A Night To Remember
Sunday, October 30, 2005

You gotta love the 80s, the ego's were so big that most bands were named after the last name of the lead singer. You got Dokken and Winger on this bill and for those of you wondering why do I know the name Jani well that is the lead singer of Warrant (She's my Cherry Pie, cool drinkin woman, what a sweet suprise, tastes so good make's a grown man cry, She's my Cherry Pie).

Stephen Pearcy was the lead singer of one of the best 80's hair bands, he fronted Ratt (Out on the streets, that's where we meet, you make the night, I always cross the line....Round and Round, with love, we'll find a way just give it time, Round and Round, whats comes around goes around, i'll tell you why, Dig)

Unfortunately Stephen is no longer singing with Ratt and they have some loser who is at the helm, I had to suffer thru him a few years ago at some Pine Knob festival show. That same night I had to endure Warrant, yep Jani was so hard up for groupies that he had to announce that they were staying at the Extended Stay down on 75 and to come down. I am not sure if it was that show or the next year but Dokken played, I am not sure if George Lynch was with them but they were not that good. I did see them when I was in Kalamazoo, they played in Grand Rapids during the late 90s and it was amusing to see them at a small venue. As for Winger, they always sucked and I was never a fan, same as Firehouse, except for that one song "Love Of A Lifetime".

Another reason why MP3s rock, while typing this posting, I was able to listen to some Ratt, Skid Row and Cinderella with no searching for old tapes.

Posted by mardenhill 10/30/2005 07:56:00 PM 3 comments    

And The Plot Thickens......

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUN OCT 30, 2005 18:31:21 ET XXXXX

PROSECUTOR PLANS ON CALLING CHENEY AS WITNESS IN OPEN COURT; EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE FIGHT LOOMS

**Exclusive**

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald is planning to call Vice President Dick Cheney as a witness in the trial of Lewis Libby, the DRUDGE REPORT has leaned.

But the high stakes move could result in an executive privilege showdown between the White House and Fitzgerald, a top government source said Sunday.

"If Mr. Fitzgerald is going to demand a public recounting of conversations between the vice president, or even the president, and his staff, on matters he, himself, has acknowledged are 'classified,' executive privilege will obviously be invoked."

Fitzgerald has made it clear to lawyers involved in the case that he prefers Cheney appear as a witness in open court.

"Mr. Fitzgerald is starting from the position that this should not be done on remote or videotape," the well-placed source said.

Fitzgerald and Libby's attorney Joseph Tate discussed possible plea options before the indictment was issued last week, TIME magazine reports in new editions. But the deal was scotched because the prosecutor insisted that Libby do some "serious" jail time.

Developing...

Posted by mardenhill 10/30/2005 06:58:00 PM 2 comments    

Libby Indicted 5 Counts!!!!!!!!!
Friday, October 28, 2005

LIBBY INDICTEDDavid Addington set to replace Libby...

Those close to the investigation say inquiry expanding...State Dep't and National Security Council figures probed...Rove may be in hotter water: Sources say he was offereda perjury deal but turned it down.... At least three officialsin the case have agreed to provide additional information,setting the stage for an explosive, continuing probe...Lawyer for Wilson plans 3 p.m ET press conference...

courtesy of www.rawstory.com

Posted by mardenhill 10/28/2005 12:54:00 PM 1 comments    

Why The Onion Rocks The House

Earlier this week the whitehouse attacked the Onion magazine for using the Presidental Seal commerically in its paper. So this pathetic excuse for an administration doesn't have anything more important to worry about than an online mag that makes fun of everything. One of the best things about San Francisco was that the Onion was in the newspaper bins right next to the real thing and u could pick one up on your way into the office. Everyone knows the Onion is a joke but I guess the admin must feel threatened by it so they lashed out. Well the Onion has retaliated with this wonderful picture, wonder how long it will take before the admin cries foul again. Whats next, a war on SNL to eliminate political skits?

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/42136

Posted by mardenhill 10/28/2005 10:20:00 AM 1 comments    

Indictment Update: 11th Hour
Thursday, October 27, 2005

Well Drudge turned on the flashing light and had this posted from the NYT. Not sure how true this is but I plan on lowering my hopes and just going for 1 indictment tomorrow. If we get more, well it will cause for a bigger celebration. If this brings down Libby and eventually Cheney, justice has been served. Bush would be spared his precious Rove and depending on that, I am curious to see if Robe loses his bite or not.

Karl Rove, President Bush's senior adviser and deputy chief of staff, will not be charged on Friday, but would remain under investigation... Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, braced for an indictment on Friday charging him with making false statements to the grand jury... MORE...

WASH POST: Libby shopping for a white-collar criminal lawyer... MORE...

Posted by mardenhill 10/27/2005 10:31:00 PM 1 comments    

What Is A NOC (Non Official Cover)

Posted by mardenhill 10/27/2005 08:52:00 AM 0 comments    

Latest on Plamegate
Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Posted by mardenhill 10/26/2005 09:48:00 PM 1 comments    

Indictment Update: Rumors Say Today!!!!!

From www.talkleft.com

How Karl Rove Could Walk

I'm beginning to think it possible that Karl Rove either is not going to be charged in the Valerie Plame Leak investigation, or if he is charged, it will be with a false statement rather than perjury offense. If it's the second scenario, Rove could make a plea deal with Fitzgerald under which he agrees to plead guilty if Fitzgerald agrees to request a sentencing reduction to probation, because of his cooperation against others.

Here's the reasoning:

1. Fitzgerald may decide to give Rove a complete pass if he has cooperated to significant extent, turning on Libby and others in Cheney's office, the White House Iraq Group and perhaps the State or Defense Departments. Under this scenario, Fitzgerald simply would not submit a proposed charge for Rove to the grand jury so there would be no vote on him at all.

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As much as I would love to see Rove, Libby and Cheney all go down I don't think it will happen, we will get 2 out of 3 and if 1 of them is Cheney, well I can give up Rove for that one. If Rove walks, my hope is that he's damaged goods and loses all power and credibility in Washington. Part of me would find that more amusing than Rove behind bars. I think him with no power vs him in jail with the aura that he is still the kingpin would be a better punishment.

I think its a given that Libby will go down, Cheney is still a maybe and I think there is a Mr. X that we do not know or have given much credence to. It may be a lower staffer or even someone outside the whitehouse.

Posted by mardenhill 10/26/2005 09:15:00 AM 1 comments    

U2 Vertigo Tour
Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Last nite Erika and I went to the U2 show at the palace, it was sold out and we had a great time.

Just getting into the parking took about 30 minutes from exit 79 which is only 2 miles away. Once we got in there we went to our seats and the show started about 15 minutes later. The show opened with City Of Blinding Lights, the song is ok but the backdrop and stage show was amazing. U2 has these lights that roll up and are lowered at certain points in time that will display pictures and all different colors. The stage was an oval ramp where everyone took turns running around it.

One of the highlights was when Bono asked everyone to pull out their cell phones and iluminate the arena, he said it looked like the milky way galaxy. Cells have become the modern day lighter to hold up. Bono went on about politics throughout the night but was not pushy or left/right leaning. He focused more on human rights and his new One campaign designed to stamp out poverty around the world. I was disappointed that more songs were not played from Achtung Baby, that is their best cd and just hearing One wasn't enough. Oh well, I can just think back to the Zoo TV tour and remember how good that one was. I am glad that we went, it wasn't my favorite show but it was good none the less and U2 are our generations Rolling Stones. What impresses me the most about U2 is that they are still together after 25 years and never broke up, took a break or rotated band members. Erika and I were talking and could not come up with another band that is still together putting out music that hasn't had some kind of lineup change or break.

Main Set: City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, Elevation, I Will Follow, The Electric Co., I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Beautiful Day, Miracle Drug, Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, Love and Peace or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday, Bullet the Blue Sky, Miss Sarajevo, Pride, Where the Streets Have No Name, One

Encore(s): Walk On (acoustic), Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of, With or Without You, All Because of You, Original of the Species, Yahweh, 40

Posted by mardenhill 10/25/2005 09:40:00 AM 2 comments    

Indie Rock Love Songs
Sunday, October 23, 2005

Posted by mardenhill 10/23/2005 10:39:00 PM 10 comments    

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday

Well the rumor mill has said that Fitzgerald may be announcing his findings on the Plamegate investigation on Tuesday. He can either conclude there was no evidence of wrong doing, could indict on the crime or indict on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. I am hoping either the 2nd or 3rd choice happens, I will be one sad professor if this whole thing was a charade. So its sit back and wait, the rumors have the republicans running for cover and those who are stupid enough to stick their heads out are getting whacked.
..............................................
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald appears to be laying the groundwork for indictments this week over the outing of a covert CIA operative, including possible charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, lawyers involved in case said on Sunday.

Top administration officials are expected to learn from Fitzgerald as early as Monday whether they will face charges as the prosecutor winds up his nearly two-year investigation, the lawyers said.

Fitzgerald could convene the grand jury as early as Tuesday to lay out a final summary of the case and ask for approval of possible indictments, legal sources said. The grand jury hearing the CIA leak case normally meets on Wednesdays and is scheduled to expire on Friday unless Fitzgerald extends it.

Posted by mardenhill 10/23/2005 07:57:00 PM 3 comments    

Update on the Dirty Skank Whore from Texas

What a difference a few years makes for Hutchison

Sen Hutchison in 1998: "Willful, corrupt, and false sworn testimony before a Federal grand jury
is a separate and distinct crime under applicable law and is material and perjurious if it is 'capable' of influencing the grand jury in any matter before it, including any collateral matters that it may consider." I vote `Guilty' on Article I, Perjury. I vote`Guilty' on Article II, Obstruction of Justice."

So its OK to vote on perjury and obstruction of justice against Clinton but since its her own people, perjury is just a technicality. This woman is a piece of work, I hope she along with Delay are voted out of office next time around. Its amazing how corrupt one state can be, and to think that Ohio was the only one.

Posted by mardenhill 10/23/2005 05:50:00 PM 0 comments    

The Republican Spin Machine Continues....

Posted by mardenhill 10/23/2005 12:25:00 PM 0 comments    

Amber Headlights
Saturday, October 22, 2005

The 3rd coolest person in the world has released his own solo album entitled Amber Headlights and it can be found on www.emusic.com. You might be asking who is this cool person, well its none other than Greg Dulli, yep the man behind the Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers. Greg released this cd on his own Inferno Records label a couple months ago and has been busy working with Mark Lanegan (the coolest person in the world, and for all you Mark haters Piss Off) on a number of projects. Mark sang on the last 2 Twilight Singers cd and with Greg has performed as the Gutter Twins. When I first read that they would be working together I couldn't think what they had in common but it all worked out and sounds great.

Getting back to Greg, Amber Headlights has been in the works since 2001 and has both the elements of the Whigs and the Twilight Singers. So Tight the 1st track is probably the strongest song on the cd, it has the feel of the Whigs all the 70s flare and screaming vocals. Track 2 Cigarettes continues on with the heavy guitar and whispering vocals Greg is so famous for. Track 3 Domani is a slow piano ballad with Greg crooning away, doing his best to get the listener in bed with him. Track 7 Pussywillow has Petra Haden assisting with vocals, she is one crazy cat but there are a lot of people who like to work with her. Its a beautiful duet, both do their best to not overpower the other and pull it off in the end. Track 8 Wicked is another haunting Whigsesque song and Greg finishes the cd off with a soft piano solo. The cd doesn't open the door to what is next for Greg, its too close to his 2 previous works but don't fret if you love Greg you will love this cd. Checking the Twilights site, they are working on a new cd and should have it out next year.

Posted by mardenhill 10/22/2005 09:56:00 AM 0 comments    

U2 at the Palace and on DVD

We are going to the U2 show at the Palace on Monday, looking at the dvd setlist, it should be a pretty good show. I havn't seen U2 since the Achtung Baby tour of '92, that was one of my favorite shows of all time, I hope this will be just as good. The Achtung show had the hanging cars, the tons of tvs the interaction with the crowd and the Pixies opened. This time we get the son of Bob Marley, i'm not a big reggae fan and as usual other cool bands are after Detroit.

U2 to release live DVD

And it's got loads of extras

U2 are to release a live DVD featuring footage shot on their 2005 'Vertigo' world tour.

'Vertigo 2005/U2 Live From Chicago' was filmed on May 9 and 10 at the city's United Center venue.

The DVD spans two discs: the full live show, directed by Hamish Hamilton - director of both U2's previous live DVDs - plus an additional disc of bonus material including 'Beyond The Tour', an intimate behind-the-scenes documentary, and 'surveillance cuts' of the Chicago show. Filmed using four remotely controlled black and white infra-red surveillance cameras, the footage offers a totally different perspective on the show.

The 'Vertigo' tour continues in the US until December 19. By that date the band will have played over 100 shows to a total of over three million people in the US and Europe.

The full DVD tracklisting is as follows:

Disc One

Live at Chicago United Center May 9/10

'City Of Blinding Lights'
'Vertigo'
'Elevation'
'Cry/Electric Co.'
'An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart'
'Beautiful Day'
'New Year's Day'
'Miracle Drug'
'Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own'
'Love And Peace Or Else'
'Sunday Bloody Sunday'
'Bullet The Blue Sky'
'Running To Stand Still'
'Pride (In The Name Of Love)'
'Where The Streets Have No Name'
'One'
'Zoo Station'
'The Fly'
'Mysterious Ways'
'All Because Of You'
'Original Of The Species'
'Yahweh'
'40'

Disc Two

'Beyond The Tour' - Documentary

Surveillance cuts
'Love And Peace Or Else'
'An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart'
'Cry/Electric Co.'
'Running To Stand Still'

Alternative video for 'Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own'

Posted by mardenhill 10/22/2005 09:18:00 AM 3 comments    

Apple's Aperture
Friday, October 21, 2005

Apple just released some really cool software, if you are into digital photography, Aperture is your software. It allows you to render photos in their raw format, so you are not dealing with compressed jpeg files. Most people don't use this format since the files are so large but they are the closest to film photography that you can get. This software allows you to change one photo and drag and drop that changed layer to others. It has an amazing zoom feature that allows you to magnify up to 100x just by hovering over the picture. Price is $500 and is marketed to professional photographers but it just goes to show that if you have the money you can do anything you want with a home computer. Have a digital video camera, pick up Final Cut Pro and you could be the next Steven Speilberg.

