American Samizdat

Sunday, March 31, 2002. *
James Thomas... Cuyahoga River on Fire (November 3, 1952). From Fires on the Cuyahoga River - part of The Cuyahoga River Online Exhibition at the Great Lakes Industrial History Center.
posted by Andrew at 8:37 AM
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Friday, March 29, 2002. *
Stations of the Cross - an exhibition of 14 paintings by self-taught artist Chris Woods (January 11 - February 10, 1996). One of many brilliant collections of Works by Chris Woods at the Diane Farris Gallery in Vancouver, Canada.
posted by Andrew at 8:04 AM
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Thursday, March 28, 2002. *


Maybe it's different in your community. Maybe where you live there's a diverse array of radio stations, each with distinctive programming visions, run by people motivated by nothing but their love of music and the possibilities of the medium.

But in my city we have three or four cookie-cutter formats for dozens of mindless stations clogging up the airwaves... which interestingly enough tend to be owned by a handful of broadcast conglomerates, the same corporate leviathans that also have concert promotion and the record industry in their synergetic clutches.

Wherever I go in North America, it's as if these radio stations follow me. I mean, they're identical. The same narrow, repetitive and dreary playlists, the same idiotic (not to mention jingoistic and sexist) DJ patter. A dime-store Marxist wanting to demonstrate that capitalist hegemony leads to a sterile cultural wasteland need only turn a couple dials...

As any online listener knows, it's hard to overstate what an improvement internet radio represents. We all have our favorites (mine is WFMU) that provide us with the alternative sounds and voices that barely exist on the airwaves. But the real miracle that these stations perform is to allow passionate programmers to elevate the form into an art -- usually on a shoestring, often commercial-free. The technology has scaled down to the point that world-wide reach is available to anyone. It's one of those rare cases where the utopian promise of the net is close to being realized.

Simply put... THIS is the golden age of radio.

And it's about to end. The same corporate weasels who ruined broadcast radio are determined to work their magic on the net. They've got their lapdogs in government ready to do their bidding.

One report suggests that stations currently paying about $1000 per year in royalties could see that rate jump to $1000 per day. Another article quotes an executive predicting "the Webcasting landscape will be a moonscape in six months.''


Save Internet Radio
posted by Mr. GluSniffer at 10:16 AM
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Russian Prison Tattoos. "...It is not known when tattooing first became a common practice in Russian prisons and Stalinist Gulags. Soviet researchers first discovered and studied this underground activity in the 1920s; photographs of prisoners from that period suggest an already elaborate and highly developed subculture. More than simple decoration, the images symbolically proclaim the wearer's background and rank within the complex social system of the jailed."
posted by Andrew at 6:57 AM
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Wednesday, March 27, 2002. *
We Die Alone. "...a series of collages pasted together inside one of the most depressing books in the english speaking world." From Bad Taco.
posted by Andrew at 8:50 AM
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Tuesday, March 26, 2002. *
NSA possibly has broken most PGP keys. Lucky Green:
a 1024-bit RSA factoring device can likely be built using only commercially available technology for a price range of several hundred million dollars to about 1 billion dollars. Costs may well drop lower if one has the use of a chip fab. It is a matter of public record that the NSA as well as the Chinese, Russian, French, and many other intelligence agencies alloperate their own fabs.

Some may consider a price tag potentially reaching $1B prohibitive. One should keep in mind that the NRO regularly launches SIGINT satellites costing close to $2B each. Would the NSA have built a device at less than half the cost of one of their satellites to be able to decipher the interception data obtained via many such satellites? The NSA would have to be derelict of duty to not have done so.(...)

In light of the above, I reluctantly revoked all my personal 1024-bit PGP keys and the large web-of-trust that these keys have acquired over time.

posted by jerry at 8:00 AM
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Monday, March 25, 2002. *
Normon Solomon: "The Liberal Media" -- A Poltergeist That Will Not Die

See also via FAIR: Fear & Favor 2001: How Power Shapes the News.

" . . . incidents of outright censorship occurred, and even more self-censorship, as many outlets confused independent inquiry with a lack of patriotism.

"At the same time, there was no let-up in pressure from the more usual sources: media owners and advertisers. Corporate media owners increasingly see using their media outlets to promote their other businesses and the perspectives they favor as simply standard business practice; and advertisers, in a time of recession, appear to feel freer than ever to demand a favorable context for their ads, which are, after all, media’s main revenue source. Further consolidation in the industry, abetted and encouraged by a deregulatory FCC, only promises more to come." [more]

posted by Dr. Menlo at 8:49 PM
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When Star Trek Was New: Rare William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy Interviews from 1966. "...It's this timing that makes the interviews so fascinating: both Shatner and Nimoy are talking about a show that the public had yet to see. There is the sound of uncertainty in Shatner's voice - he's hoping Star Trek will be a success and that it will be exciting. He is not talking about what the show was about, as has been the case for the past 35 years."
posted by Andrew at 7:08 AM
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Sunday, March 24, 2002. *
unions
Rome.The Berlusconi government has irritated alot of people for alot of reasons. One reason being their efforts to modify Articolo 18, a Worker’s Rights article which protects employees from being fired without a justifiable cause. Obviously workers and unions are in an uproar. So Sergio Cofferati, general secretary of CGIL, the largest union in Italy, declared a National Day of Protest. A few days before the scheduled manifestation, Marco Biagi, economist and collaborator of the labour minister working against Articolo 18, was murdered in front of his home one evening coming home from work. The Brigate Rosse (Red Brigade) are presumably responsible for his death. Some members of the Berlusconi government then insinuated that Biagi’s death was due, in part, to Cofferati who, in his efforts to organize such a large protest had triggered off a kind of Bad Karma provoking feelings of hostility. And this hostility resulted with the reanimation of the Brigate Rosse and thus Biagi’s death. As if dissent were a gun. With this accusation the government probably had hoped for the cancellation of the manifestation. Instead, hundreds of thousands (some estimate even 3 million) people showed up in Rome this past Saturday to protest not only against the Berlusconi government but to protest against terrorism as well. In other words, to defend democracy. It was A Family Affair....couples walking hand in hand, fathers carrying kids, grandparents wearing tennis shoes peacefully walked the streets of Rome in protest. Many wore signs like: TU SI TU NO NO CI STO while others carried red CGIL flags. There were so many of these flags that the streets looked like A Red River Flow.The protesters walked to Circo Massimo where Cofferati gave his speech. It was A Beautiful Day and many sat on the grass, took out sandwiches from their knapsacks and ate while the crowd near Cofferati periodically cheered. Protest and Picnic. I was happy to be there.
she was happy to be there
he touched her with his flag

