AP: US May Open An Interest Section In Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration is considering setting up a diplomatic outpost in Iran in what would mark a dramatic official U.S. return to the country nearly 30 years after the American embassy was overrun and the two nations severed relations.

Like the one in communist Cuba, an interest section, or de facto embassy, in the Iranian capital would give the United States a presence on the ground through which it can communicate directly with students, dissidents and others without endorsing the government, one official said.

It would process visa applications and serve as a center for American cultural outreach to locals, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.(AP)

Obtaining US visa is getting harder and harder for Iranians mainly because of the growing financial and emotional cost of extra trips to UAE or Turkey to apply for a visa and to receive it after a 3-week to 2-year FBI background check. A US interest section will save each Iranian traveller $1000 or more in travel costs, the money that could be spent with ease of mind in the US and not in Turkey or Dubai out of despair while stranded waiting for a re-permission from Washington after an 11-month old FBI background check has possibly made the original visa obsolete. I welcome this positive change in the US-Iran relationship.

George Carlin Dies

It's a sad day. George Carlin, my most favorite stand-up comedian died yesterday. In the world filled with stupidity, irrationality, and superstition, he was the one to remind us to look ourselves in the mirror and find these old stains in our daily lives. He may not go to Heaven after all, but we will miss him for sure on earth.

(CNN Story)

NYT: Clintons' Paradox

New York Times in an article titled "Campaign Adds to Complicated Clinton Legacy" reports that:

“The Clintons are and probably always will be a paradox,” said Leon Panetta, who served as chief of staff in the Clinton White House and who supported Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy. “They were very good at being able to gain power and then try to use that power to try to help ordinary Americans. The paradox is that in order to gain power, they sometimes did whatever it takes to win.”

And that I think hurt her when it came to using the same strategy on Barack Obama. Obama has a lot of passionate supporters but I suspect that many non-voters just began to vote against Clinton after they felt she was willing to do anything to win the nomination.

A letter to Mr. Obama's Campaign

I was passionately supporting Mr. Obama's candidacy like most other people at my age group but his latest speech at an AIPAC meeting -- ironically the strongest "lobbying group" in Washington, the entities which Mr. Obama had repeatedly said he would not be influenced by -- and sudden change in his tone against Iran and in unconditional support for Israel, along with wearing an Israeli flag pin along with an American flag while speaking to AIPAC really made me wonder about my decision to support him.

How long do we want to follow the appeasement policy and sell our own country (the USA) to those people whose allegiance may not necessarily be with this country. If Mr. Obama wanted to talk to Jewish people in general, he should have chosen a better group of people (such as people in Academia) or even a more moderate Jewish lobbying group in Washington. AIPAC is the reason we are in such a mess right now and Mr. Obama had a chance to really be a candidate of change; an opportunity he missed when it comes to the US foreign policy.

Wired: Post-Rapture E-Mail

Wired.com in an article titled Website Lets You Send a Post-Rapture E-Mail to Friends 'Left Behind'

For just $40 a year, believers [in the Rapture] can arrange for up to 62 people to get a final message exactly six days after the Rapture, that day when -- according to Christian end times dogma -- Christians will be swept up to heaven, while doubters are left behind to suffer seven years of Tribulation under a global government headed by the Antichrist....

The e-mails will be triggered when three of the site's five Christian staffers "scattered around the U.S." fail to log in for six days in a row -- a system that incorporates a nice margin of safety, should two of the proprietors turn out to be unrepentant sinners or atheists.

Pretty cool idea. I wonder why I never thought about that. Now I remember: I would be one of the guys who keeps logging into the system even after all people have left the building!

Oh Microsoft...

A couple of months ago I decided to return my Microsoft wireless racing wheel and get a new one (or have it repaired) since it was still under warranty. The problem was that right out of the box, the wheel was not centered so when I connected the wheel to the external power supply, the idle position would be about 15 degrees to the right of the mid point of the rotation. I first tried to ignore it since I was not using the wheel that often anyways but then I found a free retrofit announcement on their website that called for people to exchange their external power supplies. I figured it would be a good time to send the whole thing back and get a new system altogether since two components of the system have problems.

