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Friday, July 29, 2005
Cubs may be leading contenders to get Soriano - Baseball - MSNBC.com: "The Chicago Cubs may have become the leading contenders to acquire Texas Rangers second baseman Alfonso Soriano."
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Thursday, July 28, 2005
House approves huge energy bill - Politics - MSNBC.com: "WASHINGTON - The House by a wide margin approved a mammoth energy plan for the nation Thursday that sends billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies to energy companies, but is expected to do little to reduce U.S. oil consumption or dampen high energy prices."
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CNN.com - Hundreds of Boy Scouts fall ill from heat - Jul 28, 2005: "A Boy Scout National Jamboree marred by the deaths of four people weathered another blow Wednesday in Virginia when about 300 Scouts and adults suffered symptoms resulting from the 100-degree afternoon heat, a spokesman for the organization said.
Thousands of Scouts had gathered in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, for the opening ceremonies, which were canceled because of 'heat-related health concerns' and the threat of severe thunderstorms."
Another wake up call.
Thousands of Scouts had gathered in Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, for the opening ceremonies, which were canceled because of 'heat-related health concerns' and the threat of severe thunderstorms."
Another wake up call.
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Military's Opposition to Harsh Interrogation Is Outlined - New York Times: "WASHINGTON, July 27 - Senior military lawyers lodged vigorous and detailed dissents in early 2003 as an administration legal task force concluded that President Bush had authority as commander in chief to order harsh interrogations of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, newly disclosed documents show.
Despite the military lawyers' warnings, the task force concluded that military interrogators and their commanders would be immune from prosecution for torture under federal and international law because of the special character of the fight against terrorism."
Despite the military lawyers' warnings, the task force concluded that military interrogators and their commanders would be immune from prosecution for torture under federal and international law because of the special character of the fight against terrorism."
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Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Sitting here in McCarren. In the very belly of sin. This weekend I get the opportunity to head to Yosemite. It is a blessed life.
I have to write in to say that I am increasingly worried about our natural environment and the things going on with Mother Nature and our weather patterns. I suppose I did not expect it to be any different, but it is weird to see and hear and feel our earth screaming out to us and we just turning the blind eye. It would be so difficult otherwise though right? It stands to be difficult anyway. Perhaps the most difficult thing for us humans ever. Get ready.
I have to write in to say that I am increasingly worried about our natural environment and the things going on with Mother Nature and our weather patterns. I suppose I did not expect it to be any different, but it is weird to see and hear and feel our earth screaming out to us and we just turning the blind eye. It would be so difficult otherwise though right? It stands to be difficult anyway. Perhaps the most difficult thing for us humans ever. Get ready.
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At least 200 killed in India monsoon - World News - MSNBC.com: "Troops were deployed after sudden rains - measuring up to 37.1 inches in one day - stranded tens of thousands in suburban Bombay. "
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Sunday, July 24, 2005
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Eight Days in July - New York Times: "PRESIDENT BUSH'S new Supreme Court nominee was a historic first after all: the first to be announced on TV dead center in prime time, smack in the cross hairs of 'I Want to Be a Hilton.' It was also one of the hastiest court announcements in memory, abruptly sprung a week ahead of the White House's original timetable. The agenda of this rushed showmanship - to change the subject in Washington - could not have been more naked. But the president would have had to nominate Bill Clinton to change this subject."
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Poll: Six in 10 Americans expect new world war - U.S. News - MSNBC.com: "'Man's going to destroy man eventually. When that will be, I don't know,' said Gaye Lestaeghe of Freeport, La.
Some question whether that war has arrived, with fighting dragging on in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the U.S. campaign against terrorism.
'I feel like we're in a world war right now,' said Susan Aser, a real estate agent from Rochester, N.Y."
It is a gift, I suppose, to live in interesting times.
From this to this what does it bode for the future indeed?
Is a refresh in the air? What does that mean to me and you? What does it mean to us?
Some question whether that war has arrived, with fighting dragging on in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the U.S. campaign against terrorism.
'I feel like we're in a world war right now,' said Susan Aser, a real estate agent from Rochester, N.Y."
It is a gift, I suppose, to live in interesting times.
From this to this what does it bode for the future indeed?
Is a refresh in the air? What does that mean to me and you? What does it mean to us?
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Friday, July 22, 2005
Conspiracy theory sans tinfoil | MetaFilter
As terrapin writes, 'We'll learn eventually what happened.' I just wonder will it be in the next year or in thirty years? Will we come to grips with this and the larger implications as a nation?
We have always had a hard time being introspective. Exploring ourselves and what our presense here, in the heart of Native American tribal land, means. Hopefully eventually this will come too.
As terrapin writes, 'We'll learn eventually what happened.' I just wonder will it be in the next year or in thirty years? Will we come to grips with this and the larger implications as a nation?
We have always had a hard time being introspective. Exploring ourselves and what our presense here, in the heart of Native American tribal land, means. Hopefully eventually this will come too.
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The Lies: The Bush team lied about intentions for war from the start: "The greatest lie of the Bush administration is a lie of omission. During George Bush's 2000 presidential campaign he stated that he was against 'nation-building', and he never gave any indication that he had any plans for military action involving the Middle East. Bush made several statements about national-building, including:
'Let me tell you what else I'm worried about: I'm worried about an opponent who uses nation building and the military in the same sentence. See, our view of the military is for our military to be properly prepared to fight and win war and, therefore, prevent war from happening in the first place.'
