Today the Supreme Court of the United States of America issued a judgment that says the Second Amendment is indeed an individual right. I know the 2nd amendment is a hot-button topic for many and widely debated, but today the Supreme Court has smacked down the argument that the 2nd Amendment is not an individual right to own a gun. For the first time since the 2nd Amendment was ratified in 1791 the courts have acknowledged that it is indeed an individual right. Let this be a lesson to everyone: The Bill of Rights are INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS. Here are some videos from various media outlets about today’s court decision:

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I find that most people do not understand how money and credit work, how it came to be, and why the economy functions as it does. These are basic concepts that aren’t really taught in school. It’s amazing that when you try to explain these things to people, their eyes glaze over and they are not interested, despite the fact that virtually everyone living in a capitalist society has to handle some form of money.

I think most people would be amazed if they found out that banks create money out of “thin air”, most would even disbelieve the concept. Banks create money out of debt. When you go to take a loan from a bank, you are not borrowing on someone else’s savings, the bank is basically printing the money on demand. Our economy survives because people are in debt. If all debt were to be repaid, there would be virtually no money left. It boggles the mind.

The following video “Money As Debt” breaks down how our money system works in simple terms, that is easy for anyone to understand. I believe everyone should watch this video at least once to gain a basic understanding on how the monetary system works, and what it means for you and your family. This video simply lays out “how it is”. Enjoy.
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Starbucks Coffee is launching their free WIFI access through AT&T tomorrow, June 3, 2008. Unfortunately, it is not unlimited WIFI access. Through the deal between AT&T and Starbucks, customer who have a registered Starbucks Card will be able to access the internet for 2 continuous hours per day. The only other catch is that you must make a purchase once per month with your Starbucks Card to keep the account active.

All in all this is not a horrible deal. Starbucks could have done better by just giving customers free access for the day with purchase, but I can see the logic to limiting to 2 hours per day. I guess some people could just get 2 or more Starbucks Cards and mooch free WIFI all day (if the service does not limit based upon MAC address of your wireless device). The only down side to this whole scheme will be that it will be even harder to find a seat or an outlet at a Starbucks going forward. I’ll give the free WIFI a spin sometime tomorrow and see how it performs.

Remember, you can also get free drip coffee refills from Starbucks with your registered card. So figure $2 for a cup of coffee, free WIFI for 2 hours, and free refills the rest of the day… thats a decent deal.

Just a heads up for everyone who loves coffee. Starbucks is now giving customers free refills on regular drip coffee. If you have a Starbucks card (pre-paid gift card) you can bring your old cup along with the card and get free refills on drip coffee. A tip to make your cup last longer is to transfer your coffee from the paper cup into your own travel mug. I’ve been drinking free coffee all week off the same cup. Shhh, don’t tell Howard Shultz. Overall I don’t feel guilty, I’ve spent enough money at Starbucks and turned enough people on to quality coffee that I figure they owe me some free coffee.

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On Sunday December 16th the champions of freedom and liberty (you, the people) will hold another mass donation day for Ron Paul. December 16th is the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. From the Tea Party 07 website:

On December 16th, 1773, American colonists dumped tea into the Boston Harbor to protest an
oppressive tax. This December 16th, American citizens will dump millions of dollars into the
Ron Paul presidential campaign to protest the oppressive and unconstitutional inflation tax -
which has enabled a flawed foreign policy, a costly war and the sacrificing
of our liberties here at home.

Please join us this December 16th 2007 for the largest one-day political donation event in
history. Our goal is to bring together 100,000 people to donate $100 each,
creating a one day donation total of $10,000,000.

Please pledge via feedburner below to confirm your commitment to donate.
Each day you’ll receive an email with our total number of subscribers.
In this way we will know exactly where we stand in our efforts.
Our goal is 100,000 subscribers.

Please pledge now. Please spread the word. Thank you.

As I write this Ron Paul’s Q4 donation totals are up to about 11,350,000. The total Q4 goal was set at $12,000,000 and I am hoping it will pass that before the money bomb starts on the 16th (but doubtful). Please spread the word to friends and family about Ron Paul before the 16th. Instead of an xmas gift, ask for a donation to Dr. Paul’s campaign in your name. This holiday season be sure to print up some literature to distribute to your family.

For those who don’t know about Dr. Paul please do some Google searches and find out about what he stands for. The media has been censoring his campaign and it is no surprise if you don’t know about him.

Ron Paul needs your vote in your state’s primary.

Maybe I set my expectations too high or maybe I am too critical, but DigitalLife 2007 was completely underwhelming. Being new to NYC I expected the “ultimate consumer technology, gaming & entertainment event of the year” to be an amazing experience. Wow, was I wrong.

I was expecting flashy booths and displays from some of the top electronics companies, however this was not the case. The few major companies with exhibits were showcasing the same stale old technology they’ve been schlepping for a while. Major companies you would expect to be at a show of this type were completely absent or under-represented. As far as “technology” offerings goes, many of the companies represented were “B-Level” companies. The gaming side of the convention was horrible with the notable exception of the Namco and Guitar Hero 3 booths. Virtually no other game producers were on hand to showcase their latest offerings. Entertainment wise, what entertainment? There was an exhibit at the Toshiba booth about HD-DVD and that is about it.
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