Now UK telecome providers are upping their broadband speeds as well. I posted not too long ago about the great speeds available in Japan, and it’s even more disappointing to see the US fall even further behind. The impact of “very high speed” broadband access is still being seen, but it’s becoming clear that the US is turning itself in to a second tier player on this front.
It’s nice to see a company like Walmart take the initiative on important issues like a living wage.
The firm’s chief executive, Lee Scott, told analysts that the rate – stuck at $5.15 for almost a decade – was “out of date with the times”.
Customers were struggling to make ends meet, so a rising minimum wage would be good for business, he said.
But he resisted calls for Wal-Mart to raise its own wages.
Whoops, nevermind.
Good news today for those who were hurt by Katrina: the White House backed down on their suspension of the Davis-Bacon Act that would have ensured a fair wage for those rebuilding in the wake of the disaster.
The UK wants the EU to impose a ban on importing wild birds to stop the spread of bird flu. I suppose I could get all excited about this if it weren’t for the obvious flaw in the plan. Wild birds don’t exactly respect territorial boundaries, so what’s to stop one from, say, flying in?
The American public begins suffering from a case of buyer’s remorse. Would it be petty of me to say “I told you so”?
Yet another sign of China’s ascendancy on the world stage. While the signs are all there, the US fritters away its chances to implement sensible policies to remain competitive for the long term, especially under this Administration. And I’m not referring to the space program.
One of the less reported items in the energy bill passed in August included extending daylight savings time by four weeks. Sitting here in the darkness this morning I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, even if I hate driving home in the dark.
Rita bears down on Texas as the Wall Street Journal maintains a running blog of activities. I assume no journalists want to be scooped this time, so there will be a swarm looking for that desparate-cursing-mayor money shot all over the area.
Still, with the storm a Category 5 right now, it’s likely to come ashore as a monster event. And if it does hit certain parts of Texas, there will likely be yet another disruption to the already stretched refineries on the Gulf coast.
It’s nice to read that I’m not the only one who noticed the breakdown in politesse the talking heads typically extend to politicians. Slate has even more examples.
In an end of time style declaration, Tom Delay recently declared that there was no fact left to cut in the federal budget. He was quoted as saying “Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority we’ve pared it down pretty good.”