Sucky News of the Day

PITTSBURGH - Randy Pausch, a computer science professor whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation and a best-selling book, has died. He was 47. Read

This is the sh*% that makes life so f*$*(#@ unfair. You see people walking around - smoking, obese, or just generally lazy and apathetic - and they are sucking in oxygen and essentially wasting it. And then there are people who actually make the world a better place and truly want to be on this ride and they can't get a ticket.

Thank you, Bill and Mike!

Bill Gates and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced on Wednesday that they would spend $500 million to stop people around the world from smoking.
(Billionaires Back Antismoking Effort)

Weight-loss surgery

I am absolutely floored by this. People are going to Mexico to have weight-loss surgery b/c it's less expensive and the guidelines are less stringent. Guidelines aside, the cost is the part that floors me. So people will go under the knife and have their digestive system rerouted and then deal with weird side effects for $15K to $30K or more. But they won't pay a personal trainer $150 a week (an average of $50 a session X3) to learn how to exercise efficiently and have FUN! Heck, if you get the right personal trainer, you may even get a new friend for life. I know the surgery works for a lot of people who (for whatever reason - mental blocks they can't overcome, whatever) believe they can't lose the weight any other way, but if cost is the main issue, those are some odd priorities in my humble and biased opinion.

Party for the Animals

Raise money with ChipIn

This November, voters in California will vote on a ballot measure that will improve the lives of 20 million --that's right, 20 million -- farm animals. Proposition 2 would phase out the worst abuses in industrial factory farming, and ensure that all animals have enough room to turn around, lie down, and extend their limbs.

But big agribusiness, the bastards, is fighting this reasonable proposition by raising big money across the nation. You can help! Host or attend a party to support this campaign, as part of our national house party event on Sunday, July 27.

A Prop 2 victory would have a massive impact on farming practices nationwide.

Why do this? Here's why: http://www.mercyforanimals.org/CAEggs/ (warning: very sad)