Author: Jason

I’m An Idiot

Email destroys the mind faster than marijuana – study

Modern technology depletes human cognitive abilities more rapidly than drugs, according to a psychiatric study conducted at King’s College, London. And the curse of ‘messaging’ is to blame.

Email users suffered a 10 per cent drop in IQ scores, more than twice the fall recorded by marijuana users, in a clinical trial of over a thousand participants. Doziness, lethargy and an inability to focus are classic characteristics of a spliffhead, but email users exhibited these particular symptoms to a “startling” degree, according to Dr Glenn Wilson.

The deterioration in mental capacity was the direct result of the trialists’ addiction to technology, researchers discovered.

Duuuhhhh….. *drool*

Lawmakers With Relatives On The Payroll

Is anyone really surprised that this is not just a Tom Delay thing? This kinda activity is as old as the nation itself. Is it right? Well, if the family member is actually WORKING for the politician and they’re being paid competitively within the position, then, yes, it’s very right. If they’re just getting money for the hell of it, well, then you have a problem.

Clinton on Judicial Nominees

President Clinton rebuked Couric for repeating Republican claim of Democratic “obstructionism” of judicial nominees

COURIC: Right now it seems the most effective thing that Democrats are doing on Capitol Hill is blocking various nominations, at least from their perspective. Like, you know, John Bolton, or — U.S. ambassador to the U.N. — or head of the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], or the head of the FDA [Food and Drug Administration]. How can the Democratic Party retool itself so they’re not simply seen as obstructionist in terms of the president’s agenda?

CLINTON: Well, first of all, I don’t think that’s fair. I don’t think Mr. [John] Negroponte [nominee for national intelligence director] will be blocked. I’m not sure Mr. Bolton will be blocked. There are policy reasons on the environment and food safety for debates on the others. And on judges, that’s just a hoax. I mean, the Democrats blocked 10 out of over 200 judges. The Republicans wouldn’t even give a vote to 40 of my Court of Appeals judges — four times as many, just on the Court of Appeals, never mind all the others that they wouldn’t have voted. So, this image that, I’m sad to say, you know, you just perpetrated it, it’s ridiculous. The Democratic Senate has been nowhere near as obstructionist to President Bush on judges as the Republican Senate was to me. Not even close.

So then the question becomes more of a rewording of Couric’s question:

How can the Democratic Party retool it’s publicity so they’re not simply seen as obstructionist in terms of the president’s agenda?

It’s all about spin and the Democrats have been losing in that area for years.

Class Registerin’ Fun

So I’m all set with my classes for Summer/Fall. Just need to get that whole financial aid thing out of the way.

Anyways, here’s what the rest of 2005 looks like for me:

Summer A:
SPAN-101-002 4.00 ELEMENTARY SPANISH MTWRF 0800-1025AM

Summer B:
SPAN-102-003 4.00 ELEMENTARY SPANISH MTWRF 0800-1025AM

An entire year of Spanish in two months. I hate life. But it must be done.

Fall:
ENGL-391-001 3.00 TOP: GRAPHIC NOVEL R 0700-0940PM
HIST-107-001 3.00 SURVEY OF EAST ASIAN CI TR 1230-0145PM
HIST-300-003 3.00 INTRO HISTORICAL STUDY TR 0200-0315PM
PHYS-291-001 3.00 TOP:OUTREACH-RICH ELEM TR 1100-1215PM
SPAN-201-907 3.00 INTERMEDIATE SPANISH MW 0700-0815PM

Upper-level History selections seemed pretty sparse this time around so I’m just getting some of my other requirements out of the way. The Graphic Novel class looks interesting because, well, it appeals to my inner dork. Hell, my outer dork. It’s taught by Tom DeHaven, author of Durby Duggan’s Depression Funnies, among other things. I just cite that one because I’ve read it.