'And so I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation building.' "
'Let me tell you what else I'm worried about: I'm worried about an opponent who uses nation building and the military in the same sentence. See, our view of the military is for our military to be properly prepared to fight and win war and, therefore, prevent war from happening in the first place.'
'And so I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation building.' "
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Signs point to global flu outbreak, WHO says - Bird Flu - MSNBC.com: "'This is perhaps the only time since 1968, which was the last pandemic, that we are getting signs, symptoms and warnings from nature ... More and more birds are dying in different parts of the world - this is the kind of signals, and early warnings that we are referring to.'"
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Thursday, July 21, 2005
The Huffington Post | The Blog: "More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere now than in 400,000 years. The carbon stays in the atmosphere, acts like a warm blanket and holds in the heat. We are altering the weather. People are doing that. And unless we act now, it will only get worse.
This isn't something far off in the future. This is happening now. The climate has already changed, and is poised for changes far worse. It's not just your grandchildren that will be affected. It's your children...it's grandma and grandpa...it's you."
This isn't something far off in the future. This is happening now. The climate has already changed, and is poised for changes far worse. It's not just your grandchildren that will be affected. It's your children...it's grandma and grandpa...it's you."
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TPMCafe || Politics, Ideas & Lots Of Caffeine: "Central to any message for Democrats now and through 2006 has to be that Washington is a Republican town. It's run by Republicans. Everything that happens in Washington is determined by Republicans. If you're fed up with Washington, you're fed up with Republicans, etc. It's not spin. It's all true and painfully so. "
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Ooh La La Lyrics - Faces: "poor old Granddad, I laughed at all his words
I thought he was a bitter man
he spoke of women's ways
they'll trap you when they use you
before you even now
for love is blind and you're far to kind
don't ever let it show
I wish that I knew what I know now
when I was younger
I wish that I knew what I know now
when I was stronger"
I thought he was a bitter man
he spoke of women's ways
they'll trap you when they use you
before you even now
for love is blind and you're far to kind
don't ever let it show
I wish that I knew what I know now
when I was younger
I wish that I knew what I know now
when I was stronger"
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Just a short note to follow on my previous post. It is a critism of our media in general. What wavelength do they operate on? What kind of wavelength might you hope for? Wouldn't you like to see the full, long wavelength story on the Anthrax mailer or even climate change (e.g. how is our fluctuating climate different from 20 or 100 years ago)? I would like to see more long wavelength stories personally.
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Carl Pope: Taking the Initiative - Sierra Club: "'It is a gradual, compounding problem whose advance is measured in decades . . . and neither governments, nor journalists, nor we citizen consumers of news are very good or very experienced on issues that fall on this part of the wavelength spectrum. Consider: If the press couldn't muster the discipline and news judgment to focus on the danger of terrorism in the two decades before 9/11, despite all the warnings, evidence, and informed and expert reports, are we surprised that they have not been able to focus on climate change or the environment?'"
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Oil industry awash in record levels of cash - Oil & Energy - MSNBC.com: "By just about any measure, the past three years have produced one of the biggest cash gushers in the oil industry�s history. Since January of 2002, the price of crude has tripled, leaving oil producers awash in profits. During that period, the top 10 major public oil companies have sold some $1.5 trillion worth of crude, pocketing profits of more than $125 billion."
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Wednesday, July 20, 2005
GREEN Walking the Talk / Woody Harrelson's Sustainable Life: "'We vote with our dollars more than we do at the ballot,' Woody Harrelson told me when we spoke by phone last month from his home in Hawaii. 'There is no legitimate voting anymore in the United States -- it's not really a democracy anymore.' His voice was slow and syrupy from the mix of Maui air and leftover drawl from his Texas boyhood. 'It does breed cynicism, and I've been very cynical,' he continued, 'but we gotta be hopeful, because otherwise it ain't gonna shift.' "
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Scientists worry about Pentagon's new ray gun - Science - MSNBC.com: "'What happens if someone in a crowd is unable for whatever reason to move away from the beam,' asked Neil Davison, coordinator of the non-lethal weapons research project at Britain's Bradford University. 'How do you ensure that the dose doesn't cross the threshold for permanent damage? Does the weapon cut out to prevent overexposure?'
The magazine said a vehicle-mounted version of the weapon named Sheriff was scheduled for service in Iraq in 2006, and that U.S. Marines and police were both working on portable versions."
The magazine said a vehicle-mounted version of the weapon named Sheriff was scheduled for service in Iraq in 2006, and that U.S. Marines and police were both working on portable versions."
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Interactive: Chase for the Triple Crown - Baseball - MSNBC.com: "Remarkably, no National League player has won the Triple Crown since Joe Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937. But that could change in 2005, as the Chicago Cubs' Derrek Lee has us raising the subject again."
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Monday, July 18, 2005
Monday blah’s after a weekend of fun and excitement.
It seems like they are going around though - I am sure I am not the only one. Working from home tomorrow with a ‘job interview’ will be nice too so that helps.
This weekend my life changed as my angel said yes. I forgot one part, the getting on the knee, but I think I remembered and said most of the things I wanted to make sure to say. I think she knows, too. Words sometimes just get in the way.
