Take Four-Point-Oh!!

Firstly, I apologize for this being late. But the blog has been kind of dead, and I've been more than a bit busy, so.

Also, not much politics this week. Well, I'll save that. Tee-hee!

Let's launch right into it, shall we?

TOPIC 1: You guys know Fight Club, right? Gotta love that book--and movie! Seriously, both are just so good.

Well, did you hear about the kid in NYC that was so inspired, he tried to do his own Project Mayhem? He made his own bomb and tried to destroy a piece of corporate art, just like in the movie. And what that really means is that be put some black powder in a soda bottle (ok, maybe a little more complicated; I can't remember the exact facts and can't find the article to pull it) and put it underneath the bench in front of a NY Starbucks. It did harm the bench and blew out all the windows, so. . .but while I don't condone this kind of activity (I'd go so far as to advise AGAINST it!), I also have to question his choice of 'corporate art.' I mean, a bench and some windows? What does that show anybody? Alo, he completely got caught. . .on his way to a local terrorism charge! Huzzah!

TOPIC 2: This one isn't long either. Short post tonight--don't want it to be too long--I want to keep people involved! But, since college is quick approaching. . .SCHEDULES!

First, mine. Feel free to post yours!



TOPIC 3: Ok, a bit of politics. I won't be posting on it too much, since I still have to respond to John (I will, promise!) and since I fully plan on starting a political blog or article or something once I get back down to Richmond. Woo-hoo!

But there's only one thing this could be on. Really, Obama, saying the police acted stupidly? I don't know if this was a deliberate effort on his part as some people are saying, or if it was just an off-hand, much regrettable comment, but either way, why did he comment on it? I just don't get it. I understand Gates is his friend, but the way I see it, if he says nothing, he angers Gates and Rev. Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Say something, and you piss off half of America one way or the other; what's the benefit of talking out? There's nothing to be won--you can only lose. It's just like releasing an NCAA bracket. . .there's just no point to any of it! Hrm.

write in vote

Draco Malfoy was totally hottest in HBP =P

News and events

Okay, so the party for sunday is definitely cancelled now. Visitation is going to be from 6-8, but I'll probably be with family most of the day. I will definitely look at the dates everyone gave in the message on facebook and reschedule! We all need to hang out soon.

Also, I know not many people check this, but I wanted to put the word out on this event. A guy who works with me at Purvis, Andrew Smith, and his wife had a baby girl last year. She has a couple of different heart defects (I can't remember their exact names now, I think I'm going to create something on facebook with more details). Andrew and his family are having a fundraiser for Adelynn on August 7th from 6-9 at the Moose family center on cherry road off of route 3. Its a steak dinner with a whole bunch of other stuff for only 12 dollars, and all of it is going to go to Adelynn's healthcare. Andrew is the nicest guy ever, and I feel awful that this happened to him. He asked me to spread the news and try to get some people to come, so I'm doing that! I hope to get something up on facebook soon.

Anyway, sorry this blog is full of bad tidings, I hope I can see everyone soon!

Take 3.0!

I was browsing CNN.com the other day--a horribly many of my stories start this way ;-; --and the breaking news banner flashed across the screen. I gasped, and immediately clicked the link! Aghast, what could be so awful that it elicits such publicity from a top American news source? I furiously waited to load and read the headline with bated breath. . .

"Michael Jackson's last doctor's office searched."

Really, CNN? Really? I hate newsertainment. Or whatever that clever punny combination of words was. . .I can't remember it. Oh, woe is me.

Anyway! You'll note the decimal place in the title, since John has since started posting with different numbers! Woo! Also, I hope to see many of you at Toni's this weekend--far as I can tell, it'll be a great time! Good to get the ole' group back together. Maybe poke some fun at DW or something. Y'know. Like ole' times. Who's bringing the sock puppets?

Onward!

TOPIC 1. This blog! It seems like a cop-out, I know, but it's late and I have to be up in four hours. Plus, it's relevant. So, shaddup you.

First of all: upcoming changes! Not many, actually. Though I hope to have more polls, and have a shorter turn-around in that regard. A new one for artist of the week will be going up shortly, but come Monday, there'll be a two-three day turn around, max. So if you have any ideas, feel free to let me know. I have a few in mind, but, y'know. I was never terribly creative. E-mail them to me (cmhannifin@vcu.edu) or IM or something! It'll be tons of fun.

