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John Edwards crimes were tough to prove, even tougher to stomach.

Lets be real: Few honest observers doubt he did what they said he did use huge campaign contributions to hide a mistress and illegitimate child from view in the 2008 presidential election in order to convince the public he was every bit the gallant knight he portrayed himself to be.

He didnt know anything about it all. Yeah, right.

But the beauty of our criminal justice system is that, even in highly politicized cases, the burden of proof for the government is a high threshold. In this case, that bar couldnt be hurdled.

Yet, if what Edwards did wasnt a crime, it oughta be. Call it high cynicism or theft by suckering. It doesnt get much more brazen. Big donors were used to keep mistress Rielle Hunter both quiet and comfortable and off the publics radar, in order to further the false image he tried to get us all to buy.

John Edwards known for his pretty-boy looks and locks and a charm so seductive that an alternate juror was even accused of flirting with him is now the disgraced face of an American political system that couldnt possibly become more vapid and superficial but probably will, as a result of his getting off scot-free.

Much as Bill Clinton singlehandedly lowered the standards of a nation by having illicit sex in the Oval Office itself and perjuring himself under oath about another affair, only to survive impeachment, so the Edwards case ratchets down the already low public opinion and frequent narcissistic behavior of politicians.

Edwards even tried to play the self-flagellating victim on the courthouse steps after being acquitted on one charge and winning an apparently decisive mistrial on five others. Give it a few weeks. If this case follows precedent, the man who did all the above while his wife was dying of cancer will soon be lampooning his sins in funny commercials or on late-night television, and wont that just be endearing and redemptive.

Meanwhile, Edwards aide Andrew Young established a new low for toadies not only helping Edwards hide the mistress and child, but even publicly claiming the child was his. Somehow, he got his wife to go along with the embarrassment.

Note to self: No politician is worth that kind of prostration. Let the Edwards affair be a red flag to suckers and sycophants everywhere: Be careful at what golden calfs you toss your coin.

Continue reading here:
'Theft by suckering'

I recently bumped into a cute story that seemed familiar. It suggested a switch to an 18-cent coin. I found it by way of Hacker News for my money ($0), the best news aggregator for the tech set. It was a fairly typical blog post: a summary of a paper that ran the math and determined that the average number of coins one gets from a cash register is 4.7. But the addition of an 18-cent coin would drop that to 3.89.

I like this sort of thing. Its quirky. Its math. It speaks to the stupidity of pennies. It makes me think about government inefficiencies and the very human affection for little hunks of inconvenient metal.

But I couldnt get past the familiarity. I reread the article and realized it was originally written in 2003. Hacker News usually is pretty current, but a story like this is sort of timeless and prone to resurgence.

Then I realized the byline was Roland Piquepaille, and you dont forget a name like that. For many years, Roland was incredibly active on Slashdot, the news website I founded. His submissions were often like this 18-cent-coin piece: off the beaten path and interesting.

Roland died on Jan. 6, 2009. Apparently, last week, somebody searched online for something or other and landed on a story nearly a decade old, written by a man who had been dead for more than three years; it hit the Internet again just as effectively as if it were written yesterday. A trivial but fun little story has a bit of immortality attached to it.

Roland took a lot of garbage from Slashdot readers over the years. He was incredibly effective at what he did, and his name appeared on the site a lot. A community has a habit of being hostile toward anything extreme, and Roland often submitted stories on the fluffier end of the news spectrum. And he succeeded a lot, which made him a target. That always made me a little sad.

But Id like to think he gets the posthumous last laugh. He found fun stuff that we enjoyed reading. I hope that the traces I leave behind after Im gone are still good for the occasional laugh as well. Ill never write the Great American Novel or direct an Oscar-winning film. But the Internet lets all of us live forever.

Rob Malda is chief strategist and editor at large for the Washington Posts WaPo Labs team. Under the pseudonym "CmdrTaco," he created the "news for nerds" website Slashdot.org.

Originally posted here:
Online, fun and immortality

by Philip Wain

Dan Kneen got his 2012 Isle of Man TT Races campaign underway with a solid 11th place in the opening 6-lap Superbike TT race. Despite having a fraught few weeks leading up to the event, which saw him building the Superbike GSXR1000 Suzuki right up until the first night of practice, Dan was able to post a series of 125mph+ laps and pick up yet another silver replica. The result also saw him finish 2nd in the TT Privateer's Championship. With conditions towards the end of practice week not ideal, Dan had only actually managed one lap on the Superbike machine during the entire week and with Friday's session being cancelled due to an oil spillage he came into Saturday's race somewhat blind with his settings. However, a good opening lap of 125.977mph allowed him to sit in 12th place at the end of the first lap and with another 125mph lap, he moved up to 11th at the conclusion of the second lap as he came into the pits for his first stop. A good stop enabled him to maintain 11th but a strong lap of 125.934mph saw him move up to tenth at two thirds race distance. Michael Dunlop pushed him back to 11th a lap later and although the sixth and final lap was his quickest - 126.072mph - he ended the race just 3.25s behind the Irishman after almost two hours of racing. Speaking afterwards, a satisfied Dan said: "After only managing one lap in practice on the Superbike race, I've got to be pleased with 11th today. With a lack of time on the bike, I hadn't managed to get a setting I was totally happy with so I took it steady on the first lap as I needed to get the brake pads bedded in and all sorts. The gearing was too tall and the wheelbase too long so the bike wasn't close to where I wanted to be and it was very much a high speed practice session for me. Having said that, I learnt an awful lot about the bike and if I can do a 126mph lap when the bike's not right, I'm sure we can find a fair bit more speed when it's dialled in more. Obviously, I would have liked to have gone quicker today and finished higher up but it's a solid start and one from which we can build on. Monday should be a good couple of races for me so I'll be aiming for higher then." Dan will be in action next on Monday when he'll contest the 4-lap Supersport and Superstock races. Picture by Mark 'Wally' Walters.

Monday should be a good couple of races for me so I'll be aiming for higher then."

Dan Kneen,

If you'd like to send any information or news releases to us then please feel free to do so and we would be more than happy to consider sharing your news with the Isle of Man!

Send your Isle of Man news to:webmaster@manx.net

Manx Telecom Ltd 2012

Manx Telecom Ltd, Isle of Man Business Park, Cooil Road, Braddan, Isle of Man IM99 1HX Registered in the Isle of Man Reg no.5629V Vat Reg no GB 003-2919-12

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Solid TT start for Kneen

04 June 2012

The Isle of Man's positive contribution to the global economy, and in particular to the City of London, has been examined a recent report from Ernst and Young.

The government-commissioned report aims to independently substantiate the benefits that international financial centres provide for advanced nations, and to the financial health of the global economy.

The report says that the United Kingdom, a key beneficiary of the Isle of Man's activities, for instance, benefited from USD38.9bn in net financing from Isle of Man sources during the second quarter of 2011, according to Bank of England statistics.

The report further finds evidence of the strong contribution the island makes to the UK's regional development, in particular in the North West where the Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster plays an important role in the growth of the UK's aerospace industry. The report found that the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom should maintain a symbiotic relationship in recognition of the Isle of Man economy's supportive role in balanced growth in the United Kingdom.

The report also recognizes the positive impact on global economic growth of highly-diversified, innovative economies, such as the Isle of Man. The report says: International Business Centres (IBCs) play a key role in contributing to investment, employment and growth in neighbouring countries in particular, and the global economy in general. The report goes on to suggest that the island has led the way amongst IBCs in establishing a modern regulatory system aligned to world best practice, with a conducive environment for strong economic productivity, through the island's internationally-recognized low-tax, and robustly-regulated regime.

Commenting on the Report, John Hopes, Partner at Ernst and Young said: The report demonstrates how the Isle of Man supports UK economys growth and its financial sector. This should not be underestimated. Our report clearly demonstrates the mutually beneficial relationship which exists between the Isle of Man and the UK. The strong economic partnerships between the Isle of Man and the North West, in particular, show the important role the island plays in stimulating growth. At a time when the UK is trying to rebalance its economy... these partnerships are of great importance to the UKs growth prospects.

Welcoming the report, Chief Minister Allan Bell, added: This report provides an objective view of the Isle of Mans economic strengths and the significant contribution we make to the global economy. It also emphasizes the islands vital role, particularly since the credit crunch of 2008, as a provider of financial flows to UK and international markets in three main areas: liquidity, listed companies and investment.

The rest is here:
IoM Plays Key Role For UK Economy

by Richard Parslow

An independent report published on last Friday (June 1) provides further evidence of the Isle of Mans positive contribution to the global economy.

The Economic Research Report, commissioned by the Isle of Man Government and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, describes the Island as a key commercial partner that delivers many benefits to the international community, to the UK, and City of London in particular.

The report finds compelling evidence of this contribution by showing that the Island provided $38.9 billion in net financing to the UK in the second quarter of 2011, according to Bank of England statistics.

The Islands progression from a largely rural economy into a diversified and thriving International Business Centre (IBC) is highlighted, along with its position at the forefront of regulatory standards.

The report also counters critics who claim that IBCs cause distortions in the global economic and financial system, saying a large body of independent research has strongly proved the opposite is in fact true. It adds: IBCs play a key role in contributing to investment, employment and growth in neighbouring countries in particular, and the global economy in general.

The Ernst & Young report is based on a robust and independent analysis of the facts and data, and the results of a series of interviews with key stakeholders.

The findings provide solid evidence that the Isle of Man is a responsible and transparent country that benefits the UK and emerging world markets.

Chief Minister Allan Bell MHK said: This report provides an objective view of the Isle of Mans economic strengths and the significant contribution we make to the global economy. It also emphasises the Islands vital role, particularly since the credit crunch of 2008, as a provider of financial flows to UK and international markets in three main areas: liquidity, listed companies and investment.

He added: One of the overriding conclusions from the report is that the UK and Isle of Man benefit from each others success, and it is in the best interests of the UK to see the Island do well. This is a message we will continue to deliver to UK Government Ministers, MPs and business leaders in Westminster and the City of London.

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Chief Minister welcomes findings of Ernst & Young economic study into Isle of Man