"Cassie"

I fairly recently started to enjoy the music of Flyleaf. I had heard one or two songs at some point, but never really pursued more. Since I have, I do enjoy the music. They are Christians who are in a band, not a Christian band, based on their statements. One song's lyrics caught my ears: Cassie. After some research, I found the story behind it. It's based some questionable recounts of the events at Columbine. However, further digging led me to find what seems more likely to be the truth (as I expected).

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/09/23/columbine/index.html
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/09/30/bernall/

The events at the school that day are tragic. The apparently untrue story is sad. However, if the narrative fits . . . promote it!! It's unfortunate that these types of stories live a strong existence despite evidence to the contrary. I still enjoy the riffs that Flyleaf puts out.

New House

Why is it that when you show people your new house, that there are a few who tell you every project that "you really should do" to improve the place or increase its resale value?

While appreciating the interest, it's a bit annoying. Are they going to help you? Are they going to foot the bill? Do they realize that a new-to-you house doesn't need resale value? (Unless you are looking to take a loss or flipping a property.)

Child Support = Redistribution

Child Support is a good concept: attempt to ensure that a parent provides for his/her child(ren). Sadly, in many situations it is nothing more than a redistribution of wealth. Most systems just attempt to "balance" the income of the two parents. There is no concern for cost of living, number of children, or even where the money is ultimately spent.