28 July 2004
George W did not approve this ad...
ACT Video Hosting Page
|ACT is the largest voter contact program in history. ACT needs you to help beat George W. Bush and elect Democrats up and down the ticket in 2004 – in federal, state, and local elections.|
|ACT is the largest voter contact program in history. ACT needs you to help beat George W. Bush and elect Democrats up and down the ticket in 2004 – in federal, state, and local elections.|
beat Goliath
No Manchurians in 'Manchurian Candidate'
|"I mean, there's only two people, two classes of people you can portray as a villain on a television action-adventure show anymore, and that would be the Russians or white, middle-class Americans, businessmen preferably, right? Because they don't have any minority group to get up and raise hell." The Cold War is over, so the Soviets are out; Middle East terrorists are a problem because Muslims and Arab-Americans have legitimate concerns about stereotyping, Pitney says, adding: "That leaves business people."|
but let's not forget that stereotypes can be both positive and negative...
|"I mean, there's only two people, two classes of people you can portray as a villain on a television action-adventure show anymore, and that would be the Russians or white, middle-class Americans, businessmen preferably, right? Because they don't have any minority group to get up and raise hell." The Cold War is over, so the Soviets are out; Middle East terrorists are a problem because Muslims and Arab-Americans have legitimate concerns about stereotyping, Pitney says, adding: "That leaves business people."|
but let's not forget that stereotypes can be both positive and negative...
26 July 2004
JibJab does it again
19 July 2004
the new shit
an oddity from DQ country
The Tragic MooLatte
|"MooLatte" sounds a lot like "mulatto," which is a word, not in much use nowadays, that describes a person whose father is white and mother is black or (less common in bygone days) the other way around.|
|"MooLatte" sounds a lot like "mulatto," which is a word, not in much use nowadays, that describes a person whose father is white and mother is black or (less common in bygone days) the other way around.|
Nixon's Michael Moore
The filmmaker who pestered Tricky Dick.
|As Fahrenheit 9/11 racks up another week of multimillion-dollar grosses, pundits are buzzing that no major documentary has been so scathing toward a sitting president during an election. Apparently, they've never seen Emile de Antonio's Millhouse: A White Comedy.|
|As Fahrenheit 9/11 racks up another week of multimillion-dollar grosses, pundits are buzzing that no major documentary has been so scathing toward a sitting president during an election. Apparently, they've never seen Emile de Antonio's Millhouse: A White Comedy.|
Cliff's notes for war
What Did Bush Know? - And what did he think his intelligence agencies knew about Iraqi WMD?
|The 2002 estimate in question, titled "Iraq's Continuing Program for Weapons of Mass Destruction," was such a document. It was ordered so that the president could decide, in an informed manner, whether to go to war. The president is the main consumer of the NIE; it is written entirely for his benefit. To shrink the thing into a single page—to remove all distinctions between certainty and guesswork—is to evade the whole point.|
|The 2002 estimate in question, titled "Iraq's Continuing Program for Weapons of Mass Destruction," was such a document. It was ordered so that the president could decide, in an informed manner, whether to go to war. The president is the main consumer of the NIE; it is written entirely for his benefit. To shrink the thing into a single page—to remove all distinctions between certainty and guesswork—is to evade the whole point.|
Dow Chemical/Union Carbide must pay up
Court relief for Bhopal victims
|India's Supreme Court has ordered the government to release millions of dollars in compensation for victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.|
|India's Supreme Court has ordered the government to release millions of dollars in compensation for victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.|
Iraqi insurgents broker another deal
Egyptian hostage 'freed in Iraq'
|The reported release comes after Mr Gharabawi's Saudi employers agreed to leave Iraq following a threat by his captors to kill him if they did not go.|
|The reported release comes after Mr Gharabawi's Saudi employers agreed to leave Iraq following a threat by his captors to kill him if they did not go.|
Filipinos negotiate for peace
Philippines complete Iraq pullout
|The Philippines began withdrawing its 51-strong force last week, after agreeing to the kidnappers' demands in order to save Mr de la Cruz's life.|
|The Philippines began withdrawing its 51-strong force last week, after agreeing to the kidnappers' demands in order to save Mr de la Cruz's life.|
another Asimov study
How I, Robot gets the science-fiction grandmaster wrong.
