Jim Manis on Most Anything

Jim Manis can formulate an opinion about a good many things, including those about which he has little knowledge. (And some dude named "Lazlo.") Visit The MagicFactory.

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Slavery: Countries where slavery is legal: 0

Countries where slavery exists:

Albania, Angola, Armenia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunci, Bulgaria, Burkin Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, China, Columbia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgystan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritius, Mexico, Muldova, Marocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vientnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Two of the worst offending slave states in the United States: Florida and Texas.

For more, easy to read, and trustworthy reporting on slavery in the world, try National Geographic.

Friday, July 01, 2005

Time Caves to Bush: The Bush administration has won a major battle against freedom of the press as its seige of Time magazine produced an easy victory when Time's editor in chief surrendered to the threat of a fine yesterday.

Norman Pearlstine, the editor whose decision it was to give away his documents to the court, said, "I found myself really coming to the conclusion that once the Supreme Court has spoken in a case involving national security and a grand jury, we are not above the law and we have to behave the way ordinary citizens do" (Adam Liptak, The New York Times).

Normal citizens, of course, go to jail. Normal citizens pay fines. And the Supreme Court did NOT speak, they ducked the whole issue, running away from it with their tails between their legs into their little ivory tower.

It still isn't clear whether or not the two reporters—Judith Miller of The New York Times and Matthew Cooper of Time magazine—will go to jail or not. Judge Hogan has it within his power to send them regardless of whether or not he has the information the special prosecutor wants, and Hogan has demonstrated his total seduction by the power at his disposal, so one would think—since the purpose of this exercise is to destroy the press by turning it into one giant propaganda machine for the Bush-ites—that he will do just that, thereby threatening every member of the media in the country.

Having the information never was an issue anyway. Little Bobby Novak turned that over to the court as soon as they asked him for it.