunition, but less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the nation's wealth goes to help the world's poor. He said that's the lowest percentage of any developed nation."

posted by me

:: 4:59:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: AUDACIOUS ADVERTISING ::

Furthermore from Wired:

"New Jersey car dealer Brad Benson believes even ruthless dictators could use a new car. Benson, who runs a Mitsubishi and Hyundai dealership, ran a radio ad last week offering a car to Saddam Hussein if he leaves Iraq. 'If he'll just give up now and get out of Iraq, I'll give him a brand new Mitsubishi, nicely equipped, every year for the rest of his life,' Benson said in the ad. The response was overwhelmingly negative. Benson pulled the ad and apologized in a second ad, but that one bombed too. More than 700 people complained that Benson had nothing to apologize for. Benson says the offer for Saddam still stands."

posted by me

:: 1:13:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Patriot II update ::

From the Pioneer Press Online: Libraries seek guidance on Patriot Act

"If an FBI agent wants to see a list of all the Web sites a patron has visited while at the Lake Villa and Warren-Newport libraries in the last year, the librarian, by law, has to produce the materials. That includes all e-mails the patron may have sent, any books that are checked out — any piece of information the library has about the patron."

"The FBI agent needs a court order, but does not have to prove justifiable cause, as has been the case in the past. And the librarian who handed over the information cannot tell anyone about the FBI visit."

"That, in a nutshell, is what’s in Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, passed by Congress Oct. 25, 2001, and signed by President George W. Bush in November 2001."

"Lake County librarians, who met last week at a special seminar to discuss the ramifications of this Act, are looking to the North Suburban Library System as well as the American Library Association for guidance."

"Now a draft of a possible law called Patriot II is being bantered about Congress. If passed, any library staff who tells anyone about the FBI visit could be subject to five years imprisonment."

posted by me

:: 12:51:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Blogging tech update ::

From Wired: Now Bloggers Can Hit the Road

"The meteoric rise of weblogging is one of the most unexpected technology stories of the past year, and much like the commentary that populates these ever-changing digital diaries, the story of blogging keeps evolving."

"One recent trend is "moblogging," or mobile weblogging ... (allowing) bloggers to post information about the minutiae of their lives from anywhere, not just from a PC."

"The newest of these tools, Kablog, lets users update their weblogs remotely with cell phones and other handheld devices like wireless PDAs."

This is just a test blog, so I won't be an early adopter of this technology. But, I thought that you might find it noteworthy.

posted by me

:: 10:46:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Uncle Sam & Saddam ::

A transcript from CBC News Radio:

"It's not a story that's received a lot of play in western media. But last December, a German paper published a list of dozens of European and American companies reported to have supplied Saddam Hussein with materials for weapons of mass destruction. The paper claimed the list was included in Iraq's massive document on its weapons programs that it turned over to the United Nations. Jim Trautman is a freelance journalist in Ontario. On Commentary, he focuses on some of those American companies."

Excerpt:

"Companies on the list include: Dupont, Honeywell, Bechtel, Unisys, American Type Culture Collection, and the Los Almos and Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Facilities."

"The U.S. companies provided rocket engines, nuclear material, biological and chemical material for weapons of mass destruction. This included cultures to manufacture biological weapons."

And: "This is a war about covering up the deal made with the devil, and oil - always oil."

You can also download a digital recording of the commentary at the CBC link above.

posted by me

:: 10:36:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Spikey & Charlie ::

It looks as though I'll FINALLY get out to see Adaptation this evening. I'll try to post some kind of review, but for now, here's an interview:

Writer Charlie Kaufman, director Spike Jonze talk of taking liberties with fact and fiction in 'Adaptation'

posted by me

:: 3:39:00 PM [+] ::
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:: What, no more duct tape jokes? ::

OK, so Tom Ridge is downlpaying the need for duct tape after helping to put the nation on orange hyper-alert on the eve of V-Day, a celebration associated with the color red, although he says you should hold onto your supply. [Insert lame Valentines Day joke here] But, he is still asking the question: are you ready?

posted by me

:: 7:05:00 PM [+] ::
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:: A Virtual March on Washington ::

I must admit that I heard about this on CNN, playing in the background while I was working today. Janeane Garafolo was one of the celebrities announcing the campaign, and when she speaks, hell... I take note.

