“Change” we can believe in??
Not bad for his first month in office. Hugo Chavez would be proud:
- The Dow at a 10-year low.
- A tax cheat running the IRS
- Another tax cheat as the Chief of Staff
- A trillion-dollar plus federal deficit
- Over one-half of voters relieved of any federal tax liability
- Government mandated limits on executive compensation
- Three failed attempts and still no Commerce Secretary
- Tom Daschle rides his free limo into the sunset - after paying taxes he evaded.
- The White House performance czar turns out to be a tax cheat also
- Lobbyists hired to work for the Obama Administration
- The census gets politicized
- Double government spending in one year
- The word "freedom" fades into obscurity
- Increasing home loan mortgage rates across the board
- Millions of Americans made dependent on government
- Moving unionization-by-intimidation forward
- Welfare checks become "tax cuts."
- Illegal aliens free to work on taxpayer-funded "stimulus" projects
- Welfare reform reversed, states ordered to increase welfare roles
- Move to silence critical talk radio shows
- Selling Senate seats
- Obama books in religious sections of book stores
- More government workers, not private sector jobs
- A government bureaucracy to intrude on doctor/patient relationships
- Stage set for medical services rationing
- Annual welfare checks for middle income families
Hey, you voted for him and the media made him out to be a God even though the only thing he's accomplished as an adult is writing two racist books. You get what you pay for. Thanks to Neal's Nuze for the list.
Now that I have your attention, let's compare the U.S. to Argentina...
The death of Google’s patents. And maybe software patents too?
I'm actually very surprised this hasn't been picked up on any of the major tech sites. Here's the first sentence from the article:
"The Patent and Trademark Office has now made clear that its newly developed position on patentable subject matter will invalidate many and perhaps most software patents, including pioneering patent claims to such innovators as Google, Inc."
Wow! This would seem to be a complete reversal of the PTO's position (patenting world+dog is ok). If true, it could certainly be beneficial for Free and Open Source software, but more importantly, it could restore some much needed creativity and competition to the tech world that now goes to filing, defending, and getting sued over patents.
Full article is here.
The cooling world
Interesting article back from 1975 on how the earth was experiencing "global cooling". You might see some interesting parallels with the hysteria about "global warming" going on today. Check it out here - Article.
Flemming Rose On Why Publish Cartoons Critical Of Islam
Flemming Rose On Why Publish Cartoons Critical Of Islam: "Flemming Rose, the Danish newspaper editor who ran the Mohammed cartoons which have angered Muslims to the point of burning..."
(Via ParaPundit.)
Chinese Communist Party Comes Out Against Chinese Censors
Chinese Communist Party Comes Out Against Chinese Censors: "So the Party Elders in China have written a scathing letter to the government's censors. Excerpt:
'History demonstrates that only a totalitarian system needs news censorship, out of the delusion that it can keep the public locked in ignorance.' - Ouch! Sorry that this is not technology related, but it is just TOO good!!!"
(Via digg.)
The Queer Muhammad: an experiment in tolerance
Great article on Townhall.com suggesting we experiment with the so-called "separation of Church and State". Check it out.
The Cartoons That Started The Controversy
Along with a great article that states that an overwhelming majority of Danes and even Europeans support the cartoons (in fact, more European newspapers are considering publishing the cartoons) and freedom of expression/press, here are the cartoons that have the Muslim world in an uproar:
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/698
My take: It's very ironic that Muslims proclaim that Islam is a peaceful religion whilst at the same time burning down embassies, inciting riots, calling for a 9/11 in Europe, killing people, calling for hangings and chanting "Death to Europe, Death to Americans" for printing cartoons of their prophet while they have in fact done so in the past. I guess peaceful Muslims are a minority in a very loud, angry, racist, and hateful majority of radical Islamist groups.
The only good thing that comes from this is that we now know where all the radical Muslims live...
Muslims Huff And Puff Over Cartoons And EU Mandarins Appease
Great article over the current clash of civilizations between Muslims and the West:
Muslims Huff And Puff Over Cartoons And EU Mandarins Appease: "Some EU mandarins do not like the decision of a Danish newspaper to publish cartoons which made fun of Islam's..."
(Via ParaPundit.)