Monday, November 4, 2002

Crime = Government statistics x 4. The report, compiled by the think-tank Civitas and based on Home Office research, much of which is unpublished, discloses that the official total severely underestimates the real level of crime. The last survey showed about 13 million offences a year. The true level of crime is four times higher than official figures have previously shown with more than 60 million offences committed each year in Britain. [Samizdata.net] comment () trackback ()  3:07:56 PM     The price of Symantec stock has continued upwards, and my options are now worth $6.27/share! It's definitely worth exercising as many shares as I can--although I'll wait a bit longer in the hope that the price goes up higher. If it drops down significantly, I can sell then. comment () trackback ()  1:51:08 PM     Third-Party a Factor in Gov. Races. Third-party bids for governor are shaking up races in at least a half-dozen states, even if all but one of the candidates have little hope of winning. In Wisconsin, California, Vermont and more, these politicians are grabbing small but potentially outcome-altering chunks of likely voters. [Las Vegas Sun] comment () trackback ()  1:13:00 PM     Calif. GOP predicts Simon upset. One poll commissioned by Republicans has Mr. Simon ahead by three percentage points and other Republican surveys have him about even. Such results are starkly different from public polls and Democratic polls, which show him trailing Mr. Davis by seven to 11 percentage points. [Washington Times] I had been giving serious thought to voting for Simon myself up until the debate, when he lost my vote by saying, "You know, I was not in favor of assault weapons, they have no place on our street." However, this time voting for the Libertarian candidate is a bit complicated. Gary Copeland, the candidate on the ballot, assaulted a radio host (by spitting on him), which is a violation of the non-agression principle. As a result the Libertarian Party has rescinded their support for him, but he's already on the ballot. Therefore, Art Olivier has received an endorsement as a write-in candidate. I've voted for him in the past, but the ballot design in Los Angeles doesn't really allow for writing. It looks like I may not be able to vote for anyone this year. comment () trackback ()  1:00:35 PM     U.S. Lures Iraqi Weapons Experts. In a bid to drain Iraq of the scientific minds behind its weapons of mass destruction, a Senate bill offers 500 Iraqi scientists and engineers asylum in exchange for what they know. By Noah Shachtman. [Wired News] A nice idea in theory, but how are those scientists and their families supposed to get out of Iraq to take advantage of it? comment () trackback ()  10:29:00 AM     AP.  Saudis deny US use of bases for attack on Iraq.  Little wonder given the backroom wrangling that is going on over Iraqi oil and the potential of a glut of $15 crude after the war.  The Saudis, Iranians, etc are slowly starting to realize that this war could radically deflate their wealth over the long-term. [John Robb's Radio Weblog] The "backroom wrangling" and "$15 crude" bit seems to be a product of Mr. Robb's oil obsession--there's nothing in the article that even remotely supports it. In fact, the article doesn't really do much to address why the Saudis are opposed to a war on Iraq. My theory is that they want to retain their status as "allies" of the US out of self-preservation. If we conquer Iraq and set up a puppet government there, the US military can move their military bases out of Saudi Arabia and into Iraq. At that point, there would no longer be any reason for the US to overlook the fact that the Saudis bear more responsibility for Al Qaeda than any other nation. comment () trackback ()  10:20:51 AM

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