Thanks JS!
posted by Kevin at 7:05 PM

The Italian journalist kidnapped in Iraq arrived back in Rome yesterday as fury and confusion grew over the circumstances in which she was shot and one of her rescuers was killed by American soldiers.

The shooting in Iraq on Friday evening, which occurred as Giuliana Sgrena was being driven to freedom after being released by her captors, was fuelling anti-war activists in Italy and putting pressure on Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

'The hardest moment was when I saw the person who had saved me die in my arms,' she said. Her poignant words and weak, haggard appearance as she had to be helped from the jet that brought her back from Baghdad are fuelling national rage.

Berlusconi, a staunch ally of the US who defied widespread public opposition to the Iraq war and sent 3,000 troops, took the rare step of summoning US ambassador Mel Sembler to his office.

He demanded that the US 'leave no stone unturned' in investigating the incident. President George Bush called Berlusconi to promise a full investigation.

Sgrena, 56, a journalist for the Communist newspaper Il Manifesto, was hit in the shoulder when US soldiers opened fire on the car she was travelling in as it approached a checkpoint less than a mile from Baghdad airport. The Italian secret service officer who had negotiated her release was killed as he shielded her from the gunfire. Two of his colleagues were also hurt.
posted by Kevin at 6:50 PM

Nope, this isn't a joke. In addition to Wells Fargo being able to, "update and add services," it's just a matter of time before attackers will be able to execute the code of their choice on these systems.

Maybe we will see convenient "Banking" editions of BackOrifice and SubSeven with "Make Deposit" and "Make Withdrawal" commands. Feature requests might include an "Orders of Magnitude" option to quickly add sets of zeros to transaction amounts. For example, enter "15" and "$15,000" or "$150,000" will automatically appear. A "Write Zeros to Disk" command might come in handy when the machine has run out of cash. Other "users" might wish to initiate a net install of their favorite Linux distribution. Set the thing up as an anonymous web proxy. Install an open SMTP server. Just collect account information for thousands of people and periodically phone it home somewhere... Whatever. Oh yeah, my guess is that we can't even begin to imagine how these systems will be compromised. Surely, some freaks will hold a contest to see who can get BSD installed on one of those systems first. HAHAHAHA! Oh yeah, will the new systems include a pop-up killer? HAHAHAHA!

You really have to wonder if Wells Fargo will do what it takes to secure something like this on a TCP/IP based network, or if they're going to take shortcuts. On the one hand, I can visualize how they could PROBABLY do it, but my guess is that the ignoramus PHB in charge of this project will make a series of catastrophic miscalculations, mostly due to unimaginable ignorance of the subject at hand, but partially in an attempt to make himself look good by speeding up the project and lowering its cost... The engineers will shake their heads, warn of impending doom and follow the PHB's orders straight into oblivion.

The fact that a Windows product is being used in this capacity clearly indicates that the wheels have already come off the cart. It's one thing to make B Gates look stupid with spyware and worms routinely ravaging systems. But if some freaks make off with loads of cash due to this nonsense... Maybe kids, not old enough to drive cars, will be videotaped leaving the scenes of "unauthorized cash withdrawals" on bicycles. Oh man, I'll just get my easy chair and my bucket of popcorn ready. It's going to be an entertaining and weird show to watch:

Wells Fargo & Co. announced this week that it has completed a five-year project to Web-enable its 6,200 ATMs in 23 states. The Windows-based infrastructure is designed to allow Wells Fargo to update and add services such as new languages and envelope-free deposits to its entire network remotely.

The San Francisco-based bank said it also installed more than 3,000 online stations in nearly all of its 6,046 branch locations. The WebATM machines and online stations are part of the company's strategy to integrate all channels -- stores, phone, ATM and Internet.
posted by Kevin at 5:09 PM

Italians should tar and feather that fascist pig Berlusconi for this:

American forces fired on a car carrying a freed Italian hostage as it approached a checkpoint in Baghdad on Friday, killing an Italian intelligence officer and wounding three others, including the just-released journalist, Italian officials said.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, an ally of the United States who has kept troops in Iraq despite public opposition at home, demanded an explanation from the U.S. ambassador, Mel Sembler.
posted by Kevin at 3:48 PM

Gasoline prices could rocket 24 cents a gallon the next few days, as stations across the USA scramble to keep up with big jumps in the prices of oil and wholesale gas, a veteran energy-price analyst forecast Thursday.

