Revisiting an Old Friend

'What a difference a year makes' is such a cliche that people often forget that, sometimes, a year barely makes any difference at all. President Obama is still President Obama, though with a new sense of compromise about him and some new Capitol Hill neighbors on the way (probably not a coincidence). The economy is still bad-ish. 'Global Warming' is still making its vernacular transition to 'Global Climate Change' as epic snow around the world continues to undercut some of Al Gore's favorite suppositions. US troops are still spending Christmas away from home and in foreign deserts. The budget is still unbalanced, the Treasury continues to print money, and China continues its march toward global economic dominance. Happy New Year indeed. With what might be an overwhelming sense of same-ness on the mind, one might be interested in revisiting the post below, which is from this time last year, through an eye tempered by the relevant intervening events of 2010. The original post can be found here.

Blawgconomics has spent a not insignificant amount of time ignoring 'TigerGate' the past few weeks, if for no other reason than privacy. True, there are interesting legal aspects to the situation, but the site believed that the position of many of Wood's peers that it was a personal matter for Woods and his family was the correct one to take. Frankly, there is an element of 'he who is without sin' that keeps coming to mind as well. However, as the story has escalated and claims have become more outrageous, an inescapable economic angle has developed that is quite fascinating; namely the impact that Tiger's actions are having not only on his own purse at the moment, but their potential to impact a whole sport.

The List: Top Automobile Safety Picks for 2010

Doubling the number of vehicles earning the award last year, The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named 66 vehicles as 'Top Safety Pick Winners' in 2010. This has obvious implications in both the legal and economic spheres as safer cars are less likely to lead to recall and product liability issues for makers and because safety ratings can be a strong component of buyers' purchasing decisions, particularly for family vehicles.

While one could argue that less prestigious awards seldom drive behavior, it appears that the cache of the IIHS award has indeed stimulated efforts to increase safety; after an addition of roof ratings last year dropped the Top Winner list to 27 from 72, automakers focused on making improvements in an attempt to regain spots on the 2010 list. A full list of winners can be found here.

The List: The Year's Top Ten Stories

According to The Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors, the Gulf oil spill was the top news story of the year, followed by healthcare reform. The mid-term elections, the economy and the Haitian earthquake disaster rounded out the top 5, while the Tea Party movement, the Chilean mine disaster, Iraq, the WikiLeaks saga and Afghanistan completed the top 10. Missing out were such news items such as the Icelandic volcano, the European financial crisis and floods in Pakistan, stories which will undoubtedly make more wordly lists. Further details and commentary can be found at Yahoo News.

Understanding How Solar Works

Frequent visitors to the site will know that solar energy is a frequent topic of discussion. Whether we are trumpeting the use of innovative financing structures for promoting solar production in America and abroad or discussing the potential uses of solar power at a future World Cup, we spend a lot of time writing about energy from the sun. As dictated by both our limited knowledge of the engineering side of the solar business and the limited scope of the site we typically stick to non-technical discussions on the economics of tax credits or how laws might need to change to stimulate solar development. However, in order to understand these bigger picture aspects of the business, a solid foundation of just how solar power actually works is indispensible. The website HowStuffWorks.com, true to its name, can provide just that here.

The Practical Impact of the 2010 Census

The mailings were all sent in months ago. The house calls are a thing of the past. Now the data has been crunched. And if historic voting trends are any indication, Republicans are set to gain seats in the House of Representatives based on the demographic shift made apparent by the latest Census. The Census results could similarly impact the 2012 presidential election, as a state's number of representatives also determines its representation in the Electoral College. Reuters has the details, including some analysis on looming state redistricting battles, here.

An Interesting Perspective on Leaks...

We at Blawgconomics have not been alone in our mixed feelings regarding the WikiLeaks saga. Is Julian Assange a criminal, or a journalist practicing free speech? Does he hate America? If he does, does it even matter? How does his personal life fit into the story?

