We just got a let-TER!

Torrent of the entire run of the Sifl and Olly show. You have to create an account to access it and it's huge (nearly 3GB). But ever since MTV stopped running it, I haven't seen it anywhere. Plus, I just got a DVD burner last week, so we're gonna have some fun in the Pierce household soon!

Words vs. Deeds

The Center for American Progress takes a look at President Bush's last three State of the Union addresses and compares what he's said to what he's done. Biased? Sure, but facts are facts. The first two from last year's address:

CLAIM: "If we failed to act in Iraq the dictator's weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day."

STATUS: "The 1991 Persian Gulf War and subsequent U.N. inspections destroyed Iraq's illicit weapons capability and, for the most part, Saddam Hussein did not try to rebuild it, according to an extensive report by the chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq," Charles Duelfer. [Washington Post, 10/7/04]

STATUS: The hunt for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in Iraq has come to an end nearly two years after President Bush ordered U.S. troops to disarm Saddam Hussein. A senior intelligence official said Duelfer's findings will stand as the Iraq Survey Group's final conclusions and will be published this spring. [Washington Post, 1/12/05]

CLAIM: "America is committed to keep dangerous weapons from dangerous regimes."

STATUS: Under Bush's watch, North Korea's nuclear arsenal is thought to have quadrupled. Charles Pritchard, formerly Colin Powell's top official dealing with North Korea, has warned for months that "the White House lacks an effective strategy to dissuade North Korea from building up its nuclear arms." And, according to Pritchard, the situation has deteriorated because "the administration has neither offered much of a carrot nor wielded a stick." [New York Times, 5/7/04]

STATUS: According to a recent Harvard University report titled "Securing the Bomb: An Agenda for Action," "less fissile materials were secured in the two years after Sept. 11 than in the two years before." [Harvard Report, 5/04]

Here we go

The Alabama legislative session starts this week. I'm going to try to keep up with some of the more - shall we say - interesting bills onthe floor. I've listed three so far, but there's plenty more where that came from.

HB30: Prohibition use of public funds of materials that show homosexuality in a positive light

Synopsis:

Currently, the Title 16, Chapter 40A, Code of Alabama 1975, (1) provides minimum content standards to be included in any sex education program or curriculum taught in Alabama public schools including an emphasis, in a factual manner and from a public health perspective, that homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under the laws of the state and (2) provides that conduct that is illegal under state law shall not be encouraged or proposed to public school children in such a manner as to indicate that they have a legitimate right to decide or choose illegal conduct. However, the state has no established policy restricting or prohibiting the use of state funds for the purchase of textbooks, library books, or other materials that sanction, recognize, foster, or promote a lifestyle or actions prohibited by the sodomy and sexual misconduct laws of the state.

This bill would prohibit the expenditure or use of public funds or public facilities by any state agency or public entity for the purchase, production, or promotion of printed or electronic materials or activities that sanction, recognize, foster, or promote a lifestyle or actions prohibited by the sodomy and sexual misconduct laws of the state.

Full text (pdf): HB30

Sponsor: Rep Gerald Allen (R-Cottondale)

HB1: Alabama Marriage Protection Act

Synopsis:

Under the Alabama Marriage Protection Act, the State of Alabama does not recognize a marriage of parties of the same sex. This bill would propose an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to provide that no marriage license shall be issued in Alabama to parties of the same sex and that the state shall not recognize a marriage of parties of the same sex that occurred as a result of the law of any other jurisdiction.

Full text (pdf): HB1

Sponsor: Rep Gerald Allen (R-Cottondale)

HB112: Allowing the 10 Commandents on state property

Synposis:

This bill would propose a constitutional amendment which would provide that property belonging to the state may be used to display the Ten Commandments and that the right to display the Ten Commandments on property owned or administrated by a public school or public body is not restrained or abridged.

This bill would also provide that every person would be at liberty to worship according to his or her own conscience; and that no person would be compelled to attend or support a place of worship or a minister. This bill would also provide that the civil and political rights, privileges, and capacities of no person may be diminished or enlarged on account of his or her religious beliefs. This bill would prohibit the expenditure of public funds in defense of the constitutionality of this amendment.

Full text (pdf): HB112

Sponsor: Rep Ken Guin (D-Tuscaloosa) *House Majority Leader

Dead or Alive!

Hee hee hee.

Mr. Cheney's Wardrobe provided by Land's End

Remember Where's Waldo? Let's play Where's Cheney:



Hint: he's the one wearing a freakin' ski toboggan to the Auschwitz memorial ceremonies.

Classy.

Word of the Day: Moiety

Sean sent this:

I think you get the word of the day yourself. Somedays I come up with new definitions of the words they send me. Like today's.

