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Monday, May 06, 2002

turkey shoot

"Specifically, the court will review whether two controversial third-strike sentences violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The primary case involves Andrade, who twice fled a Kmart store six years ago with a handful of stolen videos, including "Snow White." He is serving 50 years to life for the thefts because he had several prior convictions for a rash of home burglaries and marijuana possession. The second case involves a felon named Gary Ewing, who is serving 25 years to life for stealing three $400 golf clubs. He, too, had been convicted repeatedly for burglary."

courtesans

ruth bader ginsburg v. sandra day o'connor

Sunday, May 05, 2002

its not safe

segway: easy rider or menace2society?

sound it out

cache of poetry (and thensome) mp3s from ubuweb

the hills are alive

"When I first arrived in California, I was cruising the Strip in a '63 white Corvette, later on, I was driving a black Lincoln Continental with a "Groupies" bumper sticker in the back window, and later, I bought a '54 silver Jaguar sedan that had flames coming out of the headlights. My cars were well-known on the Strip."

"A lot of people knew me as Dixie's sister, and I was sometimes known as Cooker's girlfriend, but for awhile I was seeing John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. Later I moved in with Denny Doherty, the other papa. I was also going out with Taj Mahal for awhile, and Keith Carradine."

incensed and myrrh

"A man without a wife to puncture his pomposity, without children to challenge his authority, in relations carefully structured to make him continuously eminent, easily becomes convinced of his superior wisdom. Since many priests have been only sketchily educated outside their formal subjects, they feel that the source of their wisdom must be their supernatural powers, not their intellectual development. It is generally easy for religion to move from the numinous to the antinomian, to the idea that believers are above the rules that bind others. This is where religion and sex slide easily into each other."

hand in glove

"Driven by police from their longtime haunts on street corners and massage parlors, prostitution rings are setting up shop in suburban strip malls, medical plazas and business parks--often using chiropractic offices as a cover."

"Perth prostitutes were reeling from exhaustion following an influx of United States sailors stressed from a stint in a war zone, a well-known madam said today."
"Sitting in a brothel bedroom in Velesta, a town synonymous with forced prostitution that police and experts consider one of the most dangerous places in Europe, Olga said that her �owner� would kill her for telling a reporter about her state of captivity. But the cruel conditions under which she is held, and her deteriorating mental and physical health, compelled her to speak out."

blue by you

"LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal magistrate has ordered SonicBlue Inc. to modify its digital video recorders to track what television viewers watch and share the information with the movie studios and TV networks that are suing the company for alleged copyright violations."

talent pooling

"How do you build a truly creative community---one that can survive and prosper in this emerging age? The key can no longer be found in the usual strategies. Recruiting more companies won't do it; neither will trying to become the next Silicon Valley. While it certainly remains important to have a solid business climate, having an effective people climate is even more essential. By this I mean a general strategy aimed at attracting and retaining people---especially, but not limited to, creative people. This entails remaining open to diversity and actively working to cultivate it, and investing in the lifestyle amenities that people really want and use often, as opposed to using financial incentives to attract companies, build professional sports stadiums, or develop retail complexes."

Thursday, May 02, 2002

whack a mole

"Of course, there are many pundits--thousands, even. In Washington, you can spot them easily. They look much like ordinary people, but their heads are much larger. And when they pontificate, which is almost always, their heads visibly throb. During the Great California Power Crisis, plans were made to harvest this near-constant throbbing to power factories and homes, but then oil was discovered in ANWR--a close shave for the pundits. Since then, many have taken to wearing berets."

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