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Thoughts + a Song

* Can anyone tell me why Google Reader doesn’t have a search/filter function?

— considering the nature of The Google, I suspect that either a) I’m missing something or; b) this will be resolved by the end of the weekend.

cartoon by RJ Matson.

* The new Secretary of Defense is both demanding and accepting resignations. I wouldn’t call this refreshing — the last SecDef would deny any wrongdoings to the grave, but the Walter Reed scandal could have been handled months ago and only know that it’s been uncovered is action being taken. You go to war with the hospitals you have…, right?

So, Robert Gates, or Bob, as the case may be — I dare you to take preemptive measures and have Halliburton/KBR etc pay us back some money so we can have welfare and education in the States. And democrats, support the troops — but don’t support the contractors!!! Even the troops can’t stand them (not the individuals, but the contracting corps w/ non-bid, cost-plus arrangements). Ok, so I did just watch Greenwald’s Iraq For Sale.

Exhale.

And now, some music, from the new Arcade Fire release, Neon Bible

Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running [ 3:29 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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Open Source Gets a MacArthur Grant

Congrats to Chris Lydon’s Open Source Radio for winning a $250,000 MacArthur Fellowship!

This grant not only recognizes Open Source for its top-notch, hourlong, nightly public radio show (and internationally popular podcast, but, also “‘in support of the innovative use of internet-based tools in the production of a daily public radio program.'” Brandon of Open Source said:

[T]hey’re developing tools at Open Source that are going to be useful in the future to a lot of people. People in public radio, people in public television, people tiptoeing toward that fantastic beast we’re beginning to call “public media.”

Congrats and keep up the good work. Hopefully soon we’ll hear you not only via podcast but also on Southern California Public Radio.

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Putting the News to Sleep

Thomas Friedman is a moron. The guy is still traveling around touting his dated pipe-dream World is Flat book. Eerily reminiscent of the misinformed-but-sticking-with-it administration to which he’s been an advisor. I was hoping someone would step up to the mic when he visited USC on Monday, and ask: “Is there any free trade agreement you would not support?”

But he didn’t have time for the students, apparently, and kudos to the Daily Trojan‘s editors for calling him out.

Speaking of the DT, Zach Fox really gave it to the USC admin in this Op-Ed:

While the student editors and reporters who work for this newspaper are free to print whatever they wish, calling the Daily Trojan a student newspaper is like saying the Tribune Co.-owned Los Angeles Times is independent.

Now sleep on this….

A former Canadian defense minister is demanding governments worldwide disclose and use secret alien technologies obtained in alleged UFO crashes to stem climate change, a local paper said Wednesday.

Read more.

The neighborhood right-wing skeptics are pouncing on this just as fast as they’re trying to nail Gore for… um… using electricity.

photo via Naum.