Many other bloggers and analysts have expressed mixed feelings as well, perhaps very simply reflecting a desire to have transparency about the government which works for the people at the same time as we allow it to properly function. However whatever one thinks of the situation, even if their feelings are much more polarized than ours, most reasonable people can agree there are undoubted elements of hypocrisy in the way the government is handling it. Blawgconomics favorite Gregg Easterbrook offers his fresh take on the story, outlining some of this hypocrisy in his TMQ column this week:

Leaks Don't Come Out of the Sky: Is the WikiLeaks disclosure of Pentagon and State Department internal documents dangerous, by reducing U.S. military and diplomatic effectiveness? Or good, by pulling down the veil of secrecy around government? Obviously there are arguments on both sides. Here's what struck me. Last week this New York Times page-one story reported the Obama administration "plans to further step up attacks on al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents in the tribal areas of Pakistan."

Maybe that's a good idea; maybe it's not. But as an item of information, the Times story is far more explosive than anything in WikiLeaks disclosures so far, most of which contain trivia and statements of the obvious. The Times story tells al-Qaeda and Taliban factions in tribal Pakistan that raids and air strikes will increase. The story is a warning of something about to happen, rather than a retrospective on prior events. And the story is sourced to unnamed "administration officials." That is -- the information was leaked by the White House or Pentagon.

Is Spidey Cursed?

Many observers already supposed that something was wrong with the epic Spiderman-themed pop-rock-3D-musical-opera-circus as numerous delays led to an inauspicious start for the 'most expensive show in Broadway history.' Indeed after the fourth relatively serious on-set injury occured last night, those involved might not be blamed for worrying that the show is cursed. However, in addition to the more mysterious and supernatural problems facing the production, there are some very real monetary concerns as well as cost overruns have led some to predict that even strong sales numbers will not be enough to ensure that investors get their money back.

Producers will certainly hope these predictions fall short as the $65 million show heads into full schedule. However, at an estimated $1 million per week running cost, it will take some time before producers, including U2's Bono and The Edge, make back their investments under even the most optimistic projections. At least one commentator in Canada thinks that 'even the most optimistic projections' might be a pipe dream, as The Globe and Mail's J. Kelly Nestruck noted, 'Frankly, the odds are that Spider-Man will be a financial fiasco that will make The Lord of the Rings look like a fringe-festival flop.'

It is tough to predict what will come of this situation, but at least a few other epic Broadway shows, including The Lion King, have turned substantial profits (albeit after running for a number of years) leading to continued optimism by those involved. In this spirit, Blawgconomics wishes a 'break a leg' to everyone involved in Spiderman...though maybe not literally; enough of that already seems to have happened.

Fighting Piracy, Protecting Web Freedom

To some, today's fight against online music and movie piracy is merely a continuation of the battle started with the crusade against filesharing sites like Napster in the late 1990's and early 2000's. However, in more recent government efforts against web-based copyright infringement, a few new trends have emerged. For one, the latest round of domains to be seized had no warning before being taken offline. Additionally, the operators of at least a few of the sites, which the Homeland Security unit handling the investigation claims were used 'to commit or facilitate criminal copyright infringement,' seem to have some compelling evidence that they have done nothing wrong.

For example, the following was reported in The New York Times: '...after being shown the affidavit, the operator of dajaz1.com — a widely read hip-hop blog that posts new songs and videos — disputed many of the warrant’s examples of what it called copyright infringement. He said that, like much of the material on his site, the songs had been sent to him for promotional purposes by record labels and the artists. As proof, the operator, a Queens man who declined to give his real name but is known online as Splash, showed The New York Times several e-mails from record label employees and third-party marketers offering songs mentioned in the affidavit. “It’s not my fault if someone at a record label is sending me the song,” Splash said.'

Because of the circumstances of the investigations many web-freedom advocates suspect that the latest actions are merely the precursor to a controversial bill in Congress, the Combating Online Infringements and Counterfeits Act. For example, Peter Eckersley of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group, was quoted in The Times piece as saying, 'It’s a troubling situation where basically any Web site that the Department of Homeland Security doesn’t like and is convinced has too much infringing material on it can just disappear overnight.'

The combination of investigations, possible lawsuits and legislative actions regarding these sites deserve careful scrutiny. There is most certainly a balance between protecting the rights of recording and film artists and protecting the rights of websites and the people who visit them. An impressive discussion of slippery slopes could be held on the topic in a law school class, but the hope here is that, despite any bumps that may arise on the way, that proper balance will be struck. The prediction here is that some combination of legislative action and judicial checks will be required before that balance is found, but that is so often the way in our system.