Other apple news, they just released a quad processor tower, they already had dual core chip sets but they are now selling machines with two of these. There is enough power in one of these babys to run your own country. You are talking over $3000 for one of these but the possibilites are endless. Your itunes catalog would never crash no matter how much music you had loaded into it.

Posted by mardenhill 10/21/2005 09:28:00 AM 2 comments    

What's Inside The New Video iPod?

Also inside the iPod, Jefferies found a $65 Toshiba 30GB 1.8-inch hard drive; $1.75 256Mbit Samsung SDRAM chip; $3.75 Wolfson Microelectronics audio codec; $1.60 Linear USB power manager/Li-Ion battery charger; $0.75 National step down switching regulator; $1.00 Phillips DC/DC converter; $1.30 Silicon Storage Technology 8Mbit parallel flash; $2.50 Phillips power management unit; and a $0.85 Cypress PSoC mixed signal controller touch pad.

Combined with a $2.50 touch pad, $4.50 Li-ion battery, $15.00 LCD screen, and $25.00 of other materials, the firm estimates Apple's bill of materials for the video iPod to total $143.50. Before manufacturing, advertising, freight and other charges, this represents a 52% gross margin based on the 30GB iPod's $299 suggested retail price.
..........................................

This is what it looks like inside the new video ipod, pretty cool and at a manfacturing cost of only $143.50, Apple is doing quite well for itself. Our friend Kathy just received her new ipod and maybe she could post a review on how well it works and if the video resolution is as good as they say.

Posted by mardenhill 10/21/2005 09:20:00 AM 1 comments    

New Brendan Benson Single, iTunes and eMusic

Brendan Benson to release special single

Jack White's new bandmate caps a great year

Brendan Benson is to release a download and 7" only single later this month.

The Detroit-based singer, whose third album 'The Alternative To Love' was released earlier this year, is to follow up his recent UK tour by issuing a new version of 'What I'm Looking For', which will be available on iTunes from October 24.

The 7", featuring an alternative version of 'Them And Me', is released on November 7. A live version of 'What I'm Looking For' will also be featured on iTunes from that day.

Benson has just completed his biggest ever UK tour, and will shortly return to his hometown of Detroit to put the finishing touches to the album he has made with Jack White under the name of The Raconteurs, which will be released next year.

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This is one cd I am looking forward to, I am very curious to see what Brendan and Jack can do together. iTunes has become the hipster playground with unreleased tracks, iTunes exclusives, pre-orders and chances for concert tickets and now videos. Its good to see iTunes doing so well, its about time someone gave the music industry the bird and reclaimed music. I still have some problems with iTunes, the songs are too expensive .99c a song needs to be lowered along with the $9.99 a cd. I think $5 a cd would be perfect but I with over 500 million songs sold, I am in the minority. The quality is only 128kb which is fine for listening but if you want to convert them into unrestricted mp3s you lose quality. I still buy music from iTunes but do it sparingly only when they have iTunes only.

eMusic sells their unrestricted mp3s at 160kb to 192kb which are perfect. eMusic doesn't have all the hottest releases they have over 700,000 songs but its all smaller indie labels. I have had the $9.99 a month for 40 downloads for over a year now and love it, I recommend all of you to signup. You get 50 free downloads for just signing up, thats like 4 cds for free. Depending on how long the cd is, thats how many tracks are subtracted from your monthly allowance. I just got 2 old Soul Asylum cds, "while you were out" and "made to be broken" and still have 16 tracks left to download.

Posted by mardenhill 10/21/2005 08:55:00 AM 1 comments    

Spanish Red
Thursday, October 20, 2005

http://www.fincaluzon.com/ (only if u can read spanish)

90 Points - Robert Parker (Wine Advocate)

"The outstanding 2004 Luzon is a blend of 65% Monastrell (Mourvedre) and 35% Syrah. It is a full-throttle, exuberant, dense ruby/purple-colored effort with loads of creme de cassis, licorice, truffle, and acacia flower characteristics. This exotic, deep, broad, intense red should be drunk over the next 3-4 years, although it may last longer. One of the oldest estates in Jumilla, Finca Luzon was founded by the Gil family in 1916. It has been a consistent source of high class values for a number of years, and readers should be happy to know this is completely certified organic agriculture. This offering represents a superb bargain."

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I just got a bottle of this from Ed over at Simply Wine in Birmingham and for the price it rocks. Yesterday while I was in there Ed had some distributers in and were tasting wines. Ed pulled out this one and all of us were very impressed. I believe its only $8 a bottle, its similar to a zin but more rustic and earthy tasting. There is little spice to it, the mourvedre is a pretty mild grape but the syrah gives it that extra punch to push it over the hill. There is a hint of blackberry and candy taste to it, not too much to make it sweet but just a subtle bit. I would definitely buy this one again, for the price you cannot beat it and to score a 90 in this price range is amazing.

Posted by mardenhill 10/20/2005 08:23:00 PM 2 comments    

New Blur EP, and when did Matt Campbell join the band?

Blur EP due 'this year' And they might be playing in your local pub too

Blur could release a new EP this year, according to reports.

Last month singer Damon Albarn revealed that Blur will record the follow-up to 'Think Tank' without an additional guitarist, and hope to release a new album next year.

Now, he's said that an "aggressively laid back" EP could be released in 2005.

He told XFM: "I think we're gonna do an EP first, sometime by the end of this year. But you probably won't know about it. It'll just 'come out'. It'll be so, sort of, underplayed. It'll come out but you won't know it's us as it'll be so, well, not us. We've got the songs but we're gonna record them in a few hours and just be very laid back about it. But not musically laid back. It'll be aggressive. Aggressively laid back. It's the total opposite of Gorillaz."

He continued: "I can't really make another Blur record that's a big landscape sort of thing, due to my very basic guitar ability. I want to sing and play so it has to be three chords. I can only do three chords and not look at the guitar."

Blur are also planning to play "a couple of pubs" around Christmas, according to the singer.

Posted by mardenhill 10/20/2005 09:43:00 AM 4 comments    

The Editors

Another Interpol rip off band? Yes and no, the Editors on their debut cd "The Back Room" do a bit of borrowing to say the least. The 1st track Lights sounds like it came straight from "Turn On The Bright Lights" down to the tense talking/singing of vocals. The guitars have that echo sound, not to be confused with Echo but that hollow, clean sound and anxious jangle. Track 2 Munich starts to separate the bands. You still have the guitar start and stop jangle and Paul Banksesque vocals but there is something else that draws my attention. By track 3 Blood you have a bit of electronic in there that catches my attention. This song is very good, the hints of the keyboard mixed with the guitar bring on the sound of the British shoegazing era. Track 5 All Sparks solidifys the Editors as a Brit Rock band, all the elements are there and done so well. Track 9 Someone Saw You dives deep into the haunting edge sound of Joy Division but with more of an upbeat. The drums beat faster and you get the head bobbing and catching chorus. I was on the fence with these guys for a while, I just lumped them in the pile with the rest of the crap that has been coming out this year. I am glad that I pulled it out again, it can stand on its own and deserves a fair listen.

