Monthly Archives: April 2007

Video Reveals Fate of Rove Emails

Posted on April 18, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

The Inside Story About the Rove Emails

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Iraq: Bad to Bad (or Worse)

Posted on April 17, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

If the administration were smarter it wouldn't let anyone intelligent visit Iraq, as they tend to report that the emperor has no clothes — or at least no realistic Iraq policy.

Lawrence Korb just got back from a trip to Iraq. “Unreal” seemed to be his overall reaction to the PowerPoint-laden presentations he heard from various American and Iraqi officials, most of which were entirely divorced from the ground-level reality of day-to-day life in Iraq. In a different sense it also applies to his conclusions about the surge:

Getting through Iraqi customs was a chore….The long wait did allow me to speak to some of the contractors about the situation on the ground. When I assured them I was not a member of the press, they were unanimous that the surge was not working….The most optimistic projection was “maybe temporarily.” But most people speaking off the record believe that the insurgents will shift to other areas and lay low for a while in Baghdad.

Actually, wasn't the ban on brains the initial US occupation strategy?

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Green Called on Account of Fear

Posted on April 17, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

E-mail from the UM Office of Public Safety, quoted in its entirety:

The UM Police Department had planned to support this weeks environmental initiatives with a “green day” on Wednesday, April 18th; UM patrol officers were logistically set to use only “green,” non-fossil fuel burning modes of transportation such as Segways, bicycles and GEMs (electric golf carts). However, due to increased security measures stemming from the recent events at Virginia Tech, the UM Police Department will be postponing this event.

(Despite this setback, the Green initiative seems real. I've noticed cops on Segways running around in the past week. Segways seem just the right size for campus walkways, although it seems I missed my chance to try one.)

As for fear, it could be worse: we're not locking down the campus in fear of an umbrella.

Posted in U.Miami | 1 Comment

CIA Draws a Line

Posted on April 17, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

It's good to know, I guess, that there are some things so horrible that the CIA will deny that it did them.

Father of Pakistani Alleges U.S. Torture It also alleged that the building held two children, ages about 6 and 8, of Mohammed, who had been captured in Pakistan within days of Khan.

“They were also mentally tortured by having ants or other creatures put on their legs to scare them and get them to say where their father was hiding,” the statement charged.

Gimigliano, the CIA spokesman, said the agency “forcefully and completely rejects as false any suggestion that its officers would in any way mistreat children, including children of al-Qaida terrorists.”

Just two more small details:

1. In light of everything else we know, how reliable is the CIA's denial?

2. What about the adults?

Posted in Torture | 1 Comment

Pandora Wish List (Updated)

Posted on April 17, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

I want two things relating to Pandora.

1) I want Congress or the courts (or the agency itself on rehearing) to overturn the appalling decision of the Copyright Royalty Board (the CRB) setting an unreasonably high fee for the webcasting statutory license in the United States — that will charge Pandora and other internet radio stations so much for the right to broadcast that it would put them out of business.

[Update: Whoops. Seems the CRB appeal board has already rejected the appeal of its earlier ruling. It's on to the DC Circuit now. And that's sure to be uphill. Join The campaign to save net radio. (Or, maybe, some organization that looks more able to achieve the goal?) Congress, are you listening? ]

2) There ought to be an easy way to create a station based on everyone who's covered a given song using those covers as song seeds. I want a one-click way to use every version of “Louie, Louie” or “Major Tom” as joint song seeds.

Posted in Kultcha, Law: Copyright and DMCA | Comments Off on Pandora Wish List (Updated)

Slashdot on What’s Killing the Bees

Posted on April 17, 2007 by Michael Froomkin

Slashdot | Are Mobile Phones Wiping Out Bees?

As is often the case, the comments are priceless.

Posted in Science/Medicine | Comments Off on Slashdot on What’s Killing the Bees