Goths? No. Trench Coat Mafia? No. Loners? Losers? Outsiders? No, no, no. These boys were smart and popular, but determined to end their lives in front of the national media in the most horrific way possible. They planted four large explosives, consisting of gasoline jugs and two propane tanks each. Two they cavalierly planted in the middle of the cafeteria, against the support columns, timed to explode during the busiest rush of the day. Two others they left in their cars in the parking lot to kill any emergency responders and survivors who would have assembled there. A fifth explosive was set in a field timed to lure police away from the high school and delay their response.  All five bombs fizzled! Only the one in the field ignited at all, but it caused only a small brush fire and actually served to ready police in the key moments before the 911 calls started coming in.

Cullen also details a sheriff’s office that hid the facts and delayed the release of key evidence and reports. And the media who opted to write their own story in the absence of the truth. Dave Cullen shows that in addition to the tragedy of fifteen deaths that day, is the tragedy of how readily the public accepted the archetypical explanation of what happened.

I found this read to be fair and sympathetic to those who were affected by the killings and those who were powerless to prevent it. Even the infamous Sheriff John Stone is balanced by the expertise and professionalism of Agent Dwayne Fuselier. Each page kept me hungering for more and the writing was vivid and approachable. I highly recommend it!!

I believe in the forgiveness of sin and the redemption of ignorance.
Adlai E. Stevenson Jr.

Wrongway.org

http://www.youtube.com/user/stupidgsa

Videojug.com

Looking for information on what independent groups known as 527s have raised and spent on the 2008 election? Or how about who’s giving the most? OpenSecrets.org has the info. Want to know who in your area is contributing to which Presidential candidate? OpenSecrets.org has that, too. Want to how much the biggest fundraisers in Conress have in their war chests and from whom? Or who spends the most on travel? See OpenSecrets.org.

http://OpenSecrets.org

There’s also a database of fruits, vegetables, and nuts that has helpful information such as choosing the right produce and storing it once you get it home. For example, avocados are actually fruit and should be stored at room temperature in a paper bag until ripe. They’re sodium free, cholesterol free, and low in saturated fat. Strawberries, on the other hand should be stored in the refrigerator, but shouldn’t be washed until they’re ready to be eaten. Although Strawberries won’t last more than a few days in the refrigerator, almonds can last up to a year, if still in the shell.

I should point out that the site is run by a non-profit organization, PBH, comprised of “growers, shippers, packers, merchandisers, commodity boards, trade associations, food industry organizations, health insurers, health professionals, and retailers,” so its mission is a little self-serving. Not that this is a secret, though. I found this information after only a few clicks on the site. Nor should there be any belief that it matters to me a lick. Quite the opposite. I see this as an example of capatalism working. If society puts a value on something, people will find a way to make a profit. Fortunately, with proper growth and fair practices, each will learn that the best way to make profit is to invest improve and improve the field. In short, if society puts value in healthy living, corporations will setup helpful sites like Fruits..Matters.org.  Likewise, if society puts value in vice, corporations will do likewise. For examples, check out the technology behind an online poker site or any of the web cam sites.

It’s because of this underlying truism of capatalism that I bristle whenever I hear a politician talking about taking the profit out of the health care industry. I don’t disagree that health care has become very expensive and that too many people are left without adequate coverage, but the only thing removing the profit is going to do is cheapen the care. Along with the money our nation spends on health care comes the expectation of excellent, professional care. And in order to obtain this excellent, professional care we need to rely on the best and brightest to provide that care and constantly improve the field. If we were to, in fact, remove profit from this system, how are we to expect the best and brightest to go through the years of schooling, training, non-stop certifications, long hours, and often thankless work necessary if providing health care is tantamount to a philanthropic effort? It seems to me that we’d want to do the exact opposite.

Already we’ve reached a point where children don’t want to be doctors when they grow up - they want to be famous. Because we put such value on fame we’ve created a system where fame is traded like a commodity to be bought and sold. Where millions are made and spent on improving the technologies behind capturing a long-distance photo of a celeb bringing their clothes in to be dry cleaned. Where people are made famous for simply being famous, a la Paris Hilton, and they earn fortunes for it. They certainly earn much more than your General Practitioner who is probably still paying back his student loans.

No, if you want health care to improve, you need to put controlled money into the system. You make infrastructure changes. You streamline. You organize. You invest and improve. You find new ways to provide better care. You further science and improve the technology so that problems can be detected and diagnosed earlier. You attract the best and the brightest and you reward them for their efforts. If you put more value into health care, people will find ways to improve it. It’s in their own self-interest to do so.

"You won’t learn much about capitalism at a university. How could you? Capitalism is a matter of risks and rewards, and a tenured professor doesn’t have much to do with either.”
Jerry Pournelle

I mean, when I subscribed to Rolling Stone, I expected a magazine about music.  If they had book and movie reviews (which they do), then great, but primarily music.  I definitely didn’t expect it to have so much political content.  During this year’s 40th anniversary celebration, they’ve even dedicated whole issues to politics.  And what a liberal rag it is!  I guess I’m not surprised that a bunch of aging hippies would reminisce about the days of congregating on the Washington Mall, united, chanting slogans like “Make love, not war!” and “Ban the Bomb!” or tripping for days at week-long concerts where they knew they were making a difference, starting a revolution, and were never going to be like their parents.  It’s just not what I paid to read from a music magazine.

Another I also subscribed to, fortunately, did talk about music.  Unfortunately, it went out of print and my subscription had to be transferred to something else.  That’s how I ended up with Entertainment Weekly, fortunately a very good magazine, an easy bathroom read.  That’s also one of the negatives with ordering a bunch of magazine subscriptions at once online.  Some of the offerings don’t last very long and the companies I’ve used don’t have very good customer service.  I could never for certain know what was going on when a subscription would suddenly start or stop.  Worse still, all the mail in our neighborhood gets spread around the block.  It’s a regular occurrence to see the streets filled with people redelivering the mail about twenty minutes after the mail carrier has been through.  I never know if a subscription has ended, been cancelled, or if it’s sitting at a neighbor’s house.  I kid you not, one day two of my magazines were delivered to the fire station!  Joe down the street said he’d drop them by but I never saw them.

It could be worse though.  Maggie subscribed to People and it never even arrived.  The subscriptions start in like 6-8 weeks, so it was months before she realized there was something wrong and called.  It turned out that particular company didn’t offer People any more, so she had to transfer her subscription to another magazine.  All she wanted was People and it was so expensive that she now has like a fourteen year subscription to something she didn’t even want.  I wonder what she’ll get next when that magazine goes under in the next decade.

One magazine, Angels on Earth, came every two months and was a short subscription.  It ended too soon and I would have renewed if I had known but it just stopped showing up without any kind of renewal option.  Angels on Earth details stories from amateur contributors about how they feel blessed or thankful or connected to something bigger.  I’ll have to find it online and subscribe again.

Heroic Stories is a lot like Angels on Earth.  It, too, wants to “make the world a better place” through positive, uplifting stories, but it’s nonsectarian.  Angels on Earth can be a little too religious or literal when it comes to angels.  HeroicStories.com is inspiring in its simplicity.  The stories they share often pertain to our every day lives and offer ways to make a difference without much effort.  A recent story line and related discussion centered around the idea of keeping a few extra, cheap umbrellas in your car to give to a stranger in need.  I know I’ve passed people in the pouring rain and felt like I wanted to help, but stopped short of offering a ride to a stranger in the middle of nowhere.  With a little foresight and thanks to Heroic Stories, I can be ready to at least offer them some comfort.

http://www.HeroicStories.com

1. Dear Head on the Wall by Alejandro Escovedo
2. Thanksgiving by Jason Anderson
3. By Your Side by Coco Rosie
4. The Search by Dolorean
5. Another Lonely Day by Ben Harper
6. All Will Be Well by The Gabe Dixon Band
7. The Truth Comes Out by Corb Lund
8. Hoquiam by Damien Jurado
9. Sinnerman by Nina Simone
10. It’s Good to Be in Love by Frou Frou

The AFI also maintains standing Top 10 and Top 100 lists of the Greatest Films of All Time. The most recent entry into the Top 10 list was from 1993, Schindler’s List, but I’m hoping 2007’s Superbad is going to crack the list in this year’s voting. The top 100 includes 2001’s Lord of the Rings (#50). The list are voted on yearly and the nomination list is already available for 2008. AFI site membership is free, but full Institute membership begins at $50 and includes access to databases, a commemorative booklet, a magazine, and tickets to the film festivals. Larger contributions will net tickets to the annual AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute Gala.

http://www.afi.com/

Netdisaster.com is goofy site that bills itself as an “absolutely useless” site that “simulates the destruction of the target-site by a disaster.” The methods of “disaster” range from spilled coffee to worm infestation, and even paintball gun attacks. Just enter the URL of the site to view, select the method of distruction and have at it. If you select the auto mode, you can still click on the hyperlinks on the displayed site and enable the method of attack on command by pointing to it. Any options including the URL can be changed in the filter frame at the top of the web page at any time and the help sections are detailed and well written.  Note that blog engines use the same kind of filter frame and will most likely conflict and disable Netdisaster, but there is an alternate viewing method that will work in some instances (use the Alt button or read the FAQ information specifically about this kind of problem).

http://www.netdisaster.com/