Net Neutrality ... huh?

I know Corrupt is all about laws to protect the people ... so he should be all about this one, but we will have to wait to find out I guess. Net Neutrality.

Whenever net neutrality comes up in the news I just end up pissed off ... because some ISP is just stepping all over the rights of the internet.  Anyway, what got me thinking about this time was a post a few weeks ago on Google's main blog about the concept of edge caching, and a WSJ article basically saying that Google was trying to control and lock down the internet through doing so.  Edge caching is something employed by ISPs to bring frequently accessed data closer to the end users, so for instance - the top 10 YouTube videos would be edge cached on an ISPs servers, so they ISP could utilize less traffic across the whole internet (and speed up the time it gets to the end user), by just sending the user to the copy on the ISPs server.  Google asserts that their openness in regards to setting up Edge server does not violate net neutrality and I tend to agree with them.

That said ... I think net neutrality is an increasingly important issue - as we see ISPs (cough, Comcast, cough) increasingly trying to regulate the amount of data a user can access.   The assertion from ISPs is that only a handful of users account for a majority of their network traffic - which raises their costs and makes the connection slower for all users - so there solution is to throttle back connection speeds for users who exceed a data limit.  I understand these companies need to make a profit, but I also don't think we need to be entering a time when we are paying per kb of data sent over our connections.  ISPs are definitely within ther purview to charge different prices for different speeds (most already do), but the idea of a data cap is something that bothers me.  The internet is about openness - it is why it has become so prevalent - because anything and everything is on it.

It is certainly scary to think that the 'last mile' of the internet is controlled by companies that have shown time and time again that they do not care about consumers and just want to make a dime.  I feel this applies to almost every consumer-ISP with the exception of Verizon, who I just like to think is  better than everyone else -- because FiOS, just is.  But even Verizon is not pro-net neutrality.

This was a small issue when it first came about in the early 2000s, but is slowly growing.  At the rate that the internet continues to expand, and our appetite for data continues to expand - network neutrality will certainly be an issue within our lifetimes and likely very soon.  And it is a very scary thought ... that access could be cut off - and there aren't too many laws protecting us.  So far the FCC has sided with consumers, ruling that it was illegal for Comcast to cut off users access to certain file sharing servers.  We can only hope that the FCC continues to side with consumers and Congress acts soon, though I'm sure any law they pass will be weak and virtually not enforceable.

Personally, I feel that most of the ISPs and hardware manufacturers are not just looking for a quick profit, they are making sure that they are not getting screwed.  These companies can't continue to support the Internet without making sure their own business survive.  In that sense a company like Comcast is out to make a profit and has no concern for the consumers - they have shown time and time again they have no concern for the common good.  Cablevision is the same way.  As for the rest of the ISPs ... I have hope.

The wikipedia article regarding Net Neutrality is here.

Do you have any thoughts?

Chu, LaHood, Ducan, Rhee, and FiOS

The title of this post says it all - so I will just go in order...

* I just went to the The Paper of Record's website and saw that Bush approved $17.4 million in loans. This is just a measure to let the hobble along until Obama can come in and just pour money into their coffers. I'm pro saving these companies and don't think bankruptcy would have destroyed them, but I'm against this bailout. I see this as a bailout of failed-union policies, not as a bailout of the automakers.

Anyway ... back to the post:

* It turns out that Dr. Steven Chu - Obama's nominee for Minister of Energy - went to my high school. Dr. Chu graduated from Garden City High School in 1966 (quite a bit before I did, though I understand the building has not changed much), and cites one of his teachers, a Mr. Miner, as one of the main reasons for his love of physics. So I did some reading about him, the guy seems pretty smart - he is Chairman of the Physics department at Stanford. The Paper of Record has a great quote that I just have to put here:

New houses could be made energy efficient with an investment of an extra $1,000, “but the American consumer would rather have a granite countertop.” (At a lecture in Washington on energy options, June 25, 2008)

