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Tuesday, March 14, 2006
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Forty years ago, Allan Sherman topped the pop charts by replacing the lyrics of folk songs with satires of Jewish American life. And in doing that, he offered a perfect snapshot of what it meant to assimilate.
(Via NPR Programs: All Things Considered.)
6:33:36 PM 
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Lifehacker pimps out a mac mini they way it should! A pretty cool article showing a bunch of cool ways to upgrade, hack and modify your little machine into the coolest computer in your home.
(Via digg / dig.)
1:24:18 PM
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Embracing Slavery: Adele Fergusen The General writes a letter to Adele-who can't understand why "Blacks aren't Republicans" and what's the fuss about slavery.
(Via Crooks and Liars.)
11:36:52 AM
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From Raw Story:
Documents released today by the American Civil Liberties Union reveal that the Federal Bureau of Investigations has indeed monitored political groups solely on the basis that they opposed a U.S.-led war.
According to a memo written in 2002, the FBI launched a classified investigation into the activities of Pittsburgh's Thomas Merton Center after becoming concerned that the group held "daily leaflet distribution activities in downtown Pittsburgh and [was] currently focused on its opposition to the potential war on Iraq." The memo aimed to summarize the investigation's results.
It identifies the group as "a left-wing organization advocating, among many political causes, pacifism."
There's more at the link.
Not that anyone but us few anti-american activity lovers who oppose unconstitutional activities care.
(Via Rising Hegemon.)
11:18:25 AM
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Patrick Stewart gave his life in Afghanistan, but because he was of the wrong religion, he doesn't get the same burial honors as others.
The US government should not be in the business of picking and choosing which religions are appropriate. This country was founded on liberty and justice for all. There is nothing inherently Christian about those beliefs, and nothing in them that allows one religion to be treated as if it didn%u2019t exist. Members of all religions and non-believers have given their lives for this country regardless of creed or belief. They all deserve the same honors. The government shouldn%u2019t b asking family members if their religion is on the approved list %u2014 they should simply be thanking them for their loved ones%u2019 sacrifices and making sure each soldier is honored in the way they would have wanted. In a nation that took the Constitution seriously, that is exactly what would have happened.
8:47:22 AM
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It's not surprising that the US trade deficit set another record last year. What is surprising (to me at least) is that the record 2005 trade deficit was a full 20% higher than the record 2004 trade deficit.
America's deficit in the broadest measure of international trade surged to an all-time high of $804.9 billion last year as the country went deeper into debt to foreigners.
The Commerce Department said that the deficit in the current acccount was up 20.4 percent from the previous record of $668.1 billion set in 2004. The current account is the best measure of trade because it tracks not only goods and services but also investment flows between countries.
[snip]
The 2005 current account trade deficit was a record not only in dollar terms but also as a percentage of the total economy at 6.4 percent of total economic output, up from 5.7 percent in 2004. The deficit for just the fourth quarter was also a record at $224.9 billion, up by 21.3 percent from the third quarter.
And in other Bush Boom news, retail sales last month were for shit.
In other economic news, retail sales for February fell by 1.3 percent, the biggest setback in six months. There were big declines in sales of autos, clothing and furniture as cold weather during the month kept shoppers away from the stores.
(Via First Draft.)
8:22:46 AM
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© Copyright 2006 Steve Michel.
Last update: 4/1/2006; 5:26:07 PM.
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