Tweets for Today (Feb 28th)

(From blog) Ectaco jetBook-Lite ereader mini-review and pics: bit.ly/b9OMia #

GERMANY: 'Catholic Church Protects Paedophile Priests' bit.ly/cbD5aY * Shock, shock! #

"Ottaviani & Ratzinger order bishops... to rpt priests' sexual abuses v. children exclusively to Vatican, under threat of excommunication" #

One German bishop even tried to exculpate the church by blaming the transgressions on the ''so called sexual revolution of the '60s & '70s" #

MIDEAST: Palestinians Excluded From Bulk of West Bank bit.ly/c9MS4J #

Aussie surfers, swimmers ignore tsunami warnings bit.ly/bqNmrI * Goofballs #

Chronic water shortage in Mumbai to put a dampener on Holi? bit.ly/b5nWT4 #

Sénégal: Une loi pour qualifier l'esclavage de crime contre l'humanité bit.ly/cyatoJ #

Promiscuous girls can save the human race bit.ly/96fqqY Well, not humans but Drosophila pseudoobscura #

RT @big_picture: 4th (final) update just posted to Earthquake in Chile entry, now 45 photos total: b.globe.com/9Lb7nb #

RT@maxstrasser RT@mattduss Someone needs to teach a college course on this Israeli tourism ad, pronto bit.ly/9Z9Tlu ¶ WTF? #

UN's climate link to hurricanes in doubt bit.ly/8XLDD2 #

Feed Pete Peterson to the Whales bit.ly/cgC3Ux #

Iran makes inroads in parts of Africa bit.ly/bIPnK6 #

Coercive Solutions bit.ly/97H02Q Direct link to Oz govt paper: bit.ly/bgFMof #

Charlie Rangel, serial filer of ethics complaints.... against himself bit.ly/bg3OV #

Case closed? bit.ly/cpLdpj U.S. House approves legislation to require continued investigation of 2001 anthrax letter mailings #

'Terrible Tommy' spends 27 years in solitary confinement bit.ly/c1ic41 #

Moshe Dayan's widow: Israel doesn't know how to make peace bit.ly/d1dPBK #

Umm, there's an interesting concept called "paragraphs", these guys should check it out: bit.ly/9A6mhd #

Jetbook-Lite eReader

Ectaco's jetBook-Lite eReader is one of the cheapest eReaders around at around$129...for which you get the eReader, a USB-to-mini-USB connector...and nothing else. So, what do you get for your money?

Specifications: 6-inch by 4.3-inch with a 5.1-inch diagonal VGA reflective monochrome TFT (non-backlit) screen, approximately 7.5 ounces, an ARM 200MHz CPU, 100 built-in MB memory with a SD 1.0 card slot which will support up to a 32GB SD card, a mini-USB slot, and powered by four (4) AA batteries which "live" in a battery compartment that bulges out of the leftside of an otherwise flat back... This actually makes for a very comfortable left-hand hold when used either in portrait or in landscape; but is not as comfortable if used right-handed.

The reader supports several file formats, including eReader (.pdb) DRM, Fictionbook (.fb2), Mobipocket (.mobi), plain text (.txt), EPUB, PDF,RTF, GIF, JPG, PNG, BMP, and HTML...

OK, as befits a 'bare bones' eReader there is no sync software, app store, special book store, etc. . When you connect it to your PC using the supplied mini-USB to USB cable the reader shows up as a drive and you can transfer files back and forth. The jetBook-Lite comes with memory almost full of a number of text books (classified into children's, detective, fiction, history, mystery, novels, poetry, etc. categories).

The bottom line after a couple of hours usage? Pro: A pretty nice eReader; comfy to use; a good screen that is easy on the eyes, and which does not have that annoying flicker when turning pages; and one that is easy to use. A good cheap eReader for anyone that eschews DRM and who does not need a system tied to a larger environment. Con: Although the cheapest eReader out there IMO it still is a little too pricey for very widespread use.... at around $50 or below you could perhaps have a couple lying around the home. While the plastic housing and buttons, etc. are actually fairly solid it still seems rather cheap and flimsy when compared to the all-metal Sony reader. This eReader is also definitely not a device for people who want one that is "auto-everything" e.g. automatic sync'ing, direct wireless download (like theKindle), iTunes-compliant, etc.

