I'd downloaded the Quake soundtrack way back in May, and the MP3s pretty much sat in my download directory until last night, when I burned them onto a music CD. I figured Trent Rezonor's music would be appropriate Halloween background music (and I've been listening to the OSTs from the first two Resident Evil games and Parasite Eve way too much at work). I played the CD today, and it was just as I expected--murky, industrial, and ominous, a perfect background for the Halloween season. I expect this CD will be in heavy rotation until the end of the month.
For a change, we don't have too much planned for this weekend, but we're going to take advantage of it by spinding time together and catching up on our household chores. I also owe Musashi at Destroy All Monsters an article or two, and several other friends some email. Thus, while I'll be around today, posting is likely to be light today and perhaps tomorrow.
On the up side, I did make a few long-overdue HTML tweaks to fix a couple of annoying layout bugs.
From The Associated Press, good news for, um, lots of people in Alabama, I'm sure:
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - An Alabama law banning the sale of sex toys was struck down by a federal judge as a violation of the right to privacy.
"The fundamental right of privacy, long recognized by the Supreme Court as inherent among our constitutional protections, incorporates a right to sexual privacy," U.S. District Judge Lynwood Smith Jr. said Wednesday.
He said the state did not prove it has a legitimate interest in banning the sale of sex devices for use in private, consensual relationships between adults.
The 1998 law — part of a package of legislation strengthening the state's obscenity law — banned the sale of devices designed for "the stimulation of human genital organs." It was challenged by six women who either sell sex aids or said they need them for sexual gratification.
Jeez, seriously...who cares? If there were ever a case where the state had no right interfering with what its citizens do in private, this would qualify. I wonder how much tax money these nitwit legislators and prosecutors have spent on this nutty law?
A downloadable full version of an installement of the horror/comedy variety show "The Hilarious House of Frightenstein" (featuring Vincent Price!).
Update: Great googly moogly! I downloaded it, and was surprised to discover I remember this show from waaaaay back in the '70s. It's truly bizarre but funny in a whacked-out kind of way. Vincent Price is a sort of MC who introduces the various sketches with odd verse. There's an oracle who drops his crystal ball, a character resembling Lobo from the Ed Wood flick Bride of the Monster, and the truly wacky vampire/puppet segment you see here. Quite a blast from the past!
The prize committee cited Carter's efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, including the hitoric peace treaty between Israel and its formerly sworn enemy Egypt. Contrasts with the current administration's policies are left for the reader to draw.
Here are a couple of great columns on the confusion generated by the Administration's Rationale of the Day™ approach to selling the war on Iraq--a war it obviously wants badly but has badly failed to make a compelling case about.
"Iraq could decide on any given day" to give biological or chemical weapons to terrorists for use against the United States, Bush said Monday night. The wording is cleverly designed to imply more than it actually says. It doesn't say an Iraq-sponsored biological attack could actually happen tomorrow. But the only purpose of the phrase "on any given day" is to suggest that it might.
So the question then arises: If Saddam Hussein has the desire and ability to attack the United States with chemical and biological weapons, either directly or using surrogates, why hasn't he done so? Possibly because he fears reprisal.
...The Bush campaign for war against Iraq has been insulting to American citizens, not just because it has been dishonest but because it has been unserious. A lie is insulting; an obvious lie is doubly insulting. Arguments that stumble into each other like drunks are not serious. Washington is abuzz with the "real reason" this or that subgroup of the administration wants this war.
A serious and respectful effort to rally the citizenry would offer the real reasons, would base the conclusion on the evidence rather than vice versa, would admit to the ambiguities and uncertainties, would be frank about the potential cost. A serious effort to take the nation into war would not hesitate to interrupt people while they're watching a sitcom.
"Carmilla," the 1872 vampire short story by J. Sheridan LeFanu, which loosely inspired the 1960 film Blood and Roses (review) as well as a series of eponymous movies.
Talking Points Memo seems to have scooped everyone on a little detail regarding the current labor flap on the West Coast docks: It seems that Labor Department Solicitor Eugene Scalia--the head lawyer in the negotiations between union and management--once represented the management, and yet has refused so far even to respond to requests that he recuse himself. And the "liberal" media hasn't seen fit to bring it up, so far:
No one seems to think it's even important enough to report on. The AFL-CIO's Lane Windham told TPM today that Scalia "can't try to be impartial when he's represented one of the parties." And we find it sorta hard to disagree with her.
Look, I have not a shred of doubt that the Bush Administration would come down against the union in this dispute no matter what, so the question is, why not have Scalia recuse himself and then proceed with Taft-Hartley with a subordinate in charge? Same result, less mess (unless you want to beef about the Bush administration's hostility to labor unions, which would be fine with me). A conflict like this stinks on ice, and it strikes me as incongruous for an administration that promised "a new era of responsibility," or somesuch.
Republicans are holding fast to the idea that getting money into the hands of businesses and the rich "creates jobs."
