Fucking ALCOA...

Seriously, nothing's sacred. ALCOA is pushing to build an aluminum smelting plant in eastern Iceland, damaging on its own but also to be fueled by dams that would flood some amazing places. Big step backward for a country of incredible natural beauty that currently runs on 99% geothermal energy. Read more from Saving Iceland and the Iceland Nature Conservation Association. (Note with caution that INCA appears to be somewhat aligned with the World Wildlife Fund, whose U.S. director sits on the board of ALCOA.)

Merry Fitzmas!

I return to Washington from a week out west to find Harriet Miers' Supreme Court nomination withdrawn and White House fall guy--I mean, VP chief of staff--Scooter Libby indicted. There are a couple of lessons in the past week's events:

1) I should leave Washington more often.

2) While it doesn't really hold up before a grand jury, you could always try blaming Tim Russert as the source of sensitive information that you've leaked. I.e.,

"Did you blab to Jane about me dating her ex?"
"No way, dude, it must've been Russert. That's where I heard it from in the first place."

Minutemen come to DC

The Arizona-based Minuteman Project (crazy vigilante border patrol guys) has arrived in Our Fair District (NBC4). At a meeting last night, they announced plans to break up day labor hiring sites and "dry up the workforce for day laborers in Herndon."

Ummm...

So who will build the McMansions?

Don't bite the cheap-labor hand that feeds you, fellas.

And the hammer came down

Tom DeLay (R-22nd)
242 CHOB

Bio: b. 4/8/47 Laredo, TX; Baptist; BS Univ. of Houston, 1970; Indicted on charges of criminal conspiracy and moneylaundering 10/19/05; Businessman; m. Christine


Yes, this is the mugshot we've all been waiting for. But it's something of a disappointment--where was this taken, Glamour Shots? It looks better than his facebook picture, for Pete's sake.

Something else to keep you up at night

The U.S. government can trace documents printed on some color printers back to the exact printer on which they were printed, using technology included in the printers at the behest of the Feds, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Is your printer spying on you? Check this list to find out.

EFF press release: San Francisco - A research team led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recently broke the code behind tiny tracking dots that some color laser printers secretly hide in every document.

The U.S. Secret Service admitted that the tracking information is part of a deal struck with selected color laser printer manufacturers, ostensibly to identify counterfeiters. However, the nature of the private information encoded in each document was not previously known.

"We've found that the dots from at least one line of printers encode the date and time your document was printed, as well as the serial number of the printer," said EFF Staff Technologist Seth David Schoen.

Is there anything funnier than an animated Dick Cheney?

If there's one place where Beltway enviro groups--and, frankly, progressive groups in general-- really beat the socks off the competition, it's viral Flash animations. The latest to hit my inbox is Clear the Air's "Climate Mash." The best thing about this one, besides Condoleeza Rice flying a broom, is the fact that they actually got the creator of the original 1962 "Monster Mash" to do the vocals and act as a spokesman for the campaign. Awesome.

Keep your eye on the one-cup

The folks at Budweiser have finally clued into the Beirut/beer-pong market. (NYT. Lead: "The bar is packed, the floor is wet, and dozens of glassy-eyed young people are squeezed around tables trying to lob Ping-Pong balls into cups of beer." Ah, those were the days.)

A few observations:

1. As with any sport, the more corporate influence, the worse it gets. So, never lose sight of the spirit of the game. Drexel senior Chris Shannon put it best in the NYT article: "If you win, you win. If you lose, you drink. There's no negative."

2. Sometimes the New York Times oversteps its bounds, hipness-wise. Jennifer 8. Lee really should have written this article. To recount an e-mail conversation from today regarding this article--

Alison: Apparently, we're hip.
Waage: Dude, we're totally hip! For 22-year-olds.
Alicia: We may be hip but whoever researched and wrote "flippy cup" is not.

3. If this means that someone's going to form a Beirut Commission and publish standardized rules, I support that, and will lobby heavily for "drink on overs" and "drink on empties."

Behold the cat with two tongues

CNN has posted video of this freaky-ass cat, born in North Carolina, which also happens to have 5 toes on each of its back feet. Watch the footage here, if you dare.

Schadenfreude feels so good

RE: "No one seems to be in a tizzy over all this [scandal among Bush cronies]..." (previous post)

I was wrong. The most important people of all are in a tizzy. The Post declares today,

"A series of scandals involving some of the most powerful Republicans in Washington have converged to disrupt President Bush's agenda, distract aides and allies, and exacerbate political problems for an already weakened administration, according to party strategists and White House advisers."

I couldn't ask for anything more.

Just keep playing out the rope.

Chewbacca loves the U.S.A. in spite of everything about the U.S.A.

"Whatever people say about America, it is still one of the most wonderful countries in the world, despite the politics, religion and everything else that goes on."--British-born Peter Mayhew (the actor who played Chewbacca), upon becoming a citizen of the Galactic Empire--I mean, United States. (CNN)

Not that I like to spend a ton of time defending Bill Clinton, but--

SEC Issues Subpoena To Frist, Sources Say (WP)
Rove and Libby: The dragnet tightens around the White House gangsters (Boston Phoenix editorial)
DeLay Is Indicted on Two New Charges (WP)
[as befitting the Hammer] DeLay lawyers subpoena prosecutor (CNN)

No one seems to be in a tizzy over all this. What if, back in 1998, you saw like five headlines about Bill Clinton and everybody politically close to him all getting into trouble with the law all at once?

