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U.S. Spy agencies say Gulf War pilot likely seized. A U.S. intelligence report on the case of Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michael Scott Speicher provides the most complete explanation by the U.S. government on why the pilot probably was captured alive by Iraqis after ejecting from his F-18 in 1991. Interesting that this story comes out just as the U.S. is preparing to war on Iraq.
comment posted at 5:23 PM on Mar-15-02

What if 9/11 were staged? (in French -google translation) This is the thesis of French journalist Thierry Meyssan. Yes, you have played Hunt the Boeing and you have seen the five official Pentagon photos, but it seems that this (conspiracy) theory is not going to go away (at least not here in France). (more inside)
comment posted at 12:53 PM on Mar-15-02
comment posted at 1:07 PM on Mar-15-02

Booklend is for those who love books but chafe at purchasing an unknown quantity and dislike the public library’s pesky practice of due dates and fines. MetaFilistine MarkAnd not only allows you to peruse his personal library, but will ship you the tome of your choice gratis and even sends a postage-paid envelope for you to return the book at your leisure. The NY Times jokingly refers to it as a "quixotic effort", but Mark’s library is bereft of Don Quixote. Perhaps you could donate this book, or others, to his library.
comment posted at 1:53 PM on Mar-14-02

Oil makes the world go round. The Senate yesterday defeated an effort to increase fuel efficiency standards for cars, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks by 50 percent over 13 years, voting instead for a measure backed by the auto industry.
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comment posted at 8:31 PM on Mar-14-02

The Left in America has lost its bearings An appraisal of what is pereceived as a decline in Left thinking from a Leftist writing for a fine journal specializing in socialistic critiques of America.
comment posted at 1:30 PM on Mar-14-02

Whats wrong with this picture? You have to look really close. Takes a while to notice it.
(Been doing the rounds this one, may of appeared elsewhere, my apologies if it has)
comment posted at 4:47 AM on Mar-14-02

"They were weakening our morale, it was better for them to go." Thus spake one of our new allies, Afghan Commander Allah Mohammed, about U.S. soldiers in yesterday's Times article entitled "'Inadequate' U.S. troops pulled out of battleground". No doubt many will just call Commander Allah a low-down fluoridator and leave it at that. Sheesh, I mean, it's U.S. troops doing the fierce ground infighting over there, right? Er...well...but anyway...strangely, at least some U.S. troops "tactically reappraised" out the battle (as the U.S. military so aptly phrase-coined it) echo his judgment: "It was nothing like training at all," said Sgt. Michael Dickson, 21. "They were real bullets, and they were intended to hit you. It was scary at all times."

Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard? Our young...Afghan young...always the young, learning about the reality of bullets, in our name.
comment posted at 2:49 PM on Mar-14-02

US President George W Bush said he did not recognise the outcome [of the Zimbabwe election] and that the election was "flawed". Whoa, Nelly! Where exactly are we with that Florida count these days?
comment posted at 4:45 AM on Mar-14-02
comment posted at 3:37 PM on Mar-16-02

Thanks be! Orgnanization finally formed that speaks for all of us terrorized Americans. Except it's not that squeaky clean. Beware of AVOT. They intend to "take to task those groups and individuals who fundamentally misunderstand the nature of the war we are facing."
comment posted at 8:27 PM on Mar-13-02

Business magazine editor sleeps with interviewee. Harvard Business Review editor Suzy Wetlaufer interviews retired GE CEO Jack Welch for HBR. They begin a torrid romance (Welch is, of course, still married to his second wife.) Other editors find out about the romance and Wetlaufer cancels her story. Other HBR editors call for her resignation and the managing editor merely reassigns her. 2 other HBR editors quit in disgust. You can't make this stuff up!
Additional coverage via Financial Times; Boston Globe; MSNBC.
comment posted at 8:53 PM on Mar-12-02

Let's hear it for the Fighting Whities! Solomon Little Owl, director of Native American Student Services at the University of Northern Colorado, is a member of an intramural basketball team that has adopted the name "The Fighting Whities." Team members say they want to raise awareness of the issue of painful cultural stereotypes. The team, made up of American Indian, Anglo and Hispanic players, is protesting nearby Eaton's use of the team name "Fightin' Reds" and an Indian caricature as a mascot. Little Owl said, "The Fighting Whities" issue is "to make people understand what it's like to be on the other side of the fence. If people get offended by it, then they know how I feel, and we've made our point." Curiously, I'm not offended. Are any of you? link via yil daily net buzz
comment posted at 2:17 PM on Mar-12-02