"MoveOn.org is hosting the online action center for the Virtual March on Washington on February 26th, sponsored by The Win Without War Coalition."

"On February 26th, every Senate office will receive a call every minute from a constituent, as they receive a simultaneous flood of faxes and e-mail. Hundreds of thousands of people from across the country will send the collective message: Don't Attack Iraq. Every Senate switchboard will be lit up throughout the day with our message -- a powerful reminder of the breadth and depth of opposition to a war in Iraq. And on that day, 'antiwar rooms' in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles will highlight the day's progress for the national media, while local media can visit the 'antiwar room' online to monitor this constituent march throughout the day."

Worth looking into.

posted by me

:: 7:01:00 PM [+] ::
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:: RE the impending war ::

From Stuff, New Zealand, 17 February 2003:
Karamea cleaner pays $5000 to make war protest

This story, from a New Zealand paper, is one that I found inspiring. This is a great example of acting on one's beliefs. Joining a street protest, if you happen to be against a war with Iraq, is not the only way to voice your concerns.

"A West Coast odd-jobs woman is so horrified at the prospect of war in Iraq that she has paid $5000 to publish an open letter to United States President George W Bush in the Dominion Post today."

"Margie Beamsley, who makes a living cleaning, sewing and cutting hair in Karamea, 98km northeast of Westport, said she felt moved to action by what she saw as general apathy on the issue."

[I wasn't able to locate a link to the ad, but will place it here as soon as I do.]

posted by me

:: 6:53:00 PM [+] ::
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:: A tale of Hotmail: Spammers and hackers (... and Gates, oh my!) ::

From News.com: Microsoft going after Hotmail spammers

"Microsoft is turning up the heat on spam, filing a lawsuit to go after people it suspects of having harvested e-mail addresses from its Hotmail servers to spam subscribers."

It's about time they @ least pay a bit more lip service to dealing with this. Their SPAM filters are woefully inadequate, and every time my inbox gets filled up with e-mails from all the usual suspects -- peddlers of work from home, debt reduction or sexual prowess enhancement solutions -- MS asks me to pay more for extra storage.

You can check out the Slashdot discussion here.

Even worse, "Hotmail has long been notorious for its poor security," according to many, including New Architect.

Check out the following Inquirer UK story:
Hotmail user hacked off

"AUSTRALIAN HOTMAIL CUSTOMER Andrew Trousdale has developed a deep dislike of webmail after his account was hacked. The Sydney Morning Herald features a tale of woe today that should be a caution for all Hotmail users."

"Trousdale claimed that he was told around 8000 webmail addresses are stolen each day. If you're a webmail user, you might want to consider making sure you have a decent password."

Hotmail users: bookmark this page (The MS Hotmail section of the "Reasons to avoid Microsoft" Web site). Excellent resource, frequently updated.

posted by me

:: 3:17:00 PM [+] ::
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:: fftgffr (food for thought, grounds for further research) ::

From Wired: ACLU Challenges Wire-Tap Decision

"The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, along with Arab-American groups, petitioned the Supreme Court on Tuesday to review the decision by a secret court to broaden the government's ability to conduct secret surveillance."

posted by me

:: 3:09:00 PM [+] ::
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:: /. ::

GOOGLE UPDATE

From Slashdot: Should you fear Google?

"Google-watch.com is presenting a list of nine complaints about (almost) everybody's favorite search engine. Some of the salient fears are 'Google has no data retention policies. There is evidence that they are able to easily access all the user information they collect and save.' and 'Matt Cutts, a key Google engineer, used to work for the National Security Agency.' The concerns seem like paranoid hand waving to me, but maybe I'm not paranoid enough."

WORD BURSTS

From Slashdot: Web Log 'Word Bursts' Could Identify New Crazes

"New Scientist reports that a researcher from Cornell University has come up with a clever method of identifying what's cool by automatically searching weblogs. Sudden increases or 'bursts' in the usage of particular words may reflect a new craze, according to Jon Kleinberg. He has demonstrated the technique by searching through state of the union addresses given since 1790."

"Wonder how long before this can be done real time enough to really make this useful?"

