Happy New Year!

Blessings to you all for 2008!

Snorting Sleep and other news

There are a few News stories that I find interesting today. This is serious buisness.
I will be back with the regular blog soon. Love you all and I hope you are having a safe holiday. Don't drink and drive! Wear your seat belt. Pay attention! Don't be stupid!



Snorting sleep:

In what sounds like a dream for millions of tired coffee drinkers, Darpa-funded scientists might have found a drug that will eliminate sleepiness.

A nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called orexin A reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests. The discovery's first application will probably be in treatment of the severe sleep disorder narcolepsy.

The treatment is "a totally new route for increasing arousal, and the new study shows it to be relatively benign," said Jerome Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA and a co-author of the paper. "It reduces sleepiness without causing edginess."

-Wired

Test Tube Universe

A "universe in a test tube" that could be used to assess theories of everything has been created by physicists.

Time is running out - literally, say scientists" Are we missing a dimension of time? Are dark forces at work in space? The test tube, the size of a little finger, has been cooled to a fraction of a degree above the lowest possible temperature, absolute zero, which is just over 273 degrees below the freezing point of water. Does one of these test tubes hold a baby Universe? Inside the tube an isotope of helium (called helium three) forms a "superfluid", an ordered liquid where all the atoms are in the same state according to the theory that rules the subatomic domain, called quantum theory. What is remarkable is that atoms in the liquid, at temperatures within a thousandth of a degree of absolute zero, form structures that, according to the team at Lancaster University, are similar those seen in the cosmos. "In effect, we have made a universe in a test tube," says Richard Haley, who did the work with Prof George Pickett and other members of the "Ultra-low Temperature Group." The Holy Grail of physics is to establish an overarching explanation to unite all the particles and forces of the cosmos. But one of the complaints commonly levelled at a leading contender for a "theory of everything", called string theory, is that it is impossible to test.

UK Telagraph


Raw Milk Ban

(AP) -- Many raw milk consumers are opposing new dairy standards set to take effect next week in California, saying they could outlaw some of their preferred products.
The new law does not create an outright ban on raw milk, but producers believe it could dry up supplies by setting new bacteria limits they say are difficult to meet.

Mark McAfee is founder of Fresno-based Organic Pastures Dairy Company, the larger of two raw milk producers in California. He said consumers "are fed up with the government being in their kitchens, and they want to be able to make their independent choices about food they want to eat."

State officials, on the other hand, say producers should be able to meet the standards, which they maintain are necessary for consumer safety.

Merry Christmas With the Hoff

Christmas or Indigestion? The Savior is Born!

“Glory to God in the Highest Heaven, and on earth peace to people whom He favors.” This is the message of the angles that came to announce the birth of Jesus, the savior of the world, who was on Christmas night born in a barn of all places. It is a message of hope and wonder, and it makes a much better Christmas card than the message of John the Baptist, “Repent you brood of vipers!” Yes, one is a hallmark moment and the other is not.

But, in their own way, each is announcing something wondrous. Something so unexpected and so strange, that shepherds came to see if it was true. Was the Son of God, this Jesus really lying in a barn, or had the dried sheep meet they had eaten for supper gone bad, leaving them with a hallucination that was both astonishing and terrible to behold? Chances are good that they were betting on the bad dinner.

These shepherds in the field were as an unsavory lot 2000 years ago as they tend to be now. Oh, not bad guys mind you, but they did things in a very earthy way. They spoke with earthy language, using words that were not polite. They had an earthy aroma about them and they were known to drink too much and fight with knives. To me, sounds like business as usual on the range in Montana. Nevertheless, having an angle appear to you has an unsettling effect, no matter how tough you are. Assurances of, “Be not afraid,” tend to sound a bit hollow when you are seeing the glory of the Lord. Such times probably call to mind all the sins you have been committing gleefully in the last month or so… maybe even longer. But instead of the smiting with lightning, or burning with fire or something a person in such a situation might expect; (after all God is suddenly paying personal attention to you, and that cant be good right?) the news is good. A savior is born. The shepherds were blessed.

How odd indeed. Not the priests, not the city council or some other important people, but shepherds are told that God has come to earth to save us. Odder still, He is born in the barn between here and the next town over. What could you do but go find out if it was true or if it was simply dinner food digesting badly?

We all know how the story goes, the shepherds get to the barn and the whole thing turns out to be true. They are so baffled that they tell everyone that will listen what happened to them. Mary treasured the words of their story and they praised God. After all, who couldn’t?

We can be sure that none of them really had any idea what it would all mean, but one thing was for sure, God was doing something and it was something unexpected. Things were going to be different now. God was born in a barn and talking to shepherds, yes, the world was going to be in for a shock. Christ had come and right away, He was changing everything. If God favored shepherds, then things were going to be ok. Merry Christmas, for Christ has come to bless us all, and He is changing everything.

Age of the Universe

There is a discussion that I mostly try to stay out of, but seems to keep finding me. Maybe it is because of my combination of theological and scientific training.

Just how old is the universe? Those of the scientific persuasion say 4.5 billion years, give or take a billion. Those of the religious persuasion say 6,000 years, give or take a hundred.

I can defanatly say, without a doubt, that I have no damn idea.

That being said, the religious camp looks silly in this situation. 6,000 years was the end of the last ice age and the birth of human civilization for certain, so for all practical human history purposes, that was our beginning, but the universe??

When I ask about the dinosaurs, I get some kind of nonsensical response like how they were put in the earth by Satan to trick us into thinking the universe is old. OK, and once we are tricked then what? Is this plan is related to the underpants gnome plan of profiting off the theft of children's underwear.

Or sometimes I get the even stranger tale that dinosaurs were around when humans were, up until about 1,500 BC. OK, then how come the Egyptians and Babylonians and all didn't paint and carve statues etc. about dinosaurs? They made images of everything else!

4.5 Billion years? I don't know. It sounds good enough to me, at least until a better idea comes along. But I wonder why it is a problem to religion? Is your faith so weak that you cant handle the idea of God being able to live for 4.5 billion years? Are you so self centered that you demand that God follow your rules of physics? Are you pissed off that the Bible isn't a physical science and natural history text?I would personally find the ideas that physics presents to be an amazing addition to conceptions of God.

