Picture Pages, Picture Pages...

You're probably unfamilar with Russ Kick. Even so, chances are you've seen his work. Kick is the man directly responsible for you seeing all those flag-draped military coffins returning from Iraq last year. In April 2004, he posted 288 of these photos at The Memory Hole, setting off a worldwide media frenzy. If Kick hadn't posted those photos, you might never have seen them. Kick runs the aforementioned Memory Hole. This site publishes and preserves material that is in danger of being lost or fading into obscurity, including, but not limited to, government files, corporate memos, court documents, photographs, maps, patents and web pages. Basically, if there's a document that powerful people would rather you not see, you'll probably find it here. Yesterday Kick posted some photographs of our government cuddling up with Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov. Who? Here's what Guardian Reporter Nick Paton Walsh had to say about the situation back in 2003: Independent human rights groups estimate that there are more than 600 politically motivated arrests a year in Uzbekistan, and 6,500 political prisoners, some tortured to death. According to a forensic report commissioned by the British embassy, in August two prisoners were even boiled to death. The US condemned this repression for many years. But since September 11 rewrote America's strategic interests in central Asia, the government of President Islam Karimov has become Washington's new best friend in the region. The U.S. supporting and giving aid to butchers, terrorists and madmen? Nope. We've never done that before. Oh wait, except with some guys named Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.