posted by cynthia korzekwa at 11:43 PM
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Self improvement:
Emergency medical supplies: your head gets cut off. The pack (spread throughout your skull) stabilizes your brain. Or you get massive bleeding: it shuts down blood supply to that area temporarily, improves clotting, and grows a bandage over the wound.
Wings: most useful in low-gravity habitats, or when skydiving.
Controllable fingertip suction cups (for picking up paper stuck to the desk).
posted by riley dog at 2:32 PM
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Nhon Nguyen... Bus Stop Series Two (Route 7, Seattle Metro). "...I first started out putting my work on buildings along Route 7. The pieces didn't stay up for very long, people would snag them up after a few hours or so. A lot of the pieces went down with the buildings in downtown as they were demolished for reconstruction. I then started noticing these new bus stops that were being constructed all over the place. I then started throwing up my pieces on these bus stops. I was restricted to only one size and format for these bus stops but that just made my design more challenging." From Route 7 Gallery. Public art, installations, and paintings on canvas by Nhon Nguyen, a.k.a. Nhon9.
posted by Andrew at 7:20 AM
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Saturday, March 23, 2002. *
Life as a Black Man: The Game
posted by Dr. Menlo at 12:22 PM
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posted by Dr. Menlo at 12:12 PM
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"The Remains of Industry..." John Fekner... Industria. Early stencil graffiti by John Fekner. "...The outdoor stencils were spraypainted in the New York City area. 1976-1985."
posted by Andrew at 6:40 AM
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Friday, March 22, 2002. *
Friendly reminder: "If you're not reading Unknown News, you're letting the terrorists win."
posted by Dr. Menlo at 6:14 PM
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Thursday, March 21, 2002. *
j.p.'s link to Fiore reminds me of Jon Carroll's comments on the color code scheme:
What problem is being solved by this new color system? Tom Ridge is so very important that he has refused to appear before Congress to answer questions (part of the administration's policy of putting its fingers in its ears, facing toward Capitol Hill and saying, "I can't hear you! "). ...Finally he appears at a news conference with a chart that looks like a kindergarten teaching aid. "This provides a common vocabulary so officials from all levels of government can communicate easily," he said. ... So everyone agrees that we have a yellow. Does everyone agree on what "having a yellow" means?
posted by brooke at 6:29 PM
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Attack of the Chickenhawks

Over the last couple of days I have noticed an explosion of web interest in the mysterious phenomenon of known physical cowards in high places who somehow find a blustery bravery while crouching behind the teenage sons and daughters of others. I'm of course referring to our draft-dodging Republican leadership. I am routinely (as in every election cycle and every military action) amazed that this scandal doesn't cause the right wing at the least to be exiled from power, if not to die in a spectacular implosion from the weight of their own contradictions. However this issue is finally getting more attention than just beery me haranguing my war loving friends about the hypocrisy of the current regime. And the present examination is demonstrating that these aren't a couple of isolated instances, rather these cases betray an epidemic pathological narcissism in the once and future ruling class.

Hall of Shame

Another list of traitors

Yet another compendium of cowards

An insane Tom Delay's excuse:
So many minority youths had volunteered for the well-paying military positions to escape poverty and the ghetto that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself.
Tom Tomorrow asks:
I'd be curious to get some feedback on this from those of you in uniform. Are the men and women you serve with in any way troubled by this-- that so many of the politicians who are so eager to send you into harm's way did everything possible to avoid risking their own lives during the conflicts of their youth?
Well, I myself never served (too young for Vietnam, too old for everything else, whew) but my father spent most of his life in the Army. He was the one who alerted me to this problem during the reign of Bush I, specifically citing then Secretary of Defense Cheney as uniquely unqualified for his position and noting his comment that he "had other priorities" was particularly offensive. Many of those who were drafted surely had things on their to-do list ahead of "miserable jungle death". My dad was also incensed at a comment by Newt Gingrich that since he had two small children, it would have been "insane" for him to go to Vietnam. My dad had two small children and a pregnant wife at that time. And he volunteered. For combat. Twice. Dad's problem with this issue wasn't personal though, he was a career officer who had made a choice to be where he was. His problem was with the children of elites finding easy routes out of harm's way, while the poor and politically disenfranchised were being shot at daily in a struggle of dubious import to the security of the nation. He knew this contributed in no small measure to the legitimate opposition to the war on the homefront and a thouroughly demoralized corps on the real front. In his eyes, the galling ethical duality of people like Cheney, Bush, Quayle, Gingrich et. al. is staggering. They putatively supported the Vietnam war, and now seize every martial opportunity that comes their way, rendering their own combat avoidance pure cowardice and hubris. My dad would contrast these men with the political opponents of the war, many of whom were imprisoned, whose refusals to serve were acts of conscience and yes courage. Of course, this is all anecdotal narrative of one admittedly maverick soldier and doesn't demonstrate any breadth of resentment in the armed forces and hardly answers Tom's question. But I can't help but think that if this scandal was given the relentless media blitzkrieg that Oval Office blow jobs received then the American people would come to realize how truly unfit is the present leadership of this nation.