-----Original Message-----
Subject: moiety: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Word of the Day for Thursday January 27, 2005

moiety \MOY-uh-tee\, noun:
1. One of two equal parts; a half.
2. An indefinite part; a small portion or share.
3. One of two basic tribal subdivisions.
4. The state or quality of being like Moesha.

Tom divided the cake and Becky ate with good appetite,
while Tom nibbled at his moiety.
--Mark Twain, [1]The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The cast of UPN's "Girlfriends", though certainly likeable
enough, are lacking in a basic moiety.
--Bill E. Smith, "UPN's New Season" [3]New York Times,
June 27, 1993
_________________________________________________________

Moiety comes from Old French meitiet, from Late Latin
medietas, from Latin medius, "middle."

Oscar Nominations

Yep, they came out today. First thoughts:

• No Paul Giamatti. Damn.
  
• Hawkeye gets a supporting nod.
  
• It looks like Laura Linney is Kinsey's sole nom.
  
• Christ: 3 ... F9/11: 0
  
• Supporting actress is the same as the Globes with the exception of Meryl (add Sopie Okonedo).
  
• Mike Liegh's directing nomination for Vera Drake seems out of place. Not sure why.
  
• THINKFilm's got two docu noms. I've heard lots of good things about thier Story of the Weeping Camel.
  
• That Mick Jagger song that won the Globe. Not even nominated. And it still sucks.
  
• Both screenplay awards look pretty tight.
  
• Mrs P want Don Cheadle to win Best Actor.
  
• Great list for Best Picture. I'll pick Million Dollar Baby for early lead.
  

Update on Sheriff Holcomb

The Huntsville Times is reporting that Marshall County Sheriff Mac Holcomb is moving his anti-gay letter off of the county site to a personal site. Holcomb issued a press release:

"This will prevent the county from having to spend money unnecessarily in defending a frivolous lawsuit and ... this action will make it clear that the views expressed are my personal views and do not represent official policy of the county or the sheriff's department," Holcomb said in the release.

Well, that's kinda the point, isn't it? That your personal views were seen as representing the county by being on the county's website. Obviously, Holcomb may or may not be the best person for the job, but that's the Marshall county residents' choice.

Think nationally, act locally

Sorry for the dearth of posting lately. Work has seriously been kicking my ass backwards and forwards. I've been thinking more about the despair and futility that we on the left side of the playing field seem to be feeling. My friends bitch about the extreme right taking over our government but then finish by saying "but there's not a whole lot we can do about it." That's disappointing. I'm not saying I know what to do, but damnit, something has to be done. Something other than bitching (though bitching is a great cathartic tool). With that in mind, I'm going to focus mainly on what I can do here in Alabama. And God knows there's a lot to do around here. In no particular order:

• State Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker's religious leanings and how they may effect his decisions. Here's part of his statement from his swearing in ceremony:
  

  Just moments before I placed my hand on the Holy Scripture, Justice Thomas soberly addressed me and those in attendance. He admonished us to remember that the worth of a justice should be evaluated by one thing, and by one thing alone: whether or not he is faithful to uphold his oath _ an oath which as Justice Thomas pointed out is not to the people; it's not to the state; it's not even to the Constitution, which is one to be supported, but is an oath which is to God Himself

  
  Orcinus writes in detail and much more lucidly than I could acheive. Go read his entry.



• Roy Moore's gubenatorial campaign should be starting up any day now. I've said ever since his very first 10 Commandments debacle (which was a plaque in his courtroom when he was a state circuit judge) that the whole thing was a political move. It looks like I've been proved right. A poll of likely Republican primary voters shows Moore with an 8-percentage-point lead over Gov. Bob Riley in a hypothetical 2006 primary matchup.
  

  "The very idea that 70 percent of (Republicans support) a judge who was removed from office for placing himself above the law is truly shocking," he said. "I think it's pretty clear that they don't understand the concept of separation of church and state. But instead of educating the electorate regarding these most important tenets of democracy, our politicians continue to pander to the public for their own political gain."

  
  Just so everyone's clear: Moore was not removed from office because he's a Christian, but because he defied a federal court order. Here's an informative (if biased) timeline.



• Marshall County Sheriff Mac Holcomb has a nice jeremiad on the Marshall County website. Here's a sample:
  

  During this era [1950's Alabama], love of God, family, and country abounded. Men were men and women were women and there was no mistaking which was which. Both were proud of their individual roles. Homosexuality was very queer and a despicable act… an abomination.

  
  Again, the problem is not that Sheriff Holcomb has these views (well, that's not a legal issue, at least), but that he's using county resources to promulgate those views. It's simply not the correct platform to do so. A transcript of talk show host Mike Signorile's interview with Sheriff Holcomb here.



• Of course, we still have the 10 Commandments Robe (TM). I haven't heard anything new on this lately. I originally commented on this here. I'll try to dig up some info and pass it on.