We went to where part of my heart always will be, Santa Barbara. We stayed at a beach side resort (I would recommend the Fess Parker to anyone) and had great food and great conversation and hung out with some great people. And she said yes. Yesterday, today and forever will never be the same.
It seems like they are going around though - I am sure I am not the only one. Working from home tomorrow with a ‘job interview’ will be nice too so that helps.
This weekend my life changed as my angel said yes. I forgot one part, the getting on the knee, but I think I remembered and said most of the things I wanted to make sure to say. I think she knows, too. Words sometimes just get in the way.
We went to where part of my heart always will be, Santa Barbara. We stayed at a beach side resort (I would recommend the Fess Parker to anyone) and had great food and great conversation and hung out with some great people. And she said yes. Yesterday, today and forever will never be the same.
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Aussie Rookie Wins World Series of Poker - Yahoo! News: "When Hachem finally confronted the mountain of cash, he asked: 'Is this all mine?'
Yes."
Yes."
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20,000 Israeli forces bar Gaza march - Middle East and North Africa - MSNBC.com: "Security forces blocked thousands of Jewish settlers and their supporters from marching Monday evening in protest of Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip next month. "
It seems everywhere you look these sorts of things are happening.
It seems everywhere you look these sorts of things are happening.
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Follow the Uranium - New York Times: "Next to White House courtiers of their rank, Mr. Wilson is at most a Rosencrantz or Guildenstern. The brief against the administration's drumbeat for war would be just as damning if he'd never gone to Africa. But by overreacting in panic to his single Op-Ed piece of two years ago, the White House has opened a Pandora's box it can't slam shut. Seasoned audiences of presidential scandal know that there's only one certainty ahead: the timing of a Karl Rove resignation. As always in this genre, the knight takes the fall at exactly that moment when it's essential to protect the king."
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Colorado lawmaker: U.S. could 'take out' Mecca - Politics - MSNBC.com: "DENVER - A Colorado congressman told a radio show host that the U.S. could 'take out' Islamic holy sites if Muslim fundamentalist terrorists attacked the country with nuclear weapons."
Oh boy.
Oh boy.
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Friday, July 15, 2005
Jamaica braces for Hurricane Emily�s wrath - Weather News - MSNBC.com: "Packing winds of 115 mph, the second major hurricane of the Atlantic season came unusually early and made its presence felt hundreds of miles away, unleashing heavy surf, gusty winds and torrential rains on islands on both sides of the Caribbean Sea. "
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Karl Rove's America - New York Times: "What Mr. Rove understood, long before the rest of us, is that we're not living in the America of the past, where even partisans sometimes changed their views when faced with the facts. Instead, we're living in a country in which there is no longer such a thing as nonpolitical truth. In particular, there are now few, if any, limits to what conservative politicians can get away with: the faithful will follow the twists and turns of the party line with a loyalty that would have pleased the Comintern. "
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Lifting the Lid: Riches keep on coming for U.S. CEOs - MSNBC Wire Services - MSNBC.com: "But few people, including the Democratic politician himself, expect the measure to draw much support. If anything, Sabo thinks the gap between what the average U.S. worker makes and what CEOs earn 'has gotten worse rather than better.'"
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'Wrapping' Alpine glaciers - Environment - MSNBC.com: "Now, with global warming slowly melting glaciers in central Europe, scientists have begun applying a revolutionary method to prevent further glacier melting called 'wrapping of the Alpine glaciers.' "
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www.AndrewSullivan.com - Daily Dish: "Maybe you still remember the shock of seeing the photographs of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. More gruesome images are on their way, and may well be released within a month. What we saw - the use of barking dogs, people shackled to the floor, sexual abuse, a man dragged around on a leash like a dog, simulation of gay sex, references and threats to relatives - was indeed shocking. But we were emphatically told by the administration that none of this was policy, that all of it was dreamed up by some nutjobs on the night shift who got their ideas from bad television or their own demented psyches. When some of us pointed out that there was clear evidence that some of these techniques were authorized, that, indeed, the commander of Guantanamo Bay, had been sent to Abu Ghraib to 'Gitmoize' it, we were told we were slandering the troops and the administration. "
Ugh.
Ugh.
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Scientists Raise Alarm About Ocean Health: "'People have to realize that things are connected � the state of coastal temperatures and plankton populations are connected to larger issues like Pacific salmon populations,' he said."
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Rove leak is just part of larger scandal | csmonitor.com: "Let me remind you that the underlying issue in the Karl Rove controversy is not a leak, but a war and how America was misled into that war."
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Thursday, July 14, 2005
ESPN.com: Page 2 : The end of the road: "Let's face it. When you are out of the game, you cease to exist -- no matter what the game is."
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Wednesday, July 13, 2005
The Huffington Post | Front Page: "Our President, George W. Bush, was actually in the United Kingdom when terror struck London. He was in Scotland, a two-hour flight from Heathrow. Understandably, he and the other leaders completed the G8 summit, unbowed by the carnage in the London transit system.
And then our President came home."
It's a good point.
And then our President came home."
It's a good point.
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Whew, a few down moments.
