Breaking Windows

So, that tax rebate we're all getting at some point this year? Well, the government has decided to let you know about it via snail mail to the tune of $42 million.

The only logic I can see here is that with all of the identity theft and scams out there, they want to be sure to let people know this is legit. But seriously, if you don't already know about this, it's your own damn fault and you probably don't deserve the check in the first place. Then again, what if people think the letter is fake? Do we need to send them another letter letting them know the previous letter was real?

From the NPR News Blog:

Using Barack Obama's middle name, Hussein, sounds "like a rallying cry for bigots."

No, that didn't come from anyone in the Barack Obama camp. Nor did it come from any liberal pundit defending him. It actually came from someone many liberals consider akin to Darth Vader - Karl Rove.

Well, even McCain apologized.

That's right folks, we live in a world where we need to pay parents to get their kid to go to the library. Oh, and remember, it's the video games fault.

As result of trying to enact a law banning the sale of violent videogames (which was found unconstitutional), the State of Illinois must pay the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), game industry trade group, $510,528.64 in attorney fees.

Wow, that is a great use of tax payers money. Good job Illinois!

The Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives last Wednesday, aims to cut down on pedophiles’ access to social networking sites and the children who often populate them; however, the act could potentially ban the kids its seeks to protect from accessing sites like MySpace.com—even Amazon.com—while at libraries or schools, BBC News reports.

DOPA? Great name. While I am all for cutting down on pedophiles’ access to social networking sites, this is not the solution. From Internetnews.com:

...The dopes, in this case, are lawmakers anxious to show the voters back home they are doing something about the sexual predators crawling around the Internet...

The American Library Association's (ALA) analysis of DOPA concludes the dragnet filters would cover non-educational social networks, chat rooms, wikis, instant messaging, blogs and possibly even e-mail.

The big problem I see here is the government blocking even more sites that are legitimately used for research -- you know, education?

Project Maple Syrup is all I really have to say. Oh boy, only in Canada...

Though come to think of it during my two years here I haven't tried any yet. They got this maple beer stuff, too, and the idea intrigues me...

THE WHOS down in Who-ville

Were a tolerant lot:

Who Christians, Who Muslims — a Who melting pot.

Who Hindus! Who atheists! Who Buddhists, Who Jews!

Who Confucians, Who pagans,

And even Who Druze! The Who 1st Amendment's Establishment Clause

Said, "No creches in courts," and the Whos loved their laws.

This should have been posted before Christmas this year, but it is still as relevant now - and as funny. The entire column is written like a Dr. Seuss book.

Matt sent me this one. And it is Not Safe For Work! You could say it has a bit of language in it. But here is some more commentary on the "War on Christmas."

Seriously – are you kidding me with this “There’s a war on Christmas” bullshit? FOX News wasn’t raking in enough cash already from all the Christmas commercials for Kill ‘em All Barbie and Girls Gone Wild Brand Toddler Gear? They had to start publishing books about some bogus attack on Christianity? And who did they pick to lead this particular charge?

Here is a pretty good read, with some great links in it, for those of you who think this entire "War on Christmas” is utter crap. Another link thanks to Erin.

Congressman John D. Dingell (MI-15) recited the following poem on the floor of the US House of Representatives concerning House Resolution 579, which expressed the sense of the House of Representatives that the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected. “Preserving Christmas” has been a frequent topic for conservative talk show hosts, including Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly.

It's a pretty funny poem, you can even watch him recite the poem (with WMP). Thanks goes to Erin for pointing this out.

Florida lawyer's request to leave case denied; judge opts to revoke temporary license to practice law in the state instead.

Earlier this month, outspoken Florida attorney Jack Thompson withdrew from a high-profile Alabama civil suit against several game makers and retailers. According to Game Politics, the judge today rejected Thompson's withdrawal, and instead kicked him off the case and revoked his temporary license to practice law in Alabama, to boot.

Jordan was just telling me Jack Thompson has been too quiet lately. Maybe this is why.

Jack Thompson, you are a moron.

