Thursday, July 31, 2008

Oy!

California judge rules early cell phone termination fees illegal

My first thought was, hey, cool! Then I read the article...not so cool.

From the article-

In one of the most significant legal rulings in the tech industry this year, a Superior Court judge in California has ruled that the practice of charging consumers a fee for ending their cell phone contract early is illegal and violates state law.

I'd like to know what part of California law saws that if you enter into a contract you don't have to pay the penalty for breaking it. Do they do the same for people who want to take their money out of CDs early too?

I'm all about state's rights, and if this is how Cali wants to run things, well, then, I guess that's their business. Unfortunately (like much that they do), it's going to affect ALL of us in the end.

While an appeal is inevitable, the ruling could have massive fallout throughout the industry. Without the threat of levying early termination fees, the cellular carriers lose the power that's enabled them to lock customers into contracts for multiple years at a time. And while those contracts can be heinously long, they also let the carriers offer cell phone hardware at reduced (subsidized) prices. AT&T's two-year contract is the only reason the iPhone 3G costs $199. If subsidies vanish, what happens to hardware lock-in? Could an era of expensive, but unlocked, hardware be just around the corner? It's highly probable.

The FCC is likely to get involved in this matter, and THAT'S just going to make things worse.

Do I LIKE that California law is whacked and putting us all in this pickle? No.
Do I want to Federal Government getting it's hands in this mess? Hell no!

From here this looks like a lose, lose situation.

Guess I better start saving for my next cell phone NOW! ;)


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Saturday, July 19, 2008

More memeage

Your result for The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test...

The Lord

You scored 21% Cardinal, 51% Monk, 44% Lady, and 51% Knight!


You are of the intellectual breed and yet you are also very interested in war. You are of the aristocracy and head the cavalry a safe distance from the carnage of the front lines. You believe in defeating your enemy with not only might, but also wit.


You scored high as both the Monk and the Knight. You can try again to get a more precise description of either the Monk or the Knight, or you can be happy that you're an individual.

Take The Who Would You Be in 1400 AD Test at HelloQuizzy



Aaryk scored as the Usurper. That puts us in an...interesting...position now doesn't it? ;)

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Friday, July 18, 2008

I can see that

Your result for The which philosophy suits your personality? Test...

Proof God Exists, by Augustine

40% Nature, 58% Rationalism, 70% Religion, 48% Freedom, 43% Individuality, 38% Power and 40% Uncertainty!


You scored highest on the variable Religion. Religion was an important part of Augustine's philosophy.





Saint Augustine, 354 – 430, Algeria.





Augustine was famous for his completely theoretical proofs of God's existence, which don't make very much sense to us now.



ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT 1:


(1) I define God to be X.


(2) Since I can conceive of X, X must exist.


(3) Therefore, God exists.




ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (II):


(1) I can conceive of a perfect God.


(2) One of the qualities of perfection is existence.


(3) Therefore, God exists.



I already said it doesn't make very much sense to us now ...



Possible results:


Nature: the Scala Naturae by Aristotle


Rationality: Cogito Ergo Sum by Descartes


Religion: Proof God Exists by Saint Augustine


Freedom: Existentialism by Sartre


Individuality: Personal Religion by Kierkegaard


Power: Will to Power by Nietzsche


Uncertainty: Agnosticism by Hume


No high variable: Synthetic Perception by Kant






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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Pro-abortion proponants admit that oral contraceptives cause abortions!

Abortion Proposal Sets Condition on Aid

This draft of a proposed rule (note, not even an actual policy, just the draft!) has the pro-abortion crowd all up in arms.
(More below the cut)

Under the draft of a proposed rule, hospitals, clinics, researchers and medical schools would have to sign “written certifications” as a prerequisite to getting money under any program run by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Such certification would also be required of state and local governments, forbidden to discriminate, in areas like grant-making, against hospitals and other institutions that have policies against providing abortion.


So, in order to get FEDERAL grants and such, you must be an institution that doesn't provide abortions. Not saying that they will be shut down, or anything else, just that they won't get FEDERAL money. That's fine by me. If YOU want to support abortion, go ahead and give money to such organizations. I think that should be the case in a multitude of other instances as well (even ones *I* agree with!).

Here's how the Federal government would define abortion in this rule-

The proposal defines abortion as follows: “any of the various procedures — including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action — that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation.”

It gets really interesting though when you get to some of the pro-abortion folks' own words here-

Mary Jane Gallagher, president of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, which represents providers, said, “The proposed definition of abortion is so broad that it would cover many types of birth control, including oral contraceptives and emergency contraception.”

No more denying it...THEY admit that oral contraceptives and EC cause abortions!

I know that the pro-abortion crowd is moaning over the fact that this may make contraceptives less available to low income women. Seeing how Planned Parenthood manages to make MILLIONS of dollars in profit every year with almost no Federal money at all, I think that other health providers should be able to follow their model and get by without my tax dollars as well. Unfortunately, the pro-abortion lobby being the monolith that it is, I doubt this rule change will ever get beyond 'draft' status.

But no matter what happens with this proposed rule change, we now have the pro-abortion folks on record as calling oral contraception and 'emergency contraception' abortions.



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Create your own motivational poster!

Motivational Poster Creator

I'll put a few together sometime soon. In the meanwhile, if you make one, would you link to it in the comments?

I'd LOVE to see what my group of friends and readers come up with!


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I love Jib Jab!

JibJab - Time for Some Campaignin'


Tee hee!


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Now that's one way to support our troops!

What a great idea!


Military Brides' Dream Dresses

A New Hampshire bridal shop owner is making military matrimonial dreams come true today when she hands out 50 free wedding dresses to blushing brides-to-be who are on active duty or engaged to someone serving overseas.


I love things that support our troops by helping their families and loved ones here at home too. I have seen how just knowing that their families are taken care of can take some of the stress off deployed soldiers and help them focus on the job at hand and stay alive!




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Saturday, July 12, 2008

Cute quiz

Your result for The Attachment Style Test...

The Cuddleslut

36% Anxiety Over Abandonment and 23% Avoidance Of Intimacy


You're mostly secure, but sometimes you need a little extra reassurance to make it through the tough times. You are usually affectionate and sweet, and you find it easy to fall in love. An encouraging word from a crush or a loved one can motivate you for weeks.



Fictional character with whom you might identify: Kaylee (Firefly/Serenity), Hiro Nakamura (Heroes)



KayleeFrye.jpg HiroNakamura.jpg












































Other Attachment Types:
Secure: The Unicorn | The Cuddleslut | The Free Agent
Preoccupied: The Cling Wrap | The Squid | The Insect
Fearful: The Doormat | The Leper | The Exile
Dismissing: The Hermit | The Stone | The Player
Confused: The Waffler

Take The Attachment Style Test at HelloQuizzy






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Tony Snow passed away today

Michelle Malkin has a nice piece about him.

I always enjoyed when he filled in for Rush, and his term as Press Secretary actually made me interested in the briefings.

Think I'll go say a prayer for his soul, his family, and all of those he leaves behind. We are poorer for his passing.



Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
Amen.




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Saturday, July 05, 2008

Hedgehogs in space!

Found this on Aaron Williams page today, and it's really cute and addicting and adorable and a huge time waster and did I mention it's cute?!?!!

Hedgehog Launch


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Friday, July 04, 2008

Happy Independence Day!



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WALL*E

WE went and saw WALL*E last week and really enjoyed it. I went expecting it to be like Happy Feet in that it would pummel me with the 'people are bad and destroying the planet' message. It had some of that...but it was not nearly the propaganda piece I thought it might be.

I think it's important to in movies that have messages that I don't like, to see what the filmmakers were intending it to say (the biggest reason I never saw V for Vendetta by the way).

Here's snips from an interview with Andrew Stanton-
The Meaning behind WALL*E

I haven't read the whole article yet, but once again, I find myself cheering the folks at Pixar!

(Oh, and yes, I DO believe that Puff the Magic Dragon was written as a children's song, not as a drug one too...) ;)




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