The boys are at it again.

Will they ever learn?

Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, accused Iran of trying to “discredit” al-Qaeda by spreading a conspiracy theory, widely held in the Middle East, that Israel—and not al-Qaeda—was behind the attacks on America in September 2001. Mr Zawahiri had previously accused Shia Iran of seeking to spread its influence in the Middle East at the expense of the Sunnis.

- The Economist April 2008

Let the MF Burn: Part II

Italy supports national airline.

US separate private airlines.

Fuel prices rise,

riders decline.

So, there's this band you might not of heard of...

But I think they're both going to be HUGE one day: Radiohead

Weird name, I know, but I just have feeling about them.

Check out Radiohead totally rocking out in their studio on Pitchfork.tv (thanks to FREEwilliamsburg), and then get a blast from the past with the guys playing as Conan O'Brien's first musical guest ever (big up to brooklynvegan).

Sometimes, I'm glad I'm wrong...sometimes (or: The Fall)

Well, I guess I was premature in my obituary concerning Obama--at least as it relates to this supposed anti-semitic speech from a prominent black leader, ostensibly buddy-buddy with Barack. It has yet, surprisingly, to take hold in any major media outlets so far. Part of the reason, I'm sure, is that there is no audio or video recording from the event to loop endlessly on YouTube, verifying or vilifying either side. Convenient for whoever is full of shit, no?

Though, one wonders, who had more to loose? And, why would the woman cry foul? Why would the preacher preach divison and stereotypes at an event honoring the very minority he was supposedly lambasting? Is it possible, as now seems to be the accepted 'reality' of what happened that day, that this was just a miscommunication? My ass.

It all stinks to me--stinks of political ulterior motives; of not-so-thinly veiled antagonisms; of an already fatigued electorate finding one more reason to stay home in November and say "Fuck it."

So, who benefits the most here? In the fall, that'd be John McCain.

The day Obama died...

Or at least his chances of becoming president. Or even the Democratic candidate, while I'm at it.

As most of you at this point might be aware, lighting has now twice struck the junior senator's presidential bid in the form of associations with angry black men of the cloth who like to call whitey and himey names...like whitey and himey. OK, not exactly, but you know I'm referring to. This time, though, it was a chump move against an actually (can you beleive it?) bona fide good jew. I mean, c'mon, how ironic can you get? This "preacher" does his thing (preaching) right after they give a big-time jew an award for being soooo awesome to poor, inner-city black kids. Whaaa?!?

This is just my gut feeling mixed with a mild hangover, granted, but I'm calling it toady. It's over folks. Do I hope I'm wrong? Sure. And not for being a Barack lover, though he has elicited a few butterflies in my stomach on occasion. For example, the first time he had to defend his involvement with another old, bitter "man of god" of the Black Liberation Theology type. He masterfully and genuinely (damn, I hope I wasn't a sucker) responded with one of the best--by far--if not only moving and important speeches in my life from the lips of a politician, or "man of the people." I don't think he, or the public, has it in him/them again. Or maybe it's just the umpteenth can of Schaefer from last night talking.

Finally, a good argument against the U.S. smoking-ban sensation.

At least one better than the "freedom" to be a dumb-ass (this includes me), anyway.

Apparently it's been found that in and around areas that have forbid smoking in public places, mostly bars and restaurants, drunk-driving accidents have dramatically spiked. The reason, as with "dry" counties next to more libation-liberal ones, is that people are driving further to get their smoking-indoors-beer-in-hand fix where they can. Which means folks driving drunk longer (and pissed off for it) in places their less familiar with. This could have been foreseen owing to America's entrenched car dependence and lack of public transportation. And, of course, this phenomenon has probably gone unnoticed in big cities, at least initially, where most of bans have been enacted; a function of the inverse relationship of transportation in cities as opposed to suburban and exurban areas.

Still, it brings into question the logic and efficacy of neighboring municipalities, cities, or states enacting conflicting statutes. Essential to the gun-control/rights debate; one of the things that lead to both the voting rights act and a federal policy on abortion; and, though perhaps of less import, the increasing number of states legalizing to some degree (that to which they can profit) gambling. Those who espouse the diversity of regulations among states say this adds to the freedom of the citizen, allowing him to move between jurisdictions as his own moral compass dictates. However, reality has played out differently. As is the case with abortion, those who would rather see something done away with completely claim local jurisdiction, knowing a given region is repressive and reactionary enough to easily ban it. So to with those wishing to erase the inevitable scars of gun violence. (Funny how, for these two issues, the champions of "freedom" become proponents of state intervention.)

(To be continued...)

Wouldn't it be nice?

This was in a "Special Section" in the New York Times:

“I’m taking the rest of the year off,” one senior banker said with a chuckle. “Call me in 2009.”

About $861 billion worth of deals worldwide were struck in the quarter that ended Monday, according to data from Dealogic. Representing a 22 percent plunge from the same time a year ago, it presages a slow year for mergers practitioners — and some bankers are writing off 2008 completely.

I'm not much for thievery, achem , but if you like Portishead

Check their new album, still not out yet. But you can get it here. Hit the "free" option and wait a couple of minutes. Then select the one of the places to download from. The first time I tried, it didn't work. If this happens choose a different one. Worked for me one the second try. Sweet. Listening to it at the moment; a little different, but still good. Still Portishead. Enjoy!