I ran across a couple of mentions that there were “extra,” extra-offensive cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him, if that is the proper phrase). The sources were a little too tinfoil for me to quote and link verbatim, so I went looking around. Wikipedia led me in the direction of the Danish newspaper that originally published a set of 12 cartoons – the originals are reproduced (in a very tiny format) on the Wiki page. If you really want to see them, you may… especially for comparison purposes. The Danish paper has an English-language section on the…

Well, she’s gone. I never read “The Feminine Mystique” for some reason; maybe it was considered “old hat” or something when I was taking Women’s Studies classes. I had a personal encounter with her several years after college: I was drunk, silly, and sitting next to her in First Class on a flight home from a SABRE training class in Dallas. Ms. Friedan asked the flight attendant to move me far away from her, and be quiet. Heh. Well, I guess that was the real reason I never read her book, even though I respected her as a pioneer. But…

Guardian Unlimited Politics | Special Reports | Bush told Blair we’re going to war, memo reveals Tony Blair told President George Bush that he was “solidly” behind US plans to invade Iraq before he sought advice about the invasion’s legality and despite the absence of a second UN resolution, according to a new account of the build-up to the war published today. A memo of a two-hour meeting between the two leaders at the White House on January 31 2003 – nearly two months before the invasion – reveals that Mr Bush made it clear the US intended to invade…

…all the really interesting news items begin to appear. BBC NEWS | Americas | US military plans for ‘long war’ The US Defence Department has released a long-awaited report on how the US military will organise and equip itself in the face of “new and elusive foes”. The quadrennial defence review will be presented to the US Congress next week. The document opens with the words: “The United States is engaged in what will be a long war.” It describes what the US military must do to defeat current and future enemies – flagged as “rogue powers, terrorist networks and…

Chicago Tribune | At least 1 engine was working Jeez, I can’t even imagine the horror of this moment.

This is how I’ll remember her: lovely, lovely and strong, strong, strong. I blogged more info at Holy Moly.

Bush: Bin Laden Should Be Taken Seriously – Yahoo! News FORT MEADE, Md. – President Bush, defending the government’s secret surveillance program, said Wednesday that Americans should take Osama bin Laden seriously when he says he’s going to attack again. “When he says he’s going to hurt the American people again, or try to, he means it,” Bush told reporters after visiting the top-secret National Security Agency where the surveillance program is based. “I take it seriously, and the people of NSA take it seriously.” It was Bush’s first comment about bin Laden since the al-Qaida leader warned in a…

I’ve really been enjoying National Pulbic Radio’s Marketplace from American Public Media show this week – they’re broadcasting live from Chongqing, China. Not only that, but all the music is performed by Chinese musicians. And there’s photos of the musicians on a Flickr set! In fact, their Flickr page is packed with interesting photos. I really enjoy Marketplace, and the China shows have given excellent coverage in a way that really pricks up your ears. Not only that, but host Kai Ryssdal lived in China some years ago and speaks fluent Chinese, so you get lively sounding interviews with people…

Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire… Starring: Colin Powell as Col. John “Hannibal” Smith Madeleine Albright as Sgt. Bosco “Bad Attitude” Baracas Alexander “I’m In Charge Here” Haig as Capt. HM “Howling Mad” Murdock Robert McNamara as Lt. Templeton “Face” Peck I could hardly believe it this morning when I heard it on National Public Radio. The latest in this month’s continuing PR blitzkrieg, former Cabinet members from several different Democratic and Republican…

Denny Hastert (R-IL) has his problems, along with all the other rascals that accepted Abramoff-tainted fundage. One of the more prominent names on the list is Senator Harry Ried, (D-NV). He accepted tribal money and claims he doesn’t know Abramoff from Adam. Chicago Tribune | Abramoff’s plea renews focus on Hastert’s ’03 casino letter Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader in the Senate, and Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) also were among recipients of large contributions from tribes represented by Abramoff. Asked about Abramoff, Reid told the Las Vegas Sun, “I don’t know him. I don’t want to know…