Randomn3ss

Today, in a city striped with American History and very close to my heart, a monumental speech was made by a historically influential presidential candidate. Barack Obama’s speech in Philadelphia speaks volumes to the people of America regardless of their color, political ideals or gender. It vocalizes the beliefs of a nation, addressing our weaknesses and attempts to construct a foundation based upon the unity and strength that Americans embrace today and always with great pride.

Amidst a political campaign marked with vicious battles waged on intolerance and prejudice, fighting on all fronts and against all odds, this speech articulates that we must refute the disparagement of this country and overcome the political bickering that distracts from the concerns of the United States and this world. Personally, I really don’t give a shit what color you are, nor your gender if you are making a genuine attempt to make this planet a better place for my children and grandchildren. We as Americans need to be unified against injustice and issues such as the climate crisis and global poverty, which otherwise are not going away. How do we stop the spread of infectious disease without sufficient and efficient medical care for even the most deprived populations? Who will fight these wars when there is no ground to be fought on? Where will we be when global warming takes away our shorelines and our homes? These issues are not only prevalent in the distant places that we see on our big screen TVs, they are in our backyards and will be in our own living rooms sooner than anyone realizes.

Our nation is closer to the worst financial crisis than we’ve ever been since World War II, and its only getting worse. Both the Democrats and Republicans will need to tax us out the ass in repentance for the economic disaster that we have landed in. I want my tax money to support universal crises, our own underprivileged and poor, as well as other national calamaties such as reversing the disastrous state of social security and our unfortunate healthcare system. I do not want to support the corporations that have landed us in these places by doing things such as sending jobs overseas, nor do I want to fund a war that builds contempt for our country by the hour and further fuels such hatred that brought us to war in the first place. We the people can only compel change in our own homeland through unity and education.

Alas… I’m going on a tangent based on my own self interest and political values and this is not originally what I had hoped to promote (I get my digs in when I can). Please read Barack’s speech, watch the video, and pass it along. It is my own little optimistic wish that his words will affect and influence your own thoughts and ideas based on whatever or whoever you may believe in. Be enlightened.

Yesterday I stumbled across a picture of a baby hedgehog with tiny blue casts on its front legs. I immediately thought it was the cutest thing ever then felt like I was going to cry. No, I’m not getting my period. There is just something about small injured animals that is “awwwwwwwwwwwww… oh my god” inducing.

These little guys are getting rehabbed at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in England. Seriously, it’s next to Hogwart’s.

Go here to read the article and see more pics of the little guys in question. All I can tell you is that I really, really want to play the first “Sonic” on a Sega Genesis (NOT on any other console because they have completely fucked the series by changing the format to aerial view rather than sidescroll and making the controls unbelievably touchy, but that is a conversation for another day).

AHH I JUST WANT TO HUG IT!!

Just over 10 months ago there were rumors of the $100 hand-crank laptops coming to the westernized world, now the price has doubled and there is no hand crank.

The One Laptop per Child Foundation was created to give computers at a very low cost to third world countries, to boost learning levels and help further develop these countries. As mentioned in my previous article, I think sending food and / or sending aid that will teach them skills is a bit more important, but this cause has a value, and is continuing to make headlines. Sadly, they are making headlines for the wrong reasons, the price has soared from $100 per laptop to $200, and there are rumors it may go has high as $250 or $300 over the next 6-8 months.

Source: Reuters via Gizmodo

A 60 minute drive and I’m in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. Talk to anyone who lives there though, and you may here a few of its nicknames, like the city of brotherly shove or Philth-a-delphia. Philly has been and continues to be one of the hardest cities in the country, both with crime and fighting off a bad image. I’ve been making regular trips there since I was about 13 or so and have watched the city grow, change and evolve over time. The destination spot of South Street, which used to be lined up and down with independent stores, small coffee shops and live music on the streets has been over-run by corporate chain stores and eateries in the last 5 years or so. Most of the clubs I used to go to and work in even as little as 4 years ago that used to line Delaware Ave are gone, but this is bound to happen any city. Even so, Philadelphia has a new challenge among themselves to deal with.