If Steven Hawking is right. Time does not exist apart from the physical mass of the universe, meaning that God created it all "right now" on God time. So I guess you could say that the universe just started from God's standpoint. Interestingly, Augustine said the same thing in his "City of God."

I think that this leads into another point that I will write about soon: The nature of fundamentalism. I am not just talking religious fundamentalism either. I have seen fundamentalism come in many shapes and sizes. But that is for another post.

Remember, I'm out there lurkin, and I'm just gettin stronger!

Prepare the Way ...

The Advent message of prepare is one that we understand far better than the message of waiting. We do so many things to prepare for Christmas that preparation for anything is something that is easily taken into our routine. However, when we hear the message of “Prepare the way of the Lord,” the mistake is made that we are to prepare by figuring out what it is that we are going to do to the said coming Lord, or perhaps what we are to do for the coming Lord. After all Jesus will need me to do something to or for him right? Wrong my friends, completely wrong.

Preparation for the coming Lord is preparing for what Jesus is going to do to you. The God in the flesh, Jesus, the coming Lord, whom John the Baptist warns us to prepare for, is coming because of what people are already doing and have done, not because of what we do for him. This truth is what we remember in Advent.

Forgiveness is coming at Christmastime and during Advent we remember that forgiveness is what we are to prepare for: being forgiven and freed from death. In Scandinavia there is a tradition on Christmas Eve that North Americans find shocking. The people go to the cemetery on Christmas eve, in the darkness because there is no sun during that part of the winter, and put eternal candles on the graves of those who they love, or if there is no one they love buried there, in the center of the cemetery. The entire cemetery is eventually lit up with the light from the candles on the tombs, graves and common area. The candles represent the presence and forgiveness of Christ to those who are present and those who are dead. It is to help them remember that the Son of God died because he did the one thing that people could not tolerate: forgave them. This Christmas practice of the Scandinavians is also a reminder that you are already forgiven for the failings in your life and humanity so death is not the final word to life.

Christmas is prepared for by being ready to accept the gift of the savior to the world, God who came in the flesh to forgive all and save them from death. Advent is a solemn time because of this remembering of the consequences of sin and of being saved: death to us, and death to our savior at the very hands of the people He came to save. But the joy of Christmas is that we know that this savior is a gift for us and that on Easter morning we learn that death no longer holds us in its clutches.

Something happens when we begin to remember what happened at Christmas. Perhaps we become angry. After all we don’t want help, forgiveness or any of that! We want to prepare to do something to or for Jesus, or our family in Jesus name. Or perhaps we want to do something for the world in Jesus name, wouldn’t that be great if we could make peace in some troubled part of the world and do it for Jesus? Or would we know in our heart that we were distracting from our own guilt? Trying to make up for what we know is not right in ourselves? Or simply being a theologian of glory instead of understanding the theology of the cross. As one of my colleagues once screamed in my face while pounding her fist on the table, “Jesus doesn’t come to this church until I bake the Christmas ham.”

Ready or not here Jesus comes. Bringing a gift that is as often unwanted today as it was 2000 years ago, forgiveness. Remember, like the Scandinavian Christmas celebration reminds us, that without this gift, death awaits as a permanent condition. Remember, and be thankful, for in remembering this, peace will be with you.

Truly Senseless

Perhaps I don't have anything to say today that makes any sense, or maybe I am just feeling perverse, but I was thinking about some commercials from a few years ago that were both amazing and terrible to behold. The first time I saw one of them I was very sick and on strong meds. I thought I was having a very messed up hallucination. If only that had been the case...
Enjoy!




And another!

Advent Articles

Some years ago, I ran a series of articles for a newspaper during advent. I am going to do that on my blog this year. Tune in every Sunday now till Christmas to see whats up in the religion section.

Advent has rolled around again. Once again this year I am forced to endure the same tired messages and sermons that I hear every year at advent. They all go something along the lines of “We are a people waiting alone in darkness and fear…” or “Don’t rush advent, wait for the coming savior …” or my all time favorite, “Naughty, naughty, you are commercializing Christmas!”

Let’s look at the facts. No one is waiting for anything except the next holiday sale at Sears, Target, or wherever. We only fear nothing from our shopping season and we most certainly rush-rush-rush, the same way we do for every event the rest of the year. Christmas is already so commercial that there is not one thing that anyone could do to make it more so. After all, Christmas items went on sale roughly at the time of Halloween.

So what is it that I propose that we do to change the world? Simply stated, we do nothing. The world is much the same now as it was over 2,000 years ago. People are coming and going, so absorbed in their own things that they cared practically nothing for what was happening in the lives of others. The government was doing something stupid that was making the lives of its citizens difficult. Poor people were doing their best to survive while those with money lived extravagantly. This is the world now and this is the same world that the Savior was born into.

What then is left? Remember. Remember the state of this world, then and now. Remember that this world needed a savior so badly that God sent one into the mess with nowhere to be born in a world that barely noticed. Born in a barn with ox and burro, to animals who are notorious for relieving themselves when and wherever they see fit. Slobbering all over their trough, where the Son of God would be laid down after his birth.

Remembering during this time of year that the Son of God was born in a barn; born to die, in order that a world of people who care more about the next sale at the mall than the spirit of the season. Remember that the Son of God died because he did the one thing that people could not tolerate: forgave them. Remember that you are already forgiven for the failings in your life and humanity. Remember, and be thankful, for in remembering this, peace will be with you.

Quote for Today

I have always liked this quote:

"I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study
mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and
philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture,
navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children
a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary,
tapestry, and porcelain," John Adams.

Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day

Now this is a holiday that I can really get behind! However, there is not much difference in the Dystopian Future and how I normally dress and act. Hmmm....

What Norse God?

You scored as Odin, You are Odin. You are the leader of the Norse Gods. You are the wisest and always fight evil. You sacrificed your eye for knowledge, as well as hanging for 9 days with a spear in your side. You are the God of Philosophy and Poetry. You will lead the Gods into Ragnorak (the end of the world) Odin 88% Tyr 85% Freyja 73% Thor 68% Baldr 35% Loki 33%

Which Norse God Are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

What Superhero Am I?

I took one of those quiz things that are online, about what am I like...
Tell me this result is a supprise, I dare you.

