| |
|
Monday, November 24, 2003
|
|
Okay - I just cannot take it any more. I absolutely cannot abide the whole evil "greeter" plague that Wal-Mart spawned. It is now spreading like some hideous disease. A few months ago, an REI greeter appeared. Argh...And today, when I walked into New Sagaya, I was cheerfully hailed by an official Sagaya greeter. Ugh...
Let's see - how can I make this clear? I do NOT want to be greeted when I walk into a store. I do not want to interact with happy cheerful store employees until I check out or ask for assistance. At that point, I want friendly - but not smarmy - competent assistance. I do not want to be forced into smarmydom by a greeter.
8:29:56 PM 
|
|
Amazon has a very nifty promotion going on through Christmas - The Holiday A-List. Each day, a different "A-List" celebrity provides some sort goodie - an MP3 download, an essay, etc. and recommends three gift items that can be purchased from Amazon. Much of it is very self promotional. But there is also some fun stuff.
For example, Carl Reiner's very entertaining essay describing how he got the role of Saul Bloom in the movie, Ocean's Eleven. I'm one of those who consider Carl to be basically a national treasure...My God, he's funny...
8:23:49 PM
|
|
Buried in an intelligence spending bill that Congress passed on Friday, are provisions that were originally included in the ill-fated Patriot Act II. From Wired:
Under the Patriot Act, the FBI can acquire bank records and Internet or phone logs simply by issuing itself a so-called national security letter saying the records are relevant to an investigation into terrorism. The FBI doesn't need to show probable cause or consult a judge. What's more, the target institution is issued a gag order and kept from revealing the subpoena's existence to anyone, including the subject of the investigation.
The new provision in the spending bill redefines the meaning of "financial institution" and "financial transaction." The wider definition explicitly includes insurance companies, real estate agents, the U.S. Postal Service , travel agencies, casinos, pawn shops, ISPs, car dealers and any other business whose "cash transactions have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax or regulatory matters."
I have got to join the ACLU and the EFF. Our current political leadership has NO concept of what freedom is really all about. They'll take the easy way out every time and restrict freedom in the name of freedom.
8:17:18 PM
|
|
|
© Copyright 2005 Stephanie A. Kesler.
Last update: 3/5/2005; 8:38:25 PM.
|
|
|
The Slat Rat's Favorite Blogs
The Slat Rat's Favorite Techie Blogs
The Slat Rat's Bookpile
|
|