|Asimov's faith in the rule of robots was genuine and based on his faith in the rule of reason. He viewed his now-canonical Rules of Robotics—the code for robot behavior used in his books—as a roadmap for human ethics. Just as Asimov's machines are better than people at calculating mathematics, they're superior at coming to moral judgments as well. ... Superior logic produces superior ethics.|
|Asimov's faith in the rule of robots was genuine and based on his faith in the rule of reason. He viewed his now-canonical Rules of Robotics—the code for robot behavior used in his books—as a roadmap for human ethics. Just as Asimov's machines are better than people at calculating mathematics, they're superior at coming to moral judgments as well. ... Superior logic produces superior ethics.|
death to passenger pre-screening program
The Man Who Helped Kill CAPPS II
|"My first reaction was, 'We need to get the fuck out of this place.' I had lived in Prague. I had lived in Berlin. I'd seen this movie before. We were in a pot. And that water was getting hotter," Scannell recalled. "But my wife said, 'I'm staying.' And I said, 'If we're staying, I'm going to stay and fight.'"|
|"My first reaction was, 'We need to get the fuck out of this place.' I had lived in Prague. I had lived in Berlin. I'd seen this movie before. We were in a pot. And that water was getting hotter," Scannell recalled. "But my wife said, 'I'm staying.' And I said, 'If we're staying, I'm going to stay and fight.'"|
17 July 2004
blockbuster bots
I, Robot No Deep Thinker
|In the movie version of I, Robot, Hollywood's rules rule. Asimov fans and others who like their sci-fi on the chewy side will probably revolt -- the essence of the book is gone. But the average popcorn muncher will appreciate I, Robot -- it's a good example of why the blockbuster formula works.|
|In the movie version of I, Robot, Hollywood's rules rule. Asimov fans and others who like their sci-fi on the chewy side will probably revolt -- the essence of the book is gone. But the average popcorn muncher will appreciate I, Robot -- it's a good example of why the blockbuster formula works.|
12 July 2004
Texas, the bellwether of national political trends
DeLay's Corporate Fundraising Investigated (washingtonpost.com)
|This case "is only one piece of a much larger picture," said Ronnie Earle, the Travis County district attorney running the investigation. "And the larger picture is a blueprint of what is happening in the country, namely a saturation of the political process by large corporate interests with large amounts of money."|
|This case "is only one piece of a much larger picture," said Ronnie Earle, the Travis County district attorney running the investigation. "And the larger picture is a blueprint of what is happening in the country, namely a saturation of the political process by large corporate interests with large amounts of money."|
Walter Mosley's L.A., 1965
'Little Scarlet': Anxiety Rises From the Ashes of Mosley's Smoldering City
|This book needs no excess baggage. Its plot explores the riots' irrevocable consequences and builds up to a denouement of "Chinatown"-like eeriness for its secrets and its deadly self-deceptions. What makes it more than a genre piece is Easy's insight into how the world is changing around him. "The morning air still smelled of smoke," the book begins, but before it is over, there is a clearing of the air.|
|This book needs no excess baggage. Its plot explores the riots' irrevocable consequences and builds up to a denouement of "Chinatown"-like eeriness for its secrets and its deadly self-deceptions. What makes it more than a genre piece is Easy's insight into how the world is changing around him. "The morning air still smelled of smoke," the book begins, but before it is over, there is a clearing of the air.|
11 July 2004
soldiers in Sadr City
"No one is going through what we are going through"
|More than 30 members of Alpha Company have been wounded in action, and those who haven't been describe miraculous near-misses outside the base. For Alpha Company soldiers, these are bad odds, and they get worse in light of the current administration's policy -- fewer U.S. soldiers in Iraq means greater stress for those sent into it, soldiers out on constant patrols, working vast areas of operation. Here, there are fewer than 600 U.S. soldiers patrolling a hostile city of 2 million people.|
|More than 30 members of Alpha Company have been wounded in action, and those who haven't been describe miraculous near-misses outside the base. For Alpha Company soldiers, these are bad odds, and they get worse in light of the current administration's policy -- fewer U.S. soldiers in Iraq means greater stress for those sent into it, soldiers out on constant patrols, working vast areas of operation. Here, there are fewer than 600 U.S. soldiers patrolling a hostile city of 2 million people.|
