No Wonder Bush Likes the New Pope

It turns out Cardinal Ratzinger, our new Pope, worked actively for the Bush campaign in the last election by targeting John Kerry as someone unworthy to accept comunion.

Agence-France Press has the story.

Happy Bicycle Day!

April 19th is an anniversary of some unpleasant things, not least of which is the Oklahoma City bombing, and now the naming of a former Hitler Youth to the throne of St. Peter.

But April 19th is also the anniversary of something else, something with the potential to make us all smarter, wiser and more evolved. It's Bicycle Day!

Yes, it was 62 years ago today in Switzerland that Dr. Albert Hoffman realized he had absorbed some of the pharmaceutical compound he was working with, the 25-th derivation of Lysergic Acid through his skin. He started to feel woozy... then got on his bicycle and took the first trip ever on that route.

Read all about it here.

Science in a Tsarist Age

In this Tsarist age, when a Tsar knows better than your doctor does how to treat your body, when a Tsar knows better than your clergyperson how to treat your soul, it's nice to know that the scientific method is at least one way out of this dark age.

Here's a nice write-up with animations of one list of Science's 10 Most Beautiful Experiments.

No Harm to Themselves or Others

For years the British Isles have enjoyed a bit of sanity those of us on this side of the pond can only imagine. A loophole in the law allowed the legal sale of so-called magic mushrooms. Now the Blair government is pushing through an amendment that would ban tripping on shrooms.

Sounds like the typical "War on Some Drugs" nightmare Americans have to deal with all of the time. Except in Britain there's a constituency for people who like to trip and as the Guardian reports, even the Lord who runs the anti-teen drug education program there admits there's nothing wrong with enjoying a nice shroom trip.
Ahh.. someday these dark ages will end and we will all have the privacy we need over our own bodies, including our brain chemistry.

SacBee Pulitzer Shoulda Gone to PR Flack

It's always considered fashionable to put down your local newspaper even when they put out a generally decent product. A lot of people I work with now love to hate the S.F. Chronicle even though it's certainly a step beyond the Tulsa World.

When I was in Sacramento, I thought the Bee did a reasonable job for living in a one newspaper town. So it was kind of nice recently to hear they had won a Pulitzer for a series of pieces on draining the Hetch-Hetchy valley in Yosemite.

Now one of the two "alternative" newspapers in San Francisco, the S.F. Weekly is taking a huge swipe at the Bee, the Pulitzer Committee, and the Hetch-Hetchy series saying the real prize should have gone to the P.R. agent who pimped the story the whole way.

A Different Meaning for "Woody"

In the world of on-line pornography, the most you're likely to learn is a novel position. But in Norway, you can learn both a new sexual position and get informed about ways to save the environment. The San Francisco Chronicle runs this story up the flagpole.

Counter-Culture Created Silicon Valley

Ever wonder why Silicon Valley developed in Northern California and not around such old line institutions as MIT? Well the author of a new book reviewed in today's Christian Science Monitor has one answer... Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll. John Markoff posits that it was the 60's counter-culture and the access to acid that gave some of the founders of the modern computer industry their inspiration. It's an interesting look into the environment that spawned innovation and changed the world for all of us.

What Scares You?

Some things are pretty certain. There's a very good chance you will stub your toe causing great temporary pain sometime within the next 70 years. But what are the chances a black hole will swallow the earth in that time or that terrorists will blow you up or that humans will evolve to extinction between now and 2075?

You could lie awake obsessing about that... or you could check out the Guardian who have polled some top scientists about what scares them.

Politics, Our National Pasttime

When I was eleven, the Washington Senators and their owner Bob Short generously left the nation's capital and moved their operation into the old Turnpike Stadium on Interstate 30 in Arlington, Texas. By that point I had already gone a number of times to see the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs play Texas League games in the same ballpark.

Now, decades later, I have given up my loyalty to the Texas Rangers in favor of the Oakland A's (although I maintain my National League allegiance to the Houston Astro's) and major league baseball is returning to Washington D.C.

The Christian Science Monitor has a nice think piece about how Washington has changed in the last 32 years and how the power brokers of today are jockeying for prime seats at Washington Nationals games.

Now we can only pray that some foul balls will clunk the Bill Kristols and George Will's of the world and put us all out of our misery.

Brits Go Missing

About 500 British soldiers are missing right now... and it's pretty certain they're not in Iraq.

The Guardian takes a closer look at deserting to avoid going to the desert.

You Have 30 Seconds

The Christian Science Monitor has a very interesting think piece about the evolving face of media and more importantly the evolution of news audiences and consumers right now. A must-read.

"Scourge of God" to Win Minority Status in Hungary

I wonder if they will use DNA tests to prove paternity or what... but it appears people who describe themselves as direct descendents of Attila the Hun are about to receive legal minority status in Hungary.

Space Migration Slowly

Well the new Bushie nominee to head NASA says he'll reconsider the decision not to do the next repair mission on Hubble. He also says he will push forward with the next generation of launch vehicles with the planned end of the Shuttle program in 2010.
The need to get ourselves off this crummy planet has never been greater.. and the political will to get us there has seldom seemed weaker.

NYC Cops Testi-Lie

For years courts had no choice but to accept the lies from the mouths of police officers, particularly in cases involving civil disobedience and political speech. Now the New York Times reports many of those arrested in New York for last year's RNC have had charges dropped... because of videotape taken by documentary filmmakers and ordinary people which show the cops just making shit up.

DeLay, Ambramoff, and the NCPA

When I lived in Dallas and worked for ABC Radio, we used to share a building with an outfit of right-wing demagogues known as the National Center for Policy Analysis. We used to block their parking spaces on weekends just out of spite.

So now it's delicious to see in NEWSWEEK (the seem to prefer the allcaps style) that the NCPA is now a bit player in the latest Tom DeLay scandal, involving his questionable trip to Russia.

If Abramoff really spills the beans, it could be lights out for the Exterminator in Chief.

S&M in the Workplace

Today's San Francisco Chronicle has the story of a woman who made a career change from Dominatrix to Bureaucrat, then found her old life catching up with her.

"They Didn't Think it Out"

The Washington Post profiles a marine who is now on his third tour of duty in Iraq. Read the entire piece but the force of it is encapsulated in this one quote:

--------------
U.S. policymakers "didn't have the foresight of seeing that it wouldn't be an easy war. They didn't think it out,"

Justice Blackmun

There's a very nice piece in today's New York Times magazine about the evolution of Justice Harry Blackmun, the author of the Norma Jean McCorvey (Roe) vs. Henry Wade decision.

I think what intrigues me most about the piece is the way it ignores Roe except as context for Blackmun's changing views on the role of women in American society.

Universal Health Care

Perhaps you've given up on the dream of health care for all Americans, but it appears lawmakers in Vermont haven't.

Been Waiting for a Jihad You Could Call Your Own?

The San Francisco Chronicle prints a Unitarian Jihad manifesto from an extremist group threatening to upset the philiosophical underpinnings of modern society.

I think it's a terrfic idea. It also reminds me of my favorite (and only) Unitarian joke.

Did you hear about the Unitarian who joined the Klan? He was caught burning a question mark in the front yard.

They Can't Leave the Greenzone So What Do You Expect Them To Do?

Western news reporters are pretty much stuck in the so-called Greenzone in Baghdad so now it seems some have been doing some invesigative digging where they shouldn't have. Now the New York Times is firing a veteran foreign correspondent for cheating while in Baghdad. No, that's not right.. that might almost make sense.

Instead they're firing a veteran female reporter for allegedly sending anonymous e-mails telling the wives of these correspondents the true meaning of the word "embedded."

The fired reporter in question denies it all.

Time to End the IRA?

A few years ago I read a brilliant book about the roots of the tribal mess in Northern Ireland called "A Secret History of the IRA" by Ed Moloney.

It makes very clear that Gerry Adams who goes around telling people that he's Sinn Fein, not IRA, was indeed IRA commander in Belfast for many many years.

Now with the Good Friday peace accords stuck, Adams is calling on the IRA to disband... and as the Guardian reports today, the organization is considering its response.
As the article points out, there may be good reasons to keep the IRA around. Catholics in Northern Ireland have nowhere to turn to protect them from Unionist and British violence except the IRA. Adams is in effect asking them to put their trust in politics as a defense against terrorism from the other side. As long as the UDF and the RUC are around, families are clearly in danger.

If you thought I had the answers to this though, you're wrong. I can't claim to be smarter than the Bertie Ahern's and Tony Blair's of the world who haven't really figured it out either.

More Proof the Bill of Rights is Dead

The Washington Post reports the Justice Department now admits it used a "secret warrant" to break into the home of an Oregon lawyer suspected of complicity in the Madrid train bombings. This was always an egregious case since the Spanish authorities had said from the very beginning the fingerprints didn't match and the FBI responded by belittling the Spanish expertise.

Thank Bob for people like John Conyers who have the guts to stand up to the jackboots in the Justice Department.

From Whitewater to Whitewash

Just a few days ago there was a story about the huge amount of money the special prosecutors in the Whitewater (Kenneth Starr) and the Henry Cisneros cases are STILL spending years after the Clinton Administration entered the history books.

Now it seems the prosecutor looking for actual evidence to what most people suspect, that Cheney Chief of Staff Scooter Libby leaked the identity of a secret CIA operative to the press to embarrass her husband who was saying the Bushies were lying about Uranimium in Niger, is ready to give it all up. It looks like he wants to send two reporters who DIDN'T write the story to jail while leaving evil ole Robert Novak who DID write the story completely alone.

The Future of the Abortion Debate

Noam Scheiber has a fascinating analysis in the New Republic of how the Terri Schiavo case exposed a rift within the Democratic Party between what she calls "Communitarians" and Social Libertarians.

He also suggests if the "communitarians" prevail, it could be a roadmap to a return to a Democratic Majority.

Cy Twombly

I had never heard of this guy until the Menil Collection in Houston added a whole new building just to feature his work. Yeah, it's one of those, my five year old could have done this... but as I always say to those people... A: your 5 year old
didnt and B: Maybe you should take a closer look at what your 5 year old does draw.

Anyway, Slate today has a nice photo essay of some of Twombly's best stuff.

No Brains Required

Ever hear someone is brainless? Usually it just means they're ditzy. But one blogger suggests there are intelligent fuctioning people with no detectable brain.
Sounds farfetched but I'm posting it because it includes a mention of one of my favorite provocative thinkers of today... Dr. Rupert Sheldrake. the man who conceived of the "morphic field."

Message Boards: A Threat to Social Order

As some of you may know, I spent several months last year as the administrator and moderator of a message board for my favorite heavy metal band, Avenged Sevenfold. I certainly went through some crazy turmoil during that time... but also cyber-met some wonderful people whom I consider good friends.

Maybe the Chinese Propaganda authorities caught wind of some of the wilder stuff that happened to me on there. Okay, certainly not. Instead as the Christian Science Monitor reports the Chinese are simply cracking down on another forum for free thought and communication.

Remember When Games Had Scores, and Winners and Losers?

My friend James Curcio whose brilliant book "Join My Cult" you should all rush out and buy (then buy twenty more copies to send to your friends) has been trying to engage his e-mail list in these games for the past few weeks. I didn't really get it (guess I'm too old or too dense) but now the Guardian is spreading some light on this phenomenon.
I'm still not sure I get it.

Awaiting the Bust in CapitaLand

My friend Si Meng is from the Shanghai area... and she's always telling me about what a wonderful place it is.

Slate today has a nicely written travelogue through Shanghai's knock-off trade, construction boom, and likely real estate bubble.

The Pope Saves Bankrupt Americans... For a Week at Least

Well, the House is delaying its vote on the bankruptcy reform bill....

Just as there's sign some Democrats, 54 of them to be exact, are finally starting to recognize what a disaster this bill could be for many Americans. "The Raw Story" leaked this dissent from those Democratic members in advance of the floor fight.

It's Not Officially Afghanistan Day here. but....

So the two first fascinating things I look at today when I wake up both involve Afghanistan. This is an exhuastive report from Mother Jones on the extent to which the warlords/druglords run Afghanistan and some warnings for the future there. Definitely worth the time to read.

Does This Mean There Will Be Less Room For Opium Production?

During the Presidential debates, John Kerry repeatedly accused the Bush Administration of allowing Osama bin Laden to escape from Tora Bora. This never got much traction in part, I suspect, because most voters assumed Tora Bora was some South Pacific island Terisa Heinz-Kerry owned.

At the core of Kerry's allegation was that the Bush Administration failed to commit the resources to win in Tora Bora, instead relying on local warlords. Now those warlords rule most of the country, allowing them to return to their cash crop of choice, poppy for opium and heroin.

So now these years later, isn't it nice that the Afghan Government has decided to beautify their landscape with some... well how about some.. yeah we'll plant some trees!

Fascinating Obit

You know one of the fun things about reading the obits (if that doesn't sound toooooo morbid) is you learn about people who you wish you were cool enough to have known about while they lived.

Here's an example: Alan Dundes.

Save Bankruptcy for those Who Need It.

It's not so surprising is it that now that the election is over, the Republicans are looking out for the corporate interests at the expense of ordinary families.

Check out DebtSlavery to find out how to try to stop them at the last minute and maybe give some Democrats some backbone too.

Hi, I'm Your Friend, I Want to Get You Killed

Unbelievable. Thanks to "No Child Left Behind" schools are now forced to let military recruiters on campus to make their death pitches to students. Maybe the recruiters are learning from the tobacco industry about how to make getting your ass shot seem fun and glamorous.

The LA Times has the latest in this on-going saga which is leading, in my opiinion, closer to a return of the draft.

Marriage by Any Other Name

Maybe if we can just get over the stupid word "marriage" we could come to a solution that would please everyone.

That's what it appears an Appeals Court is trying to do today.

High Energy Prices vs. Living Underwater - Some Choice

The Guardian has a fascinating story about a potential new supply of underwater natural gas.... perhaps enough to melt more glaciers and flood people who live near the ocean... like me.

Well Duh, Guess Who They're Written For

The New York Times found some intelligent Bush administration officials who find the Daily Intelligence Briefings useless.

(BTW, if you don't have a New York Times account... get one)

Deploying the Media

Pretty interesting article in Mother Jones about the media/military nexus. While it's a little shrill in tone, it makes some valid points.

The Death of a Pope

So all of this coverage of the death of the Pole has reminded me of one of the great under-reported stories of the last century.... the death, some say the murder of Pope John Paul the First.

From what I remember about this story, Albino Luciani was pope for merely 30 days. He took over the papacy at a time when many Cardinals and members of the Curia were purported to be members of various masonic conspiracies, the largest and most influential of which was called P2. There have been stories written and a few web sites posted of questionable credibility but I am really interested in any new legitimate journalistic inquiry into the circumstance surrounding his death and the election of the Pole.

So if you know something, spill!

Thanks to Terry Heaton

I wanted to take a moment to thank Terry Heaton of Donata Communications for inspiring me to finally start this blog. Any of you interested in the future of the TV news business should definitely check out his blog at http://donatacom.com/blog.shtml

First Post

Well as those of you who know me know, I've played around with a lot of variations on blogs over the years. Whether it was the initial Shields News Service which was just a set of links to cool stuff I found on-line or it was brianslunch.com which was mostly about pictures of San Francsico (and of my food).

Now I have a professional opportunity to get more involved in blogging, so I figured the time was right to launch a real blog using some standard software (instead of trying to format it all myself.

So please share this site with your friends... and participate with me.

Brian