Thursday, June 02, 2005

States limit cell use by drivers (USATODAY.com). USATODAY.com - State lawmakers across the USA are cracking down on distracted driving as research increasingly documents the perils of inattentiveness behind the wheel. The rush comes as research concludes that drivers talking on cell phones or fiddling with the car radio sometimes perform as poorly as drunken drivers. [Yahoo! News: U.S. National] Why does it not surprise me that the Commonwealth of Virginia found it necessary to ban pornographic videos if they could be seen outside the vehicle.  Don't ban the use of cell phones though... 4:27:15 PM    comment []

Should Saudis Lift Ban on Women Drivers? (AP). AP - All he was asking, says Mohammad al-Zulfa, was that his fellow legislators think — just think — about studying the possibility of allowing women — not all of them, just some — to drive. [Yahoo! News: Top Stories] Occasionally, the truly chauvinistic views of Saudi Arabia really are brought to to the forefront - to wit, from this article: "Driving by women leads to evil," Munir al-Shahrani wrote in a letter to the Al-Watan daily. "Can you imagine what it would be like if her car broke down? She would have to seek help from men." Now, let us think about this - if women are allowed to drive, then shouldn't they be taught to take care of their cars as well? In this day, there is no logical reason why women should not have exactly the same rights and priviledges as me.  Whether or not they choose to exercise them is a completely different discussion. 4:19:34 PM    comment []

The Washingtonienne, a Novel. Jessica Cutler's roman à clef chronicles the sexploits of a young woman who humps her way around Capitol Hill, only to have her anonymous blog bring her life crashing down around her. By Susannah Breslin.PLUS: Read an excerpt from the book. [Wired News] Welcome to Washington, take a number please and line up to the right.  Someone will be along shortly to screw you over. 10:53:41 AM    comment []

Area Gets An All-Day Bank Fight (washingtonpost.com). washingtonpost.com - Aggressive national and local banks are gearing up for an all-out war for the hearts and minds of Washington's consumers. [Yahoo! News: Top Stories] The banking industry in the United States has a long way to go.  Hiring Gap managers to make customers feel warm and fuzzy still does not overcome simple issues of being able to easily deposit access and move money.  I am constantly amazed at the level of complexity and the number of restrictions that are placed on my ability to deposit and manipulate my money.  10:49:50 AM    comment []

AIDS pandemic racing faster than means to stop it (Reuters). Reuters - Money available to fight AIDS has soared to an all-time high of $8 billion but the pandemic is racing faster than the means to stop it, especially among women and girls, says a report prepared for a high-level U.N. forum on Thursday. [Yahoo! News: Top Stories] HIV/AIDS is not a disease that can be fought with religious furvor.  The time has come for the Catholic church, as well as other bible thumpers (like the United States) to get off their high horses and join the rest of the world in the here and now where sexually transmitted diseases are a reality that is having serious ramifications.  Abstinence is not the only answer, especially when the unfaithful partner is the husband. 10:45:16 AM    comment []

Productivity Up, but So Are Jobless Claims (AP). AP - Productivity rose at an annual rate of 2.9 percent in the first three months of this year, but that was accompanied by a jump over the past six months in unit labor costs, a key factor that determines future rates of inflation. [Yahoo! News: Top Stories] Productivity cannot continue to increase at the rate it is supposedly increaing (another 2.2 percent) and have people be able to anything other than work.  We are already seeing the stresses put on the nation from too many people working too many hours.  What is it going to take to get the reality of some of these mythical measures to set in? 10:37:03 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2005 David Lane.