Planet Seen Around Distant Sun

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Planet 'seen' around distant sun: "The European Southern Observatory group said the red image is the first direct shot of a planet around another star.

The planet, known as 2M1207B, is about five times the size of Jupiter and is orbiting at a distance nearly twice as far as Neptune is from our Sun.

The parent star and planet are more than 200 light-years away near the southern constellation of Hydra.

There has been a lot of competition among astronomers to secure the first direct picture of an exoplanet.

When the ESO group first released the picture last September there was doubt over whether the star and planet were gravitationally bound."

Florida: Pregnant 13yr Old Abortion Blocked

(2005-04-30) PALM BEACH, Fla. -- "A state court granted an injunction which prevents the girl from terminating her pregnancy.

She is three months pregnant and had planned to have an abortion on Tuesday of this week.

The American Civil Liberties Union says it will launch an urgent appeal against the ruling.

'Too young to choose'

Florida's department of children and families intervened and took the matter to court, arguing the teenager, who is under the care of the state, is too young and immature to make an informed medical decision. Judge Ronald Alvarez in Palm Beach accepted that argument and has granted a temporary injunction and psychological evaluation, which effectively blocks her from terminating the pregnancy.

It is a case which, once again, plays into the heated and divisive debate about abortion in America.

The judge's ruling comes in spite of Florida state law which specifically does not require a minor to seek parental consent before an abortion.

The American Civil Liberties Union 's executive director in Florida, Howard Simon, said forcing a 13-year-old to carry on an unwanted pregnancy to term, against her wishes, is not only illegal and unconstitutional, it is cruel."

We would love to know your thoughts on this decision?

Iraq's New Cabinet Formed

Iraq's new cabinet: "Three months of jockeying among Iraq's victorious Shiite and Kurdish parties have finally produced a Cabinet that won quick ratification from a legislature where those same parties dominate. The January election that began this process was inspiring. The months of petty haggling that followed were not, and while the formation of an elected Iraqi government is a historic moment, its makeup is far from ideal. Crucial choices have been needlessly delayed, and an incomparable opportunity for drawing patriotic Sunni Arabs away from the insurgency was largely squandered. Many Iraqis, particularly supporters of secularism, women's rights and national unity, will greet this government warily.

What will matter most is whether Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari can summon the vision and the strength to master his unruly coalition and start living up to voters' expectations. His initial broadcast to the Iraqi people was promising, but he faces a lot of obstacles." More...

Something in Common?

Now we are not sure what side of the political spectrum you are on, but you have to admit there is a similarity here! - zzb

Israel Gets Bunker Busters

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has authorized the sale of as many as 100 large bunker-buster bombs to Israel. One expert said the move should serve as a warning to Iranians with nuclear ambitions.

The proposed deal, worth as much as $30 million, would provide Israel with the capability to drop 5,000-pound bombs that can penetrate bunkers and other buried structures. The GBU-28 bombs can be dropped from Israel's American-made F-15 fighters.

Comment from lgf: Israel Gets Bunker Busters: "I love the smell of busted bunkers in the morning." - Cato the Elder / LGF

And now for your daily Random Fatwa, courtesy of "Ask the Imam":

Q. Sheikhs and my fellow students in my school think that having worldy knowledge is Jehad. In the light of Quran and hadith what do you say?

A. Jihaad literally means to sacrifice. Therefore, the Shaykhs opinion only in the literal sense is correct. The reward of that sacrifice depends on the good intention of the seeker of worldly knowledge, for example, contributing to the propagation of Islam. However, Jihaad includes physical and monetary sacrifice against the Kuffaar even to the extent of placing one's life at risk.

Generally, the Qur'aan and Ahaadith refers to the latter understanding of Jihaad.

[ The above quote from Islamic Imam Allah Ta'ala should leave no doubt about the intentions of Islamic Jihaad. ]

Mufti Ebrahim Desai FATWA DEPT.

And there you have it, friends, straight from the imam's mouth: 'Generally, the Koran etc. refers to the latter (i.e. KILLING INFIDELS) understanding of jihad.'

No more lies!" --- Cato the Elder / LGF

Any doubts about the intention of Tehran? Those "nuclear reactors" won't last to power one lightbulb. All 30 targets will be taken out in a matter of hours. Who really believes oil laden Iran really requires a nuclear reactor program to provide energy for it's people?... let's get real.

"I Punched Saddam in the Mouth"

(2005-04-13): "In a south-city Saint Louis Bread Co., a young auto mechanic named Samir puts down his coffee long enough to carefully eye the other patrons. Assured no one is paying him any mind, he lowers his voice to a guttural whisper, fidgets with the zipper on his black tracksuit and rubs his grease-stained fingers along a finely manicured goatee. Then, in a syncopated rhythm of street slang and accented English, he transports himself back in time to a bitter-cold December night in Iraq.

