Ever go to your local video store and check out the documentary section?
If they have such a section, it is probably disapointing. Especially if you are looking for a documentary on a subject that is unpopular in your particular geographic region.
This website offers a great number of documentaries for download, for free. Quick, easy, don’t sign up for anything – in terms of how easy and accessible it is, it is just like YouTube.
The way it ought to be – the free exchange of information and ideas.
(The following links are to the official webpages of the individual documentaries. For the free downloadable versions you have to hit www.freedocumentaries.org.)
I recommend Jesus Camp, Earthlings, Bowling for Columbine, . . . well, I can’t name them all. There are also specials that have aired on PBS, CBC, BBC, etc.
What I love about the website is the fact I can watch these all for free and I don’t have to pay for a cause I may not believe in.
Funny enough there are still documentaries available on the site that I would really prefer to own. I own Supersize Me and I just don’t get tired of it. Jesus Camp and Bowling for Columbine are also movies I would like to own. Bowling for Columbine is exciting to me because of the numerous references to Michigan and the fact that I personally know James and Terry Nichols and their families. I’ve discussed Jesus Camp in the past. It has a great soundtrack and is an amazing look into the lives of a whole other culture within the United States that even the devoutly religious might not be aware of.
Anyhow, I say this is worthwhile to bookmark and check out whenever you have a free moment. I’m thrilled about it.
So today has been a good day so far. I met with one of the attorneys this morning right before lunch time to talk about tomorrow – we are going to moot my supression hearing and I had a few questions for him. We talked and then he invited me to lunch – can’t turn down a free lunch with one of the attorneys!
We went for subs across the street and bs’d about the job, school, and life in general. It is nice hearing from someone else who has been here and done this before. I like finding out why other people have chosen criminal defense and how their personal life has been altered by the decision.
In totally unrelated news there were a couple interesting happenings today. Walking to work this morning something on the sidewalk caught my eye. A fluffy baby dove that was the same color as the sidewalk was walking right in front of me. I almost totally missed it and could have easily stepped on the poor thing. It looked like it was in no hurry to get out of the way and then began following me! If I had been headed anywhere but work I would have tried to round the little guy up and send him in a safer direction… sadly there wasn’t really anywhere better for him to head.
During lunch today we noticed a flourish of odd activity at the intersection near us. A mother duck and 6 of her ducklings were walking northbound in the right lane toward the intersection and then crossed the street. The attorney I was with and I were both torn between watching to see what would happen next. Fortunately, a large number of vehicles and pedestrians altered their course and waited it out while the ducks crossed the street. They made it as far as we were able to see but considering the area of the city we saw this in, it isn’t likely they are going to make it much further. Then again, if anything is capable of stopping traffic, baby ducks are it!
So I have had cats my whole life but Oliver is the first cat to exhibit what is a very old instinctual behaviour. After eating, he practically tears the floor apart right next to his dish. I went out and purchased a kitty scratching mat and every time he eats a “meal” or has even a small snack, he goes at it. I figured this was an instinctual thing but I looked it up today and it definitely is – cats used to bury remains of their food along with the things we know they cover up…
I also found a message board regarding tomcats and the development of the kind of big, juicy cheeks that Oliver has. Apparently most unneutered toms will develop at least some amount of “jowl” or “face shield” but there is no specific time frame for which this will happen and if they are neutered, it won’t happen at all. I was lucky enough to get Oliver at a point in his life where he has, what is apparently, very desirable muscle tone and cheeks but he didn’t come with all of the negative aspects of having a tom! Lucky lucky me!!!
The only downside to those adorable cheeks? The assistants at the vet’s office couldn’t help themselves – those cheeks were probably sore by the time we got home after all the squeezing they endured lol.
So today, I have a TON of Criminal Procedure stuff to do today and a bazillion loads of laundry. Brian is nice enough to let me bring my laundry to his place so I don’t have to spend a fortune here at the apt’s or at the laundry mat but I will have to see just how many loads I have… I would hate to tie up his laundry room all day long.
Well everyone – I am out! Ciao!
Friday afternoon I spent in a maximum security correctional facility.
Saturday afternoon was spent at the city zoo.
It is uncanny to me how much the two places have in common.
The Prison
The prison visit was organized by the president of our student criminal law society and I am so pleased it was on this years agenda. We discovered that the prison was not the medium security facility we had anticipated but was instead a maximum security “in-take” facility meaning that every male convicted of a felony in the state (except for death row inmates) comes to this facility first, is assigned a “level” based on medical/psychiatric needs and or behavioral/crime variables and is then sent to a prison corresponding to that level.
