The Casimir Effect: v. 2.0

Thinking about the corruption I mentioned yesterday in regard to the UN contract with Cotecna and the now infamous oil-for-food program, I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s one man who could clean this whole place up, and it’s not John Bolton.

Send Eliot Spitzer.

Okay. He’s not a diplomat or a public administrator, but he’s experienced dealing with political figures and beating back graft and corruption. Wall Street is a safer place for this man’s lawsuits. So how about it Eliot? You already have a campaign website that appeals to all the right concepts. Forget governor, take on the UN.

Looks as if Kojo and Kofi are in for a rough ride. I admit that Kofi is among my favorite speakers, if not one of my favorite public figures, so take the following with several grains of salt.

It’s a familiar story at the highest levels: Kofi Annan’s son Kojo works for a company that happens to get a substantial contract under the oil-for-food program. Kofi has testified that Kojo told him he had left aforementioned company prior to the contract being awarded. This was true except the minor detail that Kojo was still on the payroll. Was Kofi mislead by his son, or is this a case of the lowest ranking culpable person taking the heat for corruption at higher levels?

You can read the report; a 144 page snoozer that outlines the background better than I do. It should be pointed out that the only criticism currently is misadministration; the report stops short of accusing the Secretary General of maladministration, a far more serious criticism. Note also that under the procurement rules of the UN, Kofi has no say in the awarding of contracts. While the whole thing is pungent with the potential for corruption, we can still be sure that there is some competition for contracts. This is still more than we can say for some similar situations of our own.

This Saturday was Day One of the three day long Tour of Sebring, an annual event put on by the Historic Kenilworth Lodge. I had the opportunity to ride in the first day of said event. This marks the first tour on the new Trek, and approximately 200 road miles since I bought it last month.

It’s amazing the difference the right equipment makes. Thirty miles simply melt away on a feather-light road bike with skinny, high-pressure tires. In fact, Action Stance and I were among the first finishers, and led the Peloton for most of the ride.

Not to brag, but one of us (not me) pulled into the 22 mile rest stop before anyone else, where the remaining leaders soon arrived, and even the die-hard stopped for snacks.

Next on the schedule, the Gainesville Cycing Festival. Hope to see the same familiar faces again.