American companies face increasing pressure to reduce or eliminate pollution.
This has been one of the drivers for offshoring jobs to countries that are more interested in commerce than environmental extremism.
However, as Apple has learned, there is a growing activist movement in China and they have set their sights on companies like Apple which rates last in a list of 29 companies that are not meeting their expectations.
HP, BT, Alcatel-Lucent, Vodafone, Samsung, Toshiba, Sharp and Hitachi have been listed as responsive and improving when it comes to managing their partners in China.
Gee, isn't Apple the darling of the American Left-Wingnuts?
I see this as a positive sign.
China will be dragged down to our level by their homegrown activists forcing over regulation on their tech sector.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Fat Brit to sue NHS for "allowing" him to get there
A British man who recently (finally) received an operation to reduce his ability to absorb food, is threatening to sue the National Health Service (NHS) for "allowing" him to get so fat.
At his peak weight Paul Mason was consuming ten times the average caloric intake of an adult male.
I don't imagine there were any representatives of NHS forcing this food down his gullet or even bringing it to him, but they are apparently at fault by his reckoning.
I do have to agree with Mr. Mason that NHS should have approved the operation much sooner and that they should have had enough sense to send him to an eating disorder specialist instead of a dietitian when he first sought help but they failed to do even that until his weight more than doubled to 64 stone (896lbs).
NHS showed by not acting much sooner why we should NEVER accept government run healthcare and Mr. Mason shows one more reason why: It is too easy when someone else is supposedly "responsible" to just do whatever you want and blame them for not stopping you.
At his peak weight Paul Mason was consuming ten times the average caloric intake of an adult male.
I don't imagine there were any representatives of NHS forcing this food down his gullet or even bringing it to him, but they are apparently at fault by his reckoning.
I do have to agree with Mr. Mason that NHS should have approved the operation much sooner and that they should have had enough sense to send him to an eating disorder specialist instead of a dietitian when he first sought help but they failed to do even that until his weight more than doubled to 64 stone (896lbs).
NHS showed by not acting much sooner why we should NEVER accept government run healthcare and Mr. Mason shows one more reason why: It is too easy when someone else is supposedly "responsible" to just do whatever you want and blame them for not stopping you.
Illinois Democrats want people to leave
I can only assume that Illinois Democrats want more people to vacate the state.
Why would I believe that?
They are proposing to increase personal income taxes by 75%, cigarette taxes by more than 100%, and eliminate the homeowner tax deduction in favor of a rebate check.
So, why not allow a tax deduction for property taxes instead of a rebate check?
Either way, the state holds your money until you file.
I can only guess that the check will be for a fixed amount that shorts those with more expensive properties and everyone can have their rebate amount reduced or canceled with greater ease and speed.
Now, to be fair, the personal tax rate in Illinois is only 3% and the new "temporary" tax rate will be 5..25% where the (temporary) rate in the People's Republik of Kalifornia is 9.5% (max) and likely to stay there or go higher if Governor Ichabod Brown has his way.
Be that as it may, increasing taxes by the percentages they propose will enrage the people (especially the greedy, selfish Democrats that want everyone but them to pay more).
Many are likely to follow those before them that voted with their feet and went elsewhere.
As many in Illinois say: "Good luck having those rates go down on the future!"
Why would I believe that?
They are proposing to increase personal income taxes by 75%, cigarette taxes by more than 100%, and eliminate the homeowner tax deduction in favor of a rebate check.
So, why not allow a tax deduction for property taxes instead of a rebate check?
Either way, the state holds your money until you file.
I can only guess that the check will be for a fixed amount that shorts those with more expensive properties and everyone can have their rebate amount reduced or canceled with greater ease and speed.
Now, to be fair, the personal tax rate in Illinois is only 3% and the new "temporary" tax rate will be 5..25% where the (temporary) rate in the People's Republik of Kalifornia is 9.5% (max) and likely to stay there or go higher if Governor Ichabod Brown has his way.
Be that as it may, increasing taxes by the percentages they propose will enrage the people (especially the greedy, selfish Democrats that want everyone but them to pay more).
Many are likely to follow those before them that voted with their feet and went elsewhere.
As many in Illinois say: "Good luck having those rates go down on the future!"
Monday, December 27, 2010
One more reason for unions to be criminalized
Need a job?
Willing to live in the big city and work at Carnegie Hall or the Lincoln Center moving chairs and props around?
You can be a stagehand if you know the right folks and one of the existing hands dies or retires.
Would you be more willing if you knew that the average stagehand's compensation was $290K (wages and benefits) or that the top hands get $530K?
You may not have heard of these benefit packages because the stagehands have shut down theaters before and have shown a great willingness to do it again (it gets easier when you have a money cushion to lie on that the musicians and other performers trying to get by don't).
Few people who perform in these venues will speak out against the powerful unions for fear of reprisal.
When people fear the unions to the point where it is hard to find someone who works with them willing to openly comment on their exorbitant compensation, you know it is time to tear them down and seal them in the dustbin of history.
Willing to live in the big city and work at Carnegie Hall or the Lincoln Center moving chairs and props around?
You can be a stagehand if you know the right folks and one of the existing hands dies or retires.
Would you be more willing if you knew that the average stagehand's compensation was $290K (wages and benefits) or that the top hands get $530K?
You may not have heard of these benefit packages because the stagehands have shut down theaters before and have shown a great willingness to do it again (it gets easier when you have a money cushion to lie on that the musicians and other performers trying to get by don't).
Few people who perform in these venues will speak out against the powerful unions for fear of reprisal.
When people fear the unions to the point where it is hard to find someone who works with them willing to openly comment on their exorbitant compensation, you know it is time to tear them down and seal them in the dustbin of history.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The other side of Mexico's drug war
A couple that had just moved to Mexico found another side to the ongoing drug wars can prove deadly for the innocent.
32 year old Joseph Proctor from New York was just headed out to the market when he was gunned down by authorities.
If that was not bad enough, an assault rifle was placed in his dead hands and the official story was that he had been killed in a gunfight with the authorities.
Only after pressure from a US Congressman (who knew they could actually be useful?) was the truth uncovered and 3 Mexican soldiers charged for the attack.
To make matters worse, US officials would not release the true details of the murder (my definition) "until the soldiers are convicted".
I guess they fear a repeat of the deadly riots that followed the last murder of an American citizen by Mexican officials.
No. Wait. That never happened.
I forgot.
It is the Mexicans illegally in America that take to the streets when one of them is only allegedly abused by the police.
32 year old Joseph Proctor from New York was just headed out to the market when he was gunned down by authorities.
If that was not bad enough, an assault rifle was placed in his dead hands and the official story was that he had been killed in a gunfight with the authorities.
Only after pressure from a US Congressman (who knew they could actually be useful?) was the truth uncovered and 3 Mexican soldiers charged for the attack.
To make matters worse, US officials would not release the true details of the murder (my definition) "until the soldiers are convicted".
I guess they fear a repeat of the deadly riots that followed the last murder of an American citizen by Mexican officials.
No. Wait. That never happened.
I forgot.
It is the Mexicans illegally in America that take to the streets when one of them is only allegedly abused by the police.
It's not like he was looking for a fight
A man was shot dead by police in front of a Mormon temple after a confrontation with another man.
When Police arrived, they found the man armed with a shotgun which he refused to put down.
The officers eventually decided the danger presented was great enough to warrant shooting the man.
A search of the dead man's car located "numerous" weapons, including swords and guns.
I'm sure his relatives will swear he was not the type to seek confrontation.
When Police arrived, they found the man armed with a shotgun which he refused to put down.
The officers eventually decided the danger presented was great enough to warrant shooting the man.
A search of the dead man's car located "numerous" weapons, including swords and guns.
I'm sure his relatives will swear he was not the type to seek confrontation.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The way it should be?
Potential jurors in a Montana court "mutinied" according to the Deputy DA.
When asked during jury selection if they would have a problem convicting someone for possessing a few buds of marijuana, most said they would not vote for conviction.
The judge called a recess and a deal was worked out between the DA's office and the defendant.
The jury was dismissed.
What the jurors did not hear was that the defendant had been arrested for the MJ because it was the only hard evidence they had for arrest.
They did not hear that the defendant was suspected of dealing drugs out of his home and arranging deals for other dealers.
Maybe this guy deserved to go to jail, but I like the idea of the jury being able to decide if someone should be punished instead of just decriminalizing drugs.
When asked during jury selection if they would have a problem convicting someone for possessing a few buds of marijuana, most said they would not vote for conviction.
The judge called a recess and a deal was worked out between the DA's office and the defendant.
The jury was dismissed.
What the jurors did not hear was that the defendant had been arrested for the MJ because it was the only hard evidence they had for arrest.
They did not hear that the defendant was suspected of dealing drugs out of his home and arranging deals for other dealers.
Maybe this guy deserved to go to jail, but I like the idea of the jury being able to decide if someone should be punished instead of just decriminalizing drugs.
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