Philadelphia has the ugliest people in the country, according to Travel & Leisure Magazine. Of the 25 major American cities ranked by citizen attractiveness, Philadelphia finished dead-last.

While I searched the net for the original article from T&L and couldn’t come up with it, Philly.com, where the above quote is from, has some great reactions from Philadelphians who feel jaded, especially when compared to the number one city, Miami. What can you expect from a city that is famous for cheese steaks, cream cheese and Tastykakes.

This past weekend was big in the world of distance running, with both the Army 10 Miler in DC and the Chicago Marathon. However, the 35,000 person Chicago Marathon took over the news with its record 300+ 911 calls and several race-related deaths. I’ve seen the coverage of the race, which of course was long and held on an extremely hot day in a city environment (questionable air quality, not-so-windy in the Windy City) and I have to say that I am incredibly frustrated with how the coverage has been handled.

When you enter a race, you sign a waver basically relinquishing any ability to sue the Marathon, its sponsors, or organizing bodies for whatever malady may fall upon you during the race. You attest in these waivers to the fact that you are a healthy, prepared human being who is acutely aware of the hazards involved with hardcore distance running. Yet, pundits blame the race officials for neglecting to have enough medical care, water stations, and basic aid for the myriad runners dropping from dehydration, heat exhaustion, and general fatigue.

I did not run the Chicago Marathon so I cannot verify if these claims are true. However, as an athlete who participates in distance runs, I have to say that runners take these risks upon themselves. Distance running is not a sport for the casual athlete; it is physically and mentally demanding, with serious consequences for those who are not in peak condition. I know that even those in peak condition can fall lame in races (people have freak heart attacks all the time; it happened at Broad Street too, tragically). But I have seen a lot of unprepared individuals sign up for and compete in marathons. For people with “something to prove,” at least in terms of physical fitness, the marathon is like Mount Everest – you want to conquer it simply because it is there and because it’s the pinnacle of its sport. Rich people pay to be basically carried up Everest, resulting in unsafe conditions, several deaths and other casualties, and an aesthetic degradation of the accomplishment itself. Summiting Everest has been cheapened because the achievement is no longer reserved for the world’s most revered climbers; it’s open to anyone with the power of a blank check. The marathon has become the same thing – it’s a mere status symbol and no longer held at the level of respect that it used to be, and no longer reserved for the most physically-conditioned racers in the world.

I, for one, have no desire to run a marathon. That’s not to say I won’t some day, but it will be because I have accomplished all of my goals at the 5k, 10 mile, and half-marathon distances. Not every person is built for that extent of distance racing. Marathoners complain of black toes, toe nails that fall off, bone spurs, and shin splints; I tell them that maybe they shouldn’t put their body through 26.2 miles of hell. I think people who complete marathons, especially that elite few who can complete it in under 3 hours, are amazing individuals who deserve the accolades placed upon them. However, most people should not be competing in them; if you’re not in peak physical shape, you should not be an example for other who want to make distance running their goal. The marathon is not a race in which you want to promote the theory that “Hey – if I can do it, so can you!” Because, let’s be serious, most people can’t – and shouldn’t.

I think that people should shoot for what is a reasonable fitness goal for the individual. Just because the marathon is one of the furthest distances that one can run, it shouldn’t be every distance runner’s goal. 5ks, 10 milers, and halfs can be amazingly fun and rewarding, not to mention are less stress on the body. I don’t mean to hate on marathoners – I already told you how amazing you guys are – but my intent is to warn people that serious injury and even death are possible in the world of distance running. If you think the day is too hot, don’t run; if you can’t breathe, stop or race walk until you catch your breath. Push yourself mentally, but listen to your body. If you can’t hear what it’s telling you, you need to spend more time training and finding your limits so that you can out-train them.

Godspeed, my fellow athletes… and stay safe.

California Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law a new bill that will target 16 and 17 year old drivers on their cell phones.  Starting July 1, 2008, officers will start to hand out $20 tickets for the first offense, $50 for each additional offense.  At the same time, a different law becomes effective requiring all cell users to use a hands free device while driving, the fines will be he same.

Now this has a really good idea behind it, I was the victim of a fairly serious car accident because a woman was on her cell and not paying attention, so at the core, I think this is the right thing to do, but I really wonder how enforceable it is going to be.  Here in Pennsylvania we have a seat belt law.  The fine can be up to $115 for not wearing your seat belt, but there’s a twist.  No officer can pull you over solely because they see you without it on, it must be in conjunction with some other citation, like a tail light out.  Therefor, it is not really that enforceable.  Secondly, who is going to keep track of how many times you’ve been given tickets to know if $20 or $50 is the right amount to charge?  Lastly, it is such a small sum of money, I can see it being thrown into the cost of driving tax that so many people are accustomed to paying.  It is essentially the amount of money that certain people associate with driving, mostly in speeding tickets, sometimes in parking tickets, but not a real tax in the sense of the word.

Source: Information Week

A friend sent me this image of a Political Compass Test that I myself had taken as part of a Political Science class in college. Here, the current presidential candidates are plotted out according to the views they are campaigning with. I find it interesting how scewed the American socio-political perspective is in light of this chart. For example, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are viewed as left-wingers when in fact, they aren�t liberal minded at all! How did America get this way? I�m not saying we should be more liberal, just that perhaps we wouldn�t be in such and ideological quagmire if there was greater variety of ideas. It looks to me like almost all of our Presidential options are coming from the same point of view.

Now I ask you the reader, how do you view the candidates? Take the Political Compass Test for yourself and see where you fall on the chart. How many of the candidates align with your views? Respond here on randomn3ss� lets see which candidates really are candidates of the people!

A school district decided to make mandatory reading over the summer for all students from grades 10 through 12. The students would be required to read two books of their choosing from a provided list. I never had to do this, but I don�t think it is a bad idea.

One parent is extremely upset over this, several of the books, in his eyes, are not suitable for his child about to enter 10th grade, mostly due to profanity and adult situations. It is an interesting debate, and earlier this year I wrote about the limited use of profanity and what has become socially acceptable. This parent actually cares about his children and is trying to take steps towards raising them the best way he can.

The parent took several of the books to the school board meeting that provided on the list given to his child to discuss the issues. One issue is that none of the books are available in local libraries, probably due to them being signed out as several hundred students are trying to read them, so he had to go to a local store and buy them. Another more prevalent issue is the adult situation and language in one of the books his 15 year old was going to read,

several books on the 10th-grade list, most jammed with bookmarks where he found what he considers offensive material. He said one book, ‘’A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,'’ contained ‘’the F-word'’ 17 times on one page.

Personally, I have no real issue with language, but a parent does have the right to filter what their child hears, reads and is exposed to. Furthermore, this parent is actively trying to set good examples for his children, bring up this valid point,

some of the books are the equivalent of R-rated movies, which his son isn’t old enough to watch. He said his son would be sent home if he used that kind of language in school.

I�ve spent my fair share of time in the principals office for cursing at teachers in my younger, stupider days, and not that I�m all wise and old now, but that is an extremely valid point. If a student can read a book, on the schools request, that contains the word fuck, they should be able to use that word in a book report and for any oral presentations that must be given on the book. How it is used could be a bit of an issue, but who draws that line?

The list of summer reading books that students in the 10th grade can pick from are:

• Before and After
• The Great Santini
• Property of
• The Secret Life of Bees
• Wicked
• Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn
• Reading Lolita in Tehran
• Auschwitz Explained to My Daughter
• The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
• One for the Money
• White Oleander
• Where the Heart Is
• The Nanny Diaries
• My Sister’s Keeper
• Empire Falls
• A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
• Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog
• Rocket Boys
• A Boy Called It

I am 100% against book burning and think that in a situation like this, where the parents are somewhat responsible for making sure that the children are following through should have some input or at least been able to see the suggested list prior to the students.

Source: The Morning Call

Recently, the internet and some friends have been buzzing about the 9/11 conspiracy-theory documentary Loose Change. Written and directed by 23-year-old Dylan Avery, this documentary posits that the events of September 11, 2001 were perpetrated by the United States government and not Al-Qaida operatives. While there are many 9/11 conspiracy theories out there (ranging from the extreme, neo-Nazi driven to the watered-down Michael Moore versions), this is probably the most coherent alternative explanation for the bizarre and frightening events of that day.

Avery and Co. suggest that the US manufactured the attacks and was the only entity both technologically and financially capable of doing so. Motives of personal greed, opinion polls, and the ability to initiate scrutable foreign policy moves influenced the attack. The filmmakers cite the lack of wreckage, scientific paradoxes (jet fuel doesn’t burn hot enough to melt steel, etc), and refusal of the US government to release specific documents and pieces of evidence (where are the flight recorders?) as their bases for this theory. While the film doesn’t answer every question that the viewer might have, it certainly offers a twist in the way one typically thinks about 9/11. This fact does not harm the overall effectiveness of Loose Change; rather, it only proves that not all theories are water-tight, including the socially-accepted theory that a group of poorly-organized Muslim extremists brought down landmarks of freedom in the most militarily powerful country in the world.

I want to state that I am far from your typical conspiracy theorist. I also want to state that 9/11 conspiracy theorists are NOT anti-Holocaust sympathizers (apparently, according to 9/11 conspiracy websites, this is a typical complaint of standard-9/11-theory proponents and is a common misnomer). I lost people in 9/11 and was paralyzed into a state of fear momentarily as I watched the towers fall on live tv. I now have a man in the Iraq, involved in a war that neither of us believe is right, so I feel especially connected to this issue, as 9/11 has been used as the justification for much of our recent foreign policy. I ache for those affected, because no matter who was at fault, it was senseless and a blow to the American psyche. It should not have happened, but it did. Now, as protectors of free speech and democracy, it’s up to us to demand an explanation of why and how.
The film is currently undergoing a third revision to be released in theaters in the near future. Until then, there is the passable 2nd version, that while intriguing is marred by a too-personal first person narration (the narrator explicitly states his opinion; not only does the audience not care, but we also should be thought clever enough to let the facts speak for themselves). No matter your thoughts on 9/11, I highly suggest that you give 90 minutes of your life to viewing this movie, if only to get other opinions. You can view the 2nd cut free of charge (yes… gratis. They just really want you to see the movie) through the links here (you can choose either Google video or DivX platforms. The resolution isn’t stellar, but it’s, you know, free).

Give the video a shot and leave comments below, or feel free to get at me directly. I’m interested to see what others think or know about this issue! While you’re waiting for it to load, check out these other 9/11 conspiracy-theory sites:

• 911 Research
• 9/11 Review (incredibly comprehensive, with links to dissenting opinions)
• Physics 9/11 (scientific myths and research)

It’s about fucking time! Not that I read the New York Times online a whole lot, but now and again someone links to an article that I would like to read. Nothing is worse than clicking a link and going to a page that denies you the ability to read the contents and requires you to get a subscription. It sucks. If it�s something that I really wanted to read I�ll post on a forum to ask if anyone does have a subscription and then copy / paste the article in an email to me. I think I�ve used that method twice.

The New York Times Co. plans to stop charging Internet users for access to its columnists and Op-Ed pieces on a section of its Web site known as TimesSelect, The New York Post reported on Tuesday.

The premium service charges Web-only readers nearly $8 per month to read some of the Times’ most well-known columnists such as Maureen Down and Thomas Friedman.

Yahoo News does not say when the Times will end subscriptions, unleashing all the content as free.

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