Uninstall Real Player NOW

What a piece of crap that software is. It just took over my computer tonight. Ate up 100% of my processor, all on its won, without warning. I was lucky enough to figure out it was Real Player that was the culprit (or Real One I think it now calls itself). All I knew was that my computer ground to a halt. Took me 2 hours to figure it out. Found out on Google that a good dela of other people have had this problem. I just uninstalled it from my computer, and it now flies. Just got it off my dad's computer. Get rid of that piece of crap. This stuff really ticks me off.

Ok, I'm finished now :-) Read More......

FBI says US military put burning cigarettes in detainees ears

And even better, US commanders in Iraq allegtedly tried to cover-up the death of an abused detainee. But hey, Bush isn't responsible. Sure, being commander in chief means he wears the fun Star Trek jackets, but it's not like he's REALLY in charge or anything. I mean, he's a Republican president, and ever since Ronald Reagan we know that they're never really in charge, and apparently in red state America, that's okay. Read More......

Wal-Mart shotgun used in suicide - oops

Funny how Wal-Mart bans Jon Stewart's book but sells shotguns to manic-depressive women who kill themselves, and apparently has no problem doing so. Read More......

Tuesday evening open thread

Man, getting down to a high of 7F here on Friday. Lovely. So what are folks doing for Christmas (if at all)? Read More......

Viacom to CREW: Ignore our earlier email, but trust this one

When last we left Viacom, we knew CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) called for both an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Congressional investigation into Viacom International Inc.’s hiring practices. Seems someone at Viacom sent an email to the Hill which said they were looking for a new staffer with one big requirement: Must be a male with Republican stripes. Ok, it wasn't just someone at Viacom. It was their VP for governmental affairs.

Well, Viacom now says, never mind. That was just an email among friends. Apparently, job announcements from the VP for government relations count as just "an informal, unofficial communication sent to close friends." Aren't they in the communications business? "Must be a male" is pretty damn clear communication.

Americablog has the full response from Viacom. It's good for a yuck. This is how corporate America responds when they are BUSTED:

We appreciate hearing your concerns.

The e-mail referenced in today's Washington Post was an informal, unofficial communication sent to close friends. The official posting for this position is available online at www.viacomcareers.com. Consistent with all our hiring practices, both male and female candidates will be considered for the position without discrimination.

Viacom is proud of its record as an equal opportunity employer. We maintain strict adherence to that policy in all of our units, including our Washington Office, where almost all of the professional staff, including the head of the office, are female.

Very truly yours,

Betty Panarella

VP, Employee Relations and Development

Kudos to CREW. They are one of the only organizations in D.C. that plays hard ball. What a concept. Read More......

Iraq Update: 19 Soldiers killed in attack on their mess tent

ABC News is reporting that 19 American soldiers were killed in the attack on their mess tent in Mosul today.

I would have found this part of the article pretty astounding if I didn't already know that we don't provide armor for our troops:

Bill Nemitz, a columnist with the Portland Press Herald embedded with the Maine National Guard's 133rd Engineer Battalion, told CNN there was a concrete dining hall under construction that was supposed to be finished by Christmas. He said he heard "a lot of discussion" among the troops about the vulnerability of the tent.

[Lt. Col. Paul] Hastings [a spokesman for Task Force Olympia] told CNN that "there is a level of vulnerability when you go in there and you don't feel like there's a hard hard roof over your head, and when there's mortar attacks and explosions that happen, there is a level of vulnerability."

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What to do with your emai when you die?

True story. And interesting question. I'm divided on this one, but knowing email and the Internet well, I'm not sure I want my parents reading through everything after I'm gone.

How would you rule?

From AP:

The family of a Marine killed in Iraq is pleading with Internet giant Yahoo! for access to his e-mail account, which the company says is off-limits under its privacy policy.

Lance Cpl. Justin M. Ellsworth, 20, was killed by a roadside bomb on Nov. 13 during a foot patrol in Al Anbar province. The family wants the complete e-mail file that Justin maintained, including notes to and from others.

``I want to be able to remember him in his words. I know he thought he was doing what he needed to do. I want to have that for the future,'' said John Ellsworth, Justin's father. ``It's the last thing I have of my son.''

But without the account's password, the request has been repeatedly denied. In addition, Yahoo! policy calls for erasing all accounts that are inactive for 90 days. Yahoo! also maintains that all users agree at sign-up that rights to a member's ID or contents within an account terminate upon death.

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Tuesday morning open thread

Convinced dad to go wireless - gonna have laptop access to the Net all day long at the 'rents house - woo woo! Read More......

Breaking...and Very Bad....News from Iraq

Reuters is reporting that the Pentagon says at least 22 are dead and 50 wounded from an attack on a U.S. base in Mosul. Read More......