Posted by mardenhill 10/20/2005 09:02:00 AM 2 comments    

No Spine Zone

courtesy of http://www.thinkprogress.org

They claim the image was not altered a screw up by NBC. Love the No Spine Zone what a good way to sum it all up. We taped Tuesday's Daily Show and Jon Stewart did an interview with Bill and it was pretty funny. Jon kept it civil but got a few jabs in there, while Bill berated the Colbert Report since he is public enemy #1 on his radar. We also watched the Colbert Report, it was very good, I hope they can keep it going it makes for a good hour of TV. The problem is both shows are not on til 11pm and we are in bed by then. I am going to try taping them but don't want to get addicted to watching every day, thats just too much tv.

Posted by mardenhill 10/20/2005 08:45:00 AM 3 comments    

Plamegate Update

Well its another slow day in the developments, everyone is just sitting on pins and needles waiting for Fitzgerald to announce his findings. Lastest on that is it might be next week. With hurricane Wilma going for Florida I could see him waiting til next week. The latest gossip surrounding traitorgate is that Bush knew Karl talked to reporters and rebuked him 2 years ago. Now if this is true, Bush has been lying this whole time saying he doesn't know or think anyone was involved. Comeon, does he think we are that stupid? Fitzgerald is zeroing in on Cheney and his office, 2 lower level aides have flipped and working for the proscution now. Makes sense, the party would not stick their neck or for some lower level aides and they would just take the fall and that is that. With them talking, the big fish, i.e. Cheney, Libby, Rove, Rummy, Bolton and Bush can now have a chance to go down. So we sit and wait, its good to see that the MSM is finally on board, they have been absent for a while and it was up to the blogs to keep the story alive.

On the Delay front, he has an arrest warrent issued and should be appearing today for booking. I am hoping that smoking gun can get the pics, they seem to be able to get everyone else and a mug shot of Delay would look so good on my blog. I might even change my IM buddy icon from the snarling Cheney to a mug of Delay. Once its released I will post it for all of you.

Posted by mardenhill 10/20/2005 08:32:00 AM 1 comments    

Super Extra Gravity
Wednesday, October 19, 2005

The Cardigans are back and gone are the days of "Love me, Love me, Say that you Love me". Their new cd, Super Extra Gravity is a heavy hitting alternative sound, some folk and lots of that hot chick's voice. The 1st track, "Losing A Friend" is a slow dirge that climaxes into a wall of sound. Swirling guitars, fuzz galore and Nina's voice breaking thru it all. Track 2 "Godspell" is trypical alt pop with rough guitars. The next few songs slow down a bit but the tempo returns on "I need some fine wine and you, you need to be nicer". Here Nina adds some edge to her voice and plows thru the song like a bull in a china store. Most of the slower songs you would think you were listening to Aimee Mann, which isn't bad but they are a bit too adult alternative for me. Track 10 "Good Morning Joan" is a nice rhyming diddy, very head bobbing Beatlesesque song. I was impressed with this cd, its not groundbreaking like a Franz Ferdinand or Interpol but it has its place and does well to dispell the 1 hit wonder status of before. I was a big fan of Gran Tursimo, they mixed a bit of electronic and dark trip hop which I thought was cool. After that, the band became more organic which is where we are now.

Posted by mardenhill 10/19/2005 08:29:00 AM 1 comments    

Indictment Bingo
Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Courtesy of www.wonkette.com

Thanks to everyone who's entered our "Indictment Bingo" contest so far. Based on your picks, we've updated the play-at-home Indictment Bingo card (click to enlarge) so that there's at least a small chance of crossing out an entire row. "Ham & cheese sandwich" is a free space, though we know John Hannah may be one, too.... And if you succeed in blacking out a row, don't forget to shout "I want to know who the leakers are!"

Posted by mardenhill 10/18/2005 05:34:00 PM 2 comments    

Catching Tales

Jamie Cullum is back with a new cd "Catching Tales". Its very good, lots of the piano, big band, swing he had on his previous cds. Jamie has also added a bit of new jazz to the mix, the live trip hop jazz with a bit of the crooner vocals. I wasn't sure what to expect but this guy is very talented and deserves a listen. There are some out there that were turned off by his Radiohead cover, yeah that did suck but the rest of his stuff is amazing. Think Harry Connick Jr mixed with the naked chef, thats Jamie Cullum.

Track 1 "Get Your Way" is produced by Dan the Automator, that what gives it the Trip Hop feel. Track 4 "I Only Have Eyes For You" is a cover but a bit more on the broody trip hop side. Its ok nothing special, very dark and smoky sounding. Track 6 "Mind Trip" has that acid jazz groove to it, lots of vibes and wha wha guitar and ohh ohh singing. Track 10 "Catch The Sun" is a cover of the Doves, when I first heard it it was driving me crazy trying to figure out who it was. I had to do a search on itunes and then realized who it was. The song is very good, its as if Doves played it accoustic with a piano. You also have the typical piano ballads that Jamie is very good at. Overall, I was impressed with the cd, its good to see him out there exploring other sides of jazz and not sticking to the classics.

Posted by mardenhill 10/18/2005 02:30:00 PM 3 comments    

Do We Have A Flipper?
Monday, October 17, 2005

New York Daily News source believes senior White House official has flipped in leak case
RAW STORY

The case of outed CIA agent Valerie Plame is set to explode.

The New York Daily News is set to report in Tuesday editions that a well-placed source interviewed by the newspaper believes a senior White House official has flipped and may be helping the prosecutor in the case, RAW STORY has learned.
The Daily News will reveal that a top source believes that based on the questioning of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald and his other contacts with the investigation, someone in the White House has turned.

All eyes are on Dick Cheney, the News says, as the investigation wraps up.

The piece follows on the heels of on a story by Bloomberg News and an article by RAW STORY last week confirming that the prosecutor is probing the Vice President.

Also under a microscope is the White House Iraq Group, an ad-hoc strategy group started by Bush chief of staff Andrew Card aimed at selling the war in Iraq.

Two officials close to Fitzgerald told RAW STORY they have seen documents obtained from the White House Iraq Group which state that Cheney was present at several of the group's meetings. They say Cheney personally discussed with individuals in attendance at least two interviews in May and June of 2003 Wilson gave to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus, in which he claimed the administration “twisted” prewar intelligence and what the response from the administration should be.

DEVELOPING HARD...

Posted by mardenhill 10/17/2005 10:20:00 PM 3 comments    

GRRRRRRR.....

Damn you republican haters, she was a traitor she deserved to be outed. Either you're with us or you're against us.

Posted by mardenhill 10/17/2005 12:29:00 PM 2 comments    

Plamegate Update

Cheney May be a Target

Just across the wires from Bloomberg: "A special counsel is focusing on whether Vice President Dick Cheney played a role in leaking a covert CIA agent's name, according to people familiar with the probe that already threatens top White House aides Karl Rove and Lewis Libby."

