Well, after reading all of the reviews on the new gamma world that I care to (here, here and here, basically), it looks like I'd prefer to use the version of "Omega World". It appears that the new version of GW at best is mediocre, and at worst, is a both an editorial and content bomb. I have to remember to ask the Gray Pumpkin his feelings on the book. (He was the person that even told me it had been published.)
Speaking of gamer-talk, it's nice to see gaming / comics nerds in the mainstream.
Folks are already reviewing the third movie in the LOTR series.. contrary to The Matrix (or any set of movies I can think of....) The general consensus is that Return of the King is better than the second movie, which was better than the first. Outstanding!
LJ's current mood - Pretty neat to see the vibe. Yesterday was nifty, because you could see folks as "full" then "sleepy".
The 1811 Dictionary of the vulgar tongue. - Hooray for Project Gutenberg! The word Merkin alone is worth the look.
MJ joke heard lately-
I've been reading about all of the yummy Eid food folks had recently, and it's making me hungry! Hummus, baba ghanoush, couscous and so much more. I bet a feat day after all that Ramadan fasting makes things even more appreciated.
Thinking about my sweetheart right now and just kicking back with the tube. Hard to believe that it's Friday already... this week flew by. I'm looking forward to this weekend.It's the day after Thanksgiving... I suppose I can work a bit more on my Yuletide background for my website and journal I'd like to keep it muted, but festive. I wonder if blinking lights on the trees would be too distracting? I won't trot out the holiday icons and such much more before a week ahead of Christmas... and they'll be gone by New Year's. Perhaps I'll make some birthday graphics, too, for February. Not many people even noticed my Halloween background when it was up... but it was subtle.
You are Ludwig II, the Swan King of Bavaria!
Born with the name of Otto, you became Ludwig at the request of your grandfather, King Ludwig I, because you were born on his birthday. You became Crown Prince at the tender age of 3, and soon after stole a purse from a shop on the basis that everything in Bavaria belonged to you. Tragedy struck when your pet tortoise was taken away; relatives thought the six-year-old prince was too attached to it. Your childhood was lonely and formal. Once, you were prevented from beheading your younger brother by the timely arrival of a court official. From the age of 14 you suffered from hallucinations.
Despite striking an imposing figure with your great height and good looks, your speeches were pompous to the point of incomprehensibility. You became even more of a recluse, often spending hours reading poetry in a seashell-shaped boat in your electrically-illuminated underground grotto.
You are most famous for building three fairytale castles - Linderhof, Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee - at tremendous public expense. Declared insane and confined to your bedroom by concerned (and embarrassed) subjects, you escaped on 13 June 1886, but were later found drowned with your physician in Lake Stamberg in mysterious circumstances.
Danny fell asleep on the phone last night as I was talking to him... I forget about what, but I do recall that I informed him about WalMart's villainy (sweatshop situation, and other not-so-ethical tactics) shortly before. He called me up about 20 minutes later, and apologised... I wasn't offended. The hour was late to begin with, and he's working too hard. It is a shame that his whole weekend is going to be dominated by other familial and work considerations, but we'll get a chance to goof around some other time. I wonder if I'll get to spend time with the bro this weekend?
I would really like some soft, light biscuits, mashed potatoes, peas and green bean casserole. Some sort of leftover pie for dessert, and hot, black coffee.
Not happening. Probably just as well.... I do have some good food in the fridge and cupboard, just nothing that I'm craving. I'll make a nice cup of tea... that'll be tasty and delicious.
Timeline - Pretty neato to see how we've progressed, scientifically.
Hm, I stand corrected. Snopes says that today *is not* the biggest shopping day of the year. Wow, I've been propagating that myth for years, as an "Everybody knows" sort of thing. (it's actually closer to the fifth biggest at the most, sometimes less.)
According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, the top two shopping days for each of the last ten years have been as follows:
FBI let innocents get death sentences: report
The FBI used murderers as informants in Boston for three decades, even allowing innocent men to be sentenced to death to protect the secret operation, a government report has found.
The FBI's policy "must be considered one of the greatest failures in the history of federal law enforcement" and had "disastrous consequences", the report by the House Committee on Government Reform said.
More than 20 people were murdered by FBI informants in Boston from 1965, often with the help of FBI agents, it said.
But no FBI agent or official has ever been disciplined, the report said.
Separately, it said that William Bulger, then the president of the University of Massachusetts, gave "inconsistent" testimony to the committee last June about whether the FBI had contacted him in its search for his fugitive gangster brother, James Bulger, who is on the bureau's most wanted list.
