Saturday, May 03, 2003

God, that raid story makes me feel sick. I think I posted the Patriot II document a couple of months ago - it still makes me very queasy.
I think the term "Capitalist Dictatorship" is a perfect descriptor for America under the second patriot act, for obvious reasons.
posted by Barrie , 11:49 PM Þ 

posted by Mess Noone , 11:18 PM Þ 

Patriot Raid

By Jason Halperin, AlterNet
April 29, 2003

A month ago I experienced a very small taste of what hundreds of South Asian immigrants and U.S. citizens of South Asian descent have gone through since 9/11, and what thousands of others have come to fear. I was held, against my will and without warrant or cause, under the USA PATRIOT Act. While I understand the need for some measure of security and precaution in times such as these, the manner in which this detention and interrogation took place raises serious questions about police tactics and the safeguarding of civil liberties in times of war.

That night, March 20th, my roommate Asher and I were on our way to see the Broadway show "Rent." We had an hour to spare before curtain time so we stopped into an Indian restaurant just off of Times Square in the heart of midtown. I have omitted the name of the restaurant so as not to subject the owners to any further harassment or humiliation.

We helped ourselves to the buffet and then sat down to begin eating our dinner. I was just about to tell Asher how I'd eaten there before and how delicious the vegetable curry was, but I never got a chance. All of a sudden, there was a terrible commotion and five NYPD in bulletproof vests stormed down the stairs. They had their guns drawn and were pointing them indiscriminately at the restaurant staff and at us.

"Go to the back, go to the back of the restaurant," they yelled.

I hesitated, lost in my own panic.

"Did you not hear me, go to the back and sit down," they demanded.

I complied and looked around at the other patrons. There were eight men including the waiter, all of South Asian descent and ranging in age from late-teens to senior citizen. One of the policemen pointed his gun point-blank in the face of the waiter and shouted: "Is there anyone else in the restaurant?" The waiter, terrified, gestured to the kitchen.

The police placed their fingers on the triggers of their guns and kicked open the kitchen doors. Shouts emanated from the kitchen and a few seconds later five Hispanic men were made to crawl out on their hands and knees, guns pointed at them.

After patting us all down, the five officers seated us at two tables. As they continued to kick open doors to closets and bathrooms with their fingers glued to their triggers, no less than ten officers in suits emerged from the stairwell. Most of them sat in the back of the restaurant typing on their laptop computers. Two of them walked over to our table and identified themselves as officers of the INS and Homeland Security Department.

I explained that we were just eating dinner and asked why we were being held. We were told by the INS agent that we would be released once they had confirmation that we had no outstanding warrants and our immigration status was OK'd.

In pre-9/11 America, the legality of this would have been questionable. After all, the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution states: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized."

"You have no right to hold us," Asher insisted.

"Yes, we have every right," responded one of the agents. "You are being held under the Patriot Act following suspicion under an internal Homeland Security investigation."

The USA PATRIOT Act was passed into law on October 26, 2001 in order to facilitate the post 9/11 crackdown on terrorism (the name is actually an acronym: "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act.") Like most Americans, I did not recognize the extent to which this bill foregoes our civil liberties. Among the unprecedented rights it grants to the federal government are the right to wiretap without warrant, and the right to detain without warrant. As I quickly discovered, the right to an attorney has been seemingly fudged as well.

When I asked to speak to a lawyer, the INS official informed me that I do have the right to a lawyer but I would have to be brought down to the station and await security clearance before being granted one. When I asked how long that would take, he replied with a coy smile: "Maybe a day, maybe a week, maybe a month."

We insisted that we had every right to leave and were going to do so. One of the policemen walked over with his hand on his gun and taunted: "Go ahead and leave, just go ahead."

We remained seated. Our IDs were taken, and brought to the officers with laptops. I was questioned over the fact that my license was out of state, and asked if I had "something to hide." The police continued to hassle the kitchen workers, demanding licenses and dates of birth. One of the kitchen workers was shaking hysterically and kept providing the day's date – March 20, 2003, over and over.

As I continued to press for legal counsel, a female officer who had been busy typing on her laptop in the front of the restaurant, walked over and put her finger in my face. "We are at war, we are at war and this is for your safety," she exclaimed. As she walked away from the table, she continued to repeat it to herself? "We are at war, we are at war. How can they not understand this."

I most certainly understand that we are at war. I also understand that the freedoms afforded to all of us in the Constitution were meant specifically for times like these. Our freedoms were carved out during times of strife by people who were facing brutal injustices, and were intended specifically so that this nation would behave differently in such times. If our freedoms crumble exactly when they are needed most, then they were really never freedoms at all.

After an hour and a half the INS agent walked back over and handed Asher and me our licenses. A policeman took us by the arm and escorted us out of the building. Before stepping out to the street, the INS agent apologized. He explained, in a low voice, that they did not think the two of us were in the restaurant. Several of the other patrons, though of South Asian descent, were in fact U.S. citizens. There were four taxi drivers, two students, one newspaper salesman – unwitting customers, just like Asher and me. I doubt, though, they received any apologies from the INS or the Department of Homeland Security.

Nor have the over 600 people of South Asian descent currently being held without charge by the Federal government. Apparently, this type of treatment is acceptable. One of the taxi drivers, a U.S. citizen, spoke to me during the interrogation. "Please stop talking to them," he urged. "I have been through this before. Please do whatever they say. Please for our sake."

Three days later I phoned the restaurant to discover what happened. The owner was nervous and embarrassed and obviously did not want to talk about it. But I managed to ascertain that the whole thing had been one giant mistake. A mistake. Loaded guns pointed in faces, people made to crawl on their hands and knees, police officers clearly exacerbating a tense situation by kicking in doors, taunting, keeping their fingers on the trigger even after the situation was under control. A mistake. And, according to the ACLU a perfectly legal one, thanks to the Patriot Act.

The Patriot Act is just the first phase of the erosion of the Fourth Amendment. From the Justice Department has emerged a draft of the Domestic Securities Enhancement Act, also known as Patriot II. Among other things, this act would allow the Justice Department to detain anyone, anytime, secretly and indefinitely. It would also make it a crime to reveal the identity or even existence of such a detainee.

Every American citizen, whether they support the current war or not, should be alarmed by the speed and facility with which these changes to our fundamental rights are taking place. And all of those who thought that these laws would never affect them, who thought that the Patriot Act only applied to the guilty, should heed this story as a wake-up call. Please learn from my experience. We are all vulnerable so speak out and organize, our Fourth Amendment rights depend upon it.

Jason Halperin lives in New York City and works at Doctors Without Borders/Medicins San Frontieres. If you are moved by this account, he asks that you consider donating to your local ACLU chapter.

Alternet.org
posted by Irdial , 9:27 PM Þ 

It's a strange law/reality relationship, where each seems to have decided to ignore the other exists to a great extent.

It's the same here. As long as you are a responsible user/dealer, the forces seem to be acquiesed.

I have been thinking about the music databases, what would one look like that is organised by instrument? It makes sense, that you could search for music by what it is made of, instead of an artificial classification that doesn't lend itself to immediate understanding. I think people would learn more about what they are listening to, and be able to understand the bridges between sounds. If that's what they wanted.

Hang on, I guess that is how Gnoosic is working in the back end? Or is it relational based on listener comments? It would be nice to see the process ...
posted by mary13 , 9:02 PM Þ 

What's the best way to set up PGP with apple mail in OSX?
Install PGP 8 for OS X. Type up a mail in mail.app. Highlight the text you want to encode, go to the application menu, go to "Services" and you'll see a PGP services menu. So easy! So cool!
There is also GPG Mail that works with GPG, though it is problematic (at least for me) and doesn't interface as smoothly as PGP 8 does. Granted PGP needs to be kracked.

Keith Richards box set: rarities, singles, sideman appearances, hotel recordings?
This man knows his stuff!
While Keef may have become a zombie after his death in 1980 (that was the real reason they broke up), and sounds like a rabid mongoose has ripped his throat out, damn he could write a tune. His songs are the only songs on the Stones' latest albums that are actually sort of decent. Sort of.
Beggar's Banquet, "Jig-Saw Puzzle," original vinyl. Lush and haunting.
posted by Barrie , 8:43 PM Þ 

Alex help! What's the best way to set up PGP with apple mail in OSX? Ta duck.

The French (amongst other band-wagon hoppers) have been the major european opponents of more sensible drug laws. They continue to be pissed off with the dutch. The swiss seem to be a bit confused and try something new every couple of years. Us brits just get pissed and fight each other, not even being able to have sensible alcohol licensing laws - we are living under second world war conditions. We were promised pubs could open when they want to (finally) for the year 2000. We're still waiting...