Our earlier roundup focused on Libby. But this report says Patrick Fitzgerald "has questioned Cheney's communications adviser Catherine Martin and former spokeswoman Jennifer Millerwise and ex-White House aide Jim Wilkinson about the vice president's knowledge of the anti-Wilson campaign and his dealings on it with Libby... The information came from multiple sources, who requested anonymity because of the secrecy and political sensitivity of the investigation."

A Wall Street Journal story broadens Fitzgerald's investigation "into possible misconduct by Vice President Dick Cheney's office."

It's not yet clear Cheney will be criminally charged in this case, but it is becoming certain that the dealings of the vice president's office in relation to the CIA leak will be the focus of Fitzgerald's report. What's far from clear is whether Bush will enforce his promise to fire "anyone involved" in the leak.

One thing to note: In his book, former Ambassador Joe Wilson originally wrote that Libby leaked the name of Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, and Cheney knew about it.
..................................................................

So Dick is a suspect, would would have thought, not me he is the most respectable and honest person in the administration. So what does this mean, will Dick resign due to "health reasons" and we get a new VP? Hmm, who could it be, Condi, Rummy, Andy Card, Alberto Gonzolas, Jeb Bush? We all know Bush likes to promote from within and what a better way to get a jumpstart on the '08 presidental election than to have a VP that will run for office. Everyone knows Cheney was involved its just can Fitzgerald prove it. We all know Bush knew of the plan and Cheney was the one that pulled the trigger. What we don't know is who will take the fall.

Posted by mardenhill 10/17/2005 11:57:00 AM 1 comments    

Plamegate Update
Sunday, October 16, 2005

Courtesy of www.politicalwire.com

Rove's Contingency Plan "Karl Rove has a plan, as always. Even before testifying last week for the fourth time before a grand jury probing the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity, Bush senior adviser Rove and others at the White House had concluded that if indicted he would immediately resign or possibly go on unpaid leave, several legal and Administration sources familiar with the thinking told Time."

"Resignation is the much more likely scenario, they say. The same would apply to I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, the Vice President's chief of staff, who also faces a possible indictment. A former White House official says Rove's break with Bush would have to be clean -- no 'giving advice from the sidelines' -- for the sake of the Administration."

U.S. News and World Report says "some worried White House insiders are now talking about who might replace" Rove "if he becomes entangled in a criminal inquiry. Topping the list: lobbyist, former Republican Party chairman, and judicial shepherd Ed Gillespie."

**************************************************
This weekend the NYT published a 5800 word story on the Judith Miller's involvement and what came out of it is that Judith does not know who gave her the name. Interesting part of it is that Judith had the names Valerie Flame and Victoria Wilson in her notes, pretty close to the truth if you ask me. I think Judith is trying not to finger Libby but hopefully there is still enough evidence to pin on both Rove and Libby. It goes back to the comment Stephanapolus made a few weeks ago on This Week when he said that someone high up in the administration may be indicted and what does that mean. Good ole George Will spun that comment but it looks like it may be true. Now did George have an inside to this story or just a crystal ball because I don't think he would have risked his credibility on such a statement. Just a couple more weeks and we should know what Fitzgerald has planned. If indictments come down expect the rightwing apologists to start the swiftboating of Fitzgerald.

Posted by mardenhill 10/16/2005 12:14:00 PM 0 comments    

Emma Peel

http://ddr.theavengers.tv/index.html

Last nite BBC had an Avengers marathon on and Erika and I watched a couple episodes 2 of which were very good ones. The 1st one was the duplicates where this doctor was making replacments of people but they would freak out over certain radio frequencies. The 2nd one was where Emma Peel was kidnapped and forced to star in a movie of her own demise. The Avengers is one of the best tv shows to ever come out of the UK and its amazing to think that it started 41 years ago. Diana Rigg aka Emma Peel starred in it from '67-'69 and other women picked of the part but none of them had the aura and mistique of Riggs. I found this website with photos, bio, and even a disertation of Emma Peel - Feminist Icon or Swinging 60's Chick.

The show started out in B&W then moved to color in its 2nd season I believe. The storylines are very campy, it was made to be a spoof off of James Bond so it had to be cheezy. In the 90s Uma Thurman played Emma Peel in the movie of The Avengers. This didn't go over too well with the general public, most people had no idea it was based on a tv show so they thought it was just stupid. I felt the movie did the show justice, they kept with the style and did well with their villian played by Sean Connery.

If you have never watched The Avengers and have the BBC, look for it, they like to show it on the weekends.

Posted by mardenhill 10/16/2005 09:35:00 AM 1 comments    

Goodbye Hello, Hello Firefox
Friday, October 14, 2005

Posted by mardenhill 10/14/2005 11:43:00 AM 0 comments    

Rove & Libby Sitting In A Tree.......

Just found this great pic of our current US traitors, Karl Rove and Lewis "Scooter" Libby, now we just need a pic of them being dragged out of the whitehouse in cuffs. Rove is testifying for the 4th time today, I don't think that is a good sign, I think Fitzgerald has caught him in a perjury trap and just making sure its airtight. New notes were found on a conversation between Libby and Judith Miller, this is not good news for him and Karl's "the media told me, I didn't tell them" defense has more holes than a piece of swiss cheese.

Here is a quote from the WH press secretary Scott McClellan "They are good individuals," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said of Rove and Libby on Oct. 7, 2003, when asked whether they had leaked the identity of Wilson's wife. "They are important members of our White House team. And that's why I spoke with them, so that I could come back to you and say that they were not involved.

I am interested to see the spin when both are indicted, I wonder if Scott will be so nice.

Posted by mardenhill 10/14/2005 09:34:00 AM 2 comments    

Nice New Outfit
Thursday, October 13, 2005

This week's blast from the past cd review is Fugazi's "Steady Diet Of Nothing". I found this one the other nite and this morning put it on and took a trip down memory lane. Everyone knows Fugazi, they are that punk rock band that only charged $5 for their shows and $10 for cds. Ian MacKaye along with Guy Picciotto alternated the singing duties and screamed a lot. Fugazi's most famous song Waiting Room can be found on 13 Songs but some other classics were on "Repeater" and "Steady Diet Of Nothing". On Steady you have the opening song Exit Only, followed by Reclamation and one of my faves Nice New Outfit. Fugazi is one of those bands that when they are one you sing along and enjoy it but never pull a cd out to just listen. I think its also an age thing, fugazi just makes you think of all ages shows and young punk kids. I remember seeing them back in the day, Fugazi was very anti moshing which is funny when you listen to their style of music. Anyways this punk kid Garrett from highschool got kicked out of the show for stage diving, Ian grabbed him and started yelling it was pretty funny. If you want a good dose of old school, check out Fugazi again, you won't be disappointed.

Posted by mardenhill 10/13/2005 09:35:00 PM 3 comments    

New iMac
Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Picture of the new imac, ports are lining the bottom instead of on the side, the unit is thinner and has built in isight camera.

Posted by mardenhill 10/12/2005 02:36:00 PM 2 comments    

Frontrow Remote

Software called Frontrow will be bundled with the new imacs along with a remote. You can access your music, dvds, videos and photos with the remote, Apple's version of a media center pc. This is very cool, not sure if you can buy the software for older imacs, if so sign me up. I imagine the remote is just bluetooth so it would be backward compatible to older imacs but I could be wrong. The new imacs are thinner, sport a bigger hard drive, all have dvd burners, wireless cards and faster processor. They also have a built in isight camera so you can video chat, take stills and conference with all your friends and family.

Posted by mardenhill 10/12/2005 02:34:00 PM 2 comments    

Video iPod

New iPod, now in black, bigger screen, smaller click wheel, 33% thinner, built in video playback, 2000+ videos for sale for $1.99 each and TV shows for the same price. Price is $299 for 30 gig and $399 for 60 gig.

Posted by mardenhill 10/12/2005 02:20:00 PM 1 comments    

Banana Republicans

Banana Republicans

This picture sums up all the republican corruption which is running rampant throughout our country. As time goes on, I have a feeling this list will continue to grow.....

Posted by mardenhill 10/12/2005 01:34:00 PM 3 comments    

New Echo & The Bunnymen
Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Echo released a new cd last month entitled "Siberia", if you havn't heard it yet, you are missing out. It has the classic sound of Echo but not as melodic and slow as the last 2 cds. The 1st song Stormy Weather sounds like it came from "Evergreen" Echo's '97 return. The cd is on the Cooking Vinyl label and if you have signed up for eMusic, they have it available for download, that is where I got it. All Because Of You Days is an amazing singalong, showcasing Will Sargent's guitar hooks. Parthenon Drive starts out sounding like Bring On Your Dancing Horses with that light quitar jangle but picks up throught the song. Of A Life is probably the most rockin song, it has some Electrafiction to it, that edge that Ian and Will are so great at. This cd reminds me of the last Cure cd that captured their whole range of sound. The only thing I am bummed about is that Echo are doing some touring but not coming to Detroit. The last show sucked, Ian was sick and the Majestic's sound was awful that it made them sound like some 2 bit local band. I have seen some amazing Echo shows and would like at least 1 more before they close up shop.

Posted by mardenhill 10/11/2005 10:53:00 PM 3 comments    

Notes from Apple's Q4 '05 conference call

Tomorrow there is a Mac event where the rumored video iPod will be revealed. There is also talk of a Madonna style iPod, kinda like the U2 one from last year.


Apple sold 1,236,000 Macs during the quarter.

The company also sold 6,451,000 iPods.

602,000 of the Macs sold were desktop systems while 634,000 were portables.

The average selling price of Apple desktops was down slightly year over year due to lower iMac pricing.

Apple shipped over 1 million nanos in the 17 days that were left in the quarter after the player was announced.

The company ended quarter with "enormous backlog" of the nano and cannot predict when it will be able meet a supply and demand balance on the players.

Apple's iPod nano backlog issues are a result of a component constraint, not manufacturing or product mix (2GB/4GB or B/W issues), the company claims.

Demand for the nano is "staggering" said Apple's only executive vice president, Tim Cook.

The company hinted at forthcoming iPod/Mac announcements.

There are now over 1000 authorized iPod accessories on the market.

15 major car manufacturers are offering iPod integration with their automobiles; about 30% of cars in the US will offer iPod integration in 2006

Tiger revenue for the fourth quarter was in the mid-$35 million dollar range.

Apple retail stores saw 14.8 million visitors during the quarter, which breaks down to 9800 thousand visitors per store, per week.

The company plans to open 35 to 40 new retail stores in fiscal 2006, most of which will be in the U.S.

Apple for the first time confirmed that it is constructing a [mega flagship] store on 5th Ave in Manhattan and would like to see it open by the end of the year.

Apple's education sector sold more Mac systems during the fourth quarter than any other quarter in last 10 years.

Higher eduction Mac unit sales grew 38% year-over-year, thanks largely in part to a better than expected back-to-school buying season.

During the quarter, DRAM and LCD-panel prices were more stable than had been expected. DRAM prices should stay down through the current quarter. Hard drive prices are also expected to decline, but less than historical trends would imply.

Mac channel inventory came in below Apple's 4- to 5-week target as Mac sell-through exceeded expectations.

For its first quarter of 2006, Apple expects $4.7 billion in revenue based on 35 percent year over year growth.

Posted by mardenhill 10/11/2005 10:47:00 PM 3 comments    

Could Cheney Go Down?

Scanning the blogs tonight I came across this on www.huffingtonpost.com

News Orgs Working On Stories Tying Cheney Into Plamegate… Developing…

The Huffington Post | Posted October 11, 2005 07:28 PM

The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg are working on stories that point to Vice President Dick Cheney as the target of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation into the leaking of CIA operative Valerie Plame's name.

A lot of the forum on this went back and forth between if Cheny goes down, who's gonna be VP and does Bush get to pick someone? Well yes, Bush could appoint somone to VP position and some of the names going around are Guilini and Rice, both would be in a great position to run for the 2008 nomination and screw the Dems. I know I am getting ahead of myself here but just imagine if Cheney resigns "due to health reasons" and Bush appoints Condi. This means the Dems will have to put Hillary up in 08 to battle for the presidency. Dumbass Dick Morris just came out with a book today talking about the 2 ladies and how Condi is the only thing that can keep Hillary from the White House. It kinda makes u think a little more about McCain's statement the other day comparing the VP position to being a prisoner of war, could he be on the short list?

Part of me would love to see Cheney go down but he is a better target in power than out. Realistically, I only see Scooter Libby going down for this, Rove will be bruised and battered but I have a feeling he will somehow escape this one. I hope the main stream media finally grows some balls and runs with this story because they owe us for their part in selling the whole Iraq war.

Posted by mardenhill 10/11/2005 10:37:00 PM 2 comments    

Terror Alerts

See I'm not the only crackpot out there who thinks that the terror alerts have been used for political gains over the last few years. Keith Oberman, my new favorite MSNBC news anchor will be doing a special tomorrow on this.
What's up those Terror Alerts

Keith Olbermann will be having a special feature on Wednesday.
Emailer M: "... he's going to do a segment on how terror threats are related to bad news at the White House. Specifically, Karl Rove going before the grand jury I believe.

OLBERMANN: Last Thursday, we spoke of at least 13 coincidences of timing between bad political news for the government and a terror or terror-related event. We will be presenting a special report detailing those and other coincidences on Wednesday night's edition of this news hour, "The Nexus of Politics and Terror" on COUNTDOWN this Wednesday at 8:00 and midnight Eastern here on MSNBC.

Posted by mardenhill 10/11/2005 03:42:00 PM 0 comments    

New Blog Skin

As you can see, I changed my blog's skin yesterday and this is the new look. The picture is of the martian landscape and I can change it anytime I want. I will probably do so every week or so to mix it up. Comments can still be posted but you need to click on the 0 next to the title of each blog. When there are postings this will increment. I tell ya, its been a slow news the past 2 days on Plamegate. Everyone is sitting on pins and needles waiting to see what Fitzgerald has in store. The good news is that it should be coming soon, he bad news, he can stretch it out til Oct 28th when the grand jury expires. Hardball had a good story on it yesterday and really brought the scandal to light. The republican apologists will have a hard time spinning this one if Rove and Libby are indicted. It has already started tho, some are saying its no big deal, everyone leaks and the usual Valerie wasn't undercover, its not really outing a CIA agent. Well folks, it was an outing, Valerie cannot go undercover ever again and the company she used for cover, Brewster Jennings has been exposed, how many others used this company and were outed? None of the neocons like to discuss this part of it, they just focus on Valerie. Mark my words, if Rove gets indicted, there will be a terrorist threat just like the one in NYC which turned out to be false to draw the attention from him. The problem with this strategy is that a hoax was exposed and if they try again to use the threats to scare people, its going to backfire. We have all come to the conclusion that this administration doesn't know when to stop so they will go ahead with raising the threat level if indictments come down. You would think after the charges of cronyism have been going on that Bush would have picked someone else for the Supreme Court, but no. Besides the terrorist threats the republican apologists will go on and on about how we need to move forward and not focus on the past and this is what the terrorists want us to do, divide the country and get us off our guard. They will never accept that one of their own could have outed a CIA agent and will swiftboat Fitzgerald as an overzealous proscuter just like they tried to do with Ronnie Earle.

Posted by mardenhill 10/11/2005 11:53:00 AM 1 comments    

Rove's Loose Lips.....
Sunday, October 09, 2005

Besides the whole Plame affair, ya know where Rove assisted in outing Valerie and Brewster Jennings, well he is at it again, this time with Dobson. James let a little diddy slip last week saying that he has been assured that Harriet Mires will be a good nominee by the administration. Now why should this rightwing religous zealot have information that the rest of the country doesn't have? I hope he is dragged before the Senate and forced to explain himself, he needs a good beatdown and maybe this will be it........

http://www.dailykos.com/

Specter: What Did Rove Tell Dobson on Miers?

Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, said he will would look into a statement by James Dobson, president of the Colorado Springs, Colorado-based advocacy group Focus on the Family, that Dobson has had ``conversations'' with Rove about the woman nominated to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and knows things about Miers ``that I probably shouldn't know.''

The Senate Judiciary Committee is entitled to know whatever the White House knew,'' Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, said on ABC's ``This Week'' program. ``If Dr. Dobson knows something that he shouldn't know or something that I ought to know, I'm going to find out.'' Good for Specter.

Posted by mardenhill 10/09/2005 06:21:00 PM 1 comments    

Interesting Analysis of the Plamegate Affair
Thursday, October 06, 2005

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Plamegate: The Next Step

If Karl Rove's lawyer, Bob Luskin, is still as easy to read as he has been since I broke the story that his client was Matt Cooper's source, then we now know that Rove has received a target letter from Patrick Fitzgerald. How do we know it? Luskin refuses to deny it.

Fitzgerald does not have to send Rove or anyone else a target letter before indicting him. The only reason to send target letters now is that Fitzgerald believes one or more of his targets will flip and become a prosecution witness at the pre-indictment stage. A veteran prosecutor told me, "If Fitzgerald is sending target letters at the end of his investigation, those are just invitations to come in and work out a deal."

Prosecutors prefer pre-indictment plea bargaining to post-indictment because they have more to offer you, like not being indicted at all or downgrading your status to unindicted co-conspirator. And pre-indictment plea bargaining can greatly enrich the indictments that the prosecutor then obtains. If, for example, Fitzgerald has a weak case against, say, Scooter Libby, imagine how much Rove's cooperation might strengthen that case.

If no one RSVPs to Fitzgerald's invitations, look for indictments as early as next week. If anyone does sit down with Fitzgerald, he will probably have to move to extend the grand jury, which now has only thirteen working days left in its term.

Prediction: at least three high level Bush Administration personnel indicted and possibly one or more very high level unindicted co-conspirators.

Posted by mardenhill 10/06/2005 02:42:00 PM 1 comments    

Where's Waldo, err Where's Rove?

Well, well, well, we might be in for another whitehouse scandal, this one involving Karl Rove. Fitzgerald is wrapping up his investigation and the buzz around town is that Rove will be indicted. According to the story below, Rove has been absent from some very important Bush appearances, is this the white house's way of distancing themselves from Rove? The spinmeisters will say that its due to Rove's kidney stones he had 5 weeks ago. I don't think recovery is that long so I think they WH is running scared. Today Bush was supposed to speak on the War on Terror, it will be interesting to see if Rove is there or not. I have a feeling that the WH has been intune with the blogs and will put him there to spin the situation.

http://www.rawstory.com/

Rove missing from White House events; Word on Hill is that he has been told he's target of probe

Update: Rove's lawyer will no longer deny client a target
President Bush's most trusted adviser, Karl Rove, has been absent from recent White House events, leading those close to a CIA outing case to speculate that he has been told he is the target of an investigation, RAW STORY can confirm.

The buzz on Capitol Hill is that Rove has received what sources called a "target letter," or a letter from the prosecutor investigating the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson telling him that he is now a target in the investigation. To date, no reporters have been able to confirm this account. One lawyer says that at this point in the investigation it would be more likely any letters would normally be notifications of an indictment.

Late Wednesday, Reuters added a new element, saying Rove's attorney, Robert Luskin, declined to say whether his client had been contacted by the prosecutor in the case.
"In the past, Luskin has said that Rove was assured that he was not a target," Reuters notes.
Rove disappeared from the scene around the time he was diagnosed with kidney stones in mid-September, sources close to the White House tell RAW STORY . At first, the belief was that he was off the beat to recover from his illness.

But his absence at President Bush's press conference Monday where Bush announced that he had chosen Harriet Miers to succeed Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court raised eyebrows. Rove is usually present at such events.

President Bush has declined to say whether he would fire Rove if he were indicted. He has said that he would fire any White House staff that was found guilty in the case.
Others, noticing seeming Administration slip-ups -- the response to Katrina and the unexpected groundswell of discontent from conservatives over Miers -- suggest the White House may be distracted with something else.

Rove's absence was first noted by AmericaBLOG .
DEVELOPING....

Even Drudge Report is talking about it, not as the headlines but that will come in a couple days, check out the link here.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051006/pl_nm/bush_leak_dc_1

Posted by mardenhill 10/06/2005 10:24:00 AM 0 comments    

Video iPod Coming?
Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Well folks, rumor is next week Apple will be dropping a new ipod player, this one will feature video playback, be thinner than the current model and have a bigger screen.

Apple Computer has begun production of a new version of its iPod digital music player that will be capable of playing videos, AppleInsider has learned.

Reliable sources believe the iPod could be introduced as early as next week, possibly around the time Apple releases results from its fourth fiscal quarter of 2005. Although details are scarce, sources who claim to have seen the new iPod describe it as being similar to Apple's 60GB iPod photo player, but several millimeters thinner. The device reportedly sports a smaller click-wheel akin to that of the iPod nano's, making way for a larger, higher-resolution color display that extends further down the face of the device. The release of the iPod video is expected to be accompanied by a "major update" to Apple's iTunes music store that will include a significant number of music videos and other short video content. Apple, which had been updating the "Music Video" segment of its iTunes download service on a regular basis, stopped posting new music video content last month, leading to speculation that a major content update was brewing.