Other than that. . .I don't have anything. There is the ability to search the blog now; I've tried it for functionality, so it does work, though it's not the most sophisticated search engine. But if there's anything, at all, you guys would like me to do with this blog, just let me know! I'm open to anything, and look forward to shooting down your ideas! =P

TOPIC 2: college and role reversal! Ok, that last part isn't really a part of it, but I think you'll get what I mean shortly.

Firstly, it's weird that one year of college could change so much. I mean, during the school year, we wait and wait for classes to be over, but, at least with me, not college itself. I mean, in high school, I couldn't wait to get out of Chancellor, but now, I'd be happy to chill at VCU, y'know? Now I'm yearning to get back to the social structure and out of this town, back where I know how things go. How they work. That's a change.

But, how's this for role reversal, of sorts: in college, I'd stay up until all hours--naturally--and sleep in as much as I could. And now, in the summer, I'm up at five every weekday, and by eleven, I'm ready for bed (I've over two hours past! ;-;). And, what's more: I lost weight at school. Freshmen 15? Nah. It wasn't much that I lost, because it fluctuated all year, but it was a net loss. And now, over summer, all that's gone to hell. So, I mean. Irony? Yes? Sort of?

Any of you guys getting the same feeling? At least about the preferring the college life to life in the 'burg? And why were we ever nervous? Ha.

TOPIC 3. Ok, you guys know where this one is going: National Healthcare! I know I said I'd do Sotomayor, but hold your horses. I'll take care of that when she's confirmed.

There is some good news on the national healthcare bill--Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, said there wouldn't be a Senate vote before the August recess. Some senators are insisting that they push the recess until they pass the bill, otherwise it'll be bad PR, but I think too many people have significant concerns concerning the over 1,000 page document to listen much to him. And I, for one, am glad. This bill is awful and dangerous.

Obama's quite obviously leaning heavily on the bill to get it pushed through, especially after the news conference last night (I thought it was amusing how everyone focused on the 'police' comment [which was dumb on Obama's part]; Obama became his own worst enemy there). I'd encourage all of you to go check out the good article factcheck.org has on it; a lot of the numbers he quoted doesn't quite add up. That could be a serious problem.

I really hope this bill doesn't pass--and as it is, I don't foresee any of them passing. Obama's getting criticized on a few things--the plan, for one, and his execution of it. A lot of people thinks he should've pushed it through earlier, when he has more political capital, as it were; the more he leans on this bill as his driving topic, the greater chance, I think, the Republicans have of beginning to yank the rug out from under his feet. It's an extremely important political juncture; certainly moreso than Sotomayor.

Now, I'm not saying I'm against health care reform. The polls largely show that Americans support it (though they're all leading themselves--who says no to "would you like cheaper healthcare?"). The issue isn't, really, the end--we know what we want--it's about how to get there. I'm of the opinion that Obama's plan will do exactly the opposite. It'll give us the end result of more coverage (though the uninsured will still add up to 25-some million by 2018), but at a much higher cost (at least $2 trillion more in deficits). Obama says he has 2/3rds of the relatively conservative $1T cost accounted for, but none of those funds are actually ready to be channeled to this initiative. More bills would have to be pushed through, and there's no guarantee they would, with the nature of the constituent-oriented reps. Also, his statement about Iraq doesn't hold true; depending on how soon our troops leave, it's possible that the cost of the Iraq conflict could be less than $1T (it's somewhere at about $660B right now). And executive estimates always fall short (how much did Bush say Iraq would cost? 50B?).

And, to be honest, I'm not sure what regulatory laws need to be passed to control the insurance companies--I'm actually fine with not having any passed, but I can understand the passion behind doing so. I mean, Obama's law has some regulations in it (in the bill, they can't deny you for a pre-existing condition. . .just charge you up the waloo. Talk about expensive insurance), but I don't like everything else in it, plus half of those regulations are crap. So, the answer? Easy--Wal-Mart! I know they won't fix everything, and don't expect them to, but, I guess it was a few years ago now, they joined the prescription pill business. For a lot of prescriptions, they drastically dropped prices, relying on volume--$4 for 30 days, $10 for 90. . .and there's one more for 180. I don't remember it. This program of their's has forced more common pharmacies to cut their prices--the power of competition. And now, I'm fairly certain you could not convince me that by 2020, Wal-Mart will have a program in place in which they'll pay (or reimburse) people for med school, then have them run clinics in the front of the store. It won't take care of emergencies, but check-ups will be easy. You'll come in, check in, take a shopping cart and shop, then they'll call you when there's five minutes until your appointment. You'll drop your cart off where it'll be watched, go to your appointment, pick up your cart, check out, and you're on your way! No more wasting your time reading outdated magazines. . .it's genius! I can completely see Wal-Mart adapting something like this within the next 10 years, at least within some stores (lot of infrastructure to change). And you know what? That would drastically drive down cost--I couldn't see them charging more than a flat rate of $30, $35 per visit. Bam. Just like that. You don't have to be insured; and if you want to be, I bet Wal-Mart will be rolling that out soon too.

