Mark, The Green Goblin & A Room For Smoking?

So here are some pics from Thanksgiving Eve.

Mark, looking suspicious as always, its kind of hard to tell what hes up to though..
A Straight-Up, Green Goblin. Haha I have no idea why I thought this was so cool. Maybe JD knows.
A whole room, just for Smoking Gritts. Quite awesome yes, but you must stay close to the floor or else get totally lost in the haze of the room. Same Limits for Human Exposure: 5 minutes or less.






Hope Everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

{Just don't offer me any turkey for a few months, it will probably make me sick.}

Traffic Jam

There are three reasons for you not to get T-boned in the intersection of 33rd South and State Street.

1. It makes a traffic jam.
2. It trashes your car.
3. It kinda looked like it will mess up your whole day. I dunno, I might be wrong...

Can I get a 2nd Opinion?

Straight From The Depths of The ΧΩ

LJ & Kenzie needed Chemistry help. So at 8pm, we descended into the MathLab up at the UofU. Yippee.













When you help people, they appreciate it. Thats why I am getting the finger. Youre so welcome hun. Oh Joy. Thankyou, that was the pinnacle of my Tuesday.

After Chem, it was time to head back to the ΧΩ... I then had the pleasure of listening to Enrique Inglesias, David Archuleta, and other awesome musicians.
Super-Secret Bonus Event of the Night: I captured a rare picture of LJP! Ooooh pretty....

THE ENERGY CRISIS IS OVER

Wow. This is serious. If this is real, wow. If this is real, imagine the possibilities.

• No more need for foreign oil.
  
• Hugely reduced landfills.
• Cheap fuel & gas.

This is Big
HUGE

Read this article. Then think about what this could do for us as a society. It would be the biggest breakthrough of the century. Wow
The Article: Giant Microwave Turns Plastic Back Into Oil

"...running 9.1 kilograms of ground-up tyres through the Hawk-10 produces 4.54 litres of diesel oil, 1.42 cubic metres of combustible gas, 1 kg of steel and 3.40 kg of carbon black..."

So 20 lbs. of old, garbage tires gets turned into:

• 2.2 Pounds of Steel

• 1.2 Gallons of Diesel Fuel
  

• 375 Gallons of Combustible Gas {like Natural Gas}

• 7.5 Pounds of Carbon Black {a kind of soot used in rubber production}

Wow. This is gonna change the world.
Wow.




















More Amazing Science:
{All of these are so bad-ass, you should give them all a quick glance at least}

• Hydrogen Fuel Tank
• Mini Nuclear Reactor
• Tobacco/Alcohol More Harmful Than Acid {LSD}
• Bacteria That Eat Radiation
• Sustainable Agriculture via. Ants
• New Anti-Reflection Material Gives Solar Panels 100% Efficiency
• Early Humans Bred With Neanderthals, So We Are A Hybrid
• Scientists Create Diamonds From Tequlia
  

Science is the solution to all of our problems.

A God Amongst Men

Why do the good die young? John Coltrane's heroin habit--in the form of liver cancer caused by hepatitis he got from sharing needles--killed him when he was only 41 years old. His tenor saxophone ability is, in my humble opinion, unparalleled in history. The emotion his play evokes, is on a level that cant be matched. I highly reccommend you give him a listen. Even if you dont like jazz, this artist is universal.



Love you John.
xoxo
Tom

Does It All Make Sense Now?

So last week I paid a visit to the shrink. Why? A series of obsessive, distracting thoughts and impulses over the past 2 weeks has started to derail my everyday life, and disrupt my everyday activites.

The good doctor told me that I have OCD. {Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.}

Some Symptoms:

• I constantly count things: people in the room, letters in words, cars stopped at red lights, how many times people say words, Fibonacci Numbers, etc.
• I constantly do math problems in my head.
• I constantly draw imaginary lines in my head from corner to corner of objects, and keep doing so until i run out of corners or cross lines.

• When cleaning, everything has to go in its exact place, if its not in its place then it gets put in its place. I am not done cleaning until everything is in the correct place.
• I hoard EVERYTHING. It doesnt matter how useless, I hold onto it no matter what.
• I memorize car license plates.
• I have constantly changing obsessions--rock climbing, aquaria, pyrotechnics, plants, cooking, taxes, etc.
• I constantly have strange thoughts that I cant keep to myself. Weird weird thoughts.
  

Sound like me? Yeah these are all symptoms of OCD. Hmm, you learn something new everyday...

