There's Something About Stalking!

Tonight I saw the film There's Something About Mary for the first time. However my experience was partially ruined because I had to use the restroom for a couple of times. (The ending was nice though for a comedy)

The event was sponsored by UMD's Victim's Advocate. The film was also for students registered in class CCJS 230 Criminal Law in Action. There was also a short Q and A and lecture by the Victim's Advocate about stalking, the film's main theme.

You Might As Well Have Congress Ban Smoking in Public Places! (Except Outdoors)

(Which would be a good thing, that'll make smokers to quit even faster)

...O'Malley (D) had never explicitly pledged his support for a statewide prohibition, allowing only that he was "willing to consider it" if a bill reached his desk.

We must assume that the Republicrat will sign this bill.

While opposition is waning on the tobacco farmers front, which most of it's farms are rendered obsolete as when Government of Maryland offered to buy them out, The Baltimore Sun reports that the tobacco companies themselves will fight it.

But another tobacco lobby, the Maryland Association of Tobacco & Candy Distributors, is fighting the legislation and has employed lobbyist Bruce C. Bereano. "I've been working this thing like crazy," he said recently.

Bereano says cigarettes are a "lawful product," and that smoking is a "lawful activity." He said of the ban proponents: "They want to run other people's lives."

Melvin R. Thompson, a lobbyist for the Restaurant Association, said the ban would be bad for business. He said smokers might not drink as much, or they might stay home rather than head to a bar or tavern, hurting liquor revenues.

Mr. Bereano, while it's a lawful activity, tobacco equals death. It will not kill users now, but eventually, because smokers will die slowly and painfully. Not to mention harming those around them and the bar workers who constantly have to breathe their smoke. Probably this law will force smokers to reconsider their habits, because smokers are run over other people's lives (through second-hand smoke)and themselves.

Get Rid of HSA's!

I have took this test in my senior year of high school. Luckily, while I did not need to pass it to graduate, I passed them. But special-ed students, people with limited English proficiency, and disabled students will not be lucky, even if the Maryland High School Assessments turns into a graduation requirement in 2009.

Some opponents of the test say that as many as 25,000 students are at risk of failing at least one of the exams, but state officials say programs to improve performance and generally improve scores on tests mean only a handful of students will fail.

Many students having the most difficulty with the tests are in the groups affected by the delay. According to a state education Web site, there are more than 31,000 special-ed students in high schools; almost 6,500 with limited English proficiency; and nearly 5,000 who fall under Code 504, which includes many students with disabilities. However, not all of these students are in the Classes of 2009 and 2010, the groups affected by the change.

I smell a No (Rich) Child Left Behind connection...

How Many More Marylander's Must Die Unitl We Have UHC?

Lets make these nightmares a thing of the past.

The State of Maryland just spent $250,000 on a toothache, and in the end, it still wasn't enough to save the life of 12 year-old Dearmonte Driver. Universal Health Care would have saved Dearmonte's life, and saved the State of Maryland over $200,000.

Universal Health Care would have guaranteed Dearmonte dental coverage from any dentist in the state. His toothache would have been taken care of, either for free or for a few dollars. Tooth extraction isn't a difficult process, and any dentist can perform the procedure. Instead, Dearmonte was on medicaid and his parents were unable to find a Medicaid dentist to see him.

What happened to Dearmonte and his family is unacceptable. Its time to stop ignoring the uninsured. If we continue to do so, we risk both moral and economic peril.

Cross posted from Kujanblog.

Trains, Subways, and Bikes

Do you know why 40% of DC residents don't own a car?

It's reasonable to assume that this occurs in part because in the region, Washington and Arlington enjoy the richest set of non-automobile based transportation and mobility assets--plus in many areas, walkable communities. . .

Here's another reason why public transit is more efficient than cars.

In one hour, one road-mile of road-lane can accommodate about 2,000 cars on a limited access freeway, and from 800 to 1,300 cars in various non-freeway situations.

The same lane mile can accommodate 6,750 people riding buses, 10,000 people riding bus rapid transit, a minimum of 15,000 people riding light rail, and up to 65,000 people in heavy rail (subway).

Another great reason why Congress should make funding for public transit more readily available than highways and airports.

Equalized! RHA Votes for Downgrading Marijuana Penalities!

While the UMD Resident Hall Association does not have real power, it narrowly passed a resolution recommending that the marijuana possession to have the same penalites as alcohol possession by 20 to 17

"Using marijuana is not setting a fire, it's not raping someone. The only person that it hurts physically is the user. I don't think it's fair that it's classified as an A-level violation."

That was from Vice President Sumner Handy, which I agree with him, but there were some opposition to the resolution.

...Resident Life Director Deb Grandner said she opposes the RHA's decision because reducing penalties could increase the drug market on the campus and lead to more crime.

"Right now I believe that our students take our drug policy seriously, and I want them to continue to take it seriously," she said.

If you want to get rid of the drug market Mr. Grandner, there's a little something called drug legalization. Try lobbying Congress for it. (Note: Contains for and against links)

Technical difficulties

Blogger once again, was screwing my posts up. If you come from lefty blogs and saw my series "The Vast Wasteland" three of four times, it was not my fault. Blogger Mobile for reasons unknown delayed my post for three days. By the time you read this, they should be gone.

Anyone for a $292 spike?

The Student Fee Review Board just did.

The increases were not unexpected, said Student Government Association Vice President of Finance Daozhong Jin, who pointed to routine cost-of-living increases and rising energy prices as the primary reason for the hike. After the increase, total room and board costs will rise to $8,714 next year.

The hike was in sharp contrast to increases last year, however, when university officials faced strong opposition from SGA leaders who questioned the necessity of the increase. This year, some students raised questions about fees, but they were content to pass concerns on to university President Dan Mote's cabinet without reservations, students present at the hearing said. Reporters were shut out of the hearing.

No comment

Don't Kill Off The Terrapin's for Good

"In the ideal world we'd close the fisheries down, put bycatch reduction devices on all the crab pots and prevent loss of habitat,"

That's what the Maryland's Department of Natural Resources should do to protect our UMD's beloved school mascot, the Terrapins from being extinct.

Maryland watermen caught more than 10,000 of the state's official reptile last summer, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The figure, which is a 20-fold increase from the year before, sent a shockwave that rippled through the state's environmental community and has caused the involvement of the state's legislative and executive bodies.

