Today is the 143rd anniversary of the Battle of New Market in which 257 cadets from the Virginia Military Institute (aged 12–17) helped a much larger force of Confederate regulars force a Union, army twice as large as they were, out of the Shenandoah Valley. Ten cadets fell in the action; one was a descendant of Thomas Jefferson himself.
When one hits a certain age, one no longer really expects (or needs) birthday/Christmas/what-have-you presents. However, on the off-chance that someone wants to get me something, I’ve an amazon.com wishlist with a pretty good selection. I really use it to keep track of stuff I want to buy for myself—but if you have bags of money and no idea what to spend them on, feel free to squander your sums on me:-)
It appears that cycling to work can be faster than driving, if you take into account not needing to work as long to afford a car, not needing to exercise as much and so forth.
If the calculator above doesn’t appear for you, you can visit the site instead.
There’s an email making the rounds proposing that folks ’boycott’ gas today, buying yesterday or tomorrow instead. It’s stupid, as it won’t affect gas prices one bit—buying one day off just transfers profits from one day to another. It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t send a message, it’s just dumb. If you want to save gas, drive less! Take the train, use the bus, ride a bike, or walk. Or, if you must drive, here are some simple ways to cut your gasoline usage. OTOH, this article suggests that cutting your commute by 3,522 feet (a little over half a mile) a day will be enough to drop gas prices. That means parking ten minutes away from the office and walking in. You’d not only be helping the economy and the environment—you be helping your health.
Am I buying gas today? Nope. Am I buying gas this week? Nope. Am I planning to buy gas this month? Nope. I managed to go over three months (late December–early March) without a fillup; I filled my tank in late April; I still have half a tank left (and went to Bailey, Colo. on that tank!) and see no reason for it to be used in the next fortnight. Yes, I’ve filled my tank twice this year; I’m fairly certain this makes me a better person. Also, more handsome. Well, maybe not better or good-looking—but definitely more frugal.
How does Al Qaida finance its terror operations? How did the Taliban make their money? Where does FARC get its funds? The drug war fills their pockets with profits. Just as alcohol prohibition enriched criminals in the early twentieth century, so too drug prohibition enriches criminals in the twenty-first.
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Colorado, Englewood, Centennial, English, , Robert, Male, 21–25, Free
Software, Society for Creative Anachronism.