Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Meet OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb


It is the 'most earth-like planet' that has been discovered so far using a technique called, "gravitational microlensing, a method that relies on light from a background star being bent and magnified by the gravitational field of a star in the foreground."

What is Microlensing?

The gravitational microlensing technique is based on a concept first discussed by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century. When astronomers observe a star, the light waves generally travel straight from the star to the telescope. However, if another star passes directly in between, even if great distances separate the two, the gravity of the nearer object acts like a lens and magnifies the incoming light.

Telescopes cannot resolve the details of the magnified image, but they do notice a peak in light intensity, and when a planet is present around the closer star, the planet's gravity adds a small peak of its own.

Astronomers can use those features to determine how large the planet is and how far away it is from its star. This method is 50 times more likely to detect planets of approximately twice the mass of Jupiter than it is to detect planets closer to the mass of Earth. Even relatively tiny, low-mass objects can give a strong peak signal if alignment is perfect.

Of the more than 150 planets discovered to date, almost all were discovered using a different technique, the radial velocity method. Stars with planets can wobble from the effect of their planets' gravity, and astronomers can use the wobble to determine the size and orbit of the objects. While incredibly effective, existing technology utilizing this method can find only large, Jupiter-like planets or smaller planets that orbit too close to their host stars to harbor life.

Because the newly discovered planet is only the third astronomers have detected using gravitational microlensing and already they have found a small, rocky body, the researchers believe there is a strong likelihood that rocky planets may be even more common than their gas-giant brethren. This prediction would agree with one of the models for solar system formation, core accretion, which suggests that small, rocky, "failed Jupiters" should be far more common than the massive gaseous planets.

That's your science lesson for today:)

Stay Naked.

Monday, January 30, 2006

Senator Frist Clears the Air


Bill Frist, the straight-talking Republican Senate Majority Leader, has spoken out again in an effort to simply clarify the actual facts regarding his sale of a pile of HCA stock out of his blind trust weeks before the company missed its earning target and the stock plunged.

Well, frist, I mean first, we should have said "blind trust" in the first paragraph, because Bill pointed out that "what America thinks is a blind trust, it may be something different . . . " Having cleared that up he went on to the core of the matter.

He said he misspoke in 2003 when he said that because it was held in a ``blind'' trust . . . ``as far as I know, I own no HCA stock.'' He said he should have made it clear he didn't know . . . ``how much stock of any particular entity'' the trust held.

You can easily see how "I don't know how much of any stock I own" differs from "I don't think I own any HCA stock". If only he had said so in the frist, sorry, first place ! I can see the investigators in the Securities and Exchange Commission throwing down their pens and crying "There goes the perjury count !"

Like Bill, we don't know what America thinks a "blind trust" is, but we know what we think. We think it's a place where a serving politician puts his assets so he can't be tempted to use his power to benefit himself. As if, for instance, HCA owned a chain of hospitals and Bill owned several million dollars (actually between five and twenty-five million dollars) worth of its stock and might be tempted to vote on things like, say, medicare reform that might benefit him personally. Oops. Wrong hypothetical. Those are the actual facts. Well, you get the picture.

No, says Bill, he didn't get any "nods or winks" before he sold his stock (that would be the basis for the insider trading charges that are being investigated). The person who might have given such nods and winks would be the fellow running HCA who is, of course, Bill's brother and, of course, Bill's denial doesn't get us far as the person receiving the n and w's would likely be the "blind trustee" whose vision may have been better that the law permits.

Question for class discussion: If you have your assets in a blind trust and your "blind trustee" receives illegal insider information and sells stock making you a bundle and the investigators can't prove you personally received the information, can you still run for President ?

Grading will be on a curve so,

Stay Naked

Ahhhh Enron...



Music to my ears. Bush Nightmare Tour 2006 launches in earnest with the unfolding of the Enron trial over the next few years. No single company is tied more closely to Bush than these brigands. Good catch-up article HERE from Jason Leopold of Truthout. Here's the Wikipedia entry also kids...
Enron actually still exists. Check them out HERE. They even have a 'Jobs at Enron' link although it appears all of their positions are full:)



Stay Naked.

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Proud to be American


Some days your country does something that makes you want to throw open your window, stick your head our and shout " I'm an American and damn proud of it ! You're seeing the America I know and love ! The America that stands as a beacon of hope and a landmark of human freedom and dignity. "

This was not one of those days. These stories aren't secrets, not likely to be overlooked, but I am faced with the choice of speak or vomit. I want there to be some record, somewhere I can point to when my grandson says, "Grandpa, what were you doing while this was going on ?"

Remember a thousand western movies where the bad guy grabs the girl to use as a shield or to force the hero into, or out of, action ? Remember the instinctive revulsion you felt for this cowardly and despicable act, how you longed for the moment when justice would triumph ? Well, today we learned that gutless punk is alive and well and wearing the uniform of the United States Army.

Oh, I'm sorry. What the Associated Press reports we're doing in Iraq is actually worse. We kidnap the wives of "suspected insurgents". We're not even sure we have the right guy when we snatch his wife, in one case a nursing mother. Not, given the quality of our intelligence, that we could be sure.

