Obama

What I like about Obama is he's certainly no dictator. He's not going to use obscure provision in some laws to overturn Don't Ask Don't Tell or use the Justice Department to refuse to recognize Defense of Marriage Act. Doing those things would have been a dictatorial act, even if the laws permitted it, because they would have been done without the consent of Congress and against the will of the military.

Some people might consider Obama's backtracking on indefinite detention to be an example of a dictatorial power, but we must remember that this was a precedent set not by him, but by George W. Bush. Bush has set up a legal limbo that Obama is struggling to disentangle, and for now, he has not figured out how to disentangle himself from this mess without political risks.

AT&T

AT&T should have followed Apple's strategy when there was outrage over
having to pay the full price of an iPhone.

When Apple, no more than 2 months after debuting the iPhone in June
2007, suddenly dropped the price by $200, there was a huge outrage
that went on for probably a day or two, then Apple offered a $100
rebate, and the outrage largely muted itself. $100 is not $200, but it
was acceptable.

AT&T should have developed more of a spine and said people would be
required to buy the iPhone at full price. Then, after a day or two of
fury, offered a rebate.

Except, unlike with Apple, there's nothing to buy from AT&T, so AT&T
could have instead simply say that the customers get one free month on
their iPhone bill, or $70 off. Then the anger would be muted.

Instead, all I see is a muddled reaction to the anger.

Zahra Rahnavard

I am in solidarity with the Iranian people protesting their rights being taken away, and their bravery against government suppression. Even though to me, Moussavi does not represent a huge change as he is chosen by the same party, the Iranian people are inspiring, and we will see what comes of it in the future. We can only hope for the best, but they must determine their path.

Annals of Medicine: The Cost Conundrum: newyorker.com

Annals of Medicine: The Cost Conundrum: newyorker.com

Shared via AddThis

Night Fisherman

If you think the new Star Trek movie was unfaithful to the spirits of Star Trek, you should read Star Trek Reboots, a wonderful counterargument.

Why do oil companies and car companies help each other? It is like the United States helping Israel. By that analogy, I mean to say that both countries' interests are not mutual. Israel is more interested in expanding its territory, even at the risk of a nuclear attack or increased terrorism. Its Jewish fundamentalists have an ugly influence on its politics. The United States, however, does not want further terrorist attacks, and with the elections of 2006 and 2008, the evangelical movement has declined in its ugly power.

So, the vehicular industry ought to be neutral in the oil debate, and more interested in increasing its fuel efficiency, whereas the oil industry would prefer that more oil be consumed, the more profits it obtains. Yet, they apparently infest and join frequently to lobby Congress. Now, we see the near bankruptcy of a car company, and the dispossession of another to an Italian corporation. Meanwhile, the oil companies continue to amass money, but because they are a private industry, they do not take risks the way a government would, so they do not explore, and instead lobby the federal government for money to search for oil and build pipelines for them.