cdymek's Blog!

An article I read in last Friday’s BusinessWeek essentially confirms that I had suspected with regards to the financial health of the Democractic Party. With the new campaign finance laws banning soft money contributions, I expected that the Dems would lose handidly when it came to raising funs.

In the first test of the new world of campaign-finance reform, Republicans collected far more money than Democrats. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) pulled down $22 million in the first three months of the year — more than triple House Democrats’ $7 million take. The Democratic National Committee, outraised by Republicans by more than 4 to 1 in the first two months of 2003, refused to release an estimate for March, citing an Apr. 20 statutory deadline.

Isn’t it funny how campaign finance reform, an issue that Democrats had campaigned on for years, would end up hastening their own downfall? A friend of mine, who has worked as a campaign staffer on a Democratic Congressional Campaign last election hasn’t been unable to find a position for this year (granted, there aren’t a whole lot of races, it being an off-year). But if the Dems can’t get their fund-raising in gear, how well will they fair next time around?

Personally, I would send them a check, but I can’t seem to figure out what the party stands for anymore. In 2000, the campaign revolved around a strategy of “What you like about Clinton, without the scandals of Clinton”. In 2002, I don’t think I could find ANY coherent message from the party. Obviously, neither of these have produced any significant gains. So someone call me when you have a message besides “We’re not Bush”, because I don’t quite think that alone is going to do it.

If you want me to show you the money, you gotta show me the leadership.

First, some additional info on Abu Abbas. Apparently the debate on what his status is has begun.

The weather outside is wonderful today. After one of the snowiest winters in the past several years, with temperatures routinely staying below freezing, it has been pleasant to see the trees blooming and feel some hot sun. I was out for lunch today and had the chance to enjoy driving with the top down again. Come July, this will (hopefully) feel old hat by then, but in the Spring it’s still new.

Now, if there was just something I could do about all that pollen…

Slate’s Chatterbox had an amusing article on Rep. Cubin (R-Wyoming). My personal favorite: “I know what Victoria’s Secret is. She’s a slut.”

I wonder if this is part of the reason why the Pentagon essentially announced an end to the combat phase of the invasion of Iraq. It would make it easier, when rounding up militants, to no longer have to provide for them under the Geneva convention if you consider your combat complete. Plus, this has the added benefit of any guerrillas picked up there being placed in a murky legal status, such as Palestinian guerrilla leader Abu Abbas.

For instance, under what jurisdiction would he fall? Israel would be interested in him, I am sure, as would Italy. Yet Israel, from the tone of the article, would have been able to arrest him some time ago, since they were aware of and allowed his movement in to Palestinian areas in Gaza. Italy, potentially, if we extradite him. But under what legal status would the US have picked him up in the first place?

Of course, it seems more likely he would just disappear, like plenty of others have. That’s certainly easier than dealing with murky legal questions.

According to an article in Businessweek, NTT DoMoCo, the cell phone company that made the wireless internet from a cell phone concept famous due to its success in Japan, is finally making a resurgence after splurging on its 3G implementation and missing out on the initial photo-phones.

The recovery started with a return to basics. After missing out on the initial boom in camera phones, DoCoMo last June launched its first photo handsets, which work on its older, Second Generation, network. Thanks to the flashy design and easy picture and video messaging, DoCoMo has sold 9 million of the phones in the past 10 months. That’s more than twice the number sold in the same period by Japan’s photo-phone pioneer, J-Phone Co., owned by Britain’s Vodafone Group PLC.

I actually read somewhere that some men were using them on stairs and escalators to take photos up women’s skirts. The camera phones were more inconscpicous than a regular camera would be, which made it easier.

Even DoCoMo’s 3G service, Foma, is showing signs of life. After launching the high-speed wireless Net service in October, 2001, an overconfident company president, Keiji Tachikawa, predicted Foma would attract 150,000 users in its first five months. By last March, only half that number had signed up, and many customers griped about spotty coverage and bulky phones that ran out of power in just a few hours.

Tachikawa then swung into action, pressuring handset vendors to develop lighter, longer-lasting models and promising to subsidize their development. This March, DoCoMo unveiled a new $250, 3G video phone that weighs just 130 grams and has enough battery power to run for a week. Aggressive ads push the message that 3G offers the cheapest rates for sending and receiving data. Moreover, the network now provides coverage to 90% of Japan’s population, compared with just 60% a year ago. All of this has attracted 330,000 Foma subscribers; nearly 140,000 signed up in March alone. “We’re at a turning point,” says Atsushi Shimazaki, senior manager of DoCoMo’s marketing division. He predicts Foma will reach 1.5 million users by next March.

If anyone could make 3G service work, it would be DoMoCo. As an investment for the foreseeable future, I have little faith of a strong return. But a camera that sends video and can last a week on its battery sounds like a dream, considering I’m happy if I can last two days with sporadic use on my Motorola T720.

On a semi-related note, I finally cashed in the last of my tech stocks. Buh-bye, Cisco and AOL.

And I love it! Nothing makes the day like driving home from work with the top down.

This morning on the ride in, I had the pleasure of cycling through L’Arc~en~Ciel’s Click Singles CD. I love the way they can make the electric guitar wail and sing in their music.

Oh, Ayumi Hamasaki was featured in the May edition of Wired Magazine’s Japanese Schoolgirl Watch. Time Magazine actually had a story on her (March 25, 2002 Asia edition). One quote for the article is particularly memorable; “Her voice is screechy, even irritating sometimes,” says Arisa Kaneko, a 28-year-old TV writer. “But that just makes her more human. You know she’s singing her heart out.” As an avid listener of her music, this definately rings true. The first time I listened to one of her songs, I couldn’t believe my ears. But after a few listens, you begin to understand why she’s so popular…

Of course, I still prefer Love Psychedlico to either of them.

See, it’s a good time to be in Singapore.

According to an article in Fortune magazine,

In Singapore, where SARS has infected more than 100 people and killed nine, the Catholic archbishop has forbidden priests to hear confessions. Until further notice, “general forgiveness” has been granted.

While in Vancouver, I happened upon one of the many peace rallies that had been occuring around the world. I must say, the anti-war groups definately seem to have the more colorful pagenatry associated with their protests. Definately look at the painting someone made of “W”, as a very good example.

Nonetheless, the whole concept of “No Blood for Oil” strikes me as being as phony as “Iraqi Liberation”. America has a mixed record regarding intervention on the liberation front, and there are definately easier, more diplomatic, and less expensive ways to procure oil supplies.

Did Saddam really have Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)? And, more important than even whether he did, is whether an proven suspicion combined with the fear that a future potential threat may exist are sufficient grounds to justify an invasion of another sovereign entity. Even if it turns out he did, and from today’s news reports (A stash of mobile labs were found buried, according to some early reports) that appears likely, I find the example that this provides to the world to be rather appalling. This doctrine, on the surface at least, would appear to greenlight invasions by hostile neighbors without waiting for the first attacks.

So, I thought I should update this with some remarks on my recent trip to Vancouver. Though I was only there for little more than three days, there were two components of the trip I enjoyed. The food, in particular this one Japanese restaurant in the center of town, and and a restaurant called Da Pasta Bar stand out. The Japanese food was affordably priced and consisted of a good selection of well-prepared food. I enjoyed it so much, I ate there twice! And the pasta restaurant had this pesto-chicken fettucine dish that was beyond fantastic.

The other piece of Vancouver I enjoyed was the high cultural value. A group of Vancouver actors and actress, for instance, are attempting to perform all of Shakespeare’s works (or at least the majority), on an informal basis. I happened to be lucky enough to be there on a weekend in which they were reading, and despite the lack of a set or, really, any costume, they put on an enjoyable performance. The independent cinemas and the museum pieces showcasing Vancouver artwork were also noteworthy.

Unfortunately, it did rain, or if not, threaten rain for nearly the entire trip. While I enjoyed Vancouver, and its well-integrated population, I’m not sure I could handle that year in and year out. But, I would certainly love to go back. Whistler, with its (apparently) fantastic skiing is just a two hour drive away. That alone makes a return trip worthwhile.

On another note, I’ll be heading to Quebec in about two weeks. I’m trying to prepare myself now for some French culture!

ttfn,
Chris