bluree | com

So it’s not an artist today… It’s a new barebones type web-service that has appeared likely as quickly as it may disappear.  It’s a very simple, clean way to share mix tape/MP3.  It’s called Muxtape and you can listen to mine here…

Earlier this week, genius Ronald Long from Deepwater Missouri was having a hard time installing his DirecTV.  He couldn’t seem to get a hole through the exterior wall from his bedroom.  He pulled out his trusty .22-caliber gun and shot through the house.

Unfortunately, his wife, Patsy Long (34) was on the other side and received the second of the two bullets in her chest.  She died prior to getting to the hospital.

Officials are still trying to determine if manslaughter charges should be brought.

On Tuesday, the ever-so-eloquent McCain addressed the crowed and could barely keep his eyes away from the teleprompter to sound out the next work being fed to him.  I have no issue with using a teleprompter mind you but he is just AWFUL at it.  His antics, manner of speech, gestures… voice, just irritate me.  I don’t care who the Democratic contender becomes, either would run circles around McCain just in being able to formulate a simple multi-syllabic sentence.

  Okay… aside from his delivery… the CONTENT of what he’s saying is total gibberish.  He says he’ll consider every possible solution to the “mortgage crisis” and see which one is best… THEN, he’ll do that thing… whatever it is… as the solution… to a problem… about money or something.

Gimme a break.  S-A-Y   S-O-M-E-T-H-I-N-G.

An 11 year old Wisconsin girl died after being sick for a month from un-diagnosed diabetes; 

Her mother, Leilani Neumann, tells The Associated Press her daughter’s condition worsened suddenly, and the parents stayed in prayer, believing she would recover.

She also says she’s not concerned about a police investigation, because she and her husband believe their lives are in God’s hands and they did nothing criminal, only tried to do the best they could for their daughter.

The chief of police expect the case to be wrapped up and forwarded to the District Attorney for review for possible charges.  This is a perfect example of a negative  consequence of organized religion.  For all the examples of positive consequences, this is a casualty of blind ignorant obedience.  Makes me livid.  I really hope charges are brought though I think that even if these parents were charged and found guilty of neglect it would do little to change their ignorance.

We’re now in our 5th year since Bush took us to war in Iraq and have now topped 4,000 deaths.  Last week President Bush reiterated how successful his war has been.  “The battle in Iraq is noble, it is necessary, and it is just and with your courage the battle in Iraq will end in victory,” he told an audience of Pentagon leaders, soldiers and diplomats on March 19th, 2008. 

He said the increase of 30,000 troops that he ordered to Iraq last year has turned “the situation in Iraq around.” He also said that “Iraq has become the place where Arabs joined with Americans to drive al-Qaida out.”

“The surge … has opened the door to a major strategic victory in the broader war on terror,” the president said. “We are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden, his grim ideology and his terror network. And the significance of this development cannot be overstated.”

So last year when he ordered “the surge” he apparently made his first “good” decision… everything prior to that… the years and years and countless deaths?  Who takes responsibility for that?  I wish he would shut his mouth for the balance of his term.

The Boston Globe summarizes it below;

John McCain has officially broken the limits imposed by the presidential public financing system, according to spending reports filed last week by the campaign.

The senator from Arizona has spent $58.4 million on his Republican primary effort. Those who have committed to public financing can spend no more than $54 million on their primary bid.

McCain’s lawyers contend that the spending cap no longer applies. The senator was certified to enter the matching-funds program last year when he was starved for cash. But once he started to win, he decided to hold off. On Feb. 6, after his Super Tuesday victories, he wrote to the Federal Election Commission to announce he would withdraw. His lawyers said that gave him freedom to spend as much as he wanted.

But David Mason, chairman of the commission, wrote to McCain’s campaign last month to alert him that the commission had not yet granted that withdrawal request, and that the commission would first have to vote on the matter. One snag is that the commission has four vacancies and therefore lacks a quorum to consider the matter.

Not that it’ll come to this… but knowingly violating the spending limit is a criminal offense that could put impose stiff fines and up to five years in prison.  Not that it’ll happen… but ya know… it doesn’t help when you ignore the rules of election when vying to become the President of the country.

The Department of Justice, Antitrust division, after a YEAR, finally released a statement that they find no objection to the merger of the only two satellite radio companies.  It’s now up to the FCC to approve.  This has been a huge challenge since they announced plans to merge a year ago.  Terrestrial radio lobbyists are tremendously threatened and have tried to strong-arm legislation to prevent this from occurring. 

The merger should be approved, for sure.  Neither company will survive alone and if they aren’t allowed to merge, one will cease to exist and there will only be one left anyhow.  I have Sirius and love it… I haven’t listened to terrestrial radio in about a decade anyhow.  90% of the time I listen to CDs in my car, the other 10% is with Sirius.  I don’t know who would put up with 20 minute blocks of commercials on the radio anymore.  Who cares that it’s “free”

I don’t know why… just some songs I come across I have to listen to over and over and over and over.  This is one of them.  It’s just good.  Adele is yet another talented girl from England.  Amy Winehouse, Lilly Allen, M.I.A. and now Adele.  Her sound reminds me of Amy and Lilly and Regina Spektor in a way.  The talent coming out of England seems to be a virus or something.  It’s really good.  I heard an interview with M.I.A. once and they asked her what’s with all the talented women coming out of that area lately?  M.I.A. said something along the lines of… “It always rains here, it never stops… what the hell else are we going to do with all that time?”

 Here’s to rainy days in England!

Adele | Hometown Glory

I don’t think I’ve posted about this before but I keep forgetting that I contribute through this charity all the time and am reminded every few weeks when I get a package in the mail with all these pictures and cute handwritten notes from students (I received two packages today)…  Then  I realize that in an Ambien stupor or something I logged on to the website and donated some more and then forget, then the mail comes… it’s a never-ending cycle.

So here’s how it works… DonorsChoose.org is a front for teachers from under-funded and (largely) poverty stricken schools to post requests for funding for various types of things that will benefit their students.  DonorsChoose.org validates there are no other funding sources available, qualifies the request as legitimate, identifies demographic data, makes the request and transaction very transparent and posts the requests to their website.  You then fund all or part of the request until it’s 100% funded.

So your thinking, yeah, big deal.  I’m sure we’ve all given a few dollars to starving kids in Africa or the American Heart Association or Breast Cancer or something and figure our money is used to feed kids, fix hearts and eradicate cancer.  I’m sure it does.  Well, where DonorsChoose.org is different is that you earmark your money (as little as $10, to $1,000+) to fund specific projects you find worthwhile.  In addition to THAT, when the project is fully funded… DonorsChoose.org goes through the process to procure whatever it is and send it to the school with a disposable camera and instructions for the teacher and students to take pictures using (whatever) and write you (the single or multiple donors) a personal note of thanks.  Reading these notes are half the fun.  It’s the same concept as Sally Struthers getting you to adopt a “kid” and sponsoring to feed them and inoculate them and they send you specific information on that kid you sponsored.  It’s HIGHLY effective in retaining and attracting potential donors.  At least it’s worked for me.  To date I’ve entirely or partially funded 15 different projects.  I prefer to find projects I can fund entirely because I just like that better, but I’ve topped off several nearly funded projects where there were multiple donors. 

So what type of things can you fund?  I bought 10 lap white-boards for “special education” middle-school kids in Chicago so they could learn reading and math skills.  Some counter things for 3-5th graders in a gifted school in LA so they could learn math better.  Bubbles for pre-K kids in Illinois (78% of this particular schools population is in “high poverty”).  Some rulers for 3-5th graders (87% in “high poverty”) in Brooklyn… Software “Garage Band” for some Raleigh, NC kids to learn music composition and tons of other stuff both practical and “fun”.  Below is a summary of how what I’ve contributed is spread across grades and focus areas (Literacy, Math, Art & Music, etc…).  As you can see, I like the art/music stuff the best.  So here’s the point.  GO FIND A PROJECT TO DONATE TO!  IT’S FUN!  DonorsChoose.org

There are some VERY funny letters but this one was handy… apparantly this student isn’t well liked.  It’s funny to see what slips in the notes they send.  Some pretty random stuff!