Michigan GOP helps Nader
Salon.com Politics
|Greg McNeilly of the state Republican Party said the GOP is doing nothing wrong and hopes Nader will draw votes from the Democratic candidate. Republicans will make sure Nader has more than the 30,000 valid signatures he needs by July 15 to qualify for the Michigan ballot, McNeilly said.|
|Greg McNeilly of the state Republican Party said the GOP is doing nothing wrong and hopes Nader will draw votes from the Democratic candidate. Republicans will make sure Nader has more than the 30,000 valid signatures he needs by July 15 to qualify for the Michigan ballot, McNeilly said.|
Nader entangled in Murdoch's media web
Strange alliance
|Nader's book presents a unique synergy of politics and profits for Murdoch. "It's a win-win for him," says Consumers Union's Kimmelman, who during the early '80s worked for Public Citizen, a public advocacy group founded by Nader. "Murdoch's making money by promoting the book on Fox, and if Nader draws a strong audience, it may benefit reelecting George Bush, which would mean a favorable environment for further deregulation of Rupert Murdoch's media empire. As an entrepreneur, you can't ask for anything more; he's making money on both ends."|
|Nader's book presents a unique synergy of politics and profits for Murdoch. "It's a win-win for him," says Consumers Union's Kimmelman, who during the early '80s worked for Public Citizen, a public advocacy group founded by Nader. "Murdoch's making money by promoting the book on Fox, and if Nader draws a strong audience, it may benefit reelecting George Bush, which would mean a favorable environment for further deregulation of Rupert Murdoch's media empire. As an entrepreneur, you can't ask for anything more; he's making money on both ends."|
10 July 2004
'without sanctuary' at the Wright museum
Exhibit on lynching aims to educate, heal
|About 100 images of executions, along with a range of disturbing artifacts, are included in the exhibit, which tells stories of the victims and how executions were used to intimidate and punish blacks and others from after the Civil War through the rise of the civil rights movement.|
|About 100 images of executions, along with a range of disturbing artifacts, are included in the exhibit, which tells stories of the victims and how executions were used to intimidate and punish blacks and others from after the Civil War through the rise of the civil rights movement.|
09 July 2004
a remarkable discovery!
Ray Carney's search for a missing American classic
|John Cassavetes' film Shadows is an American classic. But what happened to the missing first version of the masterpiece? Ray Carney has spent two decades trying to find out|
don't know how i missed this news...
|John Cassavetes' film Shadows is an American classic. But what happened to the missing first version of the masterpiece? Ray Carney has spent two decades trying to find out|
don't know how i missed this news...
who shot Bill Gates?
NOTHING SO STRANGE: The Film
|NOTHING SO STRANGE follows the efforts of an organized group of these skeptics, who call themselves Citizens for Truth, as they launch an aggressive independent investigation of the Gates assassination and in the process confront the LAPD, a hostile mainstream press, and the group's own internal squabbles.|
|NOTHING SO STRANGE follows the efforts of an organized group of these skeptics, who call themselves Citizens for Truth, as they launch an aggressive independent investigation of the Gates assassination and in the process confront the LAPD, a hostile mainstream press, and the group's own internal squabbles.|
never pay late fees or leave home
Netflix Imitators Are Everywhere
|While Netflix and Wal-Mart are currently battling for customers in the mainstream DVD business, and Blockbuster is planning to offer a similar rent-by-mail service, dozens of upstart companies are handling media that Netflix doesn't touch: books, games and that old e-commerce standby, pornography.|
|While Netflix and Wal-Mart are currently battling for customers in the mainstream DVD business, and Blockbuster is planning to offer a similar rent-by-mail service, dozens of upstart companies are handling media that Netflix doesn't touch: books, games and that old e-commerce standby, pornography.|
download Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead'
Night of the Living Dead
|In this classic yet still creepy horror film, strangers hold up in a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse and battle constant attacks from dead locals who have been brought back to life by mysterious radiation.|
don't worry, it's legit...
|In this classic yet still creepy horror film, strangers hold up in a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse and battle constant attacks from dead locals who have been brought back to life by mysterious radiation.|
don't worry, it's legit...
please remix David Ball's movie
Fourthwall Films
|Fourthwall brings filmmakers and audiences closer together in two ways: first, by distributing films via its online independent multiplex, and second, by giving audiences access to films' raw materials so they can re-edit and re-create with them.|
|Fourthwall brings filmmakers and audiences closer together in two ways: first, by distributing films via its online independent multiplex, and second, by giving audiences access to films' raw materials so they can re-edit and re-create with them.|
John Ashcroft Video Project
The John Ashcroft Amateur Video Contest
|Sexiest 1 minute or shorter video that includes a discussion of Attorney General John Ashcroft|
|Sexiest 1 minute or shorter video that includes a discussion of Attorney General John Ashcroft|
08 July 2004
Ehrenreich on the Coz's rants against poor blacks
The New Cosby Kids
|The law-abiding old whites are no prize either. Overwhelmingly, they choose indolence over employment — lounging on park benches, playing canasta — when we all know there are plenty of people-greeter jobs out there. Since it's government money that allows them to live in this degenerate state, we can expect the Heritage Foundation to reveal any day now that some seniors are cashing in their Social Security checks for vodka and Viagra.|
|The law-abiding old whites are no prize either. Overwhelmingly, they choose indolence over employment — lounging on park benches, playing canasta — when we all know there are plenty of people-greeter jobs out there. Since it's government money that allows them to live in this degenerate state, we can expect the Heritage Foundation to reveal any day now that some seniors are cashing in their Social Security checks for vodka and Viagra.|
this chip ain't for dippin'
Wired 12.07: Attention, Shoppers: You Can Now Speed Straight Through Checkout Lines!
|Depending who you ask, RFID tags constitute:
1. the best thing to happen to manufacturing since the cog.
2. the biggest threat to personal privacy since the crowbar.
3. the near-exact fulfillment of the Book of Revelation's description of the mark of the beast.|
|Depending who you ask, RFID tags constitute:
1. the best thing to happen to manufacturing since the cog.
2. the biggest threat to personal privacy since the crowbar.
3. the near-exact fulfillment of the Book of Revelation's description of the mark of the beast.|
cool Mozilla extension apps
Wired News: Building a Better Mozilla
|There are now close to a hundred extensions available for downloading. Most work perfectly; others are a bit buggy.|
|There are now close to a hundred extensions available for downloading. Most work perfectly; others are a bit buggy.|
nigga, please?
Trio's The N-Word investigates the history of America's most ambiguous racial slur. By Dana Stevens
|Chuck D. of Public Enemy (who will also be serving as guest programmer on Trio this week) questions the efficacy of hip-hop attempts to re-appropriate the term: "Black people didn't invent 'nigger.' It was thrown at us, and us accepting it is like someone just catching garbage and lovin' it."|
|Chuck D. of Public Enemy (who will also be serving as guest programmer on Trio this week) questions the efficacy of hip-hop attempts to re-appropriate the term: "Black people didn't invent 'nigger.' It was thrown at us, and us accepting it is like someone just catching garbage and lovin' it."|
Ehrenreich hype
The summer replacement series we can't afford to lose. ByTimothy Noah
|The Times op-ed page desperately needs her mature voice, her sharp mind, and the challenge her ideas pose to the common wisdom.|
i must thank her for helping me understand the source for John Edwards' comment about "real Americans," thus proving that he can and does read...
|The Times op-ed page desperately needs her mature voice, her sharp mind, and the challenge her ideas pose to the common wisdom.|
i must thank her for helping me understand the source for John Edwards' comment about "real Americans," thus proving that he can and does read...
imperial f-bombs
The British Empire's second-greatest gift to the world. By Christopher Hitchens
|"You know, Minister, I believe that in the long view of history, the British Empire will be remembered only for two things." What, Healey was interested to know, were these imperishable aspects? "The game of soccer. And the expression 'fuck off.' "|
|"You know, Minister, I believe that in the long view of history, the British Empire will be remembered only for two things." What, Healey was interested to know, were these imperishable aspects? "The game of soccer. And the expression 'fuck off.' "|
on acting 'methods'
A post-Oscars reflection on the state of American acting.
|Penn's prison yard hunch is as much a fabrication as Marlon Brando's Godfather mumble, and probably just as far from reality. It represents our idea of something, not necessarily the thing itself. The Method's so-called naturalism mostly consists of the imaginative embellishment, which makes a star a star the way a trademark image or brushstroke establishes an abstract painter's reputation. |
|Penn's prison yard hunch is as much a fabrication as Marlon Brando's Godfather mumble, and probably just as far from reality. It represents our idea of something, not necessarily the thing itself. The Method's so-called naturalism mostly consists of the imaginative embellishment, which makes a star a star the way a trademark image or brushstroke establishes an abstract painter's reputation. |
21st century quiz show
The Man Who Knew Too Much
|Watching Ken Jennings play is like witnessing any great athlete in top form: He's the Michael Jordan of trivia, the Seabiscuit of geekdom.|
|Watching Ken Jennings play is like witnessing any great athlete in top form: He's the Michael Jordan of trivia, the Seabiscuit of geekdom.|
