MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: BP, Exxon Mobil, and Shell gain access to Iraq’s southern oil fields for the first time since 1972

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

BP, Exxon Mobil, and Shell gain access to Iraq’s southern oil fields for the first time since 1972

Gorillaz new album listen for free at NPR

First Listen: Gorillaz

Hear ‘Plastic Beach’ In Its Entirety A Week Before Its Release

Gorillaz new album listen for free at NPR

Jon Stewart Sums Up Everything That is Wrong with America

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Make it Rain – Bank of America
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes
Political Humor The Olympics

20 Reasons Why The U.S. Economy Is Dying And Is Simply Not Going To Recover

‘Real Unemployment’ Needs Real Solutions

Real Unemployement Numbers

Real Unemployment is 20%. US is losing jobs to the world.

The list of unemployment % for countires.

List_of_countries_by_unemployment_rate

We’re still doing okay compared to the world. But not as well as before.

Caougars In Training ; 30 something pumas

Caougars In Training

What 2010 America Can and Can’t Do as a Country

USA Can(s):
Biotechnology, which is delivering much of the world’s most innovative research and ideas.

Silicon Valley, which has enormous inventiveness, energy and capital at its disposal.

Civil society, which, despite the collapse of the economy, seems to be luring the best and brightest young people, and superbly performs the crucial function of goading government and other institutions.

American philanthropy, which is the most evolved, well funded and innovative in the world.

The U.S. military, the best-led, -trained and -equipped on the planet, despite being repeatedly thrust into hopeless wars by stupid politicians.

The spirit and cohesiveness of small-town American life.

The arts, including our film industry, which remains the globe’s sole superpower of entertainment, along with the requisite networks of orchestras, ballet companies, theaters, pop music groups and world-class museums.

USA Can’t(s):
Higher and secondary school education, in which America boasts some of the globe’s preeminent institutions. Increasingly, though, many of the best institutions are private, and jewel-in-the-crown public systems such as California’s continue to be hit with devastating budget cuts.

Environmental protection, which compares favorably with that in other countries despite being underfunded.

The national energy system, which still delivers but is overdependent on oil and coal, and depends on a grid badly in need of upgrading.

Public elementary education, which in most states is desperately underfunded and fails to deliver on its promise to provide all children with high-quality schooling.

The federal government, which is essentially paralyzed by partisanship and incapable of delivering solutions to the country’s most pressing problems.

State governments, which are largely dysfunctional and nearly insolvent.

American infrastructure, including highways, docks, bridges and tunnels, dikes, waterworks and other essential systems we aren’t maintaining and upgrading as we should.

Airlines and the airports they service, which are almost Third World in equipment and service standards.

Passenger rail, which has not one mile of truly high-speed rail.

The financial system, whose over-paid executives and underregulated practices ran us off an economic cliff in 2008 and compromised the whole system in the eyes of the world.

The electronic media, which, except for public broadcasting and a vital and growing Internet, are an overly commercialized, broken-down mess that have let down the country in terms of keeping us informed.

Print media, which from newspaper publishing to book publishing are in crisis.

Basic manufacturing, which has fallen so far behind it seems headed for oblivion.

Taken from source: LA Times

Programming Freedom (Letter to the Patent Office From Professor Donald Knuth )

You cannot patent computer algorithms

its the basic building block of computers. if you patent certain words, there was be a lot less writers.
If you patent algorithms there would be lot less amazing software.

Visa owns the cc market

Visa owns the cc market in some perverse way they get stores to charge more per transaction.
Which in term, the fee is really passed down to the consumer.
Next the the cab driver says he only takes cash it’s because he wants 100% of the 1 dollar not 1 visa dollar.

Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show

Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show
By CHARLES DUHIGG
Published: December 8, 2009
More than 20 percent of water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act.


NYtimes link