February 28, 2007

The Rights of a Rapist

So, another inconceivable case has come up in court. A man raped a girl. Went to jail for it. Served his time. Is now free. He is back in court again...as a prosecutor...fighting for parental rights to the child he 'helped' conceive when he raped his victim. Now, this is just one of many cases that I figured would never come up, but it has. And what the heck do you do about it? Is it so far off to believe that the man could have found redemption behind bars during those years. That the man is looking to do the right thing after years of doing wrong? Obviously, the child's safety is of utmost concern in this scenario. But, what if this ex-rapist now gets married to a new women and has children. The state surely would not take them away from this man. But, our conscience desperately wants to keep him away from this child. What to do?
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February 27, 2007

Ten on an Island

This format of "Ten on an Island" will be the basis of a series of questions to come in order to develop a possible political/governmental upgrade from western democracy. The premise is that there are ten people on an island, they are a sovereign nation, and they are trying to determine how to best govern themselves. Question #1: One of these ten is a religious extremist who believes that a refusal to believe in his god deserves death. His publicly spoken goal is to to destroy the unbelievers, and is actively pursuing this goal. As the 9, what do you do?
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February 26, 2007

Fill in the Bill

So, there's a coffee shop in Seattle where prices are flexible. Specifically, you order a sandwich, chips and a coffee, and you pay what you think it's worth. I admire a man willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. I definitely would not have...until I heard his results. He claims to be making nearly exactly what he would if he put prices on each item himself. He says some people tend to cheap out and pay a dollar for a nice lunch, but some customers tend to overpay, because they like the idea of being part of something like this. It's a fascinating study in human character, and if this store can remain successful longterm, is very encouraging re: the state of our union.
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February 23, 2007

The Survival of the Weakest

New York State Sen. Carl Krueger introduced a bill that would make it illegal to enter a city crosswalk while engaging in the use of an electronic device. His contention is that people who are listening to music, typing on their blackberry, talking on their phone, etc. are not aware of the sounds of traffic around them, and cites three recent examples of citizen fatalities because of this. Of course, by this logic, Sen. Krueger must also be under the contention that deaf people should not be allowed out in public. In other disabled news this week, the proposed Maryland law that would promote the use of eco-friendly "hybrid" cars is being opposed by advocates of the blind, because hybrid cars are much quieter, and traffic sounds are critical for the blind to be able to get around safely. These advocates are looking to require some sort of reverse muffler for these eco-vehicles. Which goes to show you something, I'm just not sure what.
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February 22, 2007

E-Ching For the Day

"Spend the beginning of your life surrounded by brilliant people who can give you a solid foundation of knowledge and wisdom, and spend the rest of your life surrounded by people who will make you question it."
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February 21, 2007

The Peaceful Commies

So, Chief Illiniwek is giving his last rain dance this week, and is officially retiring as the University of Illinois mascot. So, I understand the reasons behind this, but I don't understand the choosing of "offendiest". When I was in junior high, they took away our Washington Warriors mascot, and replaced him with a thunderbird. Yet, the NFL team, the Washington Redskins are still alive and kicking? Is it because the NCAA and District 203 care more about their rep than the NFL? But, then again, why doesn't the NCAA care about the Fighting Irish, insinuating that Irish people are nothing more than ugly, intoxicated midget boxers? I found this replacement idea made by some students from the University of Illinois to be an appeasing substitute. But, if they ever play any schools in the Southern Belt, we may have another Ford's Theater upon us.
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February 20, 2007

Jurassic Tots

Can a woman participate in in vitro fertilisation while morally being anti-abortion? Is there a conflict here, since more embryos will be created than are used?
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February 19, 2007

Wiccapedia.com

Alright all you venture capitalists out there, do I have the next hot web trend for you! Move over Myspace, enter Wiccapedia - your online encyclopedia for everything you need to know about the damned.
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February 16, 2007

6th Period: Sexploration

So, there's a lot of kids out there who, even after public school health class, don't really understand how sexual interaction works. The school nurse gives them condoms, but is that really enough to prepare them for the sexual world? I propose a mandatory Sexploration class. It could replace a gym credit if necessary (cardio). The school would provide clean beds, clean sheets, and most importantly a safe place for children to explore their changing bodies. After all, these children are going to be having hundreds of sexual partners anyway. We need to ensure they have a safe environment in which to do so.
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February 15, 2007

The First Law of Thermodynamics

So, do you remember hearing about the guys who said we should build big spaceships that we could fill with landfills and blast them off of Earth? Many people found this idea to be economically inefficient. But, my friend brought up another point courtesy of Mr. Einstein. His findings were that matter can not be created or destroyed, only moved. Therefore, by transferring mass from Earth, what could the the consequences (gravity, etc.) of that be? That caused me to ponder something else. Let's say on arbor day, Joe Treehugger goes out and plants a tree. He did good, right? He took a seed and turned it into a tree? Not really. Nutrients that were below the ground are now above the ground. Nothing innately good was actually created. Matter was merely transformed and rearranged.
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