Sources have also recently reported sightings of a new Apple wireless device, which is similar to Apple's AirPort Express wireless base station, but also includes a video out option. However, it's unclear if the long-rumored device will coincide with the introduction of a video capable iPod. Apple recently introduced an ultra-thin version of its iPod called the iPod nano. According to well-placed sources, the company has modeled to sell 3 million of the players each month during the holiday shopping season.Update: The aforementioned AirPort Express-like product may be an add-on module for the video iPod that will let users play videos on an external display. It's unclear when such a device would debut.

Posted by mardenhill 10/05/2005 11:42:00 AM 3 comments    

DELAY INDICTED: AGAIN!!!!!
Monday, October 03, 2005

Yep you are reading this correctly, Delay was indicted again by a new grand jury this time on money laundering charges. Delay is out in full force bashing Ronnie Earle again, you couldn't ask for a better day. Delay's attorneys were in court this morning trying to get the charge thrown out, later that day they were hit with another charge. So is this the smoking gun or are there more charges to come? I don't think Delay will be coming back to the House, he will not get the leadership back and his own district will vote him out of office........

courtesy of http://www.dailykos.com/

DeLay indicted again
by kos
Mon Oct 3rd, 2005 at 15:20:33 PDT
Didn't expect this. More fireworks out of Austin. This time it's money laundering.

A Texas grand jury on Monday indicted U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on a new charge of money laundering.

A different grand jury whose term ended last week indicted him on a conspiracy charge, forcing DeLay to temporarily step down as House majority leader. Both indictments accuse DeLay and two political associates of conspiring to get around a state ban on corporate campaign contributions by funneling the money through the DeLay-founded Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee to the Republican National Committee in Washington. The RNC then sent back like amounts to distribute to Texas candidates in 2002, the indictment alleges.I wasn't aware that there was a second grand jury looking at this stuff.

Update: It's a brand new grand jury, put into action today:

A different grand jury whose six-month term ended last week indicted him on a conspiracy charge, forcing DeLay to temporarily step down as House majority leader [...] The new charge was the first action from a new Travis County grand jury, which started its term today. Another grand jury, which ended its term Sept. 28, handed up 41 indictments in the three-year investigation.

Posted by mardenhill 10/03/2005 08:15:00 PM 2 comments    

Supreme Court Nominee

Today was almost as fun as last week when Delay was indicted, the rightwing wackos were out in full force bashing Bush on his supreme court nominee. Going over the specs, Harriet Mires has no experience on the bench, was a conservative democrat until '89 (donated to Al Gore's primary campaign in '88) and has been Bush's personal council in the past. 30 minutes after the announcement, Sen minority leader Harry Reid came out and praised Mires as a great choice. The dems at that point fell in line and shut up the whole day while the unraveling of the republican party started. I surfed the conservative blogs and found some amazing quotes:

Reply 13 - Posted by: fantom, 10/3/2005 2:43:03 PM
The President stabbed us in the back. I know he will have a good time at all the Demo Cocktail Parties he is sure to be invited to now. He kicked us conservatives in the teeth and there is nothing for him to say to us to change it. What a bunch of crap our President fed us!

Reply 10 - Posted by: citizen1, 10/3/2005 2:33:37 PM
"Loyalty and friendship to Bush is not a qualification for the highest court in the land; it it were, we'd nominate his dog." Bush will get around to nominating his dog. But first comes Miers, and then Gonzalez.

Reply 24 - Posted by: Bill, 10/3/2005 3:03:32 PM
Tammy Bruce speak for me ---- Tammy Bruce, a Democrat and a pro-choice feminist who once headed NOW's Los Angeles chapter, said the nomination to the Supreme Court of Harriet Miers proves "President Bush is turning into Jimmy Carter.”

http://www.lucianne.com/threads2.asp?artnum=239063

Pat Buchanan is pissed off not sure if that was a smart move.

In a decision deeply disheartening to those who invested such hopes in him, Bush may have tossed away his and our last chance to roll back the social revolution imposed upon us by our judicial dictatorship since the days of Earl Warren. This is not to disparage Harriet Miers. From all accounts, she is a gracious lady who has spent decades in the law and served ably as Bush’s lawyer in Texas and, for a year, as White House counsel.

But her qualifications for the Supreme Court are non-existent. She is not a brilliant jurist, indeed, has never been a judge. She is not a scholar of the law. Researchers are hard-pressed to dig up an opinion. She has not had a brilliant career in politics, the academy, the corporate world or public forum. Were she not a friend of Bush, and female, she would never have even been considered.

What commended her to the White House, in the phrase of the hour, is that she “has no paper trail.” So far as one can see, this is Harriet Miers’ principal qualification for the U.S. Supreme Court

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=9444

If you are looking for a good time and a few laughs, go scan the conservative blogs and enjoy the infighting and the beginning of the republican split. Our favorite judge Roy Moore from Alabama has announced his run for Governer and this will help foster the split. My theory is that the republican party will split and the dems will stay strong and we will have a 3 party system. The dems will win in 2008 but then will suffer the same fate as the republicans and split the party in two. At that point we will have 3 partys but I see the conservative dems and the moderate republicans merging for 3 parties, very similar to most western countries.

Posted by mardenhill 10/03/2005 07:37:00 PM 2 comments    

Source to Stephanopoulos: President Bush Directly Involved In Leak Scandal
Sunday, October 02, 2005

I was watching This Week today and saw this discussion between Stephanopoulos and George Will. I was suprised to hear him say it but there must be more to this story or George would not have put himself out there like that. If this is the case and if indictments come up by the end of the month, Oct 28th is when the grand jury will be released, its not going to be a fun November for the Repubs. Just imagine if both Bush and Cheney and their aides are indicted, that would be for some blockbuster November sweeps. Forget about Lost and Desparate Housewives, Plamegate takes center stage and the neilson ratings.

I have been scanning the blogs and getting everything from there is no story, Fitzgerald will wrap it up and report no laws were broken to a vast conspiracy to smear Joe Wilson orchestrated by the White House. I have come to the conclusion that the Frist scandal is dead, there will be nothing that comes out of that one, but the Delay, Abramoff and Plamegate are still going strong. 3 out of 4 ain't bad plus you still have the FEMA/Michael Brown, the rebuilding of New Orleans and the Iraq war weighing down on this administration.

..................................................................................................

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/10/02/bush-directly-involved

Near the end of a round table discussion on ABC’s This Week, George Stephanopoulos dropped this bomb:

Definitely a political problem but I wonder, George Will, do you think it’s a manageable one for the White House especially if we don’t know whether Fitzgerald is going to write a report or have indictments but if he is able to show as a source close to this told me this week, that President Bush and Vice President Cheney were actually involved in some of these discussions.

This would explain why Bush spent more than an hour answering questions from special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. It would also fundamentally change the dynamics of the scandal. President Bush could no longer claim he was merely a bystander who wants to “get to the bottom of it.” As Stephanopoulos notes, if Bush played a direct role it could make this scandal completely unmanageable.

UPDATE: Crooks and Liars has the video.

http://www.crooksandliars.com

Posted by mardenhill 10/02/2005 05:36:00 PM 4 comments