Why the FTC lawsuit against Intel has substance

John Oram interviewed me for this interesting BSN article.

BTW, BSN's web server has been very slow lately, so be patient when trying to pull up this article. I've been told that their site traffic has been heavy, so perhaps it's time for Theo to upgrade his hardware.

Changing Seas

After nearly eight years, I resigned from my position at Centaur Technology to start a new company, Cossatot Analytics Laboratories (abbreviated CAna Labs). At Centaur, I was head of benchmarking.

I can say with a level head that Centaur is one of the best places to work in the world. I'll write more about both my experiences at Centaur and CAna Labs soon.

"What about Van's Hardware?" you might ask. That's a good question. The site will likely remain on life support for the immediate future.

For an urgent fix of computer hardware information, I can recommend my favorites. Of course, HardOCP, AnandTech and The TechReport seem to be getting better and better and that's why they continue to flourish.

I love Mike Magee; long live Mike! He's now writing and editing for TGDaily, a very nice website that was spawned from my old haunt, THG. Likewise, I follow Loyd Case who seems to be just about everywhere nowadays.

My friend Rick C. Hodgin used to be managing editor for Wolfgang Gruener at TGDaily. Rick tempted me a time or two to write for him. Although Rick always spoke very glowingly of Wolfgang, he no longer works for him. Rick is still posting on and off at Geek.com.

For the longest time, our very own Joel Hruska worked for ArsTechnica, another top notch tech site. Now, HotHardware is lucky to have Joel's services.

Speaking of Tom's Hardware, I now visit there frequently after all of these years; the content there is quite good again.

I often don't agree with his takes on NVIDIA, but I'll never stop following my old friend Charlie.

And speaking of old friends, John Oram is now writing for Theo Valich's Bright Side of News. I don't know Theo, but John speaks very, very highly of him.

If you want to dive deep into computer tech, visit Lost Circuits, perhaps the most technically rigorous hardware site of them all.

Sadly, one of my favorite sites is no more. Ace's Hardware has been defunct for several years now. Fortunately, Johan De Gelas continues to write detailed analysis for Anand. It's true that a surrogate Ace's forums sorta still lives on, but I'm not a big fan of message boards.

I haven't posted on technology related message boards in many, many years. When VHJ was popular, whenever I posted under my real name I always had to be prepared to devote a lot of time for responses. To avoid this, for a few months soon after I began working for Centaur, I posted anonymously under whatever name popped into my head at the time (but I never attempted to hide my IP address out of respect to the forum owners). But even posting anonymously is a headache because it still invites responses, and many message board devotees can be determined, provocative and harsh. Some people simply like to argue. I do not like to argue, and I don't like to spend my time reading people trade insults, which is all too common on many message boards.

Dave Graham did a fantastic job running our own VHJ message boards. We had interesting discussions there at times, but the message boards were still often a headache despite the fact that they achieved some level of success, largely due to Dave's work.

Lastly, I like to take a peek at what Andrew Orlowski writes at The Register. I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew many years ago at a conference. He's a very nice guy and his articles are insightful, intelligent, bold, well written and worth reading.

3,000 Low Temp Records Set This July in U.S.

AccuWeather blogger Jesse Ferrell reports that July was unusually cool over large sections of the United States. In fact, he claims that 3,000 low temperature records will be broken over this region during this month of July. He writes:

First, some stats. 1,044 daily record low temperatures have been broken this month nationwide according to NCDC -- count record "low highs" and the number increases to 2,925, surely to pass 3,000 before the end of the month.

Rest in Peace, Billy Mays

We hardly knew ye.  Pitchmen was one of the best programs on television.  You seemed to be a good man and we will miss you.

Apparant attack on Dutch royal family

A 38-year old Dutch man drove his black Suzuki Swift into the Dutch royal parade, narrowly missing an open topped bus carrying the 71-year old Beatrix and her adult children. The man struck several onlookers, killing five and injuring twelve.

Upon questioning, the driver stated that his attack was directed at the royal family. The man is in critical condition after his car collided with a large, stone obelisk.

The Dutch royal family has close ties to the secretive Bilderberg Group, an organization seen by many as a major command component of globalism. Prince Bernhard was one of its founders, and the Bilderbergers maintain their headquarters in the South Holland town of Leiden.

Mexican Flu observations

The U.S. Government, the corporate media and the WHO -- three globalist organs -- continue to under-report the number of Mexican Influenza cases and underplay its lethality.

At the same time, the WHO and the U.S. Government are deploying higher and higher levels of pandemic controls.

Monday's conveniently timed buzzing of "Ground Zero" New York by one of the President's 747s flanked by two fighters was almost certainly a psyop intended to blunt public attention away from the flu, where the first line measure of shutting down the U.S.-Mexican border has still not been taken.

It appears that the Mexican Flu is virulent and spreading rapidly. The number of existing cases appears to be significantly higher than what is being reported. When the true numbers are finally released, they will probably be accompanied with unprecedented measures from our federal government.

While no cases of the flu have been detected in pigs yet, Egypt has already announced that it will slaughter its entire hog population.

Cooler Master HAF 932 for $124.99

New Egg is running a sale on the Cooler Master HAF full tower computer case. I have one of these at home, and it is an outstanding case that I highly recommend. Kathy paid Fry's $160 my HAF. New Egg is selling them for $124.99 with promo code EMCLRPL24.

With the HAF and Sniper cases, Cooler Master is probably producing the best mid-priced enthusiast cases right now. The Antec Twelve Hundred has its high points, but it is not tool-free, has limited front panel connectors and the case fans do not have motherboard connectors.

My Cooler Master HAF recommendation comes with two caveats: 1. It's a huge case. 2. It doesn't have filters.

Although the Cooler Master HAF features three huge 230mm fans, only one is lit by LEDs. These fans do not have external speed controls, but are very quiet. Cool Master should also implement hot swappable SATA drive bays like those on Zalman's case.

PC-Audio a misnomer no more, Avi ADM9.1

As the music industry decides what its next medium for mass marketing shall be the music file industry has been a runaway train. I have been writing and testing PC-related products for almost 6-years now for http://www.madshrimsps.be/ among others, and recently have re-discovered my once favorite hobby. No its not surfing 25-ft swells in late September off Marconi Beach State park on Cape Cod Massachusetts, its High End Audio. When I suffered a spinal injury some years ago racing MTB bikes I was forced to liquidate all my High End Audio gear long before my humility would allow me to collect Social Security Disability (although this is an earned income everyone pays into). As I sold all that stuff, Futterman NYAL OTL prototype amps, panel speakers, a Sony x777 CD player (their $3k audiophile model) and thousands in cables, I realized I had begun several years before as a pure music lover and by that time I had actually lost that passion. I began after hearing a High End system running out and buying every CD I could find and by the time I sold everything I had just two CD's I considered Audiophile quality recordings. I wasn't listening to music, I was listening to the nuances in hardware.

I had spent well over $10k on my own system which consisted of Dealer Demo "bargains" and then spent years siting in front of over one hundred different types of loudspeakers. I was isolated, and frustrated in my perfectionism. High End Audio cost money and to reproduce a true 20Hz ~ 20kHz costs big money. When you want Joni Mitchell in the room it costs about as much in High End Gear as it would to have her perform live at your home. Its a world onto its own and a absolute pleasure for the electronics hobbyist with a open bank book. When it comes to Affordable High End what we have is another misnomer like PC-Audio.

PC-Audio has always been driven by multi-channel affairs which were designed for Gaming, hence surround sound. Recently this has begun to change. Influences from High End Audio are slowly influencing PC-Audio. When I was into High End separates were the rule. Isolate and specialize each function, purifying it. Instead of a CD-player you have a transport and separate DAC and then a distinct power unit for that device. Now the digital cable between transport and DAC becomes an industry onto itself. From the DAC's Analog outputs we now need silver wire kapton insulated interconnects. Then the pre-amp and if there's a phono-stage this is separate with separate power supply. Now we have the interconnects from Pre-amp to stereo a,p or monoblocs. Either way once again the laws of physics meet engineering as an art form. For example read this little gem about a pair of "vacuum" sealed interconnects which cost $14,900 per 1m pair, Tara Labs Zero interconnects. I understand the science, I understand the potential for why they"sound" better, I also understand that's what I spent on my entire system in 1992. In that Tara Labs article the Reviewer's speakers are my 10.0 drool factor, in the mbl 101E Radialstrahler loudspeaker costing a mere $44,900 or about the same as a P-Class Mercedes (P=Poor). And the mbl 101E are still considered a value given what some other High End models cost.

So, is there a silver solder trickle down effect in High End Audio? Erm maybe, the current trend are chinese assembled integrated tube amplifiers, especially single ended Pentode and many incorporating USB fed (or TOSLINK) DACs. This new breed of Audiophile quality Plug and Play integrated amps with on-board D/A conversion are made for use with the modern PC or Laptop, a first. This transforms your PC's HDD into an instant music file server and provides access to thousands of free streaming Audio websites the world over. My favorite has been Deezer.com which offers one of the "cleanest" signals especially in their high quality stream Chanson Francaise. There you'll find many live studio recordings, those which allow a a system capable of 3D imaging to come into its own. There many strong acoustics and clear vocals as well as rock, and some funky folk. Rare in the annals of High End I recently auditioned a Single Ended Pentode integrated amp with on-board Burr Brown USB DAC, from Tecon. Their Model 55 reviewed here cost a mere $389 shipped in the USA and all that's required is a PC and passive speakers. I mated the Tecon to the venerable Lovecraft Designs, Abby also reviewed by me, although at $2k this defeated "affordable" at least relative to what "we" might conisder. In the High End world some wouldn't make this purchase out of some discombobulated sense of pride. An ideal match for the Tecon Model 55 would be the affordable Tekton Model 6.5 which cost just $350 and Tekton makes models as low as $200 or as high as $3,300. Basically $600 will get you one of the best sounding systems you've ever owned if your an owner of mass-market mid-fi. And very respectable, accurate and their ability for three dimensional imaging will certainly launch your High End Audio love affair.

Undoubtedly the gradual decline of the CD will not necessarily go the way of vinyl, vinyl still has in its favor a true analog signature and will be favored by a large majority of the Purist Audiophile Crowd so long as they continue to press it. Except for the Compact Discs sitting on shelves, the future is the music file albeit Lossless, Mp3, Mp4 etc.

There is one product out there which has recently captivated me, this is a unique active speaker system by a company known as Avi HiFi Originating out of the UK like so many great loudspeakers, they have released the Avi ADM9.1 active loudspeaker system. In my many years of "High End Audio" this system has completely redefined what I've come to expect from High End Audio as well as what is considered a value. How are they different? The typical powered speaker system utilizes a single amplifier in a main enclosure from which zip-cord feeds the right or left passive unit. Already we have problems with such a design, since the additional electronics in one enclosure give it slightly different sonic characteristics and other potential offsets. Avi in the Purist tradition has placed bi-amplified 250W mid/bass driver and 75W tweeter in each enclosure. Therefore each speaker is a true active unit under its own power, ergo each has its own power cord. The main unit contains two TOSLINK inputs which feed a Wolfson 8741 DAC. Two analog inputs allow you to bypass the Wolfson DAC (although I can't see any reason why) which is one of the most neutral sounding I've had the pleasure of hearing. It simply invites streaming music files and gives back all it takes. Another RCA out supplies the right speaker and if its more bass you desire there is a dedicated subwoofer output. Avi makes a subwoofer which was designed with the ADM9.1 speakers in mind. The following was taken from Avi's webpage:

Therefor we've produced a special dedicated, ultra high powered 10" model for the ADM9's. The voice coil is 3" diameter, maximum excursion is 2" and it's in a sealed box and driven by a linear, analogue bipolar amplifier that can produce up to 30 Amps and 200 Watts. The filter can be set to 20, 30, 40, 60, 80 or 100 Hz and gain adjusted to suit room acoustics. In practice it extends low frequency excursion to below 30Hz...



I do not feel the need for a subwoofer since I don't feel as if I am missing much. The ADM9.1's are rated down to 60Hz and I am certain this is the most honest 60Hz I've ever heard. Given the number of speakers I have owned and heard rated down to "50Hz ~ 40Hz" based on budget constraints, this is a region I am most familiar with. The sound from the ADM9.1's is like nothing I've ever heard from a active speaker system, indeed from any combination of separates up to $10k and beyond. They are as fast as planar ribbons (there will be consequences for that description)image as if they were 360 radiators, and pack bass worthy of full range. If any of these attributes were lacking they would still be a bargain at approximately $2k USD. The fact they present a realism which flows into and and fills the room with live music level, even the most critical listener can't deny they perform far beyond their stature. Listening to Joni Mitchell BLUE, the ADM9.1's were able to maintain what are some of the highest pitched vocals and still allow you to hear her diaphragm expand, the moisture on her lips and know exactly where she sat when letting loose on the microphone bested my Proac, Cary, Audible Illusions combo from years back. If i can summarize these speakers in one word that would be, "Effortless." They just don't seem as if they have to work as hard as many to give what most cannot.

If I had $10,000 to spend on anything I wanted in High End Audio, I would still buy the ADM9.1 and spend the rest on a Tapestry. They are the best value in Audio I've seen in many years, especially when you consider you don't have to leave your seat to enjoy streaming audio from your PC. I've neglected other reviews since the ADM9.1's arrived and if I could afford them I'd own them by now. The highest compliment I can given them, is that I don't want to give them back :)

Britain to screen all passengers arriving from Mexico for flu

Britain has begun screening all airline passengers arriving from Mexico for Mexican Influenza.

Although the United States announced a public health emergency yesterday with domestic Mexican Flu cases now reaching around 20, Janet Napolitano, head of Homeland Security, dismissed similar measures for American airports. Napolitano also failed to take any action to tighten US-Mexico border security, exposing Americans to further infections from our southern neighbor where panic is causing many people to flee infected areas.

Fort Detrick disease samples may be missing

A criminal investigation is underway at the U.S. Army infectious disease research center in Fort Detrick, Maryland where infectious disease samples have apparently vanished.

Fort Detrick was the source of the anthrax bioweapon material used during the anthrax attacks soon after September 11th, 2001. Bush and his staff were already on ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic that is commonly used to treat anthrax infections, at the time of the attacks which eventually killed five people and sickened seventeen.

Mexican Flu Emergency Declared in U.S.

U.S. federal representatives declared a public health emergency today as more Mexican Flu victims have been identified within the country. The official count of domestic Mexican Flu cases has risen to 20 with one requiring hospitalization. Among the emergency measures taken by the Government are plans to "release a quarter of its 50-million-unit strategic reserve of antiviral medications" to areas sustaining flu cases.

Notably absent were any plans to lock-down the United States' border with Mexico, an obvious measure that would impede the disease's migration northwards. This stands in contrast with actions already taken by countries like Japan who are discouraging if not outright restricting travel to and from Mexico.

As we reported yesterday, evidence suggests that the disease is already widespread in the U.S., but with flu awareness and fear exploding over the last few days, case numbers are likely to escalate rapidly as people with flu symptoms flock for medical treatment.

So the soaring numbers of U.S. Mexican flu cases over the next week will produce the illusion that the disease is spreading rapidly, when in actuality we are only gaining insight on the true, existing prevalence of the disease.

The Mexican Flu has several characteristics that suggest it might be a man-made bioweapon. Perhaps most concerning of all is that the disease has pig, bird and human flu components, suggesting that it not only targets humans hosts, but pigs and perhaps birds as well. From the CDC's recent press briefing:

We know so far that the viruses contain genetic pieces from four different virus sources. This is unusual. The first is our North American swine influenza viruses. North American avian influenza viruses, human influenza viruses and swine influenza viruses found in Asia and Europe.

That particular genetic combination of swine influenza virus segments has not been recognized before in the U.S. or elsewhere. Of course, we are doing more testing now and looking more aggressively for unusual influenza strains. So we haven't seen this strain before but we haven't been looking as intensively as we are these days.

The viruses are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine anti-viral drugs but they are sensitive or susceptible to oseltamivir and zanamivir, the newer anti-viral drugs for flu. And at this time we don’t know exactly how people got the virus. None of the patients have had direct contact with pigs.

You can get swine influenza without direct contact but it's a bit more unusual. And we believe at this point that human-to-human spread is occurring. That's unusual.

Russia has already halted pork imports from Mexico and several U.S. states. In my post yesterday, I mentioned the potential impact of the flu to hog farmers. If birds become infected as well, the U.S. Government might also slaughter chickens and turkeys throughout the country.

Mexican Flu Pandemic Threatens U.S.

A new, hybrid flu strain containing pig, avian and human flu components has struck Mexico, killing up to 68 and sickening at least 1,000 others. Given Mexico's impoverished third-world status and with the country currently coming apart at the seams, the real number of infections is probably at least a hundred times higher.

The infection count north of the border continues to rise with two confirmed cases in Kansas to add to the nine already identified in Texas and California. A private Christian school in Queens, New York is suspected to have been hit by at least eight additional cases.

The two Texas flu victims originate from San Antonio, but we are aware of several severe flu cases in Austin from early this month that have the hallmarks of the new, deadly strain. In all likelihood, the Mexican Flu has probably already established a firm foothold in America with hundreds of unreported or misidentified cases.

The Mexican Flu has unusual characteristics that suggest that it might be man-made. The timing of the Mexican Flu outbreak also follows closely behind the recent distribution of a Baxter flu vaccine contaminated with live avian flu virus.

With America already under siege from a carefully constructed economic attack, a manufactured flu pandemic would serve as the second prong of an offensive made to weaken and then pacify our country. I anticipated this tactic in my predictions for 2009.

If indeed the Mexican Flu is the second stage of the globalists' war against the U.S., the fear and chaos the corporate media nurtures will probably be leveraged to further the NAIS initiative and serve as an excuse to slaughter hog populations throughout the country. This will decimate many small farmers. Along with new, so-called "Food Safety" measures, these steps will will allow the federal government, now largely a proxy for globalist interests, to seize control of the nation's food supply.

Additionally, the crisis will allow the President's emergency powers to be grossly extended, setting the stage for random and warrantless "health safety" searches of Americans and their homes. Travel regulation, gun seizures, forced relocation, forced inoculations and troop deployment for police actions throughout the country are also likely to follow.

In fact, Mexico has already enacted many of these measures. From the CNN article linked above:

Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Saturday issued an executive decree detailing emergency powers of the Ministry of Health, according to the president's office.

The order gives the ministry with the authority to isolate sick patients, inspect travelers' luggage and their vehicles and conduct house inspections, the statement said.