I called Microsoft XBOX Customer Service and after convincing the dumb-computer-program-who-pretends-to-be-a-cool-guy to connect me to a real person, I was able to talk to someone overseas. After spending 10 to 15 minutes explaining the situation, the guy started asking me questions quite unrelated to the problem. It appears that Microsoft has a list of questions that the customer service people start asking if they don't know what the problem is! I interrupted him and said that the reason I was calling was simply to have my wireless racing wheel replaced under warranty because the wheel does not work properly. He finally got the idea and said that I could do it. Then he gave me an address to send all the components for a full replacement. Apparently I was supposed to find my own box, wrap the whole wheel in bubble wrap and other stuff, and ship the wheel and its accessories to the repair center in Texas using a traceable shipping method (like FedEx). The worst part was that I had to pay for the shipping as well! Well I thought it was not worth arguing but I had to make sure I understood it correctly so I asked him twice about the address, the fact that I had to send all the components, and if the shipping charge was my responsibility. I did it the next day.

A week later, a package came back from the repair center in Texas. I opened it and there it was: my new wireless racing wheel in a bubble wrap without any other support in a huge box! How unprofessional. And the worst part was that the accessories were missing. No power supply, no table-top extension, and no pedals. So I called them again and had to go through the same process but this time when I explained the situation to the guy from overseas, he came back after a while and said that their systems are down for an upgrade and I needed to call back in a couple of hours. I called back in a couple of hours and he said that he understood the problem and he was going to send the missing components to me. After calling them several more times, another package came from the repair center. There was my pedals but still no power supply, and table-top accessories. I called them again and again and every time I was either promised that the components were coming or I was told that the system is upgrading (At 5PM our time?! What are they thinking) and I had to call back.

During one of these calls, I was connected to a Canadian based customer service center (and yes I can distinguish Canadian accent) so I started explaining the problem and my frustration with the whole process. She assured me that she will personally follow up on the issue and I just needed to wait for three days for the repair center to verify that I indeed sent the components and then they ask them to send those items back to me. After five days or so, I received the third package from the repair center and finally I got the power supply and the table-top. But wait, where is the power supply cable?!!!!!!

I didn't bother to call them again. I could do with a generic cable from one of my other electronic equipments. But the whole process was a disaster. Many times during this one month period I decided to just give up and forget about the racing wheel. And I think this issue would not have happened if the first person that I called knew what he was talking about. I would have sent the wheel only and would have got it back pretty quickly.

But here's the funniest part of the story: After two weeks that the problem was solved, I received an empty box from Microsoft with prepaid shipping labels to send my old wheel back! Oh Microsoft...

God, Banana, and Peanut Butter

I found the following "Atheists' Worst Nightmare" video clips very informative:

Banana


Peanut Butter


Oh God I'm so hungry I want to dip some banana into a jar of peanut butter right now. Oh and have you noticed the banana perfectly fits in the peanut butter?

In my life, I have prayed but one prayer: oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it. - Voltaire

9/11 Doubts

AFP (France) in an article titled Iran foreign ministry backs Ahmadinejad Sept 11 doubts writes:

Iran's foreign ministry on Sunday backed the doubts expressed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejed about the accepted version of the September 11, 2001 attacks, saying there were "many ambiguities."
Ahmadinejad last week caused controversy when he described the airborne attacks on New York and Washington by Al-Qaeda militants as a "suspect event" and cast doubt on the strikes in three speeches within the space of eight days.
"Regarding 9/11, as long as all the aspects have not been clarified this remains a suspicious incident," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters.
"Many analysts and observers who have followed this feel that there are many suspicions and ambiguities. There are many points of ambiguity surrounding it," he added.

I don't get why people like conspiracy theories. I'm not suggesting there has never been any conspiracies around but not all incidents and events involve conspiracy as some people like to believe. It's one thing for some brain-overdosed dude on the street to believe that there is something suspicious about 9/11, but it's a disaster for an official figure in another country to talk like this.
Mr. Wisedude! Questioning all historical events in the last decade does not make you an intelligent person. What's next on the list? Questioning the 1944 invasion of Normandy by the Allied forces? I think there are still many ambiguities about that day. For example we don't know the exact GPS location of all Allied soldiers who landed on the coast. Also, there is a possibility that some of the Nazi soldiers committed suicide before they were arrested. That's a good reason to believe that the Allied forces didn't really accomplish anything on that day! Wake up... or keep sleeping but don't talk.

