Iran Gave Up Nuke Program In 2003

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Iran Gave Up Nuke Program In 2003

A new assessment by American intelligence agencies stated that Iran halted their nuclear weapons program four years ago. What do you think?

Jeff Hestetune, Septic Tank Installer "This is worse than I thought! They're only four years away from being 16 years away from an atomic bomb!"

Alex Burnstead, Arborist "This marks significant progress. Instead of finding out later, we know right now how wrong we'll be to invade a Middle Eastern nation."

Brianna Kupperman, Process Server "Hold on. Then who exactly can I count on to blow up the world in a not-yet-determined amount of time?"

The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Another Nail

Eight men claim encounters with Craig
published Monday, December 3, 2007

Eight men say they either had sex with Sen. Larry Craig or were targets of sexual advances by the Idaho lawmaker at various times during his political career, a newspaper reported Sunday.

One of the men is the former escort whose allegations disgraced the Rev. Ted Haggard, former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, the Idaho Statesman reported.

The newspaper identified four men and reported details of the encounters they say involved Craig. It also reported the accounts of four other men who did not agree to be identified but who described sexual advances or encounters involving the conservative Republican, who opposes same-sex marriage and has a strong record against gay rights.

Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after being accused by an undercover officer of soliciting sex at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and later called a news conference to deny that he is gay.

The newspaper acknowledged that its report was not based on definitive evidence but said it also found no evidence to disprove the accounts of the four identified men. It said it reviewed the senator's travel records, which put him where the sex is alleged to have taken place, and did background checks on those making the allegations.

Craig and members of his staff declined to comment to the newspaper.

But in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press on Sunday, the senator said the newspaper's report was "completely false" and he accused the paper of careless journalism.

"It is unfortunate that the Idaho Statesman has chosen to continue to lower itself to the standards of what can best be described as tabloid journalism," Craig said in the statement.

"Despite the fact the Idaho Statesman has decided to pursue its own agenda and print these falsehoods without any facts to back them up, I won't let this paper's attempt to malign my name stop me from continuing my work to serve the people of Idaho."

The report is the Statesman's latest on allegations about Craig's sexual background since his June arrest in an airport men's room sex sting operation was reported in late August.

Statesman Editor Vicki Gowler said the newspaper spent several months checking the backgrounds and details of the men's stories.

"We believe it's important for you to know what we've learned and to hear the men's own words," Gowler said.

Two of the identified men and one of the unidentified men told the newspaper they had sex with Craig.

One of the men identified in the report, Mike Jones, 50, described as a former male escort, was the focus of the sex scandal involving Haggard, the disgraced leader of Colorado's New Life Church.

Jones said Craig paid him $200 for sex in late 2004 or early 2005. The encounter took place at a studio apartment in downtown Denver, Jones said.

Jones told the Statesman that he did not recognize Craig until his arrest made the news. The newspaper reported that Jones went on the record after Craig appeared in a television news report in August to address the arrest and his future in politics.

Jones has written a book about his experience with Haggard and acknowledged to the Statesman that his allegation about Craig might help sales. A message left for Jones by The Associated Press through his publisher Sunday evening was not immediately returned.

Current phone numbers could not be found for the three other men identified in the Statesman's report.

Amid pressure from top GOP leaders in Washington, Craig announced his intent to resign from the Senate. He later changed his mind, deciding to finish his term, which expires in January 2009. He is also appealing in Minnesota courts to have his guilty plea overturned.

The undercover police officer who arrested Craig said the senator moved his foot next to the officer's foot and tapped it in a way that indicated he wanted sex. He also alleged the senator sent a signal by swiping his hand under the divider between men's room stalls.

Craig has said the officer misconstrued those motions. (AP)

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

My favorite story of 2007 continues to march forward with more juicy turns. They really are crucifying the guy at this point, but I'm willing (and happy) to see one hypocritical man's life ruined for “the cause.” Yes, I am a bad person. But I'm going to sleep well (with men) at night.

• Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.
  Will Rogers

Hey Shatner, how do I hurl bolts of lightning?

An intersection of Star Trek and WoW. *faints*

Kindle... Next Generation?

Got spam from three different sources yesterday when Amazon unveiled their Kindle reader. Even Adam sent me a note this morning, likening it to a PADD. I did check out the hoopla. In fact, by yesterday afternoon there were already 150+ comments from beta testers to general cynics.

I really like the idea. At the very least, it's a free Wiki browser thats has service anywhere you can use a cell phone. It doesn't try to do a lot of PDA bullshit, either. Really focused on what it's supposed to do. Color would be nice but that would also detract from the intent. Super long batter life on a highly readable screen. It does have an SD port for (much needed) additional space and you can connect it to the computer via USB so you don't have to pay to eMail things to it. Though it can't read PDF, you can convert PDFs to Mobi, which it will read.

The biggest reason I won't be buying one is the DRM. I absolutely hate not “owning” what I buy. A virus, software crash or hardware upgrade can destroy all of my purchases; I find that risk unacceptable. The only reason I have iTunes installed is because the stupid iPod requires it. I never go to the iStore except for album covers. Yet I know how to strip the Apple DRM off my songs. I'd have to find a way to remove it from the books I buy before I would ever consider this thing.

The next biggest reason is the price. It seems like a pretty extreme investment to be tied to a proprietary service. Granted, Amazon has some serious presence and will likely be around another decade. But that doesn't warrant a $400 price tag. If they pull an Apple and drop it to $200, I might be tempted.

For now, I'm still happy reading PDFs on the PDA. Definitely not as nice as what the Kindle ties together, but I'm stubborn and relatively content for now.

Bishops Urge Iraq Withdrawal

Friday, November 16, 2007

Bishops Urge Iraq Withdrawal

U.S. Catholic bishops described the situation in Iraq as "unacceptable" and urged the withdrawal of troops as quickly as possible. What do you think?

Jose Marinos, Scheduler "I'm impressed. Once they got over the earth moving around the sun, they caught up to current news really quick."

Anthony Cheswick, Associate Professor "As bishops, their outlook is always diagonal. They should understand that Bush, as a leader, can only move a little at a time."

Gloria Johnson, Personal Trainer "Now there's a Catholic withdrawal method we can all get behind."

The Onion - America's Finest News Source

The Culmination of Poor Oral Hygiene

First orthodontic appointment was this morning. I got the saucy hygienist Lisa. Ended up calling her a bitch and she warned me that, having a number of older brothers, she knows how to take down guys when she has to. At least that part is fun. When she finished, I asked, “Just you? I don't get to have the Doctor inside me this morning?” She giggled and said, “No, but next time you get him for two hours. Lonnnng time.” So I purred. *snicker*

Anyway. Have spacers around four upper teeth. Have to brush lightly there and no flossing. Stupid little plastic thingies that my tongue can't stop feeling every other second. Suppose I should enjoy this while it lasts since in two weeks it's going to be much worse.

Bush Gets First Veto Override

Monday, November 12, 2007

Bush Gets First Veto Override

For the first time in Bush's seven-year presidency, the Senate overrode a veto, for a water resources bill that would preserve wetlands. What do you think?

Carl Moleman, Systems Analyst "Well, it's not quite bringing the troops home, but I guess it's at least a fairly pointless expression of the people's will."

Cynthia Withers, Optician "I wouldn't get too cocky, I bet the president can still find a way to screw up those wetlands."

Frank Mahoney, Window Installer "While this might classify as a check, I don't think it quite balances anything."

The Onion - America's Finest News Source