The top speeches at the two conventions

Having watched both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions over the past couple weeks and knowing most people aren't quite as big political nerds as myself, I thought I'd share the ten speeches which most caught my attention (excluding Clint Eastwood's conversation with an empty chair, of course):

10. John Kasich (Governor of Ohio - Republican): It starts off rather cheesy, but Kasich's energy level was rather contagious and no other speaker at the RNC matched him on that front - http://video.foxnews.com/v/1811454901001/john-kasich-speaks-at-rnc/

9. Ann Romney (Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's wife): She did a nice job of attempting to showcase both she and her husband as decent, everyday kind of people. While overall I feel as if she fell a bit short on that goal, the speech sounded much more genuine and heartfelt than most others at the RNC and for that, I have to commend her - http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/ann-romneys-rnc-speech-reaching-women-families-17101020

8. Julian Castro (San Antonio Mayor - Democrat): If you appreciated the energy of Kasich, Castro one-upped him there and included a bit of humor along the way - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jx3m7jk1CY

7. John Kerry (Massachusetts Senator - Democrat): Speaking of humor - never did I think I'd include the words Kerry (John) and humor in the same sentence, but the former presidential candidate was full of so many zingers during his speech here, David Letterman, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert suddenly became worried that Kerry may attempt to take over one of their jobs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8WtLqKJcTk

6. Sandra Fluke (political activist - Democrat): The speech is short, but raw, emotional and powerful, as Ms. Fluke presented herself as a strong independent woman who will always fight for she and women's rights - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfNimwxSTU4

5. Condoleeza Rice (former Secretary of State - Republican): This was the most personal and seemingly genuine speech at the RNC. Through the power of her stories, she overshadowed all other speakers at the RNC - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8YxXcZeHA4

4. John Lewis (Congressman of Georgia - Democrat): A shorter speech, but filled with power, as Lewis reflects on his fights for civil rights and in light of minorities' votes being suppressed, inspiring people of all generations to not let us regress in the battle for equal rights - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4-8IVNjPUw

3. Michelle Obama (current First Lady of the United States - Democrat): I feel the First Lady's speech was the most real and heartfelt at either convention. It felt as if she just spoke from her heart, which made a significant impact on many emotionally - http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7420528n

2. Barack Obama (current President of the United States - Democrat): The president was his typical great oratorical self, but this time with a bit of humor and humility, which is what really stood out to me about his speech - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekltAFvycSk

1. Bill Clinton (former President of the United States - Democrat): As great of a speaker as President Obama is (and was on Thursday night), former President Clinton outperformed him and every other speaker at either convention. This may have become one of my favorite, it not favorite speeches that I've heard live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzDhk3BHi6Q

Boycotting jukeboxes because of TouchTunes

I love music and enjoy hitting the bar(s) over the weekend, so naturally, when the mood strikes me, I've never been coy about playing some songs on the jukebox. This past Thursday, a friend of mine turned 50, so several friends of her's, including myself, all met up to celebrate the occasion. At around 9:30, a friend of mine and I both chipped in $5 to play some songs on the jukebox. Four hours and 231 skips later, we gave up on hearing the songs we had selected, and went home knowing we had just wasted $5. This wasn't the first time such a thing had happened to me (and many others), and due to that, I'll be boycotting jukeboxes. Why? The scam known as TouchTunes. You see, here's how the plot typically breaks down. A person (or group of people) downloads the TouchTunes app on his/her phone, consumes one too many adult beverages, and due to this, has less care for spending extra money to hear the songs of their choosing right NOW. That's the thing with TouchTun

The difference between "looking" and "checking out"

I may be way off with these numbers, but it's my approximation that at least 75% of individuals whom are involved in a serious relationship feel it's perfectly acceptable to "check out" members of the opposite sex they're not involved with. Meanwhile, approximately 25% either don't feel this is acceptable or aren't sure about the matter. I hadn't thought about this matter for a while, but since I've been dating a woman for about 8 months, the topic has been pondered about some. When reading or hearing others discuss this very issue, I often times hear comments similar to the following: "It's human nature to look." "There's nothing wrong with checking others out. I'm sure he/she does it too!" "It's fine to do it. Just don't tell your boyfriend/girlfriend about it or do it in front of them!" "It's natural to find people attractive." When observing the array of comments, I i

The verdict is in. To no one's surprise, Jonathan Hoenig has been found guilty of being an idiot.

Just recently, when discussing the Michael Brown shooting and whether or not race had anything to do with it, Fox News contributor Jonathan Hoenig said, "You know who talks about race? Racists." One moment while I provide Mr. Hoenig with the well deserved slow-clap. :: slow-claps for two seconds :: So, that was quite the line by Mr. Hoenig, wasn't it? "You know who talks about race? Racists." Well, wasn't he just talking about race? So, by his own words, I guess that makes him a racist. Also, if he wants to be consistent, does this mean that people whom talk about gender are sexists and people whom talk about sexual orientation are homophobes? With that line of thinking, Hoenig would engage in the following back-and-forths: Hoenig: "So, who are you voting for?" A woman: "The Democratic candidate, because he's been adamant about his support for equal rights for women." Hoenig: "You sexist feminist nazi!"

The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

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