Technology: To XP or Not to XP

Can you believe that Microsoft's Windows XP operating system is 7-
years old? It doesn't seem that long ago when it made it's debut to
alot of fanfare and was quickly embraced by computer users, and geeks
alike.

When many of us think of computers and the constant upgrades with
operating systems, and it doesn't matter if you're a PC or Mac user,
an upgrade every few years is inevitable. That's why when Microsoft
released the Windows Vista operating system, I, along with over two-
thirds of the world's PC users decided to stick with Windows XP and
let the early adopters suffer and help Microsoft work out the bugs.

Anyone that I know they ran Windows Vista complained about it running
slow, were inundated with security alerts and their computer wouldn't
run some programs like Word and Excel.

Well, here comes Microsoft roaring back from the Millbury Street
Landfill to release the Vista replacement, Windows 7. So far, from
the initial preview edition, it looks very good and it was very fast.
But, who knows if I'll be one of the first early adopters this go
around? I might cool out on the sideline and watch the fall out as I
make the transition to a Mac more permanent.

Witness in Wilkerson, Turner Cases Turns on FBI

The key witness in the FBI corruption case against former state senator Dianne Wilkerson and Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner now says he's not cooperating with authorities.



Ronald Wilburn tells the Boston Globe he now feels the FBI used him to target black politicians, because no other officials have been arrested in the investigation.



Wilburn was an undercover cooperating witness. Federal officials have released photos where he appears to be giving cash to Wilkerson and Turner.



David Rossman is Director of Criminal Law Clinical Programs at Boston University. He spoke with WBUR about how this might affect the case.

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Money to Burn!

Some of you that know me, know about my passion for sole, and no, I didn't spell "sole" incorrectly, then you know I like fresh sneakers and host an Internet call-in talk show titled OSD-Obsessive Sneaker Disorder. 

Well, having watched many of the events that took place in Phoenix, AZ at the NBA All-Star Weekend, I find it unbelievable that someone was lucky enough to get a similar pair of the Nike basketball sneakers that Mr. Nate Robinson of the New York Knickerbockers wore and had the audacity to list them on eBay.  Hey, I was raised that if you were given something, you don't give it away and you certainly don't sell it!  Call me 'ol fashioned.

First things first, Nate a/k/a/ KryptoNate does wear a size 10 and stands 5 feet 7.75 inches tall, even though he's listed as 5-feet 9-inches tall on the NBA's website, the seller just witnessed their auction end with the winning bidder being someone with "1" positive feedback and a final price of $22,300.00.  Yes, that is correct-- twenty-two thousand three hundred dollars for a pair of sneakers!!

Maybe the City of Worcester can re-enter the footwear business and start manufacturing shoes and sneakers and sell them on eBay?  That would be one way for the City to eliminate the budget gap and we wouldn't have to hear about the proposed PILOT program ever again.  You never know.

Gov. Patrick Warns Stimulus Money Not A Panacea

Governor Deval Patrick says Massachusetts will receive between $6 billion and $9 billion in economic stimulus money from the federal government.



Most of the money will go to specific programs, the Governor said Wednesday, and state officials won't likely have any say in how it's spent. But some -- about one billion dollars -- is for infrastructure projects.



WBUR's Fred Thys has the story.

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Hip Hop: Chess can save lives

Gas-guzzler Tax

It appears that not only is Governor Patrick looking to increase the
taxes on gasoline, he is now proposing to hit folks that drive so
called "gas-guzzlers" with extra registeration fees and offer
discounts to those that drive more eco-friendly cars.

So, businesses that need large trucks for their business or families
that need a SUV to accommodate their family not only get hit at
the pump, but Gov. Patrick is proposing hitting them with higher fees
when they go to the RMV! Let's see if this law gathers any support in
Massachusetts. 

If it becomes a law, Massachusetts would be the first  state to do so, prior to even California, which has been kicking around the idea for the past 4-years.

Leave it to Gov. Patrick to beat Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the punch!

They might be Giants

General Motors may still be the big dog in Detroit, but it appears
that Ford Motor Corporation isn't about to roll over and play dead.

Word is that Ford (Fix Or Repair Daily) is trimming the fat and is
selling the Volvo arm of their business, possibly back to a German-
based company. Well, if that isn't some funny ish as Volvo cars have
long been reported as being "safe" and the well selected mode of
transportation by soccer moms and dads that refuse to drive a mini-vans.

More information to come soon.

LSU Fans & Racism

If you're a Black person that is contemplating moving to New Orleans, this will certainly make you think twice about moving there and certainly not a place that you'd

like to raise a family. (Editor's Note: I have lived in New Orleans and have family that reside in the city.)

Listen to the responses of these LSU fans as they answer the question regarding the Government demolishing projects in the City of New

Orleans and their thoughts on subsidized housing.

Project Dropout: Inmates Long For Another Shot

Thirty years ago, someone without a high-school diploma could expect to find a job that would pay enough to at least avoid poverty. Now, that's almost impossible.



In the second report in WBUR's series, Project Dropout, WBUR's Deborah Becker talks with people about not having a high-school diploma -- including some who say their lack of an education helped put them behind bars.

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NBA All-Star Weekend: Shaq Dancing

If you're not an NBA fan or root for the Boston Celtics, I won't hold it against you, but you may have missed one of the most impressive introductions this side of the '90s-era Chicago Bulls.

Check out Phoenix's own, Shaquille O'Neal, as he gets down and busts some moves with the famed Jabbawokeez of America's Best Dance Crew.

Scams on the rise!

As we grow closer to "Tax Day" there will be an influx of scams trying to rip people off. Check out this most recent scam that's circulating the Internet and email inboxes.