January 2004 Archives

San Mateo County, CA is charging the television media circus $51,000 for space near Peterson courthouse, tent not included:

The 16 assigned spaces, which are about 13 feet by 17 feet, will be used for television reporters to store equipment, work and conduct interviews. Each station must provide their own tent.

In addition, television stations must pay $7,500 a month for space to park their satellite trucks. Twenty spaces set aside for journalists in a nearby lot cost $200 a month each. Reporters are not being charged, however, for space in a media center being set up about a block away.

Altogether, the "tent city" for television media would raise $816,000 for the county, about a third of which has already been spent on preparations for the trial, Alms said.

The $51,000 fee amounts to about $230 per square foot. At the height of the dot-com boom, prime office space in San Francisco leased for about $80 per square foot.

Opportunity is off to the races on Mars:

Controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory received confirmation of the successful drive at 3:01 a.m. Pacific Standard Time via a relay from the Mars Odyssey orbiter and Earth reception by the Deep Space Network. Cheers erupted a minute later when Opportunity sent a picture looking back at the now-empty lander and showing wheel tracks in the martian soil.

For the first time in history, two mobile robots are exploring the surface of another planet at the same time. Opportunity's twin, Spirit, started making wheel tracks halfway around Mars from Meridiani on Jan. 15.

"We're two for two! One dozen wheels on the soil." JPL's Chris Lewicki, flight director, announced to the control room.

Matt Wallace, mission manager at JPL, told a subsequent news briefing, "We knew it was going to be a good day. The rover woke up fit and healthy to Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run,' and it turned out to be a good choice."

You can follow the action here.

I'm don't follow the status of Georgia public education too closely. But if Joseph Jarrell's column accurately describes proposed changes to its high school history curriculum, the system is headed in the wrong direction:

The new curriculum calls for teaching only the period from 1500 to the 21st century. Students will no longer study such figures as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, William the Conqueror or Joan of Arc.

"The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" will not be mentioned. The development of democratic government in Greece and the fall of the Roman Empire will be skipped. Jesus, Muhammad, the Buddha and Confucius are not to be found in the new curriculum. Great civilizations like ancient Egypt will no longer merit study, and the concept of feudalism will not be discussed.

The present 11th-grade U.S. history course covers the Exploration period to today. In the proposed changes, teachers will spend two or three weeks discussing the foundation of our country, with the remaining time devoted to studying events from 1876 to the present. Gone is any mention of the Louisiana Purchase or Lewis and Clark. There will be no discussion of Indian removal and the Trail of Tears.
. . .
Search in vain for discussion of the Civil War; that topic is off limits. In a course entitled "American History," students will not study our most devastating war. There is no mention of Fort Sumter, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee or anything else associated with those years.

Though teachers supposedly have no time to discuss topics essential to understanding our heritage, the curriculum suggests they have their students write a 1920s radio drama. Teachers are also encouraged to assign essays about dating in the Jazz Age and to show segments from "All in the Family," "Good Times" and "Chico and the Man."

To borrow a line from Johnnie Mac, "You cannot be serious!" Why even have a history class if you're going to skip the most significant events? This is one of the nuttiest things I've read in a while. Definitely educational experimentation gone awry.

Via Calpundit.

UPDATE: Looks like I may have been too quick with this post. Ricky links to this Georgia Department of Education release stating that Joseph Jarrell's op-ed is misleading--students will actually be learning about some of the aforementioned events in elementary school. If that's the case, I'm not sure what's up with the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Apparently they check submissions about as well as the Knoxville News-Sentinel does.

Something about an "Insta Star," who "is in part credited in Tennessee with being an inspiration for the start of the Rocky Top Brigade."

I rarely agree with Tennessee State Senator Tim "Roadkill" Burchett, but I give him props for attempting to combat junk food being sold in public schools. I don't necessarily agree with his proposal to ban the sale of food at school vending machines, but something must be done to curb the growing trend of youth obesity. If you think health care costs are high now, just wait until we add another generation of obese, diabetes-plagued kids.

The Tennessee Dietetic Association is offering an alternative solution which is probaly more practical than banning vending machines:

[The TDA] backs a similar measure that would generally limit food items sold to kindergarten through eighth-grade students to ones that meet certain nutritional standards.

The items don't include soft drinks, candy or chips.

If money is the issue, we we should simply make up the difference with increased funding. That's a small price to pay if we can improve our children's long-term health.

Is there football Sunday?

Given all the other stuff going on these days and the fact that I don't have strong feelings either way toward New England and Carolina, I've probably given this Super Bowl less thought than any previous one in the past 15 years.

But I'll throw out a number just for the heck of it:

Panthers by 4.

Cannibal trial concludes:

A self-confessed cannibal who killed and ate a man he had met over the internet was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison by a German court today, after being cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter.

The court, in the central German town of Kassel, ruled that Armin Meiwes, a 42-year-old computer expert, had no "base motives" in the crime, a decision that spared him a murder conviction.

Meiwes, from the nearby town of Rotenburg, had confessed in detail to the March 2001 killing of 43-year-old Bernd J�rgen Brandes and to eating his flesh when his trial opened last month.

Prosecutors branded Meiwes a "human butcher" who acted simply to "satisfy a sexual impulse", and had sought a life sentence for murder.

But his lawyer, Harald Ermel, successfully argued that the death was "homicide on demand" - a form of mercy killing - because the victim had given his consent to be killed and eaten.
. . .
Meiwes's willing cooperation during the trial had helped shed light on the murky world of online cannibals, and his case was not an isolated one, police disclosed last month. He estimated that there are at least 800 active participants in cannibal forums, and said he was in contact with at least 400 of them.

A few days after the government estimated this year's deficit would be $477 billion, the Bush administration now says it will be $520 billion. In a related story, we are still trying to get a hold of what the Medicare reform bill costs. Just two months after it was signed, the White House now concedes the 10-year cost will be at least $134 billion more than the initial $400 billion estimate. That's a 33% discrepancy before the first pill is dispensed. Who knows what it will be in a few years.

Administration officials would not explain the precise reason for the discrepancy. White House spokesman Trent Duffy said putting a price tag on Medicare "is a terrifically difficult area to try to predict" that hinges on "any number of unknowns," including how many older Americans buy the drug coverage, how much pharmaceutical prices rise and how many people on Medicare switch to private health plans, as the law encourages.

"The bottom line is, President Bush made a commitment to give seniors a prescription drug benefit and modernize Medicare, and he's delivered," Duffy said.

Is this how a responsible government operates?

Military leaders promise that this year we really will catch Osama bin Forgotten:

"We have a variety of intelligence and we're sure we're going to catch Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar this year," [U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan] Hilferty said. "We've learned lessons from Iraq and we're getting improved intelligence from the Afghan people."

Oh, we had to go after the weapons of mass destruction . . . or whatever it was we were going after.

Jake Rosenfeld points out that the Management Labor Department's proposed overtime reclassification scheme is so broadly written that employers have already started arguing that armed services veterans should be exempt from overtime pay.

Bush cutting overtime pay for vets? Nice.

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen has stated that he won't officially endorse any of the presidential candidate's for the state's Democratic primary.

Unsatisfied with this stance, I contacted the Governor's Office, offering a compelling argument why he should issue a strong statement of support for Senator Edwards.

The Governor's Constituent Service Office responded thusly:

Thank you for taking the time to contact the Governor and his office. Unfortunately, at this time the Governor has decided not to publicly endorse any one candidate. We are open and welcome to all the candidates coming to visit Tennessee.

Come on, Governor. Tennessee Democrats want a winner on the ticket this fall!

I pulled up the editing menu and discovered the fine folks at online casino [I.P. 212.78.66.136] left 500 comments. So I finally installed MT-Blacklist to do some preventative maintenance and housecleaning.

Please let me know if you encounter a problem with the comments.

William Burton offers one more reason to chose Senator Edwards over Senator Kerry.

Yes, it's shallow, but that's America today.

"Bush Is Said to Seek More Money for Arts":

President Bush will seek a big increase in the budget of the National Endowment for the Arts, the largest single source of support for the arts in the United States, administration officials said on Wednesday.

The proposal is part of a turnaround for the agency, which was once fighting for its life, attacked by some Republicans as a threat to the nation's moral standards.

Laura Bush plans to announce the request on Thursday, in remarks intended to show the administration's commitment to the arts, aides said.

Administration officials, including White House budget experts, said that Mr. Bush would propose an increase of $15 million to $20 million for the coming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. That would be the largest rise in two decades and far more than the most recent increases, about $500,000 for 2003 and $5 million for this year.

Eugene Volokh points us to an enlightening article by former Reagan administration Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Paul Craig Roberts, which argues that today's taxpayer has less freedom than 19th century slaves.

Those lucky slaves. Imagine their horror if they found themselves condemned to a lifetime of dividend and captial gains taxation. I'm sure bondage was the good life in comparison to today's suffering.

You can't keep secrets forever.

One of the intriguing political stories of the 2000 election was the relationship between President Clinton and Vice President Gore. From outward appearances, the two didn't seem to like each other very much. Or at least Gore didn't seem to like Clinton. Gore rarely solicited his superior to speak on his behalf on the campaign trail, a decision which may have been fatal to the vice president's chances.

Why the fall out between Clinton and Gore? Did Gore believe Clinton was a liability on the stump? Was he still mad over that little Lewinsky affair? Was there a policy dispute over NAFTA? The environment? Kosovo?

Four years later, the truth finally comes out. Gore didn't like Clinton because he felt under-appreciated for his service. You see, during his entire eight-year stint in office, Clinton only sent two e-mails. And for a guy who put all that work into inventing the Internet, that one had to hurt.

The World Around You reminded me that today is the 18th anniversary of the Challenger explosion.

The Challenger disaster is one of my more vivid memories of that period. I was home at the time--I believe it was a snow day--and I had the radio on. The DJ broke in with a news announcement that there had been an explosion on the shuttle. Initially, I thought it was some minor affair in the payload bay. But when I flipped on the TV, I discovered that tragically that was not the case.

Now there's a fuss about a Tennessee Sons of Confederate Veterans license plate which bears the Confederate flag.

Can't all our plates just get along?

Maybe we should just go back to one design. If you want a specialty license plate, buy your own and stick it on the front.

This reinforces my continued misgivings about Kerry:

Presidential candidate John Kerry can�t resist painting a scenario showing how Democrats can win the White House without the South.

The U.S. senator from Massachusetts has done it on at least three occasions. Each time it landed him in political hot water.

You'd think he would have learned.

Last March at a California fund-raiser far from the ears of Southerners � he thought � Kerry spelled out how he could lose all 11 states of the Old Confederacy and still beat President Bush next year.

"Al Gore proved that you can get elected president of the United States without winning one Southern state � if he had simply won New Hampshire," he said, referring to the former vice president's near miss in 2000.

"Democrats have to stop looking at the small solution that the country is compartmentalized in that way."

In a recent appearance on ABC's "Good Morning, America," he was asked about rival John Edwards' claim that the U.S. senator from North Carolina is more electable with his base in the South.

Kerry disputed Edwards' assertion and repeated the Gore example to prove his point.

"That�s not a real argument," Kerry maintained.

If that weren't enough, the senator told a New Hampshire audience yet again on Saturday that Democrats didn't have to appeal to Southern voters in order to win the presidency. He called such thinking a "mistake."

"Everybody always makes the mistake of looking South," he said in response to a question about winning the region.

Kerry is technically correct that a candidate can win the White House without any southern electoral votes. But if he thinks he can win without being competitive in culturally more conservative areas such as the South, he's headed for a train wreck.

One more place where you better use the spell checker.

Gadhafi sends East Tennessee a belated Christmas present:

Tons of nuclear material and sensitive equipment were airlifted out of Libya Monday night and brought to a government facility in Oak Ridge, officials confirmed Tuesday - hours after the secret shipment had reached its destination.
. . .
The big shipment, estimated at 55,000 pounds, is part of a rapid U.S. response to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's December promise to abandon his weapons-development program.
. . .
McClellan said the cargo was sent to a "secure facility" in Tennessee. That facility is Y-12, a warhead-manufacturing facility that also houses the nation's primary stockpile of weapons-grade uranium.

