I had to bring work home yesterday, so I didn’t even get started on my novel for Nanowrimo. Wonderful. I figure that in order to do 50,000 words by November 30th, I have to write 1,666 words consistently each day. I’m already a day behind and it’s the 2nd of November.

Anyways…

Sony Releases “Should be Free” Tool
Sony announced yesterday the release of its PSP Media Manager software. For the low low low price of $19.99, you get a program that copies your feeds, music, video, etc., and places it into the proper format for your PSP. Why Sony is charging people who already got screwed out of $249 for the console with no interesting games, and $100 for a Memory Stick Pro Duo, is beyond me, but it is Sony, and they aren’t the “cost conscious” type. It’s always boutique prices for them; just ask anyone who’s been eyeballin’ the VAIO notebook line. If you’re just doing video, you can do a perfectly respectable job with PSP Video 9, which, incidentally, is free.

Virginity or Death
I don’t know… An article on Dvorak’s blog was tagged with some stupid remark about conservatives, and reading the article, the people opposing the vaccine are quite ridiculous. However, one of the comments set me off. It started with this idiocy:

The radical religious Right is against stem cell research, in part, because it’s speculative.

No, they’re not. The “radical religious Right” is against embryonic stem cell research because it destroys a life. The government will not fund embryonic stem cell research, but that doesn’t mean private industry isn’t more than welcome to go out and do it on their own. As of right now it’s 100% legal, and the feds are not funding the creation of more lines of stem cells than already exist. Work on other types of stem cells is progressing, however, and in many cases is yielding results that have been pleasantly surprising without the destruction of a life.

Why is it so hard for people to understand the difference? Well, because understanding the difference would interrupt a great rant with something inconvenient like the truth.

The results are in…
Well actually, they were in last week but I was just hoping I might hear someone in the media report it. Check this out, off the Reuters wire:

Election results showing Iraqis have ratified a new U.S.-backed constitution by a large margin are accurate and should be trusted, a senior U.N. official said on Tuesday.

Speaking after Iraq’s Electoral Commission released final results showing 79 percent approval for the constitution in the October 15 referendum, Carina Perelli said the balloting process adhered to the highest standard.

“Yes, it has been audited, controlled. It has been done really in a very professional way,” Perelli, head of the U.N. team providing technical assistance to the Iraqi government, told reporters.

“The result is accurate. It has been checked according to the processes that we all follow when we have elections.”

There were no shortages of stories telling us how divided the country was and how divisive the vote was. I guess the UN was suckered in by the US propaganda, since they were nothing more than a willing accomplice in the whole thing, right? I waited a week in hopes of finding a bigger more detailed story elsewhere. Alas, nary a mention. Guess if it doesn’t bleed, it doesn’t lead.

Wal-Mart Tired of Shelling Out Cash for Health Care

I read a post from a friend’s blog and had to chuckle…

I understand the need to contain major medical costs, I mean that is a large part of what I do for a living, help small businesses shop around for better, cheaper coverage. But this is going a little too far, and shows a clear contempt for their employees. Hiring only healthy employees, only younger employees, only part time employees; and worrying about dependant children going onto Medicaid purely because of the negative publicity it would generate? It’s one thing to try and contain costs, it’s another to methodically plan to screw over your own employees in an attempt to pad the bottom line.

I’m no Communist, and I still believe that big box stores aren’t inherently evil, but I don’t have to live in Pottersville either. I’m voting with the only thing that Wal-Mart apparently gives a damn about, my dollars.

Goodbye Wal-Mart, I’ll never spend my hard earned money with you again.

First of all, I’m sure the loss of one customer won’t even register with them, although if you live in New York City, it’s unlikely that you shopped there much anyway seeing there isn’t one single Wal-Mart in the entire City.

Second of all, so what if they hire only healthy employees and younger ones? I’ve been criticized numerous times for criticizing the company that fired people for smoking because it raised their health care costs.

Third of all, methodically plan to screw over their employees? Give it up already! It’s a stupid retail job, not a career with Charles Schwab! No one puts a gun to your head and forces you to work at or shop at Wal-Mart. If you do decide to work there, it’s probably because you didn’t have a whole lot of prospects elsewhere. That’s not to be offensive; but let’s face the reality of what a retail job really is. It’s a job.

The mentality that companies should provide health care for their employees is insane. Sure they can, and it’s nice that they mostly do. But what’s wrong with providing your own health care? Why is it automatically assumed that if a company doesn’t provide it for you, you’ll never have it?

Hell, New York State offers practically FREE health insurance to families, as do many other states.

If people saved half the money they spend on FUBU and Sean John and put it into some kind of health savings account, things would be better. And if you tell me that people can’t support a family and work as a cashier in Wal-Mart, than you’re making my other point for me… You’re not meant to work a low-wage entry-level retail job and be able to support a family. That’s why you educate yourself and keep looking elsewhere.

I’ve always said you don’t have a right to support your family doing what you want to do. If that were the case, I’d be able to support mine being a paperboy, but you won’t see me putting a basket on my bike anytime soon.

Man hits, kills pedestrian, and doesn’t realize it

ST. PETERSBURG - A 93-year-old motorist struck and killed a pedestrian Wednesday evening, then drove about 3 miles with the body lodged in the windshield until he was stopped at a Sunshine Skyway tollbooth.

The driver told officers he thought the body had fallen from the sky, said St. Petersburg police Officer Mike Jockers.

“He had no idea he had been involved in an accident,” Jockers said. “He doesn’t totally understand what happened.”

Think they’ll take away his license? I sure as hell don’t. One thing’s for sure; they can’t charge him with a hit and run. I mean, technically, if you take the victim with you, did you run?

What do you wanna do?
Well, if you want to do it online, there’s probably a site listed here to help you. Very cool list, and many sites on it are free. Enjoy! (I think I found this on Lifehacker, but I’m not sure).

Accidental Greenpeace Environmental Destruction

TUBBATAHA REEFS, Philippines (AFP) - Greenpeace is to be fined after its flagship Rainbow Warrior II damaged a coral reef in the central Philippines during a climate change awareness campaign, marine park rangers said.

The ship and its crew were assessed a 640,000-peso (11,600-dollar) fine after the 55-meter (180-foot) motor-assisted schooner ran aground at the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park on Monday, park manager Angelique Songco told AFP.

The ship’s bow sliced through a reef formation measuring 160 square meters (1,722 square feet), she added.

I wonder how hard Greenpeace will lobby against itself. I mean, it’s not possible that something that destroyed the environment is a mere accident. What happens if an oil tanker has an accident? Or a nuclear facility? Greenpeace surely would be all over that.

Can’t find footage? Make some up!
Fernando Ferrer, perennial mayor hopeful and unbelievably weak candidate, has decided that in order to win the election, he has to make up stuff. No, really… He is…

In the ad, a caricature of Bloomberg flashes a wad of cash at President Bush riding through an oil field on a horse as a country singer twangs in the background: “And if you’re ever hurtin’, I’ll run right to your side.”

Jonathan Prince, creator of Democratic candidate Fernando Ferrer’s ad, said they used animation because it is difficult to visually link Bloomberg with Bush in any other way.

“There’s not tons of footage of Bush and Bloomberg together, so how else would you dramatize their relationship?” he said.

So… There’s not a lot of actual proof of their relationship / friendship, so we have to “dramatize” it. I guess if you define dramatize as “make stuff up truth be damned,” you’re good. Bloomberg did donate $7,000,000 to the RNC during the convention in NYC. So what? Pardon me if I don’t see the big deal. Bloomberg’s rich.

And that’s the other thing that’s driving me nuts about this campaign. Loser mayoral wannabe Ferrer is all over Bloomberg, accusing him of over-spending and saying the election isn’t fair. Is he for real? Every penny he’s spent is of his own money, and if you’re telling me Ferrer wouldn’t have spent the money if he got it, I’d laugh my butt off. The only reason Ferrer doesn’t have it is because the New York City Democratic Party knows he’s a perpetual loser and he isn’t worth shelling the money out on.

Abortion Funding Dolls Not Welcome at One School

MILWAUKEE - A Roman Catholic school is canceling a fashion show by the manufacturer of American Girl dolls and books amid conservative groups’ criticism of a girls organization that receives support from the company.

St. Luke School in Brookfield notified its parents of the decision through bulletins at Masses over the weekend.

Two national groups — the Pro-Life Action League in Chicago and the American Family Association in Tupelo, Miss. — have raised questions about the American Girl brand and its parent company, Mattel Inc., because of the company’s fund-raising for Girls Inc., formerly known as Girls Clubs of America.

The American Family Association has called Girls Inc. “a pro-abortion, pro-lesbian advocacy group.” Girls Inc., which has more than 1,500 centers across the country, says it provides a variety of programs to educate and encourage girls and does accept lesbian sexual orientation. Alexander Kopelman, director of communications, said it does not include abortion in its programming, though it does not control what leaders say if girls ask about it.

Money raised through ticket and raffle sales at the planned fashion show was to go toward a new playground and a refurbished library at St. Luke School.

“It’s a bargain we’ll just have to pass up,” wrote Frank Malloy, St. Luke pastor. “The cost is too high. Our integrity isn’t for sale.”

Well done for the school! Integrity should never be for sale, particularly at a private religious school. Now, as for Kopelman’s quote about including abortion in its programming… Is there any doubt what this paragraph from a piece on their site pertains to?

Girls Inc. firmly believes that girls have the right to personal safety, equal opportunity in sports, reproductive healthcare, preparation for economic independence, and an education that is free of discrimination. It is vital that the nation have an independent, fair-minded Supreme Court committed to equality and safeguarding the rights and freedoms of all Americans.

Is there anyone out there who thinks reproductive health care means an occasional amnio?

I think that’s really it for today. I have to get started on my novel today no matter what. I can space out the work from yesterday over the remainder of the month, but it’s gonna be rough. I can do it, but man! What a job!

See ya in the ’sphere!