The government also has the authority to prevent public gatherings, shut down public venues and regulate air, sea and overland travel.

The main intention of this second prong of attack would be to deploy the control mechanisms that the globalists need to pacify uprisings in this country that might otherwise awaken and unite our very powerful nation against them.

If you are aware of extant Mexican Flu cases in the U.S., it is important that you quickly disseminate that information in order to defuse the groundswell of panic that the corporate media and the globalist controlled WHO appear to be nurturing. Moreover, take precautions and limit exposure to yourself and your family. The recent, suspect flu cases in Austin were severe, although everyone recovered.

Dick Cheney directed assassination ring

New York Times investigative reporter Seymour Hersh claims that former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney ran an "executive assassination ring." During a talk Tuesday at the University of Minnesota, Hersh described the Joint Special Operations Command, a group of assassins with no Congressional oversight, that reported directly to Cheney. Apparently without the permission of anyone except the Bush Administration, the shadowy group secretly entered countries and killed people on lists presumably vetted if not authored by Cheney.

Hersh also maintains that the CIA was "very deeply involved" in illegal domestic investigations of people the sometimes sinister spy organization considered "enemies of the state" after 9/11.

Flu Vaccine contaminated with live avian flu virus

Was this part of a planned pandemic? Baxter, an American flu vaccine provider, shipped vaccine material tainted with the live H5N1 human variation of the avian flu virus. The "accidental" concoction is almost a perfect, deadly bioweapon.

Problems posting comments to this blog

We are aware that there are persistent, ongoing problems posting comments to this blog. Google's service is unreliable and often times-out. We apologize for the trouble. I am extremely busy at work, so I will not likely be able to find a remedy anytime soon. If you need to send feedback that you can be certain I will get and, if you want, post to this blog, you can send it to my personal email address.

UPDATE: Problems continue to persist into 2010, but Internet Explorer and Opera browsers appear to work reliably. Comments can't be published with Firefox and, ironically, Google's own Chrome browser because the comment input section is not rendered properly.

Asus G1S: Cold failing NVIDIA Geforce 8600GT

I’m having one of those weird nights again. I have been working a lot lately because we are testing a new part, but I was able to get home early tonight, a little after 9PM. I went to bed before 11, and woke up believing that it was morning, but only two hours had passed. Anyhow, I decided that I’ll blog a little until I get sleepy.

I bought an Asus G1S notebook about a year ago from Best Buy. I have been very happy with it other than the notebook will not boot to the desktop on cold days.

All overclockers know that the key to achieving high frequencies is keeping the part cool. Consequently, producing aftermarket computer component thermal solutions has become a sizable industry unto itself.

Less well known is that many semiconductor devices have a distinct cold limit as well. In fact, some devices will not function unless they are hot. Semiconductor device manufacturer have to ensure that these "cold failures" do not occur within normal operating temperatures.

My Asus G1S will not boot to the desktop if the room temperature is lower than 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The failure occurs when the GPU is initialized for desktop compositing engines like Vista's Aero or Compiz in Linux. Particularly for Aero, as soon as video initialization is attempted, the notebook either freezes or spontaneously reboots (Compiz might limp along for a few seconds before locking up).

If the room temperature is only a degree or two cooler than 70, the notebook will eventually warm up enough to reach the desktop, but if the ambient temperature is much lower than 65 then the notebook will enter a perpetual reboot cycle, if it doesn’t lock up first.

This is especially annoying when resuming from S3 or waking from hibernation, since rebooting totally defeats the timesaving aspects of these measures and could potentially corrupt files.

So apparently NVIDIA had, at least for a little while, a hole in their screening process that allowed for cold failure test escapes. Since the failures begin to manifest just below room temperature, it looks like NVIDIA did not test under cold conditions using a refrigerated thermal head, which is an odd screening omission.

I don’t want to infer that this is a widespread, serious issue, because there does not appear to be many cases of this failure in the wild. I’m simply recounting my personal and apparently rare experience with the NVIDIA Geforce 8600 GT in my Asus G1S.

Although I first witnessed the failure soon after I purchased the notebook, I procrastinated until my warranty almost expired before returning the G1S for repair. Best Buy provides warranty service for Asus, so after I backed up all of my data and reinstalled Vista from scratch, Kathy took my notebook to them about two weeks ago. The “Geek Squad” sent me an email last week reporting that they are currently awaiting parts. The only viable repairs that come to mind are either mainboard replacement or a new notebook. We’ll see. I miss the G1S since I used the notebook daily.

In the meantime, Kathy bought me an early birthday present -- my birthday is not until March 22, but who am I to complain? -- components for an AMD Phenom II system as an upgrade for my two year old Dell Core2Duo E6600 desktop.

Yeah, it’s not like my old reviewing days when companies would literally send me more free computer hardware than I knew what to do with. But Kathy bought a great collection of components including a Cooler Master HAF, a really fantastic case for a geek like me. The Phenom II also has exceeded my expectations, providing stout performance while consuming little power.

It’s smoothly running 64-bit Ubuntu 8.10. I’ve installed VirtualBox and will run XP from it and Vista from an e-SATA drive that I will take back and forth to work where I have an identical test system.

Speaking of NVIDIA, the economic apocalypse overtaking the world now is going to rapidly bring down broad swaths of familiar companies. The computing industry is already hurting. I made a prediction earlier this year that a major player will be on the brink of collapse by 2010. It won't be NVIDIA.

Three computer hardware vendors that will still have a pulse come next year are Intel, NVIDIA and VIA. These are times of great hardship for AMD, I am afraid. But that is a story for another sleepless night.

I can't believe the good people of Tulsa are tolerating this

The TSA has implemented full-body scans in the Tulsa airport producing nude images of passengers, and the good people of Oklahoma are accepting the outrageous indignity passively. I expected riots. Tulsa, what has happened to you? Where is your heart?

Unemployment Benefits Paid Through Debit Cards Incur Fees

Debit Card Hell.

Texas "Fireball"

Kathy witnessed the widely reported "fireball" over Texas around 11AM this morning. She was northbound on I-35 near Georgetown and described a persistent cloud created by the hyperbolic shaped, metallic object (this appearance was probably a result of a shockwave created by a meteor bouncing off the atmosphere). The cloud lingered for about an hour. She drove directly underneath the cloud which appeared to be centered over Waco.

New Federal Position - National Coordinator of Health Information Technology

Congress's 700 page bill comes with some extra goodies, like this one. "This office will monitor the medical treatments your doctor is providing you to make sure that Washington agrees that those treatments are appropriate and cost effective," explains Gary Bauer.

Mockingbirds

Mockingbirds are quite a feat
Somewhat more than you'd think.
During the season that they molt,
They all seem sad in sync.

If you feed them eggs and potatoes,
They'll turn to black and white.
They'll eat fifteen to twenty minutes
All day and most of the night.

They make up most of their songs,
Yet they borrow ten percent.
Tis a shame we think they mock the songs
When they make melody as God has meant.

Flora Smith - Age 11

D.C. Voting Rights Passed by Senate Committee

Our visit to D.C. this summer left me discouraged. Crime, the poor success of public education in our country's capital is well documented. Interestingly, all the vendor shops around our country's grand monuments and public buildings sell exactly the same merchandise. We bought 4 t-shirts. They were all made in Honduras. The food vendors sell exactly the same "American" fare. Plan to be searched before entering all buildings. Kind-a-didn't-feel like America. Ya, know what I mean?

D.C. to have it's own house member makes me wonder what sort of grand ideas they will contribute to running the rest of the country.

NY parents grilled in 'religious sincerity test'

"Rita says the attorney concluded that her beliefs were not "sincere" enough and decided to deny her vaccine waiver." When does the state or a person acting on behalf of a public institution have the right to determine personal religious freedom?

Essential Free Windows Programs

Although I use Ubuntu more and more, I still have to spend a large portion of my day working in Windows, primarily because of my job. Gaming and navigation software are other reasons why I boot up Windows.

Whenever I load a box with Windows, I usually install the following programs.

1. OpenOffice: OpenOffice 3 has become a very polished alternative to Microsoft Office.
2. Firefox: With additional addons, Firefox is the best browser available.
3. Irfanview: Irfanview is a great image viewer that also boasts a number of handy editing features. Be sure to also install the plugins.
4. K-Lite Codec Pack Full: This software bundle includes a long list of useful media players and codecs.
5. Notepad++: You will only use Notepad by accident once you try Notepad++.
6. Filezilla: If you need a powerful and easy to use FTP client, Filezilla is a good choice. I also always install WinSCP.
7. Lazarus: Lazarus is an Open Source cross platform version of Delphi.
8. Peazip: Developed in Lazarus, Peazip is a flexible archiving tool.
9. aMSN: Featuring webcam and voice support and working on Linux, aMSN is the best alternative to Microsoft Messenger -- and it is advertising free. Don't forget the plugins.
10. Qt4: If you download the version with mingw bundled with Qt4, you'll have one of the most power C++ development toolkits around. Although Qt integrates well with the popular Eclipse IDE, QDevelop is faster and easier to use. To get debug features to work, you must install gdb.
11. KDE 4.2: It is now possible to install the KDE 4.2 Desktop inside of Windows giving you access to a lot of powerful KDE applications.
12. MySQL: MySQL is a rich and highly polished Open Source relational database that can be accessed from network locations. Also take a close look at the slick utilities that are available like MySQL GUI Tools and MySQL Workbench. If you plan to code and interface for MySQL, you may want the ODBC connector. And don't forget Ruby. HeidiSQL is very nice.
    
