fri 09 may 03
+
internetnews: feds are cracking down on 'sars prevention' sites. well, there's always green bean soup.
+
nj.com/ap: the southern baptist convention has 43 missionaries leave over doctrinal statement. some baptist history, for background on the southern baptist convention.
+
radio free europe: western press roundup, on the debate over postwar iraq. overview of opinions from multiple international news sources.
+
freshmeat: mozilla/bonobo.
+
cnet news.com: unix server retakes speed crown.
+
just got back from town. security is significantly beefed up, in anticipation of bush's arrival this evening. the winds have kicked, 25-35 mph, gusting to 50. the president is going to have a wilder ride into new mexico than he ever got landing on a patch of carrier deck.
+
the register: google to fix the 'blog noise' problem. this is generating significant discussion amongst weblogs. wait and see, i guess.
+
science daily: njit physicist finds new properties in plutonium.
+
middle east times: halliburton linked to 'axis of evil.' "halliburton, the u.s. oil services giant once headed by u.s. vice-president dick cheney, has done business in iran, iraq and libya for years despite u.s. embargoes, according to a recently released document."
+
csm: to restore peace, u.s. hires iraqi looters. if you can't beat 'em, recruit 'em.
+
american mavericks.
+
art of the first cities.
+
health scout: racism really does make you stupid. of course, we've seen this effect in congress ...
+
national post: monsanto harvesting bad publicity. betting big on symbiosis between seed and pesticide.
+
MUST READ: how did i miss this? from the santa fe new mexican, about the impending bush visit ... police chief says reserving arrest times will be safer. "by reserving arrest times, lennen believes people can avoid getting hurt because authorities won't be caught off guard." don't miss the comments at the bottom, either. i'm struck speechless.
+
globe and mail: the intentional tourist. "gradually, a kind of self-creating travel circuit emerges, reinforced by travellers who have read the same books; the route becomes populated by people enthusiastically confirming one another's prejudices."
+
csm: up close and personal. does this mean we should begin to respect x-10 cameras?
+
artnews: the new gold rush. western art becomes chic? well, we've got loads of it in santa fe, of course. but if you live around it 24/7, it tends to make one a little green around the gills. [i miss gothic architecture.]
+
dan bricklin: how will the artists get paid?
+
ny times editorial: the tax-cut fixation. "lower-income families, of course, would be the quickest to spend the money to help provide some of the stimulus the republicans claim is their first priority. instead, the g.o.p. remains fixated on high-income concerns, framing the reconciliation talks as little more than an exercise in dueling sugarplums." an op-ed by krugman also gets in a few jabs: into the sunset. "... one day we'll realize that international investors are treating us like a banana republic — that they won't finance our trade deficit unless they are paid very high rates of interest (have i mentioned that the dollar has just fallen to a four-year low against the euro?) — and everyone will wonder why." note the euro comment, correlate to our vitriol towards the e.u., our buddy-buddy tactics with great britain, and our unease with france and germany. draw conclusions at will.
+
ny times: congress criticizes nasa on shuttle safety. one must ask where they were when all the compromises were made in the original shuttle design, because of cost.
+
ny times: divided senate panel passes scaled-down tax cut bill. i still think it's nuts, but it's better than the alternative.
+
ny times: senate deal kills effort to extend 'patriot' act. i'd like to see records released of actions taken during this 'dark' period since september 11.
+
times of india: iraqis want u.n. to control oil, cash. we promoted democracy, now we must abide by its dictates, pro or con.
+
santa fe new mexican: radiation exposure of veterans underestimated by government. whoops! well, most of them are probably conveniently dead now. what misjudgments are being made today, pray tell?
+
santa fe new mexican: i didn't have my contacts in this morning, so maybe it was c-130's that flew over. military planes practice for fire season. all i know is that it made my four-poster vibrate. speaking of the fire/water situation, santa fe city begins tapping its reservoirs again. they're predicting 75% of capacity by the end of may, once all the snow is melted. that's great.
+
reuters: spirituality protects against end-of-life despair. staring the grim reaper in the face makes one contemplate pascal's wager.
+
late start here ... was awoken early to the dulcet tones of military helicopters flying low overhead. going the opposite direction from town, so i didn't curse presidential coptercades for ruining my beauty sleep ...