Hey, Congrats. You are Time Magazine's Person of the Year

Yes, you. Especially you:

You were named Time magazine "Person of the Year" on Saturday for the explosive growth and influence of user-generated Internet content such as blogs, video-file sharing site YouTube and social network MySpace.

"For seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, Time's Person of the Year for 2006 is you," the magazine's Lev Grossman wrote.

The magazine has put a mirror on the cover of its "Person of the Year" issue, released on Monday, "because it literally reflects the idea that you, not us, are transforming the information age," Editor Richard Stengel said in a statement.

It's true. So, congratulations.

Here's the link to the Time article. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Off to Christmas parties. Read the rest of this post...

How are we at war without a declaration of war?

I'm not being facetious. This is legally quite serious. How can the president claim extreme and exceptional war-time powers when Congress never declared war, an ability congress most certainly has and did not exercise?

From AP:

The White House argues the Constitution gives the president wartime powers to eavesdrop that he wouldn't have during times of peace.

I would go so far as to say that if Congress expressly did not exercise its power to declare war, and it clearly did not, then Congress implicitly stated, by it inaction, that it did not wish to grant the president any of these added powers.

To put it another way, if Bush keeps talking about how September 11 changed everything, then why is our nation at a lesser war footing than it was during World War II? Read the rest of this post...

20 million year old species of rare white dolphin now extinct at the hand of man

Sad. And sick. But at least the gays can't marry, for the most part. Read the rest of this post...

Let's share suggestions for cool Christmas gifts

It's like Halloween. Every year you go to the last minute not knowing what to do. Then you get a flurry of ideas watching what your friends do, then afterwards you forget them completely and the next year you're in the same quandary.

So, this year, let's share Christmas gift ideas, just for yucks. I'm of course partial to cool tech guy things, but any "cool" and/or original ideas are welcome. I actually have most of my gifts planned out already, though could use ideas for college-aged boys. So let's share. What cool things have you found?

PS And while we're at it. I may - may - finally get a PDA. Joe has a Treo 650 I think, and it's been quite useful for blogging on the road. I'd like something similar - email access, Web access, and especially want it to be user-friendly for being able to type up blog posts on the fly (meaning, I want to type, say, two or three paragraphs). Any suggestions? I have Cingular service right now for my cell, so would rather stay with that if possible. Read the rest of this post...

Vladimir Putin might be gay?

Sounds like Vlad is sleeping well too...

Paula Zahn reported last week, and somehow we missed it, that the former Russian spy who was murdered with Polonium-210 in London, he claimed that Putin was having sex with men. From CNN:

ZAHN: ... including reports, Nikolas, that would suggest that people wouldn't be surprised if Vladimir Putin wouldn't want him dead, after he went public with allegations that Mr. Putin was having sex with men.

What is it with George Bush's friends? Read the rest of this post...

Bush sleeps well, he wants us to know

Bush is sleeping well. He wants us to know that. So he told People magazine. We learned it from The NY Times:

Also in the interview, Mr. Bush acknowledged that he sometimes had to take “sleep aids” when traveling abroad, though “I must tell you, I’m sleeping a lot better than people would assume.”

Why not? He's just sending other people's kids to die. He's destroyed America's reputation in the world. He's made us a weaker nation. Now why should that interfere with his sleep?

Thinking people would assume there is some angst. There's none. That's what makes this whole situation even more frightening. Bush has no clue -- and he doesn't care. That's a lethal combination. Read the rest of this post...

Saturday Morning Open Thread

Just so you know, Evan Bayh isn't running for President anymore. The field narrows.

Any other news yet today? Read the rest of this post...

For women, life in Iraq is "just like being in jail"

Another legacy of George W. Bush's war:

"For a woman, it's just like being in jail," she said. "I can't go anywhere."

Life has become more difficult for most Iraqis since the February bombing of a Shiite Muslim mosque in Samarra sparked a rise in sectarian killings and overall lawlessness. For many women, though, it has become unbearable.

As Islamic fundamentalism seeps into society and sectarian warfare escalates, more and more women live in fear of being kidnapped or raped. They receive death threats because of their religious sects and careers. They are harassed for not abiding by the strict dress code of long skirts and head scarves or for driving cars.

For much of the 20th century, and under various leaders, Iraq was one of the most progressive Middle Eastern countries in terms of its treatment of women, who were encouraged to go to school and enter the workforce. Saddam Hussein's Baath Party espoused a secular Arab nationalism that advocated women's full participation in society. But years of war changed that.

In the days after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, many women were hopeful that they would enjoy greater parity with men. President Bush said that increasing women's rights was essential to creating a new, democratic Iraq.

The women of Iraq, like so many others, have learned that just because George Bush said something doesn't mean it's true. In fact, if George Bush says something, the opposite is true. Unfortunately, in Iraq, Bush's war of choice has diminished and endangered women.

Heckuva of job, Bushie. Read the rest of this post...

And as the middle class gets the squeeze

Those at the top continue to be showered in excess. Let's see if 2007 is the year when the US starts its move back to balance and I'm not just referring to Morgan Stanley, who may be generous with everyone. Since there is so much cash to be thrown around, let's start with decent health care for working families instead of so many multi-million dollar bonuses. Making lots of money is fine, but not at the expense of everyone else working in the company. If corporate American has enough to pay out tens and hundreds of millions per year to top executives, why don't they have enough to pay for basics such as health care, which they keep pushing onto employees? Can we find some balance? Read the rest of this post...

Specter going to Syria

The Republicans were whining when it was a Democrat but now one of their own is going to Syria against the wishes of Bush. Nobody trusts Bush and for good reason.

Specter, R-Pa., said in an interview late Friday that he is planning a trip to the Middle East that will include Israel and Syria. The senator said he and other Republicans are concerned that the administration's policies in the Middle East are not working and that other GOP members may follow in his footsteps.

"I've talked to my Republican colleagues, and there is a disquiet here," Specter said.

Read the rest of this post...