I see you look a little pale, but I'm afraid I'm not done. At our military facility at Guantanamo Bay some of the detainees (the count is "down to 22" according to us) are starving themselves to death despite being force fed by our troops.

The strikes have actually been going on since 2002, but have grown more serious as years pass and their demands, such as fair trials, freedom from religious abuses, an end to physical and psychological abuses, adequate shelter and food, and access to clean water, are not met. The Center for Constitutional Rights has more on this than you can bear to read.

Of course, we needn't worry too much about this because we are assured that the Guantanamo detainees represent a threat to our security. Every one of them. Well, almost every one. Except the 242 of the original 752 we have already released. No, really, once we cleaned up that initial 32 % error rate, which took until last July in some cases, we are really certain we have the bad guys.

So if they starve to death claiming their innocence, or that their rights are being violated, you can be sure, no really, I mean sure, that they are only doing it for propaganda purposes.

There could be more, but I have to go check into emigrating to New Zealand.

Please, stay focussed, stay the course and

Stay Naked

The Alito 48


Not interested in the nomination of Sam Alito to the US Supreme Court? Skip this post.

Great site for keeping track of the unfolding baby filibuster...

It's off Democrats.com HERE.

Stay Naked.

January 28th 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-99)


"The urge to explore has propelled evolution since the first water creatures reconnoitered the land. Like all living systems, cultures cannot remain static; they evolve or decline. They explore or expire... Beyond all rationales, space flight is a spiritual quest in the broadest sense, one promising a revitalization of humanity and a rebirth of hope no less profound than the great opening out of mind and spirit at the dawn of our modern age."
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, "From the Moon to the Millenium,"
Albuquerque Tribune,1999

Stay Naked.

Friday, January 27, 2006

Where have you gone Paul Wolfowitz?


Wonder what's been going on with Iraq War architect Paul Wolfowitz? Discerning readers will remember that he is now the head of the World Bank. According to The Financial Times, "unless he moves quickly to appoint a team that is representative of the shareholders that is credible to the staff, his presidency risks ending in paralysis and disappointment."
Ouch...what's the problem here? Apparently he's appointed a bunch of cronies and he's not listening to anyone who might actually know what the hell they're doing? Sound familiar? I wish I knew one of these guys:)

JAMES FREY UPDATE: Did y'all see lying 'memoir' write James Frey on Oprah yesterday? Check out some video clips here at Salon.com
Scroll down a little and you're there. She ripped him apart on national television and all I can say is, "Thank you Oprah". I read the book, was sucked in, believed it and am pissed. I'm also sick of the holier than thou types saying it wasn't a big deal. It was...people left 12 -step programs because of that book and his 'Hold On' approach...not only is he a liar (Hey, I've lied my ass off, I've got sympathy on that score)...but he hurt people...lots of people. It does matter...truth matters and when you hurt people it matters...















Stay Naked.

And don't mess with Oprah:)



We'll See Your Bird Flu and Raise You . . .

Cocolitzli.

That's what the Aztecs (who called themselves "Tenochca", by the way ) called a terrifying disease that killed as many as two million of them around 1575. It wasn't small pox (which they called "zahuatl", by the way) and its reported symptoms don't match typhus, the other candidate for a Spanish-borne disease thought to have wiped out the Tenochca.

No, modern epidemiological research indicates that cocoltzli is a native son (or daughter) and most likely a hemorrhagic fever, cousin to Ebola, Marburg and Lassa.; swift, violent killers with no known treatment.

What does this mean ? For history, that maybe the Spanish, whose general treatment of the Tenochca entitles them to guilt and punishment without end, may be excused of liability for that last terminal plague.

For today, it means that cocoltzli (or something else very like it) may still be around. Around Mexico and around here. The Hanta virus outbreak in the Southwest a few years ago ? Another hemorrhagic fever. The trigger for that outbreak ? An exploding rodent population when rain followed a long drought. The same drought/rain combo that preceded the two known cocoltzli outbreaks in Mexico.

The weather guessers say that our Southwest is entering a period of prolonged drought. But the rains will come again.

Read it all in Discover magazine, stay healthy and

Stay Naked.

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Does This Seem Right To You ?


We all know that the scales of justice are not always perfectly balanced. How do these two cases measure up to you.

Case Number 1. U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer, Jr. has been convicted of causing the death by asphyxiation of an Iraqi general (who was inarguably entitled to Geneva Convention treatment) by stuffing him headfirst into a sleeping bag, binding him with electrical cord and sitting on his chest. "Negligent homicide", says the Army. We'd call it careless at a minimum.

Speaking of minimums, what is Chief Welshofer's sentence. Sixty days. In jail ? No. Sixty days of "house arrest" which means he can't leave his house for two months. Except to go to church. Or to work. Which apparently means he just can't leave the base.

Case Number 2. The St. Patrick's Four, Daniel Burns, Clare Grady, Peter DeMott and Teresa Grady. Two days before President Bush commenced the assault on Iraq these folks walked into a miltary recruiting station and splashed blood (their own blood, unlike Bush and Welshofer) on the walls. A state court jury voted 9-3 to acquit so the presecutor took it to the federal court.

Everybody is convicted of "entering a military for an unlawful purpose" and "destroying government property". Penalties ? Well this is serious business, unlike the torture and killing of a prisoner protected by the Geneva Convention. Four to six months in jail plus some halfway house time for some of the defendants.

Democracy Now has more as does the Cornell Daily Sun. The MSM ? What is the sound of one hand clapping ?

Please be outraged and please

Stay Naked

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Barriers to Understanding


It isn't just the fact that Israel has created an enormous wall between itself and much of the West Bank that prevents us having a clear understanding of what is happening over there.

It isn't even because the Israeli military continues to exert strict control over all aspects of Palestinian life.

We don't know what is happening to the Palestinians because our news organizations, notably the Associated Press, have failed to report the facts to us, in part because all Palestinian coverage is filtered through Israeli personnel.

Remember the video of the Israeli soldier shooting a Palestinian boy ( who wasn't threatening anybody) in the stomach ? No ? Probably because it was erased when it got to Israel.

Did you know that our media typically reports 100% of casualties to Israeli children, but only between 2% and 11% of casualties among Palestinian children ? How could you ?

If Americans only knew is an organization trying to do something about this so that we might have a more balanced picture of Israeli-Palestinian relations.

Check it out and

Stay Naked

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

'Immmmppppeachmmmmmmmmmmentttttttt'



Mmmmm. Try that on for size...Impeachment. How does it feel rolling off of your tongue? Lugubrious? Scintillating? Downright erotic? Yeah...me too.

Where was I? ;) Oh yeah...Conservative website Insightmag.com is reporting that the White House is already fearing Impeachment Hearings...Why? Because a couple of senoir Republican senators have expressed doubt about the validity of Bush's legal argument...kinda like the cops expressing doubts about my arguments on why I had a trunk full of 'medicinal marijuana':)

"Sen. Arlen Specter, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman and Pennsylvania Republican, has acknowledged that the hearings could conclude with a vote of whether Mr. Bush violated the law. Mr. Specter, a critic of the administration’s surveillance program, stressed that, although he would not seek it, impeachment is a possible outcome.
"Impeachment is a remedy," Mr. Specter said on Jan. 15. "After impeachment, you could have a criminal prosecution. But the principal remedy under our society is to pay a political price."
Mr. Specter and other senior members of the committee have been told by legal constitutional experts that Mr. Bush did not have the authority to authorize unlimited secret electronic surveillance. Another leading Republican who has rejected the administration's argument is Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas."

Stay Naked.

Monday, January 23, 2006

This shit is just scary...



Remember Moqtada al-Sadr? He's the fiery Iraqi cleris whose personal militia tangled with US troops early on but many of his followers are now duly elected members of the new Iraqi government. As reported in the NY Times, al-Sadr has pledged his military support for Iran should they be attacked...
So we could have Iraq coming to the aid of Iran should be decide to exercise the 'military option'...would we then have to re-invade Iraq to protect ourselves from...ummm...it's all so confusing...

Did you catch this piece? The power problems in Iraq are well documented...it looks like the Iraqis, tiring of the US led 'reconstruction' efforts, are in the process of signing an agreement between Iraq and Iran to build nine electricity transfer plants...

"In December, Iraq's Minister of Industry and Minerals Usama al-Najafi in a meeting with Iran's commercial attache in Iraq, Janali Halvaei on Iranian and world industrial enterprises to submit their industrial proposals to Iraqi partners to enable them pick up the suitable ones.
The minister expressed satisfaction with the quality of Iranian industries and said that Iran has made remarkable progress in improving the quality of its industries over the recent years. "

Buy Iranian!!!

One last piece here for your Zooheads...very interesting piece on the socialist 'revolutions' in South America. It's an El Salvadoran take on the current state of politics in the region found HERE. (You can link to the original spanish version also)
It basically says that the US is orchestrating all of the events down there for long-term economic gain...a lofty vision if you ask me considering the demonstrated competence of this administration.

Ok, one more you greedy bastards. Great breakdown of the Iraqi election on TomPaine.com by one Richard Dreyfuss (no relation)...he debunks the myth that we're on the verge of seeing a viable unity government in Iraq...not very heartening but a good read...

Stay Naked.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Notes from the 'What the..." Folder



What the hell happened when George met Jack? Time mag is reporting that they've seen five photographs of George Bush with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff...dems are salivating over the t-shirt opportunites...I can already envision an enterprising photoshop junkie with a gay porn archive...Hell, I'lll buy one...

Jack and George went up the hill
Each with a buck and a quarter
Jack came down with two-fifty...
Whoa!
(Apologies to the Diceman)

+++++++++

CIA claims top Al-Queda operatives killed in Pakistan bombing (with no mention of the women & children allegedly killed). Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz says, "What the hell are you talking about?" Actually he said, "There is no evidence, as of half an hour ago, that there were any other people there"

CIA response: "Ummm, yeah..."

Stay naked.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Buy American Beef ! . . .. . in Japan


Oops ! We sent a bad lot of beef to Japan on Friday and all Hell has broken loose.

Well, it wasn't so bad, not a food safety issue according to a statement from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns (you see, this went right to the top right now !). The cows that were the source of the beef were too young to have developed Mad Cow. But the shipment did contain "vertebral material" in violation of our agreement with the Japanese.

So: (a) the Japanese put a hold on the beef, (b) the plant that sent it loses its certification to export beef, (c) the inspector who signed off on the shipment will be disciplined, (d) a special team of inspectors is enroute to Japan to assist the Japanese inspectors, (e) additional inspections will be required at all "export certified" processing plants, (f) all export shipments will now require two qualified inspectors to sign off on the inspection, plus plus plus. All of this TODAY behind a problem that happened TODAY.

Except for having Secretary Johanns commit seppuku, it looks like we've done all we can.

Now, about that headline. If you think the beef you eat is getting the kind of attention that U.S. beef bound for Japan is getting, we invite you to have one more think.

Eat American, range fed, organic beef and

Stay Naked

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Just when you thought it was safe to like the French..


They go and write, "I am a slobbering lunatic" on their foreheads and run naked through the Louvre. I'm pretty sure Chirac was on a few hits of acid but in case you missed it, he said he would respond to terrorism with NUCLEAR WEAPONS!...even King George hasn't said anything so nutty...
“The leaders of states who would use terrorist means against us, as well as those who would consider using in one way or another weapons of mass destruction, must understand that they would lay themselves open to a firm and adapted response on our part,” Chirac said during a visit to northwestern France, where France’s nuclear submarines are based.

“This response could be a conventional one. It could also be of a different kind.” (which is not-so-secret code for nuclear bombing...who he was talking about is unclear other then the dreaded, "They"...

So Iran should not be allowed to have nuclear weapons because they might be crazy? What about the demostable lunatics who already have them?

Buy Nuclear.

Stay Naked.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

"The Pimping of the President"


I just wanted to type, "The Pimping of the President" :) This is an older article from the Texas Observer about how Jack Abramoff and Grover Norquist sold access to President Bush for $25,000 a pop...I hope they got to keep the White House ashtrays...



Also not in the news today...violence is escalating in Afghanistan. The Christian Science Monitor (and if you're laughing at the name you don't know what you're talking about)...reports a sudden surge in suicide bombings...25 in the last four months. Check out this flash of brilliance from US commanders, " US military commanders in Afghanistan, however, have downplayed these fears before the past weekend's violence, saying that there is no certainty that the Taliban or Al Qaeda is regrouping in Afghanistan." Must be those pesky girl scout suicide bombers currently plaguing Duluth...

Editorial Aside: We are pulling out of Afghanistan, where we are wanted and where Al-Queda and Osama are...and we are stopping reconstruction funding in Iraq, where we are not wanted...does this seem like a 'PLAN FOR VICTORY"?

Stay Naked.

On Advice of Counsel


Although this story began its life in the New York Times, I confess I missed it, but its a sweetie.

Maj. General Geoffrey Miller, the architect of the interrogation system at Guantanamo Bay who also was responsible for transferring that system to Iraq and specifically to Abu Ghraib, has taken shelter behind Article 31 of the Code of Military Justice, the military equivalent of the Fifth Amendment. Oh, yes, and he is retiring from the military.

The good General (aren't they all ?) had been scheduled to testify at the trial of a soldier who was a dog handler at Abu Ghraib. Despite having made many statements on these issues in the past, the good General decided this time, the answers might "tend to incriminate him".

Is it a coincidence that Col. Thomas M. Pappas, commander of the Abu Ghraib interrogators, had just been granted immunity for his testimony in the same court martial? Miller's lawyer says yes, they were unaware of Pappas's immunity when they decided Miller should clam up.

Are these developments likely to result in some much needed light being shed on the connection between senior officers and abuse of prisoners? Almost certainly.

Will Miller get the Medal of Freedom ? Stay tuned.

We will keep you posted, but only if you

Stay Naked.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Be still my heart...



Can't stand FoxNews Anchor Bill O'Reilly? Always wanted to give him a piece of your mind face to face? Me too...and now I have that chance. Turns out our favorite windbag has a contest going on. Check it out HERE...They're calling it 'The Great Factor Debate' aka 'Bloviate with Bill' (I'm not making that up:) Six lucky folks are going to win the chance to go to NY in February and face off against O'Reilly...all you gotta do is email oreillycontest@foxnews.com with your debate topic and you may win a chance...what's your topic?

-Gay Marriage?
-Iraq?
-Bush is a liar?
-O'Reilly is a liar?
-Fox news sucks?

The possibilities are endless...

So go get em Zooheads...

Stay Naked.

Monday, January 16, 2006

Happy Birthday Marttin...



Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be 77 years old today had an assassins bullet not taken his life. We here at the Zoo are going to post a few of our favorite quotes:

-Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

-Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

-The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

-The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers.

-It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important.

