It's an absolutely beautiful day outside today. Perfect weather for me. Damp, cloudy, but pretty warm. It was 59 when I left my house this morning at 0550. Amazing. I like this global warming thing.
Other than that and having my window down most of the way, the drive in this morning was brutal. XM greatly failed me today; every song was like rubbing sea salt into an open wound. It's funny how that happens sometimes. I suppose I should have just plugged in my iPod. If I wanted stinging sea salt, I could have picked it myself.
Speaking of iPods, the Bush administration has banned the US export of the device, along with a plethora of other items, to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), also known as North Korea. Other items include Hennessy cognac, Johnny Walker Scotch Whiskey, Harley Davidson motorcycles, Mercedes brand cars, and plasma screen TVs. At first you think, "Wow, what a stupid idea. North Korean citizens can't afford these items anyway." At least that's what I thought. Then I read the article. The aim here is to cut off Kim Jong-il's supply to these items. The idea is to aggravate him personally (which I love), and to attempt to eliminate his ability to control his party. He frequently gives out these luxuries to the most loyal of associates, and preventing this might erode their loyalty. Will it work? Who knows. It's doubtful since most of these items are readily available on the black market, but perhaps it will cramp Pimp Daddy Kim's lifestyle and that of his cronies a bit. It might take some time for the crunch to be felt though. And it does nothing to assist the average North Korean now. But I doubt they would know the difference anyway - they think they've got it great in comparison to the rest of the world. That's what complete control over a population's consumption of media and information will get you.
As a side note, I love the names of some of these countries. North Korea's name is great: it tells you that it's not only democratic, but it's the people's republic as well. That's a double whammy of goodness, right? How could it possibly be bad if they're democratic and the people's? I'd opine that it cannot.
Morning Coffee is "lite" today. Not really in the right mood; nevertheless I'm still negative and bitter so don't fret.
Word of the Day: Abrogate (transitive verb): 1. to annul or abolish by an authoritative act; 2. to put an end to; to do away with.
On This Day in History: The slave ship Zong dumps its cargo into the sea to collect insurance (1781). Largely an uninteresting day apparently.
"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." - Tom Clancy. Truer words have never been said.
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