Plot to blow up Sears Tower

Three years, two mistrials, and $5-10 million later, five defendants were convicted of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower. A sixth defendant was acquitted on all charges. Only one defendant, Narseal Batiste, was convicted on all charges. The defense attorney intends to file for a new trial within 30 days.

I read the New York Times article on this a few times, and was surprised by the quotes and tone of the story. I'm not sure if the author was biased, if the legal experts around the case are biased, or if the story is correct in its tone, but I got the impression that the case was an example of overzealous government and prosecutors needing to convict somebody of something.

I'm not sure how to feel about the case. I'm interested because I can see the Sears Tower out my bedroom window and walk to it in 15 minutes. However, two mistrials and a split jury on a case that most Americans would walk into with guilty on their lips, makes me curious as to how valid the charges really are.

Soldier kills fellow soldiers

A U.S. soldier killed 5 other U.S. soldiers at a clinic at Camp Liberty on the outskirts of Baghdad. Sgt. John Russell, a communications specialist, had been sent to the clinic for stress control.

Russell has been charged with five counts of murder and 1 count of aggravated assault. He first joined the military in 1988 and has completed three tours in Iraq. He received several medals and commendations during the time period.

You probably haven't heard about this story because the media has been very busy discussing Twitter, Carrie Prejean, Drew Peterson, and whatever Angelina Jolie did this week.

Gas prices and Tesla

Gas prices are up again, and quickly.

Gas prices hit their all-time high on July 7, 2008, when the average price per gallon in the United States was at $4.00. After that, for (insert reasons here based on your political opinions), gas prices have dropped faster than people's weight on The Biggest Loser.

However, prices are up 44 percent since Jan. 1 and up 23 percent in the last month. The national average is $2.25 per gallon, up from $1.77 at the beginning of the year. Expect to be paying $3.00 again very soon.

However, how fast the gas prices rise and how far they rise is another question. The big 3 car companies are struggling primarily because of their failure to predict American's desire for high mileage cars due to high gas prices and concern for the economy.

As a result, Chrysler has declared bankruptcy, GM may do the same, and Ford is quickly eating up its cash reserves. However, all three are focusing heavily on producing high mileage cars which will compete with Toyota, which has become the world's largest car manufacturer.

If GM, Ford and Chrysler all have 40 mpg gas cars, hybrids, and electrics rifling off the assembly line by 2012...how high will gas prices get.

And this isn't even considering the upstart car company Tesla, which is being HEAVILY funded by Google co-founders Larry Paige and Sergey Brin. Tesla already produces an electric car (not hybrid, electric) which rivals Corvettes and Ferraris power and acceleration. The Tesla Roadster was Tesla's first car and has a several year waiting list of eager customers.

Tesla's business model is to work is way down the sticker price as fast as it can until it is producing an electric car for every market at every price range. Their second car, also electric (as all their cars will be) is the Model S, it costs $50,000, goes 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, goes 300 miles on one charge, and can recharge in 45 minutes.

I'll take one

Happy Mother's Day

drew peterson saga

Here is a short list of stories that received less airtime than the arrest of Drew Peterson for murdering his 3rd wife.

* 2 more people died from swine flu
* the pope spoke with Muslim leaders in Jordan
* Russia has military parade in Red Square for 2nd time since the end of WWII
* Louis Caldera resigns over Manhattan fly over
* Pakistan encourages civilians to flee Swat Vally region
* Boston Trolley crash
* Maine legalizes gay marriage
* everything else

Glenn Beck

I find myself watching more Fox News than I used to because I like hearing opposing viewpoints. However, for the most part, I am still unable to make it through a full episode of any of their shows. I make it about ten minutes, and then must change the channel after being overwhelmed by stupidity.

I managed to watch my first full episode of Glenn Beck. Mr. Beck...you are not funny, please stop immediately, you are embarrassing yourself.

US budget

Obama's recently released budget reflects the shift in priorities recommended previously by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The shift provides for a number of things, including various measures in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the biggest shift in priorities is focusing on the future and not the present.

The administration appears to be focusing more on researching defense measures which would not be implemented for many years. The manufacturing of the F-22 Raptor and the C-17 cargo plane has been stopped in order to purchase more F-35 fighters. The reason for the cancellation of the F-22 is because the F-22 is an expensive air-to-air fighter being produced during a time when the U.S. has no air-to-air rivals. The F-35 would be an all-purpose jet capable of targeting both land and air enemies.

The plan would also increase the number of special operations soldiers (Navy SEALS, Green Berrets, etc.) by 4 percent and reduce the number of ocean defense vessels produced between now and 2040.

CNN....gah

Yesterday, CNN, for more than five minutes, covered what the President ate for lunch, how much he tipped, etc. etc. Why? Because the other networks were covering it too? I know it wasn't because it was a slow news day. Between the economy and swine flu, there are no slow news days right now.

I understand it is difficult to fill time on a 24 hour news network. What the national networks do in 30 minutes, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC do in 144 minutes. However, there has got to be limits. What the President eats for lunch has no business being on a news network.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Where's the Chief?
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

California Burning

Wild fires, once again, are raging in California and are torching the homes of the poor and rich alike.

This seems like it happens all the time in California, this and mudslides. It reminds me of floodplains on the Mississippi and any other river. Why do people build houses in areas where a bad flood will destroy the house? If there is a chance that a wildfire or a mudslide might destroy your house, why do you live there?

Sure, maybe the views are nice, but how nice is the view of a pile of rubble that used to be your bedroom?

I have trouble feeling sorry for people who become victims of their own stupidity.

bad decisions

Last week, a government Boeing 747 (it's only Air Force One if the president is on board) flew at low altitudes over New York City, down the Hudson River, around the Statue of Liberty, and back to Washington D.C.. All because somebody needed to update some photos for the plane.

The trip cost $350,000 and scared the crap out of New York City. For security reasons, only the FAA and a few other people were informed of the plan. The mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, local police and firefighter, and the President of the United States, were not informed. Barack Obama says that he is furious

Daily Show host Jon Stewart watched everything happen two blocks from the Hudson River in the TV show's studio. Here is his response...which is kind of everyone's response.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Mistakes on a Plane
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis First 100 Days

South Park on pirating

Hilarious episode, see full episode at www.southparkstudios.com

Specter switches sides

In a surprise move earlier this week, 29-year Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter announced he is switching to the Democratic party. Specter says that the reason for the change is because the Republican party views have shifted far to the right of his current views.