13. GIMP: No, it's not just like Photoshop, but the GIMP is still a great photo editing package.
14. Gnumeric: This is a good spreadsheet that handles data pasted from other applications very well.
15. VirtualBox: VirtualBox is a great product for installing operating systems within operating systems. The virtualized environment can then be run on any computer powerful enough to handle it. VirtualBox is also cross platform.
16. Thunderbird: While the editor is still clunky and primative, Thunderbird is probably the best free email client available.
17. Komposer and BlueGriffon: These are decendents of Nvu, a WYSIWYG HTML editor.
18. ActivePerl: This is an outstanding perl implementation for Windows.
19. FreeCommander: FreeCommander is probably the best free file browsing utility for Windows outside of the KDE world.
20. WinMerge: Although there are several very good, free file and folder comparison and merging tools for Linux, the Windows world is not as blessed. Thankfully, WinMerge exists and it is a super program. FreeCommander, above, also has helpful folder comparison features.
    

If you have any suggestions for this list, please let me know or leave a comment.

Children, Blessing or Burden

England's Porritt with an unapologetic "two child limit on British couples" sites the impact on the environment as the problem. United States's House Speaker, Pelosi, offers a subsidized "tax-payer child prevention" plan "... to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.” Where is the population growth in both these countries? IMMIGRATION. The CIA World Factbook sites these statistics for United States immigration and Great Britian immigration.numbers. Excluded are illegal immigration numbers. So, why are two high-ranking political figures in highly industrialized democratic countries calling for government intervention to reduce their own populations?

1-ton snake ruled balmy Columbian jungle

Investigators have announced the fossil remains of an enormous snake stretching up to fifty feet long and possibly weighing as much as two tons. At its greatest girth, the slithering reptile "would have come up to about your hips," said David Polly, a geologist at the University of Indiana at Bloomington.

Living about five-million years after the dinosaurs were wiped out by an errant bolide (or, more likely, several bollides), the serpent ruled a Columbian jungle during a period when earth was much hotter than today.

Car explosion injures head of Ark. medical board

Dr. Trent Pierce, Chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board was injured when his car caught fire. Mechanical failure of his Lexus hybrid is suspected.

Update: CNN now reports explosive device evidence has been found.

Cheney warns of new attacks

Cheney, barely out of office, is now a public figure, accessible for interviews.

Two Children should be limit, says green guru

Population growth in Britain is occurring primarily through immigration. Statistics provided in the linked headline article reveal that British nationals have a fertility rate of 1.7; that's not a number that makes for growth. Fortunately, this editorial takes Jonathon Porritt, Chair of the British government’s Sustainable Development Commission, to task for the atrocious idea of limiting Brit couples to two children.

Al Gore Ice Sculpture

It's been bitterly cold in Fairbanks, Alaska recently, so local businessman Craig Compeau created a five ton "shivering" ice sculpture of Al Gore, as an ironic tribute to the currently reigning Global Warming bogyman.

Arabs shocked by blanket of snow

Residents of parts of the United Arab Emirates, a balmy, oil-rich sheikdom located farther south than Florida, were shocked to discover their lands blanketed with several inches of snow. Only the second occurrence of snowfall in the recorded history of a rugged area once known as the Pirate Coast, the local tongue has no word for the fluffy, white, icy precipitation.

Snow covered the Jebel Jais area for only the second time in recorded history yesterday.

So rare was the event that one lifelong resident said the local dialect had no word for it.

According to the RAK Government, temperatures on Jebel Jais dropped to -3°C on Friday night. On Saturday, the area had reached 1°C.

Major Saeed Rashid al Yamahi, a helicopter pilot and the manager of the Air Wing of RAK Police, said the snow covered an area of five kilometres and was 10cm deep.

“The sight up there this morning was totally unbelievable, with the snow-capped mountain and the entire area covered with fresh, dazzling white snow,” Major al Yamahi said.

“The snowfall started at 3pm Friday, and heavy snowing began at 8pm and continued till midnight, covering the entire area in a thick blanket of snow. Much of the snow was still there even when we flew back from the mountain this afternoon. It is still freezing cold up there and there are chances that it might snow again tonight.”

Aisha al Hebsy, a woman in her 50s who has lived in the mountains near Jebel Jais all her life, said snowfall in the area was so unheard of the local dialect does not even have a word for it. Hail is known as bared, which literally translates as cold. “Twenty years ago we had lots of hail,” said Ms al Hebsy. “Last night was like this. At four in the morning we came out and the ground was white.”

Jebel Jais was dusted in snow on Dec 28, 2004, the first snowfall in living memory for Ras al Khaimah residents.

“I had flown there in 2004 when it snowed, but this time it was much bigger and the snowing lasted longer as well,” said Major al Yamahi.

Mexico police chief's head found in ice box

As if to underscore the recently released U.S. Joint Forces Command on Worldwide Security Threats report that warns Mexico is in peril of collapse, crime lords have slain yet another Mexican police chief.

The head of a Mexican police chief was delivered to his colleagues in an ice box in the country's latest drug-related violence.

Last Updated: 6:31PM GMT 20 Jan 2009

The incident came as 16 other people were also killed in Mexico's northern state of Chihuahua in attacks the authorities believe are linked to the country's drug wars.

"Hitmen cut off commander Martin Castro's head and left it in an ice cooler in front of the local police station," said a statement issued by the state justice authorities.

His head was left in the town Praxedis with a message from the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel.

The police commander was abducted on Saturday, along with five other police officers and a civilian, only five days after starting his job.

Six bodies in police uniforms bearing signs of torture and gunshot wounds were found on Monday in a street in the state capital, Chihuahua, officials said.

Hitmen killed four men in separate attacks in the violent border city of Ciudad Juarez, while six others, including a woman, were found dead in other towns across the state.

Mexican police and soldiers are battling a wave of drug-related violence across the country, particularly in northern areas bordering the US, with more than 5,300 people killed last year.

The federal government launched a campaign against drug-related violence more than two years ago involving the deployment of around 36,000 troops across the country.

In Defense of Dr. Steven Jones

Dr. Steven E. Jones is a world renowned physicist recognized for his research into muon-catalyzed cold fusion. In recent years, Dr. Jones has conducted metallurgic analyses of debris from the World Trade Center tragedy of September 11, 2001. His findings led Dr. Jones to posit that the Trade Center towers were brought down by controlled demolition. This highly controversial theory made Dr. Jones a target for much criticism.

Worse, a few vocal critics demanded that Brigham Young University fire Dr. Jones from his post as Physics Professor there. Perhaps the most odious attack of all came from author and lawyer Jonathan Moseley. Published in the popular conservative publication World Net Daily, Moseley's hit piece accussed Dr. Jones of calling for the violent overthrow of the U.S. Government, an accusation that WND would later retract.

Following is the email exhange I made at the time with Jonathan Moseley and Dr. Jones.
===================
To:steven_jones@byu.edu
Sent By "Van Smith" On: September 12, 2006 3:31 AM

God help us! I have apparently pushed Mosely into a psychotic fit. This man
is an insane maniac! How did he obtain the level of respectability necessary
to get his thoughts featured on WND? He wields his influence like a
genocidal Hutu handles a machete.

"Guilty! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!" I almost had to wipe his spit off my
monitor screen. Moseley is truly on a Jihad.

Moseley has connections with a number of different policy making councils, has
been quoted in mainstream media before, and has written a fear mongering
novel about the threat of Islam (either it reads like a nightmare, or it was
ghost written judging from my exchanges with him). He and another Moseley
(brother? father?) also have formed a strange company providing services to
the jewelry import industry helping businesses ensure conformity with the
Patriot Act.

I read somewhere (but have not verified) that he is also related to one of the
founders of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

The drive-by terrorist job that he did on you really smells of a gun-for-hire
piece. I cannot help but strongly suspect that this man is being used as an
attack dog by an intelligence operation. His mental discipline is so weak
that he is probably viewed as expendable, but his single-minded fanaticism
combined with his limited intellect mean that his puppetmasters risk little
exposure even if he is forced to go down in flames.

Good luck in your fight and trust Jesus,

Van

P.S. If you have mailing lists for news related to your 9/11 research and/or
your current status at BYU, please add me to them.

On Monday 11 September 2006 21:11, Jonathon Moseley wrote:
> Like all of the conspiracy theorists, you do violence to the truth by
> ignoring the parts of it that prove your arguments wrong. You call those
> tangential issues. Steven Jones has harmed himself.
> The local press reports that it was Steven Jones' own radio interview on
> Tuesday 9/6, that created a furor on campus, leading to his suspension. SEE
> -- [scroll 1/3rd down to see the latest controversy]
> http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,645200098,00.html
> Jones had been relatively reticent to discuss the implications of his
> findings, but he created buzz on campus Tuesday with his appearance on
> KUER-FM 90.1. He expressed the opinion to talk-show host Doug Fabrizio that
> blame for the attacks rests with neoconservatives Paul Wolfowitz, Richard
> Perle and others.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
> Even after all of the discussion, Steven Jones went on LOCAL radio and
> accused government officials and private political leaders of 3,000 counts
> of mass murder, on a radio show THAT COULD BE HEARD ALL ACROSS THE BYU
> CAMPUS. The person who has harmed Steven Jones is Steven Jones.
> BYU has announced that it is the "accusatory" nature of Steven Jones work
> about 9/11 -- that is accusing people of mass murder -- that they are
> investigating, along with breach of peer review rules, NOT what anyone else
> has said ABOUT him. It is the fact that Steven Jones is accusing people of
> mass murder that has Steven Jones in trouble.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Secondly, you falsely assume that I don' belive what I wrote about Steven
> Jones. Steven Jones is one of the founders of Scholars for Truth, the
> SPONSOR of the event. Steven Jones helped CHOOSE the panel.
> Steven Jones is responsible for ALL of the venomous, treasonous, outrageous
> statements that HIS group -- which he helps run -- spewed out across the
> nation. I previously explained this to you, but you are blind to the truth,
> as are all conspiracy nuts. Steven Jones' organization, even if not Jones
> himself, and indeed Steven Jones by extension is "in the CONTEXT of the
> question[and answer period]" is GUILTY of advocating for a coup that would
> depose America's political leaders from office and put them on trial at the
> international criminal court outside the United States, GUILTY of accusing
> George Bush of being a dictator, GUILTY of claiming that the U.S.
> government is no longer legitimate, GUILTY of urging the armed forces of
> the United States to refuse to obey the orders of the Commander in Chief,
> GUILTY of calling for the removal of the U.S. government. Frankly, I hope
> that Steven Jones burns in hell for endangering this country. It is the
> fact that I am a far superior patriot that I want even scum like Steven
> Jones to have the right to speak in America, even if they cause the DEATH
> of Americans by advocating for the terrorist's agenda to weaken the United
> States.
>
> Jon Moseley
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Van Smith [mailto:van@vanshardware.com]
> Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 05:18 PM
> To: 'Jonathon Moseley'
> Cc: steven_jones@byu.edu
> Subject: Re: Support for Dr. Steven Jones
>
> Mr. Moseley,
>
> I have been consistently discussing two topics:
>
> 1. The harm that you have caused Professor Jones though an overt act of
> academic and intellectual terrorism.
> 2. The scholarly merits of Dr. Jones' research.
>
> You wish to focus on tangential, irrelevant issues.
>
> As I have stated several times already, I stand firmly behind the 1st
> Amendment to our Constitution, but nowhere does the 1st Amendment allow
> for Jon Moseley, according to your own /WND/ editors, to bear false
> witness against Dr. Jones, exposing him to potential imprisonment,
> public ridicule and irreparable damage to his livelihood.
>
> And one thing continues to bother me like a splinter beneath my right
> index fingernail. You are a lawyer. Arguably, Dr. Jones can be
> considered a public figure. As such, Dr. Jones is fair game for much
> broader written criticism than would normally be considered libel if the
> same words were directed at normal Americans. However, your /WND/ piece
> is far, far outside of this extended area of accepted criticism of
> public figures.
>
> What made you think you could get away with groundlessly accusing Dr.
> Jones -- in a major publication no less -- of committing a federal crime
> without your being sued penniless? Even if you thought you were right,
> you exercised very little effort to fact check, demonstrating a callous
> disregard for Dr. Jones' welfare.
>
> I have written many, many articles that have been read by millions of
> people. If I were to ever even consider making the extremely explosive
> and damaging charge against an individual that you used against Dr.
> Jones, I would only do so if I also substantiated my claim with
> carefully obtained and vetted quotes from that person.
>
> I'm still scratching my bald head trying to figure out just what you
> were thinking.
>
> And do you still believe that you can simply make up serious charges
> against anyone you disagree with and publish your terrorist vitriol in
> /WND/ or some other major publication?
>
> I also do not understand how /World Net Daily/ could have allowed your
> article to be published at all. One thing that typically gets an
> editor's attention in a hurry is when he sees an author making personal
> attacks against a victim that could immediately lead to the victim's
> imprisonment.
>
> I was a frequent visitor to the /WND/ Internet site, but after seeing
> your article published there, I vow to never return to /WND/ again
> except to obtain quotes from your hit piece.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Van Smith
>
> Jonathon Moseley wrote:
> > I strongly believe in Steven Jones' right to speak, and anything that
> > restrains or intimidates that is harmful to our country and to the
> > body politic and to the discussion itself.
> >
> > However, in the same way, I have an EQUAL right to speak and to say
> > that Steven Jones' efforts are likely to result in the death of more
> > Americans in the future, from the next terrorist attack, as it helps
> > whip up anti-American sentiments around the world, chills our allies,
> > and discourages Americans from taking measures to protect the country.
> >
> > If, God Forbid, a nuclear bomb or other terrorist attack on
> > Washington, D.C. kills my sister and her family, Steven Jones will
> > also be free to apologize over their dead bodies at the funeral.
> > However, it would make more sense to consider those consequences now,
> > rather than after the death of more Americans.
> >
> > Simply because Steven Jones has a RIGHT to accuse his country of
> > treasonous actions worse than anything since Pol Pot does not mean
> > that it is NOBLE that he does so.
> >
> > I believe that if Steven Jones is silenced "from behind" everyone will
> > assume that his accusations were true, and were too dangerous to
> > answer, and that he had to be silenced covertly and outside the field
> > of ideas.
> >
> > But that does not mean that there is anything laudable about -- in a
> > time of war -- accusing one's own goverment of mass murder,
> > particularly based only on supposition and speculation.
> >
> >
> >
> > Jon Moseley
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > *From:* Van Smith [mailto:van@vanshardware.com]
> > *Sent:* Sunday, September 10, 2006 08:57 PM
> > *To:* 'Jonathon Moseley'
> > *Cc:* steven_jones@byu.edu
> > *Subject:* Re: Support for Dr. Steven Jones
> >
> > Dear Mr. Moseley,
> >
> > I have combined your last two emails below.
> >
> > Your points are, as far as I can discern, irrelevant to my message to
> > you or to the plight of Dr. Jones and your involvement with it.
> > However, I will respond briefly to your remarks.
> >
> > As an American, I believe in free speech as guaranteed by the First
> > Amendment to our Constitution. I am not afraid of knowledge or
> > discussion. I also have faith that the American people can discern
> > the truth when they eventually encounter it. I do NOT believe that it
> > is necessary, desirable or constructive for any member of the media to
> > use sensational rhetoric to frighten the trusting citizens of the
> > United States into conforming with prescribed viewpoints.
> >
> > And as an American I am deeply disturbed by the distinctly
> > un-American, terrorizing tactics that you used to harm Dr. Jones in
> > your /WND/ article.
> >
> > Frankly, I am confused by your references to antisemitism, Hugo
> > Chavez, conspiracy theories, neocons, the Nuremberg Trials, Vietnam,
> > the Taliban, bin Laden and George Bush.
> >
> > Professor Jones has provided evidence that supports the theory that
> > the three World Trade Center towers were brought down by controlled
> > demolition. His evidence is compelling. His scientific methodology
> > appears to be sound and straightforward. His request for further
> > investigation is logical and reasonable.
> >
> > I applaud Dr. Jones for his courage to conduct objective, independent
> > research on the horrific WTC events. I hope his work will inspire
> > further independent investigation into whether or not controlled
> > demolitions were used to bring down the three towers that tragic
> > September morning.
> >
> > BTW, whether you realize it or not, you are lending credence to your
> > opposition when you use the term "conspiracy theory." By definition,
> > a theory is an explanation supported by several different facts and
> > all known facts support the explanation. Of course, a "conspiracy" is
> > an agreement between two or more people to commit a crime or other
> > misdeed. Properly -- and I mean no insult -- supporters of the U.S.
> > Government explanation for 9/11 should consider their explanation a
> > conspiracy theory.
> >
> > Van Smith
> > ========
> >
> > I think there are sinister motivations for the 9/11 conspiracy
> > theories. Someday when more Americans are murdered by foreign
> > terrorists, I hope the conspiracy theorists will realize what they
> > have done and shudder. However, that should be debated on the field
> > of ideas, not short-circuited through administrative means.
> >
> > A letter from Usama Bin Laden from 2001/early 2002 just released last
