surfing at work not unreasonble

A judge today held that surfing the web at work is the modern day equivalent of reading a newspaper or making a personal call. Because personal calls are allowed by the city agency if they don't interfere with work product, the judge reasoned, some surfing should be allowed as well.

Certainly some surfing could be allowed, but I feel like there should be some restrictions on what sites can be visited. News sites - that makes sense. Personal e-mail - maybe on a limited basis. But should employees be making travel plans on city money? What about the blogosphere? What about March Madness (see my earlier post)?

Maybe there could just be a time limit?

legal issues for bloggers...

There is an interesting article in Wisconsin Lawyer about the many legal issues involved in blogging. Blogging is a relatively new concept in the legal world, a world which generally evolves relatively slowly. It takes years of case law and legislative enactments for the legal world to fully come to grip with new ideas. This is especially difficult in an age when technology moves so quickly that the legal world is often only beginning to deal with a new form of technology when the technology becomes outdated. This may be the case for blogging.

Never the less, the legal issues are intriguing. Specifically, I find the decision of the FEC that certain blogs should be considered "the online equivalent of a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical publication" quite strange. Does this mean that if I report news, I can put on my resume that I've been published? I am also curious to see how the courts will deal with blogs and the defamation standard in the coming years. It is my personal feeling that the accessibility of "commenting" on a blog should change the standard, but the courts may feel differently.

And, of course, free speech rights are lurking in the background of all of this, which will only make the issues more intriguing.

U2 number "one"

A lyric from "one" of my favorite U2 songs is apparently the UK's favorite song lyric, according to a poll taken by vh1. While I actually prefer other lines from the song, I certainly find this one to be appropriate for the times.

My favorite lyric from the song:
"we're one, but we're not the same
we get to carry each other, carry each other"

Read all the lyrics here.

Badgers win it all...

Moments like these make me glad I didn't get into Georgetown Law.

Bush not praying hard enough

Funny, funny, funny. I love The Onion.

John Kerry taking himself seriously...

A New York Times article quotes Senator John Kerry as saying, "I will tell you, nowhere in there, nowhere, not in one page, not in one phrase uttered and reported by the Lord Jesus Christ, can you find anything that suggests that there is a virtue in cutting children from Medicaid and taking money from the poor and giving it to the rich." Score 1 point for Mr. Kerry.

Where was this kind of talk when he ran for President?

Can't help but appreciate the quote at the end of the article, though: "John Kerry deserves credit for continuing to take himself seriously, despite the fact that no one else does."

Saint Judas?

A gospel from Judas' point of view is to be published soon.

Raises some interesting questions. In the Gospels, Judas was an essential part of God's plan. So why has the Christian church villified him? Without him, would Jesus have ever died? On the other hand, he was simply the means to an end. A good end does not necessarily a good means make.

In the end, how should the church view Judas' role in history?

the masters...

Absolutely hilarious article on "a tradition unlike any other" posted at the Burnside Writer's Collective.

more faith and science...

Jesus walked on ice?

There are some interesting comments by professors at the end of the article.

Least exciting Final Four weekend in history?

Okay, so I'm only 26 and have only been watching the Final Four regularly since I was about 14. But I must say that I have never been more disappointed in three straight basketball games in my life. Every game was virtually over with 10 minutes of basketball left to watch. Of course, there is always the possibility of a huge comeback, but the three losing teams rarely even showed signs of life, let alone enough life to mount a comeback when down 10, 15, even 20 points.

Although I will forever be a fan of the upset, this weekend left me longing to see Duke battle Connecticut.

Overall, this was a very exciting tournament. But the end was anticlimactic, to say the least.

Just a brief rant.

Last day of college basketball...

In honor of the last men's college basketball game of the year, I offer this article, which explains how one research company estimates that March Madness has cost U.S. companies approximately $3.8 billion dollars in lost productivity. On the other hand, though, some companies feel it is a small price to pay for the boost in employee morale.

Either way, today is a sad day. Let's just hope that tonight's game is at least a little more exciting than Saturday's games.

Nickel Creek covers who?

Found this video of Nickel Creek, a great bluegrass band, covering the song "Toxic," originally recorded by Britney Spears. I've actually always kind of liked that song, but Nickel Creek makes it that much better.

WARNING: SATIRE

I got the following april-fools article in an e-mail from Sojourners (biblical literalists, "end-times" theorists, and those who simply don't get satire should stop reading now - or maybe they are exactly the ones who should read on):

SATIRE: Final Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins

Friends, I need to warn you about the Satanic conspiracy behind this so-called "March Madness." It's all in our new book, Left Behind: The Final Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. But don't just take our word for it! Revelation 13:2 says: "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."

Let's spell it out:
"like unto a leopard" - that's the LSU Tigers
"feet of a bear" - the UCLA Bruins
"the dragon" - Florida Gators
"power...great authority" - look no further than the university of founding father George Mason and his Patriots!

And if you're thinking that I skipped over the lion part, that's also LSU. Tigers, lions - same thing. Not all of Revelation should be taken literally. Just most of the time.
Every year, millions worship the false idol of NCAA basketball - even though Revelation 11:2 clearly says, "But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not," - i.e. basketball is not Christian, and we are not to "measure" or pick our favorite teams, for all are fallen in the sight of the Lord. Sure, occasionally a player will "give glory to God," but spell NCAA backwards, you get AACN, or Armageddon Anti-Christ Network. Is it any wonder that Oral Roberts U. was eliminated in the first round?

Need more evidence that sinister forces are at work? Let's take a look at George Mason. That's right MASON. As in Freemasons. As in the Illuminati. As in the secret society that controls everything from the pope's shoe size to the U.N. seating chart. Even our founding fathers - aside from the ones who were fundamentalist evangelical Christians who built this country on the 10 Commandments - were members of this shadowy cabal. George Mason's rise to the Final Four is just one sign that their schemes are finally coming to fruition.

How else but by demonic influence could 11 seed GMU defeat #1 UConn? It's unnatural. In the Bible we read - most of the Old Testament (minus 1 Samuel and the prophets) plus Revelation - the idea of the weak defeating the strong is simply unthinkable. The Jesus we know comes on a white horse with a flaming sword to kick some butt. And he's going to kick yours if you don't cast out this March Madness and spend your time more wisely - like, say, buying and reading my books and buying them as gifts for your friends. They're great witnessing tools - who doesn't love sports?