Sunday, July 13, 2008

BFO's Weekend Catch Up

And now a few weekend items worth noticing...

In true Bush-ian fashion, his administration's folly is being left for the next guy to clean up.

According to the Washington Post:
U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have abandoned efforts to conclude a comprehensive agreement governing the long-term status of U.S troops in Iraq before the end of the Bush presidency... the failure of months of negotiations over the more detailed accord -- blamed on both the Iraqi refusal to accept U.S. terms and the complexity of the task -- deals a blow to the Bush administration's plans to leave in place a formal military architecture in Iraq that could last for years.
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There were some rumblings earlier this week about Viacom's pressuring YouTube to reveal people's viewing habits and track records. All this is an effort by Viacom to prove that the bulk of YouTube traffic involves some type of copyright infringement.

But why do you need private information about YouTube users to figure that out? Each post has a handy dandy view counter. Something else is going on here.

And we'll save the questionable Google practice of stockpiling user's private data for another time. This article from The Guardian kind of covers all the bases.

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Far be it for me to give anything that drips from Fox News as... well, news. Still this bit about Homeland Security considering ID bracelets for airline passengers is worth noting. Especially considering these bracelets are also for behavioral control. Coffee, tea or... taser?

According to terrorism expert Neil Livingstone, who is trying to downplay the possible use of these shock devices:

"Flying is not a right, it is a privilege."

Really? You mean it's a privilege when I have to pay close to $500 to fly from L.A. to Portland, Oregon... while first flying to Phoenix... after being all but strip searched by TSA flunkies who are lost at sea as to what they should look for... and then having to pay for checking my baggage? See, I feel that when I PAY for something, I better get what I paid for as more than a privilege.

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