* LaHood. The whole LaHood nomination (he was nominated for Minister of Transportation) has been overshadowed by the fact that Obama announced that he hates gay people, but I'm still fuming over LaHood (especially since I knew long ago that he hated gays). The more I read about him, the more I want to vomit. I mean Norman Mineta = great American, Ray LaHood = great non-American (I didn't want to compare him with another country because most that I can think of have pro-transit policies). Sidebar, I was trying to find this great post-9/11 picture of Mineta on a Coast Guard patrol boat, it was so great - but I can't find it. Anyway ... LaHood. I honestly don't know what to make of him, he doesn't have an anti-transit record, but I was hoping for someone who is all about smart growth and transit, etc, etc. (Cough - Janette Sadik-Khan - Cough) Anyway, I'm going to bring you a quote from my friend Panda. Just as a little background, this kid would support Obama if he was shooting American's in front of the White House, so I figured I would give you some pro-LaHood talk:

I think we need to wait and see on the Transportation Secretary. According to the Chicago Tribune, LaHood is a moderate Republican with a bipartisan "record of supporting funding for Amtrak and public transit." As far as appointing a Republican to the Cabinet, LaHood seems like an ideal candidate. I think we need to hold off on judgment for now. As I said before, once the rubber hits the road (or the wheels hit the rail), then we'll see what this administration is all about.

Anthony also popped over to Track Twenty-Nine after reading my post about LaHood which linked to T29. He found this pro-LaHood comment on this post, which I generally disagree with (I agree much more with the blogs author Matt), but it also offers a unique perspective on the entire LaHood thing:

Matt, I feel your pain. I had extremely high hopes for who could have potentially been Transportation Secretary (my favorite was Blumenauer); nevertheless, your past few posts expressing serious disappointment with Obama got me thinking.

In an ideal world, with the right appointments, government could wave a magic wand and satisfy all of us urbanists instantly. I'm afraid the political game simply isn't that simple. At first glance the LaHood appointment appears to be a slap in the face to anyone hoping for a much more progressive approach to transportation. However, there are still a few things worth considering:

First, we still don't know who is going to be the Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. It could be possible for Obama to use that position, rather than Transportation Secretary, to push a more progressive urban agenda. Second, it is entirely possible that transportation issues, particularly urban transportation issues, could be handled out of an entirely different executive office. In that case it would make sense to appoint someone like LaHood to oversee the airlines, interstates, etc. and let someone with more urban experience handle the urban issues. Third, transit issues are often held up by stubborn congressional Republicans (people like McCain who think we ought to privatize Amtrak or people like Coburn who don't think we should fund WMATA or other agencies with federal dollars); putting an extremist as the head of DOT probably won't help to win these individuals over.

Finally, I think you have done good work on this blog, so please don't take this the wrong way; but your last few posts have almost confirmed the perceived snobbish attitude that leads a lot of folks to distrust urbanists with otherwise good intentions. When I voted for Obama I knew that on transportation issues 1) they couldn't be worse than under McCain and 2) that it was really a roll of the dice as to whether or not any real progress would get made during the first term. Campaign rhetoric is usually just that: rhetoric. Setting your expectations too high ultimately leads to the disappointments you now seem to be experiencing.

* Duncan! My friend Friend sent me a post from DCist about how Obama's nominee for Minister of Education, Arne Duncan, will have to deal with DC School's Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Now - I am a huge fan of Rhee ... and would take a bullet or two for the woman - but it is an interesting thought. The Ministry of Education always feels the need to get involved in DCPS, and will likely even get more involved -- as Rhee will likely ask for the system to be placed in a 'state of emergency' giving her even more control over teacher contracts ... and the fact that the American Federation of Teachers (the national union) is getting involved in the whole battle. Well Duncan, you read it here first - Rhee is right, and I expect you to stand by her. It is important to point out that Duncan received a recommendation for the job of Minister from the AFT - so that will be interesting. There is a write up over at US News that I suggest you read - here. The article also had a great Rhee quote:

If the children don't know how to read, I don't care how creative you are. You're not doing your job.

I think it will be interesting to see what happens with Duncan, because I think he will have to get involved sooner rather than later in the battle taking place in DCPS. Michelle you have my full support, so if you want to go over to the Ministry of Education and toilet paper those red school houses they have out front - let's do it! And I will leave you with a quote in The Paper of Record from Arne Duncan, which I believe shows that he's got Rhee's back:

We are one of the few districts in the country that has shut down underperforming schools and replaced the entire school staff. This turnaround school strategy has taken some of our lowest-performing schools and doubled or tripled test scores within a few years. Same kids, different teachers, new leadership, a new educational approach, and the results are dramatic. (Testimony before House education committee, July 17, 2008.)

* And finally ... FiOS. I talked about FiOS the other day, when I wrote a passionate post about how awesome it is. I neglected to tell you that last Christmas while I was home - I convinced my parents to get FiOS ... as it was finally available in my neighborhood. My family had been using Verizon for landline services, Cablevision for internet, and DirecTV for television. The reasoning for using three different companies was my Dad's hatred of Cablevision, but the lackluster-ness of DSL made cable-internet the only option. Anyway, so I was home this afternoon watching FiOS and decided to go look at the HD channel offerings. AMAZING.

Okay ... based on my rough count of HD channels online, RCN, which as of last week added more HD channels has about 67 channels which are HD, 20 of which fall under premium only packages. So everyone had at least 50ish HD channels. Meanwhile, FiOS has about 103 channels available in HD, about 30 of which fall under premium only packages. So with FiOS everyone has at least 70ish HD channels. wow... America. FiOS wins.

I'm out for now ... that net neutrality post is still coming, one of these days.

Oh Cocktail - I really agree with you ... this 'internet' capitalization thing is driving me crazy.

Wednesday Morning

A few things ...

* I'm still hoping that Fenty will veto Mr. Bojangles' (Councilman Jim Graham) initiative to get 8 year olds drunk.  We will just have to wait and see.

* In other DCCircus news, yesterday was Councilman Carol Schwartz's last day, she spent a good portion of the day taming lions and parading around with penguins.  I can't really say that she will be sorely missed by this blogger, but hey - at least she is actually from the party which she claimed to identify with during the election (cough, Mike Brown, cough).

* And I mentioned this yesterday - but I am beyond excited for FiOS ... yes we have known that the Office of Cable Television approved this a while ago, but it still needed to be officially approved by the Circus - which they did yesterday.  They also spent their time approving about 10,000 resolutions naming buildings and streets for people ... ah the importance of being on a city council that has no real governing power and can be overridden by Congress.

* In a small note of housekeeping, due to Bojangles actions this week - the list of people in the Circus who are currently in my favor has dropped to an all time low of one.  Congrats Mary Cheh for being the only member who actually seems to care about the people.  Now if only we can get that Election Machine subpoena enforced...  Bojangles has landed himself in the same category as the Ringleader himself, Gray, and the only person bold enough to blatantly lie on his ballot application - Mike Brown.  Bojangles, Gray, and MBrown are so ridiculous they actually make Jack Evans look legit and not at all corrupt, which is impressive.

Okay ... enough about the Circus, now onto the real fun -- INAUGURATION!

* We all heard of WMATA's plan to increase service to unheard of levels, yet still charge off-peak fares and not charge for parking.  Well thankfully John Catoe and the team of intellectuals over at Metro decided they should try to lose a little less money than they were already pouring down the drain.  Metro wants to charge rush-hour fares on Inauguration Day and also charge for parking - both excellent ideas which I fully support.  People are going to take Metro either way, and considering the $1.65 doesn't really cover the service anyway - its a good idea to not lose as much money as humanly possible.  I'm also all about Metro charging for parking - they want to charge a modest $4.95 (ballpark), whereas I think they should be gouging people - like $10-20...really.  Metro is going to hire a parking contractor in order to ensure those without SmarTrips are able to use Metro's lots, which seems like a good idea - although you may remember the reason Metro switched to SmarTrip only lots was because their parking operator PennParking was skimming off the top.  (That whole thing was via WaPo)

* Cell phones ... looks like you shouldn't even bother, jk!  It seems as though its not just Metro, DDOT, restaurants, and bars that are going to be feeling the strain of an extra 3 million people in the city -- according to WTOP, here, cell phone users are screwed as well.  The CTIA (the spokesperson for all wireless providers) is suggesting that you text instead of call people - as texts put less of a strain on the network and are more likely to go through.  They also advise not trying to send picture messages - as everyone will be doing the same thing and its just not going to go through.  Of course cell phones of first responders and public safety authorities will have priority on all the carrier's networks - which is probably a good idea, and Sprint is increasing its iDEN network (the push-to-talk network) capacity by 90% in DC.  Other providers will likely also be increasing their network capacity.  Considering I can not connect to AT&T's network under ideal circumstances - I have no hopes of it actually working during Inauguration.  The good news is that so many VZW users will be in Metro, packed into trains and falling off platforms, that their network down there will collapse too - so on Inauguration Day, no one can use cell phones in Metro - haha.

