I’m pretty terrible about not posting anything on here. Pretty much this is a result of being bogged down with a mountain of homework or other academic work, which is an adequate excuse for me. I was considering implementing something to produce a daily digest of interesting links from google reader with a brief comment, [...]

I’m not big on conspiracy theories. Some are more entertaining than others, sure. And some are right in pointing out that something isn’t right in re whatever it is they’re theorizing conspiracies about. And I have one of my own. I’m really concerned that I haven’t heard much really about this: Artificial Leaf Could Be [...]

Mexico has demanded a full inquiry after a Mexican teenager died after a US border patrol agent opened fire from the US side of the border. “Using firearms to respond to an attack with rocks is a disproportionate use of force, particularly coming from officials that are specially trained,” the Mexican foreign ministry said in [...]

I have pretty much lost all hope of trying to highlight the fact that things are getting worse. It’s simply become so pervasive and so common place.  People I talk to seem think one of a few things: I have a tin-foil hat hidden somewhere out of sight. The current status quo is ‘fine’ because [...]

NSA eavesdropping was illegal, judge says In the strongest legal repudiation yet of the George W. Bush administration’s program of warrantless wiretapping, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled Wednesday that the National Security Agency acted illegally by eavesdropping on the phone conversations of two American lawyers and an Islamic charity. U.S. District Judge Vaughn [...]

To borrow the analogy from John Robb over at Global Guerillas, who sees the recent Joe Stack incident as such a marker. In addition to that, I’d point out the guy who bulldozed his own house in retaliation of forclosure: As well as the ridiculousness of the Tea Party. These people don’t know what they [...]

Here’s an article that basically spells out why privately contracted probation is wrong: She described the case of Hills McGee, a man who was originally charged with public drunkenness and obstruction of a law enforcement officer back in October 2008. After spending the night in jail after his arrest, McGee appeared in state court to [...]

Cracked has a humourous little piece up called 7 Bullshit Police Myths Everyone Believes (Thanks to Movies), but I find myself knowing better for all of them (in part from interactions with the judicial system, sadly). In regards to #5 — not talking to the police is obstruction of justice — you don’t have to [...]

David Brooks in the NY Times: (via Reason) The country is evenly divided about President Obama, but state governments are in disrepute and confidence in Congress is at withering lows. As Frank Newport of the Gallup organization noted in his year-end wrap-up, “Americans have less faith in their elected representatives than ever before.” A tanking [...]

Homeless people can’t pay fines. What to do about panhandling? San Antonio has a solution: You see them everywhere….panhandlers…often holding crude cardboard signs, begging for cash at busy intersections. Efforts to wipe out panhandling by outlawing the practice have been ineffective, largely because panhandlers don’t have the money to pay fines, taxpayers are not excited [...]