Italy Bans the Burqa

“ITALY has banned Islamic burqas under tough terrorism laws that provide two-year jail terms and E2000 ($3200) fines for anyone caught covering their face in a public place.

The counter-terrorism package, passed by Italy’s parliament yesterday, doubles the existing penalty for wearing a burqa or chador — traditional robes worn by Muslim women to cover their faces — or full-faced helmets or balaclavas in public.” More…

Of course if a law like this were passed in the US, the ACLU lawyers would break each others legs trying to be the first one to scramble to the courthouse. - Fast Eddie

Word on the Street

Yes, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie will be back for a new edition of “The Simple Life.” But no, she doesn’t know when it will start or what the format will be … or even if the two former friends are speaking to each other.

The Hilton-Richie situation is also complex. Friends since childhood, they succeeded with a daft reality show, putting them in strange settings; then came a feud, with Hilton acknowledging that they weren’t speaking.

A new edition will be interesting, Liguori said, now that both are engaged. But what will it be like? “We’ll just have to figure that out.”

Fox built its reputation on offbeat shows - from “Idol” and “Simple Life” to “Joe Millionaire” - from the reality show division led by Mike Darnell. It’s had reality success this summer with “Hell’s Kitchen” and “So You Think You Can Dance”; overall, for the full season, Fox is No. 1 in its favorite Nielsen ratings category, ages 18-49.

There are no reality shows on the fall lineup, but many will be waiting. They include “Idol” in January, plus “Simple Life,” “Trading Spouses,” “Nanny 911″ and something new: “XQuest” will use video-game technology to put contestants in an outer- space situation; it’s from a team that includes “Apollo 13″ director Ron Howard and “Halo” video-game producer Alexander Seropian.

More odd reality touches will probably come, Liguori said. “Mike’s an incredible showman.”

Hail Britania

Hats off to the British people and their homeland security forces… You have set the high water mark and are an inspiration to all of us across the pond. Awesome. - zzb

Photographer Loses Carmeron Diaz Case

“The photographer who took topless photos of a 19-year-old aspiring model named Cameron Diaz, then attempted to sell them back to her after she became a movie star, is facing up to six years in prison.

John Rutter was convicted yesterday in a Los Angeles court of forgery, attempted grand theft and perjury for the ?2.9m scheme involving 11-year-old photos. He is due to be sentenced on September 15.

In the meantime, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor revoked Rutter?s bail and ordered him to jail, ruling the 42-year-old photographer is a flight risk.

?Although I wish that this unfortunate situation hadn?t occurred in the first place, I am very gratified that justice has been served,? Diaz said in a statement. She wasn?t in court to witness the verdict, which jurors reached after about four hours of deliberations.”

Podcasting: Talking Dirty on Your iPod

“At podcast.net, the No. 2 most-searched-for term (right between BBC and NPR) is porn. At Leyden’s site, six of the top 20 shows are adult-oriented. And at Apple’s behemoth iTunes store, ‘Open Source Sex’ is No. 11 and climbing. From the breathy erotica of ‘Pod Porn’ to the subdued interviews of ‘SexGeeks,’ mature programming for the iPod can be titillating, educational or sometimes both, and it is spreading fast.

Part of the appeal is populism. Just as indie-rock podcasts see themselves as the antidote to rigid corporate playlists, sex-themed shows are proudly amateur. Anyone with a microphone, a PC and some privacy can produce one. ‘You don’t need big breasts or big advertisers,’ says Violet Blue, the host of ‘Open Source Sex.’ ‘It’s the ultimate democratic tool for sex education.’

Parents are less pleased, in part because filtering software is useless against the new technology. But they can take heart: the next Next Big Thing is religious programming (’Catholic Insider,’ ‘Pray-station Portable’). It’s known as—what else?—godcasting.

—Nick Summers / Newsweek

Flipper Has No Shame

“An outstanding example of political hypocrisy, from a man who refused to release his full military records even as he ran for President: Kerry Seeks Release of Roberts’ Documents. - lgf”

WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. John Kerry urged the White House on Friday to release “in their entirety” all documents and memos from Supreme Court nominee John Roberts’ tenure in two Republican administrations.

“We cannot do our duty if either Judge Roberts or the Bush administration hides elements of his professional record,” said the Massachusetts senator who was his party’s presidential candidate last year.” More…

VDH’s Private Papers::And Then They Came After Us!

We’re at war. How about acting like it?
by Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online

First the terrorists of the Middle East went after the Israelis. From 1967 we witnessed 40 years of bombers, child murdering, airline hijacking, suicide murdering, and gratuitous shooting. We in the West usually cried crocodile tears, and then came up with all sorts of reasons to allow such Middle Eastern killers a pass.

Yasser Arafat, replete with holster and rants at the U.N., had become a “moderate” and was thus free to steal millions of his good-behavior money. If Hamas got European cash, it would become reasonable, ostracize its “military wing,” and cease its lynching and vigilantism.”

Read More…. Then come back and comment if you have something to say…

Wedding by Jihad

AP News Photo: “Palestinian grooms cheer during a group wedding ceremony along the streets of Gaza City, Thursday, July 21, 2005. More than 200 couples were married in Gaza City Thursday, in a group wedding organized by the Islamic Jihad Movement. The newly wedded brides held a separate closed-door celebration for their weddings. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)”

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How insane the world has become! Will their offspring be sent to Madrasas to become the next generation of islamic fanatical suicide bombers? Or will they know a world of peace and co-existance with Israel and the West? Anyone taking odds?

The Real Suicide Bomb

Bush Decides Supreme Court Choice

BBC NEWS | Americas | Bush decides Supreme Court choice: “Mr Roberts, 50, was a deputy solicitor general under George Bush senior before becoming a private attorney.

His record as a staunch conservative means he could face a tough confirmation hearing in the Senate, says the BBC’s James Coomarasamy.

Mr Bush [made] the official announcement at 0100 GMT.

Our correspondent says conservatives will be pleased by Judge Roberts’ record on the environment, church-state issues and abortion.

He successfully argued that government-funded doctors and clinics could not talk to patients about abortion.” More…