apple juice

I love how he has identified the fundamental hypocrisy of “judicial activism”. (Emphasis mine)

I agree with Senator Feingold and Senator Whitehouse that we hear a lot about judicial activism when politicians talk about what kind of judge they want in the Supreme Court. But it seems that their definition of an activist judge is one who votes differently than they would like. Because during the Rehnquist Court, Justice Clarence Thomas voted to overturn federal laws more than Justices Stevens and Breyer combined.“

(Via TPM.)

Classilla: Building a Secure Web Browser for Mac OS 9
and the Classic Macintosh OS

I know I’m a total nerd, but I love this stuff…

Malcolm Gladwell reviews Free by Chris Anderson: Books: The New Yorker: “And there’s plenty of other information out there that has chosen to run in the opposite direction from Free. The Times gives away its content on its Web site. But the Wall Street Journal has found that more than a million subscribers are quite happy to pay for the privilege of reading online. Broadcast television—the original practitioner of Free—is struggling. But premium cable, with its stiff monthly charges for specialty content, is doing just fine. Apple may soon make more money selling iPhone downloads (ideas) than it does from the iPhone itself (stuff).”

This is a very good critique about the concept of “free” information. It’s definitely challenged a few of my thoughts on the future of “free” ideas. I am someone who still buys music (on vinyl, no less) and I’m willing to subscribe to magazines that I can get for free on the internet.

It’s very clear that this is still playing out, and as Gladwell puts it, there are no iron laws as to how all of this will play out as newspapers, television and publishing continue to get ripped apart by the internet.

No fluke: new survey finds $4 gas is the tipping point: “The survey found that if gas were to shoot to over $4 a gallon again, 40 percent of car shoppers would ‘consider purchasing a new fuel-efficient car right away.’ About the same amount, 41 percent, said that $4 gas would make them choose a ‘more efficient car the next time they were ready to buy a car.’ Even at $3.75, 29 percent of car shoppers thought buying a more efficient car ‘right away’ was the right move. Takeaway point: when gas prices go up, people will want to have greener cars. The question is what kinds of vehicles will be available then the inevitable happens. “

(Via AutoblogGreen.)

i’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We need a gas tax that establishes a price floor for a gallon of gas.

A Plea To President Obama: End Mountaintop Coal Mining by James Hansen: “Mountaintop removal, which provides a mere 7 percent of the nation’s coal, is done by clear-cutting forests, blowing the tops off of mountains, and then dumping the debris into streambeds — an undeniably catastrophic way of mining. This technique has buried more than 800 miles of Appalachian streams in mining debris and by 2012 will have serious damaged or destroyed an area larger than Delaware. Mountaintop removal also poisons water supplies and pollutes the air with coal and rock dust. Coal ash piles are so toxic and unstable that the Department of Homeland Security has declared that the location of the nation’s 44 most hazardous coal ash sites must be kept secret. They fear terrorists will find ways to spill the toxic substances. But storms and heavy rain can do the same. A recent collapse in Tennessee released 100 times more hazardous material than the Exxon-Valdez oil spill.”

(Via WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future.)

One thing you can do is call Xcel and ask to be on the 100% windsource program. Also, call or email your legislator and ask them to support policies that would end the process.

Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind one of the most contentious proposals Congress is considering, a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

via In Poll, Wide Support for Government-Run Health – NYTimes.com.

BOOM!

Make it happen!

This article is essential reading if you are interested in the future of health care in this country.

Our country’s health care is by far the most expensive in the world. In Washington, the aim of health-care reform is not just to extend medical coverage to everybody but also to bring costs under control. Spending on doctors, hospitals, drugs, and the like now consumes more than one of every six dollars we earn. The financial burden has damaged the global competitiveness of American businesses and bankrupted millions of families, even those with insurance. It’s also devouring our government. “The greatest threat to America’s fiscal health is not Social Security,” President Barack Obama said in a March speech at the White House. “It’s not the investments that we’ve made to rescue our economy during this crisis. By a wide margin, the biggest threat to our nation’s balance sheet is the skyrocketing cost of health care. It’s not even close.”

via Annals of Medicine: The Cost Conundrum: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker.