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May 31, 2003

MINUTE MYSTERY # 2

Pity the Board of Directors of the Association for Useless Information (AUI)! Bogged down by membership applications, AUI's Board decided to tighten up the requirements for membership. All prospective members were told that they must produce one piece of completely useless information in order to join the Association. Twelve months after the rule change, the President of the Association's Board faces the harsh truth that since the change was implemented no one has been admitted into the Association.

Why has no one been been admitted for membership in AUI since the change in policy? Leave your guess in the "Comments" area below by clicking on the "Comments" link below.

Posted by Mikal at 7:36 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

May 30, 2003

FOUR FOR FRIDAY

Name four of your favorite movies of all time.

Roxanne, Groundhog Day, The Last of the Mohicans, and Good Will Hunting. There are lots more, of course... these are just four.

If you were asked to name a puppy dog, what are four possible names that come to mind?

Floppy, Gromit, Rufus, and Sparky.

Name four people, dead or alive, that you'd like to spend 4 hours with (knowing ahead of time that youíd never get another chance to be with any of them ever again).

My Father (DOB: 5/18/33, DOD: 4/15/90); My Grandpa Jack (also deceased); Woodrow Wilson; and Albert Einstein.

What are the last four books you read (or are currently reading, if you read more than one book at a time)?

Into The Wild, by Jon Krakauer (for the fourth time); Maus, a graphic novel by Art Spiegelman; Addicted to Danger, by Jim Wickwire; and dot.bomb, by J. David Kuo (for the second time).

For all of you reading this message, what are your answers to today's "Four or Friday" questions. Don't be shy!

Posted by Mikal at 6:45 AM | Comments (12) | TrackBack

May 29, 2003

With little to no public debate, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (FCC) is poised to approve a massive rewriting of the rules governing ownership of television stations and other media in the U.S. What's at stake? Should you be worried? A lot of people and orgfanizations, from the National Organization for Women to the National Rifle Association, think you should be concerned. Very concerned.

On June 2nd, the FCC plans to vote on whether to relax the rules for owning American news media. One of these rules ensures that all of the television stations owned by one large company cannot reach more than a certain percentage of the nationís television-viewing audience. This rule helps protect local television station owners, and ensures that a small handful of large corporations do not exert greater influence over what isóand is notóreported in the news.

Have you noticed that radio stations sound more and more alike these days? They seem to be operating from the same song lists. Well, that's because many of them are. Seven years ago the FCC loosened the restrictions on the number of radio stations that a corporation may own, and today there are 30% fewer radio station owners. One such owner, Clear Channel, grew from 43 stations to nearly 1,200 stations in that time. Fewer independently owned radio stations = more homogenous sounding radio.

So what? You can always buy CDs, right? Well, the problem is even more troubling to critics than just artistic censorship, which is troubling enough on its own. Diversity of opinions, competition, and a marketplace for competitive news coverage are elements of our democracy that we sometimes take for granted. Without such freedom of ideas, what will we lose? Its hard to say what will happen, but many people are worried, including some strange bedfellows, such as the National Rifle Association and the National Organization for Women.

The FCC is likely to approve changes next week for television that are similar to the ones it approved six years ago for radio. These changes would lift many of the restrictions on ownership of media, including local television stations, newspapers, cable and broadcast networks. A single corporate owner, currently limited in the number of media outlets it can own in a single market, will be freed to buy more. Supporters of these changes ó including the Disney Corporation, which owns ABC and ESPN ó are likely to argue that the looser regulations will benefit both stockholders of media companies, as well as their consumers. They're likely to go so far as to suggest that such measures will allow smaller media organizations to stay afloat during a harsh economic climate. Opponents, on the other hand, will argue that it would be remarkably easy for a mega company like Disney to control what you know and don't know about what's going on in your hometown, in your country and around the globe, and that as a result the free flow of information, the benefits of local competition, and the power of a diverse marketplace will virtually disappear.

What do you think? Share your comments below.

Q: How many crew members of the U.S.S. Enterprise does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Seven. Scotty has to report to Captain Kirk that the light bulb in the Engineering Section is getting dim, at which point Kirk will send Bones to pronounce the bulb dead (although he'll immediately claim that he's a doctor, not an electrician). Scotty, after checking around, realizes that they have no more new light bulbs, and complains that he "canna" see in the dark. Kirk will make an emergency stop at the next uncharted planet, Alpha Regula IV, to procure a light bulb from the natives, who are friendly but seem to be hiding something. Kirk, Spock, Bones, Yeoman Rand and two red shirt security officers beam down to the planet, where the two security officers are promply killed by the natives, and the rest of the landing party is captured. As something begins to develop between the Captain and Yeoman Rand, Scotty, back in orbit, is attacked by a Klingon destroyer and must warp out of orbit. Although badly outgunned, he cripples the Klingon and races back to the planet in order to rescue Kirk et. al. who have just saved the natives' from an awful fate and, as a reward, been given all the lightbulbs they can carry. The new bulb is then inserted and the Enterprise continues on its five year mission.

(Courtesy of my co-worker, Christy Wagner, who received this as a part of Squirrel Mail's "Today's Fortune" for May 28, 2003.)

May 28, 2003

1) Take a look at the "Quote of The Day" on the top of this page... you can now comment on the quote, ask questions about the quote, or leave a quote of your own for possible inclusion on an upcoming day. Thanks, Beth, for the suggestion. It's a great idea!

2) The"Comments" feature at the bottom of each blog posting has also been changed. Now, if you want to, you can be completely anonymous when leaving a comment... no need to enter your name, e-mail address, or website address (if you have one). My hope is that anonymity will encourage more people to leave comments.

Thanks to Matt Holzmann's Inside World, I now know about a wonderful new resource called MeetUp.Com. From Matt's website:

OK, I've just found my new favorite website. Not so much because of its content, but rather its concept. MeetUp.Com creates an online forum for people to create and manage meetings locally about areas of shared interest. Tonight I found two meetings of note in my area. One is a meeting of members of a presidential campaign (know I can find out more about the person and platform). The other is a meeting of Rock The Vote members (affords me the opportunity to stop bitching and get people voting). I never would have known about these local meetings had it not been for the website.

The beautiful thing is that they aggregate meetings for groups with interests as deverse as pagans and puppies. I feel pretty safe saying that they likely have a group of interesst for all of us.

Thanks, Matt ! There are a bunch of meetings here in Indianapolis that I now know about. Check out MeetUp.com by clicking here.

Today, May 28th, 2003 is the Second Annual Great American Grump†Outô -- a day when people are urged to abstain from being GRUMPY for 24 hours. According to the Grump†Out's website, we will†strengthen our immune system, diminish tension in our central nervous system, relax our bodies, improve circulation, counteract fear, anger and depression, reduce our stress hormones and,†quite possibly, make new friends by not being grumpy! So, smile... and have a great day!

May 27, 2003

It's not very often that you get an up-close view of a thing in a jar. For that matter, if you were in a position to get an up-close view, would you choose to look? Because I'm the kind of person who would look, this totally cracked me up. I wish I had thought of this back in Boulder, where I ran my own business and could put anything on my desk without ever having to be concerned about what other people might think. Anyway, check out the thing in a jar by clicking here.

May 26, 2003

Seriously, do you know anyone named Dave Nelson? If so, ask him what his experience is like when he attempts to board an airplane! According to an article on The Oregonian website, if your name is Dave Nelson, "...you can expect to be hassled, delayed, questioned and searched before being allowed to board aircraft anywhere in the United States for the foreseeable future."

It seems that the federal Transportation Security Administration has created a list of names to protect our aviation system, and "Dave Nelson" is on that list. From The Oregonian article:

People whose names are on the two lists undergo what is not a routine security screening, in which you're asked to remove your shoes or empty your pockets. This week 18 men named David Nelson, all residents of Oregon, confirmed they have been repeatedly delayed at airport counters and security checkpoints in the last year or so.

Take the February experience of Dave Nelson of Salem... "We were on our way to a trade show in Atlanta," Dave says, "trying to use the auto-check-in for baggage. We punched in our information, and the computer wouldn't accept it." Dave and his wife, Leah, stood in line until an agent was available at the Delta counter. "We gave him our info, and he kept punching on his computer for about 10 or 15 minutes. . . . Then he says, 'I have to go in the back room.' He took off, and we stood there another 10 minutes. After more waiting, they were told a supervisor was being sought... Finally the guy came out and said, 'You'll have to talk to the cop behind you.' Dave was asked for I.D. and turned over his driver's license. "They called downtown and ran a criminal check, and I was clean. Then the counter clerk had to call national Delta and get permission for me to go on the airplane. We were now pretty close to takeoff time." Dave and his wife were issued tickets, but again at the gate Dave was thoroughly frisked, searched and identified.

Nico Melendez of the Transportation Security Administration will not confirm that the name David Nelson is on the "no-fly" or "selectees" list. But he does say that people who want to see if their name is on either list or who want to make a complaint, can call the agency's contact center at 866-289-9673 or send an e-mail to TellTSA@tsa.dot.gov.

Click Here to read the entire Oregonian article.

May 25, 2003

The Judge, Judge Dread, had had many disagreeable people before him, but this one, who named himself ëthe Philosopherí, despite never having studied the subject, had really annoyed him. Dread says:

ìI intend to teach you the value of honesty, prisoner. You have been found guilty of being a crook and a swindler and of repeatedly and systematically lying to the court to try to save yourself. Well, justice has caught up with you now, my friend. The sentence of this court isÖí (the Judge pauses for effect and puts on a pair of black gloves and a little black hat) íÖthat you be taken from here to a place of execution and hanged by the neck until you are dead.î

ìÖBUT,î the judge continues, ìas I am a magnanimous Judge, I shall give you one more opportunity to learn the value of truth. If, on the day of your execution, you sign a statement making one true declaration, the sentence will be commuted and you will set free. If, on the other hand, your statement is, in the view of the Chief Executioner, false, the sentence will be carried out immediately. And I warn you,î Dread adds, seeing his words having no effect on the crook, ìthe Chief is a member of the ëLogical Positivist Executioners Clubí and will dismiss any metaphysical nonsense as false, so donít try any of your tricks on her! There, now you have one day in which to make your choice!î

The jury applauds at the severity of the sentence and everyone in the courtroom looks at the defendant, pleased to see such a villain receive a heavy sentence, coupled with the humiliating public true declaration. But, strangely, the Philosopher just smirks back as he is led away to Death Row.

The day of the execution arrives and the crook, beaming, signs a declaration which is handed to the Chief Executioner who reads it with growing bewilderment. Then, snarling, she crumples it up and orders that the Philosopher be released, with no penalty whatsoever.

What could the prisoner have said in the statement to have saved himself?

May 24, 2003

Did you know that 1 in 5 U.S. citizens has high cholesterol? You could have it too (even if you're active and thin, eat right, and are 'just' 25- to 35-years-old). As some of you may know, 40 days ago I learned that the level of cholesterol in my body was off the charts (way too high). Since that time I've attempted to change my diet, started exercising, and under my doctor's care, started taking the cholesterol lower drug Lipitor.

Today, news arrived (via my good friend Christoph, who now lives in Germany) that about 9,000,000 Lipitor pills were recalled late yesterday afternoon because of suspected counterfeiting. According to CBS Marketwatch, the Food and Drug Administration says that the counterfeit pills could be identified by the words "Repackaged by MED-PRO Inc., Lexington, Neb." on bottles with lot numbers 20722V, 04132V and 16942V. The FDA also told Marketwatch that a criminal investigation is under way.

Upon hearing such news -- which meant that the recent Lipitor refill I picked up just two days ago could in fact be part of the recall -- I immediately contacted my Pharmacist, who informed me that CVS pharmacies nationwide receive Lipitor directly from the manufacturer, Pfizer, and not from a repackager.

Phew, that's good news, because according to my doctor, Lipitor, in conjunction with changes in diet and steady exercise, can lower my total cholesterol by 29% to 45%, and my "bad" cholesterol by 39% to 60%. I'll know in approximately 60 days if the program is working. Until then, I plan on posting occasional updates on my thoughts related to the new diet and exercise regimen.

I just stumbled across GarbageMan... a very cool game. Play GarbageMan by clicking here

May 23, 2003

A colleague from my days spent working in and around the outdoor industry still thinks to send me his thoughts on a variety of matters. Ignore the grammar (and probably even some of the specific numbers he cites)Ö and just focus on the point heís attempting to make:

Possibly it is time to speak up and out about the outlandish money two shoe baggers are giving out in what is nothing more than EGO flexing of their waffle souls. In a just completed endorsement a young man graduating from high school who knows how to shoot a jump shot is given $90 million by Nike over 7 years to market his name on Nike waffles. Reebok dropped out at $75 million. For comparison, 10,000 thousand students are graduating from San Diego State this month and less than 5% have jobs after graduation. Hey why pick on the kid right... It's not the kid doing it. Sure maybe his Hummer in front of school is a bit much but its only a $600 a month lease and every kid deserves a truck for graduation.

In truth what Nike and Reebok are doing is far more serious. The state of Oregon is flat broke and schools are closing from budget cuts left and right. Can Nike possibly see that $90 million could save thousands of school kids even build schools and help those tens of thousands get jobs after college? Is the number one brand in the minds of youth ever going to think of all the kids who wear their waffles and stop trying to ----- bigger than the other --- like Reebok???

Nike and Reebok, if indeed they can afford to give out $75-90 million to one high school student, should get real that one kid can't buy 10 billion dollars worth of shoes and gear. That our economy is really hurting and that if rubber sole waffles are the new GM of our economy it is time to put the money into the schools not one kid shooting hoops.

Sure these companies Nike and Reebok can afford this kind of stuff when their 5 year plan shows China coming on with free trade and the deflation" brand of economics that is driving America to the exact opposite ends of "inflation." As for Le Baron James, a nice kid who just happens to be the next thing to Jordan, get real Nike... get real Reebok. Your shoes are just rubber and oil mixed in a factory of labor that is already the target of years of activist bashing. You have insulted every kid, high school and college who has ever worn your waffles and you have made a disgrace of marketing the hard earned talents of our youth. We are a country of citizens not a one man shoe shining.

My reply was this:

Here, Here! I couldn't agree more. It has always struck me as an odd occurrence... that we continue to support companies that dole out millions of dollars to athletes (including tens of thousands of dollars of free gear over the lifetime of an endorsement), yet we do nothing for our school teachersÖ the very hard working, underpaid, dedicated individuals who provide more opportunities for daily exposure (from a marketing perspective) then any athlete ever will.

Care to weigh inÖ what do you think? Please log your comment below!

Okay... what's weird about this picture? Don't be afraid, this isn't one of those things where they try to scare the heck out of you by showing you a screaming monster when you least expect it. I discovered it after 28 seconds. How long did it take you?

Don't have a dog of your own... wish that you did? Have a dog of your own but it doesn't poop in an acceptable format? Check out the Virtual Dog Poop Creator; it's bound to be an instant classic!

Yesterday a dear friend wrote asking:

As you know, I am back in school and will be interviewing for a full-time teaching position for this fall. Could I use you as a personal/character reference?

Writing letters of reference and speaking on the phone with prospective employers has always been something I've enjoyed doing. While some people may view requests for references as nothing more than extra work or a big hassle, I choose to look at it as an honor. Someone taking the time to ask for your reference is actually a statement of support for you, the reference giver. The honor lies in the faith placed in your ability to provide accurate and authentic information which can ultimately make a world of difference in someone else's life. Next time someone asks you for a reference, or the next time you ask someone else for one, consider what it means.

May 22, 2003

It's a safe bet that everyone reading this posting has come up with at least one idea for a book in their lifetime. My brother Kenny, for instance, believes that his life's story could easily make one of The New York Times Best-Seller lists (I won't speculate which list), and since I've become an Acquisitions Editor for a large book publishing company, people have come out of the woodwork to suggest their ideas for the next great American novel. While it's unlikely that her new book will sell a million copies or make it onto the New York Times Best-Seller list, Leigh Fought nevertheless deserves major props for writing and working with a publisher to produce her first book, Southern Womanhood and Slavery: A Biography of Louisa S. McCord, 1810-1879.

Leigh and I met back in college, at the University of Houston, where she worked her butt off and was rewarded with a Ph.D. in History. We rekindled our friendship last year when I moved to Indianapolis, where Leigh is an Editor for the Frederick Douglass Papers while simultaneously teaching at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI).

Leigh's Southern Womanhood and Slavery is the first full-length biography of Louisa McCord, who I know from listening to Leigh is one of the most intriguing intellectuals in antebellum America. The daughter of a South Carolina planter and politician, and an essayist in her own right, McCord supported unregulated free trade and the perpetuation of slavery, and opposed the advancement of women's rights. Leigh's book examines the origins of McCord's ideas. McCord's life as a writer on "unfeminine" subjects, her reputation as strong-minded and masculine, her late marriage, her continued ownership of her plantation after marriage, and her position as the matron of a Civil War hospital contradicted her own philosophy that women should remain the quiet force behind their husbands. She lived during a time of social flux in which free labor, slavery, and the role of women underwent dramatic changes, as well as a time that enabled her to discover and pursue her intellectual ambitions. Leigh's book examines the conflict that resulted when those ambitions clashed with McCord's role as a woman in the society of the South.

Interested in reading more? Southern Womanhood and Slavery: A Biography of Louisa S. McCord, 1810-1879 will be available on Amazon.com in about two weeks.

Leigh... Congratulations... Your persistence continues to pay off... You go, girl!

May 21, 2003

Leroy, a small golden spider monkey, has a hearing today in a Dallas, Texas municipal court. Click Here to learn more about Leroy's situation.

May 20, 2003

Click Here for a translation.

My astute co-worker, Phil, sends the following message:

You might be interested in blogging this, re. President Bush's speech in Indianapolis last week; I heard this story on local NPR FridayÖ Although the president did not arrive in a race car, dressed like a race-car driver, his professionals did instruct VIPs being seated behind him to remove their neckties, so it would look like he was mingling with regular folks. This was apparently in lieu of a giant banner reading "Mingling with Regular Folks."

Click Here to read a local television stationís account, complete with pictures.

Is it just me or does anyone else out there find The John F. Kennedy Profile In Courage Awards somewhat laughable? If you're not familiar with this esteemed award, let me clue you in. The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation created the Profile in Courage Award in 1989 to honor former President Kennedy and recognize and celebrate the quality of political courage that he admired most. According to the Foundation, the Award seeks to make Americans aware of the conscientious and courageous acts of their public servants, and to encourage elected officials to choose principles over partisanship ñ to do what is right, rather than what is expedient.

Anytime someone bestows an 'award' on someone for doing their job, I feel like gagging, especially when the award is given to a ìpublic servantí who is pulling down a six-figure salary. Two of this year's honorees -- former Governor Roy Barnes (D) of Georgia, and former Governor David Beasley (R) of South Carolina -- were recognized for their supposed political courage while seeking to resolve their stateís divisive political debate over the public display of the Confederate battle emblem.

Why do we insist on honoring people for doing the right thing? Aren't our elected officials supposed to do the right thing? Isn't it enough that the two former Governors got to live in large mansions, left office with huge retirement packages, and were treated like royalty during their terms in office? Is this really the best that the Kennedy Library Foundation can doÖ honor high ranking public officials for doing what theyíve been elected to do in the first place?

Can we really stop terrorism? Can we stop acts of terrorism through law enforcement or military means? For the moment, letís avoid addressing the root causes. That's a whole different issue. But can the individual act be stopped? The U.S. government has adopted all sorts of new powers and tactics in the wake of 9/11. Have they been effective? We can point to the lack of attacks in this country and say "maybe." In fact, just two weeks ago, our President was telling us that we had al Qaeda on the run, that we had broken its back, or crippled it, or whatever phrase you want to use. That was before the attacks in Saudi Arabia and then Morocco. In the wake of the attacks on 9/11, we have changed our air travel system. But can we stop the individual suicide bomber? Or some form of attack that we haven't even considered, but that terrorists have? After all, they pick the time, place, and method.

May 11, 2003

The creators of "A Day in the Life of America" have reunited to create America 24/7, the largest collaborative photo project in U.S. history. Starting at one minute past Midnight tonight thru May 18, America 24/7 will dispatch 1,000 top photojournalists from coast to coast to create a digital time capsule of U.S. life, 24-hours a day for seven days. Project organizers are also inviting every digital photographer in the U.S. -- professional and amateur alike -- to submit their own visions of the United States at http://www.america24-7.com.

So, Matt, Christina, and Sasha (and all you other digital camera owners out there), get off your duffs, shoot some digital pictures, and submit them to America 24/7 throughout this upcoming week. DK, a publisher of distinctively-styled books for adults and children (which just so happens to be owned by the same company which owns the publishing company I work for), will publish the results of this unprecedented photo shoot in 53 lavishly illustrated books. More than 2,000 amateur photographs will be included in the books, with the photographer of each receiving Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe Photoshop Album as compensation for being chosen for publication. Visit the America 24/7 website today to learn more about the project.

May 10, 2003

Today's Boulder Daily Camera, my former hometown newspaper, reports that the city of Boulder -- because of declining sales tax revenues -- is preparing to eliminate up to 188 jobs. The cuts, which will be made this summer and fall, are expected to save the city approximately $18 million, and lead efforts to trim the city's budget by as much as 15% over the next two to three years. Longtime Boulder City Councilman, Spense Havlick, is quoted in todayís Daily Camera as saying "... job cuts would be made as "compassionate" as possible, relying partly on eliminating vacant positions and not replacing retiring employees."

So, let's say Havlick's 'compassionate' efforts lead to the elimination of only 145 jobs; that's still 145 real live human beings who face the elimination of their career, source of income, and a mammoth part of their sense of community -- all at a time when finding a job has become more and more of a sizeable challenge. Somehow this just doesn't seem right, not when Boulder's city manager earns $135,317.00 (which doesn't include insurance, retirement contributions, and leave time benefits).

Don't get me wrong... I completely understand Boulder's dilemma (without the right level of sales tax revenue it's difficult to maintain existing levels of spending)... it's the solution I'm having trouble with. Instead of laying people off, why doesn't the city council ask all of the city's employees to take a cut in pay, structured in such a way that no one has to give up her or his job?

May 9, 2003

Yesterday, the United States House of Representatives passed a noteable bill, HR 766 EH, the 'Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003' -- authorizing $2.36 billion over the next three years for nanotechnology research and development programs. Similar legislation, S.189, is on a fast track thru the U.S. Senate, and President Bush is said to be a big supporter of both bills.

In the original sense of the word, and at the most basic of all possible technical levels, "nanotechnology" is building, with intent and design, and molecule by molecule, these two things:

1) Incredibly advanced and extremely capable nanoscale machines and computers

2) Ordinary size objects, using other incredibly small machines called assemblers and/or nanofactories

Said differently, nanotechnology is the art and science of building stuff that does stuff on the nanometer scale. The ultimate nanotechnology builds at the ultimate level of finesse ó one atom at a time ó and does it with molecular perfection. Pretty crazy, huh? And it's not just something that U.S. interests are focusing on. Also yesterday, nine South Korean governmental agencies banded together to create a $2 billion nanotechnology development program of their own, and others countries are lining up to support the development of nanotechnology as we speak.

Why am I choosing to mention this? Well, simply stated, I believe that nanotechnology will provide the basis for the next big technological and employment boom. What I'm less sure about is exactly when this will occur, and how much it will ultimately impact our daily lives. Regardless of timing, everything I've read about nanotechnology seems to suggest that the following could be possible once the technologies are fully developed:

Nanometer-scale traps will be constructed to remove pollutants from the environment and deactivate chemical warfare agents.

Computers with the capabilities of current workstations will be the size of a grain of sand, and they'll be able to operate for decades with the equivalent of a single watch battery.

Medical scientists envision creating machines that will be small enough to be able to travel through the human circulatory system, cleaning the arteries as they go.

You may not have heard of it before now, but nanotechnology is coming, and I believe it will change our lives, dramatically.

May 8, 2003

Today's quiz has something or another to do with citizenship. Click here to take a 12-question quiz from the Immigration and Naturalization Service. I scored 10 out of 12, which means I can stay in the country, for now.

How popular are you? Click here to find out.

May 7, 2003

The following poem was written by a friend of mine from college, the one and only D. Lee Grooms. Yo D, even after all these years, your words still get me thinking, Hmmm. Thanks for being you, bro. You've got an amazing gift!

Bookkeeping, by D. Lee Grooms, Copyright © 2003.

The problem's simple, really:
Take inventory of wounds.
Tally them up.
Deduct liberal estimates
for time, forgiveness, and healing.

The hardest part
of doing the math
is when something
comes up
missing.

For more of the works of D. Lee Grooms, please visit his website by Clicking Here.

I've always known that some people didn't care all that much for movie director / activist Michael Moore but this seems to go a little too far. Click Here to see what I'm referring to.

May 6, 2003

When the mystery of Iraq's missing W.M.D. [Weapons of Mass Destruction] is raised, hawks fire barrages back. The gist is: "You *&#*! Who cares if we never find weapons of mass destruction, because we've liberated the Iraqi people from a murderous tyrant." But it does matter, enormously, for American credibility. After all, as Ari Fleischer said on April 10 about W.M.D.: "That is what this war was about."

I rejoice in the newfound freedoms in Iraq. But there are indications that the U.S. government souped up intelligence, leaned on spooks to change their conclusions and concealed contrary information to deceive people at home and around the world.

Let's fervently hope that tomorrow we find an Iraqi superdome filled with 500 tons of mustard gas and nerve gas, 25,000 liters of anthrax, 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin, 29,984 prohibited munitions capable of delivering chemical agents, several dozen Scud missiles, gas centrifuges to enrich uranium, 18 mobile biological warfare factories, long-range unmanned aerial vehicles to dispense anthrax, and proof of close ties with Al Qaeda. Those are the things that President Bush or his aides suggested Iraq might have, and I don't want to believe that top administration officials tried to win support for the war with a campaign of wholesale deceit.

Consider the now-disproved claims by President Bush and Colin Powell that Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger so it could build nuclear weapons. As Seymour Hersh noted in The New Yorker, the claims were based on documents that had been forged so amateurishly that they should never have been taken seriously.

I'm told by a person involved in the Niger caper that more than a year ago the vice president's office asked for an investigation of the uranium deal, so a former U.S. ambassador to Africa was dispatched to Niger. In February 2002, according to someone present at the meetings, that envoy reported to the C.I.A. and State Department that the information was unequivocally wrong and that the documents had been forged.

The envoy reported, for example, that a Niger minister whose signature was on one of the documents had in fact been out of office for more than a decade. In addition, the Niger mining program was structured so that the uranium diversion had been impossible. The envoy's debunking of the forgery was passed around the administration and seemed to be accepted ó except that President Bush and the State Department kept citing it anyway.

"It's disingenuous for the State Department people to say they were bamboozled because they knew about this for a year," one insider said.

Another example is the abuse of intelligence from Hussein Kamel, a son-in-law of Saddam Hussein and head of Iraq's biological weapons program until his defection in 1995. Top British and American officials kept citing information from Mr. Kamel as evidence of a huge secret Iraqi program, even though Mr. Kamel had actually emphasized that Iraq had mostly given up its W.M.D. program in the early 1990's. Glen Rangwala, a British Iraq expert, says the transcript of Mr. Kamel's debriefing was leaked because insiders resented the way politicians were misleading the public.

Patrick Lang, a former head of Middle Eastern affairs in the Defense Intelligence Agency, says that he hears from those still in the intelligence world that when experts wrote reports that were skeptical about Iraq's W.M.D., "they were encouraged to think it over again."

"In this administration, the pressure to get product `right' is coming out of O.S.D. [the Office of the Secretary of Defense]," Mr. Lang said. He added that intelligence experts had cautioned that Iraqis would not necessarily line up to cheer U.S. troops and that the Shiite clergy could be a problem. "The guys who tried to tell them that came to understand that this advice was not welcome," he said.

"The intelligence that our officials was given regarding W.M.D. was either defective or manipulated," Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico noted. Another senator is even more blunt and, sadly, exactly right: "Intelligence was manipulated."

The C.I.A. was terribly damaged when William Casey, its director in the Reagan era, manipulated intelligence to exaggerate the Soviet threat in Central America to whip up support for Ronald Reagan's policies. Now something is again rotten in the state of Spookdom.

==============
This editorial appears in today's issue of the New York Times, and is written by Nicholas Kristof. (C) New York Time, May 6, 2003

May 5, 2003

I really should have thought to bring a tape recorder or video camera the day before yesterday (when I participated in the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon). As slow as I was, being passed on my left and right by both runners and walkers alike, I caught glimpses of some interesting stuff, and snipits of many interesting conversations. Among my favorites:

The four senior-age ladies walking just a tiny bit faster than me -- for about one full mile -- who argued the entire mile about the National Basketball Association moving from a best-of-five format for the 1st and 2nd rounds to the new best-of-seven format.

The blind fella who passed me while walking around the Indy 500 race track.

The guy who passed me, convincingly, at mile marker 10, walking backwards.

Sometimes the virtuous aren't so, well, virtuous; and why that should even matter, I don't know. Anyway, today Newsweek reveales that morality czar William Bennett, the author of The Book of Virtues, and a former Secretary of Education under the first President Bush, has lost more than $8 million at gambling tables in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Why this matters, I have no idea. It's his money, and he hasn't done anything wrong. People might expect that I'd be overjoyed with such news (because Bennett is a right-winger), but nothing could be further from the truth. It appears to me that this is a non-story, and that Newsweek is simply looking to make headlines with headlines.

May 3, 2003

Believe it or not, I'm participating in today's Indianapolis Mini-Marathon... the nation's largest half-marathon, held annually the first weekend in May here in Indianapolis. Not to worry though... I'm not running. I'll be walking the 13.1 miles at a calm and cool 20 minute per mile pace. The Indianapolis Mini-Marathon is billed as the country's largest half-marathon, taking participants on a scenic 13.1-mile tour of downtown Indianapolis, and a unique lap around the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval (which accounts for 2.5 of the 13.1 miles). Like I said, wish me luck! CLICK HERE for more info on the race. My bib number is 18576 (which I purchased from someone who decided not to run the race), in case you're wondering.

UPDATE / UPDATE / UPDATE / UPDATE / UPDATE

It's 2:00 PM (or thereabouts), and I'm finally home after participating in the race. Here's how I did:

TIME: 4:01:18 (that's four hours and one minute)

PACE: 18:26 per mile

GENDER PLACEMENT: 10,565 out of 10,596

OVERALL PLACEMENT: 22,242 out of 23,000

Later today, after a power nap (or tomorrow morning, if I'm not feeling up to it tonight) I'll post more about the experience. For now all I have the might to say is that I'm glad I did it, but boy am I tired and sore.

May 2, 2003

Thanks to Christina, I took veteran Democratic consultant Victor Kamber's, and veteran Republican consultant Bradley O'Leary's USA Today Political Quiz. Click Here to take the quiz yourself, and please consider posting your results in the Comments area below (which is where I have posted my score).

According to an Associated Press report, a Colorado man amputated his own arm earlier this week after a 200-pound boulder fell on him while solo climbing in Blue John Canyon (Canyonlands National Park, Utah). For more on this story, click here. According to the AP, 27-year-old Aron Ralston of Aspen, Colorado, is in serious condition at a Grand Junction (CO) hospital.

May 1, 2003

Charly Heavenrich -- author, whitewater rafting guide, and motivational speaker -- needs your help. Charly recently launched a new website, and is now seeking comments on the site's design, flow, and overall visitor usability. Please visit Charly's Site today, and if you have any thoughts that you feel will improve upon the good work he and his designer have done, please e-mail Charly at CHeavnrich at AOL.com. By the way, Charly's new book -- "Grand Canyon: A Different View" -- is about to be released. Please click here for more information on this amazing new coffee table book.