Saturday, September 14, 2002

August 12, 2002
Narco News Announces Award: The
Journalist-of-the-Year for 2002 is...
Marshall Mathers

As the countdown to the anniversary of the September 11th attacks begins, a lot of people will be claiming to speak for America. They will purport to tell us what it all meant, what it all means, and they will be mostly full of shit. If you are dreading this predictable spectacle as I am, click your TV off, "turn your head away from the screen" as the late Jeff Buckley sang, and tune in to the counter-discourse that more kids are listening to than any other in the Summer of 2002.

Based on measurable sales, more people are listening to this report than to any to new music album in history: The album is titled, "The Eminem Show."

Today, The Narco News Bulletin announces the First Annual Narco News Award for Journalist-of-the-Year to the author of the report-of-the-year, the singer-songwriter Marshall Mathers.

That a rapper has offered better, more accurate, and more detailed journalism on the State of the Union post-9/11 than those traditionally thought of as "journalists" is obviously a damning indictment of the media industry and its "journalistic" response to world events over the past 11 months.

"The Eminem Show" throws down the gauntlet: It is a challenge to all of us who consider ourselves to be authentic journalists - or authentic creators in any field - to rise to higher standard.

In our view, the Authentic Journalist must accomplish three tasks:

First, he or she must report accurately, in great detail, on important events and overlooked truths in society, no matter the personal risk to bring the story to the public.

Second, he or she must communicate complex issues and connect with the public in a manner that everyone - not just the over-educated classes - can understand.

Third - because journalism, as a craft, is in a state of emergency and suffers from widespread corporate and self-censorship of the most basic truths - the Authentic Journalist of today must open the door for the larger public, for Civil Society, to speak for itself. The Authentic Journalist of today has to reject the caste status imposed on him and her by the media industry, and spread his and her "free speech" rights to everyone.

By resisting and triumphing against multiple lawsuits and legislative initiatives against his Free Speech, and by openly challenging Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations against Authentic Speech on the airwaves, Marshall Mathers has opened the door for millions to begin to speak freely again.

But more importantly, while virtually everyone else with a loud microphone in the commercial media has shrunk from the duty to report on America's post-9/11 syndrome, and the totalitarian State it invites, a rap musician - and shame on everybody else - was the only reporter in the mass media to meet deadline. [...]

http://www.narconews.com/eminem1.html
posted by Irdial , 9:36 PM Þ 

akin, you are being very harsh and cruel.

Hardly, its just a discussion. I can comptently argue both sides if called to.

i deserve more respect than that.

If you were someone that I thought nothing of I would have dropped the thread. It is because I have time for you that I have been bouncing against your posts.

yes, you are right, you win. the engilsh are much smarter than the americans.

come come!

do you feel better now?

really.

i have no more time to hear these nationalistic arguments and i have just tried to show that people are people, no matter where they live.

And I can demonstraate that they are not. We simply have to agree to disagree. We are not being nationalistic, clearly, we are just telling it like it is, for this particular subject.

and btw: aren't you from the states?

yes...

and you know i am becoming canadian, just like you became english.

I never became english; what gave you that idea?! Perhaps it was my traitorus tounge. :]

Sorry to hear about your cat...All the dogs that I grew up with (two german shepards a doberman and a yorkshire terrier have gone to dog heaven) its a terrible feeling...
posted by Irdial , 9:26 PM Þ 

akin, you are being very harsh and cruel. i deserve
more respect than that. you have known me for years and
i have always been right there with you but.....yes, you are right,
you win. the engilsh are much smarter than the americans.
do you feel better now? i have no more time to hear these nationalistic
arguments and i have just tried to show that people are people, no matter where
they live. and btw: aren't you from the states? and you know i am becoming
canadian, just like you became english. people! not countries.

also on friday my wonderful loving innocent cat
tess was killed by a car on the dirt road out front of
my mothers house. she was 3 years old and i had
her since she was about three weeks when i found her
on the street in windsor, ot. she is being burried today in the
woods behind the house.

pass easy tess. we love you.
posted by john , 8:17 PM Þ 

I remember seeing that Oswald picture a while ago. It's totally brilliant.
Those chinese pyramids: WHOA! Spooky.

Also: Mikkel is sexy.
posted by Barrie , 7:49 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 4:30 PM Þ 

posted by Irdial , 4:26 PM Þ 

Initially, the laser was called an invention looking for a job.
- Harry Stine.
posted by Irdial , 3:37 PM Þ 

Examples of infomersion abound in digital music and sound art. One of the most intriguing is The Conet Project, a four-CD set collecting two decades' worth of amateur recordings of "numbers stations" — inexplicable shortwave broadcasts of numerical data, documented across Western Europe since the dawn of the Cold War. On one level, the set is merely a documentary curiosity, a collectors' trophy for conspiracy theorists, cryptophiles, and fans of arcana. On another level, though, the recording — which collects hours of examples of the coded broadcasts in several languages — represents a typological study of the kind that the photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher have been pursuing for years in their methodical documentation of grain elevators, blast furnaces, water towers, and other industrial structures. Each recording is a variation on a theme, yet ultimately inscrutable in itself. As a sound recording, though, The Conet Project cannot help but become almost spookily engrossing: when listened to in sequence it spills out of its database structure and offers a bewildering, mind-numbing data overload, flitting constantly between signification and pure sonority.

http://www.neumu.net/needledrops/
posted by Irdial , 2:36 PM Þ 
posted by chriszanf , 2:32 PM Þ 

"Let those laugh, that win"
Barry Lyndon
posted by Irdial , 2:23 PM Þ 

The Vatican offers music in MP3
posted by Irdial , 1:37 PM Þ 



I read a great article, I'll get it to you asap.
posted by Mikkel , 1:14 PM Þ 

americans (like people of any nation) are more than one mind, ideal or intellectual level. it is not fair to use the term "americans" as if they were one person, because they aren't.

This is preciseley the problem that people face when they try and debate americans. I watched a special programme here where an audience of americans debated an audience of americans on this subject. It was extraordinary. It was literally as if they came from different planets!

This happens often when americans are confronted on these issues; The american ambassador was roasted alive by an audience on "Question Time" (precisely the type of programme that is impossible to run on amerian TV). He was shocked at the clarity of thought, and brutal honesty of the "ordinary british citizen".
posted by Irdial , 10:54 AM Þ 

also, I'd like to point out how batshit-fucking-INSANE Bush's ultimatum to the UN is. Like, HOLY SHIT folks. Whooooaah!
posted by Barrie , 8:14 AM Þ 

Speaking as a Canadian, I am both very proud and surprised of our Prime Minister Chretien. While on one hand he's proven himself to be rather useless and a bit of a bumbler, he still at least has common sense.
He has the guts to tell America that the attacks on the WTC & Pentagon were because of THEIR actions in foreign nations. He's smart enough to realize that the reason these atrocities happen is because of ignorance of the massive and yet growing gap between the rich and poor nations, and the poor nations being treated badly (among many other things, these are predominant).

Tony Blair, on the other hand, smacks of "tool," though I don't have the full story on his relations with Bush and the "war on I-raq." But throughout the entire thing Blair has seemed a tool to me.
At least Britain has good soldiers. American soldiers are reviled the world over... though I would like for none of these soldiers to enter harm.

I also really liked Mandela's talk about Israel being a nuclear threat but not fought against by america because, basically, it's a white nation (though it's just as power-hungry and INSANE as Iraq). Something to think about, though I doubt GW Bush would bother listening to someone very intelligent like Mandela.
posted by Barrie , 8:11 AM Þ 

don't know if they got it fixed yet but.....
http://www.rathergood.com/punk_kittens/
posted by john , 2:42 AM Þ 

noam chomsky is a great american.

americans(like people of any nation) are more than one mind,
ideal or intellectual level. it is not fair to use the term "americans" as if
they were one person, because they aren't.

The only thing that is going to stop all of this is a grass roots ground swell
- i totally agree. it would have to be internal.
posted by john , 2:34 AM Þ 

We need to find the words that they are going to understand (in English, Spanish, Italian, Korean, German, Canadian, American, Mandarin, et al).

Americans dont seem to speak the same language as other people, no matter what language you use. The English and the Americans; one wold think that they are very similar since they both speak the same language, but in fact, the differences between the two could not be more pronounced.

This is a problem of education and in the long run, of culture. If americans refuse to be influenced by the thinking of the rest of the world, they will continue to be outsiders, a rogue nation if you will.

Perhaps the UN should be countering the US with demands to adopt a national health care system or subsidized housing plans before any moves on Iraq.

Do a google search for "socialized medicine" and you will get a feel for the reaction that would erupt from such an idea. Americans do not want to hear about anything like this. They dont understand the benefits of it, and reactthe USA is one of the most able in the world to afford complete state offered medical care).

The only thing that is going to stop all of this is a grass roots ground swell; this is unlikely to happen since no TV cameras and live reporting is allowed from the battlefield. No one gets to see the horror of war, no one gets sick to their stomach, there are no protests. And of course, now with 911 in the back of everyones minds, sympathy for the bombed will be running at zero.
posted by Irdial , 12:01 AM Þ 
Friday, September 13, 2002
posted by Irdial , 11:49 PM Þ 

wow, mary.

