billso.com

USA: Researchers claim that the state of California provides indirect subsidies to Wal-Mart of $86 million, in the form of government assistance to underpaid Wal-Mart employees. Sounds like a reasonable set of assumptions to me. Can you hear those prices falling? Or do you hear your taxes rising? Yet another reason to avoid Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club.

USA: A detailed discussion of possible US infantry uniform designs for 2010 and 2020. Apparently you can IM with other soliders, watch battlefield video and call up your endurance points on an eyepiece.

USA: Ted Rall claims that W wants to invade Iran, but it will be a quagmire. Iran can call up a million soldiers. Do you feel a draft?

Sports: SI claims that Shaq and a Florida waitress may be called as witnesses in the Kobe Bryant case, to establish prior patterns in Kobe’s behavior. An interesting twist.

Space: The Mars rovers are still on the job.