Category: News Item

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The climate is ripe for irony

There is too much going on in the world of terrorism, the Bush administration, and the coming mid-term elections in the U.S. to not wonder about all of its coincidence.

DUBAI (Reuters) – Al Jazeera television aired a video tape on Thursday showing al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden meeting what is said were some of the September 11 attackers, days ahead of the fifth anniversary of the strikes.

The Arabic channel said the tape documented the “daily life” of al Qaeda operatives as they trained and prepared in the mountains of Afghanistan. Bin Laden was shown in long white robes walking through rocky terrain with aides carrying rifles.

Release of the five-year-old video was clearly timed to coincide with the anniversary of an attack that killed almost 3,000 and launched the United States on a “war on terror” from home shores to Iraq and Afghanistan. [reuters]

This makes sense. The five year anniversary is upon us, and I would bet that terror threat levels will rise over the next few days. What else is there?

George Bush acknowledged for the first time yesterday the existence of a secret CIA prison network, and said the mastermind of the September 11 2001 terror attacks and other high-value detainees had been transferred to Guantánamo Bay.

In a robust defence of the detention regime that has brought condemnation around the world, the US president said Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al-Qaida operative believed to have plotted the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, and 13 other terror suspects had been brought to Guantánamo and would be brought to trial. [guardian]

So the secret prisons, that everyone seemed to already know about, actually exist. Of course, everything has been humane and there hasn’t been any ill-treatment of prisoners. Whew! What a relief, but there’s more.

The terror suspect accused of masterminding the September 11 attacks also planned to crash hijacked airliners into Heathrow airport, according to documents released by the US government.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed conceived a plot to hit Heathrow after the attacks on America five years ago, the documents from the US office of the director of national intelligence said.

Another alleged al-Qaida member Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, described as a “key facilitator” in 9/11, was said to have been a “lead operative” in the UK plan, which the US said was disrupted in 2003.

The details emerged in profiles (pdf) of 14 terror suspects, including Mohammed and Bin al-Shibh, who, the US announced yesterday, have been transferred from secret CIA prisons around the world to Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. [guardian]

It just so happens that this terror plot was averted five years ago, but the world is being told to be thankful that secret prison camps stopped it from happening. Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief, five years after the fact.

Bush made the surprise admission as he prodded the U.S. Congress to approve rules for military commissions to try such detainees and with national security a key issue for Republicans who face the possibility of losses in the November congressional elections. [reuters]

Combined with the five year anniversary of 9/11 and the potential of losing the majority hand in congress, there is way too much going on here to not say that the irony of the situation makes you scratch your head a little. Even if it’s too conspiracy for you, the coincidence is incredibly interesting.

I’ll toss in a recent CNN poll about former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani[wiki], being a heavy favorite for the Republican presidential nominee for 2008 as well. That’s a whole lot of 9/11 going on.

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Tired of the past-present-Kerry politics

I haven’t written a lot regarding politics in the history of this blog, and that could be a good thing. With the coming mid-term elections this fall and the run for the presidency starting to make more than whispers, it’s really hard not to think about. Perhaps I’m finding myself more inclined to talk about it now that I’m no longer a U.S. resident, so you’ll have to bear with me as I try to do more of this from time to time.

John KerryThe thing that pains me the most right now is the thought of John Kerry[wiki] running for president again. I haven’t liked the guy since he first came on the radar for the ’04 elections. I have this problem with politicians in general, but something about Kerry left me feeling less than impressed from the day he stepped up to bat.

The one issue that I keep coming back to is how Kerry would consistantly say what he would have done if he was president when (insert significant political issue or event, that occured prior to the date of making said statement, happened during the Bush administration, and occurred before the ’04 vote, here). This is what we call hindsight, and it was also banking on the anti-Bush sentiment that ran among those with the “anyone but Bush” method of voting.

It almost seems like his tactics haven’t changed.

Sen. John Kerry didn’t contest the results at the time, but now that he’s considering another run for the White House, he’s alleging election improprieties by the Ohio Republican who oversaw the deciding vote in 2004.

