tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306Thu, 05 Sep 2024 05:51:25 +0000An eclectic blog: anti-Left, ambivalent about the Right, and rabidly pro-Objectivist, this blog covers the issues of the day whatever they may behttp://dailytopic.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Mark)Blogger1104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-7554670933137754596Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:28:00 +00002007-09-14T15:30:30.048-07:00I'll likely be blogging more lightly for a few weeks, while I work on some other projects and in general rethink the direction of this blog. Something's gone wrong in the last month-and-a-half or so, because my hits were going up but then suddenly dropped precipitously.So, keep checking back. I should get the ship straightened soon.http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/lighter-blogging-for-awhile.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-4628408221719819726Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:23:00 +00002007-09-14T15:26:56.396-07:00Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 3093 Diggs, is a link to a story about Microsoft's "secret" updates in Vista and Windows XP. Of course, this is complete rubbish, and has already been answered by Microsoft. In order for Windows Update itself to work on a given PC, it must remain in sync with the central Windows Update system. Those "secret" updates are merely Windows Update keeping itself http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/digg-report_14.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-6379385074571120027Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:53:00 +00002007-09-14T15:02:52.722-07:00Here's a transcript of an interview with Iranian President Imajihadi (or whatever his name is). It's an amazing discussion, full of the typical hypocrisy--Imajihadi says one thing to the Western press, and another thing entirely to the Muslim world. Of course, this is common in the Middle East, but Imajihadi takes it to another level.Some quotes:Q: Mr President, thank you very much for agreeing http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/interview-with-ahmadinejad.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-523658319626542887Thu, 13 Sep 2007 23:56:00 +00002007-09-13T16:58:37.992-07:00Cox and Forkum do their typical good work in covering the use of an Iranian missile to kill American soldiers in Iraq. Go take a look. There's a depressingly long list of stories on such actions by Iran.http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/cox-and-forkum-on-iranian-missiles-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-2498925972529216874Thu, 13 Sep 2007 23:00:00 +00002007-09-13T16:21:58.255-07:00For any students out there, if you want a copy of Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007, now's the time. Microsoft is offering the suite for $59.95.Ultimate includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher, OneNote, Groove, and InfoPath. For a student, the $59.95 would be justified for OneNote alone, which is great for taking notes (and is even better on a Tablet PC).RealTechNews has the http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/students-can-get-microsoft-office.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-4629288788322900424Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:43:00 +00002007-09-13T15:51:14.441-07:00Here's an interesting debate in the LA Times between Hugh Hewitt and Doug Brandow on where we stand six years after 9/11/2001. I don't agree with either of them completely, but I would say this quote from Hugh Hewitt makes some sense:No sane person can look at the last six years and see unbroken success or decisions that he or she didn't wish had been made differently.But the invasions of http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/hewitt-and-brandow-debate-9112007.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-8852081978876001938Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:09:00 +00002007-09-13T15:36:40.811-07:00Here's a post on Publius Pundit regarding Putin's recent power play in dissolving the Russian government and appointing a new Prime Minister, and what it bodes for the near future of Russian politics. The gist:Russian analysts widely believe that Putin will only hand over his authority in a nominal manner next year, to achieve technical compliance with the constitutional edict, and will return inhttp://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/putin-preparing-his-power-play.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-7808929158968527214Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:53:00 +00002007-09-13T15:09:06.492-07:00Noam Chomsky is one of my least favorite people. Having him quoted by Osama bin Laden doesn't help. And the following quotes definitely hurt:Chomsky later added, "just as Bush is Osama Bin Laden's best ally, he is also Ahmadinejad's best ally." Washington's "threats" against Iran had the anticipated effect of making the Iranian government "more harsh and verbal," he said.Yes, of course. And, http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/noam-chomsky-upholds-place-as-1-anti.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-3392220340285486575Thu, 13 Sep 2007 21:42:00 +00002007-09-13T14:53:11.559-07:00Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 6166 Diggs, is a link to a story about Chicago police arresting a man for allegedly soliciting a prostitute, despite the fact that his wife and daughter were with him.The comments are telling, especially this one:"Such cases are only possible in US!"It's amazing how the likes of Diggsters consider this such an onerous case of, what, oppression? Corruption? Abuse http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/digg-report_13.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-4009797509460229318Wed, 12 Sep 2007 23:02:00 +00002007-09-12T16:06:34.390-07:00Another from Newsbusters, this time about an AP "analysis piece" that asserts that the Iraqi war is Bush's "vendetta against Saddam" for 9/11.The money quote:In an "analysis" piece the AP put out today, "After 4 years of errors, Bush definition of ‘victory’ in Iraq is far more modest," Raum flatly states:Bush’s decision to wage a vendetta against Saddam Hussein as retribution for the Sept. 11 http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/ap-asserts-that-iraq-war-bush-vendetta.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-2392978431945438664Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:57:00 +00002007-09-12T16:01:36.463-07:00I don't often write about the Daily Kos, and thankfully this post on Newsbusters did it for me. This is regarding a recent Daily Kos post equating Reagan and Osama bin Laden.The money quote:DailyKos.com, the Left's most popular website and a key source of fund-raising for Democrats from coast to coast, says Osama bin Laden and Ronald Reagan have a lot in common:So is Osama bin Laden truly "evil?"http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/daily-kos-equates-reagan-and-osama-bin.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-5718506284373793001Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:48:00 +00002007-09-12T15:52:57.606-07:00The Objective Standard goes after Presidential Candidate John Edwards oppressive, paternalistic healthcare plan, and does its typically great job.A quote:Under Democratic presidential contender John Edwards's "universal" health-care proposal, every American would be required to go to the doctor for preventive care in order to keep health-care costs down. In a similar proposal, a Tory panel in http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/objective-standard-on-edwards-health.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-1571982827639539294Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:28:00 +00002007-09-12T15:40:26.539-07:00Here's an interesting story in the International Herald Times about Putin's complaints over recent US legislation increasing national security oversite over foreign investments in the US. It's interesting from a few perspectives.First, Russia has shown that it can't be trusted with regard to foreign investment in Russia:In recent months, foreign oil companies have been forced to cede control of ahttp://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/putin-complains-about-us-restrictions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-6979183232769093585Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:16:00 +00002007-09-12T15:28:18.188-07:00Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 4929 Diggs, is a link to a YouTube clip of a gay (20-something? teenager?) wailing over the treatment of Britney Spears. One wonders whether it's a parody or for real--but only if one has so little else to do.Ultimately, it's further testament that the Internet, for all its incredible usefulness, has a useless and seedy side, for which Digg and YouTube continue tohttp://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/digg-report_12.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-7959167415606408389Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:50:00 +00002007-09-12T15:15:38.081-07:00I think I've said it before, but in case I haven't: I'm very pleased that France has a leader with at least some reason about him. The West needs to be together against Islamic fundamentalism, and having France with us once again--at least against Iran--is a positive.Here's a story in the Asian Times that makes a few interesting points. Although American diplomacy with Iran has been lacking, the http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/france-backs-up-us-on-iranian-stance.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-2776905283309800947Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:39:00 +00002007-09-11T12:50:20.395-07:00In recognition of today's date, September 11, I won't be blogging other than this single post. I feel there's very little that one can say today that has much meaning in the context of this day six years ago.This is particularly true given the sorry state of affairs since then. Although no new terrorist attacks have succeeded on American soil, our enemy--Islamic fundamentalism--is stronger today http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/september-11-2007.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-2729342056461038541Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:42:00 +00002007-09-10T17:43:50.474-07:00Here's Cox and Forkum on 9/11. Just go read it.http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/cox-and-forkum-on-911.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-2157819936880392551Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:01:00 +00002007-09-10T17:04:08.604-07:00More, from Ars Technica, on Chinese cyberattacks around the world. It seems like this is looking more and more like the real deal.Read the whole thing.http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/chinas-cyberwar-not-just-on-us.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-5459878192843495878Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:56:00 +00002007-09-10T16:59:15.571-07:00Just a little bit of craziness from Iranian President Imajihadi (or whatever his name is) via AFP:President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday lashed out at his Western foes which demand Iran halt its sensitive nuclear activities, saying they were "racing to hell"."The Iranian people have climbed over difficult mountain passes on their path of progress. The enemies need to step aside from our path andhttp://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/little-bit-more-craziness-from.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-4931666395484417986Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:48:00 +00002007-09-10T16:53:59.884-07:00Another good bit on Putin's Russia from La Russophobe, this time an overview of a story by Dr. Robert Horvath, a research fellow at Melbourne University's Contemporary Europe Research Centre and author of The Legacy of Soviet Dissent: Dissidents, Democratisation and Radical Nationalism in Russia.Some key quotes:IT WAS ironic that Paul Keating's exhortation for us to extend a warm welcome to http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/some-more-on-putins-russia.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-8958202341525992839Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:41:00 +00002007-09-10T16:44:15.106-07:00I'll believe an Atlas Shrugged movie will be made when I see it. And I hold out no hope that it will be anything but atrocious. However, if it helps expose the culture to even a few of Ayn Rand's ideas without misrepresenting any, it would probably be a net gain.http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/atlas-shrugged-to-be-made-into-movie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-7740638152619163171Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:28:00 +00002007-09-10T16:31:41.532-07:00I have to agree with this blog post: Australia's making a big mistake in selling uranium to Russia, a country that has its own significant reserves. I'm not sure what compelled Australia to do so, with the significant risk that some of this uranium could show up in Iranian labs.The source of the story linked in the post is Al Jazeera, but that doesn't change the reality of Australia's mistake. http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/australias-sale-of-uranium-to-russia.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-1425845047510402851Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:23:00 +00002007-09-10T16:26:56.597-07:00Digg Report: Today's #1 Digg, at 4613 Diggs, is a link to some admittedly impressive pictures of large holes (mostly mines). So, Digg scores some points for the coolness factor, but again, it's all of no real importance.http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/digg-report_10.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-7648164356081575162Mon, 10 Sep 2007 22:46:00 +00002007-09-10T16:23:03.812-07:00It never fails to amaze me how inherently corrupt is the United Nations. One would think that the organization would have lost all legitimacy with the "Oil for Food" scandal, but that story was relatively buried in the mainstream press. Now, via Gateway Punding, we have news on the UN Commissioner for Human Rights attending a meeting of the "Non-Aligned Movement," headed by Cuba.Some of this http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/un-human-rights-commissioner-attends.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6447306.post-6167363323286124380Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:12:00 +00002007-09-09T17:12:53.614-07:00No blogging today, a bit under the weather.http://dailytopic.blogspot.com/2007/09/no-blogging-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Mark)0