This tool, Fundrace 2008 at Huffington Post, allows you to search for political campaign contributions by name, zip code, employer or occupation. Within one minute of navigating to the site, I knew exactly how everyone in my neighborhood donated. This provides a glimpse at how easily our personal information will be searchable within a couple of years. You can search for campaign donations along a number of different variables. I can imagine an even better tool than this for searching campaign contributions in the near future. Here is a list of how CMC professors donated money.

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I recently transferred to Claremont McKenna College from the University of Pennsylvania and have made several changes to my daily routine that greatly improve my quality of life. I list four. - Planning Ahead. I frequently ate and hung out alone at Penn because I failed to coordinate plans with others. Meals and studying are some of the best times to get to know other students (Drinking isn't the best time; conversation when partying is invariably superficial) and I missed out on a lot of interaction time at Penn through apathy. Seeing Friends. CMC is one tenth the size of Penn and I see friends regularly while walking around or eating meals. This is really important. It's a great way to quickly catch up and/or make plans for later. Lifting Weights. I am putting some muscle on my lean frame. Working out feels great and my clothes fit better across the chest and shoulders. I am also getting stronger. A good weight training program takes about six hours per week. Not Leaving Projects to the Last Minute. I find that schoolwork will always expand or contract to fill the amount of time you have to complete it. At Penn this often meant late nights or early mornings the night before papers are due. I am doing much more with my time now and can't afford a sleepless night. My solution is simple but draws laughter from other students. Whenever a paper is coming up I write out a $50 check to the National Rifle Association, PETA, Focus on the Family or another organization I dislike and give it to a friend I know will mail it. I tell him/her that if I don't email them a copy of the finished paper by midnight, they should mail the check. This tactic is amazingly effective; I get the work done during productive hours and I still get to sleep those nights.

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I tried to find this scene on YouTube, but had no luck. Apparently my favorite scene is not the same as everyone else's. From one of my favorite movies, Good Will Hunting:

WILL

When did you know she was the one?

SEAN

October 21, 1975. Game six of the

World Series. Biggest game in Red

Sox history, Me and my friends slept

out on the sidewalk all night to get

tickets. We were sitting in a bar

waiting for the game to start and in

walks this girl. What a game that

was. Tie game in the bottom of the

tenth inning, in steps Carlton Fisk,

hit a long fly ball down the left

field line. Thirty-five thousand

fans on their feet, screamin' at the

ball to stay fair. Fisk is runnin'

up the baseline, wavin' at the ball

like a madman. It hits the foul pole,

home run. Thirty-five thousand people

went crazy. And I wasn't one of them.

WILL

Where were you?

SEAN

I was havin' a drink with my future

wife.

WILL

You missed Pudge Fisk's homerun to

have a drink with a woman you had

never met?

SEAN

That's right.

WILL

So wait a minute. The Red Sox haven't

won a World Series since nineteen

eighteen, you slept out for tickets,

games gonna start in twenty minutes,

in walks a girl you never seen before,

and you give your ticket away?

SEAN

You should have seen this girl. She

lit up the room.

WILL

I don't care if Helen of Troy walked

into that bar! That's game six of

the World Series!

Sean smiles.

WILL

And what kind of friends are these?

They let you get away with that?

SEAN

I just slid my ticket across the

table and said "sorry fellas, I gotta

go see about a girl."

WILL

"I gotta go see about a girl"? What

did they say?

SEAN

They could see that I meant it.

WILL

You're kiddin' me.

SEAN

No Will, I'm not kiddin' you. If I

had gone to see that game I'd be in

here talkin' abouta girl I saw at a

bar twenty years ago. And how I always

regretted not goin' over there and

talkin' to her. I don't regret the

eighteen years we were married. I

don't regret givin' up counseling

for six years when she got sick. I

don't regret being by her side for

the last two years when things got

real bad. And I sure as Hell don't

regret missing that damn game.

A beat. Will is impressed.

WILL

Would have been nice to catch that

game though.

SEAN

(breaking)

Well hell, I didn't know Pudge was

gonna hit the home run.