Perhaps the UN should be countering the US with demands to adopt a national health care system or subsidized housing plans before any moves on Iraq. That kind of negotiating would be interesting, and might just get the attention of the American public.

that's huge right there. the US doesn't usually get called out on those topics by international sources. i have only ever heard it as an internal debate. the question is whether the US media would report such leveraging. but if they did, the populace here would begin to realize that alternatives exist.

*************

i'm a bit frightened of our situation at the moment.
posted by Josh Carr , 9:50 PM Þ 

No matter how angry the American government makes me, I still feel for the American people. 10% of Americans are foreign born, much like Canada, where one in six have immigrated here. We are nations of immigrants, diverse, often with no family support, rootless, separated geographically, ideologically, historically.

But Canada and the US are different in so many ways. I am thankful daily for the Canadian social system, which provides subsidized education, comprehensive health care, employment insurance, etc. We have a basic level of care that keeps our public healthy and educated. How many people fall through the cracks in the USA? People live in fear of those cracks, and work like dogs to prevent losing everything. How many people would have the energy at the end of the day to deal with the mess that their government is making? We all know that there are rare individuals who rise above, but on the whole, people are depressed by poverty and ill health.

I am thankful that my government has developed a model of multi-culturalism, where difference is appreciated. What kind of pressure exists in America to conform? Salute the flag, or get out. American first, and always. How many factions are created internally through resistance? And do they have guns? I would be very afraid if I lived in that kind of society, and I think its a fear that Americans live with, regardless if it founded in reality, it's real to them. How do you unite a country of people who are afraid of each other?

Its a mess, the people are manipulated and as I see it, ill-equipped to fix the problem (I mean the mass public in the whole). I agree, the US government would be best served to stay home and clean out some closets. But in the meantime, how do we speak to Americans, how do we encourage them to change, without isolating them, and rejecting them? For they are a country built of people who left their home countries to build a better life, to escape poverty, war, or a society they didn't believe in, or one that didn't believe in them. There is going to be a desire to be accepted in their new format, and if we are rejecting what they have come up with or who they have aligned themselves with and saying that we still hate them, then what progress will happen? No one is going to respond to that. We need to find the words that they are going to understand (in English, Spanish, Italian, Korean, German, Canadian, American, Mandarin, et al). Perhaps the UN should be countering the US with demands to adopt a national health care system or subsidized housing plans before any moves on Iraq. That kind of negotiating would be interesting, and might just get the attention of the American public.
posted by mary13 , 9:12 PM Þ 

Dear Mikkel! Be strong and hold on... All the best thoughts for you...
posted by Alison , 1:58 PM Þ 

This is what real jourlalism reads like:

John Pilger in The Guardian.

In the Daily Mirror

A Guardian Piece blasting HMG.

The Guardian Again, roasting HMG.

Its absolutely clear that the standard of political debate in the UK is streets ahead of shallow noise heard in america. Not only is the debate here greater in detail and insight, but it reaches every person in the UK.

It is better in objectivity and adherence to standards of journalism. Chris, those 4 links were illustratative of just this; two of them, coming from nationaly read newspapers.

One cannot help but believe that if US mass media was run on similar principles, it would be impossible for GWB to get away with what he is doing.

This by the way, should not be misconstrued as leaping to the defense of the UK; I post these links to demonstrate what real journalism looks like, of a type that reaches the minds of milions of britons every day.
posted by Irdial , 1:58 PM Þ 

Someone clever said:

Mr. Hand has some nice statistics, but we know what they are worth.

The reason Japan has not had any agression since WWII is not the pounding they got, it is because of the MARSHAL PLAN.

Some history. After WWI, Germany was pounded into submission, millions killed, all infrastructure destroyed. Internaltional punishment was delt to them. They were oppressed. Germany was reviled, Their people hated world wide. Extremely horrible economic and emotional conditions.

Question: Did that prevent them from starting another war?
Answer: NO!

After WWII, The Marshal plan was implemented in both Germany and Japan. This plan prevented either from building an Army. But it did help both rebuild their economies, their industries, their schools and hospitals. The US and allies spent millions of dollars rebuilding Germany and Japan into modern, capable and respected countries. No oppression. No punishment.

Since then, neither has had any aggression of the type in WWII.

So, by your logic, Germany should have been stopped after WWI. But they weren't, were they. The difference? Rebuild them, respect them. Don't give them an emotional reason to go to war.

Now a question for you. If someone were to beat the crap out of you, a school yard bully (assuming you weren't the school yard bully). Would you sit and cower and pray he goes away, or would you plot vengence? Do you believe other people think any differently that you do on subjects like that?

Learn some history. Learn some psychology. Become a better person.

Peace be with you.
posted by Irdial , 1:32 PM Þ 

The post by Chris is EXCELLENT.
Simple and right on the money. Hopefully this shows how the UK has bad bad practises, is generally quiet about them at the governmental level, but how our media keeps an eye on these things. The media notices, and writes up the basic hypocrisy of our government in big bold letters for everyone to see. Ditto the Paxman/Blair interview link.
It is not an excuse of the practise.

Governments don't do things like war just for the sake of it. There is always a reason. And if they won't give you the reason, it's because they know you wouldn't like it. Attacking Iraq is not about the war on terror. I think Israel is a far greater nuclear threat to the region than Iraq. So what is it about? This is where the media come in. It is they who have access to the right people, to opinions, they who get to question Bush and Blair. All the arguments about terror are excuses, not reasons. Are American journalists looking for the reasons? Are UK journalists looking for the reasons? Well, they're trying... And speaking to friends, papers like Le Monde actually do it far better than we do. More power to them! Make the politicians tell the facts, or show them up as the bullshitters they are.

John. I'm sorry, I've tried to understand but I just don't get what you're trying to say. On the one hand you seem to be going ape-shit about what's been written, defending the US indirectly by attacking the UK, and on the other you "couldn't care less because a: i can't do jack shit about it"?
I don't understand what I've said that is nationalistic? I haven't been flag-waving, certainly haven't supported Blair or my governments stance at present. All I've done is point out that the UK, in my opinion, is having a major serious debate on whether war is the way to go. In contrast, the US media appear to be just reporting i.e. stating 'we're going to invade I-raq' with the only discussion being 'when, where, how, and with who's support' rather than 'what the fuck is this mad monkey-man doing and, most importantly, WHY? what has his father and all those other remnants of the last bush presidency been saying? Why will our troops be dying?'
And of course each of us can do a little something about it. Encourage a friend to look at an opinionated web site, or newspaper. Ask them their opinion. Write to the PM.
And you live in Canada, the be very proud of Jean Chretien. And be questioning of why nobody in the US dare come out with such a statement.
posted by Alun , 12:30 PM Þ 

on what alun was saying; it's disapointing when YOUR national retoric is so heavy that you can't see the forest thru the trees.

This is classic deflection, and the correct saying is "cannot see the wood for the trees".

you are being very very very nationalistic. how do you feel if i said that the uk were murdering barbarians and i can prove it?

What would that have to do with the world hating americans? This is another deflection.

you would be offended right?

No, and its irrelevant.

so...... this, my point however, isn't anything more than what rhetoric was being thrown around on top of what the point was originally. and the point you guys were making was an obvious one that dosen't even need to be mentioned in the first place.

Thats absurd. The reasons behind the feelings for and against america are complex, and certainly NEED to be discussed.

]Thats absurd, since its clearly the media that governs
]the agenda and "mind share" of the public. You simple
]have to care if you are genuinely interested in peace.

-jesus akin, don't you know what i was saying??? i couldn't care less because a: i can't do jack shit about it. b: it's not me. c: it's old news!!!!!!!! d: i have a life way beyond that level of crap.

I will simply have to believe you on this one, but if it is the case that the world economy is totally disrupted by attacks like 911, and american arrogance/imperialism is the cause of it, then one would imagine that only people on another planet "have a life way beyond that level of crap"

it is not my reality of which i can afford to be seperated from.

I dont understand this part!

pick my battles and fighting the consumer commercial culture is a total waste of time.

Someone coming to your house to steal your TV is the type of battle that is thrust upon you. This hatred business is of the same type. You have no choice but to deal with it, quickly, or face more hate and attacks. This should be very clear by now.

i live differently! that is the real point. money where your mouth is. aka: stop using oil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats very laudable, but really doesnt have anything to do with the problems that we are talking about in the short term. It only takes a difference of one vote to get oil intersts into the White House. This is the thing that has to be stopped. If it cannot be prevented, then policy has to be controlled by affecting approval ratings, which the us govt. is obsessed with. This control of ratings is done via TV. If anyone has a better way of reaching the population with information, they should speak up.

you are preaching to the choir

Clearly we are not! Americans are not the choir when it comes to critical speech about them, their government and its foreign policy.

but it's the extra stuff that pisses me off.

What "extra stuff" is that??!! Is anything the critics of this insane war against iraq are saying not true?

like: i never feel close or whatever to americans. please. i am an american and guess what? too bad. i am not however a facist or a drone or even a active participant in the bs that is the states today.

This is deflection; we are not talking about you personally.

i just don't like trashing things so wildly as was done.

I dont understand this line.

i have a point and you know it. and i have stated it very clearly.

Some advice: if someone says that they cant understand what you are saying, try and say it another way, instead of instisting that you are being clear. We need to get at what and how you are thinking!

"Think and speak clearly"?? i am very clear and speaking on a level perhaps you do not get.

Now now!
posted by Irdial , 7:29 AM Þ 

how do you feel if i said
that the uk were murdering barbarians and i can prove it?


