Was Revenge of the Sith P2P Released on Purpose?

Via Barry Ritholtz's Econ based blog.

Undocumented War

The Marketplace radio show has a week-long feature called "The Undocumented War", about illegal immigration from Mexico to the US, running from the 23rd - 27th. I have just listened online to Monday's installment.

The feature is reported by journalist Scott Carrier, whose episodes on This American Life I have enjoyed for a while now.

The first piece is an introduction by writer Charles Bowden.

From the webpage listed above:

Congress is now grappling with how to control this near perfect model of a free-market for human labor. The draw of relatively well-paying jobs in the United States has created a seemingly endless flow of jobless Latinos—mostly Mexican – illegally entering the country in search of more promising lives. Nearly half a million are expected to cross this year, joining the 11 million already in the country. Thousands will endure extreme conditions to cross the desert. Most will make it, but at least 300 will die trying.

The drama of these crossings is played out along 1,833-mile long border of the southwestern United States with Mexico. Carrier, one of the signature voices in public radio, shows an uncanny ability to set up the story for the listener. He then skillfully steps aside to let the central figures tell their own stories.

The Undocumented War poses some uncomfortable questions that America has yet to answer: Would this country go through the trauma of weaning itself from it addiction to cheap labor if it meant deep economic suffering for Americans?

Bowden, after describing the grimness of the effort involved, explains the incentive, "You can't watch this, and see it happening, and think anything is going right in Mexico economically. Nobody'd go through this hell if they had a choice. It's a war zone, only nobody will admit it's a war and nobody has the decency or honesty to even count the casualties. These people who are risking their lives tonight to cross this desert, when they get to their Chicago, their Los Angeles or their North Carolina, will send more money back to Mexico next year than Mexico will make by selling oil. You take a man, you put him 300 yards south of here and he can't find a job, he can barely feed himself. You move him across this desert, you get him to an American city, Mexico no longer has to feed him, and he becomes a major source of wealth because he sends money home to try and take care of his people who were left behind. So a 135 pound man, who is a liablility to the Mexican government, if they can just move him across the fence, becomes a money pump, like a private ATM that sustains their society."

MOORE SLAMS V FOR VENDETTA MOVIE, PULLS LoEG FROM DC COMICS

Via Boingboing - the article - featuring standard issue dissagreements with a large media company can be found here.

Sweater

Steal this sweater dot com

Dream

With no better place to put this info, last night part of my dream was located in a place that I want to say was Salt Lake City, but I don't remember seeing any particular landmarks or geography. I was with more than one person but can only remember a dark haired, perhaps dyed black, maybe even slightly "gothic" in dress, girl.
We were walking up to a one story suburban home, wooden panel, yellow; the roof was dark tile. The sky was dim, twilight? Storm brewing? I don't recall a strong sensation of weather.

What I do remember is that right by the front door, next to the sidewalk leading to the driveway was a rectangular grave marker, flat in the ground. The girl cleared away some leaf litter and in a very ornately carved script was the word: Baphomet.

I also remember there was some talk about whether Baphomet was 5 or 15 ft. in height.

Just Overheard (via headphones)

I have been listening to the previous day's Marketplace show via the interweb. Today is Wed. and on Tuesday's show I just heard Sonic Youth's "Schizophrenia" used as bumper music. The song (no lyrics) was played between a bit about how the market just took a hit on gossip that many banks are holding onto bad investments such as GM and a piece on computer security/data theft.

I should say that I am still alternately rattled and excited by Daniel Pink's editorial from Monday's Marketplace show in which he stated that "...the MFA is the new MBA."

I'm a made man.

It is shoddy, it is contemptible, and it is philosophically blasphemous

"The trouble with socialism is socialism. The trouble with capitalism is capitalists."

Derbs

I've been away, visiting family and friends with the fiance, in Lousiville, Kentucky. I stopped visiting for the winter holidays a few years ago and now stick to Derby time, which, in spite of all the hammerheads and mardi gras beads and broken glass and women pissing in yards, can be a very fun time to visit what is now embarrassingly called "The 'Ville".

The blessing of no computer, and no real time for computing kept me away from work and typically headed towards some Woodford's Reserve and or Falls City beer.

The first morning back is a bit of a rush of catching up, making up missed time from several jobs as well as the standard info reading, the so called "fun stuff", like motorcycle race results and entries from clear headed conservatives.

I hope to post more soon. Currently at the salt mine where I have just learned on Marektplace (the radio show) that some feel that the MFA is the new MBA.

How 'bout that.