According to an article in Saturday's Baltimore Sun, the administration opposes the potential passage of legislation sponsored by Sen. Roy P. Dyson (D-Southern Maryland) that would outlaw catching the turtles in the state. An O'Malley spokesperson said passage of legislation would not preserve the traditional power of the state Department of Natural Resources to regulate fisheries. In the event of a revival of terrapin populations, the administration says, the department should be empowered to allow resumption of trapping.

Wait, O'Malley opposes such a common sense law? We should protect all of nature's creatures even if it means sacrificing some businesses. If this Republicrat really cares about the environment, he should support it.

The Vast Wasteland

Maryland Public Television is at it again, showing the same pile of crap like "Ageless Defense" they did from last month for their monthly pledge drives. I have to wonder, are they're doing this for everyone or just for the senior AWASPs they donate. Even though they do give out a lot of money, once the pledge drives done, MPT is back to their usual mostly safe programing. While their sales pitches always show "Make a Difference" I don't see much difference in their programing.

There's little programing produced for the Maryland public. I'm still seeing britcom imports from the 70s while there are so many other British and international programing MPT or PBS can import. And still there's no real programing for teens ages 13-17. Basically, MPT pledge drives are more like a business than a public service and another great reason we need a independent source of funding, that comes directly from the people.

The Vast Wasteland

“As the prime House author of the Children’s Television Act, I am pleased the commission is pursuing serious and vigorous enforcement of violations,” said Representative Edward J. Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who heads the House subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet. “This is a particularly egregious case and the level of the proposed fine reflects it. Rather than giving kids programming that is educationally nourishing, Univision elected to give them the Spanish-language equivalent of a soap opera..”

To tell you the truth, I'm not buying the fact that the Federal Communications Commission will be more aggressively enforcing the Children's Television Act after fining Univision a record $24 million for pushing telenovels as E/I programing for children.

When Univision began broadcasting a show three years ago about the misadventures of 11-year-old identical twin girls who swapped identities after discovering they had been separated at birth, it characterized the episodes as educational programming for children.

That decision is expected to cost Univision, the nation’s largest Hispanic network, $24 million in what would be the largest fine the Federal Communications Commission has ever imposed against any company. The penalty is also expected to send a strong signal to broadcasters that they will be expected to meet their required quota of shows that educate and inform children, after years of permissive oversight in this area.

These years of permissive oversight is the fault of the making of the Children's Television Act, which does not define what programing is considered educational and or information. Instead, Congress and the FCC let the broadcasting industry define it for themselves.

...the show, with complex subplots and occasional adult themes, had little value for young children.

In an affidavit accompanying the United Church’s complaint, Federico Subervi, a media consultant to such shows as “Dora the Explorer” and “The Misadventures of Maya and Miguel” said that “Complices” contained many adult plots and complex themes that were hardly suitable for young children.

If I were to produce a E/I program it would be a teenage live-action drama about a club of high school writers learning the material how they can improve their writing. If would be great E/I material because the theme of the show will be primary academic instead if soft social issues such as friendship and happiness. I would title the the show "The Rhetor Society".

Again, I doubt that the Commission would actually begin to enforce their own regulations.

“I generally think consumers are better served by less regulation, not more,” he said in an interview. “But I also think the commission has a key role to play in some areas, such as children’s television, and I take those obligations seriously.”

Because with weak regulations, the industries they supposed to regulate will find a way to make money while disregarding the law they are supposed to follow. In this case for E/I programing, they use it to make more money by putting ads for adult oriented products.

As further evidence that the program did not comply with the rules, Mr. Subervi noted that 80 percent of the advertising during the show was geared toward adults.

Sources:
Record Fine Expected for Univision (Free Press)
Univision Said to OK Record FCC Fine (Free Press)

UMD Life

"Baseball Practice"

Expand No Child Left Behind?!

Even though High Schoolers are performing worse than before in standardized tests!?

About 35 percent of 12th-graders tested in 2005 scored proficient or better in reading -- the lowest percentage since the test was launched in 1992, the new data showed. And less than a quarter of seniors scored at least proficient on a new version of the math test; officials called those results disappointing but said they could not be compared to past scores. In addition, a previous report found that 18 percent of seniors in 2005 scored at least proficient in science, down from 21 percent in 1996.

As I reported about this law last year, the No Child Left Behind has already failed. As a matter of fact it's sole purpose is to abolish schools by erodsion. Since Dubya knows they know if they abolish public schools outright, the American public will be pissed off. And this is just Prince George's County. This kind of pressure has forced teachers to keep two records.

The potential for grade and course-title inflation is not confined to low-performing schools. Julie Greenberg, a math teacher at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, said she was under such pressure to raise grades that she used to keep two sets of books in her statistics class: one for the grades students deserved and one for the grades that appeared on report cards.

The Republicrat Congress ought to repeal this law, ASAP.

Subways, Trams, and Bikes

"We are going to get this right. You get only one shot with the Federal Transit Administration," he told the state House Appropriations subcommittee.

That is what John D. Porcari, the new Secretary of Transportation, said when referring to three major public transit projects that will not go forward to public hearings as planned.

• The Baltimore Metro Red Line, which will run from Woodlawn to the Fells Point-Canton area.

• The 14-mile Metro Purple Line connecting New Carrollton with Bethesda in the DC metropolitan area. This is the same line that would have a stop directly on the University of Maryland campus.

• And the Corridor Cities Transitway in Montgomery County's Interstate 270 corridor that would extend transit service past the Shady Grove Metro station into northern Montgomery.

The primary reason is for the Department of Transportation to collect more accurate information about transit ridership in the area. While this is good, I would rather have these projects expedited. Public Transit in Baltimore, just plain sucks. There's only one underground rail line and one light rail line and dozens of bus lines. Oh, and don't forget the threat of rising car ownership that contributing to global warming.

UMD Spot

I have not did this segment for a while, this is just to catch up. This
is called "Poster Boy and Poster"
--jkid4

It's Not Close! Bill Would Require UMD to schedule tuition Increases on Advanced Notice!

System Chancellor Brit Kirwan opposes Mizeur's bill, saying tuition rates are so dependent on how the governor and legislators fund higher education each year, producing an accurate estimate four years in advance is impossible.

"If it passed, the regents would have no option but to inflate tuition increases," Kirwan said. "I understand the motivation and I think the delegate's bill is well-intended in trying to give students information so they can plan for the cost of their education, but given the realities of the way the budget process works, it's not a practical bill."

It's not that close to full state funding, but it would help stop surprise fee hikes. But I rather see a plan about full state funding.

