tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:25:00 +0000http://www.ericlopkin.com/Observation_Deck.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)Blogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-1111182520196683988Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:09:00 +00002008-06-24T13:25:00.526-04:00copyrighttechnologypiracyMPAARIAAThe Luddites at the MPAA are at it again. The same people who fought to stop the commercialization of the VCR are trying to convince a judge that they should be able to sure the users of peer-to-peer networks WITHOUT proof that any wrongdoing was committed. Check out the original article from Wired. The MPAA argument is that is is "technologically infeasible" to prove that infringement took http://www.ericlopkin.com/2008/06/guilty-until-proven-innocent.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-4964405253975925927Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:21:00 +00002008-06-13T09:33:03.707-04:00SenateDoddmortgagebankingWhere was Senator Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, while the mess in the mortgage market was brewing? The easy answer is that he was ignoring his job and his constituents while attempting to beat the margin of error in presidential polls. Despite the problems happening on his watch, he moved his family to Iowa in a bid that even at the time everyone (except possibly http://www.ericlopkin.com/2008/06/mortgages-and-christopher-dodd.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-6203767049769082075Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:12:00 +00002008-06-11T15:29:20.478-04:00SenateretirementoilEconomicsenergyYesterday, the Senate failed to pass a bill that would raise gas prices. That's not a typo, I said raise. Why would the Senate want to introduce a bill that would raise gas prices above their already ludicrous levels? Well they didn't want to, they has good intentions and thought they were helping. Unfortunately the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Senate Democrats put forth an energyhttp://www.ericlopkin.com/2008/06/senate-fails-to-raise-gas-prices.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-8091711101281312631Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:37:00 +00002008-06-10T13:43:22.732-04:00BushpresidentClintonObamaelectionMcCainListen to Obama's speeches. You will be amazed at the number of times he mentions George W. Bush. Does he think he's running against Bush? Does he think voters are stupid enough to think he's running against Bush? Actually there's a good reason for him to keep bringing up Bush. Bush is easier to beat than McCain. The truth of the matter, if you check the Congressional Record, is that McCain's http://www.ericlopkin.com/2008/06/does-obama-know-who-he-is-running.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-6946912034906234670Fri, 16 May 2008 17:57:00 +00002008-05-16T14:02:52.013-04:00information overloadI can hear the chorus of people responding to the title with "Hi Eric." I can't help myself. Newspapers, magazines, websites, tv news, I'm addicted to information. If I don't know what's going on in the world, I start to go through withdrawal. But like any other addiction, it gets to be too much. My head feels like it's going to explode with absolutely useless information. At it's worst, I http://www.ericlopkin.com/2008/05/my-name-is-eric-and-im-infoholic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-7685050988640528482Thu, 15 May 2008 14:24:00 +00002008-05-15T10:27:56.069-04:00aboutblogNow that this blog has moved to become part of my personal website, I felt it was appropriate to change the focus, somewhat. While I will still rant about issues that annoy me, I will also be including more creative pieces and musings about everyday life. In other words, this personal blog will become more personal. It will still reflect the issues that I cover elsewhere (and as I do more of http://www.ericlopkin.com/2008/05/change-of-pace.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-6985724591970943044Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:33:00 +00002008-04-10T13:41:55.426-04:00New YorkPlaNYCenvironmentpoliticsI was an ambitious plan, worthy of the greatest city in the world. Reduce traffic, increase mass transit, increase the use of solar power in city buildings, plant more trees, the list goes on. It was the most ambitious undertaking in decades, but PlaNYC has been beaten by short-sighted politicians who can't put the good of their city before their own egos. (Read the stories in the NY Times and http://www.ericlopkin.com/2008/04/politics-1-new-york-0.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-4796590562963058703Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:22:00 +00002008-04-08T10:34:36.121-04:00Massachusettscostshealth careinsurancetaxesAs the Democratic presidential candidates push their agendas for universal healthcare, the New York Times examines the one place in the United States that already has it: Massachusetts (read article). The problem that Massachusetts is facing is that they can't find enough doctors to handle the load. Want a physical? You'll have to wait until May 2009. Another consequence is that doctors find http://www.ericlopkin.com/2008/04/problem-with-universal-healthcare.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-2426548090071992007Sun, 06 Apr 2008 02:10:00 +00002008-04-07T10:55:46.891-04:00IraqClintonmilitaryObamaMcCainIn the Sunday New York Times, there appeared an article which, more than any other, showed why John McCain is the candidate to trust on the issue of Iraq. Much has been made about McCain's military credentials and his experience, but the article answered a questioned that anti-war activists have been throwing around since the start of the war. In fact Michael Moore asked the question of almost http://www.ericlopkin.com/2008/04/why-to-trust-mccain-on-iraq.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-6418080901455347299Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:35:00 +00002008-04-04T09:37:31.487-04:00Now that this blog is better integrated into the new ericlopkin.com website, I'll be posting regularly again. Stay tuned and check out the links on the right to see the rest of the site.http://www.ericlopkin.com/2008/04/just-waking-up-from-long-winters-nap.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-3130118108573504353Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:06:00 +00002007-11-07T15:25:46.383-05:00presidentprimarieselectionRon PaulpoliticsIn the lackluster show that is the 2008 presidential election, one candidate has managed to create a cult of followers who attack his critics and blindly believe he is the next president, despite losing every debate and barely cracking the margin of error in most polls. This is Ron Paul. Ron Paul's online cult (we'll call them Paulites) has pounced on every online poll to try to push their http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/11/cult-of-ron-paul.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-2430391545754331785Tue, 06 Nov 2007 18:17:00 +00002007-11-06T13:58:17.601-05:00global warmingclimate changeNBC UniversalAl GoreThis week, NBC Universal kicked off its Green PR blitz. While they'd like people to think it's more than just PR, the fact that they saved it for sweeps begs to differ (not to mention the level of carbon emissions they created sending their crews to the arctic, Antarctica, and the equator). The effort kicked off with the Today Show ignoring anything that could be considered news in favor of http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/11/gore-doesnt-want-climate-change.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-877924401713191119Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:53:00 +00002007-10-30T14:03:37.427-04:00iTunesNBC UniversalAppleThis past Sunday, NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker rallied against Apple saying that Apple had destroyed the ability of traditional media companies to set profitable rates for their content online. He also revealed that in negotiations he not only wanted more flexible pricing, he wanted a cut of iPod sales. This is just the latest example of Zucker's incompetence. The man who took NBC http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/10/idiocacy-of-jeff-zucker-and-downfall-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-8514656398698415903Mon, 22 Oct 2007 16:45:00 +00002008-04-08T16:53:09.229-04:00biasnewsNancy GilespollsThis weekend, on CBS Sunday Morning, contributor Nancy Giles asked, angrily, why the President and Congress aren't doing what the polls say. As she ranted, the only thing I could think of was my mother saying "If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?" The last thing we want is for politicians to decide by poll. Polls tell what's popular, not what the best course of action is. She quotes a http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/10/if-everyone-jumped-off-bridge-would-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-3061714858141851205Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:55:00 +00002007-10-17T11:17:00.628-04:00Mutts and MomsEllenadoptionstupiditypetsWhy would anyone take a dog out of a loving home where it was well cared for? Mutts and Moms, a non-profit organization that rescues dogs from Los Angeles City and County shelters, did just that. After Ellen DeGeneres adopted a dog from the organization, she discovered that the dog was not acclimating well to the other animals in the house. She did the responsible thing and took it upon herself http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/10/stupidity-trumps-compassion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-7776449878801672214Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:18:00 +00002008-04-08T16:55:03.458-04:00MoveonGoogleFor a while, this blog had ads on it, served by Google's Adsense system. It doesn't anymore, and I have removed Adsense from every site I work on. Why? Because Google was using my sites to press its political agenda. Ads appeared on my site constantly which bashed President Bush. The appearance of these was astounding to me because the point of Adsense is supposed to be that ads are served basedhttp://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/10/shame-on-google.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-4181009452459598745Fri, 12 Oct 2007 13:02:00 +00002007-10-12T09:11:58.605-04:00climate changeAl GoreNobelAl Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global warming. Now let's forget for minute that even the scientists who worked on the movie with him have questioned the results. Forget that their is still considerable scientific disagreement on the findings. What makes me think the committee has lost their minds is: this has nothing to do with world peace. Al Gore has done nothing to http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/10/has-nobel-committee-lost-their-minds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-7405881682924508310Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:27:00 +00002007-10-10T13:36:52.712-04:00Al SharptonNational Association of Black JournalistsDon ImusNABJJesse JacksonThe National Association of Black Journalists released a statement yesterday, arguing against Don Imus' return to the radio. "NABJ remains outraged after the racially inflammatory insults made by Don Imus last spring. He used his free speech to broadcast hate speech. To put him back on the air now makes light of his serious and offensive racial remarks that are still ringing in the ears of http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/10/nabj-blasts-imus-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-2835448730550576315Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:57:00 +00002007-10-01T16:12:41.627-04:00Congresshealth careSCHIPinsuranceCongress has passed its expansion of the SCHIP program, which President Bush has announced he will veto. The SCHIP program provides funds to insure uninsured children. The Democrats say this program is vital to our children's health. Bush says it goes too far into socialized medicine. The problem is they're both right. The SCHIP program is incredibly valuable, but this new version of the bill http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/10/too-much-of-good-thing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-6337276743333564025Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:08:00 +00002007-09-28T15:27:01.181-04:00first amendmentfreedom of speechDon ImusAmerican Family AssociationBill O'Reily"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." -- Bill of Rights People should recognize that as the first amendment of the United States Constitution. Read it again. I'd like to http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/09/defending-first-amendment.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-7679977658134160048Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:03:00 +00002007-09-27T13:16:51.111-04:00factsMoveonmercuryorganicautismWhy do so many people have a problem believing facts? The interpretation of facts may be subject to debate, but the facts themselves rarely are. Yet people cannot accept facts that don't agree with their worldview. The New England Journal Of Medicine published a research study that found mercury had no effect on a child's brain function. This has been a subject of furious debate among parents ofhttp://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/09/just-facts-maam.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-1779178782756172651Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:18:00 +00002007-09-26T15:32:16.862-04:00Richardsonobesitypersonal responsibilityPresidential candidate Mike Richardson spoke last week at the Obesity Society conference (it's a group to study obesity, not a group of obese people). He was the only candidate who attended, though all of them were invited. The hypocritical nature of his speech there was laughable. Richardson stood up and announced that obesity is a disease, not a behavior. That's funny because Richardson http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/09/mike-richardson-champion-of-obese.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-735500844303945366Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:18:00 +00002007-09-25T14:29:40.940-04:00conservtaiveColumbialiberalIranMuch has been made about allowing the president of Iran to speak at Columbia University. Since we have free speech in this country, I feel that he had the right to speak, no matter how depraved or evil it was. Columbia, as the host, also had the responsibility to not let his ravings go unchallenged. Columbia's president did a fair, not great, job at that. Where Columbia has fallen down is http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/09/welcome-to-home-of-free.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-3254550351826373360Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:52:00 +00002007-09-24T14:00:22.714-04:00IraqIranBin LadenDemocratsIn a discussion about whether or not Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should be allowed to speak at Columbia, I was confronted by the statement that "Bin Laden's videotapes are full of stuff that CNN doesn't report." It sounds as though the speaker believes Bin Laden is more credible than CNN. Now I'm not a big fan of CNN, but I think they're a lot more credible than Bin Laden. But the http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/09/us-v-terrorists.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5081820.post-2303831876339617654Fri, 21 Sep 2007 15:23:00 +00002007-09-21T11:43:22.894-04:00biasDan RathernewsegolawsuitsCBSWhen Dan Rather took over the CBS Evening News from Walter Cronkite in 1981, he was considered a worthy successor to Cronkite. Despite his famed liberal bias, he was a hard charging reporter who searched for facts. We lost that Dan Rather by 2004, and the person who claims the name is not the reporter we knew. Rather filed a lawsuit against CBS, Viacom, and others claiming to be a scapegoat for http://www.ericlopkin.com/2007/09/where-have-you-gone-dan-rather.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lopkin)