It had to have been the most sublime moment of his life. Samir tells how he arrived in Tikrit as an Arabic interpreter for United States Special Forces in late 2003, how he peered into a hidden bunker and heard a voice begging for mercy, how he reached into the darkness and pulled out Saddam Hussein.

'I was so angry,' says Samir, who immigrated to St. Louis eleven years ago after fleeing Iraq. 'I began cussing at him, calling him a motherfucker, a son-of-a-bitch -- you name it. I told him I was Shiite from the south and was part of the revolution against him in 1991. I said he murdered my uncles and cousins. He imprisoned my father.

'All these years of anger, I couldn't stop. I tried to say the worst things I could. I told him if he were a real man he would have killed himself. I asked him: 'Why are you living in that dirty little hole, you bastard? You are a rat. Your father is a rat.''

In Arabic, Saddam told Samir to shut up. And when Saddam called him a traitor, an enraged Samir silenced his prisoner with a flurry of quick jabs to the face.

'I punched Saddam in the mouth.'"

Samir's extravagant story is difficult to believe -- until he pulls out his laptop computer and rifles through the dozens of photographs he shot that night. There's the photo of Samir posed next to the bodyguard who will ultimately lead U.S. forces to Saddam. There's the photo of Samir standing behind the stack of $12 million in U.S. currency seized near Saddam's hideout. And there's the most riveting image of all: Samir kneeling behind the bruised and bloodied dictator just minutes after his inglorious capture. More... must read

What's your reaction to this interview of the interpreter soldier who pulled Sadam Hussein out of his rat hole? His relatives were killed by Saddam... he describes his emotions!

Going Down with the Ship

A380 - Super Jumbo Jet - EU Flop or Marvel?

"The Airbus A380 'superjumbo' touched down in the southern French city of Toulouse at 2:22 p.m. (1222 GMT) Wednesday after a flight of nearly four hours.

Nearly 30,000 spectators watched the double-decker plane take off and land.

The white jet with a blue tail carried six crew members and test equipment. The crew, dressed in bright orange overalls, waved happily when they threw open the door of the plane and descended the steps after landing."

Made by European company Airbus, the A380 is set to challenge the Boeing 747's long dominance of the jumbo jet market.

Airbus says dozens of airports are being updated to cope with the huge plane and extra passengers although its American rival Boeing says few are ready now.

The U.S. company also has embarked on a midsize long-range aircraft it is calling the 787 Dreamliner. Boeing is also looking at further modifying its aging 747 to take 450 passengers.

Boeing scored two victories this week in its trans-Atlantic battle with Airbus with announcements of major purchases by Air Canada and Air India.

More...

It will remain to be seen which mega aircraft manufacturer is right with their strategies. Boeing questions the demand and market for such a monstrosity.... developing instead the 777 and new Dreamliner... 787... with less disruption to airport infrastructure for accommodation... What's your view ... ? Will France and the EU succeed in it's quest for industrial innovation domination?

Man Locked Dead Mother In Freezer For 4 Years!

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- A man told police he kept his mother's corpse in a basement freezer for more than four years while he collected her Social Security checks, authorities said Monday. A body was found encased in ice, in a sitting position.

Philip Schuth, 52, told police his elderly mother, Edith, died of natural causes in August 2000, but that he didn't tell anyone because he was afraid police would blame him, according to documents filed in court Monday." More...

Zarqawi Surrounded in Ramadi; Computer Discovered

This could be it for Zargawi as special ops may have him trapped in Ramadi. One could only hope. news...

ABC News: Official: Zarqawi Eludes Capture; Computer Discovered: "ask Force 626 — the covert American military unit charged with finding Zarqawi — had troops in place to grab the fugitive, and mobile vehicle checkpoints had been established around the city's perimeter. Another U.S. official said predator drones were also in flight, tracking movements in and around the city.

A source who had been inside the Zarqawi network alerted the task force to the meeting. Officials deem the source 'extremely credible.'

The senior military official said that just before the meeting was scheduled, a car was pulled over as it approached a checkpoint.

'Zarqawi always has someone check the waters,' said the official.

A pickup truck about a half-mile behind the car then quickly turned around and headed in the opposite direction. Officials now believe Zarqawi was in the fleeing truck. U.S. teams began a chase, but when the truck was pulled over several miles later, Zarqawi was not inside.

Zarqawi's Computer Discovered

What the task force did find in the vehicle confirmed suspicions that Zarqawi had just escaped. The official said Zarqawi's computer and 80,000 euros (about $104,000 U.S.) were discovered in the truck.

Finding the computer, said the official, 'was a seminal event.' It had 'a very big hard drive,' the official said, and recent pictures of Zarqawi. The official said Zarqawi's driver and a bodyguard were taken into custody.

The senior military official said that they have since learned Zarqawi jumped out of the vehicle when it passed beneath an overpass, presumably to avoid detection from the air, and hid there before running to a safe house in Ramadi." More...

Let's hope our guys get this SOB before the week is out. - zzb

Iran Planning EMP Nuke ?

Is Iran testing a missile intended to carry an electromagnetic pulse weapon? WorldNetDaily's Joseph Farah says so: Iran plans to knock out U.S. with 1 nuclear bomb.

WorldNetDaily: Iran plans to knock out U.S. with 1 nuclear bomb: WASHINGTON -- Iran is not only covertly developing nuclear weapons, it is already testing ballistic missiles specifically designed to destroy America's technical infrastructure, effectively neutralizing the world's lone superpower, say U.S. intelligence sources, top scientists and western missile industry experts.

The radical Shiite regime has conducted successful tests to determine if its Shahab-3 ballistic missiles, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, can be detonated by a remote-control device while still in high-altitude flight.

Scientists, including President Reagan's top science adviser, William R. Graham, say there is no other explanation for such tests than preparation for the deployment of electromagnetic pulse weapons – even one of which could knock out America's critical electrical and technological infrastructure, effectively sending the continental U.S. back to the 19th century with a recovery time of months or years.

Iran will have that capability – at least theoretically – as soon as it has one nuclear bomb ready to arm such a missile. North Korea, a strategic ally of Iran, already boasts such capability. More...

The Most Holy Telecast

Scott Ott once again puts together another striking satire based on this past weekend's political antics. What will Sen. Bill Frisk think of next for a encore?

(2005-04-25) -- After the success of a nationwide event, dubbed 'Justice Sunday,' many conservative churches are considering the addition of a 'most holy telecast' from a political action group to the weekly Sunday morning order of worship.

'When I saw Sen. Bill Frist on that giant screen talking about Democrat efforts to block conservative judicial nominees, my thoughts were lifted to contemplate the mighty, sovereign God of the universe,' said one telecast worshiper in Kentucky. 'I think adding a political telecast to our regular worship service would enhance our knowledge of, and devotion to, the living God.'

Under the proposed new liturgy, circulated on Christian Internet forums, the call to worship, prayers and Bible preaching would be punctuated by periodic video clips on the big screen, during which famous Christian conservatives would exhort the faithful to write their legislators, contribute to the campaigns of 'Godly candidates' and pray for the electoral overthrow of 'Godless opponents.'

'The Most Holy Telecast will really punch up our worship,' said one unnamed mega-church pastor. 'Our people have become a bit bored with the standard preaching, praying, praising God and so on. And selfless sacrificial service to others often lacks the emotional power of a sweet political victory.'

Not to be outdone, the National Council of Churches, a coalition of progressive churches today announced plans to include a telecast in their own worship services.

The Jesse Jackson Satellite Sacrament will make it possible for the former civil rights leader to be omnipresent nationwide. A toll-free number will appear on the screen during the Jackson Sacrament, allowing worshipers with cell phones to call in a contribution to the Rainbow Coalition or the Democrat National Committee." - Scott Ott

Just what are your thoughts on this new sudden religious / political revival sweeping the country?

16 Candles

We thought this would go hand in hand with the previous post...

Earth Day Made of Rubber!

I received an eMail from a young person pleading a case for a post about the latest piece of insanity. Rubber mulch. Have we lost our senses? Why not pave the entire planet and put us all in rubber rooms too while we are at it?! That was my first reaction. Do we all want to live in a future world of complete artificialty?

Wait you say. It's recycled so it must be good for the environment. Well maybe it is not good for our mental health! Some will argue that this is a great idea, because its is all made from recycled rubber, tires and the like. We can play baseball, on astro-turf, so we should feel ok about using re-cycled tires as mulch in our gardens. I say... "Well then we might as well rip up our lawns and replace it with Astroturf synthetic grass while we are at it. In fact why bother with nature at all?... plant rubber trees and rubber shrubs too !!"

Have we all gone nuts??? Have we all lost our minds? How lazy and artificial we are becoming as a society! Where and when does it end? Sure it's recycled - so what.... but maybe it should be recycled into something that doesn't assault what should be our respect for the natural environment and it's beauty... Make new tires with this crap not shred it and sell it for mulch! Is there any respect at all left for anything natural? - zzb [Thanks to Meggit33 for the info blow]

To: ZZ News & Satire: The DuPont Corporation decided that RUBBER MULCH is a great way to make our backyard gardens healthy. DuPont has a great history of being a great friend to the environment. Wow, the product is so great that it almost sells itself. Well, maybe some credit is due to the hardworkers in the marketing department cause this product is certainly ridiculous. Who really wants a garden overrun with rubber trees? - Meggit33


Yes it's Rubber Mulch

The product you have been waiting for being exclusively sold in Lowes home centers.


Lowes complaint # 1-800 445 6937
letters to
Lowes Co..... Inc.
1605 Curtis Bridge Rd.
Wilkesboro, NC. 28697


Rubber mulch is a product of the Nonwoven Division of E.I Dupont

<-- Rubber Mulch! Good God.. It has come to this !!

Governator's Border Quip Sparks Praise in Neighbor States

"(2005-04-20) -- Governors of Arizona, Nevada and Oregon today praised California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's call to 'close the borders,' saying it would improve the security and living conditions of all citizens in their own states.

However, a spokesman for Gov. Schwarzenegger said he was speaking of the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada, not California's borders with neighboring states.

'We're grateful for Arnold's unilateral move to protect us from incursion by Californians,' the three governors said in a joint news release. 'Our porous borders have posed a grave threat to our states for too many years. The ideological degradation spawned by this influx has devastated our own local cultures.'

A spokesman for the local branch of the Minuteman Project said its patrols would continue to man border checkpoints looking for California license plates and 'backpackers in Birkenstocks.'" - Scott Ott

BlogXchange Contest Challenge! - The Finish Line!

On 4/15/05 I thought I would subject myself to a blog surfing contest. (Nothing like experiencing one first hand and pulling out all the stops in order to better write about it.)

First let me thank a few members of the BlogXchange membership who were absolutley relentless. Especially "hiddenwords". We exchanged 1st and 2nd places more than a few times during the seven days. Here is my short assessment and review:

If you are not obsessive compulsive, then blog traffic clicking contests are not for you. Trust me, seeing the same blogs over and over is akin to Chinese water torture. But it does have some interesting possibilities for the future with variations that the site designer is working on. Who knows maybe a quiz for credits based on what information was contained on some of the sites seen, over and over again? There is space and room for some creativity with all these services but BlogXchange is trying to be different.

Now you might think I am some sort of masochist to sit in front of a PC and click away providing little if any value to the blogosphere except collecting credits for the circulation of my own site. And you would be right. However the one thing I did want to try and accomplish was to set a high watermark challenge to other members or future members of BlogXchange to beat a high score. In fact I won't even participate in the next contest, just to see if anyone else has the stamina to go up against "hiddenwords". I nearly threw the towel in yesterday. I have my money on her !!!

So even though we finished first, here are some plugs for the rest of the folks that all gave it their best effort:

HAT TIP TO:

My nemesis during the entire contest!: HiddenWords

Also on my tail early on: Tonyo77
Ochemma
dsale
Inkserotica
slovatt
Sweet %3

Vatican Spins Off U.S. Catholic Church

ScrappleFace: Vatican Spins Off U.S. Catholic Church: "(2004-04-20) -- In one of his first official moves, Pope Benedict XVI today announced that the Vatican would 'spin off' the U.S. division of the Roman Catholic church, but retain a 49-percent stake in the new entity, called R.C. Lite.

The partial divestiture of its holy-owned subsidiary comes as a new CNN poll reveals that 74 percent of U.S. Catholics say they're more likely to follow their own conscience than the teachings of the church.

R.C. Lite will elect its own leader to the largely ceremonial post of New-World Pope. Thorny moral questions in the new religious sect will be decided by Internet polling, the results of which will provide non-binding guidance to church members.

To counter Pope Benedict's dogmatic conservatism, several church sources said America's leading Roman Catholic politician, Sen. John F. Kerry, D-MA, is considered a shoo-in for the New-World Papacy.

'We need a pope with nuanced ideas,' said one unnamed U.S. Bishop. 'He needs to be a uniter, not a divider. He can't be afraid to change his deeply-held convictions in light of shifting public opinion. He must be courageous enough to keep his beliefs separate from his behavior and decision making.'

If Mr. Kerry accepts the R.C. Lite leadership post, insiders say he will assume the name Benadryl XIII." --- Scott Ott

Officer on Toilet Accidentally Fires Gun

"SAN ANTONIO - This is one story they'll be telling around the San Antonio Police Department for a long time. An off-duty officer was at a San Antonio auto auction house yesterday when nature called, a police spokesman said.

Officer Craig Clancy strolled to the appropriate facility and was lowering his trousers when his pistol fell from his waistband. When Clancy fumbled for the falling firearm, it went off, twice.

One of the bullets nicked a bit of floor tile into the leg of a man who was washing his hands nearby. That man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment."

New Pope Elected - Pope Benedict XVI

A new Pope was just annouced at about 16:42 GMT..... From Germany. He has taken on the name of Pope Benedict XVI ( the 16th ). Addressing the crowd at St. Peter's square as this is being written.

Joseph Ratzinger of Germany has been elected the 265th pontiff today by the College of Cardinals. He was announced as tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square. He has chosen the name Benedict XVI, the Vatican announced. The announcement came shortly after white smoke rose from the Vatican chimney and bells rang to announce that a new pope had been selected. - CNN

Long live the new Pope. We hope his message of peace does not fall on deaf ears !!

Ann Coulter Adorns Time Magazine Cover

Some call her the goddess of the Right. Her name is Ann Coulter and she is one of the most despised conservative pundits on prime time. Watch for her likeness on the cover of Time Magazine of all places next week.

Ann Coulter epitomizes the way politics is now discussed on the airwaves, where opinions must come violently fast and cause as much friction as possible, TIME's John Cloud claims in this week's cover story.

No one, right or left, delivers the required apothegmatic commentary on the world with as much glee or effectiveness as Coulter, Cloud writes (on newsstands Monday, April 18).

It is almost impossible to watch her and not be sluiced into rage or elation, depending on your views. As a congressional staff member 10 years ago, Coulter used to help write the nation?s laws.

Now she is far more powerful: she helps set the nation's tone. TIME's Cloud had unprecedented access to Coulter.

He goes more than 6,000 words.

And he appears to come away liking her.

"On TV or in person, you can trust that Coulter will speak from her heart. The officialdom of punditry, so full of phonies and dullards, would suffer without her humor and fire. Which is not to say you don't want to shut her up occasionally," Cloud notes. - Drudge

Developing...

Anti Japaneese Protests In China

Tax Day!

Chirac Supports Iranian Nuke Development ?

Yep --- It's your favorite EU leader supporting Iran's enrichment program today. You heard right !

Reuters AlertNet - Chirac pushes EU to drop hard line on Iran-diplomats: "VIENNA, April 13 (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac has been pushing the EU to drop its refusal to consider letting Iran enrich uranium, despite U.S. and European fears Iran could use enrichment technology for weapons, EU diplomats say.

Sharing U.S. suspicions that Iran may have atom bomb ambitions, the European Union's three biggest powers -- France, Britain and Germany -- have demanded Iran give up its nuclear fuel programme in exchange for economic and political benefits.

Iran says it has no interest in the bomb and wants nuclear power plants to meet booming demand for electricity. Tehran has frozen its enrichment programme, but refuses to permanently give up what it sees as a sovereign right to produce low-enriched uranium fuel for its nuclear power programme.

The Iran-EU talks had been deadlocked over the issue of 'objective guarantees' that Iran's atomic programme will not be used to make weapons, with the Europeans insisting that the only acceptable guarantee was a permanent cessation of enrichment.

But the talks took a new turn last month when negotiators from the EU's 'big three' (EU3) and the office of EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana agreed in Paris to consider an Iranian proposal that it keep a small-scale enrichment programme that would be closely monitored by the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

Several diplomats said this shift -- which came just after Washington bolstered the EU position by offering its own incentives if Tehran scrapped enrichment -- was mainly the result of pressure by Chirac, who pushed the French Foreign Ministry to drop its refusal to consider Iran's plan.

'Jacques Chirac ... is the one who's taking the Iranian proposal under consideration,' said an EU3 diplomat, adding the French president had the final say on foreign policy matters."

Winding down Iraq... winding up Iran?? There is also speculation attributed to two prominent visits by Donald Rumsfelf to Azerbaijan that the US is building an alliance with the former Soviet republic in order to secure air base rights. Could this be the makings of an impressive strategy for containment around the Iranian Islamic Republic?
Meanwhile Sharon says Israel will not attack Iran, he is in the same breath asking the US to pressure Iran. Surely a few bases in Azerbaijan might be just what the doctor ordered. We may begin drawing troops down in Iraq within two years, but who said they would be leaving the Middle East?

So just where does our old, very old, ally France, really stand on the issue of WMD proliferation? Or should we say hide? So far they appear to be making their choice obvious. -- ZZB

American Civilian - Jeffery Ake - Held Hostage in Iraq - April 13, 2005

WNDU-TV: Story: LaPorte man held hostage in Iraq - April 13, 2005: "The Al-Jazeera network has aired videotape of a hostage who said he is the American who was kidnapped Monday while working on a water treatment plant near Baghdad.

A US Embassy official said the video identifies the man as 47-year-old Jeffery Ake, a LaPorte man who works for a company out of Rolling Prairie, Indiana. Ake is president of Equipment Express of Rolling Prairie. " More...
And from Aljezeera directly...
Appearing in the tape aired by Aljazeera two days after his abduction, the American also urged US forces to pull out of Iraq.

Aljazeera said the statements appeared to have been made made under abnormal circumstances.

The US embassy spokesman in Baghdad - Bob Callahan - confirmed the captive's name as Jeffrey Ake and that the pictures seemed to be consistent with his appearance, but declined to give further details.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction. More...

A Toast To Tom Delay

A Royal Wedding

Israel Provides Iran Nuke Photos to US

Khaleej Times Online: "JERUSALEM - Ariel Sharon?s military attache presented aerial photos of Iranian nuclear installations during the Israeli prime minister?s summit with US President George W. Bush, Israeli public radio reported on Tuesday.

General Yoav Gallan, who accompanied Sharon to Monday?s talks at Bush?s Texas ranch, presented the photos as well as information gathered by the Israeli intelligence services on Teheran?s nuclear programme.

The radio, which did not give details on how the photos were taken, said the images proved that the Iranian nuclear programme was at a ?very advanced? stage.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan confirmed the two leaders had ?talked about their shared concern about Iran?s intentions with their nuclear programme? but denied they had discussed the possibility of a preemptive military strike by Israel, aimed at ensuring Iran does not acquire atomic weapons.

The United States and Israel have both accused Iran of using its atomic energy programme as cover for a plan to develop nuclear arms, a charge denied by Teheran, which says it needs nuclear power as an alternative energy source.

Israel itself has never publicly acknowledged that it maintains a nuclear arsenal but foreign experts say it has between 100 and 200 nuclear warheads." More...

What do YOU think should be done about the Iranian nuclear program ?

Aljazeera.Net - Bush: New Iraq Message to Region

Comments from Aljazeera on today's speech by President Bush were muted. The majority of the article was a recounting of key elements of the President's speech to the military at a base in the U.S. today.

Aljazeera.Net - Bush: New Iraq message to region: [ End of speech AlJazeera editorializing ] "'.....From the beginning, our goal in Iraq has been to promote Iraqi independence,' said Bush, whose central case for war was that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction and could pass them to terrorists.

No such weapons have been found, an official commission called the pre-war intelligence 'dead wrong,' and Bush has shifted his argument to the campaign to make Iraq a democratic model for the Middle East."

That was the extent of the editorialization. Hmmm. What are YOUR thoughts ?

Hillary in the Raw !

Here is a story hitting the wires that might spawn a mushroon cloud on it's own accord...

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005�: "A book battle has broken out on Publisher's Row over the ultimate Hillary-attack!

The project being billed as 'Hillary in the Raw', like you've never seen her before, is set to drop in September by liberal Ed Klein, former NYT MAGAZINE editor, VANITY FAIR, PARADE contributor and author of multiple works on the Kennedys.

'The revelations in it should sink her candidacy,' a source close to Klein warns the DRUDGE REPORT.

MORE

Last week, Clinton stalwart Ann Lewis fired off an email to supporters warning of the 'Swift Boat' tactics coming against the former first lady turned senator.

Now the coming sales pitch for ' THE TRUTH ABOUT HILLARY What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She?ll Go to Become President' reads: 'Just as the swift boat veterans convinced millions of voters that John Kerry lacked the character to be president, Klein?s book will influence everyone who is sizing up the character of Hillary Clinton...

'Despite more than a dozen years in the national spotlight and more than a dozen unauthorized books about her, she has managed to keep many secrets from the public -- especially about her turbulent marriage and its impact on her career. There have been plenty of rumors about what Hillary and Bill Clinton did behind closed doors, but never a definitive book that exposes the truth. Bestselling author Edward Klein draws on rare access to inside sources to reveal what Hillary knew and when she knew it during her years as first lady. Klein?s book, embargoed until publication, will break news about the choices and calculations she has made over the years.'

MORE

A fight has developed over the book inside the giant publishing house PENGUIN, sources tell DRUDGE.

A publishing source attending the PENGUIN sales conference last week in Connecticut describes high emotions surrounding the coming publication of 'THE TRUTH ABOUT HILLARY.'

There has been a bitter and hostile reaction to the book among top PENGUIN editors " - Matt Drudge

Breaking News.. Al Lucas Fatally Injured

Significant spinal cord injuries take the life of former NFL player who has been playing Arena football off season.

ESPN.com - ARENA - Ex-Panther dies from injuries playing Arena: "LOS ANGELES -- Former NFL defensive lineman Al Lucas died Sunday from a presumed spinal cord injury sustained while trying to make a tackle for the Los Angeles Avengers during an Arena Football League game, the team said.

Lucas was taken to California Hospital and all attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, team physician Dr. Luga Podesta said in a statement.

Members of the team were prohibited from speaking to the media after the game. A call to a California Hospital spokesman was not returned."

Japan calls for apology from China over riots

Tension growing between China and Japan -- Like we don't have enough world unrest...

FT.com / World / Asia-Pacific - Japan calls for apology from China over riots: "Tokyo on Sunday demanded that Beijing apologise and offer compensation for damage to its embassy and ambassador's residence after they were stoned on Saturday by anti-Japanese protesters during the biggest demonstrations in the Chinese capital in years.

Protests against recent revisions to a Japanese history textbook and Tokyo's efforts to win a seat on the UN Security Council also took place in southern China on Sunday, where thousands of people encircled a Japanese consulate and shopping centre." More...

So what's the deal here? Are these two getting ready to go at it ??

Spammer Gets Nine Years

A Loudoun County Circuit Judge sentenced Jeremy Jaynes, who was
convicted of sending unsolicited emails, to nine years in prison in
the nation's first felony prosecution resulting from a spam-related
case.

However, according to ABCNews, the sentence is being delayed while
Jaynes appeals the court's ruling. The article goes on to say:

Judge Thomas Horne said that because the law targeting bulk e-mail
distribution is new and raises constitutional questions, it was
appropriate to defer the prison time until appeals courts rule.

Jaynes, who was convicted in November, was found guilty of send
massive amounts of spam, which offered bogus products. One such
product was a non-existent "FedEx refund processor." - ABC News

A Court Gone Insane!

The 9th Circuit Court has now ruled that threatening to assassinate the President of the United States is protected speech under the First Amendment.

(SAN FRANCISCO) A federal appeals court Friday overturned an inmate's conviction for writing a crude, rambling letter endorsing President Bush's death at the hands of terrorists two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The letter from Oregon State Penitentiary prisoner Jonathan Lincoln, who was charged with threatening the president and given an 18-month sentence last year, read, in part: "You will die too George W Bush real Soon they Promised That you would Long Live Bin Laden."

Corrections officials intercepted the letter; Lincoln had been serving a 46-month sentence for robbery.

A unanimous three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the letter was protected under the First Amendment, calling it "Lincoln's crude and offensive method of stating a political opposition to the president." The court noted "such political hyperbole does not constitute a threat."

Give us your suggestion of what would !

A Picture of Contradictions

ScrappleFace: Bush Sends Carter to Monitor Pope's Peace

ScrappleFace: Bush Sends Carter to Monitor Pope's Peace: (2005-04-08) -- In an effort to atone for his failure to include former President Jimmy Carter in the official U.S. papal funeral delegation, President George Bush announced today that Mr. Carter would head a contingent of monitors tasked with assuring that the pope rests in peace.

'Although President Carter's previous peacemaking and peacekeeping efforts may not have achieved the desired longterm results,' said White House spokesman Scott McClellan, 'we believe he has a high probability of success given the pope's current position.'

The White House also said it would reserve a seat on any future Air Force One flights to Vatican City funerals for Mr. Carter, 'because he didn't get to go to the two papal funerals which happened during his own presidency.'"

Good one Scott.. So why didn't he attend the funerals of the two Popes (Pope John Paul I and Pope Paul VI) who died during his administration? He had the opportunity to be first. Or did he think it was not PC at the time... hmmm. Maybe he can can do a better job of "Peace Monitoring" than he did at freeing the Iranian Hostages in 1979.

GM's Responds to Microsoft

We recieved this in an eMail this morning.....

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on. At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

Share this with your friends who love - but sometimes hate - their computer and the braintrust in Seattle. -- ZZB

Now Subscribe to ZZ News and Satire - Free with Bloglines!

Wondering what the heck Bloglines are?

It's a free service that allows you to review all your favorite blogs that carry an RSS feed such as ours (and likely yours as well!). Some folks have asked us if there was a way to subscribe to ZZ News and Satire.

Well you can subscribe to us with Bloglines and get direct notifications on your PC when we update a post, sent right to your PC for free. Our RSS feed is http://zardozz.com/zz/atom.xml . If you click on this link your browser will give you some idea what an RSS feed looks like! All you need to do is insert our RSS feed link above where asked. Alternatively if you load the java applets, any site you surf to, that you like, can be checked automatically to see if it has an active RSS feed. You can then add it to your list. It's that simple! If you use FireFox... there is an extension, Sage , which is also very good, simple, and worth trying. There are many others, NewsGator etc... Vistors here can post a comment and give their testimonials to the one's they prefer.

Bloglines and other RSS "aggregators" provide you a "one stop shopping" approach for viewing all your favorite sites in one very organized way without having to surf EACH one! You bookmark the URL and after it is configurated with your favorite sites, you will see short previews from each recent post. The software for these are services are very easy to use. No special programming skills are needed. If you have not discovered these services yet, you will be glad you did and were confident you'll thanks us for turning you on to them.

Bloglines may be the most comprehensive, integrated service for searching, subscribing, publishing and sharing news feeds, blogs, and rich Web content. There are others out there but if you enjoy blogging you can't live without this one! We highly recommend it and have been using RSS for several years. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by... Hope this is a good tip for those of you that were wondering about RSS and site aggregators. Google the topic and learn !!!
Let us know if you decide to subscribe to us via BlogLines by leaving a comment on this post. Cheers...

Digital Pin Up Art - Just a Taste - Tell Us What you Think

We came across one of the most interesting galleries of "Digital Pin Ups" on the web. It's the modern day electronic version of B-29 "nose art" and the pinups from the 40's and 50's ala Vargas and the Vargas Girls. The artist, Rion Vernon, is very gifted and his site is extremely well designed and interesting -- the eye candy not with standing! Stop over there, we think you will enjoy his sexy artwork regardless of your gender! Take a look and provide some feedback of your own back here that we'll quote and give you credit for in an upcoming article in BlogCritics.

Provide your critique here !! We will pass feedback along to BlogCritics in a forthcoming review on "Pin Up Art on the Web". - ZZB

Bush Disses Carter

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005�: "BUSH PASSED OVER CARTER IN POPE FUNERAL PICK

President Bush selected his father and Bill Clinton over Jimmy Carter for the official delegation attending the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the Carter Center claimed Late Tuesday.

'President Carter expressed to the White House a desire to attend the Pope's funeral,' an official said.

Carter 'was informed that the official delegation would be limited to just five people, and there were also others who were eager to attend.' " More...

Anyone surprised?

The Signs of Spring

You ain't seen nothin' yet! ... Just wait till June!

Outsourcing the President's Daily Briefings

Scott Ott's recent commentary on the White House efforts to close the gap in the President's Daily "intelligence" Briefings (PDBs) drives home the paradox between intelligence gathering and mainstream media reporting. He suggests that perhaps a strategy of outsourcing unbiased intelligence gathering, a clear core competency found only in the world's most esteemed objective media outlets, might be the way to go.

ScrappleFace Satire: President's Daily Brief Outsourced to News Networks: "(2005-04-03) -- After harsh criticism of the President's Daily Brief (PDB) this week by the panel investigating America's WMD intelligence, the White House today announced it would outsource PDB preparation to a coalition of major news organizations, including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CBS, ABC and several big-city newspapers.

The WMD panel's report derided the CIA-compiled PDB for its sensational headlines, lack of context, failure to acknowledge unreliability of sources, lack of dissenting views and an underlying effort to 'sell' the president on a preexisting agenda despite the facts, or lack thereof.

The new daily brief -- dubbed the MSCNABSFOXNYLATWP-PDB -- according to White House spokesman Trent Duffy, will consist of straight factual news, in context, with conjecture and opinion clearly labeled as such and minority opinions granted due weight based on carefully-researched evidence.

'The news networks will bring to the White House a certain humility and objectivity that's lacking in the CIA,' said Mr. Duffy. 'We're going to give the president the same kind of unvarnished truth, in an unbiased package, that American news consumers have enjoyed for years.'" - Scott Ott/ScrappleFace

Perhaps a consortium of objective unbiased "intelligence" straight from the editorial desks of the Washington Post and NYT might actually be preferred. The world awaits with baited breath. In particular Iran and North Korea. - ZZB / ZZ News & Satire

Terri Schiavo's Body is Cremated

The "World's Most Covered Family Feud" might actually make it to page 2 in the mainstream meadia for the next few weeks thanks to the actvities in Rome.

BBC NEWS: "The body of the brain-damaged US woman at the heart of a long legal dispute has been cremated.

Terri Schiavo died in Florida on Thursday, 13 days after a feeding tube keeping her alive was disconnected." More...

Expect the Schindlers to draw more media attention in the coming weeks. Quite frankly however most people we talk to feel they have had enough saturation of death and dying to last a lifetime! -- ZZB

Tax Day!

It's April 2nd... Do you know where your W2's are??

Pope John Paul II - Welcome My Good and Faithful Servant

(Vatican 01JAN2004): "My words are addressed to you, the Leaders of the nations, who have the duty of promoting peace!

To you, Jurists, committed to tracing paths to peaceful agreement, preparing conventions and treaties which strengthen international legality!

To you, Teachers of the young, who on all continents work tirelessly to form consciences in the ways of understanding and dialogue!

And to you too, men and women tempted to turn to the unacceptable means of terrorism and thus compromise at its root the very cause for which you are fighting!

All of you, hear the humble appeal of the Successor of Peter who cries out: today too, at the beginning of the New Year 2004, peace remains possible. And if peace is possible, it is also a duty! - Pope John Paul II / 2004

If he seems disgusted with the human condition it's probably because he is... Thought this photo said it all... coupled with his plea on Jan 1, 2004. -- ZZB