Another No Post Day.

There was no posts today. I spent most of the day cleaning my room and desk. Then after worked to finish my English rhetorical analysis assignment. Not not to mention got some PSOX and Halo 2 action. But I did changed the Blog's template to include Maryland political blogs. Soon I'll make a list of UMD and National Blogs I read.

UMD Life

Here's a funny story I must tell you. Last friday,
I went into Hornbake out of interest to see what they have on their Dial
Access schedule. I looked at the board and discovered that their we were
supposed to be in Room J at 12pm-1pm. At first, it did not make any
sense, but I waited for that time, hopefully the class were to arrive.
But they didn't.

I asked the library staff is Prof. Nickols going a arrive here. They
told me he didn't came to the early 10am-11am session either. I thought
I made a big mistake, iso ran off to the LeFrak building. I was ten
minutes late, the class was still there...without Nickol. Either he was
playing a joke or he canceled class.

Note at the time I did not check my email.

I told the class what is going on. They would not believe me at first,
but they went along. When we got there, Nickols was not there either.
Did I mention there was a film in room J? We watch some 45 minutes of
the film before the class dismissed themselves. It was a nice film

two days ago, I was prepared to take full responsiblity of friday's
incident. Yet Nickols took the responsiblity himself say to the class
that he was out of town on short notice, his internet was down. Thus he
could not email the class that class was canceled.

That's the punch line. But we got on with the class, business as usual

Now Useful! Tokyopop Revamps Manga Classification System!

I'm completely unaware that Toykopop has reached it's tenth anniversary and completely unaware that on Fall 2007 they're going to be rating manga in a new way.

...Tokyopop has developed a thorough ratings guide that not only reflects the graphic novel industry as a whole but also provides detailed explanations of its ratings, akin to the video game industry's ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) ratings.

Tokyopop's new ratings guide will include more than 40 content indicators divided among five age ranges. In Fall 2007, a general set of content indicators in addition to the ratings icon will be printed on the cover of each new series. The new system will provide prospective buyers with far more information about a book's content than the previous system (that Tokyopop pioneered), which simply provided the age rating alone.

Tokyopop has also disclosed the entire comsumer advisory list for each category. But there are a few questions: Who will be classifying the manga? Do they have actual guidelines to go along with the categories? And how will the category descriptors be defined?

Regardless, we will be withholding judgment on the new rating system until it launches Fall of this year.

The Vast Wasteland

I'm tried of public broadcasting being forced into a rock and a hard place when it comes to funding and serving its mission, which, in my opinion, is not doing in the case of Maryland Public Television. President Dubya has, again, cut funding for public broadcasting. As a matter of fact, he's zeroing-out the federal portion of the money. Basically he's forcing PBS to do two things: Sell-out to Madison Avenue or die. And if you think selling Barney merchandise would help, it won't.

Unless Congress wants to allow stations to air program underwriting messages far closer to traditional ads-a step many public TV stations oppose-other revenue sources aren't likely to make up for government cuts, the report says.

Secondary revenues from book, toy and DVD deals generate $7 million to $10 million annually, but they come from relatively few shows and at best merely help offset the Corporation of Public Broadcasting and PBS' limited ability to fund upfront development costs for suppliers and stations.

There's only one way to resolve this: levy $2 per month from our electric, cable and internet bills to provide a permanent source of funding for public broadcasting. That's a dollar for federal and state level, and it would total $6 a month. That's $72 a year for each person. It would substantially improve public broadcasting from it's sell out state to one that will rival BBC in it's services. The beauty of this is that you would not have to pay any extra money, the companies themselves will have to take it out of their monthly profit to the IRS to fund the public broadcaster itself. I call it the reception tax.

But don't expect the National Association of Broadcasters to like it at all, they're anti-completive when it comes to broadcasting and will fight tooth and nail to prevent such a thing from happening.

Wage Apartied

A Living wage bill in committee in the Maryland State Assembly. The bill would require state contractors to pay their employees $11.95 an hour almost double the state's minimum wage, which is $6.15.

Yet, alas, as I said it would only apply to state contractors.

The living wage requirement would only apply to contracts worth more than $100,000 and would not apply to workers younger than age 17 or those who work fewer than 13 consecutive weeks. Also, some contractors, such as providers of emergency services, would be exempted. Del. Richard K. Impallaria, a Baltimore County Republican, said those "loopholes" should be removed.

What I rather like to see is a real living wage. That wage would be fixed to $15 dollars a hour and would increase by the cost of living in each city. It would not apply to businesses less that have less than ten people, they would only have to pay half of the living wage. It is possible since we are the most richest country in the world, just amend the Fair Labor Standards Act. But don't expect most Republicrats to do it.

If Feds Don't Raise Fuel Efficiency, Do It Yourself!

Maryland Delegates have approved a bill that will have raise its Fuel Efficiency Standard to 43 miles per gallon. This is a great way to help stop global warming, because by increasing fuel efficiency we will use less gasoline (which is made by fossil fuel mostly from the Middle East). Ergo we would actually conserve energy for better use.

But what about the Federal Government? They have not raised their MPG for a long time. Even today, they oppose initiatives such as this:

Carmakers estimate $3,000 would be added to consumers' costs. And they argue that by adopting California's emissions standards, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and other states are ceding their power if California should decide to tweak its regulations.

"This legislation will result in higher costs, reduce choices and give California the authority to make decisions about the vehicles Marylanders drive," said Charles Territo, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which lobbied heavily against the bill.

What he mean was higher production costs in the making of gas guzzling vehicles and/or not being able make SUV's anymore (unless they can raise their fuel efficiency, which may never happen). And higher production costs affect the bottom line. This is why they opposed such laws, they rather keep making profit instead of sacrificing some profit to improving fuel efficiency of their cars instead of going straight to their fat wallets. The only way they would be forced to raise their fuel efficiency at this point is for Congress to raise it's national fuel efficiency standard. And I prefer it to be 60 MPG.

For more info about issues such as this check out 40MPG.org

Legal Relief! Maryland Considers Allowing Drug Convicts College Financial Aid!

To tell you the truth, I do not like financial aid denial laws at all. It prevents people who really want to go to college just because they got convicted over a possession of weed. But it's a good thing that Maryland General Assembly will consider a bill allowing state aid for those who are convicted of drug use or possession.

