» 2008 » April

• Vets say they feel misled about GI benefits - CNN.com
  (tags: veterans Military)
• Spaceport still needs FAA license - New Space Race- msnbc.com
  Hopefully the FAA will get space right, given their record recently on planes.

  No wonder we’ve never been contacted by aliens, if they had to deal with the FAA to come visit

  (tags: FAA space)
• Scientists Thaw 1,000-Pound Squid Corpse - TIME

I’ll admit it - I don’t actually like most “comedy” shows on TV. This might be the result of being as old as I am, and being raised on “The Greats” such as Monty Python, but I cringe a lot of the time.

Having said that, the occasional skit hits me in the funny bone, and this one from MAD TV is one of them:

• BBC NEWS | UK | Spy law ‘used in dog fouling war’
  And people wonder why the UK is effectively a police state
  (tags: UnitedKingdom UKGovernment uk Spyware terrorism government)

• BBC NEWS | UK | Wales | South East Wales | Protests against military academy
  (tags: NIMBY ingrates veterans UnitedKingdom uk prejudice RAF RoyalMarines Marine Military MinistryofDefence MoD hypocrisy RoyalNavy Army)
• BBC NEWS | UK | England | Manchester | Student military recruitment row
  (tags: NIMBY ingrates veterans UnitedKingdom uk prejudice RAF RoyalMarines Marine Military MinistryofDefence MoD hypocrisy RoyalNavy Army)
• Atheist soldier claims harassment - CNN.com
  (tags: Military atheism discrimination veterans prejudice politics)
• Republican-sanctioned Discrimination | Moonwolf’s Lair
  (tags: Democrat Disability discrimination equalrights Republican SCOTUS SupremeCourt)

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen runs a blog on Time Magazine’s website, “Work In Progress“, which sometimes can be almost close to approaching nearing the level of cynicism I occasionally use here.

Recently, she ran a blog entry, “Equal pay isn’t a partisan issue. Is it?“, explaining that the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act had been filibustered in Congress by the Republicans.

The Act was intended to be

• DRM sucks redux: Microsoft to nuke MSN Music DRM keys
  DRM sucks redux: Microsoft to nuke MSN Music DRM keys
  (tags: DRM MSN Microsoft entertainment copyfight copyright audio music playsforsure)
• Walter Reed and Beyond (washingtonpost.com)
  A bridge page on the Washington Post’s website with articles and stories about Walter Reed Hospital and veteran’s issues
  (tags: disability veterans WalterReed healthcare Military)

• US court says IP addresses are private | OUT-LAW.COM
  A US court has ruled that users have a “reasonable expectation of privacy” in their internet surfing records and that police must obtain warrants from higher than usual courts in order to force ISPs to hand over records.
  (tags: Out-Law legal)
• BBC - Cult - Classic TV - Blake’s 7
  The BBC’s website about Blakes 7, one of the best sci-fi TV series to ever be released!
  (tags: Blakes7 BBC culttv)

Steve Ballmer is reported to suggest Microsoft’s Windows XP’s life may be extended beyond the planned termination of sales and some support soon.

To be honest, it feels like a lot of spin by Microsoft.  Ballmer is quoted as saying:

“If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter”

If this is the source of media speculation XP may be extended, they’re being rather hopeful, as it’s so vague as to be nonsensical.

Ballmer does seem to be continuing the spin with other comments in that report.

• Thugs attack Birmingham army cadets
  AN army cadet instructor in Birmingham claims his young charges are being targeted by stone-throwing thugs who are angry at the uniform they wear.
  (tags: Military)

It’s amazing just how low some TV “celebrities” will sink to exploit controversy in order to boost ratings. The question is, where do we draw the line between the “entertainment” of covering such controversies, and potentially creating those controversies by encouraging people?

Once upon a time, the Jerry Springer¹ TV show was the last word in “trailer trash”, with most viewers tuning in just to watch the fights, and bouncer Steve jumping in to separate the combatants (Steve himself managed to get his own show).

Then you have “Dr Phil”².