We in America have given up. The rest of the world can insult us for it, but we're really just tired of the Bush administration and their gutting of fundamental rights, and a Democratic congress that has done nothing for the last eight years. We're sitting here doing nothing, just biding our time until the election gets rid of these criminals.

Now, if McCain were to somehow win the election, I think then you'll see blood in the streets.

I'm a Kiwi living in Texas. I've flown in and out of NZ a number of times, and never been sprayed. I know several people who have though, and none of them have been bothered by it.

NZ is a "pure" ecological system, far enough from the rest of the world that it doesn't have many of the environment destroying bugs and critters that the rest of the world does. The spraying is to protect that ecology, because it would potentially ruin NZ's economy if something gets in.

Saw this on the news here in Dallas tonight. Pretty pathetic of TSA, I hope she sues their butts off. But why is a woman who lives in Dallas, and was flying from Lubbock to Dallas, having a news conference in LA with Gloria Allred? Not enough publicity for the lawsuit in Texas?

My God, my first look at that photo I thought it was a screenshot of some new videogame.

Please follow the link to the article and read the How to Help section (after viewing the pictures). I have donated many malaria nets, it's one of the few ways I feel I'm actually doing something to help people.

Hey, an iron throne! Well, kinda. I bet GRRM would like it.

Doesn't it seem like Chavez is running Venezuela by playing a game of Tropico?

The irony being that the article includes "Enough with the legal boilerplate", and at the bottom of the page they have links to their own legal stuff, including the seven page (in my browser) terms of service.

Term #1 being the Acceptance of Terms term, which contains the non-negotiated terms that Cory is always railing against.

How come the original list only took one word to scare you, but the new list needs a bunch of explanation?

In the last couple of days I read (don't think it was on BoingBoing, maybe Yahoo news?) that the US Catholic Church had paid out $600 million in abuse case settlements in 2007. Which brings up my fundamental issues with the church: 1) that they ignored, covered up, and condoned abuse by priests, and 2) that they have $600 million.

I'm a C&E Catholic (Christmas and Easter - that joke actually made by a priest one Christmas mass). I only attend at holidays when we go down to stay with my wife's family (and even then not every time). I never give them money. I have not gone to church regularly since I was about 14 years old (my mother cried when I refused to go, that's one of the worst things I ever felt in my life).

And so I find myself, any time the church is mentioned, making comments along the lines of "I'll believe in them when they remember their vow of poverty and sell their gold mansions and use the money to help the poor". I believe in God and in Jesus, at least I think I do, maybe I just believe in the ideals they represent. I just can't stand any kind of organized religion, it really is just a guilt trip into giving money.

Why am I saying all this? Just to point out that the Catholic Church is not all powerful, it is not all evil (there are lots of folks who truly believe), it's really just another of the Jim Bakker type scams, only it's been around a lot longer. It might have been born of real belief, but it certainly got corrupted along the way.

In summary: this is yet another worthless pronouncement by a worthless group of people. To paraphrase Billy Connolly: "Why are we being told how to f*ck by the f*ckless?".

Or U2: "I'd join the movement if there was one I could believe in, yeah I'd break bread and wine if there was a church I could receive in".

"It only takes one person. So you would just be in a room by yourself."

Do they have security cameras in the areas where baggage handlers are free to rifle through our bags?

Today I'm pleased to see this, because today I experienced the bad side of mortgage companies too.

Yesterday I received a letter from my insurance company (letter dated Feb 18, so of the 14 days notice 9 were spent in the mail), saying they were cancelling my homeowners insurance as of next Monday, because I didn't pay the bill. I called them and said my mortgage company pays this bill, from escrow.

They said well, we sent you a bill two months ago. I said no you didn't, I never got one. After some research they admitted that when transferring me from one agent to another last year, they had somehow messed up the mortgage details and didn't send me the copy of the bill they were supposed to send.

Then, they called the mortgage company (at least they took care of that part) and called me back and told me what they said. The mortgage company guy said "oh, I guess we mislaid that one, yeah, that happens all the time". They said they would mail a check today (this was about 4pm local time, so did they really?).

I told the insurance agent that the cancellation notice says it will cancel at 12.01am on March 3 - next Monday. What happens if there is some kind of delay in the mail? She said oh, don't worry, your insurance will be cancelled but we'll reinstate and backdate when we get the check.

So, what happens to my credit if my insurance gets cancelled, even for one day? Let alone what might already have happened since they had to send this cancellation notice? And what say they don't get the check until Tuesday, and my house burns down on Monday? Okay, odds are low, but still, I know for damn sure they wouldn't pay a penny.

So, like I said at the start, today is a good day to see this post. And #22, I agree with you 100%.

Wait a minute. On this thread odd names get trashed for being mean to kids, but name your kid, ohhh, say, Poesy Emmeline Fibonacci Nautilus Taylor Doctorow, for example, and everyone woo-hoos and thinks it's great?

(Sorry Cory. But your kid's gonna get beat up. :) )

Don't forget to carry your Sputnik IED through the airport! If they ask, just tell them the BBC sent you.