Last night I got a chance to go see a great show. Hell yes, Beck puts on a great one. Especially that it was free for us. Two turn tables and a microphone, oh, and the most instruments I have ever seen on one stage or in one room ever.
Before the show I was a little down. I was struck by the recent events in London and the thoughts that struck me initially - the thoughts that haunt me now. As outlined below, militarily, politically and financially I have had some of my worst fears somewhat held up by the available evidence. But we probably will never really know the truth right? Maybe in thirty years some historians will have it figured out, but now…
We need to come to grips with what is right to ourselves and what is right for our families. As the world is getting smaller and smaller and companies are merging into evermore powerful and large entities are we not at a turning point? It is our hands to decide right? Because what we hold up to be good and right in our world (democracy, minority rights, free pursuit of happiness) means nothing to these entities that may very soon, if they do not all ready, rule our world.
Who is to rule as we move forward though? Fear and profit centers or something else? What is right for you? What is right for your family?
Last night I got a chance to go see a great show. Hell yes, Beck puts on a great one. Especially that it was free for us. Two turn tables and a microphone, oh, and the most instruments I have ever seen on one stage or in one room ever.
Before the show I was a little down. I was struck by the recent events in London and the thoughts that struck me initially - the thoughts that haunt me now. As outlined below, militarily, politically and financially I have had some of my worst fears somewhat held up by the available evidence. But we probably will never really know the truth right? Maybe in thirty years some historians will have it figured out, but now…
We need to come to grips with what is right to ourselves and what is right for our families. As the world is getting smaller and smaller and companies are merging into evermore powerful and large entities are we not at a turning point? It is our hands to decide right? Because what we hold up to be good and right in our world (democracy, minority rights, free pursuit of happiness) means nothing to these entities that may very soon, if they do not all ready, rule our world.
Who is to rule as we move forward though? Fear and profit centers or something else? What is right for you? What is right for your family?
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'Dr. Shaq' takes shot at rookie Bynum - NBA - MSNBC.com: "'Tell him Shaq doesn't respond to juvenile delinquents without a college degree,' O'Neal said, the L.A. Times reported. 'Tell him to get his degree and we can talk. In the meantime, he should call me Dr. Shaq because I'm working on my PhD.'"
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Root of the Rove controversy is the war in Iraq - Politics - MSNBC.com: "Is this a case of the curse of the second-term scandal?
No, it would be the curse of the first term. This happened in the first term. This is perhaps the curse of a controversial basis for going to war.
Really what this is about is the case for going into Iraq. The issue is really the debates about the war, the evidence that was used to go to war, and the claims that were made by this administration that proved to be false. "
No, it would be the curse of the first term. This happened in the first term. This is perhaps the curse of a controversial basis for going to war.
Really what this is about is the case for going into Iraq. The issue is really the debates about the war, the evidence that was used to go to war, and the claims that were made by this administration that proved to be false. "
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Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: July 10, 2005 - July 16, 2005 Archives: "The remark by Rove that to me hints at the depths of his depravity is the comment that Valerie Plame was now 'fair game.' There is something in the offhand quality of that remark, even if Rove was not the one who revealed her identity, that is chilling. This was an agent of the CIA, a woman sufficiently patriotic to have dedicated her career to serving her country. This, supposedly, is what Republicans believe in. Yet once her husband angered the President, she was quickly made into 'fair game.' And fair game for what, exactly?"
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-THE CUNNING REALIST-: "The terrorist attacks in London took place on Thursday. The Fed dramatically increased the pool of liquidity available for stocks to a multi-year high 48 hours before that---an ideal amount of time for that liquidity to filter into the market---and kept it elevated for the next few days. And indeed, it worked. The stock market saw heavy buying right at the opening bell on Thursday and has shot straight up since then."
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Press Briefing by Scott McClellan: "Q Does the White House have a credibility problem? "
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ESPN.com - OLY/TDF2005 - Lance in yellow again after dominating in Alps: "Two faces. One was Lance Armstrong's, steely but almost serene as he pedaled furiously in the thin mountain air. The other was a mask of pain worn by Jan Ullrich, his great German rival trailing farther and farther behind."
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Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: July 10, 2005 - July 16, 2005 Archives: "So now we know that Karl Rove started attacking Valerie Plame to get his boss out of the soup. And now two years later he continues to attack her.
True to form to the last. And every reporter in town knows it. "
True to form to the last. And every reporter in town knows it. "
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GlobalResearch.ca - al-Qu�eda or al-a�diversion?: "Of course it can't be proved that the people who set these bombs are the paid agents of the British or US state, anymore than the state can prove that al-Zarqawi exists, but the inability of the most sophisticated intelligence/security agencies on the planet to catch them; their chosen targets � never agents of the state, always civilians; and in Iraq, almost always Iraqi civilians � points to the work of agent provocateurs in the classic mould. "
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White House Still Silent on Rove Evidence - Yahoo! News: "The White House is suddenly facing damaging evidence that it misled the public by insisting for two years that presidential adviser Karl Rove wasn't involved in leaking the identity of a female CIA officer.
President Bush, at an Oval Office photo opportunity Tuesday, was asked directly whether he would fire Rove � in keeping with a pledge in June, 2004, to dismiss any leakers in the case. The president did not respond."
President Bush, at an Oval Office photo opportunity Tuesday, was asked directly whether he would fire Rove � in keeping with a pledge in June, 2004, to dismiss any leakers in the case. The president did not respond."
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London bombs terror attack The Times and Sunday Times Times Online: "A SINGLE bombmaker using high-grade military explosives is believed to be responsible for building the four devices that killed more than 50 people last week, The Times can reveal.
Similar components from the explosive devices have been found at all four murder sites, leading detectives to believe that each of the 10lb rucksack bombs was the work of one man. They also believe that the materials used were not home made but sophisticated military explosives, possibly smuggled into Britain from the Balkans.
'The nature of the explosives appears to be military, which is very worrying,' said Superintendent Christophe Chaboud, the chief of the French anti-terrorist police, who was in London to help Scotland Yard. "
Will hopefully have more time to write in about this later.
Similar components from the explosive devices have been found at all four murder sites, leading detectives to believe that each of the 10lb rucksack bombs was the work of one man. They also believe that the materials used were not home made but sophisticated military explosives, possibly smuggled into Britain from the Balkans.
'The nature of the explosives appears to be military, which is very worrying,' said Superintendent Christophe Chaboud, the chief of the French anti-terrorist police, who was in London to help Scotland Yard. "
Will hopefully have more time to write in about this later.
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Monday, July 11, 2005
Did the London terrorists train in Iraq? - Altercation - MSNBC.com: "Jihadists Returning from Iraq: David Kay, who led the CIA's hunt for weapons of mass destruction, says European intelligence officials told him at a meeting in May that their nations are seeing 'episodic evidence' of jihadists who had returned from Iraq refulgent with anti-American hatred and well-versed in bomb-making. 'There is all this opportunity in Iraq for them to learn how to counter our tactics,' says a U.S. counterterrorism official.'"
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Feds no longer dismiss talk of housing bubble - America's Housing Craze - MSNBC.com: "A cover story in the Economist magazine this month calls the global rise in housing prices 'the biggest bubble in history' and warns of economic pain to follow. Declining prices in formerly red-hot markets of Britain and Australia offer a cautionary tale for what could happen in the United States, the magazine's editors argue."
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Press Batters McClellan on Rove/Plame Link: "You're in a bad spot here, Scott... "
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The Huffington Post | Front Page: "WELL, WHAT DOES HE THINK GLOBAL WARMING WILL DO TO THE ECONOMY!?!?
I wish there was an even bolder bold on this computer to emphasize how insane this logic is. Non-stop flooding, killer heat waves, energy and food shortages: what will these do to the economy? Will it be good for Wall Street when millions of people are displaced from coastal cities? Come to think of it, isn't Wall Street about 5 blocks from the Atlantic Ocean? How are all those brokers going to feel about relocating to Wichita?"
I wish there was an even bolder bold on this computer to emphasize how insane this logic is. Non-stop flooding, killer heat waves, energy and food shortages: what will these do to the economy? Will it be good for Wall Street when millions of people are displaced from coastal cities? Come to think of it, isn't Wall Street about 5 blocks from the Atlantic Ocean? How are all those brokers going to feel about relocating to Wichita?"
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Karl Rove -- soft on terror - Bloggermann - MSNBC.com: "Karl Rove is a liability in the war on terror."
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ESPN.com - MLB - Stark: Midseason awards: "NL MVP of the Half-Year
Derrek Lee, Cubs. We'd feel better about this choice if the Cubs hadn't just careened to six games out in the wild-card race. But it's still hard to pick against a guy who's a threat to lead the league in not just the standard old triple-crown categories but also all these departments: runs, slugging, on-base percentage, hits, extra-base hits, total bases, average with runners in scoring position and average against left-handers and right-handers. Even though just about no one is ever on base in front of him, if Lee's second half matches his first half, he'd finish at .378, with 49 homers, 102 extra-base hits, 220 hits, 19 stolen bases and a .721 slugging percentage. So how many players have ever had a year like that? Exactly none. (And only if we lower the SB bar to 15 do we drag in one man -- George H. Bambino Ruth.) APOLOGIES TO: Albert Pujols, Andruw Jones, Chad Cordero, Morgan Ensberg, Bobby Abreu. "
Derrek Lee, Cubs. We'd feel better about this choice if the Cubs hadn't just careened to six games out in the wild-card race. But it's still hard to pick against a guy who's a threat to lead the league in not just the standard old triple-crown categories but also all these departments: runs, slugging, on-base percentage, hits, extra-base hits, total bases, average with runners in scoring position and average against left-handers and right-handers. Even though just about no one is ever on base in front of him, if Lee's second half matches his first half, he'd finish at .378, with 49 homers, 102 extra-base hits, 220 hits, 19 stolen bases and a .721 slugging percentage. So how many players have ever had a year like that? Exactly none. (And only if we lower the SB bar to 15 do we drag in one man -- George H. Bambino Ruth.) APOLOGIES TO: Albert Pujols, Andruw Jones, Chad Cordero, Morgan Ensberg, Bobby Abreu. "
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U.K. Memo Cites Plans For Troop Reduction: "The paper, which is marked 'Secret -- UK Eyes Only,' said 'emerging U.S. plans assume that 14 out of 18 provinces could be handed over to Iraqi control by early 2006,' allowing a reduction in overall U.S.-led forces in Iraq to 66,000 troops. The troop level is now at about 160,000, including 138,000 American troops, according to a military spokesman in Baghdad."