Four words that prove it for you:

Export
Credit
Guarantee
Department
posted by chriszanf , 2:30 AM Þ 

what we should be discussing: bush used the word GOD
three times in that speech today. that is incredibly dangerous
and revealing.
posted by john , 2:27 AM Þ 

on what alun was saying; it's disapointing when YOUR national retoric
is so heavy that you can't see the forest thru the trees.

you are being very very very nationalistic. how do you feel if i said
that the uk were murdering barbarians and i can prove it? you would be offended
right? so...... this, my point however, isn't anything more than what
rhetoric was being thrown around on top of what the point was og. and the point
you guys were making was an obvious one that dosen't even need to be mentioned
in the first place. don't we already know they are destructive tyrants?

Thats absurd, since its clearly the media that governs the agenda and "mind share"
of the public. You simple have to care if you are genuinely interested in peace.
-jesus akin, don't you know what i was saying??? i couldn't care less because a: i can't
do jack shit about it. b: it's not me. c: it's old news!!!!!!!! d: i have a life way beyond
that level of crap. it is not my reality of which i can afford to be seperated from. i pick
my battles and fighting the consumer commercial culture is a total waste of time.
i live differently! that is the real point. money where your mouth is. aka:
stop using oil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you are preaching to the choir but it's the extra stuff that pisses me off. like: i never
feel close or whatever to americans. please. i am an american and guess what? too
bad. i am not however a facist or a drone or even a active participant in the bs that is
the states today. i just don't like trashing things so wildly as was done. i have a point
and you know it. and i have stated it very clearly.

"Think and speak clearly"?? i am very clear and speaking on a level perhaps you do not
get.
posted by john , 12:22 AM Þ 
Thursday, September 12, 2002

Mandela: U.S. Threat to World Peace


By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 1:41 p.m. ET

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) -- Former South African President Nelson Mandela has called the United States ``a threat to world peace'' and said its belligerent policy toward Iraq was an obvious effort to appease the oil and arms industry, Newsweek magazine reported.

Any move against Iraq must be made by the United Nations, not by a single government, Mandela said in an interview with the weekly. The interview was posted on Newsweek's Web site this week.

Mandela's comments earlier this week came as Bush prepared his Thursday speech at the United Nations, where the president said the world body risks becoming irrelevant if it takes no action against Iraq.

Bush wants to overthrow Saddam Hussein for his refusal to fulfill Iraq's post-Gulf War promises to destroy weapons of mass destruction.

Mandela, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, took issue with U.S. claims.

``Neither Bush nor (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair has provided any evidence that such weapons exist. But what we know is that Israel has weapons of mass destruction. Nobody talks about that,'' he said.

``Why should there be one standard for one country, especially because it is black, and another one for another country, Israel, that is white?'' he said.

Mandela and the South African government have good relations with the Iraqi regime. Before meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz on the sidelines of the World Summit in Johannesburg last week, Mandela told reporters he was ``appalled'' by U.S. threats against Iraq.

In the Newsweek interview, Mandela criticized more than two decades of U.S. foreign policy, including its support for the shah of Iran, mistakes it made during the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and its willingness to ignore the United Nations.

``If you look at those matters, you will come to the conclusion that the attitude of the United States of America is a threat to world peace. Because what (America) is saying is that if you are afraid of a veto in the Security Council, you can go outside and take action and violate the sovereignty of other countries,'' he said. ``That is the message they are sending to the world. That must be condemned in the strongest terms.

U.S. policy toward Iraq ``is motivated by George W. Bush's desire to please the arms and oil industries in the United States of America,'' he said.

Mandela also criticized Bush's advisers, including Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, calling them ``dinosaurs'' who are misleading the president.

``Quite clearly we are dealing with an arch-conservative in Dick Cheney,'' he said.

Only Secretary of State Colin Powell was giving Bush good advice, he said.

``(Powell) knows the disastrous effect of international tension and war, when innocent people are going to die, young men are going to die.''
posted by Josh Carr , 8:40 PM Þ 


Iraq Envoy: Bush Talk Has No Credit

Sep 12, 12:59 PM (ET)

By DAFNA LINZER

(AP) Unidentified members of the Iraqi delegation confer after President Bush's address to the United...
Full Image

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Iraq's U.N. ambassador criticized President Bush's speech to the General Assembly on Thursday, saying it lacked credibility and was motivated by revenge and political ambition.

"He chooses to deceive the world and his own people by the longest series of fabrications that have ever been told by a leader of a nation," Ambassador Mohamed al-Douri said.

It was the first Iraqi reaction to Bush's speech, in which the president warned Baghdad to comply with U.N. resolutions or face the consequences.

"We cannot stand by and do nothing while dangers gather," Bush told the U.N. General Assembly. "We must stand up for our security and for the permanent rights and hopes of mankind."

Al-Douri responded by saying: "We don't care about the position of the United States. If they are threatening, if they would attack, certainly we will be there for defending ourselves."

Al-Douri said further Iraqi reaction would come when Iraq had its turn at addressing the assembly later in the week.

Bush's speech was delivered during the early evening Baghdad time, but offerings on the four Iraqi televisions stations included only a Syrian movie, a Mexican soap opera, sports and Kurdish programming. State radio stations kept to their regular programming.

Ordinary Iraqis following the action at the United Nations and waiting to see whether the outcome will lead to war could hear the speech on short wave radio. Satellite dishes are banned in Iraq, so the pan-Arab station al-Jazeera's live broadcast of the speech was unavailable.

In his speech, Bush demanded world leaders force Saddam Hussein to destroy his weapons of mass destruction, saying the lives of millions of people will be at risk and the United Nations "will be irrelevant" unless it confronts Iraq.

But al-Douri said the president failed to "find any evidence that Iraq possesses or develops weapons of mass destruction."

"I would have been pleased if the U.S. president would have talked about his true motives behind his speech - revenge, oil, political ambitions and also the security of Israel, and targeting every independent state that would refuse to adhere to the American policy."

Iraq is accused of maintaining stocks of chemical and biological weapons while seeking to develop nuclear weapons, and Bush insists Saddam must be ousted because of the threat he will use the arms. Iraq says it has ended its programs for weapons of mass destruction. Talks with the United Nations on resuming arms inspections - blocked by Baghdad for nearly four years - have stalemated.

Baghdad says it is willing to talk to the United Nations about readmitting the inspectors, but says the talks must also deal with lifting sanctions and other aspects of the world's standoff with Iraq. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has refused this, saying Iraq must first let inspectors back in unconditionally before the other issues can be addressed.

Under U.N. resolutions, sanctions imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait cannot be lifted until inspectors verify Baghdad has ended programs to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
posted by Irdial , 7:48 PM Þ 

Without grabbing quotes from Aluns post, he has it completely correct about the Jubilee, and the way it was reported here.

And as for the BBC anyone that has watched Paxman, Sir Robin Day, and any of the other unflinching, true british journalists cannot say that these people are a soft touch, working under the tight control of state media. In any case, once again, Alun is correct; you are deflecting the argument with tit for tat rhetoric instead of facing it square on.
posted by Irdial , 7:23 PM Þ 

ok, two words should settle this: queen's jubilee. do you remeber the patriotism floating around then?

What exactly does this settle? Americans mistake patriotism for blind acceptance of bad behavior. This is a fundamental error.

and BTW: i am NOT, i repeat NOT patriotic and you all know that. people are people no matter where you go.

This is simply not true; people are NOT the same wherever you go (Depeche Mode?). The fact that you think that is indicative of the problem with americans. If a person believs that everyone in the world is basically the same, then when someone has different ideas or behaviour, they can easily be called an enemy of humanity, since "we are all the same" and these "evil people" are the exception to humanity.

That thinking is not only wrong, its dangerous.

america or otherwise. borders do not constrain goodness.

That doesnt make any sense; we are talking about the american government, and the worlds perception of it, and americans.

and i don't ever need to defend myself.

because you are always right? :]

i am a good person

no doubt about that.

and by the way yesterday was a tough day for lots of my friends.

We all, everywhere, agree that what happened one year ago was completely unnaceptable, evil, and beyond imagination. This however, is not what we are talking about and its important to separate the subject from that terrible horror.

i could care fucking less about america or how the media is integrated into the political structure.

Thats absurd, since its clearly the media that governs the agenda and "mind share" of the public. You simple have to care if you are genuinely interested in peace.

don't you know i am right there with you? but frankly england kisses thas ass of this giant oaf and i don't see us talking about the plain and simple fact that we all benefit
from the abuse of the 3rd world.

what on earth has this got to do with what we are discussing??!!

don't try to draw distinctions between england or any
other 1st world power being really that much different from the states right now. we all live the same life. get with it.

"its all the same everywhere now"..."people are basically the same wherever you go" (Mcartney/Wonder!)

last time i am saying this. the current regime in the us is totally out of control. totally!

This, we know.

some of the people there are beautiful wonderful loving and very caring individuals. just make sure this distinction is drawn and that is ALL i am saying. are we in agreement then?

Everyone already accepts that there are good people in th e USA. What we are discussing is why people hate america and americans, and frankly, the way the americans always respond to this debate is to draw the wagons into a circle and get the rifles out, and that simply wont cut it.

and seeking cures: then vote that pig scumbag out of office and let's rebuild some sense of what the few good people there stand for. because day by day the population is more and more reflecting a dr. mabuse like mentality.

This needs to be stated more clearly. Do you mean vote GWB out of office? In order to do that, you need to convince people to vote (and to vote in a certain way). This means controlling the news. Period.

Care about the news now?

Why is it that americans must leap to the defense of the honor of america whenever there is criticism?
Very strange.

- two words. queen's jubliee. do you remeber? englad raping the scotts. do you remember. that is what i mean when i say know your history. hypocritical analysis is destructive. and ignorant.

Totally off topic and off the wall!
posted by Irdial , 7:14 PM Þ 

The jubilee made people THINK about what their NATION was doing
-give me a fucking break. everything makes you think if YOU THINK OF IT THAT WAY. couldn't the current bs action propaganda against iraq be making some americans think too. jesus i can't believe the hypocracy.

and tell you??? ok then, stop using oil. and tell america, that is not my job. i can only affect change around me to my friends and family. that is all anyone can really do. and btw: i live in canada.

we can sit here and out smart eachother but you don't seem to be seeing "the other point" and expect me to embrace yours. a hypocritical one at that. and who are you to speak for the scots anyway.

alun really i love you like a brother but come on man. if you don't like flag waving then stop doing it yourself!

I think, John, you are missing the point. We have been discussing Americas actions and how they are debated in the American media, which is directly responsible for giving the majority of information and viewpoints to the people of America

-yes you are right indeed but i lashed out because the conversation started to go to a very very ignorant level
and felt like i just had to say something. talking about the media is one thing and it's effects et al but it went further then that therefore..... i would be happy to get back on the og subject.

by the way sir britian has MAJOR problems and puppydogs the US like a patetic lacky yesman. am i not right? but noone is saying the english are stupid sheep here. is that more clear? how you could not understand that makes me disturbed.
posted by john , 6:55 PM Þ 

Mikkel! Are you ever having a rough time lately! Our thoughts are with you. There will be good times. Take care....

Queens jubilee.... Right. Now it was a very popular event. BUT. It was not overblown in many 'serious' newspapers. Moreover, it was used by everyone from the BBC to the Guardian to the Anarchists to restart the serious debate on the role of the monarchy in modern UK life. This is GOOD. Even the Queen takes note of these things, and has changed, albeit in subtle ways.

CNN? Yes, I guess they did show the patriotism, it makes good TV, but I doubt they showed the debates. The jubilee made people THINK about what their NATION was doing. And how did it do that? Through the media. More precisely, through a varied, relatively independent media willing to give airtime/space to all manner of viewpoints.

And I think even most Scots have got over the last battle against the English. They've been more concerned about centralized government. And through debate they now have their own parliament.

Like I said, Britain has problems. Take New Labours 'ethical foreign policy' of selling fighters to Malaysia. They are roundly whipped at every opportunity on this by all from the BBC onwards... And if you think the BBC is a soft touch, you should try having a chat with Jeremy Paxman.

I think, John, you are missing the point. We have been discussing Americas actions and how they are debated in the American media, which is directly responsible for giving the majority of information and viewpoints to the people of America. You have been deflecting the criticism. And very badly. Tell us what you are shown on TV, what variety of opinions are portrayed between 6 and 7 pm most weekdays on the subject of Iraq. I heard there were peace demos in MacArthur Park in LA. Was it on your news? Did it go down well or was it 'some hippies making trouble'? Face the problem. Do you actually see a problem? Tell us!

Were you in Seattle for the protests? Tell us! Did the troubles inspire debate on oil use, capitalism, exploitation? Tell us! Did the media ignore the ISSUES and focus on the TROUBLE? Tell us!

And then TELL AMERICA.
posted by Alun , 6:14 PM Þ 

mikkel, i am very sorry to hear this. our thoughts are with you and your family
right now. please keep us posted and know we send love to you.
posted by john , 5:28 PM Þ 

Fix TV news????????? tell me all about the bbc then. who here
looks at cnn? then shut up.

do you really take that crap seriously. anyone being duped by that
"news" propaganda deserves to be and wouldn't be interested in
digging deeper. don't you know that same person you see down in the tube
in london. it is the same person. geez!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is an issue of GLOBAL ignorance not american ignorance.

stop fucking using oil or we die. get it. stop using oil and the middle east
isn't an issue and the pig in office in the whitehouse then will be someone
more constructive. we all use oil and we all life the same life.
posted by john , 5:26 PM Þ 

what a fucking week. my brother's been in a car accident with a bus. got two teeth knocked out and possibly broke his upper jaw. we'll have to wait and see. the folks are at the er with him. 4 people in the car, apparently one of them is pretty roughed up, but its all hear-say.
posted by Mikkel , 5:26 PM Þ 

ok, two words should settle this:
queen's jubilee. do you remeber the patriotism floating
around then?

and BTW: i am NOT, i repeat NOT patriotic and you all know
that. people are people no matter where you go. america or
otherwise. borders do not constrain goodness. and i don't ever need
to defend myself. i am a good person and by the way yesterday
was a tough day for lots of my friends.

i could care fucking less about america or how the media is integrated into
the political structure. we all know this. and my reasoning is very sober indeed.
don't you know i am right there with you? but frankly england kisses thas ass of
this giant oaf and i don't see us talking about the plain and simple fact that we all benefit
from the abuse of the 3rd world. don't try to draw distinctions between england or any
other 1st world power being really that much different from the states right now. we all
live the same life. get with it.

last time i am saying this. the current regime in the us is totally out of control. totally! some of
the people there are beautiful wonderful loving and very caring individuals. just make sure this
distinction is drawn and that is ALL i am saying. are we in agreement then?

and seeking cures: then vote that pig scumbag out of office and let's rebuild some sense of
what the few good people there stand for. because day by day the population is more and more
reflecting a dr. mabuse like mentality.

Why is it that americans must leap to the defense of the honor of america whenever there is criticism?
Very strange.
- two words. queen's jubliee. do you remeber? englad raping the scotts. do you remember. that is
what i mean when i say know your history. hypocritical analysis is destructive. and ignorant.
posted by john , 5:05 PM Þ 

But I do ask to make your criticism constructive. The diagnoses are in abundance. The cures are what we seek.

Why is it that americans must leap to the defense of the honor of america whenever there is criticism? Very strange.

Have faith that we ARE doing something about our government.

This is good...

We work as strongly as we can while continuing with our daily lives, playing music, making love, laughing, dancing, and raising socially aware, loving children.

None of these things, will stop this insane attack on Iraq, or revolutionize TV news in the USA. The last one will help everyone in 30 years.

The complete overhaul of TV news is what is required in the US; the last news programme that came even close was hosted by one Linda Ellerbee, many, many years ago. Ellerbee has cultivated a diverse following over the years, starting with the pioneering late-night news program, "NBC News Overnight," which she wrote and anchored. That show was cited by the Columbia duPont Awards as "the best written and most intelligent news program ever." Unfortunately, that programme was a tiny pimple of purity on the face of american journalism, whcih sadly was popped.

So there. That is what you need to do. Fix TV news (probably by having a nationwide "Switch off the news" week) and for your own sanity, stop leaping to defend americas honor like a besmirched character in a '70s kung fu movie.

It has to be said however, that the type and style of criticism cannot be dictated by the entity that is getting the instruction/help. It strikes us as very american that they would want to choose how they are criticised. More often than not, you simply have to LISTEN and then ACT, and then say, "Thank You".
posted by Irdial , 3:48 PM Þ 

I am an American. I was born here and I live here. I have travelled all across the continental United States; to Mexico, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan. I read media from outside of mainstream American press (both national and international). I vote with informed decisions whenever I can. I engage in open dialogue with friends, family, neighbors and peers. When events call for direct action (letter writing to governments or corporations, protests in the streets, spreading the word of good will towards humans and other inhabitants of the planet) I get involved. I look at my country and the actions that are carried out in my name critically and skeptically. I am aware of how America is perceived because i am in communication with people from outside of these borders.

And I know hundreds like me.

And thousands, if not millions, more exist. Have faith that we ARE doing something about our government. We work as strongly as we can while continuing with our daily lives, playing music, making love, laughing, dancing, and raising socially aware, loving children.

I do not ask you to conceal or falsely diminish your strong feelings for America. But I do ask to make your criticism constructive. The diagnoses are in abundance. The cures are what we seek.
posted by Josh Carr , 3:35 PM Þ 

America, home of DeMoCrAcy? Yeah, right.
posted by Irdial , 3:12 PM Þ 

WOW reading Blogdial right now is so interesting, my opinions has already been written... But I really enjoy to read here. Got my OC t-shirt... So nice to wear and true for a librarian like me
posted by Alison , 2:25 PM Þ 

The overwhelming attitude of every state employee I have ever had dealings with on entry has been, 'What the FUCK makes you think you're good enough to come into our country

In contrast, the attitude of these very same staff when greeting returning Americans is a very warm, almost pitying "Welcome Home".

Entering France on a US passport is easier than returning to America on a US passport; the French are completely civilized in this respect.
posted by Irdial , 12:55 PM Þ 

I have to add one final view.
Americans refuse to see that their nation is hated. They believe everyone would live there if only they could get the opportunity. The evidence for this is manifest at any border checkpoint into the US, and I have experienced it every time I have entered the country. The overwhelming attitude of every state employee I have ever had dealings with on entry has been, 'What the FUCK makes you think you're good enough to come into our country, and don't you get any fucking bright ideas about staying here unlawfully, OK?'
Even at 3 am in Alberquerque airport I got this, after 14 hours of travel, and with a letter of attendence for a conference.
Basically, Americans think their country is the best in the world. Fair enough.
But more than this, they think everyone else is jealous.

