Blogospherathon

"Blog is back, bitches. That shit is straight logical. Believe that", says Obama.

Sometimes I Feel Angry Too

Then I turn to God

Ask And Ye Shall Receive

Its an alright version but this guy used to be James Brown's producer. THE REAL DAVE MATTHEWS (not the phony bitch cake).

Ever feel this angry? I do.

The End of an Era

The Second Season of the Tudors came to an end last night with Anne Boleyn losing her head. Lady Jane is to be the King's new wife. Anyone remember this little jingle, "Divorced, Beheaded, Died...Divorced, Beheaded, Survived!" Any thoughts on beheadings? How does one even spell this?

Ok, so i figured this is something you'd all be vaguely interested in knowing: the face melter of a guitar lick from MF Doom's Rapp Snitch Knishes is sampled from a cover of Bowie's Space Oddity by a little known artist named David Matthews. The album the cover appears on is called "Dune", released in 1977, and as you'd expect, is all songs inspired by Frank Herbert's novel. Quite original. A funked out, druggy keyboardist decides to release a funked out druggy album about a funked out druggy novel. It's the only cover on the album, but in all honesty I can't hear anything from Bowie's original in the short sample from MF Doom's song. I've listened to both a few times and can't find it. It makes me really want to hear the David Matthews version, though I can't seem to find a sample of the song, or album anywhere. The album sounds like it's pretty shitty, as I'm sure Mr. Matthews is as well. But hey, keep an eye out next time any of you is at a used music store, that'd be a sick find.


P.S. - Lance, I realize there's a large chance you already knew all of this.

They Call him Blade Runner

I would like to take the opportunity to express my displeasure at the allowing of bots to compete in the Olympics. First of all, props to this kid for his ability to overcome his disability and move like he does. But how much of it is him or how much of it is the scientists and doctors that created his robotic lower half. Would we allow a cyborg to compete in the Olympics? I think not. And I'm definitely not buying the fact that his prosthetics could break down the same way that a hammy snaps. Dude has no hamstrings to tear, no risk of injury to the lower body. Someone take up the side of the modern day centaur and show me the way cause I don't want to be known as a disability hater, but something has to give. I'm about two days from turning the lower half of my body into a Segway, just in time for Beijing 2008. Tell me why these legs are so important when I could be a titanium beast. ~ 'Bosiac

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/news/story?id=3402789

This shit really depresses me

I know, it's no news that we're killing animals. Happening for thousands of years. I know. But we're starting to look more and more like a species incapable of coexistence. Kind of like the aliens from Aliens. Yes, I'm making an Aliens reference. I don't know, Lance, Brendan (no pressure) but you two are the anthropology majors and while this isn't exactly the same field, you might have a bit more to say on the topic than me. Obviously it isn't impossible for humans to coexist, but is it reasonable to expect it? I'm starting to sound like some WWF (the wildlife fund, no wrestling federation) rep but, in my currently drunken state it's important. I mean, in the grand ol' scheme, life on this planet will be over in a few billion years when the sun burns out, but what's our role in this? Of the three most at risk species, there aren't really any that we, as Americans can really make informed shopping choices to protect. None of us buy hammerhead shark fin, mainly because shark fin soup isn't in much demand in this country. None of us consume african antelope, but it's kind of difficult to tell people who subsist upon it to stop (is there much of a demand for antelope meat in the foreign market?). Swordfish i suppose we could all cut back on, but if you guys are like me its cutting back on something you eat once every 1,684 days. Not too effective. I don't know, this is a bit of a drunken rant aimed at no one but myself, with no purpose but to help frame my own thoughts. ...

A man sees a fly, he aims at it. Urinal spillage decreases 80 percent.

No funny business this time, you guys should read this review. This book, called Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness sounds kind of interesting. I'm not a self-help kind of guy, but the section of the book where they talk about their theory of "libertarian paternalism" in action sounds hilarious. Just read the part of decreasing spillage in the Schipol urinals.

McCain is an old man. Weak and feeble, he nibbles deliberately on his canned peaches, as if each bite was a battle, with victory to be savored, and..

