April 03, 2006
Automakers, oil companies, and Wal-Mart
2006 FORTUNE 500: Shakeup at the top - Apr. 3, 2006
That's most of your top ten there. Wal-Mart was displaced to second -- for ExxonMobil, which is arguably more evil. There are two more oil companies (Chevron and ConocoPhillips), and two car companies (GM and Ford). Then you have GE, which does everything, and Citigroup and an insurance company, AIG. You have to get to tenth before you come across a computer company, and that's IBM. Except for the horrible, merger-inflicted names, it's really the same companies every year. (In case you're interested, Microsoft is 48th and Intel if 49th. But as relatively small as they are, they make a lot of money.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:26 PM | Comments (0)
January 09, 2006
I really doubt that
Daimler chairman predicts shift toward diesel
I don't think Americans are about to start driving diesel cars. They've had this opportunity before and passed, and I don't see the big difference between now and then except that now they have another option (hybrids). This just sounds like another case of a European thinking that Americans are about to become more European.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 02:55 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 04, 2006
How nice
ABC News: W.Va. Mine Co. Head Apologizes to Families
That's just for announcing that the miners were alive, then letting them think that for several hours after it was clear that was untrue. He isn't going to apologize for killing them, of course. That would hurt him in the lawsuit.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:37 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 30, 2005
Makes sense
Fuel drops record 84 cents a gallon within two months
That it would be a record. I mean, how often has gas cost that much more than 84 cents a gallon? Obviously they aren't going to give the stuff away, and the price isn't going to get cut in half very often.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:16 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 03, 2005
How terrible for them
al.com: NewsFlash - States suspend gas-pump price rules due to rise in fuel prices
Apparently, gas station owners are finding it impossible to raise prices on their old pumps higher than $2.99 a gallon. So they're asking to be allowed to sell it by the half gallon so they can charge more. Thank God we aren't taking some radical measures against gouging instead.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:48 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 24, 2005
I keep playing around
Baseball Jersey > War Liberal Store | CafePress
I give you the Roy Moore baseball jersey. There's only one uniform number on Roy's team.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:51 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Inevitable
War Liberal Store : CafePress.com
I give you the Roy Moore Ten Commandments Tour T-Shirt.
And thong.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 23, 2005
Sellout
War Liberal Store : CafePress.com
Buy a "Men For Baxley" product. I plan to come up with some Roy Moore attack merchandise once I come up with an appropriate image.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 07:10 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
August 15, 2005
Fun with conspiracy theory jokes
CNN.com - 250 miles per gallon? They're doing it - Aug 15, 2005
Politicians and automakers say a car that can both reduce greenhouse gases and free America from its reliance on foreign oil is years or even decades away.Ron Gremban says such a car is parked in his garage.
The next day, some large men from Exxon/Mobil came to visit, and Mr. Gremban was never seen again.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 02:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 03, 2005
The great immigrant sweep
Since we seem to have moved back into an immigrant-bashing phase (and the Republican Party, despite the President's past efforts, seems set up to make nativism an issue once again) a few points that aren't especially original...
Immigrant non-citizens play a major role in most of the world's advanced economies. In Europe and in the wealthier Middle Eastern states, these tend to be "guest workers" who are treated fairly poorly and are rarely allowed to move towards citizenship. In the United States, this sort of thing is not allowable. Legal immigrants have nearly all of the suite of rights, with voting the only major exception, and their children born in the US are citizens. However, a de facto "guest worker" status has evolved over the years in the case of illegal immigrants, whose presence is normally winked at unless it is politically expedient to make a fuss about them.
The simple fact is that a large portion of the American economy (especially in the agricultural and maintenance fields) is dependent upon cheap, and often illegal, immigrant labor. If immigration from Latin America were halted or slowed to a trickle, American citizens would become much poorer in real terms; food would be more expensive, as would many services we rely upon. Offensive as the phrasing of President Fox's remarks of a few months back was, it's fundamentally true that Mexicans (and other Latin immigrants) do the jobs that Americans won't.
Immigrant workers (legal and illegal) are largely concentrated into two brackets of the economy. One, much the larger, are poorly-paid "unskilled" jobs. Farm work, janitorial work, nonunion construction work, and so forth. The second, and these are almost all legal, are skilled workers in "brain" industries, such as engineering, medicine, and teaching. Basically, the first group does jobs that not enough Americans will do, and the second does jobs that not enough Americans can do. Both, however, are likely to be targets in a widespread immigrant-bashing campaign, if one develops.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:14 PM | Comments (23) | TrackBack
June 15, 2005
Bad and badder
If Rupert Murdoch gets into a fight with Wal-Mart, who do you root for?