And as we've discussed below, if even the American President is not exactly a seasoned traveller, what the fuck have Americans got to compare themselves against to come to this conclusion?
posted by Alun , 11:09 AM Þ 

When the old USSR attacked nations to 'defend their national interests' what did you think?
When China threatens war on Taiwan?
When Iraq invaded Kuwait?

Look at this long long list of SHAME. What impression should not only arab states, but ALL other UN members draw from this? That the US has a reasoned, unbiased view of the middle east and understands all viewpoints?

Iraq is ignoring UN resolutions and is a threat to its neighbours and to peace and stability in the region, yes?
Does any other nation PERFECTLY fit that description?

That is not an anti-Israeli statement. It is a simple example of the hypocrisy of the US attitude.

Ramsey Clark, not the most noted US Attorney General, but a US Attorney General nevertheless, and you don't get that far without a precise understanding of how to serve the US, how to keep the masters happy. Here is his quote, which applies directly to the current situation re Iraq, amongst others...

Our overriding purpose, from the beginning through to the present day, has been world domination - that is, to build and maintain the capacity to coerce everybody else on the planet: nonviolently, if possible; and violently, if necessary. But the purpose of US foreign policy of domination is not just to make the rest of the world jump through hoops; the purpose is to facilitate our exploitation of resources.

The US government understands this; indeed, it practises this.
The rest of the world understands this; indeed, we are subject to it.
The people of the US, if they understand this, give silent consent to it.

This is why there is hatred towards the US, even in the UK.


Finally, John. Sorry to tell you this, but your response is the exact stereotype that was being pointed out. Like 'What the fuck? We're the good guys! What about others? Look at country X!' You must look in the mirror. Europe has been doing that for 50 years, and some days we still look pig ugly. I say again "It is America that misunderstands the rest of the world because it is too busy preening its own FAT ARSE in the mirror to even look outside the door."
posted by Alun , 10:18 AM Þ 

national attitudes please tell me one fucking world power doing it right? please fucking tell me that will you?

This is not an argument; we are talking about a very specfic problem. Dont try and deflect away from it.

come on. it's all bullshit man, really. get with it.

Are you drunk?!

i truly love you guys but that was wack! it's time to fight the power. word!! the world power not the bully.

You are _for sure_ Drunk as a Skunk!

basically if you use oil then shut up. period.

I would guess beer.

and remember how shitty america is the next time you put on your yankees cap or talk about how cool and vibey nyc is.

With some shots maybe.

everywhere is the same these days

Aha! so THAT is why half of congress doesnt feel the need to travel outside of the USA. Mystery Solved!®

and if you think different then you are fooling yourself. 1st world is 1st world and 3rd is 3rd. that's it brothers. can't you see that?

40oz

i say this in love and respect to you guys because truly if it wasn't for you all i would be lost somewhere in the north woods listening to my 12 year old onionz tape and
scraping for berries to snack on.

Come back when you are sober!
posted by Irdial , 9:41 AM Þ 

yes, the states sucks, the leaders are total scumbags and they are killing the earth. those who don't vote have given up on the process.

This is a little scattershot.

this country and its ideals are no worse than england germany norway iceland or any other country.

This is not true; for many people, the American idea is one of the best ever formulated. What everyone outside of america is talking about is not this, but how the present government is behaving.

People are people no matter where they
live and we are all trying to get by.

Go to Oprah! Go to Oprah! Go to Oprah! Go to Oprah! Go to Oprah! Go to Oprah! Go to Oprah! Go to Oprah! Go to Oprah!

start taking a responsible look at the leaders and the folks who put them there. it is not the country which has the problem those are just geographical boundaries and ideals.

If you actually PAY ATTENTION to all of the criticism that is going on, most of it always draws the distinciton between the us gov. and its people. Americans, because they cannot seem to separate themselvs from anything with the name "American" on it, overreact and fly off of the handle when people criticise something that has that prefix attached to it. Get a life Americans; you are not "America" you are merely citizens of a country.

good ideals at that. no one seems to really want to take a look at the real problem they just say boo america.

that is total nonsense; it is the Americans who type out this sort of garbage instead of talking directly about the problems with the American foreign policy and actions. Saying "boo ******" is what, Americans do when they talk about other countries that they probably could not find on a map. This is the problem that everyone outside America keeps pointing out, but it seems that the American population just cannot understand the words that are being said....which is very strange.

i am sick of the laziness. just because nazi's came from germany did not make all germans in the 30's and 40's bad. it goes much much deeper.

And yet, the Germans for all thier faults, take very seriously what was done, and put safeguards into thier government to make sure that it cannot happen again. Their only fault is that they have been too harsh on themselvs. Americans could learn alot from the humility of the Germans.

and yes i read all that was said. hence the next
disclaimer.

and yes! totally those in congress can suck an big fucking egg.

That does not constitute discussion of the actual problems. Think and speak clearly!

with all due respect to my brothers here i say this. and if you are already saying the same thing i apologize. it is too trendy to dislike america right now and it is a waste of time when we should be talking about the revolution.

We are not children. This is nothing to do with "trendy-ness". If you honestly believe that this anti american feeling that straches across the entire world is "trendy", then you have not been listenening to the very sober, and well reasoned arguments that have been published almost everywhere (except america).

not bitching like whinny sheep. don't we already know they are pigs? don't we already know they are out for a viking funeral of the FOURTH reich? but the people my dear sir have no say when it really comes down to it(mostly!!). i am american. am i bad? hell fucking no.

You are not speaking in a sober, reasoning fashion. That post sonds like it was written by a red-neck american of the type that stubbornly refuses to hear any criticism of America. This is the problem.

i am an asset to this earth and i am american. sorry if you can't handle it. get off the bandwagon and build your own.

ummm can you say EEC? this is part of the reason that the EEC has been constructed; to create a huge block of civilized power to counter the uncivilized and barbaric american superpower.

do you feel a special bond with people???

oprah?

i am disapointed a bit. i mean hell man know your istory. are you going to cast the first stone? do you know what i mean?

we DO know our history, and how appropriate that you use Christian imagery to criticise us! Its rather like Bush using the work "Crusade".

You know that we are not bullshitters. Its clear that the source of the anti-American feeling has completely gone over your head. LISTEN to what we are saying, and try and put aside the very thorough programming that prevents you from hearing
posted by Irdial , 9:30 AM Þ 

"american journalism:" not quite propoganda, but it reeks of that fishy odour just the same. It is indeed quite freaky how much the american media is scared of speaking out. There has been a recent poll (too fucking busy to find it, thanks) that states that many people feel it's RIGHT for journalists to be stopped from pointing out the flaws in the government and its policies.
what the FUCK?!?!?!?!

I was going to write up something more about America, but I realize I am far too tired and it would come off as one of my typically bitter/inflamed-with-anger rants. And I know no one wants that. So I'll save it for Friday night, maybe.
posted by Barrie , 7:03 AM Þ 

national attitudes please tell me one fucking world power doing it
right? please fucking tell me that will you? come on. it's all bullshit man,
really. get with it. i truly love you guys but that was wack! it's time to fight the
power. word!! the world power not the bully.

i'll be you answer, i'll be your wish
i'll be your fantasy, your only dish

go back to the middle and around again
i'm gonna be there till the end
100% pure love
-word!!!!

basically if you use oil then shut up. period.

and remember how shitty america is the next time you put on your yankees cap
or talk about how cool and vibey nyc is. please. everyone wants to capitalize on
the coolness but.............everywhere is the same these days and if you think different
then you are fooling yourself. 1st world is 1st world and 3rd is 3rd. that's it brothers.
can't you see that?

i say this in love and respect to you guys because truly if it wasn't for you all i would
be lost somewhere in the north woods listening to my 12 year old onionz tape and
scraping for berries to snack on.
posted by john , 2:57 AM Þ 

yes, the states sucks, the leaders are total scumbags and they
are killing the earth. those who don't vote have given up on the process.
this country and its ideals are no worse than england germany norway
iceland or any other country. People are people no matter where they
live and we are all trying to get by. start taking a responsible look at the
leaders and the folks who put them there. it is not the country which has
the problem those are just geographical boundaries and ideals. good ideals
at that. no one seems to really want to take a look at the real problem they
just say boo america. i am sick of the laziness. just because nazi's came
from germany did not make all germans in the 30's and 40's bad. it goes
much much deeper. and yes i read all that was said. hence the next
disclaimer.

and yes! totally those in congress can suck an big fucking egg.

with all due respect to my brothers here i say this. and if you are already saying the same thing i apologize. it is too trendy to dislike america right now and it is a waste of time when we should be talking about the revolution. not bitching like whinny sheep. don't we already know they are pigs? don't we already know they are out for a viking funeral of the FOURTH reich? but the people my dear sir have no say when it really comes down to it(mostly!!). i am american. am i bad? hell fucking no. i am an asset to this earth and i am american. sorry if you can't handle it. get off the bandwagon and build your own.

do you feel a special bond with people???

i am disapointed a bit. i mean hell man know your history. are you going to cast the
first stone? do you know what i mean?
posted by john , 12:03 AM Þ 
Wednesday, September 11, 2002

He'd never even been to Europe before becoming president. How is he supposed to understand how to put foreign people into the context of American policy?

