Friday, 31 October 2003
Porno Karaoke pt. 2
I told you it would catch on here:
"A sign outside Berlin Station Cafe on Farmington Avenue
has advertised "Naked Karaoke" for more than a month and, surprisingly,
the sign-up sheet of potential singers has been getting longer, said
owner Marty St. Pierre. "I had to add another sheet because we ran out
of room on the first one," he said Thursday, pointing to a list of
names taped up behind his bar."
In Connecticut!! Who would've thought? I've never been so proud to be a Husky in all my life.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 31, 2003 at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Overweight and malnourished
It's pretty sad that with so much food in this country we're still allowing people to go hungry in America in the year 2003.
About 12 million American families last year worried that
they couldn't afford to buy food, and 32 percent of them actually
experienced someone going hungry at one time or another, the
Agriculture Department said Friday.
Most poor families struggling with hunger tried to ensure their
children are fed, the report said. Nonetheless, one or more children in
an estimated 265,000 families on occasion missed meals last year
because the families either couldn't afford to eat or didn't have
enough food at home.
What's more (not that this should come as a surprise to anyone at this
point) the number of households experiencing hunger has increased for
the third year in a row.
Based on a Census Bureau survey of 50,000 households, the
department estimated that 3.8 million families were hungry last year to
the point where someone in the household skipped meals because they
couldn't afford them. That's an 8.6 percent increase from 2001, when
3.5 million families were hungry, and a 13 percent increase from 2000.
How is it possible that 65% of the population is obese, while 12
million families are skipping meals? I live in Washington DC, and I've
noticed that in the poorer sections of this city decent food is
extremely hard to come by. I remember swinging by a supermarket in
Southeast about a year ago to pick up some fruit for a hike. I was
stunned by the lack of fresh produce, not to mention the overall
choices available. It made me instantly appreciate the selection I so
often take for granted.
I suspect that because of the pathetic choices available in inner-city
markets, the poorest residents are drawn to the worst possible foods
around. There might be a lack of fruits and veggies in Anacostia, but
there's certainly no shortage of fried chicken joints. It seems like
there's a Popeye's on every corner. McDonald's is always less than two
blocks away, and Burger Kings, Wendy's and all the other crappy
"restaurants" line the streets like millionaires at a Bush
inauguration.
My point is (I do have one, I swear) that obesity and hunger are not
necessarily mutually exclusive. It is entirely possible to be
overweight and malnourished at the same time. When you stop and think
about it, it's a striking metaphor for what America has become.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 31, 2003 at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
You can buy these things??
This is fucked up on so many levels, but I still want one so bad:
The MIRT (mobile infrared transmitter) can change traffic
lights to green from red in two seconds. Police and fire departments
for years have used MIRT, marketed by the 3M company, to clear
intersections and halt opposing traffic on emergency runs. Some
Internet entrepreneurs, apparently more interested in cash than in road
rage, or the possibility of a fatal crash, have been offering MIRT and
MIRT knockoffs for $300. Their pitches are quite tempting: "Never wait
for a red light again!" and "Tired of Waiting for Red Lights?" and
"Changes Stop Lights From Red to Green in Seconds."
But the best part? It's totally legal.
MIRT transmits an infrared beam, instead of a radio wave.
The Federal Communications Commission regulates the use of radio waves.
Infrared transmission falls outside of the agency's purview. As a
result, currently, there are no federal laws restricting civilian use
of MIRT technology.
Talk about a perfect stocking stuffer.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 31, 2003 at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Thursday, 30 October 2003
Tell Rush's advertisers what you think of him
Rush Limbaugh has requested that everyone write his advertising sponsors to let them know what we think of him.
He's kindly provided a web form here:
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/email_advertiser.guest.html
Let them know exactly what you think of the poor, bloated pillhound.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 30, 2003 at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Something to worry about
Posted by flow Frazao on October 30, 2003 at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A Theory to End Theories
It's all about the vibrations, son.
According to string theory, absolutely everything in the
universe -- all of the particles that make up matter and forces -- is
comprised of tiny vibrating fundamental strings. All objects, not just
fundamental strings, have resonant patterns associated with them. Pluck
the string of a violin and you hear mainly one tone. This is the
string's fundamental resonant pattern, or frequency.
Just like a plucked violin string, the line of energy that forms the
"fundamental string" in string theory also has resonant vibrations.
With the strings in string theory, however, the vibrational pattern
determines what kind of particle the string is. One resonant pattern
makes it a photon, for example, while another makes it a heavy particle
found within the nucleus of an atom.
