MetaFilter posts by caddis.
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"Hey Mom it’s me." Something my son always said every time he called, but this time his voice sounded unusual. He had a really serious tone in his voice and the automatic gunfire in the background was loud and more constant than usual. My heart began to race and I took a deep breath.
"Hey, I'm trapped on a rooftop and I don't think we are going to make it out of here, so I just called to tell you that I loved you and that I am thinking of all of you."
posted on Oct-28-05 at 10:47 AM
Wikipedia v. Encyclopædia Britannica. Wikipedia is a much loved resource on the internets, but often comes under criticism regarding its accuracy. In this article (The Faith-Based Encyclopedia) the criticism comes from a former Editor in Chief of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Turn about is fair play. Just the facts ma'am. [via Found on the Web]
posted on Oct-24-05 at 8:41 AM
Flash Tuesday(?) Lasers, mirrors, splitters, refractors, bulbs and bombs. All you need is a little geometry to light the bulbs.
posted on Oct-18-05 at 9:25 AM
Sign Sign everywhere a sign. Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind. Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign? (lyric) Good signs, questionable signs, bad signs.
posted on Oct-17-05 at 9:18 AM
Is the modern GOP a repackaging of the old Whig party? (archive link) The blend of businessmen's aversion to government regulation, down-home cultural populism and Christian moralism that sustains today's Republican Party is a venerable if loosely knit philosophy of government dating back to long before the right-wing upsurge that prepared the way for Reagan's presidency. A few pundits and political insiders have likened the current Republicans to the formidable, corporate-financed political machine behind President William McKinley at the end of the 19th century. The admiration Karl Rove has expressed for the machine strengthens the historical connection. Of course, the Whigs couldn't hold their disparate coalition together in the face of the slavery issue. What might undo the current disparate coalition in the GOP?
posted on Oct-16-05 at 3:16 AM
Egg Run and the Amazing Dare-Dozen. Flash Friday egg games. via Jorn
posted on Oct-14-05 at 10:14 AM
A campaign by Yale University law students – going all the way to the Supreme Court – helps free 300 people held without trial at Guantánamo.
posted on Oct-13-05 at 10:09 AM
The Savage Young Beatles. Photos of the boys from the 1950s and early 1960s. An early color photo. The first photo as the Beatles. All from The Beatle Source, a collection of photos, music and acetates. via the Presurfer.
posted on Oct-10-05 at 8:05 PM
Six Drinks that Changed the World. Beer, Wine, Coffee . . . Their impact upon the history of the World. via GeekPress
posted on Oct-9-05 at 5:34 PM
Hot Wheels. The 2005 Hot Wheels Convention is going on right now. There are a few days left if you are within easy reach of Irvine, CA. That forty years later some "kids" still love these cars amazes me.
posted on Oct-6-05 at 9:22 PM
Monty Python Scripts from every episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
posted on Oct-4-05 at 8:32 AM
What's the Matter with What's the Matter with Kansas (pdf) Has the white working class abandoned the Democratic Party? No. . . . Has the white working class become more conservative? No. . . . Do working class “moral values” trump economics? No. . . . Are religious voters distracted from economic issues? No. An analysis by Larry Bartels, a professor at Princeton of "What's the Matter with Kansas" (previously discussed here). Lots of good survey data about this issue.
posted on Sep-29-05 at 3:54 PM
Beyond DeLay: The 13 Most Corrupt Members of Congress. CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) has released a report detailing the dirty business of many members of Congress.
posted on Sep-27-05 at 8:44 AM
Boesky, Waksal, . . . Frist? There have been articles as of late questioning the timing of Sen. Bill Frist's sale of his entire portfolio of HCA stock (a Frist family company) at a peak stock price just prior to a release of bad earnings news. He is now under investigation. Will Frist go the way of Ivan and Sam or even Martha?
posted on Sep-23-05 at 7:32 AM
Ball Bounce. A game where the object is to get the ball to the other side.
posted on Sep-20-05 at 10:00 PM
This jewel case makes its own music. One Bit Music is a project by composer and artist Tristan Perich. Merging his interests in physical computing and electronic music, Perich programs and packages electronics in a standard CD jewel case. The device plays minimal glitch/dance music when headphones are plugged in. You may remember him from such classics as the push button telephone to cellphone conversion.
