KUALA LUMPUR HALLOWEEN TOUR 2011: YR FINGERPRINTS, PLEASE

And it’s so long to Kuala Lumpur. And as mentioned earlier, I was too busy to really go out and see anything interesting. I did have some nice local food nearby the hotel, but that’s about it.

Oh, one new thing to report since the last time I was here: they scan and file yr index fingerprints at immigration checkpoints now.

I could go on about privacy and human rights, but really, Malaysia's just following other people's examples. The US has been fingerprinting foreigners since 2004. So hey, it must be okay, right? So what if it’s a dumb and inefficient way to catch illegal immigrants, terrorists and other criminals?

Hell, these days Walt Disney World fingerprints its own customers. As do Welsh nightclubs. And Australian ones. Fingerprinting is the New Normal. 

Besides, between my Army stint, my Hong Kong ID card, my FBI file and my unsavory past, my fingerprints have been on file in govt databases since the 80s. So now I have fingerprint files in three (3) countries.

Progress!

Yr in suspiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiicion,

This is dF

KUALA LUMPUR HALLOWEEN TOUR 2011: STILL LIFE, WITH PROPHYLACTIC WRAPPER

One other fun item from the KL trip: the in-room service guide.



What’s so fun about that? Here’s another angle.



Take a closer look.

( Go on ... )

FUN FACT: This is a four-star hotel, incidentally.

We hope you enjoyed yr stay,

This is dF

GOT A LION IN YR SIDECAR

Video is also available.

Historical context here.

Riding shotgun,

This is dF

INSIDER TRADING TIP: IT’S NOT ILLEGAL WHEN THE GOVT DOES IT

This story broke some time ago, but I missed it then, and in light of current events it’s worth raising now.

ITEM: Congresspersons and their staffers working on legislation and regulatory changes buy and sell stocks based on that information before it becomes public, and tend to do very well as a result.

When private citizens do this, it’s called “insider trading” and it’s illegal. When lawmakers and their employees do it, it’s completely legal.

Forbes reports:

… a study of some 16,000 stock transactions carried out by House members was published in the journal Business and Politics. This detailed analysis showed that the investment portfolios of House members beat the market by about six points a year.

Ironically – or perhaps not – Democrats tend to get better ROIs.

Why is this legal? Because, if it wasn’t, it might “insulate a legislator from the personal and economic interests that his/her constituency, or society in general, has in governmental decisions and policy.”

Source: The House ethics manual.

And Wall Street wonders what the #OWS people are so crabby about.

Call my broker,

This is dF