New Hampshirites have enjoyed their moments of fame and made Senator Kerry their primary's big winner. Not only did Kerry win by a large margin, but every other candidate lost on the expectations scorecard. Dean was supposed to make a come back in the neighboring Granite State. Clark skipped Iowa altogether to marshal support in New Hampshire. Edwards failed to seize a lasting wave coming out of Iowa. Lieberman literally moved to New Hampshire, though most people didn't notice.

One entertaining aside I had during the day was trying to get the inside with the early exit polls. Whoever took them did a better job of keeping the results secret than I expected, for the findings were not as widely available over the Internet as I expected. That's probably a good thing, for they turned out to be way off. Calpundit allegedly gathered the results from several exit polls, and averaged the totals as follows:

Kerry - 35.7
Dean - 31.1
Edwards - 12.6
Clark - 11.5
Lieberman - 6.4

It's going to be easy for the lazy, one-line media to now proclaim Kerry as the nominee-in-waiting. Let's hope that's not the case. I don't have any major problems with Kerry per se, but if the Democrats settle for picking a New England candidate solely because he has momentum coming out of Iowa and New Hampshire, the party is heading for trouble this fall. The Democratic winner needs to earn the nomination by offering a message which resonates in liberal, moderate, and conservative states. Thus far we've only seen races in liberal ones.

With seven states on the electoral horizon, it's going to be interesting to see the strategies the top four candidates take. Which states will they target? Will they now go ofter the front runner? Can Kerry handle the media spotlight?

Stay tuned.

With 14% of precincts reporting, Senator Edwards leads General Clark in the race for third place by 27 votes.

You can follow results here.

UPDATE: ABC News seems to be a little quicker with the returns. Clinton (Hillary?) has received a write-in vote. Time to rev up the right-wing Hillary hysteria machine again.

"Bush 2004 Campaign Pledges to Restore Honor and Dignity to White House."

Tom Burka has the White House Academy Awards nominees.

Southern Musings has this week's Bonfire of the Vanities.

The rumors continue:

A well-placed source says that the president will "most likely" drop Dick Cheney from his re-election ticket and his first choice for a replacement is former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.

"The issue of Cheney's health will probably be given as the reason," says the insider. "There�s a short list of possible replacements, and Rudy is at the top of the list."

The source adds that the selection of the former New York mayor may be overridden by Bush advisors from the far right. "Giuliani has been pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and is pretty liberal on some other social issues, but the thinking is that he might broaden Bush�s appeal."

Assuming, as one must, that Bush's next move is driven by political calculations, the Cheney replacement story is credible. With a term under his belt, Bush can claim he doesn't need a seasoned running mate as he did in 2000. Cheney doesn't bring any electoral help to the ticket; to the contrary, his Halliburton/Iraq/energy bill record is becoming an increasing liability. I wouldn't be surprised to see him dumped.

In a few hours the New Hampshire media circus will end and move on to another state.

I'm going to miss hearing candidates talk about how much they love being in New Hampshire on 10 degree winter days. And hearing news channel pundits talking about how New Hampshirites enjoy some higher realm of political astuteness than the rest of us lowly mortals.

Actually I'm not.

The New Hampshire primary action has already started. Totals thus far from Dixville Notch and Hart's Location:

Clark 14
Kerry 8
Edwards 4
Dean 4
Hamm 1
Lieberman 1

Come on, Hamm. You could have at least set up a blog.

Yesterday the Knox County Commission once again defeated the so-called God Resolution, meaning it won't be brought up again until next January.

Hopefully they'll dispose of it next year as quickly as they did yesterday.

According to the Knoxville Meetups list, "Witches" is the third largest group in K-Town.

I'm not sure exactly what to make out of that, but I find it a bit disturbing.

Whoever the Democratic nominee is needs to make accountability a major talking point in his campaign. In the past three years we've had major lapses on 9/11 prevention, Iraqi WMD intelligence, Iraqi reconstruction, and corporate regulation. Yet the only high-ranking government officials Bush has fired are the ones who didn't tote the administration's ideological line (O'Neill and Lindsey).

The Democratic nominee needs to highlight this and promise that performance, not partisanship, will be the bench mark of his administration.

Daily Kos lists the latest N.H. tracking polls. There's quite a disparity between the Zogby poll, which shows a close race for first:

Kerry 31%
Dean 28%
Clark 13%
Edwards 12%

Kerry 38%
Dean 20%
Edwards 16%
Clark 15%

Polls suggest that: (1) Dean has reversed his slide; (2) Clark is losing ground; and (3) Edwards is inching upward. But no one is going to know for sure until tomorrow.

In case you missed it with the all the Golden Globe, Bennifer, or "Friends" hoopla, here's what happened with Iraq this weekend:

Six U.S. soldiers were killed.

Three American servicemen are missing following a helicopter crash.

The Council for Sunnis throws another wrench into reconstruction plans by demanding an end to the U.S. occupation before elections are held.

David Kay calls out the entire U.S. Iraqi intelligence apparatus for its pre-war failure. (A phenomenon Kenneth Pollack attempts to explain.) Meanwhile, Vice President Cheney continues his lies spin, while no one is held accountable for mistakes.

Other than that, things are going pretty well.

No need to worry about the earth's environment, just slap a few voluntary goals on industry and set our sights on the moon:

A study, which is being taken seriously by top government scientists, has uncovered a change "of remarkable amplitude" in the circulation of the waters of the North Atlantic.

Similar events in pre-history are known to have caused sudden "flips" of the climate, bringing ice ages to northern Europe within a few decades. The development - described as "the largest and most dramatic oceanic change ever measured in the era of modern instruments", by the US Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, which led the research - threatens to turn off the Gulf Stream, which keeps Europe's weather mild.

If that happens, Britain and northern Europe are expected to switch abruptly to the climate of Labrador - which is on the same latitude - bringing a nightmare scenario where farmland turns to tundra and winter temperatures drop below -20C.
. . .
"Even as the earth as a whole continues to warm gradually, large regions may experience a precipitous and disruptive shift into colder climates." The scientists, who studied the composition of the waters of the Atlantic from Greenland to Tierra del Fuego, found that they have become "very much" saltier in the tropics and subtropics and "very much" fresher towards the poles over the past 50 years.

This is alarming because the Gulf Stream is driven by cold, very salty water sinking in the North Atlantic. This pulls warm surface waters northwards, forming the current.

If you thought Blogspot was unreliable in the U.S., imagine trying to use it behind the "Great Firewall."

"Bush made Osama deal with Musharraf":

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has struck a deal with the US not to capture Osama Bin Laden, fearing this could lead to unrest in Pakistan, according to a special investigation by The Guardian.

The paper reported Saturday that Bin Laden was being protected by three elaborate security rings manned by tribesmen stretching 192 kms in diameter in northern Pakistan.

The paper's information is based on comments made by Mansoor Ijaz, an American of Pakistan origin who, the paper said, knows al-Qaeda better than most people and had close contacts in Pakistan's intelligence agencies.

Ijaz believed an agreement was reached between Musharraf and US authorities shortly after Bin Laden's flight from his stronghold Tora Bora in Afghanistan in December 2001.

The Pakistanis feared that to capture or kill Bin Laden so soon after a deeply unpopular war in Afghanistan would incite civil unrest in Pakistan and trigger a spate of revenge al-Qaida attacks on Western targets across the world.

"There was a judgment made that it would be more destabilising in the longer term. There would still be the ability to get him at a later date when it was more appropriate", Ijaz told The Guardian .

The Americans, according to Ijaz, accepted the argument, not least because of the shift in focus to the impending war in Iraq.

I just noticed that Kevin Hayden of The American Street fame has a nice links page which groups newspaper sites and "progressive" blogs by state. Scroll down for plenty of national resources.

Cast your vote today.

Most Deserving of Wider Recognition:

Lean Left
South Knox Bubba

Best Special Effects:

South Knox Bubba

"Second Rover Lands Successfully on Mars"

CNN had brief coverage of the "landing." It's great landing a rover on a planet 100 million miles away and all that, but the thing that fascinated me the most was watching a group of middle-aged science engineers jumping around like a group of eight-year-olds celebrating extra recess.

Democratic presidential candidates were asked who their favorite living Republican is:

Wesley Clark: Rollie Rimmel, a friend from Little Rock, AR.
Howard Dean: Former New Hampshire Sen. Warren Rudman.
Sen. John Edwards: Arizona Sen. John McCain.
Sen. John Kerry: Arizona Sen. John McCain.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Conservative commentator Patrick Buchanan.
Sen. Joe Lieberman: Arizona Sen. John McCain.
Al Sharpton: Syndicated columnist Armstrong Williams.

Kucinich + Pat Buchanan? I thought the Iowa alliance with John Edwards was odd.

The national media is currently focused on New Hampshire, awaiting Tuesday's primary. But here in Tennessee the primary action is already on. And, from what I saw yesterday, the contest could get hot and heavy.

Last primary I waited until election day evening to vote. Big mistake. Thanks to the long lines, it took me at least 45 minutes to get through. So yesterday I decided to do the cool thing and vote early.

Armed with voter registration card in hand, I proceeded to the Down Town West shopping center. I wasn't sure exactly where the precinct was, bit there were ample "vote here" and candidate campaign signs to guide me.

I swung open the front door and was greeted by a 12-15 member gray brigade of election volunteers, each manning a designated station. A puffy-haired woman at the front table boldly waved me over, as if she had discovered an opening for me through the mayhem. I was the only voter in the room.

After proving that I could indeed sign my name three times, I was directed to a booth. The booth attendant glanced at my form as if he'd never seen one before, then motioned me inside the hood. I glanced at the ballot panel and waited for its display lights to awake up. And I waited for the lights. And I heard the booth guru on the other side muttering something about a district. And I waited some more. More muttering.

Finally, after waiting almost a minute in my curtained world, the board lit up. Well, not exactly. Turns out I only had two races to vote on--no wonder it took so long.

The first decision, Democratic presidential preference, was straightforward: no mystery there.

Then I discovered I was also supposed to vote in a school board district contest--between two contestants I didn't know a thing about. What to do? Flip a coin? Alphabetical order?

I decided to select based on name recognition. I recalled seeing a sign for candidate A at a house along my jogging route. But then I remembered I had just received a brochure from candidate B in the mail--though I had not read it. Yard sign or mailing? I went with the latter. Isn't democracy great?

After rechecking the screen twice (I always fear I'll accidentally select the wrong candidate) I hit "Vote" and prepared to exit the booth. But the booth keeper was still discussing about something behind the control box. I waited for him to emerge to ensure my selection had registered--every vote counts!--then headed toward the door.

I glanced back as I exited--still no voters there. But the 12 election assistants seemed to be busily working on something or other at their posts. I wonder what they do all day.

The National Taxpayers Union has conducted a study estimating the spending increases necessary to fund the Democratic presidential candidates' policy proposals.

I wouldn't put much stock in the study's raw figures because estimating them entails two levels of speculation: (1) some of the proposals are so vague it's hard to figure out exactly what they call for; and (2) even if the policy requirements are explicit, it's difficult to estimate their actual costs. Just consider how well the Bush administration has done in assembling reconstruction cost estimates for Iraq.

Nonetheless the study might shed some light by showing how the candidates stack up relative to each other. Here are the annual spending numbers it assigns (in billions):

Sharpton $1,327
Kucinich $1,060
Kerry $265
Dean $222
Clark $220
Edwards $199
Lieberman $169

If you exclude Sharpton and Kucinich, the range between the remaining candidates isn't extremely large.

There's further analysis for each contender at the link above.

Tennessee State Representative Jim Vincent of Soddy-Daisy proposes that state legislators be granted a special privilege to carry handguns without a concealed-carry permit.

House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh has a radical response:

Naifeh calls the bill frivolous.
. . .
He thinks legislators should be treated like all other citizens.

How has the cash been coming in since the Iowa? It's hard to tell, since the candidates aren't required to file for a while. But according to this story, the candidates have raised roughly the following amounts since Monday:

Kerry $800,000
Dean $590,000
Edwards >$500,000

Each of these candidates claim to have enough to make it through February 3, but it will take considerably more to make it through Super Tuesday (March 2). Dean has the most cash on hand. Kerry may tap into his personal funds once again. But Edwards, the only of the three to claim public funding, will need to raise quite a bit more to go the distance.

By and large, last night's N.H. Democratic presidential debate was uneventful. I didn't detect anything which should have a significant impact on any candidate's current inertia. No candidate hit a home run, but none struck out either.