posted by jerry at 10:59 AM
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Max Razdow... Fed to the Lizard by the Hand of Man (2001, ink and pen on paper). "...There is a beast on the horizon of our landscape here, some sort of creature (Lizard)... it devours you and you are gone... who's beast is it? no ones, i think. Just a mean mean dragon that is green with our greed and exists deep in our hearts. The feeder is capitalists, treaded and hooded; white sheeted. Lizard has no trouble engulfing you in his mouth, the beast built on money and our greed, but is strong with the gold of our ages, embeded in our genes, always on the horizon... The keeper is not absolute. He loves the Lizard, though, it is his duty and art to feed it...and feeding it makes him stronger." From Max Razdow Ahrt.
posted by Andrew at 8:21 AM
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Wednesday, March 20, 2002. *
Long, thoughtful, must-read reflection on the growing love affair the media have with weblogging, from Turbulent Velvet. As stories about weblogging become more prevalent, he observes, "People are using a small subset of urbane and civilized weblogs in order to draw conclusions about both the medium and the sociology of blogging without acknowledging some far more ugly developments," by which he means the attack blogs and in particular the warblogs. While I'd like to be complacent in the distinctions, as I read I became more and more disquieted by how much the things for which the warblogs are vilified in my circles also apply to the antiwarblogs of my circles:

"The right's attack blogs are really a very efficient chain of routers, repeaters essentially, multiplying punditry about punditry. I can't think of one that is adding to the sum of human knowledge." Bingo. And not only that: there are as many if not more attack blogs out there as urbane dialogic, thoughtful ones. "What worries me is that the cumulative effect [of attack blogs] actually diminishes the value of news...as they drive the fact/opinion ratio down through the floor."


I'm not sure if TV is troubled by this when he attempts to pull the following rabbit out of the hat -- that it's more courageous to blog in dissent against the prevailing norms, like support for the War-on-Terrorism®, than in lockstep support. As a fervent dissenter, I'd like to think I'm taking a courageous stand, but it worries me how easy this is when I'm preaching to the converted. If you don't like my cynical critique of everything under the sun, I know you won't be reading FmH regularly for long no matter if I'm the most thoughtful, literate weblogger on the planet. There's very little crosstalk; I'm disappointed that the warbloggers haven't found me to get under their skins enough to fire back, with the exception of Dan Hartung, an early supporter and friend in the weblogging community, and even that dialogue didn't last long. In this sense, the weblogging community is not at all seeming like the digital speakers' corner in a pluralistic society it is sometimes made out to be. More often, it is seeming like a sad reminder of our atomization and solipsism. So what do I want? to find comfort in a likeminded community? to have influence if I'm ever, for a moment, thoughtful and original enough that I can transcend the usual sanctimoniousness of my dissenting views? to provoke a fight and unleash a reservoir of rage? to transcend the mere passive whining and help build a vigorous opposition again in this nation of sheep? I think so, at least a little, in each instance.



When I started this, long ago in a galaxy far away (everyone says that 9-11 was a demarcation line, but for me it was only one of twin 'hits', along with the theft of the Presidential election the year before, that have moved me -- us -- into an irrevocably changed alien world) I was in a relatively apolitical period in my life and FmH had a meandering, more eclectic flavor. I said here, with superior disdain, that I couldn't be bothered to spend much attention on the Presidential campaign, that there couldn't be much of a difference no matter which of the Republicrats bought the Office. Now I think at times FmH's focus has become a bit too narrowly, obsessively, built around political criticism, not that I've had some kind of religious conversion to membership in the Liberal Democratic Church or anything, but just because Bush is so unbelievably bad, such an execrable figurehead for what is so wrong with American politics and modern life.



That being said, I hope what I write here is more than just easy cheap shots. But I also hope to get a bit away from this groove, if I can let go. Who was it who said, surveying the impact of the Shrub hegemony even before 9-11, that the only sane response was to resurrect beatnik counterculture again? It seems even more relevant as we seem to be slipping into this Orwellian age of permanent amorphous war footing and increasing autocratic intrusion. Yet these are not new phenomena. While what we're subjected to now is unprecedented, it is new in magnitude rather than in kind, it seems, an opportunist perfection of age-old tendencies toward mind-control and autocratic rule by whatever memes are handy. A deeper, more fundamental critique of consensus reality, a critique of the cultural trance, the perennial human susceptibility to self-delusion, alienation and submissiveness, is called for. That's what 'Beat' must mean. That's a community to get behind. Although it might be worthwhile postponing a retreat from politics until we have organized massive resistance to the momentum to attack Iraq... In any case, thanks, Velvet, for allowing me to riff off your thoughts; it's been a useful reflection, if it means anything at all. (I'm sure the warbloggers would think it doesn't...)



"I refuse to be intimidated by reality anymore. After all, what is reality anyway? Nothin' but a collective hunch." --Lily Tomlin (parenthetically, there's an appreciation of the much-beloved Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe over at the bitter shack; and a happy birthday, Brooke!)


posted by Anonymous at 10:52 PM
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"Avistamiento de propaganda Acamonchi en tu comunidad..." Propaganda Stenciles from Acamonchi Fanzine.
posted by Andrew at 8:57 AM
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From Salon's interview with David Halliday, former head of the U.N.'s oil for food program:



In the U.S., there are a number of issues not being discussed. One of those is international law. The U.S. somehow doesn't believe that international law applies to this great democracy, to this great empire. We've seen Mr. Bush reject various aspects of international law in the past year. That's a failure on the part of Washington to understand that the U.S. is in fact subordinate to the charter, to the declaration of human rights, to the Geneva Conventions and protocols -- all of which would protect Iraq, a sovereign state and member of the United Nations -- from further harassment, attacks and killings by the United States.

