U.S. Rice Supply Contaminated: "The variety, known as LLRICE 601, is endowed with bacterial DNA that makes rice plants resistant to a weedkiller made by the agricultural giant Aventis. Johanns said Bayer had not finished the process of getting LLRICE 601 approved for marketing before dropping the project years ago. But the company did complete the process for two other varieties of rice with the same gene. And although neither of those were marketed, he said, their approval offers reassurance that 601 is probably safe, too."

Probably safe? PROBABLY? This is the whole problem with GMO crops. NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE! And this is just the stuff we KNOW about. How many other test alterations have passed into the general supply? Bayer dropped this particular variety 5 years ago. I wonder why? Do you think it's worth looking into? We're only talking about our FOOD SUPPLY.

The Matador (2005)***
Enjoyable comedy/drama about an aging hit man who suddenly realizes he would like a friend. Interesting, crisply directed and well-acted, especially Pierce Brosnan as the hit man. If he keeps this up people are going to forget about Bond and Remington Steele.

Cachè (2005)****
An examination of guilt and how the human mind deals with it. Or doesn't deal with it. Philosophical, metaphorical, allegorical, open-ended narrative all at the same time. Well done.

DREW SHARP: Martz commands attention by getting close to the action:
"Martz quaffs attention like it was ice water on a hot day. Although he's not the architect of this newest Lions' new direction, he knows he's the star. All eyes gravitated to the rudimentary initial elements of Martz's offensive scheme and his interaction with his players. And the actual head coach? Rod Marinelli happily hid himself within the masses on the sideline, adapting to his new life as a first-time head coach. He's perfectly comfortable with Martz dominating the spotlight. Those closest to the situation insist that Marinelli is devoid of all ego and that's a necessity when working with a megalomaniac like the self-anointed offensive wizard. Marinelli just wants to win."

Where does one begin with such an idiot like Drew Sharp? He is a perfect example of the absolute WORST type of sports "journalist", the know-it-all-who-never-played-anything. What a loser. And to take a guy like Mike Martz, one of the more successful men in his sport, and just skewer him with all sorts of vicious and unfounded attacks is nothing short of cowardice. Megalomaniac? Self-anointed? Where does this come from? Was Sharp denied an interview or two or something? Clearly this "man" has issues and needs that have not been met. And to say that Marinelli "just wants to win" implies that Martz doesn't care about winning as long as he gets the attention.

All this because he wants to coach from the sidelines during the game?

Then based on that reasoning, Charlie Weiss, ex-offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, is also a megalomaniac and self-anointed wizard who craves attention. Also dozens of other OC's around the league. Why can't these people just report on the game and leave the personal issues aside? Or maybe that would be too much work for them?

Powell's Books looming large in the Bay Area
"Used-book sellers in the region say it's become increasingly difficult to compete with Powell's because of its vast inventory -- more than 4 million titles in stock -- and the company's ability to undercut rivals' prices. They also say that as more used-book stores go under amid economic hardship, Powell's will only grow more formidable as it snaps up huge quantities of additional books at fire-sale prices, often as low as 15 cents on the dollar. "Powell's has been doing this all over the country," said Allan Milkerit, a San Francisco bookseller specializing in used and rare volumes. "But they've been especially active in the Bay Area because of the number of used books here." "

The great thing about the internet is that it is available to everyone. Yes, Powell's had a jump by recognizing the potential of being online early on. But if these independent used book stores would get together online and offer their inventories in a central shopping experience, then maybe they COULD compete with Powell's. The thing is, the investment in such an approach is not that cost intensive. I would imagine their current clientele would appreciate being able to peruse the inventory for dozens of stores in one place, reserve a copy, have it mailed to them, etc.

Key powers agree deal to end Israel-Hizbollah war - Yahoo! News:
"An Israeli political source said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was reviewing the draft resolution. Earlier in the day, Israel ordered an expansion of its ground offensive and said it would press ahead with the campaign if it was unhappy with any deal."

So Israel will just violate another UN resolution if they don't get what they want. And don't forget that the US could force a ceasefire at any time if they so desired. But then, since we are in a permanent war with "Islamo-fascists" what's the rush?

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) ****
Robert Downey, Jr. in a role he was born to play, Val Kilmer at the top of his game, and Michelle Monahgan who keeps up with them pretty well, form the core of this snappy, clever, funny meta-noir. Sharply written by Shane Black in his directorial debut, this one will be considered a classic years from now.

The Long Winters : putting the days to bed ****
Their best album of songs so far. Finely crafted, expertly played, they seem to take as many alt/indie rock cliches as they can cram into one song, tweak them a bit, and turn up the tempo. Interesting and emotion-packed power pop.

Rice ready for new Mideast trip if needed - Yahoo! News:
"U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice would return to the Middle East this weekend if needed, U.S. officials said on Friday, as calls grew across the world for an end to the war between
Israel and Hizbollah."

If needed? IF NEEDED? What the FUCK is going on here??? She should NOT LEAVE until a peace accord is struck! If they blame Syria and Iran for Hezbollah, then surely the USA is to blame for Israel. And if that is the case we have a MORAL obligation to see that peace is reached as soon as possible NOW. Not "if needed". Jesus Christ please save us from these imbeciles.

UNDERNEWS: ENTROPY BEAT:
"The ten top grossing touring musical groups for the first half of 2006 include these seven. Next to the names is the year they got started.

1960 PAUL MCCARTNEY
1962 ROLLING STONES
1969 AEROSMITH
1971 BILLY JOEL
1976 U2
1981 LUIS MIGUEL
1983 BON JOVI

This supports the thesis of western cultural entropy outlined in 'The Quiet Storm: Blowin' in the Wind of Cultural Decay.' While there is nothing wrong with these groups, a thriving civilization would be expected to have a higher percentage of more recent bands."

WTF? Does this make any logical sense? I never even considered that civilization thrives when more recent bands make the most money in a given 6 month period.

Independent Online Edition > Middle East > Britain and US defy demand for immediate ceasefire
Shameful. "Culture of Life" indeed.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Cheney sued in CIA identity case:
"'This lawsuit concerns the intentional and malicious exposure by senior officials of the federal government of [Ms Plame], whose job it was to gather intelligence to make the nation safer and who risked her life for her country,' it says. The couple say the officials violated their constitutional and privacy rights in order to 'punish' Mr Wilson for his comments. The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensation and punitive damages as well as legal costs. Mr Corallo [spokesman for Mr. Rove] said of the lawsuit: 'Without even having had a chance to review the complaint, it is clear that the allegations are absolutely and utterly without merit.'"

Good for her! It's apparent that they are going to get away with this in the criminal courts, maybe the civil courts can find some semblance of justice here. I would also like to know how something you haven't even read can be clear to you?

The US Military Descends on Paraguay
"Some activists, military analysts and politicians in the region believe the operations could be part of a plan to overthrow the left-leaning government of Evo Morales in neighboring Bolivia and take control of the area's vast gas and water reserves. Human rights reports from Paraguay suggest the US military presence is, at the very least, heightening tensions in the country."

This was probably not the main reason for the military buildup since that began in early 2005 and Morales was not elected president until December 2005 (although he came in a close second in 2002). But it still bears close scrutiny.

Box Office Mojo > News > 'Pirates' Raid Record Books
I have not seen this flick, nor do I intend to until it's out on video, but I am somewhat pleased that Johnny Depp's box office clout has been solidified for at least another 10 years or so. That means he gets to call the shots for his pet projects and favorite directors and maybe, just maybe will be able to finance a completion for Gilliam's Don Quixote opus?

Leftist has early lead in Mexican election - Yahoo! News:
"The Harvard-educated Calderon would be an ally of the United States in Latin America, where left-wing leaders critical of Washington have taken power in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela in recent years."

No, this isn't Fox News, it's Yahoo News. The slant in this article almost makes it unreadable. You have to tilt your head a bit. The implication here is that anyone other than Calderon would NOT be an "ally of the US". Mexico will always be an "ally" of the US. That does not mean they will agree with everything our government does or our leaders say. Yes they will, and should, be critical of US policy if it is wrong. But that does not mean they are no longer an ally. And don't you love the phrasing of "left-wing leaders...have taken power"? That seems to imply some sort of coup d'etat or military uprising when in fact these are the democratically elected governments of their respective states. The overall tone of this piece is that anarchy is imminent. Yet Mexico has a cleaner election process than we do. The result will be close but I don't know why we expect anarchy to take place when all is said and done.

U.S. Air Force discovers blogs | FP Passport
I can't believe this is happening.

Israel hits Palestinian PM's office - Yahoo! News
"Israel's air force attacked the office of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday in the latest phase of a Gaza offensive designed to force militants into freeing an abducted soldier. Haniyeh, a leader of the ruling militant Islamist party Hamas, was not in his Gaza City office at the time of the helicopter strike, witnesses said. One Hamas member was killed in a second attack on an office used by forces loyal to Hamas. A third strike hit a Hamas school, but there were no casualties."

When is somebody in the Bush administration going to put a stop to this? This is an incredibly way over the top response to a soldier being kidnapped. This is an extremely dangerous series of events for the whole world and Mr. Bush is yukking it up in Graceland with the Japanese PM. Just par for the course with this clown.

And a note to Yahoo News (or Reuters or AP) regarding their "objective" phrase "ruling militant Islamist party Hamas". For one thing, it is the democratically elected government of a sovereign state. And if you call them "militant Islamist" why not call the government of Israel "ruling militant Jewish"? Or our own "ruling militant Christian"? It certainly seems to fit given Israel's actions and our actions.

Duma (2005)****
I'm not turning into Roger Ebert I SWEAR! It's really just a coincidence that my entertainment choices lately have all been worthy of 4 stars. This is a Carroll Ballard film so you expect superb visuals, realistic animal scenes, and bonding between humans and the animals. This one though has a bit more dialogue and human interaction than I remember in his previous films. Truly a very good family film in all the best senses of the phrase.

Cars (2006)****
I really believe these Pixar guys have this stuff down now. The animation in this film is just phenomenal. The level of detail is incredible. There are so many sight gags in DEEP background, so many beautiful touches all over the screen. You can enjoy this film with no sound whatsoever. And that is a bit of a drawback since the story is not really all that engaging and the characters kind of 2 dimensional (I KNOW it's a cartoon!) and there is an extended sequence in the middle of the picture that really slows things down and seems very unnecessary. So this isn't a perfect film all things considered. But it sure comes pretty close.

Bank Data Is Sifted by U.S. in Secret to Block Terror - New York Times:
"The program, however, is a significant departure from typical practice in how the government acquires Americans' financial records. Treasury officials did not seek individual court-approved warrants or subpoenas to examine specific transactions, instead relying on broad administrative subpoenas for millions of records from the cooperative, known as Swift....While many of those transactions have occurred entirely on foreign soil, officials have also been keenly interested in international transfers of money by individuals, businesses, charities and other groups under suspicion inside the United States, officials said. A small fraction of Swift's records involve transactions entirely within this country, but Treasury officials said they were uncertain whether any had been examined....Treasury officials said Swift was exempt from American laws restricting government access to private financial records because the cooperative was considered a messaging service, not a bank or financial institution. But at the outset of the operation, Treasury and Justice Department lawyers debated whether the program had to comply with such laws before concluding that it did not, people with knowledge of the debate said. "

Well all righty then. Treasury officials concluded that this was all legal after a presumed strongly spirited debate. See, it's not really financial information, it's just "messages". And really, only a "small fraction" of the data is "messages" sent solely within the USA even though they have no idea if that data was examined.

This is very, very bad.