Meanwhile, not a day passes without me seeing people in the streets of london enjoying a joint. It's a strange law/reality relationship, where each seems to have decided to ignore the other exists to a great extent.
posted by Alun , 11:39 AM Þ 

I don't think I've heard this man's music, but what a selection...

http://www.johnschott.com/media_shrine/

Sample:

Five Favorite Charlie Parker sessions (in no order) :

1.        Private recording at Joe Maini and Don Lanphere's home, June 1950
2.        "Bird and Diz" session w/ Monk, 1950 (Clef/Verve)
3.        First Savoy session: Koko, etc.
4.        With Fats Navarro and Bud Powell, Birdland, 1950
5.        October 1947, Dial session: The Hymn, Embraceable You, etc.
6.        On tenor, sideman with Miles Davis for Prestige; 'Round Midnight, etc.
posted by Mess Noone , 10:18 AM Þ 
Friday, May 02, 2003
posted by Irdial , 8:06 PM Þ 

Good morning. I imagine you all are into your beers by now.

Eduardo Galeano:

The church says this body is a sin
Science says this body is a machine
Business says this body is a product
The body says "I am a fiesta"

We are getting closer to a freer public body in Canada:
Canada revisiting marijuana
Sounds promising. They are looking at the issue from many sides, health, education, law execution. There will be allowance for singular situation analysis, like a traffic violation. "Now you will get another ticket, for losing your senses or something like that." Trés bien! Of course, the US is already threatening Canada with retaliation. Of course. But don't they know that their threats don't scare us? Harsher border crossing inspections. Come on. Perhaps they should be looking at their border inspectors who are letting the 800 tonnes of pot in, instead of those who are bringing it.

However ... BC pot does make me paranoid, it is so strong, maybe that is the problem in the States. They don't know when to stop!
posted by mary13 , 7:06 PM Þ 

Sympathies; Gary Todd.

http://www.cortical.org/spores.html
posted by Mess Noone , 5:27 PM Þ 

Degeneerate Music/Pop/Electric

De gene erate

Props to GATTACA of course.
posted by Irdial , 4:37 PM Þ 
posted by a hymn in g to nann , 3:55 PM Þ 

Now all we need is a genre!

gene music
body acid music
ribo-glitch

latest piece Ive written
posted by chriszanf , 3:43 PM Þ 

if you are not free to put anything you want into your own body, then that body does not belong to you
ain't it the truth... ain't it the truth..... ((C) cowardly lion)

Deoxyribonucleic Acid Trip
D. N. A. O. K.
Biological Clockwork Orange
Genetic Material Girl
GM Crop Circle*
Laboratory Animal Crackers
Human Genome Project For A New American Century


*Vague memory of being second (at least) to this one

Has anyone made music from the DNA database yet? G A T C doesn't give you much range, but... each TRIPLET (codon, 3 bases) equals one amino acid. Substitute a note for each of the amino acids (22? oh dear. I should know that**) and read the code, just like your ribosomes do, but with sound. Start from one base further on and the complete output changes (reading frames). Overlay. Make some chords. Possible? Or would it sound shite?

Ha! 20 'official' plus two 'indistinguishable'... but DNA also has stop and start codons so we're probably up to about 30 notes altogether (there are several variants of stop and start codons).

Now all we need is a genre!
posted by Alun , 3:25 PM Þ 

but there have been a number of warnings recently that many Britons do not understand the risks from cannabis.

A newspaper is a newspaper is a newspaper.

Whatever the risks of MJ are, they are NO ONES BUSINESS OR CONCERN, EXCEPT TO THE PEOPLE WHO CONSUME IT, in whatever form they might want or need to take it.

This sort of absolute nonesense is so shameful, wrong and absurd that it throws the quality of the rest of the paper into doubt.

The health arguments against anything are moot; if you are not free to put anything you want into your own body, then that body does not belong to you; it belongs instead to the entity that controls what can and cannot be injested. There are no two ways about this.

Do I REALLY have to talk about the deaths caused by alcohol consumption?

Of course not, 'cause you all have BRAINS.
posted by Irdial , 2:04 PM Þ 

shitty pool.

Oily pool...still stinky.
posted by Irdial , 1:57 PM Þ 

If you've never read Parliamentary sketches, try this one from yesterday. It's free to go in the House of Commons gallery and well worth the queue. You never quite know what you're going to see...
posted by Alun , 1:49 PM Þ 

A drug with no recorded fatalities in over 2000 years is now responsible for 30,000 deaths at once. Nice manipulation of statistics with NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER. Hypotheses without basis in FACT are worthless.

advance British firms .... like they need the help...
Shell profits double
Exxon profits triple
BP posts record profit

It means that Shell was earning £27m a day.
Tis an ill wind that blows no good.

I know Exxon are US, but they're all turds floating in the same shitty pool.

One more example of rich-helping-rich at the cost of the poor.
posted by Alun , 1:43 PM Þ 

Gnoosic, kinda like last.fm but without the radio. Seems kind of new, but an interesting idea. I like these relational databases, as I was saying to someone intelligent the other day, someone should build a record store that works like this!
posted by alex_tea , 12:32 PM Þ 

This game is fun. A bit like Mastermind, without the box.



I found this game whilst searching around for information on the Animal Collective (Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Geologist and Deakin). They've had albums on Catsup Plate and Carpark and have some stuff coming up on FatCat...

Really good, beautiful music. Lush may be a good way to describe it. Think of Black Dice with all the bile taken out.
posted by alex_tea , 12:23 PM Þ 

I hate the RIAA! Meanwhile, that Apple Music thing seems quite good, personally I doubt I'd ever use it, especially not to buy an album. But it's cool for previewing tracks and stuff, 30 secs is never enough (unless it's Farmers Manual, and then it's 30x too long!) but I can see why people will use it. And things can only get better right? (Hopelessly searching for something good after that register article destroyed me!)
posted by alex_tea , 11:14 AM Þ 

BCCB goes to Washington to advance British firms
involvement in Iraq reconstruction

Representatives from BCCB (British Consultants and Construction Bureau) and Trade Partners UK (TPUK) are in Washington from the week beginning April 28th to discuss the reconstruction of Iraq with officials from the US State Department, the Pentagon and USAID (US Agency for International Development).
BCCB and TPUK are also meeting with representatives from the prime contractors charged with rebuilding Iraq.
BCCB Chief Executive Colin Adams said: ?The purpose of the visit is tomaximise the potential for British companies to bid for work under USAID funding. In parallel, we are preparing for a representative team of British firms to visit Iraq as soon as possible.?

The Washington visit follows on from the first meeting on April 24th of a UK joint public-private working group for the reconstruction of Iraq. The meeting, chaired by Halcrow chairman Tony Allum, was held at the DTI?s (Department for Trade and Industry) Conference Centre. A dozen representatives of British exporters were at the meeting, along with working party members TPUK, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and ECGD (Export Credit Guarantee Department). A representative from the Department for International Development (DFID) also attended in a liaison role.

In the working group, 75% of the members are from the private sector and 25% from Government. Private representatives include BCCB, the CBI and the Middle East Association.
Colin Adams: ?The objective of the working group is to coordinate the efforts of British exporters of all sectors in helping the Iraqi people to reconstruct their country.
?This week?s visit to Washington by a senior Trade Partners UK representative and me is a precursor, we hope, to a visit by a delegation of British firms who would like to meet prime contractors in the US.

?I feel that the British Government is responding positively to BCCB?s call to assist British firms in their involvement in the reconstruction of Iraq. There are still, however, substantial obstacles to overcome such as the issues of export credits and insurance, and direct financial support.?

The last quote is typical - not only do private firms want to make money from the Iraq contracts they want to be funded for the privilege of doing so. The BCCB will be forming a working group with Bechetel to hand sub-contracts to UK firms.
posted by meau meau , 10:37 AM Þ 

Loyalty Day, 2003

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

To be an American is not a matter of blood or birth. Our citizens are bound by ideals that represent the hope of all mankind: that all men are created equal, endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. On Loyalty Day, we reaffirm our allegiance to our country and resolve to uphold the vision of our Forefathers.

Today, America's men and women in uniform are protecting our Nation, defending the peace of the world, and advancing the cause of liberty. The world has seen again the fine character of our Nation through our military as they fought to protect the innocent and liberate the oppressed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. We are honored by the service of foreign nationals in our Armed Services whose willingness to risk their lives for a country they cannot yet call their own is proof of the loyalty this country inspires. Their service and sacrifice are a testament to their love for America, and our soldiers' honor on and off the battlefield reaffirms our Nation's most deeply held beliefs: that every life counts, and that all humans have an unalienable right to live as free people.

These values must be imparted to each new generation. Our children need to know that our Nation is a force for good in the world, extending hope and freedom to others. By learning about America's history, achievements, ideas, and heroes, our young citizens will come to understand even more why freedom is worth protecting.

Last September, I announced several initiatives that will help improve students' knowledge of American history, increase their civic involvement, and deepen their love for our great country.[...]

The Congress, by Public Law 85-529, as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as "Loyalty Day," and I ask all Americans to join me in this day of celebration and in reaffirming our allegiance to our Nation.[...]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/04/20030430-26.html

That it should come to this...unthinkable.

And of course, they made this day fall on May day should not be seen as accidental. "God save the Queen" turned into "My country tis of thee". Same thing.

Anyone with Sky TV might have noticed that the prophetic and uncanilly accurate film Deathrace 2000 is being played both on the SciFi channel and one of the movie channels.

All the reviews (mostly by pig ignorant Americans) try and smear this great film with cinema prejoratives; "b movie", "low budget" (of course, the money is most important to them), etc, but the fact is, this movie accurately portrays America today, and it was made almost thirty years ago.

Before you "go there", let me do it for you

GO AND SEE THIS FILM.
posted by Irdial , 9:02 AM Þ 

Georgians Plan Whites-Only Prom Party
Thu May 1, 2:21 PM ET

By ELLIOTT MINOR, Associated Press Writer

ALBANY, Ga. - A year after holding their first integrated prom, some students at Taylor County High School have decided to again hold a separate, private party for whites only.

While many whites say they still plan to attend next week's integrated prom, the decision to hold the whites-only prom this Friday saddened senior Gerica McCrary, who helped organize last year's dance.

"I cried," said McCrary, who is black. "The black juniors said, 'Our prom is open to everyone. If you want to come, come.'"

Juniors are in charge of planning the prom each year and last year they decided to have just one dance — the first integrated prom in 31 years in the rural Georgia county 150 miles south of Atlanta.

Until then, parents and students organized separate proms for whites and blacks after school officials stopped sponsoring dances, in part because they wanted to avoid problems arising from interracial dating.

This year, a small number of white juniors decided they wanted a separate prom.

"They influenced the others," said McCrary, who plans to major in biology at Columbus State University. "They didn't vote on anything. They said, 'This is what we're going to do.'"

The school has 439 students, 232 of them black. McCrary and a white friend passed out fliers informing students of all races that they would be welcome at the May 9 prom at nearby Fort Valley State University.

The private prom is Friday night 50 miles away in Columbus.

Erin Posey, a white senior, said the entire junior class joined together in hosting last year's prom, but this year's junior class wasn't as unified.

"I think a lot of seniors were disappointed," she said. "Now we have to choose between two groups of friends."

Posey plans to attend both proms.

"I had some white friends who were not going to the other (inclusive) prom," she said. "I wanted to have time with everybody. I'll have a lot of (black) friends there, too. A lot more of the seniors are going to be at the mixed one."

After school integration, separate proms were common in the rural South, but Taylor County was among the last to cling to the practice.

Glenda Latimore, a 1972 graduate, was in the first class to have separate black and white proms. Now her 16-year-old son, Gerard, is preparing for prom night.

As the black junior class president, her son helped organize the open-to-all prom. The class also has a white president.

"I would have liked to see it together this year," said Latimore, an outfielder on the school's baseball team. "My class would have, too. It just didn't happen this year."

Glenda Latimore said relatives in Philadelphia and New Jersey laugh when they read about Taylor County's prom. She said residents here are "nice and friendly," but they still have a problem with proms.

"It seems like it's something secret," she said. "The white people are afraid to speak up against the separation.

"But I went to a black prom and I had fun," she said. "It didn't kill me, so I tell my son, 'Just go to the prom and have fun. Don't come out hating anyone.'"

From Yahoo News; emailed to me, so no url.

Americans cant live next door to each other like civilized human beings after hundreds of years, but can get Iraq's disparate groups to live in harmony.

"Yeah Right" as they say.
posted by Irdial , 8:41 AM Þ 

Approx. one year ahead I greet you all a merry easter.
posted by Claus Eggers , 12:07 AM Þ 
Thursday, May 01, 2003

Congratulations Josh. In the comming years you will lose all interest in clubbing and any form of popular music - except the hits from your childhood, you will lose your hair - but only on the very top of your head, you will empregnate a woman and have a smallish depression, get a job and loose it again. Welcome.

BTW - It was genius, but in consideration of fairness I played a quick game of Bejeweled with my left foot. I bothered to only just beat you. After all Bejeweled is a gentlemans game.
posted by Claus Eggers , 11:59 PM Þ 

Happy birthday, Josh Carr.

I bought my copy from a bargain bookshop on Tuesday, and they had one other. Want it?
posted by Mess Noone , 10:38 PM Þ 

Jim Woodring
All the best, Josh!
posted by Barrie , 10:28 PM Þ 

Long Life Josh...

If its not photoshop,
Its genius...

"Practice makes perfect,
Yes I can prove it,
Business or pleasure,
The more that you do it"

I need some of that.
Clearly.
posted by Irdial , 8:32 PM Þ 

...and of Lush music, I had the incredible opportunity to see Dave Burrell play solo recently, and it is up there with the top musical events in my life. I have never seen someone with such ease at the piano, taking stride and rags and pulling them art, chopping them up, juxtaposing them into new soundworlds and creating the loudest racket with the most beauty. It is the closest I will ever get to hearing Monk play live. This man is a genius.

You can hear a sample, but it is low quality and in .wma format. Oh well, it is a taste...
posted by Josh Carr , 8:19 PM Þ 

Thats 1,095e+08 a year @ 300k a day!
posted by Claus Eggers , 8:11 PM Þ 
posted by Claus Eggers , 8:03 PM Þ 

Happy 25th Birthday Josh Carr!

I reckon Claus could have done it, just holding back and then building the score up and then holding back again, raking in the combos!

That sounds quite sexy actually...
posted by alex_tea , 7:57 PM Þ 

On May the First in 1978 I took a step out of the womb. And I just had lunch with the wonderful woman who owned it.

--

I've peeped that Braxton book in the library a couple of times and desperately want to own a copy. I meant to post a picture of him when people were posting their heros, so I'll just post one now:



Look at the size of that horn! Imagine the sounds that you could conjure out of that thing. Imagine the sounds that Braxton could conjure out that thing!
posted by Josh Carr , 7:52 PM Þ 

fotopop-snotodub. ur just zealousss.
posted by Claus Eggers , 7:47 PM Þ 

I smell Photoshop...

I just scored 12,925 at level 7
posted by Irdial , 7:26 PM Þ 

To convert this player to Multi-Region
1. Press the 1 button on your remote control
2. Press the 6 button on your remote control
3. Press the 7 button on your remote control
4. Press the 1 button on your remote control for region 1, 2 for region 2, and so on, or 0 for multi-region playback
5. Press the Standby button on your remote control
posted by Irdial , 7:25 PM Þ 

That's disgusting Claus! Only level 4 as well? Hmmm....
posted by alex_tea , 7:22 PM Þ 

Sorry, but I've been extremly busy the last month. Busy playing Bejeweled that is...
posted by Claus Eggers , 6:10 PM Þ 
posted by chriszanf , 3:18 PM Þ 

bright lush being mouse on mars
or tundra lush being biosphere
posted by meau meau , 3:06 PM Þ  





                            Mildly::::disappointed
                        that::Susan::Lawly::wasn't:a
                    roaming::::female::audiothnologist.
                 Even::::::more                 ::::::::::
               :::::::::::                           ::::::::
             ::::::::::                                  ::::::
           :::::::::         :::                            :::::
         :::::::::       ::::::::                             :::::
        ::::::::       ::::::::::                               :::::
       ::::::::        ::::::::::           :::::::              :::::
      ::::::::         ::::::::            :::::::::             :::::::
      ::::::::           :::::             ::::::::               ::::::::
      :::::::                               ::::::                :::::::::
      :::::::                                                     :::::::::
      :::::::                                                     ::::::::::
      :::::::                                                      :::::::::
      :::::::                       ::::                           :::::::::
       :::::::            disappointed::::::that                  there:just
       :isn't::         ::any:::            appeal:               in:::gigs
        for:::me       at:the                  ::::::            :moment,::
         realised:      :                        after          looking::at
           some:::of                              :::          :::those::::
            :websites.:                                      ::Thinking:::
              ::further,::                                  there's::::not
                 much:::appeal                             in:::much::at
                    all::right::now:-                 having:::::::::an
                        incredibly::flat:day.:Just:what:does
                                       one:::::::::::::::::::do?
posted by captain davros , 2:15 PM Þ 

Luser gets paycheck, goes beserk-bidding late at night on ebay, spends next day trawling google to see if he's bought anything useful.
posted by captain davros , 1:55 PM Þ 

Where the hell have you been?
posted by Irdial , 1:47 PM Þ 

Blogdial - Slackers scam money from filmfund using it to develop working mindcontrol. Entire world is enslaved. Mayhem and scenes of grotesque revenge ensues. Lots of really strange sex. Some drugs.
posted by Claus Eggers , 1:43 PM Þ 

Africa - the dark continent of the tyrants, the beautiful girls, the bizarre rituals, the tropical fruits, the pygmies, the guns, the mercenaries, the tribal wars, the unusual diseases, the abject poverty, the sumptuous riches, the widespread executions, the praetorian colonialists, the exotic wildlife - and the music.

http://www.susanlawly.freeuk.com/africa/africa.html
posted by Irdial , 1:12 PM Þ 

http://www.silentfront.co.uk

http://www.thebirdsofparadise.com

http://www.houseofstairs.co.uk

http://www.artofburningwater.co.uk

I met a dude at a concert, who spoke intelligently and with tangible enthusiasm about his band, and the other groups in is circle.

Submitted for your (dis)approval are the URLS to each group.

This:

http://www.freeradicalsounds.com

Is the website of another dude who runs a label....interesting man; cold rushed me to say "hi", didnt know me, wasnt selling anything. I have time for that.
posted by Irdial , 1:04 PM Þ 

John Hinckley Junior, John Wayne, John Wayne Gacey, John Dillinger, John F. Kennedy Jr., a time machine, a case of chainsaws. Music by John Williams.
posted by Irdial , 12:48 PM Þ 

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the 23rd.
posted by Irdial , 11:59 AM Þ 

Thriller:
Shady artist kills all the pigeons in [Leeds], hides the evidence as artworks which are sold to insurance companies

Horror:
Evil artist covers wife in plaster and gives to his mistress, she keeps it in her bedroom. What's that noise?
posted by meau meau , 9:52 AM Þ 

Good Morning.

I arrived at my machine this morning to find 4 409s in my inbox, all of the Zimbabwe type.

Die Die Die!
posted by Irdial , 9:52 AM Þ 
Wednesday, April 30, 2003

Please tell me about some lush music.
Fridge - Cutup Piano & Xylophone. Beautiful!

Culture of Death - Radical Communist Culture A attempts to cross the "petri-dish barrier" to stage a violent coup-d'etat in freedom-loving Culture B, as a hapless scientist attempts to observe.
posted by Barrie , 10:57 PM Þ 

These midi versions CRACK ME UP.

That entire track is Genius.
posted by Alun , 10:22 PM Þ 

Mess. Lush music for you. I DARE you not to sing along. I KNOW you won't be able to resist. Crank it UP!

Don't you get me wrong, now!


Here's the full thing.
posted by Alun , 10:20 PM Þ 

baba granite thunder blossom

Please tell me about some lush music. Seriously. On the verge of becoming disillusioned with humanity, with the possible exceptions of my girlfriend, this man as detailed in this book, chess players everywhere... Struggling to think of more, which is depressing in itself.

Best regards to you all. It's good to know there are real people out there somewhere.
posted by Mess Noone , 8:46 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 8:26 PM Þ 

Well, MHCII is a pretty cool protein, but an entire film about it... I can imagine a trilogy at least.

It's a fucking good title for a start.

MHC is what identifies you as you to your immune system. MHCII is needed for CD4 T cell function. CD4 T cells are targeted by HIV. It's going to be a heartbreaker.

Of course, MHCII has BILLIONS of variants, so your story is yours to make as you see fit.

Submit it, is my vote.
posted by Alun , 8:21 PM Þ 

what should it have been?

It was one of my 25 words or less plot submissions; did I win?!
posted by Irdial , 7:58 PM Þ 

I couldn't let it lie.
posted by Alun , 7:38 PM Þ 

Sequences producing significant alignments: (bits) Value

gi|18641377|ref|NM_002120.2| Homo sapiens major histocompat... 496 e-138
gi|13543903|gb|BC006097.1|BC006097 Homo sapiens, major hist... 496 e-138
gi|32271|emb|X03066.1|HSHLDOBR Human mRNA for HLA-D class I... 496 e-138
gi|11094201|dbj|AB035254.1| Homo sapiens HLA-DOB(DOB*1.6) g... 496 e-138
gi|11094200|dbj|AB035253.1| Homo sapiens HLA-DOB(DOB*1.5) g... 496 e-138
gi|11094199|dbj|AB035252.1| Homo sapiens HLA-DOB(DOB*1.4) g... 496 e-138
gi|11094198|dbj|AB035251.1| Homo sapiens HLA-DOB(DOB*1.3) g... 496 e-138
gi|11094197|dbj|AB035250.1| Homo sapiens HLA-DOB(DOB*1.2) g... 496 e-138
gi|11094196|dbj|AB035249.1| Homo sapiens HLA-DOB(DRB1*0101)... 496 e-138
gi|188010|gb|M26040.1|HUMMHDOBDR Human MHC class II DO beta... 496 e-138
gi|176659|gb|M24358.1|CHPDOB Chimpanzee MHC class II ChLA-D... 472 e-130
gi|1054740|emb|X87344.1|HSEVMHC H.sapiens DMA, DMB, HLA-Z1,... 379 e-102
gi|18857824|emb|AL671681.4| Human DNA sequence from clone X... 379 e-102
gi|19068326|emb|AL669918.5| Human DNA sequence from clone X... 379 e-102
gi|459824|gb|L29472.1|L29472 Human MHC class II HLA DO-beta... 379 e-102
gi|34634|emb|X66401.1|HSMHCAPG H.sapiens genes TAP1, TAP2, ... 379 e-102
gi|29788773|ref|NM_010389.2| Mus musculus histocompatibilit... 206 1e-50
gi|26095647|dbj|AK053233.1| Mus musculus 0 day neonate lung... 206 1e-50
gi|199356|gb|M30157.1|MUSMHEAII2 Mouse MHC class II A-beta ... 194 5e-47
gi|164881|gb|M96942.1|RABCLIIA Rabbit class II (HLA-DOB gen... 182 2e-43
gi|199283|gb|M11800.1|MUSMHCAB1 Mus musculus MHC A-beta-2 c... 178 3e-42
gi|199165|gb|K02419.1|MUSMHABA01 Mouse MHC class II H2-IA-b... 178 3e-42
gi|2555188|gb|AF027865.1|MMMMH461 Mus musculus Major Histoc... 178 3e-42
gi|199352|gb|M30159.1|MUSMHEA2A2 Mouse MHC class II A-beta ... 178 3e-42
gi|871490|emb|Z49880.1|OADOBB12 O.aries MHC class ll DOB ge... 153 2e-34
gi|343185|gb|M15561.1|RATMHHBC Rat MHC class II RT1.B-beta2... 147 1e-32
gi|3341890|dbj|AB008110.1| Rattus norvegicus RT1-DOb gene, ... 125 4e-26
gi|5901567|gb|AF110319.1|MHCDOB2 Bos taurus MHC class II an... 101 5e-19
gi|166082|gb|M81624.1|WALMHA Macropus rufogriseus (DAB1) MH... 82 5e-13
gi|15099941|gb|AF312030.1|AF312030 Trichosurus vulpecula MH... 80 2e-12
gi|15099939|gb|AF312029.1|AF312029 Trichosurus vulpecula MH... 80 2e-12
gi|27372094|gb|AY169006.1| Sigmodon hispidus major histocom... 72 5e-10
gi|2304942|gb|U51575.1|FCU51575 Felis catus MHC class II an... 64 1e-07
gi|2304938|gb|U51573.1|FCU51573 Felis catus MHC class II an... 64 1e-07
gi|27483233|ref|XM_165807.2| Homo sapiens major histocompat... 62 4e-07
gi|24797075|ref|NM_002121.4| Homo sapiens major histocompat... 62 4e-07
gi|15428843|gb|AF300859.1| Peromyscus leucopus isolate 8740... 62 4e-07
gi|15428841|gb|AF300858.1| Peromyscus leucopus isolate 8740... 62 4e-07
gi|15428839|gb|AF300857.1| Peromyscus leucopus isolate 8849... 62 4e-07
gi|15428837|gb|AF300856.1| Peromyscus leucopus isolate 8849... 62 4e-07
gi|23598075|gb|AY135572.1| Sus scrofa clone 119904 MHC clas... 62 4e-07
gi|23598073|gb|AY135571.1| Sus scrofa MHC class II antigen ... 62 4e-07
gi|21586035|gb|AY102477.1| Sus scrofa MHC class II antigen ... 62 4e-07
gi|18699312|gb|AF464061.1| Sus scrofa MHC class II antigen ... 62 4e-07
gi|24474482|emb|AL845446.7| Human DNA sequence from clone X... 62 4e-07
gi|15929087|gb|BC015000.1|BC015000 Homo sapiens, Similar to... 62 4e-07
gi|15341974|gb|BC013184.1|BC013184 Homo sapiens, Similar to... 62 4e-07
gi|14044081|gb|BC007963.1|BC007963 Homo sapiens, Similar to... 62 4e-07
gi|36401|emb|X03026.1|HSSB4B3 Human gene fragment for HLA c... 62 4e-07
gi|36393|emb|X03024.1|HSSB3B3 Human gene fragment for HLA c... 62 4e-07
gi|36385|emb|X01426.1|HSSB2BR Human mRNA for HLA class II a... 62 4e-07
gi|12700662|gb|AY013369.1| Saguinus oedipus isolate 277Saoe... 62 4e-07
gi|32275|emb|X03067.1|HSHLDPWB Human mRNA for HLA-D class I... 62 4e-07
gi|32194|emb|X02228.1|HSHLADPB Human HLA-DP-beta 1 gene and... 62 4e-07
gi|32009|emb|X00532.1|HSHA02 Human mRNA for SB beta-chain (... 62 4e-07
gi|262939|gb|S52422.1|S52422 HLA class II: DPB1 (0101) [hum... 62 4e-07
gi|20068657|emb|AL662824.9| Human DNA sequence from clone X... 62 4e-07
gi|19572887|emb|AL645931.7| Human DNA sequence from clone X... 62 4e-07
gi|188108|gb|M57466.1|HUMMHDPL Human MHC class II HLA-DP li... 62 4e-07
gi|188478|gb|M83664.1|HUMMHHLADP Human MHC class II lymphoc... 62 4e-07
gi|188417|gb|M23908.1|HUMMHDRO3 Human MHC class II lymphocy... 62 4e-07
gi|188054|gb|M21886.1|HUMMHDPB Human MHC class II HLA-DPw4b... 62 4e-07
gi|575497|gb|M28202.1|HUMMHDPW4 Homo sapiens MHC class II l... 62 4e-07
gi|575495|gb|M28201.1|HUMMHDPW1B Homo sapiens MHC class II ... 62 4e-07
gi|207709|gb|M97616.1|SQIDRB Scurius aberti aberti (A85) MH... 62 4e-07
gi|188525|gb|K01615.1|HUMMHSBBI Human MHC class II HLA-SB-b... 62 4e-07
gi|188523|gb|K00409.1|HUMMHSBBC Human MHC class II HLA-SB-b... 62 4e-07
gi|457258|gb|L29173.1|L29173 Human MHC class II HLA-SB beta... 62 4e-07
gi|184192|gb|J03041.1|HUMHLADP4 Human HLA DP4 beta-chain mR... 62 4e-07
gi|166084|gb|M81625.1|WALMHB Macropus rufogriseus (DBB) MHC... 62 4e-07
gi|2304940|gb|U51574.1|FCU51574 Felis catus MHC class II an... 60 2e-06
gi|28212470|ref|NG_002433.1| Homo sapiens major histocompat... 58 7e-06
gi|2950165|emb|Z84477.1|HS265J14 Human DNA sequence from cl... 58 7e-06
gi|12700695|gb|AY013389.1| Saguinus oedipus isolate 249Saoe... 58 7e-06
gi|2353700|gb|AF010497.1|AF010497 Monodelphis domestica MHC... 58 7e-06
gi|1237276|gb|M77151.1|GORMHCB6PS Gorilla gorilla MHC class... 58 7e-06
gi|1237269|gb|M77154.1|GORMHCB108 Gorilla gorilla MHC class... 58 7e-06
gi|188535|gb|M21393.1|HUMMHSXB3 Human (clone H1A) MHC class... 58 7e-06
gi|343324|gb|M76488.1|SOEMHCIISO Tamarin MHC class II (DRB*... 58 7e-06
gi|343322|gb|M76489.1|SOEMHCIISD Tamarin MHC class II (DRB*... 58 7e-06
gi|292326|gb|M28991.1|HUMMHDRBIA Human MHC class II DR-beta... 58 7e-06
gi|187934|gb|K02774.1|HUMMHDB03 Human MHC class II HLA-DR-b... 58 7e-06
gi|15428847|gb|AF300861.1| Peromyscus eremicus isolate 1B M... 56 3e-05
gi|22023822|gb|AF503407.1| Zalophus californianus MHC class... 56 3e-05
gi|22023820|gb|AF503406.1| Zalophus californianus MHC class... 56 3e-05
gi|22023818|gb|AF503405.1| Zalophus californianus MHC class... 56 3e-05
gi|22023814|gb|AF503402.1| Zalophus californianus MHC class... 56 3e-05
gi|22023812|gb|AF503401.1| Zalophus californianus MHC class... 56 3e-05
gi|22023810|gb|AF503400.1| Zalophus californianus MHC class... 56 3e-05
gi|22023806|gb|AF503398.1| Zalophus californianus MHC class... 56 3e-05
gi|22023804|gb|AF503397.1| Zalophus californianus MHC class... 56 3e-05
gi|12700667|gb|AY013372.1| Saguinus oedipus isolate 277Saoe... 56 3e-05
gi|3646023|emb|AL031228.1|HS1033B10 Human DNA sequence from... 56 3e-05
gi|232289|gb|S40642.1|S40642 HLA class II: DPB1 (DPB1*0101)... 56 3e-05
gi|18564736|emb|AL645940.4| Human DNA sequence from clone X... 56 3e-05
gi|1209886|gb|U46916.1|CFU46916 Canis familiaris MHC DLA Cl... 56 3e-05
gi|188424|gb|M23911.1|HUMMHDRR03 Human MHC class II lymphoc... 56 3e-05
gi|575493|gb|M28200.1|HUMMHDPW1A Homo sapiens MHC class II ... 56 3e-05
gi|29888122|gb|AY243105.1| Sus scrofa breed Wuzhishan MHC c... 54 1e-04
gi|29888114|gb|AY243101.1| Sus scrofa breed Taihu MHC class... 54 1e-04

The best fit was:

Homo sapiens major histocompatibility complex, class II, DO beta (HLA-DOB), mRNA Length = 1322


So, what should it have been?

You can do this yourself at Blast Nucleotide Search
Just take out all the gaps and other characters...
posted by Alun , 7:33 PM Þ  

GTGGATGGGG TCTGTAGACA CAACTACAGG CTGGGCGCAC CCTTCACTGT
GGGGAGAAAA GTGCAACCAG AGGTGACAGT GTACCCAGAG AGGACCCCAC
TCCTGCACCA GCATAATCTG CTGCACTGCT CTGTGACAGG CTTCTATCCA
GGGGATATCA AGATCAAGTG GTTCCTGAAT GGGCAGGAGG AGAGAGCTGG
GGTCATGTCC ACTGGCCCTA TCAGGAATGG AGACTGGACC TTTCAGACTG
posted by Irdial , 6:53 PM Þ 

A fascist, an engineer, a an alcoholic cop, a lesbian, LSD, a samurai sword, a Polaroid camera, one weekend and a case of Jack Daniels.
posted by Irdial , 3:54 PM Þ 

"If all of the dead round here got up and started walking we'd have a hell of a population problem" - The Lost Boys

As the number of undead swells tabloid hysteria fuels racial paranoia in provincial Britain, meanwhile a group of crazy kids work out a plan to save themselves.
posted by alex_tea , 2:53 PM Þ 

Previously ethical immunologist goaded by online bloggers redefines 'computer virus'. Veangance seems inevitable. But nature has no master and evolution never stops.
posted by Alun , 2:35 PM Þ 

A veteran London underground employee flees downward in the opposite direction to hysterical masses escaping burial as nukes explode above, encountering many mysteries as he descends.
posted by Irdial , 2:21 PM Þ 

Here's my pitch

Rome Ants by Captain D - Lonely batchelor entomologist goes to Italy for hymenoptera studying, meets beautiful woman who doesn't like him at first but does once he's changed a bit.

This led to a brief flurry of low-quality pronunciation based triplets too...

True Romancering Machine
Quality Street s of San Fransisco
Back to the Future, present and past Tense
American Graffiti Bridge
posted by captain davros , 2:06 PM Þ 

I could do better than that

-moment of the day

The Film Council has awarded cash to four young scriptwriters who pitched their thriller, horror or comedy movie ideas in 25 words or less.

Egomania by Paul Alexander and Simon Braithwaite - Hotshot young lawyer Michael Stark becomes so successful, so arrogant and so full of himself that his ego decides to go solo - with disastrous consequences. 12,500 GBP YAWN.

The Cleaner by Peter Michael Rosenberg - When a crime scene cleaner haunted by his past uncovers evidence that suggests LAPD cops are working as assassins, he becomes their next target. 12,500 GBP Dirty Harry did it already

Shoeless Joe by Andrew Clyde - A holiday of a lifetime across the desolate heart of the Australian outback turns into a living nightmare for five friends. 12,500 GBP Jenny Agutter did it already (Walkabout, Nic roeg. Still not yet outdone)

Storage by Chris Denne and Matt Winn - Terror stalks a storage facility. Survival for those trapped inside depends on the secrets in those endless units. But some doors are better left locked. 5,000 GBP Oh, pur-leeeese. This is supposed to be a product of your IMAGINATION, not simple plagiarism.

Fuck knows what the rest of the entries were like if these are the winners.
Come on then! Let's have yours!


Submissions for the science fiction, romantic or teen films round can be entered until 1 June 2003.
As well as the 25 word pitch, writers have to provide a page synopsis of their idea, and ten pages of sample scenes from their proposed script.
posted by Alun , 12:55 PM Þ 

Conrad Black, Daily Telegraph (Hollinger Telegraph Group) and vested interests.

About Richard N. Perle Perle is CEO and chairman of the board of directors of Hollinger Digital Inc. and a director of The Jerusalem Post, both of which are subsidiaries of Hollinger International Inc. Perle is a member of the International Advisory Board of Hollinger Inc. and has served as a Director since June 1994. He has also served as resident fellow of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research since 1987. From 1981 to 1988, he was the assistant secretary for the United States Department of Defense International Security Policy.

Hollingers other associate include M. Thatcher and H. Kissinger. Black is pro-Likud, pro-Sharon... The Jerusalem Post, which used to have a dove-ish editorial line, supporting the Labor Party, moved to the far right under Conrad Black, who bought the 'Post' in 1989 when the hawkish Likud party was in power. Mr. Black also owns the Daily and Sunday Telegraph.


Margaret Thatcher subsequently, if somewhat unfairly quipped that "I like Conrad Black because he is the only person I have ever met who makes me feel positively 'wet'.
(wet, meaning politcally soft-line, rather than... no, no, NO!!!! this is Thatcher )

This is the tip of Conrads iceberg.

Where (some of) the lies came from. Never forget, it was the presentation of these lies, and those presented by the US to the UN security council, that were the excuses to go to war. British MPs and the UN security council are investigating both matters.

Powell says banned weapons will be found in Iraq
Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, said that Powell had placed the "credibilty" of the United States on the line when he went before the UN Security Council on February 5 and gave a highly-publicized presentation about Iraq's weapons program and its refusal to disarm.

Powell said he remained confident of the presentation despite the fact that thus far US troops had not uncovered stockpiles of banned weapons.

"The presentation I made before the United Nations on the fifth of February was at the end of four straight days of living with the entire intelligence community and going over every single thing we knew," he said.

"What I presented on that day was information that was all sourced and had other backup to it," Powell said.
Including the uranium coming from Niger, Colon? The documents subsequently shown to be forged? The photos ridiculed in front of the security council by Dr Blix?
Come on, Colon! You can do better! Even Nixon didn't look this stupid. And don't forget what happened to him.
posted by Alun , 11:40 AM Þ 

April 29, 2003—After the United States and Britain were shown to be providing bogus and plagiarized "intelligence" documents to the UN Security Council that supposedly "proved" Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction program, the world's media is now being fed a steady stream of captured Iraqi "intelligence" documents from the rubble of Iraq's Mukhabarat intelligence headquarters.

The problem with these documents is that they are being provided by the U.S. military to a few reporters working for a very suspect newspaper, London's Daily Telegraph (affectionately known as the Daily Torygraph" by those who understand the paper's right-wing slant). The Telegraph's April 27 Sunday edition reported that its correspondent in Baghdad, Inigo Gilmore, had been invited into the intelligence headquarters by U.S. troops and miraculously "found" amid the rubble a document indicating that Iraq invited Osama bin Laden to visit Iraq in March 1998. Gilmore also reported that the CIA had been through the building several times before he found the document. Gilmore added that the CIA must have "missed" the document in their prior searches, an astounding claim since the CIA must have been intimately familiar with the building from their previous intelligence links with the Mukhabarat dating from the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. Moreover, the CIA and other intelligence agencies, including Britain's MI-6, have refuted claims of a link between bin Laden and Iraq.[...]

My underlined emphasis; George G's docs also planted obviously.

Liberty Forum
posted by Irdial , 10:20 AM Þ 

Limmy Genius.
posted by Irdial , 9:51 AM Þ 

We are not with you and we don't believe you


Putin snubs Blair


Which of the following world leaders comes from the 'seat of democracy'? And which from a militaristic isolationist police state with little respect for world opinion?*

Putin:"Where is Saddam? Where are those arsenals of weapons of mass destruction, if indeed they ever existed? Perhaps Saddam is still hiding somewhere in a bunker underground, sitting on cases of weapons of mass destruction and is preparing to blow the whole thing up and bring down the lives of thousands of Iraqi people."

"If the decision-making process in such a framework is democratic then that is something we could agree with, but if decisions are being made by just one member of the international community and all the others are required to support them that is something we could not find acceptable."

Blair:"Getting agreement with the UN is important, and it is important we get a vital role for the UN, but we are not going back into the rigmarole we had the last time over the second UN resolution."

That's called democracy Tone. It's about accepting the majority view.

"Coalition forces prepared to accept a vital role for the UN, but are our colleagues on the security council prepared to accept that our soldiers having fought and died in respect of this war cannot simply hand Iraq to the sole charge of the UN while the coalition forces are there on the ground stabilising the situation."

You sent them in, fucker. Why not hand Iraq to the UN? All you wanted to do was liberate, no? Or was it hunt for Saddam? Or WMD? Or OBL? You know, in all the confusion I forget myself.



*Dogmatic viewpoint for the sake of emphasis.
posted by Alun , 9:23 AM Þ 

for the mac folks here
MLDonkey
Gnutella, BITTORRENT, etc client... pretty nice!
posted by Barrie , 7:45 AM Þ 

This is a friends site who makes handwoven lampshades to order.
samatkins.com
posted by chriszanf , 12:02 AM Þ 
Tuesday, April 29, 2003

maybe i should be more organised.

My lawd, there are SO many tools to organize MP3s that you are spoiled for choice, delete by artist, delete by date, delete by title, you can do it alll alll alll Hassan Saba!

Straight glass for me, every time btw.
posted by Irdial , 9:08 PM Þ 

"President Saddam Hussein was not killed. He is still alive. He is going to address a message to Iraqis and to the (Arab) nation within 72 hours," the group calling itself Iraqi Resistance and Liberation said in a letter published Tuesday by the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi."

From yahoo news, but that site is so fucked i cant find the story, whcih was emailed to me...
posted by Irdial , 8:59 PM Þ 

I'm sure your pint's got a nice creamy head.

I meant when i've downloaded an mp3 it gets listened to about twice then eats up disk space as i can't be bothered to put the files in some sort of order.
maybe i should be more organised.
posted by meau meau , 8:57 PM Þ 



American business!
posted by Irdial , 7:04 PM Þ 

"Sea Horse Liberation Army

She's crouching on the white table top naked licking a white plate. It's the first image I click on the contact sheet. The URL's been mailed to me by some San Francisco art students, Sea Horse Liberation Army. The photo, I soon realise, is a re-enactment of a scene from Godard's film Weekend. The girl is very handsome, but what's so magnificent about this picture, apart from its immediate beauty, is that it takes me to a world where groups of friends re-enact scenes from Godard films. That's already a very bold, sexy and interesting world. It reminds me that an image is not just remarkable for itself, but also for the parallel world it invites us to imagine and enter, the world in which the anomaly it depicts is normal.

This photoblog reminds me, for some reason, of a John Cage song where the performer makes banana milkshake for the audience."

Momus Photoblogging

Are you sure you dont just want to fuck her?
posted by Irdial , 7:02 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 6:52 PM Þ 

"What the Fuck do you thing youre doing?"
"Who's really going to win this war? It looks like Madonna," [...]

RIAA's Rosen 'writing Iraq copyright laws'

This cannot CANNOT not be a dream!

Double negative, yes, cool!

The Register
posted by Irdial , 6:08 PM Þ 

There's some excellent ones there.

I concur! Excellent!

One of mine got revoked for libel or somesuch. Damn.
posted by alex_tea , 5:53 PM Þ 

It was not worth the life of one single American kid in uniform, let alone the thousands of Iraqis who have died, and my condolences and prayers go out to all of them.[...]

Michael Moore is a funny guy, however this piece of english reveals a thread that is woven deep into the security blanket of the American psyche; the lives of Americans are "worth more" than the lives of "other folks".

This is why, in their news, they always count the numbers of Americans that are killed, separately from the other "lives lost". That sentence should have read like this:

"It was not worth the life of one single American kid in uniform, person, Iraqui or American let alone the thousands of Iraqis who have died, and my condolences and prayers go out to the families of those who have been killed in this needless conflict.

There. Now life is simply life, wether it be USA or IRQ, you have named Iraquis directly dividing the sympathy equally.

English, because you can be so precise with it, is very dangerous. Its like a fencing sabre, you can gently play with it, teach fencing with it, scar with it, kill with it.

You need the skill of course.

The best sword fights are the drunken ones....you can get hurt, even killed by accident.

Has anyone seen the filmed version of Hamlet with Lawrence Olivier? The sword fight is one of the most incredible ever filmed. "The English"!
posted by Irdial , 5:47 PM Þ 

there seems to be a bit of a backlash against Michael Moore winning an oscar.

http://www.revoketheoscar.com/
http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html
http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20021119.html
http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel040403.asp

Michael debunking the oscar backlash: altnet.org
posted by chriszanf , 5:22 PM Þ 

I think the number of pages request will jump a fair bit as I have been hitting refresh loads to try and see all the new mastheads! There's some excellent ones there.
posted by chriszanf , 5:11 PM Þ 

hats of meat

have you ever seen the stinky meat project?

Its the always the same when people stand up for truth. If the media machines cant ridicule them then they come up with ridiculous claims, even if these are eventually dismissed. In the end, the aim is to tarnish the character of who ever 'stepped out of line'.

lets put it into context: Galloway was speaking out against a war in which thousands have died. He wasnt giving a character reference for a person trying to obtain a gun license (previously refused), under investigation for paedophilia, who went onto murder 16 children and 1 teacher.

and if he did, do you think Tony and Jack would be signing D-notices to keep the investigation quiet for 100 years?
posted by chriszanf , 3:52 PM Þ 

In Parliament, his opposition to the first Gulf War, his support for Palestinian causes and his opposition to Iraq sanctions raised his profile.

Dont they mean raised the ire of the oilthirsty pro war lobby?

Galloway is no traitor; this is the Sun and http://www.dirtytricks.gov.uk trying to bury him and his voice permanently. They will never get away with it, he can Bliar and co. to court in Europe for violating his rights, and he will win.
posted by Irdial , 3:38 PM Þ 

I can't be bothered to catalogue / look for them

You calling my pint a poof?
posted by Irdial , 3:30 PM Þ 
posted by Irdial , 3:20 PM Þ 

In todays Evening Standard, the cover story is about Anarchists publishing a list of targets to be hit on May Day.

If they do this, they should, each one of them, be shot.

Smashing up McDonalds, banks the HQs of business, no matter what that business is, will do precisely NOTHING to stop what they dont like happening from happening.

If they bring disorder to the streets, if they engage in this pointless, mindless self indulgent childish, boring, innefective and stupid violence, then sympathy for them should be at -1.

They are as stupid as stupid gets. Every time they have done this, (and they have been doing it for over ten years) precisely nothing changes.

For their own goods, they should be put down like rabid dogs.
posted by Irdial , 3:18 PM Þ 

PolitInfo.com is an independent and non-partisan portal for political resources, news, and information.

sadly

this page is lifted directly from here
posted by meau meau , 3:09 PM Þ 
posted by meau meau , 3:07 PM Þ 

Galloway treason links. There is also comment in the Observer, which is not the free-thinking leftist quality journal it once was, sadly. Can't find the story in the Sun but the front page headline was 'Traitor'.

http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=248194&lang=e&dir=news

http://www.observer.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,944392,00.html
posted by Alun , 2:28 PM Þ 

He is being charged (presently threatened with being charged) with TREASON.

Why? On what grounds?

If they bring that charge on him, they can charge me too. And everyone else on that march I hope!
posted by alex_tea , 2:27 PM Þ 

George Galloway has just finished. He's a very good speaker.
Two things we didn't know before:

He is continuing to sue for libel.

He is being charged (presently threatened with being charged) with TREASON. This is a private prosecution brought by relatives of British soldiers and sponsored by The Sun 'newspaper'. The information on which this is based was released to the Sun (after being refused by others) by 10 Downing Street sources. The prosecution requires the consent of the government to procede and they are very likely to give it.


George on imperialism (my memory): 'As a kid I learnt history at school, came home and told me father the teachers said Britain used to have an empire so vast that the sun never set on it. My father replied "That's because God doesn't trust the British in the dark."'

Of what the StopWar representative said, look forward to more marches.
posted by Alun , 2:13 PM Þ 
posted by meau meau , 1:29 PM Þ 

I don't know about anyone else here, but I like owning a HARD COPY of music. Buying a virtual copy is just not attractive to me - even burning it to CD is not the same because the quality is just NOT THERE.

I have a few mp3s on my computer but never listen to them, firstly I can't be bothered to catalogue/look for them, then I'd rather be using my computer for something else. My hifi has far better sound reproduction anyway.

You can't replicate good cover art either.

Use your computer to make music notlisten to it.
posted by meau meau , 1:23 PM Þ 

Turn-it-up-loud for another Electric 6 - Gay Bar
Also check out the other 'Kittens' at http://www.rathergood.com/ -- Wow
posted by slip , 1:12 PM Þ 

Those Ramirez cartoons remind me of the old Soviet era political cartoons; trying desperately to say something, but frightened to death of doing so, using every kind of almost invisible inuendo to make a stab. Ramirez's work doesnt even come close to doing that, and its badly drawn to boot.

James Gilray set the standard, the benchmark.

Ramirez: "Was'nt he on FOX?"
posted by Irdial , 10:19 AM Þ 

And if you can,

Heh: "You have broadband".

Now download this...

and then go here...

and then throw away your TV.
posted by Irdial , 10:13 AM Þ 

US kills Iraquis, while you sleep!

This is Gulf War II, not against the Iraqi army, but against the Iraqi people. It's only just begun.


And if you can, the 100Mb (ultra) trailer for Matrix reloaded is faaaaaaaaaaabulous! Better quality than DVD, apparently. 100 megs for 2 minutes...
posted by Alun , 9:48 AM Þ 

I post, while you sleep!
Electric 6 - Gay Bar
Must be seen to be believed! AMAZERING.
posted by Barrie , 3:58 AM Þ 

Big balls:

People want to own music, not rent it, Jobs says. "Nobody ever went out and asked users, 'Would you like to keep paying us every month for music that you thought you already bought?'" he scoffs. "The record companies got this crazy idea from some finance person looking at AOL, and then rubbing his hands together and saying, 'I'd sure like to get some of that recurring subscription revenue.' " He adds: "Just watch. We'll have more people using the iTunes Music Store in the first day than Pressplay or MusicNet have even signed up as subscribers--probably in the first hour."
-Steve Jobs, Fortune

I dunno about this, Steve. Either those ARE big balls, or you just pumped them full of air. I don't know about anyone else here, but I like owning a HARD COPY of music. Buying a virtual copy is just not attractive to me - even burning it to CD is not the same because the quality is just NOT THERE. Anyone else have some input on this?

(edit: oh, and not like I give a shit about most music that's carried by the 5 "major" music labels. There may have been "major" talent on those labels in the past, but now it is few and far between. For "major" talent look to warp or skam or rephlex or squint fucker etc...)
posted by Barrie , 1:40 AM Þ 
Monday, April 28, 2003

Mikkel should find this of interest:
A bunch of very well drawn cartoons with terrible political ideas.
This guy is a fucking Thuddite. Terrible stuff.
posted by Barrie , 8:58 PM Þ 

while 73 per cent view the US as the country's most reliable.
OMG. What the hell is wrong with people? Don't they realize that all the US has ever done in it's history is spit out and demanded tribute from all those that it's helped out! What a mass of idiots being fooled. I am disgusted.
posted by Barrie , 8:19 PM Þ 

Bliar warns Chirac on the future of Europe

Tony Blair has issued a direct challenge to France's Jacques Chirac over the future of the transatlantic relationship by warning that the French president's vision of Europe as a rival to the US is dangerously destabilising.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Financial Times, the prime minister foreshadows a continuing Anglo-French struggle about Europe's relationship with Washington. Mr Blair seeks to keep alive the prospect of British entry to the euro but he disavows any personal ambition to become president of the European Union.

Though his personal relationship with Mr Chirac has improved since the bitter row over France's veto of a second United Nations resolution, Mr Blair is clear that the strategic divide that opened over Iraq has not been bridged.

Meanwhile a new MORI poll for the FT reveals that 55 per cent of Britons regard France as the UK's least reliable ally, while 73 per cent view the US as the country's most reliable.

The prime minister disassociated himself from those in Washington who have said that France should be "punished" for its opposition to the war with Iraq.

He drew the limits of his own alliance with Washington by rejecting military intervention to halt the development of weapons of mass destruction in countries such as North Korea and Syria.

Spelling out the damage that would be inflicted by Mr Chirac's vision of a "multipolar" world, he said: "I am not really interested in talk about punishing countries, but I think there is an issue that we have to resolve here between America and Europe and within Europe about Europe's attitude towards the transatlantic alliance.

"I don't want Europe setting itself up in opposition to America . . . I think it will be dangerous and destabilising."

France wanted a multipolar world with different centres of power, he said, but "I believe that they will very quickly develop into rival centres of power".

[...]

FT

A multipolar world would mean that each power was balanced against the others. It would be difficult for a country expounding the virtues of human rights to flagrantly violate them without reprocussions.

We can already see what a monopolar world, with America as the axis would look like; children held in detention camps on special "rightsless islands", pre emptive strikes against soverign states, decapitation attacks by remotely piloted drones, and a UN where its OK to use the veto "as long as we're the vetoer".

No thanks motherfuckers.

During the cold war, each side had to be at the very least, careful about destabilizing the balance of power. Without the need to do this as a matter of survival, literally ignorant people can cause havoc when they get into government.

We need a bipolar world. A tripolar world would be too unstable; anyone who has studied Nonlinear phenomena knows how difficult it is to balance a three point pendulum system:



A cold war style Europe (including Russia) VS America bipolar world, with the far east as the stomping ground for economic warfare is just what we need. It will keep everyone quiet, keep Gi Joe at home, and give everyone some real choices about how they want to live.
posted by Irdial , 6:33 PM Þ 

This is an amazing work. I would love to see a graphic representation of breakbeats since the start of breakbeat, chronologically, showing who used what record, by record, by artist, by sample...you know the score.

Someone knows the score!!!!
posted by Irdial , 6:17 PM Þ 

Uh oh... as in "Uh oh, what a pile of shit", or "Uh oh, another Ladytron"?

"Your suffering will be legendary, even in hell"
posted by Irdial , 6:12 PM Þ 

if only for the artwork. It's amazing!

The sounds also rule ur ass, beautiful recordings of stuff that is still listenable...

I agree, but even withholding (a percentage of) your taxes doesn't mean the money won't go towards weapons, just away from the NHS or something.

There cannot be a shortfall in the essential services, because there is always enough money to wage war. This is precisely the point. What the WTR people are saying is remove that proportion that is used for war.

