GUATEMALA CITY -- Mayan priests will purify a sacred archaeological site to eliminate "bad spirits" after President Bush visits next week, an official with close ties to the group said Thursday.
New Orleans Jazzfest lineup not too shabby this year.
bush admin + repugs = scorched earth policy

vote democratic in '08
Best. Two word encapsulation of the enduding clusterfuck of a train wreck and meat grinder that is Iraq. Evar: Hollow Victory
.
Perhaps this kind of formulation could get the Dems out from under the cloud of fear of being cast as the "war losers". Hey, we won. We all saw the victory party. Mission Fucking Accomplished. Boo yah! It's just that it was not the victory we wanted, since it had nothing to do with threats to the US homeland. Further, handing Iraq over from Sunni thugs to Shiite thugs seems rather pointless. But what's done is done. Saddle up and move out.
Has anybody seen my army man? I can't seem to find him. He was here a minute ago but then he just disappeared...ohhh, there he is---

army man
hagelian dialectics
For my "Pointy Stick Award For Practicing Ludditry With a Computer", I tried to be clever and do a superposition of images in html. This works in firefox but renders badly in internet exploder.








cuniform
Oh wait. Now it sort of works. Sort of. I'm too tired to futz with it. If I'm lucky, I might get a link from the mighty PZ Myers, and I don't want a badly broken post that mocks a luddite. I got the idea from here. Here's another version ...










cuniform
Be careful following links from Eschaton today. From Atrios's page, you're two clicks away from some oh-so-very-not-work-safe sword play. Why do these things keep popping up in the Republican Party? Repress much, GOPers?
March 2007 Artforum has review a (pg. 320) of a Paul Laffoley show at Kent Gallery. I'm bummed I missed it. Decent review, I guess, by Jeffrey Kastner:
Laffoley's works tell a psychedelic tale full of compelling sound and fury, but what exactly do they signify? For all their frequent opacity of meaning, the paintings do manage to impart a message of informational consilience that is remarkable in line with cutting-edge science. And unpacking the kernels of genuine scholarship embedded in these crazed matrices will lead viewers on rewarding journeys through often fascinating historical marginalia. Located somewhere between sense and nonsense, between the realm of genius and the province of the crackpot, Laffoley's work poses tantalizing questions about the line separating brilliance from bushwa - questions whose pertinence for contemporary art is by no means confined to the sphere of the outsider.
Worldmapper: "Worldmapper is a collection of world maps, where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest."
GUILTY! 4 of 5 counts

now go for cheney!!!!
whats your favorite grilled cheese sandwich?
BBC on Youtube
South Park goes HD on 360
First-ever high-definition episode of animated comedy to be available free over Xbox Live Marketplace for a limited time, uncensored episodes to follow next week.
this american life tv
one time only long distance telephone tax refund

this applies to cell phones too right?
coulter skelter
Beyond all these huge tasks, Congress should halt the federal government’s race to classify documents to avoid public scrutiny — 15.6 million in 2005, nearly double the 2001 number. It should also reverse the grievous harm this administration has done to the Freedom of Information Act by encouraging agencies to reject requests for documents whenever possible. Congress should curtail F.B.I. spying on nonviolent antiwar groups and revisit parts of the Patriot Act that allow this practice.

The United States should apologize to a Canadian citizen and a German citizen, both innocent, who were kidnapped and tortured by American agents.

Oh yes, and it is time to close the Guantánamo camp. It is a despicable symbol of the abuses committed by this administration (with Congress’s complicity) in the name of fighting terrorism.
My Dot-Green Future Is Finally Arriving - Bruce Sterling Op-Ed in the WaPo.
lunar eclipse now! well totals over but it wasnt dark then. still weird.

Good weekend for medieval buffs. A new BBC Robin Hood series debuts tonight, and Sunday the History Channel has a highly-touted documentary on the Dark Ages. Robin is an evergreen, still inspiring new treatments after 800 years. One of the best recent ones is on TCM at 6:00 tonight: The 1938 Eroll Flynn version. Widely regarded as the epitome of Hollywood action-adventure costume pictures, if you haven’t seen it, it’s a must.
Finally from Sony, a Video Walkman
US Consumers Confused by HDTV

WSJ via AZCentral

Anyone who thinks consumers understand high-definition television should consider a recent survey by Leichtman Research Group.

It concluded that close to one-half of the 24 million households with HDTVs don't actually watch high-definition programs because they haven't obtained the necessary hardware from their cable, phone or satellite operators.

And about one half of those viewers - about six million - don't even realize they're not watching HDTV. Bruce Leichtman, the market research firm's president, figures the confusion is partly because the consumers spend so much money on the set they can't believe they're not getting what they paid for. "This is cognitive dissonance," he says.
pbs's the news hour (ch 13 in ny) has a piece on digital tv tonight.