In a rather surprising move, Toshiba Corporation, the architect of the HD-DVD format, has announced that it's conceding defeat to Sony Corporation, makers of Blu-Ray:

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp is planning to give up on its HD DVD format for high definition DVDs, conceding defeat to the competing Blu-Ray technology backed by Sony Corp, a company source said on Saturday.

The move will likely put an end to a battle that has gone on for several years between consortiums led by Toshiba and Sony vying to set the standard for the next-generation DVD and compatible video equipment.

The format war, often compared to the Betamax-VHS battle in the 1980s, has confused consumers unsure of which DVD or player to buy, slowing the development what is expected to be a multibillion dollar high definition DVD industry.

Everyone knows by now who I support, but let's set that aside for the moment. I'm not writing this diary to try and convince anyone to support someone.

February 5th is approaching fast - that's when my state (California) holds its primaries. And while we pretty much know where all the candidates stand on many issues, and several debates have highlighted their views, there are some questions that are still bugging me, and frankly I think they need to be asked, and answered.

Yeah, I've heard it all before.

A few weeks before I was all for a particular candidate. You know, the one with a very visible significant other who supports him and his cause, and three children to boot? True, he does kinda talk funny, but I always felt his approach was honest and sincere, even though he makes the wrong choices quite a bit.

Then I got to listen to the other guy. Compared to the other, this one is a fiery orator, willing to tell things as they are. Sure, he may be non-committal at times, and he's been shown to bend the truth a little bit when it suits his purpose, but all inspiring speakers do that.

Only problem is, he's black. He's not electable, they say. He's not ready, they say.

Are we really ready to support a black candidate?

I think we are. Personally, I'm tired of George W. Bush, and I want to back someoone who actually speaks in coherent sentences for once.

I was fortunate enough to be able to listen to the majority of it, thanks to SIRIUS and a three hour drive from SallyCat's place to my abode up near Yosemite.
For those not familiar with this, it's a political debate and forum held in Iowa, following a very structured and no-nonsense format, focusing on issues affecting the African-American and Latino communities.

First thing I gotta say, it was a resounding success.

(more on the flip side)

Hooray for the efficiency of the private sector!

"Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Insurance companies offering Medicare-funded prescription drug plans are costing U.S. taxpayers almost $15 billion a year in excess administrative fees and pharmaceutical costs, a congressional study found.

The study released today also found insurers fail to pass on $1 billion a year in discounts from drugmakers to participants in Medicare, the U.S. health program for the elderly and disabled.

``The use of private insurers to deliver Medicare drug coverage is driving up costs and producing only limited savings on drug prices,'' said Representative Henry Waxman, a California Democrat and chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The panel's Democratic staff prepared the analysis.

When I moved up here to Moccasin, in very, VERY red Tuolumne County in California, I had pretty much surrendered myself to having to put up with Rush Limbaugh over the airwaves and Bush/Cheney bumper stickers on every third vehicle I pass by.

Today was a pretty exhausting day. I drove through Sonora on my way back to work, when I came across a most surprising sight:

I drove up behind a vehicle that had several Kucinich bumper stickers.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not a guy who scares easily. I'm a huge fan of the horror genre, and I spent my youth watching the Hammer Films Dracula movies and playing gory games like Quake.
Plus, I'm a liberal. Been that way for a long long time, with a (fortunately) brief fling with conservatism back in the 80's. I've felt pity for those guys... being unable to recognize Truth if it kissed them on the nose.

But after closely looking at the current crop of Republican Presidential candidates for 2008, I finally realized why they were so frightening.

No, it's not their stances on social issues like abortion, AIDS, and immigration.
No, it's not their backwards views on science and education.
No, it's not their rather voodoo like invocation of Ronald Reagan on every occasion.

It's the fact that they look so.... evil.

Seriously, what is it going to take to not be hated anymore?

I am sickened, just sickened.