Monday, May 26, 2003

A House committee OK'd a permanent tax ban on internet access. Don't confuse this with sales taxes. Still it's a good thing. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26893-2003May22.html?referrer=email 4:41:26 PM    comment []

When Worldcom pays to the SEC a penalty of a half a billion dollars, just who is it that is paying that? Why do the creditors in bankruptcy have to pay that to the old shareholders? What did those creditors do wrong to justify that? Did Bernie Ebbers pay that $500 million? No, becuase he's already too broke to pay what he borrowed. Did the Chief Financial Officer pay? No. The government is making headlines for itself, trying to make people believe that it is helping us all. I am having trouble seeing it. Here's from the Washington Post: CYNTHIA L. WEBB'S FILTER WorldCom: MCI Rising? - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30346-2003May23.html?referrer=email WorldCom, newly renamed MCI, is another step closer to emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A judge yesterday gave the beleaguered telecommunications firm the OK to send its reorganization plan to creditors, who still have to give it a yea or nay. -washingtonpost.com -------------------- Judge OKs WorldCom Plan for Creditors - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28070-2003May22.html?referrer=email A federal bankruptcy judge on Thursday paved the way for WorldCom Inc. to send its reorganization plan to creditors, who will vote on the scheme designed to allow the company to emerge from Chapter 11. -Reuters 4:38:31 PM    comment []

It's still only 1.5 percent of total retail sales. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30465-2003May23.html?referrer=email 3:09:27 PM    comment []

Netizens don't like spam. That's for sure. But is it any wonder that no one takes seriously the notion of free speech? ON the one hand, if the notion is that a computer is your property, and people should not be putting things on your computer that you don't want, then what does it matter whether you call it Spam or Microsoft updates or links? On the other hand, if you believe in free speech, then you have to take the things that go with free speech, like obnoxious speakers. Netizens should be careful about what they wish for, becuase it looks like they're going to get it. We are in a mood in this country where prevention is the order of the day. It used to be that after-the-fact punishment was the idea. But we have given up that freedom-oriented idea. We want to prevent and stifle. My recommendation is, Take it easy. http://www.politechbot.com/p-04769.html; http://news.com.com/2100-1025-1009467.html; http://www.cauce.org/news/; http://www.cei.org/gencon/003,03488.cfm; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33103-2003May23.html?referrer=email http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23386-2003May21.html?referrer=email 3:06:18 PM    comment []

Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn Heights, New York, is looking for a new senior minister. See www.plymouthsearch.org. 3:02:42 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Noel D. Humphreys.