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Friday, July 08, 2005
In my crazy mind this is the first sort of line of thinking that came to me after worrying for those that passed and haved loved ones that were affected.
The players in this are not known at this time it seems. There are different people and groups who could have done this cowardly act in London. What ran through my mind though was WTC7 and the PDB that screamed, 'do something!'
Then I am like, dammit... people are suffering and now is not the time to be the detective from 5000 miles away.
But thoughts kept drifting back to the weirdness around WTC7 and the push to never investigate the WTC attacks in general and the numbers of civilian dead in Iraq and Afghanistan and the huge amount of money made by some. How am I different from those in the London subway? How are they different from the poor civilians killed in Iraq? Especially when you consider the billions or trillions at stake.
What I am saying is that I am confused. I never would have wanted our government to go into Iraq such as they did, never would have wanted the situation to unfold such as it did on 911 and after (the blocking of the investigation mainly). Did something that I would feel terrible about and would make me sick happen yesterday in London in the face of such dim poll numbers and the loss of all that potential cash?
Please let it not be so.
The players in this are not known at this time it seems. There are different people and groups who could have done this cowardly act in London. What ran through my mind though was WTC7 and the PDB that screamed, 'do something!'
Then I am like, dammit... people are suffering and now is not the time to be the detective from 5000 miles away.
But thoughts kept drifting back to the weirdness around WTC7 and the push to never investigate the WTC attacks in general and the numbers of civilian dead in Iraq and Afghanistan and the huge amount of money made by some. How am I different from those in the London subway? How are they different from the poor civilians killed in Iraq? Especially when you consider the billions or trillions at stake.
What I am saying is that I am confused. I never would have wanted our government to go into Iraq such as they did, never would have wanted the situation to unfold such as it did on 911 and after (the blocking of the investigation mainly). Did something that I would feel terrible about and would make me sick happen yesterday in London in the face of such dim poll numbers and the loss of all that potential cash?
Please let it not be so.
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Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: July 03, 2005 - July 09, 2005 Archives: "Can this be true? Says Judd Legum at ThinkProgress: 'For the fourth straight time since his lawyer admitted that Rove was one of Matt Cooper's sources, no member of the White House press corps asked a question about Rove's role.'"
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Why Do You Work So Hard? / Is it maybe time to quit your safe job and follow your path and infuriate the establishment?: "But then again, maybe not. This is the other huge truism we so easily forget: There is always room. There are always choices we can begin to make, changes we can begin to invite, rules we can work to upset, angles of penetration we can try to explore. And if that's not worth trying, well, what is? "
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Why Do You Work So Hard? / Is it maybe time to quit your safe job and follow your path and infuriate the establishment?: "Work hard and the world respects you. Work hard and you can have anything you want. Work really extra super hard and do nothing else but work and ignore your family and spend 14 hours a day at the office and make 300 grand a year that you never have time to spend, sublimate your soul to the corporate machine and enjoy a profound drinking problem and sporadic impotence and a nice 8BR mini-mansion you never spend any time in, and you and your shiny BMW 740i will get into heaven."
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Talking Points Memo: by Joshua Micah Marshall: July 03, 2005 - July 09, 2005 Archives: "Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London"
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A Letter To The Terrorists, From London :: The London News Review: "And that's because we're better than you. Everyone is better than you. Our city works. We rather like it. And we're going to go about our lives. We're going to take care of the lives you ruined. And then we're going to work. And we're going down the pub.
So you can pack up your bombs, put them in your arseholes, and get the fuck out of our city."
So you can pack up your bombs, put them in your arseholes, and get the fuck out of our city."
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Victimized by horror - Hardball with Chris Matthews - MSNBC.com: "We feel terribly victimized by these kinds of horrors - and we are. In any objective way, by any objective standard, we're the victims. But politically in the world, people root for the third world against the big first world - and it isn't so simple in terms of world opinion. "
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Thursday, July 07, 2005
-THE CUNNING REALIST-: Yes, Words Matter....: "This war has a popular label and a political label, but it's not accurate. Terrorism is a means of power projection, it's a weapon, it's a tool of war. Think of it as our enemy's stealth bomber. This is no more a war on terrorism than World War II was a war on submarines. It's not just semantics. Words have meaning. And these words are leading us down to the wrong concept."
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Pressing Freedom | MetaFilter: "If reporters are allowed to protect their sources, then her case is not distinguishable from another. And if reporters are 'allowed' to protect their sources, then we should be clear about what we mean by 'allowed'. Miller argued in court that her refusal to testify is an example of civil disobediance where she must follow her conscience. That is not an argument against her being jailed. An essential component of civil disobediance is the willingness to accept the consequences of that disobediance. That's part of what makes it effective. Additionally, one's duty to one's conscience and one's duty to society in respecting the rule of law are both valid and both can be satisified by engaging in civil disobediance but accepting the legal consequences."
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My heart goes out to all those affected by these terrible events today in London. I wish all the souls and families involved the very best through this tragedy.
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AlterNet: Who's Watching the Watch List?: "To the dismay of many of my more progressive friends, I've given the feds the benefit of the doubt on homeland security. I tend to dismiss conspiracy theories as nonsense and I take my shoes off for the airport screeners with a smile.
