I just finished training at work and will begin actually using my new skills today. I am not very confident in these skills, but my job is primarily bullshit, which I am very good at. We shall see. This weekend need to be wonderful. I am hoping to hop on someone's boat and go for a final last-call type swim. And there's Trisha's bachelorette which of course shall be blastastic.

Here are two websites I got from some magazine (either the Nation or Wired) about environmental issues. The first is the Environmental Working Group a Public Interest Watchdog which keeps an eye on environmental issues around the country. There latest cover-story regards Dupont's settlement of upwards of $300 million for Teflon pollution of water supplies.

The second is this really neat site for the European Pollutant Emission Register. You can click on a map of the entire EU (plus Norway and Hungary) or a list of pollutants and fine the amounts and locations of polluters. I tried it out and found all of the polluters (down to street address) for the city I lived in in Germary. It would be great to have one for the US. Anyone know if we do?

Russia has declared that it is ready to begin preemptive war against terrorists wherever they may be. "We will take any action to eliminate terrorist bases in any region of the world. But this does not mean we will carry out nuclear strikes," said Russia's Chief of Staff General Yuri Baluyeveski. I guess that little clause about nuclear weapons should make us feel better. It was only a matter of time before the other countries followed our lead (and Putin said definitively that his decision was modeled after George Bush's war on terror), and it won't be surprising when China, Pakistan, and whoever else jumps on board the worldwide terror war. This should make us all a little more shaky. Bad enough that we can declare war on anyone anywhere, now the rest of the world is free to do so as well. Fun.

Finally someone in this administration is officially being sanctioned for duping the country. Ex-Medicare chief, Tom Scully, is being asked to repay 7 months of his $145,000 annual salary after he was found guilty of threatening to fire Medicare's top actuary, Rick Foster,if he gave congressional staff information about his cost estimates of the controversial legislation strongly backed by President Bush. His estimates ended up being $134 billion higher than the $400 billion 10-year price tag from the Congressional Budget Office. If only some of this blame (add to that failure to find WMDs, prison abuse, failure to find Osama...) could ever "trickle-up" to those really in control.

Any weekend where you get to go swimming twice is just wonderful. This one here was just that. A beach party at a mega-fantastic crazy ass rambling mansion. Played tennis (well, we hit the ball a couple times usually far from the court), danced around a bonfire (where I learned that I have an entire fan club that has been documenting my dancing style), ended up naked in the water with about ten other folks (where I somehow lost my glasses not once, twice, but thrice-amazingly for pitch black underwaterness they were recovered each time). No talking without my pants on for hours, but I did walk around the party in my soggy underpants, much to the chagrin of our host (as I later discovered). Good time. And we made it back across the border, no problema (thanks (e:holly) for the ride).

The next day was at (e:Matthew) 's family cabin out by Westfield. It was a nice little spot nestled in a patch of forestland. The night was a little insane. This was my first time meeting most of his family, and they were just about all there. Everyone got super wasted (including a couple 15 year olds?), but I might've taken the cake. I ended up in the forest on hands and knees for goodness knows how long. From what I've heard of the night after I wandered off it was probably just as well. Many honors were besmirched, though apparently all forgiven in the morning sun.

And then... Another day at the beach!! Went to Bennett beach on Erie (as you've probably read/seen from (e:paul) and (e:matthew) documenting fools that they are). It was very nice. The blow-up mattress was very fun in the water, though the wind made it a bit ungainly. I did sommersaults down a sand dune (almost killing some poor guy). We collected little shells and beach-washed glass that will hopefully become some sort of accessory (though perhaps more likely end up in a pile or drawer for the rest of eternity). All 'n all great weekend spent with great friends. Heralding summer's end? We shall see. Perhaps nature has more surprises waiting?

Just Awesome! Who standeth in the way of nature in all her righteous fury?