The US obeyed an order from the Iraqi PM to withdraw from checkpoints around Sadr City in Iraq yesterday. Sadr City is controlled by the Mahdi Army militia run by radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The checkpoints were established last week as part of a search for a missing soldier, kidnapped by the militia and held in the city. The Iraqi PM told the US to scram, and our bold leaders acquiesced without a fight, abandoning one of our own. more inside

Vernon Robinson for Congress The most over the top ad ever. Anti-Gay? Check. Anti-Immigrant? Check. Anti-Black single parents? Check. Anti-Separation of Church and State? Check. Anti-Flag Burning (a pointless act, if ever there was one). Yes, American, Vernon Robinson has it all!

Curious George: There are those who say there is no God I ask you. As one human to another. Convince me there is a God.

PW Botha Gets the Gas Face.*
*In this case, "gets the gas face" is code for "has died". more inside

Curious George: Hosting Mystery A client of mine wants to switch hosting companies but cannot find/remember/dig up the present hosting info. I have been trying to sleuth it out but no luck. more inside

Cool multi-touch computer interaction Forget about your mouse and keyboard, this is the future. via dzone more inside

Curious George: Occupational blogs? Do you have any recommendations for blogs that let me walk a mile in someone's occupational shoes? I want to read the ups and downs about working on a construction site, driving a train, being a flight attendant, being a mailman, whatever. I really haven't had much luck fishing this stuff out of the sea of teen angst and vaporous blogs. Recommendations?

Eroica! Fabulous, in-depth Flash exploration of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 in E Flat Major. (via MeFi). more inside

In the spirit of Hallowe'en: Suspense! Chills! Shiver! via YouTube

World's largest Pumpkin Gaia affirms that it's an orange alert day.

Horrors! [alas in PDF] but nonetheless a wealth of short stories and novels from some of the greatest writers in the genre as well as lesser-knowns.

The House That Must Be Mine more inside

Tom Waits Interview in the Observer "Waits talks like he sings, in a rasping drawl and with an old-timer's wealth of received wisdom. It's as if, in late middle-age, he has grown into the person he always wanted to be. His tales are often tall, and his metaphors and similes tend towards the surreal. 'Writing songs is like capturing birds without killing them,' he quips. 'Sometimes you end up with nothing but a mouthful of feathers.'" via linkfilter

Did you ever stumble into an online community that made you feel like you'd stepped through the looking glass? Warning: Lots of crappy, pop-up-laden webhosting. (Possibly NSFW, depending on how seriously you want to be taken by your co-workers in the future.) more inside

A transcript from Frontline on the De Beers diamond cartel. This aired over ten years ago, but it's still relevant, I think. I found it fascinating. I've read about the diamond cartel before, but this had more history and info than I'd seen before. (Warning: pretty long.) more inside

Curious George: 60s Fancy Dress Help me with some fancy dress ideas for a 60s themed party on Saturday. more inside

The Skool Rules Also nowen as Klassrooms & Matrons ... more inside

PASTE!!!!!

Fixavote.com Election Consultants "provides unparalleled results by focusing on the outcome rather than the process. Using state-of the-art technology, we overcome the challenges of competition and ensure election results for our clients." (To make it even more evil, it's Flash-based) more inside

Hot Rod Cartoon Mags - Hot hot rod action