It is now official. Californians would have the opportunity to decriminalize marijuana this November by voting for Proposition 19. I am glad for the opportunity. Why? Well, let me count the ways...
2010-10-16
Marijuana Control - Capitalism v. Communism
Scribbled by Heretic at 08:00 0 comments
Labels: California, Marijuana, Politics
2010-06-26
What is Capitalism
The newspapers and magazines are full of dreadful news about the economy. Budget crises are causing pain in many parts of the world. Many people are out of work and they are confused and angry about how this mess came about. Some have even gone ahead and declared the current financial crisis as the first step towards the death of capitalism.
So, what is Capitalism? Well, sometimes it is easier to describe something in terms of what it is not. So, let me tell you about the opposite of Capitalism - Commandism.
Scribbled by Heretic at 20:00 0 comments
Labels: Capitalism
2010-05-28
The 3-cent solution
I love listening to NPR (National Public Radio) while driving. Actually, I love listening to NPR no matter where I am. I like "All Things Considered", "Fresh Air", "Car Talk" and many other programs. I think it is the finest station on the dial.
On the other hand, the fundraiser programming drives me up the wall. I hate, hate, hate it. I don't know if the local NPR stations (mine is KQED) have hit on an insidious formula to drive people to donate but it grates me to no end. Every time their pledge drive starts, I hope and pray that it would be over quickly. But of course, it takes far too long. I try to skip to some generic music station but then I manage to miss KQED's programming as well. So, I asked myself - Can the NPR stations raise funds without this fundraising mess?
Well, two things happened. First, I heard on NPR that more than 90% of NPR listeners did not give any money. The second was a really unlikely source - an article on the economics of iPhone applications. By building a simple application that sells for say $1 or $5, the developer is able to get a larger audience and thus is able to make far more total revenue than if the application was priced at say $100.
Scribbled by Heretic at 08:00 1 comments
Labels: NPR
2010-05-22
Happy Birthday Harvey Milk
Today Harvey Milk would have turned 80. That is, if he hadn't been assassinated way back in 1978. Last year, California finally managed to create a Harvey Milk Day, the first of which is today.
Scribbled by Heretic at 21:00 0 comments
2010-04-18
Postcard from Europe #4: Where did the Wall go?
Another of my posts about the time I was running all over Europe on weekends...
But first, the background. It was a fall day in 1989 in Iowa City, home to my alma mater, The University of Iowa. I hadn't had time to read any news in about a week so after dinner, I went to the TV Room to see what was happening. I remember switching on the TV and Garrick Utley's face appeared, saying "... believe it or not, ... the Berlin Wall is coming down."
Scribbled by Heretic at 16:00 0 comments
Labels: Berlin Wall, Europe, Politics, Travel