Java scores big in China
February 18, 2004The Register is reporting a very large Chinese cellphone (90m subscribers) contract with Sun using Java. I’m not trying to be Chicken Little, but this does lend weight to my concern that there is a technology shift occurring towards open standards in developing markets that may lead to U.S. technology stagnation or bypass for home…
$7500 per month to lease an SUV
February 16, 2004Watching C-SPAN coverage of The Democratic Policy Committee Hearing on Iraq Contracting Abuses makes it clear who’s benefitting from the Iraq conflict.
Ashcroft begins McCarthyist witchhunt and intimidation of MDs
February 13, 2004Now the intention of the partial birth abortion bill becomes clear. Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft’s Justice department began an attempt to subpoena medical records of patients that may have received an abortion that could be deemed partial-birth.
Bush Thinks Outsourcing Is OK
February 10, 2004Further to my recent blog Outsourcing, Monopolisation, Stagnation where I outlined hidden causes and implications of outsourcing the last trade surplus producing industry of the western world, technology development, the Seattle Times reports Bush thinks outsourcing is ok.
WMD use in retrospect
February 10, 2004Juan Cole in his blog I referenced below states: Besides, George, your whole argument was that Saddam intended to use those weapons. If he had them but refused to use them when facing a frontal military attack, when exactly would he have used them? This was something I wrote on the day of the beginning…
Rebuttal of Bush’s Iraq Justifications
February 10, 2004In case anyone had pause to believe anything the President said on Sunday’s broadcast, Juan Cole has a good rebuttal to each of President Bush’s justifications for invading Iraq.
Experiences of the Jerusalem wall
February 9, 2004From a blogger visiting Israel, her experiences and views on the apartheid Jerusalem wall.
OPEC could consider the USD again
February 9, 2004Whether OPEC should change the oil transaction currency from US$ to Euros is definitely a topic for consideration at the latest meeting. That said, it appears it is clearly understood by OPEC that this would cause issues for the U.S currency (being one of the largest oil consumers), so OPEC will hold off any discussion…
A John Cage site
February 9, 2004I recently discovered a site dedicated to the composer John Cage: www.johncage.info, which provides thorough references of his work. Cage was one of the most innovative modern composers, known particularly for his use of chance, indeterminancy, the prepared piano, early electronics and application of Zen Buddist philosophy in music. He also has the distinction of…
The Blamestorming Begins
February 6, 2004George Tenet, Director of the CIA made a courageous speech today, defending the intelligence produced by the CIA and then used by the Whitehouse to justify the invasion of Iraq. Courageous in that he chose to use an address at his Alma mater Georgetown university to explain his agency. There he faced a highly professional,…