Everyday, between 17 and 130 new prisoners arrive. We saw a large group of men who had just been dropped off and were sitting in line waiting to have their heads shaved. We walked between and among them, the three females of our group looking particularly uncertain as to where to rest our eyes.
I would have liked to have spoken to some of the men, but as we walked down the corridor of one of the cell areas and we darted our eyes in and out of the barred cell doors, I couldn’t help but think that it would be somehow rude to ask questions of them. It is their “home” afterall that we were peering into and as much as we kidded with each other that our dorm rooms had been comparable in size, there was certainly a feeling within those walls that is much unlike anything I have ever felt. It is a combination of dread, boredom, anger, pain, curiosity, disgust; all of which is aggravated by the bland beige decor which seems so miserably out of place in a house that has so much “color” within it. And by color, I mean the color of the feelings within the building. As far as the color of the men, the vast majority appeared to be black, between the ages of 18 and 30. And yet there was something familiar and “certain” about the young black men, whereas there was something very sinister and unsettling about the white men who appeared to be older, gruffer, and generally suffering from psychiatric disorders.
The Zoo
Brian and I visited the zoo and botanical gardens yesterday. We have wanted to go for sometime now to check out a new ocean exhibit. It was very nice; huge aquariums full of a cousin of the hammerhead shark, another with tropical fish, and another with elusive jellyfish (I particularly enjoyed the jellies). In the center of the exhibit is a large dog shark touch pool. We spent time there at both the beginning and end of our trip petting the sharks as they swam by. One shark seemed “friendly” almost – he swam back and forth in front of us multiple times toward the surface of the water and seemed to really enjoy the attention.
I really love how this zoo has a walrus exhibit. When we visited last summer it was my first time to see a walrus so close and I was stunned at their size. It was difficult to see them this time but we still got to peer at them from a distance at least.
After the zoo, we quickly enjoyed a trip through the bonsai exhibit in the gardens which we saw during our last trip to the zoo as well.
After the zoo, Brian and I headed to Wild Oats. We were treated to some cheese sampling and ended up picking up some rather pricey hunks to take home. I have been eying up a sourdough recipe and went the easy route by picking up a nice loaf instead. After a quick trip to check out a Trader Joe’s (big disappointment), we beat a large crowd into a Five Guys – a burger and fry joint. Definitely one of the tastiest burger and fry meals I have had in quite some time.
We headed home after a very long but enjoyable day and I have to say, this was a really great, educational couple of days.
My man just sent me a link to this site – a story about 130 cats living in one tiny flat in Moscow….
I personally loved this picture – they all have that genuine “cat” look going on 
Plus there is a great lil video at the site showing a “feeding”
Yay – I love the new YouTube feature that allows you to watch related vids right from the main vid…. maybe this will allow my bf to actually see some vids @ work since they have blocked access to YouTube —- killjoys
(=’.'=)
Walk a hound, lose a pound is a program put on by Indianapolis Animal Care and Control. I can’t wait! Every Saturday in June you simply show up at IUPUI’s campus, pick a pooch, treats and leashes provided, and take a walk! :) I plan to go at least twice, (job schedule pending of course). I also saw that the center has paid positions for people to care for animals once a week from 2 – 6 hours. It pays well and would be a great way for me to make a couple extra bucks in my time off and get some of my pet sadness to go away.
Sheesh – I heard there were going to be storms tonight, but the road is flooded outside already and it just started raining… yeesh!
And now for another lolcat… *you do realize that these things are going to totally create a new online language all their own don’t you!?!*
The caption ought to say, “I haz cheez, now warz mah burger!?”
No job yet …. just waiting for a call now. There hasn’t been anything posted online in the last two days that was applicable but I was able to apply to a few more jobs in person yesterday. I did see a sign this morning at a place very close to home but they weren’t open yet so I will likely pop back by there this afternoon for an app…..
Just waiting …..
While I wait, here is a picture of a cat with an herb….
Makes me miss my kittehs.
Like the lolcats? Go here for lots more!
Hello everyone -
I had no reason to suspect that I would update the blog while on vaca… (I only brought the computer in order to charge my iPod), but if I don’t update, I get no hits 
So here I am…. For not getting near as many hits that last few days, I about peed my pants reading through the search terms that people had used to find me (I sense an update on that soon! lol).
So what is new here in Florida?
Yesterday, our entire group (4 couples) piled into the rented mini-van and traveled up to Clearwater to go fishing. Family of mine owns some of the large charter fishing boats. I had a great time; caught lots of fish, and just enjoyed the breeze and salty air. Our group did really well too as far as quantity of fish caught. Granted, we were the largest group on the boat, but per capita, we really made a killing. There weren’t any real unusual catches – mostly sea bass and a few random snapper and only one grouper ended up being a keeper.
Although there weren’t many strange catches, we did see lots of fun stuff out there; two flying fish, a big sting ray, a couple pods of dolphins (which swam directly under the front of the boat for a while), and one very interesting sea turtle. When we returned to the marina, everyone enjoyed watching the first mate filet our fish. As usual, one sneaky egret and a hoard of pelicans surrounded him, clunking and plodding around each other for a slab of fish. That is always rather entertaining. (Pictures of the trip to come).
Last night, Brian and one of his buddies beer battered and fried a good portion of our catch. Except for the fact that we were kind of stuck because of time and supplies as far as de-boning goes, it turned out great and we had a wonderful fried fish dinner along with some jambalaya Brian’s roommate pulled together.
In general, things here have been very nice – lots of time spent in the sun. Brian and I purchased goggles and did some ”ocean scoping”… decided we should have gotten the whole snorkle outfit and somewhat gave up on that…. but fortunately the ocean water has been warm enough to get in a couple of days. The others aren’t much for ocean swimming, but the pool here at the hotel is just lovely so we have all spent a great deal of time in there!
I did manage to get a little too much sun - a tender spot on one ear, my scalp, and my upper back – but it was tolerable. Unfortunately on the boat yesterday I did overdo it - some oddly shaped spots on my calves, feet, and thighs burnt something fierce and a couple hours after getting out of the sun it felt like someone was pouring liquid magma over my legs. Some medicated aloe and ibuprofen and it is better now. Fortunately no one else has fried to the point of serious discomfort and we haven’t really encountered any problems that kept us from enjoying ourselves.
Well, I am sure my typing at 7am is driving my boyfriend batty so I will leave this at that. I am really looking forward to my last couple days here and looking forward to the rest of this summer…. a great vacation really was the ticket I think 
Love you all!
I currently have the TV on and I’m just waiting for the big race to begin. Most people probably would not guess that I am a big fan of the Kentucky Derby but I haven’t missed a race in quite a few years now. Last year’s race really hooked me for good. Upon my first visit to Indiana I noticed the huge numbers of horses everywhere and I have been just waiting to make it to a race sometime. Being that exams are going on right now, the best I can do is watch on TV, but I plan on going to the Kentucky Derby sometime in the future.
An exciting part of the race this year is the visit by the Queen. She was looking very radiant in a celery/lime green dress and matching hat. Apparently the queen is an owner and lover of horses and horse racing. I am sure she will enjoy her first Kentucky Derby.
I hope you are all enjoying this lovely Saturday afternoon and if you are reading this shortly after I post it (5:25 pm eastern standard), be sure to turn on NBC and catch the race!
Ciao!
Before I return to the insanity of studying for law school finals, I bring to you:
*trumpets sound*
OFFBEAT ANIMAL NEWS
There is something roaming around the woods of northeastern Ohio…. but no one is really sure what “it” is. There are apparently three unidentified species roaming the area which have been described as “half deer, half ram,” and others who have spotted them have suggested they may be tahrs (a wild goat indigenous to Asia) or mouflons (a wild sheep found in Europe and Asia).
Buddy the donkey appears in court to act as his own character witness in an action against his owner for his apparently noisy and disruptive behaviour. An angry neighbor testified that, “They bray a lot any time day or night. You never know when they’re going to cut loose.” However, after Buddy’s calm and well mannered appearance in the courtroom, the parties settled the suit on their own.
In Budapest, a truck carrying 5,000 bunnies to slaughter (yes, you read right), overturned on a major highway letting lose a great majority of them. Sadly, 500 bunnies were lost in the accident and 4,400 buns were recovered and will continue their death journey. To the mere 100 buns that got away – good luck!
Visitors to the chimp exibit at the Antwerp Zoo are greeted by a sign asking them not to stare at the chimps. Cheetah, a chimpanzee raised by humans is now living in the Antwerp Zoo with members of his own species and is having some trouble connecting with his own kind. In an attempt to help integrate Cheetah with his own kind, the Zoo is asking visitors not to provoke old feelings in the chimp.
In another story of an animal with an identity problem, Baby, a crane from Colorado refuses to let go of hope of a life with humans. Raised by a rancher, Baby grew up on cat food and is happy to continue with the diet and prefers the company of a radio talk show than the sounds of other cranes, which apparently caused him to “freak out”. What is next for Baby? Probably a life at a nice zoo.
The majority of these stories were found with my newest and current favorite internet “toy”: MSNBC’s News Stream Screensaver. Part of the “fuller spectrum of news” campaign, the screensaver allows you to pick and choose your favorite categories of new stories so when your screen saver begins, they will pop up in color-coded order on your screen. You can quickly scope out headlines from there and then choose the stories you would like to read in full.
I give it: two beaks up.
Filed under: animals, blog, chickens, food, fun stuff, humor, law students, vegetarian
I get the feeling I am going to be making this a regular thing.
Here are some of my favorites – the terms and phrases that have brought you, the readers, to me, the blogger.
“butt cramps” *this has become a VERY popular search topic… I may need to elaborate for those of you who have been… “suffering”.*
“What did you learn from this law class?” *this is the “ironic” one… this search term sent this poor person to THIS post… I am guessing they are concerned about the state of legal education after reading that!*
“my own fergie” *oh how I miss my OWN Fergie… for those of you who don’t know, that is my cat who lives with my parents in another state…*
“funny chicken ideas” *I wonder what else this person found!*
“neh owh heh eair eh” *no doubt in reference to the Oprah show about the secret language of babies!*
“boyfriend is getting fat” *DISCLAIMER – I have NEVER written that anywhere in my blog! lol.. just had to make sure not to upset my man *
“sue my dad for maintenance” *if you knew of the possibility that your case may end up in student casebooks for years to come, you would likely re-think a law suit!*
“father act and actions”
and by far the most popular search terms have to do with “city chicken” and how to make it… again, the link is HERE if that is what you are looking for (although part of me has begun to feel guilty about having a recipe on my blog for a meat based dish… the only blogs I read on a daily basis are vegan!)
Filed under: ads, animals, chickens, current events, food, fun stuff, recommendations
For years there has been speculations that birds and dinosaurs have distant relations. Now there is finally a molecular connection helping to prove the relationship – and it is rather impressive!
I’ve always thought chickens were rather “nifty”… now I can call them “buff” too.
So now for my note about Barack Obama and Don Imus. I had heard and confirmed that Obama called for Imus to be fired from NBC after they had merely suspended him the other day. My first thought; “what a break for Obama”! There has been some concern that African Americans would have trouble relating to Obama and so far there has been some truth to that concern. However, it turns out that Obama didn’t jump on the bandwagon… in fact, he waited until April 9th, 5 days after the initial statements of Imus give any input and he didn’t actually call for Imus to be fired until just yesterday afternoon. I am really surprised. Not that I think he should have taken advantage of the situation, but … wow… I gotta say I think Obama messed up on this decision!
Personally, I have been out of the “news” loop for the last week or so. I didn’t know what specifically Imus had said. However I am currently listening to the live announcement on CNN Pipeline about CBS’s decision to permanently pull Imus’ show and I am hearing about statements Mr. Imus has made in the past about other African Americans and women in general. I am convinced that Imus has apologized enough for his statements… you cannot apologize forever and there is little more you can do once you have said your sincere “I’m sorrys.” However, I agree with the decision to pull his show. (Not to mention the fact that the advertisers were SURE to pull out after Rev. Al Sharpton began his ‘work’ following these statments and that is always a sure way to get someone fired)!It is a morning news broadcast and it ought to maintain a certain caliber. In some other area of the media – perhaps I wouldn’t be as quick to agree with him being fired but unfortunately for Imus, he made a boo boo in a place where he really wasn’t able to do that without coming under fire.
And now I invite you all to watch a delightful little story about mangos.
[edit] I have to add this. This was a headline on CNN’s main homepage today: Jealousy drove lesbian to chainsaw murder …
What in the hell kind of headline is that!?!
The headline on the actual story page is “Woman guilty of chainsaw murder faces death“. I think this is personally enough to “catch” the attention of anyone who is actually going to read such a morbid story. The addition of the “jealous lesbian” reference should have been left in the “out” bin… sometimes the media really doesn’t get it. sheesh.
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