On Joe Biden

On polling

An interesting insiders look at the Obama campaign and how they use polling data.

Hillary

I want to pump

up your tires. Go Arnie, go Arnie, it's your birthday...

Hacking airport wi-fi

Get Free Airport Wi-Fi with a Simple URL Hack

I found that I could easily visit sites like slashdot, Google, or even this weblog, when adding a ?.jpg at the end of the url. The next logical step was to automate that. I downloaded Greasemonkey and wrote a 4 line script that would add ?.jpg to every link in a document. That way I was able to browse most sites without a hassle.

Does this work?

Mrs. Obama

Tarnishing

Assuming that the Obama campaign isn’t scared off by the P.O.W. thing, can it really win in an exchange of character attacks? Probably not — but it doesn’t have to.

The central fact of this year’s election is that voters are fed up with Republican rule. The only way Mr. McCain can win the presidential race is if it becomes a contest of personalities rather than parties — and if his campaign can instill in voters the perception that Mr. Obama is a suspicious character while Mr. McCain is a fine, upstanding gentleman.

The Obama campaign, on the other hand, doesn’t need to convince voters either that he’s the awesomest candidate ever or that Mr. McCain is a villain. All it has to do is tarnish Mr. McCain’s image enough so that voters see this as a race between a Democrat and a Republican. And that’s a race the Democrat will easily win.

Especially since 8 in 10 say the country is going in the wrong direction.

houses

you know, i *wish* politics could be civil and fairly rational and issues based... but its not.

anyway, while I find all these sorts of attacks silly (e.g., obama is a celebrity, ooh! McCain doesn't know how many houses he has, aah!) I am glad to see that finally Obama is starting to play the game.

And it is amazing how the media loves this trivial shit. It is easy to understand, petty, and right up their alley.

Anyway looks like McCain's houses gaffe is going to get some play for a while.

Here's Krugman's take on the issue.

Yes we can parties

Despite the powerful arguments made by one commenter against Fraudbama the communist... I'm going to continue to promote Barack, and if I could, I'd attend this, a Move-on sponsored DNC convention night party:

It's the biggest political night in a decade--and we're throwing our biggest party ever!

On Thursday, August 28th, MoveOn members will gather around the country to witness history: Barack Obama officially accepting the Democratic nomination in front of 75,000 supporters in Denver.

We'll share ice cream and desserts, unveil MoveOn's gigantic new campaign to help elect Barack, and watch what promises to be a "barn-burner" of a speech.

Already, an incredible 1,500 MoveOn members are hosting "Yes We Can" Parties around the country. Can you host your own or come to one that's already planned? Just

click here

to get started.

Here's what will happen at the parties: We'll get together--hopefully you'll meet some new people--and share ice cream and desserts with other Obama supporters. Every party in the country will be on a nationwide conference call where we'll kick-off a massive new effort to put Obama in the White House. Then, we'll watch Obama's speech together--and share a historic moment that we'll be talking about for years to come.

Nights like these don't come along very often, and you won't want to experience it alone. Please sign up for a "Yes We Can" Party near you and bring along some dessert to share and a few friends--or even sign up to host your own party.

Hope to see you next Thursday, and thanks for all you do.

--Eli, Lenore, Anna, Patrick S. and the rest of the team

A tale of two candidates: on how to deal with evil

Theremin

Stephen Spoonamore

He's a sweetie. There are 7 other parts to that interview.

Move on

Special Election Briefing: 5 Things You Should Know

Happiness

When being rat-brained is incredible

Rise of the rat-brained robots

A picture of a thousand words

From here.
I tell you - the hope candidate wins.

Lonely Night in Georgia

The Bush administration's feckless response to the Russian invasion

He'll make Cheney look like Gandhi

more soetoro '08

could be why hillary has never officially dropped-out of the race

although i can't say i know anything about this larry johnson guy, other than he has a bad haircut.

Baghdad, 5 years on

Part 1 of 3: City of walls

Part 2 of 3: Killing fields

Part 3 of 3: Iraq's lost generation

Parez

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

55 minutes, 5 days a week

For optimal weight loss, for women. Seems like a lot.

