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Ah, another national tragedy... another massive overreaction.

Remember Columbine? Of course you do. Remember them banning kids with black trench coats?

Here, we have the Virginia Tech equivalent. This time, they're striking out at kids that right graphic essays. Allen Lee, an 18 year old senior, did his homework. I'm sure he never had a clue the reaction it would get. When asked to write an essay expressing emotions for his creative writing class, he felt up to the challenge. He did the homework and turned it in.

Schools reaction? Oh, they had him arrested for disorderly conduct. The essay was disturbing apparently. You see, despite the fact that the essay contained no threats, and wasn't posted into public view, somehow the teacher and school district decided that the appropriate reaction was to arrest the kid. Oh, and he isn't suspended or expelled, but he is required to attend classes somewhere else. Which kinda sounds like expulsion, but apparently isn't.

I don't get it. Disorderly conduct? That's fire alarms and making too much noise late at night. It's bothering other people in public. The teacher fucking asked him to express his emotions. Maybe you should... you know... expect them to do it?

I get it. It was disturbing. And you're paranoid that you'll miss the next student gunman. But there are appropriate reactions and inappropriate ones. This was the later in case you were wondering. They could have sent him to the school counselor, or talked to his parents (maybe recommend real therapy if the situation called for it) but no no... straight to ye old police department with him.

And what they hell is with the cops here? Seriously? Arrest him? Put charges up against a kid because he did his fucking homework? I'd be slightly more understanding if they had a cop talk to him a little. Maybe tell the kid that sort of essay bothers people, and they'd like him to tone it down a little for homework assignments. Recommend that the parents talk to the kid and discuss it with him. But arrest him?

Over react much?

I mean, look at the precedent here. It means that if anyone writes something that disturbs you, you have the right to have them arrested for it. Doesn't matter that it's non-threatening and doesn't describe injury to himself or others. I offer as a counter example hundred and hundreds of famous authors that made their fortunes with such imagery. Do we take Stephen King out back? Poe? I mean, seriously here. How do we draw a line for fucking disturbing? A is bad, but B is ok?

Disorderly conduct? Fuck you. It's fishing for a charge so you make the kid that bothers you go away. Covering your ass. He's an adult. It goes on his record. You're fucking with his life now. All because you choose to over react.

The school can suck my balls. So can the cops.

Updated blog link

The economy can be tough. Job seeking is one of the least pleasurable activities that you can be involved in. It exposes the seeker to all manner of insecurities and self doubt. When you NEED a job, you're vulnerable.

I've been there. And I hope I never have to do it again. Though I'm pretty sure I will at some point.

Katherine Coble just wrote an article about J. L. Kirk & Associates in Tennessee. Apparently her husband was trying to use their agency to assist in his job search. After an initial interview, they requested he come in again. And... he should bring his wife. Let me just say... that's fucking weird. Alarms, bells, whistles and klaxon horns.

Anyway, they went through a long interview that she felt was pretty aggressive and predatory. Just to note, those are OPINIONS. That's important later. Then, at the conclusion of the interview, the agency requests close to five thousand dollars to be put down as a deposit on their services. And if they found him a job, they'd take a chuck of the action. Somewhere in the area of 30-40%. Those are FACTS. Also important.

She was mad. She blogged. Everyone on THIS site understands that. She complained that they seemed to be trying to take advantage of the NEED for a job and were trying to use that to force the couple into agreeing to terms with them.

She closed with a recommendation that others not use the agency.

Got all that. Feel free to check the link and read her words for yourself. Sometime after, someone from the company noticed it and responded. Not very well though and makes some rather unflattering comments about the couple. Which, naturally Katherine takes exception to. So she makes a new post with the employees quotes and responds to the comments.

You see, that's icky and annoying, but it's the next part that is rant worthy. THEY THREATEN TO SUE HER. Demanding that she remove the post, the employee's quotes and her response. Refusal to do so would result in them suing her for tortuous interference and other damages.

Total fucking BULLSHIT.

Look fuckheads at JLK&A... you're idiots. I don't give a rats fuck if the woman's account is accurate or not. It's half opinion and half factual. There is abso-fucking-lutely nothing you can do about it. Free speech mother fuckers. Proving libel or slander is real fucking hard. Oh, and your dumbass threat, has backfired and I'm 100% glad to be a fucking part of it. Instead of removing this little dispute from public view, you're center stage now bitch. #1 hit on google goes right to this shit. Aren't you proud? Good fucking job at sweeping this under the carpet.

Seriously, how far up your ass is your head? This is throwing bad PR at bad PR. And despite popular thought, not all PR is good. And now you've got a number of people aware of your company and not in a good way.

Why do companies think that threatening bloggers is really going to make them fold up their tents and run away. Do they have any fucking idea how difficult it is to prove libel? Seriously... read the post. Tell me where she lied or fabricated quotes. Back it up. Support it.

Otherwise, sit down, and shut the fuck up.

Oh, and for the record, I don't recommend ANYONE use a headhunter. Particularly not JLK&A.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland officially became the first state in the nation Tuesday to approve a plan to give its electoral votes for president to the winner of the national popular vote, instead of the candidate chosen by state voters.

That's some seriously fucked up logic right there. Conceivably, every single person in the state could vote republican and if a democrat won the majority of the country's vote, suddenly, Maryland's electoral college votes will go to the Democrat. Someone that didn't earn the votes in Maryland.

I get what they're going for. I just don't think this achieves their goal. Instead of making people care about politics and the importance of their vote, it's demonstrating that no matter what they vote, it's the the rest of the country that really matters. They'll be included in that count of course, but only as a percentage of the whole

Instead of being fully in control of your states voice, you just pimped it out to the will of the nation. It's fucked up on lots of levels. Just wait until the first time this law changes the course of a national election. I think MD is traditionally left leaning. Wait until those votes go to a republican. And if it's the difference (ala 2000)... You'll damn sure make your citizens care then. They'll care enough to light the courthouse on fire.

I debate science with the uninformed, uneducated and willfully ignorant all the time. I find it amusing in many respects.

Recently, during a.... discussion... about the creation of the universe, I had a quick thought. It occurred to me that I finally understood the stumbling block many people have to the concept of the Big Bang.

It was nothing. The concept of it at least. It seems easy to grasp, but it's really not. When I tell someone that nothing existed before the big bang, at least nothing in any terms that we would know, they tend to picture the wrong thing.

They picture empty space. But space isn't nothing. Space is something. It has dimensions and properties that we understand. Just as it's difficult to imagine infinity, it's equally difficult to picture true nothingness.

The big bang wasn't just the creation of the matter in the universe, it was the creation of the rules that govern universe. Before the Bang, there was no time, no width, no length, and no height. All of the matter and energy that would become the universe was condensed into a single point. There wasn't anything outside the point. It's not like you could be outside it and see it sitting there. Or that it glowed white. The point was all there was. Then... BANG.

Suddenly... things began. Suddenly, there was time. Things had size, because there were dimensions for them to have size inside of.

The concept of before the bang requires there to be some sort of measurable event. There isn't. At least, nothing that we, inside this universe can understand. It's too far outside the frame of reference.

If you really need it, I say that we don't know and will probably never know. But for fun, try to wrap your head around m-theory. 11 dimensions is enough to make your head hurt. However, the short version is to try to envision our little universe floating around in a big pot with other universes. An infinite number of them. Some of them are 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 dimensional. Now.. imagine our pre-bang universe bumping into another one inside this giant pot. Suddenly, the universal equivalent of kinetic energy surges into our tiny dot of energy. Too much energy to be contained. BANG. I don't think it's any more likely than conventional nothingness, but I do have to say, it's got a flare for the dramatic. Plus, if you feel insignificant in the grand scheme of this universe, it'll draw you even further to think of this just being one of an infinite number of universes. Technically... mutli-verse at that point? Not really uni.

No, there really isn't a rant here. Just a thought.

I have an idea for how to stop people from parking illegally. Anytime they're in the fire lane or handicapped spots or in front of a fire hydrant... normal people are allowed to key them.

I think it'll solve a lot of problems. Someone double parked you in? Tell him how you feel by etching it on his brand new car. If they don't want to put the time in, I think the new paint job is a reasonable fine. If a cop catches you you just demonstrate the illegal parking and continue etching to your little hearts content.

Of course, there have to be limits... you have to prove it was parked illegally. Camera phones would be ideal for that. Maybe you could anonymously send a picture of both the illegal parking and the etching to the police to back up your claims.

Yes, I know.. I know... it'll never work. But it's not that hard to park properly. The walk isn't THAT far, even from the back of the lot. And it turns out, they're not the king of the world, able to do whatever they want. I just think we should be able to convey that message to them in a permanent fashion.

Is that so wrong?

Went to the store today. Much like I do every week. Sometimes my lady comes with, sometimes not. Today, she gave me a list of things we need. On the list were a couple of 'feminine products'. I'm not one who has a problem with that, so off I go. Get to the checkout lane and some dipshit near me does the whip cracking sound. Then proceeds to further humiliate himself by saying 'She's got you on a short leash, eh? Sucks about your balls. How long they been missin?"

That he has teeth still is a demonstration of my supreme self control.

Putting the sophomoric reaction of Mr Neanderthal, what is the concept behind it? Seriously. Is it because men are that insecure in their masculinity that they're afraid others will think the box of tampons is for THEM? That just by buying it, we're somehow less of a man?

Think about it for two seconds. You know what it says? That you have a significant other who is comfortable with you. Wife, girlfriend, whatever. Alternatively, that you have a teenage daughter that needs said products.

No matter which of the above is true, isn't is MORE masculine to have them than not? Even in the most base terms, it means you have a woman that you care for. I'm going to take a big chance here and say that dipshit... probably doesn't. So, I'm one up on him. Good job dipshit!