After all this time, they still harp on and on about "Intelligence failures that led to the war in Iraq". A perfect example is this piece on Peter Eisner and Knut Royce's book "The Italian Letter".

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=3012688

This is the second piece on the ABC News web site recently repeating the Republican lie that the CIA were the ones who screwed up. Does anyone at this point really believe G W Bush really cared whether or not the "yellow cake" story was true? He would have spouted it anyway as long as it suited his purpose.

Derbyshire is an ignoramus. A long-term study of the effects of gunshot wounds, as documented in police reports around the country, showed that getting hit by a .22 is just as dangerous as a 9mm or even a .357 magnum. The smaller more elongated .22 projectile has a tendency to zigzag around inside the victim, thus increasing the chances of damaging something vital.

If Derbyshire thinks the VA gunman was less dangerous while he reloaded his 9mm just because the other weapon was "only" a .22 he is way off the mark.

At least not since she published this letter earlier this week in her campus newspaper.

http://www.today.ucla.edu/voices/070508_too-pc/

I can not understand why anyone would expend even the little energy required to press a "play" button to listen to Nick Lowe. He has consistently turned out the most drab, lifeless, unoriginal and uninspiring material in the world of music for well over thirty years.

Besides the allergy issues (we have a friend for whom putting a latex condom on the dildo would make that *worse*), the Li'l Jill doesn't look too sensible as an anal toy. I can imagine it slipping completely inside. Boy would I like to be a fly on the wall for that ER visit!

"Be it acting, singing or swimming, men are expected to be skilled; women are expected to be hot with some talent on the side."

I am pretty sure the reason my wife was drooling looking at Gerard Butler in "300" had nothing to do with his swordsmanship or even his acting skills. Just sayin'

All this hot air and controversy , spurred by the comments of a woman dumb enough to mention the Ramones in the same sentence as the Beatles and the Stones? Sheesh.

Mr Pillhouse wrote

To the guy who said the Ramones were better than the Stones... I don;t even like the Stones much (at all), but the Ramones were clearly a bunch of talentless, grating crackers. God I hate that music.

I do hope that wasn't referring to my earlier comment. I am probably the only person who hates the frigging Ramones more than he does. The Ramones were to punk what Kiss were to metal.

I was all ready to go and buy this book until I read that comment about every female author except Mary Shelley and Nadine Gordimer being regarded as "chick lit". I guess that makes me an avid reader of chick lit then, since I read P. D. James, Margaret Atwood, Annie Proulx, Fannie Flagg, Patricia Cornwell, Isabel Allende. Come on, get real. There is chick lit (and some of it, particularly the "shopaholic" series, is pretty damn funny), and there is all the other stuff written by women, all of whom get the respect they deserve (or don't deserve).

Do they think there isn't the technology out there to simply record (i.e. rip off) the music from the streaming site?

Mind you I just looked on there and so far only found one album I would steal (and I already own the CD!).

Sometime this weekend (June 9 or 10). Selecting tracks now gives you short excerpts, rather than whole songs.

Since I am going to be out of internet connection for a few days it is time (a few days early) for my annual nag of King to mention the US Grand Prix which is coming up Sunday (6/17). To see what a spectacle this sport can be, check out the re-run of the previous race in Canada on SpeedTV tomorrow morning (Wednesday). See why they're calling Lewis Hamilton of England the Tiger Woods of auto racing.

As a German reporter interviewed last night on a local TV station said, just another weird night in La-La land. However you would think Stephen Elliot would at least take the trouble to know where he was. Lynwood is quite definitely NOT in East LA. It's next to Watts and Compton, which would put it squarely in South Central. Just because it's East of the airport does not put in in East LA. Unless you're a journalist I suppose.

Best performances I've ever experienced:

Pink Floyd, 1974 (Wish you were here tour)

Leonard Cohen ~1979 (same tour as the Commander Cohen CD)

Stones 2007 Dodger Stadium

Springsteen, same venue, 2005?

Donovan, every time I saw him in the 70s & 80s

Barclay James Harvest, ditto except the last time

Tina Turner, Greek Theater - Simply the Best

Dylan at Staples (tour before last)

Bob Seeger - can you believe that guy thought no one would want to see him any more (while my teenage kids are stealing all his CDs out of my car)

To my immense surprise, Dolly Parton (the wife made me come with her) I can not believe how she can play an electric 12-string and sound just like Roger McGuinn, with those fingernails.

The Chieftains

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

The Yardbirds last time they came to LA - amazingly, not just a bunch of geezers phoning it in.

Oh and I have to agree with the person who said you can't go wrong with punk/Irish Flogging Molly. A fucking grand hoolie and no mistake.