I know, I’ve been letting this blog languish a bit. It will soon be coming to an end as Beth and I are moving into a much bigger apartment. The move will be done on Friday evening and my internet will be back on Saturday. Expect updates then!
Sorry for the away time, but life often gets in the way of blogging 
From the “Photography is Not A Crime” File:
(White Plains, Westchester County -WABC, March 21, 2006) - A local photographer is looking for an apology after he was held for hours by police. He was taken into custody for questioning because of what he decided to snap a couple of shots of.
As a freelance photographer, Ben Hider carries his camera with him just about everywhere, and so it was on Friday, as he was heading to the train station in White Plains he stopped to snap some beauty shots on the flags in front of the court house. That’s when his trouble began.
Ben Hider, Photographer: “Three police officers ran at me, immediately, telling me to stop where I was.”
And that’s exactly what Ben Hider did. He even showed the court officers the pictures he took and offered to delete them. Moments later they escorted him inside the courthouse for two hours of questioning.
Ben Hider, Photographer: “Emptied my pockets, searched me, frisked me, started telling me about the recent terrorist threats in America over the past five years and ‘haven’t I been watching the news?’”
What the F people? PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOT A CRIME!
A spokesman for the office of court administration admits the officers were out of line.
David Bookstaver, Office of Court Administration: “Yes, they went too far. Picture taking in itself is not suspicious behavior, detaining someone for two hours for taking pictures was wrong and we’ve apologized to Mr. Hider for what happened.”
The New York State Supreme Court Officers Association strongly disagrees with that assessment and instead blames the office of court administration.
John McKillop, the union president, told us: “There is no policy anywhere in the unified court system, in New York City or Westchester, dealing with this and officers are left to fend for themselves.”
Fine! Fend for yourselves! But photography is still fricking legal!
Caught in the middle is Ben Hider, who received a formal apology from the state’s first deputy administrative judge. Now he’d like an admission of wrongdoing from the officers themselves.
Ben Hider, Photographer: “I spent two hours in a police cell doing nothing, feeling threatened by them, and for them to get away with that is ridiculous.”
The court officers union president explained to us that in a previous and similar situation, the court officers were berated by an administrative judge for not detaining an individual.
That’s why they want a policy explanation and that’s why today a memo was issued offering very clear specifics on what to do with people taking pictures in public places.
Technorati Tags: photography, crime
The lamp has a cork bottom that is great for sticking notes and reminders, too. Choose from red, orange, blue or green. The light bulb fits right into the push pin head, and to make this sucker light up you just press down on the top of the push pin.
I want one.
Hotgadget.com via Gizmodo
It’s very interesting how we’ve now gotten our hands on some of Saddam’s archives and the kind of information we’ve found in them. It’s also interesting, however, to see how little buzz is generated around them. The information found in these documents is a goldmine, and the only thing I can think of as to why they aren’t plastered up in everyone’s face is that they actually bolster the Bush administration’s case for the war in Iraq.
We can’t have that…
One of the revelations as reported by ABC News is that Osama bin Laden did actually meet with a Saddam official, with Saddam’s blessing…
A newly released prewar Iraqi document indicates that an official representative of Saddam Hussein’s government met with Osama bin Laden in Sudan on February 19, 1995, after receiving approval from Saddam Hussein. Bin Laden asked that Iraq broadcast the lectures of Suleiman al Ouda, a radical Saudi preacher, and suggested “carrying out joint operations against foreign forces” in Saudi Arabia. According to the document, Saddam’s presidency was informed of the details of the meeting on March 4, 1995, and Saddam agreed to dedicate a program for them on the radio. The document states that further “development of the relationship and cooperation between the two parties to be left according to what’s open [in the future] based on dialogue and agreement on other ways of cooperation.” The Sudanese were informed about the agreement to dedicate the program on the radio.
If you’ll remember, the meetings were questioned from the second they were mentioned, and now here’s Saddam’s own archive talking about the very meetings. Does this prove that Saddam financed 9/11? Of course it doesn’t, but it does prove that the links and meetings between the two were more than just some fabrication that Bush used to justify a war in Iraq.
It’s worthy of note, however, something ABC has in the paragraphs following this revelation:
The document does not establish that the two parties did in fact enter into an operational relationship. Given that the document claims bin Laden was proposing to the Iraqis that they conduct “joint operations against foreign forces” in Saudi Arabia, it is worth noting that eight months after the meeting — on November 13, 1995 — terrorists attacked Saudi National Guard Headquarters in Riyadh, killing 5 U.S. military advisers. The militants later confessed on Saudi TV to having been trained by Osama bin Laden.
Another document revealed in the article is even more troubling, however, than anything else.
Two Iraqi documents dated in March 2003 — on the eve of the U.S.-led invasion — and addressed to the secretary of Saddam Hussein, describe details of a U.S. plan for war. According to the documents, the plan was disclosed to the Iraqis by the Russian ambassador.
The first document (CMPC-2003-001950) is a handwritten account of a meeting with the Russian ambassador that details his description of the composition, size, location and type of U.S. military forces arrayed in the Gulf and Jordan. The document includes the exact numbers of tanks, armored vehicles, different types of aircraft, missiles, helicopters, aircraft carriers, and other forces, and also includes their exact locations. The ambassador also described the positions of two Special Forces units.
The second document (CMPC-2004-001117) is a typed account, signed by Deputy Foreign Minister Hammam Abdel Khaleq, that states that the Russian ambassador has told the Iraqis that the United States was planning to deploy its force into Iraq from Basra in the South and up the Euphrates, and would avoid entering major cities on the way to Baghdad, which is, in fact what happened. The documents also state “Americans are also planning on taking control of the oil fields in Kirkuk.” The information was obtained by the Russians from “sources at U.S. Central Command in Doha, Qatar,” according to the document.
Russia is directly responsible for any deaths that occured before the regime fell. It amazes me the side of the world the Russian scumbags are on. They fed information to Iraq. They, along with China, are openly opposing action against Iran. They’ve benefited from the Oil for Food program scandal.
Anyone starting to see a pattern here with these bastards?
It amazes me how much information has come out of these archives. It also amazes me how little has been said about them.
Archives via ABC News
Hmmmmm… ABC News Producer John Green apparently doesn’t like George Bush…
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Way to be completely objective there, Johnny Boy…
Oh, and don’t bother questioning the authenticity of the memo. According to Drudge:
A friend of Green’s at ABC says Green is mortified by the email. “John feels so badly about this email. He is a straight shooter and great producer who is always fair. That said, he deeply regrets the sentiment expressed in the email and the embarrassment it causes ABC News.”
Yeah. Really fair.
Technorati Tags: abc news, john green, memo, e-mail, bias, liberal bias, media bias
KABUL, Afghanistan - Senior Muslim clerics demanded Thursday that an Afghan man on trial for converting from Islam to Christianity be executed, warning that if the government caves in to Western pressure and frees him, they will incite people to “pull him into pieces.”
In an unusual move, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned President Hamid Karzai on Thursday seeking a “favorable resolution” of the case of Abdul Rahman. The 41-year-old former medical aid worker faces the death penalty under Afghanistan’s Islamic laws for becoming a Christian.
His trial has fired passions in this conservative Muslim nation and highlighted a conflict of values between Afghanistan and its Western backers.
“Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be humiliated. This man must die,” said cleric Abdul Raoulf, who is considered a moderate and was jailed three times for opposing the Taliban before the hard-line regime was ousted in 2001.
The trial, which began last week, has caused an international outcry. President Bush has said he is “deeply troubled” by the case and expects the country to “honor the universal principle of freedom.”
Good for you, President Bush. I fully expect this guy to feel a blade on his neck.
Fine religion, that Islam. It’s kinda like a roach motel. You can check in, but you can’t check out.
Wanna convert? Nope. Can’t do it. You gotta die.
Technorati Tags: islam, christianity
This story might as well have been a complete and total secret:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. college graduates are facing the best job market since 2001, with business, computer, engineering, education and health care grads in highest demand, a report by an employment consulting firm showed on Monday.
“We are approaching full employment and some employers are already dreaming up perks to attract the best talent,” said John Challenger, chief executive of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
In its annual outlook of entry-level jobs, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said strong job growth and falling unemployment makes this spring the hottest job market for America’s 1.4 million college graduates since the dot-com collapse in 2001.
The firm pointed to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers which showed employers plan to hire 14.5 percent more new college graduates than a year ago.
The survey also found higher starting salaries this year. Graduates with economic or finance degrees will see the biggest gain with starting salaries up 11 percent to $45,191, while accounting salaries are up 6.2 percent, business management salaries up 3.9 percent and pay for civil engineers 4.3 percent higher.
Anyone see this story in their local papers?
Me neither. I guarantee, though, that if the number goes down, you’ll hear that in a heartbeat. Anyone wanna doubt that?
Technorati Tags: unemployment, economy
“I frankly even under 5 [have to hit] Don’tBuyDon’tBuyDon’tBuy. … You cannot be serious.”
Jim Cramer on Sirius, who today lost almost everything it gained with the announcement of the VW deal, closing down 5.08% (0.26) at $4.86.
This photograph of Jupiter looks like it was taken by Hubble or Voyager, but it was actually taken by Australian astronomer Mike Salway using a 10-inch telescope. Mike took 450 separate frames and then combined them on computer to produce this final image.
Last year, I wrote a sample review for the site Pocket PC Thoughts, and crossed my fingers hoping they would accept me. Pocket PC Thoughts is, quite possibly, the largest Pocket PC-related community site on the internet, and now I’m officially a writer for them as my first review was posted at 11:00am this morning!
WOOT!
Technorati Tags: pocket pc, windows mobile, pocketpcthoughts.com
It’s a sorry state of affairs when lawsuits are seen as the solution to all problems. But a legal demand may be the only way gifted children can shatter the obstacles confronting them at the city’s Education Department. Think of it as the Campaign for Equal Educational Opportunity.
Prejudice against smart kids seems to be acceptable among some educrats. Imagine if the school system put a limit on the number of slots available for teaching immigrant children English. Would that pass muster?
Of course not, but that is what is happening with gifted and talented programs. Thousands of smart kids are stuck in dumbed-down classes because the city has too few gifted slots.
Imagine a top school official who repeatedly caused doubts about her commitment to special education students. How long would she be kept in charge of those programs?
But smart kids have no civil rights. Feel free to whack away, Carmen Fariña.
Fariña is the deputy chancellor and as such, runs much of the school system. She plays the key role in virtually every decision about what is taught and how.
Doubts about Fariña’s commitment to the gifted programs began the day she took office two years ago. Publicly and privately, she has belittled the programs in ways that suggest she subscribes to the militant liberal view that standardized IQ tests, the yardstick for entry into the programs, are racist and elitist. (My daughter attends a gifted program.)
Fariña has used her power to undermine the city’s existing programs, right down to smearing parents who fight for them. In a recent rebuff to parents who complained to The New York Times about confusion and threatened to leave the city, Fariña said: “Sometimes social issues make parents leave. They should be honest about their motivations.”
Would she ever say that about an immigrant parent seeking bilingual services? Not unless she was looking to end her career.
Fariña has carried out her campaign with the tool of a skilled bureaucrat: verbal obfuscation. She has implemented “an assessment that measures the fullest range of verbal, nonverbal and spatial skills,” for admission to the programs. She has been guided by educator Joseph Renzulli, whose bio says he sees giftedness as “malleable” and boasts that he has “broadened the conception of giftedness.” Or, as critics put it, Renzulli believes every kid is a bit gifted.
That may be so in theory, but when it comes to gifted programs, the city has an effective cap on seats. There are about 44,000 students in the programs, or 6% of all students in kindergarten through eighth grade. By contrast, more than 12% of students are in special education. Of course, the law requires those programs, while gifted programs are not mandated.
Worse, the city has expanded the definition of eligibility in some schools to include subjective assessments. Nursery school teachers evaluate each student in a process where IQ test scores are combined with the subjective evaluations. These evaluations count for one-third of a composite rating that determines who gets into the gifted programs. No wonder parents are confused and angry.
Fariña, in an interview, insisted she has tried to bring “rigor and clarity” to a disorganized system and blames the federal government for forcing the city to scrap single-test policy. She also cited her own teaching career as evidence she supports gifted education. Finally, she says changing the standards has brought more “equity.”
I would like to believe her commitment to excellence is real, but my suspicions linger. That’s why I think a lawsuit may be needed to prove the city is not endorsing prejudice under the guise of “equity.” And that gifted children, like all children, are getting the education they need.
Originally published on March 19, 2006
Had to copy the whole thing, just in case the link goes bye bye. As usual, Michael Goodwin does a damned good job.
Technorati Tags: gifted programs, nyc, department of education, michael goodwin
I know I’m late to the blog with this one, but I have to say I was much more interested in Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s reaction than what “Chef” had to say.
I was not disappointed when they finally started talking:
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — Soul singer Isaac Hayes said Monday he was quitting his job as the voice of the lusty character “Chef” on the satiric cable TV cartoon “South Park,” citing the show’s “inappropriate ridicule” of religion.
But series co-creator Matt Stone said the veteran recording artist was upset the show had recently lampooned the Church of Scientology, of which Hayes is an outspoken follower.
“In ten years and over 150 episodes of ‘South Park,’ Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslim, Mormons or Jews,” Stone said in a statement issued by the Comedy Central network.
“He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show.”
He added: “Of course we will release Isaac from his contract, and we wish him well.”
I’m very happy that they brought up the other religions. Frankly, one of the appeals of South Park is that it is, in fact, an equal opportunity offender. If they offend you today and you’re not happy about it, wait a week and they’ll offend someone else next week. While some may find that unappealing, a lot of us do, and that’s what’s kept South Park on the air for all these years despite the firestorm of controversy it continually generates.
Isaac Hayes however, is a raging hypocrite. Not because he bowed out for this one reason, but because he himself downplayed it. That’s right, folks, he himself said the so-called attack on Scientology was no big deal.
Here he is on the Opie and Anthony show explaining away the controversy on 12/19/05.
Scientology has a history of “getting to people.” I wonder if someone “got to” Chef?
Hmmmm…
Technorati Tags: isaac hayes, scientology, south park, chef, o&a, opie and anthony
If you grew up in New York City during the 80’s and 90’s, there were two names on ABC’s Eyewitness News that every single person knew. One was Roger Grimsby. The other was Bill Beutel.
Like most families, they were our dinner news team. Eyewitness News was a fixture on our televisions from 5:00 to 6:30 every single night. He had a recognizable face and a smooth friendly way of reporting the news that made you feel like he was sitting in the living room with you.
Beutel was an icon of my childhood and one of the people I remember very clearly growing up. Hearing the news this morning that he died really kind of hit home for me, as one by one it feels like I’m watching all the icons I grew up with pass away.
It’s a sad day for New York news today.
Rest in peace, Bill.
Technorati Tags: bill beutel, news, abc, eyewitness news
The left has a few mantras in their repertoire, and they’re not afraid to use them, repeatedly, to chastise others for behavior they find un-leftlike. When it comes to themselves, however, none of their mantras apply, and you are to automatically take them at their word.
For example, recently Pat Robertson, the left’s favorite whipping post, made some comments. In talking about muslims who were rampaging in the street and firebombing buildings, he said that the incident:
“just shows the kind of people we’re dealing with. These people are crazed fanatics, and I want to say it now: I believe it’s motivated by demonic power. It is satanic, and it’s time we recognize what we’re dealing with.”
And he also said that the goal of the radical Islamists was world domination. Pretty straightforward stuff. Radical Islamists do want to take over the world, do want to kill everyone who’s not a believer, do want to recreate the Caliphate, and are crazed fanatics. Of course, this brings the left unglued immediately, with everyone calling Pat Robertson a bigot, racist, kook, and whatever else they could bring forth from their tolerant lips.
It strikes me, however, that in all their outrage, they’re applying his comments that were specifically aimed at radical Islam to all of Islam; something the right is often criticized for doing even when they’re not doing it. The left seems up in arms and wants to portray Robertson’s comments as being aimed at all muslims even though it isn’t. He was specific in his criticisms and clear in his explanation of them afterward.
If we’re to believe that we aren’t supposed to criticize all muslims based on the radicals, why is criticism toward the radicals applied to all muslims? Because it makes for good posts, slams, debates, and hell, it’s Pat Robertson, and he’s far worse than people who blow up discos anyway.
The left’s attacks on Robertson for his remarks smack of disingenuousness, but are typical of their disdain for him. When it suits their needs, they take a specific criticism and apply it to an entire religion, then accuse him of lumping all of them in together. It’s a great scheme if you can get people to buy into it.
I’m no big fan of Robertson, but from time to time, he hits the nail on the head, as he did here, and if you think people who bomb buildings with weddings going on, shoot people at a Passover seder, fly planes into buildings, or burn down an embassy because of a cartoon are anything less than Satanic, you might have to redefine your views of evil in this world.
Technorati Tags: islam, radical islam, left, liberals, pat robertson
Dave Winer says he’ll quit blogging
Blog pioneer Dave Winer, author of the “Scripting News,” has indicated that he plans to stop blogging by the end of the year to free up time and become less of a public figure–temporarily. “I want some privacy, I want to matter less, so I can retool, and matter more, in different ways,” he wrote at the end of a blog entry Monday.
Winer, who helped develop and promote RSS, is just one of several high-profile bloggers to leave the game of late. Jason Kottke, the daring soul who quit his Web design job in the hopes that micropayments from readers would support him, recently called it quits. And that followed Dan Gillmor’s news that he’d be ending his San Francisco Bay Area-focused blog, Bayosphere, to explore new projects.
We couldn’t reach Winer immediately for comment, but on his blog he wrote: “Probably before the end of 2006, I will put this site in mothballs, in archive mode, and go on to other things, Murphy-willing of course.”
If Dave Winer was any more full of himself, he’d fricking explode. I read one comment quoted from a blog called Airhead on C-Net which I think summarizes things quite nicely:
“So is Dave going to stop or is he simply looking for affirmation that he is still loved in the blogosphere?”
Knowing his ego, I’d say that’s the most likely case. If you’re gonna quit, do it gracefully and go away. If you’re going to come back, that’s fine too. But dude, the leadup to you walking away is simply a way to suck in as much ass-kissing as possible, and it really does nothing for your image.
Just leave. We’re all okay with it.
Technorati Tags: dave winer, winer, whiner
Today, Sirius announced a partnership with Volkswagen - Audi to be the exclusive Satellite radio provider in all of their vehicles.
Audi Signs Exclusive Agreement With SIRIUS Satellite Radio
NEW YORK and AUBURN HILLS, Mich., March 17, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) and Audi of America, Inc. today announced that Audi will offer SIRIUS as its exclusive satellite radio provider for Audi vehicles sold in the U.S., beginning with model year 2007 through 2012.
“We decided that the Audi customer demographic fit more closely with the type of content that SIRIUS provides,” said Wolfgang Hoffmann, head of Audi Product Management. “We believe that SIRIUS will continue to grow and create programming that our Audi customers will desire.”
Today, the installation rate of satellite radio in Audi models is approximately 50%.
“We are very pleased that Audi will be offering SIRIUS exclusively, beginning with the 2007 model year,” said Mel Karmazin, CEO of SIRIUS. “We have had an excellent relationship with Audi as a non-exclusive partner during the past few years, and we are very pleased that they have decided to increase their commitment through this new, exclusive agreement. We look forward to working with them in the future to provide their customers with the most compelling in-vehicle entertainment available.”
Wow. Karmazin is stoked. Wolfgang Hoffmann is jumping for joy. Everyone is happy! 50% of Audis and Volkswagens will have Sirius! Sirius fits the “Audi” demographic better than XM. Everyone wins.
Or do they? Reuters digs a little deeper.
Firstly, they note that the Audi division didn’t necessarily make the decision based on content:
Sirius, No. 2 in the nascent nationwide radio market to XM Satellite Radio Inc. (XMSR.O: Quote, Profile, Research), said Audi had previously offered both services. Audi, in a separate statement, said it selected Sirius to reduce complexity in dealer ordering.
So it wasn’t primarily in the name of Sirius’ content, it was in the name of not having dealers needing to make multiple choices and fill multiple differing orders.
Secondly:
Germany’s Volkswagen is Europe’s biggest automaker, but in 2005 it produced only 1.8 percent of the automobiles sold in the United States.
I’d hardly consider that a massive penetration of the auto market, would you? I mean, 1.8% is barely a blip in any other kind of discussion… In reality, the name on the deal far outweighs its impact. And finally, and most interestingly:
XM spokesman Chance Patterson said the expense of pursuing deals with these automakers was not worth the return.
“XM has long-term agreements with Toyota, General Motors, Honda , Nissan and Hyundai Corp. We evaluated the VW-Audi deal and determined the significant cost didn’t justify the limited volume of vehicles produced,” he said.
So, despite Volkswagen-Audi saying they chose Sirius based on its content, Chance Patterson is saying that even if they liked XM’s content better, they still wouldn’t have had it because XM didn’t think the deal was worth it.
People seem very excited about this deal. Frankly, I don’t see it really doing anything for Satellite radio in any sense. Volkswagen-Audi was already offering XM and Sirius before, so it won’t mean more cars on the road with satellite receivers, just fewer choices for the people buying them.
I’m not particularly impressed with this deal. Had they scored an exclusive with Honda, Chrysler, or Ford, then maybe. Volkswagen-Audi is a niche market in the US, and I just don’t see this deal being the industry-wide boon its being made out to be.
As of 3:12pm: Sirius (Siri: 4.85, Up 7.54%), XM (XMSR: 20.50, Up 1.64%)
Technorati Tags: sirius, xm, volkswagen, audi
Yesterday was Rachel Corrie day.
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Hopefully you celebrated appropriately.
Technorati Tags: rachel corrie
It’s one thing for a small-time blogger like me to sling out nasty invectives like retard and assbag. It’s entirely another for a respected (to some) and established member of the mainstream media to do it. Check out this gem from Jack Cafferty:
You want to laugh out loud? Listen to this. House Republican leaders announce their plan for lobbying reform, today. They’re calling for a temporarily ban, temporarily, on privately funded travel by lawmakers and for lobbyists to disclose the gifts they give to House members. That’s real draconian stuff, don’t you think? House speaker Dennis Hastert said these recommendations will “sustain the integrity of the Congress as we move forward”. Note to Mr. Hastert, the Congress has no integrity. There was no immediate reaction from Democrats who accused the Republicans of creating a culture of corruption. The Senate is working on its own legislation. But as you may recall, the Senate Committee recently rejected the vote for an independent ethics office. This whole thing is a joke. They must think that we’re absolute retards of some kind. They’ve paid lip service to this stuff, there’s no teeth in any of it, it’s meaningless and they put out a press release saying, look what we did, we’re preserving the integrity of the Congress. Unbelievable. Here’s the question; what will be the end result of ethics reform on Capitol Hill?
No mentally disabled advocacy organizations could be found making a single statement about this remark.
via Expose the Left
