Senators propose taking apart CIA

Isn't this what JFK wanted to do? We all know how that turned out.

Population Boom Predicted In Poor Nations

Well, this bodes well for the future harmony of humanity here on Earth... c'mon, guys, get that Moonbase going already!

We'll need the room.

The Shining in 30 seconds with bunnies.

Yes, that's right. The Shining. In thirty seconds. With bunnies.

No Way Out - Is there any hope of avoiding catastrophe in Iraq? By Fred�Kaplan

This is an interesting article focusing on the "Vietnam quagmire" aspect of the Iraqi situation. Another suitable comparison could be the breakup of post-Cold War Yugoslavia; various ethic tribes coming into conflict after an autocratic regime has been swept away. America, caught in the middle, an irritant to all sides.

Perhaps (sooner than later) order can be reestablished and we can eventually make a graceful exit. I just wouldn't bet on it.

. . .






(Silent post in honour of my Grandfather, who died earlier today.)

Requiescat in pace.

"Bra-vo, Mr. Nothing!"
---My 5 year-old, Holly, commenting upon my failed attempt at hitting a tennis ball, 9 August 2004

There's nothing greater than being ridiculed by your own offspring. At least she still managed to make it sound cute.

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

The 9/11 Report is out, quite interesting reading. Will it happen again? Probably. It's all too easy to strike where no one's looking, and there is no shortage of zealots from one cause or another. Well, I know what I'll be doing when the next big one hits.

Back from vacation....

Rested, relaxed, slightly sunburned.

Pain.

So I developed a stiff neck, god knows why; the pain has now migrated across my back into my shoulderblade.  Well, at least I will have a renewed sense of gratitude when I (presumably) return to a pain-free state and can turn my head more than 40 degrees to each side. 

My daughter swallowed a nickel tonight, we had to have her x-rayed to make sure it went all the way down (it had).  I only hope it will all work out in the end.  (Sorry, Holly.)

Fela Kuti rocks. "Zombie!"

Low Carb Dog Food?

Wow, even Maggie can get in on the fad diet craze. Don't worry, Pepper, we're not leaving you out!

I wish I had patented the term "low-carb" a few years ago when I first devised it. Oh well, watch for my new "saltwater" diet, now in development: you will lose weight, or your money back.

Pitchfork: Top 100 Albums of the 1970s

This is a mostly-interesting list of the best albums of the 70s, notable for some significant omissions. What, no Police? GMAFB!

Here's my personal top ten albums of the 1970s.

10. The Who - Who's Next (1971)

9. The Clash - London Calling (1979)

8. The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street (1972)

7. Television - Marquee Moon (1977)

6. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (1979)

5. The Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out (1971)

4. Talking Heads - Talking Heads:77 (1977)

3. The Police - Outlandos d'Amour (1978)

2. Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings And Food (1978) 
 
1. The Police - Reggatta de Blanc (1979)

EWG Report || Skin Deep

Here's a handy tool to find out how your personal care products are GOING TO KILL YOU.

And the good news just keeps on coming...

Memory aids in car can save kids

So, apparently, we are all too busy to remember where we've put the kids.

C'mon, if you are "too distracted" by your "fast-paced lifestyle" that you leave your kid in the car all day, perhaps it's time to re-evaluate your priorities. And no, I've never needed a toy in the front seat to remind me, "Oh! Better make sure that Holly is at school and not sitting in my back seat!"

It's called responsibility, people. You need a license to operate a car, own a gun, or open a business...maybe we should add "raising a child" to the list.

.: Welcome to LOLLAPALOOZA 2004 :.

Well, crikey. It looks as though Lollapalooza has been cancelled. I was planning on going this year, as Moz is (was) headlining. Not crazy about the whole "festival" thing, not sure if Moz's music is really geared toward that type of environment, but was willing to give it a try. Ah, well, that's ninety bucks we can save...

Otter Pops.

Otter Pops weren't bad, they had the cool otter characters...although we always seemed to have a big box of Fla-Vor-Ice pops in our freezer. Nothing better on a hot summer day, the best part being the juice left over after you had consumed the artifically-colored frozen sugar water. It always made me cough, for some reason.

DavidByrne.com - 2004 Tour Journal

David Byrne put on a great show Friday June 11th, I thought it was even better than the first time I saw him live in 2001. Arrived at the Georgia Theatre around 9:00, situated ourselves in the back of the floor area directly in front of the stage. The opening act (Juana Molina) was unique and charming, although she seemed to have a few technical problems.

David and his musicians hit the stage around 10:30, and the crowd began packing the floor. The temperature soon became uncomfortably warm. I'm usually averse to large crowds of people, but didn't really mind this night because of the music. I had a great view, and my wife was able to see the stage virtually the entire time as well. I felt badly for her, as she's a good bit shorter than I am, and I imagined that her air supply must be quite restricted. Anyway, she was fine, although a girl passed out directly next to us during the first few songs.

As for the concert itself, David seemed to enjoy himself and really put a lot of energy into his performance. They played the expected fare (older Talking Heads songs) as well as several of his newer solo pieces. After a full set and two encores we walked out into the (comparatively)cool night. We were drenched, my wife looked as though she had been thrown in a pool. A police car drove by the front of the Theatre and someone from the crowd threw a cup full of ice at it. We didn't really see the drunken revelry David describes in his journal above, however.

A great night...sort of like a musical Black Hole of Calcutta, but more fun.

Here is the setlist, as far as I can remember:

Athens, GA / 11 June 2004

Glass Concrete & Stone
I Zimbra
Ausencia
Finite=Alright
She Only Sleeps
The Other Side of this Life
The Great Intoxication
Naive Melody-This Must Be The Place
Road to Nowhere
Nothing But Flowers
Once in a Lifetime
Un Di Felice
Tiny Apocalypse
Psycho Killer
U.B. Jesus
Dialog Box
What a Day that was
Blind
1st Encore:
Desconocido Soy
Life During Wartime
2nd Encore:
And She Was
Lazy

Internet Archive: Prelinger Archives
This is one of my favourite sites, chock full of great stuff. Classic industrial, educational, and commercial films from the twenties through the eighties. "Are You Popular?", one of the most viewed films, contains the immortal line, "Jenny thinks that she has the key to popularity - parking in cars with the boys at night." Haw haw haw! Poor misguided Jenny. So true.

In the same vein, Skip Elsheimer's site (A/V Geeks) showcases some of the "Educational Archives" released from his collection. I have the lunchbox/DVD set, maybe Holly can use it when she starts school. The lunchbox, I mean.

Reagan's last journey to Capitol=The Hill.com=
I found President Reagan's state funeral to be quite moving. For me, he was the towering political figure of my formative years. In second grade, our class took a Weekly Reader mock Presidential vote. I was the only member of my class to vote for Reagan, much to the puzzlement of my classmates. This was "Carter Country", after all. I remember feeling quite vindicated by the November election results.
Anyway, I did not become a lifetime Republican, I suppose now I would identify myself as a moderate Libertarian, whatever that means. But President Reagan struck a chord with both myself and the American public, and I feel that he deserves our respect for at least preserving the appearance of civil discourse, rare indeed these days.

Reagan's Place in History
As a non-professional historian, I have given some thought to how Reagan will be treated by history. I think that we are already seeing a dramatic re-evaluation of his legacy, only fifteen years after leaving office. President Truman has enjoyed a similar renewal, but it took quite a bit longer (he did leave office with much lower approval ratings than Reagan). As always, time and perspective will be the ultimate judge.

My own personal ranking of the greatest Presidents of the 20th century?

1. FDR
2. Reagan
3. Truman
4. Wilson
5. T.Roosevelt
6. LBJ
7. Bush I
8. Nixon

FDR: Obvious. The right man at the right time.
Reagan: A surprising(to myself) second. Stepped up the pressure on USSR and hastened its demise. Dubious fiscal policy pulled us out of the economic doldrums of 77-82. Strong leadership with conviction, but the willingness to compromise.
Truman: My personal hero, could surpass Reagan again. The quintessential "common man" who had the unenviable task of guiding the country through the minefield of the postwar period. Stood on his convictions, not afraid to take unpopular positions, set the groundwork for the opposition to global Communism. Met with unprecedented problems, made the tough decisions. A-Bomb necessary? Probably.
Wilson: Made the US a global player. Solemnly responsible. Possessed intellect and vision.
T. Roosevelt: Vibrant leader, inspired the US after the death of McKinley. Redefined the role of the Presidency.
LBJ: Primarily for his social policies, most notably the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Obvious minus for escalating Vietnam.
Bush I: Slightly out of his league, but did negotiate the Cold War's end. A truly decent guy, undone by "the economy, stupid".
Nixon: Perhaps a surprise, but his foreign policy legacy is notable. Established detente, extracted US from Vietnam quagmire. Opened doors to China. Should have burned the tapes.

And the rest?
Taft: A better Chief Justice.
Harding: Out of his league.
Coolidge: A caretaker President.
Hoover: Tried, but failed. A better ex-President.
Eisenhower: A caretaker President.
Kennedy: Inspiring figure, narrowly avoided nuclear holocaust. Needed at least a full term to fully make a lasting impact. Style over substance.
Ford: A caretaker President. Couldn't escape the image of a "bumbler".
Carter: Micro-manager. Indecisive.
Clinton: More fun than Coolidge, but another caretaker President. Lucky to preside over a booming economy and a peaceful country where few people knew the name "Bin Laden".
Legacy will be his character flaws.

Of course, these are my opinions, I could very well be wrong. But I'm not.

Now returning to the usual goofy, pop-culture based scheduled programming.

'Bush should have died, not Reagan': Morrissey
Oh, Morrissey, you're such a naughty boy(yawn).

"Hey, man, you don't talk to Reagan. You listen to him. The man's enlarged my mind. He's a poet-warrior in the classic sense. I mean sometimes he'll, uh, well, you'll say hello to him, right? And he'll just walk right by you, and he won't even notice you. And suddenly he'll grab you, and he'll throw you in a corner, and he'll say do you know that if is the middle word in life? If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you - I mean I'm no, I can't - I'm a little man, I'm a little man, he's, he's a great man. I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across floors of silent seas..."
---George W. Bush, 5 June 2004

No, not really.