Money vs. Democracy

Via Chris Samuel's Blog:

I've read various news items, and other blogger's posts on the subject of electronic voting machines in the US with a mixture of shock and disbelief. I am constantly staggered at the way the US electorate is allowing their electoral system to be sold off to commercial interests that clearly have no interest in democracy or accountability.... oops, sounds a bit like the US government (regardless of species  party  people corporation(s) in 'power').

F1 and the Isle of Man

It's not often that the Isle of Man gets linked with F1, but with Lewis Hamilton's World Championship, they've decided to do a range of commemerative stamps and a first day cover.

I found about this via grandprix.com, a site I visit daily for F1 (and other 4-wheeled motorsports) news. However, they seem to have missed something the nature of the Isle - motor racing is a big deal here: there's racing of various forms throughout the year, not just the Tourist Trophy (TT) for motorbikes in June!

IOM Post did another range of racing stamps earlier this year too.

Here! Here!

Time for me to come clean about where I live... well, a bit anyway. I live on one of those offshore territories that Barack Obama seems not to like. It seems the Financial Times of London doesn't like us much either, but at least a few logical, sensible American professors of business & law do!

I work in the financial industry and am regularly required to attend Anti-Money-Laundering training, despite working in the IT bowels of the company, rarely having contact with customer data, let alone customers. Even so, I am well aware that our company has strict requirements to 'know our customers' - including identity and source of income statements. Long gone are the days when any dodgy character in a trilby and macintosh could show up at the door with a suitcase full of bundled $50s and expect us to do business with them... apparently a few have tried, and have never been given the time of day!

Anyone still accusing at least the Manx authorities of shady behaviour should check out the behaviour of the UK government when they stole froze the assets of KSF in London including legimately held Manx deposits. Or the attitude in the US to corporations registered in Delaware (section entitled "DELAWARE: AMERICA’S OWN HOME TO CORPORATE ANONYMITY" at the bottom of the article).

Hypocracy in international government? Never

Oh, and now the Pope wants to have a turn with the hypocracy hat, Mr-I-run-the-biggest-untaxed-repository-of-obscene-wealth-in-the-world!