Soetoro '08

COLB?

Randy Pausch

has died. I can only hope to accomplish 1/100th as much as he has accomplished. See Last Lecture.

Send Karl Rove to Jail

Last TED for the day

Yochai Benkler & Billy Graham

Bob Thurman: Becoming Buddha -- on the Web

Outsourcing life and living biblically

My outsourced Life - a really entertaining read).

TPMtv: Iraq Back-to-Back

hydrogen cars

are out
- with a funky techno beat.

The Nissan FCV (fuel cell vehicle) is on display at the Science Museum in London. The hydrogen-powered vehicle can drive up to 500km (300 miles) before refilling and has a maximum speed of 150 km/h (95 mph).

and apparently you can make hydrogen at home.

The American Okey-Dokey

Squirm-y

Boy I'm going to miss him

Depressing

Senate Passes Unconstitutional Spying Bill And Grants Sweeping Immunity To Phone Companies.

Obama fully caved on this one. He wants to avoid the political attacks, but I think it could have been a point to attack from. Oh well. At lest the ACLU will challenge.

The Ugly American

23%

The survey found public approval of the president's job performance at a new low for a Times/Bloomberg poll: 23%, compared with 73% disapproval.

Wow. 23%.

There is other news there too, like that Obama has a 12 point lead, at this moment.

Filibuster

They couldn't get the hold so it looks like Finegold and Dodd are filibustering the FISA law. At the moment you can see a live streaming video of Dodd filibustering.

My political compass

Economic Left/Right: -5.75
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.49

I like the fact that these results from this test puts me closest to the Dalai Lama.

Just cookie

and something else

The GOP Ralph Nader

Here's hoping he's named Bob Barr.

Ted: bottom billion

And some more interesting stuff:

Bad guys really do get the most girls

taking the shotgun approach to procreation

Swing!

Great white north issues

Oh the lovely internets

Beware, contains bad word.

A genetic modification I like

A bug that eats waste and sh*ts petrol

Seriously.

To be more precise: the genetic alteration of bugs – very, very small ones – so that when they feed on agricultural waste such as woodchips or wheat straw, they do something extraordinary. They excrete crude oil.

Unbelievably, this is not science fiction. Mr Pal holds up a small beaker of bug excretion that could, theoretically, be poured into the tank of the giant Lexus SUV next to us. Not that Mr Pal is willing to risk it just yet. He gives it a month before the first vehicle is filled up on what he calls “renewable petroleum”. After that, he grins, “it’s a brave new world”.

...

Using genetically modified bugs for fermentation is essentially the same as using natural bacteria to produce ethanol, although the energy-intensive final process of distillation is virtually eliminated because the bugs excrete a substance that is almost pump-ready.

The closest that LS9 has come to mass production is a 1,000-litre fermenting machine, which looks like a large stainless-steel jar, next to a wardrobe-sized computer connected by a tangle of cables and tubes. It has not yet been plugged in. The machine produces the equivalent of one barrel a week and takes up 40 sq ft of floor space.

However, to substitute America’s weekly oil consumption of 143 million barrels, you would need a facility that covered about 205 square miles, an area roughly the size of Chicago.

That is the main problem: although LS9 can produce its bug fuel in laboratory beakers, it has no idea whether it will be able produce the same results on a nationwide or even global scale.

“Our plan is to have a demonstration-scale plant operational by 2010 and, in parallel, we’ll be working on the design and construction of a commercial-scale facility to open in 2011,” says Mr Pal, adding that if LS9 used Brazilian sugar cane as its feedstock, its fuel would probably cost about $50 a barrel.

Last lecture

Kucinich presents Bush impeachment articles

"Resolved," Kucinich then began, "that President George W. Bush be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate. ...

The Varying Impact of Gas Prices

Gas prices are high throughout the country, but how hard they hit individual families depends on income levels, which vary widely. Some people pay up to 16% of their income on gas... 16%!

Hillary Clinton's Concession Speech

Schadenfraude

No more Hummers?

Never thought I'd be happy to say that.

Technology will save us all

CO2 Catcher prototype has been developed

It has long been the holy grail for those who believe that technology can save us from catastrophic climate change: a device that can "suck" carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, reducing the warming effect of the billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas produced each year.

Now a group of US scientists say they have made a breakthrough towards creating such a machine. Led by Klaus Lackner, a physicist at Columbia University in New York, they plan to build and demonstrate a prototype within two years that could economically capture a tonne of CO2 a day from the air, about the same per passenger as a flight from London to New York.

The prototype so-called scrubber will be small enough to fit inside a shipping container. Lackner estimates it will initially cost around £100,000 to build, but the carbon cost of making each device would be "small potatoes" compared with the amount each would capture, he said.

The scientists stress their invention is not a magic bullet to solve climate change. It would take millions of the devices to soak up the world's carbon emissions, and the CO2 trapped would still need to be disposed of. But the team says the technology may be the best way to avert dangerous temperature rises, as fossil fuel use is predicted to increase sharply in coming decades despite international efforts. Climate experts at a monitoring station in Hawaii this month reported CO2 levels in the atmosphere have reached a record 387 parts per million (ppm) - 40% higher than before the industrial revolution.

The quest for a machine that could reverse the trend by "scrubbing" carbon from the air is seen as one of the greatest challenges in climate science. Richard Branson has promised $25m (£12.6m) to anyone who succeeds.

Lackner told the Guardian: "I wouldn't write across the front page that the problem is solved, but this will help. We are in a hurry to deal with climate change and will be very hard pressed to stop the train before we get to 450ppm [CO2 in the atmosphere]. This can help stop the train."

Haters!

just keep saying it...

Ohh, whoops! Did I say that? Tee hee.

oh, she is sorry!

Howard Zinn on war

Perils and fortunes of home ownership

Last night, we get a call from the local energy agency thanking us for their service. I decide to call them back - since they seemed to be working on a Sat, to tell them that our rented water heater was rusty. They said they'd send someone over Sunday morning.

Sunday morning, while the fixer guy was here, the hot water heater, now 14 years old, finally failed and began to leak. Needless to say, such a thing is a potential disaster - but fortunately, because he was here, we caught it quickly and got it cleaned up before our basement was flooded.

But, what are the chances?

Olbermann goes postal on Clinton

DOT: Vehicle Miles Fell 4.3% in March

Looks like gas prices might finally be making a difference, that is until people adjust to the new prices, that is.

McCain ... said God sent Adolf Hitler to help Jews reach the promised land.

you won't see that scrolling across fox news.

Bill O no!

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

google street view

Top 10 Questions for 2008…

Fifteen hundred people in 39 countries participated in suggesting and selecting the following ten questions as the most important ones in the world today. These are our concerns expressed not as demands but as the questions we must all consider at every level of life to meet the challenges of our times.

1. How can we best prepare our children for the future? (Our Children, Our Future)
What knowledge, skills and values and will our children need to flourish in their lifetimes? Do you know an especially gifted parent, caregiver or educator? What can we learn from them? Who are the children in your life and how are you preparing them?

2. What does sustainability look like to you? How do we get there? (Making Sustainability Real)
How can humanity both continue to provide lives of dignity for its billions while concurrently living within the resource-means of the planet? What does sustainability look like in different cultural contexts? What are your most hopeful images of sustainability? What changes can we make, and what must our leaders make?

3. How do humans need to adapt to survive the changes predicted for this century? (Survival in the 21st Century)
Humans survive because we are so good at adapting to changing circumstances. What changes are you predicting? What changes do you hope for? Will the adaptations be technological, social, spiritual, economic – or all of the above? What are the best adaptations you’ve heard of? Where do you see good adaptations happening in your community?

4. How do we shift from “Me” to “We” on both the local and global levels? (From “me” to “we”)
Where do you see a need to shift from “me” to “we”? What can a “we” approach give us that a “me” approach doesn’t, and vice versa? What needs to change to have people used to “me” engaged in “we” solutions? In your family and community, where have you seen collaboration work wonders when competition and confrontation failed? How can 6.6 billion people work together?

5. How can you, as Gandhi said, be the change that you want to see in the world? (Being the change)
Does fighting for peace or making war on terror make sense - or do our goals and means have to match? How have you tried to “be the change” in your work and life? Who inspires you by “walking their talk”? What gaps do you notice between your “walk” and “talk” and what steps can you take towards “being the change”?

6. What kind of economic structures can best support a shift to sustainable living? (A healthy economy)
What’s the economy for, anyway? How does “the economy” make it hard to make choices for sustainability – a healthy balance between material, social and ecological needs? Where have you seen economic structures that actually contribute to greater sustainability? In a sustainable economy, how would you and your community meet your needs for the basics and also for those things that make life worth living?

7. How should we re-invent the political process so that people feel that they have a voice? (Having a political voice)
When have you felt that your voice mattered in a political process? What contributed to that? Where do you want your voice to matter that it doesn’t, and how has that impacted your political participation? What re-inventions in the political process would inspire you to participate more than you do now? What one change would matter most?

8. What kind of leadership does the world need now? (Who leads now?)
What does leadership mean to you? When has a leader moved, inspired or motivated you and what did you do in response? Is there a new kind of leadership emerging in response to new challenges? What gives this new leadership the power to lead? Are there different kinds of leadership for different times?

9. How can we balance our personal needs with the most pressing needs of our community and the larger world? (Personal Balance in Demanding Times)
How are you doing this balancing act? What would help you balance better? Who do you know who seems to balance well – and what do they know? How does your life touch the life of the larger world and what would allow you to feed your soul and relationships while making a difference “out there”? How can you feel satisfied you’ve given enough – to yourself, your family and your community? If our world is really looking down the barrel of an environmental catastrophe, how do I live my life right now?

10. What can we do to reduce or eliminate violence in the world? (Ending violence everywhere)
What incites people to violence and how can those conditions change? When have you experienced a potentially violent situation transform into a more peaceful resolution and what can we learn from that? Where is violence happening in your community and what would you like to see in its stead? What will it take to not just end violence and war, but wage peace?

I especially like #4.

Running on Empty

Cars That Never Need Gas

Nothing new, just stories of people who bought electric cars and charge them with solar panels. Still, that set-up would be pretty sweet.

SuperMedia

Saving journalism so it can save the world

SuperMedia is a passionate and controversial defence of the social value of journalism. But it argues that the news media must be transformed in to 'Networked Journalism' that allows the public much more power and participation. It outlines how forces such as new technology are destroying old media forms around the world. And it gives international examples of how new media will change the way that we report on the big issues such as politics, terror, Development and climate change.

Sounds like an interesting book.

Poppa Bear droppin the f-bomb in past life

Colbert commiserates

The Neural Buddhists

By David Brooks

Obama in 30 secs

Looks like MoveOn had another ad competition. I wonder how many Bush=hitler comparisons there were in the rejected and quickly removed ads.

The winner:


Others:

Proof of a left wing media bias

Fox fires intern for admitting McCain bias

Winning in the tough districts

She's rough

McCain-Bush Challenge

Whose policy is whose?

A natural experiment

The first legalised home computers have gone on sale in Cuba, but a ban remains on internet access.

This is the latest in a series of restrictions on daily life which President Raul Castro has lifted in recent weeks.

Crowds formed at the Carlos III shopping centre in Havana, though most had come just to look.

The desktop computers cost almost $800 (£400), in a country where the average wage is under $20 (£10) a month.

But some Cubans do have access to extra income, much of it from money sent by relatives living abroad.

Since taking over the presidency in February, Raul Castro has ended a range of restrictions and allowed Cubans access to previously banned consumer goods.

In recent weeks thousands of Cubans have snapped up mobile phones and DVD players.

But only now have the first computer stocks arrived.

Internet access remains restricted to certain workplaces, schools and universities on the island.

The government says it is unable to connect to the giant undersea fibre-optic cables because of the US trade embargo. All online connections today are via satellite which has limited bandwidth and is expensive to use.

How about a nice natural experiment to see the impact of computers on peoples lives...

AI

Pursuing the Next Level of Artificial Intelligence

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight

DNC Ad on John McCain and Iraq: "100"

Blah blah blah... whatever..

Food shortages... stage 1

Here we go

Already feeling the pinch from soaring wheat and flour prices, U.S. bakers are now beginning to experience some supply shortages.

Rye flour stocks have been depleted in the United States, and by June or July there will be no more U.S. rye flour to purchase, said Lee Sanders, senior vice president for government relations and public affairs at the American Bakers Association.

"Those that are purchasing it now are having to purchase it from Germany and the Netherlands, and that's very concerning," Sanders said.

She attributed the shortage to high demand for rye flour, which is used to make rye bread, and less acreage devoted to rye grain than in the past.

Grain prices have been soaring worldwide while stocks have been dwindling, causing riots in some poor countries.

In the United States concern is also growing over food costs. The chief executive of Costco Wholesale Corp (COST.O: Quote, Profile, Research), James Sinegal, told Reuters that the company is seeing some unusual buying with consumers stocking up as they fret shortages.

From the WSJ

Food-related protests have been occurring worldwide, and in the U.S. now major discounters are seeing runs on products, particularly rice, as both Sam’s Club, the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. operated discounter, and Costco Wholesale Corp. have seen shelves cleaned out of rice as consumers worry about higher prices. “It is just unreal what can happen when we get fear being spread as it is now, and when the general populace goes out and starts doing idiotic things like lining up at the Sam’s Club and the Costco and not buying one bag but buying 10 bags just because they might run out,” says Neauman Coleman, introducing broker at Neauman Coleman & Co. in Brinkley, Ark. Sam’s Club has decided to put limits (or rations, if you will) on the amount of 20-pound bags customers can purchase every week, and Costco earlier this week said it was considering such limits as well, which in a way is just as panicky a response. Even though July rough rice futures closed up 62 cents to $24.82 per hundredweight on the Chicago Board of Trade, Mr. Coleman says inventory figures show that the U.S. still has plenty of rice (this country exports a good deal of its rice), so the bubble-nature of this grain will recede over time. “It’s fear and panic and pandemonium,” he says.

Pennsylvania polls

Pollster.com: Pennsylvania Wrap Up

John inspires

with all this 9to5 stuff, i feel so... disconnected.

although i am enjoying the silence.

Pys ops

Behind Analysts, the Pentagon’s Hidden Hand

Watch here how the pentagon spread it's message

I.AM.HERE.2.DEMOCRATIZE.U

The human touch in Iraq

Seeds of Compassion

A 5–day gathering to engage the hearts and minds of our community by highlighting the vision, science, and programs of early social, emotional, and cognitive learning.

It is from APRIL 11–15 and is being Webcast live.

Portishead in Portishead

If you have 35 minutes, and like Portishead, then this is good:

"History will not judge this kindly"

Top Bush Advisors Approved 'Enhanced Interrogation'.

But this is the first time sources have disclosed that a handful of the most senior advisers in the White House explicitly approved the details of the program. According to multiple sources, it was members of the Principals Committee that not only discussed specific plans and specific interrogation methods, but approved them.

The discussions and meetings occurred in an atmosphere of great concern that another terror attack on the nation was imminent. Sources said the extraordinary involvement of the senior advisers in the grim details of exactly how individual interrogations would be conducted showed how seriously officials took the al Qaeda threat.
...
According to a former CIA official involved in the process, CIA headquarters would receive cables from operatives in the field asking for authorization for specific techniques. Agents, worried about overstepping their boundaries, would await guidance in particularly complicated cases dealing with high-value detainees, two CIA sources said.

Highly placed sources said CIA directors Tenet and later Porter Goss along with agency lawyers briefed senior advisers, including Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld and Powell, about detainees in CIA custody overseas.

"It kept coming up. CIA wanted us to sign off on each one every time," said one high-ranking official who asked not to be identified. "They'd say, 'We've got so and so. This is the plan.'"

Sources said that at each discussion, all the Principals present approved.

"These discussions weren't adding value," a source said. "Once you make a policy decision to go beyond what you used to do and conclude it's legal, (you should) just tell them to implement it."

Then-Attorney General Ashcroft was troubled by the discussions. He agreed with the general policy decision to allow aggressive tactics and had repeatedly advised that they were legal. But he argued that senior White House advisers should not be involved in the grim details of interrogations, sources said.

According to a top official, Ashcroft asked aloud after one meeting: "Why are we talking about this in the White House? History will not judge this kindly."

Less posts from me

Now that I have a 9 to 5...

McCain narrative

This kind of stuff: that "McCain lunged at a congressman" and that he constantly mixes up Sunni and Shiite can nicely be woven into a larger narrative that McCain is a crazy old man. He is turning senile (forgetful and confused) and has always had a temper... do we want someone like that with access to the button?

The Asymmetry of Religious Tolerance

While atheists tolerate religions, it doesn't seem that religions have to tolerate atheists.

The following exchange between atheist activist Rob Sherman of Buffalo Grove and Ill. Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) took place Wednesday afternoon in the General Assembly as Sherman testified before the House State Government Administration Committee.

Davis: I don’t know what you have against God, but some of us don’t have much against him. We look forward to him and his blessings. And it’s really a tragedy -- it’s tragic -- when a person who is engaged in anything related to God, they want to fight. They want to fight prayer in school.

I don’t see you (Sherman) fighting guns in school. You know?

I’m trying to understand the philosophy that you want to spread in the state of Illinois. This is the Land of Lincoln. This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God, where people believe in protecting their children.… What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous, it’s dangerous--

Sherman: What’s dangerous, ma’am?

Davis: It’s dangerous to the progression of this state. And it’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists! Now you will go to court to fight kids to have the opportunity to be quiet for a minute. But damn if you’ll go to [court] to fight for them to keep guns out of their hands. I am fed up! Get out of that seat!

Sherman: Thank you for sharing your perspective with me, and I’m sure that if this matter does go to court---

Davis: You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon.

That said, Hitchens and Dawkins aren't all that tolerant of religion...

Food riots

Not so funny

Bring your daughter to war day

Army Holds Annual 'Bring Your Daughter To War' Day

Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?

Vanity Fair: The Green Light

As the first anniversary of 9/11 approached, and a prized Guantánamo detainee wouldn’t talk, the Bush administration’s highest-ranking lawyers argued for extreme interrogation techniques, circumventing international law, the Geneva Conventions, and the army’s own Field Manual. The attorneys would even fly to Guantánamo to ratchet up the pressure—then blame abuses on the military. Philippe Sands follows the torture trail, and holds out the possibility of war crimes charges.

The article is very interesting/disturbing. Two interesting snippets:

Ideas arose from other sources. The first year of Fox TV’s dramatic series 24 came to a conclusion in spring 2002, and the second year of the series began that fall. An inescapable message of the program is that torture works. “We saw it on cable,” Beaver recalled. “People had already seen the first series. It was hugely popular.” Jack Bauer had many friends at Guantánamo, Beaver added. “He gave people lots of ideas.”

The brainstorming meetings inspired animated discussion. “Who has the glassy eyes?,” Beaver asked herself as she surveyed the men around the room, 30 or more of them. She was invariably the only woman present—as she saw it, keeping control of the boys. The younger men would get particularly agitated, excited even. “You could almost see their dicks getting hard as they got new ideas,” Beaver recalled, a wan smile flickering on her face. “And I said to myself, You know what? I don’t have a dick to get hard—I can stay detached.”

Not everyone at Guantánamo was enthusiastic. The F.B.I. and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service refused to be associated with aggressive interrogation. They opposed the techniques. One of the N.C.I.S. psychologists, Mike Gelles, knew about the brainstorming sessions but stayed away. He was dismissive of the administration’s contention that the techniques trickled up on their own from Guantánamo. “That’s not accurate,” he said flatly. “This was not done by a bunch of people down in Gitmo—no way.”

...

Those responsible for the interrogation of Detainee 063 face a real risk of investigation if they set foot outside the United States. Article 4 of the torture convention criminalizes “complicity” or “participation” in torture, and the same principle governs violations of Common Article 3.

It would be wrong to consider the prospect of legal jeopardy unlikely. I remember sitting in the House of Lords during the landmark Pinochet case, back in 1999—in which a prosecutor was seeking the extradition to Spain of the former Chilean head of state for torture and other international crimes—and being told by one of his key advisers that they had never expected the torture convention to lead to the former president of Chile’s loss of legal immunity. In my efforts to get to the heart of this story, and its possible consequences, I visited a judge and a prosecutor in a major European city, and guided them through all the materials pertaining to the Guantánamo case. The judge and prosecutor were particularly struck by the immunity from prosecution provided by the Military Commissions Act. “That is very stupid,” said the prosecutor, explaining that it would make it much easier for investigators outside the United States to argue that possible war crimes would never be addressed by the justice system in the home country—one of the trip wires enabling foreign courts to intervene. For some of those involved in the Guantánamo decisions, prudence may well dictate a more cautious approach to international travel. And for some the future may hold a tap on the shoulder.

“It’s a matter of time,” the judge observed. “These things take time.” As I gathered my papers, he looked up and said, “And then something unexpected happens, when one of these lawyers travels to the wrong place.”

How DO they do it?

Krugman wants to know exactly how this could occur:

The GOP seems to systematically preside over slower growth and rising inequality.

He doesn't want to believe it until he understands a plausible mechanisms... So the question is - how does this happen? Check out the graph, its amazing.

Not going quietly into the night

New Signs of Mugabe Crackdown in Zimbabwe

It looks like it will get worse before it gets better.

Mugabe out?

Finally, Mugabe concedes defeat - in private, at least. It only took 28 years. Apparently, his policies in the last 10 years have been especially catastrophic for the economy and when he started to really crack down.

So, you want to be a McCain Democrat?

Look before you jump

The Gravel Trip

Enhancing willpower

Tighten Your Belt, Strengthen Your Mind

In psychological studies, even something as simple as using your nondominant hand to brush your teeth for two weeks can increase willpower capacity. People who stick to an exercise program for two months report reducing their impulsive spending, junk food intake, alcohol use and smoking. They also study more, watch less television and do more housework. Other forms of willpower training, like money-management classes, work as well.

I O Yoo

Torture as self-defense

Yoo's infamous 2003 torture justification memo is now out.

The Justice Department sent a legal memorandum to the Pentagon in 2003 asserting that federal laws prohibiting assault, maiming and other crimes did not apply to military interrogators who questioned al-Qaeda captives because the president's ultimate authority as commander in chief overrode such statutes.

The 81-page memo, which was declassified and released publicly yesterday, argues that poking, slapping or shoving detainees would not give rise to criminal liability. The document also appears to defend the use of mind-altering drugs that do not produce "an extreme effect" calculated to "cause a profound disruption of the senses or personality."
...
"If a government defendant were to harm an enemy combatant during an interrogation in a manner that might arguably violate a criminal prohibition, he would be doing so in order to prevent further attacks on the United States by the al Qaeda terrorist network," Yoo wrote. "In that case, we believe that he could argue that the executive branch's constitutional authority to protect the nation from attack justified his actions."

Interrogators who harmed a prisoner would be protected by a "national and international version of the right to self-defense," Yoo wrote. He also articulated a definition of illegal conduct in interrogations -- that it must "shock the conscience" -- that the Bush administration advocated for years.

"Whether conduct is conscience-shocking turns in part on whether it is without any justification," Yoo wrote, explaining, for example, that it would have to be inspired by malice or sadism before it could be prosecuted.