An internal audit of SEC employee computer use has uncovered some staggering details about exactly what employees and contractors were doing with their time and their laptops. The results: “During the past five years, the SEC OIG (Office of Inspector General) substantiated that 33 SEC employees and or contractors violated Commission rules and policies, as well as the government-wide Standards of Ethical Conduct, by viewing pornographic, sexually explicit or sexually suggestive images using government computer resources and official time,” said a summary of the investigation by the inspector general’s office. The aerial view presented in the above...
Continue reading...April 2010
Morning Constitutional – 23 April 2010
Good morning, everybody. Not sure how this happened, but Helen Mirren and Russell Brand will be in the same movie. Now, here\’s your morning constitutional: After an oil rig exploded and sunk in the Gulf of Mexico, authorities have started worrying about the environmental impact of the incident. Unsurprisingly, newly-minted Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown has ruled out running for president in 2012. Only slightly more surprisingly, he endorses Mitt Romney. NATO has endorsed a plan that will set in motion the phased withdrawal of NATO troops from combat roles in the war in Afghanistan and hand over...
Continue reading...It's all about the Benjamins, baby
So, the new $100 bill unveiled by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, is pretty baller. Heck, it’s basically the Avatar of money, what with the spankin’-new 3-D features. Other thing that is awesome: The website for the Bureau is moneyfactory.gov. In other dollar news, according to a recent Marist poll, a substantial majority—79%—think it’s a bad idea to change the face on the $50 bill from Presidents Grant to Reagan. I’ll just point out: This means more people think Obama is a secret Muslim Socialist Nazi Pig-dog than think Pres. Reagan should be on money.
Continue reading..."Sweating like Vegas Elvis on a squash court" or Liveblogging the Brits part 2.
In the last week, Nick Clegg, of the Liberal Democrats, went from leader of the third party to the leader of the tied for first(for the first time in 104 years!!!)party, to being unfairly demonized by the Daily Mail party. Shock. Any, in about two minutes Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg slug it out over foreign policy. Perhaps there will be a tea break in about half and hour. We’re just not quite sure. 3:00- Brown starts it out. Nothing to write, nothing. 3:02- Cameron wants to help families. Great foreign policy talking point. Just...
Continue reading...New York Times Columnist Line of the Day
If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas “Friedman’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left to Lose” Friedman, Gail “The Colander” Collins, Nicholas “The Dark Crystal” Kristof, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Today\’s from NYTCLOTD factory Gail \”The Colander\” Collins. In \”Dance of...
Continue reading...Meet the next Senator from Nevada and learn about her Chickens for Health Care initiative
Sue Lowden, one of the Republican candidates for the Nevada Senate seat currently held by Sen. Reid, currently holds a substantial advantage in polling, and will likely become the next senator from the Silver State. And, she has quite a novel approach to health care reform. Namely, she wants to take health care back to the “good old days,” when our forebears bartered or haggled for care. Here’s what she said: Let’s change the system and talk about what the possibilities are. I’m telling you that this works. You know, before we all started having health care,...
Continue reading...Morning Constitutional – 22 April 2010
Happy Earth Day, folks. Enjoy your morning constitutional: Belgium\’s government collapsed Thursday, as Prime Minister Yves Leterme resigns. Nearly all flights in Europe are going ahead, but new ash is limiting Norway and Sweden\’s airports. While no one could have predicted how important the issue would become, before the financial system nearly collapsed, Obama the presidential candidate was warning about problems with financial regulation and the potential for an economic crisis. Tonight\’s U.K. debate is \”make or break,\” says Tory leader David Cameron, while Nick Clegg has been voted best looking of the would-be prime ministers by...
Continue reading...No hipsters in China
China is the world’s largest bicycle market, where 51 million bikes were sold in 2009 alone, according to the China Bicycle Association. However, the world’s largest bicycle trend, fixed-gear bikes, or “fixies,” have been lagging in popularity. Actually, they’re basically non-existent. “Fixes,” so-called because they rely on only one fixed gear and the cyclist slows the bike by slowing their pedaling, were born from New York bike messengers, and have become a staple of urban bicycling almost everywhere; well, except China. They’re not nearly as functional as multi-gear bicycles (complete with brakes!), so many assume that a...
Continue reading...The Court may be just a little technologically-challenged
When President Obama decides on a new Supreme Court associate justice, it may be worthwhile for the “technology president” to consider the future justice’s basic understanding of technology, a skill set that seems be notably absent on the Court. Seems during oral arguments Monday in the case City of Ontario v. Quon, a case that considers city workers’ expectation of privacy in personal text messages sent on devices provided by the city, the Court had some—ahem—issues grasping the practical aspects of the case: The first sign was about midway through the argument, when Chief Justice John G....
Continue reading...New York Times Columnist Line of the Day
If you’re one of the four-or-so frequent readers of this here blog, chances are you also occasionally check out the New York Times op-ed page. You may even know the names: Thomas “Friedman\’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left to Lose” Friedman, Gail “The Colander” Collins, Nicholas “The Dark Crystal” Kristof, &c. Well, I’ve decided to devote a daily feature to these folks, by daily pointing out one line that is either awesome, funny, insightful, intelligent, ridiculous, or utterly divorced from reality. I hope you enjoy. Well, no Maureen today, so Tawmy Fried it is. In today\’s...
Continue reading...
Recent Comments