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Check out this short film shot entirely with a high-resolution still camera. I'd link a photo but they're under huge copyright protection. Apparently this technology is a game-changer for Hollywood and photojournalism. The shots look amazing, and the camera is cheap. Read the director's blog for more about the film and why this is such a cool technology.

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Courtesy of Very Short List there is this amazing compilation of funny, yet apparently normal for Russia, things that happen on the subway in Moscow. Bit swamped with work, will finish ballot proposition stuff over the weekend.

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Proposition 5 is complicated and long. It would allocate $500 million for more treatment programs for drug offenders. It would allow the state to save $2.5 billion one time because they won't have to construct as many prison beds. However, there are increased costs of $1 billion per year for drug treatment and rehabilitation programs. The proposition also changes possession of less than 28.5g of marijuana from a misdemeanor to an infraction.

My vote: NO. Having to vote yes or no on such a complex measure is like trying to type with an Acme-sized hammer. If a voter likes all parts of it but one, does he vote yes? If there is one redeeming part?I see no reason why this legislation on drug offenses should be voted on by the people and not the Legislature. Furthermore, the Legislature can change and shape the bill whereas the voter record is considered a mandate. I question the ability of voters to fully weigh the effects of the legislation. So I'm voting the same way I'll vote for anything I don't understand: no.

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Proposition 4 would amend the state constitution to prohibit abortion by minors until 48 hours after a physician notifies a parent or legal guardian. Physicians who refuse to follow the rules would be held liable. Minors would have to consent to abortion. Various exceptions to these rules are also made. Costs are minimal. Proponents argue that a minor's safety is in danger unless the family knows - they cite the case of Sarah, a 15 year old who died of a cervix infection after getting a secret abortion. They argue that when abortions are secret, adult sexual predators go free, and that abortion providers have a responsibility to provide information about the crimes to a family member or law enforcement. Opponents argue that the backers are provoking fear to advance their own agenda. The cases cited are not representative, the opposition believes parental notification won't reduce teen pregnancy and puts teenagers in danger.

My vote: NO.It's easy to amend the state constitution and much harder to remove amendments. The Constitution is meant to be broad, to lay down principles for judges to interpret. This sort of specific language has no place in the Constitution. Abortion is legal in the United States. I agree with the opposition that parental notification could cause scared teenagers to do dangerous things. Furthermore if a teen can't bring a parent to the clinic they would have to wait two weeks or more for notification to be mailed back and forth from the clinic. I don't believe Planned Parenthood is a malicious force and I think they do what they can to help teenagers in times of crisis. Teens ought to have the ability to choose what they want to do with their bodies without that decision hinging on a parent.

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This bond would authorize the sale of $1 billion in government bonds for construction and renovation of children's hospitals and UC general hospitals. This would increase the budget deficit by $64 million per year. Proponents say that children's hospitals don't have enough room to currently see all of their patients, this bill would allow them to expand their operations and buy the latest equipment. Opponents say the main beneficiaries are health insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies.

My vote: NO. Everyone wants to show support for sick children, and the proponents are not asking for very much money. I think that curing sick children is a public good and deserves government financing.However, I see no extraordinary reason to sidestep the normal legislative process to procure these funds. Hospital funds should be voted on by the Legislature just like everything else in the California state budget. Furthermore, the pro-Prop 3 side does not do a very good job of explaining what, if any, deficiencies exist today and why these hospitals urgently need more funding.

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If this measure passes, calves, egg-laying hens and pregnant pigs will have the right under California law to lie down, stand up, turn around and fully extend their limbs. There are a number of exceptions for transportation and rodeos and such. Supporters say packing animals in close quarters is cruel and spreads disease, and this measure would help deter new farm construction in California. Negaters say the bill will hurt Californian families and egg production in California will shut down.

My vote: NO. I am no fan of cruelty to animals, but I think that progress in these areas will be made naturally over time as wealth increases. I doubt the measure will help at all. I predict that rather than comply with the new rules, California farmers will simply stop raising calves, hens and pigs, or move their farms to other states. The net result will be higher prices for Californians, less jobs and zero animals benefiting from the new law.

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