WASHINGTON (AFP) - The former US-led Coalition Provisional Authority headed by American Paul Bremer lost track of nearly nine billion dollars it transferred to Iraqi government ministries to a black hole of fraud, kickbacks and fund misappropriation, according to Time magazine.

In a report to hit US newsstands Monday, Time reports that the CPA left "large portions of the 8.8 billion Iraqi treasury open to fraud, kickbacks and misappropration of funds," citing a US inspector general's audit. The report was written by the inspector general for Iraq reconstruction Stuart Bowen, a high-powered lawyer from Texas, it said.

Time said Bowen's audit cites Bremer's oversight of the CPA with lax accounting and inadequate disclosure.

The report says that on one payroll, for example, only 602 of the 8,206 names could be confirmed, with no paper trail existing for the rest of the cash.

Another cited example of concern said the CPA allowed Iraqi officials to delay reporting the 2.5 billion dollars the interim government received in oil-for-food money last spring.

The report said Bremer -- who recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- issued an "angry eight-page reply" to Bowen's findings, criticizing the audit for misconceptions and inaccuracies.

Bowen's office could not be reached for comment late Sunday.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Assisted Living

What does it say that the most curious thing to note about this month's releases is the presence not once, but twice, of Cicely Tyson? If you guessed "it's a slow month," give yourself two points.

FEBRUARY 4
BOOGEYMAN

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kid grows up to face the boogeyman in his closet from years before. Somehow this is not based on a Stephen King novel.

WILL IT SUCK?
This is the second release from Sam Raimi's "Ghost House" shingle. But don't be fooled. Sam doesn't have nearly the track record as a producer that he does as a director. On the other hand, this has Xena.

The director did that miserable "Get Carter" remake with Sly and the main writer (who did story and screenplay) used to write for "Tarzan." But, um, how about that Lucy Lawless, huh? And you know acclaimed actress Zooey Deschanel? No, she's not in this. But her little sister is! That's something, right?

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
It's got no competition this week or the next, but from the previous week "Hide and Seek" and "Alone in the Dark" will be breathing down its neck. Ghost House's previous film, "The Grudge," did very well but that was near Halloween with Sarah Michelle Gellar. This, not so much. $33mil.

THE WEDDING DATE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
There are three rules for a male escort. Never take a check. Never start a land war in Asia. And never, ever, fall in love. Dermot Mulroney is the escort. Deborah Messing is the chick passing him off as her beau at her sister's wedding. Guess which rule gets broken.

WILL IT SUCK?
From the director of "How to Deal." For some reason that's not mentioned in the toxically generic trailer. Here's hoping that the talented Messing eventually gets a jump-start into movie stardom - I just don't think this is gonna do it.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
It shouldn't do too badly upon opening, but the following week "Hitch" will suck up all the romcom oxygen in the room. $33mil.

RORY O'SHEA WAS HERE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
No, really he was. He says you owe him money.

Disabled kid moves into home for the disabled and raises hopes of other disabled kids with his irreverent, wacky ways.

WILL IT SUCK?
Pretty unanimous positive buzz here. Nominated for a crapload of Irish Oscars, and won one for screenplay. That's impressive since this is from the screenwriter of "Goldeneye" (and the upcoming Fernando Meirelles movie, for which I'm much more psyched since he's the guy that did "City of God" - but we'll talk about that another time). The director did "East is East," which is also supposed to be good. Trailer's pretty funny.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Should do well upon opening. The following week the field starts to get a little crowded with "Bride and Prejudice" and "Inside Deep Throat." Expect modest success. $5mil.

NOBODY KNOWS

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kind of like "Party of Five," but in Japanese.

WILL IT SUCK?
Very good buzz on this one, which got an acting award at Cannes and a Palme D'Or nod to boot. It's Japan's submission for Best Foreign Flick Oscar (it didn't make it), so they believe in it. Unlikely to suck.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Without that Foreign Film nod, the indie onslaught of the following week will be even tougher to weather. $900,000.

ASSISTED LIVING

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Stoned-out janitor gets mistaken for nursing home resident's son.

WILL IT SUCK?
Grand Jury winner at Slamdance. Notable for it's mix of real life and fiction elements, it was shot at an actual nursing home with real staff and residents. Buzz is generally positive.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Cowboy Pictures is not a very big name. And this will be up against some heavy hitters the following week. $500,000.

THE NOMI SONG

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Missing musical number from "Showgirls."

Or pseudo-doc about underground New Wave figure Klaus Nomi.

WILL IT SUCK?
Won the Best Doc award at the Berlin Film Festival. Other than that, little is known. Do you like the underground New Wave scene of Greenwich Village in the '80's? I'll bet you do.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Palm Pictures is in the same league as Cowboy Pictures. Repeat "heavy hitters" spiel. Add in the fact that "Assisted Living" will probably have a few more articles written about it. $100,000.

---------------------------------------------

FEBRUARY 11

HITCH

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
"How to Be a Playa…But a Nice, Family-Friendly One" Will Smith pimps Kevin James' mojo.

WILL IT SUCK?
Director Andy Tennant has brought us both "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Ever After," so this could go either way.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
"The Wedding Date's" second frame is going to be a mild drain on the audience for this one, but Will Smith is a little better known than what's-her-face from "Will and Grace." Tennant does well with a star (see Reese Witherspoon's "Alabama" gross). $106mil.

POOH'S HEFFALUMP MOVIE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
If you can't figure it out from the title, I'm not going to explain it to you.

WILL IT SUCK?
If you can't figure it out from the title… This is from the seasoned Disney sequel writers behind "Piglet's Big Movie," "Lion King 1.5," "Jungle Book 2," and a producer from "The Return of Jafar." So the only surprise here is that this isn't straight-to-DVD.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Well, it faces huge competition from the limited release of "Inside Deep Throat." Other than that, the coast is clear. Actually, "Because of Winn Dixie" looks to be equally sickeningly cute the following week, and "Son of the Mask" might actually skew too young for the target demo here. Still, the Pooh movies have a ceiling. $24mil.

INSIDE DEEP THROAT

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
The story of "Deep Throat." The movie, not the informant.

WILL IT…NEVER MIND
There's a weird continuity between this and directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato's last big doc, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye." The line-up looks interesting. John Waters, Gore Vidal, and Norman Mailer all weigh in. I'm curious to see if the issue of star Linda Lovelace's rather contentious relationship with the film, revolving around sexual assault allegations will make the cut, but as the film focuses more on the cultural phenomenon rather than the behind-the-scenes drama, chances are not so much. Either way, should be fascinating.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
It's up against nothing similar and it's got Brian Grazer backing it. Still, it's got an NC-17 rating which is the financial kiss of death. That, however, didn't stop "The Dreamers" from collecting a few papers. $3mil.

BRIDE AND PREJUDICE
(Delayed from December)

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Bollywood adaptation of the Jane Austin classic.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is mixed. The musical numbers look great. This is the latest from "Bend it Like Beckham" writer/director Gurinder Chadha, reteamed with her "Beckham" co-writer Paul Mayeda Berges. So expect the same quality here, except that critics are saying the dialogue isn't up to par. Also, keep an eye out for Mike White as a bellboy.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The odds are a little more in its favor now that it's been moved. It's gotten mild buzz and isn't up against Oscar-contender heavyweights. Still, a better critical buzz would help. $4mil.

---------------------------------------------

FEBRUARY 18

CONSTANTINE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Keanu Reeves vs. demons.

WILL IT SUCK?
Well, it's from the writers of "The Glimmer Man" and "Suburban Commando," so what could go wrong? Seriously, why are they trying to make it look like "The Matrix Repackaged"? It's not like "Revolutions" got much love. The "Hellblazer" comic upon which this is based got much love, but this probably won't.

Still, ya gotta love Tilda Swinton, Djimon Hounsou and Shia LeBouf slumming it (Rachel Weisz cannot claim to "slum" after having been in the "Mummy" sequels - I liked them and all, but they're not exactly "Orlando" or "Amistad"). I guess it's a little early to claim Shia's slumming, but he was so good in "Holes" that it just feels that way.

And Peter Stormare as Satan? I am so there.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The second frame of "Hitch" shouldn't be underestimated here, but Keanu still has a huge following and there's nothing remotely like this on the horizon. $91mil.

SON OF THE MASK

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
{Unable to summon the strength to actually write anything in response to that question, the writer simply utters a long, mournful groan.)

WILL IT SUCK?
Two words: CGI Baby. It marked Ally McBeal's shark jump, and that's where this one starts. So, Alan Cumming, I will pay you not to be in this. Too late.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This is one of those ideas that's just stupid enough to work. However, there's plenty of other stupidity to compete with. "Because of Winn Dixie" looks to be just about as stupid this week, and "Man of the House" brings the wacky the following week. Not good for Jamie Kennedy. $37mil.

BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
"Lassie Come Home…Oh, Wait, There You Are!"

WILL IT SUCK?
Wayne Wang. In ten years, you've gone from "Smoke" to "Maid in Manhattan." And now this. Well, the novel upon which it's based is pretty well-regarded and Dave Matthews is apparently a perfect choice to play a singing pet store owner in this girl-meets-dog tale. But the trailer looks about as cheesy as can be. This will have to work very hard to not suck.

Cicely Tyson: 1 of 2.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
It's kind of a family-friendly-heavy time. You've got "Son of the Mask" and the second frame of "Heffalump" to deal with. This will cut into grosses. And I don't think the Matthews crowd can be counted on for this one. $39mil.

TURTLES CAN FLY

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Family drama set on the Turkey/Iraq border on the eve of invasion. The first film out of Iraq since said invasion.

WILL IT SUCK?
Unlikely. Iranian Writer/Director/Producer Bahman Ghobadi has a decent rep. He won two awards for this film at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Early buzz is very good. And, in spite of the hokey title, just the cache of a Middle-Eastern perspective on things is enticing.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
If IFC can get off their butt and start marketing this as "the first film out of Iraq since the war began" it might do very well. But I haven't heard any of that yet. $800,000.

SCHULTZE GETS THE BLUES

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
A man named Schultze, um, gets the blues. Actually, he develops an interest in Zydeco, but that's kind of the same thing.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz says no. This German import has swept up at various festivals and is now coming here, much like the titular character. I said "titular."

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Not much competition, but still, you gotta start hawking the story of a Zydeco enthusiast pretty early in the morning to get people to come, and I haven't seen anything yet. $400,000.

---------------------------------------------

FEBRUARY 25

CURSED

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Feature film version of short-lived series with that guy from "Wings."

Actually, werewolf movie from the "Scream" team.

WILL IT SUCK?
There was a time when it seemed Kevin Williamson could do no wrong. "Scream" was a hit and the first season of "Dawson's Creek" seemed relatively intelligent, if a little whiny. And then came "Teaching Miss Tingle." It was all downhill from there. Now he's back, reteamed with Wes Craven for a werewolf film. Except there were production delays and then a release delay of over a year. Not good signs. And the trailer is sort of "meh." With a really fake-y looking CGI devil dog to boot. Sigh.

However, the cast is stellar and might just make for an interesting boondoggle of a movie. You've got Scott Baio, Craig Kilbourne, and Lance Bass playing themselves (in more ways than one, perhaps, simply by appearing in this). Two, count 'em, two stars from "Arrested Development" (Portia De Rossi and Judy Greer). Christina "I survived 'Prozac Nation'" Ricci, Joshua Jackson, Michael "Lex" Rosenbaum, Robert Forster, Scott Foley…the list goes on an on and…actually, that's about it.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
There's a creepy vibe going already at this point with the second frame of "Constantine." Then the following week "The Jacket" will be giving people goose bumps. The trailer isn't really playing up the humor, but even if it were, there's "Son of the Mask" the week before and "Man of the House" this week. (If they make a sequel to "Man of the House," I really hope they call it "Son of the Man of the House").

It would be pretty cheesy for me to say this film were cursed, so instead I'll call it "blessing challenged." $52mil.

DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Um, pretty self-explanatory. But what sets the woman in question off is her husband running off with her best friend. Anger and, presumably, journal entries ensue.

WILL IT SUCK?
Hard to say. This is based on a popular stage play of the same name and it has the same writer so, whatever made it so popular is likely to still be there. The cross-dressed grandma is kind of freaking me out, though. Very mannish. (See the trailer).

