Links and other messages: not nearly Burgasian

FUN

The e-Bay Song, audio and lyrics. Name-checks William Shatner AND Dr. Dre.

See what song was #1 the day you were born unless you were born before 1955 in the US, in which case, find out what was #1 when you turned 18. For me, that was..."One Bad Apple" by the Osmonds. Oy.

The Absolutely Bottom 50 Funeral Eulogies.

Friend David Brickman will be doing his art criticism spot on WAMC (90.3 fm) today at 9:48 a.m. The topic will be a show of art and artifacts from the Brooklyn Museum at the New York State Museum in Albany. By the way, for the out-of-towners, it is possible to listen online at WAMC.org (live only - not archived).

See the "hottest TV spots of the week" here. The code is aar30z -three letters, two numbers, one letter.

Get your HOOTERS calendar here.

Of course, I'm NEVER bored, but if I were, I'd go to the videos here. The foosball is quite good.

One can buy items with the picture above here. The camisole is my favorite.

INTERESTING

"So there you are, on the road, notebook full of trade secrets, and someone swipes it while you're canoodling at the KitKat Club. Career over?" Not necessarily. There's a service which "promises to shut down the PC, and even delete all the data on the notebook."

30-minute pizza promise wreaking havoc in India

The Perfect Church.

Newest member of U.S. Senate.

In George Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are "limbs," therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the expression, "Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg."

MORE SERIOUS

The Blackberry patent case.

Beyond Treason DVD for sale.

Why your newspaper is dying.

Bush on Trial for Crimes against Humanity at the same church where MLKing, Jr. gave that speech most inportant to me.

FINALLY: in anticipation of the new February 3 deadline for the PATRIOT Act's reauthorization, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee has designated January 25, 2006, as National PATRIOT Act Call-In Day. Dozens of other organizations are joining in.

What to do: Please join this effort by calling Congress TODAY, January 25th, and ask your friends to do the same.

Dial the Capitol switchboard, 202-224-3121, and ask the operator to connect you (24 hours a day) or
Enter your zip code here to find your legislators' direct Washington office phone numbers. To find their district office numbers, click on their names or call your local library.
Please phone both of your Senators and your Representative. Ask your member of Congress to work for a PATRIOT Act reauthorization bill that truly preserves free speech and privacy, and that restores checks and balances, including judicial review and much greater congressional oversight.
Other talking points: If you want to make additional points, here are a few suggestions:

Prevent the FBI from "fishing" through our private purchase, medical, and library records by requiring a statement of fact linking persons whose records are sought to a terrorism investigation.

Allow businesses and libraries to pose a meaningful challenge to a FISA Court order or a National Security Letter demanding customer records.

In light of warrantless wiretapping of domestic email and phone communications authorized by the president, make sure there are sufficient privacy safeguards and oversight on all parts of the PATRIOT Act involving the executive branch (which includes the Department of Justice and the FBI).

Protect our First Amendment rights by removing a proposed provision that would subject anyone who protests in cordoned-off areas at Presidential appearances to prison sentences up to 10 years.

Eliminate proposed new death penalties from the reauthorization.

Now that we know the president has secretly authorized illegal, warrantless wiretaps and spying on peaceful protest groups, Congress must immediately stop those actions and hold much more detailed investigations over the whole Patriot Act (not just the sunsetting provisions) before reauthorizing any part of the Patriot Act.
Although the Senate reauthorization bill is insufficient, it is a much better starting point than the House version or the Conference Report.
Can't get through right away? Many people must be phoning Congress. Keep your calls coming! If you prefer not to wait, call the next day or phone the district office.

Find additional resources at the Bill of Rights Defense Committee web site.

Other organizations supporting the call-in day (partial list) include the Alliance for Justice, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, American Civil Liberties Union, American Library Association, Amnesty International USA, Campaign for Reader Privacy, Center for Democracy and Technology, Code Pink, Council on American-Islamic Relations, First Amendment Foundation, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Global Exchange, League of United Latin American Citizens, League of Women Voters, Liberty Coalition, MoveOn.org Political Action, National Lawyers Guild, People For the American Way, Rights Working Group, San Francisco Labor Council, Unitarian Universalist Association, and United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America.