Daily · Dreamtime

Vice President Dick Cheney revealed today that he shot a fellow hunter
while on a quail hunting trip over the weekend because he believed the
man was the fugitive terror mastermind Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Mr. Cheney acknowledged that the man he sprayed with pellets on
Saturday was not al-Zawahiri but rather Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old
millionaire lawyer from Austin, blaming the mix-up on "faulty
intelligence."

"I believed I had credible intelligence that al-Zawahiri had
infiltrated my hunting party in disguise with the intent of spraying me
with pellets," Mr. Cheney told reporters. "Only after I shot Harry in
the face and he shouted 'Cheney, you bastard' did I realize that this
intelligence was faulty."

Moments after Mr. Cheney's assault on Mr. Whittington, Mr. al-Zawahiri
appeared in a new videotape broadcast on al-Jazeera to announce that he
was uninjured in the vice president's attack because, in his words, "I
was in Pakistan."

An aide to the vice president said he believed that the American people
would believe Mr. Cheney's version of events, but added, "If he was
going to shoot any of his cronies right now it's a shame it wasn't Jack
Abramoff."

At the White House, President George W. Bush defended his vice
president's shooting of a fellow hunter, saying that the attack sent "a
strong message to terrorists everywhere."

"The message is, if Dick Cheney is willing to shoot an innocent
American citizen at point-blank range, imagine what he'll do to you,"
Mr. Bush said.

My first screen kiss

Walking through Tokyo's Ginza district one Friday evening last month I saw an extraordinary sight that will soon become an ordinary one: A businessman was talking into his keitai (the Japanese word for cell phone), holding it out in front of him rather than to his ear. Suddenly, smiling, he raised the device to his lips and kissed the screen.

It wasn't hard to piece together an explanation -- the man was making a video call to his lover. His lover had asked for a screen kiss, or perhaps they'd synchronized one. It was my first glimpse of this behavior, and it happened in Tokyo, but I knew it wouldn't be my last. Soon enough we will see this scene repeated in New York, London, Paris, Berlin and San Francisco.

posted by Xeni Jardin

http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,70213-0.html?tw=rss.index

PKD robot MIA

"We really need to find him soon because the Smithsonian wants to put him in a travelling collection in the autumn," said (Hanson Robotics's Steve) Prilliman referring to Washington's Smithsonian Institute, an organisation of museums and art galleries...

Prilliman and others close to Phil baulked at giving too many details about his disappearance including the name of the airline that was transporting the robot when he went missing.

Hanson officials said news of Phil's disappearance could hamper the ongoing investigation and search for the robot.

The company officials said they feared ransom demands might be made or Phil could turn up listed for sale on an internet auction house such as eBay.

UPDATE: ADM points out the excellent unintentional pun above! Alan says, "It's supposed to be "on the lam" but "on the lamb" is great because you're talking about "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep."

Report: US, Israel Consider Destabilizing Hamas Government
In other news, the New York Times is reporting the US and Israel are considering a campaign to destabilize the Palestinian Authority so that Palestinians will grow frustrated and force a Hamas-led government to call new elections. According to anonymous US and Israeli officials, one of the main options under consideration is starving the Palestinian Authority of money and aid.

Report: US Drawing Up Plans For Iran Attack
In Iran, the government says it has resumed small-scale enrichment of uranium, defying an international effort to limit its nuclear activity. The news comes amid fresh speculation over a possible US attack on Iran. Over the weekend, the Sunday Telegraph reported the Pentagon has drawn up an attack plan as a last resort to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. An anonymous senior Pentagon official said: "This is more than just the standard military contingency assessment… This has taken on much greater urgency in recent months."

Abramoff Associates Say He Bragged of Ties to Rove
Back in the United States, the Associated Press is reporting three former associates of indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff say he frequently told them he had strong ties to the White House through senior Presidential advisor Karl Rove. On Monday, the White House said Rove considers Abramoff to be a “casual acquaintance.” New questions concerning Abramoff’s ties to the White House have arisen with the publication of an e-mail in which Abramoff said he had met with President Bush in “almost a dozen settings.” On Saturday, Time magazine published a photograph on its website of Abramoff attending a White House gathering hosted by President Bush in May 2001. The White House had previously said there was no record of Abramoff attending the event. They’ve also refused to release several other photos reportedly showing Abramoff with the President.

The 53 charges against the coin dealer, Tom Noe, conclude a 10-month investigation by state and federal prosecutors into the $50 million rare-coin investment Mr. Noe managed for the state insurance fund for injured workers.( Read more... )

Mr. Noe, 51, already faced charges of using colleagues and associates to funnel $45,000 illegally to President Bush's re-election campaign. The new counts include forgery, theft and money laundering.

Jon Richardson, a defense lawyer, entered pleas of not guilty on each count on behalf of Mr. Noe, who surrendered to the authorities on Monday and was released on $500,000 bail.

The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 14, 2006; 1:31 PM

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- The 78-year-old lawyer who was shot by Vice President Dick Cheney in a hunting accident has some birdshot lodged in his heart and he had a "minor heart attack," a hospital official said Tuesday.

Peter Banko, the hospital administrator at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial, said Harry Whittington had the heart attack early Tuesday while being evaluated.

He said there was an irregularity in the heartbeat caused by a birdshot pellet, and doctors performed a cardiac catheterization. Whittington expressed a desire to leave the hospital, but Banko said he would probably stay for another week.

Whittington, a prominent Republican attorney from Austin, was accidentally sprayed with shotgun pellets when Cheney was aiming for a quail Saturday.

Whittington had initially been placed in intensive care. He had been moved to a "step-down unit" Monday after doctors decided to leave several birdshot pellets lodged in his skin rather than try to remove them.

A Texas Parks and Wildlife Department report said Whittington was retrieving a downed bird and stepped out of the hunting line he was sharing with Cheney. "Another covey was flushed and Cheney swung on a bird and fired, striking Whittington in the face, neck and chest at approximately 30 yards," the report said.

The wildlife department issued a report Monday that found the main factor contributing to the accident was a "hunter's judgment factor." No other secondary factors were found to have played a role.

© 2006 The Associated Press

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How do they know this if local law enforcement was completely shut out of any investigation?

Also: there's some confusion as to the '30 yards', considering the spread of the shot & the area on Mr. Whittington's body that received injury.

In any case, serious hunters know that Cheney's 'accident' as reported was totally idiotic. If you don't know the precise location of everyone in your hunting party, you do not shoot.

Additionally, what Cheney does on these private ranches is shoot at tame, domesticated animals. This is not 'hunting'.

L

Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2006 15:28:44 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Mr. President, Open, Don't Close, a Dialog with Islamic Nationalists