It now appears that coffee and tea reduce the risk of serious liver damage in people who drink to much (not that anyone at Bryn Mawr would ever do that), are overweight, or have too much iron in their blood.

We have all heard of the tremendous wealth and generosity of Bill Gates (founder, owner, and CEO of Microsoft). He has donated millions upon millions upon millions of dollars to multiple charities. However, not many people have heard of the marvelous gift given by Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay. He and his wife, Pam Omidyar, donated $100 million to Tufts University (their alma mater).

A little while ago, I wrote a blog about whether or not you would confess to a crime, even if you knew that you would get into trouble. Apparently, some people do.

When a person is charged with a crime and brought to trial, they have certain rights. They can plead the fifth (meaning they have the right against self-incrimination), you can’t be charged for the same crime twice (otherwise known as double jeopardy) and in certain states you are protected from having to testify against your spouse. The problem being addressed is what constitutes as a spouse?

Last month, a 26 year-old preschool teacher by the name of Michelle McCusker was fired from her job. The reason? She was pregnant, unmarried, and teaching at a Catholic School.

Stanford researchers have just reported that the number of adolescents taking antidepressants is up while, at the same time, few depressed teens are being treated with psychotherapy or mental-health counseling. It has been found that the number of 7 to 17 year olds who were being prescribed antidepressants rose from 47% in 1995-1996 to 52% in 2001-2002.

Well he had better, considering the fact that he is now facing his lowest approval ratings of his presidency. In a poll conducted over the phone from Friday until Sunday, it was revealed that 60% of the 1,006 people asked said that they disapproved of the way that President Bush was handling his job and his overall approval rating fell two percentage points to 37%. Still, White House spokesman Scoot McCellan told reporters on Wednesday that “We have a proud record of accomplishment and a positive agenda for the future.” Hopefully, this positive agenda will be shared with the rest of the country because right now, not many people seem to believe the President.

College is expensive. We all know that. We also all know that it is getting more expensive as time goes on. Not only is this requiring a number of student loans and scholarships and financial aid, it is also preventing some brilliant people from continuing their education. I know plenty of smart and hard working people who graduated at the tops of their classes, but could not afford to go onto college. However, this changed in New Jersey in 2004.

We have all heard of the phrase “men are from Mars and women are from Venus” which is an exaggerated way to show the differences between the sexes. There has been discussion after discussion and countless books that explain how the sexes are different and they delve into exactly how and why. Well, here is something else to add to the list of differences... sense of humor.

What were you doing when you were eight years old? Probably climbing a tree or playing kickball with your friends, or learning addition in your math class is elementary school. Of all the things you could possible be doing, being arrested for murder is probably not one of them. However, in 1998, and eight year old boy identified in court records only as E.H. was charged, along with his seven year old playmate identified as R.G., in the death of an eleven-year old girl named Ryan Harris.

On Wednesday, Sheryl Swoopes had a huge burden lifted off her shoulders. The WNBA superstar disclosed that she is gay and is a committed relationship. “I feel like I have been living a lie,” she told The Associated Press. “I’m at a point in my life right now where I’m very happy, very content. I’m finally OK with the idea of who I love, who I want to be with.” She also announced that she currently lives with her partner, the former Comets assistant coach Alisa Scott.

Does Janet Jackson have a secret child? That is the rumor that has been circulating the internet lately. It has been said that Janet Jackson and former husband James DeBarge (who were married for less then 3 months in 1984) had a daughter together. Interestingly enough, these rumors were started by DeBarge’s brother, Young DeBarge. Young said that the child, who is now 18 and named Renee, is living with Janet’s oldest sister Rebbie Jackson. His claims have supported the reports that have circulated for years that claimed that Janet had a secret child.

Are you the type of person who has all of the latest gadgets? Or are you the type to wait a while and see if that gadget is worthwhile. This is the kind of question that can apply to any number of things. From plasma screen televisions to digital cameras, there are always the people who have the latest technology as soon as it is out on the market.