• Then there's State Rep. Gerald Allen (R-Cottendale) and his attempt to banish the Color Purple and the Picture of Dorian Gray along with any other media which shows homosexuality in a "positive light" from public libraries and schools. Here's my original post on it. Here's an example of activism! Yay! Interesing response from Rep. Gaines. Go read.



• And finally we still have ol' Amendment 2. Unfortunately the recount shouwed it failed to pass. Moore, Parker and others campaigned against it, saying that it would have opened a loophole for "activist judges" (there's that GOP buzzword again) to create new education taxes. But that's bogus:
  

  Wayne Flynt, a professor of history at Auburn University and member of Auburn's First Baptist Church, accused Giles, Moore and their allies of willfully misleading voters in a Dec. 5 guest column for the Birmingham News.
  
  "They know a circuit court judge in 1993 struck down the amendment they cherish," Flynt wrote. "They know the state Supreme Court twice upheld that ruling. They know the state recently passed an amendment requiring that any court-authorized tax increase be referred to a statewide referendum so no judge can unilaterally raise taxes. And they know the consequence of their demagoguery will be a national campaign of ridicule unparalleled in recent Alabama history."
  
  Indeed, the Alabama Supreme Court -- including Moore -- in 2002 upheld both the idea that the right-to-education provision was null but that judges could not impose new taxes without legislative approval.

So, I'm still here fighting the good fight. Or at least shadow boxing. If anyone out there has any ideas on how to be more effective, let me know.

Boxing Rice

Condoleeza Rice is currently going through her Senate confirmation hearings. Senator Barbara Boxer's statements today rocked. Here's a sampling:

And if you're going to become the voice of diplomacy -- this is just a helpful point -- when Senator Voinovich mentioned the issue of tsunami relief, you said -- your first words were, "The tsunami was a wonderful opportunity for us." Now, the tsunami was one of the worst tragedies of our lifetime -- one of the worst -- and it's going to have a 10-year impact on rebuilding that area. I was very disappointed in your statement.

So in your statement it takes you to page three to mention the word "Iraq." Then you mention it in the context of elections -- which is fine -- but you never even mention indirectly the 1,366 American troops that have died, or the 10,372 who have been wounded

And I, like Senator Feingold and everyone here who was in the Senate at the time, voted to go after Osama bin Laden and to go after the Taliban, and to defeat al Qaeda. And you say they have left territory -- that's not true. Your own documents show that al Qaeda has expanded from 45 countries in '01 to more than 60 countries today

NIC chairman Robert Hutchings said Iraq is, quote, "a magnet for international terrorist activity."
And this was not the case in '01. And I have great proof of it, including a State Department document that lists every country -- could you hold that up? -- in which al Qaeda operated prior to 9/11. And you can see the countries; no mention of Iraq. And this booklet was signed off on by the president of the United States, George W. Bush. It was put out by George Bush's State Department, and he signed it. There was no al Qaeda activity there -- no cells.

So the president tells the people there could be a weapon. Nine months later you said no one ever said he could have a weapon in a year, when in fact the president said it.

If it served your purpose to downplay the threat of nuclear weapons, you said, "No one said he's going to have it in a year." But then later, when you thought that perhaps you were on more solid ground with the American people because at the time the war was probably popular, or more popular, you'd say, "We thought he was going to have a weapon within a year."

And as much as I want to look ahead -- and we will work together on a myriad of issues -- it's hard for me to let go of this war, because people are still dying. And you have not laid out an exit strategy. You've not set up a timetable.

Senator Boxer also quotes Peter Bergen:

What we have done in Iraq is what bin Laden could not have hoped for in his wildest dreams: We invaded an oil-rich Muslim nation in the heart of the Middle East, the very type of imperial adventure bin Laden has long predicted was the U.S.'s long-term goal in the region. We deposed the secular socialist Saddam, whom bin Laden has long despised, ignited Sunni and Shi'a fundamentalist fervor in Iraq, and have now provoked a defensive jihad that has galvanized jihad- minded Muslims around the world. It's hard to imagine a set of policies better designed to sabotage the war on terror.

Rice's initial response:

Senator, I am more than aware of the stakes that we face in Iraq, and I was more than aware of the stakes of going to war in Iraq. I mourn and honor -- I mourn the dead and honor their service, because we have asked American men and women in uniform to do the hardest thing, which is to go and defend freedom and give others an opportunity to build a free society, which will make us safer.

Note that Senator Boxer had just finished saying that no, in fact, the US and world are not safer. On the contrary, the invasion of Iraq is "what bin Laden could not have hoped for in his wildest dreams."

More of Rice's response:

But Senator Boxer, we went to war not because of aluminum tubes. We went to war because this was the threat of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a man against whom we had gone to war before, who threatened his neighbors, who threatened our interests, who was one of the world's most brutal dictators. And it was high time to get rid of him, and I'm glad that we're rid of him.

Echoes of Gary Cooper, there. "We invaded a soveriegn nation because the leader was a bad guy and we didn't like him. He was kind of a schoolyard bully." Not really a justifiable reason to launch a war.

Anyway, you really need to go read the whole thing.

Postal Experiments

These folks experimented with what could be shipped though the USPS. Quite funny.

Never-opened small bottle of spring water. We observed the street corner box surreptitiously the following day upon mail collection. After puzzling briefly over this item, the postal carrier removed the mailing label and drank the contents of the bottle over the course of a few blocks as he worked his route.

The experiment was conducted pre-9/11, so I'd be interested in what happened in the days after anthrax scares. Via BoingBoing.

Golden Globes: Aftermath

Apologies for not concluding my series of Globes picks, though the way they turned out I'm glad I did spend a whole lotta time on them. Mrs P beat me, but neither of us did well this year. We aim to get around 15 or 16 correct picks (out of the 24 or so) - about two thirds. This year the wife got 11 right while I got a lousy 9. Ick.

So here's what I took away from the festivities.

• Zach Braff plays himself in Scrubs and Garden State. He brought his mom to the show. Did you catch him trying to sneak a smootch from Teri Hatcher after she won? He radiates dweeb sweetness.
  
  
• Speaking of Teri Hatcher - very surprised she beat out Marcia Cross. Marcia steals the show every week.
  
  
• As they were playing "Old Habits Die Hard" (Best Song), I looked at Mrs P and said "Man, that song really sucks." Of course it won. The song still sucks.
  
  
• Ian McSchane winning for Deadwood was cool. I watched the pilot episode and wasn't impressed though I liked his character and Brad Dourif's Doc Cochran.
  
  
• It seems like every Original Score award goes to Howard Shore or John Williams.
  
  
• I picked Clint for Best Director (woo, I got one right!), though I would have liked to have seen Alexander Payne win.
  
  
• Charlie Kaufman looked nervous. I get the feeling he's always like that.
  
  
• Clive Owen! I called that one. I'm proud of myself.
  
  
• Natalie Portman? Wow. Mrs P'c comment: "I bet Zach Braff is glad he met her when her did"
  
  
• Paul Giamatti didn't win. Sigh. But Jamie Foxx's acceptance speech was the best of the night (including Robin William's).
  
  
• Leo for Best Actor, eh? It'll be interesting how the Academy responds.
  
  
• Hilary Swank looks like a good bet for the Oscar.
  
  
• Sideways. Best Picture. WoohoO!
  
  
• And finally, NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE SHAT(ner)! I told the wife he'd win - she just laughed and said oh you're so funny.
  

The final tally:

Me:
Best Motion Picture - Comedy
Best Actress - Drama
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
Best Director - Motion Picture
Best Screenplay
Best Actor - Miniseries/TV Motion Picture
Best Supporting Actor - Miniseries/TV Motion Picture
Best Supporting Actress - Miniseries/TV Motion Picture

Mrs. P:

Best Motion Picture - Drama
Best Motion Picture - Comedy
Best Actress - Drama
Best Actor - Comedy
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Screenplay
Best Original Score
Best Actor - TV Comedy
Best Miniseries/TV Motion Picture
Best Actor - Miniseries/TV Motion Picture
Best Actress - Miniseries/TV Motion Picture

Blogrollin': 1/14/2005

So I'm a bit new to this whole blogging thing. Even though I write software for a living, I don't always keep up to date on all the newest - the latest and greatest as it were. Thus, I'm not always aware of when someone else links me up. Is there a tool out there that'll find these linkups? Someone point it out if there is or else I'll just sit here being stupid.

So in the spirit of not sucking, I give you Rook's Rant. Honestly - I happened to run across their site (from a Shakespeare's Sister link, I think) and noticed that lo and behold, I'm essential reading. I'm not sure about essential, but I thankee for linking me. Here's to ya!

Golden Globes: Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)

Woohoo! Two GG posts tonight! It's late, I'm tired, I've had a hella week, so let's just jump right to it, shall we? Here's the nominees:

Beyond the Sea - Kevin Spacey
De-Lovely - Kevin Kline
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Jim Carrey
Ray - Jamie Foxx
Sideways - Paul Giamatti

Kline, you're outta there. Like his co-star Ashley Judd, just being nominated is an honor. And that's as far as he's getting.

Keyser Soze's next to get crossed off the list. Spacey's labor of love is getting mediocre reviews on the whole (41% at RottenTomatoes). Kev should be happy that he was able to make his movie and that's that.

After winning his second Globe in a row for Man on the Moon, Jim Carrey declared himself "the Tom Hanks of the Golden Globes!" Yep, Hanks won two Oscars in a row a couple years before. Guess what, Hanks hasn't won another Oscar since. And Fire Marshall Bill won't win won this year either (though he was excellent in this flick).

So it's Jamie's Ray or Paul's Miles. Damn.

If you've been paying attention, you know that I'm partial to Sideways. Three scenes stand out in my mind (skip down below the bullet points if you've not seen the movie, please!):

Obviously the scene between him and Virginia Madsen's Maya on the porch. Miles knows he's talking about himself by talking about the wine, Maya knows it, and we know it. It's sweet and charming and one of those scenes that just makes you catch your breath.

His facial expressions while watching the fat couple have sex and trying to figure out how to get the wallet. You can just see the whole thing play out in his eyes.

Drinking the '61 Cheval Blanc in the burger joint. He's at his nadir and he knows it. He's so alone that he does the unthinkable just to try to make one stupid day - one little part of his life - special. The more I think about this scene, the more I love this movie.

OK, we've not yet seen Ray, so I can't wax poetic on it. Suffice it to say that Jamie's got the momentum: the press buzz, the bevy of nominations, Ray Charles just died for God's sake. Were I an oddsmaker, I'd put him at 5-2 easy. He's obviously the lock.

That's why I'm going with Paul Giamatti. Mrs. P and I have drunk three bottles of wine since seeing Sideways last week. This movie is

just

that

damn

good.

Brad 'n Jen

It's teh funny.

Golden Globes: Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)

OK - here's the next installment of my Globes picks. I know you've all been waiting up losing sleep over it.

Tonight's installment is Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy (AKA non-Drama). Really odd assortment in this one. The nominees are Annette Bening for Being Julia, Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Ashley Judd in De-Lovely, Kate Winslet for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Phantom of the Opera's Emmy Rossum.

OK, first off we'll kick out Renée on principle. Getting nominated for a reprise role? How strange. Neither Mrs. P nor I can figure this one out.

Ms. Judd is the next to get stricken from the list. Hey, I love her - this picture alone is enough for me and I'm a Tennesseee fan. De-Lovely is on our Netflix list and I'm looking forward to seeing it, but it got mediocre reviews. The HFPA's nomination is Ashley's reward this year.

The only picture that's actually a musical: Phantom. Mrs P. and I lucked into 2nd row seats when the touring company came through and thouroughly enjoyed ourselves. I even ducked when the chandelier came down. Great stuff. Still, the only other awards Ms. Rossem is up for are the Golden Satellite (who apparently loved the movie) and the National Board of Review's Breakthough Actress. I'm looking forward to seeing this film and looking forward to seeing Emmy sitting in the audience playing the gracious loser.

And so, down to two (you seeing a trend yet?). It's young vs. (Hollywood) old. Period piece vs. Charlie Kaufman. Clementine vs. Julia.

I've not seen Being Julia yet, but it looks like a lot of fun. Considering how short Annette's resume is (how short? Kate Winslet's been in more films!), she's done some great work. She would have scored a Globe and/or Oscar if not for Hilary Swank's TV gig.

That said, this is Kate's year. She's been nominated twice for BAFTAs, thrice each for Oscars and SAGs (and won a SAG) and four times for a Golden Globe. She's reaching critical mass (though she's only a 3.7 on the Susan Lucci scale of futility). She's my call.

Bizzare: Tiny human (?) creature found in Chile

Hope IMed this story to me. Really odd stuff, probably a hoax. Still, a good read and some cool, slightly creepy pix.

The first thing that caught the attention of the journalists was the size of the skull in relation to the body. The fingers -located on what appear to be the hands - seem to have quite long fingernails: "They seem to be continuingly growing", Carreño said. The slanted-shaped eyes, although closed, can easily be seen. They are located on each side of the head.

Franz Ferdinand

One of my favorite albums from last year was Franz Ferdinand's eponymous debut. They're now up for 5 Brit awards: Best Group, Best Album, Best Breakthrough Act, Best Rock and Best Live Act. What sucks for me is that I bought their album on a Tuesday. The next day they played their final US date in Atlanta (easy 2 1/2 drive from here). Had we known, the Mrs. and I would have jumped at the chance to see them live. Now we'll have to pay $50 to see them the next time they come through...dammit.

Frustration

From Shakespeare's Sister:

I’m sick to the teeth of this administration, their Congressional minions, and their media operatives being demonstrably incapable of apologizing for or even admitting they are wrong about anything. The truth is, war opponents were right, for all the right reasons—no one suggested that Hussein was not an evil tyrant, or that Iraq wasn’t a problem that needed a workable solution; our differences were in what that solution was, and why a preemptive strike was not a viable or appropriate solution—and yet there is not a smidgeon of acknowledgement that the millions of Americans who were lambasted for espousing such views have turned out to be spot-on.

Now go read it all.

Stop the World, I Wanna Get Off

Sometimes it just moves too dang quick. In the past couple of weeks:

• The Senate has been trying to determine whether or not to OK an AG nominee that thinks torture is OK and that the president can ignore laws that he feels may be unconstitutional.
  
• The Bush administration has floated the idea of keeping detainees in Guantanamo, et al. in captivity for the duration without due process.
  
• Political commentator Armstrong Williams got paid $240,000 to propogandize for the Bush administration. And he says that he's not the only one.
  
• According to Newsweek, the US military (that's the *good guys*) plans to train Iraqi "death squads" a la Central America circa Ollie North.
  
• The House Republicans were nearly set to gut their own ethics rules to ensure Tom Delay wouldn't get kicked out of his Majority Leader spot if/when he get indicted. They caved and only altered their rules a bit after getting razzed.
  
• Social Security is under attack. As a free market type, I lean towards economic self-governance. Unfortunately I don't trust this administration to make any SS change veer towards economic self-governance. Rather I see the goal as "how much money can we make here?" And by make, I mean steal.
  
• A bill has been floated in Virginia's House which would require "any woman who experiences “fetal death” without a doctor’s assistance to report this to the local law-enforcement agency within twelve hours of the miscarriage. Failure to do so is punishable as a Class 1 Misdemeanor."
  

Really, I want to comment on all of these issues. They just come too fast sometimes.

Bizzare Tech: Pulverize Anything

Via BoingBoing: Machine chops almost anything into micron-size pieces. You know that discussion you had at some point in college one late night about "so if you had to dispose of a body, how would you do it?" Here's my method.

Golden Globes: Actor in a Supporting Role, Movie

The second in the series of Golden Globes picks (here's the first), today I'll look at Actor in a Supporting Role.

The nominees are David Carradine for Kill Bill Vol. 2, Thomas Haden Church for Sideways, Jamie Foxx for Collateral, Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby and Clive Owen in Closer.

David Carradine? Really? Kwai Chang? Interesting choice - and a fun film, I don't deny - but I didn't see this as an award winning performance. We'll get to Uma later.

Jamie Foxx had an incredible year, but he's a stronger candidate for Best Actor in Ray. Anyway, as Entertainment Weekly said, "though what, exactly, makes [his role in Collateral] anything but a lead performace is a question that only the movie gods and Tom Cruise's publicist know the answer to."

Freeman goes in the third slot for two rather superficial reasons: 1) Million Dollar Baby is still only in limited release (we won't get it here for another two weeks) and thus isn't generating the press that Closer et al. get and 2) the last two on the list are just that good. And I like Morgan even in stinkers like Dreamcatcher. OK, maybe not Dreamcatcher - how about Outbreak?

Once again, we're down to the last two: Thomas Haden Church and Clive Owen. Personally (since that's all this is, really), I want Church to win it. I loved his Jack. As the wife pointed out, the only time he's straight up with Miles is in the restaurant towards the end of the movie when he tells him (paraphrasing here) "Miles, you know literature, books, wine.... But you don't know my plight."

On the other hand, Owen is an accomplished stage actor who played Jude Law's character in the stage version of Closer. He was supposed to break out with Croupier, but it didn't turn into that mid-range blockbuster as expected. All the Oscar buzz around the film and the weight costars of Julia Roberts and Jude Law should carry Owen to the win.

Need vs. Culture

While sailing the blogosphere, I came across this post:

Both Gerakan Acheh Merdeka (GAM) and Laksar Mujahidin are making allegations that the food aid being distributed by America and Australia among others to tsunami survivors in Aceh and North Sumatra is "non-halal" or "not fit for human consumption".

It got me thinking about how the rest of the world views Americans as illiterate and/or ignorant with regards to other cultures, especially non-Western cultures. Arguments have been made that this (perhaps willful?) ignorance is part of the root cause of the Western/Islamic tensions and thus part of the cause of 9/11. I shan't get into that argument, but honestly I hadn't considered the dietary requirements of those left in the wake of the East Asian tsunami. I expect that there's some standard aid package which is culturally neutral and easily transportable (rice, beans, etc.) but I have no way of knowing. Curious problem. I have no allergies nor any dietary strictures other than being slightly lactose intolerant. I'm not sure how I'd react if presented with the quandry of eating forbidden food vs. starving.

Here's a quick reference for Halal and Haram foods.

Golden Globes: Actress in a Supporting Role, Movie

Aside from being a dog freak, my wife is also a movie freak. I didn't realize how much I knew - and didn't know - about movies until I met her. Suffice it to say that only the most hardcore movie buffs dare play "Scene It" with her.

We have three must watch days in our house: Emmys, Oscars and Golden Globes. We get Hooter's take out and watch the festivities, hoping for a repeat of Liz drooling out "Glaaaaaadiaatoooooor" or (even better) Adrien Brody doing the two-lip tango with Halle Barry. Oscar night two years ago we were coming back from a weekend at my Mom's and (long story short) ended up picking up a stray cat at the state line rest area. The cat's new name? Oscar. It's a female. Very confusing.