[What's missing is] respect for international law and an awareness that this is not an empire -- that "might" is no longer "right" in the year 2002, and that Mr. Bush does not have any God-given right to attack Iraq or its people without consultation with the Security Council. There is no legitimate way for the U.S. to wage war again on the people of Iraq. That's one huge issue that's missing, in my view.

Another would be the fact that American foreign policy is not understood by the vast majority of American people. And that this is due to a media that in this country is suppressed by Washington and by the owners of this media, who often tend to be corporate entities close to the [White House] and very often are arms manufacturers with a vested interest in chaos [in] the Middle East. And as a result Americans do not actually get both sides of the story.

I believe that Americans are basically decent people. If they understood that Iraq is not made up of 22 million Saddam Husseins but made up of 22 million people -- of families, of children, of elderly parents, families with dreams and hopes and expectations for their children and themselves -- they would be horrified to realize that the current killing of innocent Iraqi civilians by the U.S. Air Force, or what happened in the Gulf War, is being done in their name.



This is my first post here -- hi all, and thanks to Dr Menlo for the invitation.
posted by lia at 12:27 AM
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Tuesday, March 19, 2002. *

Women I Love: Frances Moore Lappé
Solutions for a Small Planet on the Brink

Did your parents raise you on a steady diet of tofu, soymilk and unsweetened granola?

If so, you probably have Frances Moore Lappé to blame. Her seminal 1971 book Diet for a Small Planet was a bible for millions of baby boomers who wanted to eat better. For many, Diet was also a political and personal manifesto, the first book to detail how you don’t need meat to get enough protein, and more importantly, how there is more than enough food in the world to go around.

Hunger, Lappé found, is caused by a scarcity of democracy, not food.

posted by Dr. Menlo at 11:06 PM
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Nicaraguan Murals 1930-2000. From the Stanford Center for Latin-American Studies.
posted by Andrew at 8:17 AM
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Women Speak Out Against Indian Bill on Domestic Violence

"A draft law to prevent domestic violence in India has sparked fierce opposition among rights groups and in legal circles over a clause which would open the way for husbands to occasionally beat their wives."

posted by Dr. Menlo at 1:43 AM
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Monday, March 18, 2002. *
See the danger
Always danger
Endless talking
Life rebuilding
Don't walk away...

Joy Division... Atmosphere (Factory Records 1980, .mp3 audio 1.6MB). This is the first Joy Division single I owned, roughly 20 years ago. Exceptionally gloomy. From Joy Division - The Eternal.
posted by Andrew at 5:26 AM
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Sunday, March 17, 2002. *
Isidoro Ocampo... El Fascismo Japones (Fascism in Japan, poster 1938). One of the First anti-fascist posters by TGP. Part of Taller de Gráfica Popular (La Estampa Mexicana, 1949). "...a selection of text and images from this 1949 bi-lingual record of the first 12 years of an exceptional graphic workshop, operating as a cooperative."
posted by Andrew at 8:10 AM
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Saturday, March 16, 2002. *


Remember the East Asia crisis? when the US Treasury and its IMF allies blamed that region's problems on crony capitalism, lack of transparency, and poor corporate governance? Countries were told to follow the American model, use American auditing firms, bring in American entrepreneurs to teach them how to run their companies. (Never mind that under the leadership of their own entrepreneurs East Asia grew faster than any other region - and with greater stability - over the previous three decades.) The unfolding Enron scandal brings new meaning to two favorite American sayings: ``What goes around comes around,'' and ``People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.''

Crony Capitalism American Style
posted by Anonymous at 6:27 AM
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Alas. I seem to have caused many to get indignant. Sorry about that. A quick note (since there is no spot where views might be exchanged at this site).
1. I am aware of the camps and how bad they are. Question: how did the camps come into existence? Who had the land that is now under Israeli control? Why did the two nations (the only two) make peace with Israel but did not want this land back?
2. A book written by someone years ago from the camps is simply that: a book written years ago about the camps. In fact, you no longer see kids tossing stones but bearing automatic weapons...how did they manage to turn stones into authomatics?
3. I do get a bit annoyed when told I am this or that when in fact not that much is known about me. I have been in a war zone and know what goes on that is not what is or should be "proper." I challenge virtually anyone to imply that they read more Arab sites on a daily basis than I do. In fact I have even had an e-mail exchanges with one of the leading Arab terror groups at their website. I read more Arab sites than I do Israeli ones!
4. I knew years ago that Israel was becoming a garrison state because of the many attempts to eradicate it; America is heading now in this direction.
5. I believe and have identified with Palestinians, Chrisitians, and American Jews to get Israel out of the occupied territories--but on condition that a peace accord between contending parties is signed. Who gives back land taken in war without first having a peace accord?
6. How many of my detractors have examined the public school texts used in the territories under PLO control? Try it.
7. The US is "even" willing now to reocgnize a Palestinian state? This is because we want (it won't happen) Arab support for an attack against Iraq and are sucking up to get their friendship. The Palestinians were offered statehood in 1947 by a huge vote of support in the UN. It was turned it down. The Rightwing in Israel might oppose a Palestinian state but the center and today';s just issued poll reveals that over 60% of Israelis favor statehood for Palestine and a giving back of the territorires. So why merely site a minority view to make a case to support one's position?
8. Simple test: let both sides cease shooting at each other, get to peace table and hammer out an accord. If one or the other does not make a good faith effort and abide by the terms, or walks away from the table because not getting enough, then we will know where proper blame can be placed. Fair enough, no?
9. Both sides have been cruel, filled with hate, and intransigent. But there is a viable Leftist oppostion allowed in Israel. I don't find this in any of the Arab countries. There are extremists on both sides. The notion that a paper ought not write about the refugee camps because someone is not there is overly simplistic: There are reporters who know the camps firsthand. The camps are a symptom of the problem but not a solution or the cause.
10. A high ranking Carter appointee said years ago: Let Saudi Arabia recognize Israeli's right to exist and then we can recognize a Palestinian right to exist as a state too. Let's see then how the Arab League reacts in the upcoming meeting in Syrian occupied Lebanon.
I will no longer post anything about the Israeli/Arab conflict since it seems to cause a bit of upset here.
Peace to all.
posted by Anonymous at 6:18 AM
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Friday, March 15, 2002. *
Fred, while there may be more than one side to any political discussion, you are being disingenuous --to say the least--to trot out this troll before presenting yet another link in support of Israel's latest atrocities (which you do not mention and are too numerous for me to mention here, now). If by predictable, you mean a source of information least likely to be spoiled by mass propaganda machines, then by Zeus, I wouldn't mind being so predictable . . . A symptom of being "spoiled" by aforementioned progit engines would be the naive swallowing and subsequent regurgitation of certain oft-trod myths--here's an example: the myth that Palestinians SEND their children out to the dangerous intersections of Jews and Arabs dotting these deadly zones. This is a myth, Fred. I cannot tell you how many first hand accounts I have read or listened to which portray worried Palestinian parents locking their children in the house to prevent just that. While I have the utmost of respect for you Fred, and your beliefs, I also believe that in the case of the Israeli-Palestinian issue you have become nothing more than a tautological intercom for the Israeli killing regime. I have been particularly incensed over the actions of Israel as of late, and was more than pleasantly surprised to see the U.S., of all people, sponsor a bill in support of a Palestinian state. Meanwhile, over at the Samizdat, you, Fred, seem to be not only ignorant of the latest extrajudicial executions, supranational excursions, and additional cold-blooded murders conducted by the official state of Israel on Palestinian men, women and children (and Red Cross ambulance drivers) in a manner seemingly pell mell here, there, and everywhere--but you doggedly continue to plug anti-Palestinian views in a way which would make FOX News proud. If you really believe in looking at more than one side to a political discussion, Fred, I suggest you start with yourself.
posted by Dr. Menlo at 4:33 PM
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There is, as usual, more than one side to any political discussion. Even so dedicated a left-wing writer as the highly honored Israeli revisionist historian Benny Morris--the Arab web sites sell his books on line--has changed his position since the suicide bombings began and steadily mounted in Israel. Thus-- horror of horrors-- this right of center American paper recently published a piece LINK which presents an argument contrary to the ones often posted here and at other sites.

I offer this so that our outstanding and very young new site does not become overly predictable, as is the case with Znet, Counterpunch, The Weekly Standard, Commentary and others, where like good parishoners, we go weekly to reaffirm our membership in the various Texts of Holy Writ that we have accepted as The One True Faith while (alas) all others --non-believers--wander in the Darkness of False Belief, having their own Bibles and Faith that strike us as plain silly, meaningless, and empty of The True Way--the one we affirm and know to be Right, though located to the Left.

posted by Anonymous at 11:54 AM
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Portrait of José Guadalupe Posada with his son S.D.. "...During the Revolution war of 1910, and until his death in 1913, the artist worked restless in the press for the working class. His political stamps are considered today, a chronicle of the social and political events of his time." José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913). The life and works of José Guadalupe Posada at Arts and History - a virtual forum of Mexican culture.
posted by Andrew at 7:24 AM
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A class-action lawsuit was filed in district court in Washington, D.C., today alleging that Iraq, "in whole or in part," planned and financed the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City nearly seven years ago.

"Plaintiffs assert that the entire plot was, in whole or in part, orchestrated, assisted technically and/or financially, and directly aided by agents of the Republic of Iraq," said the suit, filed by public interest law firm Judicial Watch. [more]
posted by Anonymous at 5:04 AM
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WHEN DID ATHENS become Sparta? When did America redefine itself so profoundly around war?

Events of this winter had already prompted the question, but then over the weekend The Los Angeles Times published the stunning news of the Pentagon's Nuclear Posture Review. Reversing a longtime trend away from nuclear dependence, our government is projecting a US military strategy based on usable nukes, with unprecedented potential for first use against nonnuclear states, for development of new nuclear weapons, and even for a resumption of nuclear testing. This is a move from Mutual Assured Destruction, as The New York Times put it, to Unilateral Assured Destruction - our enemy's. Washington has invited Dr. Strangelove back.

How did this happen? [more]

posted by Anonymous at 2:57 AM
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With no medicine and little food, detainees are slowly dying: 3,000 forgotten Taliban prisoners.
posted by Anonymous at 2:46 AM
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Thursday, March 14, 2002. *
DOJ's Dot-Narc Rave Strategy
"The NDIC said five types of people should be targeted, including previous drug offenders, legalization advocates, anarchists and people promoting 'an expanded freedom of expression' that pushes the boundaries of the First Amendment."

