The Rhinoceros Party of Canada In the Canadian tradition of political satire, the Rhinoceros Party (Parti Rhinocéros), a registered political party from the 1960s to the 1990s ran on a satirical platform, and made a mockery of the political process by coming in 2nd place in some ridings. Among other achievements, they promised to declare war on Belgium unless they received of a gift of a case of mussels and belgian beer, which they received. more inside

Robert Frisk, veteran mideast correspondant for the BBC, speaks with Toronto's Now Magazine about what's really going on in Iraq. Among other things, he critizes 'hotel journalists' who are credited with first-hand account because they're in Baghdad when a car bomb blows up, though they don't risk stepping out to survey the damage or interview witnesses. more inside

Remember those Buddhas the Taliban blew up in 2001? A swiss dude called Paul Bucherer has a plan to rebuild the Buddhas of Bamiyan and has already raised over 1 million pounds to this end. The Buddhas, over 2000 years old, are said to have been built by craftsmen who came to the region with Alexander the great, and were an important Buddhist pilgrimage site when Genghis Khan conquered asia.

Filiberto Ojeda Rios leader of Puerto Rico's independence movement was shot at his hideout by the FBI on Sept 23, 2005. more inside

Guess the Movie Personally I couldn't guess a single one. But the pictures are fascinating and bizarre -- apparently movie clips with the people edited out but not the clothes.

Ballotwatch is a comprehensive collection of international, statewide and local initiatives. Ballot initiatives have quietly (or, unnoticed to me, anyway) become a powerful force in American politics. Some interesting ones in the upcoming US elections - In Alaska there is one to decide whether to legalize marijuana outright, and how could I forget the initiatives to ban gay marriage in 11 states this election. more inside

TrekEarth - a community travel photo site. Explore the world in from as many perspectives as there are community members. The photo quality is embarassingly high (for me as an amateur photographer). I enjoyed Kiev, Budapest, and Romania.

Paul Krugman interview on WFMU. Paul Krugman is on The Speakeasy with Dorian right now - 6pm to 7pm EST - talking about the Rebublican Convention and his new book. You'll likely be able to get the archive at one of those two links when it's over as well.

A comprehensive guide to ambient music An excellent site with sound clips and reviews. Try Harold Budd, David Sylvian (of Japan) especially Gone to Earth, Jah Wobble, Ryuichi Sakamoto etc. Otherwise known as 6 degrees of Eno. more inside

"The fortress [of Liege] was believed to be one of the most formidable position in Europe among military analysts... This fortress was built by Henri Brialmont, fortress engineer of the days in 1884. more inside