"It's going to be brutal, horrendous," says Peter Beutel, president of energy-price tracker Cameron Hanover. He has followed energy markets for nearly three decades.
posted by Kevin at 10:35 AM

IMPORTANT NOTE: I'm moving to New Zealand soon and since The Limu Company has no distribution presence in New Zealand, I will no longer be able to receive the product. While I still think the product is excellent, I will no longer be a distributor. If you read what follows and would like more information, I would refer you to my brother, George and his wife Donna. Limu is, quite literally, their life. They know everything there is to know about the product and the business.

- - - - - - - - - -

A few weeks ago, my brother asked me to travel to Dallas, Texas with him to video tape and photograph people who were attending a convention for a Limu Moui product.

A liquid nutritional supplement is made from seaweed harvested from the island nation of Tonga, in the South Pacific. An extract is bottled and sold by a company called The Limu Company.

I knew George, my brother, had been involved with Limu Moui for a few years. I'd read about it and, in all honesty, it just seemed like an expensive nutritional supplement to me. I assumed that there was a cheaper alternative available in normal retail channels and left it at that.

Fine. Whatever. For someone with no money, what my brother offered to pay me seemed like quite a lot, so I packed my bags and my camera gear. I was off to Dallas, Texas.

The first night in Dallas was about what one would expect from any convention centered around any product or service. Hundreds of people gather together to whip themselves up into a frenzy, etc. Yep, sure enough, these Limu people were all fired up. They were raving about Limu. They were wearing pins and T-shirts with Limu slogans. I'd had an abortive brush with the real estate industry, and this felt pretty much the same, minus the real estate.

Hey, if they liked the stuff, fine. Great. More power to them. I was being paid to take photographs and shoot video.

One of the tasks I'd been assigned was to shoot video testimonials of people who had been taking the product. All I was concerned with was getting professional looking and sounding results. It could have been Limu, life insurance or liposuction. Whatever. Again, I was just there to do a job.

I had people sit down in front of the lights and the camera. I hooked the microphone up to them and asked them to start talking about their experiences with Limu Moui.

People started talking about very serious pain, debilitating, intractable conditions, the failure of conventional medicine, the failure of alternative medicine. I think I'd taped two testimonials before it dawned on me: these people were saying that their situations were greatly improved by taking the Limu product. By the third interview, I was paying closer attention to what the people were saying, rather than just making sure they were in focus and the audio quality was OK.

In case you don't know, I've been involved with alternative medicine for several years. I'm open to a lot of things, and the way I know something works is when I try it myself and get results. I know that alternative medicine mostly doesn't work for people. There's a lot of hit and miss. I also know all about the medical industrial complex. The main problem with conventional medicine is that, if the disease doesn't kill you, the "cure" just might.

People were taking Limu and getting results. It was that simple. These were people from all over the United States, from all walks of life. As I was shooting the video, I was thinking, "Are these people nuts? Why would they get in front of a camera to talk about something like this?"

The answer is pretty simple. Limu is real. It works. They want to share their stories with other people so they might also experience the benefits of taking Limu.

The next day, The Company company gave away a free bottle of Limu to everyone who attended the convention. I have to admit, after hearing all of the testimonials, and seeing the hype, I was curious to try this green stuff myself.

My brother started passing large amounts of it around, and I tried a few swigs. (I tucked my bottle neatly away in my suitcase.)

The only thing I noticed, at first, was that I acquired an insatiable thirst and my head started to hurt. Hmmm...

I started to discuss what was happening with my sister in law, a medical doctor (yes, a conventional medical doctor, M.D.) with over twenty years of experience---and a Limu distributor. She works with my brother. Limu is their full time business. Donna, my sister in law, is still practicing medicine, part time.

Flu like symptoms are a sign of detoxification, I learned. "Lower the amount of Limu, if the detox effects are too uncomfortable, and drink more water," I was told. "Or, you can just wait until it passes, which generally takes from two to three days."

This got my attention. This stuff did something to me. I noticed that something was different after I took it: my head hurt, I had to urinate a lot and I wanted more water than I could pour down my throat. I've taken A LOT of alternative health products, supplements, vitamins, herbs, etc. Most of it doesn't do much, overtly, anyway. This was different.

I flew back to California with that bottle of Limu burning a hole in my suitcase. I went over to my girlfriend's house with the bottle, cracked open the seal, and offered to share it with her. Being the adventurous and beautiful Kiwi that she is, she was happy to try it.

I didn't start out with the intention of discussing my own crusty issues, but I'm going to:

Anyone who knows me knows that I usually sleep during the day. Always have. Look at the posts over the last few years on Cryptogon. Most of the time stamps are from 12am to 7am in the morning. Left to my own devices, I stay up all night. I like the night. It's quiet. I can concentrate. Networks are faster, etc. Standard nerd things. When I have to serve a PHB, I stay up until 4am, get a few hours of sleep, and then feel tired most of the day. This was "normal" for me.

Have you noticed anything about the posts on Cryptogon lately? Look at the times. I sleep at night now. I start to get tired at about 10 or 11pm and I wake up at 7am. Thanks to Limu.

I've had eczema on my face for about the last ten years. A dermatologist prescribed a cortisone based cream and told me there was nothing else that could be done. I never used that garbage. I found some relief from taking large doses of vitamin C (3 to 5 grams minimum per day). After I started taking the Limu, my eczema was gone. Thanks Limu.

I've had pretty severe dandruff most of my life. I've tried dozens of shampoos, oils, unguents, etc. Nothing helped. Recently, I realized that using vinegar (yep, vinegar) on the scalp helps a lot. (Never mind the fact that one tends to smell a bit like a pickle after this treatment, even after showering.) Guess what works better for me? That's right, after drinking two ounces of Limu per day for a week, the itching and flaky crustiness disappeared. Thanks Limu.

Digestion and elimination issues. I don't want to get graphic.... Good results there as well. Thanks Limu.

You're probably wondering: Is Limu a cure for ________? <--- Fill in the blank with the disease of your choice. No. Limu Moui is a food. Making medical claims about any product that has not been been approved by the FDA is a serious crime.

The Limu product is a seaweed extract that contains a naturally occuring mix of amino acids, essential fatty acids, polyphenols, glyconutrients and, most importantly, high levels of fucoidan.

There are over 600 studies on fucoidan referenced in the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Type fucoidan into the PubMed database to read about the scientific research that is centered around this incredible substance.

If you're not adept at molecular biology, most of those studies might not be very meaningful. But I'll tell you something that's much easier to understand: Take the product. Share the product with other people. Observe the results.

I could sit here and write about how I have personally witnessed things that are incredible; things that, if I conveyed them to you, having not tried Limu yourself, you would never believe. I don't want to do that, simply because it sounds nuts. When I tell the stories, they sound nuts, even to me, and I've witnessed them. Let is suffice to say that other peoples' stories about Limu are MUCH more impressive than my results of being able to get a good night's sleep and clearing up some bothersome crust. You have to take responsibility for your own health. You have to do your own research and make up your own mind.

Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous swindlers associated with the Limu and fucoidan phenomenon. There is another company that is attempting to mislead people into purchasing their Limu product. The criminals who run this company circulated a fraudulent lab analysis of their Limu product. They claimed that their Limu product contained more fucoidan than the The Limu Company's Limu product.

I know you guys will start searching the Internet in an attempt to get to the bottom of this. That's fine. I know the other Limu product out there doesn't work. Sometimes people think it's doing something, but that's mostly because the other company adds ginseng and stimulants to it. Don't be fooled by their nonsense.

Someone I was working with was using The Limu Company's Limu for a serious autoimmune condition. It was helping him. But, without telling me, he went on the Internet and read the bogus lab report circulated by the criminals who make the knockoff Limu thing. He bought some of the other product! I said that this was actually a good thing because he would get to experiment with both, and observe the results.

What happened next didn't come as much of a surprise to me.

While taking the fake-Limu product, his condition was as bad as ever. He went back to using the real stuff.

Ok, you're curious and want to try some.

There are three ways to get it:

Wholesale: $120 + tax and shipping per case (four bottles), autoshipped each month

Wholesale: $140 + tax and shipping per case (four bottles)

Retail: $168 + tax and shipping per case (four bottles)

To order Limu, please go to http://opes.originallimu.com/. Click "Join Now" to sign up for wholesale pricing or "Order Now" for retail pricing. Getting Limu at wholesale is similar to shopping at any "club" store that requires a membership. For Original Limu, an initial $25 fee is required to get wholesale pricing. The lowest possible price is obtained by getting the product autoshipped to you each month.

My brother thinks it's a mistake to tell people to try a single bottle because, in his experience, only six out of ten people feel any different after taking just one bottle. What a shame it would be to give up after using just one bottle when results might be experienced after two, three or four bottles. I agree that the only way to give it a fair chance is to take at least an entire case and track your progress carefully as you move through that case. Personally, I was in no position to pay for a case to try in the first place (this was before I met Virginia, read on).

I was lucky in two ways. First, I got a bottle for free from the convention. Second, I got results almost immediately. (The company knew what it was doing by handing out all of those free bottles.) So, if you're thinking about buying a single bottle at retail, consider this: When my brother signs people up, they mostly buy Three Packs. That's right. Three cases. And guess what: those three cases never last the three months until the autoship kicks in. They wind up ordering more. You should really sign up to get it autoshipped to you by the case so you don't run out.

One story about the cost: An older woman in my brother's organization started to do this as a business. Virginia is raising three grandchildren on her own. Her monthly income consisted of a Social Security check of about $500. She got the money to order her first case of Limu by collecting aluminum cans with her grandkids. I know. You think I'm full of it, but that's a true story. I've met this woman and her story is amazing. I thought, "If she can do this, why can't I?" So, before you write in to tell me that this is too expensive, and all the rest, save it. Maybe you'll get to meet Virginia some day. You can tell her all about Limu being expensive. The other option is to sign up five people. Then your Limu would cost you nothing.

Well, that's it. If you get involved, I'll send you the "Feeling Great Checklist" that will help you keep track of your progress on the product. I look forward to hearing about the great results you'll experience from taking Limu.

UPDATE: YOU GUYS REALLY WANT THE THREE PACK

People are ordering Limu at retail through my site. My brother is ready to slap me. He thinks I'm doing a bit of a disservice by not fully explaining the benefits of the, "Three Pack." It's clear to me. I need to make it clear to you too.

On the one hand, I understand that people want to try it first, but on the other hand, I'm practically positive that they will be as impressed with it as I am. Why pay retail???

As is often the case, people eventually want to share Limu with others. The best way for that to happen is for people to take the "Three Pack," which includes three cases of Limu, your personalized Limu web site (like George and Donna's), DVDs, brochures, and more. In addition to the Limu, you get about $90 worth of free stuff with the three pack.

The maximum benefit for everyone involved comes with economies of scale!

So, order the "Three Pack" with confidence! When you decide to refer Limu to others, you will be ideally positioned to do the business. Even if you think you will never, no-way-in-hell, ever, consider doing this as a business, all you're paying for with the "Three Pack" is three cases. The web site and all the rest is free. Now, here's something to remember: If I'm doing this, believe me, you can do it to. You won't be able to help it, once you get results. People around you will notice, and they'll start to ask you about it. What are you going to do, tell them to get their Limu from me and give them my web site? HAHAHA! Buy the "Three Pack."

UPDATE: 8/7/05

I'm finding that Limu has two problems:

1) It's expensive.

2) People don't take enough of it.

It's not a question of whether or not Limu helps people. I personally know dozens of individuals who have experienced life altering results. What do each of them have in common?

They drink a lot of Limu. Forget two to four ounces per day. People who get the impressive results are taking a MINIMUM of four ounces per day. Minimum.

"How can they afford it!?" You may be asking.

Unfortunately, Limu only seems to make sense to people who have been suffering with chronic, debilitating situations for over a decade. I guess, for them, it's a bargain, considering the options they have been presented with in the past. They don't ask about the cost. They just want to know that the case will show up each month.

Personally, I find that it's easier to get people to flap their arms in order to fly than it is to get them to try an "expensive" sea weed liquid. But I've never been a good salesman. (I wish I had close-up, before and after pictures of the eczema on my face.) Anyway, I find it really hard to "sell" Limu. People buy eight cases off my brother without thinking too much about it. Maybe he has Jedi-Mind-Trick capabilities. I don't have those skills. The few people I know seem to be in worse financial shape than me and will spend the next few years googling something to death, only to find some excuse... Anyway... That's the toughest part about trying to sell such a good product. People seem to assume you're trying to rip them off. Hey, I thought the Limu-heads were nuts when I first encountered them. Luckily, I got a free bottle to try.

Do I know of a case in which someone has given Limu a serious chance (eight bottles in a row), and NOT seen improvement in their situation?

Yes. My fiancee's mom suffers from some type of airway disorder, mixed in with asthma. In other words, she spends about 1/4 of her life coughing. Conventional medicine is powerless to help her. All alternative therapies have failed. She is chronically allergic to all perfumes, cleaning agents, just about any non-food smell. If she comes in contact with shrimp, however, that is a life threatening emergency.