808s & Heartbreak

Hmm so Kanye's new album dropped today, verdict:

Sick.
{That's not a silent period either, you say it after sick.}

Strange title right? Well the 808s part of the album name comes from the use of the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, one of the first programmable drum machines--released in 1980. This album is far from oldschool however, its a totally new sound, a new genre even. And of course, dude does it better than anyone else could. The beats sound almost tribal, though its kind of hard to describe, you just have to hear it for yourself.

If you heard Kanye steal the show with his verse on Young Jeezy's "I Put On", and liked it, you're gonna be spending some serious minutes with 808s & Heartbreak. Kanye also uses more voice-synth than you can shake a stick at, but for some reason its completely bearable.

{Unlike T-Pain, who's computerized voice makes me want to synthesize some suicide.}

West isnt just fishing for fans in this new album, he's changing and growing into somethings totally different. The hooks are too catchy, Kanye's trademark epic strings/piano are too perfect, and the beats paired with the auto-tune synth are too right.

I Dare you to try to not nod your head/tap your feet while listening to this album.
Its just not possible.
Currently, I have hooks from about 7 or 8 of the songs in my head; this record will have you liking the first listen, loving the next few listens and singing in the shower for weeks.

Kanye, I know you graduated on your last album, but you are still at the top of your class.

New Saint

St. John "Bluto" Blutarsky, the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Faber College Branch of ΔTX [a.k.a Animal House].
Miracles performed:

• Taking down a whole bottle of JD in one Go
  
• Eating a Golf Ball
• Killing a Horse inside of The Dean's Office
  

Doesn't he just look like a little Angel?





















He is the Patron Saint of Toga Parties

Thankyou Ms. Nall

This is just what I need. You're the best. [rolls eyes]

The Sock Obama

So a strange package arrived in the mail this week.
What could it be?
A SOCK PUPPET OBAMA!
I'm still not sure I believe it...





















How is this not considered offensive?
Apparently people are making these, and Ken & Julia know how to get one. The Bill Clinton with pants down around ankles is also a nice touch.

Paying Your [Un]Fair Share

Two things are certain right? Death & Taxes? Well, the second one is up for debate. Does everybody really have to pay taxes? Who should pay what? There is a lot of debate on this, so in the spirit of an Election Year, and a new President, let’s examine one of America’s hot topics.

Right off the bat: I'm going to try to use Critical Thinking & Logic to talk about some Taxes. I am NOT here to talk shit, impose a bias, slander, sling mud, play the blame game, or endorse anybody.

So I’ll start with some quick FACTS:

FACT:

I’m Sick & Tired.

I'm Sick & Tired of Hearing About How:

The Rich Don't Pay Their “Fair Share”.

The Rich Don't Pay Enough Taxes.

The Rich Are Paying Less & Less Each Year.

The Poor & Middle Classes Are Paying Too Much.

The Poor & Middle Classes Are Paying More & More Each Year.

Tax Cuts Only Help The Rich. {Especially Bush’s Tax Cuts}

Tax Cuts Hurt The Poor & Middle Class.

FACT:

I’m Gonna Get To The Bottom of These Accusations & See If They Hold Up

“Fairness”:

Now the first thing that an astute reader would notice—that’s you right?—is that “Fair Share” is in quotes. It has to be. The fact of the matter is, “fair” is generally an opinion, and I can’t tell somebody that their opinion is wrong. I can disagree, but bottom line is that everyone is entitled to their own personal opinions. My goal is to inform and persuade with Logic. That said, I don’t know what you think is “fair”. I think “fair” means equal, even, or without bias or favoritism.

So just consider your definition of “Fair” & “Fairness” while reading these FACTS.

FACT:

• The 400 richest Americans paid 1.58% of the total income tax revenue in 2000. {There were 130+ million tax returns filed}

{A Tax Foundation Report from March 2006, found that: }

• Fewer than 6 in 10 Americans pay any income tax at all.

• More Specifically, the report found: that in 2006, out of a total of 136 million federal tax returns filed, roughly 43.4 million tax returns—representing 91 million Americans—will either not have to pay any taxes, or will be refunded for the full amount—or more—that they do pay. Add to this figure, the 15 million households and individuals who file no tax return at all. So all told, roughly 121 million Americans—or 41% of the U.S. population—do not have to pay a single penny to the federal income tax system.
  
  {This total includes those who pay no tax, and those who pay some tax upfront and are later refunded the full amount of the tax paid or more}

• In 2006, 220 million Americans were eligible to vote, yet 89 million of these eligible voters—that’s 40%—didn’t have to pay any income tax. Additionally, according to the Tax Policy Center, the percent of non-taxed, eligible voters will jump to 49% when President Obama's cash credits remove another 18 million more voters from the tax rolls.

