August 16, 2003
Blogging the blackout backstory
The story as changed from lightning striking a generating facility in Canada to a power surge in NYC to problems in Cleveland. Al-Muhajabah did some digging into FirstEnergy Corp, the power company that seems to be the source of the problem and came up with a history that's sordid but sadly, rather typical.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 07:21:28 PM |
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Dan Wasserman may have bumped Tom Toles
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 02:23:20 PM |
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Reported due to historical, rather than personal, interest
Idi Amin, brutal former dictator of Uganda, dies at 80, in Saudi Arabia
Canadian Press
Saturday, August 16, 2003
JIDDA, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Idi Amin, whose eight years as president of Uganda were characterized by bizarre and murderous behaviour, died Saturday, a hospital official said.
Amin was 80, Ugandan officials said, though other sources had him born in 1925.
Amin had been hospitalized on life-support since July 18. He was in a coma and suffering from high blood pressure when he was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist hospital. Later, hospital staff, said he suffered kidney failure.
Amin was forced from Uganda in 1979, fled to Libya, then Iraq and finally Saudi Arabia, where he was allowed to settle provided he stayed out of politics.
A one-time heavyweight boxing champ and soldier in the British colonial army, Amin seized power on Jan. 25, 1971, overthrowing president Milton Obote while Obote was abroad.
Human rights groups say as many as 500,000 people were killed during Amin's 1971-1979 rule over Uganda.
© Copyright
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 12:57:01 PM |
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Our loss, Africa's gain
Major African library heads homeBy Tshepo Mongoai
Johannesburg - One of the world's top collections of African literature is finally on its way back to Africa, officials said on Wednesday.
Rare first editions signed by giants of African literature such as Nigeria's Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka and South Africa's Nadine Gordimer form part of the collection of 13 000 items being sent from Texas to South Africa to launch a new Centre for African Literary Studies at the University of Natal.
"This collection constitutes a key intellectual and cultural resource which can be seen as a cornerstone for scholarly contribution and African renaissance," Professor Liz Gunner of the University of Natal said.
She declined to say how much was spent to acquire the collection, known as the Lindfors Library after University of Texas English Professor Bernth Lindfors, who spent four decades putting it together.
The books will arrive in December at the university where the new research centre will be up and running early next year.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 12:52:56 PM |
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Why doesn't anybody LISTEN to meeee?
It becomes more apparent that George bush is either a)a sock puppet or b)a liar. The evidence this time comes by way od BuzzFlash which pointed out:
CLAIM
"We'll have time to look at it and determine whether or not our grid needs to be modernized.
I happen to think it does, and have said so all along."
- George Bush, 8/14/03 [
LINK]
FACT
In June of 2001, Bush opposed and the congressional GOP voted down legislation to provide $350 million worth of loans to modernize the nation's power grid because of known weaknesses in reliability and capacity. Supporters of the amendment pointed to studies by the Energy Department showing that the grid was in desperate need of upgrades as proof that their legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) should pass.
Unfortunately, the Bush Administration lobbied against it and the Republicans voted it down three separate times: First, on a straight party line in the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, then on a straight party line the U.S. House Rules Committee, and finally on a party line on the floor of the full House [Roll Call Vote #169, 6/20/01].
If Bush is the leader of the Republican party, why did "his" party ignore what he's been saying "all along"? If he's the leader, then he can only be lying about that claim. And if he's
NOT lying then
every Republican that claim deferance to him is…and he's a mere front man.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 12:31:58 PM |
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A history lesson
Why blacks shy away from the GOP
In the mid 1960s, the Dixicrats switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party to assist Barry Goldwater in his unsuccessful bid for the presidency against Lyndon Johnson. They were, however, pivotal in the Southern strategy that won the White House for Richard M. Nixon in 1968. President Reagan, a Republican, is credited with bringing all factions of the Republican right-wing conservative movement together, steeped in the Dixiecrat states' rights tradition.
During Reagan's administration, the issues and concerns of the Dixiecrats became principally those of the Republican Party. It was precisely at this juncture that the Republican Party ceased being the Party of Lincoln and evolved into what it is today to the vast majority of black America -- almost racially exclusive and dedicated to protecting and maintaining the status quo.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 12:02:01 PM |
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Why the whole idea of lightskinnedpeople.com sucks
And I'd be just as harsh on a any potential website that sought to harden the skin-tone based divisions in the Black community, no matter which tone it favored.
Black Sues Black for Racism -- And Gets $40,000!By Alex P. Kellogg, BET.com Staff Writer
Posted August 14, 2003 -- In an increasingly common racial discrimination case, a Black man won a settlement against another Black man for being degraded because of his skin color.
A dark-skinned Black waiter at an Applebee's restaurant near Atlanta alleged that his light-skinned Black supervisor was discriminating against him. To settle the suit, the company paid him $40,000.
Dwight Burch, a former employee, accused his manager at the Jonesboro, Ga., restaurant of repeatedly referring to him as a "tar baby" and "Black monkey" during his three months at the restaurant. Burch also alleged in his suit that his manager told him to bleach his skin and that he was fired when he threatened to report the man to officials at Applebee's headquarters.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission helped settle the "color discrimination" lawsuit, saying that such cases are on the rise. The number of cases involving allegations of skin-tone discrimination jumped from 413 in fiscal year 1994 to 1,382 in 2002, according to the EEOC. About 20 of the complaints filed during that time period have led to lawsuits, while most of the rest have been settled out of court. They currently comprise roughly 3 percent of the 85,000 cases the agency gets annually.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 05:27:33 AM |
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The problem (Blackout 2003)
From the comments on Crooked Timber
Here is an excerpt from a more level-headed take on the blackout, to be found on the Economist’s website:
Like Mr Bush, Lyndon Johnson, America’s president at the time of the 1965 blackout, demanded a full investigation. He called in the defence ministry and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to take part in the inquiry. One of its main outcomes was the creation of the North American Electric Reliability Council, a New Jersey-based industry group that works to ensure reliable service on the 500,000 miles of high-voltage power lines across North America. But as demand for electricity has grown, the council has found it increasingly hard to maintain the transmission system. Indeed, industry experts have been warning for some years that it is creaking under the weight of ever-heavier power loads. And the problem continues to get worse: the Electric Power Research Institute, based in Palo Alto, California, estimates that demand for power in America has grown at twice the rate at which transmission capacity has increased in the past decade. The rapid growth of power-thirsty air conditioning systems has played a big part. “We’re a superpower with a third-world grid. We need a new grid,” Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico and a former federal energy secretary, told CNN. “The problem is that nobody is building enough transmission capacity.”
The problem is NOT that there isn't enough transmission capacity. We had plenty of transmision capacity, what we lacked was electricity.
What we need is more distributed power generation.
"No one wants a generator in their neighborhood."
Hello? Solar power?
I understand that energy generation is a centralized function. I understand the historical reasons why it is so, as well as the capitalist reasons any change in the staus quo will be resisted by vast and puissant forces. Just like single pay health care is so resisted. Yet electricity is as vital as medicine nowadays. As vital as the phone system, as the superhighway system. Things this vital need to be centrally administered for the benefit of everyone…there should be no ability to mainpulate them for profit. None.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 05:20:26 AM |
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Missing the mark
This article from the DLC's website has a promising title. Yet it turns out to be another example of an almost Republican pandering to corporate interests.
Mainstreaming Low-Income Health Insurance ProgramsNew Dem Play | Make low-income health insurance coverage available through employers
Where It's Working | Idaho, Massachusetts, and other states
Players | State officials
Low-income workers frequently have trouble getting health insurance coverage through the public programs technically available to them. The problem is that public health insurance programs for low-income workers and their families are separate from the system of job-based coverage used by most workers. In effect, this separation is a barrier because it means low-income workers must first hear about the opportunity to get coverage through a public program and then they must sign up, typically by going through a welfare agency. That requirement penalizes workers who cannot get time off from work to visit the welfare office and adds the stigma of welfare in the eyes of many workers. In contrast, workers who have job-based insurance conveniently sign up when they do their employment paperwork and then easily remain covered, since their employer pays their insurance premium.
The rates of insurance coverage among the working poor illustrate most clearly the problem with two separate systems. While very few workers with job-based coverage remain without insurance, nearly 20 percent of children eligible for the federal SCHIP (State Child Health Insurance Program) or Medicaid coverage are not enrolled. That low participation rate leaves nearly five million kids uninsured.
In order to remove barriers to health insurance coverage, state policymakers should mainstream coverage for low-income workers by making it available through their jobs. One strategy is to use the worksite to enroll people in public programs when an employer doesn't offer coverage [p6: actually, not a bad concept]. Another is to use
Medicaid and SCHIP funds to pay for job-based coverage when it is available. Several states offer policymakers examples of how this second strategy works in practice.
The rest of the article is about the aforementioned examples. Now, we already have a Republican bill in the works that gives incentives for employers to drop prescription drug coverage for retirees and let Medicare handle it. Do we need a Democratic bill that give similar incentives for dropping coverage for low-income workers?
I don't know. maybe this is an effort to sneak a single payer system in under the radar. But I doubt it, and if it is it will work so slowly as to cause severe problems if it works at all.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 04:28:36 AM |
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Jezuz
Man, turn your back on Cobb for a couple of days and he gets brilliant, just to spite you for not reading.
Getting Used to ArnoldI am beginning to believe that Arnold (I'm going to call him this in writing from now on) may be the future of the Republican party. I'm not sure if I'm happy with this but I am adjusting my expectations to deal with it.
I have an attraction / repulsion to the Republican Party because it knows, above all, how to make things happen. They are brazen, single-minded and fierce. They bulldog as soon as they have the opportunity. They are purposeful and resolute. These aspects of tenacity would be extraordinarily good for the country if the Republicans applied consistently on behalf of actually good ideas. Instead, Republicans are all about building momentum and weight in their express train, but they are less than choosy about what fills their baggage compartments and adds mass to their momentum.
The Religious Right and the vaguely dissatisfied middle therefore find the Republican Party to be the right way to take their various ideas and get somewhere. The Republican Party gets them to the station on time.
I have issues with the rabble in the Big Tent, but that's an ongoing war that doesn't frustrate. But I understand something about the Republican Party which is that despite what the staunchest paleos will say, they will carry the freight of Arnold. The Republican Party depends so much on mindless catchphrases and 'common sense' that doesn't really matter who is in the driver's seat. Dennis Hastert, George W. Bush, Tom Delay, George Pataki, William Bennett, Newt Gingrich, Bob Dole, JC Watts. These people have nothing in common but the train they rode in on. Arnold only has to have the merest sliver of brains to understand what to do. Picture him in Reaganesque cowboy duds standing on the cab of a reigned locomotive. Ride 'em cowboy.
I'm taking Barnum's position here. It's not so important what Arnold's ideas are, the idea of Arnold is too big to lose. The signing on of Warren Buffet is a masterstroke. Understand that Arnold only has to express the rudiments of public speaking in order to carry credibility. So long as he has masterminds behind him, all will be well, right? We used to call that 'shadow government'. Now we call it the Bush administration. Its perils should be self-evident, but as an election strategy, it works.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 02:15:23 AM |
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The real reason for Blackout 2003
Canadian authorities have apprehended four executives of the Fox News Network and charged them with peeing in the turbines of several generators belonging to the Niagra Power Authority, thereby causing the most extensive blackout in North American history. The blackout affected more than 45 million Americans and Canadians.
Witnesses to the arrests state the Fox News executives were laughing hysterically and crying in turns. One kept shouting "That damned Franken!" and "Those damned bloggers!" We are trying to determine just what the hell he meant by that.
Film at 11.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 01:07:15 AM |
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Blogging the blackout
Not really, but you have to admit it sounds catchy…
POWER OUTAGE TRACED TO DIM BULB IN WHITE HOUSE The Tale of The Brits Who Swiped 800 Jobs From New York, Carted Off $90 Million, Then Tonight, Turned Off Our Lights
Friday, August 15, 2003
by Greg Palast
I can tell you all about the ne're-do-wells that put out our lights tonight. I came up against these characters -- the Niagara Mohawk Power Company -- some years back. You see, before I was a journalist, I worked for a living, as an investigator of corporate racketeers. In the 1980s, "NiMo" built a nuclear plant, Nine Mile Point, a brutally costly piece of hot junk for which NiMo and its partner companies charged billions to New York State's electricity ratepayers.
To pull off this grand theft by kilowatt, the NiMo-led consortium fabricated cost and schedule reports, then performed a Harry Potter job on the account books. In 1988, I showed a jury a memo from an executive from one partner, Long Island Lighting, giving a lesson to a NiMo honcho on how to lie to government regulators. The jury ordered LILCO to pay $4.3 billion and, ultimately, put them out of business.
And that's why, if you're in the Northeast, you're reading this by candlelight tonight. Here's what happened. After LILCO was hammered by the law, after government regulators slammed Niagara Mohawk and dozens of other book-cooking, document-doctoring utility companies all over America with fines and penalties totaling in the tens of billions of dollars, the industry leaders got together to swear never to break the regulations again. Their plan was not to follow the rules, but to ELIMINATE the rules. They called it "deregulation."
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/16/2003 12:47:10 AM |
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August 15, 2003
In case you were worried
I got blacked out with the rest of New York. My neighborhood got power back before my ISP, so I went wandering (physically, not on the net) this morning.
I don't live in Manhattan, so my experience of The Blackout was a bit different than what you may have seen on the news. It was interesting to me. I forgot that everything that uses electricity adds to the background noise and the silence was cool. More, when you don't have as much visual information, other sense kicked in. Sitting out front, I suddenly smelled the grass. Insects and nightbirds made noises and I could locate them; who knew humans still have directional hearing? There were shadows deep enough to swallow you whole.
I get the feeling that we're a whole different kind of animal because of the 24 hour lighting we have.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/15/2003 03:59:57 PM |
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August 14, 2003
I don't care, that's funny!
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/14/2003 07:42:50 AM |
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Class war
Once again, Bob Herbert nails it.
No Work, No HomesBy BOB HERBERT
Talk about preaching to the choir. President Bush and his clueless team of economic advisers held a summit at the president's ranch in Crawford, Tex., yesterday. This is the ferociously irresponsible crowd that has turned its back on simple arithmetic and thinks the answer to every economic question is a gigantic tax cut for the rich
…After the meeting, Mr. Bush said, "This administration is optimistic about job creation."
It's too bad George Akerlof wasn't at the meeting. Mr. Akerlof, a 2001 Nobel laureate in economics, bluntly declared on Tuesday that "the Bush fiscal policy is the worst policy in the last 200 years." Speaking at a press conference arranged by the Economic Policy Institute, Mr. Akerlof, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said, "Within 10 years, we're going to pay a serious price for such irresponsibility."
