Dying of Stupidity...and Fear...and Greed

When you get past all the other noise and confusion, one sour note rings through.

Universal health care is not a happy thought for many Americans.

The fact that close to 50 million of their fellow citizens and (maybe not) neighbours are uninsured - and therefore always one snivel away from personal and financial catastrophe - doesn't seem nearly as important as punishing a president or a party or a candidate they don't like.

Or rising to the bait of scare words like...00000...socialism. Oooooo...

That this simple goal - coverage for all - has been drowned in the cheesiest forms of partisan politics is overwhelmingly sad and disgusting.

The editorial in the Globe blames Boston voters, among others.

If Obama can save this bill and his own place in history from this mess, he will replace Cujo on the alltime save list.

Print Progress?

"Everything on the Internet should the free."

Dream on, Little Grasshopper.

The dot.com hay days of the late '90's may have come and gone with their $100 Million start-ups that folded 90 nights later, but people are still determined to make money on the net.

With ad revenues down on average 30% world-wide for daily print newspapers, it should not come as a surprise that the New York Times will try once again to get you to subscribe to its electronic articles.

This program is slated to start next year, with the fees and the dates yet to be announced.

"If the newspapers, including the Times, continue giving away their content for free while asking subscribers to pay for an edition that they get six hours later, it is a continuing foolhardy business proposition," said Joel Brinkley, a communications professor at Stanford University who worked for The New York Times for 23 years.

What all of this means for info vampires like me and you remains to be seen.

If I pay the subscription fee and I read a NY Times article, under the proposed new system I can recommend it to you.

But can I LINK it to you?

Perhaps you won't be able to open that link if you have not paid up as well.

Ah well.

The Tree People will be basking.