San Francisco Chronicle columnist David Lazarus was greatly concerned over the news that a Pakistani sub-sub-subcontractor for UCSF Medical Center threatened to reveal confidential patient data if she was not paid by the man who had hired her. The woman sent an email, with doctors’ dictation files attached, directly to UCSF, demanding restitution. Her employer’s employer ended up paying her and she withdrew her threat, but UCSF has no guarantee that the data is safe, and no one there was aware that patient data had been sent overseas. This week Lazarus calls our attention to Bank of America’s decision to open a subsidiary in India which would potentially be handling “sensitive customer information.” His point is not that offshore employees are less trustworthy than American ones, but that we can’t depend on the enforcement of privacy and extortion laws overseas. If the Pakistani woman had been a U.S. worker, U.S. law enforcement would have been on her case immediately. As customers we are not aware of, nor do we have control over, the transfer of our personal data to locations with lessened protection.

Annie Lennox has recorded vocals for the theme song of “The Return of the King.” The song also features soprano Renee Fleming and flautist Sir James Galway.

If you’ve ever entertained the notion of commissioning your very own piece of music, now there’s a guide to help you out. Published by the composer advocacy group, Meet the Composer, the booklet tells of the experiences of others who have commissioned works and offers a pricing guide (solo or duo work: between $2,000 and $20,000, depending on the length, full-length opera: $465,000 or more). It’s just the thing for that fabled someone who has everything.

Better start practicing. There’s only a couple months remaining before the annual Rutabaga Curling (Hurling) Contest in Ithaca, NY.

Our local paper, and perhaps yours, has started running old strips of The Far Side to publicize the release of Gary Larson’s “Complete Far Side” two volume set. Talking cows, chickens, and blah, blah, blah, Ginger.

Which is better for measuring the length of a cat’s tongue: the “Beefy Bovril” or the “White Wine” method? (via leuschke)

Eric Idle is back touring the U.S. and Canada again, advertising “songs, skits, and skirts” for his Greedy Bastard Tour.

When I went to college in Massachusetts, BayBanks ruled. You didn’t go to the ATM, you went to “a BayBank” because they had machines on every corner. When I moved to California, Bank of America took over in my head as the dominant local bank. In 1996, Bank of Boston bought BayBank and formed BankBoston Corporation. In 1999, BankBoston and Fleet, New England’s two largest banks, merged and became FleetBoston Financial Corp. Now it’s 2003 and Bank of America is expected to announce today that they are buying FleetBoston. So goes the last of the big Boston banks. Welcome back to my wallet.

80’s-retro is reportedly hitting stores with full force. The fashion report: “leggings and tapered pants, bangle bracelets, black jeans, miniskirts, thick and colored pantyhose, and endless chains and zippers.” The movie report: Wonderland and Party Monster. The toy report: Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, My Little Pony. And for the accompanying soundtrack, there’s electroclash: “music made with synthesizers and keyboards, very similar to the music of the ’80s,” major influence being New Order. There’s also retro video gaming. The catch is, the people playing “Asteroids” and “Centipede” are returning to their memories of simpler times. The people wearing the bangles and big earrings, however, are unaware that the first time around we eventually decided that legwarmers were better left to the ballerinas.

Seattle Spicing Guide for Bay Area Eaters (based on an unscientific sample of 3 ethnic restaurants):
Bay Area no spices (aka why bother) = Seattle mild
Bay Area mild = Seattle medium
Bay Area medium = Seattle spicy
Bay Area spicy = Seattle non-existent or look like you really mean business