The move gives the Democratic party 59 members in the Senate. If Al Franken wins his court case against Norm Coleman, the party would have a filibuster proof 60 members. Several recounts of the November election between the two have held that Franken barely won the election.

While Specter contends he is divorcing the Republican party because of irroncilable differences, the real reason is because he wants to win reelection in November. Specter's recent liberal voting record has drawn criticism from hardcore conservatives and it is believed he would not win the Pennsylvania Republican primary in November. Michael Steele, Chairmen of the Republican National Committee, said that Specter "“left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record.”

On a side note, the NY Times article I got this from misspelled Specter several times as Spector. When I do that I get an F on my paper.

Most dangerous cities

I read an article in Forbes today about the 15 most dangerous cities in America. The criteria was number of violent crimes per 100,000 people. The study also included the metropolitan area (suburbs) of the cities, so Schaumberg would be considered part of Chicago.

The most interesting correlation the study mentioned is that many of the cities listed are considered hubs for illegal drug transportation. I bet you don't think of Stockton, Calif as the 5th most dangerous city in the country. However, it is 500 miles from Tijuana and, according to Megan Wolfram, an analyst at iJet Intelligent Risk Systems, a Maryland-based risk-assessment firm,

"Stockton is a major transit point along the I-5 corridor on the way to Seattle and Vancouver. A lot of it is similar to crime happening in the Southwest. For the most part, it's drug gang on drug gang."

The top 15 are as follows.
1) Detroit
2) Memphis
3) Miami
4) Las Vegas
5) Stockton, Calif
6) Orlando
7) Little Rock, Ark
8) Charleston
9) Nashville
10) Baltimore
11) New Orleans
12) Baton Rouge, La
13) West Palm Beach, Fla
14) Charlotte
15) Philadelphia

Noticeably absent on this list are New York, LA and Chicago. I was especially surprised not to see Chicago included considering its propensity for shootings. Additionally, I was very surprised to see the inclusion of Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville. Apparently the Ozarks area isn't such a great place for vacations after all. And Orlando? When did Disney World become dangerous for anything other than mom and dad's wallet?

Another trend that wasn't discussed very much in the article, but that I noticed, is cities that rely on a lot of tourism money. Miami, Las Vegas, Orlando, Charlotte and West Palm Beach were all booming towns leading up to the recession. Tourism was up and homes couldn't be built fast enough. Las Vegas was routinely growing by 10 percent a year. Beachfront Miami property has been absolutely crushed by the housing crash.

An interesting tidbit, on cityrating.com Charlotte, NC is also considered the 9th best place to live. A sentiment echoed by various google searches.

Swine Flu

There is an article in today's Chicago Tribune titled "US declares health emergency as world officials race to contain worrisome swine flu, panic."

Yet, after reading the article, my reaction was more of a, so what? Apparently, this whole thing started in Mexico. The country estimates that there have been around 1,600 cases and 103 deaths. Only 22 of those 103 deaths have been confirmed to be the result of Swine Flu.

But outside of Mexico, almost all people suspected of having swine flu reported feeling mildly ill. I feel mildly ill about 10 times a years...many more if you include hangovers. It seems like the biggest reason people are dying from this disease is because of how much Mexico sucks ass.

New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, the US and a few other countries have had less than a dozen confirmed cases from recent visitors to Mexico. Many of these visitors were students returning from spring break. According to the article, these students got mildly ill and that the current strain is being treated with Tamiflu and Relenza.

Currently there is no vaccine, but the CDC is hard at work manufacturing one. It is still unknown where in Mexico the disease started and how it is spread, other than it involves pigs. The current strategy is to quarantine and treat. A couple of schools in New York and Texas canceled classes last week to contain any possible spread.

Anyone remember when the bird flu was supposed to destroy the world? Wasn't it supposed to be an unstoppable mega-plague that made the black death look like a case of chicken pox? 11 years after the nightly news was showing people in China wearing surgical masks, the nightly news is showing people in Mexico wearing surgical masks.

It seems like the common denominator between the bird flu and swine flu is the nightly news using words like; pandemic, epidemic, outbreak, plague, crisis, and emergency. Lost in the conversation are words like; treatment, mild symptoms, limited spread, prevention, and control.

Ford has $1.3 billion moral victory

Ford lost $1.3 billion dollars in the 4th quarter. Somehow...this is good news.

Analysts were predicting the company to do even worse. There were several reasons Ford beat analysts predictions. Without getting into the numbers, they basically used their cash reserves to dramatically cut cost and debt despite plumitting shares. Of the big three American auto companies, Ford is the only one that has not accepted any government money. As a result, when times improve, they will be primed for a big rebound. Their stock price is already reflecting these expectations. Since March 6th, shares are up 272 percent.

This is what is called the silver lining

Ford lost $14.7 billion in 2008 and is expected to be unprofitable until 2011. Yet, they made a few smart decisions, beat analysts predictions, and watched their stock go from $1.65 to $4.50 in six weeks. Additionally, with Ford being in a superior financial position to GM or Chrysler, in the next five years they will be able to afford more advertising, more models, better employee benefits, etc.

When the great depression ended, the blue-chip stocks were the one's from extremely beaten down sectors but that outperformed their competition. After this recession, expect a bank, a housing company, and a car company to explode. (among others)

journalists getting arrested

Here are two YouTube videos of cops arresting journalists. See if you can spot any common themes in treatment and attitudes.

Miss America story

In the latest version on national news that is not news, networks are constantly discussing Miss California's comments during the televised pageant. Go ahead and turn to CNN or Fox News, it won't take long, I'll wait...

For those of you who aren't aware (I envy you) Miss California was asked about her opinions on gay marriage. She responded by politely saying she believed marriage should only be between a man and a woman. One of the judges, Perez Hilton (yes that's actually his name) is openly gay and consequently was very upset and has gone on a media tour afterward.



I DON'T CARE!!!

An honest opinion about a heated and divisive political issue got somebody upset?

NO WAY!!!

Both sides of the gay marriage debate have valid opinions and points and open discussions about this topic are needed. But those discussions need to be in the right format between the right people. Those discussions need to be well calm and well researched. They need to be between powerful people capable of making changes happen.

Attacks through Fox News by a dumb blonde and an entertainment tonight lackey is not an appropriate dialogue. It is a waste of everyone's time. Why don't we just strap a mic to a couple of idiots off the street while we're at it?

torture memos

This past week the Obama administration released a few memos from the Bush administration detailing what types of torture were acceptable and how extensively these torture (er...enhanced interrogation methods) could be used. Numerous high profile Pentagon and CIA officials have gone public with their disagreements on this subject.

I have two questions:
1) why were these memos released?
2) why the objections?

My guesses, is Obama is making a purely political move to try and propagandize against the Republican Party. He is nearing the end of his honeymoon and his approval numbers are dropping as the national public is starting to realize that he is in fact, just a man, just a politician. Obama may still do a lot of good in the next 4 or 8 years. But he also might screw everything up even worse.

If Obama wanted to make diplomatic amends for the actions taken at secret prisons during the Bush administration, then release all the memos, release all the information, including what was confessed as a result of the torture. But he doesn't want to do this, he only wants to let out the information which looks bad for the Republicans.

This is a political move, nothing more.

On the other side of the coin...why the objections? Here I figure the answer is simply a desire to keep important information private. Information is perhaps the most powerful weapon in a war. The less the enemy knows the better. America waterboarded, I know it, you know, they know it. Releasing these memos only gives knowledge to the allies of those who were waterboarded.

Obama's use of new media

The Democratic Party and Barack Obama perfected the use of the internet in 2008. This is not necessarily because Obama or his campaign manager David Axelrod is such savvy politicians, and it isn’t because the Democratic Party had an epiphany. In 2004, the internet just hadn’t matured enough yet.

The bread-and-butter of Obama’s campaign was social networking sites. YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and their sister sites, either didn’t exist or were in their infancy stages in 2004. The only people who knew about and used these sites were the internet savvy and computer nerds. In 2004, one couldn’t even sign up for Facebook without a college e-mail address and only the largest division I universities had been given permission to be included. Smaller schools and private schools were still petitioning for inclusion.

The old way of social networking is dead. The day of the $5,000 a plate fundraising dinner has been proven unnecessary. According to an article by The Atlantic, in February 2008, Obama raised $55 million dollars. $45 million of that came from online donations, and he never hosted a single fundraiser. Micro giving has replaced the fat check. Obama’s website was set-up so the people could donate $20 or even less. Additionally, people could program the system to deduct the sum on a monthly basis like a magazine subscription. Therefore, people could budget their donation over many months instead of writing a single, larger, check.

According to the Minnesota Independent, 49 percent of Obama supporters initially donated less than $200. By the end of the campaign, 47 percent had given at least $1,000 and Obama had collectively attracted 100,000 more individual donors than both 2004 candidates combined.

The combination of the maturation of social networking sights and the foresight of Obama and Axelrod to use these sights on an unimaginable scale is the reason Obama overcame a large deficit to beat Hilary Clinton in the Democratic primary and to beat McCain by a 2-1 margin in the Electoral College in the presidential election.

Going into election night, official Obama video posted on YouTube had viewed collectively for 14.5 million hours. According to Joe Trippi, to purchase 14.5 million hours of time on television would cost roughly $47 million, depending on when the time is aired.

Post election, the use of new media has continued. Each week, Obama releases a short video message through his website. These messages are very reminiscent of FDR’s Fireside Chats in there form, structure and rhetoric, so there is nothing new about them politically. What makes them significant is that Obama is choosing to release them via the internet instead of through a news network. Of course the messages quickly make their way to the nightly news, but this conscience decision and selection of the internet to emphasize what his administration finds important is drastically different from previous presidents.

To date, Obama has racked up 13 million e-mail addresses, and counting, in his database. And those social networking sights still have donation links on every page. Currently, the only use of these e-mail addresses and constant funding is to help persuade the general public to support specific legislation when he deems it necessary.

However, when 2012 rolls around, the Democratic Party will have already assembled an arsenal of political ammo to defeat the Republican opponent. Obama related Facebook and Myspace groups will continue to grow until 2012. His YouTube page will continue to add videos and collect hits, thereby spreading the Democratic message and persuading swing voters. Change.com will continue to collect donations.

Barack Obama and the Democratic Party have revolutionized American politics for only the third time since George Washington was elected. FDR was the first to extensively use the radio and thus replaced the cross-country train trips. Then, Kennedy used the television to put a face on politicians and the radio became second fiddle. Obama has shown the internet is the medium of the future and the television will soon become something from our parents’ generation of politics.

My Cuban vacation

Most Americans think part of Obama's campaign of change should involve new policies toward Cuba

In a recent poll by worldpublicopinion.org, 70 percent of Americans say they favor ending the US ban on travel to Cuba and removing the economic embargo which has been in place since March 1958. Cuba was once one of the top Caribbean travel destinations by US tourists. It was a Hollywood getaway and was featured in numerous songs and movies.

President Barack Obama, set to leave on his first trip to Latin America this week with stops in Mexico and at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad-Tobago, is expected to address US policy toward Cuba at his first summit with Latin leaders.

America's problems with Cuba stem from it being a Communist ally of the Soviet Union. It was the reason for the embargo, the reason for the Bay of Pigs and the reason for the Cuban Missile Crisis. But the Soviet Union is gone, and the the U.S. is considered an ally of Russia. Additionally, The only Communist world power, China, owns more than a third of all U.S. debt and is our biggest trading partner.

To me this is the definition of hypocrisy. The United States of America refuses to trade with one country because of its communist government and its actions, but welcomes trade with another country despite its communist government and actions.

Fidel Castro is 82 and the cold war ended 20 years ago. Let it go America, let it go.

Another dirty chicago cop

According to the Chciago Tribune, former Melrose Park Police Chief Vito Scavo used extortion and strong-armed tactics to force numerous organizations to hire guards from his private security firm. The list of companies forced to hire guards from Scavo's company were local bars and resturaunts, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church, Navistar and Kiddieland amusement park.

Additionally, many of these guards were on-duty policeman. Therefore, these policeman were bring paid twice, once by the city and once by the client.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Stephen Andersson said that a waste disposal company that was paying another security firm $17 an hour for a security guard was pressured into paying $45 per guard from Scavo's firm.

Scavo, police chief from 1996 to 2006, is charged with racketeering conspiracy, extortion, obstruction of justice, mail and wire fraud and filing false personal and corporate federal income tax returns.

21st century Tea Party

Yay! It's tax day! To celebrate, protesters around the country have organized "Tea Parties" to protest Obama administration spending policies. According to ABC News, 750 such parties will take place around the country. The protests have largely been grass roots organized via social networking websites.

Only problem is, according to a recent gallop poll, more Americans think they are being taxed just right than not. This has happened once since 1956, and that was in 2003.

The protesters will be primarily conservatives and the national media, other than fox news, will give token coverage with little substance. In the grand scheme of things, this protest is inconsequential and will change nothing. Those involved are spinning their wheels and getting nowhere.

Where the Tea Party protests may find importance is that the Republican Party has been scrambling to develop an online precense since the 2008 elections. In the months leading up to the Nov. 2008, the Democratic party focused significantly more time and energy on social networking sights, youtube, and the internet in general. And the election reflected that.

These protests may provide a cornerstone for the Republican party in the Facebook and Twitter world. It would be a cornerstone they desparately need if they want to compete with the Democratic party for young voters in upcoming elections.

Blago might appear on celebrity survivor show

Former Governor Rod Blagojevich has agreed to appear on "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here." The show will be filmed in a Costa Rican jungle and is set to air on NBC on June 1. The show will pay the financially strapped governor $80,000 a week.

The problem is, Blagojevich is will need permission from U.S. District Judge James Zagel to leave the country. He currently faces conviction of 16 counts of criminal counts of racketeering, conspiracy and wire fraud.

Two things came to mind when reading this story in the Chicago Tribune.

The first is that I don't think Blago is very money smart. If his entire political career was spent trying to make himself richer by selling appointments, collecting bribes and extorting contributions, it appears he either should have asked fore more, or been smarter with his dirty money. The man should have spent a weekend watching old gangster movies. Maybe read an Al Capone book? Either that, or maybe he should have just plead guilty. I am no lawyer, but I have a feeling that it is hard to win a case where the prosecution has audio recordings of the defendant committing the crimes of which he is accused.

The second thing is that if this show is structured like Survivor, Blagojevich should be pretty good at it. Let's see, the point of Survivor is to be underhanded and sneaky, to make and break promises, to outwit, outplay, outlast.

Seems to me, Blagojevich has been winning that game for the last 20 years.

Stuff gets cheaper

The March Consumer Price Index reported that the average price of goods fell last month. This is the first time the CPI reported a March decrease since 1955. The CPI reported the price of goods fell by 0.1 percent.

Though a 0.1 percent decrease in cost will go unnoticed at the checkout counter, the year 1955 brings an different focus to the report. It adds support to the claim that this is the worst economic decline since the great depression.

"The numbers speak to an economy that is in deep recession, but we're no longer in the shock mode of staggering numbers that speak to a serious slide lower in terms of macroeconomic activity, coupled with the threat of inflation," said Peter Kenny, managing director at Knight Equity Markets.

Additionally, industrial production fell 1.5 percent. Analysts had predicted a 1 percent decrease.

The good news is that the stock market is always the first thing to improve at the end of a recession. It will be the first sign that the economy has finished crapping on...everyone. It is up 1,500 points since March 6.

child abduction

Personal note:

I don't understand the national media's recent obsession with child abduction stories (I'm looking at you Nancy Grace!). For the past two months, it was story after story on Haleigh Cummings. Now, its story after story about Sandra Cantu. I remember when JonBenet Ramsey was murdered and the media was obsessed for a year. Ramsey's case even spawned books and a made-for-tv movie!

According to Child Shield USA, 100 children were kidnapped last year, 75 percent of those were dead within three hours of being kidnapped. Where are the months of coverage about the other kids?

The media latches on to the stories involving photogenic girls with affluent but psychotic parents who think their kid will be returned if they thrust themselves in front of every camera they can find. These parents make shirts, hold rallies, announce large rewards, and turn a tragic event into a never ending crap fest that wreaks of tabloid sensationalism.

Child abduction is a horrible occurrence, especially when it ends in murder. But when is it newsworthy? Ethically, should it even be reported?

In August of 1996, one of those 100 kidnappings a year to a 12-year-old girl in my hometown. Her story was reported by the local media but nobody else. Police offered a $20,000 reward for information about the case. A google search of her name turns up 143 hits. The case was never solved.

Six months later, six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey went missing. The JonBenet Ramsey Children's foundation offered a $100,000 reward for information about the case. A google search of her name turns up 324,000 hits. The case was never solved.

You make sense of it.

Detroit to close 23 schools

The current recession started in Dec. 2007 according to the National Bureau of Economics. Since then, Autotown, USA, has been one of the hardest hit cities in the country.

This fall, the Detroit Public School system will close 23 schools and lay-off 600 teachers, this amounts to 11.3 percent of all DPS teachers. The decision will force 7,500 students to transfer schools. According to the Detroit News, the move was because of "plummeting enrollment and mounting deficit." The DPS system was anticipating a $306 million deficit before the closings.

According to Robert Bobb, the district's emergency financial manager, (I can't help but wonder is he goes by Bob Bobb) the closings will save $8.8 million annually starting in the fall of 2010.

In the last 10 years, DPS enrollment has gone from 173,848 to 95,000 today. In that same time period, 70 buildings have been closed, and another 30 could be closed in 2010. Bobb has asked state Superintendent Mike Flanagan for $200 million of the state's $1.5 billion in federal stimulus funds to help pay the district's deficit and upgrade the school's still open.

I feel bad for the students in Detroit. When a kid spends 35 hours a week at a school, more if they are involved in clubs or sports, they unavoidable develop alot of strong emotions about those hallways. Granted, for a lot of teenagers, high school sucks ass and a lot of those emotions are contempt and anger, but nobody likes being forced to switch schools.

Most of the teachers will be given severance packages and if they look hard enough they will find jobs in other cities. Their lives will be disrupted and they might have to move, it might take them a long time to find another job, but I still think the kids have it harder.

Black Pearl seen off Somalia Coast

The U.S.-registered Maersk Alabama freighter was attacked yesterday by a group of pirates off Somalia's coast. The ship, which was carrying food to Africa, is the first U.S. flagged vessel to be attacked by pirates in 200 years, said a maritime official to the Los Angeles Times.

According to initial reports, the pirates initially took over the ship, only to have it retaken by the ship's crew, which is around 20 people. When fleeing, the pirates were able to take the captain hostage, where he remains.

The U.S. Navy and Pentagon have been monitoring the situation closely and have been attempting to summon the Flying Dutchmen and Captain Barbossa. Phone Calls to Long-John Silver and Blackbeard were not immediately returned.

The Maersk freighter is part of Norfolk, Va.-based Maersk Line shipping. Maersk Line shipping has been a Pentagon shipping contractor for many years. According to Maersk Line Chief Executive John Reinhart, the crew is trained in anti-piracy tactics.

These tactics are said to include:
giving the pirates fake treasure maps
firing grape shot at the pirate's sails
stealing the pirate's wind
dumping heavy cargo and outrunning the pirates
Gentlemenly swordfights.

In response to the attack, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has flown to Tortuga to meet with local leaders.

Google delays world domination until May

This May, Google will release the latest version of its Android operating system. Currently, the Linux based, open-source code, operating system has been relegated to the cell phone market. Samsung and T-Mobile will offer phones carrying Android, and everyone else is considering it.

Google is new to the iphone challenger market, and Android's release will coincide with the releases of phones from Nokia, Palm and Apple.

The difference between Android, Windows and Leopard (apple's current system) is that Android is the only one which is Linux based. The Linux operating system is notoriously non-user friendly, but is open-source code, and therefore nerd-friendly.

The advantages of Anderoid are basically two-fold.

1. Open-source code systems and programs allow users to manipulate and conform their compter in any way they see fit. Therefore, with a little coding knowledge and self-education, your computer becomes an expression of yourself, and will fulfill your exact needs much better than either windows or leopard ever could.

2. Windows and Apple source codes are protected and kept secret so users must purchase the program instead of downloading it for free. The definition (and beauty) of open-source programs like Linux, is that the coding is public knowledge, and therefore free. Computer manufacturers like HP and Dell do not have to pay large licensing fees to Apple or Microsoft for the right to run their operating system. So now, the $1200 computer in the store just became $800.

How this will affect the mobile phone market, I don't know. But Google has a reputation of becoming an industry leader at whatever they create, and whatever they don't create they buy.

Gmail, youtube, blogger, google news, google search, chrome (web browser), google finance, etc. If Google is entering the competitive mobile phone market, they are going to make their precense felt, not just known.

Japan spends lots of yen

Japan announced a stimulus package of 10 trillion yen, or $100 billion. This package will double the amount of money the government of Japan will spend to curb it's own recession.

The concern here, is that Japan's national debt was about 120 percent of its GDP before the recession, and is currently 175 percent of its GDP. By far the worst debt/GDP ratio of the world powers. Economists are questioning whether Japan has the ability to implement such a large stimulus package. The news became an immediate double-edged sword. The Asian stock markets reached a six-month high after the news was released, but the yen reached a six-month low against the dollar.

"Japan's debt is already so high that a few additional percentage points would make little difference. At these levels, whether gross debt is 175% or 180% is surely neither here nor there. Japan has had little difficulty financing large budget deficits for many years. Near-zero official interest rates, persistent deflation and sluggish economic activity have kept Japanese government bond yields low even without additional support to the market from quantitative easing."

Pentagon's new budget

Defense Secretary Robert Gates introduced the new Pentagon budget today. Where his budget becomes noteworthy, is the dramatic shift Gates is making away from current technology, to towards future technology.

For example, in the new budget, Gates decreased funding for the F-22 fighter made by Lockhead Martin. Only 187 F-22 fighters will be produced. However, Gates increased funding for Lockhead Martin's next model, the F-35, which is not yet in production (as far as we know). Dramatic cuts were also made in the "Future Combat Systems" program, and the proposed new fleet of presidential helicopters was canceled.

As far as the Navy is concerned, the new budget shifts focus from larger ships and submarines, to smaller, faster, more mobile units.

To put a different spin on this...I will put on my nerd hat. If you do not have a nerd hat, feel free to stop reading.

Imagine this is all an eight person free-for-all game of StarCraft on a money map, and the United States is Protoss. It is early game and the United States is playing a bunch of noobs who don't know build orders and are way behind. The U.S. has effectively bunkered in by building 8 photon cannons at the entrance behind a row of pylons, and a few more cannons around the base to prevent spies. In the base are a 10 zealots, 5 dragoons, and 20 probes.

Any attack on the U.S. right now will result in Uber Pwnage.

Because the U.S. is bunkered in, proper strategy dictates that it needs to shift focus from building up numbers, to research and technology. Therefore, when a noob gets brave and attacks, he will come with a 150 or so basic units. Superior numbers of basic units that have only been upgraded with level 2 sheilds.

By that time, the U.S. will have a fleet of arbiters supporting a fully upgraded army of archons, reavers, carriers, zealots and dragoons. Victory will be swift and complete.

chicago cops

The International Olympic Committee is scheduled to visit Chicago April 2-7. Their visit will be one of the final elements of the bidding process. Chicago is competing against Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo for the 2016 summer Olympics (in case you've been living in a cave). The IOC will make their decision on Oct 2 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Currently the Chicago's police union is considering picketing while the IOC is in town because they are unhappy with contract negotiations. Specifically, because Mayor Daley removed a pay raise as part of the new contract when it had been previously included.

This weekend, Mayor Daley denounced the police union as being selfish. Daley stated that the Olympics were bigger than the union, himself, or any particular group, that they were about uniting the greater Chicago area, and the world.

The city has tried several times in the past to win an Olympic bid, but has never been successful.

If the union decides to go through with their picket, regardless of its location, size, or publicity, they will be ridiculed and vilified by millions of people. And rightly so!

They are willing to risk harming Chicago's chance at an Olympic bid because they are upset daddy won't give them a raise in their allowance when he promised he would. Even though daddy owes the creditors a lot of money, and a lot of other kids in town don't even have an allowance anymore.

I already have very little respect for the often ridiculed and laughably corrupt Chicago police department.

I still wince at the story about an off-duty cop who drove drunk and killed 2 people in a fatal crash the night before Thanksgiving in 2007, but for some reason didn't undergo a breathalyzer test until 8 hours after he was arrested, when it was magically below .08.

The officer was given a failure to reduce speed citation, and a misdemeanor D.U.I. since he still had some alcohol in his system. The bar he was at had him on video taking a shot 35 minutes before the crash.

If the Chicago police union proceeds with its public demonstration in an attempt to punish Mayor Daley. I will lose what little respect I have left for them, and so will a lot of people.

China Hacks Dalai Lama's cpu

According to two reports this weekend, the chinese government has successfully hacked 1,300 computers in 103 different countries. Most notably being the Dalai Lama's personal computer.

The type of virus, known as malware, gives the hacker the ability to move files around in the host computer, and even turn on the camera and microphone, effectively turning the cpu into a bug.

The virus is sent as an e-mail attachment, and infests upon being opened. It gives the hacker almost limitless power over the host cpu.

According to representatives from the University of Cambridge, who discovered the virus, The structure of malware is such that private individuals are easily capable of manufacturing it. This virus was created by a government agency, but average hackers are capable of similar viruses.

The virus also infected government computers in the U.S., Iran, Indonesia, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Portugal, Pakiston and Germany.

We're a bit more careful about it, knowing the nuance of what happens in the subterranean realms," said Ronald Deibert from the University of Toronto. "This could well be the CIA or the Russians. It's a murky realm that we're lifting the lid on."

The two researchers who created the program that discovered the malware say defense against this new era of hacking is almost impossible.

Fair and Balanced, but not really

This is a shortened version of the movie "Outfoxed" which is a political propaganda movie against the Fox News and Rupert Murdoch. While the movie makes many excellent points about the inferior and non-objective journalism of Fox News, which is anything but fair and balanced, it was created by the partisan activist group moveon.org. A similar video could have been made about MSNBC and any number of overseas news organizations.

My point is that news consumers must always be aware that what they are reading or viewing my not be news, may be biased, may be incorrect and may make me want to papercut Bill O'Reilly with my diplomas.

Another paper says goodbye

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer announced yesterday that it will stop printing newspapers and will publish news only on the internet. The Post-Inelligencer first published its paper in 1863.

This paper chronicled Seattle's evolution from frontier town to major metropolitan city for 146 years. It has been read at the breakfast table for the last time. The morning coffee will never be spilt on it again.

Starting today, readers of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer will scroll instead of turn.

This move is in response to declining ad revenue, an uncertain future for daily papers and internet growth. The paper has been for sale since January, and has been losing money for several years. It appears the current recession was the final nail in the coffin.

"We've had fewer sacred cows and more gore-able oxen than any newspaper in the Northwest," said Post-Intelligencer columnist Joel Connelly in describing his fellow writers of the paper.

The paper is the second major daily to close shop this year, the first being Denver's The Rocky Mountain News. This Saturday, The Tuscon Citizen is set to shut down. The Hearst Corp., owner of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and hundreds of smaller papers around the country, said it will close or sell the San Francisco Chronicle if it is unable to cut costs. Where the Post-Intelligencer differs, is that it will continue an online version where The Rocky Mountain News and others closed up shop completely.

Papers rely on advertising for 90 percent of their revenue (give or take). But advertisers are flocking to the much cheaper internet. The internet doesn't have to buy costly ink and paper. It doesn't have to print and ship 100,000 papers every day. Editors just have to copy, paste and post. Internet versions of papers get fewer readers, but the reduced cost makes the internet a far better advertising medium.

Newspaper corporations have been trying to figure out how to make money off the internet for 15 years. Ideas on subscriptions, ad space and everything in between have been tried with little success. The daily paper was always the focus and moneymaker, and the internet was a bonus. Newspapers are unable to charge print advertising prices for web advertising for competitive reasons.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is going to act as a guinea pig for every other newspaper in the world.

It is by far the largest daily paper to move to a solely online edition. What it does over the next few years and how it succeeds and fails will be the most closely watched and studied aspect of journalism for decades.

The death of the newspaper is a major fear among the older generation of journalists. A story is considered superior in print vs. internet, even though the words are identical.

This idea is based out of how the two are read. People read the newspaper as they wake up in the morning. They sit in their robes and sip coffee as they casually stroll through this present left each morning on the front porch. They discuss interesting stories with whoever is in the room as the sun slowly brightens up each word more and more.

The internet is none of these things. It is new, cold and unfriendly. It is read in isolation at a desk in uncomfortable clothing. There is no sun, only pixels.

Editors around the world are dying for a solution to save the newspaper. Perhaps the Seattle Post-Intelligencer will provide the answer.

An ode to Ben Bernanke

I watched Ben Bernanke's first public interview Sunday night on 60 minutes, and I can't imagine there is another person more qualified to get us out of the current recession.

The man:
won a state spelling bee at 11 and finished 26th in the national competition
taught himself calculus
edited the school newspaper
was class valedictorian
got a 1590 on the SAT
has a B.A. in economics from Harvard
a PHD in economics from MIT
has taught economics at Stanford, NYU, and Princeton
is one of the 50 most published economists in the world
and is one of the world's foremost experts on the Great Depression; on which he has written extensively.

Sweet Georgia brown!!

I don't think I and my 350 facebook friends could collectively accomplish such a resume. And the man is only 55!

The unemployment rate is at 8.1 percent, worst since 1983
The national debt is 76 percent of our GDP, worst since the early 50's
The national debt also just crossed the $11 trillion mark
The stock market is at levels equal to 1998
And worst of all...I have to pay $3 to do a load of laundry

My economics education (other than what I've taught myself) consists solely of a required high school course where we spent an entire week learning how to fill out a 10-40 EZ tax form.

OH!! So I'm supposed to write my name in the space where it says to write my name!

I, like most of America, have a hazy idea of how we got in this mess, am nervous about how long we'll be in this mess, an have no freaking clue what we should do to get out of this mess.

But I do believe that the Chairmen of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Board knows all these things.

After all, the man got a higher score on the SATs than Zach Morris.

North Korea to launch....something

North Korea currently plans to launch a communications satellite sometime between April 4 and April 8. The missile carrying the satellite is currently expected to fly directly over Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is warning North Korea that if it goes ahead as planned, North Korea will violate United Nations Security Council resolutions because Japan has not given North Korea permission to launch anything over Japanese airspace.

But the real question is what is North Korea really testing? Many international governments, including Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. suspect that North Korea is testing a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday a North Korean satellite or missile launch would "threaten the peace and stability in the region."

"We think the North needs to desist, or not carry out this type of provocative act, and sit down ... and work on the process of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," U.S. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.

"There is no country which has test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile passing above another country. In that sense, I have no intention to allow (the object) to pass above Japan without asking permission," Aso said.

North Korea says it will consider any attempt to shoot down its missile an act of war.

Here is my question, does anyone really believe North Korea is stupid enough to launch a missile at a world power? Whether it is Japan, China, Russia, America, South Korea, etc., the international backlash would wipe North Korea of the face of the earth within a week.

Kim Jong il may have some issues, the man did claim to shoot an 18 the first time he played a round of golf, but even dictatorial idiots have a measure of common sense. Kim Jong il launching a ICBM at a member of the United Nations, and consequently going to war with several world powers, would be like me picking a fight with The Predator.

I say let them build and test whatever they want. As long as they are responsible and don't allow their missiles to "go missing", a la Russia when the iron curtain fell, what difference does it make?

No blood, no foul.

Unofficial St. Patrick's Day. My 1st Love

This past weekend I traveled down to my old stomping grounds of Champign-Urbana, or as I prefer to call it, "Urbanpaign". The reason for my triumphant return was to celebrate Unofficial St. Patrick's day for my 6th time.

For those unfamiliar with the holiday, it was created in the late 90's bar a local bar owner in an attempt to recoup lost revenue because the real St. Patrick's day was always during U of I's spring break. So he made up the holiday to take place a week before. Students stepped back, thought for a moment, and have turned the school into a giant trashcan every year since.

In recent years though, the school has taken numerous actions to attempt to curb the day which has grown beyond their control and tolerance. Some of these ordinances include,

All bars will be 21 and over instead of 19 and over
No liqour shots or pitchers
All bottles must be plastic, no glass
Any purchase of multiple kegs will require a permit

According to the local papers of Champaign, local bar and store owners thought students were much more well behaved than in years past. Additionally, lines at the bars were not as long as usual.

While the city and the school are calling the weekend a success, I remain uneasy. Unofficial is more popular than ever, it just isn't as public.

"I think it's much busier this year," said Champaign Police Lt. Brad Yohnka

By enacting several emergency sanctions to control the holiday, Illinois is dramatically increasing the safety risks of the day. Most people are now going to apartment parties and fraternity parties which are largely uncontrolled. Bars will stop serving when a patron has had too much to drink. At an apartment party, the patron fills their own cup, and might not stop until they have had far too much.

According to the Champaign News-Gazette,

Police were also called out at 6:30 p.m. to the 800 block of South Fourth Street, where a man in his 20s fell three stories from an apartment balcony. He was hospitalized with unknown injuries and an investigation is ongoing, Yohnka said.

The man was attempting to climb from a third-floor balcony to a fourth-floor balcony when he fell, according to neighbors at a house next door. They were preparing to play a drinking game involving beer and Ping-Pong balls.

Man loses Xbox, Man loses mind.

Recently, Yale student Jesse Maiman flew from New Haven to Cincinnati with U.S. Airways. When he arrived at his destination he discovered that his Xbox was no longer in his luggage. He went to talk with U.S. Airways, and says he was given, "an unconscionable runaround."

Maiman estimates the value of his Xbox at $1000 because he has upgraded several parts.

What "upgraded" means in the gamer world is that Maiman has modded his xbox to copy games, play old games on old systems, and do many other things which violate every copyright infringement law that exists.

Maiman has now brought suit against U.S. Airways for $1 million dollars because of:
the unconscionable runaround he received
the cost of the system
time spent "upgrading" his system

If you are reading this I ask you pause and for a moment of silence in remembrance of Mr. Maiman's lost Xbox. I wouldn't wish such a loss on any gamer. I can only hope he finds a way to replace his long lost love before his thumbs forget the sweet sweet feel of a Microsoft joystick.

Cold War part 2?

China has asked the U.S. to stop flying surveilence missions off China's southern coast in response to an incident this weekend between an Navy survey vessel and a five Chinese ships. U.S. news organizations have largely ignored the story in favor of time spent talking about earmarks and pork barrel projects signed by Obama in the last week.

The U.S. claims the ship was in international waters and China claims the ship violated Chinese soverignty.

Anyone else just have flashback to the end of Top Gun?

"We both agreed that we should work to ensure that such incidents do not happen again in the future," Hillary Clinton told reporters after a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang.

The U.S. has worked hard in recent years to make an ally out of Communist China due in large part because China currently owns over one-third of all U.S. debt.

Number 701 on your list, number 1 in your kidneys.

Forbes magazine recently came out with its usual "richest people in the world" list, but this year the list included Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

According to Forbes, Guzman has amassed a billion-dollar fortune by becoming the United States' foremost drug supplier. Guzman is head of the Sinaloa cartel. Ironically, Guzman is one of the world's ten most wanted criminals. The U.S. has placed a $5 million bounty on his head.

Guzman was arrested in 1993 in drug and murder charges, but escaped in 2001 in a laundry truck and remains at large.

Perhaps it's time for politicians to readdress their war on drugs? Because somewhere the 701 richest person in the world is framing the most recent copy of Forbes.

Hooray poverty!

The U.S. national debt is currently at $10.8 trillion and the 2008 GDP was $14.2 trillion. This means our national debt is 76 percent of our GDP. Additionally, last year the government spent $430 billion on interest payments. In other words, if you made $50,000 last year, your outstanding debt is $38,000, an you paid $1500 on interest payments.

At 76 percent, the U.S. is at the same levels as the early 1950's. Our highest point was 121.7 percent in 1946, and lowest point since WWII was 37 percent in 1981. During the Civil War this percentage was in the high 50s, and during WWI this percentage was in the high 30s.

This percentage was lowest in 1835 and 1836 when Andrew Jackson completely paid off the U.S. national debt. Overall, the U.S. probably was its richest right before the Civil War and right before WWI, when the percentage was in single digits.

Comparatively, other countries National debt as a percentage of their GDP is:
Russia - 6.8%
China - 15.7%
Brazil - 40.7%
United Kingdom - 47.2%
India - 59%
Germany - 62.6%
France - 64.4%
United States - 76% (adjusted for recent bailout)
Japan - 170.4%

And if everyone paid off their debt they would have left,

Russia - $2.08 trillion
China - $6.57 trillion
Brazil - $1.2 trillion
United Kingdom - $1.2 trillion
India - $1.36 trillion
Germany - $1.07 trillion
France - $74.6 billion
United States - $3.4 trillion (adjusted for recent bailout)
Japan - -7.62 trillion

Now, other than the U.S., these numbers have not been adjusted for the recent global recession. While the semantics of the data will change at the end of fiscal 2009, the point of the data will still be the same.

The United States may still have the world's biggest economy, but it no longer has the world's best economy.

AIG wants more money

If economic prosperity is a shared delusion, are all our fears delusional?

Earlier tonight the U.S. government agreed to lend insurance giant AIG an additional $30 billion. AIG is expected to announce a $62 billion loss this quarter, the largest loss of any company, in any quarter, in history. This is the fourth time the government, which now owns more than 80 percent of AIG, has given them money since September. In the last year, AIG's stock has gone from $49.50 to $0.42, and they have been given $180 billion.

The reason seems to always be the same regardless of the company. "They are to big to be allowed to fail."

I am by no means an economist, but I wonder how valid that reason is? Is any company so big that they can't be allowed to fail?

If AIG, or GM, or Walmart, or Google, or Microsoft, or GE, or any other multinational corporate giant goes under, the demand for the products they provide still exists. Supply must be created in order to fill that demand. If AIG fails, how many insurance companies will be created to replace it? How much more business will insurance companies with better business models and more responsible lending practices get?

AIG and GM are bleeding money because of their own stupidity. While I am philosophically opposed to government lending money to private enterprise, I must agree that under current conditions, allowing any corporate giant to fail during the current global recession is a bad idea. The effect of the resulting job losses under current conditions would be much worse than the effect of any bailout.

That being said, the U.S. government's funds are not limitless, and as we quickly approach a national debt of $11 trillion, a 10 percent increase since Sep. 30, I have to imagine we are close to that limit.

Xe?

The private military company Blackwater has changed its name this month. It now wishes to be called Xe (pronouced zi). Blackwater Airships is now Guardian Flight Systems, Blackwater Target Systems is GSD Manufacturing, and Blackwater Lodge and Training Center is the U.S. Training Center. The company also shed its bear-paw and crosshairs logo, for a stylized rendering of the name "Xe."

Company executives say the change is part of an effort to distance the company from various incidents during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Blackwater has come under fire for being mercenaries for hire which are not accountable to military or civilian law. They are currently fighting several lawsuits filed on behalf of workers killed in action, and have been accused of tax evasion by Henry Waxman.

Currently Blackwater has 20,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, trains over 50,000 personel for various countries each year, recieves over 90 percent of its funding from the US government, and has turned founder Erik Prince into a very rich man.

Eisenhower used his final presidential address to warn the country against the military industrial complex. Since then, the US economy has become intertwined with the US military, and everything Eisenhower said not to do, we have done. But not even he foresaw hiring private companies to supply and fight US wars.

I wonder what he, as both president and military general, would say about Blackwater? I doubt he would be very complimentary.

Will Nancy Pelosi please sit down!

Last night I watched Barack Obama's State of the Union Address that wasn't really a State of the Union Address and had an insatiable urge to reach through the TV and violently beat Nancy Pelosi with her Speaker of the House gavel.

Pelosi was noticeably staring at the teleprompters and planning her next standing ovation throughout Obama's speech. There were several instances where she was halfway out of her chair when Obama was only halfway through his sentence. When she did restrain herself long enough for Obama to finish a sentence, she was up and clapping a good 5 seconds before Vice President Joe Biden, and everyone else.

So why does this bug me so much? It shows what she considers to be the most important part of the night. Pelosi didn't listen to what Obama had to say with a thoughtful and critical ear, she didn't think about his plans for reform and change. It seemed that only thing Pelosi was concerned about was making sure Obama got more standing ovations than any other president.

She gave Obama a standing ovation every time he proposed a new plan. She gave Obama a standing ovation every time he said anything pro-democrat or anti-republican. She probably would have given Obama a standing ovation every other sentence no matter what he said.

It reminded me of an episode of Jeopardy where a contestant is more concerned with beating everyone else to the buzzer than whether or not they even know the answer.

It was political grandstanding at its worse and was the embodiment of everything that is wrong with politics.

Financial aid to Gaza Strip

Hillary Clinton is expected to announce that the U.S. will offer more than $900 million in aid to help rebuild Gaza after the Israel military strikes. The money will be distributed through the UN and other bodies and will not be distributed by Hamas. This is a dramatic increase from the $85 million promised by former President Bush.

This story is still new and details haven't been released, but let me see if I understand this correctly. We sell Israel weapons, help train their military, and now we are going to rebuild what they blew up? You can't give Wile E. Coyote the tools to catch the Road Runner, and then fix the mountain side every time he paints a tunnel on it. The Coyote needs to be told to clean up his own mess.

It seems the U.S. is trying to maintain good foreign relations with two countries that hate each other. If the Obama administration disapproves of Israel's actions, it needs to do more than just clear some rubble.