Movable Type upgrade - I did an upgrade of the site management software to version 2.661. This version has a few features to try to avoid what has started to creep up: weblog spam. Yes, those same folks who clog your email -- with offers to a) shrink parts of you that are too big and b) enlarge those parts of you that are too small -- are starting to flood similar offers in weblog comments. I'm just posting to make sure everything is still working correctly. The new software does comment throttling. The same computer IP address can't post a comment twice in less than five minutes. It should also help avoid the "double comment posting" bug that happens when people accidentally click the "Post" button twice on their web browser.
1st class fisking - James Lileks wrote a first class fisking of a recent MTV appearance of John Kerry. After JFK bashed the Bush administration over walking away from the Kyoto treaty on global warming and the administration's help to countries stricken with AIDS, Kerry later added:
"I mean, there are countless numbers of things that we could be doing to enhance the world's view of us and to minimize the kind of anger and ... almost recruitment that has taken place in terrorist organizations as a result of the way the administration has behaved."
To which Mr. Lileks about lost it:
And that’s the second money quote, right there. We stopped pretending we would ratify Kyoto. We only spent $15 billion on AIDS in Africa. We did not take dictation from Paris. If we had done these things, it would minimize the world’s anger.
Is the world angry at Russia, which spends nothing on AIDS and rebuffed Kyoto? Is the world angry at China, which got a pass on Kyoto and spends nothing on AIDS for other countries?
Is the world angry at North Korea for killings its people? Angry at Iran for smothering that vibrant nation with corrupt and thuggish mullocracy? Angry at Syria for occupying Lebanon? Angry at Saudi Arabia for its denial of women’s rights? Angry at Russia for corrupt elections? Is the world angry at China for threatening Taiwan, or angry at France for joining the Chinese in joint military exercises that threatened the island on the eve of an election? Is the world angry at Zimbabwe for stealing land and starving people? Is the world angry at Pakistan for selling nuclear secrets? Is the world angry at Libya for having an NBC program?
Is the world angry at the thugs of Fallujah?
Is the world angry at anyone besides America and Israel?
If you like a good political rant, it was a good debunking of Kerry's appearance.