Human greed knows no bounds... but shame is there right behind it

This story doesn't require much commment.

A British father faked a burglary at his home and claimed his daughter’s Christmas presents were stolen in a bid to get more gifts from sympathetic neighbors, local media reported Monday...

Unemployed Wood then posed for photographs for his local newspaper with his two-year-old daughter Abbey, saying Christmas was ruined.

However, he admitted the scam to police hours after the newspaper story was published, saying he could not live with the shame of using his little girl.

Crimes like this are always found out, whether thru good police work or thru good old feelings of shame. If you're in a tough spot, don't go to the low road. Ask for help. You can usually find someone willing to step up.

California Hurts Brick And Mortar TV Sellers

One great thing about living in California is that we're big enough to do our own thing. One not so great thing about living in California is that we're big enough to do our own thing. The California Energy Commission has passed (unanimously) new energy efficiency requirements on all televisions up to 58 inches that are sold in the state of California. This does not apply to companies such as Amazon shipping into California or prohibit consumers buying out of state. The effect they hope to have? Efficiency in what accounts for 2% of electricity use across the state. Combined with the highest sales tax rate, look to see more California retailers struggling and closing their doors as they have to sell more expensive televisions or have less selection to sell. The real kicker will be if 59 inch televisions become cheaper than their energy efficient counterparts.

Obesity causes Globbal Warming?

Regular readers know that I have lost 75 lbs this year thru a combination of diet and exercise (biking). There were many reasons why I wanted to lose weight: looking better for the opposite sex, health concerns, back pain, etc. Global warming was not one of my reasons.

Overweight people eat more than thin people and are more likely to travel by car, making excess body weight doubly bad for the environment, according to a study from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine...

They estimated that each fat person is responsible for about one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions a year more on average than each thin person, adding up to an extra one billion tonnes of CO2 a year in a population of one billion overweight people.

The conclusions being drawn from this study by the popular media are idiotic. But we all know that the last people it is okay to make fun or and discriminate against are the overweight. In general, the "fat people" I have known are more likely to be homebodies who stay around the house and don't travel. The extremely thin people I know, on the other hand, tend to be movers and shakers, who tend to drive their SUVs everywhere, smoke like chimneys, and always demand the latest and greatest. Does this mean thinness is a threat the planet? Of course not. But you watch. A "fat tax" is only a few years away.

Stupid Criminals

My mother loves the "stupid criminals" features on Jay Leno's show, so she is sure to enjoy this story. An Ohio man had his car stolen, along with his cell phone. A friend, on a whim, sent a text message to the stolen phone pretending to have "hot chicks and drugs". He then sent an address to meet at, which the criminals rushed to reach. The police were there instead. The following has to be my favorite line from the story...

And to make things easier for the officers, the suspects showed up in the stolen car.

Solar Freeze is the worst idea this year

I usually try to keep weekends light, but I am still furious about the announcement yesterday to suspend all solar power building for two years on Federal Lands. Some have said to me "Well, that does not affect private land, so it is no big deal." Here is an article showing exactly how much land is tied up in the Bureau of Land Management which would be PRIME for Solar Power building.

Let me say it again. If the Bush administration or Congress does not reverse this decision by July 4, they ALL deserve to be thrown out of office. I include in that evaluation Barack Obama and John McCain. Supporting or ignoring this move displays complete incompetence at best, or simple corruption at worst.

Feds freeze solar power building

So, you're facing an mounting energy crisis with oil at $4+/gallon and looking to reach $5/gallon by summer's end. Everyone and their brother are crying out for alternative energy sources, and the solar power community is rolling out breakthrough after breakthrough to make solar energy production cheaper and easier. So what do you do? Well, if you are the Federal Government, you announce a 2-year freeze on building new solar power plants.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/us/27solar.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1214584113-v3z1P+TfnrPGbc97b/n4hw

That's right. At the HEIGHT of an energy crisis, we are cutting off the cleanest form of energy available "for environmental concerns." If Congress or the Bush Administration does not reverse this order by July 4, they all DESERVE to be thrown out of office in November. This is not just the usual government foolishness, this is downright criminal.