I'm embarrassed that it took my own ox being gored for me to see the threat posed by the Administration's current restricting of civil liberties. "
I'm embarrassed that it took my own ox being gored for me to see the threat posed by the Administration's current restricting of civil liberties. "
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From www.sfgate.com: A thirsty bruin opens wide for orange juice squirted by a Beijing Zoo visitor. China is suffering through an unusually severe heat wave.
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Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Mistrial declared in Notorious B.I.G. case - RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC - MSNBC.com: "Family attorney Perry Sanders Jr. said the case would now delve into the LAPDs Rampart corruption scandal."
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So what are you thinking these days about the Karl Rove and Valerie Plame situation?
Personally I have been as interested in this story for the past two years (probably a little more interested in the Anthrax mailings personally, but not much has been heard on that front). I actually am a little shocked to see developments in the Plame matter. I thought it was going to be like the investigation into how our administration used pre-war intelligence.
And I guess it still could be. Long tunnels sometimes have quiet, dark ends. I hope there is a come-to-Jesus type light at the end of this tunnel though.
Developing…
Personally I have been as interested in this story for the past two years (probably a little more interested in the Anthrax mailings personally, but not much has been heard on that front). I actually am a little shocked to see developments in the Plame matter. I thought it was going to be like the investigation into how our administration used pre-war intelligence.
And I guess it still could be. Long tunnels sometimes have quiet, dark ends. I hope there is a come-to-Jesus type light at the end of this tunnel though.
Developing…
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Bush Falls Off Bike in Scotland - Yahoo! News: "It was raining lightly at the time."
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Migrating birds could carry avian flu out of Asia - Bird Flu - MSNBC.com: "WASHINGTON - The spread of the bird flu virus among migrating geese and other birds at a wildlife refuge in China means the birds could carry the devastating virus out of Asia into India, Australia, New Zealand and eventually Europe, scientists reported on Wednesday.
This makes avian flu even more of a global threat than it already is, the scientists said in reports published jointly by the journals Science and Nature. Health officials fear avian influenza could cause a pandemic of human disease."
Anything to do with the birds that washed up that I linked to yesterday? Thoughts?
This makes avian flu even more of a global threat than it already is, the scientists said in reports published jointly by the journals Science and Nature. Health officials fear avian influenza could cause a pandemic of human disease."
Anything to do with the birds that washed up that I linked to yesterday? Thoughts?
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The good life means more greenhouse gas: "'This will change our lives,' the Beijing bus driver said "
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Tuesday, July 05, 2005
"'Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know. Everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever WAS lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering , thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar', every 'supreme leader', every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds , Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another."
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Thank you for reminding me of the Golden Rule… a precept I hold dear.
If you will indulge me for a moment – it is this rule that forms the basis of what I was writing to you. That hopefully one day our species will take into our hearts that the golden rule is maybe not just about us and our fellow man, but about the ‘lesser’ species around us and our natural environment too (whether one wants to agree or disagree that our earth is a living construct hopefully people could learn to treat any air, water or earth as if it was their very own). This would be the ideal and I think is the true struggle we face and perhaps that which your UN fellow was speaking of as well, namely getting into peoples hearts and minds that for the good of us all we do need to take these actions and modify our own selfish instincts. I imagine, with the ingenuity of America, that we could devise some plan to do such a thing.
Because, despite your writings below we have become unmoored from some very basic earthly laws that Mr. E.O. Wilson writes of. Laws that say in a natural environment the larger animals are generally the least prevalent (as evidenced by primates in the wild during his studies). Let me in fact argue that it is this one specific law that we have broken that has caused so very much heartache and trouble (environmentally and sociologically). It can all be related back to this.
Of course now, as I write along channeling Malthus, one might accuse me of taking away very fundamental rights to any individual species or individual person. It is the right of procreation that is perhaps the most fundamental.
I would write to my accuser though to tell them that I would not deny any one person or couple their right to procreate. I just think that we have to understand our limits and communicate about them freely. For the fact is that the power of God himself is here now in our collective hands. Should we decide to face up to our stewardship powers in just one generation we could remake the world into the paradise we have all dreamed of, through natural attrition. Should we decide to abrogate this power I truly fear that we will go the way of the dinosaurs or perhaps some of our ‘lesser’ species – hanging on by a thread.
This growth equation can be used in cases where there is truly this type of growth. For example, when a new species arrives to an island where there is plentiful of food, perfect conditions for reproduction, and no predators, or when a scientist starts growing bacteria under perfect conditions, one can certainly observe this (almost perfect) type of growth; although, not forever. That is why other mathematical models were developed.
If you will indulge me for a moment – it is this rule that forms the basis of what I was writing to you. That hopefully one day our species will take into our hearts that the golden rule is maybe not just about us and our fellow man, but about the ‘lesser’ species around us and our natural environment too (whether one wants to agree or disagree that our earth is a living construct hopefully people could learn to treat any air, water or earth as if it was their very own). This would be the ideal and I think is the true struggle we face and perhaps that which your UN fellow was speaking of as well, namely getting into peoples hearts and minds that for the good of us all we do need to take these actions and modify our own selfish instincts. I imagine, with the ingenuity of America, that we could devise some plan to do such a thing.
Because, despite your writings below we have become unmoored from some very basic earthly laws that Mr. E.O. Wilson writes of. Laws that say in a natural environment the larger animals are generally the least prevalent (as evidenced by primates in the wild during his studies). Let me in fact argue that it is this one specific law that we have broken that has caused so very much heartache and trouble (environmentally and sociologically). It can all be related back to this.
Of course now, as I write along channeling Malthus, one might accuse me of taking away very fundamental rights to any individual species or individual person. It is the right of procreation that is perhaps the most fundamental.
I would write to my accuser though to tell them that I would not deny any one person or couple their right to procreate. I just think that we have to understand our limits and communicate about them freely. For the fact is that the power of God himself is here now in our collective hands. Should we decide to face up to our stewardship powers in just one generation we could remake the world into the paradise we have all dreamed of, through natural attrition. Should we decide to abrogate this power I truly fear that we will go the way of the dinosaurs or perhaps some of our ‘lesser’ species – hanging on by a thread.
This growth equation can be used in cases where there is truly this type of growth. For example, when a new species arrives to an island where there is plentiful of food, perfect conditions for reproduction, and no predators, or when a scientist starts growing bacteria under perfect conditions, one can certainly observe this (almost perfect) type of growth; although, not forever. That is why other mathematical models were developed.
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Officials investigate deaths of sea birds - Science - MSNBC.com: "Since June 12, more than 500 dead sea birds have been reported from Maryland to Florida, said Emi Saito, a wildlife disease specialist with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis. 'It's unusual to see so many,' Saito said."
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Campaign veterans run anti-Wal-Mart effort - Tom Curry - MSNBC.com: "'We need a broad social movement to change this company,' said Blank. 'This is a moral question about what kind of America we want to live in. Do we want to live in Wal-Mart's version of America, where you drive down wages, don't provide health insurance, provide no retirement security, ship jobs overseas and have complete abandonment of your values in the relentless pursuit of profit?'"
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ESPN.com - OLY/TDF2005 - Lance in yellow as Zabriskie crashes: "Lance Armstrong's Discovery Channel squad won the team time trial at the Tour de France on Tuesday, handing the six-time champion the yellow jersey as overall race leader."
All the best Lance.
All the best Lance.
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A Livable Shade of Green - New York Times: "Newly released data show that Portland, America's environmental laboratory, has achieved stunning reductions in carbon emissions. It has reduced emissions below the levels of 1990, the benchmark for the Kyoto accord, while booming economically.
What's more, officials in Portland insist that the campaign to cut carbon emissions has entailed no significant economic price, and on the contrary has brought the city huge benefits: less tax money spent on energy, more convenient transportation, a greener city, and expertise in energy efficiency that is helping local businesses win contracts worldwide."
What's more, officials in Portland insist that the campaign to cut carbon emissions has entailed no significant economic price, and on the contrary has brought the city huge benefits: less tax money spent on energy, more convenient transportation, a greener city, and expertise in energy efficiency that is helping local businesses win contracts worldwide."
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KARL ROVE: WORSE THAN OSAMA BIN LADEN - Yahoo! News: "Rove and his collaborators should quickly resign and face prosecution for betraying their country, but given their sense of personal entitlement impeachment is probably the best we can hope for. Congress, and all Americans, should place patriotism ahead of party loyalty."
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-THE CUNNING REALIST-: July 4th Priorities: "To me, 'supporting the troops' is not an empty mantra. It means giving them a defined, viable mission---and if the worst happens, to honor them in death. It's hard to honor the sacrifice of our troops without knowing their names. But we already knew that Fox has other priorities, didn't we? As a charter member of the insurgents-as-terrorists language creep club, Fox is an enabler of mission creep. And enablers of mission creep by definition do not support the troops. "
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Wade's star shines brighter than basketball - NBA - MSNBC.com: "'For 21 years of my life, I felt like I was poor and things weren't going right,' Wade says. 'But maybe the next 60 years of my life, 70 years of my life, maybe everything will be fine. Maybe I'll be wealthy enough so it will be. That's a good trade-off and I feel very blessed.'"
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Saturday, July 02, 2005
OAKLAND / City forces out 2 downtown businesses / Action follows high court ruling on eminent domain: "'The city thinks I cause 'economic blight' because I don't produce enough tax revenue,'' Revelli said. 'We thought we'd win, but the Supreme Court took away my last chance.' "
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Friday, July 01, 2005
The Huffington Post | The Blog: "None of this should be a shock - as I have written before, the media regularly misses the real story about how Big Money runs the show in Washington, D.C. Reporters seem to prefer the fake storyline of 'conservative' vs. 'liberal' as opposed to the real storyline of 'Big Money' vs. 'Ordinary Americans.' That's what this fight is ultimately going to be about, and Corporate America is going to thrust itself into the middle of this, ramming millions of dollars into the process to make sure they get the climax they want - a Justice they can be in bed with whenever they desire, and that will perform whatever dirty little favors Big Business says. Our side had better be ready to expose their scheme - and counter it with our own fight."
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Elite military unit missing Afghanistan - South and Central Asia - MSNBC.com: "Hakimi also said a 'high-ranking American has been captured in fighting in the same area as the helicopter went down.' "
I wish these guys, half a world away, the very best.
I wish these guys, half a world away, the very best.
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