The leaked Stratfor e-mails contain one by Fred Burton of Stratfor a year ago saying the U.S. has a sealed Indictment for Julian Assanage.

Email-ID 375123
Date 2011-01-26 15:23:28
From burton@stratfor.com
To secure@stratfor.com
Not for Pub --

We have a sealed indictment on Assange.

Pls protect
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Burton, the vice-president of intelligence for Stratfor, is a former deputy chief of the counter-terrorism division of the US State Department's diplomatic security service. The Sydney Morning Herald reports on the email here, and Forbes here. [More...]

Comcast just interrupted programing for 3 minutes with an emergency child abduction alert. Only there was no information and instead a carpet cleaning commerical and radio bit about the Denver Broncos played annoyingly.

It was the kind of alert that comes on for hurricanes and testing of the emergency broadcast system. One child going missing is not a national or community-wide emergency. It's a local police issue. Emergency interruptions should be limited to dangers to everyone in the community.

It's bad enough Amber Alerts are broadcast on highway signs. They are dangerous distractions, just like texting while driving. Drivers' eyes should be on the road, not trying to read details of a crime alert. To have them forced on us in our own homes is even worse. [More...]

Here's Wikileak's announcement about its publication of more than 5 million Strator e-mails. The e-mails were obtained in December by activists associated with Anonymous.

The emails date from between July 2004 and late December 2011. They reveal the inner workings of a company that fronts as an intelligence publisher, but provides confidential intelligence services to large corporations, such as Bhopal’s Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defense Intelligence Agency. The emails show Stratfor’s web of informers, pay-off structure, payment-laundering techniques and psychological methods...

Wikileaks says the emails "contain privileged information about the US government’s attacks against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks and Stratfor’s own attempts to subvert WikiLeaks." [More...]

The Oscars are about to start. I'm really looking forward to Billy Crystal.

Here's a Cheat Sheet.

Update: Billy Crystal's best line:

“Nothing can take the sting out of the world's economic problems like millionaires handing each other gold statues.”

The skit was good, his singing not so much.

Where to watch online?

• TV Guide's Fashion Cam -- Just started.
• MTV Live Stream
• On the Red Carpet Live

Who looks great to you? Who missed by miles? Fast Photogalleries: New York Times and BBC News

Here's a ballot for the nominees. Who are you rooting for to win?

One of the upsides to being President, says Obama, is you get to have Mick Jagger and B.B. King come over to your house. They got Obama to sing. The concert was part of PBS's Black History Month and will air Feb. 27.[More...]

CNN and Fox are broadcasting Whitney Houston's funeral live. Skip CNN, it has pundits talking during it. People, the AP, CBS and other sites are streaming it. If you are watching, or if you aren't but have something positive to say, please feel free to comment.

So far it's very upbeat and religious, The point is made that this is a day to celebrate her life.

Photos here.

R.I.P. Whitney.

TMZ is still running articles about Whitney Houston. Today it has a story quoting unnamed sources about how her friends enabled her alcohol use. The conclusion the article wants readers to reach is that Whitney Houston's friends contributed to her death by encouraging her excessive alcohol use. The article ends with:

We know she drank alcohol shortly before her death, and we're told she typically took Xanax -- one of the drugs found in her room -- before a performance to calm her nerves, and she was scheduled to sing at Clive Davis' Grammy party.

But other sources, like Rolling Stone, with quotes from Clive Davis, say Whitney was not scheduled to perform at the party, she was only scheduled to attend.

"She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn't scheduled to perform. She loved music, and she loved this night that celebrates music."

[More...]

Despite the lack of evidence to establish that Whitney Houston's death was caused by drugs or alcohol, the drug warriors are out in force. The latest to join them and capitalize on Whitney Houston's death is White House Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, who calls her death "a teachable moment."

According to the Coroner's office, there were fewer pills in her hotel room than in the average person's medicine cabinet -- his included.

Could the media get any more intrusive? CNN is actually running a live feed outside the funeral home where Whitney Houston's body is expected to arrive "later tonight."

CNN Live sent out a tweet saying:

View stake-out camera at funeral home where #WhitneyHouston body is expected to arrive in New Jersey. Watch live: http://on.cnn.com/cnndcl4

#ShameOnCNN (no that's not a real hashtag, I just made it up -- but it should be.)

The Grammys are live on the East Coast but don't begin here until 7:00 pm, 20 minutes to go. The West Coast doesn't air until an hour after that. I'd say no spoilers, except everything is broadcast all over the internet and Twitter, and being watched on live feeds, so spoilers are fine. If you don't want to know, don't read the comments.

Bruce Springsteen opens with "We Take Care of Our Own." Jennifer Hudson will do a tribute to Whitney Houston. Most of the awards were given out before the show, only 10 awards will be live during tonight's show. Here's the list of nominees with live up-dating of winners. Adele and Taylor Swift and the Foo Fighters were winners this afternoon.

As for the red carpet, the fashion is never as good as it is for the movie awards shows, and always a little bizarre. Here's some that stood out to me below (Photo links will come down at the end of the show, so look now): [More...]

In the wake of Whitney Houston's death, at Clive Davis'pre-grammy party last night, singer Tony Bennett urged the U.S. to legalize drugs.

"First it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now, the magnificent Whitney Houston," he began. "I'd like every person in this room to campaign to legalize drugs."

"Let's legalize drugs like they did in Amsterdam," he continued. "No one's hiding or sneaking around corners to get it. They go to a doctor to get it."

There's still no indication of cause of death. TMZ has reported she drowned in the bathtub. [More...]