... defeat to be mourned like the lost juice that now runs down his chin like a trickle of water down a mountain stream. Youth escapes McCain like a whorish Helen, off be fondled and cuckolded by Parisin a far greater palace than his piddling city-state has ever seen. Give it up, old man. America now cherishes youth, energy and a penis that never goes flaccid. Seriously though, I thought this was mildly entertaining, even if it is a bit stupid at times. Things that are younger than John McCain.

It isn't all bad, though. Heidi Montag publicly endorsed McCain recently.

Blind Musicianship The Likes Of Which You've Never Seen

Check this link out. Rahsaan Roland Kirk is one of my absolute favorite jazz musicians. Blind since the age of two, Roland Kirk has one of the most extensive and creative jazz vocabularies, playing anything from dixieland to free jazz and everything in between. His eponymous efforts were polpularized for his ability to play multiple woodwinds simultaneously. It is incredibly difficult use circular breathing the way he does to play two or more woodwinds at once; he makes it seem as though he never takes a breath. Drummer Lenny White and bassist Stanley Clarke of Return to Forever are playing with him in the video. And if you like the first link check this one out to see him play three saxes and a flute.

My Celly

Dear Jibosiac,

Is my phone at your house?

What would go through your head if the bomb did not go off?

Looking for answers from the Professor...where are you Zapysou?

the philosopher

I think it’s pretty obvious…

These babies bathe in oil and they can think of nothing better than a snappy skirmish with those get in the way. Jibosiac, maybe when a ‘desert-thorn’ unit is outside your front door you can ask them how they reconciled their religious differences.

Report from The Caspian Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin reinforced ties with his Iranian counterparts today, when he met with the 5 Caspian Sea border countries today in Tehran. The flourishing relationship between Ahmadinejad and Putin was put on showcase as they stressed using the Caspian Sea for peaceful purposes, as tensions heighten over the presence of US airbases in Azerbaijan and a new plan to restore an old Soviet airbase in Turkmenistan (which prides itself on its neutrality). US planes have been using the airbases in those two nations mainly as refueling stops on the way into and out of Afghanistan, however speculation over whether these bases could be key in a military action against Iran has mounted in the coming weeks as tensions surrounding the region are on the rise. In effect, the 5 country counsel voted to only use the sea for peaceful purposes and reinforced the fact that no military action against Iran would be launched from any of countries, their respective airspace, or the sea for that matter. Their claim is that since the sea is landlocked (somewhat) that its contents belong to only those counties it borders and it is not considered international waters. This should cause quite a bit of concern for the US, considering if there were military action against Iran it would force the US out of using a very strategic and important front, from which to attack. Putin reinforced his willingness to use its UN Security Council veto to block any further sanctions (a vote that could be mirrored by China). In the face of US and Western European pressure on the Iranian nuclear program, Putin offered a vote of confidence saying that his country was the only country supporting Iran in peaceful nuclear ambitions. So, I ask where the line is drawn. When does peaceful nuclear ambitions turn into dropping the bombs and what do we do then? Sanctions or WWIII. I can understand Putin's strong arm tactics when it comes to oil, but what benefit other that a few billion can a nuclear capable Iran be and at what price. There must be some other motivation, with which I am not in the know. It seems to me when a crazy person walks into a gun store telling you they want a gun to make their bicycle go faster, you don't give them that gun. Anyways, it seems the discussion was controlled by the polarizing figures of Ahmadinejad and Putin because many of the issues concerning the other countries were not even touched upon. Putin, for example, cited environmental concerns over the disputed oil pipelines that would go beneath the Caspian Sea and into Azerbaijan, where it could be sent directly into Western Europe bypassing the monopoly of pipelines Russia has going into Western Europe. I was astonished by the key aspects of this somewhat small, incredibly important body of water. The Caspian Sea holds the third largest concentrated oil deposits in the world, deposits that were once controlled 50/50 by the Soviet Union and Iran. The oil deposits in the sea have still not been distributed properly since 1991 and Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan have all voiced their desire for the sea to be split by the length of the shoreline border. Iran, however, will not settle for anything less than 20%, so things remain unsettled. After all of this, I'm still trying to determine the relationship that exists between these two storied nations. It hasn't been since WWII that a Russian leader has been to Iran, but Iran uses almost exclusively Russian weapons. I also can't help, but point to the religious and moral differences between the two nations as a point of tension. I'm at a loss here, is it really "all about the money" or is there a bigger, more devastating plan in the works. But for now, all quiet on the Caspian front.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/world/17iran.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Just try and burn this library, Amr ibn al'Ass!