Also participating in the institute's press conference was Robert Solow, an economist and professor emeritus at M.I.T. who is also a Nobel laureate. He assailed the Bush tax cuts as "redistributive in intent and redistributive in effect."
"There has been a dissipation of the huge budget surplus," he said, "and all we have to show for that is the city of Baghdad."
…a front-page Wall Street Journal article…spelled out how sweet just one of the Bush tax cuts has been for those in the upper brackets: "The federal tax cut, which slashed the tax rate on dividends and prompted many companies to increase their payouts, is proving to be a boon for some corporate executives who are reaping millions in after-tax gains."
Someone needs to make clear to the millions who need a roommate to make the rent yet consider themselves one of the "haves" that unless you got a couple of hundred grand out of the latest tax cut you're not in the upper 10% of income earners in the country.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/14/2003 07:09:06 AM |
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This is my week to not be surprised, I guess
U.S. Abandons Idea of Bigger U.N. Role in Iraq OccupationBy STEVEN R. WEISMAN with FELICITY BARRINGER
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 — The Bush administration has abandoned the idea of giving the United Nations more of a role in the occupation of Iraq as sought by France, India and other countries as a condition for their participation in peacekeeping there, administration officials said today.
Instead, the officials said, the United States would widen its effort to enlist other countries to assist the occupation forces in Iraq, which are dominated by the 139,000 United States troops there.
In addition to American forces in Iraq, there are 21,000 troops representing 18 countries. At present, 11,000 of that number are from Britain. The United States plans to seek larger numbers to help, especially with relief supplies that are coming from another dozen countries.
…The Pentagon said today that besides the United States and Britain, the other countries that have already sent troops to Iraq are
Albania, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Ukraine[p6: BWAAA-HAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!]. The troops in Iraq serve under American and British command, and so would the troops of any other countries that took part.
…In addition, another dozen countries have been asked to help with forces to protect and carry out relief. They include
Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Portugal and Thailand [p6: Now there's a force to be reckoned with…].
In all, a Pentagon official said, the United States hopes to round up 44 countries to participate in the occupation.
Let's see... Not counting US and British troops that's 10,000 folks from 17 nations for an average of 588 and a fraction soldiers from each country.
Way to commit, guys.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/14/2003 06:36:08 AM |
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I've been remiss
You need some Schlock 'n' Roll
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/14/2003 06:14:43 AM |
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Heh
Stolen from Perception2020.com. Check it for the image in all its glory.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/14/2003 06:04:49 AM |
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August 13, 2003
An online comic
Read Spiders. Be prepared for an online comic that actually uses the medium rather than simply being transmitted by it. There's a mirror site , but it only has part 3.5 up. Parts 1 through 3 need to be read as well.
I'm going back to see if the rest of Electric Sheep Comix is this amazing.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 09:16:55 PM |
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Reconsidering
On the upcoming move to Moveable Type:
I've said I wasn't going to import this blog's archives into the new site. But I think I have a pretty easy way to do it, and even keep the links to the HaloScan comments. So, how big a deal is it?
Also, I've redone the template so that it's less dependant on CSS. Netscape 3 will still screw the header graphics, which is a shame because I did a nice trick with it that no one will notice except Netscape 3 users because it'll be screwed, but the blog itself will be legible.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 07:35:35 PM |
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Why am I not surprised?
These are the things that do not surprise me today:
- USA Today and CNN found it necessary to hire Gallup to do a poll on people's opinion on a certain basketball player's legal travails
- That so many people have decided his guilt or innocence without hearing the first shred of evidence
- That the pollsters felt the need to break out the results along racial lines
- That the broken out results fell the way they did
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 10:01:43 AM |
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What if one woman told the truth about her life?
Secrets and Cries
By Farai Chideya, AlterNet
August 6, 2003
"What if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split apart." When she wrote those words, poet Muriel Rukeyser must have been envisioning Tricia Rose's new book "Longing to Tell: Black Women Talk About Sexuality and Intimacy" (Farrar Straus Giroux), in which a chorus of women rip stereotypes of black female sexuality to shreds.
There's Sarita, who begins her story, "Ever since I was born, my life has been one big drama." Her father, an American-born Muslim, had two wives. Now she struggles to balance her hard-earned feminism with her love for her family. AIDS activist Linda Rae recounts her physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her family, and the turning points that made her a symbol of hope for others. Cocoa has tried playing Miss Perfect and failed. "I don't think that society understands black women's sexuality," she says. "They go to a light-skinned woman with long hair and say this is pretty, and when they see the dark-skinned lady, they say this is the nurturing type.... Or if they show a dark-skinned woman in a sexual light, she's poor, she's loud talking, she's not intelligent... I know it has an impact on my little niece...She watches BET and MTV."
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 09:40:27 AM |
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Today's Political Rewards - August 11 and 12, 2003
Here are the Department of Defense contract awards for yesterday and today, with the political contributions made by employees of the companies that received the contracts.
Also, based on a reader's pointing out the members of a consortium of defense contractors, we update a previous contract that we listed as having no political contributions associated with it.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 09:36:47 AM |
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Seems SCO executives don't believe in their lawsuit
SCO execs unloading sharesBy Jonathan Berr
Bloomberg News
SCO Group executives have sold about 119,000 shares of their company since it filed a lawsuit against IBM in March and the stock price increased more than fourfold.
The company has accused IBM of illegally transferring software from the Unix operating system into Linux. SCO bought licensing rights to Unix in 1995 and is threatening to sue other companies that use Linux, which IBM backs as a cheaper alternative to Microsoft's Windows program.
Chief Financial Officer Robert Bench began the $1.2 million in executive share sales four days after Lindon -based SCO filed its lawsuit against Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM on March 6. Before Bench's sale, SCO insiders had not sold shares in more than a year, according to the Washington Service, a firm that tracks insider transactions.
"Insider sales picking up is a negative sign," said Richard Campagna, who helps manage $750 million as director of research for Cleveland-based Shaker Investments. Shaker, which owns no shares of SCO, has stakes in computer-related companies including Flextronics International.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 09:24:30 AM |
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I don't even want to watch this one
It's Enough to Cause ButterfliesVoting equipment and the traditional ballot are not designed for this many candidates.
By Fredric D. Woocher
Fredric D. Woocher is a Santa Monica attorney specializing in election law.
August 13, 2003
In the November 2000 presidential election, George W. Bush beat Al Gore in Florida — and ultimately gained the presidency — by 537 votes. More than 170,000 ballots went uncounted in Florida, however, either because no vote for president was recorded (an "undervote") or because votes were cast for more than one candidate (an "overvote"). There is no doubt that these uncounted ballots — many of which resulted from poor ballot design and faulty voting equipment — determined the outcome in Florida and the nation.
Could California's first-ever gubernatorial recall election likewise be determined by the form of the ballot and the voting machines we use?
Elections experts have long known that in a close contest, these factors can make a difference between winning and losing. And with a ballot that will include about 150 candidates vying to replace Gov. Gray Davis if he is recalled — with the winner inevitably receiving a relatively small percentage of the total vote — the design of the ballot is all the more likely to play a critical role in what could be a very close election.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 09:22:13 AM |
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Good questions
Except Condoleezza is just a mouthpiece. Like Ashcroft, she follows orders. Like Ashcroft, she's done nothing creative. Mr. Jackson has good questions, but I'm not at all sure they're directed to the right party.
Questions for CondoleezzaBy Derrick Z. Jackson, 8/13/2003
DALLAS
THE COLD WAR QUEEN remained frozen in facts that melted into fiction as she talked. Speaking last week before the National Association of Black Journalists, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said, "Let us be very clear about why we went to war against Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein's regime posed a threat to the security of the United States and the world. This was a regime that had pursued, had used, and possessed weapons of mass destruction." Rice did not dare tread upon the issues that were not clear. Her cocksure posture could not hide the fact that she made no other mention of weapons of mass destruction in her prepared remarks. The United States has yet to find any after nearly five months of war and occupation. This was after a war buildup where Bush officials boasted they were certain where the weapons were.
Just as significant is that there was not a single reference in her set speech about Saddam trying to acquire nuclear weapons. Before the war, Rice said, "we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." The scary vision of mushroom clouds was repeated by Bush and General Tommy Franks, head of Central Command. Vice President Dick Cheney declared Saddam to be a "mortal threat" on his way to "nuclear blackmail."
In a question-and-answer session after her speech, Rice continued to assert that she was "certain to this day that this regime was a threat, that it was pursuing a nuclear weapon."
This is brazen, as Rice has yet to produce even a smoking gun. President Bush has already been shamed by his usage in his State of the Union address of the discredited claim that Saddam was trying to buy uranium in Africa.
Now there is more news that Bush officials trumped up the nuclear threat. The Washington Post reported over the weekend that administration officials repeatedly made claims in diplomatic and weapons inspections briefings that were not backed up, even by our own intelligence.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 09:18:26 AM |
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A good sign
Liberian rebel group agrees to end seige, allow food flowBy Glenn McKenzie, Associated Press, 8/13/2003
MONROVIA, Liberia -- The nation's leading rebel movement agreed yesterday to lift its siege of the capital and vital port within two days, allowing food to flow to hundreds of thousands of hungry people. The accord came as a second rebel group launched a push on Monrovia, sending refugees fleeing vicious new assaults a day after warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor resigned and went into exile. Witnesses reported machete-wielding fighters were attacking indiscriminately near the airport.
Rebels from Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, the main insurgent group, agreed to pull back from Monrovia by noon tomorrow and surrender control to peacekeepers.
The pledge was secured by US Ambassador John Blaney and military commanders of a West African peacekeeping force and a 2,300-member US Marine expeditionary force in a meeting with rebel leaders in the looted, rubble-strewn, and heavily shelled rebel-held side of Monrovia.
Blaney called the accord "extremely important for the delivery of humanitarian relief."
The deal obliges the multinational peacekeeping force to speed its deployment throughout the city.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 09:14:54 AM |
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This is what happens when your livelihood is threatened
Labor confrontations on the riseUnion, nonunion ironworkers seen competing for jobs
By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff, 8/13/2003
Some charge it was the kind of broad-daylight construction site violence that Boston hasn't seen in decades: About 40 men -- some with Ironworkers Local 7 logos on their hard hats -- allegedly slashed tires, smashed windshields, and threatened the nonunion workers.
"One guy told us, `Why don't you go home? This is our jurisdiction, you [expletive] scabs,' " said Michael Furia, a nonunion ironworker who said he witnessed the alleged attack.
Ajax Construction, the nonunion steel erector whose workers were allegedly attacked, has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Local 7, one of Boston's most powerful and politically connected unions. From arrests of union business agents for trespassing on nonunion construction sites, to alleged acts of vandalism, to the rise in charges filed at the labor relations board, confrontations between the union and nonunion companies have climbed in the past two years, both union and nonunion workers say.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 09:13:34 AM |
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But, but…that's socialism
It's also a way to get the price of health care down and the quality up. But who cares about that mean when you've got an ideology to defend?
Universal health plan is endorsed(By Liz Kowalczyk, Globe Staff, and Amber Mobley, Globe Correspondent, )
Thousands of US physicians have endorsed a broad proposal that would abolish for-profit hospitals and insurers and transfer all Americans into an expanded and improved Medicare program for all ages, reigniting the debate over universal health care a decade after President Clinton's failed plan.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 09:11:04 AM |
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This is just not good
The pro-war and anti-war camps got one prediction right each.
It was a quick victory, and it inspired more anti-American sentiment.
Frankly, I'd have rather each have been wrong.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/13/2003 09:07:45 AM |
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August 12, 2003
Presidential, hopeful
I haven't picked a Democratic preseidtial candidate to root for (except that I'm voting for Al Sharpton in the NY primary). But I have to admit after the first couple of times I say Gen. Clark on CNN I thought, "This guy would make a great Democratic nominee." I never got into the Draft Clark movement, though.
Jesse at Pandagon found indications he's not going to wait for a draft.
Clark seen planning Democratic nomination bidBy Bryan Bender, Globe Correspondent, 8/12/2003
WASHINGTON -- In the strongest signal yet that retired US Army General Wesley K. Clark, the former NATO commander, is planning to join the Democratic presidential race, Clark told volunteers last week to step up their efforts and prepare for an announcement on Labor Day.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 07:50:32 PM |
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Just something that bothers me
"The Constitution just sets minimums,'" Scalia said, according to the AP. "Most of the rights that you enjoy go way beyond what the Constitution requires."
You know, every time I hear or read one of these Conservate extremists talk like this, it sets my teeth on edge.
"The Constitution doesn't guarantee you the right to [fill-in-the-blank]"
And I often wonder why people simply ignore certain articles in the Bill of Rights. Well, one specifically:
Amendment IX: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
And when they talk about cutting back on our rights like they were optional, I think back on Amendment IX and say to myself, "The Constitution doesn't give them the right to [fill-in-the-black].
Amendment IX: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
I keep saying Ashcroft, but does he really have so free a hand that he's responsible for the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. act? Is the V.I.C.T.O.ry Act really his baby? Or is he just following orders like a Good German did?
Amendment IX: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Does it matter?
Amendment IX says "that which is not forbidden is allowed."
Nowadays, the interpretation seems to be, "that which is not allowed is forbidden." That is a fundamental rule in mathematics…if you feel you're being treated like a number, this is the reason why. You are.
Amendment IX: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
And it's un-Constitutional.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 06:03:56 PM |
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Not my turf, but…
Minority Journalism Organizations: Do They Matter? Yes! By Michael James Rocha
"Work is not supposed to be easy. It's hard, but you do it anyway," my wise mother told me over dinner. This conversation occurred soon after my promotion to features design editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune in October 2002. It was my first foray into the world of management, and at 31, I felt as if I were jumping into the shallow end of the pool, head first.
Since stepping into my first professional newsroom (Pasadena Star-News) back in 1990, I have had my share of trials and tribulations, mostly brought on by self-doubt in a world where I always felt out of place, like I didn't quite belong.
There are many stereotypes about Asian Americans, and for the most part, I was a living, breathing Asian American stereotype. I was never one to rock the boat. I was always reserved. I respected my elders. I aimed to please. I never questioned authority. I refrained from tooting my own horn. My work should speak for itself, I often thought. Work hard, and the next day, work even harder. Suffer in silence. The needs of others come before mine. Succeed in everything, fail at nothing.
"In other words, live up to the expectations of what it means to be a "model minority."
Enter the
Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 03:37:09 PM |
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I think they're serious!
Fox Sues Humorist Al Franken Over 'fair and Balanced' SloganThe Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - Fox News Channel has sued liberal humorist Al Franken and the Penguin Group to stop them from using the phrase "fair and balanced" in the title of his upcoming book.
Filed Monday in Manhattan, the trademark infringement lawsuit seeks a court order forcing Penguin to rename the book, "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right." It also asks for unspecified damages.
Fox News registered "Fair & Balanced" as a trademark in 1995, the suit says.
Franken's "intent is clear - to exploit Fox News' trademark, confuse the public as to the origins of the book and, accordingly, boost sales of the book," the suit said.
Fox's trademark is "Fair & Balanced" with an ampersand. Franken is using "fair and balanced" in a sentance. There is no chance anyone will be confused as to the origin of the book. And seriously, if including a trademark in the title of a book is actionable, Enron would be able to sue for enough money to stay in business.
I looked up "fair" and (not "&", mind you…don't want to get sued&hellip) "balanced" using Encarta 2002, and got the following list of adjectives:
fair adj
1. reasonable or unbiased: not exhibiting any bias, and therefore reasonable or impartial
2. done properly: according to the rules
3. meteorology not stormy or cloudy: sunny or clear, and without much wind
4. sailing good for sailing: favorable for sailing or travel by ship a fair wind
5. pleasing to look at: beautiful or pleasing to the eye
6. not blocked: clear and unobstructed
7. light-colored: light-colored, or with light-colored hair or skin
8. sizeable: reasonably large in size or quantity
9. baseball in fair territory: constituting a fair ball according to the rules of baseball
10. acceptable: no more than acceptable or average
11. better than acceptable: quite good, or very reasonable
12. unsullied: not marred by any blemish or stain
13. false despite appearances: seemingly good or true, but actually false or insincere Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2002. © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
balanced adj
1. even-handed: taking account of all sides on their merits without prejudice or favoritism
2. healthy:
containing different elements in suitable quantities or suitably arranged to produce a satisfying and effective whole 3. mentally stable: in a state of mental and emotional stability and able to make rational judgments
Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2002. © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
It is significant that, by definition 13 of "fair" and definition 2 of "balanced", their trademark is a true statement.
LATER: Eugene Volokh (who I was never annoyed at, it was that one post by Tyler Cowen that dissapointed me)
says:
I suppose that the criticisms of Franken are in some measure to the tarnishment theory -- but they still make the complaint sound like a snit fit. Also, the tarnishment theory is in any event very weak: 15 U.S.C. sec. 1125(c), which discusses "trademark dilution" (the legal rubric under which tarnishment claims generally fall) specifically exempt "All forms of news reporting and news commentary" as well as "Fair use of a famous mark by another person in comparative commercial advertising or promotion to identify the competing goods or services of the owner of the famous mark." First, Franken's book is news commentary. Second, the more that Fox argues that Franken is referring to it, and unfairly competing with it, the more Franken would be able to claim that he is therefore engaging in "comparative . . . promotion" that identifies his work as an alternative source of commentary to Fox. (Thanks to reader Jason Walta for pointing me to the New York Times article.)
Well, that about wraps it up as far as I'm concerned. Except for the free publicity, of course.
And what ever happened to Savage Weiner's case?
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 12:58:58 PM |
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That's just not right
Power Rangers Movie!
What movie Do you Belong in?(many different outcomes!)
brought to you by Quizilla
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 12:06:10 PM |
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Again
Call me a socialist if you want (you'd be wrong) but there's simply no need for this.
No matter what your political leanings, you must realize that we can't let people continue to fall out of the emplyment pool. We can't keep laying people off because you reach a point where there's not enough spending going on to keep the economy running, much less growing. You have to realize unlimited growth is impossible anyway…unless you're willing to devalue the currency and call it growth just because there's more dollar bills in circulation.
Something will be done because something must be done. And until something is done, we'll continue to see suffering that's unnecessary…unnecessary because that something could be done now.
Homelessness grows as more live check-to-checkBy Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY
Homelessness in major cities is escalating as more laid-off workers already living paycheck-to-paycheck wind up on the streets or in shelters.
By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY
As Americans file for bankruptcy in record numbers and credit card debt explodes, more workers are a paycheck away from losing their homes. Now the frail economy is pushing them over the edge. With 9 million unemployed workers in July, the face of homelessness is changing to include more families shaken by joblessness.
Former neighbors and co-workers are on the streets, live with relatives or stay in shelters. Unemployed managers are living with their elderly parents. Families who once owned their own homes now sleep on bunk beds in homeless shelters. Job seekers in suits and ties stop by soup kitchens heading out to afternoon interviews. With no place to live, some homeless are camping out in their cars until work comes along.
"There is still a mind-set that the homeless are substance abusers who have made bad life decisions," says Ralph Plumb, CEO of the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles. "But more and more, they are individuals responding to a catastrophic financial event. The homeless are us. They're regular folk."
Requests for emergency shelter assistance grew an average of 19% from 2001 to 2002, according to the 18 cities that reported an increase — the steepest rise in a decade. The findings are from a 2003 survey of 25 cities by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Among the trends:
- Families with children are among the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. The Conference of Mayors found that 41% of the homeless are families with children, up from 34% in 2000. The Urban Institute reports about 23% of the homeless are children.
- Cities and shelters are also seeing the shift. In New York, the number of homeless families jumped 40% from 1999 to 2002. In Boston, the number of homeless families increased 8.3% to 2,328 in 2002 compared with 2001.
- An estimated 3.5 million people are likely to experience homelessness in a given year, the Urban Institute reports. People remained homeless for an average of six months, according to the Conference of Mayors survey — a figure that increased from a year ago in all but four cities.
Homelessness also increased during past recessions, but advocates say several issues are making the current rise more disconcerting. Those factors include the five-year cap on welfare benefits, a surge in home prices adding to longer periods of homelessness, and the fact that this recovery has been a jobless one, providing little immediate hope.
In fact, the majority of cities polled by the Conference of Mayors expect homelessness to increase over the next year.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 11:56:03 AM |
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Between a rock and a hard place
Being Latin and blackAfro-Latinos grapple with labels in U.S.
By JANITA POE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jacqueline Rosier is a Latina who loves her culture and speaks Spanish as fluently as English.
But Rosier -- a native of Panama who is of African descent -- has struggled to identify herself as part of the Latin American community since coming to the United States 28 years ago.
"I always shock people and get a lot of questions when I say I'm a Latina," said Rosier, 38, a marketing and public relations manager in Duluth. "I've found a lot of white people don't accept me or respect me, on a certain level, because of my color. And I've found a lot of African-Americans want to put me in their box."
For dark-skinned Latinos in the United States, the American dream is often punctuated with dismaying experiences of trying to fit into a classification-oriented society. Black Latinos share a culture and language with white Latinos, but some say the race consciousness of America forces them to adopt an identity -- as black Americans -- that is not really their own. If they eschew the label, Afro-Latinos say they still are treated as African-Americans by most people and resented by some blacks who think they are ashamed of their African heritage.
Also from the same page:
AFRO-DESCENDANTS IN LATIN AMERICA
Here's an abbreviated list of Latin American countries, their total population and their proportion of people of African origin.
| Dominican Republic | 9 million | 84% |
| Cuba | 11 million | 62% |
| Brazil | 170 million | 45% |
| Colombia | 40 million | 26% |
| Panama | 3 million | 14% |
| Venezuela | 23 million | 10% |
| Ecuador | 12 million | 10% |
| Nicaragua | 5 million | 9% |
| Peru | 27 million | 5% |
Source: Inter-American Dialogue Race Report, January 2003
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 11:26:15 AM |
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U.S. Department of Labor Fines Wins of California and Win Fashion $337,000 for Repeated and Willful Wage Violations
U.S. Department of Labor Fines Wins of California and Win Fashion $337,000 for Repeated and Willful Wage Violations
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor has assessed civil money penalties totaling $337,000 against two garment factories in San Francisco for repeated and willful violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This is the maximum penalty allowed under the department’s FLSA regulations.
Wins of California, Inc., Mrs. You Nor (Anna) Wong, President, and Mr. Tohan (Jimmy) Quan were assessed a penalty of $248,000. Win Fashion, Inc., Mr. Tohan (Jimmy) Quan, President, and Mrs. You Nor (Anna) Wong were assessed a penalty of $89,000.
“Because of Wins’ continued evasion of its obligations to employees, we asked the State of California to provide immediate relief to the Wins workers through a state fund established for garment workers. We are pleased the state agreed to our request and is helping these workers,” said Tammy D. McCutchen, Administrator of the department’s Wage and Hour Division. Officials from the State of California have informed the department that, from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. today, they will be distributing $865,000 to 235 workers from the California Back Wages and Taxes Account.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 07:59:21 AM |
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Cartoon run
I had no idea Dan Wasserman was so evil.
Just check out his section of uComics.
More:
The Boondocks reveals who is ultimately responsible for Bush's African uranium lie.
Editorials
A Privacy Bill, or Else
Californians get what Washington doesn't: Individual privacy faces an unprecedented assault, with one survey suggesting that last year alone, 7 million consumers fell victim to identity theft. It's gotten so bad that federal authorities employ a word — "phishing" — to describe the practice by high-tech criminals of sending official-looking e-mails, ostensibly from EBay or some other company, to gull unsuspecting consumers into giving up data that make identity theft a breeze. At the same time, insurers, banks and investment firms are building huge databases and selling consumer information to the highest bidder.
Do the Math: We Need More Boots on the Ground
By Michael O'Hanlon
Does the United States military need to be larger to handle stresses and strains in Korea, Afghanistan, the Balkans, possibly Liberia and, most of all, Iraq? Is Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld right in his recent claims that new efficiencies and innovations can allow the American armed forces to handle their tough workload without increasing the overall number of troops?
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 07:32:42 AM |
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Ya damn skippy
New Activism by African Nations: Joining Forces to Solve DisputesBy MARC LACEY
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug. 11 - There was a time when Africa might have condemned what happened in Liberia today as inappropriate outside meddling.
After all, the president of Ghana, John Kufuor, was on hand in the Liberian capital to announce the terms for Charles Taylor's successor. What business was it of his? Troops from Nigeria and South Africa were there as well to ensure that the civil war had really come to an end. Shouldn't they be back home where they belong?
Africa has a troubled history when it comes to sorting out its own affairs. Tyrants have long been protected by an unwritten rule of noninterference. The typical way of persuading an unpopular leader to leave has been to secretly support rebels.
But the departure of Mr. Taylor is being heralded as a sign that Africa has adopted a new activist approach toward its trouble spots and its troublemakers. "Africa is coming of age in handling its own affairs," said Maria Nzomo, director of the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies at the University of Nairobi. "There's a new sense that Africa ought to be refereeing its own disputes."
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 07:11:33 AM |
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No commentapproval from me
Malawi could sever ties over gay bishopBy RAPHAEL TENTHANI, Associated Press Writer, 8/11/2003
i BLANTYRE, Malawi -- Malawi's top Anglican leader said Monday he was considering severing ties between his 600,000-strong flock and the U.S. Episcopal Church if it does not reverse its confirmation of a gay bishop.
Archbishop Bernard Malango, who heads the church in Malawi, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, said his members refused to support "the odd and unnatural" decision by the American branch of the Anglican church to confirm Bishop-elect V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay cleric.
"We can't support Canon Robinson's election because it is not compatible with our tradition and faith, and if they insist on having him as bishop, we will cut ourselves away from the operation of the U.S. church," he told The Associated Press.
…Anglican bishops in Africa, Asia and Latin America condemned the vote, with some threatening to sever ties with the U.S. church.
…Malango said a crisis meeting of 12 African bishops is scheduled for Nairobi, Kenya, next month.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 07:02:59 AM |
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Sauce for the goose
You can question the legality of switching taxes, but not congressional districts?
C'mon.
Democrats to Seek Repeal of Car Tax HikeCalifornia lawmakers work on legislation to impose higher levies on cigarettes and the wealthy. GOP sees it as a ploy to boost Gov. Davis.
By Nancy Vogel
Times Staff Writer
August 12, 2003
SACRAMENTO — Democratic lawmakers said Monday they hope to introduce a bill next week that would undo the recently approved tripling of car and truck registration fees and make up the $4 billion in lost revenue with higher taxes on wealthy people and cigarettes.
If successful, the legislation would dismantle an unpopular fee hike — one that was a major impetus behind the campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis — and replace it with taxes that Democrats believe would be more politically acceptable.
Republicans called the move a ploy designed to boost the popularity of Davis less than two months before the Oct. 7 recall election, and they questioned the legality of switching taxes a month after the state budget was approved.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 06:57:29 AM |
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Truth, I'd rather put my energy into something more substantive
Racial Issues Circle Around Atlanta's Airport and Mayors' LegaciesSupporters of two late leaders, one black and one white, are divided over landmark's name.
By Ken Ellingwood
Times Staff Writer
August 12, 2003
ATLANTA — It took little time following the death of former Mayor Maynard Jackson Jr. for admirers to suggest what they saw as a perfect tribute to Atlanta's first black mayor: placing his name on the city's international airport.
Jackson had taken special pride in advances at the airport during his three terms as mayor, which began in 1974. A huge expansion turned the facility into a world-class hub, and Jackson struck a blow for black empowerment by insisting that minority contractors get a share of the lucrative airport business.
His lasting affection for the airport was so strong, according to friends and family, that Jackson made it clear he would like his name placed on it someday.
"He felt the activity, the affirmative action, the overall development of the airport that took place under his watch warranted that his name be there," said C.T. Martin, an Atlanta city councilman.
There is only one problem. The airport already bears the name of another former Atlanta mayor: William B. Hartsfield, a long-reigning leader who is considered the father of aviation in the city and who viewed the airport as his baby.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 06:54:49 AM |
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I guess industry groups WOULD applaud
Bush Names Utah Gov. to Run EPAEnvironmentalists call Mike Leavitt a 'dramatic lurch rightward' from former chief Christie Whitman. Industry praises the nomination.
By Elizabeth Shogren and Edwin Chen, Times Staff Writers
DENVER — President Bush nominated Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt on Monday to head the Environmental Protection Agency, again turning to his fraternity of governors to help him address the nation's problems.
In Leavitt, Bush chose a like-minded Republican who wants to shift authority over pollution control from the federal government to the states and who favors voluntary cleanups by industry rather than mandatory government regulations.
Leavitt "rejects the old ways of command and control from above," Bush said. He hailed the 52-year-old, three-term governor as "a trusted friend" and a man who "understands the obligations of environmental stewardship."
Industry groups, applauding Leavitt's nomination, said he would take a balanced approach to pollution control.
But environmentalists said Leavitt had a poor record on protecting Utah's air, water and land and would probably weaken environmental protections nationwide in the lead job at EPA.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 06:52:08 AM |
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Participatory Journalism
Corante's Amateur Hour woke up yesterday. It reported on a collection of articles by J.D. Lasica that the Online Jornalism Review has pulled together. It seems to focus more on broadcast-type journalism, an impression that's strengthened by the sort of unreleated post about the BBC making digital video and audio production courses available online.
Being me, I thought I'd let you mainline Lasica's articles.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 06:39:03 AM |
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Microsoft loses a big one
Microsoft Loses $521 Mln Browser Verdict
Monday August 11, 10:10 pm ET
By Reed Stevenson
SEATTLE (Reuters) - A federal jury in Chicago awarded the University of California and a browser technology company $520.6 million after finding on Monday that their patents were infringed by Microsoft Corp. .
The suit, originally brought against the world's largest software maker in 1999 by Eolas Technologies Inc., charged that Microsoft had used Eolas' patented Web browser technology which allows other mini-applications to work with Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, according to court documents.
Eolas had argued that the technology for "plug-ins" and "applets" made it possible for Microsoft to compete against the Netscape Navigator browser.
Netscape, which eventually became part of AOL Time Warner Inc., later lost its position as the top Web browser to Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Eolas, a closely held Illinois company founded by former University of California professor Michael Doyle, had originally sought licensing fees that would potentially have totaled $1.2 billion.
This is a biggie.
"[P]lug-ins" and "applets" would include not only Active-X but Java as well. If Microsoft is vulnerable to this, so is Sun. And someone correct me if I'm wrong, but even if Microsoft's defense is 100% true:
In a statement, Microsoft said, "We believe the evidence will ultimately show that there was no infringement of any kind, and that the accused feature in our browser technology was developed by our own engineers based on preexisting Microsoft technology."
…
it doesn't matter if the patents are held to be valid on appeal. Eolas not only has a huge bag of money, they have what may be the widest deepest revenue stream for doing nothing that is possible. Because Microsoft, Sun and I don't know who else...possibly every corporation and developer that markets Java or Active-X technology (think Adobe, Macromedia, all the major players) will have to license this patent to stay in business. And things being as they are, Eolas could be
extremely coercive as long as they don't kill the golden goose.
Eolas is the first company in a long time that is in a position to dictate to Microsoft.
Microsoft will appeal. This isn't over.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/12/2003 06:03:07 AM |
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August 11, 2003
A really interesting comparison
Beloit College has released what it calls a "Mindset List."
For the fifth year, Beloit College, the liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, is distributing the Mindset List to its faculty and staff as an indicator of the many ways in which entering 17 and 18 year-olds see the world differently from their professors, coaches and mentors. The list is a reminder that the world view of today's new college students is significantly different from the intellectual framework of those students who entered only a few years earlier. Beloit College Prof. Tom McBride, one of the list's creators, says "It is an alert for those of us who may be suffering from hardening of the references."
Check it out. Then compare it to Professor Kim's
Multicultural Mindset List. It's interesting to see how one's cultural filters determine what you see as a cultural filter.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/11/2003 11:09:20 PM |
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Just thought you'd like to know
When Patriot II was first leaked, it was suggested it was to get a sense of what public reaction would be to such an Orwellian scheme. In general the reaction was not favorable.
Now They are trying to trying to sneak Patriot II through piecemeal. The first major chunk is called the Victory Act. TalkLeft gives a brief overview of it's intent. The creepiest aspect is the obvious redefinition of drug dealers as terrorists…and you can bet they'll charge medical marijuana distributors under this bill if it passes. The reaction to this slightly smaller piece of garbage is about what you'd expect.
Spread the word. Make noise about this.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/11/2003 07:56:19 PM |
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Not really my turf, but…
The other day when I was planning on getting all technical and philosophical about how the political parties are missing the mark in their recruiting, I bookmarked a bunch of tabs in Mozilla. There were several things I wanted fresh in my mind. One of them was a post by Rayne on her blog, which I've already pointed to in one of my manual trackback posts.
But I slipped and bookmarked the blog instead of the article. So when I reloaded those tab and switched to Rayne's blog, instead of the post I expected I saw The Rose Bush.
It wasn’t what I’d expected at all, what she had to tell me. She’d fallen in love, wanted to marry a young doctoral student. She’d met his mother already. They were happy, ecstatic together. And her father would not be able to handle this at all. Not because of the happiness, not because of the love – but because this young man with whom she was so smitten was Asian. Not Anglo-white like her.
They’d known each other for a long time, having gone to the same Baptist college together. They had been good friends first, before falling in love. And now? How could she marry him if her father wouldn’t grant his permission, wouldn’t give his blessing? What would become of her if she were to give up her love simply because her father was bigoted? Her father had already been furious with her, her brother equally unsupportive over this relationship. What would happen if she lost the approval of the family she had left?
She’d already risked much by being involved with this young Asian man, on a campus that had only recently allowed inter-racial relationships. She was breaking ground, exposing herself and her family to pressure from those who still have it otherwise.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/11/2003 05:58:59 PM |
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Kind of light posting today
I'm actually going to be studying tonight. I'm actually going to be reading that a pdf on social choice theory and deliberative democracy. It'a a 40 page article, not counting anything I may have to go look up.
LATER: Since Norbizness is a wise ass, I should explain I'm not doing a book report or anything. This report is grist for the mental mill.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/11/2003 05:38:52 PM |
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Question for the Movable Types out there
Is there like a law, or cultural mores against using tables to lay out a template? Because I'm getting little stupidities with CSS that I KNOW how to avoid with tables.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/11/2003 03:33:50 PM |
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Editorial run
The Art of the False Impression
By BOB HERBERT
Some of the points Al Gore is raising, especially with regard to President Bush's credibility regarding the war, deserve much closer attention
How the 'Radicals' Can Save the Democrats
By SAM TANENHAUS
The urge toward moderation may seem sensible. But Republicans have repeatedly won elections by choosing candidates who excite the party's rank and file.
What the U.S. Owes Liberia
By ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF
Had the United States respected the will of Liberia's voters in 1985, we would not be in the desperate straits we are today.
Napoleon's Bittersweet Legacy
The European Union's protectionist policy on sugar comes at the expense of farmers in the developing world who are being denied the benefits of globalization
Cartoons
Chuck Asay on the plight of the Census Bureau
Ann Telnaes shows weapons that airport security should be looking for.
Dick Locher - out of the mouths of babes
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/11/2003 09:54:08 AM |
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Digital dozens
Corante's Open Mind on "The Linux Wars":
…Still, I couldn't keep quiet about SCO's response yesterday to IBM's countersuit. Essentially, it's the legal or PR equivalent of "oh yeah? Well... so's your mother!"
…Second, lacking an adequate response to IBM's legal claims, SCO is resorting to big-time FUD-slinging by trying to change the debate to "indemnification." Basically, trying to paint Big Blue as the bad guy because they're not giving their customers legal guarantees about GPL'ed software. Never mind that indemnification is not standard in the software industry.
…Also note the interesting timing: Microsoft changed its legal terms to provide this fabled indemnification just five days before SCO filed its suit against IBM. Coincidence? I think not.[p6: note that Microsoft paid SCO the Linux licensing fees]
…Finally, now we see what it's really all about. In the past McBride and company have stated that they don't have a problem with open source or the GPL, just the idea that their IP might have been misappropriated. No longer:
If IBM were serious about addressing the real problems with Linux, it would offer full customer indemnification and move away from the GPL license.
Uh-huh. You can see the folks in Redmond manipulating McBride's strings here.
…One other interesting thing came out in IBM's response: SCO's "right" to cancel IBM's AIX license is subject to veto by Novell. Even if IBM's license could be revoked (they still contend that it can't be), Novell can exercise a veto power. They have done so by sending letters to SCO telling SCO that it should cease saying that it has revoked the AIX license -- yet SCO's management has not mentioned this, and they continue to publically claim they have the right to revoke the AIX license, which is part of what has driven their stock price up so dramatically.
Check out the SEC filings -- SCO execs have been cashing in on their shares like there's no tomorrow, yet they haven't given all the information to their shareholders that they have. (Namely, the Novell letters...) The SEC really needs to be looking into the behavior of the folks in Lindon.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/11/2003 09:03:23 AM |
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On the one hand
Lawyers Pressed to Give Up Ground on Client Secrets
By JONATHAN D. GLATER
Some lawyers say their ability to protect clients' confidences is being limited because of corporate scandals and fears of terrorism.
On the other hand
Corporate Scandals and the A.B.A.
New proposals that would give lawyers leeway to report malfeasance by their clients deserve the support of the American Bar Association's House of Delegates.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/11/2003 08:42:24 AM |
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I wish them luck
With key local backing, a self-help group aims to make history in a rights lawsuit against the U.S.
By Eric Bailey
Times Staff Writer
August 11, 2003
SANTA CRUZ — As another summer day fades, the sick and dying begin to gather.
An elderly woman leans unsteadily on her walker. A hip young paraplegic fellow glides his electric wheelchair past a dapper old man clutching a cane. Men wiry with AIDS sidle into folding chairs in the cramped meeting hall. A blind man hunkers at the edge of the throng. There is talk of housing and finances, discussions of dipping health and impending death.
They finish by flouting federal law.
Marijuana, deemed illegal by the U.S. for any purpose, is dispensed in small baggies to the group, most of them terminally ill with AIDS or cancer. They say their brand of medicine, justified under California's 1996 medicinal marijuana initiative, brings relief from pain and suffering.
But it has also brought the federal government down on the 220-member Santa Cruz collective, the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana. Last year, drug agents arrested WAMM's founders, Valerie and Mike Corral, during a raid of the group's small pot garden on a secluded hillside terrace up the coast.
The bust, part of a broader campaign by the Bush administration to trip up California's medical marijuana movement, prompted a publicity backlash. With the national media watching, Santa Cruz council members invited WAMM activists to conduct their weekly pot handout at City Hall.
Now the city and county of Santa Cruz, a liberal bastion, have joined the medical marijuana collective in a lawsuit against Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft and the U.S. government.
Despite the unequivocal U.S. stance against marijuana, these advocates argue that their cultivation and use of pot — approved by Santa Cruz police, free of profit motive, unfettered by illegal transport over state lines — is a constitutionally protected right that trumps federal narcotics laws. They want to grow marijuana free of federal raids.
U.S. officials, who consider medical marijuana a Trojan horse for the drug legalization movement, counter that the law prohibits the use of pot by anyone, even the seriously ill. A federal judge in San Jose is expected to decide the case within the month.
Whatever the ruling, the legal battle appears destined to end up at the U.S. Supreme Court. Gerald Uelmen, the University of Santa Clara law professor who served on O.J. Simpson's defense team and now represents WAMM, figures he's found the perfect test case, "the gold standard" for a credible medical marijuana dispensary.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/11/2003 05:59:26 AM |
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This is how you do it
In Africa, hope emergesSenegal's aggressive AIDS strategy saves thousands from infection
By John Donnelly, Globe Staff, Photos by Dominic Chavez, Globe Staff, 8/10/2003
DAKAR, Senegal -- This report continues a series, begun on Jan. 26, on world health challenges and solutions that are within reach. Lives Lost special section
The two women slept in their nightshirts on a thin mattress, their tired bodies curled around each other.
One held a baby doll whose startling blue eyes stared into the darkness. Neither woman stirred, not after a night of carousing, dancing, and enduring the rough grasps of men. This was a moment of precious peace.
Day broke, and amid barking dogs and crying babies in their concrete apartment block, the two women, both prostitutes, lingered on their bed. They were irritable. To eat, they needed to work, to ''go out into the night,'' as they put it.
''This is a violent life,'' Anthonia Jacob, 28, said in her husky voice, still clutching her doll. ''One thing, though - I'm very careful. I make sure they always use condoms. That's why I'm healthy.''
On a continent where a breathtakingly high percentage of prostitutes carry and spread the AIDS virus, Jacob and her roommate, Kate Eno, are HIV-free.
Senegal deserves some credit.
This impoverished nation of 10 million people on Africa's west coast has shown how AIDS can be held at bay in places where the disease is a persistent, voracious killer. In 12 other African countries, more than 10 percent of people ages 15 to 49 are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In Senegal, the infection rate has never risen above 2 percent; its prevention efforts have saved tens of thousands of lives.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/11/2003 05:55:55 AM |
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August 10, 2003
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/10/2003 05:51:46 PM |
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Just political stuff
Abiola at Foreign Dispatches: On Roger Clegg's apologia for lynching.
Matthew Yglesias and commenters on Blacks and Republicans…although the conjunction is inappropriate and is used because the rules of grammar provide no better option.
In the above comments, PG of Half The Sins of Mankind reminds us Republican mendacity in this regard.
And I'd love to know who approached who about this?
Finally, CalPundit spotted some good news I missed because the news has just been wearing im out to the point that I just take random days away from it:
Liberals Form Fund To Defeat President Aim Is to Spend $75 Million for 2004
Friday, August 8, 2003; Page A03
Labor, environmental and women's organizations, with strong backing from international financier George Soros, have joined forces behind a new political group that plans to spend an unprecedented $75 million to mobilize voters to defeat President Bush in 2004.
The organization, Americans Coming Together (ACT), will conduct "a massive get-out-the-vote operation that we think will defeat George W. Bush in 2004," said Ellen Malcolm, the president of EMILY's List, who will become ACT's president.
ACT already has commitments for more than $30 million, Malcolm and others said, including $10 million from Soros, $12 million from six other philanthropists, and about $8 million from unions, including the Service Employees International Union.
…A network of liberal groups has formed America Votes to coordinate the political activities of civil rights, environmental and abortion rights groups among others, and former Clinton aide Harold Ickes is trying to set up a pro-Democratic group to finance 2004 campaign television ads.
…The shifting focus of Soros, who is worth $5 billion and is chairman of Soros Fund Management LLC, from the international sphere to the domestic political arena is considered significant.
In a statement describing his reasons for giving $10 million, Soros said, "I believe deeply in the values of an open society. For the past 15 years I have focused my energies on fighting for these values abroad. Now I am doing it in the United States. The fate of the world depends on the United States and President Bush is leading us in the wrong direction."
…ACT plans to concentrate its activities in 17 states, all of which are likely to be presidential battlegrounds: Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and West Virginia.
Man, I'd consider relocating to work with these guys.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/10/2003 04:35:44 AM |
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Fair warning
I am definitely liking the way my future MT home is shaping up. I just want to tell you all two things:
1- I am not moving any posts from here to there. No biggie, since anything bookmarked, including the static pages, will still work.
2- Not to be bustin' on ya, but someone out there has a browser that says it's Netscape 3. I don't know if you're going to like the new place as much as this one, because there's a LOT of CSS going on over there.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 8/10/2003 03:34:02 AM |
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