You might want to join the discussion of these and other issues.

posted by me

:: 3:06:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Blogger Gets Googley-Eyed update ::

From the USC Online Journalism Review:
Google + Blogger = Mainstream Weblog Acceptance?
By Mark Glaser

"Some online squawkers felt that Google was just doing charity to a fellow cool company on hard times -- throwing fellow hipsters a financial bone. Nonsense. Google sees a business opportunity, a way to convert bloggers into a profit center, or they wouldn't have done it. But how they can do that, despite all the conjecture, remains a mystery."

posted by me

:: 3:01:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Challenging the Liberal Media Myth ::

From Plastic.com: Member Of Liberal Media Denies Existence Of Liberal Media.

"Eric Alterman, columnist and blogger, has a book coming out, excerpted in The Nation," jukeboxcharlie tells us, "in which he purports to prove that the so-called 'liberal media' is largely a myth.

"Given the success of Fox News, the Wall Street Journal editorial pages, the Washington Times, the New York Post, The American Spectator, The Weekly Standard, the New York Sun, National Review, Commentary, Limbaugh, Drudge, etc., no sensible person can dispute the existence of a "conservative media." The reader might be surprised to learn that neither do I quarrel with the notion of a "liberal media." It is tiny and profoundly underfunded compared with its conservative counterpart, but it does exist. As a columnist for The Nation and an independent weblogger for MSNBC.com, I work in the middle of it, and so do many of my friends. And guess what? It's filled with right-wingers...."

"Aside from the obvious criticism ('Of course a writer for The Nation will try to disprove the liberal media bias...'), Alterman's case appears to be sound. However, it may come as a surprise to the Freepers and NewsMax readers who actually believe in the liberal media that Buchanan and William Kristol admit that there is no real liberal bias."

Sure, there are media outlets constantly being accused of having liberal bias. NPR? But, you know the conservative media, and they have a strong presence... there and unbalanced. I must admit that I enjoy some FOX News programming, but it is always vexatious to hear their mantra repeated ad nauseam. F.N.: own up to your bias. Simple. In any case, you might want to join the discussion.

Speaking of conservative media, FreeRepublic.com has a "news/activism" page at its site encouraging e-patrons to "freep" polls -- meaning, to lean them in favor of the "right" way of thinking. Regardless of your political persuasion, the page is a good resource for anyone looking to participate in online polls.

posted by fairly asymmetrical me;)

:: 3:53:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Blogger Gets Googley-Eyed ::

[Say, here's one you haven't read on a million other blogs already...]

From Wired: Google Blogging Right Along.

Ok. Meet the new parents.

When Google acquired the massive Deja.com Usenet archive, they initially irked quite a few folks when they took it offline, but eventually redeemed themselves, creating a great online resource.

According to the Wired Magazine story linked above, Google "owes its success to supreme technology and a simple rule: Don't be evil." Hopefully that's still the case.

It should be remembered that they run what I personally (& I know that I'm not alone) consider to be an exceptional news site.

posted by me

:: 11:55:00 AM [+] ::
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:: fftgffr (food for thought, grounds for further research) ::

Perspective: Closer to a national ID plan?

A News.com report by Declan McCullagh
February 17, 2003, 4:00 AM PT

WASHINGTON--A little-known company called EagleCheck is hoping to provide a standardized identity check technique that governments and corporations will use to verify that you are who you claim to be.

If EagleCheck or a system like it succeeds, it becomes eerily possible to imagine a future in which identity card readers are omnipresent, girding us in a constant mesh of surveillance. Want to pick up your car from the parking garage? Insert your identity card and forefinger in the reader first. Going to work at the office or coming home to an apartment building? Better make sure you have that microchipped card with you. Have any unpaid parking tickets anywhere in the United States? Better just stay at home.

Needless to say, this massive database would end up bursting with detailed records of all our life's activities. It would be incredibly valuable to police and create an irresistible temptation for misuse, either through corrupt officials or through electronic intrusions. I'm not saying that such a scenario is happening today. It isn't. But it's possible, and if there's another terrorist attack on the United States, all bets are off.

posted by me

:: 10:56:00 AM [+] ::
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:: More on the war ::

The following e-mail hoax circulated in the fall of last year, with a quote said to be from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, and I thought it worth repeating for kicks and giggles:

"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."

Great stuff, although not as much as fun as the Nostradamus Village Idiot/Dubya hoax.

If thou wouldst appreciate such foolhardiness, endless cheer awaits thee here.

posted by me;}

:: 12:52:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Make love and war: f@&k everybody ::

[Kidding. I just altered a quote that I found elsewhere. Sorry. OK. We join this blog already in progress. You probably didn't miss anything. Thank you.]

