Month November 2008

Chavez would expropriate banks in crisis

“If something similar comes to pass in Venezuela, you should not have the slightest doubt that I won’t give a penny to the banks – I’ll expropriate them,” said Mr Chavez. But then Venezuela would have to pump billions into…

Aria preparations continue

USA Today/Gallup: Obama 53%. McCain 42%. Financial Times: “Obama extends lead.” WaPo/ABC poll: Obama holds a “sizable advantage.” ABC pollster. Obama “closing strongly.”

Obama’s tech policy and plans

Obama wants to “employ technology to solve our most pressing problems.” This includes broadband for all, a modern communications infrastructure, online access to governmental data with feedback and comments from citizens, major R&D for cleantech and renewable energy, more science…

GMail and backing up online email

Every now and then, GMail gets weird, and insists I re-login using an almost unreadable captcha. A couple of times I said my account was suspended but then presented a login with no captcha which worked fine. Which is more…

So long, Studs

Studs Terkel, rabble-rouser, activist, chronicler of the uncommonly common, artist-in-residence, peacenik, gad-fly, listener, died at 96 at his home here on Halloween. Studs was a singular Chicago character in this wildly diverse world, someone who lived fully through his own…