How Creative Are You?: You Are 66% Creative

You are beyond creative. You are a true artist - even if it's not in the conventional sense of the word.
You love creating for its own sake, and you find yourself quite inspired at times.

How Cluttered is Your Mind?: Your Mind is 56% Cluttered

Your mind is starting to get cluttered, and as a result, it's a little harder for you to keep focused.
Try to let go of your pettiest worries and concerns. The worrying is worse than the actual problems!

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?: You Are a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

You life your life in a free form, artistic style.
You are incredibly creative and at times, quite messy.
Deep down, you are a kid at heart. And you aren't afraid to express it.

Your best friend: The Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Your mortal enemy: The Club Sandwich

from the questions they asked, i didn't get this last one at all.

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i've had this as my wallpaper for a while so i'll throw it up here.

Labels: adorable photo of the day

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Alltel to Offer Location Caller ID

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the death penalty is used primarily to punish offenders who take a life. that's retribution, an eye for an eye. the idea of executing rapists, even when there in no loss of life, is quickly catching on. last week, a death sentence for a convicted sex offender was upheld in louisiana. now, Texas sex offenders who are twice convicted of raping children under 14 could get the death penalty under a bill state lawmakers approved Friday. texas will make the sixth state where this is law [others are LA, of course, OK, SC, GA, and MO].

this news comes quite soon after the execution that took two hours and ten attempts in ohio.

the country, both in practice and in public opinion, has been moving toward an anti-death view. this is a huge step back in that respect.

Labels: crime and social justice

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i hope everyone enjoys their holiday. since nothing can ruin a vacation more quickly than a speeding ticket, here's a list of the top speed traps in the US:

Detroit, MI
Colorado Springs, CO
Houston, TX
Orlando, FL
Nashville, TN
Ann Arbor, MI
Albuquerque, NM
Washington, D.C.
Denver, CO
Virginia Beach, VA

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you have no idea how much i have been [for years] in love with this couch.

i hate the mall and only go to go to the movies. i don't typically visit any other stores in the mall, except Restoration Hardware, just to sit on this couch.

my life will be happy and complete once this couch has a place in my living room. on the other hand, perhaps it's better i don't have it. if so, i might not get up.*

* thinking about it, i know this to not be true. i once felt that way about a certain bed, and while i did 'not get up' for some time, the novelty did wear off.

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good news first. the zoo is getting new animals! a red panda, three kangaroos, two hornbills and five peacocks will make their grand entrances within a month. apes, bears, tapirs, otters, and a sumatran tiger is due to arrive in the coming years. i am excited by this. there is no reason why the VA Zoological Park has to suck like it has. years ago, it was awful. they made some awesome renovations and expansions and it really spiced things up. i look forward to an even better zoo.

bad news for the state: Study says Virginia leads nation in children aging out of foster care. VA came in at 21 percent of foster children "age out" of the system in 2004, compared to a national rate of 8 percent.

the ugly is the contination of the dogfighting case involving michael vick. or not involving him, allegedly, since the police cannot find any evidence to tie him to it. i, personally, don't buy it. it's sad for those 66 dogs.
it was either this story for the slot, or gas prices. it's all ugly.

Labels: crime and social justice

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Dick Cheney welcomes a new granddaughter. what a joyous time. maybe not for the parents, who live in VA. uh oh ... in Virginia, Heather Poe, Mary's partner, “will have no legal relationship with her child. She can’t adopt as a second parent. She won’t have her name on the birth certificate.”

this thanks to last year's 'marriage amendment.'

remember that VA already has laws against contracts and partnerships between gay couples. it's a mess, really.

Labels: crime and social justice

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from a story about a bomb threat at Jerry Falwell's funeral, a very interesting observation:

None of the Republican candidates for President attended.

maybe it's just me.

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this case is testing the limits of DNA evidence, at least from a legal standpoint. identical twins are fighting over the paternity of a child where the mother slept with both brothers in the same day. because of their DNA, paternity is not able to be figured out.

i don't think we should worry too much about the ramifications for using DNA evidence. i doubt this happens often. but it's sad that neither of these men want to step up for the child.

Labels: crime and social justice

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An attractive young woman on a plane asked the priest beside her, "Father, may I ask a favor?"
"Of course. What may I do for you?"

"Well, I bought an expensive electronic hair dryer that is well over the customs limits and I'm afraid they'll confiscate it. Is there any way you could carry it through customs for me? Under your robes perhaps?"

"I would love to help you, dear, but I must warn you: I will not lie."

"With your honest face, Father, no one will question you."

When they got to customs, she let the priest go ahead of her. The official asked, "Father, do you have anything to declare?"

"From the top of my head down to my waist, I have nothing to declare."

The official thought this answer strange, so asked, "And what do you have to declare from your waist to the floor?"

"I have a marvelous little instrument designed to be used on a woman, but which is, to date, unused."

Roaring with laughter, the official said, "Go ahead, Father. Next!"

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i will never forget the day i saw an "I Heart Intercourse" bumper sticker. i was in ocean city, md, and it took me a while to see the word pennsylvania written in very small print at the bottom. that's when i started realizing that some towns have very interesting names. traveling from one to another could make for an interesting trip! here are some suggestions [distances courtesy of mapquest]:

Intercourse, PA to Climax, MI - 9 hours, 34 minutes, 604.74 miles
Jupiter, FL to Mars, PA - 17 hours, 5 minutes, 1,117.62 miles
Uncertain, TX to Okay, OK* - 5 hours, 6 minutes, 288.72 miles
Kill Devil Hills, NC to Hell, MI - 13 hours, 35 minutes, 809.79 miles


* i think 'OK, OK' is funny. the last one i know of since i live near kill devil hills in NC and they always show hell, MI on the GMA weather map on really hot days.

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on makeup and clothes?

feministing and TIME think not.

Women do spend $1,069--$246 more than men do--on clothing every year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2004-2005 Consumer Expenditure Survey. But that's chump change compared with what single men spend on car ownership ($846 more than single women), eating out ($752 more), alcoholic drinks ($280 more) and audiovisual gear ($143 more).

that's pretty interesting.

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a report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research shows that we're in last place with it comes to paid time off.

our government doesn't legistlate any paid holidays.

sure, many people get paid holidays and vacation time. but let us not forget that many people do not (low-wage and part-time workers, and for employees of small businesses). [via]

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while doing a project on virginia's role in the civil war, we the child found this Appomattox Surrender Document, singed April 9, 1865. many thanks for the transcript of what it actually says.

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VA Tech is considering a suggestion that the No. 32 be retired on all of the school’s teams to honor those killed in last month's tragic shooting. officials are also considering making 32 a special number that would only be given out to certain athletes considered worthy of the honor.

although i do agree with one student who stated he thinks the number should be retired due to athletic reasons, i don't see how this is harmful and would, i guess, be a nice tribute.

i do not, however, think the second suggestion is a good idea. giving the number out to recognize special athletes can only cause trouble down the road. who is special enough?

a sidenote: 10% of people in the pilotonline poll asking whether they supported retiring the number voted: It should be 33.

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Leonard Nimoy has a show of photographs of obese women. "They are fleshy and proud, celebrating their girth, reveling in it."

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the 201st person has been exonerated, this one from death row.

Curtis Edward McCarty, who was convicted twice and sentenced to death for the same murder in verdicts that were both thrown out based on evidence of his innocence and an extraordinary pattern of government misconduct, was released from prison this morning after a judge dismissed the indictment against him that would have led to a third trial. The prosecution said today that it will not appeal the decision – finally clearing McCarty after 21 years of wrongful incarceration, more than 16 of them on death row.

In 1986, McCarty was convicted of a 1982 murder in Oklahoma City and sentenced to die. Citing misconduct by the prosecutor and a police lab analyst, the Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the conviction, and McCarty was retried in 1989. He was again convicted and sentenced to death. In 1995, the appeals court upheld his conviction but threw out his death sentence; in 1996, he was sentenced to death again. In 2005, the Court of Criminal Appeals again overturned his conviction, citing the continued pattern of government misconduct – and new DNA tests showing that semen recovered from the victim did not come from McCarty.

finally, after three times! i can't believe that some people still feel this is worth it.

Labels: crime and social justice

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from talkleft today:

"How is it that we have a President who wants to spend untold billions helping those in a foreign country but won't help those at home who need assistance, like the farmers and Katrina victims and those without health insurance? Why should we rebuild Iraq before rebuilding New Orleans?

If this is typical of all Republicans, it's time we vote them out for good."

Labels: quotes

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i heard on the radio that Roger Clemens signed a $28 million deal with the yankees. ah, i don't really care. but part of me is outraged one part of the deal: he doesn't have to travel to away games if he is not in the line-up.

seriously? i am going on what i heard on the radio and not going to actually look up the details of this deal. but it certainly seems that not traveling with the team, and showing support for the team, is disrespectful to say the least.

he may want to be with this family, who i know nothing about, but if this is the case, then don't sign a contract to play ball. he can't possibly be 'forced' to do so for financial reasons. and if he did need the money, he could make a commercial or something.

okay, i'll stop.

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i had no idea that "skinny mirrors" were used in clothing stores. from a business standpoint, this is a great idea. but i may feel a bit deceived later.

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i heard last night about a massive fire burning in CA where the nearby Los Angeles Zoo was evacuated (among others). i was curious as to how they evacuate a zoo... where do all the animals go?

but then i checked up on it this AM and they only evacuated the visitors to the zoo, not the animals. guess they are not imporant...

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i learned last week, after a phone call to pay/renew my car insurance, that GEICO has a Personal Umbrella Policy that protects you with a million bucks in case in you get sued.

i think it's pretty sad that we even need this. it's like malpractice for the general population. fyi - i did not buy in.

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via wvec:

A Norfolk middle school student suspended over a tablet of Tylenol gets to go back to school, but has to attend drug and alcohol counseling. 13-year-old Gabriella Nieves has missed two days of class already over the tablet of Tylenol she says a classmate gave her for a headache... “I think it's unfair that I have to go to a drug and alcohol counseling ... they're making it out like I brought a gun to school,” said Gabriella.

“When they look at my record, when I try to apply for college and they see that I went to drug and alcohol counseling, a drug offense in middle school, they're going to reject me,” she said.

“She's not going to no drug and alcohol program,” remarked Gabriella’s mother, Dawn.

this is ridiculous. i know there are zero tolerance policies in schools, and mostly for good reasons, but this is ridiculous.

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Are You a Child of an 80s?: You Are 76% A Child of the 80s

Not only did you experience the 80s... you are practically an expert. You should be totally stoked!

Are You a Child of an 90s?: You Are 60% A Child of the 90s

Ah yes, the 90s! You remember them - and they were totally phat. Or totally dope. Or totally da bomb.

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A clampdown on library books prompts a belated return.

the library got a book that was 30 years overdue. this comes after the va beach library made an announcement that it was to begin hiring a collection agency to go after patrons with long-overdue items and fines.

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yipee.

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tom poston has died.

i didn't realize that he was married to suzanne pleshette. for some reason, i think that is very cool.

poston was on some notable sitcoms through the years: Newhart, Grace Under Fire, Murphy Brown, Just Shoot Me, That 70’s Show, Will & Grace, Becker, Good Morning, Miami, even To Tell the Truth.

this all just reminds me of the newhart finale which is, without a doubt, the best finale ever. sidenote: i loved the bob newhart show.

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