Imagine that. The thing that simultaneously separates us and keeps us
together is the frequency of the fundamental strings that we're built
out of. The vibrations of our strings makes us what we are. We are
essentially made of music.
Which, of course, means that the RIAA will sue the crap out of Scotty whenever he beams anyone up.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 30, 2003 at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wednesday, 29 October 2003
Googlewashing
At the suggestion of talkleft, here's my contribution to the googlewashing effort*
MISERABLE FAILURE
*ensuring that performing a google search for the words "miserable
failure" will link first to george bush's biography.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 29, 2003 at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Monday, 27 October 2003
We've got them on the run!
During the past 24 hours there have been at least 6 bombings in Iraq.
Four on Baghdad police stations, one on the Red Cross HQ, and one
yesterday on the hotel where Gulf War II architect Paul Wolfowitz was
staying. It's been an extremely difficult and deadly day in Iraq, but
Bush, staying true to form, refuses to acknowledge anything even resembling reality:
"President Bush said Monday that U.S. progress in Iraq is
making insurgents more "desperate" and spurring attacks such as the
bombings at the international Red Cross headquarters and four police
stations across Baghdad that killed dozens of people."
"The more progress we make on the ground, the more free the Iraqis
become, the more electricity that's available, the more jobs are
available, the more kids that are going to school, the more desperate
these killers become," Bush told reporters at the White House."
They're not getting desparate, dumbass. They're getting more effective.
Their "science project" of a rocket launcher was apparently advanced
enough to drive us out of the al-Rashid Hotel:
The U.S. occupation authority abandoned the al-Rashid Hotel
after it was hit early Sunday by a fatal rocket barrage fired from a
launcher disguised as a portable generator. A senior U.S. Army officer
was killed and 17 people were wounded in the brazen strike at the core
of the U.S. presence in Iraq.
The assault on the 462-room al-Rashid Hotel was aimed at a prominent
symbol of the U.S. occupation. The hotel was the living quarters for
hundreds of U.S. military and civilian personnel.
Despite the homemade appearance of the rocket launcher, the U.S.
military said the attack took months of planning and surveillance. The
assault on the al-Rashid, the second in a month, again underscored the
vulnerability of American officials in Iraq and raised fresh concerns
about the U.S. military's ability to crush a resistance that has become
bolder in its methods and choices of targets.
They're trying to play these events off as inconsequential. They are
not. The Iraqi resistance is getting stronger and smarter every day,
and our forces are growing weaker from demoralization and poor
leadership. Update 11:34 AM:
The Red Cross is now considering pulling out of Iraq altogether as a result of this morning's bombings:
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
expressed outrage at Monday's unprecedented suicide bombing of its
Baghdad headquarters, which killed at least 10 people, and said it was
weighing a withdrawal from Iraq.
It was the first time the Swiss-based relief agency, which for 140
years has sought to protect the victims of war, had been targeted by
suicide bombers, although a number of officials have died in shootings
and other attacks in places such as Chechnya and Afghanistan in recent
years.
This is another huge blow to the War Effort. The UN has already pulled
out almost completely, and if the ICRC pulls out that would leave
America almost completely alone (except for the Polish and the
Mongolian troops, of course). This doesn't exactly add to our argument
for why other countries should be contributing troops and such. We
can't even keep the fucking Red Cross safe - how are we supposed to
ensure the safety of other armies (not to mention our own army). What an utter debacle this has become.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 27, 2003 at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Friday, 24 October 2003
Not such an "irrelevant organization" after all
"On the eve of a U.N. session that may determine whether
the United States goes to war with many allies or a few, President Bush
on Thursday challenged the United Nations to "rise to its
responsibilities" to confront Iraq.
Speaking to sailors and other naval personnel here, Bush enumerated the
countries and groups that have expressed support for military action
against Iraq, and dared the U.N. Security Council to authorize military
force or become an "ineffective, irrelevant debating society."
"The United Nations is a vital international arena for
countries to cooperate in pursuit of political, economic, and social
freedoms. Founded by 51 Member countries after World War II, the
organization has grown through the years to include 191 Member States.
On United Nations Day, we celebrate the organization's founding
principles of freedom, democracy, and human rights, and we recognize
the contributions of the United Nations to improving lives around the
world.