That being the case, one could say that Kerry and Edwards were the "winners," because their stock has been on the rise, while Dean and Clark were the "losers" because they failed to generate positive momentum.

• Kerry: With the New Hampshire wind in his sails, Kerry could afford to play it safe, and he did. No missteps which might have offered local voters misgivings. Kerry effectively stayed on his military record/foreign experience message. And, surprisingly, no one else really went after him. All things being equal, a tie goes to the front runner.


• Edwards: Capably handled the gun question and a real curve ball on Islam. Seemed less steady on the Defense of Marriage question, though this analysis suggests he was correct. Looked pretty good when he castigated Hume for continuing to harp on the devisive Republican gay marriage trap rather than turning to the real issues most Americans care about.


• Dean: Substantively, his answers were fine. But he didn't appear to have much energy; he almost looked sedated. Undoubtedly a deliberate move to compensate for Monday's meltdown. Dean may have stopped any further bleeding, but it might be too late.
  


• Clark: Some of his answers, such as the one on the PATRIOT Act, were fine. But some weren't. When you have to burn time in a Democratic debate explaining how you really are a Democrat, that's not a good thing. Clark really flubbed the Michael Moore "dissenter" question. Either distance yourself from the remarks or point out the problem with Bush's military record. Don't cop out with a free speech excuse.


• Lieberman: Sometimes came across as high-browed--nothing new there. Otherwise I thought he was fairly solid in conveying his positions. Problem was, he needed a spectacular showing to get back into this race. And he didn't have one. I didn't care much for his pandering response to the question about moving the New Hampshire primary. But I suppose they all would have had a similar response.


• Kucinich: Obviously, using the graph printout wasn't a good idea, but Kucinich also struggled at other times trying to make his point. He did, however, offer one of the debate's more refreshing moments when he conceded that Edwards and he had made their Iowa pact so each could get more votes.


• Sharpton: If you don't know much about the Federal Reserve, you probably don't belong in a meaningful presidential debate. Sharpton provided some comic relief in the early round debates, but he's outlived his usefulness in that kind of forum.

• Perhaps things aren't so rosy in Iraq:

  CIA officers in Iraq are warning that the country may be on a path to civil war, current and former U.S. officials said Wednesday, starkly contradicting the upbeat assessment that President Bush gave in his State of the Union address.

• Congressional Republican operatives break into confidential Democratic computer files, yet on the T.V. news channels yesterday I heard nary a word about it. Guess they couldn't squeeze the story in with all the breaking news chaos of the Bennifer split and "Ben" getting kicked off "The Apprentice."


• Appearing "presidential" as always, Bush tries to crack funnies at the rib joint. Perhaps he should take a nine-month White House sabbatical to work on his act.


• Tonight CNN's "NewsNight with Aaron Brown" is supposed to have a Mars show in 3-D. I wonder if the rover knows about it. Someone better find it to make sure.

The Dagley Dagley Daily has this week's Volunteer Tailgate Party.

As the 2004 election approaches, the United States is the world�s greatest dichotomy. America stands as an unparalleled world superpower, flexing military and economic might which touches every corner of the globe. By almost every measure, the U.S. dominates the globe.

Unfortunately, many Americans are not reaping the benefits of our national bounty. Millions of people--many working full-time--live in poverty. Over the past three years two million jobs have disappeared. Many workers have settled for jobs far below their capabilities, because that�s the best they can find. Health care, prescription, and college costs are skyrocketing. Many families live paycheck to paycheck, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, unable to save for retirement.

Today America nears a crossroad. This November we will chart our government's course for the next four years. Will we continue down the rocky, laissez-faire path we are traveling? Or will we forge trail which seeks to tap into the potential of all Americans, not just the privileged and the powerful?

Over the past few months I've examined the field of presidential candidates, trying to decide who I think is best suited to lead our nation toward a brighter, more-inclusive future. For the reasons outlined below, I support Senator John Edwards for president.

The Problem

Four years ago when he campaigned for president, George Bush promised many things. He claimed he would bring economic prosperity, that he would change the tone in Washington, that he would unite people rather than divide them. He offered the vision of a "humble" foreign policy in which the U.S. refrained from entangling nation building.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. On the international front, the Bush administration squandered a vast reservoir of post-9/11 goodwill by implementing a hardheaded preemptive policy which landed us in Iraq. On the domestic front, George Bush has failed to show any leadership on the economy or health care. He operates like a disinterested CEO, rubber stamping whatever industry lobbyists, corporate cronies, political strategists, or hardcore ideologues pass his way. Consequently, the federal budget and deficit are exploding, corporations have free reign to behave irresponsibly, our environment is deteriorating, and more and more people abroad dislike America.

Clearly, America can't continue in this direction. We need a new executive.

The Candidates

For the first time since 1992, I began my assessment of the presidential candidates with a clean slate. Given the large field of capable candidates, it took me a few months to select a favorite. I spent many hours watching C-SPAN, news channels, and gathering information on the Internet. Each candidate has unique strengths. Wesley Clark is a bright leader with strong foreign policy credentials. I appreciate the energy and grassroots efforts of Howard Dean's campaign, and, to some degree, his candid message. John Kerry is an articulate candidate who has an outstanding record of public service. Joe Lieberman is a strong champion of economic growth and traditional American values.

But over time Senator Edwards emerged as a clear favorite. I appreciate his personal story, his vision for America, his stance on the issues, and the way he has conducted his campaign. I believe he is the candidate who can and will pull our nation out of the doldrums.

The Story

To fully appreciate Senator Edwards' vision for America, it's important to view his positions in the context of his life experience. Unlike other candidates, he wasn�t born into a wealthy family. Instead, he�s the son of a mill worker who, thorough determination and hard work, became the first in his family to graduate from college. Although he has since became a successful attorney and no longer struggles to get by, he claims that has never forgotten where he came from. And watching the way he interacts with all types of people along the campaign trail, I�m inclined to believe him. He passionately discusses our nation's moral duty to lift every American out of poverty.

More importantly, you can see the influence of his upbringing in his economic package, which is carefully crafted to assist working class America.

The Issues

Senator Edwards' major positions are available in his comprehensive, 64-page policy outline, "Real Solutions for America." Here are some highlights:

• Jobs
• Ensure that trade deals are fair and have strong labor and environmental protections.
• Enforce existing trade agreements.
• Offer tax incentives for corporations to keep jobs in America, rather than shipping them abroad.
• Enact the Rural Economic Advancement Challenge fund to bring venture capital and management expertise to entrepreneurs and small businesses in small towns and areas that are losing jobs today.
• Increase in the minimum wage by at least $1.50/hour.

• Health Care
• Provide refundable tax credits so parents can insure their children.
• A Small Business Support Program will give small businesses access to a range of high-quality health plans for their employees.
• Use the federal government's power to reduce drug costs.
• Offer incentives to attract more workers to nursing.
• Eliminate Medicare mismanagement and waste.
• Invest in accessible primary care medical clinics.

• Education
• Increase teacher pay, particularly in areas with poor school districts.
• Expand Head Start.
• "College for Everyone" proposal will provide one year of free tuition to public universities and community colleges for any academically-qualified student who works 10 or more hours per week.

• Taxation
• Proposed American Dream Tax Credit offers a matching tax credit of up to $5,000 to help those who need it to cover a down payment on a first home.
• Matching savings accounts for retirement plan would allow a working family who saved from age 25 to retirement to accumulate a nest egg of $200,000 through tax credits, on top of other savings.
• Repeal of the Bush tax cuts for those earning $240,000 or more per year.
• Equalizing the tax rates for capital gains, dividends, and investments with those of earned income, so that middle class workers do not pay a higher tax rate than those receiving passive income.

• Foreign Policy
• Expand the size and scope of an international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.
• Bring more nations and institutions into rebuilding Iraq.
• Strengthen America's commitment to the Biological Weapons Convention and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, increase support for the dismantling and safeguarding of weapons-grade materials in Russia and the former Soviet states, and work with allies to solve urgent proliferation threats such as North Korea.
• Revitalize institutions like NATO and the United Nations.
• Take a more aggressive role in promoting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
• Define how America uses its power--whether its defending against threats, promoting prosperity and freedom, or giving help to those who need it.

• National Security
• Maintain a strong commitment to national defense and our military personnel.
• Shift domestic intelligence responsibilities away from the FBI and into a new Homeland Intelligence Agency.
• Improve security at America's borders, seaports, and step up protection at chemical and nuclear facilities.
• Provide greater funding for first responders.

Edwards v. Bush

A candidate can have the best policy platform in the world, but it all goes for naught if he or she isn�t elected. Senator Edwards is best equipped of all the Democratic contenders to defeat George Bush for the following reasons:

(1) Positive message: Edwards has run an optimistic campaign founded on the hope and potential of every American. This is a stark contrast to George Bush's cynical, fear-based, orange-alert campaign which promotes the right wing�s politically divisive, every-man-for-himself agenda

The 20th century's two most noted Democratic presidents--FDR and Kennedy--where largely successful due to their ability to inspire the nation. Americans can overcome great challenges if they are motivated to respond with a clear purpose. Edwards has the potential to this type of president. He can use the Oval Office to lead us in achieving a unifying national mission. Not merely as a forum to peddle vacations and shopping sprees.

(2) National campaign: Undoubtedly any of the Democratic contenders can poll well in the Northeast and along the West Coast. But to win in November, the Democratic nominee must be competitive in the South, or at least in the border states. I wish this weren�t the case, but the fact is that it will be very difficult for any of the New England candidates to challenge Bush in states such as Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, or North Carolina. Edwards has a real shot of winning at least two of those states and challenge Bush in several others.

(3) "Likeability": Sometimes I wish America was a country where everyone is a policy wonk who make political choices using elaborate decision matrices. But it's not. When selecting a presidential candidate, many Americas are swayed by subjective factors�first impressions, media buzz, gut feelings. For some, the presidential quandary boils down to a simple question: Who do I like? Who can I trust?

Judged on this count, Edwards scores very well. His charisma, coupled with his upbeat message, brings energy to any audience. And because his presentation is grounded in the issues ordinary voters are most concerned about, he connects with average Americans.

(4) Tough Campaigner: A presidential campaign is a marathon, not a sprint. A successful candidate must have the energy, passion, and discipline to go the distance.

I've been impressed in what I've seen from Edwards out on trail. He appears to be a tireless campaigner, attending five or six events a day, yet claiming, convincingly, that he�s having "the time of my life." He performs well in both large and small venues. The senator effectively weaves his personal experience and his policy objectives into a stump speech which James Carville recently described as being the best he's ever seen; a notable complement coming from the former Clinton campaign guru.

Edwards is quick on his feet. In voter question and answer sessions along the campaign trail, he really appears to make an effort to address individual voter concerns. Many candidates lazily respond to questions merely by popping off with pre-packaged talking points. But Edwards does a lot better job at connecting with the voter.

This skill is key on the debate platform. Imagine the following scene: this October two parties will be summoned to argue their case for the presidency in front of the greatest jury in the world--the American public. On the right stands a scripted, disinterested candidate, fresh off a season of reading the tele-prompter at ticketed events. On the left stands a skilled orator and long-time advocate who has spent the past year laying out his vision for America, face-to-face in front of average voters.

Which candidate would you want representing you? Case closed.

The Challenge

I invite you to join me in supporting Senator Edwards. Become part of the solution, not part of the problem.

President Bush wants to make the USA Patriot Act permanent, but as the ACLU points out, some of the provisions of that law are unnecessary and unconstitutional:

Among the provisions of the Patriot Act scheduled to sunset is the controversial Section 215, which allows the FBI to obtain orders for the production of any "tangible things" (which can include library, travel, genetic, health, business or firearms records) without any meaningful standard of judicial review and no mechanism for the person affected to challenge the order.

This provision has been challenged by the ACLU in a federal lawsuit as violating Americans' First, Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. Last year, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Section 215 has not been used, raising the question of why the Bush Administration believes such sweeping law enforcement powers are essential for the war on terrorism.

A month before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, U.S. Customs officials at an airport in Orlando refused entry to a young Saudi man who authorities now suspect may have been arriving to meet Mohamed Atta, leader of the suicide hijacking plot, government sources said yesterday.

The man, identified only as "al Qahtani," attempted to enter the United States in early August 2001, officials said, but was turned back by Customs officials, who grew suspicious when he said he planned to visit friends in this country but could not name them.