This, and the fact that half of the members of congress do not even have a passport, always astounds me. How can congress vote on a motion to wage war when they have never even left the continental USA?

Arguably, previous generations could have been excused, but now, it costs $100 to fly to London; there is NO excuse for members of congress not to have travelled.

By all means, stay at home, but DO NOT interfere in the affairs of other countries, be an insular, isolatated, hermetically sealed state, looking after its own interests, and minding its own business.

Works/ed for Japan right??

...and thanks for the thinking/typing/time A.K.
posted by Irdial , 7:14 PM Þ 

It is America that misunderstands the rest of the world because it is too busy preening its own FAT ARSE in the mirror to even look outside the door.

Now I think of it,whenever I've been in the US I'm struck by how AMERICA doesn't even seem to look at the state of it's own backyard. In conjuction with the all-pervading (and seriously necrotic and decrepit) 'American Dream', which was so obvious to me it may well be pumped into the air by the Men In Black, I think this led to me feeling the wrongness of America deep in my bones.

I have been on the East Coast, I have been on the West Coast, I have been in New Mexico. Somewhere inside me, I pitied the poor LAND itself, and what it has been subjected to, what it has to live with, and what it sees. Deeply sad. And a very very strange set of feelings to have been invoked, not by a individual thing, but by a nation. Not by the land itself, but by the nation built on that land.

It's hard to explain.
posted by Alun , 6:54 PM Þ 

What I think of that article:
In general (and with less pain than you might imagine) I agree very strongly with Akins analysis. I feel no special bond with Americans, nor with their responses to various 'events' that have occurred in their country over the last 10 years or more. (Waco, Columbine, anthrax alongside the obvious).
Americans cannot and willingly do not seperate themselves from America, in my personal experience of Americans both here and in America. And yes, as pointed out below, this extends to all forms of media. My preference is for a strong critical media and a strong critical populus, whatever the cause. Thus, I was disgusted by the response to Dianas death, with Private Eye providing the only clear thought... Recent events in Soham were reminiscent of this, and it was still WRONG. (There are explanations, and they come down to media manipulation. VERY lazy and VERY bad common denominator majority rule journalism). SO... reading in the months following the Al Quaida attack about BLATANT CENSORSHIP of various media voices, and, more damning than anything, the unwillingness of the American media to ARGUE.... people being labelled UNAMERICAN, UNPATRIOTIC, TRAITORS.....

I never look forward to going to the U.S. On my first visit, to New York 6 years ago, it all felt WRONG before I even got to passport control at JFK. Then you get to passport control and KNOW it's all wrong. Whatever... this is leading me away to a general criticism of American life/culture/ATTITUDE which I feel in my bones to be abhorrent.

So. On this side of the Atlantic I am more than pleased to hear, every time I pick up a paper or turn on the radio, a fucking great ARGUMENT about the putative American action against Iraq. And FUCK YOU to whoever wrote the speech in which Churchill was compared with Bush. (That invective just slipped out...) (This is getting my head and argument in a spin)

And... ALL THESE THINGS make it so sickening to see and hear Tony Blair spouting and spouting whatever his current audience wishes to hear, in the name of the 'special relationship' with America. WE DON'T NEED IT! And neither do the Americans, except to reduce their own casualties, war budget and such.

More of a screech or a scream than an analysis or a think-piece, I know. But Akin said it all. AMERICANS need to take responsibility for the actions of AMERICA. They should take note of their governments actions and decide whether they are deserving of support or criticism, and the people they need to tell of their concerns are the AMERICANS themselves.
Whilst the rest of the world is deafened by the silence of the American people (as represented by their 'free' press) as they fail to openly debate anything which may be wrong in attacking Iraq (or, as pointed out, Kyoto, oilfield exploration, nicaragua, government/corporate corruption, Jo'burg....general interventionist imperialist foreign policy) we can only assume that there is nothing but very minor opposition to these things.
Moreover, and more symptomatic, is the lack of foreign events coverage in the American press. Of course the outside world hates America. This is no lie (Perhaps the greatest lie told to the American public about the September 11 terrorist attacks is that they prove the outside world hates us.). It is not the outside world that misunderstands America. We SEE America every day on TV, on the net, in the papers... It is America that misunderstands the rest of the world because it is too busy preening its own FAT ARSE in the mirror to even look outside the door.
And George WUCKING Bush is the greatest example of this the Americans could have possibly picked as their representative. He'd never even been to Europe before becoming president. How is he supposed to understand how to put foreign people into the context of American policy? And that, unfortunately, may have been the point of electing him. Americans don't WANT others taken into consideration... everything must be IN AMERICAS BEST INTEREST. And I have a quote from a US attorney general stating exactly this which I will post tomorrow (when I find it).

Consequently, Americans should not be surprised that a large proportion of the world hates them.

I could go on, but this fucker is getting more and more incoherent by the second.

And, as a nod to Akin, I would also point out that individual people are not 'Americans'. I know some extremely pleasant individuals who happen to have been born, raised and now live in America. But we're talking NATIONS here, and national attitudes. And while the UK has many faults, at least it's not America.

Finally, "We do not, thank God, have a state-owned or state-controlled press in the US." I think America could actually learn a lot from the BBC.
posted by Alun , 6:37 PM Þ 

Win-XP Help Center request wipes your HD

By Thomas C Greene in Washington
Posted: 11/09/2002 at 13:15 GMT

A malicious Win-XP Help Center request can easily and silently delete the contents of any directory on your Windows machine, we've learned. Worse, MS has rolled the fix silently into SP1 without making a public announcement. A good sketch of the problem in English, along with a harmless self-test, can be found here, thanks to Mike at http://unity.skankhouse.org, who did some tinkering after noticing a tip on a BBS.

Another, slightly earlier, mention comes from VSAntivirus, but the page, unfortunately, is en español, though there are some handy screen shots in their bulletin.

The hole was discovered by Shane Hird of Distributed Systems Technology Centre, who first reported it to MS on 25 June 2002. His bulletin, dated 15 August, offers the most detailed view of the problem. He suggests that fellow bug hunters look more deeply into the Help Center and its mysterious powers, since requests can remotely open files with elevated privileges. He offers a few hints about where one might start probing.

To verify the exploit all you need to do is pop the following request into any address bar (IE, Win Explorer, etc): hcp://system/DFS/uplddrvinfo.htm?file://c:\test\* and the directory 'test' will be emptied after a couple of Help Center 'wizard' pages pop up uselessly to distract you.

The example works as advertised, so anyone wanting to play with it should create a test directory with copies of files. Of course you can delete your entire root directory with this approach if you so choose. Or someone else's.

The exploit is extremely dangerous because it looks to the casual user just like a URL, and can be sent in an e-mail or set up as a link on a Web page. Promising heaps of free pr0n in a busy IRC channel would also likewise be effective.

To get rid of the vulnerability, you have two choices. You can install XP's new SP1, which will give Billg remote root privileges on your box by virtue of his new, Trojan EULA (and silently re-enable some services you may have disabled like 'automatic update'); or you can just go to C:\Windows\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\SYSTEM\DFS\ and find the file uplddrvinfo.htm. This you can simply delete or rename. But beware of installing MS patches later on: these have a funny tendency to restore files and settings outside their immediate purview, back to Redmond defaults.

To check it out I did a clean install of XP and verified the exploit on a virgin image. I then installed all of the XP patches and updates except SP1, and it still worked. So SP1 is the only 'official' means of fixing the hole. It's not otherwise been dealt with. Those who object to the SP1 EULA on moral grounds will have to delete or rename uplddrvinfo.htm, and do a search for it after subsequent patching to verify that it's still gone.

Problems with the XP Help Center have been known for some time, at least since November 2001, when this exploitable buffer overflow was first reported. Now the issue has finally been fixed, in the background, with no announcement from Redmond. This means that any XP user who doesn't install SP1, and who never hears of the flaw, will remain vulnerable.

Redmond's handling of the issue is appalling. Apparently, 'Trustworthy Computing' means never having to say you screwed up.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/27074.html
posted by Irdial , 5:00 PM Þ 

For the moment.

What did you think about that article...we know you can think. After a fashion.
posted by Irdial , 4:37 PM Þ 

Consider Akins spleen to be well and truly vented. For the moment.
A minutes silence for Akins spleen, if you please, ladies and gentlemen.

[Excerpt]....But why stop there? How about another minute's silence for the approximately 18,000 children who died of starvation and malnutrition on September 11 2001? And another for the victims of the US-backed fascist coup in Chile on September 11 1973? And another for the 4,000-plus Afghanistani civilians killed by US bombing in the last year?.....

I don't click with anniversaries. Birthdays I can deal with, on a personal level, but events like a death, a marriage, a war... I see no need for anniversaries. I am capable of remembering my wedding, or my grandmothers death, or the horror of the first world war on any day, and with the added bonus that the feelings I am then subject too have arrived of their own volition. 'It' never feels quite the same, never quite as real, when for some reason I am 'encouraged' to sentimentalize by public opinion. Sigh.

On days like this I'm pleased not ot have a TV.
posted by Alun , 2:28 PM Þ 

Why we still don't get it, one year on

Americans are badly served by semi-official media propaganda
Mark Hertsgaard
Wednesday September 11, 2002

The Guardian

Perhaps the greatest lie told to the American public about the September 11 terrorist attacks is that they prove the outside world hates us. President Bush, for example, has repeatedly warned Americans about foreign "evil doers" who loathe everything we stand for. The US media has been no less insistent, referring time and again to "Why they hate us", as one Newsweek story put it. But the world doesn't hate us, the American people. It is our government, our military, and our corporations that are resented.