The US has won its fight to stay in charge of the internet, despite opposition from many nations.

In an eleventh-hour agreement ahead of a UN internet summit in Tunis, Tunisia, negotiators agreed to leave the US in charge of the net's addressing system.

I am glad to see that the Bush Administration has done something right lately. It is a very good thing, for many reasons more then political, that the US holds sway over the Internet's addressing system. This topic was up in the air, with no clear outlook for too long, it is good to see this resolved.

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the 1995 referendum to see whether Quebec would secede from Canada and form its own independent country.

I don't remember the event firsthand at all, I was only 13 at the time and ignorant of world politics, but I know a lot of people now who remember it well. It was a nail-biter. And there're murmurs that the province may try it again in the next five years.

WASHINGTON - Why is Tom DeLay smiling? After all, he’s been indicted. Forced out of his job as House majority leader. And called into court for fingerprinting and a mugshot like a common criminal.

I thought maybe he wanted one last good photo before he goes to jail, but I guess it to detour the attack ads that will be coming. But then they will come, and just use something as bad. It will just have a smiling DeLay in it.

Georgia's Governor Perdue asked the state's schools to take two "early snow days" and cancel classes Monday and Tuesday to help conserve gasoline as Hurricane Rita threatens the nation's fuel supply line.

OK, OK, have you heard this one.... wait for it, wait for it...

Governor Perdue also has a new initiative for Georgia's schools: "Every child left behind."

Granholm prematurely announces signing of violent-game laws, signs laws prohibiting display of sexually explicit games instead.

Democratic Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that she signed into law legislation that prohibits the "sale or rental of mature or adult-rated video games to children."

None of these yahoos can get this done right. I also saw on the news that this does not go into effect until Dec 1, so it could get overturned by... you guessed, the 1st amendment - just as so many of these types of video game bills have fizzled in the past.

The top three officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency share at least one trait: they had little or no experience in disaster management before landing top FEMA posts.

According to a Sept. 7 Chicago Tribune story, FEMA Director Michael Brown was commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association and had virtually no experience in disaster management.

David asks a great question: Why isn't the Bush Administration getting any heat for putting together a FEMA team so lacking in experience?

The decision to order Brown back to Washington from Louisiana — he remains as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency — marked the administration's latest attempt to assert leadership in the wake of the devastating storm and its aftermath, including the weakest public opinion polls of Bush's time in office.

Michael Brown is going back to Washington and will get a slap on the wrist. Hell, he might end up with a shiny medal out of this. He should get fired. With inaction by FEMA and reports of discrepancies in Brown's resume, the Bush administration finally seems to be taking the action it needed to in the aftermath of this Katrina catastrophe.

HOUSTON, Texas (CNN) -- Former President Bill Clinton on Monday said the government "failed" the thousands of people who lived in coastal communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and said a federal investigation was warranted in due time.

You can read the interview, or watch it - only on Windows though. I think it is sad that the Bush Administration and the State Government of Louisiana is playing the blame game over this. I think the logical way to look at this is that it started out as a Louisiana problem, and escalated into a very quickly into a national problem. It's just FUBAR all around, and instead of blaming people, action needs to be taken. This is because things are getting to the unhealthy state, E. coli etc, etc.

CNN's free video was a good call, but they need to realize we have Windows Media Player 9 on the Mac too.[/rant]

OK so maybe I'm not the only one who turned to his roommate days ago and sarcastically remarked, "Gosh, wouldn't it be kind of funny if all these third-world countries started sending us help?"

Ken asked me to talk about the Canadian angle on this whole thing [Katrina disaster] (I just moved to Montreal the other day). As soon as I walked in the door of my apartment, my roommate was watching the constant coverage on CNN.

I'm not one to comment on politics. I think I've made one or two posts on the topic, mostly for humor (excluding game violence rants). I find the process ridiculous, annoying, and aggravating. I have no idea about what the left, right, up, down, north, south, etc. believe. But Bush, let me ask you this:

What the fuck are you doing?

(AP) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that his government could request the extradition of U.S. religious broadcaster Pat Robertson for suggesting American agents should kill him.

You may have read about this last week. I always thought Pat Robertson was a crack pot, but I never thought we would see anything like this.

How did that air in the first place? They have a delay, don't they?

But I think the Venezuelan government has a pretty good case here, unfortunately. After all, the US does not like it when people make death threats on our president.

Quicktime video.

The U.S. military is calling it an "administrative error," but others are suggesting it was caught posing propaganda as news.

The military issued a news release on July 24, following a car bomb, that included a quote from an unidentified Iraqi man. But the quote was almost identical to one used in a July 13 release, following a separate car bomb.

Take out of this what you will, but it smells fishy.

U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to introduce legislation to help keep video games with pornographic and violent content out of the hands of children in the wake of a controversy over the popular “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” video game.

If you think Matt and I beat this to a pulp, then why are there 30 comments to this on a Mac based news site?

My favorite comment comes from macFanDave:

She ought to spend her time preparing articles of impeachment against George W. Bush.

Even if they go nowhere, I am sure they will be fun for her to write and for us to read!

I have a great idea. Lets put a V-Chip into all the video game consoles sold. Then see if the parents can figure out how to use it. Once they do, then the problem is solved. Parents could block games by title or by ERSB rating.

I have said it before, and I will say it again: This is not the job of our government, it is the job of the parents/guardians.

I think this graph from a GameSpot article sums things up very nicely:

Given that the minigame is about as raunchy as an episode of Sex and the City, cannot be accessed without entering a long string of cheat codes, and takes several hours of effort to access, charges that San Andreas is "pornographic" may seem extreme to some. However, its existence does appear to contradict Rockstar Games' carefully worded statement blaming hacker mischief for the existence of the Hot Coffee mod.

In 1985 Live Aid raised money, and awareness for the poverty in Africa. Now in 2005 they are raising just awareness with Live 8 (Live on AOL Music). Thats nice and all, but I don't think that is enough.

Over 600,000 people made it to the Philly concert alone. Why not charge people $1 or $2 to get in the gate. Why not push for donations by phone?

The US will not cede control of the Domain Name System for the Internet. As a result, the "Internets" malapropism may become a reality.

On Thursday, Michael Gallagher, an Assistant Secretary of Commerce announced a stunning change in US policy regarding the Internet.

All your DNS are belong to US.

This sure was unexpected. I guess someone in the Bush Administration figured out that the "Internets" is a global tool and decided that the US needs to keep control of it. Of course ICANN will still perform day to day operations. They just won't control it.

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- Chinese bloggers, even on foreign-sponsored sites, better chose their words carefully -- the censors are watching.

Users of the MSN Spaces section of Microsoft Corp.'s new China-based Web portal get a scolding message each time they input words deemed taboo by the communist authorities -- such as democracy, freedom and human rights.

"Prohibited language in text, please delete," the message says.

Aren't you glad you live in (insert country here) where you can voice your own opinion?

I hate politics. I really, really do. Here we are, trying to educate parents about the game rating system firmly in place. They aren't getting it for whatever reason. What's Illinois going to do? Slap their own rating on the box! Genius, pure genius! Instead of moving forward with the simple system already in place that at least some parents are familiar with, let's confuse these people even more with TWO on the box! Hooray for common sense and starting all over. Idiots.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A key committee of the California Assembly on Tuesday backed a bill to restrict the sale of violent video games to minors.

The measure is one of many pending before state legislatures and local councils across the country. Two federal appellate courts have already ruled, however, that such laws violate the free speech guarantees of the First Amendment.

I have six words for you: The government should not get involved. Here are four more: They most probably will.

The ESRB does a very good job of taming down the 'M' rated games as it is. If these psycho psychologists looked at the builds of the 'M' rated games that got turned down there would probably be blood in the streets. It is really the retail market who has put a dagger in 'AO' (Adult Only) rated games, so no developer in their right mind will sit with an 'AO' rating from the ESRB. They go back and make it an 'M' rated game so it will sell. So blame the retail channel. Or you could blame the parents that buy the 'M' rated games. Just a thought.

Hilary Rodham Clinton, D, NY, has taken sides. Apparently, the wrong one. In an article with the Sunday Times, the first-time senator and two-term first lady, said she wants to launch a $90 million investigation into the effects of videogames on children.

Well that sounds like my tax dollars spent well. Maybe they should test the parents. The parents who buy M rated games for their kids without the knowledge of what the game is about. Her quote about having sex with prostitutes and then killing them is a very old claim. Maybe she should make her own statements.

The Bush administration's budget for 2006, due out on Monday, could mean the end of the Perkins loan program.

In that budget, the president will ask Congress to recall the federal share of institutions' revolving loan funds, according to a top Education Department official. The funds, which are made up of federal "capital contributions," institutional matches, and repaid Perkins loans, are used to make new loans to students from low-income and middle-income families.

No child left behind!

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says he twice offered President Bush his resignation during the height of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, but the president refused to accept it.

*grumble*

Dan Kelly sent this to me. Thanks Dan. This is a powerful video (Flash) that has some rather high production values of the video, CG, and the song. It is very well done, but I warn it is very graphic, and sad.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Newt Gingrich is taking steps toward a potential presidential bid in 2008 with a book criticizing President Bush's policies on Iraq and a tour of early campaign states.

The former House speaker who led Republicans to power a decade ago said he soon will visit Iowa and New Hampshire to promote his book, try to influence public policy and keep his political options alive.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration paid a prominent commentator to promote the No Child Left Behind schools law to fellow blacks and to give the education secretary media time, records show.

A company run by Armstrong Williams, the syndicated commentator, was paid $240,000 by the Education Department. The goal was to deliver positive messages about Bush's education overhaul, using Williams' broad reach with minorities.

Yea, No Child Left Behind, I have always liked that one. [/sarcasm]

(CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld faced tough questioning Wednesday from troops about to be deployed to Iraq.

I watched a little bit of this on Wolf Blitzer on CNN today. The question about the armor on the Humvees was just astonishing.

A Pentagon spokesman said later Wednesday that 450 armored Humvees are being produced each month. This is up from August 2003 when only 15 per month were made.

In Baker County, for example, with 12,887 registered voters, 69.3% of them Democrats and 24.3% of them Republicans, the vote was only 2,180 for Kerry and 7,738 for Bush, the opposite of what is seen everywhere else in the country where registered Democrats largely voted for Kerry.

In Dixie County, with 9,676 registered voters, 77.5% of them Democrats and a mere 15% registered as Republicans, only 1,959 people voted for Kerry, but 4,433 voted for Bush.

Let the conspiracy theories begin, or continue, or build, or boil over, or whatever. I think these e-voting systems should be thrown in a trash heap until they hire some programmers and engineers that have a brain. They also need to allow 3rd party auditing of their software before I would feel safe with e-voting.

Thanks to Tom Madigan for the link. Tom is living out in Cali now, he is in a blue state with a Last Action Here GOP as the Governor. I don't know who's state is more messed up.

my dear republicans,

enjoy this, you've earned it. when it mattered most you came out to vote in record numbers, stealing the swing states from john kerry. i commend you, you've all done well. before i sail off into the liberalist sunset, i'd like to offer you a few parting thoughts, please take the time to listen as i have taken the time to endure the past four years silently.

He has some good points. I would have to agree. Thanks to I cannot remember who gave me this link.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- An error with an electronic voting system gave President Bush 3,893 extra votes in suburban Columbus, elections officials said.

Franklin County's unofficial results had Bush receiving 4,258 votes to Democrat John Kerry's 260 votes in a precinct in Gahanna. Records show only 638 voters cast ballots in that precinct.

Bush actually received 365 votes in the precinct, Matthew Damschroder, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, told The Columbus Dispatch.

I really need to write my rant on electronic voting machines. I don't see why in the hell we use them. It has been proven again and again , and again here in Ohio, that they are not up to the task at hand. It is not enough to give Kerry Ohio, can you imagine the mess that would be? I think the final numbers of this 2004 election would have been a lot different, and more accurate, if this nation would just stick to paper ballots. Electronic voting machines are FUBAR and need to be thrown in the dump.

Many Canadian adults want John Kerry to become the next president of the United States, according to a poll by CROP published in La Presse. 60 per cent of respondents want the Democratic nominee to win the Nov. 2 election, while 20 per cent would choose Republican incumbent George W. Bush.

Should Canada get some Electoral Votes? They would take them if they had the chance. How about the UK? How about the World? (BBC News)

Why does the world at large not like Bush?

ELY, Nevada (AP) -- A county commission race in this gambling state was decided in true Nevada fashion -- by the luck of the draw.

After finishing Tuesday's election tied with 1,847 votes each, Robert Swetich and Raymond Urrizaga agreed to draw cards to resolve the deadlocked White Pine County commission race.

Picking a card gives you more chances to win, I suppose. But I have never hear of anything like this before.

Today USA TODAY printed a county-by-county map of the 2004 election. They also posted it on their web site.

Jake linked to this image on someone's iDisk and it looks like it is down now, but Urban Vancouver has it. Thanks to Richard Eriksson for pointing me to the UV site (nice of him to plug that site, isnt it?)

You'll be hearing a lot of "I'm moving to..." the next couple days. Well, I'm not moving anywhere. I'm staying put. The borders? Well, that's another story.

Check out the link, for the new Canada 2.0 map!

Americans attempting to escape four more years of President Bush by fleeing to Canada will have to wait in line, just like immigrants from any other country, the Immigration Ministry said Wednesday.

Over the years, Canada's social climate has shifted to the left of the United States, with relatively higher taxes supporting programs such as public health care. That and the promise of legalized gay marriage and lenient marijuana laws might be a draw to some Democrats despondent over Bush victory and the promise of continued conservatism from his administration.

Drat!

BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- President Bush declared victory in his race for re-election Wednesday, telling his cheering supporters that "America has spoken."

"America has spoken, and I'm humbled by the trust and the confidence of my fellow citizens," Bush said. "With that trust comes a duty to serve all Americans. And I will do my best to fulfill that duty every day as your president."

Hello! 48% of this great country does not trust Bush. That was proven on Tuesday night. So Bush should not be humbled. He should be cautious because almost half the nation voted for the chance to see what Kerry could do. But he won't be cautious. He is a lame duck, and he can do what he really wanted to do the first term. I am fearful of a lot of things right now, paramount to that list is a collapse of the economy, I hope it does not happen under Bush's second term. As my friend Brandon said "I am hopeful, because it's all I can be." I feel the same way. We can only hope. Lets hope that Bush's second term is not as bad as presidential history tells us about.

I don't really want to talk about the Ohio vote, but I have this to say: I am upset about it, but I do know that a great deal of this site has voted GOP in the past, especially here in the north west part of the state. Portage County, where I lived before college, voted blue. Stark County, where my dad lives, voted blue. Cuyahoga even voted blue. Rural voters in this state lost Ohio for Kerry. It is sad, I am sad.

Neil has some good points on what to look forward to in the next 4 years. And since I am lazy and don't want to make my own list, please read his.

And as Jake put it: Bush won the majority of the popular vote, so he should be president (for better or for worse). Now can we get on with life?

The Associated Press has been counting the vote since its founding in 1848, when Zachary Taylor of the Whig Party defeated Democrat Lewis Cass. This year, for the first time in decades, AP will be the only news organization collecting the vote for the media and delivering it to newspapers and broadcasters, including the television networks. It will be delivered in a variety of formats, by satellite and online...

Here's an explanation of how the AP will provide results in 2004 with the speed and accuracy on which its members and subscribers have learned to rely.

Source: AP Press Release

Thanks to my boss to sending this link to The BG News listproc.