My dad paid to ship two cases of Limu to her in New Zealand. We had really high hopes that the Limu would help her. Her initial detox reaction was the most severe we had ever heard of. She had to start out with less than one ounce per day! After a couple of months, she was able to take four ounces per day.

She reports no improvement in her coughing condition; nearing the end of the second case.

I'm convinced that it would help, given enough time. The costs involved with shipping the product to New Zealand, though, are almost surreal. I hope to try it again with her at some point in the future. The company has no distribution presence in New Zealand at this time, but how's this for irony: The raw Limu from Tonga is made into the extract in New Zealand! That extract is then shipped to the U.S. for bottling.

What's the bottom line? Limu is a food. Taking Limu is like eating a lot of sea weed from Tonga. Nothing more. Nothing less. It's up to you to do the rest of the math.

DISCLAIMER

The above material is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Cryptogon is not engaged in rendering medical advice, and any information provided is not a substitute for professional medical opinion.

Original Limu is a food product, not a drug and has not been evaluated by the FDA. Original Limu is not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any illness or disease.
posted by Kevin at 5:41 PM

I wonder how these twits, with their Bibles and Bush Cheney stickers on their SUVs, would like a session in the crypt with some of these creatures? It's all about Family Values:

The recent scandal involving gay male escort and right-wing faux journalist Jeff Gannon (a.k.a. James Dale Guckert and possibly a few other aliases) is not welcome news for the purported sadomasochistic hedonists in the White House administrations of both George W. and George H. W. Bush.

As with their fascist fellow travelers in Hitler's Germany, Franco's Spain, and "The Colonels'" Greece, many of the fascists associated with the Bush family have a predilection for sex with children and young recruits within the U.S. military. However, since the 1980s, the Bush cabal has been able to keep the GOP's dark secrets away from the disinfectant of sunshine and media attention.

Except for the outbreak of news stories concerning the Franklin Credit Union-Lawrence King-Craig Spence child prostitution scandal in 1989 that involved midnight tours of the White House for underage male sex slaves from Nebraska and reached high into the upper echelons of the elder Bush administration, little has been heard about the sex crimes of top Republicans. That is, until it was revealed that "Jeff Gannon" was intricately tied to GOP operatives ranging from George W. Bush political "Svengali" Karl Rove, to White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, and Texas GOP provocateur Bobby Eberle. In typical Bush scandal fashion, Eberle's "Talon News Service" has disappeared as fast as Jeff Gannon from the James Brady Briefing Room and Doug Wead's secret tapes of Bush from the public ear—tapes that, at the very least, indicated Bush's prior use of marijuana, cocaine, and LSD.
posted by Kevin at 11:36 AM

Being in the presence of the other RA (ritual abuse) survivors at that hospital unit helped me to understand that I was not the only person this had been done to. It was, to a limited extent, my first "normalizing" experience. Although we were not allowed to tell each other our horror stories (I am grateful for that), I was able to recognize that the psychological effects of what they had endured were very similar to my own. I kept trying to go back into denial, though, and wanted to get away from the unit. It was too much reality for me. I didn’t want to believe that I was one of them, and I certainly didn’t like learning that I had MPD.
posted by Kevin at 11:33 AM

And people wonder why I'm leaving the U.S.:

Speaking at a veterans' celebration at Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen, Texas, on Feb. 19, Johnson told the crowd that he explained his theory to President Bush and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) on the porch of the White House one night. Johnson said he told the president that night, "Syria is the problem. Syria is where those weapons of mass destruction are, in my view. You know, I can fly an F-15, put two nukes on 'em and I'll make one pass. We won't have to worry about Syria anymore."

The crowd roared with applause.
posted by Kevin at 11:29 AM

It's going to be an interesting Summer:

Crude oil surged above $55 a barrel in New York, less than $1 short of a record, and reached a record in London on speculation that increasing consumption will outpace production this year.

"Demand is still growing, particularly in China, and there is only a finite supply of oil out there," said Tom Bentz, an oil broker at BNP Paribas Commodity Futures Inc. in New York.
posted by Kevin at 10:58 AM

HA! Try to make it up. A total nutcase, locked in a padded room, couldn't come up with more insane nonsense! And what's the source of this story? ABC News:

The teddy bear sitting in the corner of the child's room might look normal, until his head starts following the kid around using a face recognition program, perhaps also allowing a parent talk to the child through a special phone, or monitor the child via a camera and wireless Internet connection.

