It is a good thing that the world has Sir Richard Branson. I have always complained that Bill Gates is pretty pathetic for a 'richest man in the world'. No sense of adventure really.

Those geniuses back at the lab have done it again. Try a personal google page.

For the past week Haaretz has displayed a banner ad offering a free $100 dinner at Applebee's. Either I have totally misunderstood the Haaretz reader base or this is the least targeted advertising ever.

Thomas Friedman has an insightful article on the 'root causes' of terrorism. In it he makes the dubious assertion that

Many people said Palestinian suicide bombing was the spontaneous reaction of frustrated Palestinian youth. But when Palestinians decided that it was in their interest to have a cease-fire with Israel, those bombings stopped cold. The village said enough was enough.

This is an incredible feat of denial. The reason there has not been a suicide bombing recently is because there is a big frickin wall between the Palestinians and the Israelis. It is a cessation of opportunity rather than desire that has stopped these atrocities.

Tom, perhaps I can jog your memory.

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article today entitled, Contest Winner Declines 'Free' Airline Tickets. For those of you who do not have access to the WSJ here is the summary.

American Airlines ran a contest where people sent in video collages describing why travel was so important to them. The winners received 12 free round trip tickets to anywhere American Airline flies. The problem is that the IRS requires that taxes be paid on the prize at the time of receipt and that the tickets be valued at their highest possible value.

Jack McCall, a New York resident who won American's grand prize in the video category by submitting a video montage of snapshots he and his wife collected during their travels around the world, estimates that federal, state and local taxes on the prize could amount to roughly $19,000, given the couple's probable federal tax bracket and because they live in New York City, where income taxes are high. That's equivalent to about $800 for each of the 24 tickets.

Jack decided to decline the tickets creating an embarrassing situation for both American Airlines and the IRS.

I think it is a sign of a sick society when people need to turn down presents because they cost too much money. I could not think of a better example of the Laffer Curve if I tried.

There has been a lot of talk about this. Once the guffawing stops I think the parent or parents responsible
should be convicted for child abuse. I am still holding out hope that the story isn't true and is merely a publicity stunt.