• There are 24 million taxpayers—just over 18% of everyone filing—whose income tax is less than 5% of their income and less than $1,000 annually.

• Different income groups don’t pay taxes proportional to their income. Here are some figures that clearly illustrate the situation. Shown, are the Percentage of America’s Total Taxable Income each group earned, and the Percentage of Total Federal Income Tax Revenues the group paid:

In 2003:

(% of USA’s Total Earned & Taxable Income / % of Total Fed. Income Tax Rev. Paid)

Top 1% - (19% / 37%) {Adjusted Gross Income: > $300,000/yr.)

Top 5% - (33% / 57%)

Top 10% - (44% / 68%) {Adjusted Gross Income: > $95,000/yr.)

Top 25% - (66% / 85%)

Top 50% - (87% / 97%)

Bottom 75% - (34% / 15%)

Bottom 50% - (13% / 3%) {Adjusted Gross Income: < $29,000/yr.)

• The Bottom 50% of Tax-Filing Income Earners make 13% of America’s Total Taxable Income, and account for 3% of Federal Income Tax’s Total Revenues.

• The Top 1% of Tax-Filing Income Earners make 19% of America’s Total Taxable Income, and account for 37% of Federal Income Tax’s Total Revenues.

• The Richer people are, the less they need the things their taxes pay for. The VeryRich:

-- Have fewer children, which are more likely to go to Private, not Public, Schools

-- Use Fewer Tax-Funded Programs/Services (i.e. Public Transportation, Police)

-- Don’t utilize Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, or Welfare

So after getting the facts and hearing all this talk about “fairness”—you know, like when things are equal, even, proportional, and don’t show favoritism—I think I have to agree. It’s “NOT FAIR”. The Rich aren’t paying their “Fair Share”. They’re paying more. How can something that is “fair”, so clearly favor a certain group? Taxation in America is an odd thing…

Now For Some Examination:

And clearly, taxes are a big issue. Our new President, Barack Obama, obvious has a Tax Plan and opinions about taxes. He thinks that, “the only way we're going to make it, is by making sure that those of us who are fortunate enough to have the money actually make a contribution." He also said, “people want fairness.” They want to, "pay their share of taxes" and, "want that money allocated fairly," he said—during the 2007 Democratic Primary Debate. {Howard University June 28, 2007}

Whoa. Hold On Just One Second. There Are So Many Things Here That Confuse Me:

• Barack uses the word “fortunate”. In the Dictionary, “fortunate is defined as:

“Coming by good luck or favorable chance; Receiving some good which was not dependent on one's own skill or efforts; Lucky, favored by fortune”

So the reason that people have is money because they are lucky? Whatever happened to working hard for your money/lifestyle/possessions? Being successful has almost nothing to do with chance. To imply that people who have money, have it because they got lucky is extremely offensive. It is also very Ignorant.

• But anyways, if you are FORTUNATE enough to have money, you have to give some portion of it to the American Government? Yeah, that’s called the tax system. We already have that. So the only way we are going to make it as a nation, is if the people who have money, pay taxes? Wait! That’s Not Change! That’s More of the Same!

• People want to pay their share of taxes? They want “fairness”? They want it allocated “fairly”? Well we just heard his Opinions, so here is that Tax Plan I mentioned. Yes, there is a plan. Research done by the Wall Street Journal, confirms that. The Journal finds that in all, three out of every five voters will pay little or no income taxes under Mr. Obama's plans, and will profit when taxes rise for the 40% of taxpayers that are currently paying 95% of the total income tax revenues.

• So while, this plan sounds like the opposite of what he says people want, it’s not a stupid idea. Actually, it might just be one of the most ingenious political schemes ever conceived.

• Why? Well if you can implement a taxation system that has 40% of the population paying all the taxes, chances are, the other 60% of the population—who wouldn’t have to pay taxes anymore—is probably going to vote for you.
  
  Genius….

Tax Cuts, More Help For The Rich & More Harm To The Poor :

When it comes to political assertions, this one is a Doozy. Does it hold up? Lets see.

FACT:

Well on average, in 1984:

The bottom 20% of income earners paid a federal tax rate of 10.2%

The top 5% of income earners paid a rate of 25.7%

The top 1% of income earners paid a rate of 28.2%.

