New Software Quietly Diverts Sales Commissions:

“Some popular online services are using a new kind of software to divert sales commissions that would otherwise be paid to small online merchants by big sites like Amazon and eToys.

Critics call the software parasite-ware and stealware. But the sites that use the software, which is made by nearly 20 companies and used by dozens, say that it is perfectly legal, because their users agree to the diversion.

The amounts involved are estimated by those in the industry to have mounted into the hundreds of thousands of dollars and are likely to continue to grow — in part because most users are unaware that the software is operating on their computers.” NY Times [via Richard Homonoff]

Joseph Epstein, author of the recent Snobbery: Think You Have a Book in You? Think Again: “According to a recent survey, 81 percent of Americans feel they have a book in them — and that they should write it. As the author of 14 books, with a 15th to be published next spring, I’d like to use this space to do what I can to discourage them.

… I wonder if the reason so many people think they can write a book is that so many third-rate books are published nowadays that, at least viewed from the middle distance, it makes writing a book look fairly easy. After all, how many times has one thought, after finishing a bad novel, “I can do at least as well as that”? And the sad truth is that it may well be that one can. But why add to the schlock pile?” NY Times op-ed [Recall that Epstein not only doesn’t like writers but he doesn’t like literary critics either.]

From Talking Points Memo by Joshua Micah Marshall:

Though the rationale for liberating Kuwait was powerful in 1990 there was also testimony before Congress at the time about Iraqi atrocities in Kuwait which was later demonstrated to be entirely bogus. The immediate trigger for our involvement in Vietnam — as opposed to the larger rationale for our involvement — was later revealed to be based on exaggerations so great as to basically amount to lies. And one finds this sort of thing in the lead-ups to many other wars, in this country and in others. It’s almost like these little bogus stories are the bon-bons of war, the little morsels and appetizers to chum up those who can’t quite swallow the whole complicated rationale whole.

Karl Kraus: “How is the world ruled and led to war? Diplomats lie to journalists and believe these lies when they see them in print.”

Texas Man Charged for Using Stungun on Stepson Yahoo!

MSNBC ‘blogspots’

Arundhati Roy argues that it is the demands of global capitalism that are driving us to war. Guardian UK

…and ‘Bottle Blondes’ are to blame BBC Health

Bush calls Saddam ‘the guy who tried to kill my dad’: ‘President Bush leveled harsh criticism Thursday at the Senate on homeland security issues, but he revised his stump speech to make clear “there are fine senators from both parties who care deeply about our country.” And, in discussing the threat posed by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Bush said: “After all, this is the guy who tried to kill my dad.” ‘ CNN Do you want your family or neighbors to die for a cowboy’s family feud??

You Can do Better Dept: Make your own Bush speech.