To be honest, I cannot see any of the three (or four) setting a clock without help from a 12-year-old. This does not bode well for technology, a sector that in other countries gets a lot of government support and attention.
In India, China and Japan as well as many European countries, the sector and the business in general are seen as an important element of prestige and prosperity. They see the light; we don't.
It is Chomsky on current topics, but an interesting read none the less.
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Noam Chomsky is a noted linguist, author, and foreign policy expert. On April 26, Michael Shank interviewed him about the conflict between Congress and the U.S. president over Iraq and Syria, the scandal enveloping World Bank head Paul Wolfowitz, and the nature of foreign debt.
Michael Shank: Given that the U.S. Congress is no longer calling for binding timelines for troop withdrawal, how is this indicative of a broader struggle between the executive and legislative branches?
Noam Chomsky: There are a number of issues. One is the unitary executive conception. The Republican Party happens to be right now in the hands of a very extreme fringe. That goes from the legal system and the Federalist Society to the executive and so on. What they basically want, to put it simply, is a kind of an elective dictatorship. The chief executive should have total control over the executive branch. And the executive branch should dominate the other branches. That’s an effective mode of authoritarian control, natural for those whose dislike of democracy goes beyond the norm.
There’s a real fascist streak there, definitely. And Congress, to some extent, is trying to recreate more of a balance between the executive and legislative branch. So that’s part of the struggle. Part of it is just that neither party is willing to face the consequences of a withdrawal from Iraq. It’s not a trivial matter. First of all, there’s almost no public discussion of the issues involved in the war. Why did we invade? Why don’t we want to get out?
CNN.com - Supreme Court allows prosecution of medical marijuana - Jun 6, 2005
Topic: Politics and Law
7:11 pm EDT, Jun 6, 2005
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Supreme Court Monday ruled doctors can be blocked from prescribing marijuana for patients suffering from pain caused by cancer or other serious illnesses.In a 6-3 vote, the justices ruled the Bush administration can block the backyard cultivation of pot for personal use, because such use has broader social and financial implications."Congress' power to regulate purely activities that are part of an economic 'class of activities' that have a substantial effect on interstate commerce is firmly established," wrote Justice John Paul Stevens for the majority.
] When U.S. President George W. Bush arrives in Ottawa ] probably later this year - should he be welcomed? Or ] should he be charged with war crimes? ] ] It's an interesting question. On the face of it, Bush ] seems a perfect candidate for prosecution under Canada's ] Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes Act. ] ] This act was passed in 2000 to bring Canada's ineffectual ] laws in line with the rules of the new International ] Criminal Court. While never tested, it lays out sweeping ] categories under which a foreign leader like Bush could ] face arrest.
Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/war2002/
