DEMS FOR FUNDING THE WAR: “The spending bill passed overwhelmingly, 92-3, with only Robert Byrd, Tom Coburn, and Russ Feingold in opposition. Tellingly, the Democrats running for office from the Senate all managed to miss the vote — Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, ChrIs Dodd, and Joe Biden. . . . Roll Call reports that the House will take up supplemental funding bills for the Iraq deployment, but that none of them call for any withdrawals.”

Why hasn’t this gotten more attention, I wonder?

OPENING UP THE FIELD for the Google Lunar X-Prize.

FIRES IN LEBANON — reportedly set by Syrians. Tom Smith is updating.

A LOOK AT science and the Islamic world.

COURT ORDERS red-light camera refunds in Minneapolis. (Via Buzz.mn).

SO IF I WANT A DVD OF THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO, it’s going to cost me a minimum of $118.94?

I thought this was some weird glitch, but searching around other sites I found it as either unavailable, or available only in European PAL format, or equally overpriced. What gives?

UPDATE: Glenn Kenny of Premier magazine emails:

Here’s what gives: “Last Days of Disco” was partially produced by Polygram Filmed Entertainment and distributed by Waverly Films. I’m not sure what the fate of Waverly Films was, but Polygram Filmed Entertainment was folded into Universal, that is, dissolved, in the 1999 deal by which Seagram’s purchased Polygram. Many fIlms produced by PFE between ’79 and ’99 are controlled by MGM, but the pictures made by PFE between ’96 and ’98 now reside with Universal. And Universal’s a weird company when it comes to catalog stuff. Their recent studio classics line, boosted by TCM supports, puts out good versions of ’30s and 40s classics (recent releases include “No Man of Her Own” and “All Quiet on the Western Front”) but in terms of exploiting the quirkier, more obscure stuff in its catalog (and there’s lots of it), they are hopeless. In addition, as I’ve learned from (minimal) personal experience, they are also loathe to make licensing deals with entrepreneurs who actually would like to release such material.

Prices on out-of-print DVDs are driven by two considerations (although not always in equal measure): The actual physical rarity of the item in question, and the likelihood of said item being reissued. I don’t imagine the 1999 run of “Last Days…” DVDs was particularly large, and the release was almost ten years ago. And Universal’s track record speaks to the likelihood of a reissue. But then again one never knows…and there is a sucker born every minute: although a new and improved version of “Suspiria” is just out on DVD, I could conceivably get a fair amount on e-Bay for the “Numbered Limited Edition” it just obsoleted. And “Disco” is hardly a worst-case scenario, by the way—a few years ago people were getting upwards of 300 bucks for a DVD of Antonioni’s “The Red Desert” that was a mediocre master of a mediocre print. But as it was the only Region 1 NTSC game in town, that was that.

As you might recall from a prior correspondence, I am not your biggest fan. But as this is an area of some expertise for me, and I was strangely moved by your seeming desire to revisit a movie (and a filmmaker) that I’m an admirer of, I figured it wouldn’t hurt anybody to contribute my two cents.

It took me a minute to figure out what he meant about not being my biggest fan — hey, lots of people aren’t my biggest fan — but it’s from when I sided with Ann Althouse in an Althouse-Kenny dustup a while back. No biggie from my point of view. And I do like Whit Stillman’s work. And stuff like this is what people hate about IP protection in the modern world. An argument for compulsory licensing.

INVASION IRAN: It’s on:

Now, in the wake of Ahmadinejad’s candid admission, a team of gay proselytizers is being formed in a humanitarian effort to bring Iran up to First World standards. “Never let it be said,” said Col. Tracy Leslie of the Revolutionary Gay Army, “that America sat idly by while another nation suffered through a decadeslong gay drought.”

Leslie called for volunteers to help beef up the regular forces. “We don’t want to make the same mistake the Bush administration made,” he said. “When we act to enrich the lives of the Iranian people, we want to make sure we have enough personnel to handle every city, town and village.” . . .

“We may have to stay there for a long time,” said Col. Leslie. “It’s not a quagmire, though; it’s an opportunity.”

We’re looking for a few good men who are looking for a few good men. Ask not what you can do for your country, ask instead what you can do for the people of Qom.

They’ll be welcomed as liberators. (Via Michael Petrelis).

IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE: “Hillary Clinton has taken over control of the nation’s brain, as demonstrated by the fact that people seem to think it’s worth talking and talking about the sound of her laughter.”

A NEW ALLY FOR HUGO CHAVEZ: Oh, goody.

ARE THE MEDIA running from the Rush story?

JAMES LOVELOCK AND Geoengineering in response to global warming.

THIS DOESN’T REASSURE ME ABOUT THEIR QUALITY OF SERVICE: AT&T’s new user agreement forbids public disparagement of AT&T.

UPDATE: AT&T denies it.

WHAT THE CLARENCE THOMAS / ANITA HILL STORY says about politics.

SPUTNIK AT 50: Some revised history:

50 years later, it emerges that the momentous launch was far from being part of a well-planned strategy to demonstrate communist superiority over the West. Instead, the first artificial satellite in space was a spur-of-the-moment gamble driven by the dream of one scientist, whose team scrounged a rocket, slapped together a satellite and persuaded a dubious Kremlin to open the space age.

Read the whole thing.

“PROFOUNDLY BIASED AND MISLEADING” — priorities in war reporting.

PRESIDENT THOMPSON?

And doesn’t the sound of that kind of bother Ayn Rand fans . . . .?

A THOUSAND CHINESE EINSTEINS every year?

LARRY KUDLOW: The GOP has some re-branding to do. Yes. They still haven’t learned the lessons from 2006.

“ABSOLUTE MORAL AUTHORITY:” Heh.

THIS SOUNDS COOL: Recording HD content on regular DVDs.

GUN CONTROL EFFORTS heating up at the United Nations.

OBAMA blasts Senators who voted for war.

THE ANCHORESS ON TALK OF A Christian third party: “Yep. Right on schedule. Writes my Li’l Bro Thom: Did they learn nothing from ‘92? They may as well start engraving the ‘President Clinton’ commemorative coins now.”

I guess Ross Perot wasn’t available this time around.

UPDATE: Related thoughts here.

THE LESSON OF BURMA: “Tyranny pays.” And the world — most notably including the “international community” — doesn’t care.

IN THE MAIL: Garry Kasparov’s How Life Imitates Chess: Making the Right Moves, from the Board to the Boardroom. Since he’s now running for President in Russia, he’ll need to make the right moves.

Follow the link above for an interview with Kasparov. And here are some thoughts on his candidacy from Max Boot.