Archive for January, 2008

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You can do anything on the Internet, I guess, but watch out for those cables

In this incredibly high-tech world, it’s always good now and again to remember how vulnerable we are to “low-tech” glitches: Large sections of Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa were taken off the Internet by a speed-bump on the information super highway: Two undersea cables were cut or damaged.

I don’t know how often such things happen, nor how catastrophic or long-lasting this problem will be. But it seems to me that such cables are pretty reliable. We don’t often hear about Internet and/or telecommunications outages on such wide scales so we can assume the cables are generally pretty well protected and pretty reliable.

What we SHOULD do is be reminded that not everything is solved by high technology. Even the most cutting-edge, exciting high-tech developments are vulnerable to power outages, cut cables, weather interference, and out right sabotage. At some point, hopefully, we will find out what happened to the two trans-Atlantic cables. Most likely, it was a natural disaster or an accidental mishap.

But like it or not, our entire culture is built around high-technology which is at risk in many, many ways.

Ah, well, what do I know? I’m just a guy who reads the papers.

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Now that John Edwards is gone, what will happen to the Democratic race?

The Internet and the cable news people are all “abuzz and aflutter” with John Edwards getting ready to announce in New Orleans that he’s dropping out of the 2008 presidential race.

I have mixed feelings about this one. Edwards seems to be a competent, intelligent, likable guy. I think he had a minimal amount of liabilities for getting elected. Personally, he reminded me of JFK with a southern drawl. But, he hasn’t been able to get anything going in the primaries and as the big contest draws nearer, he apparently faced that reality.

On the other hand, I expect him to play something of the role of “king maker” as he swings the delegates he’s gotten and the public exposure toward either Obama or Clinton. My bet is he’ll ultimately endorse Obama. Could be really wrong on that one though.

Remember my early prediction a few weeks ago that Huckabee was going to come on strong on the GOP side? Chuck Norris still thinks Huckabee will. Nope. That one’s swinging toward McCain all the way. By the time the GOP dust settles, I expect McCain to get the nomination and Romney to huff off to his Utah mountain lair in disappointment. I could be wrong on that one, too, though.

Ah, well, what do I know? I’m just a guy who reads the papers.

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New Grisham novel reflects reality of ‘buying’ justice in America

I haven’t yet read John Grisham’s latest novel, “The Appeal,” and I normally never write about books I haven’t read — but I have some interesting personal knowledge of Grisham’s theme here and wanted to “sound off.”

The book deals with money corrupting judicial appointments/elections in ways that allow criminal or at least “corrupt” companies and individuals to get away with criminal or at least shady activity. That’s as I understand it from several reviews I’ve seen and one television interview with Grisham.

I have a lawyer friend (yes, they can really be friendly) who has worked long and hard over the last 15-20 years on a corporate corruption case involving large sums of money and potential judicial corruption. This lawyer friend tells me of very clear, plain evidence that several federal judges are “bought and sold” by various, should we say “conservative” political groups this lawyer is aware of.

If that sounds vague, it is intentionally vague. I do not want to put my lawyer friend’s activities in any jeopardy by putting anything specific on the Internet. But I immediately thought about all this when I heard Grisham interviewed on the “Today Show” yesterday and heard him talk about his book. He is very straightforward that the plot elements and story line he has in the book are based on real cases of judicial corruption — and he called in the interview for renewed efforts by the people of America to make the process of appointing and/or electing judges more secure.

Good lessons here for us all. We get the kind of political system we permit to exist. We also get the kind of judicial system we permit to exist. If you don’t know how judges are appointed or elected in your state, that’s your homework assignment for now.

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State of the Union Address — about a C+, maybe, for that one

No one expected President Bush to give a rousing State of the Union Address. I’d say he made about a C+ on it — but when I was teaching the students always found me an easy grader.

What I found really entertaining, however, was watching the Congressmen and Senators during the speech. This year’s was Bush’s last, but the conduct was about like usual. Republicans cheered wildly and gave standing ovations for no real reasons; Democrats made a point of looking bored, muttering to each other and sometimes even calling out protests.

The only thing more entertaining than watching Congressional shenanigans was reading the “New York Times” report I’ve linked to above: It reads more like an “Entertainment Weekly” tabloid report than the NY Times. Come on, people, try to do a better job on this. You really sounded like gossip columnists, not political reporters.

Ah, what a grand game we play in America. We call it politics. God bless our grand old country.

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For all you pet lovers out there: Would you go for one of these ‘Perfect Pets’?

I posted a discussion of this “Perfect Pets” story on one of my other blogs geared specifically to news about pets and to pet lovers. (Feel free to take a look around that blog. It’s new and I could use the traffic!)

Are you a pet lover? Do you suffer pet allergies, or have problems with the “inconvenience” of pets like cats who need litter boxes, dogs who need pooper scoopers and daily walks, fish who need aquariums cleaned?

Then this woman’s “Perfect Pets” may be just what you’re looking for: Very realistically done pet paintings, custom placed around your house and property to look very real. I’ll admit the idea has a clever charm to it. Some of the painted pets shown in that story are nice.

But, really, are they PETS? Do we need a reality check here? Am I the only one who thinks pets need to be LIVING??

Ah, well, what do I know? I’m just a guy who reads the papers.

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Hilliary’s planned trip to Florida — ah, ah, ah, isn’t that sort of cheating the system?

I’ve never been to Las Vegas. But if I understand how the systems there work, big spenders can find Vegas hotels and casinos that will “comp” them with free lodging — perhaps meals, too? — with the understanding they’ll lay down their gambling money, etc., at that hotel/casino. I THINK that’s how it works, but I don’t know.

It would be sort of gaming the system if you took such a nice comp, then quietly walked across the street and laid your money down on someone else’s table, right?

Isn’t Hillary Clinton trying to pull a similar game on the Democratic Party with her plans to be in Florida Tuesday evening to thank all of her supporters there? You’ll probably remember that Michigan and Florida have formally lost their delegates to the Democratic National Convention for bucking the system and scheduling their party primaries early. Because of that, all the Democratic candidates have pledge NOT to campaign in those states.

So isn’t Hillary’s Tuesday evening visit violating the spirit of that pledge, if not the letter?

Frankly, I think Hillary and Bill Clinton together are starting to show everything just short of public panic at her failure to win big in the primaries, especially in light of her recent loss to Obama in S.C., and the Kennedy endorsements of Obama.

Come on, Hillary, quit gaming the system. Come on, Bill, we all know you’d love to see Hillary in the White House — and what husband would not support his wife? — but you are looking a lot like some of your lust for the Oval Office is clouding your judgment, too.

Ah, well, what do I know? I’m just a guy who reads the papers. Uh, and I suppose that possibility of drafting Al Gore for the Democratic presidential nomination is pretty remote now, eh?

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Not a big surprise — Obama wins in South Carolina primary

It’s hard to be that surprised about Barack Obama winning the Democratic primary in South Carolina. He was predicted as a big winner because of the large percentage of African-American voters in that state’s Democratic Party.

I’m listening to a CNN reporter right now, however, making a big point of the racially diverse and “gender” diverse coalition Obama put together in the win. I certainly hope that’s true. I really, really want to believe that Democratic voters as well as all voters in America will NOT let race or gender determine our next president. I truly hope the next president we elect will be elected because he or she is the best person for the job.

But, of course, having lived through a ton of presidential elections in my lifetime, I really don’t believe America’s voters and American citizens in general are not biased about issues like race and gender. I know American voters and nonvoters are human, hence subject to human biases and prejudices.

In light of that — perhaps John Edwards was right in the comments I just heard him make. He maintains that he not only is battling to speak for the common people of America (yeah, well, he’s a very rich successful lawyer, anyway …) but that he also is the most electable candidate in the general election. I don’t know how sincerely he represents the American people or any sector of ‘em — but I really think he may be more electable against whoever the Republicans run than Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

Ah, well, what do I know? I’m just a guy who reads the papers

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Would Huckabee and McCain agree to settle nomination with hand-to-hand combat?

Nah, just kidding. I’m sure you know we never resolve political contests in America with hand-to-hand combat. Well, not PHYSICAL hand-to-hand, though campaign rhetoric might sometimes seem more vicious than physical blows.

I’m referring in this headline to the ongoing celebrity endorsement battles all candidates get into. On the Democratic side, we’ve got Streisand and Winfrey. And now, on the GOP side, we’ve got Norris and Stallone.

STALLONE??

We’ve all seen the fun commercials with movie action tough guy Chuck Norris endorsing Huckabee, but who saw this one coming: Apparently, Sylvester Stallone (as in Rocky, as in Rambo) has come out in an interview endorsing John McCain.

Well, this changes everything then, doesn’t it? Stallone’s box office take is so far ahead of anything Chuck Norris has done it’s probably laughable. I mean, we’re not talking about an endorsement from someone quite as wealthy as Streisand and Winfrey, I would guess. But nonetheless, it’s good to have Rocky in your corner, Rambo watching your back, etc.

How delightful, really, that the American voter goes to the polls well studied and prepared to pick leadership based on qualifications for leadership — no, wait. I’m thinking of probably some obscure European or Asian nation.

In America, we pick our presidents based on the important stuff — STAR POWER, BABY!

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‘Mad scientists’ create life — well, sort of, and they aren’t really mad

Funny how you see things according to your predisposition to see them, isn’t it? The title of this story demonstrates that I saw waaaaayyyy to many “mad scientist” movies when I was a kid.

I was looking around the Washington Post website and ran onto this article about scientists in Maryland who created from scratch an entire microbial chromosome. If you follow that link, you’ll find a story with a headline which reads:

“Md. Scientists Build Bacterial Chromosome.”

Those clever wags at the Washington Post use “Md.,” an abbreviation for “Maryland.” Coming just before “Scientists,” of course my eye and brain made the connection to the bizarre nature of this experiment and saw “Mad” as in crazy instead of “Md.” as in Maryland.

Because the story may well be worth of the old movie villain mad scientists: This news certainly raises the bar a notch closer to creating fully functioning artificial “life.” Given the nature of science, the nature of human beings, and the availability of enough money, and I suppose that’s inevitable. It’s not a matter of “if,” it’s a matter of “when.” (It could, of course, be “already.)

What do you think? Is artificial life, a genuinely man-made living creature, something you would feel uncomfortable with? I would — or, rather, I do, whichever. In my thinking, this really does belong in the realm of the mad scientists of my childhood movie days. I wish we could find a way to confine it to fiction.

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Will the ‘free money’ deal fall apart in the Senate? Will it all come too late? We’ll see

Some of the more politically astute out there in blogging land are starting to get restless — they’re realizing yesterday’s happy news about the tax rebates/stipends/”free money” checks loudly trumpeted by President Bush and the House leadership, uh, may not happen. Or if the checks do get put in the mail, they won’t accomplish their purpose.

As I repeatedly pointed out yesterday, the whole $145-$150 billion economic aid bill still has to go through the Senate and be signed into law by the President before ANY checks are going to be put in the mail. Senators, especially Democratic senators, could easily reshape all or parts of the plan, leading to a stalemate and no action being taken.

Assuming that hurdle is overcome and the bill actually makes it into law, let me ask you this: What will you do with your $300/$600/$1,200+ check when you get it next May, June, or even July? Will you do the “right” thing and quickly spend the money, preferably on something you don’t need but something which will create (?) jobs and stimulate the economy?

Sure you will. Me, too. I’ve already got my eye on a Lexus I hope to have in time to take across country for that vacation I’ll fund at the beach using the rest of the money from the rebate.

Uh, you do realize that was sarcasm, right?

Many feel the rebates/stipends whatever you want to call them are going to be way too little arriving way to late to keep the economy on track and avoid that R* no one likes to talk about.

I dunno. I’m no economist. I’m just a guy who reads the papers.

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