Photos of the Myanmar Disaster:

For those who can't get enough news about the cyclone/tsunami in Myanmar, The New York Times provides "The Lede" blog site, posting photos sent in by readers, as well as descriptions and comments.

Will a Tech Boom Save Us from a Recession:

Can you even have a tech boom during a recession, might be a more appropriate question. The New York Times reports that Sprint Nextel, Google, Intel, Comcast, Time Warner and Clearwire are partnering up to challenge Verizon and AT&T in the wireless market. These companies are tossing in $14.5 billion dollars to build a network for cell phone users.

The Times quotes Clearwire chairman Craig O. McCaw as stating,

The power of the mobile Internet, which offers speed and mobility, home and away, on any device or screen, will fundamentally transform the communications landscape in our country. We believe that the new Clearwire will operate one of the fastest and most capable broadband wireless networks ever conceived, giving us the opportunity to return the U.S. to a leadership position in the global wireless industry.

In the meantime, the stock market continues to be volatile, with a late Wednesday afternoon "tumble," to use the Times' terminology. The Dow was down 206.48 points and Standard & Poor's 500-stock index dropped 1.8 percent, its worst showing in nearly a month.

Sen. Clinton Vows to Fight On:

The media is awash with predictions that the narrow victory in Indiana coupled with a resounding defeat in North Carolina spelled the end of her campaign. The big key here is a financial one. Once again Sen. Clinton, it turns out, was forced to loan her campaign millions of dollars to remain viable.

If nothing else, this campaign has shed more light on precisely what democracy means in the United States. The vote for these two candidates remains relatively close, both in the popular count and the delegate count. And there are still two states about which no one seems to know what to do, Florida and Michigan. But the money difference is well documented as heavily favoring Sen. Obama. His campaign has consistently set records for its ability to raise money. Sen. Clinton may be able to rally millions of poor white working women behind her, but they haven't funded her the way Obama's supporters have funded him.

Here's the kicker, if Sen. Clinton does not win the nomination and the White House, she will be spending considerable effort over the next few years raising money to repay the loans she made to her own campaign. "Why won't she need to do this if she becomes president?" Well, she will still need to repay the loans, but as president or former president, depending on when she sets out to raise this money, the effort will need be far less. (See The New York Times story.)

Bush Again Calls for Drilling in ANWR:

Bush once again called for domestic exploration for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, despite the fact that oil taken from their would provide little or no relief to current energy problems. Currently, it is believed that the amount of oil would be relatively small compared to current needs, and that it would take too many years to bring the oil to market to have any significant impact. However, oil drilled in ANWR would greatly benefit a few oil men. Can you guess to whom these people are connected?

What the Dude told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag about the best moment of his presidency: "I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a seven and a half pound largemouth bass in my lake." — George W. Bush, May 2006. (I know, you'd really like to have a beer with this guy. Well, the sooner the better.)

China Facts: "Authorities have added 171 new pop culture phrases to China's national language registry." (Source ngm.com)