Pictures of the jetbook-Lite compared to a Sony PRS-300 Reader:


The Ectaco jetBook Universal Portable Reading Device Review
Ectaco jetBook Lite does everything it can to claim 'cheapest US e-reader' title, no matter the sacrifice
ECTACO jetBook-Lite
jetBook-Lite review by By Jerry P. Danzig (MobileRead forums)
ECTACO jetBook–Lite and eReader: SF writer Robert J. Sawyer’s mixed review

Tweets for Today (Feb 26th)

RT @armscontrolnow NPR delayed again; mid-March or later bit.ly/aE2410 #

twitpic.com/15ctfl - Dinner at Fino Ristorante, San Francisco #

Despite Pressure, China Still Resists Iran Sanctions bit.ly/9rAyxV #

twitpic.com/15fnka - In gate area before boarding they were flogging WiFi availability on the flight #

Mammoth iceberg could alter ocean circulation: study bit.ly/anduks Impact may not be felt for decades or longer #

Tensions mount in Haiti after voodoo ceremony attacked by Protestant evangelicals bit.ly/bE7FJF #

More Frequent Fires Could Aid Ecosystems (Pacific Northwest) bit.ly/ci7lIK #

Les USA envisagent de laisser des troupes en Haïti... "pour l'avenir" bit.ly/9XSoGr #

«Je déclare la guerre aux pingouins de mon fils» bit.ly/aQUlOC Grumbling re online Disney game designed to suck $ from parents #

La Cour suprême de Thaïlande saisit la moitié de la fortune de Thaksin Shinawatra ping.fm/xuDhy /via @LoupRouge * Over $1B is half? #

Cutting Off Blood Flow to Heart Limits Damage During Heart Attack bit.ly/ahG8fZ #

Sometimes the Best Medication for Kids Is No Medication at All bit.ly/cmhObl. Antibiotics, mostly. #

twitpic.com/15iycc - Sunset flying in to DFW - I #

twitpic.com/15iydp - Sunset flying in to DFW - II #

Random charts

Source: Caucasus Analytical Digest No. 13: US-Caucasus Relations - Attitudes towards the West

Tweets for Today (Feb 25th)

2005 Senator Biden: "This nuclear option is ultimately evidence of the arrogance of power" Fast forward to today: good idea #

Ann Coulter's CPAC Speech bit.ly/cbdxcX /via @HeatherVeinott * Coulter? Why should anyone give a rat's ....? #

RT @jpeyronF24 Sarkozy : "une grave erreur d'appréciation" lors du génocide de 1994 *Not much diff from "erreurs techniques d'appréciation" #

RT @BikyaMasr Egypt: study shows youth have bad attitudes, negative impression of women bit.ly/bU87uQ * Overall rather depressing! #

1/2 Anyone else find the "I've been hacked" formulation annoying by folks when in reference to phishing? Say rather "I was suckered" #

2/2 After all, *you* gave up your login data... I find the "I've been hacked" formulation minimizes your role and responsibility #

Arms manufs asked to advise official EU body on how their prods can be used to stop asylum seekers entering bit.ly/bfW6dd #

Death in the Atlantic: The Last Four Minutes of Air France Flight 447... - tinyurl.com/y8c99v7 /via @SPIEGEL_English #

RT @disruptivewomen Former VP Cheney demonstrates advances in treating heart disease bit.ly/9mJGG3 * Is this a lemon/lemonade thing? #

UK publishes new rules for assisted suicide bit.ly/bTw9Za #

Going Green In The Hospital. bit.ly/cp9ejK #

CNN Blitzer wonders if today's Dem-Repub show was "theater" or "substantive. So of course he asks Axelrod. "Worldwide leader on news", yup! #

EU High Court: Israeli prods manufactured in occupied Palestinian territories not exempt from EU customs duties bit.ly/a1db 5V #

Need one gram of gold? Dig up a ton of ore.... or recycle from 41 mobile phones! bit.ly/9nvOxq #

This week: Fourth World Congress Against the Death Penalty, Geneva, Switzerland. bit.ly/9WOMWL #

India: Road cleared for law reserving 33% of Parliament seats for women bit.ly/c7xgkL #

Tweets for Today (feb 24th)

RIP: DarpaTech Mad-Science Fair Lives No More bit.ly/9CGlML #

Haiti May Not Survive More Franco-American 'Aid' tinyurl.com/yck8444 /via @worldmeetsus #

The Shooting War: Images from the World's Most Acclaimed Conflict Photographers bit.ly/d0vGLT /via @totaliterin #

Everyone Who Knows What They're Talking About Agrees with Me - Reason Magazine j.mp/aTJIVs /via @slominski #

This must be Google's own unique way of "pulling out": "Google China Starts Hiring" ow.ly/1aKTQ /via @evgenymorozov. * Heh #

Any socially redeeming value to these inhabitants of a parallel world? bit.ly/cYglPV Socialite, Reality Star—or Thief? #

WTF? In Jan 2005, Senators Clinton & McCain jointly nominated him (Saakashvili) for the Nobel peace prize www.twitpic.com/140rz4 #

RT @Nextgov US would lose cyberwar: former intel chief bit.ly/bdcDU2 * So "cyberwar" has "winners" and "losers"?? I'll be darned! #

What is more important, content or delivery? This article would seem to indicate for pols it's the latter: bit.ly/dwNxLh #

Doctors Working Less, Earning Less Seven percent drop in hours may lead to physician shortages, researchers say bit.ly/a2ctKG #

RT @pocketcultures RT @/sinanyuzakli Only half of the world's tweets are in English sbne.ws/r/3W5z ¶ Quelle horreur! #

Eek! Just broke the 10K tweet barrier! #

Tweets for Today (Feb 23rd)

Tsunami of E-Waste Could Swamp Developing Countries bit.ly/bN6Eql ¤ growing by about 40 million tonnes a year globally #

Cheap, simple way of making vaccines stable even at tropical temperatures bit.ly/chVowy * Outstanding, esp for poor countries! #

RT @BikyaMasr Israeli top scientist (chief scientist in Ministry of Education) denies global warming & evolution bit.ly/9g6oab #

The Spy at Harriton High bit.ly/9LBVI6 On the "webcam" story #

RT @paulflevy Fastest way to reduce insurance rates: bit.ly/cP6MuY #

Dust In The Earth System bit.ly/9KLabY #

Que fait le dalaï lama sur Twitter? bit.ly/bOwsnR #

Génocide rwandais : faire la lumière sur le rôle de la France bit.ly/aVb6jU Cold day in hell before France admits role #

High blood pressure in U.S. a "neglected disease" bit.ly/bKZIfe #

t witpic.com/14ydlv - Cramped metal tube to SFO #

Health-care Process Improvement: Manager Visibility No Guarantee of Fixing Problems bit.ly/9LTBnb /via @disruptivewomen #

twitpic.com/14ym2s - 2nd leg in a big sucker. Flight is full too, ugh! #

Tweets for Today (Feb 22nd)

A Toyota city, quand le constructeur tousse, toute la ville s'enrhume bit.ly/bfv08T #

Des textos rouges pour transmettre le message du Parti en Chine bit.ly/aTmfX6 Sms positifs et patriotiques? #

Les Etats-Unis hors course, la Chine pourrait être la prochaine à décrocher la Lune bit.ly/caRqzE #

RT @timothythompson "I'm a stolen child of Argentina's dirty war" j.mp/behUnE Discovers her "father" was torturer of real parents. #

Autriche: Une affiche é lectorale d'un candidat "authentique et pure race" bit.ly/aSM834 Reinrassig & Echt #

OU professor submerses laptop in liquid nitrogen, smashes it to prove a point (video) bit.ly/adl9Aw ¶ Stupidity! #

Baradur capture: "ISI maneuver to discard well-identified leaders of AF Taliban and usher in a new leadership" bit.ly/9Cy5T4 ??? #

India computer waste to grow 500 pct by 2020: report bit.ly/9Q6j76 #

We're number one!! (U.S.) bit.ly/9Q6j76 #

Is scratching his head w/a bemused expression on his face. WTH? bit.ly/c3jILG Activists pin hopes on the Academy #

Health care: President's plan: bit.ly/9dCV6q - Table comparing to Senate & House plans: bit.ly/9SwRYB #

