With the President’s approval ratings as low as the likelihood that I will buy a Hummer, many people have publicly proclaimed their distaste with the administration or the man himself. There are many valid reasons to do so, such as for the purpose of opposing the way certain issues are being handled. A proper way to criticize the president, for example, would be: “I oppose the fact that the President vetoed stem cell legislation because of x, y and z.” However, many people do not do this. One of the most common criticisms of President Bush today is that he is “stupid,” or something along those lines.

Calling someone stupid infuriates people on the other side of the debate. It makes you look like you have no better ammunition at the time than name calling. To me, there’s no easier way to present yourself as stupid yourself then to resort to using a grade school insult in political debate.

Changing your own oil is a great way to save money and get a feel for how your car works. I had no idea how to do it until a few months ago when my girlfriend taught me. Stop laughing.

Anywho, the annoying thing about changing the oil is that you have to get under the car. Putting a jack under the car or driving it up onto a ramp is annoying, and taking the plug out of the oil pan almost always yields oil on your arm.

Fortunately, you can buy the Topside Oil Changer for $45 from Amazon. It isn’t really worth it if you have a jack or ramps for your car already, but if you are just thinking about starting to change your own oil and don’t have supplies yet, this is a great way to start.

via kk.org

I forgot to mention that I am away on vacation until Saturday, July 29.  I’ll return to write some articles on Saturday or Sunday.  Maybe one this week if you’re lucky!

Get Rich Slowly has published a list of ways to stay cool without spending too much money. It’s been a very hot summer so far, and with energy prices skyrocketing, some of these tips, such as drinking ice water, eating popsicles, spraying yourself with water, and staying on the lowest floor of your house, might be very useful.

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I was shocked this morning when I got to work. The shock collars they make us wear here always zap me when I turn on my computer. But that’s beside the point. I was also very surprised to learn that the average lawnmower, of all things, creates a heck of a lot of pollution. How much is a lot? Read this:

A typical gas powered lawnmower produces as much pollution in seven hours of operation as a modern car does in 100,000 miles of driving.

Unbelievable. At first when I read this I didn’t believe it. Why would the tiny engines in lawnmowers be hurting the environment (and the person operating the lawnmower) far more than the gigantic engines within cars? The answer lies in a golf-ball sized contraption called a catalytic converter.

Catalytic converters pull pollutants out of the exhaust. In doing so, they reduce a ton of pollution and supposedly can even help improve fuel economy a little bit. So why isn’t there national regulation to install them in all new lawnmowers?