> > week called upon the Taliban and other sympathetic groups to CREATE A
> > WEDGE BETWEEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.
> >
> > 5 years later 9/11 conspiracy theorists are DOING EXACTLY THAT.
> >
> > They are implementing Usama Bin Laden's strategy and desire for
> > defeating the West.
> >
> > They probably don't realize it... but they SHOULD by stopping to
> > think about it.
> >
> > But again this is a concern to be debated openly, not cut short in
> > silence.
> >
> > Jon Moseley
> >
> > Jonathon Moseley wrote:
> >> First, I believe that there are some in the 9/11 conspiracy movement
> >> (mostly overseas participants using the anonymity of the internet,
> >> but not necessarily all) who are intentionally implementing Usama Bin
> >> Laden's strategy for destroying the West, by repeating the entire
> >> Vietnam dynamic.
> >>
> >> Second, there are a far greater number who simply hate their country
> >> so much that they don't care that they are helping foreign terrorists
> >> to better and more successfully attack America the next time around.
> >> They don't care that our families and loved ones are in greater
> >> danger of a terrorist attack because of their efforts to persuade
> >> Americans to focus on the U.S. government instead of on foreign
> >> terrorists. They don't care that this kind of rhetoric whips up
> >> anti-American sentiments abroad and encourages our enemies, while
> >> peeling away our friends around the world.
> >>
> >> Third, there are many in the 9/11 movement who hate the Jews and
> >> Neocons and certain other groups that they are intentionally trying
> >> to destroy the government and the country to get at the people they
> >> hate, similar to burning down a house to kill the bugs inside.
> >>
> >> Fourth, you have to go back and listen to the videotape broadcast on
> >> C-Span. Among the points made in that virulently anti-American hate
> >> fest:
> >>
> >> o The movement should support and promote Venezuala President
> >> Hugu Chavez's attempt to put Bush Administration officials ON TRIAL
> >> at an international criminal tribunal. Presumably that would require
> >> DEPOSING THOSE OFFICIALS FROM OFFICE in order to take them to the
> >> international criminal court overseas. It would require a coup
> >> against the U.S. to take U.S. government leaders overseas to stand rial.
> >>
> >> o The U.S. government has already collapsed and a shadow
> >> government is now running the country.
> >>
> >> o U.S. troops should DISOBEY orders of the Commander in Chief in
> >> the war on terror.
> >>
> >> o George Bush is a dictator (odd how this group was broadcast 4
> >> times on C-Span if Bush is a dictator).
> >>
> >> And on and on.
> >>
> >> However, the answer to such hate speech by the 9/11 conspiracy
> >> movement is MORE speech in reply, not intimidation or efforts to
> >> muzzle any speaker.
> >>
> >> Jon Moseley
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> *From:* Van Smith [mailto:van@vanshardware.com]
> >> *Sent:* Sunday, September 10, 2006 06:03 PM
> >> *To:* 'TRANSGUARD (Jonathon Moseley)'
> >> *Cc:* steven_jones@byu.edu
> >> *Subject:* Re: Support for Dr. Steven Jones
> >>
> >> Dear Mr. Moseley,
> >>
> >> I am pleased to see your written support for academic freedom.
> >> However, your /World Net Daily/ article appears to expose sinister
> >> motivations that contradict the positions that you express in your
> >> correspondence.
> >>
> >> Please have another look at what you wrote about Dr. Jones:
> >>
> >> /Professor Steven Jones of Brigham-Young University accused George
> >> Bush of being a dictator, mimicking the preamble of the Declaration
> >> of Independence. When asked if violent revolution was necessary, this
> >> scientist declared ? in front of national TV cameras ? that there is
> >> no peaceful way to achieve the group's goals. In the context of the
> >> question, *professor Jones was calling for the violent overthrow of
> >> the government*.
> >> /
> >> Not only do you continue the /ad hominem/ tone that saturates the
> >> rest of your article, but you have, according to your own editors at
> >> /WND/, falsely accused Professor Jones of committing a federal
> >> crime. Your actions, according to news reports, had immediate,
> >> frightening ramifications for Dr. Jones.
> >>
> >> Your /WND/ article is akin to academic and intellectual terrorism.
> >>
> >> It is simply not possible to have either academic freedom or free
> >> speech when citizens of a country have to live in fear that their
> >> research or their words might lead to groundless attacks in the
> >> mainstream media that can threaten their careers or even lead to
> >> criminal charges against them.
> >>
> >> Your article placed Steven Jones' position at BYU in jeopardy,
> >> potentially exposed him to imprisonment and has soiled his reputation
> >> to a point that his career might very well be permanently damaged.
> >> Your article almost certainly also had an effect on BYU grant funding
> >> and has soured public perception of that fine institution of higher
> >> learning.
> >>
> >> And although BYU might not directly cite your article as the reason
> >> they have placed Dr. Jones on leave pending the results of their
> >> investigation into his behavior, your article caused intense scrutiny
> >> and criticism directed towards both Jones and BYU from both the
> >> public and media which has doubtlessly influenced BYU's decisions
> >> regarding Jones.
> >>
> >> I have many years of experience in the semiconductor industry and
> >> have crossed paths with a number of other analysts who will say or do
> >> anything to ensure their next paycheck. Forgive my cynicism, but
> >> your /WND/ article immediately brought to mind the "Gun-for-Hire"
> >> pieces so commonly seen in my line of work.
> >>
> >> Dr. Jones is a well respected, well known physicist. His early
> >> research into cold fusion was the only reason many physicists still
> >> took that field seriously after the Fleishmann and Pons media circus.
> >>
> >> You state that you find Professor Jones' positions "reprehensible and
> >> irresponsible." This emotive outburst demonstrates a lack of
> >> understanding of the scientific process.
> >>
> >> When searching for the truth behind any phenomena or event, a
> >> scientist must not rule out any possibility without supporting
> >> evidence. A scientist must especially be aware to not close his mind
> >> to any possible explanation due to emotional bias.
> >>
> >> Any so-call scientists who counter Dr. Jones by invoking words like
> >> "reprehensible" or "irresponsible" immediately discredit themselves
> >> as emotionally compromised regarding research on the topic at hand.
> >>
> >> In his paper "Why Indeed Did the WTC Buildings Completely Collapse?"
> >> and throughout his presentations to various groups, Dr. Jones
> >> intelligently and logically argues for a serious investigation into
> >> the possibility that the three World Trade Center towers were brought
> >> down by controlled demolition.
> >>
> >> In addition to the extremely peculiar *intergranular sulfidation*
> >> reported by FEMA that is impossible to explain as sourced from
> >> drywall, Dr. Jones' electron microprobe analysis revealed iron slag
> >> that, with little chromium, was clearly not structural steel. In
> >> that slag were abundant traces of manganese, potassium, aluminum and
> >> fluorine in addition to sulfur. Through wave-dispersive X-ray
> >> fluorescence, Dr. Jones has also found abundant zinc oxide, titanium
> >> and barium in WTC debris samples. In other words, the slag and
> >> sundry debris material look persuasively like Thermate residue; in
> >> fact, the evidence that Jones has uncovered looks like a Thermate
> >> fingerprint. Additionally, EPA's very peculiar discovery of
> >> 1,3-diphenylpropane in their WTC samples point to the possible use of
> >> a very specific form of thermate: sol-gel thermate.
> >>
> >> Dr. Jones has been primarily lobbying for more research into the
> >> hypothesis that the World Trade Center towers were brought down by
> >> controlled demolition. His evidence supports such a request.
> >>
> >> The truth is never endangered by additional, objective scientific
> >> inquiry. However, the truth can remain hidden for many years by a
> >> lack of scientific investigation and an absence of open-mined discourse.
> >>
> >> I am sure that Dr. Jones welcomes intelligent scientific discourse --
> >> in fact, his conclusions urge for it -- but no respectable scientist
> >> embraces the intellectual terrorist mentality that you bring to the
> >> table as evidenced by your World Net Daily piece.
> >>
> >> Dr. Jones is not responsible whatsoever regarding the statements of
> >> Dr. Fetzer or any other member of the Scholars for 9/11 Truth.
> >> Scientific and academic organizations loathe to control their
> >> members' opinions since discovery and genius often come from the
> >> person who thinks differently than the rest of the group. As United
> >> States citizens, we should instinctively feel similar towards free
> >> speech in general.
> >>
> >> As a Christian, one of my foundational beliefs is that people can
> >> change for the better. I pray that your support for academic freedom
> >> and free speech voiced in your letter truly signals a change of heart
> >> for you. However, I am afraid that irreparable damage has already
> >> been done to Dr. Jones and other innocent parties as a result of your
> >> World Net Daily article.
> >>
> >> Sincerely,
> >>
> >> Van Smith
> >>
> >> TRANSGUARD (Jonathon Moseley) wrote:
> >>> Dear Mr. Smith:
> >>> cc: Professor Jones
> >>>
> >>> I also sent a letter to BYU by email back in mid-August
> >>> urging them to ensure academic freedom and the freedom to debate
> >>> these issues publicly as American citizens. I sent a copy to
> >>> Professor Jones.
> >>>
> >>> From news reports this week, it appears that BYU is
> >>> concerned NOT about anything said through World Net Daily, but the
> >>> extreme statements made by Steven Jones himself and his organization
> >>> Scholars for Truth.
> >>>
> >>> BYU cites the "accusatory nature" of Jones' work in contrast
> >>> to a scientific inquiry as their concern.
> >>>
> >>> Neverthless, I have defended and do defend anyone's right to
> >>> debate these matters openly and to be able to engage in a public
> >>> discussion without fear or hesitation.
> >>>
> >>> I believe as a personal matter that Professor Jones'
> >>> positions are reprehensible and irresponsible, in that he has
> >>> accusing individuals in and out of government of 3,000 counts of
> >>> mass murder and treason with the slimmest of pretexts. The sulfur
> >>> from the gypsum drywall and from other sources is as likely to
> >>> account for sulfur traces as to indicate a criminal plot to commit
> >>> treasonous mass murder by public officials. The charges being made
> >>> against individuals who are unable to defend themselves (being
> >>> public figures subject to public discussion) are extraordinary and
> >>> extreme.
> >>>
> >>> It would be quite a different matter to analyze the steel
> >>> from the WTC -- as many have done -- from a scientific perspective.
> >>> But it is the conclusions of a criminal plot to murder 3,000 people
> >>> that is the point of departure.
> >>>
> >>> Furthermore, as a Board member of Scholars for Truth, I
> >>> believe that Steven Jones is responsible for everything that was
> >>> said at the Scholars for Truth event broadcast on C-Span hosted by
> >>> his organization.
> >>>
> >>> However, all of these matters should be openly discussed on
> >>> the field of ideas, not intimidated or restrained or muzzled in any
> >>> way.
> >>>
> >>> I believe that it would be infinitely worse to muzzle
> >>> discussion, or appear to be muzzling discussion, through any
> >>> administrative or employment action.
> >>>
> >>> Frankly, BYU would do more to reinforce and substantiate
> >>> Steven Jones' accusations by retaliating against him than anything
> >>> else could possibly do. Nothing could be worse in this or any
> >>> other debate than the appearance or reality of chilling speech about
> >>> possible government malfeasance.
> >>>
> >>> I strongly believe that the proper response to speech that I
> >>> or anyone disagree with is MORE speech, not less.
> >>>
> >>> Furthermore, no one can have a full and complete discussion
> >>> of anything important if no one is raising both sides of the
> >>> discussion. It would do a great dis-service if people cannot have a
> >>> frank and complete discussion. No one can have a debate if only
> >>> one side is debating. And therefore ideas can never be aired and
> >>> resolved.
> >>>
> >>> I wrote all of that previously to Jones' department at BYU in
> >>> mid-August, and I will again.
> >>>
> >>> Nevertheless, when someone accuses ofificials and individuals
> >>> of 3,000 counts of intentional mass murder, each of those counts
> >>> eligible for the death penalty, one must expect that such a public
> >>> position is going to be controversial. I think you overlook the
> >>> extent to which the issue is what Professor Jones and Professor
> >>> Fetzer are saying out of their own mouths rather than anything that
> >>> people are saying about them.
> >>>
> >>> Jon Moseley
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Jon Moseley
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> -----Original Message-----
> >>> *From:* Van Smith [mailto:van@vanshardware.com]
> >>> *Sent:* Friday, September 8, 2006 05:17 PM
> >>> *To:* physics_office@byu.edu, scott_sommerfeldt@byu.edu,
> >>> stokesh@byu.edu *Cc:* steven_jones@byu.edu, Contact@JonMoseley.com
> >>> *Subject:* Support for Dr. Steven Jones
> >>>
> >>> To the Esteemed Drs. Sommerfeldt and Stokes,
> >>>
> >>> My name is Van Smith. I am head of benchmarking for a major
> >>> designer of x86 microprocessors. I am also an R&D engineer for the
> >>> company.
> >>>
> >>> I have an international reputation as a computer technology analyst
> >>> and have held high profile positions for Inquest, /Tom's Hardware
> >>> Guide/ and my own site, /Van's Hardware Journal/. My work has been
> >>> frequently cited by IT news organizations like /The Inquirer/ and
> >>> /The Register/. My work has also created headlines in Reuters, /The
> >>> New York Times/, /PC Magazine/ and other major news publications.
> >>>
> >>> At its introduction, I was the only analyst in the world who
> >>> enumerated the precise flaws in Intel's Netburst architecture that
> >>> eventually led to the demise of the Pentium 4. I have been given
> >>> credit for my "Pentium 4 death by thermal density prognostication"
> >>> by a recent article published in /The Inquirer/.
> >>>
> >>> My investigation into computer memory intellectual property company
> >>> Rambus uncovered details that led to that company's recent FTC
> >>> conviction. One of my articles caused Rambus stock price to tumble
> >>> by over $150/share in one day according to a Reuters report.
> >>>
> >>> I also have a BS in Physics from Henderson State University.
> >>>
> >>> I have always had a great deal of respect for Brigham Young
> >>> University and this respect has been strengthened by the heroic work
> >>> of Dr. Stephen Jones who has conducted scientific investigations
> >>> into the tragic September 11th, 2001 collapses of the three World
> >>> Trade Center towers.
> >>>
> >>> In these politically charged times, it is keenly important for
> >>> academic leaders, like Dr. Jones, to independently confirm or
> >>> contradict official government explanations for such pivotal events
> >>> in our nation's history. The United States is a constitutional
> >>> democratic republic that inspired freedom throughout the world. In
> >>> our very special country, it is singularly important for our voters
> >>> to have information from many diverse sources at their disposal so
> >>> that voters can make wise, informed decisions at the polls.
> >>>
> >>> In America, knowledge and information is essential to freedom. Our
> >>> Founding Fathers codified that fact with the First Amendment to the
> >>> United States Constitution which guarantees the right to free, open,
> >>> public discourse on any topic.
> >>>
> >>> Our nation's President announced that September 11th launched the
> >>> onset of a 100 year War on Terror. Since then, in the name of
> >>> fighting terrorists, bipartisan U.S. Government actions have
> >>> severely eroded our freedoms originally secured by our nation's Bill
> >>> of Rights.
> >>>
> >>> With such radical Government actions, Americans must carefully
> >>> scrutinize whether or not the security measures our nation has
> >>> recently undertaken are worth the penalties that we are paying
> >>> through lost civil freedoms.
> >>>
> >>> And most importantly of all, we need to be absolutely certain that
> >>> the initial catalyzing events of September 11th are well understood,
> >>> investigated thoroughly and from many points of view.
> >>>
> >>> Dr. Stephen Jones has bravely taken a leadership role in the
> >>> academic and patriotic pursuit of providing independent scientific
> >>> investigations into exactly what happened on that horrible September
> >>> morning.
> >>>
> >>> Sadly, Dr. Jones has already paid a great price for conscientiously
> >>> carrying out his civic duty through his research. Shockingly, Dr.
> >>> Jones was the recent victim of scurrilous attack on the popular
> >>> conservative news site, /World Net Daily/. This reckless, vicious
> >>> hit piece not only jeopardized Professor Jones?s livelihood, but
> >>> also exposed Dr. Jones to the very real danger of imprisonment.
> >>>
> >>> Author and lawyer Jonathan Moseley accused Professor Stephen Jones
> >>> of committing the serious federal crime of calling for the violent
> >>> overthrow of the U.S. Government. Under pressure from its readers
> >>> and BYU itself, /World Net Daily/ reviewed the video cited by
> >>> Moseley and found no evidence to support Moseley?s damaging accusation.
> >>>
> >>> /World Net Daily/ has since published the following retraction:
> >>>
> >>> /Editor's note, Aug. 17, 2006: In paragraph four of this column, the
> >>> author makes an assertion about professor Steven Jones' remarks at a
> >>> 9/11 symposium broadcast by C-SPAN. A review of the program online
> >>> evidenced no such comments by Jones.
> >>> /
> >>> Moseley's article, along with the WND retraction, can still be found
> >>> here:
> >>> http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51540
> >>>
> >>> I am cc'ing Mosley and Professor Jones on this correspondence.
> >>>
> >>> The pursuit of the truth is the goal of all scientists and, having
> >>> to withstand the harsh scrutiny of mathematics, physics is possibly
> >>> the purest of all sciences. Physicist Dr. Jones has selflessly and
> >>> doggedly pursued the truth regarding perhaps the most important
> >>> topic in our lives. For his noble deeds, Professor Jones is being
> >>> viciously attacked for politically motivated reasons by parties like
> >>> Mr. Mosley who, themselves, have demonstrated that they have little
> >>> regard for truth.
> >>>
> >>> Any punitive action BYU takes against Professor Jones for his
> >>> metallurgic study of the WTC debris sets dire precedents inside of
> >>> academia. Scientific persecution during the European Dark Ages is
> >>> now recognized as institutional efforts to silence reasoning that
> >>> might have weakened the control of ruling organizations. Many of
> >>> Professor Jones detractors would like a return to those dark,
> >>> frightening, hateful, tyrannical conditions.
> >>>
> >>> As a university with an outstanding record in academic research and
> >>> higher education, it would be sadly ignoble if BYU signaled the
> >>> demise of modern academia by punishing Professor Jones, a modern
> >>> Galileo, for his scholarly quest for truth under fire.
> >>>
> >>> Agree or disagree with Professor Jones' conclusions, BYU must follow
> >>> his bold, patriotic, Godly lead in his pursuit of truth despite
> >>> living in a dangerously charged political climate.
> >>>
> >>> The Truth can withstand scrutiny; indeed truth must be subjected to
> >>> scrutiny lest it devolve into dogma.
> >>>
> >>> I have confidence that the great leaders of Brigham Young University
> >>> like yourselves, who are, no doubt, currently under pressure from
> >>> New Inquisition-style detractors, will make the right choices
> >>> regarding Professor Jones' heroic research. By supporting academic
> >>> freedom exemplified by Professor Jones' 9/11 work, BYU and its
> >>> leaders will go down in history for preserving the basic foundations
> >>> of scientific investigation.
> >>>
> >>> Sincerely,
> >>>
> >>> Van Smith

