Politics

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A good critique of Obama’s plans and their effect on housing.

Mike Morgan is an old timer in real estate, and one of those people that has been screaming about the impending implosion in the housing market for years.

He has a rather outraged take on what will happen, and it is worth reading. You can find it at http://realestateandhousing2.blogspot.com/2009/02/obama-deal-with-family-b-and-c.html .

18Feb2009 | Ray | Comments Off | Continued
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Secretary Clinton At The Asia Society

Recently, Secretary of State Clinton spoke at the Asia Society in advance of her trip through Asia.  The content of her speech is remarkable to me for the clear attempt at fence-mending being made, especially when she talks about how the rise of China is not necessarily a threat to the US or the rest of the world.   We’re a long way from the days when Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld provoked China’s ambassador into telling him to "shut up." I suspect this has to do with the fact that China’s is one of the only big economies in the world that is still growing.  According to the Hindustan Times , China’s economy grew at 9.1 percent in 2008, with India’s coming in a possible second at around 7 percent.  Sure, the growth of China’s economy is the slowest it’s been in a long while but it’s still growing while everything else seems to be contracting.

China has approved it’s very own stimulus package, while we’ve been mostly focussed in the US on getting our own stimulus through the legislature, and some optimists are predicting that China’s economy will continue to grow at about 8 percent .  This will give China the power to keep on buying things, like US Treasury bills .

So, um, yeah.  It might be a good time for the US to be very friendly with the country that is lending it lots and lot of money.  And it might be a good time for US citizens to think about learning Mandarin.  I mean, it couldn’t hurt.

16Feb2009 | Ramon Arjona | Comments Off | Continued
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EFF One Last Time… Well, This Year

First thing’s first - I get nothing out of these EFF posts. I’m not sending you to an affiliate link, there’s no kickback, nothing like that. The closest thing to "what’s in it for me" is that my quasi sister-in-law works there, but in all sincerity I was an EFF geek before I ever met my beloved, so that’s just a happy coincidence. She’s always mildly bemused (and take your pick which "she" I’m referring to) that I’m a little star-struck by somebody who seems to have a normal-seeming job.

That being said, EFF has a new page up that’s a) cute and b) effectively (hur hur) describes what they’ve been up to for the past year. Please do check it out, and if it tugs at you at all, consider joining EFF or making a donation. The internet you save could be your own.

22Dec2008 | John | Comments Off | Continued
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Join EFF!

There are a lot of charitable causes in the world. Heaps. Tons , even. The one that gets my support these days is the Electronic Frontier Foundation ("EFF"), "the leading civil liberties group defending your rights in the digital world." I know, there are a lot of causes out there that might feel more immediate - curing cancer, say, or providing service animals to the blind. That’s easy; everybody can get behind those causes. I can explain to my grandmother that blind people get along better with a dog, and she’ll pony up twenty bucks. On the other hand, if I tell grams that the EFF is behind the lawsuit to hold AT&T accountable for facilitating illegal NSA spying , or that they’re safe-guarding the future of cultural innovation , I’m going to be rewarded with a blank look. So here’s the thing - because I do understand what EFF does, and why it’s important, I’ve got a responsibility to support them on behalf of myself and those that are unwittingly protected by them .

And so do you. At least, I hope you think so, because EFF needs your help. To quote a recent email I received, "[d]ue to the tough economic times we are all experiencing (and maybe folks with spare cash to spend on activism feeling tapped out after the election), EFF is not getting the usual end-of-the-tax-year donation love." As a result, this non-profit organization that, to the best of my knowledge, never charges their clients for representation, is coming up short. Trust me on this, there are a lot of top-flight lawyers at EFF that are working waaaaaaaaaay below their market value because they believe in what they’re doing, but they (and EFF as an entity) still have bills to pay.

Please consider becoming a member of EFF. You can become a member here and get cool swag to boot, or just buy yourself some cool swag here . My personal favorites include the metal Bill of Rights card to set off airport security ("fun" fact: nobody will tell you under what law you’re being searched at the airport. It’s a secret. Now read the 4th Amendment .) and the mini LED flashlight specially designed to reveal the hidden tracking dots produced by laser printers . Whether you buy stuff or not, though, you really do owe it to yourself (as someone savvy enough to, at a minimum, read this blog) to help support this vital organization. Join EFF !

iContent/i by Cory Doctorow

Bonus for reading this far: I’ll blog more about this later, but read Cory Doctorow’s latest collection of essays (c)ontent, about some of these very things, for free! Cory releases his books under a Creative Commons license, so this is a legal download of the entire book . Some % of you will buy it, of course, which is the point. I say "bonus," but it’s not like he’s doing this just for me - it’s just something I figure you don’t know about. :D

11Dec2008 | John | Comments Off | Continued