Seymour Hersh: The Iran Plans

The Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack. Current and former American military and intelligence officials said that Air Force planning groups are drawing up lists of targets, and teams of American combat troops have been ordered into Iran, under cover, to collect targeting data and to establish contact with anti-government ethnic-minority groups. The officials say that President Bush is determined to deny the Iranian regime the opportunity to begin a pilot program, planned for this spring, to enrich uranium.
American and European intelligence agencies, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.), agree that Iran is intent on developing the capability to produce nuclear weapons. But there are widely differing estimates of how long that will take, and whether diplomacy, sanctions, or military action is the best way to prevent it. Iran insists that its research is for peaceful use only, in keeping with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and that it will not be delayed or deterred.

Writers Guilds Announce 101 Greatest Screenplays

101 NOTORIOUS Written by Ben Hecht
100 MEMENTO Screenplay by Christopher Nolan. Based on the short story "Memento Mori" by Jonathan Nolan
99 THE WILD BUNCH Screenplay by Walon Green and Sam Peckinpah. Story by Walon Green and Roy Sickner
98 THE GRAPES OF WRATH Screenplay by Nunnally Johnson. Based on the novel by John Steinbeck
97 THE SEARCHERS Screenplay by Frank S. Nugent. Based on the novel by Alan Le May
96 THE HUSTLER Screenplay by Sidney Carroll & Robert Rossen. Based on the novel by Walter Tevis
95 HANNAH AND HER SISTERS Written by Woody Allen
94 PATTON Screen Story and Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North. Based on "A Soldier's Story" by Omar H. Bradley and "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph" by Ladislas Farago
93 DO THE RIGHT THING Written by Spike Lee
92 PSYCHO Screenplay by Joseph Stefano. Based on the novel by Robert Bloch
91 THE VERDICT Screenplay by David Mamet. Based on the novel by Barry Reed
90 SIDEWAYS Screenplay by Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor. Based on the novel by Rex Pickett
89 FORREST GUMP Screenplay by Eric Roth. Based on the novel by Winston Groom
88 FIELD OF DREAMS Screenplay by Phil Alden Robinson. Based on the book by W.P. Kinsella
87 8 1/2 Screenplay by Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, Brunello Rondi. Story by Fellini, Flaiano.
86 HAROLD & MAUDE Written by Colin Higgins
85 LA GRANDE ILLUSION Written by Jean Renoir and Charles Spaak
84 THE PRINCESS BRIDE Screenplay by William Goldman. Based on his novel.
83 REAR WINDOW Screenplay by John Michael Hayes. Based on the short story by Cornell Woolrich
82 COOL HAND LUKE Screenplay by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson. Based on the novel by Donn Pearce.
81 BEING THERE Screenplay by Jerzy Kosinski. Inspired by the novel by Jerzy Kosinski
80 WITNESS Screenplay by Earl W. Wallace & William Kelley. Story by William Kelley and Pamela Wallace & Earl W. Wallace
79 THE PRODUCERS Written by Mel Brooks
78 ROCKY Written by Sylvester Stallone
77 ADAPTATION Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman. Based on the book "The Orchid Thief" by Susan Orlean
76 RAGING BULL Screenplay by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin. Based on the book by Jake La Motta with Joseph Carter and Peter Savage
75 HIGH NOON Screenplay by Carl Foreman. Based on short story "The Tin Star" by John W. Cunningham
74 BEING JOHN MALKOVICH Written by Charlie Kaufman
73 AMADEUS Screenplay by Peter Shaffer. Based on his play.
72 THELMA & LOUISE Written by Callie Khouri
71 THE LION IN WINTER Screenplay by James Goldman. Based on the play by James Goldman
70 THE AFRICAN QUEEN Screenplay by James Agee and John Huston. Based on the novel by C.S. Forester
69 DOG DAY AFTERNOON Screenplay by Frank Pierson. Based on a magazine article by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore
68 STAR WARS Written by George Lucas
67 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL Written by Melissa Mathison
66 JERRY MAGUIRE Written by Cameron Crowe
65 SINGIN' IN THE RAIN Screen Story and Screenplay by Betty Comden & Adolph Green. Based on the song by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown
64 TERMS OF ENDEARMENT Screenplay by James L. Brooks. Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry
63 JAWS Screenplay by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb. Based on the novel by Peter Benchley
62 MOONSTRUCK Written by John Patrick Shanley
61 THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS Screenplay by Ted Tally. Based on the novel by Thomas Harris
60 L.A. CONFIDENTIAL Screenplay by Brian Helgeland & Curtis Hanson. Based on the novel by James Ellroy
59 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT Screenplay by Robert Riskin. Based on the story "Night Bus" by Samuel Hopkins Adams
58 ORDINARY PEOPLE Screenplay by Alvin Sargent. Based on the novel by Judith Guest
57 CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS Written by Woody Allen
56 BACK TO THE FUTURE Written by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale
55 APOCALYPSE NOW Written by John Milius and Francis Coppola. Narration by Michael Herr
54 MANHATTAN Written by Woody Allen & Marshall Brickman
53 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN Screenplay by William Goldman. Based on the book by Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward
52 THE LADY EVE Screenplay by Preston Sturges. Story by Monckton Hoffe
51 BROADCAST NEWS Written by James L. Brooks
50 THE SIXTH SENSE Written by M. Night Shyamalan
49 SCHINDLER'S LIST Screenplay by Steven Zaillian. Based on the novel by Thomas Keneally
48 THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI Screenplay by Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson. Based on the novel by Pierre Boulle
47 THE MALTESE FALCON Screenplay by John Huston. Based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett
46 THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE Screenplay by John Huston. Based on the novel by B. Traven
45 ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST Screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman. Based on the novel by Ken Kesey
44 THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES Screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood. Based on novel "Glory For Me" by MacKinley Kantor
43 TAXI DRIVER Written by Paul Schrader
42 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan. Story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman
41 GOODFELLAS Screenplay by Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese. Based on book "Wise Guy" by Nicholas Pileggi.
40 WHEN HARRY MET SALLY Written by Nora Ephron
39 THE STING Written by David S. Ward
38 AMERICAN BEAUTY Written by Alan Ball
37 THE PHILADELPHIA STORY Screenplay by Donald Ogden Stewart. Based on the play by Philip Barry
36 MIDNIGHT COWBOY Screenplay by Waldo Salt. Based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy
35 THE USUAL SUSPECTS Written by Christopher McQuarrie
34 THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS Screenplay by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman. From a novelette by Ernest Lehman
33 THE THIRD MAN Screenplay by Graham Greene. Story by Graham Greene. Based on the short story by Graham Greene.
32 FARGO Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
31 HIS GIRL FRIDAY Screenplay by Charles Lederer. Based on the play "The Front Page" by Ben Hecht & Charles MacArthur
30 UNFORGIVEN Written by David Webb Peoples
29 SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS Written by Preston Sturges
28 SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE Written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard
27 GROUNDHOG DAY Screenplay by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis. Story by Danny Rubin.
26 DOUBLE INDEMNITY Screenplay by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler. Based on the novel by James M. Cain
25 THE WIZARD OF OZ Screenplay by Noel Langley and Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf. Adaptation by Noel Langley. Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum
24 ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman. Story by Charlie Kaufman & Michel Gondry & Pierre Bismuth.
23 GONE WITH THE WIND Screenplay by Sidney Howard. Based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell
22 THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION Screenplay by Frank Darabont. Based on the short story "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King
21 NORTH BY NORTHWEST Written by Ernest Lehman
20 IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE Screenplay by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett & Frank Capra. Based on short story "The Greatest Gift" by Philip Van Doren Stern. Contributions to screenplay Michael Wilson and Jo Swerling
19 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Screenplay by Horton Foote. Based on the novel by Harper Lee.
18 ON THE WATERFRONT Screen Story and Screenplay by Budd Schulberg. Based on "Crime on the Waterfront" articles by Malcolm Johnson
17 TOOTSIE Screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal. Story by Don McGuire and Larry Gelbart
16 PULP FICTION Written by Quentin Tarantino. Stories by Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary
15 THE APARTMENT Written by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond
14 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA Screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. Based on the life and writings of Col. T.E. Lawrence
13 THE GRADUATE Screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry. Based on the novel by Charles Webb
12 DR. STRANGELOVE Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick and Peter George and Terry Southern. Based on novel "Red Alert" by Peter George
11 BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID Written by William Goldman
10 THE GODFATHER II Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo. Based on Mario Puzo's novel "The Godfather"
9 SOME LIKE IT HOT Screenplay by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond. Based on "Fanfare of Love," a German film written by Robert Thoeren and M. Logan
8 NETWORK Written by Paddy Chayefsky
7 SUNSET BLVD. Written by Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder and D.M. Marshman Jr.
6 ANNIE HALL Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman
5 ALL ABOUT EVE Screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Based on "The Wisdom of Eve," a short story and radio play by Mary Orr
4 CITIZEN KANE Written by Herman Mankiewicz and Orson Welles
3 CHINATOWN Written by Robert Towne
2 THE GODFATHER Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. Based on the novel by Mario Puzo.
1 CASABLANCA Screenplay by Julius J. & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch. Based on the play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison.

