I'll take a vintage diamond anyday. Better yet, a very big, vintage, natural alexandrite.

Ten reasons why you should never accept a diamond ring

"That reality describes the world of a group of Central Asians,
mostly Uzbek by nationality, who went through local terrorist schools
in the mid-1990s. Their course of study is laid out in 10 remarkable
notebooks we acquired in 2001–2002. Covering topics such as the use
of weapons, the making of poison, and the ideology of jihad, the notebooks
offer a unique window into a frightening mind-set that predates
the expansion of Osama bin Laden’s network in the region and still
holds sway in much of Central Asia..."

The Terrorist Notebooks

I have profound respect for the ALA in light of recent political events. I'm glad they are around and have their eyes open for the rest of us. I did not know about this. -K.

The American Library Association (ALA) today welcomed the Department of Justice's decision to rescind its request that the Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents instruct depository libraries to destroy all copies of five Department of Justice publications addressing forfeiture. The Justice Department claimed that the documents are "training materials and other materials that the Department of Justice staff did not feel were appropriate for external use." ALA disagreed with this categorization of the public documents, two of which are texts of federal statutes, and with the instruction to destroy them. ALA trusts that there will be no repetition of such unjustified instructions to destroy government information.

This is a fairly questionable decision.

ALA welcomes Department of Justice decision to rescind destruction request

Imagine gliding along on your bike through the north Georgia countryside, crossing a 500-foot-long trestle over a rushing river below, winding between rock cliffs and weaving among tall stately pines. Imagine doing this without having to worry about cars and trucks. Now imagine doing this for 60 miles on one trail!
No, that's not a dream, it's the Silver Comet Trail.

The trail is amazing. It is not a difficult ride and it has beautiful scenery. So if you are looking for somewhere to get a workout without having to worry about traffic this is an viable option.

We ride this all the time. Its awesome. Just be careful if you have kids with you to make sure they stay to one side or the other of the path...otherwise some of the faster bikers sneak up and you have a kid with a wreck on your hands.

The Silver Comet Trail

] He says Apple is breaking anti-competition laws in
] refusing to let other music players work with the site.

My problem is that they won't let other sites work with the music player, but really its all the same. Regardless of whether or not this lawsuit is reasonable, the strategy is dumb.

BBC NEWS | Technology | ITunes user sues Apple over iPod

Very interesting.....

The top 10 stories you missed in 2004

Sex is popular with conservative Republicans if punishment is foreshadowed.

Desperate Housewives, Red Sluts or Blue Sluts?

This is so cool!

The Periodic Table like you have NEVER seen