GoogleNet
"In London, apparently, you want to be careful to not be mistaken for someone you do not resemble, by wearing clothes that are nothing like the clothes that are being warn by the person you do not resemble; this is because the police in London have this special elite squad that carries weapons and are so eager to use them that they will use any target. Especially a potential terrorist suspect who is sitting quietly in a seat. And they know that head shots make the victim unlikely to sue." -- Charlie Acker
From The Federalist:
"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation." -- Thomas Reedand:
"As a result of 'evolving standards' and 'nuanced' judicial decisions, we no longer have clear-cut rights. We have a ticket to a crapshoot in a courtroom. That ticket is worth a lot more to those with slick lawyers than to ordinary citizens." -- Thomas Sowelland:
"The media know that grief doesn't confer upon a person instant lucidity and authority, though they act as if it does, provided the grief inspires a political position they favor. Had Sarah Brady, say, responded to her husband's gun injury by joining the staff of the NRA, the media wouldn't have paid the slightest bit of attention to her except maybe for purposes of mockery." -- George Neumayr
# Claire Wolfe - TCF down -- which might be a good thing - the clairefiles board has been down since yesterday afternoon. A well-needed break, says Claire. Tempers have been flairing over there and some folk have been downright uncivil. [claire]
# Robert Roy Britt at MSNBC - Elephants, lions to roam North America again? - an article in Nature proposed introducing large African animals to the plains states, from Montana and North Dakota south to New Mexico and Texas. They're calling it the U.S. Ecological History Park, or Pleistocene Park. Seems to me that there's a reason that we humans wiped out these species in North America. Their existence is incompatible with our way of life. The proper "precautions" to take were they to be reintroduced would be to shoot them on sight. [smith2004]
"Obviously, gaining public acceptance is going to be a huge issue, especially when you talk about reintroducing predators," Donlan said. "There are going to have to be some major attitude shifts. That includes realizing predation is a natural role, and that people are going to have to take precautions."
# Monica Yant Kinney at The Philadelphia Enquirer via Cannabis News - Reefer Madness? High Times Over for NJ Weedman - Ed Forchion has quit smoking pot to keep his job driving water from Maine to PA. Haven't followed his trip much lately. Nice to see some news. [cn]
# Om Malik at Business 2.0 - Free Wi-Fi? Get Ready for GoogleNet - Google has been buying up fiber networks recently, and has started offering free Wi-Fi network connectivity in San Francisco. Location targeted advertising? [wes]
# Mike Cumpston and Billy Fugett at Gunblast - A Fifty- Caliber Percussion Revolver from Clements Custom Guns - made from a Ruger old Army. Gets more energy with black powder and round ball than a standard .357 magnum load. Shoots ball and conical bullets very accurately. [gunblast]
# Jeff Quinn at Gunblast - Savage Model 40 .22 Hornet Varmint Hunter Rifle - 9/16" 100-yard groups with factory ammo. Retail price: $436. [gunblast]
# Joel Spolsky - The Project Aardvark Spec - extolling the virtues of Big Design Up Front (BDUF) in the creation of Copilot.com, which is now live. Still costs $9.95 per day used, or you can get a 2 minute test drive. Version 2 will have other pricing options, including accounts and corporate licenses. [joel]