The plush prototype, on display at Microsoft Corp.'s annual gadget showcase Wednesday, is one of several ideas researchers have for robots. The idea is to create a virtual being that can visit the neighboring cubicle for a live telephone chat even as its owner is traveling thousands of miles away, or let the plumber into the house while its owner enjoys a pleasant afternoon in the sun.

Plenty of companies are already building robots for the work place, and toy companies have created plush dolls that know a child's name or can incorporate other personal information. But Steven Bathiche, a research and development program manager with Redmond-based Microsoft, said his company's projects go further.

"The vision behind this is to be two places at once," Bathiche said.
posted by Kevin at 8:20 PM

University professors are assisting in this. Oh sure! Why not?

The US military is funding development of a weapon that delivers a bout of excruciating pain from up to 2 kilometres away. Intended for use against rioters, it is meant to leave victims unharmed. But pain researchers are furious that work aimed at controlling pain has been used to develop a weapon. And they fear that the technology will be used for torture.

"I am deeply concerned about the ethical aspects of this research," says Andrew Rice, a consultant in pain medicine at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, UK. "Even if the use of temporary severe pain can be justified as a restraining measure, which I do not believe it can, the long-term physical and psychological effects are unknown."

The research came to light in documents unearthed by the Sunshine Project, an organisation based in Texas and in Hamburg, Germany, that exposes biological weapons research. The papers were released under the US's Freedom of Information Act.

One document, a research contract between the Office of Naval Research and the University of Florida in Gainsville, US, is entitled "Sensory consequences of electromagnetic pulses emitted by laser induced plasmas".

It concerns so-called Pulsed Energy Projectiles (PEPs), which fire a laser pulse that generates a burst of expanding plasma when it hits something solid, like a person (New Scientist print edition, 12 October 2002). The weapon, destined for use in 2007, could literally knock rioters off their feet.

Pain trigger

According to a 2003 review of non-lethal weapons by the US Naval Studies Board, which advises the navy and marine corps, PEPs produced "pain and temporary paralysis" in tests on animals. This appears to be the result of an electromagnetic pulse produced by the expanding plasma which triggers impulses in nerve cells.

The new study, which runs until July and will be carried out with researchers at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, aims to optimise this effect. The idea is to work out how to generate a pulse which triggers pain neurons without damaging tissue.

The contract, heavily censored before release, asks researchers to look for "optimal pulse parameters to evoke peak nociceptor activation" - in other words, cause the maximum pain possible. Studies on cells grown in the lab will identify how much pain can be inflicted on someone before causing injury or death.

Long-term risk

New Scientist contacted two researchers working on the project. Martin Richardson, a laser expert at the University of Central Florida, US, refused to comment. Brian Cooper, an expert in dental pain at the University of Florida, distanced himself from the work, saying "I don't have anything interesting to convey. I was just providing some background for the group." His name appears on a public list of the university's research projects next to the $500,000-plus grant.

John Wood of University College London, UK, an expert in how the brain perceives pain, says the researchers involved in the project should face censure. "It could be used for torture," he says, "the [researchers] must be aware of this."

Amanda Williams, a clinical psychologist at University College London, fears that victims risk long-term harm. "Persistent pain can result from a range of supposedly non-destructive stimuli which nevertheless change the functioning of the nervous system," she says. She is concerned that studies of cultured cells will fall short of demonstrating a safe level for a plasma burst. "They cannot tell us about the pain and psychological consequences of such a painful experience."
posted by Kevin at 5:49 PM

The overhead resistance is $55.17:

Crude futures climbed to a four-month high above $53 US a barrel on Wednesday as traders bet that the world's petroleum supply would remain tight due to rising demand. They played down a U.S. government report that showed domestic supplies of oil and gasoline rising and pushed gasoline futures higher, too.
posted by Kevin at 3:43 PM

An Irish Government user (host: h11.vpn.gov.ie, ip: 62.77.181.11) conducted the following google.ie search: Shannon + N379P
posted by Kevin at 2:24 PM

Jeff Wells is one of the few writers who isn't afraid to express how completely and existentially f*cked the situation actually is. And not only is it f*cked to oblivion and back again, it's damn weird. It's beyond belief. You couldn't even make it up if you tried:

I'm reminded, constantly, of the two-year old remark by the anonymous State Department official: "I just wake up in the morning and tell myself, 'There's been a military coup,' and then it all makes sense."

