Giving Back To The Community

Former narcotics officer Barry Cooper has released a DVD with tips for pothead to follow to avoid ending up behind bars. For example the old "joint in straw" technique. See the full story on Radar.

On the flip side, Radar shows why maybe you shouldn't smoke. It makes you dumber than a pair of six year olds and a monkey.

WTF?

Filipino prisoners perform Thriller (well)

Mind's Playing Tricks On You

An Illusion from Akiyoshi KITAOKA. (Hint - your mind is making those circles move)

Humans 1, Whales 0

Indonesian fishermen tackle nature ... and eat.

Not As Stupid As He Looks

On the Libby sentence commutation it's worth noting one rationale for why Bush didn't grant a pardon (note: this is from an op-ed written a month and a half ago):

If Bush were to pardon Libby, he and Vice President Cheney would give up the rationale they have used successfully for four years to avoid addressing their own roles in the case. And Libby's trial made very clear that the President and Vice President played significant and troubling roles at the very heart of the case. It is for the very same reason that Bush is more likely to follow the advice some have offered him and commute Libby's prison sentence, allowing Libby to remain free while he pursues legal vindication.

... But if Bush simply commutes Libby's prison sentence without effectively vacating Libby's conviction, the appeals process goes forward and Bush and Cheney continue to have their rationale for not answering the press' questions. This strategy would also have the added benefit for Bush of eliminating the chance, however remote, that under the pressure of prison time away from his family and abandoned by the White House he served loyally, Libby himself would tell the true story of his own and others' conduct.

A pardon would have elminated any constitutional right Libby could have asserted against self incrimination. By commuting the sentence Bush has effectively bought Libby's silence. Pretty smart for a dumb guy.