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Extra stuff - 06 April 2011
Apr. 7th, 2011 09:51 amWe begin today with a reminder - if you ever leave the country and plan on returning, be sure to back up your data to the cloud, then wipe, zero, and reinstall any operating systems on your computer, and expect to have it seized by the Border Patrol and never returned. An appeals court has upheld warrantless searches and seizures at the border, claiming that limiting it to, say, the Constitutional protections would reward the people who are clever about hiding things and who don't look like they're criminals.
Then, from there, we look on with dismay at the very young children whose parents are getting them cosmetic surgery in hopes of avoiding bullying at school. The problem with that approach, besides the expense, is that bullies don't stop when you fix one thing they were taunting you about. They just find something else to taunt you about.
A WTF of size and magnitude, however, comes from the 2012 Republican budget plan, unveiled by Paul Ryan. The plan has several nasty things in mind for middle class and working class Americans, namely cutting up government services and/or privatizing them, tax cuts for the wealthiest that don't need them, and ending Medicare as we think of it today. The idea will be to get rid of Medicare and replace it with a coupon to go buy insurance in the private market, which for most people will be unaffordable even with discounts or subsidies. The poor will be forced to fight for a share of a block grant of money, instead of the guaranteed benefit program currently in operation, so if the coupon program is to expensive, you can join all the other people trying to get a slice of an already over-sliced pie. More in-depth analysis in a Special Comment to follow.
Out in the world today, despite their claims to be interested in accessibility and disability, the Liberal Party of Canada is not exactly...inspiring the group they claim to care about. I believe you could file most of those under "show-stopping bugs" with regard to accessibility issues, and "nice-sounding but ultimately useless" on the matter of disability. And the worst part about it is, it's still heads and shoulders above what the Conservative Party of Canada is offering.
Good news from Japan, as a leak sending radioactivity into the Pacific Ocean has been sealed, although how that will affect the fishermen around the plant is as yet unknown. Their livelihoods are likely to be harmed if not destroyed by the wave and the radiation that followed.
Domestically, an election in Wisconsin for State Supreme Court is still too close to call, after a phenomenal turnout on both sides of the aisle drove voters to express their opinion. Considering that this position will likely sit in judgment on whether the creative techniques used to strip unions of their collective bargaining rights were legal, one might have expected some extra people at the polls. As things curently stand, the challenger appears to be ahead, but a recount of the votes is likely to trigger because the margin of error is so close.
A reminder to all politicians - if there is documented factual evidence saying you did something, trying to deny it and claim the reporting of those facts is a lying hit job will earn you no points nor any good will.
The first openly gay candidate has declared his intent to run for the Presidency - Republican candidate Fred Karger. We'll see if he makes it through the nomination process in a party that is noted for its continued insistence that gay people are either abominations to God or making a lifestyle choice that can be changed with a little effort.
Additionally, a well-deserved smackdown to those who believe that persons on food stamps are inferior or a drain on tax dollars - it's none of your godsbedamned business what someone buys with food stamps, or how they buy it.
Finally, another government shutdown with a Democratic President and a Republican House? Considering hwo well it worked out for the Republicans the last time, one would think they don't want to do it again.
Last out, Glenn Beck will be stopping his Fox News Channel program soemtime this year. Perhaps the desertion of sponsors from his programmes had something to do with it.
In technology, a list of companies that were affected by the Epsilon hack, or why your e-mail has likely been sold to spammers, phishers, and others to conduct nefarious business with - because it's often better to attack the marketing partners and not the companies themselves.
An eye created from stem cells, which makes the bio-implant people very happy.
In opinions, Mr. Sowell is on message about how politicians that promise everything and pay for nothing win out in our political world, when they should be tarred and feathered and made to keep their mouths shut unless they speak the economic reality Mr. Sowell prefers.
And finally, the WSJ trumpets, struts, smirks, and otherwise celebrates the decision of Mr. Holder to give in, acknowledge his lack of options, and have military tribunals try the alleged mastermind and accomplices of the 11 September attacks. They're too busy preening and shouting about how much they won and Holder's a loser to take much stock in the fact that Mr. Holder's statements are correct - the Congress prevented him from trying them in civilian court, the Congress prevented him andthe President from closing Guantanamo Bay, the conservative-led Court is rejecting any other options and making sure that the alleged perpetrators never get to see a day in non-military court - there were no other options left to Mr. Holder. So the WSJ is celebrating how conservatives got their way by basically preventing someone from doing anything else.
Last for tonight, a roller coaster that is designed to give you all sorts of euphoric sensations before it kills you. It's a euthanasia coaster. It seems like a better idea than most euthaniasia designs - so out with a smile. If roller coasters are your thing.
Then, from there, we look on with dismay at the very young children whose parents are getting them cosmetic surgery in hopes of avoiding bullying at school. The problem with that approach, besides the expense, is that bullies don't stop when you fix one thing they were taunting you about. They just find something else to taunt you about.
A WTF of size and magnitude, however, comes from the 2012 Republican budget plan, unveiled by Paul Ryan. The plan has several nasty things in mind for middle class and working class Americans, namely cutting up government services and/or privatizing them, tax cuts for the wealthiest that don't need them, and ending Medicare as we think of it today. The idea will be to get rid of Medicare and replace it with a coupon to go buy insurance in the private market, which for most people will be unaffordable even with discounts or subsidies. The poor will be forced to fight for a share of a block grant of money, instead of the guaranteed benefit program currently in operation, so if the coupon program is to expensive, you can join all the other people trying to get a slice of an already over-sliced pie. More in-depth analysis in a Special Comment to follow.
Out in the world today, despite their claims to be interested in accessibility and disability, the Liberal Party of Canada is not exactly...inspiring the group they claim to care about. I believe you could file most of those under "show-stopping bugs" with regard to accessibility issues, and "nice-sounding but ultimately useless" on the matter of disability. And the worst part about it is, it's still heads and shoulders above what the Conservative Party of Canada is offering.
Good news from Japan, as a leak sending radioactivity into the Pacific Ocean has been sealed, although how that will affect the fishermen around the plant is as yet unknown. Their livelihoods are likely to be harmed if not destroyed by the wave and the radiation that followed.
Domestically, an election in Wisconsin for State Supreme Court is still too close to call, after a phenomenal turnout on both sides of the aisle drove voters to express their opinion. Considering that this position will likely sit in judgment on whether the creative techniques used to strip unions of their collective bargaining rights were legal, one might have expected some extra people at the polls. As things curently stand, the challenger appears to be ahead, but a recount of the votes is likely to trigger because the margin of error is so close.
A reminder to all politicians - if there is documented factual evidence saying you did something, trying to deny it and claim the reporting of those facts is a lying hit job will earn you no points nor any good will.
The first openly gay candidate has declared his intent to run for the Presidency - Republican candidate Fred Karger. We'll see if he makes it through the nomination process in a party that is noted for its continued insistence that gay people are either abominations to God or making a lifestyle choice that can be changed with a little effort.
Additionally, a well-deserved smackdown to those who believe that persons on food stamps are inferior or a drain on tax dollars - it's none of your godsbedamned business what someone buys with food stamps, or how they buy it.
Finally, another government shutdown with a Democratic President and a Republican House? Considering hwo well it worked out for the Republicans the last time, one would think they don't want to do it again.
Last out, Glenn Beck will be stopping his Fox News Channel program soemtime this year. Perhaps the desertion of sponsors from his programmes had something to do with it.
In technology, a list of companies that were affected by the Epsilon hack, or why your e-mail has likely been sold to spammers, phishers, and others to conduct nefarious business with - because it's often better to attack the marketing partners and not the companies themselves.
An eye created from stem cells, which makes the bio-implant people very happy.
In opinions, Mr. Sowell is on message about how politicians that promise everything and pay for nothing win out in our political world, when they should be tarred and feathered and made to keep their mouths shut unless they speak the economic reality Mr. Sowell prefers.
And finally, the WSJ trumpets, struts, smirks, and otherwise celebrates the decision of Mr. Holder to give in, acknowledge his lack of options, and have military tribunals try the alleged mastermind and accomplices of the 11 September attacks. They're too busy preening and shouting about how much they won and Holder's a loser to take much stock in the fact that Mr. Holder's statements are correct - the Congress prevented him from trying them in civilian court, the Congress prevented him andthe President from closing Guantanamo Bay, the conservative-led Court is rejecting any other options and making sure that the alleged perpetrators never get to see a day in non-military court - there were no other options left to Mr. Holder. So the WSJ is celebrating how conservatives got their way by basically preventing someone from doing anything else.
Last for tonight, a roller coaster that is designed to give you all sorts of euphoric sensations before it kills you. It's a euthanasia coaster. It seems like a better idea than most euthaniasia designs - so out with a smile. If roller coasters are your thing.
