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September 30, 2004
Secrecy rules
Wired News: ID Rule Exists, But Can't Be Seen
Government lawyers defending the identification requirement at the nation's airports from a lawsuit by privacy activist John Gilmore admitted in a new filing Wednesday that the requirement exists, but argued it cannot be challenged or seen in full because it is a law enforcement technique, not a law.
Thank the gods I live in a free country!
Posted by Andrew at 01:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Workers compensation reform.
My father is a small business man. He would probably be the owner of a large business, save that workers compensation insurance eats up over 100% of his Gross profit. Since that business pays for roughly 100% of my non-state-financed educational/living expenses, this is something of an important issue for me. The good news is that there are proposed solutions:
The Republican solution:
The Republican Party tends to see workers comp. as a problem with lawyers. Specifically, they think that if lawyers weren’t so well compensated for punishing the wrongdoing for companies, insurance rates wouldn’t have to be so high. Cap awards, the theory goes, and watch rates fall...
The Democratic Solution:
This is a joke. I haven’t heard a Democratic solution. Which is part of the problem...
The Republican solution doesn’t really work because it isn’t lawyers making a lot of money on the current system, but rather the insurance companies...
The solution I would like to offer is an adaptation of the old Usury laws to insurance companies. Simply set the amount of profit they are allowed to make, perhaps linking it to the amount they spend per injured worker (to give insurance companies incentive to spend money on injured people...
Comments?
Posted by Andrew at 01:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 28, 2004
Paying for it
One of the most basic problems in all of the social sciences (especially political and economic) is that of scarcity. The problem of scarcity is, simply put; there isn’t enough to do everything at once. This seems like a simple issue, but has profound implications...
To choose an example at random, take the Bush (43) and Reagan administrations. Both slashed taxes under the theory that Government was unable to provide the same benefit per dollar as the Private Sector*. What we ended up seeing were soaring deficits. Oops...
Reagan learned from his mistake (sort of) and gave us the largest tax raise in modern history. Most of this money went to a “social security lock box”...
We see this sort of thing happen over and over again. There are things we want to do, and would have real benefits. But to do them, we can’t do something else. If we wish to have a war on terror, for instance—or even a “major combat operations against Iraq—we can’t have a tax cut. Someone has to _pay_ for it...
*This is actually something of a simplification. Since the Laffer curve is a curve, rather than a strait line, there are points along the curve under which this theory would have worked. Laffer himself was the first to admit that we don’t know where we are along the curve. Apparently we’re not at the “too much taxation” part, though...
Posted by Andrew at 12:29 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
I'd pay.
Technology News: Science: Branson's 'Enterprise' Brings Final Frontier Within Reach
Posted by Andrew at 10:21 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 23, 2004
Expletive deleted
Not just the expletive, actually, but the whole flipping internet.
So, I was grabbing this new icon set from a download site I’ve used in the past. On occasion, they will “wrap” downloads with adware. No big deal, thought I: I can just get rid of the junk it will install and be on my merry way…
Long story short: deleting the junk destroyed my internet connection. My computer is completely unwilling to talk to anything that isn’t inside its own case. I don’t have the faintest clue how to fix it, short of a full format/reinstall. I was planning on doing one of those next week when my new processor arrives, but doing one early seems a bit wastful...
Any help?
Posted by Andrew at 11:13 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
September 21, 2004
Which is why I don't vote Republican...
The Onion | Congressional Candidate Forced To Explain Controversial 1971 'Fuck Everything' Remark
Posted by Andrew at 04:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 20, 2004
When did Hastert become Al- Qaeda’s Spokesman?
"_blank">CNN.com - Hastert's al Qaeda comment draws fire - Sep 19, 2004
He seems to know their minds awfully well, doesn’t he? Perhaps as AlQ’s spokesman, he should resign the US Congress....
Via Eccentricity
Posted by Andrew at 09:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 19, 2004
Today is Talk like a pirate day
To celebrate, I am sitting here with my roommate’s cat on my left shoulder while downloading (me, not the cat) music. Also: contemplating buying an aircraft carrier so I can loot and shit. See, I said “shit”. Pirates swear, right?
Posted by Andrew at 05:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 17, 2004
This is starting to make sense...
Fafblog! the whole worlds only source for Fafblog.
As Gregg Easterbrook has noted, the invasion of Iraq "is having the unintended consequence of drawing terrorists and killers to that country, where our army can fight them on our terms." Indeed, the world's finite supply of terrorists is now concentrated in one country where it can be disposed of with relative ease.
Posted by Andrew at 11:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I’ve been wondering about this.
How to use liposuction to repair Adobe Reader 6
Like (I’m sure) most people, I’ve long marveled at how bloated .PDF (adobe) files are. I actively avoid them, and try very hard to look at every link I click just to ensure that I’m not accidentally opening one of those things...
Simply put, when I click a .PDF, it takes all of my system’s (considerable) resources over a minute to load the damned thing. I stumbled upon this article from the Inquirer, though, and followed its instructions. Now .PDF files take about 15 seconds to load...
