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Sunday, December 05, 2004 |
Blocked. Here is an email that I just received from a Canadian-based friend who is visiting Iran: I was in the Panera Bakery using the wireless. I tried to check [your weblog at] i.hoder.com and it was blocked. I got this message: This site is blocked by the SonicWALL Content Filter Service. URL: http://i.hoder.com/ Reason for restriction: Forbidden Category "Pornography" It is funny feeling like being in Iran. Of course, I could use editormyself.com with no problem; but I thought I should let you know.... [Editor: Myself (English)]
6:29:54 PM 
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The King and I. It strikes me as ironic that my song has become the standard reference work on the subject of King Tut. By STEVE MARTIN. [NYT > Opinion]
When I got a call from a high-level Egyptian museum official saying that his country was upset that my song "King Tut" was not being played worldwide as much as it should be, and asking me if I would endorse an American tour of the artifacts in order to increase awareness of my song, I humbly agreed. The gentleman said, "If we thought that our exhibit would, in some way, introduce your song to even one more person, then the whole enterprise would be worth it." I am proud to be of service.
9:47:56 AM
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AmphetaRate - Index.
RSS feed of a weblog recommendation engine, it "learns" what you like and gives you more of it
AmphetaRate is a centralized ratings/recommendation service that provides personalized news and blog recommendations through a news aggregator interface. Using compatible aggregators, you can rate articles found in your subscribed feeds to discover articles and feeds that suit your taste, thus filling your news addiction.
This service is most useful for people new to RSS feeds and for news junkies who cannot afford missing any important news. Indeed, with thousands of blogs and feeds out there, how can you be sure you are retrieving all the pertinent news? AmphetaRate solves that problem. [unmediated]
9:43:27 AM
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A shining police state on a hill.
In a court challenge to the Defense Department's detention of alleged illegal combatants at Guantanamo Bay, the Bush Administration argued that the Constitution allows the arrest of a person anywhere in the world, and indefinite detention, at the discretion of the military. Here are excerpts from a Washington Post report*of a colloquoy held this past Wednesday between Judge Joyce Hens Green of the District of Columbia District Court and Brian Boyle, principal deputy associate attorney general:
"If a little old lady in Switzerland writes checks to what she thinks is a charitable organization for Afghanistan orphans, but it's really supporting . . . al Qaeda, is she an enemy combatant?" the judge asked.
Boyle said the woman could be, but it would depend on her intentions. "It would be up to the military to decide as to what to believe," he said.
....
After hearing Green's hypothetical questions, the military agreed it could imprison a Muslim teacher whose class includes a family with Taliban connections. It also agreed that it could detain a man who does not report his suspicions that his cousin may be an al Qaeda member, or a reporter who knows where Osama bin Laden is located but does not divulge the information to protect an anonymous source.
This is the kind of freedom and rule of law that most American voters have chosen. I have no other comment - I'm commented out, as here, here and here.
*Judge Questions Sweep of Bush's War on Terrorism: Pentagon Says 550 'Enemy Combatants' Are Confined Properly, Seeks Benefit of Doubt on Detentions, Carol D. Leonnig, Washington Post, Thurs., Dec. 2, 2004, p. A04.
[Subdued Citizen]
9:42:54 AM
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Showdown for Press Freedom. The First Amendment suffered a blow in October when a federal judge sentenced two reporters to prison for refusing to reveal their confidential sources. [NYT > Opinion]
9:38:46 AM
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