As an original signatory of the United Nations Charter, the United
States continues to advance the United Nations' founding principles. We
are working with the United Nations to reduce conflicts around the
world, fight terrorism, abolish trafficking in persons, and support
those in need, including the people of Afghanistan and Iraq as they
continue to build free and stable countries. As we commemorate the 58th
anniversary of the United Nations, we honor the victims of the recent
bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad who worked to
advance peace and freedom. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President
of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in
me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby
proclaim October 24, 2003, as United Nations Day. I urge the Governors
of the 50 States, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and
the officials of other areas under the flag of the United States to
honor the observance of United Nations Day with appropriate ceremonies
and activities."
Posted by flow Frazao on October 24, 2003 at 06:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Thursday, 23 October 2003
Amazon knows everything
Amazon.com has blown my nuts off
once again. This is an excerpt of the letter they posted on their front
page today informing users of their new search feature:
Starting today, you can find books at Amazon.com based on every word
inside them, not just on matches to author or title keywords. Search
Inside the Book -- the name of this new feature -- searches the
complete inside text of more than 120,000 books -- all 33 million pages
of them. And since we've integrated Search Inside the Book into our
standard search, using it is as easy as entering a search term in our
regular search box.
I know there are tons of Orwellian implications to this, but damn if I'm not just totally impressed. That is cool as hell.
Update:
Wired has just put up an article
on Amazon's project. Goes into detail about the scanning process and
how it's done, but it also discusses the ramifications of this
"Alexandrian fantasy".
"The publishing industry has made great strides since the
Roman era. Movable type was invented in 11th-century China, then
reinvented in 1450 in Germany. In 1886, Ottmar Mergenthaler created an
automatic typesetting machine. In 1983, we got desktop publishing. But
publishers continue to edit books using four colors of pencil, and the
idea of freely accessible digital files conjures nightmares of a
peer-to-peer disaster among media corporations. Things are even going
backward � Barnes & Noble recently announced it would stop
selling ebooks.
"It's shameful," Kahle continues, "because we have the tools to make
all books available to everybody. You need three things. Technically,
you need storage and connectivity. Storage is easy. For under $10
million, you can store all published works of humankind back to the
Sumerian tablets. The last time they tried this was in Alexandria, and
they had an innovative storage mechanism, too. They had papyrus, and
papyrus was astonishing compared to clay tablets. But we can do better
than the Alexandrians, because we also have connectivity. I have
traveled in Uganda and in rural Kenya and seldom been more than one
day's walk from an Internet caf�. It is technologically possible for
most kids in the world to have access to all the books in the world."
Amazon's Alexandrian scheme hinges on the insight that physical books
can be turned into electronic databases and then � in the retail
process � turned back into physical books. This is one of the boldest
maneuvers yet in an intense commercial competition, but for all its
cunning, this is a civilized, even civilizing war, one that builds
libraries rather than burns them."
This is a staggering development that could potentially change
everything about the way we relate to books and the written word. No
doubt this colossal library will be appropriated by corporations and
held ransom for a few years, maybe even a few hundred years. But
someday all this knowledge will be available to anyone who wants it.
In this context of change, confusion, and fear, Jeff Bezos
is forced to behave like a politician. Talk of a universal library
elicits no enthusiasm from him. When I mention it, he counsels caution
and patience. "You have to start somewhere," he says. "You climb to the
top of the first tiny hill, and from there you see the next hill. It's
difficult to see what's beyond before you have climbed the first hill."
For better or for worse, the Alexandria Project is to books what
Napster was to music. The floodgates have been opened once again.Posted by flow Frazao on October 23, 2003 at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
They're infected with..... rage
A one-year-old boy has been bitten 30 times by a group of more than a
dozen other babies at a nursery in Croatia.
Frane Simic was covered in a series of deep bite wounds all over his
body, including his face.
He was attacked after the class nanny stepped out of the room to change
another baby's nappy.
Dr Sime Vuckov, head of the hospital in Rijeka which treated the boy,
said: "Biting between young children is not uncommon.
"But I have never seen anything like this."
Police have launched an inquiry into the biting frenzy but admit they
are clueless as to the babies' reasons for attacking.
Dr Vuckov warned that while the wounds were expected to heal, the
trauma suffered by Frane may leave permanent mental scars on the boy
and his parents.
He said: "Our psychologist has evaluated the boy and we will continue
to monitor him and provide any type of assistance so that he can
overcome the trauma as soon as possible."
Frane's father said he is considering suing the nanny in charge of the
class.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 23, 2003 at 01:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bush Heckled in Australia as He Defends Iraq War
Bush was in Australia this week touting his War on Terror. He gave a speech to Parliament in
which he defended the Iraqi invasion/occupation and thanked Oz for
being one of the only nations that continues to kiss America's ass. It
turns out that the Aussie Green Party has a whole lot more balls than
the American Democrats. Some of them even had the audacity to speak out against the President.
"Security in the Asia-Pacific region will always depend on
the willingness of nations to take responsibility for their
neighborhood, as Australia is doing," Bush told parliament. Australia
has recently sent a peacekeeping force to the Solomon Islands to
restore law and order. But his tagging of Australia as a regional
"sheriff" and staunch defense of the Iraq war angered left-leaning
Green politicians whose heckling twice stopped the president's speech.
"We are not a sheriff," shouted Greens leader Bob Brown who ignored an
order to leave the house."
But by far the most incisive criticism came from the son of an Australian "Enemy Combatant":
The 18-year-old son of Mamdouh Habib, one of two
Australians held at a U.S. military prison in Cuba for two years
without charge after the Afghan invasion, was dragged out, arms pinned
behind his back, after yelling: "Hey Bush, what about my Dad?"
Imagine that. Here's an 18 year old kid who hasn't even heard from,
much less seen, his father in over two years. Imagine knowing that your
dad has been interred at a concentration camp at Guantanamo with no
recourse to the law and no contact with anyone outside. Now imagine
reading news like this:
The International Committee of the Red Cross joined the
rising criticism of the makeshift prison for terror suspects at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Friday, citing "worrying deterioration" in
prisoners' mental health. The common criticism of the prisoner program
is that men and boys captured in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the
counterterror war are being held with no legal process and no
indication when they might have access to one. "They have no idea about
their fate, and they have no means of recourse at their disposal
through any legal mechanism," said Florian Westphal of the ICRC, which
ended a visit there Thursday. International rights groups say the
indefinite detentions have likely promoted prisoners' hopelessness and
thus contributed to 32 suicide attempts by 27 detainees.
What a horrible, hopeless situation. Bush, of course, didn't even acknowledge the kid. Instead...
"I love free speech," quipped Bush, to cheers from the house, having been warned he could face politicians' protests.
Funny. This is the same president who cordones off "free speech zones"
for protesters and arrests anyone who dares dissent outside of the
preordained locations.
But I digress...
Much thanks to the Australian Green Party for doing everything that our
own "opposition party" fails to. Keep it up. Maybe one of these days
we'll follow your lead.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 23, 2003 at 09:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Wednesday, 22 October 2003
Porno Karaoke
Sure beats the crap out of the stuff my idiot friends karaoke to:
Germans are screaming, moaning, and panting for the latest
nightlife craze: porno karaoke. Film producers Satt und Durstig
organised a premiere in Berlin last month after a successful test run
in the northern city of Hamburg, and the trend has already spawned
imitators in other major cities. Porno karaoke is similar to
traditional karaoke - but, instead of standing in for Whitney Houston
or Frank Sinatra, contestants belt out the soundtracks of adult movie
stars. Players pair off in male-female teams as an XXX film is loaded
into the projector. With the sound turned off, each duo is handed two
microphones, and has one minute to provide the aural fireworks for the
action on the screen.
The crowd, which tends to find the show more comic than erotic, then
chooses the couple that has given the most convincing, creative, and
ecstatic performance of faking an orgasm before hundreds of strangers.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 22, 2003 at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack
First Rush, Now Matt Lauer?
The Enquirer has some new dirt on Matt Lauer (from Drudge):
MEDIA FLASH: ENQUIRER TO ALLEGED PAST ILLEGAL DRUG USE BY
TOP TV MORNING PERSONALITY... // 'MATT LAUER COCAINE DEALER TELLS ALL'
-- 'HIS SECRET DRUG PAST EXPOSED', NATIONAL ENQUIRER ALLEGES IN COVER
SPLASH, SAY SOURCES.... LIE DETECTOR TAKEN: PASSED, BY
'DEALER-FRIEND'... MID-1980S, LAUER ANCHORMAN IN RHODE ISLAND, STARTING
OUT IN BUSINESS; MAN 'SOLD HIM COCAINE 5 OR 6 TIMES'... LAUER NOT
COMMENTING ON ENQUIRER REPORT, SET FOR RELEASE THIS WEEKEND..."
Poor guy. So he's done some blow. It's not like he looted billions from
taxpayers or started a war for oil or hijacked an election or anything.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 22, 2003 at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Flesh-Eating Infection Strikes Fishermen, Surfer
Several fishermen and at least one surfer in Volusia County, Fla., have reportedly contracted an infection that eats at their flesh, according to a Local 6 News report. Harbrodt said the infection spread across her son's body in less than a day. "There was a large space vacant of skin, and it was oozing," Harbrodt said. Fisherman Jim Freeman told Local 6 News that he knows of eight fishing boat captains infected with MRSA. "It starts out as a white pimple, but the minute you pop that pimple it starts boring," Freeman said. "It will go to the bone. Doctors say once it goes to the bone, you either have to cut your arm off or cut your leg off."Excuse me while I run down the street screaming.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 22, 2003 at 01:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Bored to Tears, America Hurls TV Out Window
Perhaps the story about the woman who threw her TV out the window wasn't a fluke after all:
BERLIN (Reuters) - A 25-year-old German woman enraged over
another Saturday night of boring television programs and dull re-runs
hurled her TV set out the window of her fifth floor apartment window,
police said Monday. "There was nothing decent on so I just threw the
thing out the window," the woman identified as Veronika K., told Bild
newspaper. No one was hurt in the incident in Potsdam. She later calmed
down and watched another television with her children.
Now it seems that there's a greater trend going on. People just aren't watching TV this season.
Network executives are baffled by a season unlike any seen
before. Returning hit shows like "Friends" and "E.R." are losing
significant numbers of viewers from previous years. New shows have
performed far worse than almost anyone expected, a result capped off
Monday night when the Fox network started two shows that had received
huge promotional pushes during the baseball playoffs, "The Next Joe
Millionaire" and "Skin," and they posted crushingly disappointing
numbers. And men between 18 and 24 are apparently deserting television
in droves. So far this year nearly 20 percent fewer men in that
advertiser-friendly demographic are watching television during prime
time than during the same period last year.
The drop-off in these viewing figures tabulated by Nielsen Media
Research is inexplicable to industry executives. "Frankly what we're
seeing strains credulity," said Alan Wurtzel, the president of research
for NBC.
It "strains credulity"? I, for one, think it's breathtakingly credible. I'm stunned that people ever
watched such mind-numbing crap in the first place. I mean, Joe
Millionaire? Come on. Here are the explanations they came up with:
- Jack Loftus said Nielsen was examining several
possibilities to explain the decline, including some unexpectedly high
use of video games and DVD players by the young men now absent from
television, and even the possibility that a certain number of the young
men who are supposed to be in the sample may have been called to duty
in Iraq by the National Guard.- Another factor might be the improvement in Nielsen's techniques for
selecting viewers, so that some people who signed up might not
necessarily be heavy television viewers, where earlier the Nielsen
sample was dominated by those who watched a lot of television.- Nielsen tends to skip homes where the equipment may be extremely
complicated to wire, and that with more homes now adding digital boxes
and satellite dishes, those homes might be skipped more often, meaning
heavy viewers of television are being systematically excluded.
Wait, I have an idea. This might sound crazy, but maybe the shows just
suck. I know, it's out there, but perhaps if the media actually started
treating people like sentient beings then they might not be
hemorrhaging viewers. Go nuts guys. Put some intelligent shit on Network TV
instead of relegating it to fucking Bravo like Michael Moore's The
Awful Truth. Wouldn't that be something? I won't be holding my breath:
Mr. Sternberg summed up the state of television at the moment: "No one knows what's going on."
Posted by flow Frazao on October 22, 2003 at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tuesday, 21 October 2003
What Happened to Separation of Church and State?
What the hell is this crap?
Posted by flow Frazao on October 21, 2003 at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Holy crap
"An American man faced charges after becoming the first
adult to survive a plunge over Niagara Falls without using safety
equipment, astounding witnesses to the feat. The man, who has not been
named, floated by tourists standing at the top of Niagara, in Canadian
territory, before going over the 52.4-metre-high (173-foot-high) falls.
He was reported to have swam to a rock at the bottom of the gorge, on
the US side of the border, where he was found by emergency crews. The
man was led away with a white towel over his head and was admitted to
Greater Niagara General Hospital. Reports said he suffered no serious
injuries. Witnesses told local media of their amazement as they watched
the man, who appeared to be in his 20s, head over the horseshoe-shaped
falls near Table Rock just after midday on Monday. "We thought we were
witnessing a man's death," said Terry McMullen, a car parts salesman
from Ohio, who watched with his wife, Brenda. "He glided right by us on
his back with his arms in the air as though he was taking a leisurely
swim. He went over the falls without a sound," McMullen told the
Buffalo News daily. If the witness accounts are confirmed, the man will
be the first adult to survive a Niagara fall without safety protection
of any kind."
Posted by flow Frazao on October 21, 2003 at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Rewind - ABCNEWS.com : How Secure Are U.S. Borders?
I realize this stuff disappears from the collective consciousness
faster than Britney's snap-on track pants, but this story definitely
bears revisiting in light of recent events concerning the student who
snuck the box cutters, bleach, etc onto Southwest flights. The following story is from ABC News on Sept 10, 2003:
"For a second year, U.S. government screeners have failed
to detect a shipment of depleted uranium in a container sent by ABCNEWS
from overseas as part of a test of security at American ports.
The ABCNEWS project involved a shipment to Los Angeles of just under 15
pounds of depleted uranium, a harmless substance that is legal to
import into the United States. The uranium, in a steel pipe with a lead
lining, was placed in a suitcase for the shipment. "If they can't
detect that, then they can't detect the real thing," explained Tom
Cochran, a nuclear physicist at the Natural Resources Defense Council,
which lent the material to ABCNEWS for the project.
Cochran said the highly enriched uranium used for nuclear weapons
would, with slightly thicker shielding, give off a signature similar to
depleted uranium in the screening devices currently being used by
homeland security officials at American ports. The ABCNEWS suitcase
containing the uranium was placed in a teak trunk along with other
furniture put in a container in Jakarta, Indonesia, a city considered
by U.S. authorities to be one of the most active al Qaeda hot spots in
the world. The container was shipped to Los Angeles in late July, just
one week before the bombing of the Jakarta Marriott Hotel that killed
12 people. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has claimed major
improvements in port security, in part because of enhanced vigilance
overseas. "So that our borders become the last line of defense, not our
first line of defense," Ridge said in a speech last week. He said the
United States was increasing security "thousands of miles away, long
before a container is first loaded on a ship." But in Jakarta, ABCNEWS
producers David Scott and Rhonda Schwartz found that the chest in which
they had placed the depleted uranium was never opened or inspected
before being sent on to Los Angeles. "It took us only a few days to
find a shipper willing to send a container to America with almost no
questions asked," said Scott. "We did not tell the company about the
depleted uranium," said Schwartz, "and they never asked." When the
ABCNEWS container was released from the port, it still had the same
metal seal that had been put on in Jakarta, meaning it had not been
opened. "The test that you put to them, which looks to me to be a fair
test, they fail," said Graham Allison, a former assistant secretary of
defense and now director of the Belfer Center for Science and
International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of
Government. "What indeed is the most likely way that a nuclear weapon
would be delivered by a terrorist to the U.S.?" asked Allison. "The
most likely way is in a cargo container ship."
As far as I can see, ABC News did a service to the American people by
illustrating that the illusion of safety is much, much different from
reality. One would have hoped that the Department of Homeland Security
would have addressed this glaring problem by coming up with some sort
of plan that would actually have made us safe instead of what they actually did, which was to demonize ABC News:
On the night the shipment left the Los Angeles port, on
Sept. 2, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security began a
weeklong investigation of ABCNEWS personnel and others involved in the
project, suggesting possible violations of felony smuggling laws. A
Homeland Security official said any decision on whether to prosecute
would be made by the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles. The ABCNEWS test was
criticized by officials at the Department of Homeland Security, who
assigned agents in at least four cities to investigate ABC personnel
and news sources involved. "I think you're a news reporter that is
trying to carry out a hoax on our inspectors," Homeland Security
Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson told Brian Ross, ABCNEWS' chief
investigative correspondent, for a report to be broadcast Thursday on
World News Tonight and PrimeTime Thursday."
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa summed the situation up perfectly:
"If my neighbor told me my barn was on fire, my first
instinct would be to thank my neighbor and get some water for the fire.
I worry that the government's first instinct is to pour cold water on
the neighbor," Grassley wrote.
Indeed.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 21, 2003 at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Monday, 20 October 2003
Democracy Now!
This is an excellent, excellent site.
It's a massive repository of interviews, news reports, and panel
discussions on everything from Youth Voices to Eyewitness Reports of
the Iraqi Occupation. Check out these two interviews in particular:
Dude, Where�s My Country? � Democracy Now! Interviews Documentary Filmmaker, Television Producer and Author Michael MooreHis Holiness The Dalai Lama Speaks Out On U.S. Foreign Policy, Against the Invasion of Iraq and 9/11
Posted by flow Frazao on October 20, 2003 at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
U.S. Budget Deficit Hits Record $374.2B
Posted by flow Frazao on October 20, 2003 at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Terrorists Get Five Weeks Head Start
It turns out that Nathaniel Heatwole, aka the kid who planted the box
cutters/bleach/faux-plastique on the Southwest flights, actually hid
the stuff five weeks before it was found:
Federal authorities charged a North Carolina college
student with a felony Monday after he admitted planting box cutters and
other items aboard Southwest Airlines jetliners that apparently were
not found for more than a month.
This is bad. Very bad. But even worse is this:
Remarkably, Heatwole sent an e-mail to the Transportation
Security Administration on September 15 with a subject line reading,
"Information Regarding 6 Recent Security Breaches."
The e-mail, which carried Heatwole's name and telephone number,
detailed how the writer smuggled box cutters, blades, a knife, bleach,
and "a simulated plastic explosive" onto planes at Raleigh-Durham
International Airport and Baltimore-Washington International Airport.
Despite Heatwole's acknowledgement in the e-mail that his actions were
illegal, TSA representatives apparently never bothered to investigate
his claim.
Excuse me? They never bothered to investigate? Great. But the most
flagrant detail in this whole sordid affair is the fact that Heatwole
apparently stashed six bags full of contraband. The question then is what happened to the other four bags?? Were they ever found? I almost hope not, because the alternative, i.e. that they were found and disregarded
is too scary for words.
I think this kid is great. He's done a service by pointing out that the
illusion of safety is actually the most dangerous threat around. No
number of minimum-wage slaves in front of airport scanners will make
this go away. We need to address the root of the problem, namely why
people would want to fly civilian aircraft into our buildings in the
first place. That's the problem here. Anything else is bullshit.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 20, 2003 at 05:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I'm a Stupid White Guy
Yesterday I went down the street to buy flowers for my wife. So I'm
standing there and I get to talking with the guy who's selling the
flowers. Turns out he's moving back to Mali in a week or two and he's
really excited about it. He was saying the weather in Africa this time
of year is beautiful and he can't wait to get home and everything.
Really nice guy.
Anyway, we're talking for about five minutes or so about flowers and
shit, and I go to pay him. He gives me my change and shakes my hand and
says "Thank you very much. My name is Amadou".
I, being a retarded white guy immediately think (and say out loud) "Oh,
like Amadou Diallo." Fucking hell.
The guy was like, "Right right" and I walked away feeling like a total
douchebag.
For those of you who don't know (as if anyone's actually reading this),
Amadou Diallo was the guy the NYPD fired 41 bullets at in 1999 while he was reaching for his wallet.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 20, 2003 at 09:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, 19 October 2003
Bush Family Tied to Nazi Funding
This
is yet another article exploring the well -documented ties the Bush
family has to the Third Reich. What's unique about this particular
piece is that it appeared on page 3 of Saturday's Washington Times,
which is one of the most conservative papers in the country. It's a
strong headline, but the article is basically just more spin once you
get past the first paragraph.
"President Bush's grandfather was a director of a bank
seized by the federal government because of its ties to a German
industrialist who helped bankroll Adolf Hitler's rise to power,
government documents show.
Prescott Bush was one of seven directors of Union Banking Corp., a New
York investment bank owned by a bank controlled by the Thyssen family,
according to recently declassified National Archives documents reviewed
by the Associated Press. Fritz Thyssen was an early financial supporter
of Hitler, whose National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi) Mr.
Thyssen believed was preferable to communism. The documents do not show
any evidence that Mr. Bush directly aided that effort."
Bullshit. Grandpa Prescott Bush consorted and profited with the Nazis. Go watch this excellent movie. It explains the situation far better than I could ever hope to. Even if you don't watch it go check out takebackthemedia.com - it's like Wal-Mart for the conscious.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 19, 2003 at 01:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Saturday, 18 October 2003
Would Greg Focker Please Come to the Front of the Plane?
