French newspaper says Saudis believe bin Laden dead
Sep 23 6:38 AM US/EasternA French newspaper published what it said was a report by the country’s intelligence services that said Saudi Arabia believes Osama bin Laden died of typhoid in Pakistan this month.
No, seriously, everybody should turn off the TV and read more.
“If Zach Braff is the voice of my generation, can’t someone please crush his larynx?”
This comes from Harry Shearer. The error and correction appeared in the LA Times.
Scandinavian fest: A listing in Sunday Calendar said hot dogs would not be allowed at the Scandinavian Autumn Fest and Marknad on Sept. 17 at Vasa Park in Agoura. No canines will be allowed at the event.
“The government of the United States doesn’t want peace. It wants to exploit its system of exploitation, of pillage, of hegemony through war.”
-“President” Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, speaking to the United Nations on September 20, 2006.
Orinoco Belt
The production and upgrading of the huge extra-heavy crude reserves in the Orinoco Belt is being carried out by four strategic associations headed by PDVSA (Ameriven, Cerro Negro, Petrozuata and Sincor). Private-sector participation includes the U.S. companies: ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and ChevronTexaco; and the Europeans; Statoil and TotalFinaElf. Total production from these projects is planned to reach 600,000 barrels a day by 2008, following a $13-billion investment.
-From the web site of Citgo, which is owned by Venezuela’s government. Italics mine. Venezuela is the Western Hemisphere’s biggest producer of petroleum.
Amount of money ExxonMobil, a major business partner of the Venezuela’s government, has given to Republican party candidates since the 2000 election cycle: $3.7 million.
Amount of money ChevronTexaco, a major business partner of the Venezuela’s government, has given to Republican party candidates since the 2000 election cycle: $2.8 million.
(All dollar amounts courtesy of opensecrets.org)
I report. You decide.
I just returned from another infuriating visit to the Fulton County tag office on Pyror Street in lovely Downtown Atlanta.
On one of the walls, there’s a pardon-our-progress sign requesting that visitors to the office be patient while the staff learns how to use the tag office’s new GRATIS computer system.
On another wall, there’s a lovely poster touting all of the features that GRATIS provides for users and county residents. The first feature listed is that GRATIS is “Y2K Compliant.”
U.N. expert says torture in Iraq is “out of hand”
Thu Sep 21, 2006 12:29pm ET
By Laura MacInnisGENEVA (Reuters) – Torture is rampant in Iraqi prisons and police detention centers, and may be worse than under Saddam Hussein’s rule, a U.N. human rights investigator said on Thursday.
“The situation as far as torture is concerned in Iraq is now completely out of hand,” Manfred Nowak, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture and cruelty, told reporters in Geneva.
Mr. Nowak’s assertion begs a question. Is there an amount of torture that the U.N. deems manageable? “Don’t worry, guys. There’s torture, but it’s in hand.”
I’m doing a story for Creative Loafing about the 11 least influential Atlantans.
Do you have any suggestions?
The list is a mix of funny and serious. Last year’s “least influential” list included the chair of the Cobb County Democratic Party, an Alpharetta city councilman banned from using e-mail and an abandoned dog.
Please send any and all of your ideas. Do you know anyone at war with a neighbor? Someone who can’t get a date? Someone trying to fight city hall? Someone that no one pays any attention to. You get the idea. Suggest away!
If I use your suggestion in the story, you’ll receive a free, lifetime subscription to Creative Loafing.
“We ask for the cooperation of the public and ask your pardon for the inconvenience.”
-From an announcement by the Thai military, which today overthrew Thailand’s elected government.
For some basic information about the events that preceded the coup, try this BBC story.
Unfortunately, American news outlets just don’t have enough reporters there to cover the country well. Perhaps that’s because the only time Americans say the word “Thai” is after the word “pad” or before the word “peanut.”
Hey, pardon our progress!
Me: I’d like an egg and cheese McMuffin, please.
Cashier: Ummm, uh (looks at buttons on cash register) egg and cheese?
Me: Yes, please.
Cashier: (silently looks at cash register)
Me: How about a Sausage McMuffin with no sausage?
Cashier: Okay (rings me up).
Just because he called a native Virginian with brown skin a monkey and has an enduring obsession with displaying the Confederate flag, doesn’t mean that Sen. George Allen (R-Virginia) is a racist.
On the contrary, Allen so loves all people that he communed with several of his non-white supporters in Northern Virginia last Saturday
The image below is how the gathering is currently depicted on Allen’s campaign web site.
Ain’t that sweet? Last month we were Macacans. This month we’re Ethnics. Perhaps by election day he’ll promote us to Americans.