The Dish

In Iran, the oppression intensifies. Whether this is a sign of strength rather than weakness among the theocratic elite is open to debate.

"If we authorize gay marriage in the state of New York, those who want to live and love incestuously will be five steps closer to achieving their goals as well," – Democratic New York state assemblyman, Dov Hikind. In some sort of act of pique, Hikind says he is considering introducing legislation to legalize incest. Wiki’s profile of Hikind can be read here.

The full video is now online. Gruesome – but probably more propaganda than reality. Still, it’s a chilling reminder that al Qaeda has a secure base of operations in Pakistan, our "ally". And they want to use that base to murder Westerners. Sounds very much like September 10, doesn’t it?

Cooler? Just be careful at the prom:

Forget the clicker: A new technology in Japan could let you control electronic devices without lifting a finger simply by reading brain activity. The "brain-machine interface" developed by Hitachi Inc. analyzes slight changes in the brain’s blood flow and translates brain motion into electric signals.

A cap connects by optical fibers to a mapping device, which links, in turn, to a toy train set via a control computer and motor during one recent demonstration at Hitachi’s Advanced Research Laboratory in Hatoyama, just outside Tokyo. "Take a deep breath and relax," said Kei Utsugi, a researcher, while demonstrating the device on Wednesday.

Germany gets the cable channel that focuses on the next boomer fixation: death, i.e. theirs.

A critique of Obama. Somewhat undermined by this sentence:

Obama’s weaker showing among lesser-educated and lower-earning people is partly because many people are not yet following a race in which voting doesn’t start for seven months.

Byron York makes the case against Edwards.

I’ve long thought the president’s position on the matter is eminently sensible. The use of human embryonic tissue for medical research is ethically very dubious (I’m against it, period). Under such circumstances, a coherent conservatism of doubt would bar government funding, while allowing the private sector to do what it wants to do. There’s no contradiction here, whatever Matt claims, as Kevin Drum points out. What is bizarre is bragging about the private sector research, while declaring it immoral.

Now a tourist attraction. And, remember, Hamas is worse.