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:45 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 19, 2005
Gosh, I wonder what that's like
College salaries lag behind inflation
[BITTER]I just can't imagine.[/BITTER]
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 15, 2005
Look out, Dick
WorldCom's Ebbers Convicted of All Counts | ajc.com
If it's an omen, it's a bad one for Richard Scrushy. Maybe they could share a cell.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 19, 2004
Great, I'm going to have to change banks
al.com: NewsFlash - Middle Eastern customers seek answers on closed bank accounts
Allegedly, AmSouth has been closing the bank accounts of customers of Middle Eastern heritage just because they're of Middle Eastern heritage. Or because they're doing things not normally considered illegal but which are "suspicious" when someone with a funny name does them. This is just speculation, because the bank won't say exactly why it's doing it.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 02:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 17, 2004
Whoopie!
washingtonpost.com: Sears, Kmart to Merge in $11B Deal
Great, the same crap you're used to from Kmart, only now with the higher prices you've come to expect from Sears. It's the softer side of bankruptcy.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 23, 2004
More unbelievable news
al.com: NewsFlash - Poll: Having money helps with satisfaction
You mean rich people are more satisfied with their lot than poor people? I never would have guessed. Next up on "blindingly obvious poll results": are basketball players, on average, taller than most people?
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:08 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 23, 2004
This is why people don't trust auto companies
Ready, set: Wait for hybrid cars
These cars have been in production for years, and they still can't keep up with demand. It's almost like they didn't want hybrid cars to be too popular, but I'm sure that's totally my imagination.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:14 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
July 13, 2004
Big shock
De Beers Pleads Guilty to Price Fixing
In related news, the Mafia is expected to plead guilty to running protection rackets. No, that's not fair. To the Mafia. I mean, come on: all De Beers is is a price-fixing scheme. The Mafia does other things. As far as I'm concerned, De Beers is an illegal cartel under U.S. law and should not be allowed to operate here.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 02:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 09, 2004
How quaint, fax spam
House moves on bill to relax fax regulations
A new regulation would prevent businesses from sending out unsolicited faxes. So, of course, Congress is already moving to gut it.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 02:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 07, 2004
You probably already saw this
washingtonpost.com: Former Enron CEO to Face Criminal Charges
The indictment should be announced tomorrow. I would dearly love for a fully independent Federal prosecution of Ken Lay, which I'm fairly well convinced would find (at minimum) connections with Dick Cheney's Super-Double-Extra-Secret Energy Task Force. But I'll settle for Kenny Boy in jail.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 04:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 14, 2004
Pesky oath
AP Wire | 06/14/2004 | Doctor Proposes Not Treating Some Lawyers
Really. At the annual AMA meeting a doctor proposed a resolution saying that except in emergencies it's not unethical to refuse medical care to plaintiff's attorneys. And their spouses. If this spreads to their children, I'm in trouble.
The membership shouted the proposal down and it was withdrawn. It's still sick.
(UPDATE: Jesse has more.)
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:08 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 11, 2004
Reagan money
First off, there's no way that Reagan's going on the dime. Forget it. Leaving aside the arguments for relative greatness (which in my opinion are all on FDR's side) it's divisive.
Hamilton deserves his place on money, as far as I'm concerned. But since he doesn't have FDR's fan club, ditching him for Reagan would be easier.
However, there is no reason to do this. There is an obvious answer, though I haven't seen anyone in the media suggest it: put Reagan on the $1 coin. Yes, this would displace Washington, but he would still have the quarter, and some $1 bills would remain in circulation.
The great advantage of this is that it would gain powerful allies for something the Mint and the government have tried and twice failed to do: to establish a viable $1 coin. The Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea coins were both miserable failures. But with half the country wanting to honor its hero, a Ronnie would have a big leg up in getting established. And us liberal good government types, whatever our feelings about the man, would support the coin because it's the sort of thing we like to support.
There are a number of arguments for a dollar coin, most of which you've probably heard. Drink machines and the like wouldn't have to have the stupid dollar bill readers that don't work most of the time. (The people who make the dollar bill readers, of course, are anti-dollar coin.) The coin would be more expensive to produce than the greenback, but would last much longer, leading to ultimate savings. And it would be nice to have some coins worth something.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 06:42 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
May 13, 2004
Americans show a little common sense
Gas prices hitting SUV sales - May. 13, 2004
SUVs get bad gas mileage, the President's Saudi buddies have jacked up oil prices, so you buy cars instead of behemoths. I like it because maybe I'll be able to see where I'm going more often.
Incidentally, this is potentially another problem for Bush. American auto producers rely upon SUVs, and their small cars still suck. More Hondas and Nissans will be sold, and fewer Fords and Chevys. On the other hand, his portfolio is doing really well these days.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:45 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 13, 2004
Indian Chiefs stay neutral
Doctors, lawyers in costly rivalry
In Florida, the trial lawyers and doctors are apparently playing chicken at the voting booth. In November, the doctors want a vote on a consitutional amendment that would limit contingency fees in malpractice cases to $150,000. (Only it seems, in malpractice cases.)
The lawyers, meanwhile, came up with a doozy, an amendment requiring the state to strip the licenses of doctors who lose or settle three malpractice suits. Obviously, there's no economic motive there, just malice. I love malice. They also have measures that would force doctors to standardize their fees and to show their records of "adverse medical incidents" upon request. My sympathy, of course, is with the lawyers, because my family are all lawyers. I think the dog is a lawyer now.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 02, 2004
Good news and bad news
U.S. job growth jumps after months of weakness - Apr. 2, 2004
On the other hand, the unemployment rate, which had been falling (mostly because of people giving up and leaving the workforce, not because of job creation) went up a point to 5.7 percent. That won't continue if job creation in future months matches March, though.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:17 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 18, 2004
An idea for "tort reform" advocates
Report: Legal Team For Ex-Enron Chief Well Paid
How about instead of spending all your time worrying about contingency fees for civil trial lawyers, you worry -- just some, an hour a day, maybe -- about the massive shifting of stolen money from financial supercriminals like Jeff Skilling and Richard Scrushy to their criminal lawyers? $23 million for a criminal trial?
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 05, 2004
Who cares?
washingtonpost.com: Martha Stewart Convicted on All Counts
Honestly, why is this the biggest story in the world? Am I missing something?
(UPDATE: You're not alone, Ezra.)
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:30 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
March 01, 2004
Good news, bad news, for Bush & Cheney
CNN.com - Gas prices up nearly 7 cents - Feb. 29, 2004
The bad news is that this is yet another blow to their reelection chances. The good news is that their portfolios are doing well.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:39 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 06, 2004
Real problem: dumb classmates
Teenager's phony $10 bills draw federal agents' attention
So he's doing a presentation on the Treasury Department and prints up some obviously fake bills on a cheap printer. And then winds up being questioned by the Secret Service because he didn't collect the "money" and a classmate tried to spend his.
Kid did violate the law. Apparently you can only color copy bills if " The resulting bills are one-sided and less than 75 percent the size of the original or more than 150 percent." I didn't know that.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:13 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
November 26, 2003
Wow, a greedy executive
ajc.com | Business | Mullin pension costs 6 million
Ex-CEO Leo Mullin only worked at Delta Airlines for 6 years, 8 months. However, he will be credited with nearly 29 years so he can get a richer pension.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 10, 2003
The inevitable
WTO Appeals Body Rules Against U.S. on Steel
I knew that this would happen. The Administration's trade people knew this would happen. Heck, it's possible even President Bush knew this would happen. The steel tariff was a blatant pander (one that hasn't done any good to the economy, by the way) and a clear violation of WTO rules. Now we have the choice between backing down or watching the Euros put up their own tariffs. Which is dumb, because it will hurt them as much as it hurts us, but that's trade war for you.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 11:35 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
October 29, 2003
Took my Monopoly money, though
ajc.com | Business | New bills getting rejected at payment machines
Some stores are putting up signs telling customers to trade in their new, silly-looking bills for traditional twenties. Which kind of defeats the purpose of automatic payment, doesn't it? The story claims that nobody thought about automatic payment machines until it was too late, which is funny because it was the first thing I thought of when I saw the new bills.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:58 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 24, 2003
Fairly typical
ajc.com | Business | Federal court rules against do-not-call registry
God Forbid that the FTC actually do something that helps consumers or restricts corporations. Dammit, telemarketers must be granted the right to interrupt meals and to wake people up in the morning!
About all these jobs that supposedly would disappear... Leaving aside that it's crap, I've noticed that most of the telemarketing calls I get these days aren't even from human beings.
MAC: Hello?
PHONE:
MAC: Hello!
PHONE: [Stilted, clearly on tape] Hi, this is Bob Ylhsdlfjhl from Consumer Credit, and I have
MAC: [Hangs up].
Calls to the FTC were not immediately returned Wednesday.
REPORTER: Hi, this is Jennifer Brown with Associated Press, I was hoping you had a comment on the Federal court ruling...
FTC: [Hangs up.]
I've mentioned this in connection to spammers before, but if telemarketers were in legitimate businesses, they'd like a do not call list. Who wants to call people they know aren't interested?
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 16, 2003
Fun with metaphors
Without Glue of Euro, Bond May Dissolve
Look, if the Euros can't hang together without sharing the same (fake-building decorated) money, they really don't have enough in common to be sharing a currency anyway. The US managed without a central currency for nearly a century. Personally, I don't think they do have enough in common to be throwing themselves together like this. But Sweden rejecting the Euro isn't the cause.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 10, 2003
Hooray for the Democrats! And five Republicans!
Senate Democrats Block New Overtime Rules
The vote was 54-45 for the Harkin Amendment, not a filibuster. Zell Miller, of course, voted against it. But a number of Republicans broke with the party on this: Campbell, the two Alaskans, Murkowski and Stevens, and two of the moderates, Snowe and Specter.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:54 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 09, 2003
Ugly money
Peach-colored, counterfeit-fighting $20 bills to debut next month
Look, Monopoly money!
I am firmly convinced that a large reason for the dominance of the American dollar in world markets is because it traditionally hasn't been a busy bill with all sorts of color around it designed by a committee of ADD sufferers. No more. When the Euro takes over, don't say I didn't warn you.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:41 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
September 02, 2003
Problem solved!
Bush says he will establish job czar post
I mean, previous czars have done such a good job -- remember how the drug czars won, so there aren't any illegal drugs anymore? -- this is sure to cure joblessness. I can just guess what the job czar's first suggestion will be. Tax cuts for the wealthy!
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:10 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
August 24, 2003
You make the call
USS Clueless - Unused capacity
Den Beste says that because of economic reasons the cell phone companies can't build excess capacity into the system, so it's going to go out in an emergency. Tough luck, guys! I hope you have enough of your own urine to drink until the bulldozers come!
Isn't this just the sort of thing us nefarious liberals talk about getting the government involved in? Cell phones -- like every other network -- are indirectly subsidized by governments in various ways. (They also use publicly owned frequencies.) Wouldn't it be worthwhile for the government to subsidize them more directly in exchange for building some emergency capacity? Not that I expect the present Federal government to do such a thing, but big-city local governments might want to look into that.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 06:43 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 11, 2003
The great ripoff continues
AOL Time Warner Considers Cutting 'AOL' From Name
Let's see... Inflate stock price with a short-term business model, plus a little fraud, check. Use stock to purchase real company with real assets, check. Start selling off real assets to pay debt, check. Change name back to name of real company, check. Sell off useless online unit used to con stockholders of real company: soon.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 02:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 07, 2003
Tales of the Bush economy
With jobs scarce, enrollment rises
Since nobody graduating from college can find a job, many of them are staying in school. Yes, in yet another tragedy of the "jobless 'recovery'", many possibly productive young people are becoming useless graduate students. Yet more victims of the economic mismanagement of George W. Bush. (MBA, Harvard, 1975.)
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 05, 2003
It's the jobs, stupid
Report: Job cut announcements up 43% - Aug. 5, 2003
The story describes the current economy as a "jobless recovery". What kind of recovery is it when more people every day are unemployed and most of the people who are employed are both worried about their jobs and not improving their lot?
Apparently, the economists are working with some sort of fantasy economy where because there's some growth everything is hunky-dory. And it's not. Actual human beings are suffering, and the value of the stock portfolios of the wealthy is small comfort to someone who's lost his job.
I have also seen how a few people are trying to blame Gray Davis for the nationwide slump; "Everyone's doing well but California!" The state with the most planned job cuts? Texas.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 11:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 30, 2003
Lucky bastards
CNN.com - U.S. employers handing out smallest pay raises since mid-1970s - Jul. 29, 2003
They get raises?
Needless to say, this is yet another thing that affects the middle class but which the Administration is doing nothing about.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:59 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
July 12, 2003
That explains it
Blacks Lose Better Jobs Faster as Middle-Class Work Drops
Why should Bush care about unemployment? It's not his voters being hurt.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:39 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 11, 2003
That was inevitable
W.T.O. Rules That U.S. Steel Duties Are Illegal
I knew that. You knew that. Even Bush probably knew that. But here's betting he sticks by his ridiculous protectionism, leading to a trade war. The EU is preparing to impose retaliatory duties, which won't actually do Europeans any good but will make them feel all warm inside.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 10, 2003
Air Canvas
Nike to buy sneaker rival Converse for $305 million - Jul. 10, 2003
Calling Converse a rival of Nike at this stage is like saying that the Clippers are a rival of the Lakers. Phil Knight probably had $305 million behind the cushions of his couch.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 09:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 03, 2003
That darned liberal media!
Jobless Rate Rises to 6.4 Percent; Highest in More Than 9 Years
Going around pointing out that the economy is in the toilet! How unpatriotic.
I've done this before, but a simple chart:
First Bush Administration: Recession, high unemployment.
Clinton Administration: Strong economy, low unemployment.
Second Bush Administration: Recession, high unemployment.
Is this really so hard to figure out?
Posted by Mac Thomason at 05:19 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
June 25, 2003
Enron gets the death penalty
Yahoo! News - Enron Barred From Selling at Market Rates
For manipulating the California energy markets, Enron is barred from selling energy at market rates for two years. It makes it almost impossible for the company to survive. They can still sell energy, but only "far below" market.
By the way, this is yet another blow to those who claimed that the California energy crisis of two years ago was the fault of "overregulation" and Gray Davis. Not that they'll stop saying that.
(First seen at Ginger's.)
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 13, 2003
Just steal some, you twit!
Property clerk burned cash, sheriff reports
Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale has had to issue a written directive to employees telling them not to burn any money seized as evidence. It's not something he expected to have to do, but a property clerk destroyed $2,100 recently. And other employees sat around and watched it.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 12, 2003
U.S. Mint to attack money supply
ajc.com | News | Government may revive $2 bill
1. The Mint decides to print a bunch of $2 bills.
2. Banks give them to their customers.
3. Instead of spending them, people put them in drawers, because those $2 bills are freaky, man!
4. The money supply plunges, the economy goes into recession, civilization collapses, and the Democrats take back the White House.
ADDENDUM: Come to think of it, the economy really started to go south when the Mint started issuing these state quarters and running ads telling people to collect them rather than spend them. I think I'm on to something here.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:39 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
May 06, 2003
The Credit Card Company Protection Act of 2003
Key Senator Ready to Move Bankruptcy Bill
Well, first Orrin Hatch will focus on the Asbestos Manufacturer Protection Act of 2003, but after that, credit card companies are the next victim he's going to help. Instead of allowing people to wipe out their debts (run up at rates usually called "usury" by less enlightened societies) by declaring bankruptcy as has long been traditional in the United States, the new measure would put them on five-year payment plans. If they fail, they will be thrown in debtors' prison. Okay, I made that last part up, but give it time. Or maybe they'll be sold as slaves to repay the banks.
And who will prevent this? Matthew Yglesias' former boss has a poison pill:
Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, has said he wants the bill to prevent abortion clinic demonstrators from declaring bankruptcy to avoid paying fines incurred as a result of protests. When lawmakers added that language to the bill in 2002, conservatives withdrew support, scuttling the legislation.
The Republican Party: for the little man, as long as he's violating the law to keep someone from having an abortion!
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:28 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
May 05, 2003
Save the gun dealers!
washingtonpost.com: Gun Firms On Verge Of Winning New Shield
Why should they be punished just for selling guns to obvious maniacs? Or making guns that can be easily modified into illegal configurations? Please, think of the gun dealers' children!
Hey, I'm not crazy about the attempts to legislate through the courts. On the other hand, if a company breaks the law, they should be liable. Making sure that businesses aren't liable for wrongdoing is of course the goal of the "tort reform" movement.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 06:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 24, 2003
You could not make this up
[Note: This story produced a genuine Laugh Out Loud moment. More like a half minute.]
Wis. Instructor Catches Students Cheating
Accounting students, naturally. I think someone has to do something before accountants wind up replacing used car dealers as the go-to profession for "lying scum".
Anyway, in this case a University of Wisconsin instructor found that some sixty accounting students cheated on take home exams, apparently by working in groups rather than as individuals.
[Here's the good bit.] Why did they have take-home exams? Because the instructor had decided to allow them to use their regular class period to attend a presentation by... Sherron Watkins, the woman who blew the whistle on Enron's questionable accounting practices!
Posted by Mac Thomason at 11:40 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 23, 2003
The rarely seen litigation badge
Girl Scouts sue over cookie money
I guess it's true what they say about Girl Scout Cookie sales being a valuable lesson in adult life.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 19, 2003
MOPEC
Baghdad 'should stay within Opec'
Hate is hate, but gigantic price-fixing schemes overcome even Iran/Iraq tensions, it seems. Iran's oil minister really wants Iraq to stay in OPEC.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 11:15 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
My heart bleeds
OPEC May Aim to Set Prices at $25 Barrel
They're worried about an oil glut and price crash. I find that I can handle the discomfiture of OPEC with no problems. Funny, huh? And it's small of me, but I'd really like for us to open up the flow of oil from Iraq ASAP. Not only would this screw with OPEC's problems, it would bring in a lot of money Iraq needs.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 10:44 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
April 15, 2003
Happy tax day, Wall Street!
IRS Audits of Corporates Down - CFO.com
I give you the Bush White House, and their pals in Congress! IRS audits of corporations are not only "down", investigations and criminal prosecutions are at an all-time low. You could read that as meaning that corporations are more honest now. If you're an idiot.
To be fair, the Bushies didn't start this trend. But they certainly don't intend to stop it. Why should they? Why should a few bad apples (Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing, HealthSouth...) who got too greedy spoil things for everyone else?
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 14, 2003
Welcome back, guys
washingtonpost.com: Peaceful Protest Puts Focus Back On IMF
I think I speak for everyone when I say it's a relief to have the freaks and anarchists back where they belong, protesting for vague reasons against capitalism and free trade. Everything's back to normal!
Posted by Mac Thomason at 11:49 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 13, 2003
A tax break I can get behind
Congress moves to reward U.S. troops
The US House has passed the "Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act". A final bill is expected later this month, and I assume the President will sign it even though almost none of it benefits giant multinational corporations.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 02:58 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 10, 2003
Sonic bust
That looks like the subject line of any given piece of Spam, but Virgin Atlantic wants to buy British Airways' fleet of seven Concordes for the grand total of one pound. It probably won't happen, since BA says it wants to put them on display.
Note: Whoever edited this story doesn't know the proper notation for American currency, saying that £1 is equal to "$1.6".
Posted by Mac Thomason at 12:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 01, 2003
Roll Over Beethoven
So I'm listening to Alabama Public Radio coming home from work. And they're in Pledge Week. Even the war can't stop Pledge Week!
Posted by Mac Thomason at 05:12 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
The Fool[s] on the Hill
CNN.com - Sources: Senate Republicans to help airlines in war bill - Mar. 31, 2003
I guess the Republicans think that the airlines are still rich enough to deserve giant government payouts. So much for trusting the power of the market, huh? Not to mention that attaching this to the emergency bill to pay for the war seems a trifle... odious. Yes, that's the word. Odious. Basically, they're sticking a measure that might not be popular into something that can't reasonably be filibustered or vetoed. Remember, if we don't prop up failing airlines, the terrorists win!
To say something for the Republicans, they at least put in this measure:
A senior Senate Republican source said an airline would not qualify for the war risk insurance extension if its chief executive's total compensation for the 12 months beginning April 1 exceeds the previous year's compensation.
Apparently, John McCain -- who is not running for President, and is still a Republican -- insisted on this.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 29, 2003
Forget Enron
AOL Says S.E.C. Is Challenging Its Accounting
The SEC thinks that AOL might have overstated revenues by as much as $590 million. Ouch. Hard to believe these electronic con men might take down Time-Warner with them.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 01:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 14, 2003
Federalists of convenience
House Acts to Limit Malpractice Awards
If you haven't already noticed, the Republican Party is only Federalist when it's convenient. When it wants to support its corporate agenda, it has no problem trying to overrule the state court system, as in the Insurance Company Profits Protection Act of 2003.
Posted by Mac Thomason at 08:08 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 09, 2003
Who cares?
washingtonpost.com: Broadway Strike Talks at a Standstill
Why is this news anywhere in the country outside New York? Why are the Tony Awards on TV? Why does Entertainment Weekly have a "Stage" section sometimes? Would it make any difference to the vast majority of people in the United States -- nay, the world -- if the Broadway musical ceased to exist and all the theaters were converted to low-cost public housing?
Posted by Mac Thomason at 03:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack