Whoohoo!

All right!

The wonderful Bushstruction of the concept of environmental protection continues. The Bush Administration is apparently trying to leave their soot-colored mark on the country in their final year in power.

The Washington Post is reporting that the Bush Administration is preparing to further ease restrictions of the Clean Air Act that keep power plants and dirty industrial plants away from federally protected natural areas, like our National Parks.

Who needs nice, clean natural areas?

Anyway, I would say to contact President Bush and the EPA to register your disgust, but honestly, George is not known for his giving a crap about what the people think if they disagree with his narrow viewpoint.

Anyway, run to a National Park and a hug a tree, because in a couple of years, it might cover your clothes in soot.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24658362/

~Libertus

Okay, this is something that has been jumping into my head lately for some reason. I have thought about it before, but it keeps coming back, so maybe if I blog about it on here, it will leave me alone.

There are many people who think that it is ludicrous that the drinking age in all parts of the United States is 21, while the age of legal adulthood is 18. Most of the rest of the entire world has an 18 year old drinking age, at the oldest. I personally think that that is too old as well, but I'll get into that below. I agree with most people's arguments that it is nuts that one can serve and die for their country at 18, but can't buy (or drink) a beer. There are other insanities besides this one. A 60 year old politician can legally have sex with an 18 year old intern if he or she wants to, but that same politician doesn't think that that same adult intern should be able to have a drink. Craziness.

Besides the lack of logic between these sorts of differences, I have another reason that I think that the drinking laws are rather dumb. If you really think about what the laws do, I think you will agree with my earlier statement that 18 is too old. By making the legal drinking age 18, much less 21, we take away any legal power whatsoever for parents to instill into their children a practice of responsible drinking. As it stands right now, Americans are 3 years into legal adulthood before they can pick up a beer. What this means, is that people become legally allowed to drink once they are most likely fully free of the mentoring ability of parents. People are not able to experience the idea of having a glass of wine with dinner or having a drink at a social event. They either binge drink outside of the view of their parents, mentored by a bunch of other teens, or they wait until they're 21 and only want to catch up on missed time. It is my opinion, that at least by the age of 15 or 16, under their parents supervision, teens should be allowed to consume alcohol. This will allow us perhaps to establish a social drinking culture as opposed to the party drinking culture we have today. It wouldn't solve everything, but neither is the current law. Parents can take their 16 year old down to the courthouse and sign to allow them to get married if they want, but they can't let them have a small glass of wine. Craziness! Allow parents to teach and show their children that alcohol is not bad in moderation, and drinking does not mean getting drunk. Because of the health risks involved, I do believe that it should be unlawful for a parent to get their teens drunk. There should be limits.

I just want to clarify to anyone who may not know. I do drink occasionally. I detest drunkeness. I am 31 years old, and I have never been drunk. I don't have this opinion because I am a big fan of drinking alcohol. I have this opinion, because it just makes sense.

There, I got it all out, so maybe my brain will leave me alone! :-)

Everyone have a good weekend!

~Libertus

P.S. And yes, I know that a lot of people figure this stuff out on their own, at least eventually, but it doesn't negate my opinion of the law.

Sorry everyone.  I wanted to change my name, but I am sure as hell not paying $15 to do so, so new journal.

~Libertus

Okay, so since I am starting a new journal, I figured that I would start out by finally posting about Monty Python's Spamalot.  I finally got to see it last month.  I had been listening to the soundtrack for a month or two already, and given that Eric Idle created it, I had high expectations.  I have to say that my expectations were met and exceeded.  It was brilliant!  Hilarious!  I don't think that I stopped laughing almost the entire time.

The soundtrack is great, it is filled with wonderfully entertaining lyrics!  The thing that the soundtrack isn't able to portray are all of the other dialog and visual Python references and new bits of hilarity.  I guess there isn't much more to say.

Everyone take it easy!

~Libertus

I have no BS New Years Resolutions, but I do have one goal.  To start and build some friendships.  I think that friendship is an important need to make it through life, especially its rough spots.  This past year has been filled with many rough spots for me.  Some of them I have made it through by my own diligence, but often I have made it through by holding on to the coattails of friends and letting them drag me through like a cowboy being dragged by an ornery bull.  I have very regrettably lost some friendships this year, but I have made some new ones and hope to build on those and develop some more.

This new year, 2008, I wish for all of you success and enjoyment, and a few good friends!!

~Libertus 

Okay, I had not really heard of this upcoming movie,The Golden Compass, until today.  I have heard of Philip Pullman, the author of the book on which it is based, though I had not heard about the book in question.  Anyway, the reasons I have heard about the movie today, is a bunch of religious people whining and griping because, apparently, the books are anti-christian or something.  The movie, being a Hollywood-made movie has watered down the book and left out religious references.  Religious groups are decrying this as a misleading thing which may draw kids into reading these "atheist" books!  "Misleading"  "Trickery!"  "Leaves out the most reprehensible parts!"  Ahhhh!!!!

Okay, the reason this bothers me is just because it strikes me as funny.  Has anyone ever watched one the wonderful little religious touchy-feely, dare I say watered down, movies and tv shows.  Particularly those made for kids.  Veggie Tales, etc.  They "mislead" watchers by not showing the biblical killing and other "reprehensible parts" of the not-so-pretty bible stories they represent.  Never seen the wholesale slaughter of women and children from the Bible represented in a Veggie Tales video.

Anyway, I just wanted to vent that.

To the couple of people watching my journal, have a good weekend!!

~Libertus

Howdy everyone.  Well, at the moment . . . Nicole and Kitty.  :-)

Anyway, I am just sitting here losing my mind in a Botany class and facing down the end of the semester.  Doing well in here and in Cell & Molecular Biology, but in Animal Physiology, not so much.  Hopefully I can pull off a passing grade in Animal Phys.  I just have been unable to get my brain engaged in there, and it is a very detail-oriented course.  Oh well.  So, I am registered for next semester.  Fun classes, I hope.  :-)  Biochem, Historical Geology, Stats (okay, not so fun) and Philosophy.

I have determined that I believe that I actually have AD/HD.  I am trying to get myself a therapist for various reasons, one of which is to get myself evaluated.  The AD/HD thing, to me, would explain a lot of my life.  We shall see.

Also, with only one semester to go, I believe that I am realistically going to be moving on to teaching Biology in High School.  This is a quite scary thing, but teaching Biology is what I want to do.  I just don't think I could stay focused enough to get the PhD to get into post-secondary education.  Cest la vis.

Well, I guess that is all I will share at the moment, without friend onlying the post.  I'll post more later! 

Anyway, I wish you all a good week, and if I don't talk to you or post before then, a good Thanksgiving!

Later!

~Libertus

I am attempting to make a return to LJ after an extensive exit.  We shall see how it goes.  I am too sleepy at the moment to try to write. I got to go present a poster for a summer research project this morning at the annual meeting of the Tennessee Academy of Science.  Whoohoo!  I survived.  :-)

Anyway, I will write something. . . promise.  :-)

~Libertus