Quips: Quick commentary on politics, technology and life, I think.

Wednesday, April 28

Draft of the perfect reality show

It's the funniest thing I've read in quite some time.

... During the restoration process, the team will be judged and heckled by a panel comprised of Debbie Gibson, Warren Buffett, and a weekly guest panelist of C-list status. Each week...

Posted by jb, 12:25 AM :: :: #

Friday, April 9

Random Thoughts

Random Thought #1: What kind of ex-president will "W" be, do you think? Whether it's next year or after another term (heaven forbid), how will he spend his time? Will he work to promote further social or foreign policies? Will he set up an office and write books? Will he tour the country giving speeches or even do fundraising for conservative groups? Somehow, I can only see him sitting on his duff on his ranch, playing golf, and chatting with his big oil buddies. But maybe that's just me.

Random Thought #2: My new state of residence, Ohio, has just passed a concealed weapons law. Not against, but for. People have begun applying for permits this week. I was already concerned about this state when I heard it had reinstated executions in 1999. (That's right, RE-instated. They were smart enough to do away with it once, but now it's back. Speaking of which, they're seeking the death penalty for the "Ohio sniper," a man who is mentally ill and only killed one person by chance.) But now I am sick with worry over the idea that my friends and neighbors could be packing. The law says you can only carry a weapon, that you can't use it. The theory of the law is that if a criminal thinks you could be carrying a weapon, he may not attack you. (Personally, I think a criminal planning to attack me would be smart and quick enough to get my gun away from me, and would be less afraid to use it on me than I would be to use it on him.) But my fear is not that people will start taking the law into their own hands. It is not that people will have a convenient weapon if they are enraged at work or on the roads. It is not even that children will be more likely to find a gun in a purse than a locked cabinet and accidentally fire it, though these are all reasonable concerns. No, my concern is that by carrying guns everyday, people will become complacent, and begin to lose respect for the power of their guns. And when you lose respect for the power and destructive force of something, you're in danger. It happens with cars, with severe weather, with electricity, and with power tools. You see them everyday, you use them frequently, and over time you forget they can kill you if you push the boundaries. This new gun law is bound to increase the number of deaths of average people, not cut crime.

Posted by Jen, 12:49 PM :: :: #

Wednesday, April 7

Changing lanes, and where they go

California has decided to get rid of cloverleaf interchanges after a Virginia study found they bog down traffic rather than helping it flow once they start getting about 1,000 vehicles an hour, which some LA freeways get in about 4 minutes. I know the one I drive past is generally a hindrance, though that could have something to do with the construction. The alternative, apparently, is the flyover, which is more expensive, but cuts down on the games of chicken in the merge lanes.

Posted by jb, 4:59 PM :: :: #

Tuesday, April 6

Here's hoping the pen really is mightier than the sword...

There has been much ado about the recent rash of books bashing Bush and his foreign policy. Of course, some of these are to be expected, coming from the likes of liberal crusaders Al Franken, Molly Ivins, and Michael Moore. Others have been authored by lifelong public servants, like Paul O'Neill, Richard Clarke, and Joseph Wilson, who felt betrayed by the administration and eventually left their positions. One you may not have heard of is from Carter's National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski. There's also Bob Woodward, famous for his Watergate investigative journalism, who has previously written reasonably positive things about Bush, but maybe not any longer. Finally, there's John Dean. He was White House Counsel for Nixon, and his book's title says it all. The adminstration has, predictably, denounced most of these books and/or authors (either directly or via neocon talk radio) at a level proportional to the public's awareness of them. But really, if one of Nixon's guys says you're being deceitfully secretive, doesn't that tell you something?

Posted by Jen, 11:51 PM :: :: #

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