James Bulger, known as Whitey, headed an underworld gang in Boston and was one of the FBI's star informants before he fled in 1995 after being tipped off by a bureau agent that there was a secret indictment against him.
While critical of Mr Bulger, the report stopped short of saying he had committed perjury.
Mr Bulger's lawyer, Thomas Kiley, said the committee's findings were "a total vindication on everything that matters" for his client.
The bureau, in a written statement, said: "While the FBI recognizes there have been instances of misconduct by a few FBI employees, it also recognizes the importance of human source information in terrorism, criminal and counterintelligence investigations."
To avoid future problems, the statement said, "the FBI has taken significant steps in recent years regarding the management and oversight of human sources of intelligence".
The FBI's policy of using murderers grew out of a belated effort by a former director, J. Edgar Hoover, to go after the Mafia, which Hoover had earlier denied even existed, the report said. So, in the early 1960s, the bureau began recruiting underworld informers in its new campaign.
The report focuses heavily on one episode, the 1965 murder of Edward Deegan, a small-time hoodlum who was killed by Jimmy Flemmi and Joseph Barboza, who had just been recruited by an FBI agent in Boston, Paul Rico.
The FBI knew the two men were the killers because it had been using an unauthorized wire tap and had heard Flemmi ask the Mafia boss, Raymond Patriarca, for permission to kill Deegan. A few days later, Deegan was shot dead.
The FBI was so intent on protecting its new informants, the report said, that it passed up a chance to try Patriarca for his involvement in the killing.
Instead, four men who had nothing to do with the killing were tried and convicted, with two sentenced to death and two to life in prison.
Two of the men died in prison and two had their sentences commuted and were freed after serving 30 years behind bars.
Hoover was kept fully informed about this murder and the wrongful convictions, the report said.
Bouncing bear movie (1.8 meg mpg)
Speaking of gamer-talk, it's nice to see gaming / comics nerds in the mainstream.
Folks are already reviewing the third movie in the LOTR series.. contrary to The Matrix (or any set of movies I can think of....) The general consensus is that Return of the King is better than the second movie, which was better than the first. Outstanding!
LJ's current mood - Pretty neat to see the vibe. Yesterday was nifty, because you could see folks as "full" then "sleepy".
The 1811 Dictionary of the vulgar tongue. - Hooray for Project Gutenberg! The word Merkin alone is worth the look.
MJ joke heard lately-
Q: What is the difference between Michael Jackson and a grocery bag?*Rimshot* (ouch.. no pun intended there.)
A: One is made of plastic and is unsafe for children to play with. The other is used to carry groceries.
I've been reading about all of the yummy Eid food folks had recently, and it's making me hungry! Hummus, baba ghanoush, couscous and so much more. I bet a feat day after all that Ramadan fasting makes things even more appreciated.
Thinking about my sweetheart right now and just kicking back with the tube. Hard to believe that it's Friday already... this week flew by. I'm looking forward to this weekend.It's the day after Thanksgiving... I suppose I can work a bit more on my Yuletide background for my website and journal I'd like to keep it muted, but festive. I wonder if blinking lights on the trees would be too distracting? I won't trot out the holiday icons and such much more before a week ahead of Christmas... and they'll be gone by New Year's. Perhaps I'll make some birthday graphics, too, for February. Not many people even noticed my Halloween background when it was up... but it was subtle.
You are Ludwig II, the Swan King of Bavaria!
Born with the name of Otto, you became Ludwig at the request of your grandfather, King Ludwig I, because you were born on his birthday. You became Crown Prince at the tender age of 3, and soon after stole a purse from a shop on the basis that everything in Bavaria belonged to you. Tragedy struck when your pet tortoise was taken away; relatives thought the six-year-old prince was too attached to it. Your childhood was lonely and formal. Once, you were prevented from beheading your younger brother by the timely arrival of a court official. From the age of 14 you suffered from hallucinations.
Despite striking an imposing figure with your great height and good looks, your speeches were pompous to the point of incomprehensibility. You became even more of a recluse, often spending hours reading poetry in a seashell-shaped boat in your electrically-illuminated underground grotto.
You are most famous for building three fairytale castles - Linderhof, Neuschwanstein and Herrenchiemsee - at tremendous public expense. Declared insane and confined to your bedroom by concerned (and embarrassed) subjects, you escaped on 13 June 1886, but were later found drowned with your physician in Lake Stamberg in mysterious circumstances.
Danny fell asleep on the phone last night as I was talking to him... I forget about what, but I do recall that I informed him about WalMart's villainy (sweatshop situation, and other not-so-ethical tactics) shortly before. He called me up about 20 minutes later, and apologised... I wasn't offended. The hour was late to begin with, and he's working too hard. It is a shame that his whole weekend is going to be dominated by other familial and work considerations, but we'll get a chance to goof around some other time. I wonder if I'll get to spend time with the bro this weekend?
I would really like some soft, light biscuits, mashed potatoes, peas and green bean casserole. Some sort of leftover pie for dessert, and hot, black coffee.
Not happening. Probably just as well.... I do have some good food in the fridge and cupboard, just nothing that I'm craving. I'll make a nice cup of tea... that'll be tasty and delicious.
Timeline - Pretty neato to see how we've progressed, scientifically.
Hm, I stand corrected. Snopes says that today *is not* the biggest shopping day of the year. Wow, I've been propagating that myth for years, as an "Everybody knows" sort of thing. (it's actually closer to the fifth biggest at the most, sometimes less.)
According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, the top two shopping days for each of the last ten years have been as follows:
- 2002: Saturday, Dec. 21, and Monday Dec. 23
- 2001: Saturday, Dec. 22, and Saturday, Dec. 15
- 2000: Saturday, Dec. 23, and Friday, Dec. 22
- 1999: Saturday, Dec. 18, and Thursday, Dec. 23
- 1998: Saturday, Dec. 19, and Wednesday, Dec. 23
- 1997: Saturday, Dec. 20, and Monday, Dec. 22
- 1996: Saturday, Dec. 21, and Monday, Dec. 23
- 1995: Saturday, Dec. 23, and Friday, Dec. 22
- 1994: Friday, Dec. 23, and Saturday, Dec. 17
- 1993: Thursday, Dec. 23, and Saturday, Dec. 18
FBI let innocents get death sentences: report
The FBI used murderers as informants in Boston for three decades, even allowing innocent men to be sentenced to death to protect the secret operation, a government report has found.
The FBI's policy "must be considered one of the greatest failures in the history of federal law enforcement" and had "disastrous consequences", the report by the House Committee on Government Reform said.
More than 20 people were murdered by FBI informants in Boston from 1965, often with the help of FBI agents, it said.
But no FBI agent or official has ever been disciplined, the report said.
Separately, it said that William Bulger, then the president of the University of Massachusetts, gave "inconsistent" testimony to the committee last June about whether the FBI had contacted him in its search for his fugitive gangster brother, James Bulger, who is on the bureau's most wanted list.
James Bulger, known as Whitey, headed an underworld gang in Boston and was one of the FBI's star informants before he fled in 1995 after being tipped off by a bureau agent that there was a secret indictment against him.
While critical of Mr Bulger, the report stopped short of saying he had committed perjury.
Mr Bulger's lawyer, Thomas Kiley, said the committee's findings were "a total vindication on everything that matters" for his client.
The bureau, in a written statement, said: "While the FBI recognizes there have been instances of misconduct by a few FBI employees, it also recognizes the importance of human source information in terrorism, criminal and counterintelligence investigations."
To avoid future problems, the statement said, "the FBI has taken significant steps in recent years regarding the management and oversight of human sources of intelligence".
The FBI's policy of using murderers grew out of a belated effort by a former director, J. Edgar Hoover, to go after the Mafia, which Hoover had earlier denied even existed, the report said. So, in the early 1960s, the bureau began recruiting underworld informers in its new campaign.
The report focuses heavily on one episode, the 1965 murder of Edward Deegan, a small-time hoodlum who was killed by Jimmy Flemmi and Joseph Barboza, who had just been recruited by an FBI agent in Boston, Paul Rico.
The FBI knew the two men were the killers because it had been using an unauthorized wire tap and had heard Flemmi ask the Mafia boss, Raymond Patriarca, for permission to kill Deegan. A few days later, Deegan was shot dead.
The FBI was so intent on protecting its new informants, the report said, that it passed up a chance to try Patriarca for his involvement in the killing.
Instead, four men who had nothing to do with the killing were tried and convicted, with two sentenced to death and two to life in prison.
Two of the men died in prison and two had their sentences commuted and were freed after serving 30 years behind bars.
Hoover was kept fully informed about this murder and the wrongful convictions, the report said.
Bouncing bear movie (1.8 meg mpg)
posted by Scottobear at
11:31:00 PM
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