RT @disruptivewomen: Mass General Hospital death spurs review of patient monitors bit.ly/bpNENL ¤ People trump tech #

Sen. John McCain: I was misled on bailout bit.ly/b2iiuN Bah! What a bunch of baloney #

RT @jranck Infographic: Presidential Spending, Expenditures by Year bit.ly/ana5S3 #

Tweets for Today (Feb 21st)

Exclue 3 jours pour avoir porté un tee shirt « Palestine libre » bit.ly/beDw8j #

Study: Women's looks sway men, even in e-world bit.ly/a4F6jS * Shock, shock! #

Watching 'Cleopatra: Portrait of a killer' on History Channel #

A German Library for the 21st Century bit.ly/cC6yUb ¶ And now a German answer to Google Books... #

Iran's Expediency Council to revamp the country's electoral laws bit.ly/9J1rsY #

Man behind Fatahgate Threatens to Reveal More bit.ly/c2d0QX #

Random charts

Source: In U.S., Canada Places First in Image Contest; Iran Last.

Great quote

OPR investigator to John Yoo: "What about ordering a village of [resistance] to be massacred? Is that a power that the president could legally—"

Yoo: "Yeah."

OPR investigator: "To order a village of civilians to be [exterminated]?"

Yoo: "Sure."

- DOJ Report on Torture Memo: Yoo Said Bush Could Order "Massacre" of Civilians

Per the final Justice Department report Yoo showed "bad judgment."

Random picture

Source: At White House, the Dalai Lama sidesteps trash. After meeting with the President the Dalai Lama leaves by a side (or is it back?) door. Another picture of him skirting the trash here.

Random chart

Source: Current Worldwide Homicide/Murder Rates Interactive map.

Tweets for Today (Feb 20th)

More states adopt apology shield to protect doctors. Critic calls it the 'sorry-I-killed-your-mother' law. bit.ly/bH4t3T #

Israel authorities permit the transfer of bottled water into Gaza. bit.ly/dyWl6N First time since 2006 #

Gnome poster removed before Medvedev visit? bit.ly/bzGmdL Would have to do same for other 'midgets': Sarkozy, Putin, Ahmedinajad #

Last 10 yrs 19 died due to Toyota malfunction (current recall related) Over same period 22,000 Toyota drivers died in "normal" accidents #

RT @t otaliterin Revisiting Friedman's July 09 op-ed on Afghanistan in which he says "God created cruise missiles" tinyurl.com/noqmrv #

RT @leanblog Will there be outrage like over Toyota? 6,000 heart attacks/yr Diabetes Drug Harms Heart s.nyt.com/u/BNN * Uh, no #

Ces chercheurs qui refusent des primes de milliers d'euros bit.ly/dikB1j #

⁠Where Did the Global Warming Go? bit.ly/94hVlr * Overall OK, but is the Pres confusing weather and climate just like the skeptics? #

bit.ly/cG0rnw Foolishness all around - suicide because of harmless act (kiss), banning of cell phones in reaction... #

DOJ Rpt on Torture Memo: Yoo Said Bush Could Order Civilians "Exterminated" bit.ly/d0YvVG * That's quite some "poor judgment" #

RT @uruknet RT @tovX "Haiti, a nation of 10 million, does not have a single sewage treatment plant." bit.ly/9SZrPT * Wow #

Stimulus funds for clean energy largely unspent bit.ly/dpvYWp #climate /via @OneClimate #

Pair says 'iDo' in Apple store wedding bit.ly/bN8DE3 * Barf! #

"a Maserati is a car for a gentleman" & imp "to make a good impression on prospective donors" bit.ly/ca6uyi Aid groups under fire #

State of the States 2010: How The Recession Might Change States bit.ly/bnOILf (35-pg PDF) #

The trillion dollar gap: Underfunded state retirement systems and the roads to reform bit.ly/b4bwmx (66-pg Pew PDF) #

U.S. Economy Grinds To Halt As Nation Realizes Money Just A Symbolic, Mutually Shared Illusion (* *The Onion**) onion.com/c5GKyn #

Anti-govt anti-Obama nuts launch Facebook page to honor domestic terrorist who crashed plane into IRS office bit.ly/9WA559 #

An important letter sent to the President re danger of climate change bit.ly/GNnZA ¶ 1972, to Nixon, warning of global cooling #

Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy bit.ly/cdijic Nice name for Niger junta! #

War Contractors Receive Defense of Freedom Medal for Injuries, But Attract Little Notice bit.ly/cEhCyT #

$300 Million Haul In 2009 bit.ly/cDGKVt ¶ Cong, no doubt moaning re corrupting influence of big money while holding out their hands #

Are we living in the post-moral age? bit.ly/aHIZiC #

New Vacheron Constantin collection,La Symbolique des Laques...bit.ly/dkK6Uo Fantastic! Now if only I could afford... #

twitpic.com/14f37m - Sada mysore dosa (me) and Masala dosa (wife). Good, except the sambar is on the bland side... #

Random charts

Source: The Trillion Dollar Gap: Underfunded state retirement systems and the roads to reform. From the executive summary: "Of all of the bills coming due to states, perhaps the most daunting is the cost of pensions, health care and other retirement benefits promised to their public sector employees. An analysis by the Pew Center on the States found that at the end of fiscal year 2008, there was a $1 trillion gap between the $2.35 trillion states and participating localities had set aside to pay for employees’ retirement benefits and the $3.35 trillion price tag of those promises. To a significant degree, the $1 trillion gap reflects states’ own policy choices and lack of discipline: failing to make annual payments for pension systems at the levels recommended by their own actuaries; expanding benefits and offering cost-of-living increases without fully considering their long-term price tag or determining how to pay for them; and providing retiree health care without adequately funding it."

Tweets for Today (Feb 19th)

"... the world's greatest spokesman in the world ..." Huh? Tautology. Annoyed at repetition of 1st ad, mistake, 2nd part more stupid #

Quick sert du tout halal, c'est de la discrimination? bit.ly/dDz2l5 WTF? Discrimination? Give me a break! #

Elton John: "I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems." bit.ly/aYU9QV #

RT @worldmeetsus: A Stark Graphic Comparison of China and the U.S. (Der Spiegel, Germany) tinyurl.com/yelp6t5 #

RT @ISN_Zur ich: QE Carriers, Beyond Invincible bit.ly/dtja2L (On British carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales) #

Pediatric medical device group launches in Cleveland to spur development of children's products bit.ly/a31gLS #

ShadyURL makes URLs entertainingly suspicious bit.ly/b1OIme #

The Climate Post: Melting ice makes slippery slope bit.ly/cQzZPV #

Nationalité française obligatoire pour une pub du gouvernement? bit.ly/apte6I Illegal. #

South Korea announced controls Fri on how the microblogging service Twitter can be used during elections bit.ly/ctzsOG #

Italy considers "Avatar" 3D glasses a hygiene risk bit.ly/9JH1ut #

RT @themajlisblog: Mullah Baradar: One capture, two narratives: bit.ly/aCjdhv #

NBC is skating on thin ice bit.ly/caEM9w On NBC's crappy programming... #

AHRQ 1,400-pg handbook: Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Hand book for Nurses bit.ly/c1kxtu ¤ Downloadable #

More sex addicts coming out of the woods bit.ly/9jWuzR ¤ Heh, nice headline... #

Belgian coma patient can't talk after all bit.ly/b37NJ0 #

RT @phnx0221 Welfare recipients forced to sell their food stamps to afford basics tinyurl.com/yfl2cr7 What's more basic than food? #

Venezuela: El hip hop antichávez – por Casto Ocando bit.ly/cP3RKp #

Honduras ha detectado que mayoria de vuelos de narcos parten de Venezuela bit.ly/aPpTJL #

Chronic Conditions Now Drive Medicare Spending Increases bit.ly/c1LpuO Over half beneficiaries treated for 5+ chronic conditions! #

Random charts

Source: State of the States 2010: How The Recession Might Change States

Tweets for Today (Feb 18th)

Philly authorities target Facebook, Twitter after snowball fight turns ugly bit.ly/d7IoMg #

"foolproof measure", or just foolish? bit.ly/d46YI7 Tamil Nadu (India) state bans shoes, belts, socks in exam hall #

