it's a free country

Kurdish Iraq, that is. From the New York Times:

In one testy exchange this month, the head of the Iranian intelligence office in the eastern city of Sulaimaniya visited a deputy of Jamal Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union, to register a complaint. The Iranian official protested Kurdish cooperation with the C.I.A., according to a Kurdish official familiar with the exchange. "He said, `Why have you invited them here? We should not have these Americans in the region,' " the official said.

"He was told, `This is a free society. We need them here, and we like them here. We are free to invite anyone's assistance as we choose.' "

designed to crash

Also from the Times:

JOAN CLAYBROOK President of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group. Administrator of the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration from 1977 to 1981.

"I've driven Volvos since 1964," she said. "They are really good vehicles. They drive beautifully, they drive comfortably and they crash beautifully. They're designed to crash, at least until Ford bought them. Presumably, they haven't undone that."

one more

Today's Times has some useful tips on donating old computers, cell phones, and other electronics. Since that article will expire, I'll note the National Cristina Foundation here. If you're in California, I also recommend the Computer Recycling Center.