Think about it. What other time is a recipt for your goods or services denied to you? If you buy a bunch of equipment, down to a single cable, it is described in detail, in an itemized list. How can it be that you do not get such a recipt when you pay for your services, and for war? If a shop denied you a full recipt, and a guarantee that your goods would work, you wouldnt shop there anymore would you?

The American WTR people have it 100% correct. Its been going for over 100 years. Now, since every other avenue has been cut off this is the best way to directly say "no" to war.

Dont worry about the essential services going offline, in fact thats what they want you to worry about, to keep you too scared to take action. Can you imagine a govt saying that they have no money for the NHS because they have to pay for war? It should in fact be the other way around "we have no money for war, because the NHS is costing so much".

Thats more like it!
posted by Irdial , 6:10 PM Þ 

Uh oh...

as in "Uh oh, what a pile of shit", or "Uh oh, another Ladytron"?

Meanwhile the Scorebaby website is Groooovy! After seeing all these weird and crazy album sleeves I think I'm going to go and have to start collecting this stuff, if only for the artwork. It's amazing! 99% of the sleeves on this page are gorgeous!

I would go to that Stop the War thing but I have work. :(

Oh and none of the local newsagents stock the Wire. Even more annoying I was at Waterloo this morning and I could have grabbed it from the WHSmiths but I forgot. Damn...

And re: the Peace Tax thing...

I agree, but even withholding (a percentage of) your taxes doesn't mean the money won't go towards weapons, just away from the NHS or something. So I'm even sure if the whole thing is a good idea.

I heard about that site at a local anti war meeting last night when I brought up the subject of war tax resistance.
posted by alex_tea , 5:38 PM Þ 
posted by Mess Noone , 5:20 PM Þ 

Uh oh...
posted by Irdial , 3:48 PM Þ 

I'm not sure why, but suckpage.cgi will not display the randomized logo, while the vanilla HTML page will, so if you want to see the masthead submissions, do blogger.html instead of suckpage.
posted by Irdial , 3:30 PM Þ 

Charlie has just been playing some of this stuff on WFMU...groovy!
posted by Irdial , 3:25 PM Þ 

The Stop the War group based at LSHTM (http://homepages.lshtm.ac.uk/antiwar/)
is proud to introduce:

George Galloway MP &
Chris Nineham (Stop the War Coalition)

speaking about

"The Truth About The War"

on
Tuesday April 29th
at
12.45- 2PM
in the
Goldsmiths Lecture Theatre, LSHTM, Keppel St

There will be an opportunity for audience questions after the speeches. Look forward to seeing you there!


Should be interesting... Anyone coming?
posted by Alun , 3:08 PM Þ 

"campaigns for the legal right for those who have a concientions objection to war to have the military part of their taxes spent on peacebuilding initiatives"

I dont have a problem with the intention, but the thinking behind this is flawed.

First of all, once anyone has your cash, there is no way that you can verify what they are doing with it. They will always reserve the right to sequester monies for "defence". You can therefore, never pay this proportion and expect it not to be used for war.

Secondly, the overall military budgets are a state secret. We therefore have to make an educated guess, and deduct that proportion, whilst expecting all normall services to continue completely unnafected.

The urgency of this matter demands that we proactively withold this money. We cannot wait around politely while people are being slaughtered. Isnt rather interesting that NO ONE ANYWHERE in the anti-war movement has mentioned this website? Its a little odd, disconcerting and sad.

The only way people have ever gained freedom is by taking it. If we want to be free of war, then we have to make ourselvs free, by choking the war serpent at the neck, until it is dead. Ask the serpent for permission to choke it, and it will bite your shiny metal ass
posted by Irdial , 2:40 PM Þ 

Apple Said to Be Entering E-Music Fray With Pay Service

By MATT RICHTEL

AN FRANCISCO, April 25 — Apple Computer plans on Monday to introduce a digital music service, according to industry analysts. It is a move that thrusts the company into the middle of a contentious and technologically challenging area of digital commerce. [...]

New York Times

Correct me If I am wrong, but Apple Records owned by The Beatles allowed Apple Computer to use the word "Apple" as long as they never did anything related to music....hmmmmmm
posted by Irdial , 2:30 PM Þ 

http://www.conscienceonline.org.uk/

UK Peace Tax. Similar to War Tax Resistance, unfortunately the site is down, but at least there is a UK alternative.
posted by alex_tea , 2:08 PM Þ 

If our moronic mayor had thought more carefully about this, we might
have a relatively secure congestion charging system, rather than an
insecure mass surveillance system.

How car cloners are beating congestion charge
By Ben Webster
The Times, 28/4/03

A DRIVER was puzzled when he received an £80 fine for driving in a bus
lane. He had no recollection of being on that road on that day.

Marcos Losekann was considering paying the fine for peace of mind. But
then another penalty notice arrived. And another. In all, he was ordered
to pay £2,000 in speeding, parking and congestion charge penalties in
six weeks.

Mr Losekann, 37, had become one of a growing number of drivers falling
victim to criminals who “clone” the car plates of innocent drivers to
avoid penalties. When the authorities refused to believe his innocence,
he proved them wrong by tracking down the car of the real culprit...

Criminals visit car showrooms and car parks to copy the numberplates of
cars of the same model and colour as their own or one they have stolen.
The car cannot then be detected by police or camera operators when they
run computer checks to ensure that the model and colour correspond with
DVLA records. The trick has proliferated with the number of traffic
cameras monitoring speed, bus lanes, parking and the London congestion
charge...

Motoring organisations fear that numberplate cloning will run out of
control as congestion charge schemes are adopted in cities around
Britain. They also believe that the Metropolitan Police have fuelled the
menace by announcing that they will use congestion charge cameras to
track the movements of suspects. Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London,
has said that he has evidence that people involved in serious crime are
using cloned plates to evade the congestion charge...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-661656,00.html

And of course, this means that every car will need to be fitted with a unique radio/GPS/GSM tracking beacon, cryptographically married to the owners car key like the two halvs of a pgp key; that way, if they steal your beacon but not your key, you can prove that you were not driving the car when it went into the zone.

When you start your car, you would have to enter your passphrase so that the beacon is activated; remove your key from the ignition, and the beacon is deactivated.
posted by Irdial , 2:02 PM Þ 

push
posted by Irdial , 1:43 PM Þ 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
You have received this message from the "FIPR Alert" mailing list run by
the Foundation for Information Policy Research http://www.fipr.org/
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to Jane Affleck for this story. I have always been amazed that
the Home Office didn't take this route to introduce ID cards quietly.
Perhaps they've now realised their previous error...

'Smart' passports to be introduced in 2005
By Matthew Beard
The Independent, 28/4/2003

Plans are in the pipeline for "smart" passports fitted with a microchip
that would identify the holder from his or her facial characteristics.

The new document would enable immigration officials to check facial
measurements, such as the distance between the eyes and the distance
between nose and chin. The plans will be finalised by next March, and
the scheme is due to be introduced by April 2005...

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=401083



------------------------------------------------------------------------
You have received this message from the "FIPR Alert" mailing list run by
the Foundation for Information Policy Research http://www.fipr.org/

To unsubscribe, send an email to:

If you need to change your subscribed email address, or for any other
administrative matters, please write to:
------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is interesting; I just saw a newly issued passport, and instead of the signed photograph being laminated into the passport, the photo has been digitally printed directly onto the page, and then laminated with a holograph embedded plastic laminate.

Obviously, (or maybe not) this photograph is in a database somewhere, and it would be trivial to have his picture accessed and brought up on an immigration officers screen when the passport is swiped.

Quite why they are claiming to have to go through this face recognition palaver is interesting, since it simply is not needed with human immigration officers checking each passport manually.

If this is a sneaky attempt to shoehorn in an ID card, its going to fail.
posted by Irdial , 1:26 PM Þ 

Amazing record covers!!!



Including (from gallery 'n', religious freakery and wierd wonders)....
and


Anybody heard any of this stuff, by Harry Revel?
posted by Alun , 1:08 PM Þ 
posted by captain davros , 11:32 AM Þ 
posted by captain davros , 10:54 AM Þ 
posted by Alun , 10:13 AM Þ 
Sunday, April 27, 2003

"........ I've modified an Epson LQ-500 dot matrix printer into a musical instrument. The project has now evolved into two different versions. The original project had two independent sound generators: a tape based sound generator similar in concept to a mellotron and tones generated from the print head. The new version of the software is written with the concept of turning the printer into an instrument without any physical modifications to the printer....."

http://qotile.net/dotmatrix.html
posted by chriszanf , 6:23 AM Þ 

Judge backs P2P file traders

A Los Angeles judge dealt the major music labels and movie studios a stunning blow on Friday, throwing out their case against the Grokster and StreamCast file-trading services on grounds that neither service can be held accountable for illegal file swapping done by users.

U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Wilson said that Grokster and StreamCast provide technology used for both legal and illegal means much like a VCR or copy machine, and they cannot control what the end user does with the technology. In addition, neither Grokster or StreamCast have immediate knowledge of when a user is trading a copyrighted file or a centralized means to stop these actions.[...]

The Register
posted by Barrie , 4:16 AM Þ 
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