If only it were that simple, and modestly malevolent. That used to make sense of this world for me, too. Now, it doesn't make enough sense. Now, I'm waking with the crazy notion, "There's been a coup by esoteric Nazis, and it didn't happen yesterday." Or perhaps I'm not truly awake yet. Could be. Hope so. Because my inner life has taken on the complexion of a lucid nightmare.

Jeff's rendition of Cheney is top notch.
posted by Kevin at 10:09 PM

Congressman John Conyers Jr, and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter sent the following letter today to Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act for release of Homeland Security records relating to James D. Guckert and his access to the President:

February 15, 2005

Dear Secretary Ridge:

This letter constitutes a request pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552 (FOIA). The request is submitted on behalf of the Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee.

Recent news reports indicate that James D. Guckert, a Republican activist gained access to the White House press briefing room and Presidential press conferences in violation of standard security procedures and was allowed to work under the assumed name, “Jeff Gannon.” News reports also indicate that Mr. Guckert would not be considered a bona fide journalist by his peers in the press corps, as most of his claims to legitimacy have already been discredited. Access to the President and his press corps is highly competitive, and many seasoned journalists have not had the honor of attending the events or enjoying the access Mr. Guckert has.

We are concerned that such an individual was allowed within a few feet of the President when the public is routinely disallowed any possible contact with either the President or the White House. We understand that your security policies are developed in conjunction with the White House and want to ascertain your respective roles in this decision as it appears to deviate significantly from heightened security measures you have employed recently. To the extent that White House policies were incorporated into the Secret Service’s files and have been read by the Secret Service, we would also like records from the White House.
posted by Kevin at 11:54 AM

Two .22 casings, two corpses? Oh sure, that was an attempted break-in! Tell me another one.

Here's a more likely scenario: The assassin (or assassins) used a key to enter the home and used a silenced .22 bump gun to execute these people. (In order to murder TWO people with TWO rounds of .22, the muzzle of the weapon would, most likely, have to be placed directly against the skulls of the victims.) Before leaving the scene, the assassin (or assassins) could have easily created "evidence" of a break-in:

The Chicago Police Department and two federal agencies will be working 24 hours a day to try to solve the slayings of two family members of a federal judge.

The mother and husband of U.S. District Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow were found dead in her North Side home Monday night. Police said Tuesday that the victims were found shot in the basement of the home.

At a news conference Tuesday morning, police said they had collected much physical evidence from the scene, but declined to go into detail about what they had found. A source close to the investigation told The Associated Press that while no weapon was recovered, police found two .22-caliber casings. That source also said police found that a window had been broken at the house.

"It looks like a possible break-in," the source said.

Related: Guckert/Gannon, Plame, Chicago Connection? :.

It gets weirder and weirder as the bodies drop:

Two lawmakers have sent a letter to the U.S. attorney saying a White House reporter who recently resigned following questions about his identity and background may have information vital to the investigation into who leaked a CIA operative's name to the press.

Reps. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and John Conyers, D-Mich., the ranking Democrats on the House Rules Committee and House Judiciary Committee, respectively, wrote a letter to Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, saying the Chicago attorney's office may need to subpoena the journal of reporter James Guckert.

The journal recounts Guckert's days covering the White House. According to Conyers and Slaughter's letter, Guckert had access to a memo revealing the name of CIA operative Valerie Plame.

In addition, Editor and Publisher has confirmed an online report that Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., is circulating a letter among his colleagues that asks President Bush to launch an investigation into how Guckert gained access to White House press briefings over two years despite having no journalism background and using a false name.

Both letters are just the latest in a string of inquiries by congressional leaders, including a request by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., for documents related to Guckert's continued White House access.
posted by Kevin at 11:00 AM

Oh I'm so glad that people like Cheney will be in control of technology like this:

CLOAKING device that makes objects invisible is being developed by researchers, bringing the magic of Harry Potter into the world of science fact.

While Harry uses his cloak of invisibility to move about Hogwarts School unseen, electronic engineers at the University of Pennsylvania are working on a real invisibility shield called a "plasmonic cover".

The development, which works by preventing objects from reflecting and scattering light, could have widespread use in the military as it would be more effective than current stealth technology.
posted by Kevin at 10:52 AM