Piracy argument hits a new low...

The movie industry's argument against piracy hits a new low, read about it here. I would like to see some info on how much money corn farmers were directly making from the movie industry to begin with and does pirating movies directly affect the sales of microwave popcorn (that most people eat while watching movies at home)?

Net Neutrality

Excerpt of this blog:

Broadband Reality Check

So what's the real skinny?

• There is no competitive marketplace for Internet access in the United States. More than 95 percent of residential high-speed lines are owned by telephone and cable companies. That is a rigid duopoly by any standard. (Source: FCC)

• The result of duopoly control is higher prices for slower connections to the Internet. Compared to citizens in other developed nations, Americans now pay 10 to 20 times as much for far slower Internet services than those offered by modern European and Asian countries. (Source: Broadband Reality Check II)

• A full 37 percent of ZIP codes have one or fewer choices of a wired broadband provider. (Source: FCC)

So, Mr Kneuer, when both your phone and cable provider are pushing to gut net neutrality, what other "free market" choices does a consumer really have?

On a different topic with overlapping themes, why is there no 'conflict of interest' law in our government? Why is it even possible for former lobbyists to hold government posts over what they were lobbying for? Lobbyists are supposed to go to government appointed employees with their point of view, not become the government appointee. This scenario plays itself out at every level of government and has clearly gotten worse under the current administration-but they are not solely to blame. I'll offer some proof at a later date, feeling lazy today...

Awesome! Gator tries to eat golfer!

Unfortunately, the gators usually lose in the end. I think its a great trade off that retirees flock to Florida for the golf and relaxation but have to dodge man-eating reptiles along the way. I think that gators who attack people should be praised and allowed to stay where they are to 'thin out the herd'.

What a great way to go. Be pulled under by a huge alligator, never to be heard from again. If I have a choice, I hope this is how I go out (when I'm old and of no use, of course). People that survive, should wear the gators teeth as a trophy of their conquest and badge of honor in the fact that it 'wasn't their time to go'. Yes, this sort of thing really happens, don't believe me? Read about it here - the dying thing, not the trophy teeth.

Are you serious?

Is is just me, or am I the only one who thinks that the victims of Hurricane Katrina don't owe FEMA shit?

Why am I not surprised?

High school alumni drops two fools in Ambridge-read about it here. Just for the record, he's not as hard as he looks in the mug shot. Couldn't even commit a crime right.

Here is another, more successful (in the category of committing crimes anyway), classmate and graduate of 1997 (as is the gentleman above). Who knows, maybe they will reestablish their connection on the inside.

Best of luck to them both!

Wilds of West Virginia

All Deliverance jokes aside, West Virginia is a great place to get away to drink, shoot, play paintball and otherwise humiliate yourself for an entire weekend. I poured a little out for the great citizens of Great Cacapon, WV for staying out of our way (or we would have gunned them down like the white trash that they are). See you next year!

You can find all of my pics and the best of Warick's here. Also added the pics from St. Patty's day and a few more of the baby boy.

Never thought that there were really any lizards north of the Carolinas. I was wrong. I saw what appeared to be (according to the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Repitles and Amphibians) the following species in WV, running all over the place (unfortunately I didn't have my camera or field guide handy (isn't that always the case?)):

Northern Prairie Lizard







Racerunner or Five-Lined Skink

It was pretty great to finally see lizards thriving in the Northeast. I saw three total, all at least 4-5 inches long; within about 15 minutes of each other. I would estimate that it was around noon. By the time I was back outside around 3-4 o'clock they were nowhere to be found.

Well Herm, the old lady ruined it for you again. Just when we thought you couldn't join us in West Virginia because of new job obligations, she mentions in her blog from Honduras for you to have a good time at the Kenny Chesney show. Nice cowboy boots, fag.

Don't forget to check out Kelly's blog from Honduras here.
Looks like she's having a great time!

Blog Comments are sometimes better than the blogs themselves...

I read this blog this morning and found the following comment posted by spookcatcher. While I don't agree with everything he (she?) says, I found it humorous nonetheless. Here is the comment:

"The demise of America is as follows: 1. Women allowed to vote (equality), but with the advent of multiple types of birth control and abortion, alimony and child support are the burden of the male pocketbook. 2. The Congress and Supreme Court using interstate commerce laws as a back door to usurp the Constitution against all personal freedoms and property rights. 3.The advent of an interstate highway system that was not mandated to coincide witha national mass transit system, thus allowing the spreading out and division of households away from the work place and your home/neighborhood, which fostered a public education system that bussed kids away from the problems, instead of investing in the neighborhoods where they live with the problems. 4. The halting of public hangings, especially of corrupted public servants, along with enhancing law enforcement with a legal system that rewards prosecutors for conviction ratios through bogus plea bargaining, affording the rich to walk freely, as opposed to the societal rewards and safety that comes from convictions of the right/true criminals committing the properly evidenced crimes. 5. Oil. 6. The Electoral College, and the media sustaining a 2 party De-Mockeracy. 7. The income tax system. 8. Texas becoming a state, when it should have stayed a republic and redivided later after we discovered how many racketeers and fascist oligarchs had settled in the territory."

I particularly like the part about Texas. No offense to any of my friends currently living in or soon to be living in Texas (Mr. & Mrs. Chris Thompson). Never had a desire to visit, but maybe they can change my mind...

Awesome opinion piece from Madeleine Albert Berenson. This is an issue that has affected myself and my sister within the last 5 years. While we both chose life for a number of reasons, all choices were on the table at one point or another. In my opinion, life is a blessing to be cherished. However, I feel strongly that no one (especially old, unrelated white guys) has the right to tell anyone what to do or how to feel. This is a deeply personal decision that should be solely left to those directly affected, not those who are offended.

Congrats Herm! On your wife going to Honduras, I will be following her adventures in the 3rd world at her trip's blog.

See the pattern here? The only one I feel bad for in this story is the tiger that didn't survive.

What?!?! Humans as prey?

Here is a headlining story of an Indonesian boy who was killed by a Komodo dragon. Why did this make the headlines? Have we really distanced ourselves so far from the natural world that we no longer see other wildlife as a threat? I would think that on the island of Komodo I would be on the look-out for 9ft, 200lb lizards. Why are people shocked when someone is killed by a Komodo dragon, on the ISLAND OF KOMODO? These monstrous lizards need to eat too, and if you're the only thing available, guess what? You're dinner! In our brief history on earth, we have been prey longer than successful predators. How quickly our collective consciousness dissipates...

Wow, June 1 already...

The new issue of Harper's has some great articles including one editorial by different authors explaining how Bush has ruined this country. I would link to it, but you need a physical subscription. However, their website is pretty fantastic as well. If you don't have a subscription, you need one. Thanks to Steve and Leslie for mine!

Check this out - Is Bush getting worse?

I don't know whether the person who called in a bomb scare to the Pittsburgh Police yesterday was a douchebag or a genius. Depends on what they wanted to accomplish; chaos? Done. Stop someone from getting somewhere? Nobody could get anywhere. A bomb in a tunnel in Pittsburgh? The City was clogged with cars within seconds, effectively cutting access from every direction. One question that I have is why did they have to close the tunnels off completely? Don't they have real time cameras in these tunnels at all times? Couldn't they just review the tapes for anything suspicious? Why do I have a feeling this wasn't the last time this will happen. Glad my bus doesn't take the tunnels.

Awesome article about the re-wilding of Europe and also mentions the projects in North America and Siberia.

Platinum cast, diamond encrusted skull by Damien Hurst, valued at $98 million.



Re: I hate this guy. Both of them.



















"11yr old boy shoots and kills physical manifestation of Jerry Falwell's soul."


Busy month coming up, Philly this weekend, wilderness of West Virginia next weekend...