An e-mail from Kerry will be sent to 100,000 Democratic donors Tuesday asking them to support U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland for governor of Ohio. The bulk of the e-mail criticizes Strickland’s opponent, GOP Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, for his dual role in 2004 as President Bush’s honorary Ohio campaign co-chairman and the state’s top election official.

“He used the power of his state office to try to intimidate Ohioans and suppress the Democratic vote,” Kerry says in the e-mail, according to a copy provided in advance. [cnn]

The article goes on to say that there have been groups not affiliated with the Kerry campaign contesting the results, even into present day. Granted that he lost and fighting the issue in Ohio might not have changed anything, don’t think that this won’t come up in the ensuing run up to the ’08 vote.

Here is what I want from a presidental candidate, and I mean candidate. Not an elected president, but from the people who want to be the final group of folks looking for the vote. Continue reading “Tired of the past-present-Kerry politics”

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You’ve got questions, they’ve got batteries

There is one thing about being laid off from a job, but it’s a whole other story when it comes down to the way it’s done.  Even having Donald Trump give you the news would be better than this.

RadioShack Corp. notified about 400 workers by e-mail that they were being dismissed immediately as part of planned job cuts.

Employees at the Fort Worth headquarters got messages Tuesday morning saying: “The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately, your position is one that has been eliminated.”

Company officials had told employees in a series of meetings that layoff notices would be delivered electronically, spokeswoman Kay Jackson said. She said employees were invited to ask questions before Tuesday’s notification on a company intranet site.

Derrick D’Souza, a management professor at the University of North Texas, said he had never heard of such a large number of terminated employees being notified electronically. He said it could be seen as dehumanizing to employees. [breitbart]

No kidding!  400 people is not that big of a number.  They couldn’t even make the rounds by phone?  Even though I loathe going into a RadioShack[wiki], I feel for the folks that work there.  It’s the Kmart[wiki] of electronics stores, and I have yet to meet some one who doesn’t have a horror story about shopping there.

But an email telling you that you’ve been terminated?  That’s cold.  You’re not an employee.  You’re just a machine with a number, a name, and an email address that gets a paycheck.  Getting fired electronically is like setting an electronic time bomb to go off.   Some one secure the stapler.

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Pluto has feelings, too

What a load of crap.

Capping years of intense debate, astronomers resolved Thursday to demote Pluto in a wholesale redefinition of planethood that is being billed as a victory of scientific reasoning over historic and cultural influences. But the decision is already being hotly debated.

Officially, Pluto is no longer a planet.

There are certain things that you shouldn’t mess with. Taking Pluto out of the group of the rest of the planets is like telling the last kid picked for kickball that he can’t play anymore… or ever again.

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Apple makes the call; send back your batteries

What goes around, comes around.  Luckily, I’m not apart of this one.

Apple Computer is following the lead of Dell and recalling 1.8 million laptop batteries supplied by Sony Corp., saying the batteries are a fire hazard.

The move Thursday follows Dell’s recall of 4.1 million batteries two weeks ago. Those batteries were also built by Sony.  […]

The batteries were sold with 12-inch iBook G4, 12-inch PowerBook G4 and 15-inch PowerBook G4 laptop computers from October 2003 through August 2006, according to the safety commission.  [cbc]

Oddly enough, this does not involve any of the new MacBooks, but this is on top of the recall for batteries of the 15″ MacBook Pro.  I’ve read many reports from users noting the amount of heat that MacBooks, the iBooks replacement, produce.  Perhaps the new models haven’t had enough of a run in the market to produce enough complaints or incidents.  Time will tell.

Find more information about the iBook and PowerBook battery recall on Apple’s website.

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It’s just been one of those years

Cesar Izturis is now, officially, a Cub.

The Chicago Cubs on Tuesday placed shortstop Cesar Izturis on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.

Izturis left Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh inning with the injury.

