Our tax dollars at work

Here's the story I heard on Fresh Air on Thursday about workers being tricked into jobs in Iraq. Halliburton is a link in the network that trafficks the workers from their local villages to US bases in Iraq.

• Deception, Risks Beset Foreign Workers in Iraq (Fresh Air)
• Pipeline to Peril (the Chicago Tribune investigative series)

Church of the Subgenius

I think this was the reference Lisa made at Chix (or am I hallucinating again? it happens).

The Church of the SubGenius is a satirical pseudo-religious organization, originally based in Dallas, Texas, which gained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s subculture, with a large presence on the Internet.

• Wikipedia entry
• Official site

Whatever did we do before Wikipedia?

Capote mystery movie

So many footnotes this chix! The mystery movie in which Truman Capote makes an appearance was Murder by Death, and not, as suspected, Clue. Both movies are set in gothic mansions on dark and stormy nights, and Eileen Brennan was part of the cast of both movies, so geez, they might as well be one movie—except that Madeline Kahn was in Clue and she's pretty memorable.

Action Item, Professional Superhero

Here's one of my all-time favorite snarky cartoons about project management: The Adventures of Action Item, Professional Superhero. Remember, kids, don't be the bottleneck!

juggernaut (n)

1. Something, such as a belief or institution, that elicits blind and destructive devotion or to which people are ruthlessly sacrificed.
2. An overwhelming, advancing force that crushes or seems to crush everything in its path...
3. Juggernaut Used as a title for the Hindu deity Krishna.

(American Heritage Dictionary, by way of dictionary.com)

See also, or perhaps especially, the Wikipedia definition (courtesy of Ellen):

"[A]ny literal or metaphorical force regarded as unstoppable; that will crush all in its path."

So "unstoppable [fill in the blank] juggernaut" may be a bit redundant, but it sure has a nice ring to it. (Credits to Lisa and her fun turns of phrase ... and fine, festive cookies.)