The Linkage for Dec. 22nd

Here’s a quick look at what I was reading online from Dec. 16th to Dec. 22nd:

UK retailer restricts lightsaber sales
Tags: uk stupid star_wars
If you want to buy a plastic lightsaber at Woolworths, you'd better be prepared to show some ID.

Russia extends presidential terms
Tags: russia
Mr. Putin gets his ducks in a row before reclaiming his throne.

Windows XP’s death delayed once again
Tags: technology computer microsoft business
With the next iteration of Windows getting closer and closer, Microsoft has extended the availability of current flavor Vista's predecessor, Windows XP, yet again. Pretty much an acknowledgment that Vista missed the mark.

Cheney still stands by f-bomb
Tags: politics republicans congress vice_presidents
In proof that evil never learns, Shadow Emperor Dick Cheney still thinks that using the f-word on the Senate floor still falls under the umbrella of acceptable actions for a sitting vice president.

Puerto Rico looks to eradicate monkeys
Tags: animals puerto_rico
Authorities in Puerto Rico launched a plan this month to capture and kill hundreds of feral monkeys before they spread across the entire island, threatening agriculture, native wildlife and possibly people.

Houston surgeon’s home an ode to his wife
Tags: weird texas art houston
I'm thinking this story is supposed to be touching, but I just find it a little creepy.

Former Astros closer Dave Smith dies at 53
Tags: baseball deaths astros
Dave Smith, the preeminent reliever for the Astros during the 1980s, dies of a heart attack.

Korean actress sentenced for adultery
Tags: society law south_korea crime
Thinking about having an affair in South Korea? Make sure you're willing to serve some time behind bars for your forbidden love.

China cracks down on websites again
Tags: media china censorship bbc net_issues
The year comes to a close and the Summer Olympics fade into memory, China is once again cracking down on foreign-run websites that aren't willing to follow the party line.

Detroit papers ending daily home delivery
Tags: media business journalism michigan
The Detroit Free Press and Detroit News will become the first major metropolitan newspapers in the U.S. to end daily home delivery in early 2009 when they cut delivery service down to just three days a week. I think this will be a trend that repeats itself across the country as subscription numbers continue to plunge and overhead costs continue to rise.

Regents vote to rename UH-D… uh, something
Tags: texas education houston uhd
University of Houston System regents have voted to formally request a new name for their downtown institution, but they don't yet know what the new name will be. Nothing like rushing to do something without having all your ducks in a row.

The moment of truth for IE?
Tags: technology microsoft net_issues
Is the new vulnerability revealed to be in every version of Internet Explorer enough for mainstream users to finally ditch IE en masse and seek out one of the other browsers? Mozilla, Google, Opera and Apple couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present to be dropped in their laps.

Dumb parents outraged others don’t help spread their hate
Tags: stupid parenting food pennsylvania
I don't think there's really anything I can say about this other than I feel sorry for those kids.

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