Acquired in a trade-deadline deal that sent four-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Izturis is batting .246 with one homer and 17 RBI in 49 games this season. [tsn]

Welcome to the the black hole, Cesar. Wrigley Field seems to be the place where talent is sucked out of your soul. Gremlins move at the speed of light to do all that they can in order to make sure that you are never healthy, and that is only after the evil overlord deems you to be having a decent season. You’re an even bigger target if the word “prospect” or “hope” is mentioned in reference to your name.

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Apple Store employees fired for downloading Leopard

Mental note: When you acquire software from the internet that you shouldn’t have in the first place and is from the company that sends out your paycheck, keep your mouth shut.

At least five employees of Apple’s retail stores have been fired after downloading copies of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard from the Internet that were distributed to developers at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference two weeks ago. “Dozens” more also face termination, Think Secret has learned.

The axed employees had apparently been overheard discussing their acquisition of Leopard with their co-workers, prompting Apple “corporate” to investigate after word reached Cupertino. The staffers were dismissed after admitting to acquiring the software illegally.

“All of us know that we violated our NDA and ethics policy. Therefore, because we had the character to tell the truth and to face the consequences of our actions, we were terminated,” said one of the fired employees, who spoke with Think Secret on condition of anonymity. “My only question is, if we all lied and denied it would we still be working at Apple today? Even more so, is that the kind of person that Apple wants working for them?”  [thinksecret]

It is outstanding that they confessed to their actions.  These people love Apple enough to work the retail aspect of the company, so it stands to reason that some of them would be overly anxious to get their hands on the new operating system that was unveiled a few weeks ago.

At the same time, why didn’t they keep this to themselves?!  That’s like some one at Starbucks telling co-workers that they’re stealing coffee.  If you know that you are in violation of the rules at your job, then why tell anyone about it?

It’s simple.  Apple wants intelligent people working for them.

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One more reason to be proud of my home state

There are a lot of people in the world that make great achievements in their life and do their best to share that with the land that they call home. Iowa is no exception, and it’s home to a lot of great people in history. John Wayne, President Herbert Hoover, Johnny Carson, Grant Wood, Glenn Miller, Cloris Leachman, and, as I recently posted, James Van Allen, just to name a few, and you can Wiki all of those on your own if you wanna know more.

Maybe they’re not the greatest people in the world for what they did, but most people know the names if you say them. On top of that, accomplished folks tend to do more with their legacy to show their accomplishments or invest for the future.

Enter Tim Dwight[wiki]. Iowa Hawkeye football star who has gone on to a career in the NFL. He grew up in Iowa City, went to high school and college there, and is a bit of a celebrity to the area. It’s also good to know that he’s made a quality investment in not only his home town, but also one of the biggest party schools in the Big Ten[wiki].

Liquor House […] opened last Thursday and has already seen a surge in business at the bigger and better store, said co-owner Jeremy Harrod.

“It’s a huge upgrade from what we had,” said Harrod, who owns the store with his brother Mark Harrod and former Hawkeye football star Tim Dwight.

The new store is about 25 percent bigger than the old one and has a 400-square-feet walk-in cooler that can house up to 85 kegs. The store’s inventory has doubled, with three new liquor sections and expanded wine collections.

In addition, Liquor House will offer a home delivery service for the first time. That service is available during the store’s operating hours, which is extended during game days. [press-citizen]

Sure, this is a huge money making opportunity, so anyone able to invest in demand of binge drinking, bright eyed college students makes complete sense. This isn’t the only thing Dwight does. He also “gives back to the community” with his yearly football camp for kids between the ages of 8-18. You could say that he gives back to those under the legal drinking age, but this is college we’re talking about. Being illegal doesn’t stop much.

It’s a wonderful thing to see role models taking interest in helping the community they once grew up in. I’m not bad mouthing drinking. It’s all apart of the college experience. Beer bongs until you vomit and can’t see straight is another story, not to mention the reckless behavior that comes along with it. Yes, there is truth in being too much of a good thing.

There seems to be somewhat of an oxymoron going on here, does it not? Poll a majority of the students on the UI campus and they’ll tell you that you’re probably wrong. It’s just a smart business venture, and there is nothing wrong with Dwight teaching young kids football talents and owning a store that aids in hardening the livers of students. What a great way to use that social status.

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The Mexican political situation

I witnessed a teacher strike last year in B.C. Maybe they could take a page from this, and let’s just hope ClearChannel doesn’t adopt this tactic in their attempt at owning all the radio stations in the world.

Teachers striking in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca have seized at least eight private radio stations.

They acted after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a government radio station already under their control, injuring one of their colleagues.

The strikers used the stations to tell parents to ignore Monday’s start of the school year and keep children at home. [bbc]

The situation in Mexico is increasingly concerning. When I visited at the age of 17, staying in a hotel just off of the Zocalo[wiki], there was a labor protest outside of the government buildings in the square. It was full of people, loud speakers, and non-stop protest. For the most part, it was peaceful, but it was enough to freak me out a little bit. The country seems to be noticibly different now than those days, and these folks are going further than before to make their voice on the matter heard.

Protests are taking place in Vancouver about the current, political situation in Mexico. I think it confuses a lot of people as to what they are demonstrating for. There is a growing population of Mexicans here, so it makes sense. Around the world, it seems that not a lot of folks are paying a lot of attention to it.

A couple of years ago television, radio and print media in the west just couldn’t get enough of ‘people power’.

In quick succession, from Georgia’s rose revolution in November 2003, via Ukraine’s orange revolution a year later, to the tulip revolution in Kyrgyzstan and the cedar revolution in Lebanon, 24-hour news channels kept us up to date with democracy on a roll.

Triggered by allegations of election fraud, the dominoes toppled. The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, was happy with the trend: ‘They’re doing it in many different corners of the world, places as varied as Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan and, on the other hand, Lebanon … And so this is a hopeful time.’

But when a million Mexicans try to jump on the people-power bandwagon, crying foul about the July 2 presidential elections, when protesters stage a vigil in the centre of the capital that continues to this day, they meet a deafening silence in the global media. Despite Mexico’s long tradition of electoral fraud and polls suggesting that Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador – a critic of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) – was ahead, the media accepted the wafer-thin majority gained by the ruling party nominee, Harvard graduate Felipe Calderon.

Although Mexico’s election authorities rejected Lopez Obrador’s demand for all 42m ballots to be recounted, the partial recount of 9% indicated numerous irregularities. But no echo of indignation has wafted to the streets of Mexico City from western capitals. [malaysiasun]

The other thing to consider is that pretty much all of North America is now headed by conservative governments, excluding countries to the south of Mexico on that statement. I don’t have enough details to say that the Mexican elections were tampered with, but the similarities to the 2000 elections in the U.S. is interesting. Nothing in politics is ever innocent.

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Gives whole new meaning to cold war

There was a lot of “Where in the world is Evgeni Malkin” being played last week[espn], but the fallout from the whole ordeal has the Russians pretty ticked off.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia has declared an all-out war on the National Hockey League (NHL), accusing the North Americans of stealing its best players.

Russian hockey officials were up in arms after several top players, including teenage prodigy Evgeni Malkin, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ number one pick in 2004, walked out on their contracts with Russian clubs to pursue a career in the NHL.

The Malkin case has been front-page news on both sides of the Atlantic since the young Russian secretly left his club Metallurg Magnitogorsk at Helsinki airport earlier this month.

Malkin, considered the best player in the world outside the NHL, vanished for several days before resurfacing in the United States last week and declaring his wish to play for Pittsburgh. [reuters]

The article continues to show how upset the Russians are, demanding that there will be legal action that will go after “a lot more” money than they wanted for a transfer deal on Malkin[wiki] prior to his dissappearance.

It’s a situation that echoes times long gone, and the fallout might be worse as time goes on in terms of relations between the two leagues. Malkin was more the able to leave the Russian league, but the Pittsburgh Penguins would have had to pay a few million dollars for him, much more compared to the $200,000 that gets dished out to other European nations who already have an agreement for such transfers.

As pissed off as Russia is now, I’m not sure we’ll see them come to an agreement anytime soon. For the longest time, their league has been considered second place to the NHL in terms of the players of their respective leagues. It makes you want to say, can’t we all just get along?