There was an interesting op piece reprinted in the MN Daily from the UCONN Daily Campus paper about Wikipedia that I thought I'd share. I remember the good professor (Zapsyou) and I briefly discussing it's merit as academic resource a while back, so it seemed relevant to share it. I am someone who often uses wikipedia to bolster my repertoire of pointless minutiae and for quick references on obscure historical details that certain pompous authors (Umberto Eco, say) obnoxiously insist on making vital elements to their plots. Is this foolish of me? Am I putting too much faith into a compendium that most academic institutions find dubious, at best? The article suggests that I am not. In fact, it suggests that Wikipedia has the potential to become the most authoritative source on world knowledge. This goes too far, in my opinion, but the author doesn't make the statement without a defense. I don't know, read and discuss. Read and discuss.

How about some American nationalism? I'm sorry, I thought this was America.

In the spirit of patriotic afterbirth we have exhibit A, one Andrew Chadwick, student, who list as an interest, World War II. We salute you, Patriot. When the Chrono-Wars begin, you'll be in the first wave of soldiers off the landing craft on D-Day3000, defending the Future-West against the encroaching threat posed by Intergalactic Fascists, and their nefarious plot to take away our American Flag bumper stickers.

Old Soviet Nationalism

Kremlin official serving his country. Not as original as Italian Nationalism, but answers Soulja Boy's question. Bottles and taps; may they pour tonight.

Italian Nationalism

Does anyone want to get drunk tonight?

Genocide or Blame To Hide?

As congress enters legislation to pass a bill deeming the Turkish massacre and expulsion of thousands of Armenians residing within their country between 1915-1917 a genocidal attempt, President Bush has spoken out against it. Citing a potential if not probable strain between U.S. and Turkish relations, Bush has urged a democratic majority not to pass the bill. With the U.S.'s Iraqi war operations being largely coordinated and executed through military bases in Turkey, a bill like this would most certainly jeopardize the U.S.'s position and planning pertaining to the war.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul admonished the "serious problems that will emerge in bilateral relations if the bill is adopted". The possibly of air-space restictions as well as a break in cooperation have surfaced, likely making any military operations the U.S. carries out from Turkey an impossibility. The relationship between the U.S. and Turkey has already been a difficult one with the presence of the Iraq war fueling attacks to Turkey's southern region by Kurdish separatist group PPK (Kurdistan Worker's Party). Many Turkish peoples have already openly protested the involvement in the Iraq war and the problems it has brought to their country.

Turkey has already denied that a genocide was ever planned and that the deaths of the many Armenians came about through conflicts linked to World War I. With that said, isn't it time for Turkey to finally take the blame for the the murder, rape, and pillaging that took place during the three year period? The extermination of Armenians by Ottoman Turks is eerily reminiscent of Milosevic's attempt to ethnically clense Serbia and should carry the same weight when discussed, yet this moment in history is largely forgotten and dismissed in Western education and has for many years been completly denied by Turkey as an attempt at extermination by the Ottoman Turks. Shouldn't the arguement end with a renewed understanding of the events and not a strain of relations between those discussing?

The people of the country have begun to accept the blame over the past few decades, why shouldn't the government? I understand the issues within the country between its powerful military and the many non-secular political parties involved in parliament but I think that currently in Turkey, a new leaf needs to be turned and accepting blame for your country's actions is a neccessary step to forging a stronger government and a more unified people. At this point, unfortunately, the self-conciousness of the Turkish government has grown more paranoid and it has become even more offensible to slander "Turkisness" and make statements deemed "untrue" about its history. Hopefully an acception into the E.U. would ease all of these tensions but I remain skeptical. At this point, with Turkey's stance on trade with Cyprus and relationship with Greece, I am not even sure that talks will resume for their E.U. bid for some time. The movement to have a popular democratic vote can only help, but how much?

Should the U.S. continue with its legislation or honor Bush's warning of potential disaster?
Will Turkey ever take blame as a government?
Will policies and positions change that much if Turkey is accepted into the E.U.?
Will Turkey even get accepted in the next ten years?

The Great Balance has Become Upset (Don't let 'em steal Halo!)

Master Chief

Versus (churches)

The good word isn't good enough anymore for the Pastors trying to reach our young people these days. The message of Jesus and those little WWJD bracelets just aren't cool enough to bring people in on their own. All is not lost, however, cause the good ol' lord gave us Halo. I don't even know where to start with this one. To be honest with you I'm on the side of the religious conservatives on this one. You have to practice what you preach, a message Ted Haggard never learned (He'd probably be a proponent of this new movement too.). When you become a Christian, you must give up some things that bring happiness to those who don't practice. A Christian is going to heaven, where he or she has all eternity to indulge in those great things that they have been deprived of in this life. But like many Americans, I'm probably not going to this great place for eternity so I am forced to cram all these great things into one very short lifetime. The ability to get drunk and cuss; to have hot passionate sex on a first date; to eat whatever I want whenever I want; and, obviously, the systematic slaughter of a virtual race. These things aformentioned are my religion, my heaven, and my happiness in my existence with no eternal bliss at the end of the road. So, I take offense when one of these great indulgences is threatened with a religious takeover. It's not fair. Those of us not burdened with heaven are in the constant pursuit of those like us that enjoy these great things. Christians get heaven and were burdened with hell, so they're already favored by like 100 points. We have everything that is illegal in God's eyes, but is really actually very fun in practice (what I like to call "the balance"). It's no heaven, but it's a hell of a good time. The religious takeover of the Halo franchise really puts a crimp in our recruiting policy over on this side of the mountain. I mean, I'm trying to tell my little Catholic brother how awesome cussing like a sailor and having premarital safe sex is, but on the other side their offering him teenage crack cocaine, Halo 3 tournaments at church. Ass holes. So, now he doesn't have to make the decision, it's already made for him. His eternal bliss is preserved and he can still systematically slaughter multiple alien species, which is almost as good as sex. So, I'm crying bullshit, it's all the sex without the pregnancy. It's the best of both worlds, but it is upsetting the balance that gives meaning to my life and the lives of my brothers and sisters trying to get theirs now instead of later.

see the featured article at this NYT website:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/us/07halo.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5087&em&en=4db9da4caaef0870&ex=1191988800

Here's the link to the NYT article

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/world/asia/08spray.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

The Politics of Destroying a Man's Farm (in the name of the War on Drugs)

There is a gathering movement among politicians in both Afghanistan and the U.S. for a massive extermination campaign to wipe out the poppy production throughout the nation. For years, the idea of this has been put on the back burner for fear of the devastating political consequences. I understand where the fear comes from; the idea of U.S. warplanes dropping herbicides and pisticides on Afghan farms would surely produce a massive propaganda campaign amongst the Taliban, who have found a new resurgence, while the NATO campaign lags through it's fifth year. However, if the numbers are anywhere close to true, there is no mistaking the fact that Afghanistan's poppy production is responsible for almost all the heroin production throughout the world. The money is not going to the government, obviously, so one can conjecture that the funds are going to fund the insurgency or "terrorism". There is definitely some money in this business, but there was a lot of money in cocaine 25 years ago and our anti-drug campaign there was littered with corruption and fatally flawed by our support of right-wing paramilitaries. After all the seizures, arrests, and poisoning of crops, there are still cocaine addicts today and the supply is still there. There may have been a drop in the supply, but it was not an effect of U.S. policy in Columbia, the drug just kind of went out of style. So, I end with the question of whether a massive poppy extermination campaign would hit the everyday heroin user and cripple a newly robust Taliban? If we know where the heroin is coming from and how the money it generates is used, what's the problem? Politics or no politics are we really that worried about our image in Afghansitan. Is this the American ego at work?

Can your capitalism do this?

North Korea shows why they don't need to bow to Western pressure that insisits they abandon thier nuclear ambitions.

German's make another big stink

A German politician, whos name I can't remember now, is making a large stink about the need to amend the constitution to allow the military to shoot down a passenger plane were one to be used in a terrorist attack. This seems pretty speculative, but it's causing quite a furor, as german policy prevents the government from killing some in a utilitarian attempt to save others. The german politician is a guy in a wheelchair who survived an assasination attempt. Germany and Japan both seem to be chafing from the post WWII restraints still in place.

New Poll Question.

Anonymous, to stay or not to say; that is the question?

Black Water’s constitution is murky at best.

Black Water’s legal boundaries are so undefined that it’s difficult to delineate an image of the injustice surrounding the many cases of inappropriate procedure (which for most of us are immediately recognizable as murder). It appears as though the focus at this point is fixated on Black Waters finances (no doubt due to the fact that the oversight committee was instructed to steer clear of the two most highly publicized incidents involving reckless and excessive conduct). However, I’m pleased to see that Chairman Waxman simple explicated the fact that the state department is clearly the “enabler” of a corporation like black water and justifiably should be partly held accountable for Black Water’s operations in Iraq. There is no doubt that Black Water carries out its ‘intended’ goals effectively. However the question still remains whether or not Black Water, in its neglect of all of the nasty unforeseen avenues that it creates, is undermining and destabilizing key diplomatic components necessary for success in Iraq

(I use ‘success’ begrudgingly)?

Is Erik Prince correct when he talks about the necessity of a private agency (like Black Water with all of its perks) to accompany the military services in their endeavor to stabilize Iraq?

If Black Water (or anything like it) doesn’t buckle under the impending and almost certain ‘state-department protecting’ litigation that seems inexorably directed at it, what sort of legal boundaries could we create (with good conscience) for a private entity such as this?

The War

Did anyone watch the final episode of "The War" on PBS. I feel I'm pretty hardened and emotionally dead, but the archival footage is the most shocking thing I've ever seen. They show concentration camp footage followed by images of the atomic bombs and thier surivivors that make you ashamed to be human. What do you think is worse? A concentration camp or the dropping of an atomic bomb on civilians? Don't include strategic considerations in your moral diagnosis (strategic considerations being the necessity of dropping the bomb to end the possibility of a ground invasion of Japan).

It's That Day Again!

The major question: Pizza or Microwave (w/ cocoa)?

Another question: Why does the leader of the little one's leader keep invoking President Bush?

Just because

Flight of the Conchords season finale song. It's got Demetri Martin and Todd Barry. I think it's pretty funny.

Tommy Cruise as Col. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg

Interesting. I don't know what it is about this photo, but there is something weird about ol' Tommy in full nazi garb, even if he is playing a famed anit-nazi hero. That's all I really have to say.

The "McSubway" Project

Hopefully, Jared has not thrown away all of his big pants, he may be needing them. This article may make you think twice before you order that Italian sub-sandwich and decide to go with chips and a non-diet soday. The Big Mac is back baby, "I'm lovin' it!". Congrats Don-Don's.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-09-30-mcsubway_N.htm?csp=34

Smoking Ban reaches the Great Health State of Minnesota

The day of reckoning is upon us. Today, thousands of Minnesotans will make the voyage to the land of Packers, Cheese, and townships to get their after work beers. Why must they make this trip? In businesses around greater Minnesota that enjoy a 90% smoking clientele, they must hang up the "NO SMOKING" sign and tell their customers to head off to Wisconsin. In contemplating this great, progressive step forward for the land of 10,000 lakes, I must ask "What ever happened to private property rights?"

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1455207.html

You know what, bring back the Marlboro Man. "Truth.org" is some adolescent sham that targets 12 year olds. To all you brave smokers out there, worrying about this impending move and shake up in our beloved after-hours hangouts, stay strong homies.

Ongoing: You're not safe anywhere!

(This is the first in an ongoing series of pieces to promote fear-mongering) Nope, not even in the family pool or the lake at the cabin. Apparently, six people have died this year from a microscopic organism that EATS THE BRAIN! Yes, that's right, a parasite that enters the cranium through the nasal or ear passages, devours brain cells, causing headaches, delirium, and hallucinations followed shortly by death. Scientists are calling this mischevious 'lil stinker Naegleria fowleri, and it typically inhabits warm, stagnant waters. Apparently in an effort to make my task (i.e. the promotion of constant, vigilant fear) easier, biologist Michael Beach reminds us that with the onset of global-climate-warming-change we'll only see more of this little guy.

Ongoing: You're not safe anywhere!

Babbitt wants out!

Babbitt seeks liberation from a life devoted to thinking and speaking in clichés.

He says: “It’s like I always say, don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today. I was just chewing the fat and the thought hit me like a ton of bricks. Well, better late than never, right..? But then again Rome wasn’t built in a day. These times they are a changing, and there’s no time like the present, so what the hell, why not?”

Q: Was it hard to remain so overoptimistic about everything. I mean, did the clichés provide some sort of comfort? I would imagine that it gets really frustrating?

Babbitt: “What?”

Q: The clichés not accommodating for your full range of emotions…?

Babbitt: “You can say that again.”

http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=bos

Breaking News!

Bush declares awareness of global-climate-warming by standing in front of what experts are calling a "hypothetical representation of the planet if it were made flat". this breakthrough in technology was immediately lampooned by the comical robots of Mystery Science Theater 3000 who were in attendance in the front row.

99% identical DNA a man does not make

So Austria refuses to acknowledge a 26-year old chimpanzee filing for bankruptcy assistance as a person (person as an entity distinctly separate from human, in Austrian legislature). This ruling bars him from all that sweet, sweet socialist capital that flows from the E.U. like so much milk from the teats of a nursing father. This issue brings to mind many questions and concerns, such as what values one uses to determine humanity (biological, social or moral?), or why it's appropriate for a journalist to open with a "monkeying around" pun. In this bloggist's opinion, whether we fling feces made of depleted uranium or doo-doo, we're all chimpmanzees.

Putin v Kasparov

There is a fascinating article in the new New Yorker about Gary Kasparov. Once the world's greatest chess player, he defeated Bobby Fischer and Deep Blue, the chess playing supercomputer. It now looks as if he'll run as the opposition candidate in the next election. His party, known as the Other Russia, is made up of academics, neo-bolsheviks, liberals, ethnic minorities, and other types that the FSB would love to serve a plateful of polonium encrusted sushi. I wonder if Putin and the FSB would actually have the audacity to kill Kasparov. Would it be a PR mistake, or a useful reminder of the price of political dissidence. The assasination of those who openly oppose the Kremlin has replaced the Soviet Gulag as the preferred form of mass repression in Russia.

Nothing like a two-headed beast.

This is like some kind of fantasy world creature. I cannot wait until it matures.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070927/ap_on_sc/two_headed_turtle;_ylt=ApACNZTHiNpwqDJ5mGG.aASs0NUE

No More Red Lights? Then How Will I Know Where The Prostitutes Are?

In an effort to quell the trafficking and pimping that takes place in Amsterdam's infamous red light distrtict, Mayor Job Cohen has organized and assigned committees to turn off the red lights. In effect more than a third of the these "shoppes" in the Wallen District of town will be ordered to remove their window displays. "The legalization of prostitution did not bring about what many had hoped," stated Cohen in a television interview. I on the other hand firmly disagree. The abundance of prostitution and marijuana have created their fair share of problems I am sure but nonetheless, no United States college student would be willing to visit an Amsterdam sans its exotic delights. This is not to mention the people really disadvantaged by the situation, the sex-workers. With daily business depending on their opportunity and ability to show off their wares, sex-workers take the largest hit of them all. Sex-workers are able to rent these windows for about 100 euros a day, and with that, in one evening, make hundreds in return. Now the lights are being turned off and it's a travesty to see the worlds's oldest profession take a hit like this in its world epicenter. Our thoughts go out to all those affected by this legislation, worker or customer.