posted on Sep-17-05 at 6:57 PM
Word Pads: A strangely addicting word finding game. Hop to it.
posted on Sep-16-05 at 8:33 AM
Google Maps and Census Data. Navigate to a place via Google Maps. Click and you get Census demographic data such as population, median income and housing.
posted on Sep-14-05 at 1:03 PM
Mexico: The Dark Side. A trip through cemeteries, a visit with mummies and celebrating the Day of the Dead. They visited Italy too - more mummies, plus bones and danse macabre. I was looking for something light hearted to post given all the tragedy as of late and this was what I found instead. [Some of this stuff is pretty disturbing, especially the Mexican mummies.]
posted on Sep-12-05 at 7:53 PM
The Flying Spaghetti Monster Game. The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (discussed here) now has a game. Convert the people into Pastafarians with your noodly appendage.
posted on Sep-8-05 at 10:28 AM
The Accidental Panhandler I found a great corduroy blazer in a thrift shop and I loved it. I was out handing out flyers to drunk college boys that night in my lovely new coat and several of them each handed me a dollar. When a fifth person offered me a buck I asked why people were giving me money. "Aren't you out here asking for money?" "No. I'm here promoting for a film festival." "Oh! Well that can't pay much." "Dude, they rent me an apartment, a car, fly me all over the country and I make money o'plenty." This guy who'd intended to be generous then turned angry. "Yeah! Then why the hell are you wearing that stupid coat!" He left his dollar and moved on. I was handed three more dollar bills that day and did not protest. Wanting to be true to the lifestyle I'd found myself in, I spent the money on fortified wine. How much do panhandlers really make? Can you possibly make a living at this? How much of a difference does a funny sign make? Will people give to a guy in a banana suit? Does every sign have to say "God Bless?" Important questions. I aim to find the answers. Give me a dollar. God Bless. Panhandling Worldwide
posted on Sep-5-05 at 8:50 PM
Just another escape - flash Friday. Not quite up to the level of Takagism, but I am not out yet.
posted on Aug-26-05 at 10:16 AM
Books altered to create poetry. "Altered books" is an art form which transforms pages from old books into works of art. There is the International Society of Altered Book Artists and this art form was previously discussed here. These artists find the poems hidden in the text of the books. I particularly like Meghan Scott's work. via Jorn
posted on Aug-23-05 at 3:36 PM
Esquivalience-n. the willful avoidance of one's official responsibilities. Lillian Virginia Mountweazel, a fountain designer turned photographer who was celebrated for a collection of photographs of rural American mailboxes titled "Flags Up!" Phony entries to dictionaries and encyclopedias to catch copiers. By posting this at work I am practicing esquivalience, no?
posted on Aug-22-05 at 2:47 PM
Hybrid supercar. The West Philadelphia High School Electric Vehicle Team has built a 300 hp hybrid car which gets 50 mpg on bio-diesel, accelerates from 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds and looks sweet. That is a pretty nice high school project.
posted on Aug-19-05 at 8:43 AM
Build your own Rocket Belt (Jet Pack)! Jealous of 007 in Thunderball? Missed that eBay rocket belt sale a few years ago? Have a lust to fly like a bird (sort of) with a real rocket belt? Then build your own rocket belt just like Stuart Ross. Watch out for stuck throttles (avi file) though.
posted on Aug-15-05 at 3:21 PM
Should Catholic Justices recuse themselves from any case citing Roe v. Wade? Now that Catholic politicians have been threatened with having sacraments withheld for supporting Roe v. Wade, does this create an inherent conflict of interest for a Catholic Supreme Court justice (or any judge) in a case involving Roe? According to the American Bar Association's Code of Conduct for United States Judges, Canon 3, Section C 1 (c), a judge must disqualify himself when he has 'a financial interest . . . or any other interest that could be affected substantially by the outcome of the proceeding."
posted on Aug-12-05 at 9:46 AM
Pamphlets for the G.I.s during WWII. There was a belief by many in the War Department that social discontent among enlisted personnel would foster problems at home after the war was over. A series of pamphlets was commissioned to help get their minds right. Titles included: What Is Propaganda?, How Far Should Government Control Radio?, Do You Want Your Wife to Work After the War?, and Our Russian Ally.
posted on Aug-5-05 at 12:41 PM
The American Museum of Beat Art has a website with bios of some important figures of the Beat Generation and some interesting art. I liked the Joseph Ferris works. [Sadly, some of the interesting looking links do not appear to be working.]
posted on Aug-4-05 at 9:22 AM
Do you have a small one, a really mini organ? Attempts to make it bigger won't work, and could damage it. You aren't alone. Here is a collection of mini organ photos. Some people have some pretty bizarre obsessions.
posted on Aug-3-05 at 7:54 AM
Hu is the new leader of China. George: That's what I want to know. Condi: That's what I'm telling you. George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China?
posted on Aug-1-05 at 6:47 PM
How not to clean a tank car. Apparently someone steam cleaned a railroad tank car and then having finished the job closed all the valves and hatches tightly. Physics then took over.
posted on Jul-28-05 at 8:53 AM
Solve your Rubik's cube online. Are you lacking a Lego cube solver [discussed here]? No problem. This site will tell you the exact moves for solving the cube. Of course it will also teach you how to do it on your own.
posted on Jul-23-05 at 12:02 AM
Not torture. U.S. interrogators also told him he was a homosexual, forced him to dance with a male interrogator, told him his mother and sister were whores, forced him to wear a leash and perform dog tricks, menaced him with a dog and regularly subjected him to interrogations up to 20 hours a day for about two months, the report said. Air Force Lt. Gen. Randall Schmidt, who headed the probe into FBI accounts of abuse of Guantanamo prisoners by Defense Department personnel, concluded that the man was subjected to "abusive and degrading treatment" due to "the cumulative effect of creative, persistent and lengthy interrogations." The techniques used were authorized by the Pentagon, he said. "As the bottom line, though, we found no torture. Detention and interrogation operations were safe, secure and humane," Schmidt said. . . . Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, himself abused by the North Vietnamese as a Vietnam War POW, noted, "Humane treatment might be in the eye of the beholder." The report.
posted on Jul-14-05 at 6:08 PM
Does this site make you yawn? Well?
posted on Jul-3-05 at 5:08 PM
A throw down? [Warning link to extremely graphic images of dead bodies, some nudity] Did US troops plant weapons on young boys after killing the boys? Currently, being discussed here, but it might be missed without coming here to the front page. Via insomnia_lj
posted on Jun-20-05 at 4:34 PM
How the US tortured the 20th hijacker (and others). According to the logbook, which covers al-Qahtani's interrogations from November 2002 to January 2003, the Time article reports that daily interviews began at 4 a.m. and sometimes continued until midnight. Was the torture effective? A senior Pentagon official told Time the Defense Department wasn't sure how effective such treatment was. At times, the logbook notes that al-Qahtani was more cooperative when interrogators eased up on him, according to the Time report.
posted on Jun-12-05 at 11:34 PM
I have a fish in mypants skirt Who says fish only go in pants?
posted on Jun-8-05 at 6:45 AM
NEWSWEEK's Baghdad bureau chief, departing after two years of war and American occupation, has a few final thoughts. A short, yet refreshingly honest, look at Iraq from a respected journalist on the way home.
What went wrong? A lot, but the biggest turning point was the Abu Ghraib scandal. Since April 2004 the liberation of Iraq has become a desperate exercise in damage control. The abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib alienated a broad swath of the Iraqi public. On top of that, it didn't work. . . . The four-square-mile Green Zone, the one place in Baghdad where foreigners are reasonably safe, could be a showcase of American values and abilities. Instead the American enclave is a trash-strewn wasteland of Mad Max-style fortifications. The traffic lights don't work because no one has bothered to fix them. The garbage rarely gets collected. Some of the worst ambassadors in U.S. history are the GIs at the Green Zone's checkpoints. They've repeatedly punched Iraqi ministers, accidentally shot at visiting dignitaries and behave (even on good days) with all the courtesy of nightclub bouncers—to Americans and Iraqis alike.
posted on Jun-6-05 at 8:50 PM
How I Became a Black American "I became a black American long before I acquired American citizenship. . . . I was not eager, upon my arrival to the United States, to assert a black American identity. My parents had taught me "better" than that. But I became a black American anyway. Before I freely embraced that identity it was ascribed to me. This ascription is part of a broader social practice wherein all of us are made intelligible via racial categorization."
posted on May-20-05 at 5:59 PM
Can blogging ever become big business? Some people appear to be making a good living at blogging. There is even a blog devoted to the business of blogging. Jason is trying it.
posted on May-5-05 at 12:41 PM
Ask and ye shall receive - Another forum in which to ask questions. It appears to operate somewhat like Ask Metafilter. I think I'll stick with AskMe, but perhaps I will try some of my questions that never really got answered over at Wondir. (via Boing Boing)
posted on Apr-18-05 at 9:59 AM
Religion radio co-opts low power FM. Remember the fight over low power FM? It was supposed to help establish community radio stations. It seems that some Christian broadcasting stations have been snapping up low power FM licenses to implement translators, which extend the broadcast area of their main signal. Some groups have been speaking out about this, yet the FCC only acted after it appeared that some of the licenses were being obtained fraudulently for resale. (via Jorn)
posted on Apr-6-05 at 7:32 AM
Cigarettes from a time gone by. "A collection of quaint cigarette packs, boxes, tins and advertising" We had candy cigarettes in January, now the real thing.
posted on Mar-15-05 at 12:15 PM
Oh what you can do with a colored pencil. Colored pencils are not just for grammar school projects. Some of these drawings are pretty realistic. Others are just pretty. Who knew there is an organization devoted to colored pencil work?
posted on Mar-13-05 at 6:23 AM
New York Public Library Digital Gallery now online. The NYPL has put online a huge gallery of photos, paintings and graphics. (via the New York Times)
posted on Mar-3-05 at 7:08 AM
A house of cards. Trapped by the blizzard, our elaborate system of creature comforts seems like nothing more than a house of cards that Mother Nature so easily knocks down. Bryan Berg knows how to make a real house of cards.
posted on Jan-22-05 at 8:21 PM
Avatar High - you are back in school. Better study for that test. Hey, what are you doing Friday night? Flash fun for Friday. (best for those younger than you, but still interesting)
posted on Jan-20-05 at 6:33 PM
Life in the future. In the year 2,000 "everything will be so easy that people will probably die from sheer boredom." Workweeks will be 24 hours and the home computer will be the new status symbol.
posted on Jan-12-05 at 9:19 AM
Go Eliot, Go! The real Ralph Nader has now targeted the record companies and radio networks. Payola is back and wrecking radio. Salon has been hammering on this, Tom Petty wrote a song about it, we all have been feeling its effects, and finally maybe something will be done. At the very least, a serious attack dog is on the issue.
posted on Oct-21-04 at 10:32 PM
posted on Oct-28-05 at 10:47 AM
Wikipedia v. Encyclopædia Britannica. Wikipedia is a much loved resource on the internets, but often comes under criticism regarding its accuracy. In this article (The Faith-Based Encyclopedia) the criticism comes from a former Editor in Chief of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Turn about is fair play. Just the facts ma'am. [via Found on the Web]
posted on Oct-24-05 at 8:41 AM
Flash Tuesday(?) Lasers, mirrors, splitters, refractors, bulbs and bombs. All you need is a little geometry to light the bulbs.
posted on Oct-18-05 at 9:25 AM
Sign Sign everywhere a sign. Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind. Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign? (lyric) Good signs, questionable signs, bad signs.
posted on Oct-17-05 at 9:18 AM
Is the modern GOP a repackaging of the old Whig party? (archive link) The blend of businessmen's aversion to government regulation, down-home cultural populism and Christian moralism that sustains today's Republican Party is a venerable if loosely knit philosophy of government dating back to long before the right-wing upsurge that prepared the way for Reagan's presidency. A few pundits and political insiders have likened the current Republicans to the formidable, corporate-financed political machine behind President William McKinley at the end of the 19th century. The admiration Karl Rove has expressed for the machine strengthens the historical connection. Of course, the Whigs couldn't hold their disparate coalition together in the face of the slavery issue. What might undo the current disparate coalition in the GOP?
posted on Oct-16-05 at 3:16 AM
Egg Run and the Amazing Dare-Dozen. Flash Friday egg games. via Jorn
posted on Oct-14-05 at 10:14 AM
A campaign by Yale University law students – going all the way to the Supreme Court – helps free 300 people held without trial at Guantánamo.
posted on Oct-13-05 at 10:09 AM
The Savage Young Beatles. Photos of the boys from the 1950s and early 1960s. An early color photo. The first photo as the Beatles. All from The Beatle Source, a collection of photos, music and acetates. via the Presurfer.
posted on Oct-10-05 at 8:05 PM
Six Drinks that Changed the World. Beer, Wine, Coffee . . . Their impact upon the history of the World. via GeekPress
posted on Oct-9-05 at 5:34 PM
Hot Wheels. The 2005 Hot Wheels Convention is going on right now. There are a few days left if you are within easy reach of Irvine, CA. That forty years later some "kids" still love these cars amazes me.
posted on Oct-6-05 at 9:22 PM
Monty Python Scripts from every episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
posted on Oct-4-05 at 8:32 AM
What's the Matter with What's the Matter with Kansas (pdf) Has the white working class abandoned the Democratic Party? No. . . . Has the white working class become more conservative? No. . . . Do working class “moral values” trump economics? No. . . . Are religious voters distracted from economic issues? No. An analysis by Larry Bartels, a professor at Princeton of "What's the Matter with Kansas" (previously discussed here). Lots of good survey data about this issue.
posted on Sep-29-05 at 3:54 PM
Beyond DeLay: The 13 Most Corrupt Members of Congress. CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) has released a report detailing the dirty business of many members of Congress.
posted on Sep-27-05 at 8:44 AM
Boesky, Waksal, . . . Frist? There have been articles as of late questioning the timing of Sen. Bill Frist's sale of his entire portfolio of HCA stock (a Frist family company) at a peak stock price just prior to a release of bad earnings news. He is now under investigation. Will Frist go the way of Ivan and Sam or even Martha?
posted on Sep-23-05 at 7:32 AM
Ball Bounce. A game where the object is to get the ball to the other side.
posted on Sep-20-05 at 10:00 PM
This jewel case makes its own music. One Bit Music is a project by composer and artist Tristan Perich. Merging his interests in physical computing and electronic music, Perich programs and packages electronics in a standard CD jewel case. The device plays minimal glitch/dance music when headphones are plugged in. You may remember him from such classics as the push button telephone to cellphone conversion.
posted on Sep-17-05 at 6:57 PM
Word Pads: A strangely addicting word finding game. Hop to it.
posted on Sep-16-05 at 8:33 AM
Google Maps and Census Data. Navigate to a place via Google Maps. Click and you get Census demographic data such as population, median income and housing.
posted on Sep-14-05 at 1:03 PM
Mexico: The Dark Side. A trip through cemeteries, a visit with mummies and celebrating the Day of the Dead. They visited Italy too - more mummies, plus bones and danse macabre. I was looking for something light hearted to post given all the tragedy as of late and this was what I found instead. [Some of this stuff is pretty disturbing, especially the Mexican mummies.]
posted on Sep-12-05 at 7:53 PM
The Flying Spaghetti Monster Game. The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (discussed here) now has a game. Convert the people into Pastafarians with your noodly appendage.
posted on Sep-8-05 at 10:28 AM
The Accidental Panhandler I found a great corduroy blazer in a thrift shop and I loved it. I was out handing out flyers to drunk college boys that night in my lovely new coat and several of them each handed me a dollar. When a fifth person offered me a buck I asked why people were giving me money. "Aren't you out here asking for money?" "No. I'm here promoting for a film festival." "Oh! Well that can't pay much." "Dude, they rent me an apartment, a car, fly me all over the country and I make money o'plenty." This guy who'd intended to be generous then turned angry. "Yeah! Then why the hell are you wearing that stupid coat!" He left his dollar and moved on. I was handed three more dollar bills that day and did not protest. Wanting to be true to the lifestyle I'd found myself in, I spent the money on fortified wine. How much do panhandlers really make? Can you possibly make a living at this? How much of a difference does a funny sign make? Will people give to a guy in a banana suit? Does every sign have to say "God Bless?" Important questions. I aim to find the answers. Give me a dollar. God Bless. Panhandling Worldwide
posted on Sep-5-05 at 8:50 PM
Just another escape - flash Friday. Not quite up to the level of Takagism, but I am not out yet.
posted on Aug-26-05 at 10:16 AM
Books altered to create poetry. "Altered books" is an art form which transforms pages from old books into works of art. There is the International Society of Altered Book Artists and this art form was previously discussed here. These artists find the poems hidden in the text of the books. I particularly like Meghan Scott's work. via Jorn
posted on Aug-23-05 at 3:36 PM
Esquivalience-n. the willful avoidance of one's official responsibilities. Lillian Virginia Mountweazel, a fountain designer turned photographer who was celebrated for a collection of photographs of rural American mailboxes titled "Flags Up!" Phony entries to dictionaries and encyclopedias to catch copiers. By posting this at work I am practicing esquivalience, no?
posted on Aug-22-05 at 2:47 PM
Hybrid supercar. The West Philadelphia High School Electric Vehicle Team has built a 300 hp hybrid car which gets 50 mpg on bio-diesel, accelerates from 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds and looks sweet. That is a pretty nice high school project.
posted on Aug-19-05 at 8:43 AM
Build your own Rocket Belt (Jet Pack)! Jealous of 007 in Thunderball? Missed that eBay rocket belt sale a few years ago? Have a lust to fly like a bird (sort of) with a real rocket belt? Then build your own rocket belt just like Stuart Ross. Watch out for stuck throttles (avi file) though.
posted on Aug-15-05 at 3:21 PM
Should Catholic Justices recuse themselves from any case citing Roe v. Wade? Now that Catholic politicians have been threatened with having sacraments withheld for supporting Roe v. Wade, does this create an inherent conflict of interest for a Catholic Supreme Court justice (or any judge) in a case involving Roe? According to the American Bar Association's Code of Conduct for United States Judges, Canon 3, Section C 1 (c), a judge must disqualify himself when he has 'a financial interest . . . or any other interest that could be affected substantially by the outcome of the proceeding."
posted on Aug-12-05 at 9:46 AM
Pamphlets for the G.I.s during WWII. There was a belief by many in the War Department that social discontent among enlisted personnel would foster problems at home after the war was over. A series of pamphlets was commissioned to help get their minds right. Titles included: What Is Propaganda?, How Far Should Government Control Radio?, Do You Want Your Wife to Work After the War?, and Our Russian Ally.
posted on Aug-5-05 at 12:41 PM
The American Museum of Beat Art has a website with bios of some important figures of the Beat Generation and some interesting art. I liked the Joseph Ferris works. [Sadly, some of the interesting looking links do not appear to be working.]
posted on Aug-4-05 at 9:22 AM
Do you have a small one, a really mini organ? Attempts to make it bigger won't work, and could damage it. You aren't alone. Here is a collection of mini organ photos. Some people have some pretty bizarre obsessions.
posted on Aug-3-05 at 7:54 AM
Hu is the new leader of China. George: That's what I want to know. Condi: That's what I'm telling you. George: That's what I'm asking you. Who is the new leader of China?
posted on Aug-1-05 at 6:47 PM
How not to clean a tank car. Apparently someone steam cleaned a railroad tank car and then having finished the job closed all the valves and hatches tightly. Physics then took over.
posted on Jul-28-05 at 8:53 AM
Solve your Rubik's cube online. Are you lacking a Lego cube solver [discussed here]? No problem. This site will tell you the exact moves for solving the cube. Of course it will also teach you how to do it on your own.
posted on Jul-23-05 at 12:02 AM
Not torture. U.S. interrogators also told him he was a homosexual, forced him to dance with a male interrogator, told him his mother and sister were whores, forced him to wear a leash and perform dog tricks, menaced him with a dog and regularly subjected him to interrogations up to 20 hours a day for about two months, the report said. Air Force Lt. Gen. Randall Schmidt, who headed the probe into FBI accounts of abuse of Guantanamo prisoners by Defense Department personnel, concluded that the man was subjected to "abusive and degrading treatment" due to "the cumulative effect of creative, persistent and lengthy interrogations." The techniques used were authorized by the Pentagon, he said. "As the bottom line, though, we found no torture. Detention and interrogation operations were safe, secure and humane," Schmidt said. . . . Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, himself abused by the North Vietnamese as a Vietnam War POW, noted, "Humane treatment might be in the eye of the beholder." The report.
posted on Jul-14-05 at 6:08 PM
Does this site make you yawn? Well?
posted on Jul-3-05 at 5:08 PM
A throw down? [Warning link to extremely graphic images of dead bodies, some nudity] Did US troops plant weapons on young boys after killing the boys? Currently, being discussed here, but it might be missed without coming here to the front page. Via insomnia_lj
posted on Jun-20-05 at 4:34 PM
How the US tortured the 20th hijacker (and others). According to the logbook, which covers al-Qahtani's interrogations from November 2002 to January 2003, the Time article reports that daily interviews began at 4 a.m. and sometimes continued until midnight. Was the torture effective? A senior Pentagon official told Time the Defense Department wasn't sure how effective such treatment was. At times, the logbook notes that al-Qahtani was more cooperative when interrogators eased up on him, according to the Time report.
posted on Jun-12-05 at 11:34 PM
I have a fish in my
posted on Jun-8-05 at 6:45 AM
NEWSWEEK's Baghdad bureau chief, departing after two years of war and American occupation, has a few final thoughts. A short, yet refreshingly honest, look at Iraq from a respected journalist on the way home.
What went wrong? A lot, but the biggest turning point was the Abu Ghraib scandal. Since April 2004 the liberation of Iraq has become a desperate exercise in damage control. The abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib alienated a broad swath of the Iraqi public. On top of that, it didn't work. . . . The four-square-mile Green Zone, the one place in Baghdad where foreigners are reasonably safe, could be a showcase of American values and abilities. Instead the American enclave is a trash-strewn wasteland of Mad Max-style fortifications. The traffic lights don't work because no one has bothered to fix them. The garbage rarely gets collected. Some of the worst ambassadors in U.S. history are the GIs at the Green Zone's checkpoints. They've repeatedly punched Iraqi ministers, accidentally shot at visiting dignitaries and behave (even on good days) with all the courtesy of nightclub bouncers—to Americans and Iraqis alike.
posted on Jun-6-05 at 8:50 PM
How I Became a Black American "I became a black American long before I acquired American citizenship. . . . I was not eager, upon my arrival to the United States, to assert a black American identity. My parents had taught me "better" than that. But I became a black American anyway. Before I freely embraced that identity it was ascribed to me. This ascription is part of a broader social practice wherein all of us are made intelligible via racial categorization."
posted on May-20-05 at 5:59 PM
Can blogging ever become big business? Some people appear to be making a good living at blogging. There is even a blog devoted to the business of blogging. Jason is trying it.
posted on May-5-05 at 12:41 PM
Ask and ye shall receive - Another forum in which to ask questions. It appears to operate somewhat like Ask Metafilter. I think I'll stick with AskMe, but perhaps I will try some of my questions that never really got answered over at Wondir. (via Boing Boing)
posted on Apr-18-05 at 9:59 AM
Religion radio co-opts low power FM. Remember the fight over low power FM? It was supposed to help establish community radio stations. It seems that some Christian broadcasting stations have been snapping up low power FM licenses to implement translators, which extend the broadcast area of their main signal. Some groups have been speaking out about this, yet the FCC only acted after it appeared that some of the licenses were being obtained fraudulently for resale. (via Jorn)
posted on Apr-6-05 at 7:32 AM
Cigarettes from a time gone by. "A collection of quaint cigarette packs, boxes, tins and advertising" We had candy cigarettes in January, now the real thing.
posted on Mar-15-05 at 12:15 PM
Oh what you can do with a colored pencil. Colored pencils are not just for grammar school projects. Some of these drawings are pretty realistic. Others are just pretty. Who knew there is an organization devoted to colored pencil work?
posted on Mar-13-05 at 6:23 AM
New York Public Library Digital Gallery now online. The NYPL has put online a huge gallery of photos, paintings and graphics. (via the New York Times)
posted on Mar-3-05 at 7:08 AM
A house of cards. Trapped by the blizzard, our elaborate system of creature comforts seems like nothing more than a house of cards that Mother Nature so easily knocks down. Bryan Berg knows how to make a real house of cards.
posted on Jan-22-05 at 8:21 PM
Avatar High - you are back in school. Better study for that test. Hey, what are you doing Friday night? Flash fun for Friday. (best for those younger than you, but still interesting)
posted on Jan-20-05 at 6:33 PM
Life in the future. In the year 2,000 "everything will be so easy that people will probably die from sheer boredom." Workweeks will be 24 hours and the home computer will be the new status symbol.
posted on Jan-12-05 at 9:19 AM
Go Eliot, Go! The real Ralph Nader has now targeted the record companies and radio networks. Payola is back and wrecking radio. Salon has been hammering on this, Tom Petty wrote a song about it, we all have been feeling its effects, and finally maybe something will be done. At the very least, a serious attack dog is on the issue.
posted on Oct-21-04 at 10:32 PM
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