The Institute (協会)

The 2008 NFL Draft

Guys, any opinions on the NFL draft's 1st round below or the draft in general?

The full story's at ESPN.

2008 NFL Draft Order - 1st Round

1 Miami, Jake Long - OT
2 St. Louis, Chris Long - DE
3 Atlanta, Matt Ryan - QB
4 Oakland, Darren McFadden - RB
5 Kansas City, Glenn Dorsey - DT
6 NY Jets, Vernon Gholston - DE
7 New Orleans , Sedrick Ellis - DT
8 Jacksonville, Derrick Harvey - DE
9 Cincinnati, Keith Rivers - OLB
10 New England, Jerod Mayo - OLB
11 Buffalo, Leodis McKelvin - CB
12 Denver, Ryan Clady - OT
13 Carolina, Jonathan Stewart - RB
14 Chicago, Chris Williams - OT
15 Kansas City, Branden Albert - OG
16 Arizona, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie - CB
17 Detroit , Gosder Cherilus - OT
18 Baltimore, Joe Flacco - QB
19 Carolina, Jeff Otah - OT
20 Tampa Bay, Aqib Talib - CB
21 Atlanta, Sam Baker - OT
22 Dallas, Felix Jones - RB
23 Pittsburgh, Rashard Mendenhall - RB
24 Tennessee, Chris Johnson - RB
25 Dallas, Mike Jenkins - CB
26 Houston, Duane Brown - OT
27 San Diego, Antoine Cason - CB
28 Seattle, Lawrence Jackson - DE
29 San Francisco, Kentwan Balmer - DT
30 NY Jets, Dustin Keller - TE
31 NY Giants, Kenny Phillips - S

Rev. Wright Please Go Away

Jeremiah Wright's 5-minutes of fame is really distracting us from focusing on Obama's politics and platforms. It's pathetic.

Obama, with this press conference, has now permanently distanced himself from Wright. It's over. I seriously doubt that Wright and Obama will have a relationship after these past few days.

Obama referred to Wright's public comments the past few days as "spectacle!" That's pretty serious.

If Wright really cared about Obama why wouldn't he just wait until his friend's campaign was over to come out and start making speeches about white racism being the biggest problem in America today. I don't get it. They were friends.

Thoughts?

Quote of the Week: Racist Christians Raise Doubts About Christianity's Veracity

The racist actions of Christians in the South (past and present) calls some to question whether not Christianity is true or real says this week's commenter of week. If Christianity is true why does there continue to be silence when known out-spoken racist Christians continue to pastor churches, write articles, lead denomination committees, serve as church officers, etc?

This comment was given in response to the post about Christians celebrating and cheering when MLK was shot (see below).

I was raised Christian. I now go back and forth on whether I still believe in the existence of God. And stories like this are a major contributing factor to my conflict.

Those racists cheered when they were told that Dr. King had been killed because from early childhood they were taught that the Bible says that Blacks are inferior. Most Christians today (except for the kinist lunatic fringe and other fellow travelers) are taught from early childhood that the Bible teaches that the races are equal. And the reason for the disconnect is purely cultural: in an openly racist, segregated South, the Bible is interpreted in a racist fashion; in a more egalitarian culture, the Bible is interpreted more liberally. Historically, Biblical hermeneutics has always been cultural. Each culture interprets the Bible in a way that conforms to the norms of that culture. Mark my words, if the culture ever becomes pro-gay (or, for that matter, pro-cannibalism), so will Biblical hermeneutics.

Do we really have the right to look down on them because we were lucky enough to have gotten better teaching? Are we whites sure we wouldn't have been racist ourselves if we'd grown up in that culture? For that matter, can Blacks be so sure that in a Black-majority culture, they wouldn't have treated whites as badly as whites treated them, all the while quoting Scripture to back themselves up?

And here's where my skepticism kicks in: Is it asking too much of the Almighty, who, being omniscient, would have known that these issues would come up, to write the Bible in such a way that people looking for justification for their own prejudices wouldn't find it? I'm deeply troubled that those racists are able to make a case from Scripture, even though most other Christians no longer find it a persuasive case. Obviously a case for racism CAN be made from Scripture, or racists wouldn't have done so for so long.

When I was a child I heard someone say that it is possible to prove anything from Scripture. At the time, since I believed in inerrancy with the faith of a child, I thought that was nonsense. Now, as an old man who has been watching Christians for a long time, I'm beginning to wonder.

Wow. Guys, thoughts?