* On another Metro note - they are advising that you don't bother.  Basically if you live in the city, Metro expects you to keep out.  Trains will be too crowded.  They say to take buses - haha - right, because those are always running on time.  I plan on sitting back with a bottle of Maker's Mark, a bowl of my newly discovered Pimento Cheese, and some Wheat Thins - the best way to enjoy Inauguration.

Okay that is the end of the Inauguration thing ... now onto more random updates.

* Writing about Pimento Cheese a second ago had me thinking again, wondering what it was.  Do you have any idea?  If you have heard of Pimento cheese, please comment - because I had not up until a week ago.  It is really good - and disgusting all at the same time.  A little research led me to discover it is a Southern thing (surprise, surprise), and it is basically just Cheese and Mayonnaise.  NPR has a write up here.

* Also ... noted this morning the French Competition Agency (whatever that is) has declared that the 5-year exclusivity agreement for the iPhone between Orange (aka French Telecom Mobile) and Apple - is illegal.  This is similar to Apple's agreements with mobile providers around the globe (it is with AT&T in the United States if you didn't get the memo).  Anyway, while I'm quite pleased about this - as I find these exclusivity agreements annoying (honestly, who would be on AT&T's network by personal preference) - but once again the French have proven that they don't understand the concept of capitalism.  Since the government has decided to intervene in capitalism, perhaps the French people should just stop voting too - the government can decide their leaders instead.

* All this talk about AT&T has me thinking about how much better Verizon Wireless is - oh I miss you Verizon.  And speaking of Verizon Wireless -- let's talk about Verizon Wireful again, FiOS is coming.  FiOS is coming.  FiOS is coming.  FiOS is coming.  I don't think I've been this excited about a cable provider in a long time.  But I have realized that everyone may not know what Verizon FiOS is ... well first off it stands for Fiber Optic Service, which basically means awesomeness.   I am going to write a post about FiOS - and the link will be right here, but it will also be right below this post.

* Also - big news for Zipcar fans out there!  Although Zipcar has yet to make a profit, even after merging with their only real competitor, FlexCar,  over a year ago - they are catching some attention.  So much attention that Hertz (yea the gigantic car rental corporation) is launching their own version.  It is called Connect, and is exactly the same thing as Zipcar (even down to the green in their logo), and is currently available in NYC and Park Ridge, NJ (soon to be in London and Paris as well).  While I welcome Hertz as a competitor I feel as though they will probably fail - whenever big companies like this try to be young and hip - they just don't get it, and end up floundering.  You can check out the article in the Paper of Record - here.  Also ... as a shameless plug - if you don't have Zipcar you should really get it.  It is the best thing ever, you can sign up -- and get $25 free driving by clicking here!

FiOS - The new kid on the block

FiOS Sidebar.  I was talking about FiOS in my morning post this morning and wrote so much that I just decided to make a separate post for it. 

FiOS can provide cable television, telephone, and internet services to your home - Verizon operates as a cable provider in this sense (as most cable providers provide all 3 as well), and not just the telephone/internet provider that most know them as.  Although I can't find it right now - I am not looking that hard - I know Verizon used to advertise that the word fios is also Gaelic for "knowledge" - which makes sense because fios is able to bring so much knowledge (data) to your home.  Verizon is awesome.  

Basically FiOS is a service known asFTTP, or Fiber-to-the-premises - meaning that Verizon actually runs Fiber right to your home.  Most cable and telephone companies have FTTN, or Fiber-to-the-Node - which means that Fiber comes from the Central Office to the node in your neighborhood (serving anywhere from a dozen to a hundred homes), and then travels from that node via coax or some other kind of copper or other 1800's-esque wiring.  FTTP dramatically increases the bandwidth (amount of data) that can travel into and out of your house - because you have a dedicated fiber line, and your house is only requesting the data it needs at the time.  Meaning if you are watching Channel 3, only channel 3 is being sent over the fiber into your home.  Over FTTN, every channel has to be sent out over the coax to your house - so even if you are watching Channel 3, there needs to be room for Channel's 4 and 5 on that coax because that is what your neighbors are watching - which overall decreases your bandwidth.  

Those of you who have had a cable modem since the early days (this won't apply to you if you had DSL), will remember that at first it was blazing fast, and then as more people in your neighborhood got cable modems - it slowed down, until the cable company installed a new node.  This is essentially the same concept - yes the cable companies can keep adding nodes, but to what point -- why not just get the data right to the customer.  

AT&T also was caught up in the Fiber craze not to long ago - attempting to expand their lackluster cable service - UVerse (or something stupid like that).  But they decided to be cheap and only go for FTTN, combining that with their already lackluster customer service - they were branded as a normal cable operator and everyone hated that.  Okay, that was just my personal opinion ... but either way who cares - FiOS is better and coming to more places.

Verizon has taken on loads of debt to bring Fiber into neighborhoods (its very expensive), and doesn't even charge you to hook your home up to the Fiber (which costs another few hundred dollars) - but they are making a bet that this is where the future lies.  And I tend to agree with them.  As the internet becomes more prevalent in our lives (yes we will become even bigger information whores then we are today), we will demand more from our services and more data - and Verizon will be there.  Not to mention they can get blazing fast internet to you for really cheap (fiber is fast - its how the internet travels around the globe).  

But more importantly, I have never heard anyone rave about the great experience they had with their cable provider.  Comcast sucks, RCN sucks a little less, Cablevision sucks, Time Warner sucks, Charter sucks ... those are the only ones I can think of - but guess what, they all suck.  I'm sure Verizon has its problems, but any competition in the realm of cable providers can only be good.  

Anyway - if you have the option - get FiOS.

Oh Snap...

This should have been my usual morning post - but I got a little sidetracked, so now its an afternoon post - with a lot of information.

Sidebar: They really need a better way to make like bullet points on here - each of these paragraphs is a different topic.

Okay, go out and eat please ... just do it ... Nathan's in Georgetown is apparently hurting so much that they might not be able to renew their lease this coming April.  I've honestly only dined there twice, but I've passed by a million times, and it is truly a Georgetown icon.  I get this information via Marc Fisher in WaPo this morning - in an article about Georgetown turning generic.  Apparently Nathan's was feeling the hurt even before the union-induced recession, so I can't imagine that things are faring any better.  So the next time I am in Georgetown, I think I am going to pop in for a bite to eat - I've only been for brunch so I might as well try another meal.  Though I will say, there brunch is pretty good.  I will add though, that if you are looking for hole-in-the-wall sports bars/restaurants in Georgetown - Chadwicks is really good.  I basically just undermined this entire post by recommending another restaurant over Nathan's -- lol -- go to both I guess.  Yum!

Education.  Education.  Education.  Rhee.  Rhee.  Rhee.  I have yet to have the honor of posting about The Iron Chancellor on this blog, but I will.  The reason I bring this up is Obama's nomination for Minister of Education (I'm pretty much over this whole 'Secretary' business - Minister sounds better), Arne Duncan.  I don't know the guy, he's certainly no Iron Chancellor, but she's also not ready to be MoE.   The Paper of Record has all the deets about this guy here, he seems to be pretty legit - straddling the divide between destroying evil unions and getting our schools the resources they need.  He has the experience, the brains, and the temperament to be an excellent Minister.  I am glad to see that Mr. Duncan is so focused on early childhood education, it makes absolutely no sense to start reforms in middle schools and high schools when the kids are coming without the proper educational background.  I look forward to positive changes and hopefully no children will be left behind.

BusinessWeek ran with a story yesterday about Airbus keeping it's 'edge' on Boeing.  Let's just start with the facts, If it ain't Boeing, I'm not going.  Any 'edge' that BusinessWeek asserts that Airbus has proves that BW has no idea how to run a business.  Airbus is kept afloat by the EU, their business model is non-existent, they just make up designs that have planes looking like Sperm Whales and then receive billions of dollars in government subsidies in order to keep the program afloat - as far as I am concerned Airbus is unreal, it doesn't qualify as a legitimate business.  Anyway back to the BW article, it talks about how Airbus didn't get the memo that no one wants Sperm Whale planes and they are looking for smaller, lighter, more agile planes like the godsend the Dreamliner.  I'm pretty sure according to Boeing's original timeline, I was supposed to be flying in a Dreamliner right now ... but that didn't happen.  Then again when you completely reinvent the manufacturing process to make a plane completely out of composite you are bound to run into some delays.  The 787 is now not expected to deliver until mid-2010, sadness.  Though that still puts it light years (4 years-ish) ahead of Airbus' lackluster competitor the a350 (which is essentially a plane they already make).  Boeing also has double the orders for the 787 than Airbus does for the a350.  I mean basically its a fact, Boeing is better.  I don't know why BW wrote this article, it was a waste of everyone's time ... Airbus should have gone bankrupt years ago.

