j jackson, editor-at-large
(nope. they haven't caught me yet.)
PALESTINIAN, ISRAELI SHUTTLE TESTS "North Korea has told the U.N. it would consider it an act of war if the Security Council imposes sanctions over the continuing nuclear weapons program dispute." [CNN] {So, what are they going to do, attack the U.N.? It's amazing how much hot air can come from such a cold country.}
WAR PRODUCTION COMPARISON "In the 13th century, the Venetians built a warship a day to battle Turkey at sea. Today, the Pentagon can barely crank out a new fighter plane in 10 years. Experts blame red tape -- and corruption -- in the military industrial complex." [Wired News] {C'mon. If you're going to do historical comparisons, at least get the categories right. It's possible that it could have taken the Venetians ten years too to build and test a new warship design. It's not really their point that 13th century Venetians can out-produce American war production, is it?}
VATICAN V. INDIVIDUAL VATICAN SEX GLOSSARY President Bush says that frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals are sending health care costs through the roof. [CNN] {Or else frivolous health car costs are sending lawsuits through the roof.}
JON STEWART TOP ANNOYER "With Hollywood's awards season on its way, voters on AmIAnnoying.com are ahead of the pack in choosing their A-list of annoying personalities." [CNN] {I should publish a list of annoying lists, like this one, Blackwell's, the Rivers' (Joan and Melissa; I don't know if they publish a list, but they are annoying)...}
BAD JOBS REPORT? "...Friday's U.S. unemployment report looked flat-out horrible, with the jobless rate stuck in the mud and more than 100,000 jobs slashed from payrolls -- but many economists said things weren't all that bad, and U.S. markets seemed to believe them." [CNN] {Not bad for business, because, if you can do the same job with fewer employees, that's a good thing, and higher unemployment means more job applicants to pick and choose from when you fire your less desirable employees or need new ones. But what about how bad it is for the unemployed?}
WHAT A RACKET "In Canada, 21 cents is added to each recordable CD sold. The collected cash is supposed to go to musicians whose works are copied from the Net. A plan to raise the fee to 59 cents has some tech and retail interests riled up." [Wired News] {Why should I have to pay .21 or .59 or any amount to recording artists if I want to back up personal data or make my own music CDs of my band? Glad I don't live in Canada.}
WEIRDNESS REALITY TV HITS WEATHER CHANNEL "North Korea kept up its anti-U.S. rhetoric today, saying that economic sanctions against the communist regime would amount to an act of war." [CNN] {Lessee if I got this right: If we stop trading with you, that's an act of war? Well, fuck you too.}
WESTERFIELD GETS DEATH David Westerfield was sentenced to death Friday for the slaying of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam. [CNN] Parents have say. [thePghChannel]{Yeah, he's probably guilty and all. But these people who vent a vengeful attitude toward killers of loved ones found guilty via circumstantial evidence bother me. Vengeance in general bothers me, but when it isn't absolutely clear that the guy did it, and harsh animosity is vented at him, it says more about the venters than the ventee. They have an agenda, and just about anyone, guilty or innocent, will suffice as an object of projection, as long as they can be seen as blamable to any small degree. This is a common human trait, and it's not very nice sometimes. It forms the basis for prejudice and scapegoating. Many innocent people end up in jail as a result of this little nastiness of human nature. Maybe there's a place for circumstantial evidence in our judicial system, but to base an entire case on circumstance, without any direct evidence at all, has always seemed to me to be a suspect practice. It's hard enough as it is to get it right.}
PSYCHIC SAILING "Boaters and yacht owners have a new, always-on, satellite-based monitoring device that could tell about a problem even before they know it exists." [Wired News] {Now that would be a good trick, knowing about something before you know about it.} |
Copyright (c) 2002
