Things I’ve Seen

Is it possible that anyone could see this advert and still vote for Bush? Sadly, I suspect it is. But if you can donate to get it on the air, please, go and do so.

Real Voices will sponsor a national television advertising campaign featuring the voices and stories of military families who lost loved ones in Iraq. In “A Mother’s Tears”, Cindy Sheehan of California talks about her son Casey and speaks out against the President and the lies that led to the war in Iraq.

This is interesting - and not really very suprising - Kerry supporters are more accurate in their knowledge of President Bush’s foreign policy positions than his own supporters are.

As the nation prepares to watch the presidential candidates debate foreign policy issues, a new PIPA-Knowledge Networks poll finds that Americans who plan to vote for President Bush have many incorrect assumptions about his foreign policy positions. Kerry supporters, on the other hand, are largely accurate in their assessments. The uncommitted also tend to misperceive Bush’s positions, though to a smaller extent than Bush supporters

As President Clinton said,

When people think, we win; when they stop thinking, they win.

With Billmon gone from the world of blogging, I’ve been looking for other bloggers who really know how to write. Hunter (whose ‘blog’ is a diary at Kos) is a candidate…

When you said, in front of a worldwide and attentive audience, about Osama bin Laden, “I don’t know where he is. I truly am not that concerned about him,” it was a mere six months and two days after September 11th. The gaping hole in New York City still smelled of catastrophe, when you spoke those very words. I assumed that they were for domestic consumption, directed simply at Americans like me, or perhaps some sort of reverse psychology directed at bin Laden, or other terrorist groups; it was only later, when reports showed that the forces within Afghanistan most involved in searching for al Qaeda were indeed being pulled from the hunt during that very time, in preparation for action in Iraq, that I realized you were simply being blunt and truthful in your words. You truly didn’t know. And you truly, apparently, didn’t care.

Mr. President, I have often — no, strike that — I have constantly marveled, and been utterly perplexed by, the timeframe of the move from Afghanistan to Iraq. I cannot explain it; I cannot justify it; I cannot see the other side of the argument.

GeorgeSoros.com

George Soros, the billionaire investor and philanthropist, is beginning a nationwide tour this week to talk about how the war in Iraq is making America less safe — and why President Bush should not be re-elected.

He’s also about to launch a blog. You can download the speech and a chapter from his book on his website.
Read the rest of this entry »

Virgin to Offer Space Flights

Richard Branson, owner of the Virgin Group, announced on Monday that he would offer travelers the chance to go to the edge of space beginning in 2007, for $190,000 a ticket.

For a long time I’ve argued that the best thing about Tony Blair is that he can win elections so Gordon Brown can be Chancellor. This seems to be a powerful illustration

Britain has announced it is ready to write off a substantial portion of debt owed by the world’s poorest countries.

Britain’s Finance Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, has told a meeting of fair-trade activists in the southern city of Brighton, that the Government will cancel interest worth around $250 million a year.

For those of you(us) who are proud to be geeks…

Science Groove

And you thought ‘I am a nerd’ alla Paul Simon was special!

Headlines from the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count

09/26/04 dailytimes: 23 killed in Iraq violence

09/26/04 KUNA: US soldiers, Iraqis wounded in twin car bomb explosion near Fallujah

09/26/04 AP: Two car bombs detonate in Iraq

09/26/04 Reuters: Iraq Now World’s Most Hostile Environment

09/26/04 AP: Iraqi General Arrested

09/26/04 AP: Explosions Rock Baghdad

09/26/04 AP: Rocket Hits Baghdad Street, Killing One

09/26/04 AP: 6 National Guard applicants Killed in Baghdad

09/26/04 AP: U.S. hits Fallujah, kills 16

09/26/04 LATimes: Soldier gets 25 years for killing Iraqi

09/26/04 clevelandbanner: Troops leave for California; Iraq trip looms

09/26/04 AFP: Petrol tanker convoy attacked

09/26/04 DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

Even Colin Powell thinks things are getting worse:

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said yesterday that the insurgency in Iraq is getting worse and that the US occupation there has increased anti-American sentiment in Muslim countries

But in Bush’s fantasy world, things are getting better

Mr. Prime Minister, you’ve accomplished a great deal in less than the three months since the transition to a free Iraq that is governed by Iraqis. These have been months of steady progress
…we’ll never be intimidated. And freedom is winning.
…We’re making steady progress in implementing our five-step plan toward the goal we all want, completing the mission so that Iraq is stable and self-governing
…I saw a poll that said the right track/wrong track in Iraq was better than here in America. It’s pretty darn strong. I mean, the people see a better future.

Chris, of Tedious Soporific has moved off blogger and onto his own domain, brainsnorkel.com

1. URLs should be memorable
2. URLs should not require unique or difficult spelling
3. URLs should be a reasonably accurate representation of their content

2 out of 3 ain’t bad.