An estimated 2,700 students of the 1.4 million who applied for aid were denied federal money for school because of drug convictions according to the organization Students for Sensible Drug Policy, but a bill introduced by Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez (D-Montgomery) seeks to ignore the federal denial and allow state aid. The state currently automatically denies any applicant who was denied federal aid.

Gutierrez said in an interview that besides the 2,700 who went without aid last year, thousands more students are deterred from ever pursuing financial aid because of a law that denies aid even to students whose offense included a simple possession charge.

"If kids think they're going to be denied, they don't even bother to apply," said Gutierrez. "Those are not going to show up in any statistics."

The Diamondback editorial line also stands in full support of the bill.

Consider as well that those hurt by federal restrictions are often the most unfortunate and disenfranchised elements of society. We're not making excuses for drug violators by blaming poverty, but it does not make sense to withhold financial support from the state's poorest, who have already served their time and punishment as mandated by the justice system.

Not everyone gets off scot-free - the state of Maryland itself can restrict drug violators from freely recieving financial aid, but this bill further widens the window for debate on the issue.

Drug violators are fully eligible for admission to the university and in-state tuition status. If the state is interested in restricting the freedom of drug violators to pursue a public education, why restrict only financial aid, and not the education itself?

Many of the people who are denied financial aid really want to go college to better themselves. Stats constantly show that people with a college degree earn a lot higher than high school grads. If we really want to rehabilitate drug users, this is the first step. The only major way we can get rid of this travesty is for Congress to repeal ALL financial aid denial laws regarding drug crimes. But don't expect them to do it.

Kucinich and the City

In These Times has short interview with the presidential candidate the Mainstream Media Care About He also calls for refocusing on Domestic Policy.

My experience has told me that the United States has to return to the American city. I’m someone whose career has been heavily involved in local government. I know exactly the kind of concerns that communities have. Cities need revenue sharing again. Cities need job programs and summer job programs for young people. We need to come up with new energy policies to enable the creation of alternative energy. More money for mass transit. It’s almost like domestic policy in America is like the dark side of the moon! Nobody’s even seen it, at least not since this administration took office.

Kucinich is right. There are many problems with the cities these days: Lack of real public transport in some cities, poverty, air pollution, affordable housing. This is just to name a few. A shame you will rarely know him if you concentrate solely on the "local news" which is all for intents and purposes a mockery of journalism.

News Corporate Media Does Not Want You to Know

I have not did this for a long while, here it goes:

Commonwealth Britianica Finally Gives Up on Iraq (Another story from BBC)

Everyday Child Porn, Not the Illegal Kind

Dubya: Iran's Next

And...

Think No (Rich) Child Left Behind is Bad? Try No (Rich) College Student Left Behind!

Let Marylanders Decide! Early Voting Approved!

About time!

"We're headed the wrong way," said Sen. David R. Brinkley, a Frederick County Republican and the Senate minority leader

Why is that Mr. Brinkley? Is it because you only concentrate on your consitutants who have it easy voting for their candidates instead of concentrating on the State as a whole. What about people who oppose Republicans, the living poor, working class, minorities? They would greatly benefit from early voting because they can vote ahead of time instead of taking a valuable day off from work. Not to mention the first step to getting rid of horse race elections.

Riot! But it's legal!

We all know that when a Terp sports team wins a very major game, there's going to be a riot. To tell you the truth, we was lucky that there was no riot after the Terps won against Duke. And the Student Government Assoication want to keep it that way

This year, if the Terps defeat UNC at home and beat Duke in Durham, Student Government Association members are arranging a post-game blowout on McKeldin Mall featuring a disc jockey and a sound system.

But most other details of what the celebration will include are sketchy, because one of the proposal's architects, SGA Executive Vice President Kyle Carson, said he wants the event to have room for spontaneity.

"We've planned a little bit, but we don't want it to go too far out there because we don't want people to think it's whack because they think we planned it," Carson said. "We're just trying to come up with something to provide a new tradition at Maryland where we can celebrate victories."

Regardless of Superstition I went to Katsucon 13!

I went to my first anime convention ever. It was Katsucon 13, which was held from January 16-18 at the Omni Shoreham (which is celebrating its 75th Anniversary) in Washington, DC, near the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro station. I mostly took a lot of photographs and some videos of cosplayers and wonder about. One of those videos I have took them were two girls: one playing as Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series, another who will not identify her cosplay alter-ego until she finds goggles. It’s a bit of shame that I could not stay the entire three day convention; it was an awesome time there.

Hopefully I would upload the videos and a photo essay of the convention by next week. (I hope.)

Adventures in Video Gaming

Last night I got into another game of TTF on PSOX (That’s Towards the Future and Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II, for non-PSO’ers). A hunter named Chrispo for some reason activated the final boss transporter as soon as I got into the city. I hate gamers who ignore everything someone says. Yet they managed to defeat Dark Falz and completed TTF once again, and leveled up once as well.

Then I played Mio, a low lever FOmarl. Got into a regular Normal game, and went into the telepipe. But I’m surprised that I get to fight the Mines boss Vol Opt. I survived, thanks to the help of other two hunters.

Today there was little PSOX action since there was none Very Hard games I could play, but there was plenty of Halo 2 action, including a 16 player match.

Stupid Congressman Tricks!

Ban Wikipedia?! What Kind of Senator is Mr. Stevens is?!

Early in January, Stevens introduced Senate bill 49, which among other things, would require that any school or library that gets federal Internet subsidies would have to block access to interactive Web sites, including social networking sites, and possibly blogs as well. It appears that the definition of those sites is so vague that it could include sites such as Wikipedia, according to commentators. It would certainly ban MySpace.

Ted Steven's is just another mediaphobe who wants to protect children: His own children from services and websites they will have to encounter. It does not take anyone with basic knowledge of constitutional law to understand that it violates the free speech clause of the first amendment. Why is he introducing this bill while we got worse things to worry about!

I do not support this bill at all. And if Democrats support this bill, they're part of the problem.

Get more cops walking

Back in October, county police announced they would be putting a special emphasis on patrolling bars after police and local officials claimed cheap liquor prices were contributing to the crime wave. It's time we recognized the absurdity of this premise. Fifty-cent rails aren't contributing to armed robbery, and focusing our limited resources on policing inside bars is leaving university students outside of those bars even more vulnerable. Wednesday's attempted armed robbery didn't happen inside Cornerstone; it happened at the corner of Rhode Island and Norwich.