This is illogical. If you say “our” government, military and corporations, then you, the American people own them, and are fair targets for hate. You understand that these three entities are culpable, yet you will not repudiate them in public; you stubbornly hold on to them as “yours”. Americans need to take sides, and distance themselves from the elements of their society that are causing so much trouble for them. If you will not do this, then you implicitly agree with the government policies, military and marketing tactics of the army and corporations respectively, and should take the blame.
To anyone living outside theUS, this may seem an obvious point. But we Americans are not used to drawing the distinction most outsiders do between Americans and America.

For obvious reasons; anything American is “ours” to Americans.
One result of Americans' confusion is that, a year after the attacks in New York and Washington, we remain largely ignorant of how the world regards us and why.

Your news outlets are morally and intellectually bankrupt, and anyone that doesn’t tow the line is simply taken off of the air or ridiculed. This used to be done covertly, now the government orders it explicitly, and none of you have the guts to join together and resist it.
Non-Americans, however, misunderstand the true source of our ignorance about them, which only furthers our mutual estrangement. Yes, our mind-boggling wealth and power encourage a certain complacency and arrogance. But that is not the most important cause of our global naiveté.

Americans are ignorant about the outside world mainly because most of what we're told about it is little more than semi-official propaganda. Our political leaders portray the acts of our government, military and corporations in the best possible light, and our news media do little to challenge these self-serving declarations.

This is clearly mortally dangerous to America, and yet, American journalists who should know better, say and do nothing about it. This is why you are hated; American journalists are more interested in accumulating “mind boggling wealth” of the American dream for themselves than they are in truth and objectivity. This, by any definition, is hateful. Because of the greed of a small number of news executives and a gaggle of cowardly journalists, the entire world has been thrown into chaos, and put on the brink of another war. This situation could not have arisen if American journalists had done their jobs correctly and selflessly, like other journalists around the world have done for decades. The fact that you bay here saying “it’s not our fault that we know nothing” is particularly revolting.
An outstanding example was President Bush's warning to foreign nations, days after September 11, that "either you are with us or you are with the terrorists". The US would never accept such ultimatums itself, yet the arrogance of Bush's remark went unnoticed by America's journalistic elite. The International Herald Tribune did not mention Bush's statement until the 20th paragraph of its story, deep inside the paper. By contrast, the French daily Le Monde highlighted it three times on its front page.

I spent six months traveling the world before and after September 11, gathering impressions about my homeland. I interviewed a wide range of people in Europe, Africa, the Middle Eastand Asia. Today, as the Bush administration prepares to attack Iraq, I recall a comment by Ana, an intellectual in Barcelona, shortly after September 11: "Many of us have American friends, but we wish they would think a little more about their government, because we have to live with America's politics, and that is often difficult, especially when war is in the air."

Would outsiders be more forgiving if they knew how little critical information we Americans receive about our government's foreign policy? Even sophisticated foreign observers don't appreciate how poorly served Americans are by our media and education systems, how narrow the range of information and debate is in "the land of the free".

No one (except perhaps Americans) wants to hear this blame shifting cowardice. We are about to go to war because of America and its TV news. Fix the problem!
For example, last year's terrorist attacks presented an eerie coincidence to anyone familiar with the real history of American foreign policy. September 11 is also the date - in 1973 - when a coup encouraged by the US overthrew a democratically elected government in Chile. The official death toll in Chile, 3,197, was remarkably close to the number of lives lost to terror 28 years later in America. This disquieting piece of deja vu passed unremarked in American coverage.

That “factoid” as American journalists would call it, is meaningless, as is the numerology surrounding 911 that perpetually floats around the internet. If you think that the missing of this numerological coincidence is what bad journalism is, its clear to see what the problems are in American journalism; YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT JOURNALISM ACTUALLY IS.
We do not, thank God, have a state-owned or state-controlled press in the US.

Now you’re just being silly. It’s more clear than ever that the mainstream news in America is tightly controlled by the government. Perhaps you should have spoken to different journalists from around the world instead of “ordinary people” and “intellectuals”.
We do, however, have a state-friendly one. Our news media support the prevailing political system, its underlying assumptions and power relations, and the economic and foreign policies that flow from them.

Because most news coverage of the Middle East reflects the pro-Israeli bias that characterizes official American policy, Americans are ignorant about basic aspects of the conflict. A poll last May found that only 32% of Americans knew that more Palestinians than Israelis had died in this spring's fighting.

American journalists use statistics in place of analysis. This poll and the hundreds that are conducted in America by its news media are meaningless, do not substitute for critical analysis of policy and is one of the root sources of bad journalism in America. What is also interesting about the above paragraph is the way you state as fact, without comment, the way that the news media “reflects the pro-Israeli bias that characterizes official American policy” in a country with a free press, this bias could not exist in 100% of the major news sources. The fact that you don’t think this is important enough to outline, given that the whole Middle Eastdebacle is the cause of 911, is, frankly, astounding.
In Washington, the media function like a palace court press. In the name of political neutrality, the definition of quotable sources is limited to the narrow spectrum from Republican to Democrat. If a given point of view - say, that missile defence is a dangerous fantasy - is not articulated by leading lawmakers, it is ignored. Instead of substance, journalists focus on palace intrigues: what is the White House proposing today, how will Congress react, who will win the fight? Rarely does the coverage stand back from insider debates, or offer alternative analysis. Thus our media fail to act as the check and balance our nation's founders envisioned. So think twice, foreign friends, before judging my compatriots too harshly.

This is pure 21stcentury American thinking; enumerate the problems with American society, and then ask everyone in the world to “not judge Americans harshly”. This is why you are all despised; you need to GO HOME AND FIX YOUR PROBLEMS BEFORE YOU DESTROY THE WHOLE WORLD, and not ask everyone to endlessly tolerate you and your country.
Americans suffer daily from pseudo-news that parrots the pronouncements of the powerful and illuminates nothing but the corporate bottom line. Is it any wonder we don't understand the world around us?

You foolish man; the whole world suffers instability, misery and death because of the American peoples ignorance and its inability to steer the out of control burning chariot that is the American government. You insult the entire world when you ask them to not think harshly of Americans; people DIE because of you and your internally fixed blinkers. You will be hated until you come around and join the rest of the world. I don’t need to mention the International Court of Justice, Kyoto, the steel betrayal; how long do you think that you can carry on in blissful ignorance without the patience of the worlds population with your “government friendly media” induced blindness coming to an end?
· Mark Hertsgaard is an American journalist.

“American journalist”: an oxymoron surely? :]
His latest book is The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World

Your personal grab for the “mind boggling wealth” of the American dream? You would deserve it if your book offered a permanent solution to the systemic problems in American journalism and mass media; judging from this terrible piece, how likely is that?


hertsgaard@msn.com

posted by Irdial , 9:38 AM Þ 
Tuesday, September 10, 2002

5 Newburg St. at "Cinch"
Exhibition now on, until the 20th of Sept.
Pete Fowler's New Paintings.
"Well worth having a look at", says Phil Minns
posted by Irdial , 6:57 PM Þ 

Feel very very fortunate.

Heh, dont feel too fortunate yet, you and I might be called up to "stick it to the towl heads" in Isfahan. Blood price indeed; lets see Blahr pay with the blood of his own first son for this cause; then he's talking!

BTW the Imperial War Museum shop refused to stock The Conet Project, because they said (to paraphrase) that "its not releated to our focus". This same shop sells books on Bletchley Park, use of radio in war, and Espionage.

Hmmmmmmmmmm
posted by Irdial , 10:42 AM Þ 

The Imperial War Museum. Misnomer. Should be the National Museum for Peace. How could one want to wage war after seeing the horrors, second hand, even 50 or 100 years later? I will be attending these films. The museum is FREE, including the cinema. Try the Blitz Experience. Stand next to a V2 missile. Feel very very fortunate.
posted by Alun , 10:09 AM Þ 

attention ALEX TEA:

an email:
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

i am now smtp forwarding for electronical.org and R107.co.uk via
64.180.111.94 so give it a shot and hell,.....enjoy yourself over there sir!



-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: PGPfreeware 7.0.3 for non-commercial use

iQA/AwUBPX2jnCV699RwH59bEQIF6ACfeprhJiQyWUv3lN00z7E4jS+KHQ8AnRmJ
VhdS9K9yCj1RNsNQOyJoKS53
=Dlne
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----


and a not so good nslookup response:
C:\>nslookup r107.co.uk
Server: s216-232-30-100.bc.hsia.telus.net
Address: 216.232.30.100

Name: r107.co.uk


********no numbah. let me know and i will hold that domain for you no sweat with
the 800+k upsteam or at least do your dns.

enjoy yourself!!
posted by john , 8:50 AM Þ 
posted by chriszanf , 4:52 AM Þ 

followed a link to a site about the 'sport' of 'cup-stacking'.

"Cup stacking helps train the brain for sports and other activities where the use of the left and right hands is important, such as playing a musical instrument or using the computer. Sequencing and patterning are also elements of cup stacking, which helps with reading and math skills."
posted by chriszanf , 1:20 AM Þ 
Monday, September 09, 2002

DJ Alex from Tokyo has good taste
posted by Irdial , 7:45 PM Þ 

I really enjoy the mashup of David Bowie and Pink by Dsico

Tell us about Pink.
posted by Irdial , 7:41 PM Þ 

Whew. I think I'm going to manage this whole visa thing. For those who don't know, here's the story:

Saturday night last week (9.7) I found out that I had around negative -500 usd on my visa account, that was after the bank taking over 1100 from my savings account. So today, I went to the bank to ask them what was up. It turns out that when I lost my card last month (the weekend of 8.3), someone went and withdrew 2000 the monday after (8.5), even though the account only had around 50 or so on it. He even signed a crappy signature at the bank, managed to make the bankier think I was him (even though we have pictures on our visas here) and make them set up a credit maximum so he could withdraw that amount (which you can't on my account). I had noticed that my card was gone on 8.7, when I had it closed. But since I rarely use it, I didn't notice that there was the amount missing until the mentioned saturday.

So, the possible outcomes are:
a. I was reckless with my card and too slow in reporting it gone, and will only get around 1000 reimbursed.
b. The bank was reckless with my account and will have to reimburse the full amount (which I think is a likely outcome, when taking into account the crap signature - I've seen a copy - the picture on the card which apparently wasn't checked/the guy looked just like me (?) and the large amount of cash in question)

so yeah, now I'm just waiting for my bank to call me and let me know what they think. If it's outcome a, I will be contacting the consumer's council (what's it called over there?).

Now for the debate serve: Anyone else tried something similar with their bank? I think they're just a wee bit too eager in being customer-friendly. I mean, with amounts like that, they should at least check the signature.
posted by Mikkel , 3:55 PM Þ 

Musical approach helps programmers catch bugs

Researchers have developed a system that automatically converts computer program code written in Pascal into simple "music" to make it easier for programmers to detect bugs from sequences of notes.
posted by Josh Carr , 2:39 PM Þ 

http://www.litepc.com/ieradicator.html
posted by Irdial , 1:13 PM Þ 

China, Google, and press spin

7 September 2002

China's recent blocking of Google and AltaVista has us asking whether they might be doing it for reasons that have not been mentioned in the press.

Our proxy has not been blocked. We wonder who will block us first -- China or Google, Inc.? The former because we're a back door to Google's index, or the latter because our interface is ad-free and unauthorized by Google?

U.S. intelligence agencies have recently shown a great deal of interest in Internet surveillance. One thrust of this is determining geolocation from IP number. Currently this is about 80 percent effective in fixing the IP number to a major city, and over 90 percent in fixing it to a country.

Another important aspect is the search terms used to query search engines. These terms are absolute pearls; they are a succinct window into the Internet user's interests and state of mind at a particular point in time. Cluster analysis that uses geolocation along with search terms would provide an insight into a society and its subcultures.

Chinese officials may be worried that Google logs all search terms together with the IP number, a time stamp, a unique cookie ID, and browser information. If this information is available to the National Security Agency from Google -- and current U.S. laws almost require Google to provide this information to the feds, especially when the Internet user is a non-U.S. citizen in a country that's of national security interest to the U.S. -- then China may be well-advised to block the use of U.S. engines to protect their own national security.

The NSA, if it gets this information straight from Google, is operating at a level of efficiency much greater than Chinese officials themselves, who must intercept and collate such information by monitoring the packet stream. This puts the NSA at a tremendous advantage in determining where pro-U.S. sentiment may exist in China.

The privacy policies of search engines generally do not cover items such as IP number storage, and storage of search terms. In the case of portals that use Google results, it is important to know whether the portal forwards the IP number to Google along with the search terms. We've asked this question of several portals, and received a reply only from Netscape, which said that they do not forward the IP number to Google.

Journalists interested in privacy can provide a service by asking search engines and portals about the user data they collect. When engines fail to reveal this, then they should at least allow proxies and meta-engines to access their index as a matter of policy and convenience to Internet users around the world. We hope our proxy can continue to operate, both in China and in the U.S.

http://www.google-watch.org/china.html
posted by Irdial , 10:02 AM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 9:05 AM Þ 

on ignorance: all i can say is those with nothing inside feed....that's right..fucking FEED on those with love in their hearts. i see it everywhere more and more the older i get. you are happy and people resent it because they are lost sheeple goats. drag you down then they don't feel shitty about themselves anymore for being so fucking IGNORANT! truth.

And as you get older, you LET GO of all the petty hate that consumes you, as you start to see the big patterns in mass behavior, so that the small things, the truely small things actually take on their correct size, and you can safely put them to one side and then say "it doesnt matter."

As for the people who feed off of you....you either feed them or shear them. The fleece you gather can keep you warm, and when its time, you can slaughter them and eat the meat, marinated. You CANNOT however, let them drag you down; take two steps back, look at them for what they are and then pull this out.
posted by Irdial , 9:03 AM Þ 

werd barry. you go sir. you are right there/ all up in
it and doing. doing and growing and see the bs. props!

on ignorance: all i can say is those with nothing inside
feed....that's right..fucking FEED on those with love in their
hearts. i see it everywhere more and more the older i get. you are
happy and people resent it because they are lost sheeple goats. drag you
down then they don't feel shitty about themselves anymore for being so fucking
IGNORANT! truth.
posted by john , 6:27 AM Þ 

IGNORANCE IS THE CRAP!!@#
I am in edmonton, actually john, currently attending the U of Alberta. Whistler would be sooo nice! I haven't been on a "real" vacation for about 4 years, though I don't really mind. School is nice.
posted by Barrie , 5:47 AM Þ 

not any of you but........
INGORANCE!!!!
i am fucking sick of it!!!
posted by john , 5:40 AM Þ 

barrie we MUST get together sometme. you are in
calgary, no? we be in vanc and it's so close. i am thinking a
whistler vacation. wouldn't that be sweet??!?
posted by john , 5:34 AM Þ 

"I'm currently taking rubbings"
-aw yeah!! me too and i pay every 15min. ;p
posted by john , 5:32 AM Þ 

mary: you thought of it because you were zipping home! HAW HAW *smack*

I'm currently taking rubbings of everything with texture, for my printmaking class.
Unfortunately, I could not take a rubbing of a vinyl record... damn, eh??

I've been listening to the radio today, and there are FINALLY reports of Mr. Ritter, the former UN weapons inspector, calling for Iraq to open its doors to inspectors. When did Guerilla News write their story on him, a month ago? Sersly. Sometimes the "real" media is REALLY far behind on things.
posted by Barrie , 2:34 AM Þ 

a truckload of Pr0zac?? can i get some?

And Britney Spears "Slave for you" and "oops.." are actually brilliant pieces of work
-i really don't know how to respond to that.

hey guess what? i just worked 36hrs. but yet i'm happy. uh..l.yeah/

akin rhymes with makin and cakin'. *put biz markie "uh bhuhuhu" here*
posted by john , 12:43 AM Þ 
Sunday, September 08, 2002

Thanks guys. I didn't think of zipping until halfway home on my bike. I'm still in the blurry zone of learning a new OS, trying to navigate, finding the familiars.
posted by mary13 , 10:42 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 2:49 PM Þ 

http://homepages.nyu.edu/~jgg221/
posted by Irdial , 2:15 PM Þ 

these symbols aren't allowed in windoze filenames: / ? ( ) * and possibly a few others. It's best to stick to standard ascii filenames if you wan't to be perfectly sure that nothing will go wrong...

In other news, I bought an iPod 20G. Jesus hell it's awesome. I liked the little seal on it that said "Do not steal music" when I unpackaged it. I then proceeded to fill it with mp3s, only half of which I own. I'm a horrible person and will go to hell if it exists. Tough luck.
posted by Mikkel , 1:36 PM Þ 

I now have a very tidy archive stuck on the Mac that will not copy over to the PC server, as the burner is on the PC.

Zip them up into one big file and then ftp/move them to the pc and then burn the file onto the CD...
posted by Irdial , 10:08 AM Þ 

I think Haxial are a bunch of scrubs. They whine, and whine, are overly aggressive, and are completely full of themselves.

You are 1 dood that needs a truckload of Pr0zac.

Haxial make stuff. Its cool stuff. Stupid people keep bitching and whining at/about them because the software doesnt do or look the way that THEY want, and then these LOOSERS havent got the politeness to even ask nicely.

They are not "overly aggresive". They write software. You either use it or you dont. What they say on their website has NOTHING to do with the software that they make. "Overly aggressive" implies that there is an acceptible amount of "aggression". Dont use the software. Dont go back to the website.

They made those clearly HILARIOUS faqs because.....its funny. Get a grip. Take a chill pill. Whatever.

And Britney Spears "Slave for you" and "oops.." are actually brilliant pieces of work that also happen to make money. So what. Get over it.

And if you are going to attempt to trash someone, at least make it funny.
posted by Irdial , 10:06 AM Þ 

Macs and PC's do not communicate well with each other. I have spent my afternoon organizing a client's archive (basically 6 years of backup tapes thrown on one cd, gross gross gross). I am sure there was a faster way to do this, but I was afraid to lose any files. Regardless, I now have a very tidy archive stuck on the Mac that will not copy over to the PC server, as the burner is on the PC. Any ideas? I keep getting lost file errors, and I know this has something to do with the file naming conventions. There must be a way to search for the offending characters and do automated editting? I wish I had asked this earlier...

But the Mac is sweet! The keyboard is so soft, and everything on the screen is round and smooth.
posted by mary13 , 3:32 AM Þ 
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