First Looks category archive

Had to turn on the heat today.

This is beyond words:

A friendly 4-year-old golden retriever, Kelsey’s natural reaction to strangers was to greet them and wait to be petted.

But a man in a white shirt who encountered the dog Monday afternoon didn’t do that, New Castle County police said. He strangled Kelsey beside a tall pine tree outside the Centreville-area home where her owners live.

Phillibits has the details.

Redacted.

Which, of course, they wouldn’t have been if Democrats sank to the civilty level of Republicans, who casually and routinely question the patriotism of patriots.

Help compensate the lady for a lost career, lost retirement, and betrayal by her employers.

Tomorrow, Tangier Restaurant, 18th and Lombard, Philadelphia, Pa.

Be there or be square.

Time served?

Susie.

End the waterboarding of civil liberties.

More here.

Go here.

Via Brendan.

I wonder whether the Revolutionary War would have turned out differently if the Continental Army had known about this tactic:

The Burmese military is facing an unexpected threat from female opponents to its regime – a deluge of panties dispatched to the country’s embassies in a “in a culturally insulting gesture of protest” against its recent crackdown on protestors.

According to AP the Panties for Peace initiative is not merely symbolic, since the the group behind the campaign – Lanna Action for Burma – claims “superstitious generals, especially junta leader General Than Shwe… believe that contact with women’s underwear saps them of power”.

We might be remembering Betsy Ross in a whole nother way.

Ever since 9/11, we have watched Republican lawmakers help Mr. Bush shred the Constitution in the name of fighting terrorism. We have seen Democrats acquiesce or retreat in fear. It is time for that to stop.

Succintly put, the Current Federal Administration betrays the ideals of the Founders and, clearly, has no clue as to what the United States of America is about.

It is not about making the rich richer and the poor poorer.

It is about a dream of liberty and equality and a government of laws, not men.

Because he stands up for the Constitution with deeds.

Get your credit cards out.

Go here.

Listen to an interview here.

Joey Bishop, the long-faced comedian and the last surviving member of the Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra’s celebrated retinue of the 1960’s, died Wednesday night at his home in Newport Beach, Calif. He was 89.

His death was of multiple causes, said his longtime publicist, Warren Cowan.

Mr. Bishop was the least flamboyant of the Rat Pack and no match for the others — Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and Sinatra himself — in their dedication to hell-raising.

For you youngsters out there, here’s more on Joey Bishop.

$%%$#^(^%*&^*:

Whether cursing at home can mean jail time has become a court matter in a West Scranton neighborhood.

A 31-year-old mother of four, Dawn Herb, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a disorderly conduct charge that can carry up to a 90-day jail sentence, in connection with a profane tirade she let fly when a toilet backed up on Oct. 11.

American Civil Liberties Union attorney Valerie Burch argues that to criminalize cursing and cite someone for using obscene language in their own home is unconstitutional.

Patrolman Gerald Tallo argues that Herb’s cursing could be heard throughout the neighborhood, creating a public disturbance.

Addendum, Later That Same Day:

Talk of the Nation on profanity.

I’ve been sitting here for three days (with some breaks, of course) looking at this article.

I don’t have the energy the blog it. Just please go read it.

I don’t know whether this is true, but there’s a reason I use T-Mobile. Verizon users, check your inbox and let me know.

From TechDirt

Jeff A. writes to let us know that Verizon Wireless is trying to change its policy on what it can do with your calling record info. Basically, it sounds like they want to start selling it to marketers, so they had to change their terms of service. What they did was send customers a letter telling them they had 30 days to call and opt-out of this new plan to hand over your calling records, or you’d have automatically accepted their changed terms of service and Verizon Wireless could hand over the info to advertisers.

Via Geek News Central.

Addendum, 10/17/2007:

From the New York Times. Follow the link for the full story:

Brian Ashby, associate general counsel for Verizon, said the company was seeking to share that information only among Verizon divisions, so it can better sell new products to existing customers. In the mailing, Verizon gave customers 30 days to “opt out” if they did not want their information shared.

But analysts and consumer advocates suggest the company may also be interested in gathering information as it prepares to tailor the advertising it displays on cellphone screens, based on individual customer habits and attributes. Mobile advertising is an untapped source of revenue among mobile phone companies looking to expand their businesses.

Oh, my.

The ridiculous is related to the sublime.

When I lived in Narberth, I used to ride this damned road all the time.

I have recently won a dispute with the IRS over a tax deduction.

I knew going in that it was iffy–and, no, I shan’t go into the details.

But I can say this: Throughout, they conducted themselves courteously and in a businesslike manner. Their only goal seemed to be determining the facts.

It is a good thing that Gonzo was not Commissioner of the IRS, or I would have likely been toast.

Tomorrow, 6-9 p. m., Tangier Restaurant, 18th and Lombard, Center City, Philadelphia. Just behind Jeff.

Preceded by a rally for SCHIP in Rittenhouse Square:

“Ring Around Rittenhouse”
Vigil for Children’s Health Care
Rittenhouse Square, 1800 Walnut St., Philadelphia
Tuesday, October 16th
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.