Instead of issuing the government permanent blanket authority to rummage through the private information of law-abiding Americans, we should be holding law enforcement and intelligence officials accountable in using the constitutional law enforcement tools they already have.

Calpundit provides a time line for the Bush administration's rhetorical evolution on the Iraqi threat :

March 2003: Weapons of mass destruction.
June 2003: Weapons of mass destruction programs.
October 2003: Weapons of mass destruction-related programs.
January 2004: Weapons of mass destruction-related program activities.

I guess that on paper Iraq did pose a "grave" danger to the United States. All it lacked was a delivery system to launch its weapons program activities against America.

Early voting for the Tennessee primary begins today. Information on Knox County polling locations and hours is available here (.pdf).

Stay tuned for the official Resonance candidate endorsement.

I predict the state legislature will grapple with the issue of nursing home safety:

A fire at a retirement home for the elderly killed three and at least 12 others were injured late Tuesday, a Blount County Sheriff's spokeswoman said.
. . .
The fire comes four months after a blaze at a four-story nursing home in Nashville killed 15 residents either during the fire in the months that followed. Eight people died immediately after the Sept. 25 fire at the NHC Nashville HealthCare Center.

. . . in South Dakota. Well, at least in the House of Representatives--now that Congressman Bill Janklow is gone. Staff will continue to run the offices; there just won't be anyone to vote in Congress.

Perhaps this explains Governor Dean's unusual display following the Iowa caucus--he was trying to draw in some of the newly-registered voters.

Speaking of which, match each of these frequently-used media descriptions with the proper candidate:

Candidates:
Bush
Dean

Descriptions:
Angry
Confident
Determined
Impassioned
Rage
Resolved

Now showing on MSNBC/Fox/CNN/CNBC/C-SPAN:

"Fear Factor"
Special Guest Host: George W. Bush
Live from the U.S. Capitol

Thus far Democratic contenders have paid very little attention to Tennessee. General Clark is the only candidate who's been advertising in the state.

Supposedly, however, that may be changing:

The surprise emergence of John Kerry � who finished first � and John Edwards � who finished second � in Iowa last night means Tennessee has a better chance of seeing a more spirited primary that might decide the Democratic nominee, political watchers here say.

''What you're seeing is a turning of the undecideds toward Kerry and Edwards,'' said Randy Button, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party. ''Going into the primaries, that makes Tennessee more relevant.''

Tennessee's primary is Feb. 10, earlier than the usual March date. Early voting begins tomorrow.

Democratic candidates spent at least $12 million in Iowa, a state where they're lucky to get a 10% voter turnout. Consequently:

The estimated spend for every Iowa caucus goer is $100 - compared with an average $1.50 that will be spent on every American voter in the elections in November.

We need to revamp the primary calendar so that more voters matter.

I've been so focused on national news that I didn't realize that Tennessee started selling lottery tickets today--not that I was going to buy tickets, anyway.

I encourage everyone to go out and blow their money invest in education by purchasing lottery tickets.

Gephardt: Done.

Lieberman: One event closer to being done.

Sharpton: No change.

Kucinich: Probably no change, unless the Edwards' "deal" alienated part of his base.

Dean: Loser. If the caucus itself didn't hurt him, the spectacle afterward sure did. When you're running for president, it's probably a good idea to act--you know--dignified and presidential.

Clark: Mixed result. On one hand bypassing Iowa and staying in New Hampshire didn't turn out to be too damaging because no clear front runner emerged from the caucus. On the other hand, all the media attention was focused on Iowa, not New Hampshire.

Kerry: Winner. Iowa gives him credibility and momentum heading back to New England. Problem is it's still unclear how competitive he can be in the South. Moreover, he drained a good chuck of his resources in Iowa. Is there another house to mortgage?

Edwards: Winner. Iowa propelled his candidacy to top-tier status. Lots of momentum and media exposure. And unlike Dean, the more people have seen of Edwards, the more they seem to like him.

I didn't see this coming:

Democratic presidential candidates John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich have struck a deal to support each other should one candidate fail to draw the minimum support needed to compete in Monday night's Iowa caucuses, Edwards campaign sources said.

I doubt it will have a significant impact on the contest tonight. A candidate's supporters aren't necessarily going to follow guidance from above. And even if they are inclined to do so, word of this "deal" is coming out so late that some supporters may not even hear about it.

Still, in a race as close as Iowa is purported to be, this kind of thing could make a difference.

Does President Bush have any chance whatsoever of upsetting the Democratic nominee this November?

George Bush easily wins Republican Party of Iowa Caucus.

Two stories today illustrate how political calculations drive everything in the Bush White House.

In the first, administration officials all but admit that they scheduled the State of the Union speech to divert attention from the Iowa caucus outcome:

[The] State of the Union address, which White House officials scheduled for Tuesday night, only 24 hours after Iowa, to draw attention from the Democratic victor, a Republican close to the Bush campaign said.

"Was it planned?" the Republican said. "Yes. The fact that the Iowa caucus was going to be held on a certain date was not unknown to people in the White House."

The underlying strategy, the Republican said, was not to steal all the thunder from the Democrats, which even another "axis of evil" State of the Union address was unlikely to do, but rather to change the subject.

In contrast, this move is outrageous:

President Bush and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) have decided to oppose granting more time to an independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, virtually guaranteeing that the panel will have to complete its work by the end of May, officials said last week.

A growing number of commission members had concluded that the panel needs more time to prepare a thorough and credible accounting of missteps leading to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But the White House and leading Republicans have informed the panel that they oppose any delay, which raises the possibility that Sept. 11-related controversies could emerge during the heat of the presidential campaign, sources said.

Why? Because rather than getting to the truth of what lead to 9/11 so it won't be repeated, Republicans want to get that dirty laundry out of the public consciousness as soon as possible so they can hold a rousing political party just up the street from ground zero. That's order of the Republican party's priorities.

Disgusting.

Pat Buchanan on Bush's proposed marriage promotion initiative:

Where in the Constitution is the U.S. government empowered to take money from citizens to teach other citizens how to have "healthy marriages"? Why is the White House dreaming up new social programs when we're running a $500 billion deficit?

What, exactly, is the difference between the compassionate conservatism of George W. Bush and the Great Society liberalism of Lyndon Johnson, against which Mr. Conservative, Barry Goldwater, broke his lance in 1964? What do the Beltway conservatives stand for anymore, other than getting their snouts in the trough, too?
. . .
This $1.5 billion is nothing but faith-based pork, cooked up in the kitchen of Karl Rove to bribe the Religious Right not to scream too loud if the White House decides to go into the tank on gay marriage in 2004.

. . . by hearkening back to 1918:

As the United States scrambles to end a dispute with Shia leaders over plans to elect an interim government in Iraq before July, it has emerged that American commanders are seeking to reach out to tribal leaders by relying on a report devised in 1918 by Britain, the country's then ruler.

Lieutenant-Colonel Alan King, head of the Tribal Affairs Bureau set up by the US-led coalition last month, admitted last week that he had been referring to the pages of the British report to fathom Iraq's network of tribal sheikhs - regardless of the fact that it dates back to the First World War.

The revelation is not likely to improve confidence in the ability of the US to sort out the deepening muddle over how it means to relinquish political power to the Iraqi people by this summer. The plan to create an interim government before a 30 June deadline has been in doubt since objections were raised last week by the powerful Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani. His words set off mass demonstrations against the proposal in southern Iraq on Thursday.

Billmon compares and contrasts the comments of past also-rans against the greatest American human rights champion of all time.

I don't devote much attention to the state of hockey. In fact, this is my first hockey post. But the Washington Post has a good piece on the ailing financial health of the NHL:

According to the league's figures, NHL teams could lose an estimated $300 million this season. Twenty clubs are losing money, according to the latest Forbes magazine analysis. Two teams filed for bankruptcy last season before new owners were found, and at least one franchise, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, has been for sale for years without finding a buyer even though the team came within one game of winning the Stanley Cup last spring.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the sport's business model is broken, and he has staked the health of the league on achieving a labor agreement that he believes will be an economic cure-all by capping player salaries. Salaries have tripled from an average of $558,000 in 1993-94 to $1.79 million last season, overwhelming the growth in league revenues, which will reach about $2 billion this season.

The lack of big television money has always forced the NHL to rely more heavily on arena-generated revenue than the other leagues, all of which have a greater amount of revenue sharing among teams than hockey. But with the NHL's average ticket price at $43.57, or about as much as an NBA game, NHL teams are hard-pressed to squeeze new money out of ticket sales.

As I said, it seems like that should happen.

This is disturbing. According to the Guardian, Libya obtained extensive nuclear weapon-making capability through the black market:

Colonel Muammar Gadafy of Libya has been buying complete sets of uranium enrichment centrifuges on the international black market as the central element in his secret nuclear bomb programme, according to United Nations nuclear inspectors.

The ease with which the complex bomb-making equipment was acquired has stunned experienced international inspectors. The scale and the sophistication of the networks supplying so-called rogue states seeking nuclear weapons are considerably more extensive than previously believed.

The purchase of full centrifuges, either assembled or in parts, marks a radical departure in what is on offer on the black market, sources said. While it is not yet clear where Col Gadafy obtained the centrifuge systems, at least 1,000 machines, believed to have been made in Malaysia, were seized last October by the Italian authorities on a German ship bound for Libya.
. . .
"What was found in Libya marks a new stage in proliferation," said one knowledgeable source. "Libya was buying what was available. And what is available, the centrifuges, are close to turnkey facilities. That's a new challenge. Libya was buying something that's ready to wear."
. . .
Another well-placed source said: "We all now realise there is this extraordinarily developed and sophisticated market out there enabling anyone to get this centrifuge equipment."

According to this story, the Bush administration wants emergency information to pass through a political clearinghouse before a federal agency releases it:

Under a new proposal, the White House would decide what and when the public would be told about an outbreak of mad cow disease, an anthrax release, a nuclear plant accident or any other crisis.

The White House Office Management and Budget is trying to gain final control over release of emergency declarations from the federal agencies responsible for public health, safety and the environment.
. . .
On Friday, a nonpartisan group of 20 former top agency officials sent a letter to the OMB asking the White House watchdog agency to withdraw its proposal, saying it "could damage the federal system for protecting public health and the environment."

One of the signers, David Michaels, said: "It goes beyond just having the White House involved in picking industry favorites to evaluate government science. Under this proposal, the carefully crafted process used by the government to notify the public of an imminent danger is going to first have to be signed off by someone weighing the political hazards."

Michaels, a former assistant secretary for environment, safety and health at the Department of Energy, is now a research professor at George Washington University's School of Public Health. He added: "OMB is not a science agency. The ramifications of it attempting to insert itself into a time-proven system of having the most knowledgeable scientists available evaluate proposed policy or regulations is a disaster in the making."

Via Blah3.com.

. . . by using a recess appointment to install a civil rights opponent to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

I've had news channels for the past hour or so and all they are showing is the Santa Maria courthouse doors and losers Michael Jackson supporters milling around in the street, gabbing over their invitations to Neverland.

Funny how when there are "real" public issues, such as government abuses, they don't usually draw demonstrators or extended media coverage.

Life in celebrity-struck America.

UPDATE: Departing Jackson motorcade requires a small army of security personnel and policeman (who should out on the beat) to clear the roadway of idiots fans mobbing the road. A real circus.

UPDATE: Jackson SUV speeds to ranch for party with fans.

UPDATE: Jackson SUV passes several cars and trucks on highway. Developing . . . .

Who could have ever imagined this?

As an example of private industry's hunger for a Mars mission, Steve Streich, a veteran Halliburton scientific adviser, was among the authors of an article in Oil & Gas Journal in 2000 titled "Drilling Technology for Mars Research Useful for Oil, Gas Industries." The article called a Mars exploration program "an unprecedented opportunity for both investigating the possibility of life on Mars and for improving our abilities to support oil and gas demands on Earth," because technology developed for the mission could be used on this planet.
. . .
Halliburton's interest in Mars was first pointed out yesterday by the Progress Report, a daily publication of the liberal Center for American Progress. Administration officials scoffed at the idea that Halliburton had anything to do with the development of the space policy, which was headed by Bush's domestic policy adviser, Margaret Spellings, and Stephen Hadley, the deputy national security adviser. Another administration official said Cheney did not take a lead role in the interagency work on the space policy but gauged support on Capitol Hill and served in an advisory capacity.

An industry official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the oil and gas industry, including Halliburton, would benefit considerably from technology that was developed for drilling on Mars, including the tools, the miniaturization, the drilling mechanism, the robotic systems and the control systems.

In a dramatic development, industry may finally be finding a voice in Bush administration policy. The World Health Organization is in the process of adopting guidelines based on the connection between bad diet, obesity, and disease. Simple enough, right?

Not exactly.

According to the food industry-directed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there is no such thing as a bad diet:

here is, says the letter signed by William R Steiger, special assistant to the secretary for international affairs, "an unsubstantiated focus on 'good' and 'bad' foods, and a conclusion that specific foods are linked to non-communicable diseases and obesity (eg energy-dense foods, high/added sugar foods and drinks, meats, certain types of fats and oils and higher fat dairy products).

"The US government favours dietary guidance that focuses on the total diet, promotes the view that all foods can be a part of a healthy and balanced diet, and supports personal responsibility to choose a diet conducive to individual energy balance, weight control and health."

Critics said these were the arguments continually cited by the food industry: that all food is good in moderation and that exercise matters at least as much as diet.

Commercial Alert, a US-based non-profit organisation, condemned the US government for attempting to "head off" the WHO initiative.

Gary Ruskin, its executive director said: "The Bush administration is putting the interests of the junk food industry ahead of the health of people--including children--on a global scale.

"The administration's arguments border on the ludicrous. Does anyone outside the administration and the junk food industry truly doubt that the consumption and marketing of high-calorie junk food plays a role in obesity and other chronic diseases?

"Why would this administration--or any administration--invoke the moral authority of the United States on behalf of the junk food and the obesity lobby?

"If the Bush administration is successful in halting the WHO's initiative, in the long term it could potentially cost millions of lives in terms of needless deaths due to obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases."

"White House: Give Industry Greater Voice"

See also:

"Scott Peterson: Give My Trial More Media Coverage"

Legal Fiction has the first draft of Bush's moon speech.

It's currently noon, and according to the Mount Washington Observatory website the wind chill on that summit is -73 F.

Last night the wind chill there dipped to -102 F, and tonight they may break the state record low of - 50 F.

Interestingly, last summer they set a record high . . . at 72 F. Some days I've felt cold at 72 F. Guess that's not the place for me.

I've never understood why it's so ridiculously cold and windy on Mount Washington. It's not any taller than some peaks in the Smoky Mountains.

Throwing another bone to the religious right, the Bush administration is reportedly planning a $1.5 billion program to promote marriage. I not sure exactly what this initiative will do. Apparently, it will involve promotional campaigns and educational programs in "problem-solving, negotiation and listening skills."

Some of these things may be useful, some may not. I'm not up on the research. What's striking to me, however, is how this idea is being pushed by ideologues who claim they believe in a smaller, less intrusive federal government.

Think about it. Here we have a contingent who, on one hand, argue the government is incapable of doing so much ensure people get basic medical checkups. Yet on the other hand, it's appropriate to dump a billion on a government social engineering effort to get couples to love each other. Quite a disconnect.

Across the seas, the contrast is even more mind boggling. At home, so-called conservatives contend the federal government can't efficiently accomplish even the most basic of tasks. Yet most of them have marched lock-step behind President Bush's nation-building experiment--at gunpoint no less--in a non-democratic society half way around the globe. If the government can't get things right here, why in the world should the administration be trusted to reconstruct a completely different culture?

The logic is difficult to square.

More Zogby madness:

John Kerry 22%
Howard Dean 21%
Dick Gephardt 21%
John Edwards 17%

The return of football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs has brought good news to some--but not all--pizza consumers around Washington D.C.:

The return of Joe Gibbs to the head coach�s spot at the Washington Redskins, the very team he led to three Super Bowl wins, has sparked a goodwill bargain battle between Domino�s Pizza and Papa John�s stores in the area.

Domino�s, which used to be the official pizza of the Redskins, announced recently it would apply a "Gibbs tax" to pizzas sold on Jan. 14. Customers named either Joe or Gibbs would get $3 off their pizza orders, while those with first or last names mirroring of any of the �Skin�s failed coaches� names would have to pay $1 extra (see story Domino�s Pizza franchisee applies �Gibbs tax� to celebrate return of Redskins coach). The proceeds of the "tax" will be donated to a Gibbs-founded charity for at-risk teen boys.

Papa John�s, the current official pizza of the Redskins, announced on Jan. 14 it will celebrate Gibbs� return by selling large, three-topping pizzas for $9.99. According to a news release, each topping represents his three Super Bowl wins with the �Skins. The limited-time special runs through Feb. 2 at D.C.-area Papa John�s Pizza stores.

Via Oliver Willis.

That's apparently how Alan Greenspan views recent Republican tax cuts. Too bad he's not free to speak his conscience in public.

Tune in to Brad DeLong for more Price of Loyalty highlights.

One can't read too much into the poll because of the small sample size, but Zogby tracking shows the four-man race tightening:

Dean 24% (-4%)
Gephardt 21% (-2%)
Kerry 21% (+4%)
Edwards 15% (+1%)

In an unusual move, CNBC has adopting a policy prohibiting employees from owning most stocks:

The General Electric Co.-owned cable channel laid down new restrictions this week considered among the toughest in the industry, barring news staff and managers, as well as their spouses and dependents, from owning individual stocks or corporate bonds. Other employees such as receptionists and hairstylists can hang onto their stocks, but not buy more.

Jane Kirtley, a media ethics professor at the University of Minnesota said the new policy likely would little impact on viewers' trust in the network, and instead might stem from concern about potential regulatory scrutiny down the road on reporters' investments.

"I have to commend any news organization for saying we want to be like Caesar's wife -- beyond reproach," Kirtley said, adding: "I wonder whether it is really going to do a lot to increase public confidence or whether it is a policy that is being imposed for some other reason."

It appears Vice President Dick Cheney was right--"deficits don't matter." At least not those incurred during Republican administrations.

Did you realize that the national debt recently surpassed $7 trillion? I didn't either. Maybe because no one bothered to cover it.

Al Franken finally gets hooked up with a radio show:

This ends a year of speculation about whether Franken would jump into radio. "Our long national nightmare is over," said Franken. "I�ve signed."

"My first priority is to get sued by a right wing jerk in order to generate interest in my new show, The O�Franken Factor," Franken said. "Our hope is to do drug-free talk radio, although I understand it�s never been done."

"Quite simply, my plan is to alter the political landscape, drive this radical right-wing president from office and stand as a beacon for ordinary Americans who work hard and play by the rules. Short of that, I�d just like to get on in Albany," added Franken.

• Eric Boehlert's article, "The Media vs. Howard Dean": Outlines the media treatment the Democratic nominee, whoever that may be, should expect this fall


• Rush Limbaugh discovers part of the Constitution. Or at least his lawyer does.


• More funny stuff--Bonfire of the Vanities #28.

These days vehicles seem to keep getting bigger and bigger. Chris has a good post highlighting the disproportionate danger SUVs pose to people (like me) in cars.

David Frum makes a lame effort at distinguishing his good book about the White House from Paul O'Neill's bad book:

ZAHN: All right, but, even in your own book, you describe the president as this: "He is impatient and quick to anger, sometimes glib, even dogmatic, often uncurious, and, as a result, ill-informed."

FRUM: But here's a difference. And notice when you listen. The president sometimes didn't ask every question that you might want him to ask.

But my description of him is a man who is engaged. And he's complaining the president withdrew from him and didn't listen to him and didn't seem to pay attention. Whenever you've got a problem with other people, there are always two candidates to blame. One is yourself and one is somebody else. And you always start with somebody else and only reach yourself by a long process of elimination.

ZAHN: All right, David, you've got to help me with something. I'm listening to you and I'm hearing what you're saying. You find this criticism of the president very personal. Yet, on the other hand, you're a guy that made some money off the president's back. You left the administration. You wrote a book some folks in the administration weren't crazy about.

Secretary O'Neill is not taking a dime from this book. Everybody knows he's a multimillionaire. And if what he's saying, as you just said, is not untrue, then how can you have a problem with him writing this book?

FRUM: I didn't criticize him for writing this book. I criticized him for saying things that, while true, might lead people to draw false conclusions.

Everybody who goes into the White House has the experience of not being treated as the important person they think they are. And that's a comment theme,whether they're as important as Paul O'Neill or whether they're a speechwriter. That's your feeling. If you're going to write about your experience in a way that is interesting to anybody other than your immediate relatives and the people who hate the guy irrationally, you have to get past your own feelings about, gee, why wasn't I treated like the important guy I think I am, and say, this story was never about me. This story was about the president.

Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill is now under investigation for exposing Bush's poor leadership showing a document marked "secret" on "60 Minutes."

So when does the Cheney investigation begin?

Josh Marshall:

Number of days between Novak column outing Valerie Plame and announcement of investigation: 74 days.

Number of days between O'Neill 60 Minutes interview and announcement of investigation: 1 day.

Having the administration reveal itself as a gaggle of hypocritcal goons . . . priceless.

Lloyd Grove in the New York Daily News:

He didn't free the slaves.

He didn't rid the world of Hitler.

He didn't even - like his father - preside over the destruction of the Berlin Wall.

Yet George W. Bush tells New Yorker writer Ken Auletta: "No President has ever done more for human rights than I have."

With stunners like that, no wonder he spends so little time with journalists.

Word is that Auletta's column will be available tomorrow.

Per Atrios.

I don't know about you, but I'd get tired of eating the same thing everyday:

Everyone at the Taco Bell at 2013 NW Topeka Blvd knows her as Ruby, but her full name is Ruby Fountaine. She is a topeka native who has added a little spice to her life everyday for the past 15 years. She has visited this Taco Bell 7 days a week, sometimes twice a day.

Saturday was no ordinary day for Ruby. It was her 80th birthday and what did she wanted the same thing she always wants a fiesta burrito with chicken, rice, and sour cream. It has become a part of life for Ruby, and for the employees at Taco Bell. They can't imagine a day without her. On her special day, the birthday girl shared her tradition with family and friends. She does have one more special order, many more years of health and trips to her favorite spot, Taco Bell.

Buoyed by the overwhelming success of its terror-threat alert system, the Bush administration is planning to start color-coding American citizens:

The Washington Post reports the Bush administration is expected to order as soon as next month the first step in setting up databases on all air passengers, to be used to color-code each air traveler according to his or her potential threat level.

Passengers coded red would be stopped from boarding; yellow would mean additional screening at security checkpoints; and green would mean an only standard level of scrutiny.

Airlines and airline reservation companies would reportedly be forced to turn over all passenger records to U.S. government officials, who struck out in a trial program was based on voluntary surrender of airline industry data.

Not a single airline agreed to turn over data voluntarily.

Kevin Phillips writes on his new book, American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush (registration required):

Dynasties in American politics are dangerous. We saw it with the Kennedys, we may well see it with the Clintons and we're certainly seeing it with the Bushes. Between now and the November election, it's crucial that Americans come to understand how four generations of the current president's family have embroiled the United States in the Middle East through CIA connections, arms shipments, rogue banks, inherited war policies and personal financial links.

Funny how history repeats itself, isn't it?

This looks like a pretty good offer.

Be careful what you ask for:

A mother's enquiry about buying Microsoft Flight Simulator for her ten-year-old son prompted a night-time visit to her home from a state trooper.

Julie Olearcek, a USAF Reserve pilot made the enquiry at a Staples store in Massachusetts, home to an earlier bout of hysteria, during the Salem witch trials.

So alarmed was the Staples clerk at the prospect of the ten year old learning to fly, that he informed the police, the Greenfield Recorder reports. The authorities moved into action, leaving nothing to chance. A few days later, Olearcek was alarmed to discover a state trooper flashing a torch into to her home through a sliding glass door at 8:30 pm on a rainy night.

Olearcek is a regular Staples customer and schools her son at home. The Staples manager simply explained that staff were obeying advice. Shortly before Christmas, the FBI issued a terror alert to beware of drivers with maps, or reference books.

At one time it was rare to find US citizens, in the safest and most prosperous country in the world, jumping at their own shadows. Now we only note how high.

Shows what I know about the world. I assumed that as warm-climate islands, the Philippines had plenty of water. Apparently not:

Couples in the Philippine capital have been asked to start sharing the tub at bath time as part of a conservation drive.

"Start sharing baths with your partner to conserve water," the environment department advised the parched capital's 12 million residents.

Unseasonably dry weather has depleted water levels in the main reservoirs supplying the metropolis and officials were meeting on Friday to consider rationing and other measures.

The "60 Minutes" segment with former Treasury Secretary John O'Neill was great. Granted, O'Neill is a loose cannon who's likely out for a little pay back. So his account must be taken with a little skepticism. Still, most of what he says has been corroborated or at least is not inconsistent with what many other people have said. So I tend to accept the jist of what he says.

I took three things in particular from the "60 Minutes" piece:

(1) Bush's lack of intellectual curiosity on policy:

At cabinet meetings, he says the president was "like a blind man in a roomful of deaf people. There is no discernible connection," forcing top officials to act "on little more than hunches about what the president might think."

This is what O'Neill says happened at his first hour-long, one-on-one meeting with Mr. Bush: "I went in with a long list of things to talk about, and I thought to engage on and as the book says, I was surprised that it turned out me talking, and the president just listening . . . . As I recall, it was mostly a monologue."

He also says that President Bush was disengaged, at least on domestic issues, and that disturbed him. And he says that wasn't his experience when he worked as a top official under Presidents Nixon and Ford, or the way he ran things when he was chairman of Alcoa.

(2) Iraq. Most of the media buzz has centered on the revelation that planning to invade Iraq began immediately after inauguration, not as a response to 9/11 terrorism. I found this nugget similarly interesting:

During the campaign, candidate Bush had criticized the Clinton-Gore Administration for being too interventionist: "If we don't stop extending our troops all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road. And I'm going to prevent that."

"The thing that's most surprising, I think, is how emphatically, from the very first, the administration had said 'X' during the campaign, but from the first day was often doing 'Y,'" says Suskind. "Not just saying 'Y,' but actively moving toward the opposite of what they had said during the election."

(3) O'Neill's Naivete':

"You're giving me the impression that you're just going to be stunned if they attack you for this book," says Stahl to O�Neill. "And they're going to say, I predict, you know, it's sour grapes. He's getting back because he was fired."

"I will be really disappointed if they react that way because I think they'll be hard put to," says O�Neill.

Is he prepared for it?

"Well, I don't think I need to be because I can't imagine that I'm going to be attacked for telling the truth," says O�Neill. "Why would I be attacked for telling the truth?"

Our plan is to turn security in Iraq over to its own police as soon as possible. I remain skeptical of their suitability for this task. If the U.S. military has had a hard time keeping order, how is a new outfit going to fare?

This weekend we've seen more evidence of the challenge. Iraqis assemble in a supposedly peaceful region to stage a jobs protest, and the next thing you know five people are dead. It's unclear who fired the first shot, but the bottom line is that the police are responsible for maintaining order, and things were anything but orderly.

At the bottom of the story notice that two police officers, who failed to identify themselves, were killed by U.S. troops. Don't know why that should be happening.

Add to these kind of incidents the fact that many police may be corrupt, or even "double agents," and it seems to me we're a long way from an autonomous Iraqi security force.

Probably only a matter of time:

Senior aides to President Bush are vigorously debating what to do about Syria as evidence mounts that the government in Damascus is stepping up support for the terror group Hezbollah and allowing anti-American insurgents to reach Iraq, according to U.S. officials.

Civilians in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's office are pushing for military action and have drawn up plans for punitive airstrikes and cross-border incursions by U.S. forces, according to three officials.

But Bush's White House advisers, backed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the State Department, are arguing against a new military venture with much of the U.S. military tied down in Iraq and a presidential-election year under way.

That view appears to have prevailed, for now.

X Cash

X Shoes

X Socks

X Pants

X Shirts

X Underwear

X Toiletries

X Landmine [Ooops].

So why is President Bush taking about establishing a moon station? Is this merely an election-year ploy? Is this a backhanded way of revving up the aerospace industry and militarizing space? Does this stem from a personal intellectual fascination with the wonders of space? (Ha ha ha)

According to the Washington Post, the administration seeks a "Kennedy moment":

Sources involved in the discussions said Bush and his advisers view the new plans for human space travel as a way to unify the country behind a gigantic common purpose at a time when relations between the parties are strained and polls show that Americans are closely divided on many issues.

"It's going back to being a uniter, not a divider," a presidential adviser said, echoing language from Bush's previous campaign, "and trying to rally people emotionally around a great national purpose."

So who really knows what's going on behind the scenes. Just to be safe, though, it might not be a bad idea to make sure that neither the Bush's nor any of their cronies have a financial interest in this company.

Vice President Dick Cheney, 2000:

"The fact of the matter is, we live in a free society, and freedom means freedom for everybody," Cheney said. "And I think that means that people should be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to enter into. It's really no one else's business in terms of trying to regulate or prohibit behavior in that regard.

"The next step, then . . . is the question you ask of whether or not there ought to be some kind of official sanction, if you will, of the relationship. That matter is regulated by the states. I think different states are likely to come to different conclusions, and that's appropriate. I don't think there should necessarily be a federal policy in this area."

Dick Cheney . . . said Friday he would support a presidential push to ban same-sex marriage.
. . .
"[A]t this stage, obviously, the president is going to have to make a decision in terms of what administration policy is on this particular provision, and I will support whatever decision he makes."

More from the "60 Minutes" interview, per Drudge:

The Bush Administration began laying plans for an invasion of Iraq including the use of American troops within days of President Bush's inauguration in January of 2001, not eight months later after the 9/11 attacks as has been previously reported. That is what former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill says in his first interview about his time as a White House insider. O'Neill talks to Lesley Stahl in the interview, to be broadcast on 60 MINUTES Sunday, Jan. 11 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

"From the very beginning, there was a conviction that Saddam Hussein was a bad person and that he needed to go," he tells Stahl. "For me, the notion of pre-emption, that the U.S. has the unilateral right to do whatever we decide to do is a really huge leap," says O'Neill.

UPDATE: More Drudge:

O'Neill, fired by the White House for his disagreement on tax cuts, is the main source for an upcoming book, "The Price of Loyalty," authored by Ron Suskind. Suskind says O'Neill and other White House insiders he interviewed gave him documents that show that in the first three months of 2001, the administration was looking at military options for removing Saddam Hussein from power and planning for the aftermath of Saddam's downfall, including post-war contingencies like peacekeeping troops, war crimes tribunals and the future of Iraq's oil. "There are memos," Suskind tells Stahl, "One of them marked 'secret' says 'Plan for Post-Saddam Iraq.'" A Pentagon document, says Suskind, titled "Foreign Suitors For Iraqi Oilfield Contracts," outlines areas of oil exploration. "It talks about contractors around the world from...30, 40 countries and which ones have what intentions on oil in Iraq," Suskind says.

In the book, O'Neill is quoted as saying he was surprised that no one in a National Security Council meeting questioned why Iraq should be invaded. "It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying 'Go find me a way to do this,'" says O'Neill in the book.

That mindset would explain the lackluster U.N. effort and rejection of weapons inspections.

According to researchers, the cells of people native to cold climates function slightly differently than those of people in more temperate regions:

The change occurs in the mitochondria, the parts of human cells that burn fuel to produce heat and energy, according to the team of researchers led by Eduardo Ruiz-Pesini of the University of California at Irvine.

The scientists analyzed mitochondria from 1,125 people ranging from Africa to Europe and Arctic Siberia. They found that that mutations in mitochondria DNA, increasing production of heat, though reducing energy production, rise in people living closer to the pole, compared with tropical residents.

Looks like another good "60 Minutes" segment is upcoming:

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill likened President Bush at Cabinet meetings to "a blind man in a room full of deaf people," according to excerpts Friday from a CBS interview.

O'Neill, who was fired by Bush in December 2002, also said the president did not ask him a single question during their first one-on-one meeting, which lasted an hour.

"As I recall it was just a monologue," he told CBS' "60 Minutes," which will broadcast the entire interview Sunday.

In making the blind man analogy, O'Neill told CBS his ex-boss did not encourage a free flow of ideas or open debate.

"There is no discernible connection," CBS quoted O'Neill as saying. The president's lack of engagement left his advisers with "little more than hunches about what the president might think," O'Neil said, according to the program.

Inadvertently revealing one of my sources, Kevin Aylward rightly notes that MSNBC's "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" is a "blog-like newscast." Granted, the countdown theme is a bit goofy, but the show's pretty funny and features witty segues. I'm not sure why it doesn't get better ratings.

The terror czar has deemed America yellow once again

Should we still contact authorities if we see someone carrying around an almanac?

What have we learned recently from the weapons hunt?

Here's highlights (pdf file) from the Carnegie report, "WMD IN IRAQ: Evidence and Implications":

• WMD programs represented a long-term threat that could not be ignored. They did not, however, pose an immediate threat to the United States, to the region, or to global security.


• The dramatic shift between prior intelligence assessments and the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), together with the creation of an independent intelligence entity at the Pentagon and other steps, suggest that the intelligence community began to be unduly influenced by policymakers’ views sometime in 2002.


• There was and is no solid evidence of a cooperative relationship between Saddam’s government and Al Qaeda.


• There was no evidence to support the claim that Iraq would have transferred WMD to Al Qaeda and much evidence to counter it.


• Administration officials systematically misrepresented the threat from Iraq's WMD and ballistic missile programs, beyond the intelligence failures noted above, by:


• Treating nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons as a single “WMD threat.” The conflation of three distinct threats, very different in the danger they pose,distorted the cost/benefit analysis of the war.


• Insisting without evidence—yet treating as a given truth—that Saddam Hussein would give whatever WMD he possessed to terrorists.


• Routinely dropping caveats, probabilities, and expressions of uncertainty present in intelligence assessments from public statements.


• Misrepresenting inspectors’ findings in ways that turned threats from minor to dire.


• Even a war successful on other counts could leave behind three significant WMD threats: lost material, “loose” scientists, and the message that only nuclear weapons could protect a state from foreign invasion.

The Bush administration has quietly withdrawn from Iraq a 400-member military team whose job was to scour the country for military equipment, according to senior government officials. The step was described by some military officials as a sign that the administration might have lowered its sights and no longer expected to uncover the caches of chemical and biological weapons that the White House cited as a principal reason for going to war last March.

Its leader, David Kay, is said to be on the point of resignation. A colleague in Washington said: "His family is worried about his safety and he is disenchanted, both by the failure to find weapons he was sure were there and because his team has been cut in half."

Snow hits the Tennessee Valley again. More closings to report:

• Karl Rove School of Latin-American Studies: Closed
• Britney Spears Emergency Marriage Counseling Clinic: Closed at 4 A.M.
• Washington Hog Heaven Footballaholics: Re-Opening 11 Years Late
• Steve Irwin Daycare Center: Closed Indefinitely
• Howard Dean Seminar on the Book of Job: Rescheduled for a Later Date
• Pete Rose Baseball Odds Makers: Open Two Hours Late

President Bush hits Knoxville for a million dollars and manages to charm the faithful:

Cindy Vanosdale, 40, and Julie Emert, 34, both of Knoxville, joined the crowd after searching 30 minutes for a parking spot. Vanosdale carried a hand-written sign proclaiming "Bush, we love you cause you love Jesus and Israel."

There's a few comments in Howard Dean's closet which might not play so well in Iowa:

"If you look at the caucuses system, they are dominated by the special interests in both parties," he [Dean] said. "[And] the special interests don't represent the centrist tendencies of the American people. They represent the extremes. And then you get a president who is beholden to either one extreme or the other, and where the average person is in the middle."

"George Bush is, I believe, in his soul a moderate," and adding about those thinking that Mr. Bush's presidency would be a one-term one, "that is going to be a mistake."

Finally, Wesley Clark has picked up a big endorsement:

I've never done this before. But life is about taking risks is it not?

I know that people seem to pay attention to everything I do. Big or Small. Ridiculous or Sublime. So I am hoping they pay attention to this:

I am supporting General Wesley Clark for President.

Not only as a "celebrity" but as an American citizen and as a mother. I want my children to grow up with the same opportunities that I had � to know and understand what's going on in the world and to travel that world safely and with pride.

Now I'm asking you to join me.

At the time of his capture, a lot of hot air was exchanged regarding the fate of Saddam Hussein. Who should try him? Would he be subject to the death penalty?

