Volume 2 Issue 72

May 15, 2003

More signs of the Apocalypse

A deflating economy, sleeping with the President, and why won't someone stop FOX?

Sorry about the missed issue yesterday...I do have a job, you know! Seriously, that will happen from time to time, and while I usually can give warnings, sometimes I won't have the chance too, like yesterday. Thanks for your support though...here's today's insanity!

Meanwhile, back in Iraq: The US seems to have finally brought order to Baghdad, but only by rounding up hundreds of suspected criminals, and shooting some looters on sight -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/15/international/worldspecial /15CND-BREMER.html

And was much of the Jessica Lynch story made up? The British seem to think so -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/3028585. stm

Deflation? I've recently said that rising oil prices could lead to stagflation, high inflation and low growth...but now it looks like deflation, which is just as bad, could occur. This month, the PPI index was down at it's highest rate ever. If the CPI is down when it is released tomorrow, then you can definitely expect the Fed to lower interest rates again next month -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58610-2003May15.html
http://money.cnn.com/2003/05/15/news/economy/economy/index.h tm

Buried in the story: Buried in the tragic story of 18 illegal immigrants suffocating in tractor trailer in Texas is the fact that one of them tried to call 911 on his cell phone...but because the wireless companies have stonewalled efforts to make 911 calls traceable, authorities were unable to find out where they were -
http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/051503dntextruc k.2bf54.html

In fact, the wireless industry is still trying to stop number portability as well -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56982-2003May14.html

Outbreak...Chinese Style: China will execute anyone who spreads the SARS virus. That's a way to contain it I suppose. So...why do we trade with them and not Cuba again?
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/15/international/asia/15CND-CHINA.html

Education "Reform": In New Hampshire, one of the more conservative states in the Union, at least when it comes to local control of education, lawmakers from both parties have been pissed at the unfunded mandates in the new "No Child Left Behind Act." In an embankment to Senator Judd Gregg, who chairs the Education Committee in the Senate, the state legislature is considering opting out of the act all together, and not taking any federal money -
http://www.theunionleader.com/primary_show.html?article=2125 1

Democrats on the Run: The Killer D's hiding in Oklahoma say they'll come back tomorrow, once the redistricting bill has died. Roll Call today reported that the walkout may inspire something similar soon from House Democrats, and that since Texas and Colorado have pushed through GOP re-redistricting plans, the Democrats may retaliate by doing the same in Oklahoma and New Mexico (these are the only 4 states in which re-redistricting can be done currently). But perhaps the best news from Ardmore yesterday was a basket of cheer sent to the Dems from none other than Country legend Willie Nelson...
The self-exiled Democrats on Wednesday received word from Texas icon and country star Willie Nelson, who wrote "Way to go, stand your ground" in a card accompanied by eight red bandannas and eight bottles of whiskey.
I'm sure they'll appreciate it Willie. Now you can go back to running from the IRS. Here's some stories from today's papers -
http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/051503dntexshow down.eb7c.html
http://www.statesman.com/legislature/content/coxnet/texas/le gislature/0503/0515walk.html

And some families and staffs have complained of harassment by Texas Rangers...Texas Congressional Democrats have asked the Justice Department to investigate if money was in appropriately spent to track the missing Dems -
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/politics/stat e/stories/051503dntexdps.9d73.html

Oh, and in Washington, Tom DeLay stormed out of a restaurant after being told it was non-smoking. Tom, why did you leave if you're criticizing others for leaving? I mean, the restaurant was only trying to obey the law...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57541-2003May14.html

Grumblings on 42nd St: The New York Times scandal has greatly hurt morale in the newsroom, resulting in a tense meeting yesterday with editors. Of course, there are larger issues over Howell Raines' tenure at the Old Grey Lady as well... -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/15/business/media/15PAPE.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57451-2003May14.html

Speaking of manipulating the media: Indiana is up in arms about how Bush forced people on stage with him to remove their neckties, so they could look more "normal." -
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1278487&nav=0Ra 6Fp4l

Look Who's Running for President: Joe Lieberman got booed again for his pro-war stance. Lieberman has also proposed a monthly debate among the Democratic Candidates, beginning in July. -
http://www.adn.com/24hour/politics/story/887387p-6182501c.html

Look Who's Running for President 2: The Dems are fighting again. The DLC (the Republican wing of the Democratic Party) has attacked Howard Dean -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56831-2003May14.html

But Bill Clinton, the DLC's darling, said that Dean was acceptable to DLC standards, at least as he saw them -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57880-2003May15.html

Look Who's Running for President 3: Another bad sign for John Kerry...he's apparently a member of Yale's Skull and Bones society, a super secretive society that counts as it's members George W. Bush as well as many other movers and shakers. Oh yeah, an it's anti-gay and anti-women too. Sure that will help with the constituencies. No comment from Kerry, his political backers are too busy writing what he's going to say. Maybe he and Al Gore can go on vacation while their common staff lose another election... -
http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/national/bone05152003.htm

Look Who Was Sleeping with the President: The NY Daily News has uncovered the woman, who in 1962 and 1963 as a 19 year old White House Intern supposedly had an affair with President Kennedy -
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/83791p-76600c.html

A message just as important today: This year marks the 50th anniversary of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. In that book, Bradbury predicted many of the technological developments of today, such as live TV and the media culture. But...is his view of an oppressive government installed by the people too far behind?
http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110003492

But can Superman change in them? Verizon is planning to switch some of it's phone booths in Manhattan into Internet terminals -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/14/technology/14NET.html

Speaking of the Internet, the French Phone Company is celebrating the 20th year of it's Minitel service, which was the first practical mass use of a computer network, first introduced in 1983 -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3012769.stm

Fading Languages: Of the 6,809 languages still spoken on Earth, 90% are spoken by fewer than 100,000 people, and 46 that have only one speaker. Is the end of languages a good thing, since it will unify us, or a bad thing, since it erases culture, and may be a sign of extinction for humans? -
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?st ory=406324

Money Grubbing Owners: The owner of the Kansas City Royals demanded that the teams payroll be cut by 10 million dollars by the end of July. But now that the team is in first place, will he follow through?
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/15/sports/baseball/15royals.h tml?8hpib=&pagewanted=all&position

In Passing: Robert Stack, of TV's The Untouchables and Unsolved Mysteries has died at 84 -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/15/obit.stack.ap/index .html

Calling the sommelier: Winemakers are trying to find away to get rid of corks, which ruin more bottles of wine than anything else -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/14/dining/14SCRE.html?8hpib

Where are the flying cars? So how come we don't have flying cars yet?
http://slate.msn.com/id/2082929/

Atlantic City 25 Years Later: It's been 25 years since New Jersey became the 2nd state to allow gambiling...has it been worth it? -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/05/13/jersey.casinos.ap/index .html

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! That's right kids...FOX is bringing back "Joe Millionaire" again in the fall. Do they really think there are people out there that are so dumb they'd fall for this twice? Oh wait, this is America...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59567-2003May15.html

How is it different from a normal cartoon? The Cambodian government is helping to sponsor a land mine awareness campaign...using Bugs Bunny -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/05/14/bugs.l andmines/index.html

Environmentalism in Maryland: What a way to preserve nature...from CQ -
Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was to announce today that he will have a ceremonial desk made for his office from the fallen Wye Oak tree. Ehrlich and state archivist Edward C. Papenfuse have decided that some limbs of the 460-year-old tree, which was downed in a storm that hit Wye Mills last year, will become a place for Maryland governors to store papers and pens and display family portraits. The desk, a gift to the state from Baltimore businessman Henry A. Rosenberg, will cost $25,000 to construct. It will remain the property of the state after Ehrlich leaves office, the Baltimore Sun reported. The decision to build the desk runs counter to a recommendation made by a committee established by former Gov. Parris N. Glendening to preserve the remains of the tree so they are available to the public.

Wonder where Don Shaffer was on all this...

Have a great day!