-In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Stay Naked.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Notes from the Privacy folder


Have you heard of LocateCell or CellTolls? No?
These are companies you can go to if you wish to purchase the cell phone number or CELL PHONE RECORDS! of ANYONE! Think I'm kidding? John Aravosis aka AmericaBlog, purchased the cell phone records of former Presidential Candidate General Wesley Clark...for $89.95. Check out his story HERE.
John was nice enough to call Gen. Clark and let him know his defenses have been breached.
The point here is not to make you paranoid. Hell, I figured long ago that the government was all over the cell phone calls with Echelon but the fact that there are now companies that traffic in your personal data...on a consumer to consumer basis is another reminder of the world we live in...

That said, the 12-year old that resides in my heart is intrigued...

I wonder if you could get Karl Roves records?
Scooter Libby?

Oh the mind reels...

Stay Naked.

++What's up with that image? Good question. I was looking for a cool 'cell phone' jpeg and came across that image. It's a visual representation of how much cell-phone 'chatter'. "The data included density of cell phone calls, their origins and destinations, and the whereabouts of users." Those MIT researchers are cool...Yes, I'm a Geek:)

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Open Letter to James Dobson


Dear Dr. Dobson:
The invaluable Media Matters for America tells me you are disappointed in the results obtained on issues dear to you by the first five years of the Bush Administration. I hate to be the one to tell you, but you've been had. You know. Conned. Hoodwinked. Used.

You see, Bush & Co. don't actually give a hoot about your causes, "the pro-family agenda, the pro-moral agenda, [and] the sanctity of life." You and Rev. Falwell and Pat Robertson (see my Open Letter to him HERE) and other conservative clerics are useful because you can turn out a dedicated base of conservative voters, but after that ? Photo-Opp City, if that.

We are talking about the Neo-Cons here, Doctor, and they are on a whole 'nother page from traditional conservatives like you. Take a look at their founding documents, like the Project for a New American Century. Not much about the family there.

Or check in on Grover Norquist's American's for Tax Reform. You must know Grover. He has the weekly meetings where the Republican Right plans stategy. Anyway, look at his program. Shrink the government, but not much on conservative morality.

So you, I am afraid, "have been used in the hands of them all like a tool". I'm sorry. The realization must be a bitter one.

This is all coming from a brother Christian, by the way. As I told Pat, I'm way more liberal than you guys, but we share a belief in the essentials of our faith. As with Pat, I worry that your involvement with politics and politicians may run counter to the Lord's admonition that we not "belong to the world".

I don't recall any Scripture about Christ's involvement with organizing people to solve the many temporal problems they faced, but you probably know more about that than I do.

I hope this perspective is received in the spirit in which it is given and I hope you will take no offense from our traditional salutation here at the Zoo, when I say

Stay Naked

Friday, January 13, 2006

To Impeach or Not to impeach...



Is that even a question?

The Raw Story is reporting that "former CIA General Counsel (the top lawyer at the CIA) has issued a memo to the House Intelligence Committee concluding that Authority for Use of Military Force did not give President George W. Bush the right to order domestic wiretaps without a court order."

You can read the full memo HERE.

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
Theodore Roosevelt, 1918

Well said Teddy...

Stay Naked.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

AA, ED and the NFL



Certainly the National Football League is no stranger to performance enhancing drugs and for the last three years has been the happy home of lots of lucrative advertising for drugs to assist those afflicted with erectile disfunction or E.D.

Well, the NFL has had a change of heart and has decided to dump the E.D. ads, much to the chagrin of the Bible of the advertising industry, AdAge or "AA" (apologies to the organization similarly initialled working in the field of substance abuse).

The NFL is snubbing $18 million in revenues because it feels that the recent advertising for Levitra and Cialis have moved the focus from "men's health" and taken a "different direction".

This may leave the ED advertisers with only the Viagra sponsored "Comeback Player of the Year" in baseball and Cialis' link to the PGA.

AdAge would like you to vote on this burning controversy HERE. If you have to register, its free.

Vote yes or no or don't vote at all, but

Stay Naked

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Loose lips Sink Ships


or rather, they embarrass powerful people so they must be muzzled.

Case in point #1: Tom Delay strongarms local stations into pulling an ad critical of him. "DeLay campaign lawyer Don McGahn wrote Tuesday. " ... We demand that you refuse or otherwise cease airing the advertisement, so as to avoid any liability." So Channel 13, KTRK, pulled the ad. Channel 13 management said it "has reviewed this ad according to our usual procedure. We have decided not to accept the ad in its current form." How very ethical of them.

Because we here at the Zoo love you, we provide you with a link to the ad HERE. It's from the folks at the Public Campaign Action Fund.
====================================


Case in Point #2: See the guy pictured above? He's David Keogh and he's just been ordered to stand trial in England with researcher Leo O'Conner for vioalting the Official Secrets Act. Don't remember them? They're the guys who leaked the story about Bush wanting to bomb Al-Jazeera but Blair talking him out of it...or did he?

From the Reuters story linked to HERE..."In 2001, the station's Kabul office was hit by U.S. bombs and in 2003 Al Jazeera reporter Tareq Ayyoub was killed in a U.S. strike on its Baghdad office. The U.S. has denied targeting the station"

The US has asserted these incidents were 'accidental'...

What do you think?

Stay Naked.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Who's Got Next?


By that I mean, despite the quaqmire that is Iraq, it's clear this administration doesn't 'learn' from it's mistakes. You'd have to concede that you'd made a mistake in the first place...

So...Iran:)

The Herald is reporting that Israel is warming up it's plans to pre-emptively strike Irans nuclear facilities. Germany has already warned that there would be 'consequences' if Iran removed UN seals from "portions of its atomic programme and resumes enrichment of fuel"...Whoops...too late, accorinding to this Reuters story, Iran has already begun removing the seals in front of UN inspectors...

Hmm...doesn't look so good.

Stay Naked.

Monday, January 09, 2006

Hearts and Minds Update ?


Update ? We just posted that yarn about busting up and desecrating a mosque today ! What's to update ?

Well, its our troops interfacing with Iraqis again, this time breaking into a private house and firing live bullets into the bedroom where "the suspect" was sleeping with his wife and daughter.

Who was the "suspect" ? Award winning Iraqi journalist Ali Fadhil.

What is he writing about ? The misappropriation of tens of millions of Iraqi dollars in U.S. and British control.

Why did the troops raid his home ? They were looking for "an insurgent".

What did they take ? They hooded Fadhil and took him and they took video tapes he had made during his investigation.

And now ? The cut Fadhil loose without charges. They have, so far, kept the tapes.

Hard to know if this goes in the "violate Iraqi rights" file or the "Coalition War on Journalists" file.

The Guardian has it all. Thanks to the MediaChannel for pointing it out.

As for you,

Stay Naked

'A Million Little Lies'?



Yikes. And I do mean Yikes. Have you read James Frey's 'A Million Little Pieces'? I did and liked it. I even went to NY and met Frey at a book signing. I would say I am a fan.

I am also a fan of The Smoking Gun. It's a great website full of actual celeb mugshots and they've shown a remarkable knack for tracking down celeb/notorious legal docs...

They just published a scathing investigation of Frey's books (the legal claims) HERE. A few tidbits..

"When I read that I figured he was taking license...he's a writer, you know, they don't tell everything that's factual and true." She added, "I just figured he embroidered a few things...I mean I'm sure not every single thing he said in there is gonna be true, do you think?"

"But he has demonstrably fabricated key parts of the book"

"Police reports, court records, interviews with law enforcement personnel, and other sources have put the lie to many key sections of Frey's book"

Frey responds on his wesbite HERE. He's says it's bullshit and he's not going to respond...

Here's the Zoos take. I've struggled with a lot of the same issues and James Frey wrote the story I wish I had and in fact, is remarkably close to much of the bullshit I've said. His 'reality' would match the pain I feel. It's my gut instinct the same is true in his case...his 'reality' didn't match his pain so he made one up that did...is he a bad person? No, he's just an addict...

Stay Naked.

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Winning Sunni Hearts and Minds


Why it seems like just yesterday that Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice made a heavily guarded visit to Baghdad to encourage Sunni cooperation in the recent elections. That's the kind of personal diplomacy that one might expect to have an impact on the situation in Iraq. The Sunnis have felt threatened and disenfranchised since they lost power when Saddam fell. Personal attention from a high ranking American official could affect their thinking.

As could a personal visit to one of their mosques by U.S. troops, blowing doors off their hinges, ransacking offices and detaining five people, all this according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.

And not just any old mosque, no siree ! This would be the Umm Al-Qura mosque, home of the Association of Muslim Scholars, a leading Sunni group noted for its opposition to the U.S. occupation.

Reuters tv pictures showed spent shotgun shells and explosive devices left in the wake of the raid. They also showed what appeared to be Christian crosses scrawled on cupboards used to store worshippers shoes. An Army spokesman termed "unbelieveable" the accusation that U.S. troops might have done the scrawling.

The Muslim Scholars are not having such a tough time believing it and also suspect that the raid may be linked to their opposition to the occupation and express desire for us to leave.

You can believe anything you want, just

Stay Naked.

Alexander Strategy Group


The Alexander Strategy Group bills itself as a "Full Service Lobbying and Public Affairs Firm". It was founded by Edwin A Buckham who, according to this fascinating article in the NY Times, was Tom DeLay's former Chief of Staff. Mr. Buckham also ran the U.S. Family Network, another group with close ties to Delay and...drum roll...Jack Abramoff...

"Our competitive edge comes from the vision that success in the government affairs arena today requires an integrated approach that looks to tomorrow.”
Ed Buckham, Partner
Former Chief of Staff,
Majority Leader Tom DeLay"

Fortunately I have a friend who is a translator of BushLip. Here's how it actually reads.

"Our competitive edge comes from shaking down our clients for as much money as possible and passing along the smallest percentage to our stooges on congress. I'm off to Thailand to abuse underage boys. Make checks payable to Tom Jackbramofflay."

Stay Naked.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Hard Times on Capitol Hill


As if things weren't bad enough, what with Jack Abramoff and Mike Scanlon spilling their guts about bribery and the corruption of public officials and good old Tom DeLay (damn, that man knew how to push a bill through at midnight !) swallowing the bitter pill and stepping aside as Majority Leader and the air filling with reform proposals that are going to make it a lot less fun to be a member of Congress, and poor old Duke Cunningham getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar so deep you could only see the soles of his shoes and having to worry about just what Jack and Mike might be saying about YOU and now this !

Time Magazine says the Dukester (that was Cunningham's nickname that became the name of the yacht that was one of his bribes) wore a wire for investigators before he was indicted.

You all know what that means. You've seen the movies. It means Duke Cunningham wore a small microphone and transmitter to meetings with other suspects and induced them to describe and discuss their crimes while the Feds listened from a nearby room or unmarked van. Those kinds of tapes make very bad evidence and horrible campaign materials.

It gets worse.

When Jack Abramoff handed in his guilty plea it was revealed that he had been talking to the Feds for 18 months.

18 months ! Long before his name was high on the radar.

Did Jack wear a wire for the Feds during that time ? Not yet revealed. But the mere possibility must increase the net flow of stomach acid on Capitol Hill by a considerable margin.

But you are not a Congressperson, Oh Best Beloved, and you can just

Stay Naked

Friday, January 06, 2006

1 - 2 Trillion Dollars??!?!?

See that counter on the right of your screen? That's from a website called 'Cost of War'. Seems like a big number eh? Well read this post off of TPMCafe.com on the real cost of the war...

"A new study by two leading academic experts suggests that the costs of the Iraq war will be substantially higher than previously reckoned. In a paper presented to this week’s Allied Social Sciences Association annual meeting in Boston MA., Harvard budget expert Linda Bilmes and Columbia University Professor and Nobel Laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz calculate that the war is likely to cost the United States a minimum of nearly one trillion dollars and potentially over $2 trillion."

Ouch.

How Big is a Trillion?

In the U.S., one trillion is written as the number "1" followed by 12 zeros (1,000,000,000,000). One year of clock time =
(60sec/min) x (60 min/hr) x (24 hr/da) x (365.25 da) = 3.16 x 107 sec

One trillion seconds of ordinary clock time =
( 1012 sec)/( 3.16 x 107 sec/yr) = 31,546 years!

Here's a trillion pennies...



For a quick recap of Administration prewar predictions, check HERE.

Stay Naked.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Tom and Jack Go to Russia


Gather around, boys and girls, and I'll tell you another fun story about Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff, those wacky world-travelers who were always looking for a way to help. Themselves.

You already know about how Jack lobbied for sweatshops in the Northern Marianas Islands so they could continue to pay peanuts and avoid cleaning up appalling conditions while still labelling their goods "Made in the U.S.A." And how Tom got free trips to the islands and lots of money and stood by his pal Jack. Heck, that's old news.

Now, check out this yarn from the WaPo (where it was published Saturday December 31, 2005 and rescued from obscurity by TomPaine). Gosh oh golly, it's a honey. Now we find "Casino Jack" branching out to front for Russian oil and gas oligarchs seeking to line their pockets with U.S. taxpayer money.

It's long and complex, but tell me this sample doesn't whet your appetite for more:

"DeLay got free international trips and fancy free office space in a secret townhouse, and his wife got paid a sizable monthly salary for doing nothing. Meantime, the nonprofit presented itself to the public as devoted to promoting family values, and ran ads attacking Democrats."

The "nonprofit" mentioned was apparently a phony used to funnel Russian cash to DeLay & Co.

One of the "free international trips" was a visit to Moscow to meet the oligarchs. DeLay said he was meeting "religious leaders." Oh, yeah. High Priests in the International Church of Cash Talks.

You'll find it worth the effort if you remember to

Stay Naked

Meet Kevin Sullivan.


Kevin is a C-130 Navigator and has served three tours in Iraq. We here at the Zoo like to recognize that 'they', that is 'the troops', are individuals with stories like yours and ours. To that end we strongly support the work of organizations like Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. It is organizations like this that let us meet and hear from 'the troops'. So click HERE to read a little something from Kevin Sullivan

"It is my birthday today and I was up at 12am watching the date switch over. It is not that I am particularly excited about my last year in my twenties, I just couldn't believe how much this did not feel like a birthday. I climbed to the top of a berm overlooking an expanse of moonlit desert and sat and thought about a birthday I had when I was a kid.

My father was a volunteer firefighter and his station would sell Christmas trees as a fund raiser. I used to love to get bundled up and help him out by sorting trees or picking up dropped tags. I never felt so happy than that time of year when I was a kid and my birthday would come with Christmas just a week away. Sometimes when I close my eyes, that feeling returns for just a moment. I really needed that tonight."

Thanks Kevin...and Happy Birthday.

Stay Naked.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

And I think to myself...


What a wonderful world.

Remember Texas Gov. Rick Perry? Google 'Rick Perry + Karl Rove' for fun. Rick Perry was a Democrat who became a Republican and defeated popular ass-kicker Jim Hightower for Agriculture Secretary. Actually, follow that up with 'Karl Rove + Greg Rampton' and grab some coffee. You'll come across Jim Moores book 'Bushs Brain' which was made into a killer doc.
Anyway, current Tx. Gov. Rick Perry is facing a serious challenge this year from Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn (who is running as an Independent). This is according to a story linked to HERE on Raw Story.

Why is this news? Well, Mrs. Strayhorn is leaving the GOP to run as an independent because she thinks Rick Perry is "a weak leadin', ethics ignorin', pointin' the finger at everyone blamin', special session callin', public school slashin', slush fund spendin', toll road buildin', special interest panderin', rainy day fund raidin', fee increasin', no property tax cuttin', promise breakin', do nothin' phony conservative."

Nice.

She is also White House Press Secretary Scott McClellans MOTHER!!!! Oh this is sweet. Bush hand-picked Rick Perry to succeed him as Guv. when he decided to run for President..now his HAND-PICKED successor is facing a challenge from his Press Secretarys MOM??? Who writes this stuff?

Strayhorn in 06'

I wonder if she called Scotty Boy to let him know? Imagine the ribbing he's getting from our notoriously mean-spirited President?

Stay Naked.

Monday, January 02, 2006

What NOBODY Does on the Web


Once in a while we find a story which misses its own point. Let us illustrate.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project recently reported the results of a poll reflecting differences between men's and women's internet use .

Men, it appears, are "fact gatherers", checking news, sports, politics and finance. Women are more likely to be emailing or seeking help on religious, personal or health questions. The survey goes on this vein, showing women "improving relationships" with email while men are more likely to participate in "fan clubs".

What goes completely unmentioned in the poll, what apparently nobody does on the net is: look at porn !

That's right ! Despite the fact that statistics show that porn is a $12 billion industry in this country and that $2.5 billion of that is internet related, nobody reports it in the Pew survey.

Nevermind that 25% of all search engine requests, 8% of all emails and 12% of all websites are porn related. Nobody reports having anything to do with it.

Did the interviewers laugh, giggle or even smirk when nobody checked the "porn" box ?

Would you have checked the porn box ?

Read all the polls you want, but don't forget your grain of salt and

Stay Naked.

Coming soon to an arena near you...the 'ZAPATISTAS!'


Former Subcomandante Marcos, leader of the Mexican revolutionary group 'The Zapatistas', embarked on a six-month nationwide tour to attempt to reshape Mexicos politics. Marcos has abandoned his military title in favor of the civilian moniker "Delegate Zero." I can't make this up. We start with the expected:

"In speeches Sunday, Marcos railed against the Mexican government and free trade.
The enemy "has many faces but one name: capitalism," Marcos said.
He said the rest of the Zapatistas' tour would consist not of big marches, but of meetings with ordinary people. "We will listen to people in the places where they work, in the places where they are exploited, where they suffer racism," he said."

Okay. Fair enough but get this...Mexicos President, Vincente Fox...ENDORSED the trip! " President Vicente Fox's office said the Zapatista tour would strengthen the country's democracy."

What a weird world.
------------------------------

Ominous News of the Day: "The U.S. never intended to completely rebuild Iraq," Brig. Gen. William McCoy. That quote is from a Wapo article titled, "U.S. Has End in Sight on Iraq Rebuilding". According to the article, 18.4 Billion dollars has been allocated for Iraqi reconstruction. Most of it has gone to fight the insurgency, try Saddam and set up a criminal justice system. There's about 20% left. After that? Well it's up to the 'international community' and Iraq itself...tick tick tick goes the time bomb...How do you spell 'Pissed off Iraqis'...

Stay Naked.

Sunday, January 01, 2006

Top 10....I love my 'Truthout'...

Of all the websites the Zoo travels to, I gotta say I love Truthout.org the best and in homage...here is their 'Top 10 Stories of 2005'.
Mr. Fitzgeralds Neighborhood. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerals is almost single-handedly restoring confidence in the 'Rule of Law'...

US Military targets Journalists...and CNN News Chief is out of a job for calling it like he sees it.

It's the White House Stupid. A relentless string of stories about abuse of power, reckless militarism and Shakepearean hubris...all landing in the front steps of the White House.

Abu Gharib. Need I say more?

Her name was Katrina. Just when you thought 'The Three Stooges' was old school...here comes 'Brownie', the 4th stooge...

I love Cindy. Cindy Sheehan that is. Screw Girl Power...gimme some Mom Power...

Jesus is Great. Bill Moyers is Great. Bill Moyers is Jesus. Bill Quote, " What we need is what the ancient Israelites called "hocma" - the science of the heart, the capacity to see, to feel and then to act as if the future depended on you. Believe me, it does"

Don't know who Jimmy Massey is? Jimmy Massey served in Iraq and is now a founding memeber of 'Veterans Against the War'. He is your brother, he is your son, he is your father...and as patriotic as he is, he doesn't see how killing unarmed Iraqis makes us safer or better.

Who speaks for the planet? Robert Kennedy. If you haven't read his Speech to the Sierra Summit prepare to be ignited...
"You show me a polluter; I’ll show you a subsidiary. I’ll show you a fat cat using political clout to escape the discipline of the free market. And force the public to pay his production costs. That’s what all pollution is, it’s always a subsidy, it’s always a guy trying to cheat the free market."

Harold Pinter. Poet. Nobel Prize Winner.
Who was the dead body?
Who was the father or daughter or brother
Or uncle or sister or mother or son
Of the dead and abandoned body?


Goodbye 2005. Time to get 2006exy:)

Stay Naked.