OK, CNN has it up now, front and center. It basically restates the information, but hidden deep in the middle of the article is this:
"The man claimed to have done this on other planes, not just the two on which items were found, the administration official said. However, no other items have been discovered."I wonder if we'll hear any more about this. In the same article they mention that
"The items found aboard the two planes included box cutters, clay that resembled plastic explosives and bleach, sources familiar with the investigation said. The liquid was contained in suntan lotion bottles; the clay was inside Play-Doh containers. Southwest Airlines said it searched its fleet of 385 aircraft and found no similar items."The first and most important question then, is how the fuck did this guy get on the plane with this shit? Secondly, are there any more bags of pseudo-explosives on any of the other planes that haven't been found yet? I don't know about you, but I'm feeling lass and less secure in my homeland with every passing day.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 18, 2003 at 12:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Ultimate Search Engine Robot Challenge
I've done a bit of work on the site over the past few days. Let's see
how long it is until one of the major search engines picks up this
site.
Ready, set... GO.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 18, 2003 at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Friday, 17 October 2003
FBI: Plane-Security Perpetrator Located
This is coming at a crucial time
for the Bush Administration. Just about the last thing they need is to
appear weak on Homeland Security (to coin a phrase). I expect that
they're downplaying this particular saga and hoping it'll go away as
soon as possible.
The government on Friday ordered intensified security
checks of the entire U.S. commercial air fleet after small plastic bags
containing box cutters and other suspicious items were found on two
Southwest Airlines planes. The FBI announced later it had found the
perpetrator. A 20-year-old North Carolina man was being questioned in
Baltimore � site of a major Southwest hub � by the FBI in
connection with the incidents, according to a congressional official
and a senior law enforcement official, both of whom spoke on condition
of anonymity. The congressional official said the man, described as a
college student, had informed the Transportation Security
Administration that he planned to put packages on planes in an effort
to expose gaps in aviation security. An FBI statement issued later
Friday said only that agents had "located and interviewed the
individual believed responsible" for placing the bags and that the
person poses no further threat to airline security. The person's name
was not released. No charges were immediately announced, but the
statement said legal proceedings were expected Monday in federal court
in Baltimore. "It doesn't appear to be a terrorist event," FBI Director
Robert Mueller said. "I think it is safe to fly."
Incredibly, this isn't on the front page of nytimes.com or washingtonpost.com.
The optimist in me realizes that it's midnight on a Friday night, but
my devout Orwellian side is desparately searching the room for a mugful
of synthetic gin. One would think that this flagrant, terrifying breach
of security would be at the forefront of our collective consciousness,
but as of now it's just another piece of paper down the memory hole..
Posted by flow Frazao on October 17, 2003 at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Thursday, 16 October 2003
Radiohead Rorschach
This is the best review of Radiohead anyone could ever hope to read.
"When you listen to Radiohead, you're no longer actually listening to Radiohead -- you're listening to everyone's opinion about Radiohead. It's impossible to separate what you hear from what you've read. You are betrayed by what you know, and you know way too much. Thus, in order to solicit an honest, undiluted opinion about Radiohead, you'd have to find the proverbial People Living Under Rocks. As People Living Under Rocks are unavailable, let's use fifth graders. Specifically, Mitsi Kato's fifth-grade class at Roosevelt Elementary in San Leandro. Mitsi has consented to a simple experiment: We will play a career-spanning selection of Radiohead songs; the kids, equipped with Sharpies and blank sheets of paper, will simply draw whatever the music suggests to them. We don't even give them the name of the band. They don't know anything about Radiohead, the mountain of criticism, the mythology. Their thoughts and interpretations are pure, unsullied, literally unique. They are also extremely bizarre."
Be sure to check out the drawing by Jeffrey, age 9.
It's the only one with a "Free Suicides" booth.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 16, 2003 at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tuesday, 14 October 2003
Beetle Lady on the Red Line
I was waiting for the Metro the other day, sitting on one of those
stone benches reading 1984. I'd just read a part where Winston
describes one of the men in the canteen as a "small beetlelike man"
when along came this dumpy, flat-assed middle-aged woman clutching a
coffee cup. She had the look of quiet desperation plastered across her
nondescript face. Ordinarily I would have ignored her, but having just
read the aforementioned passage I was drawn to her. I watched her
slowly pace up and down the platform. She would take small, deliberate
steps and it seemed as though her eyes never really focused on
anything. It wasn't the kind of pacing a person in a hurry does. More
like a resigned, absent minded nervous tic. Back and forth she went 5,
10, 15 times (it was off-peak, so i was sitting there for a while). It
was hugely depressing.
How does it come to that? How does someone become so small and
beetlelike? I shudder to think that one day that could so easily be me.
Posted by flow Frazao on October 14, 2003 at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack