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Saturday, January 25, 2003 |
The Cold Test Last June, four months before the current crisis over North Korea became public, the Central Intelligence Agency delivered a comprehensive analysis of North Korea's nuclear ambitions to President Bush and his top advisers. The C.I.A. report made the case that North Korea had been violating international law--and agreements with South Korea and the United States--by secretly obtaining the means to produce weapons-grade uranium. [Daypop Top 40]
4:13:38 PM 
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Finally -- a great sex manual!. In this era of guilt and bad information "The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex" is an important work of sanity and wisdom. [Salon.com]
The author also uses this review of a great book to make some important points about sex in America:
We are in the midst of a continuing public health crisis and we are still debating whether to provide people at risk with the most basic, lifesaving information. Condom manufacturers cannot get their products advertised on broadcast networks. We are living in a time when theocrats who would be more suited to living under the Taliban than in a free society have the unmitigated gall to call themselves "pro-life" when they push policies that will inevitably result in death, either for women who can't obtain abortions (poor women, of course, since the rich will always have medically safe options) or kids who can't obtain information about birth control.
10:50:45 AM
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The economy. If Bush's radical tax cuts are approved, and spending continues to soar, the U.S. could be headed toward Japanese-style stagnation -- or worse. [Salon.com]
10:48:48 AM
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Iraq. Chemical weapons, civil war and Arab rage could turn an invasion into a disaster. [Salon.com]
10:42:29 AM
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The environment. Bush's pro-industry policies are hastening the end of the polar bears -- and maybe the planet. [Salon.com]
10:42:03 AM
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The Middle East. The White House's reckless, one-sided policies could lead to a global catastrophe. [Salon.com]
10:41:25 AM
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Congressional finance reform propaganda under Creative Commons
Thanks to our current system of privately-financed elections, Congress has become a huge bazaar, where everyone knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Big corporations and the super-wealthy invest millions in political contributions and get all kinds of special deals in return. For a few millions in donations, they get a $20 billion tax break here, a $10 billion subsidy there-returns on investment that would make honest entrepreneurs blush, but makes Wall Street salivate.
All this adds up to real money, and ordinary Americans like you and me pay the price. With higher deficits, cuts in vital programs, a dirtier environment, more dangerous working conditions, lower wages, greater health insecurity, a diminished future for our children. [Boing Boing Blog]
10:31:55 AM
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Mexico Takes the U.S. to Court. Mexico has recently filed a brief with the International Court of Justice over whether Mexican nationals currently on death row in the U.S. are illegally detained due to a violation of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, specifically, Article 36 (1) (b), which states that: if he so requests, the competent authorities of the receiving State shall, without delay, inform the consular post of the sending State if, within its consular district, a national of that State is arrested or committed to prison or to custody pending trial or is detained in any other manner. Any communication addressed to the consular post by the person arrested, in prison, custody or detention shall also be forwarded by the said authorities without delay. The said authorities shall inform the person concerned without delay of his rights under this sub-paragraph [kuro5hin.org]
Yes, we'll freak out if Americans are detained in another country (and the press can figure out a way to spin it as bad; remember the guy who got caned?), but then we turn around and insist on applying "American justice," even if that violates international law.
10:04:27 AM
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SEC Fails Again to Protect Investors Why is the sensible idea of separating these two functions now off the table? For the usual reasons -- intensive lobbying by the people whose often-corrupt mingling of duties was so profitable to everyone on the inside. What a shock. [Dan Gillmor's eJournal]
9:46:41 AM
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Palladium Name Change; Mission Still Same. This just in from Microsoft's PR folks: "Microsoft is adopting a new name to replace the code name Palladium. Effective... [Dan Gillmor's eJournal]
This is a long-time strategy of Microsoft: if at first you don't succeed, change the name, and try again. In this case, it looks like they've tried to use a phrase that is non-threatening, as the brand "Palladium" had become too scary and intrusive.
9:23:29 AM
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To Some in Europe, the Major Problem Is Bush the Cowboy In interviews in three capitals over the past week, diplomats, politicians and analysts said they believed relations between the United States and two of its most crucial allies [~] Germany and France [~] were at their lowest point since the end of the cold war. [Daypop Top 40]
9:20:47 AM
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Savvy School or Capitalist Tool?. The debate heats up over whether a cash-strapped California school district should be allowed to sell the naming rights for its schools to corporations. By Kendra Mayfield. [Wired News]
More, more, more selling of our community and culture to the big corporations...
8:38:42 AM
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© Copyright 2003 Michael Alderete.
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