] "I work for a newspaper[;] that is where my paycheck
] comes from. But I believe that all online newspapers
] should be free, and on principle I refuse to pay for an
] online subscription to the Wall Street Journal. I have
] not read the paper copy of the New York Times regularly
] for two years. I read it only online."
]
] - Thomas L. Friedman, The World Is Flat, Page 102

Friedman Agonistes - Will the New York Times columnist read himself?

] If you want to appreciate how corrosive Guantánamo has
] become for America's standing abroad, don't read the Arab
] press. Don't read the Pakistani press. Don't read the
] Afghan press. Hop over here to London or go online and
] just read the British press! See what our closest allies
] are saying about Gitmo. And when you get done with that,
] read the Australian press and the Canadian press and the
] German press.

] Husain Haqqani, a thoughtful Pakistani scholar now
] teaching at Boston University, remarked to me: "When
] people like myself say American values must be emulated
] and America is a bastion of freedom, we get Guantánamo
] Bay thrown in our faces. When we talk about the America
] of Jefferson and Hamilton, people back home say to us:
] 'That is not the America we are dealing with. We are
] dealing with the America of imprisonment without trial.'"

Friedman is pissed about Guantánamo Bay. Enjoy your NYT Op-Ed while you still can..

Just Shut It Down - New York Times

] Saudi Arabia declared a state of alert and canceled all
] leave of its security forces on Friday after ailing King
] Fahd was taken to hospital, an Interior Ministry
] official said.

] "The authorities declared a state of alert, canceled all
] leave of the security forces and put forces on standby
] after the king was admitted to hospital," the official
] told Reuters.

So, as it turns out, the reason Bush and Fahd were holding hands is because the CIA gave Bush a poison (which we have an antidote for) that requires several minutes to dissolve through the skin. Its slow acting, so as not appear like an assassination attempt, and completely undetectable. The reason Bush was the one to deliver the poison is due to the fact that only the President can get around the past executive orders against political assassination.

This conspiracy theory was brought to you by Pepsi, the choice of a new generation.

Rattle's Conspiracy Theory of The Day

This is a good roundup of links and information on the Tennessee Legislature FBI sting via Bill Hobbs.

BillHobbs.com - Operation Tennessee Waltz

] A&E doctors are calling for a ban on long pointed kitchen
] knives to reduce deaths from stabbing.

] They argued many assaults are committed impulsively,
] prompted by alcohol and drugs, and a kitchen knife often
] makes an all too available weapon.

We slowly plod on our path to a world made of nerf, where eventually good old hand-to-hand combat is default method of violence again, and you need a permit to use your arms.

BBC NEWS | Health | Doctors' kitchen knives ban call

] Drivers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states did
] worst. Twenty percent of test-takers failed there.
]
] The state of Rhode Island leads the nation in driver
] cluelessness, according to the survey. The average test
] score there was 77, just eight points above a failing
] grade.
]
] Those in neighboring Massachusetts were second worst and
] New Jersey, third worst.

] For instance, one out of five drivers doesn't know that a
] pedestrian in a crosswalk has the right of way, and one
] out of three drivers speeds up to make a yellow light,
] even when pedestrians are present, the study said.

All these things make the roads of the Northeast very exciting. Personally, I think the south is the most enjoyable place to drive in the US.

Lets all remember the golden rule of driving: "Get the fuck out of the way."

CNN.com - Northeastern drivers worst in country - May 27, 2005

] Efforts at finding a solution have grown increasingly
] elaborate. Elonka Dunin, an executive at St. Louis
] computer-game company Simutronics, has hunted down other
] encoded sculptures by Mr. Sanborn in search of recurring
] themes.

Wall Street Journal: CIA sculpture 'kryptos' draws mystery lovers

] The FBI ran a sting where they posed as a electronic
] recycling company eager to get state law changed to
] funnel business their way.

A similar sting was under consideration in New Jersey, until the FBI realized there would be no state government left afterward.

Tennessee Senators arrested by the FBI!

Lets hope that the Illinois Senate comes off looking really stupid.

] The measure approved Thursday would require store owners
] to determine which games are too violent or sexually
] explicit for anyone under 18. Anyone selling them to a
] minor could be fined.

Brilliant!

This is just golden:

] The sponsor, Sen. Deanna Demuzio, denied the measure
] would interfere with free speech rights.
]
] "Video games are not art or media," she said. "They are
] simulations, not all that different from the simulations
] used by the U.S. military in preparation for war."

But the saddest thing in this entire article is:
] "I'm going to vote for this bill, but I'm voting for it
] for one reason: because this is a political bill,"
] said Sen. Mike Jacobs. "If I vote against it, it will
] show up in a campaign mail piece

Illinois Senate OKs Video Game Restrictions

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BBS: The Documentary