Posted by Andrew at 10:08 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 16, 2004
Exactly!
theferrett: Somebody For Kerry
Reader (and man who I taught how to use aftershave) Dazed_and_Confucius sends along this link:
Let's be honest, here: Al-Qaida are smart fucking people. They've been experts at analyzing our weaknesses and striking where we weren't looking. The brilliance of 9/11 was that they turned several boxcutters into the worst terrorist attack ever, and they're likely to strike in another comparatively low-budget operation where there's little security to stop them. Bush's campaign has been centered around the idea that they'll hit us in the same place twice... But Kerry thinks otherwise.He's for increased chemical and nuclear plant security. He's for massively increased port security. He's for channelling more money to homeland security (and Kerry's voting record is also strong on giving money to cops).
Will Kerry do it? Well, obviously, I believe so... But even if you doubt him, he's still far more likely to do it than Bush, who's had three years, done nothing about any of these issues, and has a consistent record of caving to the pressures of Big Business every time.
Posted by Andrew at 06:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 13, 2004
Bad Ass!
Oprah's audience is driven to tears of joy
Posted by Andrew at 10:18 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Reviews: (movie) Garden State
The fact that New York and New Jersey are basically rivals (something like N. and S. California), combined with the fact that New York used to set the culture for the entire nation means that for most of us the Garden State will be though of as a vast cultural wasteland. I have no idea if this is true or not, but after seeing Zach Braff masturbatory offering, I have every intention of skipping this state entirely, just to make sure that I’m not contaminated...
The movie opens with a shot of Andrew Largeman (Writer-Director-Star Braff) tucked neatly into bed [(too neatly, in fact. It looked exactly as though someone had tucked him into it after he crawled in). White sheets, white walls, white carpet, white blankets, off white phone. The phone is ringing. Largeman’s father babbling into the phone. Two things are established: the Longmans don’t get along, and The titular character’s mother is dead...
As the movie progresses, we learn of the dysfunction at the heart of the Largeman family, as the movie progresses, I began to care less and less. The movie is filled with all sorts of indy-director tricks (of the sort that I can’t name, but always look like every damned indy movie I’ve ever seen), but it is the script which is truly remarkable...
The script features neither comedy-making wit or drama-making tension. It calls for the lead to stand around and not-emote. It does a competent job telling its story, but manages to tell it without sparking a hint of interest...
Part of the problem, perhaps, is that Braff really only had half a story to tell: the journey of a man from crippling depression. While this is an interesting story to tell, it can’t happen in just 4 days, and anyone who falls in love with you at journey’s beginning is not likely be the sort of person you want to be around at journey’s end. The writer seems to not understand this at all, choosing to take a detour on this journey, and ending with a love-arc...
Ranking: 1 state of Gardens out of 5 states of Bliss. The most satisfying thing about this movie was the credits.
Posted by Andrew at 06:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 09, 2004
Airplane!
Paper Airplane flaps its wings as it flies...
Posted by Andrew at 11:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 06, 2004
Good and Evil
In the beginning God covered the earth with broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach, green, yellow, and red vegetables of all kinds; so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
Then using God's bountiful gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's and Krispy Kreme. And Satan said, "You want hot fudge with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "I'll have another with sprinkles." And lo and behold they gained 10 pounds.
And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that man found so fair.
And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane, and combined them. And Woman went from size 2 to size 10.
So God said, "Try my fresh green salad."
And Satan presented crumbled Bleu Cheese dressing and garlic toast on the side And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following there past.
God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them."
And Satan brought forth deep fried coconut shrimp, butter dipped lobster chunks and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man's cholesterol went through the roof.
God then brought forth running shoes so that his Children might lose those extra pounds.
And Satan came forth with a cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And man and woman laughed and cried before the flickering light and started wearing stretch jogging suits.
Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with potassium and good nutrition.
Then Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them in animal fats and added copious quantities of salt And Man put on more pounds.
God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite.
And Satan created McDonald's and the 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then Lucifer said, "You want fries with that?" and Man replied, "Yes! And super size' em!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.
God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.
And Satan created HMOs.
Posted by Andrew at 11:06 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 05, 2004
I think this may be exactly what we were promised that the internet would be used for.
ARC International - The Art Renewal Center
Of course, since they get 30 million hits a month, I may be the last person on earth to have learned about this site...
Via the Dean of all he Esmays
Posted by Andrew at 10:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 04, 2004
Fantasy Novels
How to write a best selling fantasy novel.
Via: Bookslut
Posted by Andrew at 06:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Where to move after lawschool...
A New York Escorts Confessions - No Sex Please, We're Lawyers!
The other, more moderate, proposal, would have prohibited lawyers from having affairs with "vulnerable" clients, such as those involved in immigration, criminal and family law disputes…
Amusingly, I once gave that exact advice to a (married) woman contemplating having an affair with her priest. Basically, I--in my ministerial capacity-- said “having an affair with _a_ parishioner is fine, having an affair with one of _your_ parishioners is a bad move” Same logic goes with Lawyers and Clients...
Posted by Andrew at 05:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 03, 2004
Is this why Republicans oppose universal health-care?
Top News Article | Reuters.com
Get well soon, Bill...
Posted by Andrew at 10:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 01, 2004
liar!
Pleasure Boat Captains for Truth
Posted by Andrew at 11:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack