Update coming.. stay tuned.

Hey folks, sorry about the lack of any original posts lately. Things have been crazy busy for me and Mel and I'll post an update as soon as I can. In the mean time, I'll keep on throwing up the posts I feel are worthy of spending time to check out.

-S

FOX News: When the news doesn't fit, flip the party

Once is a mistake. But what are are the odds of all this happening by accident?

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So, as of yesterday, If you protest the war, the Prez can take your stuff

Was I only dreaming or did we use to have something called "Due Process of Law?"

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Generation Chickenhawk: College Republican Convention '07

Sure they support the war, but just how many College Republicans are willing to FIGHT the war? The answer might surprise... actually, it won't. Sadly, it's exactly what you would expect.

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Neocons on a Cruise: What Conservatives Say When They Think We Aren't Listening

Amazing story of a reporter who joined the crazy cruisers from the right wing nuts of "National Review". She starts with: "Is he your only child?" I ask. "Yes," she says. "Do you have a child back in England?" she asks. No, I say. Her face darkens. "You'd better start," she says. "The Muslims are breeding. Soon, they'll have the whole of Europe."

Right wing or Left, I am always open to honest discussions about the state of our Union and of the events unfolding day by day on the global stage. One particular maxim that I believe in is that deep down we agree on more things than we disagree on, and more often than not we only disagree on how to arrive at the same destination. What disheartens me the most has been the vilification of both sides. America has been split and spirited discourse has been shoved out of the way in order to maim, hurt, and/or kill of the other side. The middle ground has become a nuclear wasteland from which both sides have retreated and now only serves as the increasing divide between the two. I often think what we see now is a cosmic farce, the Cold War over and seemly forgotten, now replayed in the Political Theater of the victor. Both sides too prideful to back down, and that hubris is driving us toward catastrophe.

In times like these, I find a lot of insight of how we traveled down this dark and twisted road from articles like these. Reason has been forced out of the picture, due to its constant distortion of what people want to believe. I hold out hope that cooler heads prevail, and people are able to set aside the desire to be “right” and look up to see the dire brink we are currently standing on.

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President Bush Spending Billions for His Executive Offices [w/pic]

Bush is the first president to go into billion dollar spending for his executive offices... I'm not exactly sure what sort of staplers cost x10 what previous presidents used... but It better have frickin lasers on it. (Historical Spending Chart)

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Wedding trashers

The past year has seen the rise of a gleefully destructive post-wedding ritual: the "trash the dress" photo shoot, in which the bride models her gown while romping in the ocean, climbing up a fire escape, rolling in the mud, or, in at least one occasion, riding a horse.

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Keith Olbermann's Amazing and Eloquent Call for Bush and Cheney to Resign

This passionate, powerful summation is a must-read on the Eve of Independence Day. He spells out the horrific abuses of the Bush administration and their devastating impact on our nation. Please watch the video, too, as soon as it's posted to the Countdown Web site.

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BREAKING: Bush Commutes Scooter Libby's Prison Sentence

WASHINGTON - President Bush spared former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby from a 2 1/2-year prison term on Monday, issuing an order that commutes his sentence. Also, it should be noted that Libby is now the first person to be convicted of Obstruction of Justice and have his sentence commuted. Un-freaking-believable!

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Sunburn and muscle cramps

Took a day off from any training yesterday and decided to jump in a lake instead. Melanie and all the other doc students received an invite out to Jordan Lake for a day in the sun. By default, I was lucky enough to tag along. We spent the next four hours floating around and having a good time. I returned with a nice sunburn, but an even sweeter burn pattern from where I missed applying the sun screen. It was only a mild first degree burn, so I would be surprised if it even peels. All in all it was a nice break from all that is going on.
Monday I decided to do a timed ten mile bike ride and 3 mile run in order to prepare for Sunday. I finished in an hour and some change, which is OK. I'd like to improve on my first triathlon time, maybe get under 1 hour 25 minutes, but the format is different, so its hard to say what I can expect. Nevertheless, I'm pretty excited about Sunday, and to top it off, that next week I get to hang out with a good friend down in LA. The next couple of days I am not planning on pushing very hard, don't want to cause any injuries before the race.

One week left.

Have a whole lot of events coming up here shortly, and I'm looking forward to it. Next weekend is my second triathlon, and first open water swim. The first triathlon I did was a pool swim, this time is out in the ocean for me. Mel's last triathlon was in the ocean, and she had quite an experience with it (you can check it out here), so I'm looking forward to my induction to the waves. We are bringing Kiera out with us for her first trip to the ocean. I predict a bath in her near future. After the triathlon, we have Melanie's national convention down in LA. She had hoped for a speaking presentation, but it seems that this year its poster presentation for everyone. The planning committee seems to have cut short the number of speakers this year to allow for folks to head out to Universal Studios and Disneyland, which is too bad. There is always next year.
After NATA, Mel heads straight to Colorado for JUMP-ACL, the large study she has been participating in for the past couple of years. That will keep her busy for a couple of weeks out at the Air Force Academy. While she is out there, I get to hold down the fort back in NC. That's ok, since we have a couple of other trips shortly after she returns. Summer sure is flying by.

Quick run down on Tri-work out

Real quick post here. Just wanted to jot down how I've been doing with the triathlon training.

Earlier this week I mainly focused on running.
Friday I completed training for 2100 m in the pool
Today I clocked in 35 min on the the bike trainer.

Only a couple of weeks till the next triathlon. Time to push it hard this week.

Water found on Mars!

Water (or perhaps clear ice) found on Mars!!!! (with picture). A new analysis of pictures taken by the exploration rover Opportunity reveals what appear to be small ponds of liquid water on the surface of Mars.



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Tank Man

Documentary about the legendary tank man and surrounding events of the Tienanmen Square protests in 1989. In this day and age when information is available to so many on such a large scale, there are many out there who do not enjoy such freedoms. This video is close to an hour, but please find the time to watch this. We must never forget the power of an idea, and what a single image can give rise to.

The Armageddon Flowchart

Two words: Awe. Some.



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An Egghead for the Oval Office

One thing that should be clear to anyone who's been paying attention these past few years is that we need to go out and get ourselves the smartest president we can find. We need a brainiac president, a regular Mister or Miss Smarty-Pants. We need to elect the kid you hated in high school, the teacher's pet with perfect grades.



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Nearly 30 DOJ Officials Threatened To Quit After Ashcroft Hospital Visit

Appalled by the White House's heavy-handed attempt to coerce the gravely ill attorney general, virtually the entire top leadership of the Justice Department is threatening to resign.



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The real reason behind poor CD sales: hint, it's not piracy

Does anyone really think that consumers could buy 800 million more DVDs, worth $10 billion or more, without cutting back on some other entertainment spending?



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Time to start again.

I've got four weeks till my next triathlon. Time to start kicking the training up a notch. I'm not as diligent about posting my work outs as Melanie is, but I'll try my best. So far for the weekend, I did a 5k run on Saturday, and a 7 mile bike followed by a 3 mile run on Sunday. Nothing but a dog wash for today. Tomorrow will be either a bike/run or possibly a swim.

All hail the king | Salon.com

Loyalty has always been the alpha and omega of George W. Bush's presidency. But all the forms of allegiance that have bound together his administration -- political, ideological and personal -- are being shredded, leaving only blind loyalty. Bush has surrounded himself with loyalists, who fervently



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