The Rational Mind

The Gateses have created a foundation worth $25 billion, the largest in the world, and have pledged to give it most of the rest of their $41 billion fortune, derived largely from stock in Bill Gates’s company, Microsoft Corp.

I can’t think of a more fantastic way to waste that much money than to spend in on “world health initiatives.” I mean sure, I don’t need more than $5 -10 billion for my personal expenses, but there are much better ways to fritter away one’s wealth than to enrich Africa’s dictators. If Bill Gates really wants to start a “world health initiative,” then he should go after the world’s primary killers: poverty and the oppressive regimes that keep their citizens mired in it. There is only one cure for this ailment, and while it can’t be fixed with any amount of money, it will generate enough wealth to fix all of Africa’s problems: capitalism.

The media is having a fit over Sharon’s decision to build more settlements on the western side of Jerusalem. Fortunately, this decision shows that he is not totally whipped by the White House…yet.
Meanwhile, the terrorist group known as Hamas says Israel’s fence “means the early failure of the road map project.” Um, I think that “project” failed when you blew up hundreds of innocent people. If their goal was to be left alone by Israel, then the fence would be the best thing they could ask for. However their real objection to the fence is evident in their own objections: “the wall will not protect the Zionist entity and will not stop the strikes of resistance.”

This evening, I went to hear “Women In Islam: Oppression or Empowerment?” – a presentation given by the Muslim Students Association. It was part of an “Islam Awareness Week” that was highly promoted by the University. (Coming up next is “Coming Out Week,” organized by the “Gender Issues Education Services.”)
I was interested in hearing what kind of deception and evasion I would hear, and I was not disappointed. I’ll give an overview, and leave it up to you to judge the views presented.
Continue reading “Women In Islam: Oppression or Empowerment?”

A third spy has been caught at Guantanamo base. As Sean says,

Another translator has been arrested for spying at Guantanamo. Once is a fluke. Twice problem. Three times is a conspiracy. Think I’m off my rocker? Well, two of the three arrested had ties to Syria.

I got my paycheck receipt today. Unfortunately, it was for just a day, rather than the month’s pay I was expecting. I called HR and was assured that it was for the last month, and I that was to get this month’s payment tomorrow. After remembering that I began my job on the first of this month, I decided not to pursue my complaint. Reminds me of the $100 Christmas bonus I got from HEB six months after I had quit. On the down side, I was rudely reminded of the State’s claim to my life in the form of an innocuous-looking line labeled “Federal Income Tax.”

The Internet has often been compared to America’s expanding western frontier during the 19th century. Like all frontiers, it has the potential to create enormous wealth through the exploitation of new technologies by the cowboys of the digital domain. The creation of a global communication network has attracted millions of entrepreneurs who are eager to make a name and a dollar for themselves by finding new opportunities and business models that take advantage of the unique nature of the Net.

The Internet is not just a source of wealth – it is also a source for the creation of new kinds of property rights. Domain names, broadband access, website designs, digital databases, digitized content, and quasi-public networks are all becoming new and valuable virtual property with little or no existing guidelines for the assignment of property rights to their owners. As governments worldwide struggle to catch up and resolve disputes by establishing property rights in these new areas, businesses must often act to secure their property when the Law is unable to provide adequate protection. This applies to intellectual property such as music and images as well as to virtual property such as domain names and private networks.
Continue reading Property Rights on the Net

My Internet connection has been mostly down the last four days, thanks to Cox Internet. I tried to do some off-line activities on my computer like finishing some unfinished essays and doing some coding, but even that seemed futile offline. After looking at a blank screen for a few hours, I resumed reading .NET Enterprise Design. It’s a neat book, even if it is ironic that I decided to read a book on designing effective networks while the internet was out.

Thanks to Google and M.S.N. for recognizing me as the 3rd highest “Greedy American.” If I could go choose to be known by any one moniker, it would be as a “greedy American.” But this got me to thinking: who are the real greedy Americans? (And how can I capitalize on my search engine hits?) What is the essence of being selfish, anyway?
Continue reading How to be a Greedy American

SMU shuts down race-based bake sale.
The Texas A&M chapter of the YCT is planning the same thing in November.

This year’s Open House didn’t yield any great photos, but here is a decent one:

For more, go here.