If this report is true, much of that debate may become moot:

The ousted Iraqi dictator, who is currently under custody with the coalition forces, suffers from cancer of lymph glands, Kuwaiti Al-Anba daily reads, citing an Iraqi official. According to the daily, the disease is in an advanced stage, so doctors predict the former dictator would probably live a couple of years more.

Doctors came out with the fatal diagnosis while making thorough medical checking of Saddam Hussein at his capture near his hometown of Tikrit in December 2003.

Allegations of Saddam's illness appeared during the military campaign in Iraq last year, when one of his private doctors, residing in Syria, claimed that the former dictator suffered from cancer.

Oh my:

Mary and Brian Neely claim their son, first grader Logan Neely, was denied a chance to see Bush because he put his head down in class Wednesday. The Neelys said Logan wasn't feeling good.

They also say the school punished him by sending him home early and denying him the chance to meet the president Thursday.
. . .
Mary says her son has had some minor behavior problems in school, but not for failing to do work. She thinks the school is singling Logan out, on a very big day in his life. "So, we were just kind of upset because he's (President Bush) here for No Child Left Behind and mine is sitting on the couch today."

This is shocking:

A woman admitted through tears Thursday that she lied about losing the winning ticket for a $162 million lottery prize, saying: "I wanted to win so badly for my kids and my family."

Elecia Battle, 40, is dropping her lawsuit to block payment of the 11-state Mega Millions jackpot to the certified winner, her lawyer Sheldon Starke said.

"I wanted to win," Battle said. "The numbers were so overwhelming. I did buy a ticket and I lost it. I wanted to win so bad for my kids and my family. I apologize."

As it turns out, I also badly want $162 million for my family, laid-off policemen, the homeless, cancer patients . . . but mainly for myself. Where do I sign up for lost and found lottery tickets?

If this is an example of how Howard Dean is going to talk about his religion, perhaps he shouldn't be doing it:

"The overwhelming evidence is that there is very significant, substantial genetic component to it (homosexuality)," Dean said in an interview Wednesday. "From a religious point of view, if God had thought homosexuality is a sin, he would not have created gay people."

I do give Dean credit for being honest in discussing the role religion has paid in his political decision making:

In the interview Wednesday, Dean said that he does not often consider his religious views when making policy. "I don't go through an inventory like that when making public policy decisions," he said.

I made my way over to the GeorgeWBush.com official blog for the first time today to see what it said about his Knoxville visit. I see that fund raisers aren't "fund raisers" in Bush's world; they're "luncheons" or "receptions."

I wanted to leave a comment wishing my president well, but there's no comment feature available. I guess the secret service must have determined public feedback is a threat to Bush's re-election security.

Damn Foreigner has the "Best of the Rocky Top Brigade 2003."

The Knoxville News-Sentinel covers the free-speech zone angle. Interesting police spin:

Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk said people with signs - whether for or against the president - will be restricted to designated areas. Anyone who ignores officers' commands to honor those restrictions will be subject to arrest.
. . .
Police officials, DeBusk said, established the "First Amendment zone" after several meetings with Secret Service agents. The agents told police what areas would be off limits for security purposes, and police selected the most appropriate locations for protesters.

"People can come and go as they please," DeBusk said. "This is a service for them where they can be seen and be safe."

[Emphasis added]

Bush is scheduled to trumpet his "No Child Left Behind Act." But many local educators--the ones actually doing the teaching--don't like the law.

Undoubtedly Bush will also make a bunch of claims about what his administration is doing to support education. But Misleader (via Musings of a Philosophical Scrivener) reminds us that the rhetoric often doesn't match what really happens away from the cameras.

It's difficult to top this one:

A northeast Houston man has been charged with fatally stabbing his 13-year-old daughter, whom he mistook for the lover he believed his wife had been visiting, police said.

Prudencio Mendez Vasquez, 46, of the 10500 block of Onslow is charged with murder and aggravated assault in the death of his daughter, Michelle, and the wounding of his wife, Micaela, 41. Police said Vasquez slipped into the back of his wife's parked pickup and, evidently believing her boyfriend was in the front passenger seat, stabbed the girl repeatedly about 11:30 p.m. Sunday.

When Vasquez discovered what he had done, investigators said, he stabbed his wife, then himself before a passer-by grabbed the knife and called police. Vasquez remained in fair condition Monday at Ben Taub Hospital. His wife was treated and released.

I got so caught up with the Second Coming that I missed this nugget in yesterday's Washington Post:

The new details of the government's search for a dirty bomb help explain why officials have used dire terms to describe the reasons for the nation's fifth "code orange" alert, issued on Dec. 21 by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. U.S. officials said they remain worried today -- in many cases, more concerned than much of the American public realizes -- that their countermeasures would fall short.

"Government officials are surprised that people [in the United States] aren't more hyped about all this," said one source familiar with counterterrorism preparations.

Seriously, what do they expect people to be doing? Dashing about in flak jackets?

Perhaps people have lost their hype because they've concluded the government is rather clueless in assessing danger, with good reason:

Officials said intelligence can be misleading, and some in law enforcement acknowledged that there is no way to know the actual urgency of the threats. Officials said one of their key challenges is determining whether al Qaeda is planting provocative but false clues as a diversion or as deliberate disinformation to test the U.S. response. Some foreign governments have voiced concerns that the United States is overreacting.

If government officials want the public to be concerned about a specific threat, such as a dirty bomb, they should tell us to look out for a dirty bomb. But they can't just floating out these vague warnings or a continuously changing threat-flavor-of-the-week and expect people to remain in a perpetually-stoked state.

South Knox Bubba has details on the planned protest during Bush's upcoming visit to Knoxville.

In anticipation of the visit, I'm unilaterally declaring this site a free-speech zone.

Believe it or not, it's been ten years since Tonya Harding's goon's took a whack at Nancy Kerrigan's leg. Where has the time gone?

Since then Kerrigan has essentially disappeared from the public spotlight, as figure skaters should. Harding, however, has attempted to capitalize on her "fame."

"Gibbs to Return to Washington"

Joe Gibbs, the Hall of Fame coach who led the Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl titles in the 1980s and early '90s, has reached a tentative contract agreement to return as head coach of the Washington Redskins, sources said today.

Here's hoping for a return to the glory days.

UPDATE: Rumors now confirmed. Gibbs agrees to a five-year deal. In a couple years the NFC East could be a darn good division with Gibbs, Reid, Parcells, and Coughlin battling it out.

Cute euphemism, isn't it?

President Bush is supposed to unveil a new migration proposal shortly. It remains to be seen whether this is merely an election-year ploy to woo Hispanics, or a serious legislative effort. If it's the latter, it'll be interesting (and amusing) to see how many of these "we-can't-reward-bad-behavior " Republicans have a real backbone and stand up against it.

More details expected soon.

Plenty of news outlets reported how hate-filled liberals are comparing Bush to Hitler. What's received less attention is Dr. Laura Schlessinger's description of day-care centers as "something out of Nazi Germany."

A Ohio law offers those convicted of DUI the option of maintaining driving privileges while their license is suspended if they display a distinctive yellow and red plate on their vehicle:

A new law went into effect Jan. 1 and stipulates drivers convicted of DUI will be required to have these special license plates for the duration of their driving suspension in order to have driving privileges.

These plates, which are yellow with red letters and numbers, are markedly different from Ohio's regular white and blue license plates. Although the punishment has been available to Ohio judges since 1967, very few of them have chosen to use it.

One thing is clear regarding these plates: other drivers will likely play more attention to the cars bearing them.

Via Wizbang.

Last night's "Daily Show" had a good segment poking fun at the media's Dean-is-angry meme.

What does Dean do that defines him an angry candidate? No one's really sure, but if the "news" repeats it enough, it must be true.

"It's widely reported, which makes it fact-esque."

Britney Spears and George Costanza should return any wedding gifts they received.

It all happened so fast I didn't even have a chance to get mine in the mail.

An eventful church service:

Life Christian Center pastor Rick Shelton told St. Louis' KSDK-TV that a man walked into the church during the morning service and claimed he was Jesus before being led out by ushers. As ushers waited for police, Shelton said, the man got into his car and drove into the church's front doors.

This isn't the first time we've had solicitors come in; we've had two or three so far this winter. That doesn't sound like much. But given that we meet at night without any public advertising, it's notable that any non-members have come by.

These kind of stories make me wonder--do churches get a disproportionate number of curious visitors because many of them seek to minister to the needy, downtrodden, and disillusioned? Or does this simply reflect the reality that there's quite a few unconventional people roaming about?

If you're a juvenile court judge charged with hearing child neglect cases, it's probably not a good idea to leave your 4-year-old alone wandering the streets at night:

Fulton County Juvenile Court Judge Nina Hickson issued a public apology Monday as two more inquiries began regarding her leaving her 4-year-old daughter home alone while she ran a late-night errand.
. . .
Hickson, a 43-year-old single parent, acknowledged in a two-page written statement that she made a mistake in leaving her daughter, Wesley Victoria, home alone to make a dash back to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to claim a piece of luggage.

"I, of all people, should have known better," the judge said.

Hickson said she and her daughter had returned home from a trip about 10:45 p.m. and she thought her daughter was safely asleep for the night when she decided to go to the airport.

But a passer-by found the girl wandering on an East Point street, looking for her mother, and called authorities.

East Point police contacted Atlanta police, who returned the girl to her mother.

I hadn't seen much on the German cannibalism trial lately. I'm not sure if they took off for some holiday cheer or if I just haven't been looking closely enough. Anyway, the trial is still in progress. From recent testimony I learn that in corners of the Internet where I've never ventured, there's some nifty cannibalism forums:

Inspector Isolde Stock said that Mr Meiwes' email correspondence with members of "cannibal forums" would fill two lorries if it were printed out.

"We downloaded over 3,000 pictures of gay and heterosexual sex, torture scenes and violence from Meiwes's computer and two PCs," she said.
. . .
Mr Meiwes estimates that there are at least 800 active participants in cannibal forums, and says he was in contact with at least 400 of them. Experts say the real number is probably much higher.

"There are several hundred people with cannibalistic tendencies in Germany alone, and many thousands around the world," said Rudolf Egg, a criminologist in the German central criminal service.

Only a tiny proportion of those entering cannibal chat-rooms were willing to follow through and meet in real life.

Just what does one share in a cannibalism forum anyway? Recipes?

In this case it seems to have been fantasies:

The judge read out selections of Mr Meiwes' email conversations with J�rg, another correspondent, describing their sexual and cannibalistic fantasies.

"Did you kill any young men over the holidays?" J�rg asked in January last year.

"It was the only thing I didn't do over the holidays. Do you think I have slipped out, that I want to kill a young man and eat him?" Mr Meiwes replied.

"No, there is nothing sexier than to be killed like a pig," replied J�rg.

To satisfy another correspondent, whose fantasy was to be killed and eaten by a woman, Mr Meiwes set up a new email account and pretended to be a woman.

The media has been all over one of the pressing issues of our time--the fact that Britney Spears' "sacred" marriage lasted only two days.

Given this overwhelming demonstration of commitment, I'm lead to wonder: could Spears' endorsement of President Bush similarly be in jeopardy?

Spears answered, "Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes and we should just support that." She declared that she trusts President Bush, but when asked about the president's political future, Spears told Carlson that she doesn't know if he'll get re-elected.

This CNN piece asks if other search engines produce better results than Google. One site it highlights is Vivisimo.

There's no easier way to assess a search engine than to try it out, so I gave both the ultimate test: the Resonance search.

Turns out Google is better in raw search power:

Google: No. 9.

Vivisimo: No. 11. (average rank of three searches).

What sets Vivisimo apart from many other search engines is that it also groups results into subject clusters, which may help one wade through a bunch of irrelevant hits. But it's not always helpful. For instance, in my test search I wasn't sure which category my desired hit was listed in. When that's the case you're just as well off scrolling through the entire list.

We're No. 1!

Teenagers in the United States have higher rates of obesity than those in 14 other industrialized countries, including France and Germany, a study of nearly 30,000 youngsters ages 13 and 15 found.

Among American 15-year-olds, 15 percent of girls and nearly 14 percent of boys were obese, and 31 percent of girls and 28 percent of boys were more modestly overweight.
. . .
The heaviest countries, based on data from 15-year-olds, also included Greece, Portugal, Israel, Ireland and Denmark.

U.S. teens were more likely than those in other countries to eat fast food, snacks and sugary sodas and were more likely to be driven to school and other activities, contributing to a more sedentary lifestyle, said co-author Mary Overpeck of the U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

So Pete Rose finally admits he bet on baseball. Why now, after all these years:

As long as Rose is banned from baseball, he is ineligible for the Hall of Fame ballot. His last chance to appear on the writers' ballot is December 2005. After that, if he's reinstated, he could be voted in by the veterans' committee.

I can understand why he might initially denied betting. That seems to be a natural reaction when one gets caught doing wrong. But for him to carry on with his act for all these years, then reverse course should make him feel really stupid. Apparently, however, it isn't--he's being described as "not very apologetic."

I guess that's a typical contemporary American celebrity for you.

Another terrorist attack could drastically impact traffic between the U.S. and Canada:

The United States would virtually close the Canada-U.S. border if a terrorist attack were launched anywhere near it, according to documents obtained under access-to-information legislation.

"One additional terrorist attack, that had its origins in Canada or occurred at, or along, the Canada-U.S. border, would likely cause Congress to lift the drawbridge," warn the documents from the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.

It also makes me wonder--what if there was a terrorist strike linked to our southern border? Do you think we'd shut down the flow of human traffic coming in from Mexico?

I wouldn't bet on it.

Per Google's 2003 Year-End Zeitgeist:

1. britney spears

2. harry potter

3. matrix

4. shakira

5. david beckham

6. 50 cent

7. iraq

8. lord of the rings

9. kobe bryant

10. tour de france

Based on these rankings, I wouldn't rate this era's intellectual climate as one of its strong points.

Many argue that it will be China. But Peter Drucker, in a subscription only article (excerpted at Talking Points Memo) says to keep an eye on India:

India is becoming a powerhouse very fast. The medical school in New Delhi is now perhaps the best in the world. And the technical graduates of the Institute of Technology in Bangalore are as good as any in the world. Also, India has 150 million people for whom English is their main language. So India is indeed becoming a knowledge center.

In contrast, the greatest weakness of China is its incredibly small proportion of educated people. China has only 1.5 million college students, out of a total population of over 1.3 billion. If they had the American proportion, they'd have 12 million or more in college. Those who are educated are well trained, but there are so few of them. And then there is the enormous undeveloped hinterland with excess rural population. Yes, that means there is enormous manufacturing potential. In China, however, the likelihood of the absorption of rural workers into the cities without upheaval seems very dubious. You don't have that problem in India because they have already done an amazing job of absorbing excess rural population into the cities--its rural population has gone from 90% to 54% without any upheaval.

Everybody says China has 8% growth and India only 3%, but that is a total misconception. We don't really know. I think India's progress is far more impressive than China's.

Time for another constitutional amendment.

Interesting how a power shift changes things. Once upon a time the Democrats were the big spenders and the Republicans complained about it. Now that they control the federal government, Republicans have increased spending faster than the Democrats ever did, while the Democrats campaign of deficits.

Likewise, when they were the minority in Congress, the Republicans championed state's rights, while the Democrats operated on the federal level. Switch party control, and again we see just the opposite power paradigm unfolding.

Funny how that works.

This site has updates.

One of the neat things about the World Wide Web is that, well, you can access web sites around the world. There's a small but growing number of readers logging on to Resonance from outside the United States. If you're one of them, I invite you to check out Resonance's International Edition.

I was surprised to see in the the December site statistics that the highest number of foreign domain visitors came from Greece. So if you happen to be a Greek visitor, "Γειάσου," or whatever "hello" is. Resonance will undoubtedly be focusing more on Greece as the Olympics draw nigh.

It's interesting reading foreign blogs, but unfortunately not everyone is free to do so. I only recently learned that many Internet users have access to Blogspot sites blocked by the "the Great Firewall of China." But as far as I know, Resonance is available in China. I welcome this audience of 1 billion potential Resonance readers [minus those who don't know English, minus those without the Internet, minus those who don't care . . . which leaves approximately one or two]. Come back again.

If you're thinking about supporting a Republican in the next election, which I do NOT recommend, consider voting for a "real Republican."

"Don't give George W. Bush four more years to lead America to ruin."

He's got a campaign blog . . . on Blogspot. There's some fiscal disipline! He should probably update it a little more often though.

Making a watch list, checking it twice:

Six cases of mistaken identity were behind the pre-Christmas grounding of six Air France flights between Paris and Los Angeles over terrorism fears, a police official said Friday.
. . .
Pierre Debue, director of the French border police, said U.S. officials have asked France to check out a few suspicious names on passenger lists nearly every day since Christmas Eve.

One turned out to be a 5-year-old child, and another was a prominent Egyptian scientist, he said. The Wall Street Journal said two other suspected "terrorists" turned out to be an elderly Chinese woman and a Welsh insurance agent.

Way to go guys!

Any Knoxville-area readers see any Y-12 keys lying around? They're missing 200 of them.

UPDATE: Only 40 of the keys were to sensitive areas. Okay, no problem after all.

Another revelation:

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson said Friday he believes God has told him President Bush will be re-elected in a "blowout" in November.

"I think George Bush is going to win in a walk," Robertson said on his "700 Club'' program on the Virginia Beach-based Christian Broadcasting Network, which he founded. "I really believe I'm hearing from the Lord it's going to be like a blowout election in 2004. It's shaping up that way."

Robertson told viewers he spent several days in prayer at the end of 2003.

"The Lord has just blessed him," Robertson said of Bush.

"I mean, he could make terrible mistakes and comes out of it. It doesn't make any difference what he does, good or bad, God picks him up because he's a man of prayer and God's blessing him."

Good thing we have local news outlets here in Knoxville, so we don't have to depend on wire services to tell us what's happening locally. Oh wait:

Six die in head-on I-75 crash

By Associated Press
January 2, 2004

A Tennessee man driving the wrong way on Interstate 75 collided head-on early today with a Michigan-registered car carrying five people. Authorities said all six died.

The accident happened about 12:15 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the interstate about 15 miles east of Knoxville near Lenoir City.

UPDATE: Finally a KNS story. A vacationing family of five was killed by a driver who may have been intoxicated. What a horrible sight.

ANOTHER UPDATE: What's going on around here?

At least 11 people have died in wrong-way crashes in East Tennessee in recent weeks, including two on New Year's Eve in Knoxville, officials say.

"N. Korea OKs U.S. Visit to Complex"

North Korea has agreed to allow a U.S. delegation that includes a top nuclear scientist to visit its nuclear complex at Yongbyon next week ahead of likely negotiations with its neighbors and the United States. The delegation would be the first to see the site since North Korea expelled foreign weapons inspectors a year ago.

I'm not sure what this is leading, but it's noteworthy:

"Pope Calls for a New World Order"

Pope John Paul II launched one of the most important diplomatic initiatives of his long papacy yesterday when he called for a new international order to replace the one that emerged from the second world war.

Though he did not offer a detailed plan, his words appeared to show he wanted the UN replaced in light of its failure to block the use of force by America in Iraq.

The Pope called last month for the reform of world institutions and deplored any failure to respect international law. But in a sermon during a mass at St Peter's in Rome yesterday, he went much further, referring to the UN as if it were already a part of the past.

"More than ever, we need a new international order that draws on the experience and results achieved in these years by the United Nations," he declared during a service to mark the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, celebrated on January 1.

Uh oh:

Country music icon Willie Nelson has written a Christmas song with an edge -- a protest against the war in Iraq that he hopes will stir passions in those who hear it.
. . .
Nelson said his new song criticized the Bush administration's decision to invade Iraq and those who thought it unpatriotic to speak out against the war.

Here's an interesting site that tells you how common your name is. For example it claims that 0.736% of men in the US (901,600) are named Brian, while roughly 0.001% (2,500) of last names are Arner.

If my math is correct, these percentages suggest there should be approximately 9 Brian Arners in the U.S. [2,500 (Arners) x 49% (males) x 0.736% (Brians)]. But only know of two other Brian Arners. Here's one of them. I just want to clarify that I'm that guy so you'll never make the mistake of asking me to sing for you. A few times I've received misdirected fan e-mails thanking me for my music or asking about a CD, and I get a kick out of it every time.

Link via Matthew Yglesias.

Reality T.V., or in this case a "hybrid of a scripted and reality" T.V., continues its downward march toward glorified Jerry Springer:

After months of ordinary TV weddings, the real fun is just beginning when FOX rings the wedding bells to sound off the ultimate practical joke on MY BIG FAT OBNOXIOUS FIANC�. In this unscripted series, a beautiful �bride-to-be� introduces the most horrific �fianc� to her family and friends when she announces her shocking and surprising wedding plans to them in the series premiere Monday, January 19, 2004 following the premiere of American Idol on FOX.

Over six episodes, Steve, the big fat obnoxious �Prince-not-so-Charming� and his obnoxious �family� will test the limits of his recently engaged girlfriend�s family and friends through shocking behavior. Our �bride,� Randi, a 23-year-old first grade teacher from Scottsdale, Ariz., must make it all the way through the wedding ceremony and final �I do�s� in order to win a million dollars.

If you want to contact Fox to complain about the stupidity of this show, feel free to use the following letter:

Dear Fox,

Your scheduled "reality" series, "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fianc�," looks even stupider than the last show you came up with.

Please stop.

Sincerely,

T.V. Viewer

Surprise. Notwithstanding its own prior bans on the importation of beef from countries with mad cows, the U.S. government wants the world to buy U.S. beef now:

The United States wants the world to start buying its beef again, after discovery of its first case of mad cow disease in late December, an uncommonly quick resumption of trade for nations wary of the brain-wasting disease.
. . .
U.S. officials acknowledge they are asking for more flexibility from trading partners than the United States showed in the past. They say international standards have evolved as scientists learn more about BSE and how to control it.

"So, in fact, while we may have been part of the problem in the past, we have taken a very active role in terms of trying to change that standard," said Ron DeHaven, USDA's chief veterinary officer, during a news conference on Wednesday.

It's nice being able to write the rules as you go along, isn't it? Any question why other governments are getting tired of our act?

These are attainable--in theory, if not in practice.

• Better proofreading--I try to spell check and all, but I sometimes miss stuff.


• Diversify---Read and link to a wider array of blogs.


• Less copy and paste--More writing, less block quoting.

Shocking as it may seem, President Bush's voluntary pollution control efforts don't seem to having much of an impact:

Two years after President Bush declared he could combat global warming without mandatory controls, the administration has launched a broad array of initiatives and research, yet it has had little success in recruiting companies to voluntarily curb their greenhouse gas emissions, according to official documents, reports and interviews.

At the heart of the president's strategy is "Climate Leaders," a program that recruits the nation's industrial polluters to voluntarily devise ways to curb their emissions by 10 percent or more in the coming decade. Scientists believe these greenhouse gas emissions, which include carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, are contributing to a troubling rise in the earth's temperature that could disrupt weather patterns and cause flooding.

Only a tiny fraction of the thousands of U.S. companies with pollution problems -- 50 in all -- have joined Climate Leaders, and of the companies that have signed up, only 14 have set goals. Many of the companies that are volunteering say they did so either because reducing emissions makes good economic sense or because they were being nudged by state and federal regulators.

The president's more immediate goal, announced on Valentine's Day 2002, is to reduce greenhouse gas intensity -- the amount of gas put into the atmosphere per unit of economy -- by 18 percent over the next 10 years. Congress's research arm, the General Accounting Office, concluded in October that Bush's plan would reduce overall emissions only 2 percentage points below what the nation would achieve with no federal program whatsoever.

Although Climate Leaders represents the cutting edge of Bush's strategy, it has a budget of $1 million a year and a full-time staff of three, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which runs the program.

There's a real opportunity for the Democrats to make the environment an issue this fall if they know how to run with it.

Practices vary widely:

South African police will crack down hard on anybody throwing old fridges from high-rise buildings during the New Year's holiday, they say.

Police and soldiers are on patrol in Johannesburg's notorious Hillbrow suburb, famous for the practice.

Throwing heavy objects from balconies and firing guns have become something of a bad "New Year's institution," said police Inspector Kriben Naidoo.

Revellers have been killed in the past after being hit by stray bullets.

It is not clear why Hillbrow residents have taken to seeing in the New Year by throwing objects such as fridges, microwave ovens, beds, rubbish bins and condoms out of their windows.

Some also aim their New Year fireworks horizontally, so they go from one high-rise apartment into another.

. . . from Resonance, the official weblog of 2004!