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And SPEAKING of Viagra…

scaredpoet

Well, perhaps GM buying up all the viagra, as mentioned yesterday, may have some good effects. It appears a study funded by Pfizer has concluded that Viagra sales leads to fewer deaths of endangered species. No, seriously!

Frank von Hippel said the findings support their earlier research that Western impotence drugs may be an unintended wildlife conservation aid. Seals, sea lions and walruses are the animals most likely to benefit because they are often poached for their genitalia, he said.

“We think that market has pretty much collapsed from the advent of Viagra and other Western treatments,” von Hippel said.

Other animals used for impotence cures include sea horses, geckos and deer, whose velvety antlers are used in traditional medicine.

I guess if you can’t get it up, you’re pretty desperate for any “cure” you can find. I wonder if PETA will start selling the drug next?

The downward spiral of cost vs. wages

scaredpoet

The below paragraph is an analogy that tons of media sources are parroting all over the place right now, and as much as it loathes me to repeat it, I’m going to, because the comparison is , sadly, integral to my analysis. So, here it is…

In early days of automobile production, Henry Ford shocked the industry by paying his laborers on the assembly line an astounding $5 per day wage. In doing so, he ensured that most of the people building his cars could buy his cars. And for a time, this social contract between employer and laborer worked reasonably well: pay your workers and provide them with benefits, and they will be productive and give back to the company, ensuring further economic success.

This social contract requires that there be trust and goodwill as its underpinnings. If either side gets greedy, the system doesn’t work. Now, we’re beginning to see a breakdown in this system, and unfortunately, it’s greed on the part of both sides that are to blame.

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Does Bush have Pat Robertson syndrome?

scaredpoet

Holy bush

Okay, I’ll concede this: it’s not exactly breaking news that Bush is a little… stubbornly obsessive, sometimes. I’m sure even Bush-worshippers (not just conservatives, but hard-line, kneel-and-praise-Bush, Bush worshippers) can agree to that.

But now, there’s a bit of a PR spat over just how insanely fanatical Bush may truly be. The Palestinians are now saying that Bush practically called himself God’s Right hand (yes, pun intended), though they’ve sought to tone down the significance of what was said in subsequent interviews, no doubt thanks to diplomatic pressure from Washington. But hey, you be the judge:

Shaath said: “President Bush said to all of us: ‘I’m driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan’.”

Shaath goes on to describe Bush as saying: “And I did, and then God would tell me, George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq… And I did. And now, again, I feel God’s words coming to me, Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East. And by God, I’m gonna do it.'”

Holy Bush, Batman! It sure as hell sounds like our folksy, bumbling “free-world” leader to me. Even though the White House’s tack is to deny, deny, deny.

I knew Bush was a little religious and God-fearin’ and all, but I didn’t realize he fashioned himself after Pat Robertson so much. What’s next: will Bush start delivering speeches in glossolalia? Might he trump Pat Robertson and do an Oral Roberts, and start proclaiming he can “raise the dead” to fight his war in Iraq? At this point, there seems to be no limit for what Bush will claim.

Dell’s selling open source… if you can find it.

scaredpoet

Dell has just this week released what its calls its first “open source” PC. Shipping with FreeDOS and labeled the E510n, the PC is designed to cater to those who may have misgivings about buying a machine prepackaged with Windows, whether they want it or not.

There’s just one problem. Did YOU know about it? Neither did I for a good while. Dell never made a press release announcing its availability. And on the Dell website, the E510n is nowhere to be found. The closest match is this model, which only costs about, oh, $10 less than the comparably-configured Windows-included model… well actually, the Windows-included model costs WAY less when you consider that it includes a free 17-inch LCD flat panel monitor… while the “Open Source” version is SO
“open source” that it’s BYO Monitor.

End result? You could buy a regular Dell PC, strip off Windows and be done with it.

It’s a shame that Dell is so in bed with Microsoft that it can’t even do a haf-hearted attempt to mollify the open source community with decently-priced hardware, much less even consider a linux offering. Dell shouldn’t have even tried.