Articles By Niel Bornstein

Niel Bornstein is the token progressive in Cobb County, Georgia (home of Newt Gingrich, Bob Barr, and the city of Kennesaw, where every head of household is required by law to own a gun, and where the "homosexual lifestyle" was condemned by the county commission as "incompatible with the standards of the community"). He designed the technical infrastructure inside the first version of Monkeyfist, and contributes the occasional pithy comment and/or obscure link. He likes to look at flashing lights and brightly colored bits of paper.

WEEKLY REVIEW
A review of the week's news.
9 August 2002

Welcome to Our New Design
About the monkey's new clothes.
4 December 2001

$15 Billion for Industry and Not a Cent for Workers
Congress and industry seem to agree that air travel is in trouble. But what about the workers?
21 September 2001

Invictus by William Ernest Henley
The last statement of Timothy McVeigh.
11 June 2001

Give It Back
Give your tax rebate to someone who deserves it.
31 May 2001

The Progressive's Passover
What kind of sense does it make for Jews to celebrate freedom when the Jewish state is the oppressor?
10 April 2001

Dilligent Educators Show Resilence, Creativity & Flexibility
Recent "word of the week" selections at a local elementary school raises questions about the qualifications of those who teach, and those who lead them.
25 January 2001

Thos. Paine, He's Good.
Wham! Ka-Pow! You go, boy.
16 November 2000

The Case for Concession
May the better man give up.
10 November 2000

Election 2000 Wrapup
Our correspondent summarizes the election.
8 November 2000

Voting is Hard
In which our correspondent meets his neighbors at the polls.
7 November 2000

The Husk is Off the Corn
Evil agro-giant corpo "accidentally" releases unnapproved GM food. Anyone ever see the Alien movies?
3 November 2000

Vote Bore 2000!
This billboard appeared in Charlotte, NC
22 October 2000

Who Owns the Airwaves?
It's a matter of who owns the resources.
6 October 2000

Master Debaters
A better answer for Cheney's snide comment.
6 October 2000

The Monkey Supports More Nascent Standards
When news breaks, we fix it.
17 August 2000

The Unbearable... oh, forget it.
So terribly lonely.
5 August 2000

The Cube
Art by Andy Makely
24 July 2000

Mixing Business With Pleasure
The pleasure is a visit to the in-laws; the business is protesting our country's role in the death of innocent civilians.
21 July 2000

"No Access Zone" Violates Free Speech Rights
Convention planners can't restrict free speech, says judge.
20 July 2000

Salon Interviews LaDuke
Salon's Alicia Montgomery talks with the Green vice presidential candidate.
13 July 2000

The Many Faces of Cheese
Beware the cheesy: it contains no cheese!
7 July 2000

The Boy Is Outtahere!
Finally, the little tyke gets to go home.
28 June 2000

You Have the Right to Remain Silent
The Supremes has reaffirmed the Miranda decision.
26 June 2000

Snowballs in the Summer
An interesting site sculpture display is disappearing right now in London.
22 June 2000

Teamsters to Endorse Nader?
This would be big. Really big.
21 June 2000

A la recherche de mon pere mort
A discovered stash of photographs and postcards triggers a flood of doubt and regret.
20 June 2000

Infographic: Are Our Storm Drains Safe?
They've got infographics for everything these days.
16 June 2000

News Flash: World Still Exists
Contrary to some expectations, The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider has not yet caused an end to all life as we know it.
14 June 2000

Terrorism? What Terrorism?
Kendall Clark analyses the National Commission on Terrorism's report to Congress.
14 June 2000

Enjoy Climate Change!
Greenpeace and Adbusters team up on the world's biggest brand.
12 June 2000

The Grillmaster Cometh
Terry Love, plumber to the Microserfs, answers my question.
7 June 2000

Disposing of Old Paint
The discovery of a lot of old paint triggers a web search for paint disposal resources.
7 June 2000

Jesse Ventura's Ad Man Talks Nader
The man who created the ads for Jesse Ventura's victorious Minnesota gubernatorial campaign, is now talking about working for Nader.
5 June 2000

El Rey de los Timbales es Muerto
Tito Puento dead at 77.
1 June 2000

FCC Prepares to Make Broadcasting Even More Corporate
It wasn't bad enough that the evil FCC enabled the corporate takeover of our precious broadcast spectrum four years ago; now they want to go further.
31 May 2000

Next Protest Site: Detroit/Windsor
First Seattle, then Washington DC. Next up is Detroit and Windsor.
31 May 2000

Green Lawn Mowing
In which the new homeowner ponders how to cut the grass in an easy, yet environmentally friendly, manner.
26 May 2000

Nader as Reform Party Candidate?
A divided Reform Party is seeking alternatives to Pat Buchanan.
26 May 2000

Farmers Push for Cuba Policy Change
It's Lobby vs. Lobby in an embargo-busting battle royale!
24 May 2000

UAW To Endorse Nader for President?
United Auto Workers president Stephen Yokich breaks from tradition, declines to endorse Democratic presidential candidate.
24 May 2000

Harper's Index Index
The Modern Humorist spoofs the Harper's Index.
23 May 2000

N.H. Votes To Repeal Death Penalty
But the Governor has promised a veto.
18 May 2000

Prince Prince Again
What's in a name?
17 May 2000

Laundering Opportunities: Unknown.
Two men. One small plane. Twelve thousand miles.
17 May 2000

LoveBug Virus Crosses the Species Boundary
Good God, we're all in really big trouble.
15 May 2000

As Usual, Lawmakers Don't Get It
McAfee? He's blaming McAfee!?!
11 May 2000

Personal Email Archiving
A good idea, implemented.
10 May 2000

Red Ken Elected
The former Labour MP got elected despite (or perhaps because of) being booted from the party.
5 May 2000

Throw Another Device on the Dung-Heap of Discarded Technology
One down side (yes, there is one) of moving to the 'burbs is that I have to down-grade my internet access.
4 May 2000

I Had No Idea
A preponderance of political poseurs.
3 May 2000

National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day
Don't be afraid, go see your mental health professional!
3 May 2000

Tonight: Michael Palin's New Travelogue
Fans of the ex-Python's travelogues will be sure to love this one too.
3 May 2000

Niel's Prediction
You heard it here first!
27 April 2000

Alice's Restaurant Massacree
Friends, they may think it's a MOVEMENT, and that's what it is.
25 April 2000

Nader on CBS News
A media alert.
24 April 2000

Nader Bumped from Meet the Press
Instead we get some Cuban nonsense and a basketball player.
24 April 2000

Feds Rescue Hostage in Dramatic Pre-Dawn Raid
Monkeyfist's take.
23 April 2000

Nader on Fool Radio
The candidate talks with the Fools.
21 April 2000

Propaganda
A reminder from the Recording Industry Association of America
21 April 2000

A Good Start
Deputy abuses protesters; deputy gets canned.
21 April 2000

The Body Brokers
Here's the complete series.
17 April 2000

US Congressman Finds Facts in Iraq
Someone in congress noticed that we're killing Iraqi children!
17 April 2000

Donated Organs Lining Someone's Pocket
Think about this before you agree to donate your organs.
16 April 2000

NY Times Covers Nader Campaign
And it's a pretty fair piece.
15 April 2000

The Globalization of Ben & Jerry's
Think locally, sell out globally.
13 April 2000

NPR Hosted Army PsyOps Interns Too
The scandal is deeper than initially thought, and the only ones complaining are TV Guide?
12 April 2000

Holocaust Denier Not Libeled, Says British Court
Judge says author called a spade a spade.
11 April 2000

Senate Rejects Gas Tax Rollback
The Senate stupidly does smart things.
11 April 2000

Creative Home Financing
Sometimes they make it too easy to spend your money.
10 April 2000

No More Austrian Volunteers at Holocaust Memorial
Haider's rightwing party refocuses national service efforts internally.
10 April 2000

That's Refreshing!
The courts say you can protest on New York's capital steps. Hurrah!
7 April 2000

Nader and LaDuke to Appear in Minnesota
The Green Party candidates for President and Vice President will be speaking to gophers.
7 April 2000

Dead Soccer Fans
English soccer fans get killed in Turkey.
6 April 2000

Twelve Soldiers Fight The War For Freedom
Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech.
31 March 2000

Nader Looking for Bumper Sticker Slogans
The Nader campaign is soliciting input on slogans for bumper stickers. If you've got one, send it to campaign@votenader.com.
30 March 2000

Open the Debates, Boycott Budweiser
It's crappy beer anyway. Think globally, drink locally!
30 March 2000

That Was Just Too Close
The flag burning amendment is barely defeated... this time.
29 March 2000

Emmmmm-FWHAP! Now Available
New technology? Yeah, we got that.
29 March 2000

Nader to Appear in Atlanta
The candidate will be here on the afternoon of April 17. More details to come...
29 March 2000

Another Cyanide Spill
Another accident threatens the environment. People are part of the environment.
28 March 2000

Boston Independent Media Center
Another indepenent media source fighting the ravages of corporate globalism.
28 March 2000

The Wobblies on the Web
Musing about unions.
24 March 2000

Senate to Vote on Flag Desecration Amendment
Congress is poised to amend the first amendment. Stop them!
24 March 2000

IANA Approves .ps Top-Level Domain for Palestine
Any guesses as to how long it takes for sites in .il to start blocking sites in .ps?
23 March 2000

Leonard Peltier is Running for President
The imprisoned Native American activist is looking for a slate of electors in all 50 states.
21 March 2000

How To Market Yourself
Advice for the contract programmer.
19 March 2000

Government Grants Gun Maker Sweetheart Deal
Well, waddaya know? It turns out guns do kill people.
18 March 2000

Rebirth Brass Band at Smith's Olde Bar Tonight
The second line will also be in attendance.
17 March 2000

Now That's Capital Punishment
A man was sentenced to death in Pakistan. He will be strangled in front of his victims' parents, cut into 100 pieces, and put in acid.
16 March 2000

The Earth Charter
Earth Charter Commission members met at UNESCO headquarters in Paris from March 13-15 to review the Charter.
15 March 2000

The Corporate Death Penalty
When a corporation commits a crime, give it the death penalty!
14 March 2000

Clinton Kicks Frogs Out of Hotel
White House officials have rented an entire hotel in India at $1000 per room per night, booting out some French tourists who got there first.
13 March 2000

Joel Kovel Withdraws from the Race
The Nader campaign gets a boost from Kovel.
10 March 2000

Save the Arts in Georgia!
Governor Barnes' Education Bill would kill middle-school arts programs.
9 March 2000

The Campaign is Over. In March!?!
In which the author ruminates on the sorry state of our electoral system.
9 March 2000

Online Elections Are Here
Everyone seems to think holding elections online is a great thing. Here's why it's not.
7 March 2000

Dept. of Energy Sponsors Solar Design Competition
DOE has a South-facing wall. They want it to be pretty and functional.
7 March 2000

Juan Gonzalez: Harvest of Empire
Gonzalez, co-host of Democracy Now!, has a new book.
6 March 2000

NYPD Officers Guilty in Louima Coverup
They're not only criminals, they're poor sports about getting caught.
6 March 2000

Equal Access to Georgia Ballots!
A Georgia law would give voters a choice by helping to put third parties on the ballot.
6 March 2000

Constitutional Trivia
The Bill of Rights originally had 12 articles. What happened to the other two?
5 March 2000

New York Times Endorses McCain, Gore
The Gray Lady picks the "best" men in the presidential primaries.
5 March 2000

Megginson on XML Sabotage
At XTech 2000, David Megginson described some vulnerabilities of XML.
4 March 2000

Submerged Landmines in Mozambique
Thousands of landmines have become seamines in the flood-ravaged African nation.
4 March 2000

Announcing the Monkeyfist Search Engine
Search the Monkey!
3 March 2000

Big Changes Afoot at Pacifica?
Mary Frances Berry and others to step down.
3 March 2000

It's a Wallet, Not a Gun
Careful with those wallets, they might be loaded!
3 March 2000

That's It, No More Pot For Me
"Oh wow, this is really good sh... ARGGGGH! MY HEART..."
3 March 2000

Pinochet Goes Free
The fiend gets no justice.
2 March 2000

To Spoil or Not To Spoil
In which the author tries to decide what to do on primary election day.
2 March 2000

News about the film A Force More Powerful
The film about nonviolent social change is making the festival rounds, and will screen on public television.
1 March 2000

Henry David Thoreau Is The Man
Thoreau pretty much didn't write anything bad.
29 February 2000

RSI Awareness Day
My hands hurt.
29 February 2000

President Albright?
The Secretary of State has been mentioned as a candidate for the next presidency of the Czech Republic.
28 February 2000

John Brown's Holy War on PBS Tonight
John Brown's body lies a-molderin' in the grave, but his righteous cause lives on.
28 February 2000

JLG: The Internet Appliance Does Not Exist
The ineffable Frenchman strikes again!
26 February 2000

GM Food Conference
The conference on genetically modified food may ask some tough questions.
25 February 2000

W's Voice
When it comes to tweedle-dum and tweedle-dumber, it's obvious which one George Walker Bush is.
23 February 2000

What is "Go We Go"?
Explaining the chant.
22 February 2000

If You Can't Join 'Em, Beat 'Em
China rattles its sabre at Taiwan.
22 February 2000

Slashdot Catches Up
The source of all geek news finally covers some old news.
22 February 2000

Go We Go!
Nader announces his candidacy for the Green Party nomination for POTUS.
21 February 2000

U.S. and E.U. Military Exports to China Since the 1989 Embargo
Thought the law meant no munitions could be sold to China since the Tiananmen Square massacre? Wrong!
20 February 2000

Cracking Toast, Gromit!
New claymation coming from the masters of the genre.
18 February 2000

All Songs Considered
NPR makes a full-length web-only show from those little music snippets between stories.
17 February 2000

MSQ Does "Sir Duke"
The German string quartet covers the funky wunderkind's tribute to the jazz legend.
17 February 2000

'Inevitable' Globalization meets Inevitable Disaster
Donella Meadows explains why "inevitable" economic globalization inevitably leads to ecological disasters.
16 February 2000

The Saint Valentine's Day Conundrum
In which the author ponders the origins and present practice of this most bizarre celebration.
13 February 2000

New Alternative Media Site
A new site tracks the media in a world of mega-conglomerate media behemoths.
11 February 2000

10 Years Ago Today: Nelson Mandela Liberated
The first president of the new South Africa spent 27 years in prison there.
11 February 2000

Robert Trout Remembers the Birth of McCarthyism
50 years ago yesterday, the little-known senator from Wisconsin began a campaign of red-baiting.
10 February 2000

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Selects Conductor
Robert Spano will succeed Yoel Levi as the Atlanta Symphony's 4th conductor.
9 February 2000

Doctor Carves Initials in Patient
Quackery in New York
8 February 2000

The Atlanta Fish Market
We dined on the wee beasties of the sea last night.
8 February 2000

Umberto Eco's Chilling Prognostications from Davos
The novelist makes some predictions in his address at Davos. Appropriately, considering the setting, they aren't pretty.
8 February 2000

Gunter Grass: Computers Suck
He still writes with a pen, standing up.
8 February 2000

Waterman Pens
The Waterman Expert II makes writing a sheer pleasure.
7 February 2000

Holy Crap, The Queen Mum's Old
On this day in 1952, King George VI of England died.
7 February 2000

European-Style Bakeries in America
"A sweet corner of Italy just over the Ponte del Cancello Dorato."
6 February 2000

Billips Plagiarizes Self
Seems our own Mike Billips is "seeing other people".
5 February 2000

Non-voting as Civil Disobedience
Why don't more people vote?
4 February 2000

Chimp Rights Now!
Do animals have rights?
4 February 2000

SciFi Author A.E. Van Vogt Dead at 87
Another good one's gone.
4 February 2000

TheTrip.com's Flight Tracker
Track flights in the air.
3 February 2000

Morphine's Swan Song
Boston-based bass/bari sax/drums trio releases final album.
3 February 2000

Willie B., Zoo Atlanta's Prime Primate, Dead at 41
Willie B. is dead. Long live Kidogo!
2 February 2000

How to Smack Your British Child
The British Department of Health have released a document explaining exactly how one should physically discipline one's children.
2 February 2000

Aviation Woes Continue Down Under
The contaminated Aussie avgas woes continue.
2 February 2000

Real Goods Trading Corporation
Real Goods promotes and inspires an environmentally healthy and sustainable future.
2 February 2000

Egalitarian Protest of CEOs at Davos
POTUS is the egalitarianistest of all!
1 February 2000

AOL/Time Warner Cuts Fiber to Research Center
Ted Turner's construction project adjacent to Georgia Tech's campus makes life interesting.
1 February 2000

Report: CIA Stalled Internal Investigation
Wen Ho Lee wasn't the only guy to ever download secrets to his personal computer; unlike John Deutch, he just happened to be Chinese.
1 February 2000

Mr. Cranky Savages "Down To You"
Just a great line from Mr. Cranky.
31 January 2000

Clinton Addresses WEF
The President inadvertently exposes the corporate hypocrisy and disproves the alleged egalitarianism in Davos.
29 January 2000

James Fallows Survives the Belly of the Beast
Fallows spent six months working with the Microsoft Word development team, and lived to tell about it.
29 January 2000

Car Talk's Lame Joke of the Week
A Sunday Drive
29 January 2000

Gassée Explains Be's Internet Appliance Strategy
JLG breaks his recent weeks of silence and talks about Stinger and the IP-enabled world.
29 January 2000

Monkeyfist.eu?
The EU is proposing a new top-level ".eu" domain.
29 January 2000

The Motley Fool on The Wall Street Journal on Emory University on Coke
To diversify or not to diversify?
29 January 2000

Salon Covers the Ice Balls
Salon lags behind the news.
28 January 2000

Frugal Chips and Tiny Fuel Cells
Mmmmm, laptops that run for years without recharging...
28 January 2000

Vile, Vicious, Voracious Vermin
I know what they mean; my house is just infested with cute, cuddly, little rats.
27 January 2000

In Switzerland...
27 January 2000

What Happened to Burns Night?
I forgot.
26 January 2000

"Homophobes in Robes"
I heard a bit of this song on Atlanta's WRFG yesterday. It tickled me. It's about the Supreme Court.
26 January 2000

NY Times is Shocked, Shocked! to Learn Nomination Process is Undemocratic
The Times seems to see a small problem with the huge number of early primaries.
24 January 2000

The Near-Fatal, Life-Threatening Winter Ice Storm of Double-Ought
24 January 2000

Linguine with Tuscan Shrimp
My wife and served this tonight.
23 January 2000

Jane, you ignorant slut.
We apologize for the divergent opinions. They will continue.
22 January 2000

Frozen Parking Brake
I've got one. Anyone got any suggestions for unfreezing?
21 January 2000

Spanish Iceballs
The Spanish iceballs get some mainstream media coverage.
21 January 2000

Is it universally galling to point at Wired now?
Uh, no.
20 January 2000

Salon on Low-Power FM
Salon goes a little more in-depth on the new low-power radio rules.
20 January 2000

The Rain in Spain
Follow-up to last week's yucky iceball item.
20 January 2000

FCC Set to Approve Low-power FM
The FCC strikes a blow against corporate radio stations.
20 January 2000

NY Times on Davos
The New York Times addresses Davos, but asks no questions.
19 January 2000

Take Down the Rebel Flag
It's time the Southern states recognized the hate behind the Confederate battle flag.
19 January 2000

Those Krazy Kubans
Michael Moore takes on the U.S.'s Cuba policy.
19 January 2000

Doris Parker Dead
19 January 2000

CarTalk's Lame Joke of the Week
It's about money. It's lame.
19 January 2000

FreeBeOS
Be's going free.
19 January 2000

"Markup Languages" 1.4 Abstracts Online
"Markup Languages: Theory and Practice" is published by the MIT press.
18 January 2000

The Corporatization of America
Excellent piece on how America was founded not only to escape the power of monarchy and religion, but the corporation.
18 January 2000

The Real MLK
Barry Saunders is tired of the "I Have a Dream" speech.
17 January 2000

"Reason" gets it wrong
This article is full of holes. That doesn't mean that I agree with eco-terrorism, though.
17 January 2000

Brazilian Radio
Catch Brazilian radio station JB FM on the web in RealAudio.
17 January 2000

MAN ESCAPES EXCREMENT ICE BALL!
17 January 2000

Sleeping Through a Revolution
We must all learn to live together as brothers - or we will all perish together as fools.
17 January 2000

Another Tibetan Lama
The Karmapa fled Tibet last month, embarassing the Chinese and providing an opportunity for the Tibetan government in exile.
17 January 2000

The Small-Monitor Blues
In which the author solicits strategies for dealing with a single, small monitor.
17 January 2000

Welcome
We're more or less live.
14 January 2000

TeeVee.org takes on MergerMania
"It just seemed like a natural to join forces," Eisnergatescasebezosmurdochellisonturner said. "By bringing together our capabilities in the entertainment, high tech, pharmaceutical, precious metals, automotive and other industries, we're better able
14 January 2000

PDF Files of Patents
Fetch patents from the USPTO in PDF format.
14 January 2000

Only two weeks to go!
Robbie Burns' birthday is January 25. Don't forget to accompany your haggis with a wee drap o' whisky.
13 January 2000

British End Ban on Openly Gay Soldiers
The government announced a code of conduct for the military today that ends its ban on openly gay men and women serving in the armed forces.
13 January 2000

Condom King Goes Euro
They say sex is the first industry to exploit new technology.
13 January 2000

Australian General Aviation Crisis Continues
Thousands of small aircraft are grounded in Australia after being filled up with bad fuel.
13 January 2000

Software Porting Neologism
We need a new word for software that's hard to port.
12 January 2000

Briefcases in a paperless world
What replaces the briefcase in the information age?
12 January 2000

Who Owns What
11 January 2000

U.S. Landmine Hypocrisy Exposed
11 January 2000

The McCourt Family Business
11 January 2000

Sephardic Food
11 January 2000

Analyzing the Tempest in a Pint of Stout
11 January 2000