I ran a company for 13 years. I know a little bit about how it works. I employed exactly as many people as we needed. I did not employ extra people because I perhaps had more money in the bank account than usual. If times were slow and someone handed me a sackful of money I'd say, "THANKS!" and pocket the money. The only thing that would get me hiring more people was customers with money coming in the door. Period. And if I didn't have extra money around I would find it.
Let me repeat that. Customers with money coming in the door [emphasis in the original]. That is what gets companies to hire. They hire just enough employees to handle the extra customers. Period. And when there are customers with money coming in the door companies will find the money to hire them, don't you worry about that.
Now, I do not endorse his call to "Raise [taxes on the rich] till they squeal and then raise them some more," but given that:
I support economic policies that benefit the consumer. I certainly don't think that the President caused the recession, but the causes of the economic doldrums are less important than what's being done--or not done--to remedy the situation. Voters are concerned about the economy, and they're likely to vote based on their perceptions of which party addresses those concerns. I think the Democrats have doen a miserable job of campaigning on economic issues, though, so we'll just have to see how it shakes out.
In honor of my favorite holiday (y'all can tell, can't you?), I blatantly stole the background from annatopia's Halloween redesign. I hope that's okay, anna. M4d props to you, too, 'cause I think it looks pretty cool.
Update: In the comment thread, anna pointed out that my gratitude and admiration is properly directed to PixelDecor, which is permalinked at left.
SEC. 2. SUPPORT FOR UNITED STATES DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS.
The Congress of the United States supports the efforts by the President to --
(1) strictly enforce through the United Nations Security Council all relevant Security Council resolutions applicable to Iraq and encourages him in those efforts; and
(2) obtain prompt and decisive action by the Security Council to ensure that Iraq abandons its strategy of delay, evasion and noncompliance and promptly and strictly complies with all relevant Security Council resolutions.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.
(a) AUTHORIZATION -- The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to --
(1) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and
(2) enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq.
(b) PRESIDENTIAL DETERMINATION -- In connection with the exercise of the authority granted in subsection (a) to use force the President shall, prior to such exercise or as soon thereafter as may be feasible, but no later than 48 hours after exercising such authority, make available to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate his determination that --
(1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic or other peaceful means alone either (A) will not adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq or (B) is not likely to lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq; and
(2) acting pursuant to this resolution is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations or persons who planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorists attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.
(1) SPECIFIC STATUTORY AUTHORIZATION -- Consistent with section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers Resolution, the Congress declares that this section is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution.
(2) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER REQUIREMENTS -- Nothing in this resolution supersedes any requirement of the War Powers Resolution.
SEC. 4. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.
(a) The President shall, at least once every 60 days, submit to the Congress a report on matters relevant to this joint resolution, including actions taken pursuant to the exercise of authority granted in section 3 and the status of planning for efforts that are expected to be required after such actions are completed, including those actions described in section 7 of Public Law 105-338 (the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998).
At first glance, the resolution appears to be better than the one propsed by the White House. I applaud the language supporting diplomatic efforts, for example. I'm still concerend that the language "The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to...defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq" is a bit too broad, but I don't interpret this resolution as giving the President carte blanche. How the President interprets the resolution is, of course, another matter, and I am sure of one thing: This resolution will lead to a U.S. attack on Iraq. The White House wants it, and now it has the authority to do so. It remains to be seen how the Congress and the American public will respond to the Administration's Rationale of the Day™ once hostilities start and the hawks' optimism is put to the test.
Today's horror movie desktop is from the 1979 made-for-TV adaptation of Stephen king's chilling vampire novel 'Salem's Lot. Helmed by Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper, the adaptation of 'Salem's Lot proved a chillingly effective movie, especially considering its made-for-TV origins. Look for the full-length (three hour) DVD version instead of the 90-minute "feature-length" version edited for release on video. Hooper and a cast of familiar character actors (including David Soul, James Mason, Bonnie Bedelia, Lew Ayres, Elisha Cook Jr., George Dzundza, Barbara Babcock, Ed Flanders, and Fred Willard!) achieve the dual goals of invoking an atmosphere of dread as the small town of 'Salems Lot is taken over by vampires and creating some unforgettable episodes of horror. The memory of the scene in which young Lance Kerwin is awakened by the vampiric form of one of his friends scratching on the window brings chills even today.
Trivia: Viennese actor Reggie Nalder, who appeared uncredited as the Nosferatu-inspired vampire Barlow, starred that same year as Van Helsing alongside the likes of John Holmes and Annette Haven in a pr0n version of the Dracula tale.
The Frito-Lay company has announced that it is reducing the average weight of the bags of Lay's potato chips it sells in the Northeast in order to stay competitive. Parent company PepsiCo decided that 12.25-ounce bags sold in the region will be reduced in weight by a quarter of an ounce. The 2 percent loss in weight will result in four or five less chips in every bag.
The company said it has no immediate plans to apply the cuts to its other popular brands, which include Doritos, Fritos and Cheetos.