All this talk of planes has me quite happy - I love planes.  And I love Boeing.  It also reminded me to check out the blog of a good friend of mine - Jon Ostrower - who writes FlightBlogger.  Anytime I come across a blog post about airplanes, Jon is linked somewhere in the post because he knows everything about everything.  He's quite smart and seems to get all the deets before anyone else, so he's clearly a good guy to know (and a good blog to read).  Anyway, I popped over to his blog (link again - yea you should go, its that good.), and he is leading with a story about the Chinese cancelling or delaying aircraft deliveries in 2009.  He points out this sucks for our friends over at Airbus, who are currently building a new factory over there.  I'm sure the EU will rush in to bail them out and make sure they remain an unreal and illegitimate business.

Taking the airplane thought and merging into a new topic. ... I would have included this in my Dreamliner discussion, but it had already gotten too long and off track - unions.  It is clear to me and basically every economist in the world (not verified) that the unions have caused the current recession - jk.  sort of.  Anyway, a union-lead strike caused a 58 day delay with Boeing's Dreamliner, probably causing a much bigger delay due to a backlog of parts that showed up - couldn't be put in the right places, etc, etc.  The Big Three had horrible business practices and didn't seem to get that people weren't going to buy SUVs for ever, but even with that stupidity I think they could have survived on their own.  Except for the fact that they are saddled with huge health care costs for retirees -- and they can't actually close down a factory.  Yea, that is absolutely my favorite.  When they close a factory or shutdown a production line, or really attempt to save any sort of money ... they still have to pay the people who work there.  Yea?  Does that make much sense to you?  In essence, they have absolutely no flexibility.  That is like if over the next 3 years when Bank of America lays off some 35,000+ employees, they just got to go home but still got paid 95% of their salary.  I'm sorry ... what?  Is this socialism?  Why even bother having a business if you can't make any decisions to save money.  I'm sure old Socialism Corrupt will have a post up in seconds about how unions are the 'fabric of our nation' and saved this and that and are the greatest - blah blah blah.  Yea, I'll admit it ... unions were good for quite some time - they have served their role, but they are inefficient and have no place in the 21st century.  Making a case for unions is like making a case for a horse drawn carriage over a car - yea its pretty cool, but its certainly not the best way to travel and it costs so much more money than it could ever be worth.  So you heard it here first, I'm calling on the 2010 Republican Congressional Majority to pass a law abolishing all unions.  Actually, why go through Congress - unions should just disband themselves on their own.  Okay .. that's good.

I can't wait to see Corrupt's response to this union banter - he frequently gets in a tizzy about such things.  He's all about making sure that people get paid for work they aren't actually doing.

I was trying to look up what happened with that whole Jim Graham wants underage kids to get trashed thing - but the Legislative Information Management System (LIMS) seems to require intricate knowledge of the legislation in order to find it - which kind of defeats the purpose in my eyes.  So I decided to read the Council's agenda for this afternoon ... this thing is like a 3-ring circus.  Their day seems to be occupied with approving resolutions naming streets and buildings after people.  Of note!  On the Consent portion of the agenda is the final vote for the approval of Verizon's Cable franchise, which means FiOS!  FiOS!  FiOS!  Oh I'm excited.  Anyway I discover that Jim Graham and the other cowboys over at the Council have decided to go ahead and approve this Bill (B17-0983) 13-0.  Unreal.  Fenty I'm counting on you buddy ... you made the right choice with Rhee and Lainer, make the right choice on this one.  Well I'm glad that Jim Graham has succeeded in getting kids drunk, hopefully they don't vomit all over his lawn.

The Paper of Record ran an Op-Ed today, declaring the death of dating.  It is over, it is done with, hook ups are here to stay.  According to the article, a new study by Child Trends has found that more High School seniors saying they never date than date frequently - aka they are whores.  Well this is great for our society.  Actually ... it is a very interesting article, and its also intriguing to see the amount of studies that have been done into this whole hook-up thing.  Makes sense to me, like the article notes - I am more likely to hook up with someone a few times, and if it is good - then go on a date.

Caroline Kennedy - get a life, do something else.  You will not be the Senator from The Great State of New York.  The Daily Intel has the rundown of the opinions out there, here.

Okay ... this has gone on for long enough.  Enjoy.

Also, I hate the dentist.  That is all.