Letters to the Editor
Marcos22
Published Letters: 47 Editor's Choice: 11
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Mostly name recognition
[Read the article: For 2008, a hypothetical Democratic victory]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Polls this far out have more to do with name recognition than anything else. This is why McCain and Clinton lead the respective national nomination preference polls.
I highly doubt McCain can win the nomination. The conservative establishment didn't trust him 2000 and bestowed their blessing on the dim-witted and not that experienced George W. Bush. I don't know why they'd support him this time around.
Similarly, Hillary Clinton has so many things going against her. Liberals think she is too cautious and triangulating. Moderates and others think she can't win the general election. And, she's just not that good of a campaigner. If she runs, she'll fade away much like Howard Dean. Well, her name is Clinton so it won't be quite like that - but I don't see her winning the nomination. I'm still not sure she'll even run.
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DRM is the music industry's invention.
[Read the article: Steve Jobs' iTunes dance]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The big four won't sell music without DRM. At least, not yet. The Warner CEO said recently he is committed to DRM, despite selling millions of non-DRMed CDs.
I don't know why people are so disinclined to take Jobs at his word. No one is buying more ipods because of the ~20 songs they have from iTunes. You can always burn them and re-rip them anyway. Apple doesn't even make money on the store - they are out to sell iPods, pure and simple. They keep fairplay under their control because Apple doesn't like relying on other companies for much of anything.
"Play for sure" is not interoperable. It only works with Windows media player and only on Windows. It doesn't work on the Zune, nor does the Zune drm work on "play for sure" devices.
Now, Apple would convince people of their sincerity if they offered non-DRM tracks from those labels that don't demand DRM. Why they think it's an all or nothing game certainly is a good question.
In the end, people who don't like DRM are perfectly free to buy CDs, or to use eMusic or to steal their songs from P2P. No one is holding a gun to your head to use iTunes.
In the end, people who steal music from P2P are responsible for DRM's existence. THieves have so spooked the music industry that they stupidly tried to create the idea of music that can't be copied. In the end, the music industry would just assume you pay them each time you hear a song. It's absurd. But, when you see friends downloading gigabytes of music from P2P... they have some blame for DRM existing as well.
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wouldn't Bush be a better big brother?
[Read the article: Hillary 1984]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yeah, it doesn't say much, and Hillary isn't much of a big brother. How about creating a video that has Bush or some Republican up on the screen? Choosing Hillary seems... just odd. I mean if by some chance she gets the nomination, I would hope Obama supporters vote for her.
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here's your poll
[Read the article: The most revealing three-minute YouTube clip ever]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Perhaps others have posted this but, 57% said before the election investigations by Congress were a good thing.
CNN Poll conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2006. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (for all adults).
"Do you think it would be good for the country or bad for the country if the Democrats in Congress were able to conduct official investigations into what the Bush Administration has done in the past six years?" Half sample, MoE ± 4.5
Good Bad Unsure
57 41 2
from:
http://www.pollingreport.com/bush.htm
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political writers / pundits ignore polls all the time
[Read the article: Follow-up to this morning's post re: Chris Matthews Show]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I reminded of a washington post story in 2004 saying that "most Americans still think the Iraq war was worth it" when *every major poll at the time* said the opposite, including the WashPo itself.
It also reminds me of the punditry trying to claim that Kerry lost the 2004 debate, only to be thwarted by focus groups and "instant polls" that showed actual voters thought he had won.
Political writers seem to love to take their own ideas and project those onto the country.
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Astros and the Central
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm as skeptical as anyone about the Astros but fourth place? I don't think they'll be that bad. Without Pettitte and Clemens (at least, yet) the Astros are going to have to actually hit. Hopefully, Lee and Berkman will produce as they do historically, and Burke will have a solid year, along with Luke Scott hitting the way he did at the end of 2006. But, yes - Ausmus and Everett can't hit. And Biggio, well, his best days are behind him but he did hit - what - 20 homers last year so he's not that bad. Once he gets to 3000, I think we'll see Burke at 2nd. And, we may see Hunter Pence if Lane or Burke or Scott struggles.
But, I suppose my biggest worry is Jason Jennings - who did not look that sharp this spring, and yeah - Lidge has us all a bit worried. The rest of the bullpen is pretty good though, and Oswalt is nails. But, Wandy Rodriguez. Last year a friend and I were placing over/under bets on how many homers he'd give up in a game, so I'm not optimistic.
STill, assuming the 1-2-3 pitchers do ok, and the 4-5 pitchers do so so, and the Astros actually hit (ensberg producing like he did in 2005 would be something else) then I say ... second place. And who knows, maybe they'll be better. But definitely better than fourth.
The highlight of the season will, most likely, be Biggio collecting hit 3,000, which will be good to see.