Sure, why not. Lets get real. Bush accepted over half a million dollars from a company that the government was engaged in legal proceedings against (that's no small sum, no matter what your percentages say). He gets elected, and they get let off with a slap on the wrist.
He gets about that much from Ken Lay (remember Enron?). Mr. Lay then gets a seat on Cheney's super-secret energy commission, which puts into play the policies that allow Enron to screw consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars and causes a false "energy crisis" in California.
Next up, the billions of dollars in no-bid contracts given to Halliburton, the company that Dick Cheney used to be the CEO of. How can you possibly dismiss out of hand the evidence that so strongly points to the blatant abuse of power for the gain of his contributors and friends?
I heard a great bit on NPR last week about campaign contributions that really got me thinking. The gist of it was that ALL contributions should be anonymous. That way, companies can still contribute to the candidate that they think would do the best job, but they don't have the ability to hold it over the head of the candidate/party that they contributed to. It may not be a silver bullet, but I think it would go a long way towards fixing the current "pay for influence" scenario. Of course, my preferred solution is an amendment to the constitution that enforces separation of industry and state, much like the separation of church and state. Either way, something has to be done.
Of course Ashcroft went limp on Microsoft. After all the money that they funneled to the republican party, how could he do anything other than bend over and grab his ankles for his new corporate masters?
During the last election campaign, Microsoft employees gave more than $50, 000 to the Bush campaign, while the company and its workers gave $500,000 in unlimited, soft money donations to the Republican National Committee for use in Bush's battle against Democrat Al Gore. Gore did not receive any money from Microsoft, according to election commission records.
According to data supplied by the Center for Responsive Politics, Microsoft employees also donated $22,500 to Bush's recount effort, and a Microsoft executive gave $100,000 to the Bush-Cheney Inauguration Committee.
Of course, nobody should be surprised by this anymore.
You didn't read the article, did you? BAD SLASHDOTTER! BAD! BAD! Now go sit in the corner and think about what you've done.
Seriously, if you had read it, you would realize that the headline was completely misleading. The company reading the emails isn't an ISP. They are a web site that sells books. They also offer a free email service. They were reading the emails of the customers that signed up for the free email service, looking for Amazon.com orders and using that data to figure out how to compete more effectively. Immoral as hell? Yup. Illegal? Apparently not. ISPs, however, have different sets of rules, and it would probably be illegal for an ISP to do this.
If you had bothered to RTFA, you would know that the case in question didn't involve an ISP (inaccurate headline notwithstanding). It involved a web site operator that offered free email. An ISP cannot do this, as it would be a violation of federal wiretap laws (probably). All it means is that you should be careful of what free provider you use.
Damn. That list is a who's who of corporate evil. Let's look, shall we:
1 HealthSouth Corp $38,255 - A corporate accounting scandal to rival Enron. And a defiant CEO that denies wrongdoing even as his lackeys are selling him down the river.
4 Metabolife $27,250 - The makers of questionable diet pills (earlier versions were pumped FULL of ephedra, which the FDA is banning)
7 AOL Time Warner $24,000 - I don't really need to say anything about this one, do I?
9 Novell Inc $20,500 - This is puzzling. Novell is usually so reasonable. Maybe it's time to write them and tell them how much the community disapproves of them sponsoring such a jackass.
12 Global Crossing $19,500 - Another of the biggest corporate frauds in American history. This guy sure keeps good company, doesn't he?
15 Viacom Inc $18,750 - Surprise, surpise. Another media giant.
20 Walt Disney Co $17,000 - And who could forget Disney. The company that built their empire on public domain stories and uses their financial might to ensure that Mickey stays theirs forever. Public domain be damned!
With all due respect, Mr. Hatch. Go fuck yourself.
Actually, one state did it right. Georgia. The Hope scholarship (a free college ride for any Georgia student that meets academic minimums) has been very successful. The only real problem that they have had is with students dropping/failing out of college.
We do have cell service, but a minute plan that would cover the usage is gonna be pricey. Not to mention that they tend to get hot when you use it 3+ hours a day.
but you do not want to show up as an extra expense in the office in cases when people want to phone you
That's exactly why we are looking into Packet8/Vonage/etc. We need to have a local number that her office can call or transfer calls to without running up their bill. It looks like the ISP is pretty reliable, so that won't be a big issue (we hope, anyway).
The kind of junk mail that really pisses me off is the kind that tries to look legit. You know the kind, manilla envelope with official looking seals, and from someplace that tries to sound like the government, like "Department of Credit Referral Actions" or some dumb shit like that. Or the fake fedex/priority mail envelopes. I've even gotten a few that were almost dead ringers for certified mail envelopes. I'm not dumb enough to be fooled by it (bulk mail is a dead giveaway), but I'm sure some people are.
There are certain situations in which it isn't about backbone at all. Speech isn't truly free when it has to be done under a shadow of retribution. For example, a corporate whistleblower. If their identity were revealed, it would destroy their career. Nobody deserves that for doing what is right. How about government criticism? In some situations this must be anonymous. Free speech doesn't mean speech without consequence, but when powerful forces align themselves against somebody speaking out for what is just, that person deserves the shield of anonymity. Just look at the recent spate of SLAPP lawsuits to see a perfect example of why anonymous speech is needed to preserve the rights of the people.
This topic has been beaten to death, but it bears repeating anyway. Free speech cannot exist without a degree of anonymity. This has been repeated throughout the history of this country, from Deep Throat and watergate to the Federalist papers of revolutionary times. It may not be a "right", but its importance cannot be understated.
Oops, sorry, I didn't notice that you already own one. I guess I was preaching to the converted;-).
That being said, I love my VW. I don't know that I will ever own another brand. I only wish that they would produce a small, fast, rear wheel drive car. I love my jetta, but I like RWD so much better.
If you're looking for a new ride and like VW's, check out the Jetta TDI or 1.8T. I have the 1.8T, and I get about 35MPG and it runs like an NBA player from his wife and kids. The TDI isn't as quick, but the mileage is even better.
Not to mention what one does with batteries that can no longer hold a charge. Land fills
Actually, that is rarely the case. Those batteries are full of recycleable materials. Kind of like when you exchange a car battery at Autozone or someplace like that. They don't toss it out, they send it off to be recycled.
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Sure, why not. Lets get real. Bush accepted over half a million dollars from a company that the government was engaged in legal proceedings against (that's no small sum, no matter what your percentages say). He gets elected, and they get let off with a slap on the wrist.
He gets about that much from Ken Lay (remember Enron?). Mr. Lay then gets a seat on Cheney's super-secret energy commission, which puts into play the policies that allow Enron to screw consumers out of hundreds of millions of dollars and causes a false "energy crisis" in California.
Next up, the billions of dollars in no-bid contracts given to Halliburton, the company that Dick Cheney used to be the CEO of. How can you possibly dismiss out of hand the evidence that so strongly points to the blatant abuse of power for the gain of his contributors and friends?
That's getting real.
I heard a great bit on NPR last week about campaign contributions that really got me thinking. The gist of it was that ALL contributions should be anonymous. That way, companies can still contribute to the candidate that they think would do the best job, but they don't have the ability to hold it over the head of the candidate/party that they contributed to. It may not be a silver bullet, but I think it would go a long way towards fixing the current "pay for influence" scenario. Of course, my preferred solution is an amendment to the constitution that enforces separation of industry and state, much like the separation of church and state. Either way, something has to be done.
Of course Ashcroft went limp on Microsoft. After all the money that they funneled to the republican party, how could he do anything other than bend over and grab his ankles for his new corporate masters?
From here:
During the last election campaign, Microsoft employees gave more than $50, 000 to the Bush campaign, while the company and its workers gave $500,000 in unlimited, soft money donations to the Republican National Committee for use in Bush's battle against Democrat Al Gore. Gore did not receive any money from Microsoft, according to election commission records.
According to data supplied by the Center for Responsive Politics, Microsoft employees also donated $22,500 to Bush's recount effort, and a Microsoft executive gave $100,000 to the Bush-Cheney Inauguration Committee.
Of course, nobody should be surprised by this anymore.
Really? What's the rent?
You didn't read the article, did you? BAD SLASHDOTTER! BAD! BAD! Now go sit in the corner and think about what you've done.
Seriously, if you had read it, you would realize that the headline was completely misleading. The company reading the emails isn't an ISP. They are a web site that sells books. They also offer a free email service. They were reading the emails of the customers that signed up for the free email service, looking for Amazon.com orders and using that data to figure out how to compete more effectively. Immoral as hell? Yup. Illegal? Apparently not. ISPs, however, have different sets of rules, and it would probably be illegal for an ISP to do this.
If you had bothered to RTFA, you would know that the case in question didn't involve an ISP (inaccurate headline notwithstanding). It involved a web site operator that offered free email. An ISP cannot do this, as it would be a violation of federal wiretap laws (probably). All it means is that you should be careful of what free provider you use.
