Bomb units scrambled across Boston and Somerville today to investigate several suspicious devices.

The reports forced the temporary shutdowns of Interstate 93 out of the city, a key inbound roadway, a bridge between Boston and Cambridge, and a portion of the Charles River but were quickly determined not to be explosive.

"It's a hoax -- and it's not funny," Gov. Deval Patrick said.

Officials at Mayor Menino's office say the devices appear to resemble a cartoon character. It could be related to characters from the cartoon, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

This is right up there with the smiley face bomber.

Heh.. It was a marketing campaign. Adult Swim paralyzed Boston. I don't care what anyone says, this is funny as hell. I mean, everyone know that having LEDs in the shape of a cartoon character is the perfect way to disguise an IED...

cbs4boston.com - Hoax Devices Creating Gridlock In Boston

It is 3am and I am tired of scanning through trying to find educational programs that I can maybe enjoy and our use.

After going back and forth from this channel to that, I found MEEVEE.

You can imput shows you like, and channels you like - and it will give you your listings and suggest other programs you might like - AND - big AND

It has a section devoted to internet tv, where you can watch channels from all over the world.

This is great. Just what I needed - more access to media. HAHAHA But seriously, its great to be able to watch tv in Japanese and German. If you are into any particular foreign language, you might find this a nice way to stay refreshed.

TV listings and International Channels

Rita Katz is in the kill chain!

Open-source information gathering can rival, if not surpass, the clandestine intelligence produced by government agencies.

The "collaboration" section of this article essentially describes the MemeStreams model.

Why aren't you selling it? (A: We are not sure anyone takes us seriously. We are working on that.)

America will be a more secure country once it discards the notion that secrecy is equal to strength.

The Jebsen Center at Tufts, mentioned in this article, has an open-invite Brown Bag lunch seminar program. Coming up in February, the NYPD intelligence department will conduct a recruiting Q&A session for those interested in counterterrorism.

The Wikipedia way to better intelligence

Google's decision to censor its search engine in China was bad for the company, its founders admitted yesterday.

Asked whether he regretted the decision, Mr Brin admitted yesterday: "On a business level, that decision to censor... was a net negative."

The company has only once expressed any regret and never in as strong terms as yesterday. Mr Brin said the company had suffered because of the damage to its reputation in the US and Europe.

Both founders yesterday offered some solace to the newspaper industry, which has been most threatened by the growth of online news providers. Larry Page said: "I believe in the future of newspapers," before admitting that he reads all his news online. His colleague said he read a Sunday newspaper "and it's nice".

Rather than suggest paid-for content was doomed, they called for a new model to collect revenues. "I should probably pay for the Wall Street Journal but I don't because it's a hassle," said Mr Page, who is worth billions. "I'm not worried about the money thing, it's just a hassle."

China censorship damaged us, Google founders admit | Guardian Unlimited Business

This is just a GORGEOUS picture. Leave it to National Geographic.

This has actually been a spot of contention for a while - the right of modern pagans to use ancient religious temples. The government has in the past taken the position that they don't want Greece associated with paganism.

Great pic.

Modern Pagans Worship at Ancient Temple of Zeus

The major problem in psychology is its lack of focus on explanation as opposed to description.

That problem is not confined to psychology.

How Steven Pinker Works

"Today's generation faces evil like no other in history, with its bombardment by violent, sexual and occult images through our modern mass media. I think perhaps we are so desensitized, we couldn't recognize evil even if it were on the plate in front of us.

My efforts in this case only address one facet of that evil, which is being spoon-fed to our children, even in the public schools. With the deceptive, exciting, children-friendly packaging of witchcraft in the Harry Potter series, our youth today view witchcraft not only as good and fun, but also as harmless fantasy."

Laura Mallory speaks out on Harry Potter ban

Christopher Hitchens writes in the latest issue of City Journal:

The most alarming sentences that I have read in a long time came from the pen of my fellow atheist Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith, at the end of a September Los Angeles Times column upbraiding American liberals for their masochistic attitude toward Islamist totalitarianism. Harris concluded:

The same failure of liberalism is evident in Western Europe, where the dogma of multiculturalism has left a secular Europe very slow to address the looming problem of religious extremism among its immigrants. The people who speak most sensibly about the threat that Islam poses to Europe are actually fascists. To say that this does not bode well for liberalism is an understatement: It does not bode well for the future of civilization.

As Martin Amis said in the essay [part 2, part 3] that prompted Steyn’s contempt: “What is one to do with thoughts like these?” How does one respond, in other words, when an enemy challenges not just your cherished values but additionally forces you to examine the very assumptions that have heretofore seemed to underpin those values?

See also this interview with Amis:

The novel I'm working on is blindingly autobiographical, but with an Islamic theme. It's called A Pregnant Widow, because at the end of a revolution you don't have a newborn child, you have a pregnant widow.

Facing the Islamist Menace

Hijexx wrote:
In the middle of January, 2007, the BBC Chinese website published an interview regarding organ harvesting in China. For the first time, China's Ministry of Health spokesman Mao Qunan admitted to the practice of organ harvesting from executed prisoners in China, which he had publicly denied before. However, Mao evaded key evidences of organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners and denied that accusation.

This interview was conducted by BBC senior reporter Hua Ying. An Epoch Times journalist also did an interview with Dr. Wang Wenyi, who protested at the White House during communist regime leader Hu Jintao's visit to the United States on April 20, 2006 regarding the BBC's interview

The Chinese regime has had a long history of harvesting organs from executed prisoners, and an equally long history of denying this practice. In November of 2005, the regime's Deputy Minister of Ministry of Public Health, Huang Jiefu, admitted to using organs taken from executed prisoners, at an international conference in Manila.

Later in April 2006, Mao stated that organs from executed prisoners constituted a very small portion of organs used in China's organ transplant industry.

In November 2006, Minister Huang again admitted in a conference in Guangzhou that most of the organs used in transplants, except for a small portion from organ donors in traffic accidents, came from executed prisoners. His statement was quoted by newspapers in China.

How much do you think Saddam Hussein's organs would be worth? They might have collectors value.

RE: Chinese Regime Admits To Organ Harvesting From Prisoners

Decius wrote:

The attempt to require political bloggers to register as lobbyists previously reported by MemeStreams has been stripped out of the lobbying reform bill. The vote was 55 to 43 to defeat the provision. All 48 Republicans, as well as 7 Democrats, voted against requiring bloggers to register; all 43 votes in favor of keeping the registration provision were by Democrats.

Thank God. I tell you, the older I get, the more I see that (R) starting to appear next to my name on the ballot.

RE: Slashdot | Bill to Treat Bloggers as Lobbyists Defeated