August 2004 Archives
The President of the United States of America is elected by the people in order that he or she may govern on their behalf. The president is not a monarch, not a king or a queen, not a prince or any such thing. These people hold positions that require other to kowtow and grovel, never express a contrary opinion and show utter docility, unswerving respect. Monarchs are to the people as masters are to slaves (at least in theory).
Why should President Bush be permitted exception to this dynamic? Does his position put him above protest and contrary opinions? Well, according to the New York Times Republicans say that they will try to portray protesters at the GOP convention in New York as “Democratic-sanctioned displays of disrespect for a sitting president.”
God forbid!
[via the NY Times]
When I was home last month, a few people asked me why I decided not to vote for President Bush this November after I supported him — if not enthusiastically — in 2000. My answers never seemed to be articulate or convincing enough for me or for the questioner. In the interest of clarification and debate I’ve decided I will outline my arguments in a systematic fashion over the next few weeks. As time allows, I’ll post about issues I think the president has mishandled or gotten on the wrong side of.
Reamrks by Vice President Dick Cheney at a town hall meeting:
QUESTION: We have a battle here on this land, as well. And I would like to know, sir, from your heart — I don’t want to know what your advisors say, or even what your top advisor thinks — but I need to know what do you think about homosexual marriages.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, the question has come up obviously in the past with respect to the question of gay marriage. Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it’s an issue that our family is very familiar with. We have two daughters, and we have enormous pride in both of them. They’re both fine young women. They do a superb job, frankly, of supporting us. And we are blessed with both our daughters.
With respect to the question of relationships, my general view is that freedom means freedom for everyone. People ought to be able to free — ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to. The question that comes up with respect to the issue of marriage is what kind of official sanction, or approval is going to be granted by government, if you will, to particular relationships. Historically, that’s been a relationship that has been handled by the states. The states have made that basic fundamental decision in terms of defining what constitutes a marriage. I made clear four years ago when I ran and this question came up in the debate I had with Joe Lieberman that my view was that that’s appropriately a matter for the states to decide, that that’s how it ought to best be handled.
Obviously Dick didn’t get the memo about President Bush’s support for the Federal Marriage Amendment.
[Related posts: Gay]
In the course of my education I have taken several classes that had no real application to my degree program. Yet I found them the most rewarding and challenging intellectually. One of those classes was AP Economics in high school and the other was a game theory and strategy course in college. The games theory class was designed to improve my video gaming skills; it was all about the games people play every day — political strategy, decision making, etc.
Both of these classes employed complex theorems about behavior, economics, etc., that I won’t really use in my daily life. Still, as I said, they were some of my favorites and incredibly stimulating because they forced me to bend my mind around concepts that I wouldn’t otherwise.
Here’s another one that I found today (on Kottke.org as usual). It’s a whopper which is what makes it so cool.
I’ve only ever seen one episode of The Graham Norton Effect, but it was nonstop funny. If I had a TV I would watch it more often (now accepting donations). Here is a sample of the funny that awaits you.
Graham is talking about a planned sculpture of Jessica Simpson and he says that:
They’re also planning on doing a sculpture of her sister Ashlee. It will be easy. Just do another sculpture of Jessica and hit it in the face with a frying pan!
No, I’m being mean. Nobody would really abuse a piece of cookware like that.
The military and police will be deploying a new bunch of exciting gadgets that will be sure to make everything run smoothly. One of the most exciting inventions being unveiled at the end of the month is the Long Range Acoustic Device. That’s a somewhat innocuous name for a super-mega-hyperloud bullhorn than can aplify one’s voice at 150 decibels. Don’t worry it only causes minor ear damage — usually not permanent — and only in people within a 150 feet radius.
[read more from The AP].
God I lover Germans. They are so clever and anal retentive, all at the same time. The latest invention from the creators of the combustion engine and the Heineken come the WC Ghost, a small device that is attached to toilet seats. When the seat is lifted a recording warns the attempted pottier to to sit down so as to avoid splashing.
“Hey, stand-peeing is not allowed here and will be punished with fines, so if you don’t want any trouble, you’d best sit down,” one of the devices orders in a voice impersonating the German leader, Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. Another has a voice similar to that of his predecessor, Helmut Kohl.
Their prototype English-speaking WC ghost says in an American drawl: “Don’t you go wetting this floor cowboy, you never know who’s behind you. So sit down, get your water pistol in the bowl where it belongs. Ha, ha, ha.”
[thanks Katie, via The Telegraph]
Granted he is the Attorney General of the United States of America, but how often can you possibly sue this man? Actually, by virtue of his office I’m sure his name gets plastered on innumerable lawsuits brought by citizens, groups, etc., claiming all manner of things. John Gilmore has added another one to the pile and this time it’s getting lots of press.
Way back in 1996 airlines began to require people traveling by air to show photo identification and Gilmore claims there is no published law that gives this requirement and that such a condition on travel represents an unconstitutional search and seizure and 1st amendment violation. The Transportation Security Administration agrees that no published directive requires ID to travel but if there were such a law it would be in a classified security directive. Gilmore is suing to see the directive and to have it declared unconstitutional by the courts.
His website makes some good points, including: how can there be a government issued ID requirement when citizens aren’t required to have any such ID? No law says I have to carry a driver’s license, passport, or state ID card and there are no national “papers,” as he calls them. So mandating that US citizens show ID they don’t have to carry places an undue burden on the right to travel, in his estimation.
I agree with Gilmore on most counts — I should not have to show my passport to travel in my own country and such a requirement does not seem to create a much safer travel environment. As we have seen, those willing to commit acts of terror have the resources and the means to get hold of false documents, or in some cases authentic ones.
Personally I don’t mind having to show my ID to travel, although in principle it does seem wrong to require it, or to require a highly intrusive search in lieu thereof. What troubles me is that, if it exists at all, the law is secret. There are many implications of secret laws that make them abhorrent to American sensibilities (or should).
Secret laws allow government officials to issue mandates by fiat and then obscure their actions from the judicial process by shrouding them in classified status. How can we argue against a law that we cannot say exists? How can we hold accountable those who promulgate such regulations if we are unable to investigate their origins or even their existence?
Also, what danger is their is exposing the directive that requires passengers to show identification when its consequences are clearly out in the open? We can clearly see that everyone must provide state-issued ID, so we can deduce that such a requirement exists. Knowing without a doubt enables us to fight the law, but it give terrorists nothing extra.
A collection of photos of New York City at 4 AM, by the New York Times.
[via Kottke]
Only in New York would two friends decide to have a party where total strangers get together and cuddle each other. Read the full snuggle story.
Watch out New York, there is an 86-year old man running around lunging at people trying to give him parking tickets. The man is Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes fame, who on Tuesday night was involved in an altercation with inspectors from the NYC Taxi and Limo Commission who accused his driver of double parking. The inspectors accused Wallace of becoming “overly assertive and disrespectful,” they also claim he lunged at them. In order to do what, no one seems to have said.
He was handcuffed and taken to a police station where he as issued a summons for disorderly conduct and released.
[via the AP]
The creators of South Park have dreamed up a Thunderbirds-esque movie about the War on Terror. Check out the trailer. It looks hilarious if nothing else.
When I go on a date I always plan an “escape call” for about 20 or 30 minutes in just in case things are getting rocky. Usually I just plan to have Katie call me, she doesn’t supply the excuse or do anything more than dial the phone to be honest — she can’t be trusted to not say she is Pizza Hut calling about a missed delivery. If only Cingular or Virgin was my mobile phone provider i could use their new escape-a-date services.
For both Cingular and Virgin Mobile, the prerecorded messages are created at a high-tech central command in California’s Silicon Valley. There, five people with doctorates in linguistics dream up excuses for folks to repeat before suddenly dropping a date gone sour.
With both Cingular’s Escape-A-Date and Virgin Mobile’s Rescue Ring service, a customer can arrange to be called at a set time, using the cell keypad. When the cell rings, one of Cingular’s eight “emergency” messages says: “Hey, this is your Escape-A-Date call. If you’re looking for an excuse, I got it. Just repeat after me, and you’ll be on your way! ‘Not again! Why does that always happen to you? … All right, I’ll be right there.’ Now tell ‘em that your roommate got locked out, and you have to go let them in. Good luck!”
This is fabulous! People are so silly they are willing to pay $5 a month for a service that any decent friend can provide for free on the occasion it’s needed? Katie will do for me, she’s reliable enough to make my phone ring, I can supply the lie.
Speaking at the signing of a $417 billion defense spending bill, the President said:
Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush痴 misstatement 屠ust shows even the most straightforward and plain-spoken people misspeak.”
[via MSNBC]
Remember the 2000 Election? Yeah, that one. Well, in order to make sure it doesn’t happen again some democratic representatives sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Anna asking him to send a group of observers to monitor the November elections. Annan balked, as did the White House, of course, and we got no UN observers. What still isn’t clear to me is what exactly these people would do? Would they stand at a few polling stations and watch people to make sure they weren’t getting screwed out of their vote? That hardly seems effective. At this point I guess it doesn’t matter though. Or does it?
Fast forward to today, when Secretary of State Colin Powell invited election observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to come to the US in November to monitor the Presidential election. According to the OSCE the US is obligated to invite its members by a 1994 agreement. It should be fun for them don’t you think? They can watch the whole thing unfold on CNN and they won’t even have to go to any stinking polling stations.
Read more on CNN AllPolitics.
Have you ever noticed that the work gainfully is almost never used outside of the phrase, “gainfully employed”? Well, it’s true, I googled gainfully and got pages about being employed or unemployed or retired. I challenge you to find another use of the word because I think this is a verbal gem that we are ignoring, let’s get to work and find a new, more exciting use for ‘gainfully’.
In the meantime, I’d like to announce that I am now gainfully employed in a real, grown-up job. Last week I accepted a position with Atlas Media Corporation. I will be taking on their web development, technical support, and media library responsibilities. Atlas is an independent television production firm that makes docudrama, and infotainment programming, i.e. Discovery Channel, and TLC-type shows.
The company is about 15 years old and is growing quickly, they expect to expand significantly this year an it will be fun to work in an environment like that. My year at Neiman Marcus Online was similar because we were growing and changing a lot. It was never boring if a little stressful at times.
I start tomorrow half-time and I will begin full-time next Monday, so wish me luck. The “real world” has official welcomed me to it’s ranks, wish me luck.
This phone is a concept by Marc Newson, an Australian designer, for the Japanese mobile phone company, AU. It’s amazing, isn’t it?
Check out more concept phones by AU, here.
Well, not exactly up to the East Side, but close enough for government work. Last night, with the help of the very generous Frankie-Terry and his trusty Civic Hybrid, I moved from my old dorm down on Water Street to a temporary home in the East Village. My buddy Connor is letting me crash at his place for a few months (or until I get a permanent roomie) while he is in PA doing summer stock.
At this point I have lost count of the total number of moves I have made in my life, but I’m sure it is nothing less than 20, including all the annual moves as a kid, the untold number at the end of high school, and all those from the college era. Hopefully I have one more in me and I’ll be able to stay put for a few years, that is unless I decide I can’t hack it in New York and bail out, running home to TX with my tail between my legs.
My new home is amazing. It’s on Ave. C and I am smack in the middle of a whole bunch of great bars, cafes, etc. Including Zum Schneider, a German biergarten, across the street on the corner, WHOO HOO! On the opposite corner is the grocery, and across the street on the corner is the laundry. That’s closer than when I lived in the same building as the washing machines. Inside, we’ve got exposed brick on almost all the walls, a private deck with a Weber grill (!!!). The kitchen leaves something to be desired — in Frankie’s words it is, “the opposite of a kitchen” — but we shall overcome. My bedroom is pretty small as well, but wholly sufficient for sleeping and whatnot.
I’m so glad to be done moving for at least a little while. Now I can devote myself to more important things like my new job and finding the meaning of life.
The State Department announced new specifications for a system that would include facial recognition technology on US Passports starting next year. Each new passport will include a chip embedded in its cover that carries a digital photo of the bearer. When someone tries to use the passport to enter the country their photo will be taken and compared with the photo on the passport by a computer, as well as matched against a database of terrorists and criminals.
Opponents of the measure argue that facial recognition is prone to inaccuracies up to 50% of the time and that the US should employ fingerprint correlation instead.
he department chose face recognition to be consistent with standards being adopted by other nations, officials said. Those who drafted the standards reasoned that travelers are accustomed to submitting photographs and would find giving fingerprints to be intrusive.
But federal researchers who have tested face-recognition technology say its error rate is unacceptably high — up to 50 percent if photographs are taken without proper lighting. They say the error rate is far lower for fingerprints, which could be added to the chip without violating the international standard.
Internationally, facial recognition has been accepted as the standard for biometric identification, but in the US fingerprints are normally looked at as the most reliable.
Read more about the new program in the Washington Post.
ExxonMobil announced quarterly profits of $5.4 billion last quarter. Coincidently the price of oil has been at or near all-time highs for much of that quarter.
[via Morningstar]