That incident would have never happened if Prince George's Police were in the area actually walking their patrols instead of riding in their cars. In England, I have seen more police walking their patrols instead of driving their cars. And they walk in pairs. In America, due to our car culture, we mostly see cops only if they are in their cars.

Seriously, one of the best ways to prevent crime in the city is to make police more visible to the people.

Before we help “Bail Out” PBS, Public Interest Must Be Guaranteed: No Long-term Funding without Serious Commitment and Change

Groups such as Moveon.org and others have rightly responded to the proposed Bush Administration budget slash to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (around a 25% reduction to CPB’s funding for public television and radio). There is now a campaign to help restore funding and also politically pave the way for some form of permanent support—such as a “Trust Fund.”

While reversing the cuts is necessary, it is too early to support any permanent funding plan. More money won’t cure PBS’s problems. It will just enable the network to display higher-priced collectibles on Antiques Roadshow. The system needs to be restructured so the public interest is better guaranteed via a truly non-commercial approach. We also must think beyond today’s PBS and NPR to ensure there will be funding to support a much more expansive and diverse non-commercial digital environment. But to begin with PBS. Its annual budget should be required to have mandatory requirements for programming. For example, PBS—and its stations—should be mandated to reserve around 30% of annual revenues to pay for news and public affairs programming. Investigative news programming produced locally and nationally would be part of this commitment. A significant amount of funding would need to go for cultural programming. All children’s programming must be fully non-commercial: no underwriters, brand-tie-ins and even toy deals (that would be needed for news as well). Like news, the PBS “kidvid” block would receive a guarantee percentage of the Trust Fund revenues. PBS would be required to underwrite programming which reflect the needs of a diverse and under-served audience. It would have to ensure independent producers, especially women and producers of color, create at least half of all its annual programming. A review process would be created via an independent committee that would report annually to the public how well PBS was fulfilling its Trust Fund obligations. PBS and its stations would also be required to develop governance reforms which would help put the “public” back into public broadcasting. There could be similar approaches to NPR (This blogger has worked on PBS issues for many years, so my expertise is with the TV side versus public radio).

Finally, an independent body would be set up which would provide grants directly to producers and others who produce non-commercial content across various platforms. Such funding would grow in time as the need for stations recedes due to the digital transformation. (A Trust Fund would have to alter its funding strategies to reflect current and impending changes in media use). CPB would be replaced, of course. I don’t believe Congress will “free” public broadcasting soon. But as we begin the conversation about its future, much more serious deliberation is needed. We shouldn’t help save “Big Bird” if all the public is going to get is more of the same of what we have today. That’s why advocates need to clearly offer a serious restructuring that will better guarantee the country has a set of diverse non-commercial digital services it deserves.

Cross-posted from Jeff Chester's The Digital Beat.

Will the Death Penalty Repeal Law Be Executed by the Assembly?

Shameful this bill may not get a chance to go the the Maryland Senate. If does though, prepare for a uphill battle.

Death penalty opponents are gearing up to make their case before the legislature, an effort to capitalize on what they believe is changing national sentiment on the issue. Coupled with the high court decision, O'Malley's opposition to the policy, which he has said is costly and does not necessarily act as a deterrent to crime, has bolstered a new wave of activism in Maryland to wipe the punishment from the books.

Activists feel that brewing questions about how lethal injections are administered have only helped their cause. They note that even former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush instituted a moratorium after a botched injection in that state.

"People who support the death penalty, including Jeb Bush, think there's something wrong with the method we use to execute people," said Jane Henderson, executive director of Maryland Citizens Against State Executions. "And that's a complex discussion in and of itself."

I'll promise you that all of the committee members are Christians. If they vote down this bill, it will really prove what kind of Christians they are.

Outlawed! Anti-New Ground Rents Bill Awaits O'Malley's Hands.

About time we get stopped it.

Once enacted, the law would prohibit the creation of any new ground rents on residential property, effective Jan. 22, 2007. Some senators questioned whether it was appropriate to enact the prohibition retroactively. But Frosh said the provision was necessary to avoid a "land rush" of property owners creating new ground rents before the law goes into effect.

Several more ground rent bills have been filed and are scheduled for hearings next week. While the bill passed today was designed to make sure the ground rents do not become more prevalent, the other legislation directly tackles the current system.

What about ground rents in other cites in America?

That's What You Get With Media Consolidation

Comcast has been benefiting from little competition by raising rates and giving sucky customer service while earning huge profits. College Park Council: "Improve your service or get a $200 daily bill."

A report submitted by the city’s cable commission, which has met with Comcast representatives several times over the last year, submitted a report last month suggesting College Park fine the cable company.

Under the terms of the city’s 1997 contract with Comcast, College Park can fine the company $200 if 90 percent of customer calls are not answered within 30 seconds. The commission’s statistics showed waiting periods around a minute in nearly every month of 2005 and 2006.

The lowest average call time was 22 seconds in February 2005. The highest average was three minutes and 27 seconds in September 2006. The most recent data showed a one minute and 15 second average waiting period last December.

While those averages include all of Prince George’s, a spokesman for the Maryland Municipal League (MML), which represents municipalities throughout the county, said he had not heard customer service complaints surface anywhere else.

Even though Version has also got a cable franchise agreement with the City, it's will not solve the fact that the cable industry is anti-competitive. (read: No multiple cable companies or phone companies)

Belated Diamondback Issue!

While the University was closed yesterday the Diamondback managed to put together a web edition of that day. Now they released today's newspaper with the same stories, but with additional reports.

UMD On Its Feet!

The Univeristy opened its doors for the first time since the early
closing on Tuesday. That means while most public school system are
closed for another day, you have to drag your ass to class today.
--jkid4

Legal Hemp Bill Introduced!

Here's another great idea to help solve global warming: Legalize Hemp!

The difference is that the vegetable source is renewable, cheap and clean, and the petroleum or coal sources are limited, expensive and dirty. By volume, 30% of the hemp seed contains oil suitable for high-grade diesel fuel, as well as aircraft engine and precision machine oil.

Good thing someone in Congress has the same idea

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), a maverick 2008 presidential candidate, is the chief sponsor behind the bill, H.R. 1009. Nine co-sponsors, including fellow White House hopeful Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), are all Democrats.

The bill "would give states the right to regulate farming of the versatile hemp crop," the release says.

"It is indefensible that the United States government prevents American farmers from growing this crop," the release quotes Rep. Paul. "The prohibition subsidizes farmers in countries from Canada to Romania by eliminating American competition and encourages jobs in industries such as food, auto parts and clothing that utilize industrial hemp to be located overseas instead of in the United States."

Paul states that the passing of the act would "help American farmers and reduce the trade deficit -- all without spending a single taxpayer dollar.

I must warn you that the Oil, Military, Food, Agribusiness, Natural Gas, Paper, Plastics industries, and any other business affected by this bill will fight this to the ground. Because if it passes they would actually be forced to compete, or go out of business.

Virginia Tribes Continue the Fight Against Cultural Genocide

Another sad story really, despite the fact that Native Americans have a long history in our country and have a national museum in their honor, they are still not recognized as regular citizens of American.

While the Virginia Government is doing a good job knowing their existence, the Federal Government rather sit on their asses.You just have to see this story for yourself.

Maryland General Assembly News for 2/14/2007

The Maryland House approves an preliminary approval for a constitutional amendment allowing early voting

Final votes set on prohibiting new ground rents, instead outlawing them entirely (which I would prefer).

Oh, Do Not Think About It!

Privatising the Maryland Lottery!? I will not be having any of that!

Maryland Lottery Director Buddy Roogow said he has not studied the idea of privatizing the lottery in detail, but he said he wonders whether private operators would consider the deals worthwhile, given the constraints that states are likely to put on them in terms of payments and restrictions on how the lottery operates.

But leaders in other states are betting they can come out winners from a privatization deal. Last week, Perry, a Republican, argued that selling the Texas state lottery would eliminate that volatility from state budgets and would result in an annual gain for the state's coffers.

If the state invests the $14 billion generated by a sale and gets a 9 percent return, it would yield $1.3 billion a year, about $300 million more annually than the state gets from the lottery now, the Texas governor said. Perry proposed using the money for cancer research, education funding and a subsidy for those without health insurance.

Even if the Maryland Government sells off the lottery, they would not be able to implement these plans anyway. And they could do the same ideas while keeping the lottery in public hands. Don't sell it off it, keep it for the public good.

CdigixCtaxs goes out of buisness?! I Was Going to Cancel Anyway

A really sad story I must tell you. Last Sunday I lost access to my music. It has a great selection of hip hop/rap, electronic, and some punk music. I panicked: I tried calling Ctrax customer service: Nothing but answering machines that don't call back. Tried emailing them to help me regain my access, they have not replied in for three days. I even upgraded Windows Media Player from 9 to 10 (Probably that's a good thing). I asked myself what the bloody hell's going on? But now I know why I can't access my account anymore.

CDigix will end its partnership with the university by April 30, ending a nearly two-year run as the university-sponsored digital entertainment service providing legal music downloads to students, CDigix officials said yesterday.

The announcement came as CDigix said Monday they were pulling out of the digital music business altogether, a decision made because the marketplace had become too "crowded" and "volatile" for the company to survive, CDigix vice president of university sales Mark Brodsky said. The University System of Maryland adopted the service as a legal downloading tool in spring 2006, following a yearlong trial on the campus.

Office of Information Technology Communications Director Phyllis Johnson said the university system's 11 colleges and universities hope to expedite negotiations to find a replacement for CDigix, discussing Apple's "iTunes U," a downloading service offered to universities, as a replacement. She added download service Ruckus, already at use at Frostburg State, is also a possibility.

I was going to cancel my account next week and considering switching to Ruckus. It's ad-supported but it's better than this screwover Terps are going to get come April 30. There's actually no need for the University to get into a contractual agreement with Ruckus, all they need to do is to promote it since anyone with a .edu university email address can sign up.

Snowed Hard! Near Total Campus Shutdown!

UMD has been snowed hard all yesterday. Add ice to the mix and the university was forced to close early yesterday at 2pm.

Student Stamp Union closed later at 5pm and most Dining Services facilities, save for the North and South Campus Diner and the Commons Shop which they closed at 7pm, closed at 2pm. I actually first found out about the closing from a staff member while headed to the library and confirmed it for myself.

Now except for the North and South Campus Diners, UMD is totally shutdown until further notice, in case tomorrow.

In related news, wonder how closings in universities are different than those in high schools?

Success! UMD Closes at 2pm Today!

OK, we did not have our full closing but we did got a early closing. That means No Late Night Study, no more classes for the rest of the day. If you do not live in the dorms I suggest you leave NOW. As of this posting most UMD facilities will close ten minutes from now.

It's Snowing! Hope UMD's Closing Tomorrow.

Enough said.

UMD Life

Will it snow tonight? Or it will be anothere dud like last week. The
national weather service has a winter weather watch for the DC-Baltimore
region until Wednesday morning of this week. We donLt know what we are
getting: Wintery mix, or a modest snowfall. All I know for sure is that
I hope UMD will be closed when snow comes.

Catholic, Yes? Then Repeal the Death Penality!

If I was O'Malley, I would ask the Assembly to repeal the Death Penalty ASAP. I could then reallocate resources to preventing the root causes of crime. Yet, again, don't expect O'Malley to do anything.

"It wasn't long ago that if you were a Democrat and against the death penalty, you'd run a hundred miles from it,..."

Republicrats: All talk, No balls.

Pass This Bill=Near 100% Record Student Voting!

If a bill in the Maryland Senate passes, it would lead to almost lead to a record amount of student voters on the polls throughout the University System of Maryland.

In addition to allowing students to initiate or modify their voter registration when they enter a university system school, the legislation would establish a permanent on-campus residence for students, eliminating a need to update voting information when students move to another area of the campus.

Other key provisions in both Grayson's proposal and the Senate bill would also prompt administrators to take a more active role in getting students into the electoral process, including communicating with students via mass e-mail at least three times before an election about registering to vote. If passed, the bill in Annapolis would also require universities to run registration drives and contract non-profits to coordinate voter education campaigns.

"If it's easier to register and its easier to vote and you don't have to wait in line for hours, obviously more students will be able to vote," said Rosapepe, who promised to introduce legislation after witnessing long lines at Stamp Student Union caused by a lack of voting machines.

If anyone in Annapolis is reading this, I have one thing to say: Pass this Bill Now!

Police Prepared for Riot! Left Disappointed!

Last night while there was dozens of students screaming crazy, there was no riot. Route One was still flowing with traffic. Students going to and from restaurants to eat or to their bars. Prince Georges County Police however took no chances and set a two-rowed riot squad lined up along Knox Road next to city hall. A black police truck was standing by opposite of the City Hall building. College Park Fire and EMS Department also stood by as a precaution as well as additional officers and patrols of County Police. After around 7:50pm, the riot officers left the area, the black truck with them too. They realize that a riot will not going to happen.

So that was it, Terps won, no riot, everyone slept peacefully. The Diamondback also written a piece of tonight's peaceful night.

Sorry for the Absence, Again.

I went to a weekend seminar at the Bolger Center this weekend. It was a nice place, shame it was on a isolated area. But it was near the Washington Metro and Montgomery Mall.

Anywho, I'm on riot watch for the rest of the night to see if the Terps will take to the streets the minute they win. More to come soon.

ICC?! Prince George's Won't Be Having That!

We just have too many roads, we don't need another new one, same goes to Prince George's County. Wait a minute...is that the same transport meeting I've been to on Jan 30th?

A group of High Point High School students criticized the Metro bus system, describing one student’s daily Metro ride that takes him from his Beltsville home through College Park and back to the Beltsville school.

The morning commute takes close to an hour, said senior Levar Alonzo, when it should take minutes.

‘‘Our biggest issue is accessibility,” said Alonzo, adding that Prince George’s should, like Montgomery County, give free Metro rides to students.

The High Point students also pointed out inconsistent intervals between bus pick-ups, leaving students and other regular riders exposed to the extreme summer heat or winter cold for up to an hour.

Yeah, I definitely remember that. This proves in our car culture, if you do not live in a big metropolitan area such in DC or San Francisco, you have no choice but to sell your soul for a car note. America does not need any more roads. Besides have the Republicrats forgotten about Amtrak?

Cordless! Dorms Finally Get Upgraded!

I first arrived to UMD for STEP last year '06. There was wireless service in Somerset Hall, the dorm I resided for the month I stayed, but it's only limited to the 1ft floor lobby and the study areas in each floor. Finally OIT is finally upgrading all dorms to wireless internet.

In an effort to outfit dorms with wireless access by fall 2008, Office of Information Technology engineers will begin work in North Campus highrises this semester before they move to South Campus where officials said the intrusive access point installation process will be restricted to summers, said Resident Life Director Deb Grandner.

If officials meet their goals, the university will be the first of its five peer institutions to offer the technology throughout dorms, although dorm room wireless connections are not uncommon among top-tier universities such as Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Grandner introduced the plan for wireless access in her budget presentation to the Residence Hall Association last Tuesday when she unveiled a plan to take $1.6 million out of Resident Life's plant fund account to finance the 1,600 access points that will be required to equip the school's 34 dorms and apartment buildings.

There's only one problem, what about video games. PS2 and the Xbox do not have official wireless adapters. They may have to shell out $80-$100 for a third-party wireless adapter. But besides that, hopefully they would set up the wireless system by '08 or if better: Early.

Forced Upgrade! MDP Now on New Blogger!

I was a hold out for the new Blogger for a long time, until today. The system forced me onto the new Blogger system. Probally that's a good thing, I did not want to rush in and use it on the first few weeks.

Procastination got the best of me

After I got back to the dorm, and got on the internet, I thought that
was going to be for an hour. Instead it lasted all night. And I did not
anything else, besides that. I don't know what to do.

I got personal errends today. I will be back later.

Slow Day! Nothing Interesting Today!

This is probally my first Slow Days. Other than the surprise opening and
Maryland's plan for the Electoral College, thers nothing else to do.

Probally I'll get to work on my room before get get's messed up again.
Maybe I'll finish my UMD library books. I could clean out my digital
music folder to reclaim more giga bytes. I could write a long form
essay. I could multitask some or most of these so I could get more done.
If my usual procastionation mentality does not prevent me from doing so
first.

Anyway if you have any story ideas that you want me to consider on this
blog email me at jkid4[at]tmail[dot]com between 8am-6pm Weekdays and at
jkid[at]umd[dot]edu at all other times. Until then, consider this post
as an open thread.

Maryland Plans to Scrap Unfair Electoral College

That's great, if they can pass it. But...

The Electoral College protects the two-party system, said Theodore J. Lowi, a Cornell University political scientist and professor.

In 1992, independent Ross Perot won 19 percent of the popular vote but no electoral votes. Under a system determined by the popular vote, many new parties and personalties could emerge. Lowi doesn't think that's a bad thing, but political parties might.

If a large number of such parties on the political left grew in power and fielded credible candidates, for instance, the Democratic nominee would have a difficult time winning the popular vote against a candidate backed by a united conservative front.

This is why Congress needs to get rid of the Electoral Congress. So we can have real choices on the ballot. But don't expect them to do it, they don't want any real competition.

UMD: You Snowed, But It's Not Enough to Close. Snow Harder Next Time.

This sucks. It snowed three inches overnight. Yet UMD managed to be open
for business today and managed to open on time. I had to drag my pissed
off ass to English 101 becuase of this.

And that sucked ass, really suck ass.

It's snowing! Hope there's no school tomorrow!

The DC metro area is snowing right now as we speak. Right now it just a dusting but it will grow into one or two inches. If you want to know if the University is closed tomorrow check the UMD's Emergency Preparedness website.

Maryland School Assessment=NCLB

If Republicrats do not repeal No (Rich) Child Left Behind soon I'll promise you that by 2014 all public schools will be privatized by your Federal Government.

An audit of the county's middle schools, released in 2005, showed lagging achievement among minorities, students learning English and those living in poverty.

The Anne Arundel school system had a summit last fall on middle school "transformation," spurred in part by uninspiring scores on the statewide tests. Several middle schools in the county have failed to make adequate yearly progress under No Child Left Behind, and middle school reform is a top priority for Superintendent Kevin Maxwell.

Seriously Republicrats, repeal this law now!

Carbon Texes Will Not Stop Impending Climate Apocalypse Alone!

Ms. Applebaum is an Op-Ed Columnist for The Washington Post. She knows already that fossil fuels are mostly effecting the climate. She knows there must be desperado action and the Kyoto Treaty would not help to prevent it. So why not implement a Carbon Tax?

It's called a carbon tax, and it should be applied across the board to every industry that uses fossil fuels, every home or building with a heating system, every motorist, and every public transportation system. Immediately, it would produce a wealth of innovations to save fuel, as well as new incentives to conserve. More to the point, it would produce a big chunk of money that could be used for other things. Anyone for balancing the budget? Fixing Social Security for future generations? As a foreign policy side benefit, users of the tax would suddenly find themselves less dependent on Persian Gulf oil or Russian natural gas, too.

Most of all, though, the successful use of carbon taxes does not require "American leadership," or a U.N. committee, or a complicated international effort of any kind. It can be done country by country...

But the Carbon Tax is not the end all to our Climate woes. But it can be part of a plan to rapidly reduce CO2. Here's some of mine:

1. Zero emission regulations for Automobiles and Industry,
2.Legalize Hemp for Industry, and
3.Restrict airplane travel to destinations beyond 500 miles from point of departure.

With my suggestions along with the Carbon Tax, we could solve this crisis in no time. (Don't expect Congress to adopt them, they're too busy spending money from the oil and natural gas industry.)

Major Delay on Campus Drive!

If you are leaving UMD through campus drive be prepared for major
delays. A Metrobus has broken down at Stamp Student Union. A good
smararitian helpfully directed traffic on Campus Drive until UMD Police
Auxiliary arrived on the scene. At this time they have tooked over the
scene and we are handling the suituation as I speak. Again be aware,
major delays on Campus Drive, Metrobus broken down.

Tuition Freeze Can Wait! Deal with Budget First!

Politics before action, as usual

The Board of Regents, the 17-member board that sets university system policy, sets tuition rates each year based on the amount of money allocated by the state and the extent to which those funds cover system expenses. In recent years, however, the legislature has taken more proactive steps to influence hikes.

"The only way we were able to do a tuition freeze last year is we had money to provide the system so they wouldn't have to get it from the students and the parents," Sen. Patrick Hogan (D-Montgomery), the vice-chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee, said in an interview. "Before we can even talk about a tuition freeze, we have to make sure [we have] the funding from the general fund."

You know there's a solution to the problem, fully funding public university funding. But they don't want to. These Republicrats don't have the political will power to do so.

It's Cold! Hope You Have UGG's

I don't, but it has been cold since the first snowstorm of the winter (1/21/2007). Today was no exception But will there be snow?

But Feltgen expects that to change tonight. "Anywhere from one to two inches [of snow] is expected, and it'll be a dry, real fluffy snow," he said.

I hope so. I got so many things to do and the snowfall would help, alot. Since if there's even a inch of snow on the university, it closes down for the day.

Maryland Election Reforms!

Maryland is actually considering amending it's constitution to allow early voting. Along with other lesser known provisions.

Several bills are being considered, including one that would prohibit campaign "robo calls" to constituents on the federal Do Not Call Registry and another that would instruct local election boards to contact county Circuit Courts to extend voting if polls open more than an hour late.

Good, do it and get it over with.

I Care Less for Clubbing...

...but DC Council's proposal for clubs allowing people under ages 21 would have passed if they banned them from selling alcohol to anyone.

"As soon as I heard about the ban, I thought it was the most ridiculous solution to a problem," said Bobby Azarbayejani, 16, a Winston Churchill High School student who formed the Facebook group. "What the ban is trying to say is that teenagers are basically the only ones that are at risk for getting shot at nightclubs. ... The bullet could have hit someone of any age."

Sami Tannouri, a senior neurobiology and physiology major, also opposed the proposal, calling it "destructive" and "hypocritical."

"They're taking away a safe form of entertainment," he said. "Teenagers will go out and get fake IDs, go to someone's house unsupervised and get drunk."

What Tannouri saying is true. While I have no interest in clubbing, clubs under 21 would be safe place if they get rid of the alcohol. If the Council did their research instead of making bills at the spur at the moment, we would not be having stupid bills like this one.

Terp Taxi Gets to Great Start! But there's a Nasty Surprise!

I think I have reported on this before if my memory serves me correct. Terp Taxi has launched last Thursday to serve 69 passengers on it's first weekend.

Even though Terp Taxi, a $5-a-ride weekend nighttime service, needs more than 40 riders a night to cover the cost of using its four minibuses, Transportation Services Director David Allen said he was "very pleased" about the turnout and said he expects more students to use the service once more people know about it.

Terp Taxi, which extends to a quarter-mile radius around the campus including stops already served by Shuttle-UM, attracted 69 total riders on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, including 20 rides the first night, Allen said.

I have not tried this before, but it looks like it's a safe, inexpensive local cab for students in the College Park area. But here's the unsafe part:

Riders have to show their student IDs and fill out a form before riding.

That's what I do not like at all. With wireless technology to scan student IDs so that their student accounts can be charged, it's inexcusable. Seriously, in these times having a passenger fill out a form before riding makes them more vulnerable to muggings and robberies, not to mention auto theft.

Expect a follow up on this story later today.

Now at Halo 2 Combat Zone!

I'm here right now at the Halo 2 laser tag event at Stampfest 07. The
line as I'm posting is 30 minutes long while the line for split-screen
halo itself is only five minutes. I'm first going for halo 2
split-screen then to the actual event. More to come soon.

Six Stamps Get! Waitng Game Begins!

Just a moment ago I got enough stamps to enter a raffle to get a video
ipod. I walways wanted those things, seems like 50% of this campus has
one. But anyway in order to get a ipod you have get a bingo sheet on the
desk near the Grand Ballroom, once you get it there are two ways.

Bingo style which is from left to right, top, to bottom or diaglonally
in four squares. Or get six squares in any space. Once you get either
one. You turn in your sheet to the main desk of the Union. You do not
have to be there when they begin the drawing, but you're more than
welcome to.

How do you get these stamps? Go to the many events and exhibits in the
Stampfest! Try something new. But for me I will return for the Halo 2
laser tag event tonight by seven.

For now, I'm out.

Regular blogging will not be here today...

So I can bring you coverage of the 2007 Terpfest. The Terpfest is for
everyone who has missed the fall first look fair. It's like it but
inside, since its winter and all. The main event of this years Terpfest
is the Halo-themed laser tag gane in the Grand Ballroom,which will
launch 7pm tonight. As a fan of Halo you can expect me there.

More to come...

The 3.5 year old book project

Last week I finished the children's television chapter of my green paper
of my book project. the green paper is a reference to a public
consulation by the british government where citizens can post their
thoughts a proposed implimenation of a party's manifesto. That chapter
is part of my response.

Things have gone a whole lot worse when it comes to children's
television in America. They have the following choices: court, sitcom
reruns, edutainment, trash talk show, or "if it bleeds it leads" 'local'
news. If broadcasters really care about the public interest, then why
abodcate their responsiblity to cable/satellite? Some children to this
day have families that don't want or can afford subscription television.
But they don't care isince they concentrated on the 18-36 AWASPs.