Food for thought: Prisoners should earn money to buy their own food

Posted on by

I was catching up on my magazine subscriptions this weekend and saw an letter written to American Cop in the May/June 2010 issue that really got me thinking.

A letter from Robert Phair in Ketchikan, Alaska had a really straightforward premise that I’m surprised no one has picked up on yet.

I’m going to post his letter in its’ entirety between the dash-lines and hope nobody minds too much…

—————————–

“WORK FOR FOOD

I’d like to add my input to the current debate on the right to own an exercise machine, etc, (Return Fire Mar/Apr 2010). Anything a free man desires to buy or have as a result of his wealth or labor is okay as long as he, by doing so, doesn’t take away the similar rights of his fellow citizens.

Those who are rightfully incarcerated have, by definition, forfeited the right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Our jail inmates are even provided meals, at no cost, by the state. In Mexico, as I’m sure you know, one has to earn the money to buy his own food. I like that idea personally, as it teaches a citizen it’s his responsibility to earn his own living – a lesson apparently missed by most of those who wake up and find themselves in jail.

-Robert Phair, Ketchikan, Alaska”

—————————–

Wow.

This is brilliant.

I completely agree with Robert’s sentiments. Having prisoners work for their own food is no more “cruel and unusual” as any of us having to go to work every day so we can have something to eat when we get hungry.

Aside from the brilliant object lesson for each inmate, this idea would save each state thousands of dollars for each prisoner. If each meal costs $4, each prisoner every year costs $4,380 just to feed ($4 * 3 meals a day = $12. $12 * 365 = $4,380).

With 2,424,279 inmates in 2008, $4,380 * 2,424,279 comes out to $10,618,342,020!! $10.6 billion!!

I can think of a lot of things to spend $10.6 billion on.

Time to write the local state reps.

You can read back issues of American Cop by visiting their website and looking in the digital archive. The issue with Robert Phair’s letter is the May/June 2010 edition, page 11.

BTW, I think it’s very impressive that American Cop has their back issues online for everyone to read for free. You can also email, print, or PDF them all! I’ll be renewing my subscription just for that feature!

How To Destroy Angels – Trent Reznor – free EP download

Posted on by

How To Destroy Angels, who Trent Reznor is now associated with, has a free EP download from their website.

All you have to do is put your email in the DOWNLOAD box and in a few seconds you will get a confirmation email with a link to the zip file. Easy!

The website says “We’ve released our debut 6-track EP as a FREE download, delivered as high-quality DRM-free MP3s.” You also can pay $2 to “upgrade to the HD package, which adds options for lossless audio (24-bit 44.1kHz WAV and 16-bit FLAC and Apple Lossless) and the music video for “The Space in Between” in 1080p and 480p.””

Not bad!

I’ve embedded the direct download link below, or you can check out their website by clicking here.

Free HP Photo creations software link

Posted on by

In some of the HP ink I just purchased, there was a brochure inside that had a link for a free copy of HP Photo Creations software.

According to the HP website, “HP Photo Creations is free software that lets you easily create photo books, calendars, collages, greeting cards and other keepsakes that can be printed at home or shipped to you… With HP Photo Creations you can automatically make beautiful keepsakes with just a few mouse clicks; or you can take your time and customize your keepsakes with over 1,800 high quality artwork designs, 1,300 placeable graphics, placeable text boxes, custom fonts, borders, and dozens of photo editing tools.”

“Here are some of the keepsakes you can make with HP Photo Creations:

Print at Home

  • Landscape photo book pages (8.5″ x 11″ or 5″ x 7″)
  • Square digital scrapbook pages (12″ x 12″)
  • Prints and collages (4″ x 6″ up to 13″ x 19″)
  • Photo cards (4″ x 6″, 5″ x 7″ or 4″ x 8″)

Ship to Home

  • Premium lay-flat books
  • Landscape, portrait or square photo books in a variety covers, colors and styles
  • Prints and Collages
  • Cards and Calendars
  • Posters
  • Collage gifts including mugs, mouse pads, puzzles, key tags and more.”

HP Photo Creations Software 01

HP Photo Creations Software 01

HP Photo Creations Software 02

HP Photo Creations Software 02

HP Photo Creations Software 03

HP Photo Creations Software 03

Unfortunately for Mac users, it’s PC only software. And at 15 MB, it’s a iTunes-sized download. But you can’t argue with free.

Here’s the link to the free HP Photo Creations software.

Monday Morning Music : 05/31/10

Posted on by

Every Monday I like to post some music to start the week off on the right foot.

This week….

Tokio Hotel – Ready, Set, Go!

Ne-Yo – Closer

Digital Undergound – Humpty Dance

Extreme – Play With Me

and finally, Beaker – Ode to Joy

News stories the mainstream media missed : 05/29/10

Posted on by

Here are some news stories from this week that I think the mainstream media completely missed out on. All links are from legitimate news sources and not the fringe / wacko sites.

* There’s a few things you should never do before going to bed. One of them is to drink a glass of OJ after brushing your teeth. Whoof! Another one is to read Bloomberg. Aside from pointing out that this was the “worst May for the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1940“, the site also says that the “Treasury 10-Year Yield Falls [the] Most in 17 Months on Europe Crisis“, “Bank Failures Climb to 78” for the year and “New Home Sales Set to Plunge in Former Bubble Markets” (that would be Phoenix and Las Vegas). All this, and yet, no weather report. Seriously, as much as I would loooooove to believe the worst is behind us, I have a bad feeling there’s some grade-a butt-ugly coming back around.

* So why is the market so freaked out this time? Maybe because “governments were the solution to the economic crisis. Now they are the problem.” D’oh! [ECONOMIST]

* Science now says the future can influence the present! So if I go nuts at a sushi buffet and cover everything in thick wasabi paste, down two egg rolls and drink one giant hot and sour soup, my future self can keep a massive tummy ache from happening? I accept that challenge! [DISCOVER]

* Science also says the cutting of babies’ umbilical cords “should be delayed to allow more vital stem cells and nutrients to flow from their mothers” and this extension of cutting “could also prevent anemia”. One doctor in on the research says “delaying clamping the cord for at least 30 seconds reduced incidences of intraventricular haemorrhage, late on-set sepsis, anaemia, and decreased the need for blood transfusions”. That’s actually pretty interesting! Go science! [TELEGRAPH.CO.UK]

* Craving knowledge and information all the time? It may be a sign you’re a junkie! According to this article/research, “the brain’s reward for getting a concept is a shot of natural opiates.” Well that’s just friggin’ peachy. However this does explain why a lot of scientists have the same hairstyle that crackheads do. [EUREKA ALERT]

* Good news / bad news! The good news is that a new ebola vaccine/inoculant is 100% effective in monkeys! Looks like my “flaming chainsaw with ebloa” will soon no longer be as terrifying! Yay! The bad news? They’re injecting monkeys with “massive doses of the most lethal strain of Ebola” as part of their tests. 28 Days Later anyone? [NPR]

* Google has $26.5 billion in CASH MONEY? Google is hiring Wall Street vets to handle this $26.5 billion pile?!? Google even launched its own trading floor? Dude. I just got the plot for Ocean’s 14! [BUSINESS WEEK]

That’s it! Back Monday!

Deaf baby hears his first sounds with a cochlear implant [VIDEO]

Posted on by

Why am I such a big advocate of science? Why is it important to keep things like the space shuttle, deep sea exploration, the LHC and every other complex scientific project funded, operational and moving forward?

Right here.

This little 8 month old baby just heard his first sounds.

Awesome.

An identical gulf oil spill happened over 31 years ago [VIDEO]

Posted on by

The same kind of giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico happened 31 years ago. And the same processes are being followed to stop the leak.

Give this video a look to see how the more things change…

FDA: Xenical and Alli weight-loss meds may cause severe liver injury

Posted on by

It’s not a good week for mainstream drugs! The FDA just announced a study of theirs that indicates taking Xenical and/or Alli may cause severe liver damage.

The FDA did say this is a fairly rare occurrence, but “patients taking the weight-loss medication orlistat, marketed as Xenical and Alli” need to check with their doctors if they get any symptoms of liver damage, including “…itching, yellow eyes or skin, dark urine, loss of appetite, or light-colored stools.”

Here’s the link the FDA article.

FDA: long term use of proton pump inhibitors (Nexium/Prilosec) increase serious bone fracture risk

Posted on by

Yikes! The FDA came out today with a study that says long term use of proton pump inhibitors will greatly increase the risk of fractures on the hip, wrist, and spine.

I’m not a doctor, but I do know getting a fracture on the hip or spine is the “flaming chainsaw with ebola in your face” kind of bad. It’s not something you want to have happen to you!

Of course the FDA says it better than I do…

“Epidemiology studies suggest a possible increased risk of bone fractures with the use of proton pump inhibitors for one year or longer, or at high doses,” said Joyce Korvick, M.D., deputy director for safety in FDA’s Division of Gastroenterology Products. “Because these products are used by a great number of people, it’s important for the public to be aware of this possible increased risk and, when prescribing proton pump inhibitors, health care professionals should consider whether a lower dose or shorter duration of therapy would adequately treat the patient’s condition.”

“Proton pump inhibitors, available by prescription and over-the-counter (OTC), work by reducing the amount of acid in the stomach. Prescription proton pump inhibitors include esomeprazole (Nexium), dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid), lansoprazole (Prevacid), pantoprazole (Protonix), and rabeprazole (Aciphex). Prescription proton pump inhibitors are used to treat conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), stomach and small intestine ulcers, and inflammation of the esophagus. OTC versions, used for the treatment of frequent heartburn, include omeprazole (Prilosec OTC, Zegerid OTC) and lansoprazole (Prevacid 24HR).”

Seriously? If you take Nexium or Prilosec (or any of the other proton pump inhibitors mentioned above), run this news by your doctor. These kinds of fractures are life-changing kinds of bad.

Here’s the link to the FDA article.

Space shuttle Atlantis returns home safely and is now officially retired

Posted on by

It’s the end of an era. The space shuttle Atlantis made it back home safely today and is now officially retired after 25 years of service. Unfortunately there are only two missions left for the space shuttle program before it is completely discontinued.

So how is this fairly important event covered in the mainstream media?

  • CNN has it buried under “BP readies ‘top kill’ to cap Gulf oil leak” and “Everyday plastic, toxic fears”.
  • MSNBC actually has it prominently on the sidebar! (Thanks MSNBC!)
  • FOX has it buried under “BP admits it made critical mistake”, “DOJ Preps for U.S. vs. Arizona”, “Civilians Dead in Bloody Jamaica Battles”, “GOP Rep.: Job Offer to Sestak a ‘Crime'”, “Ahmadinejad Urges Obama: Accept Nuke Swap Deal” and “U.S. Army Outgunned in Afghanistan?”

The space shuttle was so incredible, it became commonplace. Launches were no more spectacular or captivating in the last few years than it was to start a car or make a pot of coffee. But every single time those rockets lit, it took several human beings and the best tools we have right now to the edge of space and then brought them all back. Over and over and over. It went, it came back. It went, it came back.

And now one of the greatest tools and greatest accomplishments science has ever made is now archived. Retired. And the news of this epic denouement is almost muted in the background because of all the constant problems still running rampant in the world.

Ugh.

So now what? Unmanned rockets? Relying on Russia to deliver our cargo into space? Privatization of space travel where only the über-wealthy can go for the novelty of it? Letting the military have the only shuttle program? Chopping up the shuttle and selling it for parts?

Where’s the impetus to further science? Where’s the drive to see what’s what’s out there? What’s the plan for the next step forward here?

Nuts. Nuts to all of this.

Here’s the official press release from NASA…

——————————————–

RELEASE: 10-124

SPACE SHUTTLE ATLANTIS RETURNS HOME AFTER ITS FINAL PLANNED MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Space shuttle Atlantis and six astronauts ended a 12-day journey of more than 4.8 million miles with an 8:48 a.m. EDT landing Wednesday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The third of five shuttle missions planned for 2010, this was the last scheduled flight for Atlantis. The mission, designated STS-132, delivered the Russian-built Mini Research Module-1 to the International Space Station. Also known as Rassvet (“dawn” in Russian), the module provides additional storage space and a new docking port for Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft.

Ken Ham commanded the flight and was joined by Pilot Tony Antonelli and Mission Specialists Garrett Reisman, Michael Good, Steve Bowen and Piers Sellers.

The mission’s three spacewalks focused on replacing and installing components outside the station, including replacing six batteries, installing a communications antenna and adding parts to the Canadian Dextre robotic arm.

A welcome ceremony for the astronauts will be held Thursday, May 27, in Houston. The public is invited to attend the 4 p.m. CDT event at Ellington Field’s NASA Hangar 990.

Highlights from the ceremony will be broadcast on NASA Television’s Video File. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

STS-132 was the 132nd shuttle flight, the 32nd flight for Atlantis and the 34th shuttle mission dedicated to station assembly and maintenance.

With Atlantis and its crew safely home, the stage is set for the launch of shuttle Discovery on its STS-133 mission, targeted to lift off in September 2010. Discovery’s flight will deliver the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module to house experiments. STS-133 also will bring critical spare components and a cargo carrier to the station. Robonaut 2, or R2, will be the first human-like robot in space when it flies on Discovery to become a permanent resident of the station.

For more information about the STS-132 mission and the upcoming STS-133 flight, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For information about the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station