I wasn't trying to insinuate that it was a horrible thing, or look down on anyone.

I've just never seen sellers being given a hard time here in LA, even when I've seen alcohol being sold at stands on street corners, so it just surprises me, that's all.

@#37
You obviously haven't been peddled to by Mexicans on every street corner with flowers or bags of oranges or whatever else they have in hand in LA. It's worse in the San Fernando Valley, I've seen booths everywhere selling all sorts of things, including Sangria and other mixed alcoholic drinks.

Of course, Clayton is in the northern reaches of California, so who knows. It does sound like the work of a Child-hating neighbor who put in the complaint to the mayor's office.

That blood smeared bow and smile at the end was adorable!

I've read that monkey sightings are on the rise in Tokyo.

Just a day later, there's monkey commotion in Harajuku: http://www.pinktentacle.com/2008/08/operation-capture-monkey-in-harajuku/

I think they're mass migrating from Nikko in search of better hot springs. As for the screaming it's hard to believe that people would react that way to a little monkey.

@ #6
Pink Tentacle has some cute pictures and a video of the excitement: "あ！さるが逃げました!"
http://www.pinktentacle.com/2008/08/video-monkey-on-the-loose-in-shibuya-station/

Jeez-Haven't laughed this hard in a long time, my stomach hurts. Creepy fantastic!

I vote this the best roomba hack ever.

"Jelly entices us into a strange but compelling world of organic ***." Very much something I expect to see on the back of a pron flick.

...I can't stop giggling at that noise! I think I'll turn this a ringtone myself. Yay!

I welcome this law.

There is a disproportionately large amount of cellphone wielding reckless drivers here in LA. If someone is being an idiot on the road, 80% it's been someone yapping away.

(ack, lost a long comment and writing again)

The xenophobia in japan has been getting worse, from what I can tell.

There was the recent raping of a 14 year old girl by a US Marine in Okinawa that they're pissed about. I remember reading enraged articles in Japanese complaining about Condeleeza's lame attempts to smooth things over. There was a huge rally protesting the US military presence last month with around 6,000 people.

And now there is news of a stabbing and theft of a taxi driver in Okinawa by a Marine.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/04/04/us_marine_in_japan_accused_in_slaying/6822/

There was also a gang rape case with the military at fault last year, and countless other things.

Japan is pissed. The US military has plenty of fault in the current anti-foreigner atmosphere.

The fingerprinting is a very new thing, I think it started earlier this year.

Tell me I'm not the only one excited over Datamancer and Von Slatt being at maker faire this year.

(Steampunk singularity in the Diamond Age come 2015? Does that mean we're all going to be having lots of tantric sex?)

That billboard is awesome, I wish I were up in the bay area to see it.

For those interested, I noticed studentsforafreetibet.org had an sms alert system set up for the torch relay in sf:
"SMS Alerts for 4/9
Text SFTORCH to 41411"

Or you can enter in your cell number on the widget they have on their blog page, blog.studentsforafreetibet.org

@11 Those sound highly improbable.

@138

I didn't realize there was any sort of optimism in that statement. I honestly don't think it's a problem that can be solved(easily or at all). I was implying the vote was hacked, and that solving the ignorance of the masses wouldn't fix anything either.

Oh man, reading/comment latency for the grand ultimate loss.

@Nick D #90,
I completely agree with this

@Takuan
Is it true that the majority of Americans have really been made to believe that Iran is our biggest threat? It just seems like such a stretch for people to jump on, propaganda or no.

I think one of the core problems is the illusion people have that they have to compromise, that is, giving up their privacy will actually provide them with greater security.

Bruce Schneier has written about this:
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/01/security_vs_pri.html

"If there's a debate that sums up post-9/11 politics, it's security versus privacy. Which is more important? How much privacy are you willing to give up for security? Can we even afford privacy in this age of insecurity? Security versus privacy: It's the battle of the century, or at least its first decade.

...

Security and privacy are not opposite ends of a seesaw; you don't have to accept less of one to get more of the other. Think of a door lock, a burglar alarm and a tall fence. Think of guns, anti-counterfeiting measures on currency and that dumb liquid ban at airports. Security affects privacy only when it's based on identity, and there are limitations to that sort of approach."

(etc)

I am of the mindset that the lack of information and education of the majority is what needs to be solved-

But if the majority of the public would vote and make decisions without ignorance, would that make a difference?

@#2

Heh. For full effect, it really should have started smoldering in an elevator(partially because it was a model of an elevator). Extra credit if he put models of 'terrorized' citizens within the model, as well.

I like this a lot. It gets a lot of information explained in a simple way.

It brought to mind the same scene in Peaceful Warrior for me too, #68

There's also a similar Buddhist story (it's in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, but I don't remember it's origin) of a Monk and a Thief, where the monk offered everything of his to a thief.

Whether or not the story in npr is true, without calling Julio either a saint or self promoting, and completely free of whatever religious sentiments you want to attach to it-

I think it's a very nice, human story; exemplary of the best in human nature.

There are pictures of the victims:

(extremely graphic)
http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/article.php?id=1337

I just want to speak up in a way that is heard.

I wish I were in a position of power.

Not to be a cynic, I for one will do what little I can, but do you really think the US (or Canadian) governments I might petition would really take a stand? And do you think the Olympic committee is putting any 'real' pressure on china?

Everyone's been bending to China with it's economic power. Even google gave in to them and censored themselves.

I just wish for a way to take action that is more concrete. Like the activists who flew a banner on the great wall, "Free Tibet".

http://www.rfa.org/english/tibetan/2008/03/14/tibet_protest/

From radio free asia, atleast 80 Tibetans are dead, they're busing off and shooting innocents:

“We saw two dead at Ramoche temple, two in the garden, two at the Ganden printing house, and those Tibetans who went to take food to prisoners in Drapchi prison saw 26 Tibetans shot after they were brought in on a black vehicle,” one Tibetan witness said. “There could be about 80 dead, or more, but there is too much commotion here to give an exact number.”

It's the internet's very own little lich king.

I've been in the general LA area for many of it's huge fires now. The 2003 fire came a mile away from where I was staying at the time and scorched my partner's backyard. I think it's unfair to say, "oh, this isn't as bad as the last fire, why are you making such a big deal"

The latest count is upwards of 270k acres and 900 buildings destroyed, the amount of area it's spread over- 7 counties, is huge, and the santa ana wind conditions are stronger than I think I've ever seen them. Trees are snapped and have been unrooted, blocking the streets. It's also not a fire event that's about to end, resources are stretched thin and the large fires are barely contained, if at all.

And it's not to say that past years haven't been hell. This is a current, huge event that has the majority of southern california in it's grasp.

The smoke and smell is unbelievable.

There's another google map hack put out by the latimes that has frequently updated information on all the fires currently devouring southern california.