Fast forward to 2001, after the first Bush tax cut had taken effect, the tax rates changed. On average:

The bottom 20% of income earners now paid a federal tax rate of 5.4% {About half as much as in 1984}

The top 5% of income earners now paid a rate of 28.6% {A Small Decrease from 29.7%}

The top 1% of income earners now paid a rate of 33.2% {A Slight Increase from 33%}

Well wait, this means that although the Bush Tax Cut of 2001 did lower the tax rate of the Rich{Top 5%}, that rate has still increased 4% since 1984. The VeryRich{Top 1%} are now paying 5% more than they did in 1984, and Bush’s Tax Cut of 2001, actually RAISED their rates. Bottom Line: The Rich & VeryRich are now paying more taxes than they used to.

And as for the Poor{Bot. 20%}?

Their rates have DROPPED 4.8% since 1984.

Not Convinced?

Let’s look at what share—of the total federal income tax revenue—the different earning classes pay. For example, from 1984 to 2001, the share of the total tax revenue paid by the:

Poor{Bot. 20%}, DROPPED from 2.4% to 1.1%.

Top 20%, ROSE from 55.6% to 65.3%.

Top 10%, ROSE from 39.3% to 50%.

Rich{Top 5%}, ROSE from 28.2% to 38.5%.

VeryRich{Top 1%}, SKYROCKETED from 14.7% to 22.7%.

That means overall, the Poor paid about Half as much of the federal tax burden in 2001, as they did in 1984, while the Rich&VeryRich paid about 35-50% more. Even those in the Middle-Class, often said to be hit hardest by increasing taxes, had their share drop about a Third. So the Rich&VeryRich are paying a bigger portion than before, while the portion paid by the Poor&Middle-Class has gone down.

So obviously,

Anyone who says that the tax rate of the Rich&VeryRich is dropping, and the rate of the Poor goes up, is Ignorant. Anyone who says that Tax Cuts help the Rich&VeryRich, and hurt the Poor, is Ignorant. Anyone who says that the Rich&VeryRich pay a smaller portion, and the burden on the Poor&Middle-Class has gone up, is Ignorant.

They aren’t a bad person, or even stupid. Just Ignorant.

Just In Case You’re Still Missing The Point:

Taxation rates and ratios aren’t consistent. The Rich/VeryRich{Top 5%/Top 1%} spend a much greater percentage of their annual earnings paying federal income tax, than everyone else does. The Bottom 50% of tax paying income earners—roughly 65 million taxpayers, representing more than 130 million Americans—only pay about twice as much as the 400 taxpayers who pay the most tax. Equal? No. But the Rich&VeryRich aren’t the ones getting helped here, America’s Tax Policy favors the Poor.

So can everybody stop asserting all this total bullshit? I really don’t like getting in arguments with people who don’t know what the fuck they are talking about.

So please, go learn some more about the candidates and policies that you are so in love with before you make HUGE generalizations to support them. Just because you hear things in public, or in the media, doesn’t make them true. Get informed. Make sure your opinions are backed by Logic & Correct Information.

[/rant]

Do you find these cliché phrases as ridiculous as I do? Want to know more?
Well you're in luck.
Here is a list of other reports--{written by Congressional Committees, so they are reliable}--
that can also be found at the bottom of the link posted above.

More Info For The Inquisitive Individual:

- Millions of Taxpayers Have Zero or Negative Federal Income Tax Liability. Research Report #109-21 (October 2005)
- Tax Distribution Analysis and Shares of Taxes Paid – Updated Analysis. Research Report #109-20 (October 2005)
- A Comparison of Tax Distribution Tables: How Missing or Incomplete Information Distorts Perspectives. (December 2003)
- The Misleading Effects of Averages in Tax Distribution Analysis. (September 2003)
- A Guide to Tax Policy Analysis: The Central Tendency of Federal Income Tax Liabilities in Distributional Analysis. (May 2000)
- A Guide to Tax Policy Analysis: Problems with Distributional Tax Tables. (January 2000)

For further information please see the following Joint Economic Committee studies by:
visiting the JEC Website,
Or by contacting the JEC @:
(202) 226-3234.

Veterans Day: Thanks Guys

So today is Veterans Day.
And while I was planning on sending this picture to the authorities, I think I can keep this one on the DL... Now I'm not saying that getting frisky with minors is chill, ask Kel, I just think that maybe this Ol' Soldier deserves a break [and maybe a tall glass full of 7&7]. So Thanks Pete, you're a Got-Dang-Boss.

Happy Veterans Day

Case Study: Don't Eat Moonflowers

Why?

Hmmm, well maybe this is funny because you know those smokes are not real.
But if you are abso-fucking-lutely convinced that there are cig's on the floor, its gonna suck when you can't pick them up. Or maybe you can, but you aren't really 'cus they aren't really there. And when you look back up, the imaginary person you were just talking to wont be there anymore. So then what? Not cool.

Round Here

she says its only in my head.
yeah and she said, shut up.
but i know, i know, this is only in my head.
she said, did you think that you were dreamin'?
i said, no.
she said, did you think that you were dreamin'?
i said, no.
she said, did you think that you were dreamin'?
and i said, sometimes, i dont know.

'cus theres a girl.
on the car.
out in the parking lot.
and she says, man, well c'mon.
c'mon c'mon just take a shot.
she says, can't ya see me?
she says, can't ya see me?
she said, can't ya see my walls are tumblin' down?
she said, can't ya see my walls, crumblin' down?
and can't ya see sun stopped spinnin' round?
and can't ya see that sky turn black and brown?
and can't ya see that moon go flashing round?
and cant ya see me?
and cant ya see me?
and cant ya see me?
no.

Q: What do you eat for Halloween? A: Pizza

(Me & Chan the Sailor)

Halloween '08 was pretty fun. I was pizza. I have never recieved so many outrageous reactions in public, from getting hit on to uncontrollable laughter. That means I had a good costume.

I also received too many comments, but a few were pretty funny.

Are you a sausage pizza?
Oh, you must be a toppingless pizza.
Delivery in under 30 minutes or its free (Thanks Chan and Tay!).
Can I get a slice?
Q: Tom, why are you all greasy? A: Ummm, I'm a pizza, Duhhh.
Thankgod you're here, I'm hungry.
Tom you are wearing nothing but boxes you fucking idiot.
I didnt order any pizza, but you can stay, so take off those boxes.
Q: If I eat some, do I have to pay? A: Naw, just tip well.


(Unreal to the right and left)

(Just lampin...)

(The direction that wand is pointing is makin me nervous.)

Shortest SportsCenter Ever

What is the longest hour of the year? Probably from 1a.m. - 2a.m. on Daylight Savings Day. Sportscenter was pretty short, like zero minutes I think..

Dont be a Menace [in SouthCentral SaltLake while drinking your juice in the hood]

This includes:

- Pushing down Main St. in a canary-yellow Caddy bumping somethin coming fresh from the Bay Area.

- Accidentally dressing in nothing but blue, and not realizing that you are only wearing blue clothes until you get into a car with someone who is also accidentally wearing nothing but blue.
- Poker @ 4:00pm on a Tuesday.



















- Jumping up & down on an elevator. [See previous post]

Death Trap

I told William not to jump up & down in the elevator. I said it would break.


But he didnt listen. And of course, as expected, the elevator broke. So now, stuck between floors one and four, in an elevator that had turned off, we sat. Will wanted to spark up a cigarette. I wanted to try to climb out the top. We didnt do either.


Instead, Will called Kenneth to let him know that, "we were stuck on an elevator and to fucking do something because we were stuck on an elevator and that he should go get somebody because we were stuck on a fucking elevator, oh and hey, did i mention that right now we are stuck on a fucking elevator?"















I was not enjoying myself because we were headed up to Floor 4, and I wasnt quite sure how high off the ground we were. For some reason, I just dont find the possibility of falling 4 stories inside of an elevator shaft that appealing I guess.















It then occured to us that we should try opening the doors by hand, 2 minutes later, we found ourselves stepping out of the obnoxious elevator and onto Floor 2.


Why does this stuff always happen?



Steppin out...

Lesson: Dont bounce up and down in ghetto-ass elevators. They will break. You will be stuck. Its not fun.

Latenight,Skate,Flight/Flew/Flow,YouKnow,WeRoll,TooRight.

Mom (Kirsten) & Father (Boren) were fighting, Austin was looking like ET, cinnamon sabotage was in full-effect, Obama was carved in a pumkin, and it was after 1 a.m.

So on Wednesday morning, after people broke out some boxed wine and smokes at Casa D'Ambrosio, Rama and I decided it was time to start heading home. With no car or ride, it was latenightskate time. It was also cold--somewhere in the 30's. Luckily I had on a new--and by new I mean old as shit--coat from TTown, and was lookin fresh as a motherfucker.

Who cares, it was way fun, I think we saw maybe 5 cars the whole ride? Somehow, most of the way from near the U to Holladay was downhill, so we could focus on yelling and making as much noise as possible while goin through neighborhoods at 2 a.m.



I only wish we would have stuck around for strip chandeliers... Damn

Basking in some Midnight Sun..
[Tom above, Rama below]