] 'I ask the marchers to understand this: I do not seek
] unpopularity as a badge of honour. But sometimes it is
] the price of leadership. And it is the cost of
] conviction.'

Blair is quoted several times in this article responding to today's protests.

Subtexts:
1. The protests are having an impact.
2. If you want to understand whats going on with Iraq, don't look to Bush, look to Blair.

The Observer | Blair stakes his political future on beating Iraq

] Google, which runs the Web's premier search site, has
] purchased Pyra Labs, a San Francisco company that created
] some of the earliest technology for writing weblogs, the
] increasingly popular personal and opinion journals.

Silicon Valley - Dan Gillmor's eJournal - Google Buys Pyra: Blogging Goes Big-Time

] Millions took to the streets of Europe to protest against
] a rush to war with Iraq in huge demonstrations later
] repeated in the United States.

This is the big story today. Millions oppose war in the streets. The largest protests in decades. CNN has lots of coverage including some nice pictures. The first protests a few months ago attracted a few thousand. We're now well into the millions by anyone's count. If the growth rate of these rallys continues you'll see hundreds of millions in two or three rounds.

I want to reinterate that it is worth while listening the recording of Tony Blair getting cross-examined by the BBC that I posted here a few days ago. No one rereced it. It does not provide a compelling case for war. It does, however, put things in perspective. You can find it by searching my MemeStream for "Blair examined"

CNN.com - Huge Europe protests move to U.S. - Feb. 15, 2003

] These weapons are made to cause panic, terror, and to
] demoralize. If we don't run around like sheep they won't
] use this stuff after they find out it's no fun. The
] government is going nuts over this stuff because they
] have to protect every inch of America. You've only gotta
] protect yourself, and by doing that, you help the
] country.

This could be done better, but its interesting nonetheless. Its very matter of fact. People don't fear what they understand.

What to do if you are attacked with Chemical, Biological and Nuke weapons.

There is no connection between Cayce and Case; no meaningfulness. Gibson explains that as part of his novelist craft, he goes through a complicated artistic ritual in order to summon his characters out of the ether. In this ritual, coming up with the right name is the crucial first step. And the process by which he came up with Cayce, he declares, had nothing to do with Case. "Cayce" was its own "found object" -- much as the name Case, from "Neuromancer," was also a found object, inspired originally by Case pocketknives.

Nodal point

] Salon, the San Francisco online magazine whose fortunes
] have ebbed with the dot-com tide, may run out of money by
] the end of the month, according to a filing with federal
] regulators.

Well, this will be a sad day indeed...

Salon warns it is nearly out of cash / Online magazine can't pay its office rent

] Former President Bill Clinton on Thursday said the Bush
] administration should not take action against Iraq
] without guidance from chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans
] Blix and the support of Europe.

CNN.com - Clinton: 'Follow Blix lead' on Iraq, gain support of Europe - Feb. 14, 2003

] The Bush administration signed off Friday on the final
] version of the United States' strategy for protecting the
] Internet and securing information systems.

Well, actually, he signed off on it a couple weeks ago, but he released it today. I haven't read it yet. Apparently all the crazy surveillance stuff that people were going nutzo about last year has been removed. However, this is supposedly a very different document from the September version in other ways. I'll try to find time to take a look at it soon.

News: Bush unveils final cybersecurity plan

Great political cartoon about the anti-war movement of today.

A Reluctant Warrior (Reason Magazine)

] Hindu nationalists Friday raided shops in Bombay and
] burned cards and gifts for Valentine's Day, which they
] say goes against traditional Indian values

USATODAY.com - Anti-Valentine's Day activists erupt in India