NYT: Bruce for Barack: Ohhhh He’s the One

New York Times says:

Bruce Springsteen threw his support to Barack Obama in a letter to fans on his Web site this morning, calling Mr. Obama “head and shoulders above the rest.”

“He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit,” Mr. Springsteen wrote. (read more)

Well I haven't been here for 35 years but I feel the same way. About the "bitter" comment, Bruce said:

“At the moment, critics have tried to diminish Senator Obama through the exaggeration of certain of his comments and relationships,” he said. “While these matters are worthy of some discussion, they have been ripped out of the context and fabric of the man’s life and vision, so well described in his excellent book, ‘Dreams of My Father,’ often in order to distract us from discussing the real issues: war and peace, the fight for economic and racial justice, reaffirming our Constitution, and the protection and enhancement of our environment.”

Right to the point. Thanks Mr. Springsteen.

AP: Iran a Threat in Iraq

Stephen Hadley, Bush's national security adviser is a true follower of Condi Rice v1.0:

WASHINGTON (AP) — With al-Qaida's influence diminishing in Iraq, U.S. troops have much work to do in stemming Iranian support for militias, President Bush's national security adviser said Sunday.

"Iran is very active in the southern part of Iraq. They are training Iraqis in Iran who come into Iraq and attack our forces, Iraqi forces, Iraqi civilians. There are movements of equipment. There's movements of funds," Stephen Hadley said. "So we have illegal militia in the southern part of the country that really are acting as criminal elements that are pressing the people down there." (read more)

I have another theory: I think Iran is training Osama Bin Ladin and providing him with food and milk shake while the Saudi's are planning to bomb all mosques in Shiraz. At the same time Kim Jong-il is secretly praying with Ahmadinejad every Friday and gets a lollipop to suck on as the mullahs in Iran are putting some yellow cake in a Russian oven, which is making the feet of our troops in Germany yellow and putting American lives in danger.

Mr. Hadley, you and the people around you have screwed up. When you go to the other side of the globe in someone's backyard, expect them to re-act. Grow up and blame yourself instead.

How to tick people off

How to tick people off:

• Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, 99 copies.
• In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors."
• Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."
• Practice making fax and modem noises.
• Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.
• Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
• Ask people what gender they are.
• Sing along at the opera.
• Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.

read more at artlung

Now here are a few more from me:

• Tell everyone how "blessed" they are.
• While in the elevator, suddenly move over and hold your nose.
• When your fellow graduate student talks about "his" stuff in the lab, correct him by saying "you mean the lab stuff that you use more often". (this one works! I guarantee.)
• On a busy sidewalk, look through your camera and pretend that you are taking a picture.
• Call MS XBOX Customer service and when the Indian agent introduces himself as "Tim", tell him your name is Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta
• Record a greeting for your answering machine that says: "Phone number incorrect - please try again."
• Record a greeting for your answering machine that says: "I'm not home but please leave a message for the FBI agent on line."

Obama is the man

I never felt good about Hillary Clinton. When I first wrote about it, I didn't necessarily care about any other Democratic candidate at the time but all I knew was that I really didn't care about her at all. Now I know why I think Hillary is not the right choice and Obama is: in my opinion Hillary is hungry for power, and in her campaign the ends justify the means. We have had enough of these people in the White House and the Capitol Hill and I'm sick and tired of them. On the other hand, Obama so far has always taken the high road and stuck to the issues while being bombarded by Clintonites every now and then.

This man is smart, charismatic, intelligent (yes, one can be smart but not intelligent), and everything an educated immigrant like me would have thought of the leader of the United States of America before stepping foot on this land. He embraces the idea of America: multicultural, multiracial, proud, and humble at the same time. I know if he becomes the president, he will have his ups and downs. But give the man a chance: the least he can do is to be a good representative for a country that used to be the envy of the world and the dream of every child on middle-east streets.

Candle Canon

Take a look at this air canon. It's pretty cool.

Closed doors for evil-doers

AP said today:

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee called Tuesday for suspending immigration from countries that sponsor or harbor terrorists.

Hitting the campaign trail in South Carolina's Jan. 19 primary, Huckabee sharpened his rhetoric on immigration and embraced a tougher measure than any of his rivals have so far.

"There's a couple of things we're going to do differently," Huckabee told about 300 supporters in Rock Hill, shortly after arriving in the state from Michigan. "I say we ought to put a hiatus on people who come in here ... if they come from countries that sponsor and harbor terrorists."

"Let's say, until you get your act in order, and we get our act in order, we're not going to just let you keep coming and threaten the future and safety of America," he said.(more...)

Good job Mr. Huckabee. You just voted to deport me and Farhad back to where we came from. Now my wife and I certainly vote to send you back to where you came from, your home in Arkansas. You don't deserve to be in Washington.

News: CompUSA to close all stores

WSJ reports:

Mexican telephone and retail magnate Carlos Slim, in a rare defeat, will exit the U.S. consumer electronics market, shutting the last 100 CompUSA Inc. stores after sinking about $2 billion into the business.

After K-Mart, now it's CompUSA. I was not a big fan of CompUSA anyways but seeing a giant store die like this is a bit depressing. As Steven Colbert says: "the market has spoken".

500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art

Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Botticelli , Boltraffio, Albrecht Durer, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Messina, Perugino, Hans Memling, El Greco, Hans Holbein, Rokotov, Peter Paul Rubens, Gobert, Caspar Netscher, Pierre Mignard, Jean-Marc Nattier, Vigee-Le Brun, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Winterhalter, Tyranov, Borovikovsky, Venetsianov, Gros, Kiprensky, Amalie, Corot, Edouard Manet, Flatour, Ingres, Wontner, Bouguereau, Comerre, Leighton, Blaas, Renoir, Millias, Duveneck, Cassatt, Weir, Zorn, Mucha, Paul Gaugan, Henri Matisse, Picabia, Gustav Klimt, Hawkins, Magritte, Salvador Dali, Malevich, Merrild, Modigliani, Pablo Picasso

Amazon: You Can Buy Anything

I found this item on Amazon.com. It has the funniest reviews ever (Note to FBI: Don't worry, I was not trying to buy one!)

Uranium Ore
by Images SI Inc.
List Price: $24.95
Price: $22.95
You Save: $2.00 (8%)

Some of the many hilarious reviews:

The container said it was "Uranium Ore" but when I opened it, it was clearly Plutonium. I still used it, but I was severely disappointed.

The shipment was fast and came in a glad bag as an added protection. They didn't even require a signature for the package, so that was nice as I don't want people to know that I'm planning to take over the world with thise uranium ore.

I bought a can of this about 4.5 billion years ago, give or take a few million years, but when I went to use it today I noticed only half of it was still in the can. I swear I put the lid on tight. I'd give it more stars if it came in a better package.

Does any one know if this comes on the 3 oz travel size that is TSA approved?

I am also interested in the bulk pricing for the travel containers.

Thanks

When I finally finished and successfully tested my first plutonium powered Dolorean time machine, I was a bit miffed by the fact that I had to accelerate all the way up to 88 mph before the flux capacitor would be able to kick in and send me into the great beyond. This is quite a pain when you live in the city and have to drive all the way to places like closed shopping malls, drive-in theatres, abandoned highways, and rail road tracks to get up to that kind of speed. Once I heard that Amazon was finally selling U-238 legally, I quickly purchased some and used the instruction booklet (included at no extra charge) to enrich it and build myself a uranium powered reactor which I then installed in my time machine. On the first test run, the flux capacitor jumped into full gear at only 37 mph! Now I can go time travelling on my own street and not worry about the commute.

Thank you, Amazon for selling this fantastic and incredibly useful product! I'm sure that with careful marketing, in five years no American home will be without it.

read more reviews...

Poem

One regret, dear world,
That I am determined not to have
When I am lying on my deathbed
Is that
I did not kiss you enough.

Hafiz

Video: The IT Room

This looks promising. I think it could get more popular than NBC's "The Office" in the Geekosphere.

Video: Democracy Now: Ahmadinejad, Iran, and Columbia controversary

These videos are the best I've seen so far about the reality with Iran, Israel, the US, Ahmadinejad, and Columbia University talk. Take some time and watch the entire series. I think it's really worth it.

Part 1:


Continue watching: part 2 | part 3 | part 4