] The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Tuesday
] that Web loggers, website operators and e-mail list
] editors can't be held responsible for libel for
] information they republish, extending crucial First
] Amendment protections to do-it-yourself online
] publishers.
]
] Online free speech advocates praised the decision as a
] victory. The ruling effectively differentiates
] conventional news media, which can be sued relatively
] easily for libel, from certain forms of online
] communication such as moderated e-mail lists. One
] implication is that DIY publishers like bloggers cannot
] be sued as easily.

Just a little good news.

Wired News: Bloggers Gain Libel Protection

] Rep. Lynn Woolsey wants peace to have a better chance.
]
] In ambitious legislation re-introduced in Congress this
] week, the Petaluma Democrat and 46 congressional
] co-authors have proposed the creation of a Department of
] Peace, a kind of counterbalance to the Department of
] Defense.
]
] The primary author of the bill to create the
] Cabinet-level department is Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio,
] who is also an announced candidate for president.
]
] With American tanks and airplanes pounding Iraq, the
] chances of a U.S. Department of Peace may seem more
] remote than ever. But Woolsey isn't worried about being
] drowned out by the din of war.

Woolsey backs Department of Peace bill

Yet another anti-Bush rally that I wish I could have attended.

The protesters would disrobe, form the Chinese symbol for peace, and a photographer would climb up into a cherry picker and take their picture from above. I wasn't really sure how nudity was going to help the peace movement, but I'd never gotten naked in front of more than two people at a time, and the idea of doing it for something I believed in seemed like a great idea.

Salon.com Life | Bushes against Bush

] By Kristin Hohenadel, Special to The Times
]
] Paris -- When Michael Moore won best documentary for
] "Bowling for Columbine" at last week's Academy Awards,
] his antiwar comments -- "Shame on you, Mr. Bush!" -- were
] met with cheers and jeers. The orchestra cut him off.
] Steve Martin made a joke.
]
] The mood was quite different at the Césars, the French
] Oscars, a few weeks beforehand, as Moore lumbered up to
] accept the best foreign film award. He made the routine
] apology for his high-school French. Then he delivered a
] well-rehearsed, improvisational-style speech in English,
] pausing expertly for the translator. At a leisurely pace,
] he thanked our French allies for the cinema, for French
] fries and French kisses. For helping us in the War of
] Independence and saying no to the war we had not yet
] officially begun.
]
] "One of the best definitions of an ally, of a friend," he
] said, "is that your friend is the one who can tell you
] when you're wrong. So thank you for showing us the way,
] for standing up for something very important."

Los Angeles Times: Michael Moore, the new diplomat

Al Jazeera has launched an english web site.

There is a banner saying that its a "temporary site dedicated to special coverage on Iraq".. Also, in the title "objective and balanced global news coverage and analysis". We shall see..

Also, its _very_ slow right now, and when I try to pull up stories, I'm getting blank stories.. It also appears to be running IIS and built using ASP, which likely explains a part of the reason why.. I'm guessing that they over estimated the demand for an english version of their site.. They must be getting slammed already.

Its hosted in the US.. Jersey.

Al Jazeera English Webpage

So there's this 14 year old, "The Boss", and all he wanted to to do was figure out "how he could make money, fast." The plan? "The Boss envisioned making as much as $100,000 by assigning various 'jobs' to his friends, then taking a 25 percent cut for himself. The Boss, according to one of the lists he compiled, envisioned his "family" making money in prostitution, weapons sales, money laundering, recruiting hit men - even candy sales." Well, atleast they new their market with the candy sales. So the story gets better. Another student "arrested on the misdemeanor charge was nicknamed 'The Hacker' because he was supposed to alter grades in the school's computer system." Now, I won't ruin the plot or climax for you but I'm thinking this should be a TV show or movie called Youngfellows.

Middle-school 'mafia boss' arrested on felony charges

] Americans have a knee-jerk reaction when they see Saddam
] Hussein's speeches and footage of American POWs from the
] Iraq Satellite Channel aired on U.S. networks: What do
] you mean, there's a TV channel I can't get?

The Saddam Show - How to watch Iraqi TV on the Web. By Paul Boutin

The gay equal rights movement, which has been growing in strength, faces a crucial test in the Supreme Court this week.

The court has never said gays and lesbians are entitled to equal rights, and it has upheld laws branding them as criminals for having sex.

Supreme Court Looking At Gay Rights Case

Message base (arabic language, I can't read it) with higher resolution shots of the soldiers from the IraqTV/Al-Jazeera video. You can clearly make out their faces in these.

Screen captures, IraqTV/Al-Jazeera Video

] The White House is vowing a strong retaliatory response
] after the BBC aired live video of President Bush getting
] his hair coiffed in the Oval Office as he squirmed in his
] chair and practiced on the teleprompter minutes before
] Wednesday night's speech announcing the launch of
] military operations against Saddam Hussein.
]
] "The facts are that it was an unauthorized use of footage
] and video," a senior White House official told us, asking
] not to be named. "Both the BBC and CBS have apologized,
] and it would be understandable if this were the only time
] this has happened. I'm not suggesting it was intentional,
] but this kind of thing has happened more than once."
]
] Henceforth, the official said, the White House -- not the
] networks -- will throw the switches that make pool feeds
] available to broadcast outlets. "There have been too many
] incidents," the official said, listing various
] presidential speeches allegedly marred by pool-feed
] glitches. "We have to make sure we are comfortable with
] the situation."

Someone really needs to meme a link to video of this..

BBC Catches Bush Getting Primed for Battle