Things do need to be done, I agree with that. I just don't like what they're proposing.

Thoughts?!

I don't have a title

I really feel that this blog should have more posts that interest more of us than it currently has, rather than just random news stories, but seeing as we (with some exceptions) haven’t really seen each other much, this’ll have to do for now. I know the random news doesn’t really interest some people, so if that’s you, what would make this blog better? Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone (or at least everyone who can make it) on sunday.

Obama and Socialized Medicine:
I don’t know if we’ll get too much of a debate on this, since most of us here aren’t all that interested in politics, but I think it is worth mentioning, and I’m curious what other people think or who actually cares, and after seeing Obama’s latest press conference, it is big news. For those who haven’t been keeping up, basically the current proposal wants to provide the option of a government run health insurance plan, which will hopefully be cheaper and better than those from private companies. The main criticisms (with my comments after) include “It’s too expensive” (they say they’ll pay for about a third, just by raising taxes on the rich) “It doesn’t cover enough people” (which it doesn’t, but it’s a start) “It will drive private insurance companies out of business” (if so, then it must be good!) and “Obama’s a commie!” (I wish). I think my position pretty much goes without saying, pinko-commie that I am, I think it’s a good start, but not nearly liberal enough.

Speaking of healthcare, there’s another reason why the US spends more on healthcare per capita than any other nation, other than the fact that our healthcare system is so inefficient, things like this:
(State of South Carolina charges parent with neglect for letting her child weigh 555 lbs)
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/07/22/cb.obesity.crime.cnn

Holy Shit! That kid is huge! I think it’s a very good thing that the government is intervening in this instance, it is really sad that things can get that bad. It’s an interesting moral or legal question however, is it the parent’s fault, and at what point does it become the child’s responsibility?

Finally, I just thought I’d bring up another 40th anniversary this week, the awesomeness that is Comic Con 2009 starts tomorrow. In addition to comics of course, there’s gaming, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings (possibly news on the movie version of The Hobbit)and everything else that is nerdy.

Take 2.5

I don’t want to make Colin do all the work starting discussion on this blog so I’ll try to do my part.

Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, or if people on the internet are to be believed, the 40th anniversary of the landing on a movie set in Hollywood. Just recently we learned that NASA taped over the original tapes of the moon landing, which to the conspiracy theorists, shows that the government is trying to cover up the evidence of their hoax, but to the rest of us just shows how incompetent government agencies can be. It’s no wonder we haven’t been back to the moon for so long and now our country’s space shuttles are falling apart.
This leads me to my question, how much should we really care about our space program? The government currently spends about 17 billion a year or about .6% of the national budget (or so says Wikipedia) on NASA. Should we be investing in our space program to once again be the envy of the world, or should we be taking money from NASA and putting it to programs which can help people right now or in the near future? (a generic humanitarian goal such as “helping the poor” or alternative energy / medical research) Is space exploration and scientific discovery a worthy enough goal to give priority over more immediate issues?

For those who are interested in politics or scandals, there’ve been a few big stories recently. (governor Sanford, senator Ensign, and I think there was another one) The question is should it matter to the voters if a politician has an affair? Do personal moral flaws cast a politician’s ability to govern into doubt, or is it the lying to the public that is the problem? As far as I’m concerned, it shouldn’t matter if no laws have been broken, however if the scumbag in question tries to campaign on “family values” or criticize others (both Sanford and Ensign called for Clinton to resign) then I probably wouldn’t vote for him for that reason.

Finally, Harry Potter 6 came out recently, I haven’t seen it yet, can anyone say whether it’s any good? I have pretty low expectations for this one, but I suppose I could be surprised. I’ve got a coupon for a free ticket, so at worst I’d only be wasting time if I do go. Also has anyone seen Bruno? I liked Bruno on the Ali G show, but I’ve heard there are a few things in the movie that I definitely don’t want to see… And for anyone who’s seen both HP and Bruno… which is more gay?

Party and awesome video

Party at my house sunday the 26th around 2 or 3!

I sent it in a message on facbeook, but in case anyone reads this instead...

bring a few dollars, we'll order pizzas or something, and swimsuits if you want, because I still have a pool!  I hope thats a good day for everyone, if not than too bad.

Also, this video is the fantastic, RIP Billy Mays =(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtYdDK1uTDI

Take Two!

So, I’ve been thinking. I do want this blog to get going again, but it’s going to take all of us. I’m more than willing to post my thoughts and what not, but I don’t want it to be the only one. That gets pretty boring pretty quickly. And I don’t want to assign days to people or something like that (though, by all means, if you want one, nab one! Make it a regular thing, and see what comes of it!), but please, guys, feel free to make posts and speak your mind and converse and talk and all that! =D

There are an awful lot of potential topics this week. There’s the New Jersey shooting today (but I haven’t had a chance to read or watch much on that, so), or the texting teen in New York that fell down a manhole (and the fact that the family is now planning to file a suit), or the Sotomayor hearings (though be on the lookout for that next week!). . .but I managed to limit it down to three, somehow. Oh yes, I surprise even myself. And I don’t even go on tirades against nationalized health care (it’s coming!) or the climate bill—which may not have the votes to get through the Senate, even with Franken’s rise to prominence.

TOPIC 1: As I’m sure you’re all aware, Al Franken is now a senator. That’s right, the former SNL writer. How does he become a senator? Well, thank you Minnesota. He’s already cracked a couple of jokes, including one today at the end of Sotomayor hearings. I don’t know about you guys, but it bothers me less that he’s a senator, and more what he may bring the table. While I don’t doubt that I have some issues with his stance on things, that’s not what I’m talking about. If he goes around cracking jokes all the time. . .it will frustrate me beyond belief. Especially if there’s a CNN article on every single one. Maybe I’ll just go read Fox News. . .

But, honestly, I don’t know if the problem would be with me or Franken. If I was a senator, I’m sure I’d be the kind to get real tired of Franken’s jokes—and, to be true, I’d probably get tired of anybody who was real lax and easy going about it. Until I was that way myself, at which point, I’d get frustrated with anybody who was uptight. So I’m guessing a lot of the problem is more with my perception than Franken. Though if I was in the middle of questioning who will almost undoubtedly be the next US Supreme Court Justice, I know I’d take it seriously, and get upset at any laughter. Because that’s how I am. Though I’m sure part of that, too, is also because I don’t like Sotomayor so much. But I digress.

I’m not sure if you all heard it, but Franken did move up to be chairman of the Judiciary Committee today—the fastest rise of any senator. Ever. Bar none. Thankfully, it was just because the chair’s microphone was broken, and Franken offered to change seats for the remainder of the opening statement. He wasn’t in the seat for long, and the microphone was fixed. So it was the quickest rise and fall of a senator. Ever. Bar none. We’re talking minutes here!

TOPIC 2: I want to get away, for a bit, from politics and news and CNN and Fox News and the Senate and yes. Musical obsessions.

I was thinking about it the other day, and while I’m sure many of you guys have been through the same thing. Music tastes change, but really. Mine have been kind of extreme. Feel free to chronicle your own, if you so want.

Anyway, if we were to go back five years, which I guess would put me the summer after eighth grade, I was still listening to country. Which I find amusing, because then, I hated it, and now, I don’t love it, but there are artists and songs that are pretty good. Just gotta be willing to listen, y’know?

Then, if we skip ahead a summer, I think I was just getting into softer rock—Coldplay, namely. I think. I could be wrong. I’ve been wrong before. Then the summers after that, to Rise Against, then Atreyu and Underoath, then back to Rise Against and Trophy Scars. I mean, talk about full circle. Then down to indie levels, where my most two listened to artists right now are easily Bright Eyes (his lyrics don’t cease to amaze me) and Elliott Smith (he allegedly committed suicide by stabbing himself in the heart. Twice. I mean, really!?). Of course, there were always other musical interests in there: Streetlight, Brand New, Blue October, so on and so forth. But. Funny how times change.

TOPIC 3: Oh, you guessed it. The pitbull with lipstick or whatever she calls herself now. I think it was two Fridays ago, now, that she announced she was resigning as governor. A year and a half before the end of her term.

There’s an awful lot of speculation over the motivation of her move. Because, I mean, no one saw it coming, at all. A lot of people think she’s gearing up for a 2012 push for the White House, or opted out because there was so much money to be made.

One thing’s sure—I don’t buy what she said. Because she decided she wasn’t going to run again, she didn’t want to be a lame duck governor. I mean, really? That’s your excuse? That’s like W. quitting in January of 2005 because he didn’t want to be a lame duck president—it’s not acceptable. It’s just. . .irresponsible. You were elected to serve the slot for the prescribed time—unless you really cannot do so, you should make every effort to serve your civic responsibility. Yes, it would have been difficult for her, with all the ethics complaints and yada yada, but that’s part of it. Deal with it, and keep going. Easier said than done, I realize, but regardless. She put herself up for the part; don’t just remove yourself because the going gets tough.

I’m of the personal opinion that she left because Alaska, in case you have not noticed, is not the political limelight of the nation. She wants to be front and center, and the showpiece for the Republican Party. Except, now, I’m not sure that Republicans are comfortable with her as the showpiece. She’s sloppy about her work, not real articulate, and just doesn’t come off as someone who knows just what she’s talking about. I supported her, sure, in September, October, and November, but now, I think it’d be a good time for her to shut up a bit, and learn some more. She’s too concerned about herself to do the party any good.

And if she did indeed quit for the 2012 bid, what was she thinking? Much easier to launch a campaign from the governor’s mansion—even if it’s Alaska—than as a private citizen. It’s like she’s already going into campaign mode (which, coincidentally, Obama never left). Except, the thing is now, no Republicans running (NJ and VA) and her to come speak for them—she’s too polarizing—so she’s left to go work on her book. As a conservative myself, I’d like for her to go back up to Alaska, do what she can, and come talk when she’s relevant again. I have no desire to hear about or from her.

yay cnn

since cnn's amazing reports have been mentioned a few times:

Take One

This post is really meant to generate some discussion. It’s kind of a post on the things I’ve noticed (so I imagine a significant portion will be political) in the past week or months. I hope to do one of these every week—most likely on a Thursday night—but I missed that already. Regardless, that is when I hope to post it every week.

Anyway. The inaugural post of a hopefully weekly series thing. I don’t know. It’s a work in progress, right?

TOPIC 1: I’m sure some of you have seen this before. This is a comic from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, better known as SMBC:



Now, check out this article from the other day (I originally read it on CNN, but can't find that article now): http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20090708/1662/ttc-scientists-create-artificial-sperm-c.html

Coincidence? I don’t know. I think the only real consolation is that the artificial sperm has to be made from a male stem cell. So us males can’t be totally destroyed.

TOPIC 2: As I’m sure you all may have heard (or maybe not; Michael Jackson coverage is STILL dominating the media, which is ridiculous) Obama visited Ghana on Friday. I was reading about it over on CNN (I scan their site every morning and lunch time at work, to stay up to date on the news)—http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/07/10/ghana.obama/index.html

Now, I have no problem with Obama visiting Ghana, especially as he goes there to praise their dedication to democracy. They’re one of the few—and maybe the only—sub-Saharan African nation to have peaceful transfers of power between rulers. There are other democracies, but as the article points out, most of the presidents either hole up in their office and refuse to leave or go out kicking, screaming, and crying.

But, really, what I take issue with here is CNN’s coverage. They mention that some other countries feel snubbed (as though he was going to visit all of them?). In particular, Kenya, which is where Obama’s dad is from. CNN says that opinion is split, with some feeling snubbed but some understanding. I don’t doubt this. They interviewed a man from Kenya who did indeed feel snubbed—valid enough. Then they interviewed a Kenyan man who understood and didn’t feel snubbed at all. . .but he lives in Baltimore. While it’s not completely irresponsible journalism, it is equating two people that aren’t equitable. It’s a lot easier to see it as justifiable from this side of the Atlantic—particularly less than two hours from the White House. I don’t doubt that there might be Kenyan-Americans that do feel snubbed on the behalf of their country, but I imagine that the percentage of the population of Kenyan-Americans that feel snubbed is significantly lower than that of Kenyans in Kenya. While there’s a deep connection between the two, there are also stark difference. Apples and oranges are both fruits, but that doesn’t make them equitable.

TOPIC 3: The final topic for this week is unionization. Within the past couple months, I was reading an article—yes, on CNN—talking about how ‘green’ jobs are helping to take the place of the lost automotive ones. No, the scope isn’t nearly the same; not all the car jobs lost can be made up in the green industries. But there are quite a few taking root in the areas once dominated by the now defunct (or nearly so) car companies. But there is one huge discrepancy: for the average auto factory worker, with only a high school diploma, the starting wage is about $10/hr. It’s not bad, but it’s not great, and almost assuredly impossible to support a family with. It’s competitive, but not the kind you’re looking for as a full-time, rest-of-your-life kind of job. Especially since when working for the car companies, thanks to the UAW, you could start off with $28/hr. The article then went on to say that there is room and potential for growth, and union officials are going to try and start unionizing green industries.

Which shocked me. I don’t understand why people still back unions; yes, I understand that they had a very significant role in the past, battling exploitative bosses and companies, fighting for better working conditions and wages. And they got them. But today, the need of the union is, I believe, over. With all the government oversight and another increase in the minimum wage on its way (and in many markets, companies have to pay significantly more than the minimum wage just to maintain competition), unions should be completely defunct (especially most player unions. . .really, NBA? MLB?). But they aren’t; the UAW is probably the most famous and one of the more important for American industry, and it did secure high wages for under-qualified workers—a win for the workers, no doubt.

But at what cost? The bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler, more than anything else, should’ve rung the death toll for the UAW and unions in general. There are a lot of reasons GM and Chrysler went down the drain. The American kept the price of gas artificially low, which led to cheaper gas, which led to the American love affair with speed, power, and big cars, which spurred the American auto companies to form big, fast, powerful cars that weren’t real fuel efficient, while Japanese and other foreign companies focused on practicality. Our innovation towards fuel efficiency ceased, for the most part, and when it became a big issue with the relatively recent spikes in gas prices, they couldn’t compete, so they folded. The only real reason Ford is still standing is because the other two went down.

That is a pretty major reason. But another major reason is the union. When factoring in pension, compensation, the wage, and all the benefits afforded to the average American auto worker, he makes the equivalent of about $70/hr. The wage itself only comes to somewhere between $25 and $30, but add in everything the union gets for them, and it skyrockets. Obviously, this isn’t all seen in the form of cash for the worker, but payments they don’t have to make (to insurances and such, as other private sector employees would) as well as relatively lucrative pensions. Compare this to the average Toyota worker. When you add all of this up, it comes to somewhere around $40/hr (see: http://cloudfront.mediamatters.org/static/images/item/autoworker-20081206-2.gif and others--they’re all over the internet). That’s a $30 differential—a huge difference. You might make the argument that our market dictated that level, while their’s may dictate differently—but that can’t be true. I don’t think there are many places in the country where you’ll find people only educated through high school making that much. And if such a level actually could be maintained, it would’ve been, but instead, the companies are crashing. Plus, there is no local marketplace anymore; it’s globalization. The wages you pay your employees here will affect the standing you have against your overseas counterparts. There’s no escaping it, not now. Toyota and its Japanese counterparts have, meanwhile, avoided unions; at least ones that maintain such force as the UAW. And this has helped give them the one up over the big three.

And now there’s discussion of unionizing the green industry? It might be safe for a while because, like the car companies, it’ll take time for other markets to catch up, but this time, the waiting won’t be nearly as long. And if the green industry is unionized, I’d foresee the same thing happening again, albeit on a much lower scale. Unions are not needed in this day and age, particularly the manner in which they are used. We need to learn from the past and from this huge automotive collapse and shut down the unions.

since we are all nerds

just wondering if you guys think this is as freakin awesome as i do:
http://www.geekologie.com/2009/07/video_star_wars_the_force_trai.php

Ok Guys

Let's see if we can inject some life into this beast, huh?

First of all. . .check in? If you still check, that is.

Here's what I'm thinking. This place needs another new layout, some new information, and to be badly updated. Basically, the administrator needs to do a better job with all of this; for the poor job I have been doing, I apologize. I won't make any major changes tonight, but I'm thinking the layout at least will change tomorrow. And move on from there. So what I'm looking from you guys is any suggestions or ideas you guys have. I'm willing to do anything I can.

Also, who's up for a CGS reunion? Or, at least, a CGS Riverbend site reunion? Hrm hrm? I volunteer someone else's house for it. =P

-Colin.