Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Today's Confusion

Please don't think too long after reading the following links--your head may explode or you will have fits of rage.

1. Where are your tax dollars going now? To China, of course. No, the US government is not paying off its debt to the Middle Kingdom. (article)

The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is handing out a $2.6 million grant to Dr. Li of Wayne State University School of Medicine to study alcohol abuse among prostitutes in China (specifically, Guangxi province). Dr. Li will attempt the rampant alcohol abuse, which he claims will bring about more conscious decisions of sex, such as condom use.

The theory of the intervention is that reduced alcohol consumption by prostitutes will lead to lower STD rates. There is no mention in the article about the fact that prostitution is illegal in China and the Chinese government claims that it doesn't exist.

The question taxpayers should be asking is who profits from this "research"? Will Dr. Li be promoting American-made condoms? Will his paid assistants be American citizens who are in desperate need of jobs? Will they choose Tsingtao or Budweiser?

2. China is upset about foreign countries' claims that the Chinese are hacking into computer systems that contain sensitive information, such as military secrets. (article)

A Chinese scientist refuted the outrageous claims by saying that it's impossible for someone to hack into those computers (has he tried?). "Networks containing sensitive intelligence are impenetrable," Fang Binxing claims.

Considering there are documented instances of hackers breaking into government computer networks over the years, Fang's statement is rather naive. If we read deeper into Fang's comments, it appears Chinese hackers are inept.

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