Cicely Tyson: 2 of 2.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
An interesting (and potentially profitable) subgenre is beginning to emerge. The low-budget, low-profile black adaptation. Last year's "Woman, Thou Art Loosed" very quietly made a tidy profit on a pre-existing popular title - in that case, a self-help book well-known in black circles from a black preacher. This (with the same lead actress, no less) looks to capitalize on that success. It'll be interesting to see if it does. The fact that this is opening wide suggests that Lion's Gate believes that it will. $7mil.

MAN OF THE HOUSE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
"Mr. Congeniality." FBI agent Tommy Lee Jones babysits cheerleaders/witnesses.

WILL IT SUCK?
First of all, it's Revolution Studios, so abandon all hope ye who enter here. Second of all, it's from the director of "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" and…wait for it…"Life or Something Like It," "The Mighty Ducks" and, God help us, "Holy Man." He also did "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead," which, depending on how late it is and how much alcohol/pot/crystal meth you've had, could be a good thing.

The writers have brought us everything from "Intolerable Cruelty" to "Destiny Turns on the Radio" and given the latter I'm gonna guess the better parts of the former came from the Cohen brothers.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Like most Revolution Studios films this will do far better than it deserves until "The Pacifier" comes out the following week to up the stoopid ante. $35mil.

UP AND DOWN

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Interweaving plots include a childless couple, an abandoned immigrant baby, and soccer hooliganism. And a pawnshop. With a den of thieves. Who sell the baby. To the childless couple. It's a rich tapestry.

WILL IT SUCK?
This was the Czech submission to the Academy for Oscar consideration for Best Foreign Film so, at least they liked it (even though the Academy didn't).

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
With the nom, better. $600,000.

Actually some cool stuff to look forward to in March. The sequel to "Shaolin Soccer," a team of crime-fighting lesbians, a sequel to one of the few good horror films of this decade, what happens when Woody Allen directs Will Ferrell, 20th Century Fox's animation wing's follow-up to "Ice Age," and another Elmore Leonard novel with a kick-ass cast.

All of this will be balanced by the release of "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous." That is not a misprint.

Dave Thomas

http://travelindave.blogspot.com

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge dealt a setback to the Bush administration and ruled on Monday that the Guantanamo Bay terrorism suspects can challenge their confinement and the procedures in their military tribunal review process are unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Joyce Hens Green said the prisoners at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have constitutional protections under U.S. law.

"The court concludes that the petitioners have stated valid claims under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and that the procedures implemented by the government to confirm that the petitioners are 'enemy combatants' subject to indefinite detention violate the petitioners' rights to due process of law," Green wrote.

More than 540 suspects are being held at Guantanamo after being detained during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan and in other operations in the U.S. war on terrorism. They are al Qaeda suspects and accused Taliban fighters. The ruling pertained to only 50 detainees.

Bush administration attorneys argued the prisoners have no constitutional rights and their lawsuits challenging the conditions of their confinement and seeking their release must be dismissed.

The tribunals, formally called a military commission, at the base were authorized by President Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked airliner attacks on the United States, but have been criticized by human rights groups as unfair to defendants.

At issue in the ruling was the July 7, 2004, order by Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz creating a military tribunal -- called the Combatant Status Review Tribunal -- to check the status of each Guantanamo detainee as an "enemy combatant."

The procedures used for the tribunals "are unconstitutional for failing to comport with the requirements of due process," Green concluded.

She said the procedures failed to give the detainees access to material evidence and failed to let lawyers help them when the government refused to disclose classified information.

The main part of her ruling held the suspects can challenge their confinement and rejected the government's position that all the cases must be dismissed.

"Of course, it would be far easier for the government to prosecute the war on terrorism if it could imprison all suspected 'enemy combatants' at Guantanamo Bay without having to acknowledge and respect any constitutional rights of detainees," Green said.

"Although this nation unquestionably must take strong action under the leadership of the commander in chief to protect itself against enormous and unprecedented threats, that necessity cannot negate the existence of the most basic fundamental rights for which the people of this country have fought and died for well over two hundred years," Green said.

"In sum, there can be no question that the Fifth Amendment right asserted by the Guantanamo detainees in this litigation -- the right not to be deprived of liberty without due process of law -- is one of the most fundamental rights recognized by the U.S. Constitution," she said.

Green also ruled that some of the suspects have brought valid claims under the Geneva Convention, the international treaty protecting the rights of prisoners of war.

A group of attorneys representing some of the suspects hailed the ruling. "Now it's time for this administration to act," they said in a statement. "Today's decision is a momentous victory for the rule of law, for human rights, and for our democracy."

Green's 75-page opinion was the unclassified version and stemmed from 11 cases involving Guantanamo prisoners.

Her ruling probably will not be the final word on the issue. A different federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19 dismissed the cases of seven Guantanamo prisoners on the grounds they had no recognizable constitutional rights and were subject to the military review process.

The cases could be appealed to the U.S. appeals court, and then ultimately to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Additional reporting by Deborah Charles)

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:00 AM | Permalink

Vietnam

Saturday 01.29.05
At Todd Patrick's New Space In Williamsburg

Vietnam
Blood On The Wall
Psychic Ills
Civil War

NE Corner of Metropolitan & River St - River St door | WLMSBRG, BKLYN
L - Bedford / G - Metropolitan / JM - Marcy | 8pm | all ages + booze | $6

Blood On The Wall open up this New Year with their first show of 2005 with Miggie Littleton back on the drum throne. This trio will have you stomping and swaying with their infectious songs and get you laughing with their between song banter. The Psychic Ills bring their space rock burn which is sure to keep your head swimming. Joining them will be Vice-Records-Rostered Vietnam (Now featuring Ivan Sunshine of Ghost Exits Fame) and local heros Civil War.

The new space is around the corner from the soon-to-be former Mighty Robot Space and is housed in the same building as the soon-to-be newer Mighty Robot Space.

-------------------------------

And don't miss IDIOTAROD on Saturday.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 05:27 PM | Permalink

From Atrios
"Cheney stood out in a sea of black-coated world leaders because he was wearing an olive drab parka with a fur-trimmed hood. It is embroidered with his name. It reminded one of the way in which children's clothes are inscribed with their names before they are sent away to camp. And indeed, the vice president looked like an awkward boy amid the well-dressed adults.

Like other attendees, the vice president was wearing a hat. But it was not a fedora or a Stetson or a fur hat or any kind of hat that one might wear to a memorial service as the representative of one's country. Instead, it was a knit ski cap, embroidered with the words "Staff 2001." It was the kind of hat a conventioneer might find in a goodie bag.

It is also worth mentioning that Cheney was wearing hiking boots -- thick, brown, lace-up ones. Did he think he was going to have to hike the 44 miles from Krakow -- where he had made remarks earlier in the day -- to Auschwitz?"

by the way -- where the hell was the entire Bush administration during the recent genocide memorial in Rwanda? Oh yeah, almost forgot, the Rwandans aren't white.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Normally, we'd find it self-indulgent to run a story about our new book, Food Court Druids, Cherohonkees, and other Creatures Unique to the Republic, but this article from a Presbyterian gazette in VA is bizarre and priceless:

Resolving to Reach Out in '05

Asphalt Rangers. Have you every bumped into one? These are people who live in the city, but wear backpacking gear and hiking shoes every day. And how about Stretchibitionists? They are those peculiar gym patrons who never seem to actually work out; instead, they claim a visible spot to do a stretch routine with no apparent aim or reason.

If these descriptions ring a bell, you can thank Robert Lanham, author of the book Food Court Druids, Cherohonkees, and Other Creatures Unique to the Republic. He's "the Margaret Mead of the North American weirdo," according to writer Neal Pollack—able to identify dozens of species of humans who may not even know that they are part of a distinctive social group. (Hank Stuever, "Your Life: Highly Classified, By Robert Lanham," The Washington Post, November 7, 2004, D1)

The mission of our church is to reach out to Asphalt Rangers and Stretchibitionists, as well as every other social group in our community. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus goes out into all the cities and villages, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God, and curing every disease and every sickness (Matthew 9:35). He reaches out to the first-century versions of Asphalt Rangers and Stretchibitionists — members of every idiosyncratic social group that existed in all the cities and villages of Galilee. The point of this passage is that Jesus ventures beyond his own circle of family members and friends and reaches out — he embraces the great crowds of people who are "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (v. 36). Although these crowds of Galileans may have been as odd and amusing as Stretchibitionists, Jesus doesn't laugh at them. Instead, he has compassion for them.

Then Jesus commands his disciples to do the same. "The harvest is plentiful," he says, "but the laborers are few" (v. 37). In other words, "Go on, get going. There are a lot of Asphalt Rangers we need to reach." We can make a New Year’s resolution to reach out in 2005.

The place to begin is always to identify a hunger — to figure out what is missing, what needs to be filled, what is aching for satisfaction. Then, and only then, our job is to take steps to satisfy that hunger with solid spiritual food.

So, how can we reach the Asphalt Rangers? These people who live in backpacking gear and hiking shoes have a hunger for opportunities that are adventurous, challenging, and results-oriented. We can offer overseas mission trips for Rangers who like to work with their hands, local mission projects for men and women who want to improve their communities, and intensive spiritual retreats for people who are willing to be challenged by the rigors of faithful living. Another trip to Honduras will be offered this year by the Midlife Men on a Mission, local mission projects are always being organized by the Mission Outreach Ministry, and the Great Banquet spiritual renewal weekend will return to FPC this spring and fall.

But what about Stretchibitionists? These idiosyncratic gym patrons might appear to be uninterested in religion, but in fact they have a spiritual need that the church is uniquely qualified to meet. As disciples of Christ, we can help them to put body and soul together. The Christian Education Ministry is sponsoring a program on faith and fitness in late January (see details on page 10), and participants in this program may decide to organize some exercise groups. The key to reaching Stretchibitionists is to create new programs that help them to put body and soul together. It's a spiritual need that we can meet, and as we do so we'll be acting as faithful laborers in Christ's harvest.

Meeting people where they are is the key to being a faithful healer and harvester. By finding and meeting their needs, we'll find ways to reach the many idiosyncratic groups all around us that are so in need of the gospel. So let's resolve to reach out in 2005.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

from the Guardian

Lobby groups funded by the US oil industry are targeting Britain in a bid to play down the threat of climate change and derail action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, leading scientists have warned.
Bob May, president of the Royal Society, says that "a lobby of professional sceptics who opposed action to tackle climate change" is turning its attention to Britain because of its high profile in the debate.

Writing in the Life section of today's Guardian, Professor May says the government's decision to make global warming a focus of its G8 presidency has made it a target. So has the high profile of its chief scientific adviser, David King, who described climate change as a bigger threat than terrorism.

Prof May's warning coincides with a meeting of climate change sceptics today at the Royal Institution in London organised by a British group, the Scientific Alliance, which has links to US oil company ExxonMobil through a collaboration with a US institute.

Last month the Scientific Alliance published a joint report with the George C Marshall Institute in Washington that claimed to "undermine" climate change claims. The Marshall institute received £51,000 from ExxonMobil for its "global climate change programme" in 2003 and an undisclosed sum this month.

Prof May's warning comes as British scientists, in the journal Nature, show that emissions of carbon dioxide could have a more dramatic effect on climate than thought. They say the average temperature could rise 11C, even if atmospheric carbon dioxide were limited to the levels expected in 2050.

David Frame, who coordinated the climate prediction experiment, said: "If the real world response were anywhere near the upper end of our range, even today's levels of greenhouse gases could already be dangerously high."

Emission limits such as those in the Kyoto protocol would hit oil firms because the bulk of greenhouse gases come from burning fossil fuel products.

Prof May writes that during the 1990s, parts of the US oil industry funded sceptics who opposed action to tackle climate change. A Scientific Alliance spokesman said today's meeting was sponsored but funders did not influence policies. ExxonMobil said it was not involved.

One adviser is Sallie Baliunas, an astrophysicist at the Harvard Smithsonian Centre, who is linked to the Marshall Institute. In 1998 Dr Baliunas co-wrote an article that argued for the release of more carbon dioxide. It was mass-mailed to US scientists with a petition asking them to reject Kyoto.

Tony Blair yesterday attempted to urge George Bush to sign a climate change accord. At the World Economic Forum he said climate change was "not universally accepted", but evidence of its danger had been "clearly and persuasively advocated" by a very large number of "independent voices."

