tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20711941433314459302024-03-05T00:21:45.047-08:00Your Red RoomMidwestern Roots. West Coast Feel. East Coast Exchange.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger395125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-86455914417658647362010-05-17T20:08:00.001-07:002010-05-17T20:09:18.245-07:00More Ads Like This PleaseYes, it's ridiculous, but it's also hilarious. More please.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-28114656826543006822010-05-02T13:42:00.000-07:002010-05-02T13:50:20.132-07:00Louisiana Oil SpillGlobal warming, air pollution, extraction damage, funding extremist groups... and now this. As if there were not enough reasons to stop using oil, here is yet another example of the devastation wrought by our addiction to liquid gold. In some ways, accidents like this are no worse than the day to day damage caused by humanity's massive use of oil, only this garners media attention and the effectsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-8315313201615659382010-04-25T12:57:00.000-07:002010-04-25T13:03:45.687-07:00Dennis Dimick Part DeuxAnother interesting perspective Mr. Dimmick highlighted was the United State's unfair insistence that China reduce its CO2 emissions. He showed a fantastic map demonstrating how China's emissions are merely outsourced from America in order to meet our rabidly consumptive habits. In other words, much China's emissions are our emissions. The map does not have a key, but the message is clear.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-4724381937576536592010-04-25T12:38:00.000-07:002010-04-25T12:57:37.317-07:00Dennis DimickLast Thursday, Dennis Dimick, National Geographic's Executive Editor for the environment, delievered a lecture at Oregon State University about the intersection of human energy needs and global climate change. It was the usual, powerful story, but coupled with drawdropping photos from National Geographic it was awesome. That story aside--we're scrwed if we don't stop the growth in CO2 emissions=Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-61197207589250039212010-04-20T20:46:00.001-07:002010-04-20T20:55:38.083-07:00Iceland Volcano Goes BoomI heard an interesting report today on NPR about some of the effects of the volcano that is spewing ash in Iceland. A highly publicized byproduct is that air traffic has dramatically been slowed due to safety concerns. As a result, fresh food isn't making it to Britain and they don't have enough local production to keep up with demand. Add this to the list of "Reasons Why Local Food Production IsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-12205707154247371832010-04-12T10:26:00.000-07:002010-04-12T10:28:10.254-07:00Books!One of my favorite 30 second clips that I remember my elementary librarian showing us. It's still stuck in my head 15 years later!Here's another great oldie.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-11315810919385871182010-04-11T14:27:00.000-07:002010-04-11T14:56:36.208-07:00A Coming Shortage?This kind of thing is fascinating to me: An impending shortage of a material largely-unknown to the general population used for making magnets is causing a stir of research to find a replacement. Magnets, which play an important role in the operation of electronics, are made up a various metal combinations, neodymium being the most efficient known. Currently the United States relies on China for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-90070786147927147592010-04-06T19:42:00.000-07:002010-04-06T19:45:31.309-07:00Can't Get EnoughHat tip to Geezy over at Rock and Bacon. I can't get enough of this rad piece, Excuses, by The Morning Benders. Enjoy:Yours Truly Presents: The Morning Benders "Excuses" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-30445342795741876322010-04-02T22:54:00.002-07:002010-04-02T23:00:17.887-07:00Weight Gain (and loss)This probably doesn't come as a surprise, but reading this post was fascinating nonetheless and goes contrary to a common held belief that adding the 25 calorie Hershey Kiss will ultimately lead to tens of extra pounds added to your frame. Well, turns out that's not true. Instead, increasing your caloric intake simply bumps up the weight you stay at fairly naturally. So, instead of adding a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-3857251499321347142010-04-02T22:54:00.001-07:002010-04-02T22:54:45.195-07:00No Post on HCRThat's right Keough, not even one... but I'm excited about it nonetheless!!!! :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-18038173354013030572010-03-20T17:26:00.001-07:002010-03-20T17:31:29.161-07:00Choose Your Bedfellows WiselyIt's certainly not the case that everyone who advocates for one political position or another therefore, by default, share views across the social and political spectrum. That said, when your allies are doing this, it's hard not to question your friends.Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) claimed Saturday that healthcare protesters at the Capitol directed racial epithets at him and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-29101997081633096842010-03-14T16:24:00.000-07:002010-03-14T16:25:45.216-07:00The MediaLong have I been an opponent of the way Big Media reports the news. This brilliant two minute clip is a wonderful parody of the inane way in which the media reports.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-39866708647360427192010-02-25T15:11:00.000-08:002010-02-25T15:18:29.008-08:00What We Teach Too OftenMy parents visited this last weekend and I heard my mom say "shit" more times in one minute than in my entire life. She was reading an excerpt from the book Muchacho by Louanne Johnson about one kid's experience with school. He points out something that too often is true: We teach crap to tests rather than real things that actually matter. I liked the excerpt so much and it aligned with my view Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-4661686311305418592010-02-20T12:33:00.000-08:002010-02-20T12:34:39.467-08:00Winter OlympicsI love me some winter Olympics. Unfortunately, my televisionless lifestyle is leaving me out in the cold and I can't find a good spot online to watch videos. Any ideas?!?!?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-35141115855174460002010-02-18T13:50:00.000-08:002010-02-18T14:15:06.944-08:00Happy Birthday Niki!!!!Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're back! Blogging will return to my regular schedule which means reading (yes, I'm talking to you Niki) will (can?) return to your regular schedule. Hooray! So, what has happened since I last wrote that Republicans were being demographically relegated to the second tier? In descending order of importance...1. Michael Jackson died2. Torby died3. Teddy Kennedy died4. *Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-6875569517165402462009-05-19T22:43:00.001-07:002009-05-19T22:46:28.283-07:00RepublicansJust one more reason people can't take Republicans seriously:The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10cMoment of Zen - Moo Goo Dog Panthedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesEconomic CrisisPolitical HumorThis guy's supposed to be a Congressman?!?!?The proof is in the party affiliation. With the exception of frequent churchgoers, self-identified conservatives, and voters over the age of 65, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-17826717272741992072009-05-16T11:27:00.000-07:002009-05-16T11:29:32.272-07:00Time ChangeRecently, while on a flight, the captain said the following:We have a three hour time change during our flight today, so you might want to turn your locks back about three hours.About!?!?!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-26814294779356441822009-05-14T22:03:00.001-07:002009-05-14T22:06:00.947-07:00In Defense of FoodI read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan about a year ago and loved it. I briefly mentioned it on the blog almost a year ago and it brings back fond memories of gardening. Interestingly he was on The Colbert Report last night promoting his book. It seems a little late after the publish date to be doing this, but it was fun nonetheless. Enjoy the clip!The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-89493661174756266212009-05-12T10:37:00.000-07:002009-05-12T10:37:00.656-07:00GreeningSome ideas for El Presidente (but really for you and me) for greening our homes. Some of these ideas are awesome. I especially like the Jellyfish Wind Appliance (though it may be a nightmare for utility companies, I'd be interested to hear what they think) and the internet electrical usage monitor. On that second idea, I've always thought a simple wall-mounted device that gives real-time Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-63612197754527120942009-05-11T10:17:00.000-07:002009-05-11T10:17:00.923-07:00Plug-In HybridsHere is a short article about plug-in hybrids. The first paragraph is what caught my eye, mainly the idea that Americans are leery to purchase vehicles that have limited range (i.e. all-electric cars). What I don't understand is why that is the case? Why won't Americans purchase vehicles that fit their needs 90% of the time? Most people use their cars to drive less that 35 miles, round trip. For Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-89866192012862391322009-05-10T10:09:00.000-07:002009-05-10T10:09:01.343-07:00Swine Flu!Want to avoid the terrifying SWINE FLU?!?!?! Try some of these alternative greeting methods.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-45475632927995374452009-05-10T09:08:00.001-07:002009-05-10T09:24:41.292-07:00White House Correspondents DinnerThe White House Correspondents Dinner is an annual event where Washington, DC reporters come together for a night of fun, joined and spoken to by the President. The event is different because the speeches are fairly humorous and poke fun at politically charged issues. A couple years ago Stephen Colbert brought down the house with a cutting performance that the establishment press disliked for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-14707983671255798832009-05-09T22:01:00.000-07:002009-05-09T22:03:50.027-07:00Car RecyclingI always knew that cars were recycled, but not at these percentages and with such overall efficiency. It's great news, to be sure, and gives me hope that as our vehicle fleet moves toward improved mileage and alternative propulsion, that the old junkers won't continue to ruin ecosystems, rather, they can play a role in the next generation of vehicles.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-30355359932561202162009-05-08T23:46:00.000-07:002009-05-08T23:47:22.865-07:00My Roomie...... from college makes funny videos. Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2071194143331445930.post-72579845395177593272009-04-30T09:48:00.001-07:002009-04-30T09:52:02.816-07:00TortureA couple weeks ago we had a discussion in my government class about torture. The majority of the class said they support torture, but only in circumstances where lives will be saved. Okay, I thought, that's justifiable in a certain euphemeral way. However, I am against torture for other reasons; reasons I haven't seen spelled out to my liking... until now. If you're interested in why I, and many Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0