Thoughtful Video by Bill Whittle About the Cyrus Vulgarity

Ohio Kidnapper Commits Suicide

From September 4, 2013 USA Today:

Ariel Castro, who was sentenced to life in prison last month for abducting and sexually abusing three young women in his Cleveland home, hanged himself in his cell Tuesday night, according to preliminary results of an autopsy performed early Wednesday.

The guy was a monster, but for some reason, I can't feel any glee or joy about this.

The Real Map of the United States

At least the map of what matters to most Americans.

Videos That Awed Me, Amazed Me, Inspired Me

Birdmen: The Original Dream of Human Flight (2012): Guys (and gals) wearing "wingsuits" which allow them do controlled gliding while jumping off thousand foot (and higher) cliffs.  They can travel several miles before opening their parachutes.  The videos from their helmet cameras are amazing.  These are serious adrenalin junkies, especially the ones doing "proximity" flying, where the goal is to get dozens of feet off the ground while flying 100 miles per hour, and passing between trees or radio antennas where there is a 20 foot gap.  Yes, this is intentional -- they aim for these.  And yes, they acknowledge that this is really dangerous, and they have lost friends doing this.  

A 2012 Nova episode: Cracking Your Genetic Code which explores the ways in which the Human Genome Project's output is helping scientists develop cures for what used to be death sentence diseases.  They give as an example a particular mutation of melanoma which is attacked by a particular chemical.  They interview a 50 year old who had a month left to live, because it had metastasized into his neck and abdomen.  They started him on this chemical -- and in a week, he could feel the tumors shrinking.  Two months after he started the chemical, he was back at work.  And many other amazing things that are now under development and beginning to pay off.

As I told someone today at work: I'm sure that 90% of the medical research that the federal government funds is a complete waste of time.  Stuff like this makes me say, "Who cares?  It's only money.  It is a vastly better investment than anything that is fundamentally a subsidy to a company that can't figure out how to produce solar panels."

Faith-Based Dorms

The September 2, 2013 Wall Street Journal has an article about a rapidly growing movement:

TROY, Ala.—Justice Gray, an incoming college freshman who attends church regularly and abstains from alcohol, wasn't keen on living in a dorm full of partyers. So she opted for a new housing option that just made its debut at Troy University, a public college here: a faith-based residence hall.

Featuring a small chapel and a communal area for Bible studies and other activities, the 376-bed Newman Center caters to students looking to nourish their spiritual side. It is open to people of all faiths, though the ministry space is leased by the Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile. Alcohol is forbidden, even for those of drinking age.

"I like the Christian feel of it," said Ms. Gray, 17 years old, who attends a nondenominational church back home and moved into the dorm in August before the start of classes. "We're like a family."

These dorms are privately built and operated, although on land leased from the university, so the Freedom From Religion Foundation is now suing universities to stop doing this.  Remember that you have to actively seek out getting into these dorms; no one is forced into them.  But the fear that someone, somewhere might choose to live in a dorm that frowns on drunkenness, casual sex, drug use, and wild partying -- the horror!

Need A Couple of People To Review a Law Review Article

"Mental Illness and the Second Amendment": ideally, you are familiar with Bluebook legal citation format and can catch any mistakes that I have made, along with unclear or clumsy writing.

Someone Needs To Read It More, and Use It Less As A Weapon

From August 30, 2013 CBS Cleveland:

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Police say a northwest Ohio man hit a gas station clerk in the head with a Bible numerous times forcing the employee back into the store and then demanded cash.

The 57-year-old Abbott Griffin was arraigned on an aggravated robbery charge on Friday in Toledo Municipal Court. A judge set the Toledo man’s bond at $50,000.