Published August 2004
Ralph’s Comment:
Look out world; there are others things to worry about besides the slow labor market. An ABC News study has found that applicant's black sounding name can hurt his career. Can this be a factor in the fact that unemployment is much higher for African Americans than for any other major ethnic group. (Which in itself creates a nasty loop: since non are working, non are hiring.) The study rounded up six graduate students with black names and changed their names. People that were getting no calls were startled to when their phones suddenly started ringing... and ringing...
The Name Game
Can a Black-Sounding Name Hurt Your Career Prospects?
It's the first major decision new parents face, and their choice will stick with their child for a lifetime: what to name the baby. And today simple is out and variety is in, especially for many black Americans.
Watch 20/20's full report tonight at 10 p.m.
Many African-American parents say they're returning to their roots by choosing names that sound uniquely black. For some a unique name has been an asset. For stars like Oprah Winfrey or Shaquille O'Neal or Denzel Washington, a distinctive first name can become a unique, identifiable brand, almost a trademark. But some ordinary folks say being different is just too difficult. ..
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Ralph’s Comment:
Put that ice away. If you go to a bar in New York City today, please check out that new inhalable drink. Unfortunately, it seems the things so strong you can only have two every 24 hours. It's thr best thing since marihuana flavored vodka...
(CBS/AP) A new machine that allows bar-hoppers to inhale liquor instead of drinking it is set to make its debut in New York City Friday night.
There's already an effort to get it banned.
The company says AWOL sends alcohol into the bloodstream faster than drinking, resulting in a quick buzz. But it also says the level of alcohol in the body after AWOL use is lower than for traditional drinkers
Here's another scandal. Seems that an audit sponsored by the U.S. shows $8.8 billion in Iraqi funds missing. Missing. How can you lose 8 billion dollars? (Hint: you don't) And here we are complaining about Halliburton.
WASHINGTON - At least $8.8 billion in Iraqi funds that was given to Iraqi ministries by the former U.S.-led authority there cannot be accounted for, according to a draft U.S. audit set for release soon.
The new rules become effective Jan. 1 and will not limit this year's explosion of spending by nonparty groups such as America Coming Together and the Media Fund, which are closely aligned with the Democrats, and Progress for America on the Republican side.
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News Briefs
Ralph's Comment:
One gigabyte of storage. Wow. To think that just a few months ago, I considered paying Hotmail $19.95 a year for a ten meggabyte in-box. Now I we can trade music through e-mail!
Posted on Extreme Tech Weekly, May 5, 2004
Preview: Google's Gmail Beta , By Jim Lynch
Just in case you've been living in a cave with no Internet connection, Gmail is Google's almost-ready e-mail service. The company will be taking on Hotmail and Yahoo in the webmail arena. With rumors flying around about Yahoo and Microsoft beefing up their search services, Google is sticking a thumb in their collective eyes with this new service. One of its key features is a full gigabyte of disk space for your mail.
Read on at:
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Ralph's Comment:
Wonder how long its going to take the majority of the public to realize maybe we didn’t have to go war in Iraq...
Published August 18, 2004
Some Voters Grow Skeptical of Iraq War
The Associated Press
Among those increasingly skeptical about the war are older people, minorities, people with lower incomes, residents of the Northeast and Catholics, according to Associated Press polling.
The shifts in overall public sentiment reflect the difficulties in Iraq including a death toll nearing 950 U.S. soldiers, the violent insurgency against the new Iraqi government and U.S. forces and the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, which was among the central justifications for Bush's decision to go to war.
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Ralph's Comment:
But, Mr. President, aren't we fighting a war against terrorist that are more likey to hit us with planes or truck bombs?
Published Wednesday, August 18, 2004 on the Washington Post
Bush Assails Kerry on Missile Defense
By Mary Fitzgerald and Vanessa Williams
Although Bush did not mention his Democratic rival by name on Tuesday, his speech here at a Boeing Co. plant included a thinly veiled attack on John F. Kerry's stance on missile defense. "I think those who oppose this ballistic missile system don't understand the threats of the 21st century," he told 1,400 cheering Boeing employees and supporters.
