Category: News

In the bad day column, we have a modern day Scarlet Letter story, where a mail thief was sentenced to wear an “I stole mail” sign during his workday. Of course, that doesn’t compare to the deadly peanut butter kisses. Then you have to wonder what kind of severence pay Darshan Singh will receive now thathe’s been fired from his job as Singapore’s executioner.

Finally, Kazaa will install an anti-piracy filter, with new projections showing that after the filter is installed the number of media files available will drop to 3, which will be traded back and forth by the two remaining users.

Corruption is everywhere in the capitol these days, according to an editorial in the CS Monitor. Like most writeups on the seemingly recent discovery of mass corruption in the Republican government, the article attempts for the most part to maintain a sense that both parties are equally corrupt and responsible for both the marginal and brazen acts that legislators have been caught doing. However, the article does slip up toward the end, stating

Other recent ethics scandals in Washington, almost all involving Republicans, point to weaknesses in current laws and a need for some sort of public campaign financing.

However, the article quickly recovers, continuing

They also highlight Congress’s inaction toward further campaign-finance reform and ethics watchdogging – an inaction that seems purposeful: “Members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, have used ethics allegations as a political weapon for years,” Common Cause stated after Cunningham’s guilty plea.

While ethics allegations have been used by both parties over the years, culminating in a huge abuse of power with the impeachment of Bill Clinton (which is worse, a false war or lying about sex?), the truth here is that the culture of corruption is most prominently a Republican phenonmenon, with the revolving door between lobbyists, corporate powers, Congress, and the Executive Bracnch being the primary culprit. Those running the show are solely in it to enrich themselves, with Cunningham only the most visible and egregious example to date.

A conservative war theorist speculates on the costs of pulling out of Iraq.

I just read a hillarious tidbit on Bush’s speech the other day over his Iraq “plan”, delivered two years late and many brain cells short.

My favorite line of the writeup was how “t is a little-known fact, I’m afraid, that, in a series of speeches extending over a period of years, President Bush has articulated his policy vision more consistently and more eloquently than any President since Lincoln.”

Few of my friends would doubt my progressive bonafides. So when I react with dismay to another article that promises a money give-away to Third World countries, you might be surprised.

Take the latest plan on expanding digital technology.

The Geneva summit disappointed many countries after the rich nations failed to back a Digital Solidarity Fund.

The fund, intended to help finance technology projects in developing countries, was formally launched earlier this year.

The voluntary fund has so far only raised $6.4m (£3.68m) in cash and pledges, so the UN will be hoping to encourage more contributions.

I can only imagine what would happen with yet more large dollar grants handed off to ineffective developing nation governments. These funds have a history of overpromising and underdelivering. In order to make a difference, initiatives around micro loans and volunteer programs such as Geek Corps that have the largest potential to foster on the ground improvements in the quality of life for residents in developing nations. The countries themselves simply don’t have the infrastructure to disburse large sums of money effectively, nor, in many cases, does the political will exist to try. Using even a franction of that money to further expand these kinds of initiatives would go a long way.

It’s nice to know our Big Government GOP party still believes in personal responsibility for the most vulnerable among us. The government plans to cut payments effective December 1st for the 54,000 families displaced by Katrina still living in hotels and motels throughout the region, just in time for Christmas. Not to worry, though, because we have the great GOP here to help us out.

Texas Governor Rick Parry stressed that evacuees must take personal responsibility for their welfare and housing.

But wait, maybe everthing’s not so rosy with this scenario.

“However, my great concern is that there is still no long-term housing plan for the hundreds of thousands of Katrina victims who lost everything – including their homes – as a result of the storm,” he added.

But in the Big Gov GOP personal responsibility plan, that’s your problem.

Courtesey of the BBC

A tsunami warning system is being deployed off the coast of Indonesia, finally, in response to the devestation last December. The long overdue system may not have gathered much press attention, but at least it’s happening.

So imagine my surprise yesterday morning when I get the following e-mai:

[FareAlert] Hilton Tokyo for $2/night

Now, in the past when I’ve received similar notes, either the location didn’t work for me, I’d already missed the deal, or it was with a travel partner I wasn’t interested in using. But having a few minutes before I had to run out the door, I figured I’d give this a try, even though I already thought it was too late. I was planning to stop over in Tokyo in February anyway on my way back from Thailand.

I plugged in the dates and voila, there was a room! So I tried to booked it and briefly struggled with a question about availability. I gave it another go and everything was all set, so I started getting ready to go out.

Then I figure, what the heck. I gave a try for the week of Labor Day in September, and booked a full week.

And from everything Flyertalk says on the topic, it looks like this rate really will be honored. So for about $35, I’m staying at the Hilton Tokyo for nine nights.

I’ve watched the games, on TV or live. I listened on the radio. Each time, I’d watch in disappointment as, even in the best cases, we’d snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Blown leads or blow-outs, Rutgers would find a way to lose.

Then a funny thing happened. Those blow-outs weren’t blow-outs anymore. Those blown leads stopped. The game may have come down to the wire, a la the UConn game, but Rutgers found a way to hold on. For the first time in recent history, they were playing a late October football game, and people cared. The game had meaning.

I watched, nervously, yesterday, before I had to head up to a family event. And I listened the rest of the way, looking for the Rutgers team I was knew to make an appearance. But they held on, and now we’re looking to make our way to a bowl game.

I’ve heard it all now.