Suspending for the time being

So, shockingly for those of you who know me, starting this blog represented me biting off more than I could chew so I've decided to suspend my blog for the time being. I will be back this summer but until I'm done with law school I'm not going to make any posts.

Out-Fox your TV

It doesn't look that powerful

I don't agree with this device but it sure is an interesting idea. Sometimes I want to remove FoxNews from my TV too...

Entering the blog universe

I wanted to take an opportunity to plug a new blog that a good high school friend of mine started. To quote him, "I finally did it. I was won over by the dark side. But I figure as long as blogging will be a mainstay of the internet, at least it shouldn't be dominated by unwashed hippies."

Anyway, follow what he writes. He'll piss you off but in the same regard, he'll make you think and that's one of the best compliments I can give anyone's writing.

Picture of the Day: Hogzilla is no Hogwash

Hogzilla Is No Hogwash from National Georgraphic

So, I apologized last week for taking time off from my blog and I'll do so again this week. I'm back now, especially that I'm done with spring break. It is all in context though. I met a cute girl. I may not have as much spare time as before.

This is a great picture. The link to the National Geographic article. Read it. It is fun.

An apology

I'm sorry I've been so negligent in posting this week. It has been spring break and quite honestly, I haven't been aronud a computer as much as normal. I'm back starting today. I know you've missed my distractions.

You'd be shocked how much the music is really worth on your computer

Note: I'm going to start posting a lot more during the day. Interesting articles will be posted later so they stay on top of that day's posts. This is one such article.

Very interesting answer to a question I've always thought about. How much is illegally downloaded music valued at? It isn't the price that is listed on iTunes or Amazon. It is valued at much,much more.

A cash cow

Dean sure seems like he's one. More money raised than the Republicans right after Bush? I like to read that. Go Dean go.

Drilling to begin soon

Drilling in the Acrtic looks like it will finally get out of the Senate as the Democrats are weaker this because the Republicans are planning maneuver to push it through that would avoid the treaty of a Democratic filabuster.

Something I've never been able to find in any of the materials on Alaska arctic oil drilling is whether it will actually do anything to free our dependancy on foreign oil. Is it a pie in the sky idea or practice? Does anyone have any references? I'd really like to know, even though the environmentalist in me (as I'm sure you can tell from the picture) doesn't like the idea regardless.

A 16-hour-work-day for truckers seems like a bad idea to me

Truckers having a 16-hour work day with a two hour long break seems like a bad idea for so many reasons. That would mean that a trucker would be required to be on the road, for example, from 6 a.m. in the morning until 10 p.m. at night. It would change that current rule that limits a work day to 14 hours and only allows 11 hours of consecutive driving. Seems more reasonable to me.

"This is a sweatshop-on-wheels amendment," John Claybrook, the president of a safety advocacy group said. "The last thing we need is for tired truckers to become even more fatigued and threaten the safety of those around them on the roads."

I couldn't agree more.

I guess it is a vegetable in NJ

From Colorado Pols:

In our continuing effort to offer Coloradans reasons to appreciate their elected officials by highlighting dumb things other state legislatures are doing, we bring you another entry in our series "At Least They're Not Your Legislators."

Earlier this week, New Jersey legislators designated the tomato as the state's official
vegetable. Problem is, the tomato is not a vegetable; it's a fruit.

Granted, the legislators did realize this fact. They cited as precedent the 1887 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that placed a vegetable tariff on tomatoes a backing for their legislation. The reasoning was that since a tomato was served as part of dinner instead of as a dessert, it was a vegetable.

"Botanically it's a fruit, legally it's a vegetable," said Sen. Ellen Karcher, who is co-sponsoring the Senate version of the bill.

But, precedent aside, it doesn't erase the fact that New Jersey legislators have named a fruit the state's vegetable. And you thought TABOR reform was difficult...

A tsunami every month

"If rich and poor countries will follow through on the promises they have made over the past five years to fight extreme poverty and disease -- and rely on the best science and technology in doing so -- the world can save millions of lives and extricate hundreds of millions of its poorest people from the trap of extreme poverty. The cost is a mere 50 cents out of every $100 of rich-world income in the coming decade."

Let me get your attention. Every month, 150,000 African children are killed by the entirely preventable disease known as malaria. 150,000 children a month, that's roughly 1.8 million children a year. Hard to fathom, right? What's even harder to fathom is that those deaths do not sear the public's mind and that they go largely unnoticed. No ex-American presidents lead a fundraising campaign. President Bush doesn't call on cash donations from the public. Children die and we do nowhere near enough.

A solution would be simple. Much of Africa could be saved by a bunch of $5 mosquito nets used throughout rural areas and a $1 dose of medicine for those cases that still happened even with the nets. It is estimated that the contribution of $2 for every citizen in the industrialized world would lead to the eventual eradication of malaria.

I'm in.

POD: A quick bite to eat

lunch?

I'm 100% sure this picture is doctored but it is pretty crazy none-the-less.

Update: I can definitely say that it is a fake thanks to the poeple at truthorfictiion.com. It is still interesting to see how it was created.

The one thing good about Bush winning...

... is that Teresa Heinz Kerry is not first lady. Seriously, don't you have to be concerned about a man who marries a woman like her?

From the article, Heinz Kerry said, ""Two brothers own 80 percent of the machines used in the United States," Heinz Kerry said. She identified both as "hard-right" Republicans. She argued that it is "very easy to hack into the mother machines."

I'm sick of Democratic crying. We lost. They won. That's it. Sometimes you just lose and you have to admit that.

Locking the door (and probably closing it too)

Pat Waak locks the doors at Democratic headquarters. Again, I don't want to be pessimistic but I hope that Waak's victory doesn't close the door on the Democratic Party's success here in Colorado. Also, take a look at Colorado Pols for more information on the subjuect.

Note: I met Pat tonight at our DYD meeting. I was very impressed. She was very personable and friendly. Also, speaking with more democrats made realize that Chris Gates wasn't the only reason we did well (which I didn't originally think anyway). My only worry is that Gates seems like the type of person you want in a chair but from the sound of it, he wasn't perfect. I hope that Waak is able to keep the momentum going.

Terrorists right to bear arms

Terrorists and their right to guns. If you were reading the NY Times this morning, you may have noticed this article. I hope you did. Evidentially, dozens of terror suspects on federal watch lists were allowed to buy firearms illegally in the US last year. Amazingly, people suspected of being members of a terrorist group are not automatically barred from purchasing an uzi in this country. The FBI reports that since February 2004 to October 2004 there were at least 58 times were people suspected by the FBI attempted to buy guns. In all but 11 cases, the FBI or state officials who handled the requests allowed the application to proceed because a check of the would-be buyer (a suspected terrorist I might add) found no automatic disqualification, like being a felon.

Do you remember when the GOP-controlled Congress mandated last year that records of gun purchases must be destroyed within 24 hours? It was a gift to the pro-gun hurdling, who riddled the Bush campaign during 2004 with threats regarding ownership and privacy rights. Apparently it was also a gift to potential terrorists who may be lurking inside the United States. FBI officials maintain that they are hamstrung by this new policy and it serves to help terrorists cover their tracks.

So, let me get this right. We were told by the Bush administration that we had to pass the Patriot Act, an amazingly intrusive law that strips us of some of our civil liberties and gives law enforcement officials excessive powers including the right to examine my library records without probable cause. And why did we have to pass this act? According to Bush it was necessary to protect us from terrorists. I don't want to debate the merits of the act. I just find it a little ridiculous that while we're making that sacrifice Republican lawmakers made it easier for terrorists to buy guns in this country because of newly weakened gun laws. Why is one constitutional right less valuable than others?

Can you say hypocrisy?

Another thing to worry about

Scientists predict that a super volcano will erupt "sooner or later" and will have a disasterous effect on both the planet and human civilation, if of course we're still around when it happens.

At least it gives us something to look forward to, right?

Anybody but Hillary

This is bad. I respect Hillary a lot. I think she's done one hell of a job in the US Senate. I am, however, officially founding the "The Democrats don't have a chance in hell if they nominate Hillary" club. Feel free to disagree with me if you'd like but I just don't see it. We need a southern or a midwestern Democrat with moderate values and someone who is preferrably from a Red state.

On that note, and I didn't write about him Saturday night, I saw Evan Bayh this weekend and I was very impressed with him. He was charasmatic, interesting, and he's from the Republican state of Indiana. Democrats should give him a serious look in 2008. He could win.

Was Bush right after all?

As Syria pulls out of Lebanon, and the winds of change blow through the Middle East, this is the difficult question that the opponents of the Iraq war are having to face.

It is probably too soon to make a pronouncement but it is definitely an article you should read.

King Tut died of natural causes

King Tut was not murdered. Interesting news but not something I'm honestly too concerned about.

Nuggets on fire

Seven in a row for the Nuggets

It amazing what a good coach can do. The Nuggets look amazing and they're streaking toward the playoffs.

Knockout?

Drudge reports that NBC's contender, the most expensive reality show EVER produced, was knocked out last night after finishing dead last in its time slot getting trounced by Fox's American Idol.

Is anyone surprised?

Name this monkey

(Insert new name here)

Name the monkey. I wish I would have seen this article sooner or everyone would have had the perfect birthday present for me. Nothing would have made me happier than to have had a monkey species in Bolivia named after me or a close CT editor back from the good old days when I didn't sleep at night. Oh wait. That's still today. :-)

As a side note, if you didn't catch last week's CT and you worked as an editor of anything written by Michael He, you've definitely got to take a look at the comics section. It is absolutely priceless.

POD: They teach 'em young

They teach them young.

The photo of the day is posted in commemoration of the first game, allbeit a spring training game, between the Yankees and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox. In case you're curious, the Yankees won 9-2 and Jason "I like the juice" Giambi hit his first homer of the spring.

Strangest piece of junk mail ever

stangest piece of junk mail ever.

I could post my thoughts from hearing Justice Scalia. I could post a thought on Hoffman being forced to step aside today at CU. I could even talk about something interesting from the news. I'll decide against that however and just post the weirdest junk mail I've ever seen and get to all that stuff later tonight.

The world from space at night