Does this explain the six hundred and thirty-six hits from the U.S. Government for this domain in the last 8 days alone?

posted by Dr. Menlo at 5:29 PM
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On December 4, 2001, Enron filed for bankruptcy. Not long ago Enron was the largest energy trader in the world, the largest natural gas pipeline owner in the country and a pioneering force behind energy deregulation. Employees and investors were stunned. How could one of the most wealthy and powerful corporations in the world go bust over night? Enron links
posted by Anonymous at 4:14 AM
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Enron is about money. The Tobacco industry is about money and health. And this is what has been taking place since the tobacco industry was exposed. The money: where some of the money went

smoking & hollywood

the industry and its broken promises

low tar, light cigarettes--the final deception

posted by Anonymous at 3:39 AM
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Wednesday, March 13, 2002. *
Some Uses for Mexican Plaster Burro Ornaments That for Some Reason Are Still in Your Car the Morning After You Capture Them from People's Lawns. "...Stiggs was reading that Winston Churchill painted a mouse on the corner of a Rubens painting in his house, which Stiggs really admired since it coincided with our policy that most paintings in art museums can use a plaster burro on them for extra balance and visuality. A few drops of an advanced type of miracle glue and a good design sense are all you need." From The Utterly Monstrous, Mind-Roasting Summer of O.C. and Stiggs by Tod Carroll and Ted Mann (National Lampoon, Fall '82). Our all-time favourite issue turns 20 this year.
posted by Andrew at 7:44 AM
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As it turned out, while even most conservative Israelis (including Ariel Sharon) conceded that there would, in the end, be a Palestinian state, the Palestinians had not necessarily altered their own founding myths and intentions. Forget Hamas and Islamic Jihad and their culture of martyrdom and absolute victory. Last year, Faisal Husseini, a decided moderate among Yasir Arafat's leadership ranks, gave an interview not long before he died in which he compared Oslo to a Trojan horse, an intermediate, tactical step leading to the elimination of Israel. He said, "If you are asking me as a Pan-Arab nationalist what are the Palestinian borders according to the higher strategy, I will immediately reply: 'From the river to the sea' "—that is, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean.

[more]
posted by Anonymous at 4:53 AM
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If we are not allowed to torutre prisoners in the U.S. for information, we have friends elsewhere who can do it for us. U.S. Behind Secret Transfer of Terror Suspects
posted by Anonymous at 3:32 AM
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Tuesday, March 12, 2002. *
Making pudding with a bucket... 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05.
posted by Andrew at 8:18 AM
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"Body Piercing Linked to Risky Behavior in Teens"
In related news, Fear of Piercing Linked to Fundamentalism, Obesity, and Love of Jello . . .
posted by Dr. Menlo at 12:15 AM
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Monday, March 11, 2002. *
"Lunch's career began in the seventies as part of the early seminal no-wave band Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, but her rise to underground infamy came in the eighties, when her music became denoted by various collaborations (Birthday Party, Sonic Youth and Einsturzende Neubauten, to name an extreme few) and she expanded to the fringe of spoken-word poetry, photography, film and video. (She was once even the poster girl for the Whitney Museum of Art's Underground Film Festival.) Long before Henry Rollins took his reading act to the road, Lunch was touring with her personal salon of erotic, extreme and offbeat words/poetry; long before Jello Biafra began his Chomsky-esque tours of anti-populist rants, Lunch was giving her own alternative news reports."

Lydia Lunch: Women We Love

posted by Dr. Menlo at 11:45 PM
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Warehouse Full of Russian Books May Go to Incinerator
Luckily, ATC reported a positive update on this story today: the landlord has given a three week extension, and the Library of Congress will "absorb" the most valuable books while doing their best to find homes for the rest. Thanks to Janet Kagan for the link.
posted by Dr. Menlo at 5:32 PM
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FRANKENFISH
The folks over at Greenpeace have made a little flash game where you can "mutate" a fish and then email it to your pals. (To better warn people about enviromental pollution) Mindlessly fun for a few minutes...
posted by Kirsten at 12:44 PM
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Now we learn that the Bush gang were not really all Dr. Strangelove types but merely a batch of assholes: ha ha: we were kidding
posted by Anonymous at 10:47 AM
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The Legendary Jesus Helguera by Benjamin F. Hernandez. A salute to the famed Mexican calendar painter. "...Several generations of Mexican American families have hung the calendar artwork of Jesus Helguera on the walls of their homes. Some never noticed the signature on the bottom right hand corner. Helguera's art captures both the Christian spiritual and indigenous mystical images of Mexico's cultural past."
posted by Andrew at 7:30 AM
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Sunday, March 10, 2002. *
The lure of conspiracy theories... defines a common bond between Islamic and Western societies.

The psychological motives that underlie paranoia vary, experts say. But they include a distrust of government, a drive to feel important and in the know, the tendency to blame others for misfortune and a need to make sense out of confusing events.

Americans are no strangers to any of these imperatives.
[more] via NY Times, reg reqd.
posted by Anonymous at 7:17 AM
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Saturday, March 09, 2002. *
posted by Dr. Menlo at 10:31 PM
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"On February 13, 2002 the Bush Administration quietly announced that John Poindexter, previously convicted for obstructing official inquiries and lying to Congress will now head the Government's newest operation for massive domestic spying, the Information Awareness Office. Poindexter, and his partner Oliver North, got their convictions overturned by an appellate court on the grounds that their testimony before Congress was immunized.

"This new office received scant coverage in the U.S. domestic press, but was highlighted in an article in the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper entltitled, 'No more Mr. Scrupulous Guy: How one of the two brains behind the Iran-Contra scandal this week became one of America's most powerful men.'"

via The Partnership for Civil Justice

See also: the White House Press Briefing Transcripts, courtesy of Medley.

posted by Dr. Menlo at 8:08 PM
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commentary on the
plan for nuclear arms
The piece of great importance posted Friday by Gordon Coale is seen as even scarier in the commentary made about this Bush plan.
posted by Anonymous at 6:35 AM
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There are many on the Left who cite the American "intervention" in Korea as being but one of a long list of imperialistic political and military moves. And though we had a limited number of militry advisors in Korea, the initial attack--crossing the 38th parallel--was begun by Northern Korean forces. The Origins of the Korean War, from Russian archival materials
posted by Anonymous at 4:27 AM
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Friday, March 08, 2002. *
I really like the name Eban Hieronymus Johnson. ...Like his paintings and drawings too.
posted by Andrew at 9:40 AM
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posted by Anonymous at 8:22 AM
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sports
Alarmed at the deteriorating situation, European soccer body UEFA said it had suspended all European competition matches in Israel and switched a March 14 UEFA Cup tie between Hapoel Tel Aviv and AC Milan to a neutral venue.
So Sharon and Peres have contacted Berlusconi so see if Tel Aviv can't be reconsidered.
"Berlusconi - è scritto in un comunicato dell'ufficio del premier israeliano - ha detto sia a Sharon, sia a Peres, che farà tutto il possibile per cambiare la decisione e consentire al Milan di andare in Israele affinché la partita si svolga come stabilito".
And what Berlusconi wants, Berlusconi gets.
War, Football, and the Israeli Media .
posted by cynthia korzekwa at 7:54 AM
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Thursday, March 07, 2002. *
Democracy implies as a necessary condition that our opinions are worthwhile, and liberty similarly demands adults to receive it and exercise it knowingly and moderately. But there is no way to train children up to democracy than through choice, or to liberty except through letting loose the restraints. A child who is never called upon to dress himself will not know how to do so as a man. "The best way," Harry Truman said, "to find out if you can trust a man, is to trust him." It is not only the best way to find out; you can train people to be trustworthy by placing confidence in them. Trust is a marvellous irrigant; it makes even barren lands bloom. Milton described the self reliance, the trust of others, which is the root of freedom of speech: "Read any books whatever come to thy hands, for thou art sufficient both to judge aright, and to examine each matter.... Prove all things, hold fast that which is good...."free speech rule book
posted by Anonymous at 8:18 AM
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Fort Marion Artists. Works by Kiowa men imprisoned at Fort Marion in the 1870s. "...At the conclusion of the Southern Plains Indian war, a group of 72 warriors, primarily Kiowas, Cheyennes, and Arapahoes, were taken prisoner and transported to Fort Marion, in St. Augustine, Florida, where they were held as hostages to ensure the peaceful conduct of their tribes." From Kiowa Drawings in the National Anthropological Archives at the Smithsonian.
posted by Andrew at 8:17 AM
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At town hall meetings across the state this week, Vermonters were asked to endorse the global environmental strategy known as the Earth Charter, which describes our planet as a place of "injustice, poverty, ignorance and violent conflict," and urges a halt to "environmental devastation" and "the depletion of resources." [full story ]
posted by Anonymous at 2:24 AM
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Wednesday, March 06, 2002. *
Dominic Vincenzo... Released by Death (toilet paper, acrylics). "...Released by Death is stamped on an inmate's final papers when the prison sends out his dead body. This old con secured his own release by overdosing on drugs. He goes out, at ease, listening to music on his walkman." From Cellblock Visions: Prison Art in America. "... inmate artwork, created behind bars, from county jail to death row."
posted by Andrew at 7:30 AM
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Tuesday, March 05, 2002. *

"Why have elections?"

I'm sure George Bush would agree.

posted by Dr. Menlo at 10:51 PM
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An article by Islamist Dr. Rif'at Sayyid Ahmad, titled "Guantanamo, the Auschwitz of the American era: J'accuse!!" recently appeared in the Lebanese daily Al-Liwa. The article described the detention of the Al-Qaida and Taliban members at Guantanamo as a war crime. Following are excerpts from the article:



Guantanamo Bay: 'The American Auschwitz'
[more]
posted by Anonymous at 2:31 PM
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Why Economists Should Study Biology
Ask a random sample of economists what dopamine is, or the meaning of Hamilton's Rule, and I expect most wouldn't know. Neither would they likely be familiar with sexual selection, haplodiploidy, pleiotropy, or the Trivers-Willard hypothesis.

In some ways, this is a blessing. By ignoring dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to the brain chemistry of pleasure, economists have followed a tradition of avoiding the deeper questions connected with human happiness, in order to concentrate on more manageable problems...There is no scientific way to compare the utility level of different individuals.
Found at killyourtv
posted by riley dog at 1:08 PM
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Hard and/or Deeply Buried Targets (HDBTs): Bombs for Tunnels
The Thermobaric [TB] Weapon Demonstration will develop a weapon concept that is based on a new class of solid fuel-air explosive thermobarics. The term "thermobaric" is derived from the effects of temperature (the Greek word "therme" means "heat") and pressure (the Greek word "baros" means "pressure") on the target. The weapon could be used against a certain type of tunnel targets for a maximum functional kill of the tunnels.
A functional kill can be as permanent as a "structural kill"

posted by riley dog at 1:05 PM
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So... Who rules? Why... Ken, of course! Keeping Ken. "...a site exclusively for Ken, the man behind the doll."
posted by Andrew at 6:03 AM
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posted by Anonymous at 3:28 AM
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A different approach to a settlement in the Middle East. Based on the fact that Jordan once possessed the contentious West Bank, that Jordan has sufficient military to keep the peace, and that 50% of the Palestinians in the region now live within the present borders of Jordan: give the West Bank (back) to Jordan
posted by Anonymous at 3:27 AM
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Monday, March 04, 2002. *
What the World Needs Now is another superpower. According to Telepolis, it's Europe. Also: more reasons to be scared about GMOs.
posted by Brad Larcen at 4:39 PM
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First and Last Emperors, by the brilliant Brian Massumi and Kenneth Dean:
The Reagan presidency reintroduced the body of the leader as an effective mechanism in US politics. With it resurfaced reminders of a despotic past, attitudes and images that would seem more at home in ancient China or Rome, or in the France of Louis XIV, than in late-capitalist America. For all his archaism, Reagan worked. And to a surprising extent, he worked through the vehicle of his body. It will be maintained that he is still at work, even after his practical withdrawal from the political scene; and that he will continue to be at work, even after his belated death. United States policy under Bush has followed the political course set by Reagan blow by blow, Panama for Grenada, Saddam Hussein for Khomeini. Bush staged an even more crowd-pleasing Middle East hostage drama than his mentor had, escalating from threats to open war as he merrily set about trying to bomb his way to the mother of all reelections, in bloody one-upsmanship over the behind-the-scenes negotiations with Iran that had crowned Reagan's first term inauguration.
posted by Brad Larcen at 3:46 PM
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Edward Said on America (from Al-Ahram Weekly).
posted by Brad Larcen at 3:40 PM
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Not trying to hog this great page, but this is just too funny.
posted by Anonymous at 6:38 AM
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Alternative news sources also have ethical issues not always handled in an appropriate manner. A White Paper: All is not well at Alternet.
posted by Anonymous at 4:36 AM
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Conflict of interest.
Last night the soccer team Milan lost against Inter. It was almost like a political victory.
Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi owns owns three television stations and other media outlets. He also owns Milan. He may be forced to step down as President of Milan (but not as owner) due to European Community norms. However, he will then more than likely hand over the presidency to his son, Piersilvio.
Berlusconi, who has been repeatedly charged with corruption but acquitted on appeal, remains under investigation for several alleged tax and fraud offences. The Left accuses him of using his power over the past nine months to push through laws that benefit his own interests, including the abolition of inheritance taxes, and a reduction in penalties for false accounting.
Mr Berlusconi is listed by Forbes magazine as the 15th richest man in the world with net wealth of $13bn. He has been married twice, and has five children, two of whom - Marina and Piersilvio - play an important role in the management of his businesses.

