President Bush has authorized the execution of Ronald A. Gray, a serial killer who was convicted of multiple charges of murder and rape. Gray committed the crimes while serving in the Army as a private and has been on the military’s death row for twenty years.
The last commander-in-chief to approve a military death sentence was President Eisenhower in 1957. With five more men awaiting execution at Fort Leavenworth, I think it needs to happen a little more often.
Link: Politico
Robert Novak, a political commentator and columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, has revealed that he has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He said that he “will be suspending [his] journalistic work for an indefinite but, God willing, not too lengthy period.” Novak, who is seventy-seven, was admitted to a Boston hospital for treatment.
It is not known at this time whether the tumor is benign or malignant. Depending upon its size and location, the tumor may be able to be surgically removed, but it is too early to tell.
I pray that Bob Novak is able to come through this ordeal safely, and “God willing,” he can return to work soon.
Link: Chicago Sun-Times
While I was writing yesterday’s post about the latest increase in the federal minimum wage, I came across this policy analysis piece by the Cato Institute. Written in 1988 when the minimum wage was a mere $3.35, the article by Matthew Kibbe demonstrates that the arguments in favor of a minimum wage were no more valid twenty years ago than they are today.
It is an enlightening analysis of the economic effects of government-mandated wage increases, and Kibbe does a far better job at explaining the negative results of the minimum wage than I ever could.
Link: Cato Institute
Xdrive is an online storage site which has been around for about a decade. Since 2005, it has been owned by former media giant AOL, where its development has stagnated and it has largely been forgotten.
Well, AOL is having hard times these days, and the company is trying to cut costs anyway it can. In addition to shutting down many of its services like AOL Pictures, MyMobile, and Bluestring, AOL is wanting to sell Xdrive for five million dollars.
So, if you have that kind of money lying around and are feeling nostalgic for a late-nineties era web application, give AOL a call.
Link: TechCrunch
Today, Google opened its Knol project for all to see. Knol is a service that allows users to write articles on useful tidbits of knowledge. It has been compared to Wikipedia since it was first announced last year, but the topics do not need to be encyclopedia-worthy. Also, a person who creates a knol (a “unit of knowledge,” according to Google) has total control over edits to his page, so vandalism should not be problem like it is on Wikipedia.
Currently, most of the articles deal with health topics; apparently, a lot of medical professionals were involved in the private beta. But I image that the content will quickly branch out into other other areas of knowledge now that the site is available to everyone. My personal favorites so far are the knols on buttermilk pancakes and toilet clogs.
Link: Search Engine Land
George W. Bush has taken the first step toward making offshore oil drilling a reality. This morning, the President stated his intention to lift the executive order, signed by his father, that prohibited oil exploration off the coasts of the United States.
Now it is time for Congress to act, by repealing the twenty-seven-year-old federal law which also bans offshore drilling.
Link: CNN
Phil Gramm is a perfect example of what happens when a politician dares to speak his own mind. The former Texas senator has been all but ostracized by his friend John McCain for making an unpopular statement about the economy. Jokes about Belarus aside, it is unclear what role, if any, Gramm will have in the McCain campaign from now on, but one thing is certain: he will no longer be advising the Republican Presidential candidate on the economy.
And I think that is a shame, because Gramm appears to have a better grasp on the true state of the economy than any one else in the McCain camp.
Link: Washington Post
Tony Snow, the former White House Press Secretary and Fox News anchor, has lost his long, hard-fought battle against cancer this morning. He was fifty-three years old.
Although it may sad for those of us who admired the man to think that his life was cut so short by colon cancer, this is a joyful day for Tony Snow. His fight is finally over, and he is with his Lord.
Link: Fox News
Mike Elgan makes a couple of excellent points as to why “stealing” Wi-Fi isn’t really stealing.
Personally, I have only connected to open Wi-Fi connections on a few rare occasions when I could not get Internet access any other way. I would not do it on a regular basis, even though I don’t view it as unethical. I proudly pay (out the nose) for my Internet service.
Link: Computerworld
Toddlers who say “yuck” when tasting foreign food might be “exhibiting racist behavior”? Does it even need to be said how ridiculous this is?
Link: Breitbart.com
While I believe most Americans truly love their country, there is a small minority of people in the United States who feel no devotion to this great land and who take opportunities around traditionally patriotic days of the year like Independence Day to decry nationalism.
Most of the disloyal screeds are not worth reading, but I must say that I was amused with this particular article and the amount of thought that the author put into how much he doesn’t love his country.
“Love of country is a form of idolatry,” writes Matthew Rothschild. “It is time, it is long past time, to put patriotism back on the shelf — out of the reach of children and madmen.” George Bernard Shaw would be so proud.
How drastically different are his words from those of George Washington! This is what the first President of the United States had to say about patriotism: “Citizens by birth or choice, of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of ‘American,’ which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.”
Link: Progressive
Rafael Nadal has long been the second-best player in men’s tennis, but 2008 looks to be the year that the Spaniard will finally emerge from under the shadow of Roger Federer. Not only did Nadal defeat Federer decisively at the French Open to win his fourth straight singles title in Paris, matching Björn Borg’s record, but he has now also broken Federer’s five-year-long Wimbledon streak, becoming the first man since Borg in 1980 to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same calendar year.
Link: Fox Sports
Evan Brown’s Links of Interest 