We have a new candidate for the most chilling statement on WMD (original). They’ve actually been dancing around this one for a while, but John Bolton just got around to saying it. Here’s the AP lede: The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was justified in part because Saddam Hussein retained scientists capable of building nuclear weapons, Washington’s top arms control official said Thursday. In other words, it was justified because Saddam didn’t get rid of the scientists. And here I thought we were unhappy with Saddam’s tendency to kill inconvenient people. ...

Edward Tufte posted some links to rather striking GIF animations of air traffic patterns over the United States. You can see the waves of FedEx planes taking off from Memphis, for example. He also has a link to an animation of air traffic patterns on 9/11/2001, which is striking in a different way. It being Tufte’s site, someone’s noted (accurately) the problems with the data presentation.

As per expectations, initial reaction to the first attempt to get more international aid in Iraq was not good. Germany is being negative (original), and Russia is making it clear that they need UN involvement. From one angle, it looks like Russia is making concessions, but note that Russia is implacable about UN approval. They’re letting us know that we can get what we want… if we do it their way. Chirac, unsurprisingly, is on board with Germany and Russia (original). ...

I finally got around to reading David Neiwert’s book on the Patriot Movement, In God’s Country. I’d expected it to be scholarly, given the publisher, but it turned out to be a pretty journalistic work. I suppose that’s not surprising, given that Neiwert’s a journalist. Anyhow, it makes for a really accessible read. The bulk of the book is comprised of stories about Patriot Movement members of various stripes in the Pacific Northwest, from Oregon to Idaho. Neiwert is from the area, which makes a big difference. It’s never a book by some outsider telling stories about the rural whackos. Rather, it’s a book by a guy who knows what the area is like, and knows what independent-minded people are like, and can explain what’s different about the extremists who’ve come to infest the area. He speaks with an authority that (say) an East Coast journalist would lack. ...

The US is working on a new UN resolution intended to encourage foreign assistance in Iraq. Five bucks says the first version circulated turns out to be unacceptable to the Security Council. Unfortunately for Bush, he’s negotiating from a position of weakness. After having said he doesn’t need the UN and calling the Security Council irrelevant, he’s now finding that he has to go back and ask them for help. There aren’t many weaker negotiating stances than that.

Without my TiVo, I’d never have gotten around to seeing Audition, which would have been a pity. I think. As is, I spent half the weekend severely creeped out. For a movie without any supernatural trappings, it was about the most horrific thing I’ve seen since The Blair Witch Project. (Pre-hype.) Confessional: I normally find Japanese movies a bit slow. I know it’s part of the cinematic culture in Japan and all; I just don’t have the mental pathways I’d need to appreciate the style properly. I’d been hearing about this Takashi Miike guy for a while, though; he cranks out five or six movies a year, he’s supposed to be totally transgressive and daring, and people either love him or hate him. So I snagged Audition from the Sundance Channel, cause what could it hurt? ...

Riverbend notes that it’s Chalabi’s turn to be president of the Iraqi Governing Council. Should be an interesting month. Chalabi’s been claiming he doesn’t want power for ages now, but he keeps winding up with influence anyhow — albeit influence mostly generated by his supporters (original) among the neocons (original). So, does he use this month to show off how useful he can be? He claims that he needs more control over Iraqi security in order to prevent bombings and terrorism — in fact, he said he warned the US before the UN bombing. One doubts it’s a coincidence that the first Cabinet was named as Chalabi’s presidency began. ...

This is one of those bits where I’m using Popone as a scratchpad. Be warned. Brant kicked off his Paridon game the other night with character creation. Since I don’t know what’s good for me, I went for one of those PCs who can be a terrible idea in the wrong hands. Hopefully mine aren’t. Amelia “Andy” Wellstone is an orphan, who grew up with her twin brother Alistair. Her private belief, which is undoubtedly false, is that their mother was an unwed noblewoman who was afraid to claim them as her own. She is bitter about this; almost as bitter as she is about Alistair’s death at the hands of Isle Bassington — the half-elven ruler of the Paridonesian underworld. She has dark hair and dark eyes, and a sarcastic mouth. She is 5’8”. She is nineteen years old. She spends most of her time in drag, passing as a male both in underworld circles (which she is infiltrating, with the intent of exacting revenge on Bassington) and in noble circles (which she is robbing blind, choosing her targets at the parties she brazenly crashes). Think Raffles crossed with the popular myth of the Chevalier d’Eon crossed with La Maupin. Stats follow.

It’s Dear Brother #9, in which our heros visit a Hell House and live to tell some unpleasant stories about it afterwards.

The Hugo Awards ceremony was last night, and Locus provides us with the winners. I’m surprised by the Best Novel; I enjoyed Hominids, but it was a very strong year for this category and I would have given The Scar the nod. Novel Bones of the Earth, Michael Swanwick Hominids, Robert J. Sawyer Kiln People, David Brin The Scar, China Miéville The Years of Rice and Salt, Kim Stanley Robinson Novella ...