"To Hug or Not to Hug" This is an uplifting story helping one navigate the many struggles of workplace touching. (by Yahoo Finance)

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/103549/To-Hug-or-Not-to-Hug

Here you go fans...

US Magazine's Hot Hollywood Party. What would a blog be without pictures of young Hollywood. Feel free to comment on who is the best dressed. Discuss my friends

He’s only a nebbish schlemiel, just kvetching about…

UH OH, Wem ist Der Reicheskanzler!

Germany's reluctantly pressing for sanctions against Iran. Most news sources are interpreting Germany's refusal to discuss a pre-emptive strike on Iran (if sanctions won't provide cooperation) as being solely motivated by economic interest. "America has self-imposed sanctions on Iran that ensure America’s absence along with America’s competitors economic opportunity".

Germany has capitalized on Americas decision to place sanctions, meanwhile France is drawing up war plans for Iran, but ultimately think of what kind of tacit message Germany is sending Israel by trying to maintain its economic ties and avoid invasion.

Pavlik vs. Taylor

Saturday Night at 6:30 on HBO. Check out this Kelly Pavlik vs. Edison Miranda highlight. See below for more more of my take. (Taylor's going to knock him out late in the fight, but it's going to be a blood bath.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFr_uPHUnFo

Morning Headlines

1. Six nuns have been excommunicated from the Catholic Church for failing to recant the teachings of Marie Paule Giguere, leader of the Army of Mary sect of Catholocism. The nuns, members of the Good Shephard Monastery in Hot Springs, Ark., were banned for heresy. The Army of Mary believes that Giguere is the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary and that God speaks directly through her. Army of Mary has already been black listed by the Vatican. Check this out, then talk amongst yourselves. (Does this remind anyone of the bleeding Virgin Mary South Park episode?)

http://www.reflector.com/hp/content/shared-gen/ap/National/Nuns_Heresy.html

2. I guess there was a big gathering outside the Southdale Courthouse yesterday in anticipation of the return of Larry Craig. Instead, we got famed attorney Billy Martin (If you're ever in trouble, you want this guy on your side.). Anyways, this topic has kind of been exhausted, there was one remark of note that occurred during the whole hearing yesterday. Martin asked Judge Porter to give him the chance to prove Craig's innocence at trial. In response, Judge Porter comes back with this priceless quip, "We don't do that here. We give guilty or not guilty. Florida looks at innocence." Discuss amongst yourselves

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1447446.html

3. Everyone's seen the adds late at night. Text "flirt" to chat with local hotties at 55647. Ok, well imagine misspelling that number and getting a picture of Nancy Pelosi holding a box of birth control pills with some liberal barb underneath. Naral Pro-Choice America is exploring this new text message arena along with other (mostly liberal cause we're the technologically savvy) rights groups. Anyways, Verizon Wireless is saying no. Technically you have to request a message to receive one, but still I have chubby fingies, what happens if I misspell the number to flirt with my hot local honey's. The new text message universe is upon us, I'm just dreading the day when my pants are down waiting to hear back from my local Text Princess, only to realize that Karl Rove and Pro-life America intercepted my message. I'm not really in the mood to ponder what the response message would be, probably devastating.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/business/27cnd-verizon.html?hp

Get ready for an awesome fight this weekend. On Saturday, undefeated Jermaine Taylor faces Kelly Pavlik (relatively unkknown from Youngstown, Ohio). This kid Pavlik is an up and comer. Watch him throw devastating, almost slow-motion like blows to take Edison Miranda's dignity. It's a nice pre-cursor to Saturday Night's fight. The link is above morning headlines.

Gossip Girl

Blair Witch?! More like Blair Wench. NSFW

Aggravated Stoner Boner

Chuck is one of the more dynamic characters on 'Gossip Girl'. Though he reads as a standard trope (affluent, east coast, spoiled social jockey/misfit), Chuck is also developing a heavy dose of psychosis. No doubt a result of his affinity for marijuana (which alone suggests a lack of moral stability) Chuck is depicted as a drug using degenerate who ignores the conventions that govern appropriate behaviour. In essence his social standing is the only thing that separates him from the drug addled rapist behind a bush in the park.