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:19 AM | Permalink

For those of you patiently waiting for the new Beck record (out in March), here's something to keep you busy: an exclusive look at the 8-bit collective remix video of "Hell Yes." :

Windows Media
Real Player

Also, here's the latest on the upcoming release and the premature MP3's many have downloaded:

(From MTV.com)
It's arriving a little later than expected, but after a few delays in song selection, Beck now plans to release his new album, Guero, on March 29—or possibly sooner, to minimize the damage of an Internet leak.Initially due in October 2004 the follow-up to 2002's Sea Change forgoes the melancholy of his last breakup record and finds the Los Angeles native in an upbeat mood with a carefree, stripped-down approach. An unmastered and unfinished version of the record, erroneously titled Ubiquitous, has been floating around online for a few days now.

Produced by Odelay and Midnite Vultures collaborators the Dust Brothers, Guero (Mexican slang for a blond-haired, fair-skinned Caucasian) features 13 tracks that loosely act like a Beck mixtape — evoking the beat-driven material on Odelay, the acoustic tracks of 1998's Mutations and even the bluesy junk-shop textures of 1994's Mellow Gold.

While a definite creative and spiritual link to his '90s records is apparent, the major distinction is in the relaxed manner and noticeable maturity. Guero is Odelay minus the over-caffeinated Moogs and ping-ponging video game bedlam of albums past.

The album kicks off with "E-Pro," the album's first single, which features a beat seemingly jacked from a classic Beastie Boys record with a simple, heavy rock riff and marks a return to the Dadaist rhyming absent on the somber Sea Change.

"Girls" also has radio-playability written all over it. A funky up-tempo jam, the sun-drenched track features "oohs" and "aahs," breezy acoustic guitars and Beck's lithe falsetto. "Hell Yes" features more rhyming and a minimal electro groove, robotic voices and females cooing, "Please enjoy," while Beck maintains, "My beat is correct."

"Que Onda Guero" ("What up, whitey?") is a dead-ringer for vintage Cypress Hill in an East-L.A. barrio with its requisite Spanglish and low-rider beats.

The latter half of the record becomes moodier and psychedelic with songs like the sad, celestial ballad "Broken Drum," the down-tempo "Earthquake Weather," the dusty "Farewell Ride" and the almost trip-hop vibe of "Emergency Exit." The White Stripes' Jack White plays bass on the shuffling and sparse "Go It Alone."

A concept video for "E-Pro" has been shot, and an experimental pixilated video for "Black Tambourine," featuring a connect-the-dots dancing Beck, has also been made, but it's undetermined what that video will be used for.

Tracks recorded that didn't make the final cut, possibly destined to be B-sides, include the distortion-heavy "Novacane"-esque "Chain Reaction," "Gospel" and an unnamed track that sports a riff reminiscent of "Devil's Haircut," only funkier.

Guero track list, according to Beck's publicist:
"E-Pro"
"Que Onda Guero"
"Girl"
"Missing"
"Black Tambourine"
"Earthquake Weather"
"Hell Yes"
"Broken Drum"
"Scarecrow"
"Go It Alone"
"Farewell Ride"
"Rental Car"
"Emergency Exit"

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 05:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Sarah Flynn

See some great music and help out someone in need Tuesday at Rothko. spinART Records' Sarah Flynn fell ill in November with a rare disorder known as Wegener's disease. All proceeds from the following show will go towards helping her out with medical expenses:

Tuesday, January 25th @ Rothko

Performances by Ted Leo, Benzos, The Head Set, Apollo Sunshine, Chinese Stars, Countess Zatak featuring The Gill Scott-Heron Band and guest DJ James Murphy (DFA), this show promises to be one for the books.

Tickets are available now through Ticketweb for $15 adv/$20 day of show.

Rotko is located at 116 Suffolk Street (Corner of Rivington), Lower East Side, NYC. For directions and other information, please visit their web site.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 07:36 PM | Permalink

Exhibit A - Abortion(from drudge)
"Proposing new political language about abortion rights for an increasingly skittish Democratic Party, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that friends and foes on the issue should come together on "common ground" to reduce the number of "unwanted pregnancies" and ultimately abortions, which she called a "sad, even tragic choice to many, many women."

Clinton, in a speech to about 1,000 abortion rights supporters at the state Capitol, firmly restated her support for Roe v. Wade.

But then she offered warm words to opponents of abortion and said that faith and organized religion were the "primary" reasons teenagers abstained from sexual relations.

Exhibit B - Faith Based Initiatives
"There is no contradiction between support for faith-based initiatives and upholding our constitutional principles," said Clinton, a New York Democrat who often is mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2008. (read full Boston Globe article)

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

From Reuters
The Bush administration plans to announce as early as Tuesday that it will seek about $80 billion in new funding for military operations this year in Iraq and Afghanistan, administration and congressional sources said on Monday.

The new supplemental budget request would come on top of the $25 billion in emergency spending already approved for the current fiscal year, and will push total 2005 funding for military operations and equipment close to a record $105 billion, the sources said on Monday.

Up to $650 million is expected to be included in the package to fund humanitarian aid, reconstruction efforts and military operations in Asian countries devastated by last month's tsunami, congressional aides said.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 05:36 PM | Permalink

We made a trip in the snow to The Tainted Lady Lounge last night. It's located in the Southside of Williamsburg, east or Berry Street and between Driggs and Havemeyer—the new haven for the aging hipster crowd. The Tainted Lady Lounge is appropriately mellow and quaint. Every square inch of the joint is adorned with kitschy pin-ups and the bar is among the more relaxing and unassuming in the neighborhood. They have Guinness, Stella, Sierra Nevada, and Brooklyn Lager on tap and a full liquor bar.

What really surprised us was the food, since at first glance Tainted Lady seems like an unlikely place to grab a meal. I had the tofu steak and my friend selected the wild salmon. Both were very tasty and reminded us of an unpretentious home-cooked meal. The garlic mash potatoes were amazing and the service was very friendly. Swing by and check them out. Here's the menu, slightly fucked up by the snow ball fight we had on the way home.

Bar & Restaurant
388 Grand Street @ Havemeyer
Brooklyn, New York
718.302.5514

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kasabian are one of the big bands of the past year from England. They have been compared to everyone from Stereolab to Stone Roses to Primal Scream. They had four hit singles, and their first album came out in Fall 2004 and sold over 250,000 copies. Their shows have all been sold out all over England in the past year. The rise of Kasabian has been fast. A year ago they were unknown. Now they have played a sold out show in New York at Bowery Ballroom in November, without having any formal releases.

The group, who will embark on a month-long tour supporting The Music, is set to kick-off mid-February in NYC and end in March at SXSW. They're from Leicester, England and are named after one of the killers involved with the Manson Family. I spoke to lead singer, Tom Meighan, around the beginning of the year, about this phenomenal band. Kasabian is Tom Meighan (vocals), Sergio Pizzorno (lead guitar, keyboards), Chris Edwards (bass) and Christopher Karloff (guitar, keyboards).

**********

AL: When did you record the album?

Tom: We recorded the album about a year ago at the farm. We had to move away from the city to get our heads together. We had to do that to record this beautiful baby of ours. If we would have done in a proper studio in the city we would have been out of it. We had to get our heads together and concentrate.

AL: How long was the recording process?

Tom: It took about eight months altogether. We had skeletons of songs for a long time. We knew what we wanted to do. We had the songs in our minds. We lived like hippies man for two years. It was amazing.

AL: It was like a commune?

Tom: Yeah, it was kinda like that. Not far off it. There was not much health food. It was all rubbish food mate and junk food. We ate boxes of potato chips.

AL: Was there any bin driving?

Tom: There was plenty of that mate.

AL: When you record a song how do you go about it?

Tom: We start to get into an idea and put it down. We start with the computer. We start with the beats. Sometimes we lay down some guitar. Sometimes Sergio writes down some guitar parts and brings that in to the rest of the band. It's much like how you would do a hiphop album.

AL: Most of the members of Kasabian grew up with rave culture and much of that music is computer based. Since you are a rock band you would think that some of these tracks are live takes.

Tom: No, they weren't. We just went in there and played it. Some of it was one take and some of it wasn't. It all depended on how we were feeling and how the mood was. Sometimes we would attack a song in one take or a few takes. We wouldn't take that long there. We were trying to create a vibe. It was quite simple.

AL: How long have you been touring?

Tom: We have been playing nonstop since February 2004. We have played Japan. We have been to New York. We played Bowery Ballroom. We have been to Europe. We have been all over England. We have probably played 130 gigs this past year. It's been pretty tense. The year before we probably only played forty shows altogether. We are just finding our feet live now.

AL: What were the earlier shows like?

Tom: They were alright. We tried some more experimental shit out. It was like a wall of sound. We knew we had to perform more and get better. Sometimes we hit the bull's eyes.

AL: You were on the cover of the NME recently. How do you feel about that?

Tom: It's amazing. We have been waiting seven years for it mate. When it happens to you, you can't believe it. They had to put us on there. There was nothing they could do about it. They had to write about us. It's a wonderful thing. I remember buying an NME when I was sixteen years old. Richard Ashcroft was on the cover. I was thinking to myself wouldn't it be amazing one day if they put us on there. We got on there. We were laughing at the picture. We felt like kids again. It's a proud moment.

AL: So now even people who don't even follow music recognize you?

Tom: It's a bit different from how it used to be mate. Six months ago no one gave a shit. It's changed really fast. You are right. People recognize us. Friends call up and want tickets. When you are in a popular band it is all very flattering. I find it all amazing.

AL: How do you write songs in the band?

Tom: Sergio and Karloff do the music and the tunes. Sergio writes most of the lyrics.

AL: What are your songs about generally?

Tom: I would say that the songs are about a mish mash of the world today. Sometimes there are some jumbled up words that don't really mean anything, but it's all quite positive.

AL: I heard some stuff that you said about Keane. It was like there are rock bands and then there are these student types. Sometimes when you go to a festival you have to sit through all these bands with high voices and who wear sweaters.

Tom: They are alright. There will always be students who want to be in bands. The good thing about Kasabian is that we got the students who want to watch us play as well. We got the cool students. We got the hooligans watching us. We have boyfriend and girlfriend watching us together. There are teenagers. We have all types of people at our gig, which is a great thing.

AL: Sometimes you heard an amazing record by Radiohead or Gomez and then you see them live and they look like a bunch of dicks.

Tom: Yeah. Radiohead are amazing. They are clever. Gomez are a good band. What happened to them?

AL: I think that their label dropped them. They have been playing a lot live in the Unites States. When was your record released?

Tom: It came out three months ago and it's doing really well. It comes out in the USA in March 2005. It should be awesome.

AL: You are coming over for a big tour?

Tom: We are coming over for about three months. It's absolutely thrilling that we are actually coming over to the States and playing.

AL: You already played one show in New York at Bowery Ballroom. What is the show going to be like?

Tom: When we play we are going to be on fire. We are going to be locked and loaded. We are going to be ready to go. We are going to give you our heart and our blood, man. We are going to give you a rock and roll show. We are going to spill our blood. We are not lying to you. You are going to fucking believe it. It's going to be like an electric pole fucking hitting you really hard in the balls. It's going to throw you around. You are going to love it.

AL: Maybe you don't want to be in the front row or you'll get hurt?

Tom: Your head will be bleeding if you are in the front row, I'll tell you that.

AL: If you are an American girl and you are a big fan of Kasabian, where do you line up to get a proper introduction to the band? Is there a hotline?

Tom: No. Just come to the back room at the venue, line them up, one by one.

AL: How are you going to prepare for this tour?

Tom: We are playing a few shows before the American tour. Hopefully we will have some time to go home and eat some turkey and chill out. We will try to detox. But that will never happen. We will be there in March.

AL: Have you played with The Music before?

Tom: No, we haven't. We are friends with them. They are top guys. They are a good band.

AL: Kasabian is mostly from Leicester, England. What is that town known for?

Tom: It's known for nothing. You remember that guy Englebert Humperdinck? He knocked off the Beatles from number one? He's the only guy from Leicester who is known to anybody.

AL: I didn't realize that he is English.

Tom: Well, he pretends to be. I am not sure what he is. Leicester is right in the smack middle of England. We are the only thing that has come from Leicester.

AL: Are there any other bands that you like?

Tom: I like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. They are cool. I like Mad Action.

AL: What other things do you do with your time besides music?

Tom: I just get stoned mate. I get pissed.

Website: www.kasabian.co.uk

2005 Kasabian Tour
Kasabian appearing with The Music
Thu 02/17/05 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Fri 02/18/05 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Sat 02/19/05 Philadelphia, PA Theatre Of Living Arts
Tue 02/22/05 Providence, RI The Call
Wed 02/23/05 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
Thu 02/24/05 Montreal, QC La Tulipe
Sat 02/26/05 London, ON Centennial Hall
Sun 02/27/05 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
Mon 02/28/05 Covington, KY Jillian's Entertainment Center
Wed 03/02/05 Chicago, IL Metro / Smart Bar
Thu 03/03/05 Saint Louis, MO The Pageant
Mon 03/07/05 Seattle, WA Neumo's
Tue 03/08/05 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
Wed 03/09/05 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
Fri 03/11/05 San Francisco, CA Slim's
Sat 03/12/05 Los Angeles, CA Music Box At The Fonda
Sun 03/13/05 San Diego, CA Canes
Tue 03/15/05 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
Thu 03/17/05 Dallas, TX Gypsy Tea Room
Fri 03/18/05 Houston, TX Meridian
Sat 03/19/05 Houston, TX Meridian

--Alexander Laurence

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

First he talks Chloe Sevigny into blowing him. Now, he's been asked to curate the UK's celebrated annual All Tomorrow's Parties music festival. What is the allure of this self-absorbed Jesus-wannabe? Maybe next year they'll ask egomaniac runner-up Colin Farrell to curate.

From the ATP website:

VINCENT GALLO CURATES ATP APRIL 22-24 2005

"Vincent Gallo the actor, director, musician and general talented bastard is curating All Tomorrow's Parties on April 22-24, 2005.

He has probably the biggest and one of the best record collections of anyone I know and I know from what he is planning, this ATP is gonna be fucking great.

The line up for this event is being worked out as I write this and tickets have already started to sell so look out over the coming weeks for new confirmations for the event."

[for the record, Buffalo 66 is a great movie.]

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)

from Pitchfork
Portishead begin work on first LP in eight years

"Along with Massive Attack, Portishead helped shape the hypnotic spaciness of trip-hop in the mid-90s with one of the genre's defining albums, 1994's Dummy. As the Bristol, England-based movement slowly lost its grip on the general public's consciousness, the band also retreated, and despite an underrated 1997 self-titled LP, Portishead has spent most of the ensuing years gathering a healthy coat of dust.

Well, until now. NME reports that founding members Geoff Barrow and Beth Gibbons have come out of their eight-year seclusion and are currently at work on an album of new material in their native UK. The band have been in the studio since late last year prepping what will be their third full-length, and while no word has been given as to a firm release date, number of tracks, or even what the album will sound like, Barrow recently spoke to the BBC about the nature of their extended shore leave. "We've just had our heads down really, we've never actually broken up, or parted, or whatever," he said. "So for us it just seems, even though we haven't played for years, we still see each other and write-- we just haven't released a record for a long time."

And while that doesn't really tell us anything, the as-yet unnamed album is expected in stores before the end of the year, and will mark the duo's first studio collaboration since 1997's sophomore effort, Portishead.

In related news, Portishead have joined in the efforts to raise money for tsunami victims in Indonesia. The band has been confirmed to perform at a special relief concert to be held at the Bristol Carling Academy in Bristol, England on February 19. Also on the bill are Massive Attack, the Coral, and Robert Plant. Tickets are £30 (roughly $55) and all proceeds will aid water and sanitation efforts in the effected areas. For more information, or to make a donation, visit the official website at: http://www.crisisinasia.com"

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Check out this very generous free download page. Included are several concerts from 2004 and 2001. Some rarities. Covers of Portishead's "Glory Box," Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'," and The Cure's "Boys Don't Cry" are particularly notable.

Speaking of free, you can also download the complete BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE CATALOG HERE

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell will resign from the agency he has led for four years, sources told CNN.

A senior government official says Powell, a member of the FCC since November 1998 and the chairman since early 2001, will announce his resignation later Friday. His term on the commission runs through 2007.

FCC spokesmen were not immediately available for comment, though one person in the press office said a new release is anticipated.

Powell has been a relatively high-profile chairman of what had generally been a quiet regulatory agency before his tenure. He has pushed for increased fines for obscenity and indecent content by the nation's broadcasters and backed a change in media ownership rules that allowed for greater consolidation by the industry's largest conglomerates.

In September the FCC fined Viacom (Research), which owns CBS, $550,000 for the 2004 Super Bowl half-time show in which Janet Jackson's breast was briefly revealed during a musical number. The media conglomerate is challenging that fine.

Viacom agreed in November to pay a record $3.5 million to settle a number of complaints involving alleged indecent comments on its radio stations, including remarks by its most popular radio personality, Howard Stern.

Partly to get away from FCC oversight, Stern has signed a contract to move to satellite radio provider Sirius (Research) in 2006. On his show Friday, Stern cheered reports that Powell would be leaving.

"Thank God he's gone," he said. "This is a great day in broadcasting."

Powell had pushed for a large increase in the fines that the FCC can levy on broadcasters found guilty of indecent content, saying that the current allowable fines constitute the cost of doing business for the station owners.

Powell was originally appointed to the FCC by President Clinton before being given the lead of the agency by President Bush. The Atlanta Journal Constitution speculated late last year he is interested in a run for governor of Virginia, although he had declined to comment on his plans when questioned by the press several times last year.

In an August 2003 interview with CNN, Powell said he wanted to stay with the agency during this time of technological change.

"I have a lot more that I'd like to do. It's a great agency, it's an amazing time in technology for the country. So I'm going to be here for a little while," he said then. Asked to define "a little while," Powell said, "Well, that I don't know yet, but certainly we're going to at least be here for many, many, many more months to come."

Not all the controversies involving Powell have been on high profile issues such as obscenity and media ownership. He has pushed to shift TV stations from the current analog broadcasting spectrum they've used since the invention of television onto more efficient digital broadcasting.

But station owners have balked at making the investment necessary for the change before many viewers have the televisions that can receive the new signals. Powell conceded in September Congressional testimony that the 2006 deadline is likely to be pushed back to 2009.

Powell is the son of Colin Powell, the retiring Secretary of State. Before joining the FCC, Powell served as chief of staff of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, and as a policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney when Cheney served as Secretary of Defense during the administration of President George H.W. Bush.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

At FREEwilliamsburg, we're pretty open about our love for DFA and especially LCD Soundsystem. It started with "Losing My Edge" but really kicked into gear with the brilliant "Yeah" single, and we were looking forward to LCD's debut full-length (due out next month) for most of last year. (It's great and people will be talking about it very soon). So needless to say, we were pretty excited to do an email interview with DFA producer and LCD frontman James Murphy. Among other things, Murphy talks about tour plans, DFA's relationship with EMI, his first concert, and "L train nonsense." This interview is also available in its entirety at One Louder. Enjoy.

Q: We're always curious to know people's first concerts. What was yours?

A: It was the Ramones at City Gardens in Trenton, New Jersey. Not sure what year. Maybe '83? It was fucking louuuuuuud. I saw Iggy the same week and thought my head was going to cave in. For some bizarre reason I think Fishbone also played both shows. In fact, I think Fishbone may have played every show in the 80's ever. And sold that shirt, too.

Q: We used to think of LCD Soundsystem as your solo project, but live it's clear that LCD is very much a band. When did that transition happen?

A: There's never been a transition. You'd really have to tell me when the transition happened, as it's largely a transition of perception, which is in your court. I write the music and record most of the instruments, produce, etc. But then we go play, all 5 of us, as some form of, I don't know, LCD tribute band. We're like "The Edge Losers" from New Jersey or something. We're a really good tribute band.

Q: Songs like "Never As Tired..." and "Great Release" sound very different from your first singles - were you trying to make the early songs dancier, or do you think your sound has evolved?

A: I think the earlier songs were "dance" 12"'s, these songs are on an "album." Sort of like when "Give It Up" came out as a 7"... it sounded to me like a 7", not like a 12", so it's on a 7". I wanted to make an album. I think of albums as things with beginnings, middles, sides, last songs. Not as dance compilations. Unless, of course, they're dance compilations ... which, um, this isn't.

Q: We heard there was an earlier version of the album that you weren't happy with - is that true?

A: No, but I like rumors, so print it if you like. Rumors make rock
funny.

Q: Any LCD tour plans for '05?

A: Yes. We're going to Europe and Japan in February, and the UK/Europe in April. I don't know what to do in the US. I have no idea what we ARE here, really. I mean, does anyone want to see us in the States? I really don't know. I want to play in New York again soon. I'm not so into the fact that we don't play here EVER. It's kind of a downer. Gotta fix that.

Q: It seemed like everyone had an MP3 of "Yeah" (and was talking about it) within weeks of it leaking last year - do you think downloading's popularity has helped your band?

A: I don't know. It hasn't made us any money, for sure, but it's not like people were going to buy it anyway. It's a DJ record. It helped to give people another thing to listen to other than "Losing My Edge."

In general, I think downloading is funny. I like the little moral games we do in our heads to justify it. It's neat. I like the fact that people heard the song and talked about it. That's nice. I think it's fine.

Q: How did your relationship with EMI come about?

A: EMI came about because I met a lot of people there when the Rapture blew up and became too big for us. Suddenly there were people knocking on the door and asking to take them from us. EMI, and especially the crew at Parlaphone (who handle Radiohead, et al.) were worlds apart from the rest. They had records that were successful while kind of strange. They had artists on the label whose careers took time to develop. They had a stable GM in Keith Wozencroft who wasn't as obviously expendable like [the people] the other companies had. We tried to put the Rapture there and set up DFA with them, but the band wanted to go to Universal.

I didn't like Universal one bit, and didn't want DFA doing a deal with them, so we separated.

It broke our hearts. We had lost a band, our friends, basically because we weren't stable enough to support them and take care of them when they'd, well, grown up. It pretty much destroyed us for a year, and when we bounced back, I made my record and decided that the best thing to do was to put the record out where I thought the Rapture should have gone, and use myself as a guinea pig, while setting up a simple distribution type deal for the rest of the label. If all went well, then we could get more involved with EMI. If all went badly, well, it's only my record, which I could live with, rather than risking the careers of my friends. I mean, I wasn't planning to have a "career" in rock anyway. I'd settled on being a DJ and producer, and just putting out the occasional 12". So it's like a free shot.

Q: Humor seems to play an important part in your music. Are there any comedians who've inspired you?

A: I think Henry Rollins is pretty funny. But nobody - and I mean
nobody - gets a room going like Ian MacKaye.

Q: We dug your track with Felix Da Housecat. Are there any other artists you'd like to work with?

A: Not really. I don't like collaborations that much. That said, I'll probably do a bunch of them this year. I'm gunning for a duet with Pharrell. If that doesn't pan out, I'll make a track with Tim Goldsworthy. I like his shit.

Q: What's in your stereo these days? Anything new you're looking forward to hearing?

A: Today I listened to Siouxsie's album Kaleidescope, John and Yoko's Double Fantasy and Aphex Twin's The Richard D. James Album. God, I feel like an asshole. New stuff? I like Mu, and Hot Chip, the DFA artists, Animal Collective stuff. You know. L train nonsense.

Q: So is it worth trying to track down anything from your old band Pony?

A: Not really. Go buy the Adam Green record instead. That song "Jessica Simpson" is so good that I wish he made tons of money for it. Go get 2 friends to buy his record, and tell them to get 2 friends, and so on and so on, so that more people will put that song on in their houses at dinner parties in 10 years. It'll make Adam rich, and it will improve the quality of future get-togethers, all at the same time.

Q: Finally, as fellow Daft Punk fans we have to ask -Homework or Discovery?

A: Jeez, that's tough. I hate to be like this, but I think it's Homework. I wish I could vote for the underdog, and I really like Discovery, but Homework is, well, pretty fucking
sweet.

LCD Soundsystem's self-titled debut will be released on February 15.

Interview by Rajeev Muttreja and Jason Bell

Photo credit: Tim Soter

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

From Artist Michael Paulus' Website:
"A character study of 22 present and past cartoon characters.

Animation was the format of choice for children's television in the 1960s, a decade in which children's programming became almost entirely animated. Growing up in that period, I tended to take for granted the distortions and strange bodies of these entities.

I decided to take a select few of these popular characters and render their skeletal systems as I imagine they might resemble if one truly had eye sockets half the size of its head, or fingerless-hands, or feet comprising 60% of its body mass.

Each character resides on a translucent, hinged panel. When the panel is lifted the character's skeletal structure is revealed giving each a certain validity and glimpse into its origins. Each panel is hand-drawn with archival ink and covered with an acrylic/acetate transparency.

The photos of Hello Kitty on the site give an accurate idea of what the actual, assembled pieces look like---with the hinged translucent cover both closed and open. The rest of the characters shown on the site are approximations of what the transparency overlay looks like since I don't have actual photographs of all of them."

see the full collection here

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Keane's Blog-Friday Night in Williamsburg
Highest Score: 5 Greenbergs

The neighborhood isn't dead. It's just a little smaller this year. There certainly was a lot of energy Friday night in Williamsburg with a slew of openings from tiny Plus Ultra all the way down to Roebling Hall, who haven't totally abandoned us for their Chelsea space. Anyway, I'll dig some of the dirt off the coffin with two reviews of what I saw through a bourbon glaze. Those evil men at Plus Ultra were offering shots of Jack Daniels and a beer for 3 dollars. Well, they aren't evil but I definitely left the gallery with a bit of vertigo, and it wasn't caused by Thomas Lendvai's space altering installation A Series of 'nows'.

Lendvai's brilliant installation looked like some kind of boring minimalist photography on the invite, but it's anything but that. Part engineering marvel and part embrace the series of wooden beams transform the gallery into an adult playground. At the opening, depending on your position, you might see a floating head here, or a pair of legs there as Lendvai progressively lowers the beams towards the floor. By the middle of the gallery, you have to either hunch down or slip up into the gaps. There was a wonderful sense of closeness between the beams creating an oddly comforting environment to socialize. It wasn't for everyone though, some claustrophobic types wouldn't step into the structure, but it looked striking from the street anyway. While I'm not usually so enthralled with installation art, this worked better as a weird social device than a thing to be looked at anyway. If you're going to see this, bring some friends and hang out for a while. It invites play.
. A Series of 'nows' is what's up until February 7th.

After getting fairly drunk at Plus Ultra, we marched over to Schroeder Romero to see Michael Waugh's drawings in the Project Space. When we got there, it was all short hair and nose rings. Evan Schwartz's series of photographs documenting his change from girl to boy brought out the art kids in force. Schwartz is still a student at Pratt, and his life has become his art. (I'd love to sit on the class critiques). Anyway, the gender-switch narrative is poignant and Schwartz isolates moments of longing and whimsy without sentimentality. My personal favorite is of the artist playing in a bubble bath, blithely acting or re-enacting like a little boy flying an imaginary plane. My buddies did their best to look sympathetic, though I could tell they trying to figure out if they could hit on anyone. It's hard for S to feel so average.

In the project room Michael Waugh's controlled drawings meditated on homosexual desire in an increasingly conservative moment. Waugh's depictions of men in historic, military, and political scenes are surrounded or composed of text from inaugural presidential speeches. The watercolor of two interwoven men is the strangest work in the room and reveals something of the hypocrisy of the politicians who create artificial divisions between their public and private lives. Had Jim McGreevy given a presidential inaugural address before being outed this would be perfectly clear to middle America. That language, specifically that of marriage, has become the battle ground for control over homosexual identity makes Waugh's appropriation utterly relevant. The conservative political effort to control the definition of marriage and introduce civil unions is another way of saying separate but equal. A socially conscious friend of mine is getting 'committed' to his woman, because they object to the institution. I dig his stance, given the current administrations efforts, but it's a right to refuse, not one denied. Waugh's seductive drawings make the feeling of difference as palpable as Schwartz's photographs on the subject.
. Reclaiming Puberty Series and Inaugural-2005 are complicating the right through February 14th

After the gender-bending bonanza, J felt a bit confused so we headed down to Roebling Hall for some straightforward painting. I can safely say I saw the work, but that doesn't mean I looked at it. In fact, we left the big canvasses behind for the warm confines of the ratty Subway bar to hang out with our gay friend R, who didn't seem to mind us as company, even when I mentioned there was a pizza after-party at Metropolitan for Michael Waugh's show, he was all like "the gay bar I've never been to?" Nothing is ever stereotypical, really. I'll be weighing in on some other shows later this week. I'm fluid now.

Send me mail:

keanepepper@hotmail.com

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"Dude, Neil Peart is totally fuckin sick."

This sentiment was sure to have been offered by at least one member of Mastodon at an earlier stage in his life, likely within 10-20 feet of a 7/11. And though the geeky squelch of Rush has long ceased to interest many of my peers, I still put on All the World's a Stage (Rush's live album, recorded during their 2112 tour), and opine the same: Dude, Neil Peart is totally fuckin' sick.

Brann Dailor is totally fuckin' sick. Part Peart, part Philly Joe Jones, part your favorite double-kick drummer (Lars circa Master...?), Dailor is Mastodon's none-too-secret weapon, dropping Jack DeJohnette-on-basement-crank fills and beats into most every tune on Mastodon's massively metal kickassterpiece, Leviathan.

Now, I know what you're thinking: jazz and/or prog-rock drumming in metal-sounds totally fuckin' gay, dude. But Dailor's drumming never takes center-stage, remaining content to fuck with us from the perimeter. Because if you're a metal fan like I'm a metal fan, you know that metal's best when there's not too much getting in the way of the riffs. And-dude!-the riffs on Leviathan!

"Blood and Thunder" kicks off the record with a riff that wouldn't have been out of place on Priest's Point of Entry, a riff quickly blasted into hardcore gear by Dailor's insane drumming, and the hoarse exhortations by whoever the fuck it is belting out the opening lines, "I think that someone is trying to kill me!" (They have two vocalists, and I can't tell them apart.)

Followed by "I Am Ahab" (Oh yeah... Ahab, Leviathan, cover art of a big-ass white whale: guess what the lyrical theme of this record is? Hey, it beats doing a metal record to "Bartleby the Scrivener." The monomaniacal quest of the peg-legged captain lends itself better to metal than would the passively resistant coda of "I would prefer not to." Agreed?), a blisters-on-my-fingers riff-fest that, like the opening lines of track 1 say, I think is trying to kill me.

And we're just getting off the ground, or into the ocean, or whatever. On "Megalodon" you'll find a southern fried riff that'll make you say "I didn't expect that!" But it all makes perfect sense: Mastodon is from Georgia and, more importantly, doesn't give a fuck about what you expect.

On "Hearts Alive," the 13:39 epic (don't worry: most tunes hover in the 3 minute range), one riff gives way to another, some capturing Randy Rhoads, others Dicky Betts, others Dimebag Darrell (the riffs all over Leviathan keep good company).

The rest of the record: there is acoustic guitar, there are songs actually sung, there are even harmonies!!! There are ten tunes-thrash, sludge, math rock, NWOBHM, hardcore, grindcore, hardgrind, core me Ishmael-it's all here.

Don't get this record if you chose REM over metal when you were a teenager, because metal this good is not friendly to strictly indie-rock sensibilities. Metal this good has what made metal metal from day one: riffs, speed, screaming, and sludge. Metal this good contains no iron(y). You must be able to say upon listening to Leviathan-without sarcasm and without a wink, but with the adolescent enthusiasm that comes when you're smoking bongs in your mom's basement-"dude, Mastodon is totally fuckin' sick."

--by Matt Casper

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:27 AM | Permalink

Remember K-Tel Records? They pumped out the hits during the Seventies and Eighties with classic collections like "Hot Nights, City Lights," "Girls, Girls, Girls," and "Disco Rocket." Anyone raised in the Seventies had at least one K-Tel record in his/her collection. Ever wondered what happened to K-Tel? Times must be tough... now you can order all your pharmaceutical favorites at the K-Tel Drug Mart. Celebrex, Plavis, and Lipitor can all be purchased "[at] a savings of up to 70% or more. All drugs are shipped directly to your home from our licensed pharmacy in Canada, where drug prices are regulated by government review boards. What's more, with the favorable exchange rate on the US dollar, the savings are even greater!"

The Apocalypse is surely near. What's next? Is Tab now a malt liquor? Does Garanimals sell bondage gear? We feel dirty now.

It's a virtual jukebox of Canadian drug import hits!
Visit them today.

See the full K-Tel collection here

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We love you Ali G.

From Roanoke Times:
No one knows for sure who he was, that Middle Eastern man in an American flag shirt and a cowboy hat who was supposed to sing the national anthem at a rodeo Friday night in the Salem Civic Center. But he sure shook up this town before leaving in a hurry.

Introduced as Boraq Sagdiyev from Kazakhstan, he was said to be an immigrant touring America. A film crew was with him, doing some sort of documentary. And he wanted to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" to show his appreciation, the announcer told the crowd.

Speaking in broken English, the mysterious man first told the decidedly pro-American crowd - it was a rodeo, of all things, in Salem, of all places - that he supported the war on terrorism.

"I hope you kill every man, woman and child in Iraq, down to the lizards," he said, according to Brett Sharp of Star Country WSLC, who was also on stage that night as a media sponsor of the rodeo.

An uneasy murmur ran through the crowd.

"And may George W. Bush drink the blood of every man, woman and child in Iraq," he continued, according to Robynn Jaymes, who co-hosts a morning radio show with Sharp and was also among the stunned observers.

The crowd's reaction was loud enough for John Saunders, the civic center's assistant director, to hear from the front office. "It was a restless kind of booing," Saunders said.

Then the man took off his hat and sang what he said was his native national anthem. He then told the crowd to be seated, put his hat back on, and launched into a butchered version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" that ended with the words "your home in the grave," Sharp said.

By then, a restless crowd had turned downright nasty.

"If he had been out there a minute longer, I think somebody would have shot him," Jaymes said. "People were booing him, flipping him off."

Rodeo producer Bobby Rowe, who by then had figured out that he was the victim of some kind of hoax, had the man escorted out of the civic center. Rowe told him that he and his film friends had best leave right then.

"Had we not gotten them out of there, there would have been a riot," said Rowe, who has been bringing his Imperial Rodeo Productions to Salem for years.

As his wife, Lenore, put it: "It's a wonder one of these cowboys didn't go out there and rope him up."

Saunders agreed. "I was concerned for his personal safety," he said.

Once the film crew members and their star realized the severity of the situation, Bobby Rowe said, "they loaded up the van and they screeched out of there."

After apologizing to the crowd for being duped, Rowe was left to wonder who pulled such a hoax, and why. Months ago, he was approached by someone from One America, a California-based film company that was reportedly doing a documentary on a Russian immigrant, Rowe said.

The outfit asked if Sagdiyev could sing the national anthem at the rodeo in Salem. After listening to a tape, Rowe said sure.

By Saturday afternoon, Jaymes had observed that Sagdiyev looked a lot like the title character of "Da Ali G Show," a Home Box Office production that often catches its guests and audiences unaware and then records their reaction to "shock value" material such as Friday night's performance.

The show has a character named Borat from Kazakhstan, according to the HBO Web site.

Jaymes said she recalls that one of the five cameras was turned on her and others on stage, as if to catch their reactions.

"I looked at Brett and said, 'Why do I feel like I'm in the middle of a bad "Saturday Night Live" episode?'" Jaymes said.

As Rowe prepared Saturday for a second night of the rodeo, he was playing it safe on who would sing the national anthem.

"It'll be a tape," he said.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Morgan Geist is the coolest DJ in New York. He's responsible for the amazingly popular remix of The Rapture's "House of Jealous Lovers." He's the founder of his own label, Environ Records. He's one half of the duo known as Metro Area who released our favorite electronic record of 2002. He regularly spins at Apt and other hip clubs where the "I'm not a hipster even though I look like one" crowd can be found. And he just released a new collection of Italo disco from the 70's and 80's called Unclassics.

Despite Geist's inability to license all the tracks he'd originally intended to include, Unclassics effectively functions as a bizarro companion disk to any 70's disco hits that features overplayed classics like "Y.M.C.A" and "Shake Your Groove Thing." The dark underbelly of a K-Tel comp. Nevertheless, you will shake your groove thing when listening to Unclassics. The 32-year-old Geist was born in Jersey and currently lives in Brooklyn. He agreed to answer a few of my questions early in 2005 after I confessed to including Metro Area on my wedding mix.

1. What is Italo Disco and how did you get into it?

There are many definitions of "italo disco." When I got into dance music, I thought it was Irma and DFC, "Ride On Time" and Soft House Company, "What You Need" and "A Little Piano." Some will say that's Italo house or Italo pop. Whatever. I guess the important thing is my personal area of interest, which spans from about '77 to maybe '85 or so. It starts with more organic sounds that copy US soul/disco and then I eject right around when digital technology starts taking over. That's when the stuff took a nosedive, in my opinion.

2. Where do you find your music?

Used record shops. There are too many amazing unknown records to be found to get hung up with eBay or expensive dealers. I want to play records, not collect them.

3. I see that Environ began in Oberlin, Ohio. Did you go to Oberlin College?

I did, and I did my first few records in my dormroom (this was before laptop studios, mind).

I feel I owe almost nothing to Oberlin as a school for my career. It was next to impossible to take conservatory courses (especially electronic music) as a college student. Aside from (literally) two or three people working at the bookstore and radio station, I had to turn to Detroit and Chicago to get my dance music education. No one cared about it during my years at Oberlin—the closest you got was what was then called "progressive house," which was really not my thing.

4. Will there be another Metro Area record in 2005?

There will be "Metro Area 6" in February 2005. It's a 12" only. I have no idea when the new full-length will come out. We'll see if we can survive until then. Pretty tough with everyone sharing our stuff for free.

5. Anyone in the public eye you want to say "you suck" to?

No, life's too short!

6. What’s you favorite New York restaurant? Bar?

I don't really go to bars. Restaurants - lately, a couple down-home spots that come to mind are DiFara's and Totones in Brooklyn, Empire Grand Sichuan in Chelsea and a killer Banh Mi place I'm addicted to on Mulberry.

Check out www.environrecords.com for DJ dates and release dates

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

By now, most people are familiar with the Armstrong Williams scandal. It was revealed last week that the Education Department paid this spineless pundit $240,000 to promote President Bush's No Child Left Behind bill. Using tax dollars.

Nevertheless, most of the nation's major newspapers (including The New York Times) have failed to follow-up on this story appropriately, relegating meager space to their back pages or failing to mention it at all. (There was no mention of the scandal in the Sunday Times).

Yesterday on Meet the Press, the scandal was mentioned briefly but all blame was put on Armstrong Williams, ignoring the fact that the Bush administration has apparently broken the law. As of yet, no investigation has been launched into this potentially impeachable offense. Like Abu Ghraib, only the little people (Williams in this case) have been held accountable. The bottom line is this: with a Republican majority in Congress we no longer have any checks and balances. It's up to the media to keep this story (this moral and legal crime) alive. Who will Bush bribe to pass his Social Security bill?

Bush Inc has violated:
1. "Publicity and Propaganda" laws recently passed by Congress.
2. The Antideficiency Act.
3. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has stated numerous times that, under the laws cited above, taxpayer funds cannot be used by the Executive Branch for activities in which the "obvious purpose is 'self-aggrandizement' or 'puffery.'" The GAO has specifically cited messages that conceal the government's role as illegal "covert propaganda." (#3 taken from Senator Frank Lautenberg's website)

Admirably, Lautenberg is doing his best to keep this story alive:

From NJ Senator's Frank Lautenberg Website:
Lawmakers Demand President Bush to STOP Paying Journalists to Promote Administration Policies

WASHINGTON, DC -- In light of alarming news that the Bush administration paid a popular conservative radio commentator and columnist almost a quarter of a million dollars to skew his reporting to promote the No Child Left Behind Act, United States Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Harry Reid (D-NV) sent a letter to President Bush today demanding that he recover the money paid to Armstrong Williams, citing federal laws that prohibit such activity. In addition, the lawmakers also asked President Bush to disclose any payments to other journalists to push Administration policies, including President Bush's decision to privatize Social Security.

In news reports today, it was revealed conservative pundit and commentator Armstrong Williams was paid $240,000 to promote President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act on his syndicated radio program and in addition, to urge other pundits to routinely hype the law during their own appearances on other programs.

In their letter to President Bush, the Lawmakers cite federal laws that prohibit taxpayer funds from being spent by the Executive Branch for "Covert Propaganda".

"In addition to the illegality of these actions taken by your Administration, we believe that the act of bribing journalists to bias their news in favor of government policies undermines the integrity of our democracy. Actions like this were common in the Soviet Union, but until now, thought to be long extinguished in our country," wrote the lawmakers in their letter to President Bush sent today.

These revelations regarding Mr. Williams are the latest -- and most disturbing -- in a series of actions by your Administration to manipulate public opinion through covert propaganda. On May 19, 2004, the GAO found that your Administration illegally spent taxpayer funds on covert propaganda by paying Ketchum Incorporated to produce fake news stories promoting the image of the new Medicare law.

The links below are examples of syndicated columns published by the Tribune Media Company from Armstrong Williams in support of the No Child Left Behind Act.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/Armstrongwilliams/printaw20040524.shtml

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/Armstrongwilliams/printaw20040107.shtml

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/Armstrongwilliams/printaw20040301.shtml

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/Armstrongwilliams/printaw20040514.shtml

A copy of the letter to President Bush is attached to this release.

January 7, 2005

Dear President Bush:
We are writing to urge you to immediately terminate -- and recover funds from --the contract between your administration and the journalist Armstrong Williams. According to media reports, $240,000 in taxpayer funds were transferred to Mr. Williams in exchange for his agreement to promote the Administration's "No Child Left Behind" initiative on his broadcasts and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige during his television and radio programs. These payments to Mr. Williams constitute a clear violation of the "Publicity and Propaganda" laws recently passed by Congress. The payments also violated the Antideficiency Act.

In addition to recovering these funds, we would urge you to disclose if any other journalists have been paid by your Administration to skew their media reports in favor of your initiatives, proposals or political messages. For example, have any journalists or media organizations been paid by your Administration to promote your Social Security privatization plan or otherwise promote the idea of a "crisis" in Social Security?

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has stated numerous times that, under the laws cited above, taxpayer funds cannot be used by the Executive Branch for activities in which the "obvious purpose is 'self-aggrandizement' or 'puffery.'" The GAO has specifically cited messages that conceal the government's role as illegal "covert propaganda."

In addition to the illegality of these actions taken by your Administration, we believe that the act of bribing journalists to bias their news in favor of government policies undermines the integrity of our democracy. Actions like this were common in the Soviet Union, but until now, thought to be long extinguished in our country.

These revelations regarding Mr. Williams are the latest -- and most disturbing -- in a series of actions by your Administration to manipulate public opinion through covert propaganda. On May 19, 2004, the GAO found that your Administration illegally spent taxpayer funds on covert propaganda by paying Ketchum Incorporated to produce fake news stories promoting the image of the new Medicare law. This week, the GAO found that fake news stories produced by the Office of National Drug Control Policy also violated the "Publicity and Propaganda" clause. In addition, on November 19, 2004, the GAO launched a new inquiry into the legality of the Department of Education's contract with Ketchum to produce fake news stories and create favorability rankings of journalists. Good government means that our citizens can trust that government policies put the public's interest first. We don't need "payola" and public relations to educate our kids. We need good teachers, good schools and good standards.

Again, we urge you to take immediate action to recover funds from the contracts with Mr. Williams and any other contracts your Administration has entered into with journalists to distort their news or editorial coverage.

Sincerely,

FRANK R. LAUTENBERG
EDWARD M. KENNEDY
HARRY REID

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Check out the Free Videos of Joanna live in November in Birmingham. (Thanks DJH)

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

FRIDAY:

Winter Soul: Featuring George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars
TV on the Radio
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

Jan 7 at 7:30pm
Tickets: $20, 30, 40, 45
click here for more info

SATURDAY:

from Flavorpill:
Christian Marclay: Shake Rattle and Roll (fluxmix)
Sat 1.8 (10am-7pm) FREE
Paula Cooper Gallery (534 W 21st St)

"One of the founders of turntablism, Christian Marclay is an avant-garde DJ who also creates in other artistic media. In the video installation, Shake Rattle and Roll (fluxmix), he projects a special brew of Fluxus-inspired montage, stemming from his time as an artist-in-residence at the Walker Art Center, on several screens. Dredging through archival materials and artifacts from a motley group of Fluxus artists, Marclay plays with the musical possibilities of wooden toys, puzzles, postcards, and other ephemera by such luminaries as Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, and Joseph Beuys. Where Fluxus confounded audiences by stretching disciplinary boundaries, Marclay, the sonic archaeologist, succeeds by orchestrating their complexity."

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 05:04 PM | Permalink

Education Department paid commentator to promote No Child Left Behind Using Tax Dollars

By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY:
Seeking to build support among black families for its education reform law, the Bush administration paid a prominent black pundit $240,000 to promote the law on his nationally syndicated television show and to urge other black journalists to do the same.

Williams on being paid to boost NCLB: "I wanted to do it because it's something I believe in."

The campaign, part of an effort to promote No Child Left Behind (NCLB), required commentator Armstrong Williams "to regularly comment on NCLB during the course of his broadcasts," and to interview Education Secretary Rod Paige for TV and radio spots that aired during the show in 2004.

Williams said Thursday he understands that critics could find the arrangement unethical, but "I wanted to do it because it's something I believe in."

The top Democrat on the House Education Committee, Rep. George Miller of California, called the contract "a very questionable use of taxpayers' money" that is "probably illegal." He said he will ask his Republican counterpart to join him in requesting an investigation.

The contract, detailed in documents obtained by USA TODAY through a Freedom of Information Act request, also shows that the Education Department, through the Ketchum public relations firm, arranged with Williams to use contacts with America's Black Forum, a group of black broadcast journalists, "to encourage the producers to periodically address" NCLB. He persuaded radio and TV personality Steve Harvey to invite Paige onto his show twice. Harvey's manager, Rushion McDonald, confirmed the appearances.

Williams said he does not recall disclosing the contract to audiences on the air but told colleagues about it when urging them to promote NCLB.

"I respect Mr. Williams' statement that this is something he believes in," said Bob Steele, a media ethics expert at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies. "But I would suggest that his commitment to that belief is best exercised through his excellent professional work rather than through contractual obligations with outsiders who are, quite clearly, trying to influence content."

The contract may be illegal "because Congress has prohibited propaganda," or any sort of lobbying for programs funded by the government, said Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "And it's propaganda."

White House spokesman Trent Duffy said he couldn't comment because the White House is not involved in departments' contracts.

Ketchum referred questions to the Education Department, whose spokesman, John Gibbons, said the contract followed standard government procedures. He said there are no plans to continue with "similar outreach."

Williams' contract was part of a $1 million deal with Ketchum that produced "video news releases" designed to look like news reports. The Bush administration used similar releases last year to promote its Medicare prescription drug plan, prompting a scolding from the Government Accountability Office, which called them an illegal use of taxpayers' dollars.

Williams, 45, a former aide to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is one of the top black conservative voices in the nation. He hosts The Right Side on TV and radio, and writes op-ed pieces for newspapers, including USA TODAY, while running a public relations firm, Graham Williams Group.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

From Baltimore Sun
Staples softens stand on limiting Sinclair ads

Two days after Staples Inc. became the first company to say it was limiting advertising on Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. television stations because of customer complaints about one-sided news coverage, the office supply chain softened its stance yesterday. While still acknowledging e-mail complaints in part caused it to stop advertising on Sinclair's local programs, Staples issued a statement saying it "does not let political agendas drive our media-buying decisions."

In a phone interview last night, Staples spokesman Paul Capelli said the company issued the statement to clarify its position.

Capelli said he felt the company's position was inaccurately represented by Media Matters of America, a liberal organization leading a campaign against the Hunt Valley broadcaster, which owns or operates 62 stations.

Neither Media Matters nor Sinclair officials could be reached for comment.

The coalition's sharpest criticism has been directed at The Point, a commentary segment aired during local newscasts on Sinclair stations. In the segments, company Vice President Mark Hyman offers his viewpoint on certain issues.

It is part of the local programming Staples said it would not advertise on, beginning Monday. Media Matters said his commentaries should be balanced with liberal points of view.

Capelli said yesterday that numerous decisions affect media buys and that the customer e-mails were only a part of Staple's decision to pull its ads.

For competitive reasons, he declined to go into detail about other factors in dropping the ads. Capelli also wouldn't say exactly when Staples decided not to sponsor certain Sinclair programming - before or after the e-mail complaints.

"We're continually looking at ongoing media buys," Capelli said. "Where we appear in January is not where we're appearing in December."

Capelli declined to say if the Framingham, Mass., company would resume advertising on local Sinclair programming.

"It's an evolving process and not unusual to appear in certain media in one season and other media in another," he said.

Capelli said the No. 1 office supply company received e-mail from customers complaining about the decision after it received wide publicity this week. He said he didn't know if any shareholders or Sinclair executives complained. He also reiterated that Staples is continuing to advertise on national Sinclair programming.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:18 AM | Permalink

I know January is usually the prime dumping ground for Hollywood fare (their version of "Take Out the Trash Day"), but man, they aren't even trying anymore. The indie world has basically taken the month off, and the rest, well, see for yourself...

January 7

WHITE NOISE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
What's that voice you hear buried in the static on your radio? It's your long-dead loved one! And they're really bored because apparently all they have to play with in the afterlife is a ham radio.

WILL IT SUCK?
This is from the director of the attempted reboot of "Doctor Who" in the states, and maybe only a seasoned fan can tell you why it was a bad idea to cast Eric Roberts as The Master, but it was. Better yet, the writer penned "Let's Talk About Sex," a movie which spawned the single greatest two-word review since "Shit sandwich," namely "Let's not."

And then there's the theatrical teaser, which bridges the gap between scary and annoying in about two seconds. Here's how it goes, as recorded by my up-to-the-second responses.

"Hey, that's kind of creepy."

"Yeah, I guess that's kind of weird."

"Okay, I get it, she's already dead."

"That guy's voice is a little too deep and scary for its own good. I mean it sounds like he's trying really hard to be scary. Does he sound like that when he's ordering fast food? He must freak out drive-thru attendants. Announcer: 'I'd like a hamburger!' Attendant: 'Don't hurt me!'"

"Oh, my God, is this preview still going on!?"

"Hey, it's Michael Keaton. Remember how good he was in 'Night Shift' and 'Mr. Mom' and, hell, even 'Desperate Measures' was better than the crap he's been putting out lately. I mean, 'First Daughter'?!? What the fuck is that?"

"Wow, this is going to suck."

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Not much competition, but not much appeal. Then again, "The Forgotten" did well with a hokey preview. $20mil.

---------------------------------------------------------------

THE UNDERCLASSMAN

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Remember that episode of "21 Jump Street" where those guys had started a chop shop but they were really wealthy so why were they stealing stuff? I might be confusing two different episodes here, but pretend that Ioki is Nick Cannon and you're on the right track here.

WILL IT SUCK?
Well, if you cast Cannon in a movie directed by the guy who did, well, nothing you've ever heard of but he directed an episode of "Fastlane," so he's okay in my book, and written by the guys behind "Van Wilder" and "The Girl Next Door," you'd get this. Wait, where are you going?

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Marketed well, this could do better than "White Noise." Which isn't saying much. $32mil.

---------------------------------------------------------------

January 14

ELEKTRA

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Any movie who's synopsis includes the line "saved from her near-death experience by ninja collective The Order of the Hand" gets my vote. Bottom line: Jennifer Garner goes tear-ass on some motherfuckers.

WILL IT SUCK?
Probably not. Yeah, I said it. Look, you've got Marvel uber-producer Avi Arad on board, and the only Marvel property he's made suck is, well, "Daredevil." But you'll notice the curious lack of any reference to that film in the previews for this one. They won't even say "from the producers of 'Daredevil'" even though this film is a spin-off from that one. In fact, when the two films see each other at parties, it's very awkward.

But give Arad credit for the "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" franchises, each of which have elevated the notion of a film based on a comic book above the status of "money-grubbing" and into the realm of "hey, this is escapist, and it doesn't suck!" Give director Rob Bowman credit for the "X-Files" movie (you can do it). And give writer Zak Penn credit for contributing, well, something to the "X2" screenplay (I don't know, maybe he got David Hayter coffee or something, but he's listed as a screenwriter).

Okay, maybe I'm expecting a little much, but it's a weak fucking month, people.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The action ramps up next week with "Hostage" and "Assault on Precinct 13," but they may cancel each other out, plus this will probably have what they probably won't: a PG-13 rating. That and Jennifer Garner's cleavage. $103mil.

---------------------------------------------------------------

RACING STRIPES

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
You'll believe that a zebra can be a racehorse and have the voice of Frankie Muniz. (As if you didn't believe that already).

WILL IT SUCK?
Well, it's got David Spade as a horsefly. How about that, huh? Yeah, it looks pretty stupid. And just the fact that it's coming out in January makes it suspect. But, hey, it's got Snoop Dogg as…wait for it…a dog.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I think even the kids are gonna prefer "Elektra" or even "Coach Carter" to this this week and "Are We There Yet?" the next. Still, it's kiddie fare with no direct competition, so, $41mil.

---------------------------------------------------------------

COACH CARTER

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
"Lean on Me….While I Make This Jumpshot"

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz, not so good. And here's why. In spite of Samuel L. Jackson spouting tough love wisdom in that inimitable style of his that makes it sound like he could kick your ass with his voice, this is still written by the forces behind "The Perfect Score" and "Summer Catch." It's also directed by the guy who did "Swing Kids" (and though he also directed "Save the Last Dance," that still doesn't make up for "Swing Heil!").

Rick Gonzalez is back as another youth finding salvation through sports (see "The Rookie") so if that does it for ya, hellzapoppin!

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I get the feeling a lot of parents will take their kids to see this movie since it stresses the importance of academics over sports. Or maybe I'm an idealist. Either way, I think it will pose a threat to "Racing Stripes" on the whole family demographic. Regardless, "Are We There Yet?" will obliterate it the following week. $26mil.

---------------------------------------------------------------

LES CHORISTES

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
French "Dead Poets Society" with music. Or, I guess, French "Mr. Holland's Opus." Pick your wacky-yet-inspirational teacher cliché.

WILL IT SUCK?
You'd think it'd be good, what with beating out "A Very Long Engagement" as France's submission for Best Foreign Film (actually that was a releasing snafu, but still) and early buzz is good from audiences and The Hollywood Foreign Press saw fit to nominate it for Best Foreign Language film, but even with all that, it can't scrounge consistent critical support. Early buzz from them is that this is too cheesy, which is shocking considering that almost never happens with this genre.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
No real competition, but needs more press. With Miramax calling the shots, though, that shouldn't be a problem. $8mil.

---------------------------------------------------------------

APPLESEED

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Another dystopian anime future. Whee!

WILL IT SUCK?
This is based on the popular manga from the guy who did "Ghost in the Shell." Early buzz is pretty good, but no one seems totally blown away.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
No real competition, but even less advertising than "Les Choristes." And no Miramax. Still, a healthy otaku following can't hurt. $1mil.

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January 21

ARE WE THERE YET?

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kids try to make life hell for mom's new beau Ice Cube as he drives them to be with her during the holidays.

WILL IT SUCK?
Remember when Ice Cube was in NWA? Remember when he cut his acting teeth on such fare as "Friday," "Boyz N the Hood," and "Three Kings" as opposed to, say, "Next Friday," "Ghosts of Mars," and the upcoming "XXX2?" This is what Revolution Studios does to you, people! It's nice to see that Jay Mohr will be in this as well. The further he can get from "Last Comic Standing" the better. But Revolution will ruin him, too. Just wait.

Oh, and they've gotten a director for this one who specializes in holiday comedy fare. He directed "Jingle All the Way." That had Sinbad. Let that be a warning to you, Cube! He also directed Cube's fellow "Boyz" alum Cuba Gooding, Jr. in "Snow Dogs." Are you paying attention, Ice?!?

I fucking hate Revolution Studios.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
All of the ranting and Revolution-hating in the world won't stop this from making money. Say what you will (and I do), Revolution is really good at hitting singles and doubles (though almost no home runs to date) and that's enough, sadly, to keep you in the game. With almost no family competition ("Racing Stripes" won't be able to hold this back) this looks to clean up. $61mil.

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HOSTAGE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Bruce Willis vs. home invaders. With a twist. Several, it seems. Most of which are given away in the trailer.

WILL IT SUCK?
Hard to say. This is based on a novel, which is usually good news for a thriller (as long as it's not Grisham). The writer has done some good ("Die Hard 2") some bad ("Money Train") and some meh ("Bad Boys"). One of the producers has done a modicum of outstanding work, including "Saving Private Ryan" and "A Simple Plan" and a wealth of crap along the lines of "Virus" and "Speed 2: Electric Boogaloo." Finally, the director has graduated from the world of video games, having done "Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow" and the upcoming "Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory." Mark my words, you're going to see many more directors come up from that world. It's gonna be to this decade what music videos were to the 90's for director breeding.

Also throw into the mix the fact that Miramax is distributing, and they hardly ever do thrillers, much less star-driven wide-release ones.

Anyway, I'd say it's a fifty/fifty shot. It's neat, however, to see Willis graduate from man on the inside ("Die Hard") to the guy on the other end of the walkie/cell phone.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
It's facing competition this week from "Assault on Precinct 13" and from the previous week in "Elektra." Of the three, however, this does have the biggest name. If they start advertising early enough ("Elektra" has a big head start), they might be able to take more advantage of that fact. $40mil.

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ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Remake in which good cop (Ethan Hawke) stands off against bad cop (Gabriel Byrne, natch) staging a siege of said precinct in order to kill sort-of-good-maybe-bad gangster (Laurence Fishburne).

WILL IT SUCK?
Well, chances are it won't be as good as the original, which is highly regarded (as far as John Carpenter films go). But it should at least be as good as "The Negotiator," which isn't saying much, but it's the same screenwriter and the plot, as imagined this time around, seems virtually identical (just without the, y'know, negotiator). The only thing really to look forward to is John Leguizamo's crazy hair (see the trailer).

PS: The next Carpenter remake will be "The Fog." I shit you not. I can't wait til they remake "They Live" with an even LONGER fight between Keith David and Rowdy Roddy Piper.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Against "Hostage," not so well. They should have released this a week later. $33mil.

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MILK AND HONEY

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Couple out on the town disintegrate during one night in New York. Kind of like a really depressing "Out of Towners."

WILL IT SUCK?
Did you like "Virgil Bliss?" Have you even heard of "Virgil Bliss?" It's this director's debut feature, and it received raves. This one's not getting unanimous advance love, but it, too, seems well-liked. And Hal Hartley did the music for some reason.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Not much competition, but the lack of awareness on this title makes "Les Choristes" look like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." $100,000.

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BEAUTIFUL BOXER

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kind of like "Kickboxer," except imagine if Van Damme were Thai, and a transsexual. Based on a true story.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is very good. Won some fests. And you gotta admit, that's one of the more intriguing premises of this month. Yes, I know, "White Noise," the dead are talking. But are they transgendered kickboxers? I didn't think so.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Could do well with the right buzz and strong word of mouth campaign. They're doing a limited release in San Fran and if the gay/lesbian/transgender vote catches on, a similar push in NY and LA, with accompanying press, could lead to decent indie b.o. in a fairly thin field. But that's a lot of "if's". $500,000.

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January 28

HIDE AND SEEK

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Dakota Fanning's got a new, creepy imaginary friend. Dad Robert DeNiro gets caught in the crossfire, and tries to figure out if he or Dakota has been in more films in the past year.

WILL IT SUCK?
If only they would say in the trailer, "From the director of 'Swimfan'," I think this would get a lot more business.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Talk about crappy timing. This week it's got another paranormal thriller, "Alone in the Dark," to contend with, and the very next week "Boogeyman" opens. Neither of these present a threat per se (and this one definitely has the star power) but all at once? Release "Assault" this week, "Hide and Seek" the previous week. How hard is that? Also, DeNiro doesn't do well in thrillers (see "Godsend"). $15mil.

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ALONE IN THE DARK

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Weird paranormal goings-on with Christian Slater. Based on the popular (until this comes out) video game.

WILL IT SUCK?
Well, with Tara Reid, Christian Slater, and Stephen Dorff on board, what could go wrong? Actually, I'd love to see Christian and Stephen try to out-Jack-Nicholson each other. Plus, this is from director Uwe Boll, who has no less than three more video game adaptations in the works. He made this one based on the strength of another video game adaptation. Which one? I'll give you a hint. It's #30 on the IMDB's bottom 100. That's right. "House of the Dead."

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
All right. Since it's a video game, it probably has some action, no? This brings it into competition with not only "Hide and Seek" on the horror front, but also "Assault" and "Hostage" from the week before (not to mention "Boogeyman" the following week). So what does that all mean? "House of the Dead" grosses might look good by comparison. $5mil.

See what I mean? They just phoned this month in. Next month doesn't exactly make this one look good, but it's not far off. The simultaneous release of "Constantine" and "Son of the Mask" alone may create a vortex of suck so strong that no other movies get released as a result.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Why can't the Protestants get their shit together? I want some Jesus shoes. See the whole Shalom line here.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Our favorite under-the-radar restaurant Bahía was featured on the Food Network last night and we were delighted to see them finally get some props. If you haven't tasted their pupusas yet, run out now and try them. (Pupusa are yummy corn pancakes filled with cheese, pork, etc). Never had Salvadoran food? Do yourself a favor and try Bahía before everyone else discovers it.

Menus just added:
Lily Thai - a brand new Thai restaurant on Grand Street
Sal's Pizza - a classic pizza joint established 1967

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:33 PM | Permalink

Yahoo! A corporation makes the correct decision for a change. The article below strangely fails to mention Sinclair's Nightline boycott (remember... Sinclair stupidly claimed that reading the list of fallen in Iraq would be partisan and endanger the troops). Run out to Staples and buy some office supplies now!

From the Washington Post:

Staples Pulls Advertising From Sinclair
News Programming Perceived as Biased

"Office-supply retailer Staples Inc. is pulling its advertising from news programming on Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. television stations, saying the decision was fueled in part by e-mails from customers angry at what they consider to be the broadcaster's right-wing bias in news and commentary.

The Hunt Valley-based Sinclair drew attention and criticism from some quarters in the weeks leading up to November's presidential election for airing parts of "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal," a film critical of Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry and his war record.

Staples, which has 1,400 stores, will continue to buy advertising during other programs on Sinclair's 62 stations but, as of Jan. 10, no longer will advertise during news programs, which include "The Point," a daily conservative commentary by Sinclair Vice President Mark E. Hyman.

Advertising during Sinclair's news programs accounts for "a very small part of the overall buy," said Staples spokesman Owen Davis, who would not disclose the publicly traded company's ad budget.

Sinclair chief executive David D. Smith said he was unaware of Staples' decision. Smith -- whose father, Julian Sinclair Smith, founded Sinclair in 1971 -- said he has received no complaints from advertisers regarding the broadcaster's news and commentary programming. The publicly owned company is controlled by the Smith family and owns more television stations than any other company, networks included.

"No one from Staples has called me," David Smith said. "I think I would eventually hear about it if and when it happens."

Since December, Sinclair has been targeted by Media Matters for America, a liberal media group, which claimed the company was abusing the public airwaves to promote a conservative agenda and not offering politically balanced news.

The group set up a Web site -- www.sinclairaction.org -- with e-mail addresses and phone numbers of dozens of Sinclair advertisers, specifically targeting Kraft Foods Inc., Staples, Target Corp., Geico Corp., McDonald's Corp. and Sprint Corp. for their large media buys.

Without citing the campaign, Staples said it received numerous customer complaints via e-mail, though it declined to say how many.

"Staples does not disclose the decision-making or specifics of its media-buying activity," Davis said. "With that said, Staples did consider among other factors the concerns expressed by our customers" regarding the content on Sinclair news programs, Davis said.

Yesterday, Media Matters took partial credit for the Staples decision, but said it never intended to launch a boycott. Instead, its effort was meant to inform advertisers of the nature of the news and commentary on Sinclair stations, the group said.

"This was an attempt to encourage Sinclair to post a counterpoint to 'The Point' and one of the ways we thought that would be effective in doing that is having [Web] site visitors tell these advertisers what they are advertising on," said Sally Aman, Media Matters spokeswoman. "A lot of advertisers don't know the exact content that's on channels they advertise on."

Advertisers received 36,200 e-mails from SinclairAction.org since its Dec. 14 launch, Aman said."

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 05:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's not as tinkly and precious as his previous releases, but the new record by Canadian kid Jason Amm (a.k.a. SOLVENT) "Apples & Synthesizers" on Ghostly Intl is like listening to a long lost Yaz record. while it's slightly irksome that Amm would take a retro approach, he gets the old Mute records techno-pop sound down correctly while somehow maintaining his own original sense of melody. recommended for club posing as well as for home listening.

Speaking of sweet techno-pop goodness, I have to say the new, fourth full-length by UK computer popper and all-around goofball GLOBAL GOON, "Family Glue" on the US label Audio Dregs is surprisingly amazing. while Mr. Goon a.k.a. Johnny Hawk is perhaps most notable for being an ex-roommate of Richard "Aphex Twin" James, he is perhaps lesser known for being an inventive, playful techno melody master. he's always got a beat that sports a smile, and is one of the few electronic artists that succeeds in infusing his own voice into the mix. slightly silly, but you'll want to play it again, sam.

The new 5-song debut by washington, d.c.'s MEDICATIONS — a trio of technical superstars, two of whom were members of the smart-punk trio Faraquet — is a hot little numberino. They're not as willfully angular as Faraquet, but just as immediately gratifying. Dischord's newest power trio has found the perfect combination of distorto-prog AND pop, and it satisfies.

SIGHTINGS are a three-piece rumble-unit form NYC whose new Load Records full-length "Arrived In Gold" shines brighter than any gauntlet they've thrown down thus far. rumor has it their new record is "minimal", but i beg to differ — it just has a unique soupy space to it and some spooky keyboard-like sounds that give their signature murk some perk. the guitar is as razor-sharp as ever and cuts through the band's new drugged-out sound, which is as blissful as any Bardo Pond or Sonic Youth record, but has a spiteful sting to it to remind you this is no hallucination.

DJs, vinyl junkies, and long-time fans of THE ORB will find much delight in "Komplott" — the ultraworlders' latest 12" installment for the popular German Kompakt label. While two of the single's three tracks have that signature plodding Kompakt bump, and sound more like their label mate and co-producer compatriot Thomas Fehlmann, there is a familiar orb-esque lushness that filters through the dancefloor grind. come-hither mini-melodies waft above a river of synth and pockets of pulsating bass, beckoning listeners to take to their feet and wipe the post-rave comedown from their eyes. Who knows where Alex Patterson's newest trip through the Rheinland might lead, but I'm going to stick around to find out.

--Johnathan Rickman

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is the most frightening thing I have ever seen. Ever. (I want one.)

Visit Swapatorium to view the whole terrifying collection. Thanks to Gawker for the great find.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 08:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

In case you missed Meet the Press this morning, Colin Powell was noticeably caught off-guard when questioned about the government's plan to put into place "long-range plans for indefinitely imprisoning suspected terrorists whom they do not want to set free or turn over to courts in the United States."

Here's the transcript:

MR. RUSSERT: There's a front-page report in The Washington Post today that the administration is considering a prison to detain alleged terrorists where they do not have enough evidence to bring them to prosecution. What's your role in that and do you seem...
SEC'Y POWELL: I am not familiar with that and I can't talk to it.
MR. RUSSERT: The State Department is involved.
SEC'Y POWELL: I just don't have the facts on that one.
MR. RUSSERT: Why would the United States detain people for life without bringing them to trial?
SEC'Y POWELL: I have no information on this one, Tim.

Well, since you don't seem to know what's going on in your own department, Colin, here's today's Washington Post article below:

Long-Term Plan Sought For Terror Suspects

By Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 2, 2005; Page A01

Administration officials are preparing long-range plans for indefinitely imprisoning suspected terrorists whom they do not want to set free or turn over to courts in the United States or other countries, according to intelligence, defense and diplomatic officials.

The Pentagon and the CIA have asked the White House to decide on a more permanent approach for potentially lifetime detentions, including for hundreds of people now in military and CIA custody whom the government does not have enough evidence to charge in courts. The outcome of the review, which also involves the State Department, would also affect those expected to be captured in the course of future counterterrorism operations.

"We've been operating in the moment because that's what has been required," said a senior administration official involved in the discussions, who said the current detention system has strained relations between the United States and other countries. "Now we can take a breath. We have the ability and need to look at long-term solutions."

One proposal under review is the transfer of large numbers of Afghan, Saudi and Yemeni detainees from the military's Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center into new U.S.-built prisons in their home countries. The prisons would be operated by those countries, but the State Department, where this idea originated, would ask them to abide by recognized human rights standards and would monitor compliance, the senior administration official said.

As part of a solution, the Defense Department, which holds 500 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, plans to ask Congress for $25 million to build a 200-bed prison to hold detainees who are unlikely to ever go through a military tribunal for lack of evidence, according to defense officials.

The new prison, dubbed Camp 6, would allow inmates more comfort and freedom than they have now, and would be designed for prisoners the government believes have no more intelligence to share, the officials said. It would be modeled on a U.S. prison and would allow socializing among inmates.

"Since global war on terror is a long-term effort, it makes sense for us to be looking at solutions for long-term problems," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman. "This has been evolutionary, but we are at a point in time where we have to say, 'How do you deal with them in the long term?' "

The administration considers its toughest detention problem to involve the prisoners held by the CIA. The CIA has been scurrying since Sept. 11, 2001, to find secure locations abroad where it could detain and interrogate captives without risk of discovery, and without having to give them access to legal proceedings.

Little is known about the CIA's captives, the conditions under which they are kept -- or the procedures used to decide how long they are held or when they may be freed. That has prompted criticism from human rights groups, and from some in Congress and the administration, who say the lack of scrutiny or oversight creates an unacceptable risk of abuse.

Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), vice chairman of the House intelligence committee who has received classified briefings on the CIA's detainees and interrogation methods, said that given the long-term nature of the detention situation, "I think there should be a public debate about whether the entire system should be secret.

"The details about the system may need to remain secret," Harman said. At the least, she said, detainees should be registered so that their treatment can be tracked and monitored within the government. "This is complicated. We don't want to set up a bureaucracy that ends up making it impossible to protect sources and informants who operate within the groups we want to penetrate."

The CIA is believed to be holding fewer than three dozen al Qaeda leaders in prison. The agency holds most, if not all, of the top captured al Qaeda leaders, including Khalid Sheik Mohammed, Ramzi Binalshibh, Abu Zubaida and the lead Southeast Asia terrorist, Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin, known as Hambali.

CIA detention facilities have been located on an off-limits corner of the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, on ships at sea and on Britain's Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean. The Washington Post reported last month that the CIA has also maintained a facility within the Pentagon's Guantanamo Bay complex, though it is unclear whether it is still in use.

In contrast to the CIA, the military produced and declassified hundreds of pages of documents about its detention and interrogation procedures after the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. And the military detainees are guaranteed access to the International Committee of the Red Cross and, as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, have the right to challenge their imprisonment in federal court.

But no public hearings in Congress have been held on CIA detention practices, and congressional officials say CIA briefings on the subject have been too superficial and were limited to the chairman and vice chairman of the House and Senate intelligence committees.

The CIA had floated a proposal to build an isolated prison with the intent of keeping it secret, one intelligence official said. That was dismissed immediately as impractical.

One approach used by the CIA has been to transfer captives it picks up abroad to third countries willing to hold them indefinitely and without public proceedings. The transfers, called "renditions," depend on arrangements between the United States and other countries, such as Egypt, Jordan and Afghanistan, that agree to have local security services hold certain terror suspects in their facilities for interrogation by CIA and foreign liaison officers.

The practice has been criticized by civil liberties groups and others, who point out that some of the countries have human rights records that are criticized by the State Department in annual reports.

Renditions originated in the 1990s as a way of picking up criminals abroad, such as drug kingpins, and delivering them to courts in the United States or other countries. Since 2001, the practice has been used to make certain detainees do not go to court or go back on the streets, officials said.

"The whole idea has become a corruption of renditions," said one CIA officer who has been involved in the practice. "It's not rendering to justice, it's kidnapping."

But top intelligence officials and other experts, including former CIA director George J. Tenet in his testimony before Congress, say renditions are an effective method of disrupting terrorist cells and persuading detainees to reveal information.

"Renditions are the most effective way to hold people," said Rohan Gunaratna, author of "Inside al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror." "The threat of sending someone to one of these countries is very important. In Europe, the custodial interrogations have yielded almost nothing" because they do not use the threat of sending detainees to a country where they are likely to be tortured.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)