PSA: Targeting Tech

It is very likely that some of our readers around the world might be lucky enough to receive a phone this holiday season which allows them to view the site from wherever they are. Based on data we receive, many readers are already viewing the site from smart phones on a daily basis as more and more people choose to stay connected whenever they can wherever they go.

However, despite the indisputable cool factor of such phones, and the ability they afford users to do everything from check sports scores to complete banking transactions, they may also make them targets for the less-than-honest members of society. In other words, it seems that the more interesting your phone is, the more interesting you become to members of the criminal world.

Produces strong pings on criminal sonar...

So, this holiday season, wherever your travels take you, be alert. Just like crossing the street, looking both ways before taking out the iPhone or the Blackberry just might save you a lot more trouble than it costs.

America's Biggest Game is Big Business

Baseball may be the national past time, but football is clearly the biggest sport in the land. If anecdotal evidence is insufficient proof for baseball purists, the television numbers should certainly be enough. Luckily The New York Times has the proof in easy-to-digest form. Among other eye-popping numbers include 18 out of 20, as in the NFL boasts 18 of the top 20 telecasts of any kind this season. Of the 50 highest rated television programs this season, 27 were NFL programs.

Of course this is good for the popularity of the sport in general, which New England Patriot's owner Robert Kraft calls '...the greatest reality show in all of the medium.’ It is even better for the pockets of interested parties, like Mr. Kraft, as such record ratings are certain to translate to ever more lucrative television rights and advertising dollars. As the current set of T.V. deals is already measured in the billions of dollars, I am sure that owners and executives, unlike some of their customers, are having no trouble getting into 'the spirit' this holiday season.

OpEd/Lawsuit of the Week...

We turn to foreign shores (or perhaps mountainsides would be more appropriate) for this special OpEd flavored edition of lawsuit of the week. In a case that has torn its way through the blogosphere (but seems to have gained less traction with traditional news sources) an Austrian man has agreed to pay EUR 700 in fines rather than face a lengthy court case after a judge ruled that his yodeling was insulting to his Muslim neighbors.

According to the UK's Telegraph daily, Mr Griese was charged with 'the "disparagement of religious symbols" - an offence usually used to prosecute for neo-Nazis who desecrate Jewish graves - and hindering religious practice.' Because he yodeled while the family prayed, the retiree was accused trying of to "mock and imitate" the call of the Muezzin. While the court heard how things came to a head late in the summer when Griese was mowing his lawn, Griese has said that it was not his intention to imitate or insult anyone, and wanted to yodel because he was in a good mood.

Perspective means a lot in this case. Indeed it may mean everything. Some people are no doubt satisfied that a grumpy and possibly mean-spirited old man is getting his due. Others are predictably up in arms about the unstoppable advance of Muslims on Western society (this seems to be the prevailing wind in Blogland to the extent that we held off on this story until we could find a more reliable news site reporting on it; until then it had all of the marks of an outrageous sham chain e-mail).

However, at least one thing appears to be clear. All parties involved, showing a gross lack of discretion, let things get way out of hand. The neighbor, happy though he may have been, could probably have avoided yodeling right when the family was praying, especially if there were past confrontations about such actions. The family probably could have ignored him, or understood that noise is often a side-effect of living in society. The judge probably could have worked with the parties to get the charge changed to something in the property law realm rather than using the same laws used to prosecute neo-Nazis in a case that appears to be a neighborly spat more than anything.

Western/Muslim relations are poor enough, often due to a lack of mutual understanding and fear rather than facts on the ground. It might behoove everyone to stop and think sometimes rather than yodel or bring lawsuits. Maybe things were so bad that day in late summer that a lawsuit was not only appropriate, but a necessity. However, it seems more likely that things have merely gotten out of hand, causing both sides to look a bit bad and sparking an international debate. If neighbors can't get along, how can nations? We should be able to do better.

December IEA Oil Market Report

Market fundamentals have seen prices holding steady in the $88 to $91 range over the past month as OECD-fueled demand has outstripped increased global supply. IEA has the details here.

Beyond the Walls of Congress the Healthcare Debate Continues On

Perhaps it was as inevitable as death and taxes that legal challenges would be made against 'Obamacare.' Once that fact was obvious to even casual observers, it should have become just as apparent that members of the judicial branch would not be any less divided on the issue than their legislative counterparts. In just the latest example of this, a Virginia District Court judge ruled that the obligation to purchase insurance was unconstitutional after holding that the power to mandate insurance falls outside the scope of the Commerce Clause. Comparisons to compulsory auto insurance were brushed aside by explaining that states, rather than the federal government, are in control of auto insurance and that purchasing automobiles is a choice by consumers, not a statutory requirement.

Such a ruling, if upheld after the almost inevitable appeal, could put a huge dent in the effectiveness of the overall scheme as insurers have suggested that insuring all may be the only way to provide affordable insurance for those with expensive pre-existing conditions. The case is one of three which have been decided concerning different parts of the bill, but is the first where a provision was voided. Over 20 others are in various states of completion in various jurisdictions across the US.

As noted, the ruling is only one of many which have been/will be made on the healthcare bill. And as a District Court ruling, it is only precedential in its district (though practically it could inform other judge's decisions). Further, the judge in the case, Henry Hudson (of Michael Vick dogfighting case fame) declined to suspend implementation pending appeal, meaning there will be no immediate effect on putting the provisions of the bill in place. In short, proponents of universal healthcare should not necessarily fret...at least not quite yet.

The ruling does, however, point to two important facts. The healthcare debate, though settled on the floors of Congress, is far from settled in the halls of justice, and likely will not be until one or several joined cases make it to the highest court in the land. Secondly, until that time, it is highly likely to remain a highly charged, highly partisan debate. More details on the ruling along with analysis can be found in The New York Times. 

Taking Energy Efficiency to the Next Level

On Blawgconomics we sometimes write about legal issues. Sometimes we post about economics issues. We often strive to explain, with varying degrees of subtlety and effectiveness, how laws impact economics and vice versa. However, sometimes something is just so interesting that we feel compelled to post about it whether or not it fits into our otherwise tidy little niche. A new technology produced by Fujitsu is just that as the Japanese manufacturer has developed a device which can be used to harvest energy from either light or heat.

Such a technology could prove useful in multiple areas of science and commerce. For example, as noted at Green.Blorge.com, 'This constant electricity generation can be used in the medical field for “sensors that monitor conditions such as body temperature, blood pressure, and heartbeats – without batteries and electrical wiring.” One environmental use would be in remote sensors that monitor the weather. Without the need for electricity or batteries, the sensors could be placed in hard to reach areas without the need for frequent maintenance.' More analysis can be found here at the aforementioned Green.Blorge.com. Fujitsu's press release can be found here.

Tip of the hat to S.W.

A Closer Look at Dr. No

Who is Ron Paul? The answer can be complicated. He is an inspiration for the nascent Tea Party while remaining a critic of many of its leaders and ideals. He has, at times, been a darling of the Right's fiscal conservatives and a villian of its neo-con wing alike. He is an isolationist at heart who has been critical of the military interventions of both Democratic and Republican presidents. He has called for the abolition of the Federal Reserve. He has used his libertarian views to justify suggesting that marijuana decriminilization could be the best way to handle America's War on Drugs.

Some of these core beliefs, consistent to the extreme, have informed his decisions beyond all notions of political expediency to ensure that his are often the very lonely votes of dissent in the House of Representatives he has been a member of since the 1970s. This has gained him the name 'Dr. No' a moniker he has, no doubt, found a bit endearing in its way. However, he is no heel from a James Bond novel. Indeed, it is due to his fabled consistency, lone-wolf tendencies and difficult to pigeonhole set of views that more and more Americans outside his Texas district are viewing him as a political hero and visionary rather than as the curmudgeonly obstructionist that his actions might suggest.

Unless he is able to succeed in a potential future bid to gain the presidency after past failure, he may have just been presented with his best chance to represent this growing segment of the population he counts among his admirers in an official capacity after fellow representatives named him chairman of the House subcommittee on domestic monetary policy. This will put him in a position to oversee the Federal Reserve as well as the currency and the valuation of the dollar after establishing himself as perhaps the foremost critic of both the Fed and US monetary policies. For the curious The New York Times has additional details (found here on CNBC's website.)

PSA: The Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony Speech

Below is a transcript of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize award speech for laureate Liu Xiaobo, a noted Chinese dissident. Liu was given the award 'for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.' Because his current imprisonment rendered him unable to attend, and the award was poignantly placed in an empty chair as the speech came to a close.

In a wide-ranging speech quoting sources from Alfred Nobel to Isaac Newton to current Russian President Dmitrij Medvedev, Nobel Chairman Thorbjørn Jagland told the story of a man whose nomination has been the source of deep controversy as Chinese officials viewed the move as an affront to sovereignty.  In the end, despite intense lobbying by Chinese officials angered at implications that the continued jailing of Liu's amounts to a human rights violation, most state invitees had representatives in attendance.

'Your Majesties, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 to Liu Xiaobo for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has long believed that there is a close connection between human rights and peace. Such rights are a prerequisite for the "fraternity between nations" of which Alfred Nobel wrote in his will."

The Death of the Double Irish?

In early November of this year, the media was in a minor uproar about the tax dollars that the US Treasury was losing out on due to corporate use of tax strategies which allowed profits to be booked in foreign jurisdictions with lower brackets. The most prevalent strategy, named the Double Irish due to the use of Irish subsidiaries to shift around tax burdens, is thought to save US corporations billions of dollars in taxes every year. Though shareholders are undoubtedly fans of the creative tax strategies, many feel that they are simply a way of cheating the government of tax revenues.

For the curious, details on the strategy may be found here. For purposes of this article, it is probably enough to note that the Irish have lower corporate tax rates than many other developed countries. In addition to a well-educated and naturally English-speaking work force, this makes the Emerald Isle a perfect location for US-based international companies to claim profits from foreign jurisdictions and avoid the higher taxes of the US. This worked out for everyone involved (save the US government) as US corporations were able to pay less in taxes, shareholders saw share value increase due to increased cash flow, and workers in Ireland were able to get well-paid jobs that wouldn't otherwise have been available.

However, Ireland is currently in trouble. After the bursting of a housing bubble that was, perhaps, more severe than that of the US, unemployment is high and banks are in trouble, a combination of factors which led to the recent EU/IMF bailout. So now that Ireland has put itself EUR 72 billion in debt to its EU neighbors and the International Monetary Fund, how does the country plan to pay this money back? The answer is probably that many factors will come into play. However, at least one source of revenue has become clear; the government is going to raise taxes to meet its shortfall.

Qatar 2022; A New Phase in Solar Development?

To say that many observers found the choice of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup 'interesting' would be a deft bit of understatement. The Arab nation, with an area roughly the size of Connecticut and a population approximately the same as Nebraska didn't apparently have the strongest bid, leading to some very public statements by some indicating that there may have been more at play than the quality of the bid itself. Additionally, as a practical matter, all of the existing stadia that will be utilized for the event will require upgrades; most have yet to even be built. Finally, all of the facilities, whether existing or yet to be built, will require powerful air conditioning to combat summer temperatures which routinely soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

On the other hand, there are undoubtedly benefits to the selection. It will be the first foray for the event into the Arab world. It also fits in with FIFA's strategy of trying to use its showpiece to tap into growing markets for the game. Additionally, its funding is not in doubt as it is secured by petro dollars. Despite benefits, however, there remains a lingering sense that something about the process FIFA used for both 2022 and for Russia's successful 2018 bid doesn't quite pass the smell test.

Al-Wakrah Stadium...renovations are required, and questions about

the bidding process remain, but at least it will be carbon-neutral!

In the Aftermath of the Mid-Terms Compromise Rules the Day

Two situations which have developed out of the ashes of the Democrats' mid-term defeat point to both changing winds in Washington and a new taste for collaboration which could greatly impact the economy for years to come. The first is the likely tax deal which would see the Bush-era rates remain, likely for two or three years for all while tacking on an important liberal piece extending jobless benefits. The second is the deficit reduction panel (formally the National Commission on Financial Responsibility and Reform), an entity which could guide future budget decisions and will take on more importance if the aforementioned tax deal, and its associated reduction in revenues, passes.

Both are important efforts that will take the work of both sides to get right; neither would likely have gained traction before cooperation was forced upon Congress. The lesson? It is one that has been learned and forgotten many times before; our leaders do better work when they are forced to collaborate. Unfortunately this lesson has not been forgotten for the last time...

UPDATE: It looks like the tax deal noted above made it. Let's now hope that the deficit reduction panel's voice is heard to ensure that we can someday pay the piper...

From DVDs to Fighter Jets; Caveat Venditor in China

Many visitors to major US cities will be familiar with the knock-off purses, watches and DVDs which are so ubiquitous as to have seemingly become part of the very fabric of the big city landscape. Indeed, they are almost cliche. For example what 1980's movie boasting a scene with a first-time visitor to New York would be complete without a shifty trench coat-adorned street walker hawking Rol'a'xes? However, cliches often exist for a a reason, and as a recent resident of the city, your author can assure you that this particular and particularly apt cliche is not any less relevant for the passage of a few decades worth of time.

Many of these goods are produced abroad, often in China. It is also not unusual to find them, in addition to the subways and street corners, in Chinatowns. The not-so-subtle inference here is completely intentional. The Chinese have a very permissive attitude toward copy-cat behavior, and have seemingly accepted it, if only by assent, as a perfectly legitimate contributor to its current economic boom. Of course counterfeits are not a new, nor in fairness, a purely Chinese, problem. In addition, despite the otherwise notable profit and intellectual property problems fakes create for producers of everything from purses to electronics, it is not too often that their problems are deemed threats to national security.

What, however, should be made of a nation with a culture which has adopted the idea of 'imitation as flattery' as a form of economic development when it has started to take on bigger fish? What if a permissive government which looks the other way when postiche purses are produced starts to pilfer patents itself? This is the conundrum currently facing many countries doing business in both high-tech and military goods with China. It seems that a government which has long looked the other way as the world's retailers fight against counterfeit goods has adopted a few knock-off strategies of its own.

Learning Strategic Lessons from a Security Breakdown

Among the points sometimes put on the backburner amid the highly-charged debate over how to handle WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (is he a traitor or hero, journalist or spy) every time he posts sensitive materials is that these data dumps afford people an inside view of the strategies and goals of the US diplomatic community.

Despite the security breaches that make this possible, not all is negative, for it is not only the scorned subjects of the communiques, voyeurs and enemies of the state who are able to sift through the tens of thousands of documents for clues. It is also the students of both history and current affairs who have the ability to analyze the data and make conclusions on the merits of particular strategies. Going a step further, it affords such commentators the unique opportunity to pose alternative approaches based on their conclusions.

One recent post on Reuters does just that, as Global Editor Chrystia Freeland (formerly of The Financial Times) notes that, among other fascinating details of the WikiLeaks saga, it has emerged as a common theme that the US retains a distinctly Cold War-era approach to foreign affairs. Ms. Freeland also points out that other thinkers, even before the disclosures of the WikiLeaks saga, have been more and more vocal about this deficiency, and have paired this idea with a solution; the US needs to follow the lead of other foreign powers in placing a greater emphasis on fiscal security. As Leslie Geld notes in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs:

Siting is settled, but Questions Remain; The World Cup Selection of 2010

Some argue that trouble was forseeable when soccer's world governing body, FIFA, announced that the locations for two successive World Cups would be decided on one day. The Cup, said to be the biggest sporting spectacle in the world, is big business, and many believe that the beautiful game's showpiece has for some time been hijacked by both commercial and personal interests rather than promotion of the game itself. Those beliefs, whether rightly or wrongly, will only gain steam after Russia and Qatar were affirmed as the hosts of the Cup in 2018 and 2022, respectively.

On one hand, sending the tournament to these locations fits neatly with FIFA's recent strategy to use its showpiece to promote the game in developing countries. The latest edition this past summer in South Africa confirmed the possibility that a developing country with an infrastructure in need of improvement can, with enough planning, put on a successful event. Considering that Brazil has already been confirmed as the host for 2014 lends support to this line of reasoning.

However, with an opaque voting process, allegations of morally, if not illegally corrupt backroom dealings and proof of even worse emerging over recent weeks there is enough material for speculation that one doesn't need to be a conspiracy theorist to question FIFA's process. Indeed, some are unfavorably comparing the latest round of voting to the Salt Lake City Olympic Scandal, where selection committee members were found to have recieved lavish gifts during the bidding process. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was forced to evaluate, and eventually change, its process in the aftermath.

Lawsuit of the Week...

Where do you hide $2,600 worth of stolen goods? Apparently if you are large enough, on your person...literally. At least that is what two Oklahoma women were arrested for recently after they stuffed four pairs of boots, three pairs of jeans, a wallet and gloves in their belly fat at a TJ Maxx store. A local news outlet has the story in the video below.