More online “jokes” with corpses as the punch line.

Secretary Rice is asking for help in closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center.  Too little, too late - but a good baby step.

First, a piece at BBC about an active glacier that ESA’s Mars Express has identified on Mars. [Thanks, Jay.]

Second, apparently an asteroid is on a collision course with the red planet as well. Experts say there’s a better than 1% chance of an impact. Last time we saw anything similar was in ‘94 with Shoemaker-Levy with Jupiter. But this would be a “scientific bonanza,” say experts.

Article in LA Daily News about David and Jean Fleming and the War on Some Drugs.  While I hate the sycophantic tone about what a “big shot” he is - clearly Brent Hopkins felt he wasn’t worthy - it’s obvious that Fleming has had a great deal of time to reflect on the issue.

In a grave and ominous development for the world, what hope there was for a more moderate path for Pakistan seems to have evaporated overnight with the tragic murder of Benazir Bhutto.

Lifehacker has this collection of the 23 Best iTunes Add-ons.

Tied with the IRS for last place. I gotta say, I hate the IRS, but at least the IRS serves a legitimate purpose.

Psychedelic Santa, Raptured.

Interesting piece in the Telegraph about the gurgling global fauxconomy;

“Authorities have just weeks to get this right, or trigger disaster… the kind of upheaval observed in the international money markets over the past few months has never been witnessed in history.”

This article over at c|net covers some of the real-world uses of ultrasonic sound technology.

I thought this kicked some serious holiday ass. I had never heard of TSO until I caught this song on the radio today. This is TSO’s stirring Christmas re-interpretation of Pachelbel’s Canon in D major - with great electric guitar that somehow doesn’t “unwarm” the emotion of the song.

The angelic blondes with incredible voices wearing leather collars don’t hurt, either. [I believe the siren attempting to steal my heart from stage left* is Jennifer Cella.]

Merry Christmas.

*- for you non-theater types, that means the one on your right.

Nice piece over at R/W/Web.

More on the funky deep space blast I covered a few months back.

Dear Everyone,

I’m a year late at a true update. So, as 2007 comes to a close, it’s high time for a general update on my new scene - especially since I’ve not sent out holiday cards. Some of you have been following along here (thanks!), but most of you haven’t had the time, so here’s an abbreviation.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Washington Post’s Tom Shroder wrote a beautiful piece about MDMA trials that have been underway since the FDA approved my friend Rick Doblin’s research protocol in 2004. This is the first time a journalist was permitted to interview a participant in this groundbreaking study.

Forbes has the list of America’s most lustful cities. Cincinnati? San Antonio? I’m not convinced.

Now here’s a fuel source we’re not likely to run out of.

Please, Lord, if something ever happens to me, or someone I care about, please let the people who happen to be around have at least 100% more wits about them than the people who were caring for Donda West the night she died.

Part 1 and Part 2 of the 911 tapes. How totally frustrating. [Source: TMZ]

Egads! What is the world coming to? A man marrying for money. How totally feminist.

“The presidency is a bacterium. It finds the open wounds in the people who hold it. It infects them, and the resulting scandals infect the presidency and the country. The person with the fewest wounds usually does best in the White House, and is best for the country.”

Cool piece by David Brooks today.