Bradley On Obama's Website

Aight fellas, somehow I made it onto Obama's campaign website. Check it out here at BarackObama.com

Wow!! I'm on a presidential candidate's website. That's cool. Do you think he'd hire me if he wins?

Although I disagree with him on some points, if he invited me to come work for him to provide a balanced perspective in his administration I'd accept! I can work with anyone who has integrity regardless of policy differences.

White Christian Cheering Dr. King's Murder

About a week ago I had a conversation with a 77-year-old Christian psychiatrist (Dr. D) who is black who told me a story that would make black folk totally walk away from evangelicalism FOREVER (like more and more are beginning to do as I've read). I hope you're sitting down.

Just after Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, Dr. D was attending the annual meeting of the Christian Association of Psychological Studies (a conservative evangelical group). Just when it was announced that Dr. had been shot the Christians in the auditorium gave applause and cheered. They cheered. Cheered.

Dr. D said that he never went back to another meeting for the rest of his career.

Jeremiah Wright's rant is understandable some would say. America for his generation was painful and the only safe place was the black church because white Christians could not be trusted. It's amazing to many of us that white evangelicals don't understand why black Christians are leaving evangelical circles or are not interested altogether.

Here are some questions I'm certain some folks in my family would ask: Why would anyone black born before 1970 want to be around the kind of people who cheered when Dr. King was shot? Why would anyone black want to be around the children and grandchildren of the kind of people who cheered when Dr. King was murdered (in the name of Jesus)? I think this may be one reason why many blacks are leaving evangelicalism altogether. There are many blacks I know who see little evidence that the racist dimensions of evangelical sub-culture has changed much, especially when examining attitudes toward Mexicans. I don't always know how to respond. And, in light of Dr. D's story, what should I say?

Dr. D said that racism really never heals. I believe him. I really do. I get it, but not like he does of course. The on-going racist evangelical stuff I've seen about me has affected me in ways that I had not imagined. My guard is way up in ways that it never had been before. Many have warned to be careful whom I trust. It's wise counsel.

Dr. D's final words to me were piercing: "Racism is like a scab, if you pick at it, it starts bleeding."

I finally started to understand why many blacks who have experienced racism at the hands of white Christian racists never seem to "get-over-it" as some want them to. I've only experienced racist Christian internet, e-mail, and radio attacks. I can't image being in a room full of people holding Bible's cheering that Dr. King was murdered. What kind of religion allows for that?

Dr. D does not attend an evangelical church. Even worse, it seems the "racial reconciliation movement" had no interest in reaching men like Dr. D. I guess he wasn't poor, urban and needy enough some would say. Today's black middle class is bitter--that's why Jeremiah Wright said what he said.

Dr. D told me one more story that angered me. And I just heard another story about my Dad's experience of white racism (I'm amazed that he can even stand to be in the same room as whites, especially those his own age from the South). Bad stuff, whew.

I wonder if there're more stories like this? It would make an interesting book.

Bloody Summer: Chicago Gangs Lack Gang Sages

Young gang members are out of control because the older gang sages are in jail.

From CNN:

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Nine people were killed in 36 shootings over the weekend in Chicago, reflecting what some community leaders say is a deadly breakdown in discipline among gang members after a crackdown over the past few years put many of their leaders behind bars.

Police respond to one of the numerous shootings over the weekend in Chicago.

"The older guys, in the past, looked out for the little ones. Now they're all locked up," said Nick Stames, a social studies teacher at Crane Tech High School on the city's gang-ridden West Side. "There's no sense of discipline in the projects," he added. "Everybody's doing their own thing."

Now there is growing fear that Chicago could be in for a long, bloody summer.

"If this happened on this weekend, what is ahead of us when it gets to be 85, 90 and when the schools close in June?" asked the Rev. Michael Pfleger, an activist on the South Side. "A lot of kids out there are running their own game, trying to one-up each other for respect."

The shootings included drive-by attacks and one case in which someone shot up a plumbing supply store with an AK-47. At least 14 of the shootings were gang-related, according to police. As for the rest, the only thing they can say for sure is that three had nothing to do with gangs.

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond would not comment on the breakdown-in-discipline theory. She and others said they were not surprised the spike in shootings happened on one of Chicago's first spring-like weekends.

Fellas, this theory makes so much sense. When boys aren't discipled by older men they tend to be out of control. Donald Miller talks about this his book To Own A Dragon (he learned from a documentary on elephants as well).

And, remember the role of the "Boss" in the mafia. He and the Dons kept the younger guys in check. Well, in Chicago, now that many of the "bosses" and "dons" are in jail the younger cats are going buck-wild. Makes sense.

Clinton Wins, Lots of People Cuss

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton claimed victory in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, beating out Sen. Barack Obama after a bruising seven-week campaign. Sen. Hillary Clinton addresses supporters following her win in Pennsylvania.

"It's a long road to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and it runs right through the heart of Pennsylvania," she told supporters in Philadelphia. "I'm in this race to fight for you ... You know you can count on me to stand up strong for you every single day in the White House."

Clinton commended Obama and his campaign, saying they are in many ways "on this journey together." Tuesday's projected victory follows Clinton's wins in other big states such as Ohio, New York and California.

Her campaign said that should raise new questions about whether Obama, who leads Clinton in the overall Democratic race, can beat presumptive Republican nominee John McCain in November.

"The tide is turning," Clinton told cheering supporters. Chelsea Clinton's eyes welled with tears as she watched her mother speak. With about 99 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton was leading Obama by 10 points.

I think I'm gonna be sick. Because of FCC regulations I'm not at liberty to disclose what I said when I heard the news. What's wrong with democrats in Pennsylvania?

Is Rush Limbaugh's Operation Chaos really working?

Honesty Time: WE ARE IN A RECESSION

Can we just be honest? Our economy is tanking and we are in a recession. I don't know why the politicians won't admit it. Come on federal reserve be honest. There are too many economic indicators fall downward for us NOT to be in a recession.

From the today's New York Times:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street pulled back Tuesday as the price of oil approached $120 a barrel and a rush of quarterly results from bellwethers like AT&T Corp., DuPont and McDonald's Corp. failed to impress investors. The Dow Jones industrials shed more than 100 points.

Oil that rose to a record $119.74 on the New York Mercantile Exchange unnerved a market already uneasy about earnings. AT&T's results met Wall Street's forecast while McDonald's and DuPont reported stronger-than-expected numbers. But DuPont said a U.S. slowdown will offset growth abroad and McDonald's said an important metric of its sales showed a decline for March. All three companies are among the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones industrial average.

The comments gave trading a cautious tone. With hundreds of companies still to report results, investors are anxious over what the figures might say about the prospects for the economy.

''It takes a while for the economy's situation to work its way down to the companies,'' said Alexander Paris, economist and market analyst for Chicago-based Barrington Research. ''What's going on is earnings are reflecting the reality of a slowing economy, and that should go on until the second half of the year.''

Fellas, thoughts about our unnamed recession?

Pennsylvania Democrats: Do the Right Thing Today, Obama!!

If the folks living between Pittsburgh and Philly vote for Obama today the democrat's electoral soap opera might finally come to an end.

Quote of the Week

Guys, I picked this commentor's reflections about my "cheating" post (see below) because I've met more and more Christian guys over the years who are choosing to date non-Christian girls and are totally discouraged (and nihilistic) about the whole institution of marriage. It's a not a surprising trend.

I would rather marry a healthy non-Christian than an unhealthy CHristian. Seriously! Now granted, that is a false dichotomy , but my feelings on that illustrate a point. I have not seen in all my 31 years of growing up in Christian grade, middle, and high school, growing up in the Church my whole life and eventually ending up in seminary. I have never seen "CHrist" make a REAL difference in all the marriages i have run into or families I have been involved with.

To put it another way I dont see any difference btwn a couple that works on their marriage and made wise choices during dating, how and when to marry and really worked at staying healthy and just staying married, vs. Christian couples who do the same. So it seems to me being in a CHristain marriage doesnt mean anything "overall". I think it can mean a lot if you value it a lot and your wife values it a lot. However the value cant be on the title thats placed above your head and Christ is never going to come "save" your marriage or "keep you together". YOU keep or YOU save it. I know there are some amazing stories out there on how God saved this relationship from such and such.

Well, you can save your extraordinary story for our singles group at church on friday night,You will be the 10th one this year. Or go write another book like all those other schmucks out there who end up peddling their fantasies or miracles on Christian radio as if it were holy water. Then all the stay at home moms, from being manipulated to feel all good inside, rush out at lunch time to go save their marriage by reading it.

Until we start looking at marriage without this gnostic view of Christian marriage, and stop acting like "Christ" makes marriages work, then I think incidents of cheating, divorce etc. might have a shot at declining.

