From TechCrunch.com: Charlie Rose Face Plants To Save His MacBook Air
He was carrying a newly purchased MacBook Air and made a quick (but ultimately flawed) decision while falling: sacrifice the face, protect the computer. “In doing so, he pretty much hit the pavement face first, unfortunately,” they said.
Luckily the MacBook Air survived the fall. “The Macbook Air is fine, he showed us the blood stains on it this morning.
That’s some serious MacBook Air love shown by Charlie Rose.
From NYTimes.com: China Tensions Sway Taiwan Election
China’s suppression of protests in Tibet and missteps by the opposition Nationalist Party have made the Taiwanese presidential election on Saturday an unexpectedly close race. What once seemed to be an insuperable lead for the Nationalist candidate, Ma Ying-jeou, has narrowed considerably, politicians and political analysts said.
Taiwan wants no part of what China’s dealing these days. Tibet is just a reminder of what hugging a bear could get you. Taiwan has been a de facto independent nation since WWII. Taiwan is a democracy, China is not. If the United States truly wants democracy around the world, why not start here and support Taiwan.
I love this “Last Supper” Battlestar Galactica promo picture.
Battlestar Galactica begins season 4 on April 10th. At its best, Battlestar Galactica was the best show that I have ever seen on television. Get filled in on the previous 3 seasons with this video summary.
From SCIFI.com: Eick: Bionic Is Dead
David Eick, co-executive producer of NBC’s SF series Bionic Woman, confirmed to SCI FI Wire that the network has indeed canceled the show, though the network has not yet officially said as much.
I thought Bionic Woman was a total disappointment. I was hoping for a lot more from David Eick, a co-producer of one of my favorite shows, Battlestar Galactica. The story never really got off the ground and de-evolved into a bad version of “Alias”.
From SCIFI.com: Caprica Gets Green Light
Set 50 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families–the Greystones and the Adamas –as they grow, compete and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe to toe.
I’m sad to see Battlestar Galactica go after Season 4, but at least we’ll get to see more of the BSG universe with Caprica.
From the NYTimes.com: Can’t Grasp Credit Crisis? Join the Club
A nice explanation of the Subprime credit problem that’s driving our country into recession.
From NYTimes.com: Estimates of Iraq War Cost Were Not Close to Ballpark
At the outset of the Iraq war, the Bush administration predicted that it would cost $50 billion to $60 billion to oust Saddam Hussein, restore order and install a new government.
Five years in, the Pentagon tags the cost of the Iraq war at roughly $600 billion and counting. Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize-winning economist and critic of the war, pegs the long-term cost at more than $4 trillion. The Congressional Budget Office and other analysts say that $1 trillion to $2 trillion is more realistic, depending on troop levels and on how long the American occupation continues.
This is Bush’s legacy, sticking the American public with a quagmire and a bill for 2-4 trillion dollars for a war that were fought for false pretenses. There’s no connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq and Iraq didn’t have weapons of mass destruction. The war has diverted attention from fighting terrorists that roam Afghanistan and Pakistan. Instead of creating a new breeding ground for terrorists, shouldn’t we have been out in force looking for Bin Laden?
From NYTimes.com: Chinese Rights Advocate Tried
One of the most prominent human rights advocates in China stood trial on Tuesday morning on subversion charges in a proceeding that lasted three hours and centered on whether his public criticism of the ruling Communist Party represented a threat to the state. A verdict is possible within a week.
However, a new examination of Chinese law enforcement statistics found that the number of people arrested in 2007 on suspicion of political crimes like subversion rose to the highest level in eight years. The analysis found that 742 people were arrested last year on charges like subversion, more than twice the number in 2005, according to the Dui Hua Foundation, a nonprofit group based in San Francisco that is involved in Chinese legal issues.
Mr. Hu has worked on many causes in China, including volunteering to help AIDS patients and participating in tree-planting campaigns. He is a prominent blogger who also disseminates information about peasant protests, dissidents and other issues often censored in the Chinese media.
The Freedom of Speech is a freedom that we take for granted here in the United States. But this freedom should not just be an American freedom, but a freedom for all citizens of the world. With the eyes of the world focused on Beijing for the Olympics, all countries should press the Chinese Government to improve its dealing on human rights issues.
Henry Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury has unintentionally created a new word for our economic situation- a “down-cline”. It was a mis-spoken word during an interview. But, he goes on to say:
From Reuters: Paulson admits U.S. economy in sharp decline
“There’s no doubt that the American people know that the economy has turned down sharply. So to me much less important is the label that’s placed on it today. Much more important is what we do about it,” he told NBC’s Today Show.
So why not just call it what it is? A recession.
From the Wall Street Journal: He Said, She Said: Hillary and Sinbad
Clinton has, throughout the campaign, talked about a harrowing trip to war-torn Bosnia as an example of the foreign policy experience that has prepared her to face future national security crises, should she become commander-in-chief.
“I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we jut ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base,” Clinton said.
But last week, the comedian Sinbad, who accompanied Clinton on the trip along with singer Sheryl Crow and then-first daughter Chelsea, said he remembers the landing differently. “I think the only ‘red-phone’ moment was: ‘Do we eat here or at the next place?'” he said in an interview with the Washington Post.
Clinton has said in her stump speech, “We used to say in the White House that if a place is too dangerous, too small, or too poor, send the First Lady.”
Sinbad scoffed at this statement as well: “What kind of president would say ‘Hey man, I can’t go ’cause I might get shot so I’m going to send my wife. Oh, and take a guitar player and a comedian with you.”
It’s stories like this that make me wonder if Hillary ever tells the truth without embellishment. She’s really reaching to make being First Lady a qualification for foreign policy experience.