Open Thread – 6/7/2010

Yesterday I stayed up to date on replying to comments and returning visits, and expect to do the same today.  I also watched Avatar a second time.  What a great flick!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:12.  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Fantasy Football:

For an invitation to join our fantasy football league, Lefty Bloggers and Friends, email me at tomcat1948@gmail.com, using the email address you intent to use to sign up for the league. TC’s Teabuggery Trashers can’t wait to take you on! 🙂

Short Takes:

From AP/Yahoo: More than half of the federal judges in districts where the bulk of Gulf oil spill-related lawsuits are pending have financial connections to the oil and gas industry, complicating the task of finding judges without conflicts to hear the cases, an Associated Press analysis of judicial financial disclosure reports shows.

Given the pollution of the federal judiciary from too many years of GOP control of the appointment process, finding judges without goose-stepping ideological conflicts will be even more difficult.

From Think Progress: BP, the very company responsible for the oil spill that is already the worst in U.S. history, has purchased several phrases on search engines such as Google and Yahoo so that the first result that shows up directs information seekers to the company’s official website.

If only BP would make half the effort to clean the gulf as they have to micro-manage opinion, the innocent victims might see some relief.

From Raw Story: The Israeli Defense Force has issued a "clarification" admitting it manipulated audio of its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

On Friday, the IDF released audio of what it said was an exchange between Israel Navy officers and the crew of the Mavi Marmara, the main vessel in the flotilla. In it, voices could be heard telling the Israeli soldiers to "go back to Auschwitz" and "we’re helping Arabs go against the US — don’t forget 9/11, guys."

In light of this gross attempt at propaganda, it’s not surprising that Israel has now formally rejected calls for an independent inquiry and refuses to release video recordings made by passengers during the attack.

Cartoon:

 

OGIM!!