We Aren’t Ready for Some Football, but They’re Gonna Give It to Us Anyway

Environmental exemptions OKd for football stadium in City of Industry | latimes.com

It is tough to love Los Angeles. It is an exceptionally large city ruined by the diminutive thinking of its residents and especially that of its politicians. Among the great signs of civilization in the city was the distinct absence of a football team. The thoroughly corrupt political machine of Los Angeles somehow had managed miraculously to demand that the football league pay its own way for the privilege of reaping profits from the largest media market in the nation. It was a standoff that benefitted the city tremendously. Free from the tyranny of football, people dreamt up fabulous other activities to do. Angelenos are so happy without football, in fact, that nobody remotely cares about an NFL presence.

It boggles the mind, therefore, that a state politician would go so far as to pass a special law exempting an unwanted stadium project from environmental studies that other ones have to conduct.

This is the same politicians who couldn’t quite go to the mat to preserve education and social services, but it seems as if he can pull the strings for real estate developers who want to build a stadium that nobody wants for a team that nobody will care to watch.

That Schwarzenegger would sign this giveaway comes as no surprise.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. The complacency of Angelenos in the face of the ruthless assault on the city and their quality of life, however, feels a lot worse.

The Pinnacle of Cynicism

Prison consultants help inmates get good digs – Yahoo! News |  Other Sources

Had these dumb bastards had a morals and ethics consultant, then perhaps they would have no need for a prison consultant now.

No matter how sensational and overblown this story might be, the slightest hint of its veracity sickens one to the stomach.

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No Rest for (the Wife of) the Wicked

Trustee sues Madoff’s wife over ‘life of splendor’ – Yahoo! Finance

I said as much a while back, and it seems as if one of the trustees of Madoff’s victims seems to agree.

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Time to End Corporate Cell Phone Monopolies

Apple Stuck Apologizing For AT&T Yet Again With A $30 iTunes Credit

Naturally, this pisses me off because it will ultimately hurt the bottom line of my Apple stock, and because it means that I will be stuck with the same lousy AT&T service for some time.

The local phone company has no authority to dictate which phones I can and cannot use. Wireless communication companies should not have this authority, either.

Cruising in a Houseboat

Amsterdam Tests Residential 1Gbps Fiber – While city muni-fiber operation delivers fiber to the house boat… – dslreports.com.

On some level, it’s infuriating to know that houseboats in Amsterdam get better internet bandwidth than the most luxurious penthouse in Manhattan or San Francisco.

Effects of Smog on Pregnancy

L.A. Traffic Causing Premature Births: Study: Discovery News.

The number of studies linking the poor air quality to pulmonary problems and generally poor health are numerous. Now, a new study shows that smog adversely affects pregnancies. Yet, somehow, one cannot believe that this will effect any more action in a populace long since drowned in utter apathy.

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The Spoils of Crime

Ruth Madoff forfeits asset claims, left with $2.5 million | Reuters

$2.5 million is not a bad take at all for suffering through decades of lavish living at the clients’ expense. One wonders why someone how has absolutely no bargaining power vis a vis the prosecution of a confessed criminal is granted such a healthy settlement when a huge number of the defrauded clients are left with absolutely nothing.

The soup thickens, indeed.

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End of Education in California?

BBC NEWS | Americas | California ‘to scrap textbooks’

This doesn’t mean that California school children won’t be educated. The ones with computers and an internet connection will manage. The ones who cannot afford the technology required for electronic textbooks will make Arnold Schwarzenegger sound educated.

This economic slump has an infinite upside for Schwarzenegger.

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Time Marches Forward, but Does not Heal

5 found dead near the 405 in Long Beach | Los Angeles Times

The story is dated, but timeless. The acts described in it are unforgettable, yet frequently forgotten. As of this writing, the crime remains unsolved, and the motive remains the subject of speculation. In as much, one is left with the impression that these unforgivable acts are somehow condoned or tolerated.

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First in Capitalism, Last in Broadband

BBC NEWS | Technology | Broadband World: Mapping the global picture

Extolling the virtues of a “pure and unadulterated capitalism” has always been in vogue in the United States, and it has never changed the fact the country is lagging in many critical measures of quality of life, chief among them life expectancy and infant mortality.

Now we can add broadband speed to the list, though broadband speed is hardly a measure of quality of life. It is a damn nice measure of excess, that one characteristic for which the USA is best known.

It’s nice to know to know that monopoly power is still worshipped in the United States  for the excess power and wealth it concentrates in the hands of the few. Who cares that monopoly power never delivers better service at a lower price, innovation (Microsoft still doesn’t get the iPod), improvements in infrastructure, or a functioning marketplace?

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