Worm Warning

If you get this email:

Hello there,
I would like to inform you about important information regarding your email address. This email address will be expiring. Please read attachment for details.

DO NOT open the attachment. It's a worm.

Did Bob Hope ever say anything funny?

At some point in his later years Bob Hope must have personally peed in Christopher Hitchens Cheerios.

Even the most determinedly fawning obituarists had to concede that most of his movies and many of his "joke" anthologies were basically insulting in their unfunniness. Elvis Mitchell in the New York Times, stuck with writing an appreciation on the same day as Canby's labored obituary (and stuck by the newspaper with the exact same vaudeville photograph as illustration) fell back on the exhausted line that Hope always played the same character, which was Bob Hope. A fitting tautology. Hope was a fool, and nearly a clown, but he was never even remotely a comedian. - Slate

Bob Hope wasn't my favorite comedian so while I might agree with some of Hitchen's points (although certainly not the spirit in which he makes them) the entire piece comes off as nothing more than an juvenile ploy for attention. I bet Ted Rall is jealous.

Saddam: Master of Disguise?

CENTCOM has released altered photos to illustrate ways in which Saddam might be altering his appearance.

I guess this means I have to fire up photoshop and create my own now. If you do the same and come up with something clever let me know and I will post a link to your Saddam in disguise.

Arnold Vids

Classic Arnold Schwarzenegger bits from Conan O'Brien's show here and here. Theres also a good one with Jesse Ventura.

The New Al Gore

Is it just me or does Al Gore look different?

I think I've straightened out most of my technical problems. If you've sent an email in the past two or three weeks you may want to try again in a day or two. There will be a new address entirely so don't send it yet. I'll post it here as soon as it is available.

Site Update

PC problems have kept me from posting but I built a new one this weekend and posting will resume soon.

Soldiers Get X-Ray Vision

BRITISH troops have been carrying out secret tests on a revolutionary new device that allows them to ‘see’ through walls, scientists have revealed.

The tiny radar device works like the futuristic X-ray specs recently seen in the James Bond film The World is Not Enough.

Soldiers, including members of the Black Watch and Scots Guards, have been helping to test the machine.

The machine allows soldiers not only to see through walls but also underground to find hidden passages.

It transmits low-frequency radar pulses that can pass through the walls and detect objects and movements.

The machine’s antenna sensors can pick up enough information to create sharp views on a screen of what is happening inside a room.

The equipment can see through walls up to nearly a foot thick and the device is being engineered to have a 75ft range.

Scientists are currently working on a model small enough to allow soldiers to wear and use in battle. news.scotsman.com

Ayman al-Zawahiri in Iranian Custody?

Breaking on Drudge:

Ayman al-Zawahiri, right-hand man of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, and Suleiman Abu Ghaith, spokesman of the terror group, are among al-Qaeda members detained in Iran, Al-Arabiya news channel said Friday.

Zawahiri, Abu Ghaith and one of bin Laden's sons are among a group of aides of the al-Qaeda chief held in Iran, the Dubai-based satellite television said, quoting "Western diplomatic sources."

Al-Arabiya said the detainees included Saudis, Kuwaitis, Jordanians and Iraqi Kurds.

An upcoming visit to Iran by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will focus essentially on this issue, it said.

Iranian government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said Monday that some al-Qaeda members arrested in Iran had been identified but had refused to give any information about themselves, including the position they held within the organization.
- Drudge

It's Worked for Ted...

Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), he let his mouth race ahead of his brain Wednesday night at a gathering of Young Democrats at the Washington nightspot Acropolis. After presidential candidate Howard Dean spoke, Kennedy delivered an impassioned peroration against President Bush's tax cut. We hear that Kennedy told the crowd: "I don't need Bush's tax cut. I have never worked a [bleeping] day in my life." With that he got the audience's attention -- the dropping-jaws kind. "He droned on and on, frequently mentioning how much better the candidates would sound the more we drank," a witness told us.
- The Washington Post

The Ann Coulter Interview

John Hawkins scored (an interview) with Ann Coulter.

John Hawkins: When you look back at the Clinton, Carter, & Johnson Presidencies, it becomes obvious that the Democrats have an abysmal record on foreign policy. Why do you think the left has such a difficult time dealing with foreign policy issues?

Ann Coulter: There's always a conflict of interest when people who don't really like America are called upon to defend it.
- Right Wing News

Cycles of Ignorance and Hatred

More thoughts from Iranian bloggers.

Last night on TV, there was a documentary about Hezbullah in Lebanon and Palestine. After living in a country with a very similar ideology to Hezbullah's for more than 20 years, I am completely familiar with arguments they make: "They (America and Israel) need an enemy to sell weapons. That is why they always accuse us for being a threat to Israel".

I've asked this thousand times from many people who belive in this "conspiracy theory" that if this is the case between Israel and Palestine and peace in Middle East, so why Hamas and Hezbullah act as a threat and do not agree with what their democratically elected government (which they have MPs in its parliament) says about the peace process? If you are a believer in conspiracy theory with more than a average IQ, then the answer is: "Hezbullah is supported by Israel". And this goes on and on. America cares about its own interests (as everyone should), Israel acts in a same way, and Palestinians keep on discovering hidden Jewish hands being the puppet master in America. 50 years later, son of one of these men is still discovering conspiracies while his brother blows himself up as he thinks it was Israel who killed his father.
- Astigma

The Free World Expects Iran to Comply

President Bush and European leaders, highlighting shared interests after months of divisions over Iraq, agreed Wednesday to a range of measures aimed at shoring up economic ties and rounding up terrorists.

On the more contentious matter of how best to deal with Iran's alleged nuclear weapons ambitions, however, Bush struck a more strident stance than his European guests, saying that Tehran "must comply" with United Nations inspections.

"The free world expects Iran to comply," Bush told reporters at the White House. "And if they don't, we'll deal with that when they don't."
- Atlanta Journal Constitution

Suspicion Runs Deep for Many Iranians

I know I may sound like Daei Jaan Napoleon but I believe Iranian conservatives and Americans are cooperating to keep Iran as weak as possible. What I am seeing is a complete coordination among these two sides, they offer each other the required pretexts to undermine and put more pressure on Iranian people. Why should Americans want to topple Iranian regime? Why they don't do any thing against Saudi Arabia or Jordan or Egypt or...? Dictatorship is good and they like it, if they buy the dictator ( which experience has shown it to be possible) they own the country. The reason for which they are interested in Iran is that Iran is showing some kind of democratic behavior and Americans want to make sure that democracy is not going to happen here.
- IRAN e Ashofteh

NITV Needs Your Support

In March 2000, the spring of the Millennium, a second revolution takes place for the Iranian nation, but this time it occurs in a delightful and passionate manner. NITV begins its first live broadcast internationally reaching millions of Iranians throughout the world.

NITV (National Iranian Television), an independent 24 hour Persian TV station is widely recognized in the world's media as an important and reliable source for uncensored news, current affair, political, cultural, educational and entertainment programming productions. NITV is not affiliated with any political or government organization and considering the lack of frank and uncensored media and constant shutdown of newspapers and other publications in Iran, it is our aim to act as a bridge to relay the voice of Iranians to the world and to build awareness within our community in and outside our homeland.

NITV believes in the following:

Equality between Men and Women
Separation of Religion from Government
Human Rights
Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Media
Democracy
- NITV

Hang Up and Go Join the Students!

News travels fast between Tehran and Los Angeles. Last Wednesday, during student protests at Tehran University, satellite-TV talk-show host Shahram Homayoun was chatting on the air at Channel One TV in L.A. when a caller from Iran broke in with important news. Students were massing in Amirabad Street, the caller reported excitedly. “They are shouting ‘Freedom! Justice!’ she said. Then she shoved the phone out the window so Hamayoun could hear for himself. The calm Homayoun instantly became animated, exhorting his unseen viewers half a world away. “If you need freedom, now is the time,” he urged, waving his arms. When another caller from Tehran got on the air, Hamayoun cut him off. “Why are you calling me?” he asked. “Hang up, and go join the students!”
- MSNBC