The Ruse of Privitization Analyzing Bushwa on privatization. Another silly, right wing nightmare.

Where is Salam Pax? I know, y'all have forgotten about him since the war "ended," but remember how thrilling it was to read his dispatches from the front last year, and how glad we all were that he survived? Well, he went to Karbala for Ashura and was posting pictures, and then... he stopped. And the latest post is from his friend Raed: more inside

Martha Stewart Guilty Was she unfairly targeted? Or just plain busted?

A Reason debate on how to think about liberty. Made with contributions by Richard A. Epstein, Randy Barnett, David Friedman, and James P. Pinkerton. [via A&L Daily]

Government to reward amateur astronomers. The U.S. House almost unanimously passed a bill today that would award asteroid hunters up to $3000 for their discoveries. It now goes to the Senate. The risk of asteroid and comet impact is detailed magnificently by the Australian Spaceguard Survey, which has probably the best page on cataclysmic tsunamis. Just eighteen months ago a meteor hit Siberia, devastating a remarkable 40 square miles.

Where is my gay apocalypse? "I have been staring with great anticipation out the window of my flat here in the heart of San Francisco, sighing heavily, waiting for the riots and the plagues and the screaming monkeys and the blistering rain of inescapable hellfire. I have my camera all ready and everything." [via Sensible Erection]

Curious, George: nagging question... What is the song "Happiness is a Warm Gun" actually about?

D.C. frat boys and sorority chicks. Did you know that President Bush is a Delta Kappa Epsilon? Or that his wife is a Kappa Alpha Theta? Well, now you do.

Build your own time travel machines. Schematics available for the Biotronic Oscillator, the Chronological Time Reflector, and the Demat Cannon, among others. Plans and diagrams emailed to you for $20; the Hyperdimensional Resonator comes fully assembled for $590. Note: highly experimental!

Tales of Monkey Love and Loss. Monkeys raised alone in an environment without mother and peers prefer to be with a cloth-covered mother surrogate without a milk bottle rather than with a wire-cage surrogate mother that provides a milk bottle, even when hungry. I don't know whether the most frightening thing about this 70's documentary is the monkey experiments, or the shocking voiceover: "Children deprived of a mother's love become serevly retarded"... (Searched out after reading this) more inside

The 100 greatest living football players ... apparently ... as chosen by Pele ... hmmm ... some startling omissions and some suprising inclusions. And yes, when I say football I mean football as I know it as a European ... (!) But ... this list comes as UK Premiership players appear to be determined to add to what's been an appalling season of shame: Leicester Leeds Charlton/Chelsea and Newcastle what can be done to stop overpaid, arrogant sports stars sullying the beautiful game?

Musicplasma: The music visual search engine. Enter a favorite band and see related bands. I scoffed at first, but it's actually quite nifty. (Flash) via Zfilter

Birds recognise Monkey warning calls. Eggheads claim jungle birds are able to distinguish certain freaked-out monkey shrieks from other freaked-out monkey shrieks, determining which are useful to them. Babelfish not involved.

The monkey is not the best jazz singer ever (but he can still go anywhere.) [Flash.]

Grindcore + pit bulls = the future! You've got your band. You've got your pit bulls. You've got a hit!

It Takes A Lot of Nerve To Post This Glenn Reynolds and LT Smash have a lot of nerve accusing Kristen Breitweiser and Monica Gabrielle of "politicizing" 9/11. Both women have lost their husbands at the WTC. The reason that they have not been happy with the President is because the White House has been constantly stonewalling the 9/11 Commission. Even Republican and commission chairman Tom Kean has gotten fed up with it. Reynolds and Smash feel it is just partisan politics. I wasn't aware that Breitweiser and Gabrielle worked for the DNC.

The Elvis Jumpsuit Database

Winged Cats. That's right, cats with wings. Folklore is replete with stories about such creatures... but could they possibly be real? Sort of. Here's the good guts on flappy cats, with pics. Warning for the squeamish: don't scroll to the very bottom of page; b&w pic of a man with pendulous facial skin abnormality - most people won't find this too bad, tho'.

Who gets the biggest slice of pie?

Death and Taxes A guy working at his desk in the Finnish tax office stopped doing so quite suddenly...and permanently. He was not discovered by co-workers for two days. He was an auditor, in case you were beginning to feel bad.