So, in honor of our shared movie mania and our screening of Sideways last night I'm going to list our picks for some of the main awards. Up first: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.

The nominees are Cate Blanchett in The Aviator, Laura Linney for Kinsey, Virginia Madsen in Sideways, Natalie Portman for Closer and Meryl Streep for The Manchurian Candidate.

Firstly, Meryl's nom is pretty much a courtesy from the HFPA. The movie got decent reviews, but none of the true over-the-top raves that might ease her into the win.

Laura Linney got nominated last for You Can Count on Me and scored some points for last year's Mystic River. However, Liam Neeson will reap the rewards for Kinsey, so Linney's got the dark horse thing going on here.

Natalie Portman's work in Closer is heroic, daring, exposed - all those adjectives the reviewers love (and she cut her hair!!). Unfortunately for her, she's coming off of the Star Wars movies and that hurts her with this crowd. Closer should push her into good standing with the critics (as this nomination shows), but she doesn't have enough weight yet to support a win.

So we're down to Virginia Madsen and Cate Blanchett. Cate's obviously got the edge having already won a Globe for Elizabeth. However, Sideways is one of those small movies that the HFPA loves. Cate plays Katharine Hepburn - a Hollywood legend. Virginia's Maya is an educated, self-starting, sexy, strong woman, just the type of character Hollywood movies need. It's a tough call, but I think Cate has an edge here. Virginia's my personal choice (hey, she won a Saturn Award in '92 for Candyman! She was in Dune!), but Cate will get the trophy.

All that said:

My wife loves to point out that if any upset's gonna happen, it'll be in the supporting categories. In the case of an upset, I'll go with Laura Linney. See how I covered all my bases there?

Distributed Computing

Way way way way back when ('99 or so), I signed up for SETI@Home. For those familiar, skip to the next graf. SETI stands for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. In short, SETI collects data from radio telescopes around the world. The data is then analyzed for anomalous signals - stuff that's not just part of the background noise of space. The problem that SETI ran into was the volume of data they had to work with - there was simply too much data and not enough computing power to run through it. Unfortunately, I can't find any specific numbers. Suffice it to say that a needle in a thousand haystacks only begins to tell the story. One day, a couple of guys figured out that instead of trying to parse all the data on one big computer, why not use a bunch of smaller computers? The idea of distributed computing had obviously been around before, mainly to do things like factor 100 digit numbers and "prove that there isn’t a 19-mark Golomb ruler shorter than 246 units". Whatever that means. Anywho, SETI created a little downloadable app that ran as a screensaver. The app would download a chunk of data to the local user's machine, process it and then upload the chunk back to SETI's servers. It then picked up the next chunk in the queue and continued. As of today, SETI@Home has utilized 2,183,255 years of computer processing. Two Millenia. Each day, over a thousand more years of computer processing time is used.

Welcome back to those familiar with SETI@Home. The thing is, SETI@Home proved that this is a viable model for working through huge amounts of data. A few years back, other projects started popping up. Gateway even put together a business model for reselling distributed computing services by utilizing all of the unused CPU hours on their demo models in their brick and mortar stores. Pretty slick idea, though I haven't heard much more about it since.

I've been a SETI@Home participant for quite a while and processed a ton of data units. I still support the program and encourage anyone interested in signing up. However, I've now switched my home computer over to a different app: the World Community Grid. Instead of scanning the sky for ETI, this app is folding proteins in the hopes of discovering new ways to fight virii, cancers, and genetic defects. From their site:

World Community Grid is focusing on a project key to advancing our knowledge of human disease. By identifying the proteins that make up the Human Proteome, scientists can build the understanding needed for novel and effective treatments for diseases like cancer, HIV/AIDS, SARS, and malaria.

There have been - and are - other apps with this same goal. In fact, I've installed a different one on a long lost workstation before. This is just the one that I came across most recently and won by virtue of being the first one I found after getting a new home computer.

With regards to switching from SETI@Home to the WCG, I simply feel that this application has a greater chance for an immediate benefit. I still have SETI@Home running on my machine at work, so I haven't given up completely on the little green men. But given the choice between curing cancer and finding alien intelligence.... Actually, that's a damn tough decision.

Desmond Tutu Interview

Somehow I missed this. Thanks to 1031 Productins for bringing it to my attention.

Quote of the Day, Jan 7

Again, from AWAD's Dec 27th email.

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. -H.L. Mencken, writer, editor, and critic (1880-1956)

The word for the day was reprobate.

Film of the Year

Sideways. The wife and I saw it last night - easily the best film of the year. Paul Giamatti is incredible, and incredibly funny. It's not the type of movie that you need to see on the big screen (a la Master and Commander), but it's the type of movie that you need to see.

I never thought I'd miss Ashcroft

AG nominee A-Gon is quite a find. He's currently going through the Senate confirmation hearings and has had some questionable answers. Here's a highlight I read on Daily Kos:

SEN. DURBIN: But you believe [the president] has that authority; he could ignore a law passed by this Congress, signed by this president or another one, and decide that it is unconstitutional and refuse to comply with that law?

MR. GONZALES: Senator, again, you're asking me where the -- hypothetically, does that authority exist? And I guess I would have to say that hypothetically that authority may exist. But let me also just say that we certainly understand and recognize the role of the courts in our system of government. We have to deal with some very difficult issues here, very, very complicated. Sometimes the answers are not so clear. The president's position on this is that ultimately the judges, the courts will make the decision as to whether or not we've drawn the right balance here. And in certain circumstance the courts have agreed with the administration positions; in certain circumstances, the courts have disagreed. And we will respect those decisions.

SEN. DURBIN: Fifty-two years ago, a president named Harry Truman decided to test that premise -- Youngstown Sheet and Tube versus the Supreme Court -- or in the Supreme Court -- versus Sawyer in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court said, as you know, "President Truman, you're wrong. You don't have the authority to decide what's constitutional, what laws you like and don't like." I'm troubled that you would think, as our incoming attorney general, that a president can pick or choose the laws that he thinks are unconstitutional and ultimately wait for that test in court to decide whether or not he's going to comply with the law.

MR. GONZALES: Senator, you asked me whether or not it was theoretically possible that the Congress could pass a law that we would view as unconstitutional. My response was -- is that obviously we would take that very, very seriously, look at that very carefully. But I suppose it is theoretically possible that that would happen. Let me just add one final point. We in the executive branch, of course, understand that there are limits upon presidential power; very, very mindful of Justice O'Connor's statement in the Hamdi decision that "a state of war is not a blank check for the president of the United States" with respect the rights of American citizens. I understand that, and I agree with that.

You can read the full transcript here. It's the NYT site, so registration is required.

Quote of the Day, Jan 6

Again, from AWAD newsletter:

A faith that cannot survive collision with the truth is not worth many regrets. -Arthur C Clarke, science fiction writer (1917- )

Turning 4 Corners = Going in a Circle

You must read this article.

…And, before you ask: no, I have no clue about how we can improve things in Iraq. I don’t have a single idea for how we can un-shit the bed, and I don’t hold out much hope that this whole bed-shitting episode is ever going to be brought to a lemony-fresh conclusion. I do, however, know who shit the bed, and have some sense of how frequently he shits there. Let’s stop shitting for a start.

Wow.

Due what, now?

Due process. The correct answer is "due process".

Or the lack thereof.

Dreyfus Affair

Another reason for the separation of church and state From the History Channel's This Day in History email:

DREYFUS AFFAIR IN FRANCE:

January 5, 1895

French officer Alfred Dreyfus, condemned for passing military secrets to the Germans, is stripped of his rank in a humiliating public ceremony in the courtyard of Paris' Ecole Militaire. The Jewish artillery captain, convicted on flimsy evidence in a highly irregular trial, began his life sentence on the notorious Devil's Island Prison in French Guyana four months later.The Dreyfus case demonstrated the anti-Semitism permeating France's military and, because many praised the ruling, in France in general. Interest in the case lapsed until 1896, when evidence was disclosed that implicated French Major Ferdinand Esterhazy as the guilty party. The army attempted to suppress this information, but a national uproar ensued, and the military had no choice but to put Esterhazy on trial. A court-martial was held in January 1898, and Esterhazy was acquitted within an hour.In response, the French novelist Emile Zola published an open letter on the front page of the Aurore entitled "J'Accuse," which accused the judges of being under the thumb of the military. By the evening, 200,000 copies had been sold. One month later, Zola was sentenced to jail for libel but managed to escape to England. Meanwhile, out of the scandal a perilous national division was born, in which nationalists and members of the Catholic Church supported the military, while republicans, socialists, and advocates of religious freedom lined up to defend Dreyfus.In 1898, Major Hubert Henry, discoverer of the original letter attributed to Dreyfus, admitted that he had forged much of the evidence against Dreyfus and committed suicide. Soon after, Esterhazy fled the country. The military was forced to order a new court-martial for Dreyfus. In 1899, he was found guilty in another show trial and sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, a new French administration pardoned him, and in 1906 the supreme court of appeals overturned his conviction. The debacle of the Dreyfus affair brought about greater liberalization in France, a reduction in the power of the military, and a formal separation of church and state.

The next time someone wants to put the 10 Commandments in a courthouse, tell 'em Emile Zola wouldn't like that.

Visual Thesaurus

Found here. I'll eventually buy an account here - it's too much fun to play with.

Money-gami

How to make a wallet out of $20. Without going to Macy's.