Chip Giants Hammered By Economic Storm

The worldwide economic storm continues to hammer the computing industry. Chip maker AMD confirmed additional layoffs and pay cuts today:

AS WE REPORTED this morning, AMD has announced to employees they will be undergoing imminent layoffs and pay cuts.

A memo, reportedly sent out by CEO Dirk Meyer himself, detailed the extent of the chip firm's damage control, and AMD confirmed the numbers to the INQ moments ago.

AMD noted, "As a result of the continuing global economic downturn, we have determined that we need to take difficult, but prudent, actions designed to reduce our costs."

The statement continued "Beginning in February, we are undertaking several steps to lower costs, including temporarily reducing employee base pay and suspending some benefits programs."

At the same time, archival CPU vendor Intel announced that its Q4 profits crashed by 90%. According to The Register, worsening market conditions have forced Intel to postpone Lynnfield's launch yet again.

Asian motherboard makers say Intel will postpone the launch of its next mainstream quad-core processor line, code-named Lynnfield, according to DigiTimes.

In addition, the usually reliable Taipei news service reports that Chipzila will also postpone Lynnfield's companion chipset, the P55.

According to DigiTimes' sources, the chips - up until today set to launch in July - won't appear until August or September or until "an even later time depending on the market situation."

Circuit City to Close Its Doors

American electronics retailer Circuit City will be closing its doors as another victim crumbles beneath the weight of the ongoing global economic collapse.

The bankrupt US retail giant Circuit City will be fully liquidated after the company failed to find a buyer in time.

The company will be presenting the results of an auction for its assets at a hearing in US Bankruptcy Court in Richmond, Virginia later today.

Circuit City said in a statement that it will seek approval to begin the process to liquidate its assets.

"We are extremely disappointed by this outcome," said Circuit City vice chairman and acting president and chief executive officer James A Marcum. "The company had been in continuous negotiations regarding a going concern transaction.

"Regrettably for the more than 30,000 employees of Circuit City and our loyal customers, we were unable to reach an agreement with our creditors and lenders to structure a going-concern transaction in the limited timeframe available, and so this is the only possible path for our company."

Cold Extends Icy Grip on U.S.

Brutally cold temperatures continued to maintain an icy grip on much of the U.S. today.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Bone-chilling cold settled in Thursday from the Midwest to the Northeast Thursday, bringing teeth-chattering misery with temperatures that sank as low as 47 below zero.

Israeli forces shell UN office

Israel bombarded the U.N. headquarters in Gaza today. The compound reportedly was struck about six times with either tank fire or artillery rounds, earning the outrage of the visiting U.N. chief.

After nightfall, shells landed near Gaza City's Quds Hospital, where many families had sought refuge, and the building caught fire, forcing staff to evacuate hundreds of people. According to a hospital medic, some patients were pushed down the street on gurneys; a few held white flags.

The destruction added to what aid groups say is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ratcheted up tensions between Israel and the international community even as diplomats indicated progress in cease-fire talks.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was departing Thursday night for Washington to discuss a Gaza cease-fire with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The United States and Egypt have been working to forge an agreement to end 20 days of bitter fighting.

The U.N. compound, made up of workshops and warehouses as well as offices, was struck about a half-dozen times over a roughly two-hour period while more than 700 civilians were sheltering there, said John Ging, head of Gaza operations for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency.

The civilians were huddling in the compound's vocational training center when it was struck by a tank round or an artillery shell, causing the three injuries, Ging said. Throughout this time, he said, U.N. officials were frantically contacting Israeli officials to urge an end to the firing on the U.N. compound.

Oil Tumbles Below $34 per Barrel

The price for a barrel of light, sweet crude fell to $33.41 today, approaching a five year low.

NEW YORK (AP) - Oil prices tumbled below $34 Thursday, closing in on five-year lows as employment claims rose and OPEC cut demand expectations for 2009.

"The bull oil era is officially over," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Alaron Trading Corp.

Light, sweet crude for February delivery fell more than 10 percent, or $3.87, to $33.41 a barrel Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange. At one point prices fell as low as $33.20.

Crude prices have fallen so fast, the cost for retail gasoline has yet to catch up. Pump prices nudged up again overnight, but is likely to fall.

An oil industry report Thursday showed just how much energy use eroded over the past year.

For all of 2008, U.S. petroleum deliveries—a measure of demand—fell 6 percent to 19.4 million barrels a day, with declines for all major products made from crude, according to the American Petroleum Institute.

That trend appears to be ongoing this year, with millions now out of work and bad jobs data continuing to roll in.

The Labor Department reported first-time requests for unemployment insurance jumped to a seasonally adjusted 524,000 in the week ending Jan. 10. Analysts had expected 500,000 new claims.

An analyst with the Labor Department said the increase is partly due to a flood of requests from newly laid off people who delayed filing claims over the holidays.

Collapse of Mexico Imminent?

The El Paso Times cites a report by the U.S. Joint Forces Command on worldwide security threats that claims Mexico might collapse at any moment. Under almost constant siege from organized crime fueled by the drug trade, human smuggling and kidnapping, many Mexican government employees have been viciously slain in recent years.

The command's "Joint Operating Environment (JOE 2008)" report, which contains projections of global threats and potential next wars, puts Pakistan on the same level as Mexico. "In terms of worse-case scenarios for the Joint Force and indeed the world, two large and important states bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse: Pakistan and Mexico.

"The Mexican possibility may seem less likely, but the government, its politicians, police and judicial infrastructure are all under sustained assault and press by criminal gangs and drug cartels. How that internal conflict turns out over the next several years will have a major impact on the stability of the Mexican state. Any descent by Mexico into chaos would demand an American response based on the serious implications for homeland security alone."

The powerful and shadowy Council on Foreign Relations has expressed a desire to take the first steps toward creating a North American superstate consisting of the United States, Canada and Mexico by the year 2010. If its southern neighbor were to melt into chaos, the U.S. would almost certainly respond with security forces to protect itself from encroaching criminal activity. Combined with a collapsing economy, Americans might feel predisposed to absorb Mexico into a burgeoning superstate.

It is probably more than mere coincidence that Mexico is suffering turmoil at a time convenient to the CFR's schedule. Recently, a jet plane used by the CIA for torture rendition crashed inside of Mexico overloaded with cocaine. Langley spooks have a long history in the drug trade, false flag operations and in subverting governments. Mexico is ideal territory for their favored activities.

Record Cold Hits North Dakota

The AP reports today that portions of the Great Plains has been hit by record setting cold:

BISMARCK, N.D. – Residents of the upper Midwest bundled up or just stayed inside Tuesday as a wave of bitterly cold air barreled south out of the Arctic, following on the heels of a fast-moving blizzard.

Some schools closed because of the cold and temperatures hit the single digits as far south as Kansas and Missouri.

The coldest air spilled across the Canadian prairie into the Dakotas and Minnesota. Grand Forks, N.D., dropped to a record low of 37 degrees below zero Tuesday morning, lopping six degrees off the old record set in 1979, the National Weather Service said.

In northern Minnesota, it was 35 below zero in Roseau and 36 below in Hallock, with wind chills down to 45 below in Hibbing. Just to the north, Winnipeg, Manitoba, also hit minus 36, according to Environment Canada.

Predictions for 2009

1. The economy will continue to worsen throughout 2009. The U.S. will officially be in a depression by years end.
2. After a few more months of deflation, the value of the dollar will become unstable and retract.
3. Talk of dumping the dollar as the global reserve currency will accelerate while a North American currency dubbed the "Amero" will be proposed.
4. A "major event" will occur soon after Obama is inaugurated.
5. The Dow Jones Industrial Average will slide below 7,000.
6. Housing prices will continue their decline.
7. An event will occur in America that will be used to place a great deal of pressure on the Second Amendment.
8. A false flag event officially and falsely attributed to foreign terrorists will be carried out inside the United States.
9. A false flag event will be exposed, but mainstream media will try to ignore it.
10. There will be major riots in the United States.
11. Iran will be attacked.
12. India and Pakistan will be provoked to the brink of war by various intelligence operations.
13. A major war will begin that may eventually lead to a much broader conflict.
    
14. The price of gasoline will remain low until the value of the U.S. dollar begins to slide.
15. Federal troops will be deployed within the U.S. for the purpose of law enforcement, violating the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.
16. Talk of censoring the Internet inside the United States against broadly defined hate speech will erupt and build throughout the remainder of 2009.
17. A major political activist will be jailed inside the United States.
18. A major political activist will be slain inside the United States.
19. A major U.S. politician will be assassinated.
20. A well known entertainer will be jailed for political reasons provoking outrage.
21. A major disease outbreak will occur.
22. Globalist bankers and industrialists will be attacked in the U.S. as their role in the collapse of the the economy will become more widely recognized.
23. The National ID Card will move to the forefront of discussion within the United States.
24. As earth's climate continues to cool as predictied by heliocentric climate models and with more and more experts publicly expressing skepticism over manmade, CO2 driven Global Warming, popular support for carbon reduction initiatives wanes dramatically, particularly in the U.S.. Despite flagging support, the Obama Administration, with the support of a friendly Congress, successfully rushes through legislation to heavily tax the carbon emissions of coal fired power plants, resulting in higher electricity costs for most Americans.
    
25. The college football BCS system will be abandoned in favor of a playoff system due to antitrust court case developments.
26. All major CPU and/or GPU vendors will survive 2009, but layoffs will continue. At least one vendor will be in imminent danger of failure by the start of 2010.
27. Linux will gain market share away from Microsoft despite the critical success of Windows 7.
28. So-called "touch" interfaces will become popular in desktop and mobile applications.
29. The line between "Netbooks" and lowcost thin-and-light notebooks will be blurred. This combined segment will experience explosive growth.
30. ARM vendors' attempts to capture a slice of the netbook market will fail due to performance shortcomings and the depressed economy.
31. Digg and reddit, two sites that once held great promise for furthering the cause of freedom and serving as springboards for revolution, decline into banal outposts of kitten photos, porn, pop culture and lunatic rants on wedge issues.