| Latest Commentary: | Volume VI, Number 102 |
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Californian Initiatives Play with Electoral College -- California is America’s biggest state by population, and therefore, it is the biggest prize in the electoral college that selects America’s president. By winning California (a largely Democratic state), a candidate gets 55 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Since the set up is winner-take-all, this favors the Democrats. The Republicans in the state are trying hard to change that, and the Democrats may have found a way to stop them.
Bangladeshis Riot against Military Government -- The military took over in Bangladesh back in January because the civilian political scene was headed towards chaos. The elections scheduled for the 22nd of that month were cancelled because they were seen to be (and might well have been) rigged in favor of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The army has run the show since then and done little to aid the average citizen. Students have led movements that brought down two previous military regimes there, and they have started up again. The authorities have taken them so seriously that a curfew has been slapped on Dhaka and other major cities. The soldiers should understand at strategic retreat to barracks is in order. Bank of America Buys Stake in Countrywide -- Markets are excellent at setting prices, but they have a habit of over-shooting when things change rapidly. In the case of the sub-prime mortgage mess, the share price of Countrywide Financial fell through $15 a share from its normal trading range around $30 to set a new 12-month low. As the nation’s largest sub-prime lender, Countrywide is vulnerable to rising foreclosures. However, most of the loans are performing just fine, and Bank of America has taken advantage of this fact to buy $2 billion worth of Countrywide at this fire sale price. Man Arrested for “Illegal Log In” to Home Wi-Fi -- The Times reports, “Two officers saw the 39-year-old man sitting on a garden wall outside a home in Chiswick, West London. When questioned he admitted using the homeowner’s unsecured broadband connection from his position on the wall. He was arrested and the case was passed to the Metropolitan Police Computer Crime Unit. He was bailed to return in October and faces a fine or a jail term of six months, or both.” It appears that what he did was illegal, but was it immoral? © Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux. |
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