A Rainbow in Red

I never thought much of the American 'branch' of the Rainbow tribe. It's all a bit too theme-park like. Now reports of violence at the current gathering:

The Rainbow Family peace gathering turned hostile Tuesday when a group of attendees began hurling rocks and sticks at law enforcement officers, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

Denmark Sells Out

Well thats the end of my pro-Danish vodka buying spree. Denmark provided the crucial vote in undermining the moratorium against whaling. What a disgrace.

According to this report the pro-whaling members of the IWC are: Antigua and Barbados, Belize, Benin, Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Grenada, Guinea, Iceland, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Mali, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, Nauru, Nicaragua, Norway, Palau, Russian Federation, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and Grenada, St Lucia, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Suriname and Togo.

You can write to the Danish embassy - the address is on their homepage

Plunderphonic Electronic Horses

I just downloaded the album Balkan Spezialitaeten by Vernon LeNoir. Described as

This work is a variation of balkan themes in an electronic and plunderphonic way. The concept is a 20 minute experience of balkanic sounds transported on electronic horses.

Let me add that the electronic horses in question appear to have drunk a great deal of virtual cherry brandy and are break dancing on five legs.

I'm in the process of listening to everything else this guy has released...

Courtesy of Weirdomusic.com

DIY Pollock Dot Com

jacksonpollock.org

Nineteenth Century Gossip

Who knew? A son of the founder of Chabad converted to Christianity. Internecine warfare between Chassidic sects, suicide attempts and other long buried secrets of the Chassids are described in a new book by David Assaf, reviewed in Haaretz.

More Vodka Less Dairy Delights

Christopher Hitchens is needlessly anxious to demonstrate that Iraq was harbouring terrorists before we invaded it. It's not a very strong argument - there's no evidence that any misdeeds were actually plotted in Mesopotamia - and supererogatory besides. Iraq used to be the private Slave State of Saddam Hussein, who terrorized his subjects mercilessly. The most interesting part of Hitchen's article is the postscript:

I have today received a note from one of the Copenhagen editors who published the original cartoons, informing me that in the last quarter, Danish exports to the United States have increased by 17 percent and that, overall, the Danish economy has more than compensated for the results of the unjustified Muslim boycott.

Must be all that good Denaka vodka I've been drinking!

Untouched on a high pinnacle of nobility

Noam Chomsky rejects Mearsheimer and Walt's Protocols Paper. It's not an easy read - Chomsky, a Deep Grammer zealot, would do his readers great kindness by employing a little more everyday, garden-variety English Grammar.

To be sure, he applauds the authors' willingness to brave the hysteria of the Intellectual Herd (apparently Zionists to a man). His main grudge is they seek to displace responsibility for the great evil wrought by The Great Satan (TM) onto a minor incubus, thereby leaving "the US government untouched on its high pinnacle of nobility...".

Contrary to Mearsheimer and Walt, he feels that US Policy has been remarkably successful for those in whose interests it has been pursued - the oil companies.

I think Chomsky is overly gracious in being so sparing of the US government. He places the blame for US Imperial Policy at the feet of an apparently all powerful Energy Lobby, leaving the good people of North America smelling like roses. Apologetics, thats what I call it.

We learn that Israel's main contribution to US Middle Eastern policy was to crush secular Arab nationalism by defeating Nasser. Damn! The roots of secular Arab nationalism must run pretty shallow if a few million Jews sitting in the desert can emasculate it in six days. And what on earth did Israel create all those Palestinian Universities for - to become centers of Islamic religious thought?

Finally, Chomsky rejects the Islamoleftist argument that Washington Neocons are isomorphic with the Israel Lobby. Apparently, with Democracy sprouting like Palm Trees across the Middle East, he refuses to give credit where it's due.

Swedish Prisons - Leading the World in Luxury

The good life in Sweden.

Three Israelis jailed in Scandinavian country turn down offer to continue serving their sentence in homeland, explain 'here we are treated with steaks, sex and private television airing World Cup games for free'

I'm not sure whether to be amused or outraged. What did these three guys do to land in the clink? If its 6 months for mail fraud, I'd say its appropriate to treat them comfortably. But I'm also curious about the 'effectiveness' of the Swedish criminal system - perhaps humane treatment of prisoners does encourage earnest reflection and repentance. After all, most prisoners are eventually going to be released. It's in everybody's interest that their experience doesn't leave them bitter and hostile to society.

Swedish Prisons - Leading the World in Luxury

The good life in Sweden.

Three Israelis jailed in Scandinavian country turn down offer to continue serving their sentence in homeland, explain 'here we are treated with steaks, sex and private television airing World Cup games for free'

I'm not sure whether to be amused or outraged. What did these three guys do to land in the clink? If its 6 months for mail fraud, I'd say its appropriate to treat them comfortably. But I'm also curious about the 'effectiveness' of the Swedish criminal system - perhaps humane treatment of prisoners does encourage earnest reflection and repentance. After all, most prisoners are eventually going to be released. It's in everybody's interest that their experience doesn't leave them bitter and hostile to society.

Aliens in India?

An Indian scientist is proposing that mysterious red rains contain alien spores. He's either wildly incompetent, or on to something very cool!

Hamas Enters Rag Trade

I think Ynet has mistakenly reprinted a piece from The Onion.

Hamas has found a new way to try and cope with its financial crisis - by auctioning off items of clothing that belonged to dead terrorists.

The really good news will come when Hamas starts to raise funds by selling off clothes belonging to living terrorists. What do true jihadi warriors about to enter the Kingdom of Heaven need clothing for anyway? Surely the market value of a denim jacket is higher without the blood stains and artillery shell pieces.

Naked terrorists are the only real deal.

Israel Persecutes Piano Tuner

The Zionist Entity is a hotbed of antagonism toward humble piano tuners and is now incarcerating them as quickly as they show up at Ben Gurion airport. His lawyer is rightly concerned for his well being in Israel custody. I for one guess that he is being compelled to listen to the Moonlight Sonato played on an ancient and weathered harpsichord. The good news is that apparently there are still 40 pianos remaining in Gaza. No doubt the Israel's plot against piano tuners is aimed at spreading discord.

A Stunned Zadie

Apparently, Zadie Smith was stunned to win a literature prize for her book 'On Beauty'. Rightly so. Who could imagine that such an unimaginate pastiche of cartoonish stereotypes would merit a literary award.

South Park in Holland

This is pretty cool - South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have been invited to a
policy conference in Amsterdam.

Lets hope they emphasize more Kyle and less Cartman.

Public Informations Relations

The UN Department of Public Information is apparently very concerned with trying to acquire an air of respectability. Given that it outsources most of its information delivering function to NGO's, it's hardly surprising that the DPI would be promoting such a conference.

www.virtualpalestine.org

Yesterday Palestine, today weight control pills.

Anonymous Law Firm is Recruiting

We look for associates who have what it takes to succeed here: a hearty work ethic, a keen understanding of the law, an eye for detail, an ability to be influenced, a heart of stone, and a lack of outside interests and pursuits.

Words Fail

If this Jpost report is accurate, its one of the most disgusting things I have read.

A group of Palestinian children were sent towards the Gaza Strip border fence holding toy guns on Thursday in order to test the vigilance of the soldiers on duty.

From a distance, troops noticed four apparently armed Palestinians approaching the border north of the Kissufim crossing.

When the four were some 400 meters from the fence, the soldiers realized that they were children, who looked to be about 13 years of age, and that their guns were toys.