Giuseppe Colucci, a player for Verona, avoided military service after, falsely, classiflying himself as an artist. In Italy, there's still a compulsory 10 months of military service. According to regulations, anyone working in the areas of science, culture or the arts can be excluded. Colucci told reporters of Gazzetta dello Sport that he hopes other soccer players will follow his example.

Soccer’s like politics. Who’s got the ball wants to keep it. Who doesn’t tries to get it. Unfortunately it seems that everyone’s got balls but the players.
posted by cynthia korzekwa at 3:23 AM
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posted by Anonymous at 3:08 AM
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Capitalism may very well be the best way to run an economy.

It is not the best way to run a world.

Globalize Democracy (.org)

I am not anti-capitalist. I am against a capitalism unfettered. With no limits, the most driving and powerful force in society becomes: "Make More Money." In an economy based on ideas, this unrestrained growth model might prove inspiring; in an economy based on the unsustainable harvesting of the planet's limited natural resources--this model becomes a cancer.

They say 3 leads spy a trend:

1) Daschle Dissents . . . and Fark displays their usual rabid right-wing leanings by describing this link as "Daschle refuses to apologize for giving comfort to the enemy. Liberal media says nothing" with the added graphic signaling "ASININE." Fark, you kids crack me up. Is 8th grade as bad as I remember?

With Daschle's dissent, a fever breaks.

2) EPA Official Resigns In Protest Over White House Energy Policy. Inside source tells Dr. Menlo this [pp.]: "They [within the EPA] say Whitman [Christine Todd, former Governor of New Jersey] isn't that bad--she comes up with some good stuff, but when she kicks it up the chain it gets immediately ripped up by Cheney." Inside source also avers with the common beltway knowledge that it is "Cheney and the Oilmen" who are really running things--common knowledge to those in the world who are used to cracking books in ways not involving fire and J.K. Rawling.

3) [and my fav] The link below posted by Gordon Coale illustrating the stunning success of the latest Michael Moore book: "Stupid White Men." These numbers don't jibe with the so-called "polls" which trumpet the brain-fry called Bush.

Has an Anti-Bush Renaissance already begun?

Bush is roundly described as "completely uncurious." Pulitzer-prize winning author of latest Theo bio backs this up on Charlie Rose [pp.]:"He doesn't read. He isn't curious. He seems to feel he already knows all he needs to know." --That last sentence, isn't that the ipsa facto definition of a moron?

posted by Dr. Menlo at 1:02 AM
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Friday, March 01, 2002. *
U.S. intervention in the former Soviet republic of Georgia is not so much to fight terrorists but to establish a "firm foothold" in the Caucasus region in order to protect its access to the vast oil reserves of the Caucasus and Central Asia, according to official Russian sources [more]
posted by Anonymous at 11:42 AM
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__Enron Used CIA Agents and NSA's Echelon Intercepts to Coerce Foreign
Governments

Once again, the National Enquirer has scooped the corporate media with real investigative reporting. "The corruption at Enron went far beyond unbridled greed and rampant sex- it also involved international
espionage and electronic spy warfare, the Enquirer has learned... 'There have been at least 20 CIA agents on the payroll of Enron in the past eight years [training] Enron employees in intelligence gathering and
security, [helping Enron] get billions of dollars in lucrative contracts
in Asia, South America and Europe. 'Basically what the CIA operatives
were able to provide was detailed information on bids made by foreign
companies on projects of interest to Enron. 'They used human
intelligence and also info gleaned from a satellite project called
'Echelon.' The satellites intercepted e-mails, phone calls and faxes
with detailed business information... 'Pure and simple, U.S.
intelligence agents were involved in corporate espionage.'" [more] via Democrats.com
posted by Anonymous at 5:58 AM
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New evidence linking the owner of the Venice Florida flight school which trained Mohamed Atta to the Central Intelligence Agency surfaced earlier this month.

The new evidence adds to existing indications that Mohamed Atta and his terrorist cadre's flight training in this country was part of a so-far unacknowledged U.S. government intelligence operation which had ultimately tragic consequences for thousands of civilians on September 11th.
[more]
posted by Anonymous at 5:57 AM
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To cheer you up... August Strindberg & Helium: At home with the Kids. A Milky Elephant gig. (via Consumptive)
posted by Andrew at 5:47 AM
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17 links connecting Bush and Enron
posted by Anonymous at 3:28 AM
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