... that's right, they not only killed JFK, but they're behind, among other things, the TV show Friends, and remember New Coke?

OK. So, my friend Sal Reugen (aka Marque) forwarded the following personal ad that he found on craigslist:

Original URL: http://www.craigslist.org/nyc/w4m/8760632.html
Posted by: anon-8760632@craigslist.org
Posted on: Mon Feb 17th 06:26 PM

looking for fellow anti-war sympathizer to enjoy the great stuff new york city offers. would like to have a partner who shares my values and enjoys some of the same stuff as me.

would love it if you were decent (care about the less fortunate), attractive (i need to find you attractive, you needn't be particularly traditionally handsome or cute) and funny (hopefully laughing comes easy). as to activities - hanging out, eating ethnic food (indian, mexican, vietnamese), indie & foreign movies, off-broadway plays, museums and walking around the city.

i'm 46, attractive to some (but you will decide for yourself - will swap pictures), progressive, funny, sensual. i tend to like younger men (age or attitude), but shared view of life & chemistry are what's most important. if interested send a line about your values & a picture. thanks.

It takes moxie. I've never placed a personal, and probably never will. Best of luck, Ms. Anon-8760632.

posted by me=)

:: 10:44:00 PM [+] ::
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:: More Marque on the March ::

My friend Sal Reugen (aka Marque) e-mailed me a report on the Saturday anti-war demonstration in NYC. Here's some additional notes that I just received:

"my favourite ('dumb sign' was) the yellow bumper sticker that said BUSH KNEW with absolutely no reference as to what shrub was supposed to know. I couldnt think of anything--pre advance notice of 9/11?????? makes about as much sense as the fellow who got on at my subway stop 39/Beebe street... he was hoisting a sign that said Bush: WAR, BURGERS POLICE...... did i mention this? he got kind of miffed when i said the burgers thing didnt make any sense. war police sure but burgers??????? he indicated
the burgers represented culture???? again i stared at him blankly. fortunately the train came."

"it's all al gore's fault after all (that 'the americans voted overwhelmingly for bush policies when they pushed in all those republicans into congress,' a dark day indeed). if he hadnt lost his home state the current reality would be somehow different--would a 9/11 have happened on someone as soft earth tone colored al?? sure, it was already in the works, but the reaction would have been different. bush has single handedly created most of the international problems of today. totally impressive for someone who mustered a gentleman's 'merge that if you publish it online. C.'"

"ill get the pictures in the coming days. its billzarding here and i dont know when i can get access to my e-mail account......"

[me: If I finally cough up some $ for Blog Spot Plus, I'll be able to post them. =]

this: posted by me

:: 3:23:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Weary of... wariness? ::

From Wired: Are You Scared Stupid? Do Tell
By Michelle Delio, 02:00 AM Feb. 17, 2003 PT

"Shuck your shoes and socks at the airport as your luggage is blithely loaded onto the plane without a scan. Wait in line for the cursory backpack and bag search before entering a public building. We endure the inconveniences forced upon us in the name of national security by chanting the mantra 'It's okay if it keeps us safe.'"

"We'd like to think we're more secure than we were two years ago, that we're smarter about how to protect ourselves and our public places. But Privacy International, coalition of human rights and privacy advocacy groups, charges that security measures are getting stupider by the moment."

The group announced the Stupid Security Competition "to discover the world's most pointless, intrusive, stupid and self-serving security measures."

The deadline is March 15th, and security measures deemed the most absurd will receive their dubious honor April 3rd at the Computers, Freedom & Privacy conference in New York. Nominations should be submitted to stupidsecurity@privacy.org.

"It's become a global menace. From the nightclub in Berlin that demands the home address of its patrons, to the phone company in Britain that won't let anyone pay more than fifty pounds a month from a bank account, the world has become infested with bumptious administrators competing to hinder or harass you. And often for no good reason whatever," said Privacy International in a statement.

"The sensitive and sensible folk at Privacy International have endured enough of this treatment."

Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, told Wired that he "hopes the contest will help raise awareness of security issues by taking a humorous poke at security blunders."

"I hope that making the Stupid Security awards an annual event will go some way to making organizations more sensitive about the effect they have on the public. But it will be a tough challenge."

posted by me

:: 2:56:00 PM [+] ::
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