Now I am not saying that this is bad by any stretch of the imagination. These people are always up to date and know what is good and what is not. They are on the cutting edge; they are the Innovators (according to The Tipping Point). I must say, that I am not one of these types of people. Now that I have worked for a while and realize the true value of a dollar, I am not going to spend my precious money unless I am sure that my investment will work out well.

This is insane. Imagine that you are convicted of a crime and sentenced to jail time. I am sure that we can all agree that jail is not a nice place and it is not very fun to live there. However, if you were a man by the name of Eric James Torpy, you might not completely agree with the previous statement.

Would Jesus Blog? Perhaps not considering the lack of such technology during his time, but many people are doing the blogging for him. That is why 135 Christians meet in Southern California this weekend for a national conference concerning “a growing community of online writers who exchange information and analyze current events from a Christian perspective.”

Here is an interesting little test in logic. If Hurricane Katrina’s category 4 strength winds and rain broke many of the levees in New Orleans, wouldn’t it make sense to rebuild them with stronger fortifications? Logically, it would make perfect sense. If the levees were build stronger then they were before, then there would be less of a chance that they would break again. The officials and engineers who are working on the levees agree, but that is not what they are going to do.

Last time I checked, we were still in the year 2005, right? However, if you were a professional politician, one of the biggest issues that would be on your mind it the presidential race in 2008. Even though the majority of the United States citizens are not professional politicians, we will soon be bombarded by the images and issues of the upcoming election. Here is the beginning.

Here is an article that explains the mysterious and tragic death of a seventeen year old boy named Seth Hammes in Wisconsin who was found dead in the woods. The boy had gone bow hunting but decided to bring his camcorder along with him. While his tape was recording, gunshots can be heard followed by his screams of pain after he was shot in the pelvis and in the heart. To add to this horrifying situation, the shooters voice can be heard soon after the shots were fired, promising help that never came.

When I was growing up, my younger brother was always that annoying kid in school. He was the one who was always in time-out in the corner or down at the principles office. He would get his recess taken away as a punishment for not paying attention in class or would have endure a teachers continuous chastises. While most of his teachers thought he was just an ill behaved child, my parents were worried and thought that they should take him to the doctor.

Here is an article that shows some of the recent and unexpected effects of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. It explains that Sonny Perdue, Governor of the state of Georgia, decided to have all of the schools in the state of Georgia close their doors on Monday and Tuesday. He used it as a block against the possible gas shortages caused by the recent storms.

The main goal for the majority of students, the one thing that they all strive for, is receiving an A in a class. It shows that you are intelligent and hard-working, that you have not only learned the information of the subject but you have mastered it. However, at one of the most prestigious colleges in the country, they are attempting to change the grading policy. The entire article can be found here

As a nice break from the relentless talk about blogs and their influence on society and the tragedies unfolding because of Hurrican Katrina, I figured that I would post a completly useless but no less amusing blog. Feel free to comment and continue the trend. So here it goes, ten random facts about me that you never knew and/or never probably cared.

1) I love to drive barefoot, its a great feeling. Come to think about it...I love being barefoot in general.
2) I think that surfing should be the national sport/past time.
3) I got a tattoo with my mom.
4) I am a picture fanatic, I take them whenever and wherever.

It is always interesting how some people have a profound effect on society while others are never even noticed. How some people strive to make a difference in the world while others find no problem with just going through life one day at a time. The people who fall in the former category are the ones who tend to leave a lasting impression on the world.

One of those people was Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who died of tyroid cancer on Saterday night. While most people are talking about the disaters caused by Hurricane Katrina (and they should be) I fear that the passing of the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court will go unnoticed by many and found unworthy of attention by most others. In this blog entry, I do not want to focus so much on the life and story of Rehnquist (that would take waaaaay to long) but on the post that now has to be filled. With Sandra Day O'Conner announcing her retirement from the bench a month or two ago, the Supreme Court is in the process of a major change.