U.S. agency to probe Kodak claim against RIM, Apple bit.ly/c3X24J ¤ WTH? #

Twitter dating for tech-savvy singles bit.ly/ah2ugP #

Victims of electrosensitivity syndrome say EMFs cause symptoms bit.ly/9sXr0D #

Clinical Trial: Miniature Ultrasound Device Could Revolutionize Pain Relief bit.ly/dClVUq #

As Economy Stumbles, Local "Currencies" Gain Traction bit.ly/agqVAZ #

RT @HeatherVeinott U.N. Climate Chief Resigns. Good riddance! s.nyt.com/u/B2l ¶ Wrong one resigns #firePachauri #

twitpic.com/140rz4 - Reading 'A Little War That Shook The World' Georgia, Russia, And The Future Of The West #

Tweets for Today (Feb 17th)

Don't really know why, but increasingly irritated by sonorous Morgan Freeman-narrated Olympic VISA commercials... #

Tech makes Olympic-size jump in Vancouver bit.ly/cmWmGY #

MIDEAST: Scandals, Assassination Plan Rock Palestinian Authority bit.ly/bDu1Qw Slow motion implosion continues #

Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapse Possibly Triggered By Ocean Waves bit.ly/auqUnj #

Could transparency make up for a lack of a carbon cap? bit.ly/cj8BR9 New EPA reporting requirements #

Quand Juanes (rock star colombien) insulte Hugo Chavez et sa mère sur Twitter bit.ly/cSuM6e #

Garbage Truck Drivers Are Crimefighters Too bit.ly/cHmATK #

Kim Kyong-Hui bit.ly/cjhKBk Sister of N.Korea leader 'wielding more power' #

Tweets for Today (Feb 16th)

U.S.: Telecom Lobby Tests Pledge of Transparency bit.ly/cY3TyV #

Scientists Transplant "Nose" Of Mosquito bit.ly/bPbwX5 #

Dope! bit.ly/apHn8E #

Sony se paie le pianiste Lang Lang 3 millions de dollars bit.ly/cX56pt #

Birthday of "the kind hearted father", "the peerlessly brilliant commander of the present era" bit.ly/coi94b #

Ouch! bit.ly/cvsrjp Mint fires boss over coin typo (they say "Chiie" rather than Chile). Issued 2008, but no one noticed #

The Health Reform That Scares Both Parties bit.ly/cP4tOh ¶ Republicans and Democrats both wouldn't touch today... #

Survivors recall dark episode in Germany's postwar history bit.ly/aNF4xz ¶ Post-WWII Soviets "recycled" Nazi camps for internment #

Lebanese diva's murder case puts (Egyptian) justice on trial bit.ly/aevZnJ #

Are Checkpoints Police Profit Centers? bit.ly/aTnRqd Uh, yes... #

Ski jumping is the last remaining sport of the Olympics that bars women from competing bit.ly/bATrjS #

Top universities in the arab world: bit.ly/9iO2mV An-Najah National University in Nablus is no 10... #

Dutch cinemas in Alice in Wonderland boycott (fuss re DVD sales dates) bit.ly/b1WGRI #

High Court in Tel Aviv Flexes its Liberal Muscles bit.ly/cyy2r9 #

Federal Lobbying Climbs in 2009 to $3.47B, +5% from 2008 bit.ly/bk5NRz #

Liban: crash mystérieux au pays du complot bit.ly/aJDNeo "des théories fumeuses" #

Salon: Worst figure-skating costumes ever bit.ly/c9MKna #

RT @stratsoc Afghanistan is good at cricket - who knew? nyti.ms/aas338 ¶ Qualifies for world championship finals tournament #

RT @Maitre_Eolas: Comic Sans MS : même la police est touchée ! yfrog.com/1ejarej ¶ Why no font love? bit.ly/aUOqWU #

Religion-Turkey: Alevi Future Bleak Despite Equality Moves bit.ly/ad7Ffp #

Illegal for Alevis (15-30% of pop) to build own places of worship. Discrimination (few pols or govt officials), etc. bit.ly/ad7Ffp #

Random charts...

Source: Jumping the boundaries of corporate IT: Accenture global research on Millennials’ use of technology

STFU!

This blogger finds the announcers at the Vancouver Olympics (Bob Costas and crew) intensely annoying... and no more so than their coverage of the mens' skiing, and Bode Miller. A favorite in Torino (2006) Miller struck out and did not medal.

OK, no biggie! However, he apparently he committed the sin of not showing sufficient contrition for his "failure." So, although he was risking life and limb hurtling down the course while we (his U.S. fans) were sitting with our fat asses firmly ensconced in our Lazy-Boy's stuffing our faces with snacks, Miller did not apologize for 'letting us down.'

Costas and crew kept harping on this ad nauseum... What B.S! STFU!

Update

During the presidential campaign season in 2008 there was momentary speculation that (then) Senator Obama might pick Evan Bayh (D-IN) as a running mate... The July 7th, 2008 entry, 'Keep it safe... and gray!' remarked that Bayh would be a safe, although a very bland, choice. In the end Obama went for Biden.

Well now Bayh is fading out from the Senate... not seeking re-election, see 'Not His Father's Son' Choice quote: "Good riddance to Evan Bayh, who set out to be every Republican's favorite Democrat -- and mostly succeeded."

Tweets for Today (Feb 15th)

RT @johnjsuarez If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live. - MLK Jr. /via @akhilak ¤ Huh? #

RT @JamalDajani: A Palestinian arrest so ridiculous even the Israeli judges smiled bit.ly/aIVw3t ¤ Say rather grotesque #

A gas proven deadly in chemical weapons could one day be used to put people into life-saving suspended animation bit.ly/agTrEp #

Le plus vieux condamné à mort décède de causes naturelles bit.ly/ci6S36 Almost 80 years in prison for various acts of violence... #

RT @abuaardvark From engagement to comprehensive containment on Iran bit.ly/d46kea ¤ Hmm, quoting Peres on the "moral dimension" #

twitpic.com/13ek85 - Looks good with a couple of inches of snow.... #

Western cities fare best in well-being index tinyurl.com/ykl23xm Most highest-scoring in West, most lowest-scoring in South #

H1N1 estimates: 57 million Americans (18% of pop) sick since Apr; 11,690 deaths, 260,000 hospitalizations tinyurl.com/yfqjogk #

RT @Baldrige_Jeff: "Increasing grad rates for black students by 50 percent will add 40 billion in tax revenue" #

RT @Lara_APN Haaretz: Israel mulls NIS 500M 'heritage' trails that reach into West Bank: bit.ly/9itfKn #

Rise of the Machines: overuse of pricey tech in preventive medicine driving up health care costs unnecessarily bit.ly /dBG6nr #

Climatologists Baffled by Global Warming Time-Out bit.ly/lcZ0Q #

Human Terrain Systems Dissenter Resigns, Tells Inside Story of Training's Heart of Darkness bit.ly/bKrvZ7 ?? #

CEO of Goldman Sachs seems to meet CIA's reqs when it selects targets for drone attacks i.e legal auth to kill bit.ly/beenXR ¶ Hah! #

Random charts

Source: Obama’s Ratings Are Flat, Wall Street’s Are Abysmal.

Fail!

Musical chairs...

... or who gets stuck with the blame for the economic crisis! (a pictorial representation...) Greedy bankers!

Tweets for Today (Fri 14th)

Obama vs. Obama bit.ly/cCdiMM #

The failed "TARDIS Revolution" bit.ly/dw4HK4 Doctor Who in war with Planet Maggie #

A fool's errand: bit.ly/cR0lIV #

RT @jmgall Baselworld 2010 is again the Mecca of Watch Fans goo.gl/fb/iyJz #

RIP Dick Francis nyti.ms/aa5VqC #

Of climate sceptics, cryptoscience and bunk bit.ly/aoY MX2 ¶ IPCC set itself up... #firePachauri #

Top Iraq politician draws parallel between Baathists and Nazis (Press TV interview with Dr. Ahmed Chalabi) bit.ly/bejZAW #

Walid Beg: "I never demanded the invasion of Syria…" bit.ly/av0hir #

Cinq ans après la mort de Rafic Hariri, le Tribunal pour le Liban n'a toujours pas rassemblé de preuves décisives bit.ly/9N8Ctz #

bit.ly/cLF0Vf #

Minister of Sci, Research, & Tech: Belief in Position of Supreme Leader Prerequisite for Scholarships bit.ly/9sruh3 ¶ Yup, ruin sci! #

Shuttle sunrise bit.ly/a3Ax9p #