Dexie's Midnight Buggers

American military chiefs are developing plans to use Valium as a potential weapon against enemy forces and to control hostile populations, according to official documents seen by The Observer.
...US documents reveal that two years ago the Pentagon commissioned scientists at Pennsylvania State University to look at potential military uses for a range of chemicals known as calmatives. The scientists concluded that several drugs would be effective to control crowds or in military operations such as anti-terrorist campaigns. The drugs they recommended for 'immediate consideration' included diazepam, better known as the tranquilliser Valium, and dexmedetomidine, used to sedate patients in intensive care. The scientists advised that these drugs can 'effectively act on central nervous system tissues and produces a less anxious, less aggressive, more tranquil-like behaviour'.

FCC chair urges lifting of cross-ownership media ban

[T]he chairman of the Federal Communications Commission called on newspaper publishers Tuesday to help his agency revive a push to lift a ban on the ownership of both newspapers and broadcasting outlets in the same city.
Chairman Kevin Martin, addressing a gathering of publishers at an annual industry convention in Chicago, said newspaper owners should do more to educate the public about the vast changes that have occurred in the nation's media marketplace since 1975, when the ban was put in place.
“A lot has changed since the days of disco and leisure suits,” Martin said, noting an explosion in the number of broadcasting outlets since then, as well as the rise of cable television and the Internet, all of which have made media much more competitive.
“We can't take on this process alone,” Martin said. “Your job is to educate the public about the changes in the media landscape.”

Yes we have hundreds of channels.
I have several water taps in my house, but that does NOT mean I have a wide choice of water suppliers. (BTW, "leisure suits" are not the issue.)
-- McLir

Unemployment rate back to 4-1/2-year low

U.S. employers added 211,000 jobs in March and the unemployment rate unexpectedly slipped back to a 4-1/2-year low 4.7 percent, the government said on Friday in a report that underlined a relatively vigorous labor market.

Whistle-Blower Outs NSA Spy Room at AT&T

AT&T provided National Security Agency eavesdroppers with full access to its customers' phone calls, and shunted its customers' internet traffic to data-mining equipment installed in a secret room in its San Francisco switching center, according to a former AT&T worker cooperating in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's lawsuit against the company.
Mark Klein, a retired AT&T communications technician, submitted an affidavit in support of the EFF's lawsuit this week. That class action lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco last January, alleges that AT&T violated federal and state laws by surreptitiously allowing the government to monitor phone and internet communications of AT&T customers without warrants.
On Wednesday, the EFF asked the court to issue an injunction prohibiting AT&T from continuing the alleged wiretapping, and filed a number of documents under seal, including three AT&T documents that purportedly explain how the wiretapping system works.
According to a statement released by Klein's attorney, an NSA agent showed up at the San Francisco switching center in 2002 to interview a management-level technician for a special job. In January 2003, Klein observed a new room being built adjacent to the room housing AT&T's #4ESS switching equipment, which is responsible for routing long distance and international calls.
"I learned that the person whom the NSA interviewed for the secret job was the person working to install equipment in this room," Klein wrote. "The regular technician work force was not allowed in the room."

Evidence Suggests White House Conspiracy

Fitzgerald wrote in the filing, "There exist documents, some of which have been provided to defendant and there were conversations in which defendant participated, that reveal a strong desire by many, including multiple people in the White House, to repudiate Mr. Wilson before and after July 14, 2003."
Although Fitzgerald makes it abundantly clear that Libby is not charged with conspiracy, he argues that Libby's suggestion that there was no White House plot to discredit Wilson is ludicrous, given the amount of evidence Fitzgerald has in his possession that suggests otherwise.
"Once again, defendant ignores the fact that he is not charged with participating in any conspiracy, much less one defined as a 'White House-driven plot to punish Mr. Wilson,'" the filing states. "Moreover, given that there is evidence that other White House officials with whom defendant spoke prior to July 14, 2003, discussed Wilson's wife's employment with the press both prior to, and after, July 14, 2003 - which evidence has been shared with defendant - it is hard to conceive of what evidence there could be that would disprove the existence of White House efforts to 'punish' Wilson."

Latest Re-Enactment from Barndon Hardesty: Pulp Fiction

YouTube.com link above.
His other re-enactments here.

Bandon writes:
In this famous scene from Pulp Fiction, Christopher Walken has just returned from the Vietnam War to give his friend's son an heirloom gold watch. He goes into great detail telling the boy about the watch's origins, and how he managed to keep the watch all these years...
This scene was by far the hardest one I've done, but easy to edit. Since I did it all in one take, I didn't have to edit anything, besides the opening title.
It was either this scene or the "Say what again" scene with Samuel Jackson. I absolutely LOVE that scene, but I'd feel dirty after cursing so much.
Christopher Walken... you are a frightening man. Funny as hell, though.

Resources
War medals on jacket = some random pins
Watch = an old prop from a play I was in

Jack Handey: Ideas for paintings

Because I love art, I am offering the following ideas for paintings to all struggling artists out there. Some of those artists may be thinking, Hey, I’ve got good ideas of my own. Really? Then why are you struggling?
These ideas are free of charge. All I ask is that when you have completed a painting, as a courtesy to me you sign it “Jack Handey and [your name or initials].” And, if the painting is sold, I get approximately all the money.
Good luck! Let’s get painting!...

Dick Cavett Interviews Sly Stone in 1970

For fans of surrealism.

Citizens Lobby Congress for Reliable Electronic Voting

Hundreds of citizen lobbyists from across the nation will be in Washington, DC, this coming Thursday and Friday, working to help secure the future of safe, reliable electronic voting through the passage of HR 550 -- the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act. HR 550 would ensure a voter-verified paper record of every vote, establish mandatory random hand-counted audits, and prohibit the use of secret software and wireless communications in voting machines.
The "Lobby Days" were organized by the HR 550 "I Count" Coalition, which includes the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Common Cause, Verified Voting, Voters Unite, VoteTrustUSA, and Working Assets. The coalition will hold a lobbying training session for activists before they go to work on Thursday.

The Onion: Critics Blast Bush For Not Praying Hard Enough

President Bush, already facing the lowest approval ratings in history, is coming under fire from former supporters over what they call his "ineffectual and incompetent" use of prayer for national guidance and assistance.
"Every time the president is criticized, he insists that the nation is in his prayers," said the Family Research Council's Bob Jensen. "That may be, but it's becoming more and more clear that these prayers are either too infrequent, too brief, or not strongly worded enough to be effective."
Jensen added: "This nation deserves more than a president who just pays lip service to prayer. It deserves a president who demands that his prayers get real-world results."

U.S. Officials Are Mulling Iran Strikes, Experts Say

Key players in the Bush administration think a military confrontation with Iran is unavoidable, leading to stepped up military planning for such a prospect, according to several experts and recently departed senior government officials.
Some of these observers stressed that military strikes against Iran are not imminent and speculated that the escalated war chatter could be a deliberate ploy to ratchet up diplomatic pressure on Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Still, they made clear, the tone in Washington has changed drastically.
"In recent months I have grown increasingly concerned that the administration has been giving thought to a heavy dose of air strikes against Iran's nuclear sector without giving enough weight to the possible ramifications of such action," said Wayne White, a former deputy director at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research. White, who worked in the bureau's Office of Analysis for the Near East and South Asia, left government in early 2005 and is now an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute.

U.S. Officials Are Mulling Iran Strikes, Experts Say

Key players in the Bush administration think a military confrontation with Iran is unavoidable, leading to stepped up military planning for such a prospect, according to several experts and recently departed senior government officials.
Some of these observers stressed that military strikes against Iran are not imminent and speculated that the escalated war chatter could be a deliberate ploy to ratchet up diplomatic pressure on Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Still, they made clear, the tone in Washington has changed drastically.
"In recent months I have grown increasingly concerned that the administration has been giving thought to a heavy dose of air strikes against Iran's nuclear sector without giving enough weight to the possible ramifications of such action," said Wayne White, a former deputy director at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research. White, who worked in the bureau's Office of Analysis for the Near East and South Asia, left government in early 2005 and is now an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute.

Surveillance drones over LA skies

UAVs have long been used by military forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere -- but now, law enforcement agencies back home are exploring uses here in the US.
In a recent House hearing, police agencies and private entities argued for more widespread use, and the FAA has launched a new office for drone-related regulations.
Just this week, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department began using a drone called SkySeer for rescue operations and tracking "persons of interest" during foot pursuits. NPR "Day to Day" producer Rob Sachs and I traveled to an undisclosable location east of LA for a private demo of SkySeer with Commander Charles "Sid" Heal, head of the LASD's technology exploration project. Representatives of Chang Industries, the small defense contracting firm that developed SkySeer, were also on hand.

Truth Markets

Proposed is a system which achieves two goals:
1. Create an unbiased and trusted rating mechanism for claims that purport to be true statements as well as a related rating mechanism for those who make truth claims.
2. Offer incentive for such a system to be created and self-sustaining without undermining the credibility or impartiality of the system itself.

Battery electrodes self-assembled by viruses

Genetically modified viruses that assemble into electrodes could one day revolutionise battery manufacturing.
Researchers in the US have created viruses that automatically coat themselves in metals and line up head to tail to form an efficient battery anode – the negatively charged component that channels electrons to generate current. These nanowires could be used to make revolutionary new forms of lithium-ion batteries, the researchers say.

Three Ohio Officials Indicted Over 2004 Vote Recount

After the 2004 presidential election, Cuyahoga County election workers secretly skirted rules designed to make sure all votes were counted correctly, a special prosecutor charges.
While there is no evidence of vote fraud, the prosecutor said their efforts were aimed at avoiding an expensive - and very public - hand recount of all votes cast. Three top county elections officials have been indicted, and Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter says more indictments are possible.
Michael Vu, executive director of the Cuyahoga County elections board, said workers followed procedures that had been in place for 23 years. He said board employees had no objection to doing an exhaustive hand count if needed, meaning they had no motive to break the law.
Internet bloggers have cried foul since 2004 about election results in Ohio, one of the key states in deciding the election. They have been tracking Baxter's investigation with online posts about the indictments.

Libby Says Bush Authorized Leaks

Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff has testified that President Bush authorized him to disclose the contents of a highly classified intelligence assessment to the media to defend the Bush administration's decision to go to war with Iraq, according to papers filed in federal court on Wednesday by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor in the CIA leak case.
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby testified to a federal grand jury that he had received "approval from the President through the Vice President" to divulge portions of a National Intelligence Estimate regarding Saddam Hussein's purported efforts to develop nuclear weapons, according to the court papers. Libby was said to have testified that such presidential authorization to disclose classified information was "unique in his recollection," the court papers further said.
Libby also testified that an administration lawyer told him that Bush, by authorizing the disclosure of classified information, had in effect declassified the information. Legal experts disagree on whether the president has the authority to declassify information on his own.
The White House had no immediate reaction to the court filing.

Report on Corporate Agitprop as "News"

Over a ten-month period, the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) documented television newsrooms' use of 36 video news releases (VNRs)—a small sample of the thousands produced each year. CMD identified 77 television stations, from those in the largest to the smallest markets, that aired these VNRs or related satellite media tours (SMTs) in 98 separate instances, without disclosure to viewers. Collectively, these 77 stations reach more than half of the U.S. population. The VNRs and SMTs whose broadcast CMD documented were produced by three broadcast PR firms for 49 different clients, including General Motors, Intel, Pfizer and Capital One. In each case, these 77 television stations actively disguised the sponsored content to make it appear to be their own reporting. In almost all cases, stations failed to balance the clients' messages with independently-gathered footage or basic journalistic research. More than one-third of the time, stations aired the pre-packaged VNR in its entirety.