Obesity Harder on Health Than Smoking according to a RAND study of 10,000 adults released today. "The study found that obesity -- linked to health complications including diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, strokes and certain cancers -- raises a person's healthcare costs by 36 percent and medication costs by 77 percent. [...] In terms of dollar amounts, the study found that obesity raised healthcare costs by an average of $395 a year, while smoking increased costs by $230 and heavy drinking is associated with a $150 annual increase."
comment posted at 12:31 PM on Mar-12-02
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comment posted at 1:50 PM on Mar-12-02

White house announces more silly and vague schema for defining terrorist threat. Ok, so how does going from the total unclear status of "everybody lookout, it's coming" to Yellow Alert which means "a significant risk of terrorist attacks" make things more clear? For that matter what's the point of Red Alert anyhow? Is that for when the Pentagon is already on fire?
comment posted at 2:23 PM on Mar-12-02

Art Fights Back — an exhibit of poster art at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa — displays images dedicated to the memory of September 11 and support of the Unites States and its troops. Seems like a typical thing to do around war time, right?

Take a close look at the actual poster design. Don't they seem rather non-American in their artistic style? In fact, they recall an era of poster design for a dramatically different context than what was typically thought of as U.S. patriotism.
comment posted at 11:23 PM on Mar-11-02

File Under "Duh": Hollywood Colluded With Tobacco Giants. You'd think they'd never seen film noir...
comment posted at 6:18 PM on Mar-11-02

The BBC launch a new radio station. For too long, an entire demographic has been excluded from British radio. That is, contemporary and classic rock music that isn't exclusively chart oriented. It's only available on digital radio and streaming over the internet. So far it looks very promising. As a public sector broadcaster, this is exactly the sort of thing the Beeb should be doing - filling in the gaps left by commercial stations. Enjoy.
comment posted at 5:58 PM on Mar-11-02
comment posted at 6:30 PM on Mar-11-02

Ginger... iMac... Yahoo? It looks like Yahoo! is taking a page from Steve Jobs's book, promising something that's 'so big there's never been anything like it on the Internet, or anywhere else.' Liftoff is 1 PM Pacific Time on Wednesday which, incidentally, is just after trading closes at NASDAQ.
comment posted at 2:29 PM on Mar-11-02
comment posted at 8:28 PM on Mar-11-02

Thoughts on the 9/11 documentary. We've already talked about would you watch. Now that it's aired, did you watch? Was it what you expected? Did it trivialize by turning horrible tragedy into heartwarming fare, or did it bring the harsh reality of 9/11 home to those who weren't there?
comment posted at 3:00 PM on Mar-11-02
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comment posted at 8:21 PM on Mar-11-02
comment posted at 2:14 PM on Mar-12-02

Why Are Left-Wing Brits Like Hitchens, Amis And Rushdie Supporting President Bush? In this terrific article, The New Statesman's John Lloyd dares to pose the question. To which I would add my own: so far as the campaign against terrorism is concerned, isn't the standard Right/Left dichotomy becoming an increasingly American thang? [Please look inside Ty Webb's "Axis of Evil" post for an interesting discussion on the Hitchens/Bush (dis)connection]
comment posted at 1:04 PM on Mar-11-02
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comment posted at 1:56 PM on Mar-11-02

Where Is This Evil Axis Bush Speaks Of? By any common usage, it denotes an alliance. The relationship between Iran, Iraq and North Korea meets neither qualification.
comment posted at 1:43 PM on Mar-11-02
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comment posted at 1:34 PM on Mar-12-02

Didn't make it to SXSW this year? Tired of hearing all the big name bloggers talk about how cool it is to be blogging next to everyone? What's everyone doing to fight off the "I'm not cool enough" doldrums of missing out on SXSW? More inside.
comment posted at 10:24 PM on Mar-10-02

Yeah, we all know that PETA is pretty loopy. Well ok, that's unfair. I meant to say we, the thinking, know that PETA....

Seriously tho, even tho I'm not into PETA, and I don't agree with a lot of what they do, I think one of their latest ideas, the concept of taxing meat is such a good idea. I mean why not? Meat's about as healthy as cigarettes, coffee, and beer, and those products are taxed. Mostly, I'd like to see some money come in to balance out the money spent to fix the damage created by the Meat Industry. [digitalbutterfly.net]
comment posted at 10:58 AM on Mar-10-02
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comment posted at 3:10 PM on Mar-11-02

President Bush Signs Stimulus Pkg... Really?? Look closely. Friggin hilarious.
comment posted at 10:45 AM on Mar-9-02
comment posted at 2:56 PM on Mar-9-02

Bush prepares nuclear weapons for use. A classified Pentagon report directs the Defense Department to prepare "smaller nuclear weapons for use in certain battlefield situations," such as "targets able to withstand nonnuclear attack." Potential targets listed include China, Russia, Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Libya and Syria. Is the U.S. merely bluffing, or should we begin stocking our fallout shelters?
comment posted at 10:59 AM on Mar-9-02
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comment posted at 7:12 PM on Mar-9-02