That is absolutely the most worthwhile piece of advice I have ever heard. Thanks for giving me a new hobby (or maybe about a hundred of 'em).
so we can cram them in to some rather unthinkable places.
What, like the back of a Volkswagen?
Damn. That list is a who's who of corporate evil. Let's look, shall we:
1 HealthSouth Corp $38,255 - A corporate accounting scandal to rival Enron. And a defiant CEO that denies wrongdoing even as his lackeys are selling him down the river.
4 Metabolife $27,250 - The makers of questionable diet pills (earlier versions were pumped FULL of ephedra, which the FDA is banning)
7 AOL Time Warner $24,000 - I don't really need to say anything about this one, do I?
9 Novell Inc $20,500 - This is puzzling. Novell is usually so reasonable. Maybe it's time to write them and tell them how much the community disapproves of them sponsoring such a jackass.
12 Global Crossing $19,500 - Another of the biggest corporate frauds in American history. This guy sure keeps good company, doesn't he?
15 Viacom Inc $18,750 - Surprise, surpise. Another media giant.
20 Walt Disney Co $17,000 - And who could forget Disney. The company that built their empire on public domain stories and uses their financial might to ensure that Mickey stays theirs forever. Public domain be damned!
With all due respect, Mr. Hatch. Go fuck yourself.
Actually, one state did it right. Georgia. The Hope scholarship (a free college ride for any Georgia student that meets academic minimums) has been very successful. The only real problem that they have had is with students dropping/failing out of college.
Anyone have any ideas for Mission Impossible to stay ahead of the game?
Oh boy! Do I ever. How about this one:
Tattoo the message on the back of a music industry executive who sets himself on fire when the message is supposed to destruct! That's hip, right?
Time to start up the SCO dead pool. What date do you predict that they will run out of money and implode?
We do have cell service, but a minute plan that would cover the usage is gonna be pricey. Not to mention that they tend to get hot when you use it 3+ hours a day.
but you do not want to show up as an extra expense in the office in cases when people want to phone you
That's exactly why we are looking into Packet8/Vonage/etc. We need to have a local number that her office can call or transfer calls to without running up their bill. It looks like the ISP is pretty reliable, so that won't be a big issue (we hope, anyway).
Fer chrissakes, link it
See, it's not that hard
Also slightly off-topic, but here it goes anyway.
The kind of junk mail that really pisses me off is the kind that tries to look legit. You know the kind, manilla envelope with official looking seals, and from someplace that tries to sound like the government, like "Department of Credit Referral Actions" or some dumb shit like that. Or the fake fedex/priority mail envelopes. I've even gotten a few that were almost dead ringers for certified mail envelopes. I'm not dumb enough to be fooled by it (bulk mail is a dead giveaway), but I'm sure some people are.
Yeah, it's even worse to see them smear it on some celluloid and try to pass it off as a movie.
There are certain situations in which it isn't about backbone at all. Speech isn't truly free when it has to be done under a shadow of retribution. For example, a corporate whistleblower. If their identity were revealed, it would destroy their career. Nobody deserves that for doing what is right. How about government criticism? In some situations this must be anonymous. Free speech doesn't mean speech without consequence, but when powerful forces align themselves against somebody speaking out for what is just, that person deserves the shield of anonymity. Just look at the recent spate of SLAPP lawsuits to see a perfect example of why anonymous speech is needed to preserve the rights of the people.
Oops. Another case of posting without proofing. I'll be more careful next time ;-).
This topic has been beaten to death, but it bears repeating anyway. Free speech cannot exist without a degree of anonymity. This has been repeated throughout the history of this country, from Deep Throat and watergate to the Federalist papers of revolutionary times. It may not be a "right", but its importance cannot be understated.
Oops, sorry, I didn't notice that you already own one. I guess I was preaching to the converted ;-).
That being said, I love my VW. I don't know that I will ever own another brand. I only wish that they would produce a small, fast, rear wheel drive car. I love my jetta, but I like RWD so much better.
Did you even RTFA.
If you're looking for a new ride and like VW's, check out the Jetta TDI or 1.8T. I have the 1.8T, and I get about 35MPG and it runs like an NBA player from his wife and kids. The TDI isn't as quick, but the mileage is even better.
I'm sure there is some impact from the recycling process, but I doubt it is comparable to stuffing it into a landfill.
Not to mention what one does with batteries that can no longer hold a charge. Land fills
Actually, that is rarely the case. Those batteries are full of recycleable materials. Kind of like when you exchange a car battery at Autozone or someplace like that. They don't toss it out, they send it off to be recycled.