Someone mentioned to me recently that "it took the Democrats twenty years to get corrupted...but the Republicans, it only took eight. Thanks to the high-speed technology we have these days."

What's black and white and makes me happy?

Sometimes, when I am sad, I like to look at pictures of the National Zoo's new baby panda.

He is 3 months old and just got his first teeth! (WP, also see National Zoo) Let's hope the National Zoo does a better job at--umm--keeping him from dying than they have done with their wards in the past.

Sadly, I am told there are only about 1500 pandas left in the wild, with 120 in zoos. It's rough when you can only eat bamboo, people keep developing your habitat, and you don't reproduce all that quickly.

Grammar police on patrol

Apologies, but I have another one to add to the list of "grammar and usage errors that really get my goat." It is the confusion of the words tact and tack. For example,

"I think that the tact [sic, emphasis mine] that the Senate is going to take is..." --Jim Sims, Executive Vice President, Partnership for the West, on the Kojo Nnamdi Show this morning

Let's get one thing straight:

tact n. 1: Acute sensitivity to what is proper and appropriate in dealing with others, including the ability to speak or act without offending.

tack n. 1: The heading or position of a vessel relative to the trim of its sails. 2: A method used in dealing with something.

Science education and the hand of God

There are some good letters in the NYT today in response to last week's article about creationist geologists touring the Grand Canyon (NYT, Oct. 6).

As usual when the creation/evolution debate makes it into the pages of the Times, the letters are eloquent, logical, and almost all written by college professors and Reform rabbis.

Ugh. By attempting to defeat the intelligent design argument through logic and reason, we approach it on its own terms and give it more weight than it deserves. I swear to God, if I read one more LTE from some professor trying to explain the definition of a "theory"...

The bigger problem here is that we shouldn't have to debate "evolution vs. intelligent design" within a scientific context at all. "Intelligent design" just doesn't hold any water as science. As theology or philosophy, it's fine, and we can and should debate it within that context.

The arguments that intelligent design proponents most frequently use to support their position are easily dismantled.* (You should Google around for critiques, but start with this article in Natural History.)

The fact that intelligent design has even managed to sell itself as science, or that anyone has to explain to the American public what a theory is, is symptomatic of a larger social problem. Perhaps one reason the intelligent design movement has any footing at all in our society is a huge failing of American schools to educate students properly both in the substance of modern biology, physics, and chemistry, and in the process of scientific evaluation of phenomena. If Americans had a solid grounding in these areas, we could focus less on whether intelligent design theory is good science, and more on the social and political heart of this debate.

*I am particularly fond of the "irreducible complexity" argument: "Wait, you're saying the eye could have evolved how? This seems way too complicated for me to even try to understand, so I'm going to assume God was responsible. You guys can stick around the lab if you want, but I'm going for a beer."

Spam written by toddlers

The following message was delivered to my spam folder:

Date: Saturday October 8
From: [blank]
To: [blank]
Subject: foo

foo foo foo

?

Meet the Press podcast now available

Sweet!

A little appreciation goes a long way with us Citizens

The Superior Court of the District of Columbia makes me so happy to do my civic duty.

Dear Citizen;

Your request for deferment was received and considered. Please be advised that your juror service has been deferred...

The Court extends its gratitude to you for your willingness to fulfill your obligation as a citizen of your community.

Sincerely,
Duane B. Delaney
Clerk of the Court

Awww--don't mention it, Duane.

Walk the walk

Check this out: Voltaic™ brand solar backpacks allow you to recharge your personal electronics using the power of the sun!

Uncork that Nalgene, roll yourself another American Spirit and strap on your vegan shoes 'cause now you're good to go!

Seriously, though, these are pretty freakin cool. I can see making them the next hot accessory as part of a renewable energy awareness campaign.

Can we get Paris Hilton to charge her Sidekick using a Voltaic pack?

Fall fashion critique, vol. I

It's time to stop thinking about the imminent weakening and/or repeal of America's federal environmental protections and constitutional right to privacy, and start thinking about more immediate and weighty matters--like this season's styles and colors, and what I don't like about them.

There is a lot to disturb on the racks right now, but most disturbing of all is the bolero (left).

I have a fundamental problem with any item of clothing that is totally nonfunctional. Pashminas get a pass because they actually do keep you warm. Men's neckties are also acceptable because of their centuries-long history. Ladies' thong underwear? A necessity to avoid tell-tale panty lines when wearing last summer's sheer pants. But the bolero? It certainly won't keep most of you warm. Perhaps helpful as a cover-up to transition from summer tanks to fall sweaters. But a more functional, full-length sweater serves the same purpose.

The other big problem with the bolero is its lack of staying power. This thing will last 1 season, tops. Why would one pay $38 for the bolero pictured above (at Urban Outfitters) when a classic cardigan at the Gap could be had for the same price, and could be worn for years? It's madness.

There is one exception: if you are a professional matador, it is OK to wear a bolero.

Best. Headline. Ever.

"Public Advocate Opposes 'Bush Packing' Appointment of Miers" (Public Advocate press release, via Wonkette)