You Are Batman

Billionaire playboy by day. Saving the world by night. And you're not even a true superhero. Just someone with a lot of expensive toys!

Peanut Butter Clusters

In a Saucepan:
1/4 cup sugar
1 Cup Corn Syrup

Bring to a boil. After boiling for about 1 min. Add:
1 &1/2 cup peanut butter.


Heat until the peanut butter is melted and mix well.

Add 4 cups corn flakes and mix well.

Drop by teaspoons on wax paper or foil or ... whatever.
Let them cool.

Eat! Yummyness

Fan Death

Image removed due to it spamming my blog.


This is so funny I don't even know what to say about it. It is on par with the people here that tell me that when the temperature gets below 60F that they cant take their babies outside anymore because their lungs will freeze.

Stupidity continues to rule the world.

Fan Death

Human Destruction and the Noble Savage

A reoccurring theme in the liberal political think of western culture is the myth of the Noble Savage. The idea of a Noble Savage is that somewhere out there in the world, there are these savage people that are so much better than the western civilized world. These noble savages live in harmony with nature and they don't have any crime or violence in their society and they are not greedy or any number of other ills that plague use horrible horrible western people. These wonderful savages live long healthy happy wonderful lives and the only time they have problems is when we westerners come in and corrupt them with our horrible horrible culture.

Of course there has never been any savages that are actually that noble, but liberal thinkers are convinced that it is true and one day we will see the error of our ways. This thought has been documented as far back as the Roman Empire. If you would like to read an example of the myth of the noble savage in Roman thought click here, and you will be directed to a paper examining the phenomenon.

We see the myth of the noble savage again in our modern world in a new incarnation. Now the noble savages are couched in the trappings of being so environmentally friendly that we westerners are pure scum for not following their righteous example.

For instance, our astronomy and research into physics and the physical sciences are killing the universe by looking at it. The article I am referring to is in my last post, but can also be viewed by clicking here. The answer therefore is to stop astronomy and physics research. We must return to the more savage state that is much more noble and stop this madness. Our western values are destroying the universe!

This rolls over to discussions of global warming as well. We must not use air conditioning, no matter how hot we are, because we are killing the planet! We must not use heat no matter how cold we are because we are killing the planet! The noble savages without heat or AC have it right! Sheryl Crow tells us that we must not use toilet paper, or maybe 1 square or 3 squares at the most. Ah those savages who just use their hand to wipe must be so very noble indeed.

I have a different view on the matter. I see savages, not as noble, but (get this) SAVAGE! Instead, I believe that western culture and science needs to do what it always has done. Drag the rest of the world, kicking and screaming, out of savagery and continue to advance medicine, science and general quality of life. There is a reason that savages want the things that we have. The reason is that we really are better. Life with heating and AC really is better! Really, I promise it is!

One final thought on the matter in two parts.
1. It is the hight of human arrogance that we think we can destroy the planet let alone the universe. Whatever pollution we put on this planet will kill us long before it destroys the planet completely. The planet will go on even if we do not.

2. The idea that we can end the universe by observing dark matter is extreme jackassery. Only one of the most ignorant of scientific principals would accept this as a good theory. The uncertainty principal only applies to things on the subatomic level because the difference in size of the observation and that being observed is so large as to alter the small particle. When we the human observe something infinitely larger than ourselves, the effect (in calculus terms: the rate of change as x goes to infinity, is zero) is to have no effect on it at all. We are not killing the universe.

Mankind Killing the Universe and More

Here is the link about how we are destroying the universe.

Death to the Universe!

Irish Songs

I have notice a new trend which is disturbing me greatly. Apparently, after years of being considered one of the largest nerd dorks in the world for liking such a thing, Irish Folk music (which I am a singer of) is becoming popular. There are a lot of people claiming to be an athority and telling me now.

Yet for some reason, they are unable to tell me what any of the songs are even about, let alone who sings them or whatever.

For instance, (besides my Irish friends who know who they are. Hi Sharon!) who knows what the easter rebellion is or why it was important? When was it? What is a Black 'n Tan (if you say a drink i will punch you)and what does it mean that "My father was orange and my mother was green?"

Also, stop giving Flogging Molly credit for every f-ing song you hear. For instance "Kiss my Irish Ass" is not a Flogging Molly song.

This is why I hate when things go pop. It suck all the meaning out of it and makes it one more thing to be sold.

Are you kidding me?

So I have learned today that the wacko nut jobs have expanded their theory to say that humanity is destroying the universe. I have a few things to say about this but I am tired today so, later.

I hope everyone had a happy holiday and is looking forward to a wonderful Advent and Christmas.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

To all my friends, relatives and total strangers who, for some strange reason, like to read what I have to say: Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of blessings. Remember to hold the people you love, and love the time you have with them, because, that is all that truly matters.

God's blesssing on you all.

-Eisbär

PS. I think this picture is so funny ...

Thanksgiving In Iraq

During this time of year I am always reminded of those who are over fighting to free us all. I got in an argument a few days ago with someone who said that we are a murderous occupying force and that the Iraqi people were better off before. I know that there are a lot of Iraqis that disagree, so to those people, I give you the cyber finger.




Happy Thanksgiving. Remember to give thanks that you are here, instead of there.

SFB- From A Friend of Mine

Something that bothers me is what I call an "SFB" which I'll define in a moment. In a nutshell, an SFB is a type of person who doesn't want to cooperate with you and comes down with a bad case of the stupids to confound you. The first case of an SFB that I can recall is a guidance counselor I had in High School. She disliked my family for some reason and seemed to work overtime to screw up my older brother who was trying to apply for college. When my turn finally came around, I was summoned into her office where she greeted me cheerily as if we were long lost friends. I said to her frankly, "Look, let's not kid each other, you have no use for me and my family, and I frankly have no use for you. I am going to work through the principal instead of you."

She looked at me coyly and said, "Well, I don't know what you mean." She knew exactly what I meant, she just came down with a bad case of the stupids to cloak her dislike of me. I've come across this same type of scenario time and again as I got older, especially from government bureaucrats and people participating in nonprofit volunteer groups. They just look at you seemingly dumbfounded and say, "Gee, I don't know what you mean," or "Whatever gave you that idea?" This really bugs me. Instead of saying, "Look, I'm having a bad day, why don't you go away until I'm in the mood," or "Quit bothering me and talk to someone else." Even when you articulate your problem carefully, they pretend ignorance instead of trying to help you.

This SFB phenomenon is really disturbing in business, particularly in a Customer Service situation. Instead of looking for ways to help you, people look for ways to confound you so that you will take your problem elsewhere. I think this is why voice mail was invented, so people can pick and chose who they want to talk to.

I recognize there are times where it is necessary to practice tact and diplomacy when dealing with people, but pretending to be brainless is certainly not a good practice particularly when interacting with people on a regular basis is an inherent part of your job.

As I've mentioned in the past, I have a letter carrier who delivers mail to my office only when he is in the mood (which seems to be twice a week). When I confronted him about why he wasn't delivering our mail regularly, he became an SFB and feigned ignorance about what I was talking about. Even when I complained to his superior at the post office, he also became an SFB and pretended not to understand what I was talking about. I guess being an SFB is contagious.

So what exactly is an SFB? Actually, it's quite simple; it's three little letters representing: Shit for Brains.

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

Copyright © 2007 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

Court agrees to rule on gun case

This could be one of the most significant cases of the decade, or possibly the century.


After a hiatus of 68 years, the Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to rule on the meaning of the Second Amendment — the hotly contested part of the Constitution that guarantees “a right to keep and bear arms.” Not since 1939 has the Court heard a case directly testing the Amendment’s scope — and there is a debate about whether it actually decided anything in that earlier ruling. In a sense, the Court may well be writing on a clean slate if, in the end, it decides the ultimate question: does the Second Amendment guarantee an individual right to have a gun for private use, or does it only guarantee a collective right to have guns in an organized military force such as a state National Guard unit?

The city of Washington’s appeal (District of Columbia v. Heller, 07-290) seeking to revive its flat ban on private possession of handguns is expected to be heard in March — slightly more than a year after the D.C. Circuit Court ruled that the Second Amendment right is a personal one, at least to have a gun for self-defense in one’s own home. (The Court took no action on Tuesday on a conditional cross-petition, Parker, et al., v. District of Columbia, 07-335, an appeal by five District residents seeking to join in the case. The absence of any action may mean that the Court has decided not to hear that case. If that is so, it will be indicated in an order next Monday. The Court also may simply be holding the case until it decides the Heller case.)

The Justices chose to write out for themselves the constitutional question they will undertake to answer in Heller. Both sides had urged the Court to hear the city’s case, but they had disagreed over how to frame the Second Amendment issue.

Here is the way the Court phrased the granted issue:

“Whether the following provisions — D.C. Code secs. 7-2502.02(a)(4), 22-4504(a), and 7-2507.02 — violate the Second Amendment rights of individuals who are not affiliated with any state-regulated militia, but who wish to keep handguns and other firearms for private use in their homes?”

The first listed section bars registration of pistols if not registered before Sept. 24, 1976; the second bars carrying an unlicensed pistol, and the third requires that any gun kept at home must be unloaded and disassembled or bound by a lock, such as one that prevents the trigger from operating.

The Court did not mention any other issues that it might address as questions of its jurisdiction to reach the ultimate question: did the one individual who was found to have a right to sue — Dick Anthony Heller, a D.C. resident — have a right to challenge all three of the sections of the local law cited in the Court’s order, and, is the District of Columbia, as a federal enclave, even covered by the Second Amendment. While neither of those issues is posed in the grant order, the Court may have to be satisfied that the answer to both is affirmative before it would move on to the substantive question about the scope of any right protected by the Amendment.

The D.C. Circuit ruled that the Amendment does apply to the District because of its federal status, subject to all provisions of the Constitution. At this point, therefore, it appears that the Court’s review may not reach a major question — does the Second Amendment also protect individual rights against state and local government gun control laws? But a ruling by the Court recognizing an individual right to have a gun almost surely would lead to new test cases on whether to extend the Amendment’s guarantee so that it applied to state and local laws, too. The Court last confronted that issue in Presser v. illinois, in 1886, finding that the Amendment was not binding on the states.

Some observers who read the Court’s order closely may suggest that the Court is already inclined toward an “individual rights” interpretation of the Second Amendment. That is because the order asks whether the three provisions of the D.C. gun control law violate “the Second Amendment rights of individuals.” But that phrasing may reveal very little about whether the Amendment embraces an individual right to have a gun for private use. Only individuals, of course, would be serving in the militia, and there is no doubt that the Second Amendment provides those individuals a right to have a gun for that type of service. The question the Court will be deciding is, if there are individuals who want to keep pistols for use at home, does the Second Amendment guarantee them that right. Just because the Second Amendment protects some individual right does not settle the nature of that right.

One of the interesting subsets of the question the Court will be confronting is whether the 1939 case of U.S. v. Miller is a precedent for what the Second Amendment means — individual or collective right. If that decision did find in favor of a collective right, the current Court would have to decide whether this was a binding precedent, or whether it should be overruled. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., has already taken a stand on that question. At his nomination hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, he said that “the Miller case sidestepped” the issue of whether the Amendment protected a collective or an individual right. He added: “An argument was made back in 1939 that this provides only a collective right, and the Court didn’t address that….So people try to read into the tea leaves about Miller and what would come out on this issue, but that’s still very much an open issue.”

The local law at issue in Heller has been discussed widely as a sweeping ban on private possession or use of handguns. But the Court order granting review took it a step further: the one section that will be at issue that goes beyond handguns is the provision that requires that any gun kept at home be unloaded and disassembled, or at least be locked. Thus, that provision also applies to rifles and shotguns kept at home, in terms of whether those weapons would remain “functional” in time of emergency if that provision were upheld. That part of the order appeared to widen the inquiry in a way that the local residents who challenged the law had wanted.

Additional grants on Tuesday:

The Court also granted review on Tuesday of the question of whether federal labor law bars a state from forbidding a company that receives state funds from using any of those funds to speak out on issues in bargaining with a labor union. That case is U.S. Chamber of Commerce, et al., v. Brown, et al. (06-939). The U.S. Solicitor General, asked by the government for its views on the case, urged that review be granted. At least 16 states have laws or are considering laws like the one in California at issue in the case.

The Court also said on Tuesday that it will hear an appeal by Alabama’s governor, Bob Riley, in a voting rights case — but will not necessarily decide the merits of the appeal. The Court postponed the question of its jurisdiction until its hearing on the case of Riley v. Kennedy, et al. (07-77). That means the Justices will, indeed, hear oral argument, but will focus part of that argument on whether the case is properly before them. The other side in the case contended in its response that the state officials waited too long to file their appeal, thus depriving the Court of jurisdiction.

The merits issue raised by the governor is whether rulings by state Supreme Courts on the meaning of state or local election law do bring about the kind of changes in voting rights that must first get federal clearance before going into effect — for those states and local jurisdictions that are covered by the pre-clearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act’s Section 5.

These other two cases, like Heller, are likely to be scheduled for argument in the March sitting that begins on Mar. 17.

Source:

http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/uncategorized/court-agrees-to-rule-on-gun-case/

MySpace Child Abuse .... Resulting in Death

I don't know if any of the rest of you have been following this story.. it's really pretty horrid. I definitely think an adult who fucks with a child's head this way and pushes her toward suicide deserves some sort of civil or criminal consequences.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/printedition/saturday/chi-suicidenov17,0,2946138.story?page=2&coll=cs-home-headlines

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/1120072megan1.html

Argument with an Idiot

I ran into something that made me shake my head in wonder today. I saw in an online discussion someone telling a group of kids that no one ate Turkey on thanksgiving until the late 1800s because it was not a Native North American bird. I attempted to gently correct this person, telling them that she was confused with the ring neck pheasant. At this point the person in question flew off the handle, telling me that I was a stupid kid that needed to shut up and get more education like she had. I reminded her of a mouthy student of hers that thinks he is right about things too, and on top of that, she had a teachers edition text book that said that what she was saying was true and that the first thanksgiving was a vegetarian meal with maybe a little fish. She also mentioned that she is a middle school history teacher and does important work. I let the issue drop at the moment, but responded with this email.

I was extremely baffled by your insistence that the turkey came from somewhere other than North America.
Since you seemed so completely sure of your self, I decided to give you the benefit of the doubt and look into it some more.

It is a North American bird. Simple as that.
Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica, US Department Of Fish, Wildlife and Game, the National Wild Turkey Symposium, the Smithsonian Bird Center and Cornell University where it is currently the bird of the week for the Ornithology Department.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Wild_Turkey.html

As to the personal issue. I am not a kid. I have 2 undergrad degrees and I have 8 years of post graduate education. I have a Licentiate degree as well as several certificates from various peripheral inter-disciplinary tracks.

I am glad you can read your teachers addition, but that is not an excuse to turn off your brain, because frankly whoever wrote it was an idiot.

As to reminding you of one of your students, it appears that you would do well to listen to him more and hold rigid false opinions less.

It is exactly this kind of nonsense going on in public schools that makes me believe that they are rather pointless.

I really believe that the public schools are doomed.

When I Will Die

Against my better judgment, I let someone talk me into taking one of those silly online tests about when I will die. It asks you all kinds of questions about your stress level and general outlook, eating, smoking, weight etc.

Well, I found out that I only have about 10 to 15 years more to live due to the fact that I am apparently morbidly obese. I am apparently at extreme high risk for heart attack, stroke and Type II Diabetes.

Although I admit that I am somewhat chubby, I am constantly being told by everyone who knows me that I do not look fat at all.

I have a hard time believing any of this crap.

COFFEE

Some Advice From Your Public Defender

First, let me say I love my job and it is a privilege to work for my clients. I wish I could do more for them. That being said, there are a few things that need to be discussed.

You have the right to remain silent. So SHUT THE FUCK UP. Those cops are completely serious when they say your statements can and will be used against you. There’s just no need to babble on like it’s a drink and dial session. They are just pretending to like you and be interested in you.

When you come to court, consider your dress. If you’re charged with a DUI, don’t wear a Budweiser shirt. If you have some miscellaneous drug charge, think twice about clothing with a marijuana leaf on it or a t-shirt with the “UniBonger” on it. Long sleeves are very nice for covering tattoos and track marks. Try not to be visibly drunk when you show up.

Consider bathing and brushing your teeth. This is just as a courtesy to me who has to stand by you in court. Smoking 5 generic cigarettes to cover up your bad breath is not the same as brushing. Try not to cough and spit on my while you speak and further transmit your strep, flu, and hepatitis A through Z.

I’m a lawyer, not your fairy godmother. I probably won’t find a loophole or technicality for you, so don’t be pissed off. I didn’t beat up your girlfriend, steal that car, rob that liquor store, sell that crystal meth, or rape that 13 year old. By the time we meet, much of your fate has been sealed, so don’t be too surprised by your limited options and that I’m the one telling you about them.

Don’t think you’ll improve my interest in your case by yelling at me, telling me I’m not doing anything for you, calling me a public pretender or complaining to my supervisor. This does not inspire me, it makes me hate you and want to work with you even less.

It does not help if you leave me nine messages in 17 minutes. Especially if you leave them all on Saturday night and early Sunday morning. This just makes me want to stab you in the eye when we finally meet.

For the guys: Don’t think I’m amused when you flirt or offer to “do me.” You can’t successfully rob a convenience store, forge a signature, pawn stolen merchandise, get through a day without drinking, control your temper, or talk your way out of a routine traffic stop. I figure your performance in other areas is just as spectacular, and the thought of your shriveled unwashed body near me makes me want to kill you and then myself.

For the girls: I know your life is rougher than mine and you have no resources. I’m not going to insult you by suggesting you leave your abusive pimp/boyfriend, that you stop taking meth, or that your stop stealing shit. I do wish you’d stop beating the crap out of your kids and leaving your needles out for them to play with because you aren’t allowing them to have a life that is any better than yours.

For the morons: Your second grade teacher was right – neatness counts. Just clean up! When you rob the store, don’t leave your wallet. When you drive into the front of the bank, don’t leave the front license plate. When you rape/assault/rob a woman on the street, don’t leave behind your cell phone. After you abuse your girlfriend, don’t leave a note saying that you’re sorry.

If you are being chased by the cops and you have dope in your pocket – dump it. These cops are not geniuses. They are out of shape and want to go to Krispy Kreme and most of all go home. They will not scour the woods or the streets for your 2 grams of meth. But they will check your pockets, idiot. 2 grams is not worth six months of jail.

Don’t be offended and say you were harassed because the security was following you all over the store. Girl, you were wearing an electronic ankle bracelet with your mini skirt. And you were stealing. That’s not harassment, that’s good store security.

And those kids you churn out: how is it possible? You’re out there breeding like feral cats. What exactly is the attraction of having sex with other meth addicts? You are lacking in the most basic aspects of hygiene, deathly pale, greasy, grey-toothed, twitchy and covered with open sores. How can you be having sex? You make my baby-whoring crack head clients look positively radiant by comparison.

"I didn't put it all the way in." Not a defense.

"All the money is gone now." Not a defense

"The bitch deserved it." Not a defense.

"But that dope was so stepped on, I barely got high." Not a defense.

"She didn't look thirteen." Possibly a defense; it depends.

"She didn't look six." Never a defense, you just need to die.

For those rare clients that say thank-you, leave a voice mail, send a card or flowers, you are very welcome. I keep them all, and they keep me going more than my pitiful COLA increase.

For the idiots who ask me how I sleep at night: I sleep just fine, thank you. There's nothing wrong with any of my clients that could not have been fixed with money or the presence of at least one caring adult in their lives. But that window has closed, and that loss diminishes us all.

Thanksgiving?

I missed Halloween last year as I was out working in a remote place and we had little time for fun. But my friends and I have discussed how stores seem to bring Christmas earlier and earlier every year. I was never sure, but this year, I saw Christmas decorations and heard Christmas music starting about October 10th! What happened to Thanksgiving?


Has anyone else noticed this?

Border Patrol Strikes Back

These jerks got what they deserve.

Sex Offenders ... or not

Why oh why do idiotic people keep putting people on the sex offender list that are NOT sex offenders?




Sex offenders do one of 2 things:
1. Rape/molest someone
2. Have sex with a child or animal

Some sex offenders make creative combinations of the above 2 things, but those are the basic elements. Anything else does not count. Including teenagers doing it in a car or nut jobs banging their bike.

AP- A man has been placed on the sex offenders register after being caught trying to have sex with a bicycle. Robert Stewart was discovered in his room by two maids at the Aberley House Hostel in south west Scotland, naked from the waist down holding the bike and moving his hips back and forth as if to simulate sex."

Music I Like

If I was better at this, I would make it fit in the available space. But I can't, sorry.
Edit: I was wrong, I was able.

Tagged

EDIT: Dear readers upset by the tag post; please disregard this. You are under no obligation to tag anyone or make a blog or anything of the sort. There is no need to call me and ask what this is about, it is simply an internet game.

Rules: Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I do not post things about myself on the internet, so the following is made up
2. I live in Georgia
3. I eat bacon for every meal
4. I sing jazz
5. I start fires with toilet paper
6. I eat candy every day
7. I love cats
8. I like the color pink

I don't have 8 other people to do this to.

Something Stupid This Way Comes ....

Ok, I saw something stupid today. Well, way more than one thing, but this stands out. On the morning news there was this report about women who have given up the Tupperware and pampered chef parties in favor of Taser parties. Thats right, those things that shoot the electrical wires and zap people. The news report went on and on about how they are protecting themselves from rapists, murderers etc. and how they are feeling empowered by having this thing. It also showed them shooting a dummy and at the end of the report, followed by the number you can call to have your own Taser party.

Let me be one of the first to say that these women are absolutely stupid. Taser products are used for non-deadly situations, (being in the human-hunting/controlling business for many years, I know these things) not situations where someone will suffer serious bodily harm or death. Rape and murder constitute serious bodily harm. If you need to protect yourself from rape, murder, battery, aggravated assault, or anything that can cause you serious bodily harm, you need a gun, not a Taser.

What Tasers are for are such things as disorderly conduct, DUI, public nuisance, trespassing , or any other situation where hitting the person with a baton, night stick, or shooting them would be over kill. It is a tool to subdue someone aggravated so they can be handcuffed and controlled.

Also, the Taser must be maintained with fresh gas cartridges and batteries. It is good to do this every other day, and certainly needs to be done weekly, if you want it to work. Also, when it is fired, you get one shot to get the probes in the correct place on the body. If you do not shoot well, the Taser will be ineffective. Also, you must be relatively close to the person to use it on them, and do you really want to be that close to your attacker?

Finally, assuming you get the rest of it right, when you hit the electricity, you administer a 3 second shock. Granted it is painful, but once the shock is over, the person being shocked is back to full strength. It is a smiler principal to a dog shock collar. So, you have 3 seconds to figure out what you will do with your violent raping, murdering attacker once he is done being shocked and is now really mad.

The good news is that this stupidity will only cost you about $400-$500 to own. Oh wait, thats bad news ... a gun would be cheaper too.

Paradise Lost

Opening for Nightwish was an English band called Paradise Lost. Despite being billed as a doom metal band, they were not. They were strait up, just metal, perhaps dark in their lyrical content, but a long way from doom. I heard one of their fans call them "Emo Metal" I suppose that this kind of fits, with the lyrics, but the band simply didn't seem wimpy enough to be emo. God help us if there is a movement to make "Emo Metal" I think I will give up and start listening to Yanni. At least he doesn't cry all the time.

They put on a fairly good thrash, but it was rather run of the mill in my opinion. I have not seen a metal show that was really good for a lot of years now.

That being said, they were good, with good playing and good energy. They sweat like they were English, so that added to the authenticity. Also they did the metal world the courtesy of being really ugly. So many metal bands these days think they should look pretty.
For Strongbad's commentary on this go HERE if it doesn't start automatically, select "Death Metal" from the list.

All in all, as with most opening acts, you just had to suffer through it in order to get to the one you wanted to see. Maybe one day I will seen an opener that is worth being there to see them too.

Back In Black

Well, it seems that I have inadvertently taken a week off. It has been a long and crazy week. I have been a bit under the weather with some sort of allergy problem. One that I am not really over yet. Be that as it may, I have returned and will offer a few thoughts on music.

Wednesday I saw the new incarnation of an old favorite band of mine, Nightwish. Shortly after I saw them in concert in 2004, they had a falling out with their lead singer. Mainly, the singer was being a wench and could no longer be worked with.

The new singer was quite a pleasant surprise. Although she is not a classically trained opera singer, she packs quite a set of pipes anyway. Her voice is rather bright and her sound reminds me of the singer from Aqua, (Barbie Girl, Candyman) also, they are both Swedish so they have a smiler accent.

The show was most excellent. The energy was very high and the band looked like they were having fun with each other. The were laughing, smiling and playing all over the stage, they reminded me of the Nightwish that I knew from Finland back in 1998. Best of all, at the end of the show, the band jumped down and shook the hands of the fans in the front row after the show. Something that had gone by the wayside when Tarja was singer and is now, very happily something that they do again. Well done Nightwish! I think you may be around for a long while yet.

The Secret to Happiness (This may cross the line finally)

So what is the secret to happiness?
Here is a thought:

"Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
Dance like no one's watching,
and F- like you are being filmed."

Favorite Informative Web Sites

These are my favorite sites for information.
This is good educational stuff as well as good fun.

For the best news on technology and science:
http://www.physorg.com/


Good, accurate weather:
http://www.wunderground.com

The Solar Observatory! I love watching the sun do weird things:
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/

How's the weather up there? Space events and weather:
http://www.spaceweather.com/

More Space:
http://www.astronomy.com

Free Books and Audio Books! Download away, and it's legal:
http://www.gutenberg.org

Cryptozoology! Need I say more?
http://www.cryptomundo.com/

Hope these are good stuff for you too.
Let me know if a link doesn't work because I can fix it.

Do You Feel Lucky? Well, Do Ya?

It has been brought to my attention that I am a person of extreme luck, both good and bad. People I know say that things that are extremely unlikely routinely happen to me, for better or worse. I have come to believe this is true.

Tell me, what is being lucky mean to you?

Silent Treatment

How do you express your displeasure with the people you interact with?

In my life, I try to be as up front with people as possible. I like to put things right out in the open, in a constructive kind of way. I like to be treated fairly and expect the same in return. If there is a problem, I expect reasonable discourse.

This is not the case with the vast majority of people I know in my life. Most people I know give the silent treatment. You may get a, "Go away" or a "leave me alone" but that is it. Silence.

The beauty of this is that I have no idea what is wrong or what can be done to fix it. It is, without a doubt, the most maddening thing that I have ever had done to me. And, everyone seems to prefer this method of communicating.

Add to the stupidity, if I try to figure out what is wrong, and get them to talk to me, I will eventually get into trouble for being mean and not leaving them alone. Now I am really screwed. This really sucks if you happen to be married to the person that does this.

I don't really have anything more to say about this except that I am about at a point in my life where if people have a problem and won't talk to me, then they don't need to be around me.

Happy Halloween!

From goolies and ghosties and lony leged besties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord Deliver us!


Happy Halloween all!

Alone

There are those times in your life where you really really feel the weight of being alone. There are times when there are events in your life where the weight of it all just feels so incredibly heavy. When things don't go your way, you get sick or you have mechanical problems, whatever it may be, you have only yourself around to work it out, you feel alone. Or on those days that have always been special to you. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthday's, and you don't have anyone at home to go share it with, you feel alone.

It may be that you have family far, or not so far from you, but they are either far away, or busy with their life, and though you may talk on the phone, you wonder why you got the day off work when there will be no party for you. Or perhaps, you are left out of the party, for whatever reason, and you wonder why the people who you care about didn't invite you.

If you are lucky enough to have someone in your life, make sure that you do not neglect them. The worst kind of alone is when you are alone with someone else.

Dating Dating Everywhere

Have you ever noticed the shenanigans that people who date a lot buy into? I watch my friends do and say some very silly things in the name of dating.

"Do you jump in the sack on the second or third date?"

"If they look to the left on the second date that means that he is seeing someone else?"

"I have been dating (fill in name) for four years and we lived together for two, but we really just don't know if we should get married, it just might not be right."

I have never been good or interested in the stupidity that surrounds "dating." I really hate it. I don't know the "rules" and I don't care to know them. You need to wait 36 hours after giving someone flowers to call them .... Who says?! Why?

Another thing that makes me nuts is the break up/ get together drama. I know so many people that break up, cry, move out and carry on, then are back together the next day. I hate this. It upsets me when my friends do it and I really really hate when it has happened to me in my life. That is something that people thought was cute in Jr. High and I didn't think so then and I still don't think so. It upsets the people fighting and it upsets the people who care about the people that are fighting. If it is bad enough to break up, then it is bad enough not to be together.

Also, if you cannot commit to someone after four years, you are practicing to fail in a relationship. If you don't know if you want to be together, then the answer is, no you don't.

Seriously dating several people at a time is also something that several people I know do. Or dating one person seriously and seeing other people casually on the side. I have always thought that this is the mark of someone who isn't really serious about anything.

This may be my most boring and worthless blog entry ever.

EDIT: I have been told that this post is neither boring nor worthless. I repent in dust and ashes.

Velvet Glove ... It's All the Same

WARNING! I don't know what to call this next poem. Erotica I suppose. If that kind of thing bothers you. Don't read this.

Once again. It is old.









It’s All the Same

You call me on
to a brand new game
where nothing else matters
it’s all the same

Your kiss or a whip
is it ecstasy or pain?
it doesn’t matter
it’s all the same

With a velvet glove
or a ball and chain
it doesn’t matter
it’s all the same

carried away
beyond pleasure or shame
it doesn’t matter
it’s all the same.
©Icebear 1996

Emergency Alerts

I have a text messaging service on my phone that alerts me of emergencies happening either in my area, or in the world. It is supposed to be things that are so important, that you need to know right away. For instance, if a tornado is headed my way, it is supposed to alert me. If a terrorist attack is in progress it alerts me. You get the idea.

Well, some time in early October, at 3:45 AM (thats 03:45) the emergency alert goes off. I flew out of bed expecting destruction to be eminent. When, after fumbling in the dark for my phone, all the time wondering if I needed my guns, I opend the phone to discover what could be so important at this hour to set off the emergency tone.

Albert Gore Jr. had won a Nobel Peace prize. Yippy skippy do. I will write later, perhaps, about why I would like to see Mr. Gore choke on his own tie, but that is another matter all together.

This is another example of how the media pushes its political propaganda on you in the name of news. This is NOT emergency news. It is barely news let alone something that needs to go out on the emergency network. But, the media has their agenda and they will make sure you know what they want you to know, and nothing else.

Notice that unless you live along the border you never hear about the Mexican and South American gangs and military that operate in this country? Hey news media! Where are you on that one? If Canada's military drove into Detroit you can be damn sure that would be reported.

Advice: Don't trust the mainstream media!

The Two Candidate System

Has anyone noticed that we no longer even have a two party system in this country. We now have a two candidate system. We have Bush, then Clinton. I don't think I am being over the top here. We had one Bush for four years, then Clinton for eight, then Bush for eight. Well we are up to 20 years of Bush/Clinton.

Do we really want Clinton again? Make it 24 years? Maybe 28? Then maybe another Bush can run. I hear that Jeb is considering it. Then when he is done maybe Chelsea will be old enough to run! Yay! Maybe we can do 44 years of Bush/Clinton.

Lets recap the problems of the 80's that we agreed that needed to be resolved.
1. Illegal immagration. Well, Bush/Clinton/Bush got that under control ... Oh wait ...
2. Iran/ Iraq turmoil. Once again, got that one in the bag. Actually I think this is on its way better than the immigration situation.
3. Afghanistan trouble. Hey, its an oldie but a goodie.
4. The war on drugs. Lets just admit we lost this one.
5. Education and literacy. Wow! Illiteracy is at an all time high since the turn of the 20th century!

Well, I am depressing myself, so I think I will stop now.
Lets all vote in the two candidate election so that we can have more of the same!

When A Mangy Bear Is Just A Mangy Bear

I love cryptozoology. I really find it fun when a new species is discovered. I even like the weird things like the hairy lobster and giant prehistoric shark. But often people who perport to love nature have no idea what they are looking at.

Sometimes, its nothing new. Its not bigfoot, its not the chupachabra, its just a poor bear with the mange. Sorry buddy. That looks itchy.

Saturn News

This is an interesting new discovery about the rings of Saturn.


Images taken by a camera onboard the NASA Cassini spacecraft revealed a series of eight propeller-shaped "wakes" in a thin belt of the outermost "A" ring, indicating the presence of corresponding moonlets, said CU-Boulder Research Associate Miodrag Sremcevic, lead author of the study published in the Oct. 25 issue of Nature. The propeller wakes highlight tiny areas of the belt where ring material has been perturbed by the gravitational forces caused by individual moonlets, Sremcevic said.

The team calculated that there likely are thousands of moonlets ranging in size from semi-trailers to sports arenas embedded in the "A" ring's thin moonlet belt that circles the planet. At about 2,000 miles across, the belt of moonlets is only about 1/80th the diameter of Saturn's total ring system, which at roughly 155,000 miles across would stretch about two-thirds of the way from Earth to the moon.

"This is the first evidence of a moonlet belt in any of Saturn's rings," said Sremcevic of CU-Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. "We have firmly established these moonlets exist in a relatively narrow region of the "A" ring, and the evidence indicates they are remnants of a larger moon that was shattered by a meteoroid or comet."

Co-authors of the Nature study include Juergen Schmidt, Martin Seiss and Frank Spahn of the University of Potsdam in Germany, Heikko Salo of the University of Oulu in Finland, and Nicole Albers of CU-Boulder's LASP. The images were taken by the Narrow Angle Camera onboard the NASA Cassini spacecraft, which was launched in 1997 and has been orbiting the Saturn system since July 2004.

Each propeller feature is about 10 miles long, said Sremcevic, who with Spahn first predicted the existence of such propellers in Saturn's rings as an undergraduate at the University of Belgrade in 2000. While four propellers were discovered in the "A" ring in 2006 by a team led by Cornell University, Sremcevic and his colleagues looked at a much larger image sequence, allowing them to extrapolate statistically and confirm the presence of thousands of small objects in the "A" ring's moonlet belt.

The moonlets may be the result of the break-up of a ring-moon similar to Pan -- Saturn's innermost 20-mile diameter moon -- that was smashed by a comet or meteor, the team concluded. The team calculated the mass of the unseen moonlets in the belt greater than 50 feet in diameter to arrive at the estimated size of the moon involved in the collision creating the belt.

The finding supports the theory that Saturn's rings initially were created in a "collisional cascade" of ring debris begun by a catastrophic break-up of an even larger moon in the Saturn system first proposed by CU-Boulder planetary scientists Larry Esposito and Joshua Colwell in 1987. The moonlets in the newly discovered belt may have formed after Saturn's rings already were in place, which planetary scientists speculate could have been hundreds of millions or even billions of years ago.

"It seems unlikely that moonlets are remainders of a single catastrophic event that created the whole ring system, because in this case a uniform distribution would emerge," the researchers wrote in Nature. "Instead, the moonlet belt is compatible with a more recent body orbiting in the A ring."

Esposito, who was not involved in the study, said the propellers "show a striking demonstration of the lingering effects of the gravity from these small, embedded moonlets." Esposito is the chief scientist on the NASA Cassini mission's $12.5 million Ultra-Violet Imaging Spectrograph designed and built at LASP.

Sremcevic said the discovery of the moonlet belt is another piece in the puzzle regarding the formation and evolution of Saturn's rings. "We believe future studies of ring evolution will need to incorporate the findings and implications from this study."

Source: University of Colorado at Boulder
http://www.physorg.com/news112451264.html

Another Day, Another Cup of Hoffee

Well, thank you for the feedback.

I would just like to say that, a day without coffee is like .... a day without coffee.

So have a cup of Hoffee, I mean coffee on me today.

Be easy and free, when your drinkin with me,
I'm a man you don't meet every day.

The Flogging Continues ...

I sometimes find myself at a loss as to what to write about. It is not for lack of ideas, but more from a desire not to be boring for the few people who do actually read this rag.

So I was wondering, aside from the poetry, wish supprised the hell out of me as being very popular, at least in the comments section, what is it that you, dear readers, like on this page?

Conspiracy theories? Political commentary? Theological papers? News of the day? Sicence reports? History lessons? I am kind of all over the place here. What do you think?