A few years ago I had 40-something-year-old friend (who's now an elder in his church) tell me that I should never, ever date a girl with emotional problems (unhealthy) and don't even think about marrying one with problems. I thought it was odd but the look on his face told the story. He was dead serious. I didn't know what to say.

Good Friends vs. Good Job

Guys, I was talking to a friend of mine the other night and I asked him if he'd rather live in a city where he had an amazing job but no good friends around OR would he rather have an "ok" job (not necessarily a bad job, but one that's not really all that exciting) and have very, very good friends around.

My friend chose the latter. I definitely would too.

I know this guy that had an "ok" job in a northern city "A" and, after a number of years, quit and took an amazing job in a southern city "B" but now, after a few years, he still can't seem to develop a posse like the one he had in his other city. The nature of his new job means that he works by himself nearly all of his work day.

Now he thinks he may have made a mistake in quitting job "A." Oddly, he's in a good church (the best I can tell) but since he's not from the area people he hasn't really connected with anyone still after a couple of years. I don't really know sometimes what to say to people in situations like this. The dude's kind'a stuck.

Maybe some Christianese: "it's must be for a reason," or "well at least he knows God," "pray about it," "join a small group," etc.

So, a few questions: answer any or all of these.
(1) Did the guy make a mistake by moving south?
(2) What should he do?
(3) Which would you rather have good friends/boring job or no friends/great job?

Again, Do Men In the Church Under 35 Cheat? Cause Young Women Have Made It A Fad Like Bottled Water

Ok, look, I don't know what's going on. I just had another guy a few days ago tell me that he caught his wife cheating on him. I think I could name 10 guys I know whose sexually aggressive wife left them for another dude in the last few years. There's probably more, but most guys wouldn't admit to it.

What's da $%!$^ is going on with America's young "Christian" couples, women especially, in the adultery area? This isn't meant to sound sexist but I don't know any guys under 35 years-old who've cheated. That's something baby boomer men seem to do more often. Now it's flipped, it seems. Young women in the church have picked up the adultery baton. I've been at the weddings and hear the brides talk about how "God" this-and-that and "my answer to prayer" this-and-that, and within in a few years she's involved with another dude. What?

Too much girl power? Sex In the City? Friends? Cosmo and Glamour mags? The Real World on MTV? Daddy issues? What's going on?

Here's my goal for 2009: I want to go at least one year without one of the fellas I know discovering that his wife is cheating on him. Just one year.

Every wedding I go to now I'm sit there cynical as-all-get-out thinking, "is this dude gonna call in a couple of years and say, 'dude, I think she's cheating.'" I hear all the blah, blah at the rehearsal dinner and the reception and I kind'a roll my eyes. Adultery affects more people than just the couple.

I just want to go one year. One year.

I've got a buddy living down south who has recently walked through so many women-led adultery cases (or women that severely emasculated the dude when she left) with his guy friends that's now basically struggling with being a misogynist.

One year. Just one 'cause 2008's already blow several times over which is why I wrote about it back in February. It's only April. Whew.

Another single guy recently said to me that he's thinking about skipping marriage altogether because of what he's seen in the wives (and near former wives because of cheating) of his friends and he's near 30-years-old. Is anybody writing on this? This can't be anecdotal. . .

Biofuels Hurt The Enviroment

American's are some of the most gullible people in the world some would say. Why would people believe that BURNING fuel of any kind would not release "green house" gases. It's the nature of combustion!! Are own bodies function this way. You can't get more organic than the green houses gases that are released during the process of cell combustion: flatulent.

The New York Times had the odd courage to discourage its own followers by publishing a story about the myth of environmental gains by way of biofuels.

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Published: February 8, 2008

Almost all biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of producing these “green” fuels are taken into account, two studies being published Thursday have concluded.

The benefits of biofuels have come under increasing attack in recent months, as scientists took a closer look at the global environmental cost of their production. These latest studies, published in the prestigious journal Science, are likely to add to the controversy.

These studies for the first time take a detailed, comprehensive look at the emissions effects of the huge amount of natural land that is being converted to cropland globally to support biofuels development.

The destruction of natural ecosystems — whether rain forest in the tropics or grasslands in South America — not only releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere when they are burned and plowed, but also deprives the planet of natural sponges to absorb carbon emissions. Cropland also absorbs far less carbon than the rain forests or even scrubland that it replaces.

Together the two studies offer sweeping conclusions: It does not matter if it is rain forest or scrubland that is cleared, the greenhouse gas contribution is significant. More important, they discovered that, taken globally, the production of almost all biofuels resulted, directly or indirectly, intentionally or not, in new lands being cleared, either for food or fuel.

“When you take this into account, most of the biofuel that people are using or planning to use would probably increase greenhouse gasses substantially,” said Timothy Searchinger, lead author of one of the studies and a researcher in environment and economics at Princeton University. “Previously there’s been an accounting error: land use change has been left out of prior analysis.”

These plant-based fuels were originally billed as better than fossil fuels because the carbon released when they were burned was balanced by the carbon absorbed when the plants grew. But even that equation proved overly simplistic because the process of turning plants into fuels causes its own emissions — for refining and transport, for example.

The clearance of grassland releases 93 times the amount of greenhouse gas that would be saved by the fuel made annually on that land, said Joseph Fargione, lead author of the second paper, and a scientist at the Nature Conservancy. “So for the next 93 years you’re making climate change worse, just at the time when we need to be bringing down carbon emissions.”

I thought there were scientist involved in this stuff: more combustion processes emit greenhouse gases friends. Ahh, hello??!!

Biofuel was solely political and driven by agricultural special interest groups. The whole thing was a farce from day one and a bunch of Christians bought into it. Don't believe the hype. Think about the PROCESS.

"Real Men" Piss Against The Wall Says Preacher

Fellas, this is less than 5 minutes but you gotta here this.

A real man "pisses standing up" not sitting down like a woman. This is where America is headed as well those so-called men who read the NIV.

DISCLAIMER: I do not agree with a single word of this clip and this pastor is solely responsible for the content.

Fellas, thoughts?

Needed: Insanely Aggressive Men

John Eldredge in his latest dude book, The Way of the Wild Heart: A Map for the Masculine Journey, laments (as I do) the pathetic squelching of aggression in boys that has them turn out to be more like "Mr. Rogers-types" as young adults.

And by the way, Mr. Rogers was not a Navy Seal folks. Never. It's a gullible lie that lots of people have stupidly fallen for. Again, Mr. Rogers WAS NOT a Navy Seal or a Marine Sniper. People should stop getting their information from the "land of make-believe."

The aggressive heart that needs to be cultivated in boys and young men is assaulted in our feminized culture when:

he is told that aggression is flat-out from, unchristian, that niceness equals godliness. He is wounded when his attempts to rise up as a Warrior are mocked, or crushed. . .when there is no one to train him, no king to give his allegiance to not cause to fight for. . .or when his attempts to be a Warrior [is shamed]. (152-153)

"Don't be so aggressive!" is the language of castration. Aggression is not a boy's problem. Misdirected and misapplied aggression is the problem. Encouraging the boy to turn out like Mr. Rogers on the television show handicaps boys for what will be needed of them in the work of the Kingdom. We need men who are aggressively pursuing righteousness, fighting sin, fighting for injustice, fighting for their wives' hearts, fighting for their children's hearts, embedded in spiritual warfare, etc.

The Lord is a warrior, the Lord is His name (Ex 15:3). I thought we wanted to raise boys to be like God. Oh well, God got traded for Mr. Rogers somehow. Men in the church have no idea who this warrior Lord is or what God has made men's good aggression for. The Bible is a narrative of God using aggression for good end. Boys in the church should be praised for being aggressive and discipled in how to properly wield it (Eph 6). Fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim 6:12). How sad it is for a boy to grow having been told that fighting and aggression are wrong. Actually, if he's not a scrapper he's toast.

Why isn't aggression encouraged and cultivated?

This is a world at war and boys are raised to be passively nice. Or even worse, for many boys, their parents drug their aggression into permanent hibernation. What's really odd is that people simultaneously complain about the "Mr. Rogers problem" in the church yet nurture boys and young men in the way of non-aggressive, pleasant, niceness. Above all else, "play it safe. Don't fight." The Kingdom of niceness is nothing more than impotent for mission. Maybe this is why 3500 churches close in America every year. I dunno?

For more on how nearly every aspect of a boy's life in America today is designed to meet the needs of girls read Boy's Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men. Today's school culture overwhelmingly prefers girls and the aftermath is showing-up in achievement scores and graduation rates for boys. Since Title IX went into affect it's almost as if boys ceased to exist for teachers and administrators many would argue. The data is getting scary. And for more on how the church is designed primarily to meet the needs of 40-year-old women and their children (mostly daughters) read Why Men Hating Going to Church and The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity.

Again, Mr. Rogers was NOT a Navy Seal or a Marine sniper.

For the record, I actually loved the watching Mr. Rogers. We're not dogging him as a person just the idea that "niceness" the goal of masculine formation. Aggression is a gift to be cultivated for good not annihilated.

Why Would A Democrat Vote For Clinton, Confirms Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens, editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, explains how Hilary Clinton is responsible for the US not stopping the massacres in the Bosnia conflict in the 90s because she did not want to divert attention from her (failed) health care plan movement. Hitchens implies that Hilary Clinton sold the Bosnians out and let them suffer to remain in the spotlight. He writes about it here at Slate.com.

Wow. Why do democrats want her? Obama is clearly the best choice for the democrats. I really do think that democrats would be unwise to choose Clinton over Obama. I say, Obama vs. McCain in '08! Woot, woot!

Does anyone know why Clinton fans do not like Obama? Any ideas?

$1 Million In Pot Found In County Just North of Atlanta

Ahh, Wendell Berry is so right about the superiority of rural life.

$1 Million in Pot uncovered in rural setting.

By NANCY BADERTSCHER The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/10/08

Forsyth County authorities announced Thursday that they have uncovered an elaborate marijuana growing operation in the basement of a north Forsyth County home.

Two suspects were arrested, and marijuana with a street value in excess of $1 million was seized, Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton said.Paxton said investigators went to the home at 5220 Ridge Farms Drive on Tuesday, acting on a tip about possible drug activity.

Inside the home, they discovered a large marijuana farm being cultivated in the basement of the residence. The farm had an automatic watering system, humidity and heat controls and reflective material, designed to reflect light on the plants, installed in the walls and ceiling of the rooms, said Lt. Col. Gene Moss, commander of the Sheriff's Office's Enforcement Bureau.

"This was the most sophisticated growing operation I have seen in my 30-plus years in law enforcement," Moss said.

Arrested at the home were William D. Morrow, III, 44, and Linda Bates Vaughan, 40, were taken into custody. They were charged with the felonies of manufacturing and trafficking in marijuana and violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act.

Now I get why so many people believe that rural/agrarian life is far superior than urban living. This is making more and more sense. Organic living. The agronomy revolution. Got it. Open space.

Fellas, thoughts on this growing pot story?

Non-urban Teen Violence--Not Safe For White Girls

(CNN) -- Eight Florida teenagers -- six of them girls -- will be tried as adults and could be sentenced to life in prison for their alleged roles in the videotaped beating of another teen, the state attorney's office said Thursday. art.girls.fight.ho.jpg

The teenagers seen in a video assaulting a 16-year-old could face life in prison.

The suspects, who range in age from 14 to 18, all face charges of kidnapping, which is a first-degree felony, and battery, said Chip Thullbery, a spokesman for the Polk County state attorney. Three of them are also charged with tampering with a witness.

Everyone involved in the case was under a gag order imposed by a judge. The only attorney for the teens who has been publicly identified did not return calls from CNN, and his assistant cited the gag order as the reason. The teens are scheduled for their first appearance in court Friday.

The video shows a brutal scene: The 16-year-old victim is punched, kneed and slapped by other girls. She huddles in the fetal position, or stands and screams at her attackers, but the assault continues. Authorities say the eight teens said they were retaliating for insults posted on the Internet by the attack victim.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd called the March 30 attack "animalistic."

"I've been involved in law enforcement for 35 years, and I've seen a lot of extremely violent events, but I've never seen children, 14 to 18 years of age, engage in this conduct for a 30-minute period of time and then make these video clips," he said. Police say the teens planned to post the video on YouTube.

This is so crazy. So crazy. Wait, I thought only "inner city" kids were "violent"?

Hey, Obama/Clinton Fans: Government Blows Taxpayer's Money on Personal Expenses (iPods, $13,500 dinner, personal laptops, etc.)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal employees charged millions of dollars to government credit or debit cards, according to a Government Accountability Office study released Wednesday. A new GAO study sheds light on federal employees' improper use of credit and debit cards.

Those charges include Internet dating services, iPods, expensive clothing, a $13,500 dinner and lingerie to be worn during jungle training in Ecuador, the study said.

The audit also found that government agencies could not account for nearly $2 million worth of items, which included computer servers, laptop computers, iPods and digital cameras.

Nearly half of transactions made in the 2006 fiscal year with government credit or debit cards -- referred to as "purchase cards" -- were improper, the study found, and the audit condemned the government-wide "rate of failure" as "unacceptably high." The improper purchases were either not authorized or did not meet the government's requirements for using purchase cards, the study said.

Sens. Norm Coleman, R-Minnesota, and Carl Levin, D-Michigan, initiated the investigation into the use of government cards.

"Too many government employees have viewed purchases cards as their personal line of credit. It's time to cut up their cards and start over," Coleman said in a news release about the GAO study.

"The basic rules for authorizing purchases and accounting for goods and services are not that difficult: Use the card for legitimate purchases, not to cover the costs of buying yourself an iPod," he added.

The study used scientific sampling to examine spending across federal agencies, and mined data from purchases made from July 1, 2005, through September 30, 2006. The study categorizes the inappropriate purchases as "fraudulent," "abusive," or "improper."

In the fraudulent category, the most egregious case involved a Forest Service employee writing about 180 credit-card-linked checks worth $642,000 to an individual with whom the employee shared living quarters and a bank account.

Two million dollars that could have gone to feed starving people or something else good. I would rather give the $2 million dollars to well-run charities.

Why do people expect people in "government" to do the right thing as if "the government" is not made of actual individual people who are descendants of Adam.

Ok, Obama fans help me here. You have a government full of corrupt, fraudulent, untrustworthy, unaccountable, truth-suppressing, unrepentant, morally bankrupt, non-followers of the Truth (Rom 1) and you all want to put more and more responsibility in the hands of these people for the masses. Please explain. Is there something I'm not seeing?

"The government" Ahh, they always to the right thing since it has no descendants of Adam. Oh yeah, that's right. Got it.

Anthony Bradley In The Daily Kos and Miami Herald

Fellas, I'm the subject of conversation over at the Daily Kos because of Obama. Very cool to see my name at the Kos! I'm honored. Pretty cool stuff!

I'm also quoted in the Miami Herald, America's 28th most circulated newspaper. Woot, woot!!

Chuck Klosterman on Beating-Up 5-year-olds

From Esquire Magazine:

Of course there's something wrong with a Website that calculates how many kids you could beat up. It's just not quite what you think.

By Chuck Klosterman

As a longtime critic of both children and antigladiator legislation, you'd think I'd love a Website that calculates how many five-year-old kids I could theoretically defeat in a street brawl. Sadly, this is not the case. Despite its promising concept, I see a lot of flaws in HowManyFiveYearOldsCouldYouTakeinaFight.com. I question its scientific validity.

After punching my personal data (and my self-styled fighting philosophies) into the site's prompts, I was informed that I could maul about seventeen kindergartners, assuming the skirmish took place in an enclosed basketball court and we all wore groin cups. Now, granted, this total does seem roughly accurate. However, I fear this Website only considers the "average" five-year-old. What if these youths are like the kids from season four of The Wire? They'd kill me instantly. What if these five-year-olds are like all those fat, PlayStation-obsessed brats I see on youth soccer fields across America? I'm sure I could take eighty of those insecure [mother******]. Unless I see some real data showing what kind of five-year-olds I would be theoretically facing, I cannot support the soft methodology of this Website.

I'm sorry, HowManyFiveYearOldsCouldYouTakeinaFight.com. Try again.

Fellas, get Klosterman's book. He's hilarious. Five-year-olds, thoughts, fellas?

I took the quiz and I could take on 24 5-year-olds.

24

401 Kids In Custody From Polygamist Sect

From CNN:

Authorities said Monday they have taken legal custody of 401 children who lived on an isolated West Texas polygamist retreat built by imprisoned "prophet" Warren Jeffs.

The children are being kept at a temporary shelter at historic Fort Concho in nearby San Angelo while authorities investigate whether a child bride gave birth on the ranch at age 15.

The children in state custody are joined at the shelter by 133 women, most of them mothers, who were taken during the past few days from the sprawling Yearning for Zion ranch, said Marleigh Meisner, a spokeswoman for the state's Child Protective Services agency.

The women are free to return to the 1,900-acre compound, officials said, but many have chosen to remain. At this point, officials said, the children's fathers are not permitted to see them. Video See buses take girls from compound »

Court proceedings began Monday to determine whether there is enough evidence to remove the children from their homes on the ranch, which is near Eldorado, Meisner said. A hearing is scheduled April 17.

Seriously, 401 kids? Speechless. How does stuff like this happen? Thank God for a very, very, very courageous 16-yea-old girl. Wow, the girl deserves a medal for making the initial call!! Amazing fortitude! It would be great if more girls would report their abusers.

I don't even know what to say about this story. Guys, thoughts?

The Economics of "Do It Yourself"

"You can do it, we can help" is a tag line at Home Depot. But doing it yourself may not always (or even usually) save you money in the long-run because of the trade off in how you use your time.

Can someone out there help us understand why, at times, paying someone to do something you know how to do may actually be a better use of your time and money than "doing it yourself."

For example, is it always "cheaper" to paint your own house, change your own oil, wash your own car, do your own yard work, etc.?

Choke

How do you spell "choke?" Answer: "UNC Basketball 2008"

What a sad performance. Sad.

The Minisode Network On Youtube: I may never work again

I'm doing my taxes right now (Friday evening) and stumbled upon this heavenly site on youtube. It's the Minisode Network with all sorts for sitcoms and catoons from the 70s and 80s.

I love Bewitched. This is awesome. I'm sooooo excited. I can watch 70s and 80s television on YouTube. I hope I make it to work on Monday:)!! This is incredible.

Here are the shows:

227, Bewitched, Charlie's Angeles, Diff'rent Strokes, Dilbert, The Facts of Life, Fantasy Island, I Dream of Jeanie, The Karate Kid, Malcolm and Eddie, Married with Children, My Two Dads, NewsRadio, One Day at a Time, The Partridge Family, Policewoman, Ricki Lake, Sheena, Silver Spoons, Spider-Man, Starsky and Hutch, The Jeffersons, TJ Hooker, VIP, Voltron, What's Happening!!, Who's the Boss?, The Young and the Restless

The Final Four: UNC

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill! Your 2008 Champions.

Go ACC!!

Married Guys Make More Money Because of the "Marriage Premium"

If you're a single guy and a full-time working professional your future income mobility will be retarded because your household lacks a division of labor. Taking care of everything in your household consumes time that you could be using making money. Thomas Sowell reminds of this fact in his new book Economic Facts and Fallacies:

The earning of [family] income can also be a joint enterprise, regardless of whose name appears on the paycheck. Time that a bachelor spends shopping, preparing meals or going out to restaurants, taking his clothes to the laundry or dry-cleaners, entertaining guests or arranging dates, is available to many married men to put into advancing their careers instead, because their wives relieve them of such concerns. Given these and other ways traditional wives have freed up the time of their husbands, it is hardly surprising that married men have usually earned higher incomes than single men of the same age and education. (72)

Wow. This is so ridiculously true. You single professional guys waste so much time running all of your errands and taking care of all of your needs by yourself that you're losing valuable time that you could be doing other productive things.

It would actually be worth the money in the long-run to hire someone to running your errands, clean your house, do your laundry, etc. Not having a division of labor in your house puts you at huge economic disadvantage in terms of your earned income over the long run.

It's what economist call "marriage premium." Wage or earnings models for the United States show that married men earn more than do never-married men. Most models show a premium ranging from 10% to 40% depending on the time period, sample examined, and model specification (Goldin, 1990; Gray, 1997; Loh, 1996).

I lived in a house with a group of guys once where it was cheaper (in terms of time) to hire someone to clean the house and do our laundry for us than to waste time doing it ourselves. Marriage professionals are more free than they realize with their "marriage premium."

The 2008 BMW 135i

Fellas, I hope you're sitting down.

**Starting at $34,900 MSRP
**3.0-liter, turbocharged inline 6-cylinder engine
**300 horsepower
**Rear-wheel drive
**25 mpg hwy

0 to 60mhp in 4.7 seconds, fellas, 4.7!!!

Road and Track has an awesome review of the BMW 135i. Get the data panel information here. This vehicle is listed at $35,000-ish.

Selecting 1st gear, you'll notice that the throws are fairly short, the clutch takeup linear with fairly light effort. The dohc inline-6 is a twin-turbo and it spools up rapidly. Peak torque arrives at just 1400 revs, which gives the car lightning-quick reflexes off the line. The 135i revs freely to redline, and in testing it hit 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds. The quarter mile was covered in 13.4 sec. at a speed of 104.0 mph.

The 135i is a driver's car, a "gotta have" car. The question, though, is at what price. The Euro has not been so kind to the dollar and that's reflected in the 135i's base price of $34,900. Throw on a premium package that includes the glove-soft Boston leather and you're in the neighborhood of $39,000. Add navigation and you've zoomed past 40 large, which puts it solidly in the larger and more comfortable 3 Series territory. So the question is — do you want comfort and size, or do you want to drive?

Wow, wow, wow, wow!!! This is great!! Thoughts (for those who know what it means to sit behind the wheel of the ultimate driving machine)?