So I am on a lot of conference calls. Like 3-4 per day. And I often take these calls from a mobile phone (Treo) with a bluetooth headset. (Current one is from Plantronics, nothing fancy.)

Is there a headset that someone has built that is specifically optimized for conference calls? By which I mean, one with a one button or one motion mute? With the treo I have to use an on screen button to mute, which is a big pain when walking or driving. (Of course the headset has some weird option involving holding down a button or something, but that does not work if I can't look at it.)

Any ideas?

Now we just need some friendlies against stronger teams outside CONCACAF (as do the Tricolores), so we don't suck again in 2010.

In any case, happy new year, all, and happy new beer to all who enjoy that sort of thing!

It's a good idea to have a fence - but the fact that the Israelis have used it to unilaterally declare borders inside the Palestinian areas, and have extended the policy to roads inside Palestine, has meant that Israelis and foreigners in the West Bank are treated materially differently from Palestinians solely on the basis of their race and religion, and if that's not discrimination, I don't know what is.

Security is important, but if that is the case, Israel should get rid of the settlements and withdraw to internationally recognized borders. Then they can - and should - build as big a wall as they would like.

It's very memorable, but they'll be drinking Victory Gin at the election night party if this sends the wrong message to the proles.

I pick the Saints to win, but this might be a good one.

Update: Nice remembrance by Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.

For a brief moment I was actually worried that things were about to change for the better. But it hasn't even been a week and already the circular firing squad's up and the Republican 2008 campaign material is being primed.

Would you be so kind to the electorate as to at least attempt to not fall apart?

I think this has to be one of the best awful electioneering stories I've read about lately -- not only because of the degree of its offensiveness, but also because of the multiple ways in which it manages to offend. Though if you happen to know a worse story offhand (I don't care about party/country/election cycle) I'd love to read it.

Does anybody compile a nonpartisan list of political dirty tricks?